Loan Wusheng

Chapter 202 The valiant Qin warriors will fight to the death and never surrender!
The Cangdao Army pursued the Lanzhou Army for a hundred miles and won a great victory, leaving mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

Yu Shen charged ahead, his weapon becoming dull from the fighting, bone fragments and thick blood everywhere. The Cangdao Army, from top to bottom, felt exhausted and drenched in sweat.

However, they were actually very excited.

After all, they were particularly frustrated during Zheng Jun's absence, and reports of small-scale conflicts could often be heard in the military camp.

Now, under Zheng Jun's leadership, they are invincible and unstoppable. Whether they are Lanzhou ragtag soldiers or elite troops, they all have to temporarily give way when they encounter them. It is truly exhilarating!

Although he was physically exhausted but mentally alert, it still affected his condition. Zheng Jun immediately ordered the entire army to rest. Meanwhile, the Xiaoguo Army soldiers, who had been sharpening their swords in the rear, were already eager to advance!

They had been watching the Cangdao Army sweeping all before, itching to take action themselves. Now that the Cangdao Army had finally entered the fray, it was their turn to show off!
"Grand Governor!"

Yu Shen felt completely refreshed. He threw down his lance and drew a long sword that gleamed with a cold light. His fighting spirit surged as he faced Zheng Jun: "When shall we advance?"

The Sunset Blade Technique is a simplified version of the 'Radiant Sun' technique created by Zheng Jun. He passed it on to all the soldiers of the Xiaoguo Army. During their daily training, the soldiers of the Xiaoguo Army also practiced their swordsmanship using this technique, becoming very proficient. Combined with Zheng Jun's 'Radiant Sun' technique, it was enough to unleash formidable skills.

As a close follower of Zheng Jun's Grand Commander's Office, Yu Shen had also learned the Sunset Blade Technique. Now he was on high alert, ready to continue advancing with Zheng Jun and kill the enemy!

"No need."

Zheng Jun exhaled evenly, his true essence swirling around his body. The turquoise blade energy was slowly transforming into golden sunlight. Gazing south, Zheng Jun could see a black whirlwind among the vast horde of defeated soldiers, arrayed and heading towards him: "They've come on their own."

Upon hearing this, Yu Shen looked up and indeed saw a large patch of dark clouds looming in the distance.

The sound of the black iron armor leaves colliding echoed like muffled thunder, sweeping across the surroundings.

Thirty thousand Xuan Bird Guards deployed in a nine-palace formation, their black armor patterns subtly revealing crimson phoenix totems, and the cold glint at the tips of their long spears forming an iron curtain that blotted out the sky.

Helan Mountain sat upright in the battle chariot, his true essence of the four realms connecting the entire army, and actually condensed a phantom image of a black bird with outstretched wings in the void!
"Execute the traitor! Execute the traitor! Execute the traitor!"

A roar from Helan Mountain pierced the clouds and split rocks. The Xuan Niao Guards raised their long spears in unison, and the blades suddenly burst forth with crimson gold flames. The phantom of the Qin King's banner even appeared in the sky above the army formation!

Five martial artists who had reached the Qi Refining stage were positioned at the five elemental locations, pressing forward together like an iron torrent. The Xuan Niao Guard soldiers shouted in unison, "Slay the traitors!"

Its power and prestige were earth-shattering.

Upon hearing this display of force, Zheng Jun frowned.

Punish the traitor?
You are the traitors!

"It seems the King of Qin's elite troops have arrived."

Zheng Jun flashed his Longyuan Blade, turned around, and said to his spirited Xiaoguo Army soldiers, "Gentlemen, do you have the confidence to follow me and break through this so-called elite force of a hundred battles?!"

"Grand Governor!"

Suddenly, a voice shouted from within the ranks of the Xiaoguo soldiers: "If my comrades in the Xiaoguo army break through this damned Bird Guard, will their battle merits surpass those of the Cangdao Army?!"

"It is also."

Zheng Jun laughed and said, "If we can defeat the Qin King's 30,000 elite troops, the Xiaoguo Army will be the greatest contributor to this battle, ranking above the Cangdao Army!"

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"

The Xiaoguo soldiers immediately shouted, their morale soaring. They stepped forward with their long swords and began to form ranks, their tension palpable.

Upon hearing this, the Cangdao Army soldiers who had retreated to rest immediately stood up, gazing in the direction of the Xuan Niao Guards, filled with extreme regret: "Alas! Our earlier charge was too swift, which caused this to go wrong! Otherwise, it would have been a great achievement for our Cangdao Army!"

"Fellow soldiers, do not worry, our army is also ready for battle!"

A captain from the Cangdao Army approached with a sword and addressed his men, saying, "These brats from the Xiaoguo Army, when it comes to battle experience, how can they compare to the veterans of the Cangdao Army? We also need to cover for the Xiaoguo Army. If the Xiaoguo Army is no match for the enemy's elite troops, we must also form ranks and press forward to withstand the pressure!"

