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Chapter 288 The War Begins Again
The war in the Northwest began unexpectedly.

Half a month after Gu Ci left the Northwest, the Turks suddenly launched a fierce attack at night. Fortunately, General Chen and Deputy General Jiang were prepared and the Northwest Army resisted the Turks for several rounds.

When Tang Zhao arrived at Xiakou Pass, the Turkic cavalry had just retreated, and Gu Xuan was leading the military doctors and nurses of the medical battalion to rescue the wounded soldiers.

"How come you're injured so badly?"

General Chen's knife wound on his back was so deep that the bone was visible, and Deputy General Jiang's intestines were spilling out from the wound in his waist and abdomen. If it weren't for the timely treatment by the Ghost Doctor, he would probably have died long ago.

“Princess, we’ve been tricked.” Deputy General Chen, fearing another Turkic attack, dared not use anesthetic and could only endure the pain of the army doctor stitching up his wounds. “Ge Shuyong didn’t go to the Northeast at all. This time, it was he who led the troops to launch a surprise attack on Xiagu Pass.”

Tang Zhao frowned. "If it's him, then who is leading the troops in the Northeast?"

General Chen didn't know, but whoever it was, they were no match for the General of the Flying Cavalry. The real fear was that the Turks would cower and play the coward, delaying the General of the Flying Cavalry's return to the Northwest.

“Princess, although the Turks have suffered more casualties than us, the Prince and the General of the Cavalry are not here. We are better able to defend the city than to attack it. I urge you to go to Lanzhou as soon as possible and return to Luoyang with the Princess and the Crown Prince’s wife.”

If they truly cannot hold the Northwest, at least they can buy time until the Prince or the General of the Cavalry returns. Even if the Northwest is breached then, the Prince and the General of the Cavalry can drive the Turks out of the Northwest again.

Tang Zhao looked at General Chen seriously, "This princess can run, the princess and the crown prince's wife can run, but can the people of the Northwest run?"

Chen Li choked, how could a human leg outrun a horse's leg?
"Even if the people of the Northwest can escape, can the soldiers of the Northwest Army escape?"

Chen Li said firmly, "Of course not!"

The Northwest Army's duty was to guard the northwestern frontier; how could they abandon the city and flee?
Tang Zhao retorted, "What use is the city if the people are gone? We might as well all run away and hand over the northwest to the Turks!"

Chen Li could see Tang Zhao's anger and dared not speak again.

"Before Gu Ci left, he entrusted the Northwest and the Northwest Army to this princess. This princess will naturally guard the Northwest well," Tang Zhao lowered her eyes to look at Chen Li, "If General Chen tries to persuade this princess to abandon the city and flee again, this princess will punish you for the serious crime of undermining the morale of the army!"

Chen Li lowered his head, "This humble general dares not."

Looking at the wounded soldiers scattered all over the ground, Tang Zhao said, "If we can't hold Xiagu Pass, then we'll retreat to Wuwei."

"Yes!" General Chen hesitated, "Then what should be done with the tea-horse trade and General Guli?"

Where is Gulibanu now?

Chen Li turned his head and looked around. "General Guli was just fighting alongside us."

How come it disappeared as soon as I turned my head?

"Send men to search!" Tang Zhao ordered. "Send all the wounded soldiers back to Wuwei immediately, and send scouts and 10,000 Northwest Army soldiers to guard the valley pass and keep a close watch on the Turks' movements."

Wu Yier accepted the order and left.

Beside the fire, Bai Rouyin, who was bandaging the blood-loss-prone Gulibanu, heard the soldiers calling for Gulibanu and calmly stood up, saying, "General Gulibanu is here!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the soldiers rushed over, lifted the half-conscious Gulibanu onto a stretcher, and sent him back to Wuwei overnight along with the other wounded soldiers.

Fifty miles away was the Turkic camp.

"Damn it! The Northwest Army is a tough nut to crack." They thought that without Prince Xuan and Gu Ci, taking over the Northwest would be as easy as taking candy from a baby, but they didn't expect to suffer heavy casualties instead.

Ge Shuyong ignored the insults and curses of his lieutenants, saying, "That weapon called steel, hasn't the ordnance battalion figured out how to make it yet?"

The lieutenant wiped his face. "No, those useless morons in the ordnance battalion haven't even figured out what the materials for steelmaking are." Ge Shuyong's face was grim. "Tell the ordnance battalion that if there's no progress within ten days, I'll chop off their heads and use them to make wine!"

"Yes!"

The generals who hadn't yet left the station kept shouting, "Marshal, when are we going to fight another battle? We can't wait any longer!"

"What's the rush? You'll have your own time to fight," Ge Shuyong said with a quick glance, and the general dared not utter another sound.

"I have made a solemn pledge before the Empress Dowager and the Khan that I will take the Northwest before Prince Xuan and Gu Ci return."

"After this battle, I have gained a general understanding of the Northwest Army's strength. As long as we solve the Northwest Army's weaponry problem, taking over the Northwest will be just around the corner."

Ge Shuyong's gaze swept over the generals in the tent one by one. "I don't care what you think, but with a formidable enemy at hand, anyone who dares to disobey my orders will be ruthless."

Several generals' expressions changed, and their faces turned ugly.

Ge Shuyong snorted coldly and continued to discuss the attack strategy.

In Wuwei City, many people felt a pang of sorrow as they watched the wounded soldiers being carried back. Upon hearing that the Northwest Army had abandoned Xiakou Pass and was defending Wuwei, many noble families considered fleeing.

"With King Xuan and General of the Cavalry absent, how can Princess Zhaoshan, a mere woman who has barely seen the battlefield, possibly withstand the overwhelming force of the Turks?"

"We should leave the Northwest as soon as possible. It won't be too late to return after King Xuan and General of Chariots and Cavalry have returned to the Northwest!"

In an instant, Wuwei's eastern city was in chaos, with horse-drawn carts piled high with goods crowding the wide streets.

When the common people saw that even the nobles were in such a hurry to escape, they couldn't help but feel contempt for them.

"Pah! When things are peaceful, they seem high and mighty and calm in the face of danger, but when trouble comes, they run faster than rabbits. They have such cowardice, they're not even as brave as a child!"

Some people who couldn't stand by and watch secretly reported the matter to Tang Zhao, who was setting up a trap outside the west gate.

"Want to run?"

"That's right! Everything in the house has been moved out!"

"Ha!" Tang Zhao sneered, "You continue with the arrangements, this princess will go and meet them."

Looking at Tang Zhao's icy face, Wu Jia silently lit a candle for the noble families who were preparing to flee.

At the east gate, carriages and crowds filled the streets, and shouts and curses filled the air.

The guards at the east gate killed the servants and guards who tried to force the gate open. "Anyone who trespasses on the city gates will be killed without mercy!"

The noble families sitting inside the carriage were filled with shock and anger when they heard a sharp, feminine voice say, "Insolence! You dog slaves, do you even dare to kill our family members?"

Lady Ning'an, sitting in the carriage, was overjoyed and quickly pulled back the curtain to look out. She saw a man dressed as a eunuch sitting in the first carriage, being carried off the carriage. He raised his chin and raised his pinky finger, cursing, "I am the supervising officer in charge of the Northwest Army on behalf of the Emperor!"

"Now that war has broken out in the Northwest, I, the military governor, must return to Luoyang as soon as possible to report to His Majesty for a decision. If you delay the military report from the Northwest because of your actions, even a hundred heads will not be enough to pay off your debts!"

The city gate guard repeated, "Anyone who trespasses without the princess's orders will be killed without mercy!"

"You! You! You!" Li Dajian roared in fury. "Guards, kill them for me!"