Upon realizing this, the generals and soldiers of the Cangdao Army immediately began to consume the Rejuvenation Pills distributed before the battle, starting to restore their true energy and physical strength, and preparing for the second formation.

"boom--!"

At this moment, among the Xuan Niao Guards at the front of the battle, 30,000 long spears thrust forward simultaneously, and a torrent of crimson flames carrying the Xuan Niao Dharma Image swooped down with tremendous force!
The dozen or so warhorses of the vanguard of the Xiaoguo Army reared up in fright, causing some disturbance in the Sunset Blade Formation. The Xuan Niao Guards also unleashed their long spear thrusts in an instant, their steps perfectly synchronized. Even in the midst of a charge, they maintained a high degree of unity.

"What a fine force the Qin Prince's Black Bird Guards are! They are truly the elite of the world!"

Zheng Jun's eyes flashed with golden light. The performance of the Xuan Niao Guard was indeed incomparable to that of the Cang Dao Army and the Xiao Guo Army.

But what's the point?

One incompetent general can cause the death of his entire army!

Zheng Jun wanted to show Helan Mountain that even if he led the world's elite troops forward, they would not be his match!
With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun drew his Longyuan Blade without hesitation.

The sun pattern on the blade resonated with the edge of the Xiaoguo military knife, creating a burst of golden light on the battlefield!
Zheng Jun slashed down with the Dragon Abyss Blade, the blade shooting out a hundred-foot-long golden light. The fifty thousand elite soldiers in the Sunset Blade Formation exerted their strength together, their true energy gathering and intertwining with the radiant sunlight, actually condensing into a hundred-foot-long golden dragon in the void!
The dragon scale pattern is outlined by the collapsed sun, and when the dragon whiskers curl, even the waves of the Huan River are evaporated into a misty white fog.

"Roar--!"

The dragon's roar shattered the clouds for ten miles, and the more than 40,000 fierce soldiers of the Cangdao Army behind them had rested enough. They immediately brandished their longswords, and the sound of the swords surged into the dragon's body like the waves of the sea.

The phantom of the dragon instantly solidified into a tangible form, and wherever its claws and fangs swept past, even space itself was distorted, leaving charred cracks!
The phantom image of the Crimson Phoenix above the Xuan Bird Guard formation was not to be outdone. Helan Shan bit his tongue and spat out his essence blood, causing the flames of the 30,000 long spears to suddenly surge by 30%!

The phoenix spread its wings, covering half the sky, and its tail feathers swept across the land, bringing with them a raging inferno that melted the broken armor and wreckage of the fleeing soldiers into molten iron!
"Don't kill me! I'm a soldier from Lanzhou too!"

"A phoenix stands before us, a dragon follows us! What are we to do?!"

"..."

Some of the routed soldiers in the center of the battle formation were filled with despair. Neither the Xuan Niao Guards at the front nor the Xiao Guo and Cang Dao Army at the rear could stop their formation because of these routed soldiers.

On the contrary, due to their interaction, the Golden Dragon and the Crimson Phoenix are rapidly drawing closer!
The moment the two forces collided, the land on both sides of the Huan River trembled like a giant drum!

The golden dragon shadow and the crimson phoenix body tore and entangled, and the shockwave that exploded uprooted all the vegetation within a ten-mile radius.

The Xiaoguo Army's Mo Dao soldiers barely managed to steady themselves by planting their swords in the ground, only to see hundreds of heavily armored infantrymen in the front row of the Xuan Niao Guards being blown away by the aftershocks, their iron armor crumbling into dust in mid-air!
A blinding burst of light suddenly erupted from the gap between the two illusory figures tearing at each other. Cold sweat seeped from Helan Shan's temples. The golden dragon scales were devouring the Crimson Phoenix Flame. The black bird guards' hands, which were gripping their halberds, had been shaken so badly that their flesh was mangled. In this collision, it was clear that he had fallen into a disadvantageous position!

'Zheng Jun, you're actually better than me at organizing troops and arranging formations?'

At that moment, a thought suddenly came to Helan Mountain's mind.

"General He, do not be distracted, the Five Elements are rotating!"

Fang Cun, a martial artist who had reached the Qi Condensation Realm, suddenly shouted, startling Helan Shan awake.

Fang Cun had no idea what Helan Shan was being coy about.

Zheng Jun is at the fifth level of the Tongqiao realm, while you are at the fourth level.

Zheng Jun led 50,000 elite troops and 45,000 elite troops, totaling nearly 100,000 men, in formation.

The Black Bird Guard only has 30,000 men.

The only thing we can overcome is individual soldier quality.

That makes it a two-to-one situation. What makes you think Zheng Jun is weaker than you?
Although Fang Cun was puzzled, this was a critical moment, so he naturally wouldn't say anything that would demoralize the troops. Instead, he continued to remind Helan Shan.

The true essence of the five Qi-opening warriors in the Xuan Bird Guard formation suddenly changed. The tail feathers of the phantom of the Crimson Phoenix suddenly split off into green vines that wrapped around the dragon's neck. The formation of the Xuan Bird Guard suddenly changed like the Bagua, and the 30,000 long spears actually condensed into blood-red array patterns with the blood energy of the defeated soldiers!
Zheng Jun's pupils constricted slightly.

The severed limbs of the routed soldiers suddenly floated eerily in mid-air, and the blood mist transformed into the third claw of the Crimson Phoenix, carrying a sinister aura that corroded bones and marrow, fiercely striking the Golden Dragon's Reverse Scale!

"It's quite interesting."

Zheng Jun's blade suddenly turned, and a thousand columns of water shot into the sky.

The medicinal power of the Mingkun Heart Blood Algae that Zheng Jun had previously taken suddenly erupted, and the collapsing sun merged with the torrent, instantly transforming the entire golden dragon into the Xuanmo True Dragon!

Where the dragon's tail swept, its blood claws froze, and what it spewed from its mouth was no longer flames, but a vortex carrying fragments of stars!
"Click!"

The Crimson Phoenix's left wing cracked in the absolute low temperature. The Xuanmo True Dragon was extremely ferocious and attacked the Crimson Phoenix like a predator, causing the Crimson Phoenix to struggle continuously.

Upon seeing this, Liu Nanyun, a martial artist at the third level of the Qi Refining Realm, immediately shouted, "General He, the situation is not right! Let's fight to the death! Even if we lose, we can stop Zheng Jun's momentum and allow the army to turn back and return to Ziyang!"

Upon hearing Liu Nanyun's words, Helan Shan's eyes bulged with bloodshot veins. After a moment's hesitation, the veins in his arms surged like writhing dragons: "Formation, activate!"

"I offer my lifeblood to the Black Bird!"

Crimson blood mist seeped from the pores of the Xuan Niao Guards, and the 30,000 iron cavalry actually formed a Blood Burning Secret Array in the face of death!

In an instant, the crimson phoenix's broken body was reborn from the ashes amidst the rain of blood, and its wings spread out to cover the entire sky!
Zheng Jun's blade trembled violently, and the Dragon Abyss Blade collapsed, with most of the sun being consumed by the raging flames.

They've risen from the ashes!
"So powerful?"

Zheng Jun couldn't help but feel that things were getting a bit tricky.

With his own troops lined up in front, and the Xiaoguo and Cangdao armies united, Zheng Jun briefly possessed power comparable to a Yuan Dan Martial Saint. However, the opposing side was in the same situation, and even after burning their essence and blood, they were still able to undergo a second rebirth.

The blazing flames unleashed by the Crimson Phoenix's wings scorched the void, causing the Mysterious Ink Dragon to retreat in disarray. The sun at its tail was devoured by the crimson flames, leaving a hideous gap.

Helan Shan's true energy was being rapidly drained from his body, yet he waved his command flag with increasing madness: "Burning Heaven, kill!"

"kill!"

The thirty thousand Xuan Bird Guards roared like wild beasts, their bodies condensing blood mist into crimson feathers.

The phantom of the Crimson Phoenix suddenly flapped its wings, and millions of blood feathers poured down like a meteor shower. Wherever it passed, even the golden luster on the broadswords of the Xiaoguo Army was corroded and left with mottled black marks!
"withstand!"

Yu Shen parried a blood-red feather with his sword, his tiger's mouth instantly splitting open.

He was horrified to discover that the shattered Blood Feather had turned into flames that seeped into his meridians. The three fierce soldiers behind him suddenly knelt down, their bodies engulfed in crimson flames, and in just a few moments, they turned to ashes!

Seeing this, Yu Shen secretly cried out in alarm and immediately said, "Grand Commander!"

Seeing this, Zheng Jun did not hesitate at all. He drew his sword again and shouted, "Cangdao Army, prepare to form ranks; Xiaoguo Army, draw your swords and advance!"

Without hesitation, Zheng Jun unleashed a hundred-foot-long golden light from his blade, transforming it into a golden saber that hurtled towards the Crimson Phoenix in the sky!
"boom!"

The Crimson Phoenix spreads its wings for the third time, stirring up a storm!

"Such elite troops are indeed formidable."

Veins bulged on Zheng Jun's forehead, and he pushed his Heavenly Eye Barrier-Breaking Divine Power to its limit. The True Dragon suddenly opened its mouth and spat out the Great Sun Revolving, and the sword intent of water and fire pierced through the chest and abdomen of the Fire Phoenix like a divine punishment!
Above the Xuan Bird Guard, Helan Mountain screamed and fell off the chariot. The phantom of the Crimson Phoenix exploded into a sky full of fire, turning the sky blood red!
"puff!"

Fang Cun, Fang He, and Liu Nanyun all coughed up blood, and the military formation beneath their feet instantly collapsed. The Xuan Niao Guards were struck as if by lightning, and even the long spears in their hands broke apart. The Crimson Phoenix Totem was annihilated inch by inch under Zheng Jun's dragon might.

In the distance, some tanks and ladders were cut in half by the shockwave, and flying sand and gravel were everywhere. The cries of the defeated soldiers who were unfortunately swept up in the sand echoed across the field.

Zheng Jun descended from the sky riding on a dragon's head, and the ground cracked and mountains collapsed wherever his blade pointed!

Helan Mountain struggled to get up, only to see the phantom of the revolving sun already hanging above the Xuan Niao Guard formation!
"Kill the enemy!"

Upon seeing this, one of the Outer Qi warriors of the Xuan Bird Guard did not hesitate. He immediately channeled his true Qi and thrust his spear at Zheng Jun.

Zheng Jun neither dodged nor flinched, letting the long spear thrust at him.

"Qiang!"

With a soft sound, the long spear snapped in two, leaving not a single white mark on Zheng Jun's body.

Upon seeing this, the outer-strength martial artist was greatly alarmed. Before he could even make a move, Zheng Jun released his true essence, which directly swept him away.

"It's you again?"

Zheng Jun landed beside the overturned chariot, looked at Helan Shan who was lying on the ground coughing up blood, and another martial artist he didn't recognize beside him, and calmly asked, "Are you willing to surrender to me?"

Before Zheng Jun could finish speaking, Fang He, a martial artist from the Fang family who had just reached the initial stage of Qi Refining, hesitated for a moment before forcefully dragging his injured body and bowing down to Zheng Jun: "Fang He is willing to surrender to the Grand Commander! Fang Ji is an accomplice of a tyrant, and everyone in the world has the right to kill him. Fang He wishes he could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin! Now that I have met the Grand Commander, I know what true heroism is!"

Fang He, a member of the Fang clan, chose to surrender the moment he met Zheng Jun.

There's no other reason than Zheng Jun's overwhelming strength.

If you do not surrender, you will surely die today.

He doesn't want to die.

Moreover, doing this is also for the sake of the family.

If the Fang family succeeds and their ancestor Fang Ji breaks through to the Yuan Dan realm, the family will naturally rise to a higher level.

However, if the Fang family fails and Lanzhou is seized by Zheng Jun, then his act of surrendering this time can preserve a sliver of life for the Fang family, preventing them from being wiped out and their entire clan exterminated...

"Pooh!"

Helan Shan spat out a mouthful of blood, looked up at Zheng Jun fearlessly, and said in a stern voice: "Born a member of the Fang family, I will die a ghost of the Fang family!"

Seeing Helan Mountain's lack of respect, Fang He was somewhat taken aback. He then whispered, "General He, that old scoundrel Fang Ji is despicable and shameless. The Grand Commander has arrived with the Heavenly Army. This is a golden opportunity for us to abandon the darkness and submit to the court!"

Upon hearing this, Helan Shan looked at Fang He with a face full of indignation: "I, Helan Shan, am not like you, who are greedy for life and afraid of death, and who flatter and fawn! As a member of the Fang family, how could you do such a thing? When your father fought alongside the King of Qin against the Western Di, did he teach you such a groveling and begging manner?"

Upon hearing this, Fang He froze, fell silent, and lowered his head even further.

He looked ashamed.

"If you refuse to surrender, then die."

Zheng Jun calmly opened his mouth, and just as he raised the Longyuan Blade, he saw Helan Shan suddenly point his fingers together to form a sword, and his blood-covered fingernails pierced deep into his temples, committing suicide on the spot!

"He is indeed fiercely loyal and righteous."

Zheng Jun couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Helan Mountain's decision to commit suicide after his defeat was something Zheng Jun had not anticipated.

After all, when I suddenly attacked Ziyang County before, this person clearly held back, seemingly watching me kill Fang Han, and then being provoked by my words, as if he had ulterior motives.

How could they die so swiftly and decisively when it came to the battlefield?

Although he had doubts, Zheng Jun did not delve too deeply into the matter.

The person is dead, why think so much?
Zheng Jun shook his head, looked around, and shouted, "Pass on my military order: capture as many enemy Xuan Niao Guard soldiers alive as possible, and do not kill prisoners!"

Then, Zheng Jun turned to look at Fang Tongqiao, who had surrendered, and said coldly, "You, come with me to collect the surrendered soldiers!"

"promise."

Fang He bowed and agreed, then closely followed Zheng Jun, helping him gather the remaining troops and persuade the surrendered soldiers.

The outcome of this battle is pretty much decided.

He had already let the other four Qi Refining warriors escape, so Zheng Jun had no intention of pursuing them. He just wanted to slowly gather his soldiers together.

The Black Bird Guards were something Zheng Jun really coveted.

There is no other reason.

He Lanshan is far weaker than me. Although he has five Qi-opening martial artists assisting him, they are of no use at all. If He Lanshan brings these five worthless scoundrels to surround and kill me, I can probably kill them in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

But with these 30,000 Xuan Bird Guards, Helan Mountain managed to hold him off for nearly an hour!

The Black Bird Guard only has 30,000 men.

Zheng Jun did not calculate the exact number of casualties during the hour-long battle, but he could roughly estimate that his Xiaoguo Army had lost tens of thousands of men, while the Xuan Niao Guard had lost about four or five thousand.

The remaining 20,000-plus people perished along with Helan Mountain, and the army also suffered a rout.

Some of the Black Bird Guards began to retreat and flee, while others remained in place, forming small military formations of hundreds or thousands of people to continue resisting. A small number of them threw down their weapons and wanted to surrender.

Although he won the battle, Zheng Jun had taken notice of the strength of the Xuan Niao Guard and was very envious of this elite force from Guanzhong.

Of course, Zheng Jun was also well aware that the truly elite troops who were ready to die would not surrender, and even if they had already died in battle, it didn't matter.

Zheng Jun wanted the Xuan Niao Guard's techniques and training methods.

The captured Xuan Niao Guard soldiers will be transported back to the rear by Zheng Jun, who will be responsible for training new recruits according to the Xuan Niao Guard's methods, thus truly bringing this training method under his command.

This is Zheng Jun's idea.

With Zheng Jun's command, the Xiaoguo Army and the Cangdao Army surged towards the scattered remnants of the Xuan Niao Guard like a tidal wave. Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the battlefield was stained blood-red, the sounds of clashing armor and shouts of battle mingling together.

Dozens of veteran soldiers of the Black Bird Guard formed a circular formation with broken halberds and spears behind them. The crimson phoenix patterns on their armor were covered with bloodstains, but they still raised their broken spears and roared: "The valiant Qin will fight to the death and never surrender!"

"The King of Qin associates with demons and monsters, and discards you like worn-out shoes. Why should you serve him? There are many brave men in the Qin lands of Guanzhong. Once the rebels are quelled, you can return to your hometowns in glory, which would be excellent!" Yu Shen advised.

"When you join the army and fight, you don't care about these things, you just focus on killing the enemy!"

A one-armed veteran in black armor snorted coldly and shouted sharply, "We would rather die than surrender! You will only get our corpses, and you will never get any living Xuan Bird Guard soldiers!"

Upon hearing this, the Xiaoguo Army's Mo Dao (陌刀) soldiers immediately formed a wall of swords with their three-zhang-long Mo Dao and advanced. The leading captain coldly shouted, "Kill!"

A flash of light, and the circular formation collapsed instantly.

The one-armed veteran in black armor suddenly sprang up, trying to charge forward, but was immediately pierced through the chest by five long swords at the same time.

Before long, the Black Bird Guards who refused to surrender and fought desperately were all slaughtered.

At roughly the same time, in the northwest corner, three hundred Xuan Bird Guards, led by an Outer Rank general, collectively threw down their weapons. The leader of the Outer Rank team knelt down and raised their military tally: "We are willing to train the new army for the Grand Commander! We can offer up the formation methods of the Guanzhong Iron Cavalry and the activation incantation of the Blood Burning Secret Formation!"

Upon seeing the Black Bird Guardian soldiers on the other side surrender, Yu Shen was greatly surprised and flew away to inquire about the reason.

Upon hearing this, the general from the outer region immediately said, "Three years ago, when we were fighting against the Western Barbarians, we fought to the death and refused to surrender. We were fighting for the people of the Central Plains. Now we are all people of the Central Plains. In the past, we fought for our respective masters. Now that we have died in battle, why should we be sent to our deaths?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shen was greatly surprised and also slightly embarrassed. After all, in terms of social class, he was from the Northern Rong.

Although ancestral records say they came from the Central Plains as refugees... in any case, they did have experience living among the Northern Rong people.

However, this awkward thought quickly passed by, and Yu Shen chuckled and said, "Good, you are indeed fine men of the Central Plains. But please help me persuade those brothers who are unwilling to surrender. The Grand Commander has ordered that those who surrender do not need to participate in the subsequent campaign against the King of Qin, but only need to train troops!"

"Yes!"

The Black Bird Guard's outer general bowed and agreed.

The battlefield was actually quite chaotic.

After all, more than 100,000 people were disrupted and fled in chaos throughout Ziyang County.

Because the Xuan Niao Guards were treated well, some defeated soldiers from Lanzhou even tried to strip the armor of the fallen Xuan Niao Guards and impersonate them to surrender, but unfortunately, their cultivation and customs were completely different from those of the Qin people in Guanzhong, and they were always easily exposed.

Then, the Qin army, Lanzhou army, Bozhou army and other troops gradually joined Zheng Jun and gathered up these defeated and surrendered soldiers.

As for the Xianbei cavalry, they were the most frustrated troops on this trip.

The original plan was for the Xianbei cavalry to launch a surprise attack on the rear to stop the fleeing soldiers from escaping south.

But the number of fleeing soldiers was too great to count, and it could even be said that they couldn't get around them at all; fleeing soldiers were everywhere.

Cavalry, unable to effectively capture soldiers, could only wander aimlessly across the battlefield, annihilating any enemy troops who still had the ability and will to resist.

As dusk deepened, Xu Hou brought bamboo slips to report: "Grand Commander, the count has been completed. In this battle, more than 2,400 Xuan Niao Guards were captured, of whom only more than 800 surrendered voluntarily and have been imprisoned separately; 700 intact Crimson Phoenix Halberds and 30 scrolls of battle formation diagrams were seized."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun nodded slightly and then asked, "Where are the soldiers from Lanzhou?"

"The Lanzhou soldiers captured more than 60,000 people. When counting the corpses, it was estimated that about 50,000 people were beheaded in this battle. The number of deserters was too numerous to count."

Xu Hou coughed lightly and said, "As for the Xuan Niao Guard, after taking a count, there should be more than 21,000 people killed, and more than 6,000 people should have fled back with the retreating troops."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun sighed and then asked, "What are our army's losses?"

"The Dingqin army suffered more than 3,000 casualties, while the Bozhou army suffered the greatest losses, with more than 18,000 being swept away by the river while crossing it and shot dead by the enemy. The Lanzhou army suffered 73 casualties, which was caused by an enemy general who went mad and suddenly attacked from behind while the pontoon bridge was being built."

Xu Hou continued his report: "The Cangdao Army suffered 2,100 casualties; the Xiaoguo Army lost 11,000 men."

Upon hearing this news, Zheng Jun couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The biggest losers were actually the Xiaoguo Army.

After all, the number of soldiers in the Xiaoguo Army was far greater than that of the Bozhou Army.

The most serious casualties among the Bozhou army were those of the Wuguang County soldiers who came from Wuguang County. Their casualties were within Zheng Jun's acceptable range.

But Zheng Jun was not so accepting of the Xiaoguo Army.

They're all his own elite troops!
There is no doubt that these deaths and injuries were all caused by being caught in the crossfire during the head-on clash with the Xuan Niao Guards, or by being killed in single combat during the subsequent pursuit of the remaining Xuan Niao Guards.

Zheng Jun asked, "Is there still silver in the treasury? Is there any pressure on the relief efforts?"

"Forehead……"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hou remained silent for a moment before subtly reminding Zheng Jun, "Grand Commander, many of the casualties in the Bozhou army were soldiers from Wuguang County. Wuguang County was recently captured by the traitor Du Hui, who suffered heavy losses there, so..."

"As for the soldiers of the Cangdao Army and the Xiaoguo Army, although some soldiers have earned merit and titles, as you know, most of the soldiers in both armies were originally refugees who had long since lost their families. Some of them had never married and were left with only the land they had been awarded for their previous merits. Now, these soldiers have all died..."

It seemed a bit awkward.

Leaving aside the Wuguang County troops of Bozhou Army, the Cangdao Army and Xiaoguo Army are indeed like this.

Most of the soldiers were originally refugees who were later recruited by Zheng Jun. He selected the strongest and most capable among them and trained them step by step. They were battle-hardened, made meritorious contributions and were awarded titles, but they had no families, even though they had acquired a lot of land in previous battles.

However, the land was all cultivated by tenant farmers and garrison soldiers, and they essentially had no relatives.

Now that he has passed away, these fields have become completely ownerless, with no one to inherit them, and will once again be taken over by Zheng Jun.

"The soldiers are willing to die for the Grand Commander, and this is also to repay the Grand Commander's kindness in saving their lives!"

Wei Quan, who was standing to the side, understood the situation best. He immediately cupped his hands to Zheng Jun and said, "The officials of Suzhou and Xuanzhou do not care about us refugees. We suffered greatly from Zhang Bengong and almost starved to death. Everywhere we went, we refugees were treated like locusts. Even if we wanted to be sold into wealthy families as slaves, we would be picked and chosen. Only the Grand Commander disregarded everything and settled us refugees. He also selected young men to join the army so that we could have enough to eat."

"If it weren't for the Grand Commander, the soldiers would have starved to death in the streets long ago. How could we be where we are today? The Grand Commander usually rewards us a lot, giving us fine wine or meat. Even if we die in battle for the Grand Commander, we will have no regrets."

"Ugh."

Zheng Jun sighed deeply: "I will handle the matter of Wuguang County. After Lanzhou is pacified, I will go to Wuguang County and behead that Du fellow."

Zheng Jun said, "As for the soldiers of the Cangdao and Xiaoguo armies, we should try our best to find suitable women for them to marry."

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's words, Xu Hou hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to say something, but Zheng Jun stopped him, saying, "I know what you want to say. If the soldiers lose their yang energy, their yang energy will decline, and the effect of condensing qi in the battle formation will be worse."

"If I cannot secure a future for my soldiers, how can I put their minds at ease?" Zheng Jun said coldly.

"promise!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hou immediately agreed.

There are indeed quite a few single men in the military.

Where are there so many unmarried girls of marriageable age?

However, the world has been in turmoil ever since, and there have been many massacres of cities. In particular, the Qin King's rampage has caused a lot of refugees and widows to emerge in the Zhili region.

These widows, living alone far from home, are easily bullied and long to find a safe haven.

Perfect, we hit it off immediately.

Xu Hou took a deep breath and felt that this was a task more suitable for Wei Tu to handle.

While Wei Tu may not be good at military formations, he's quite adept at arranging blind dates.

However, these matters should be discussed at least after Ziyang County has been captured.

For now, we need to suppress it.

After Xu Hou and Wei Quan bowed and took their leave, Dugu Yuan soon requested an audience again. According to Yu Shen, Dugu Yuan also brought two or three martial artists from the Outer Gang faction who claimed to be "disciples of the Yan family".

"Yan family?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun pondered for a moment.

Zheng Jun had heard of the Yan family.

To conquer Lanzhou, Zheng Jun naturally needed to gather intelligence. The Fang family was the most powerful and influential family in Lanzhou, followed closely by the Yan family.

The Yan family ancestors also produced Yuan Dan Martial Saints, and a supernatural power has been passed down. Currently, there are three Tongqiao Martial Masters in the clan.

One of them is Yan Xunzhen, the head of the family, who has reached the third level of enlightenment.

One of them is Yan Cai, the young master of the family, who is said to be exceptionally intelligent and has reached the initial stage of enlightenment.

The last one is somewhat special; she is a rare female martial artist, Yan Xunzhen's younger sister, Yan Congning, who is at the second level of the Qi Refining Realm.

This Yan Congning married Liu, the Minister of Revenue of the current dynasty, and lived in Shenjing (Beijing), so she herself was not in Lanzhou.

"They are a family with considerable strength."

Zheng Jun nodded slightly: "Let them in."

Zheng Jun had no idea that the so-called young master of the Yan family had been casually killed by him during the first wave of attacks, dying as easily as swatting a fly.

Before long, Dugu Yuan escorted the two inside, and upon seeing Zheng Jun, the two immediately bowed and said, "Grand Commander."

"Speak, what is it?" Zheng Jun said casually.

Having said that, one of them immediately took out a handwritten letter: "My patriarch has important matters to discuss with the Grand Commander. Please read the letter..."

Zheng Jun reached out, took out the handwritten letter, glanced at it, and then, expressionless, casually pointed, causing a golden flame to blaze on the letter.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished without a trace.

Upon seeing this, the two Yan family members were taken aback, completely unaware of what Zheng Jun was about to do.

“Tell your patriarch that he doesn’t need to open the city gates of Lanzhou. Tomorrow I will launch a surprise attack on Ziyang. If he can open the gates of Ziyang, it will be a great achievement. If he is unwilling to open the gates, then he can die with the Fang family.”

Zheng Jun's gaze was like lightning, and his true essence suddenly surged, unleashing a powerful pressure that crashed down like a mountain!

The two Yan family members instantly felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their knees slamming uncontrollably to the ground with a thud.

"Great, Great Commander, spare my life!"

The two men were deathly pale, with veins bulging on their foreheads, and they had to use their hands to brace themselves against the ground to avoid being crushed to the ground.

"I didn't say I was going to kill you."

Zheng Jun remained calm and continued, "Go back and deliver the message."

After saying that, the powerful aura was withdrawn from the outside world. The two Yan family members breathed a sigh of relief, scrambled up from the ground, and hurriedly took their leave, intending to go back and send a message to the family head.

After doing all this, Zheng Jun looked south and seemed to see through layers of obstacles to reach the city of Ziyang County.

"Gongyang Jin, tomorrow will be the day I take your life!"

……

Lanzhou, Ziyang County.

Gongyang Jin staggered up the city wall of Ziyang County, the bloodstains on his armor already dried into a dark brown color.

These bloodstains were from the killing of traitors during the retreat.

There was a general from the Outer Gang who was bewitched and wanted to ambush and kill Gongyang Jin, and take Gongyang Jin's head to surrender to Zheng Jun. However, he was easily killed by Gongyang Jin.

This incident angered Gongyang Jin.

It's like every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to get their hands on their heads!

Although he had been yielding all along, he was still a martial artist at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm. How could he possibly be assassinated by an Outer Qi Martial Artist?!
However, after taking a comprehensive view of the situation, he felt particularly bleak, and his anger completely disappeared.

Yes.

The fact that an Outer Martial Artist would actually carry out such a low-probability assassination attempt for Zheng Jun's wealth and status truly disheartened Gongyang Jin.

He leaned against the arrow emplacement and looked out of the city.

Outside the city, the setting sun was like blood. The defeated soldiers swarmed towards the city gate like ants. Broken spears and tattered flags dragged in the dust, and their wails drifted up to the city walls on the wind.

The crowd jostled and shoved each other to get into the city first. If it weren't for the presence of martial artists patrolling the city walls, people might have even started fighting over it.

"Lord Hancheng, the battle report is out."

A martial artist with the Qi Refining Realm stood behind Gongyang Jin, holding a military report, hesitant to speak: "The Black Bird Guard suffered 80% casualties, with only over 6,000 returning. General He committed suicide on the battlefield after his defeat, and Fang He..."

"Say!"

Gongyang Jin gripped the arrow sling tightly, causing cracks to appear between his fingers.

The martial artist who had attained enlightenment said, "Fang He led over a thousand remaining troops to surrender to Zheng Jun, and even took the lead in recruiting my Lanzhou troops to surrender."

Upon hearing this, Gongyang Jin immediately laughed.

Instead of getting angry, she smiled.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

After hearing the battle report, Gongyang Jin suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh, his laughter laced with uncontrollable irony and sorrow.

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears even welling up in his eyes. His fingers gripped the crenellations of the city wall so tightly that the blue bricks were crushed into dust by Gongyang Jin!
"Well done! Well done, Fang family!"

He abruptly stopped laughing, his voice hoarse as if scraping rust with a knife: "Fang Yuan, Fang Yan, Fang Han, and Fang Du, those four good-for-nothings, at least died under Zheng Jun's blade, which earned the Fang family a 'loyal and valiant' memorial arch!"

"Fang Ping is even worse. I sent him back to reinforce, but he shouted something like 'Our army has been defeated,' causing a massive rout. Then he deserted with his 20,000 troops! Now he doesn't even dare to show his face to me and has fled all the way to Anlong County!"

Having said that, Gongyang Jin suddenly kicked over the brazier beside him, sending embers tumbling down, and then shouted angrily, "That Fang He! Fang He! Fang He!"

"This wretched wretch dares to kneel and surrender on the battlefield! Leading Zheng Jun's blade to stab his own comrade in the heart?!"

Gongyang Jin was already feeling dizzy and immediately shouted, "Did that old devil Fang Ji use the backbones of all the Fang family members to refine pills before he went into seclusion?!"

The soldiers guarding the city wall were so terrified by this frenzied behavior that they all lowered their heads.

It's no wonder Gongyang Jin was furious.

Because Lanzhou belongs to the Fang family!

The way his family is doing things is driving Gongyang Jin crazy.

Fang Yuan volunteered to be killed, while Fang Yanjun reported that he was encountered and killed by Zheng Jun on his way out. Fang Han and Fang Du, on the other hand, died the most normal deaths, simply because they didn't win the fight.

Fang Ping not only deserted, but also triggered a herd effect, causing more than 100,000 troops in the rear to flee directly, which indirectly led to Gongyang Jin having to rely on the Xuan Niao Guards as his backup.

Fang He surrendered directly and even helped Zheng Jun spread propaganda to recruit soldiers from Lanzhou.

Oh right, and there's also Zhang Wen, the son-in-law of the Fang family. Gongyang Jin doesn't even want to talk about him anymore. He surrendered without any warning, along with the two prefectures of Batang and Guangping.

What exactly are these guys surnamed Fang doing?

Isn't Lanzhou part of your family's business?
Is the surname of Lanzhou Gongyang?

On the other hand, people with different surnames.

Murong Ling stayed behind to cover the retreat in the first wave, and Yan Cai, although not very bright, also died on the battlefield for Lanzhou.

After Helan Mountain's defeat, unwilling to suffer further humiliation, he committed suicide after the defeat.

What are these people doing?!
Gongyang Jin was really fed up with this terrible teammate.

He began to miss the time when they attacked Southern Chu, when everyone was intelligent and understood each other perfectly, and there weren't so many brainless actions.

After taking a deep breath, Gongyang Jin gradually regained his composure. He sneered and said without any pretense, "The Fang family still has two Tongqiao members. I want to see what new tricks these Fang fellows can put on for me."

The martial artist behind him, who had reached the Qi Refining stage, did not say anything.

After calming down, Gongyang Jin said, "After Fang Cun returns, he will guard the North Gate, right? Let Fang Cun 'rest' and let Yan Cunzhen guard the North Gate instead."

He was really scared.

They fear that the housing inventory will collapse at the slightest touch, and they also fear that the housing inventory will not be able to withstand the pressure and will surrender.

Therefore, Gongyang Jin decided to replace him.

Yan Cunzhen, who had a blood feud with Zheng Jun for killing his son.

Gongyang Jin finally realized that these outsiders were more trustworthy than the Fang family members; trusting the Fang family members would only lead to certain death.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the martial artist who had reached the Qigong stage immediately accepted the order and went to prepare for the deployment of defenses.

As for Gongyang Jin, his vision blurred and he felt dizzy.

He seemed to be feeling unwell.

"..."

Yan Cunzhen sat upright in the military camp, listening to the news brought by his two disciples, and was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

He had to consider Zheng Jun's opinion.

Although Yan Cunzhen was deeply saddened by the news of his son Yan Cai's death, he suppressed his grief.

One son is nothing.

The key is the survival and prosperity of the family.

"Today's battle shows Zheng Jun's remarkable strength. Even the Xuan Niao Guard could only delay him for an hour. If he reaches Lanzhou, he might actually be able to destroy Fang Ji."

After a period of internal struggle, Yan Cunzhen decided to surrender!
However, how should we cooperate with Zheng Jun?

Yan Cunzhen frowned.

Just then, a scout arrived outside the door to deliver military orders to Yan Cunzhen.

The military order was very simple.

Gongyang Jin ordered Yan Cunzhen to move his post to the north gate to guard the northern gateway and prevent Zheng Jun from launching an attack.

The North Gate is the most important gate, directly facing the enemy's advance, and therefore must not be lost.

(End of this chapter)