Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 235 A Poem to Protect the Nation! This old man, in a moment of youthful exuberance, leads a yellow dog on the left and holds a falcon on the right!
The setting sun, like blood, dyed the desolate northern plains a tragic and intense orange-red.

Just as the afterglow was about to be swallowed by the night, the side gate of Mizhou quietly opened, and a cavalry force of more than a thousand men emerged silently like shadows.

With hundreds of thousands of troops frequently mobilized within the territory of Mizhou Prefecture, this force of a thousand cavalry was insignificant, not even comparable to a vanguard scout, and attracted almost no attention.

With gags in their mouths and soft cloth wrapped around their hooves, the riders, guided by a familiar guide, avoided open areas and sped swiftly along the shadowy hills.

A thousand cavalrymen galloped more than twenty miles and silently climbed a high hill overlooking the area ahead.

Jiang Xingzhou reined in his horse and stood gazing into the distance. Xue Chonghu followed closely behind, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Seven or eight miles away, a vast camp appeared like a hideous scar, branded onto the desolate wilderness in the twilight.

This is the garrison of the Snow Wolf Kingdom's 100,000-strong army!
Tens of thousands of wolf soldiers were busy in the camp. Some were clumsily setting up simple tents, while others were sitting around clusters of campfires with the plundered livestock on the fire, the aroma of meat wafting in the wind.

Many wolf demons have already taken on a semi-human, half-wolf form, with exposed fangs and strong forepaws that can still wield battle axes to chop down trees.

Furthermore, a large number of wolf soldiers were haphazardly cutting down the already sparse trees at the edge of the camp, clearly rushing to make crude siege ladders in preparation for attacking the walls of Mizhou.

Outside the camp, only a few scattered wolf soldiers were on guard. The vast majority of wolf demons clearly believed that the Great Zhou army would not dare to leave the city, and the entire camp exuded a relaxed atmosphere of confidence.

Jiang Xingzhou pointed his whip at the vast, seemingly chaotic camp, his voice calm yet chilling: "Father-in-law, look, the Snow Wolf Kingdom's 100,000-strong army is right before your eyes."

Xue Chonghu felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, and his fingers, gripping the longsword tightly, turned slightly white from the force.

He took a deep breath of the biting cold air, his chest surging with heroic spirit, and roared, "If I can defeat 100,000 wolf demons here, I, Xue Chonghu, will have lived a life worthy of my ancestors and be able to revive the glorious achievements of the founding of the nation!"

Just then, a patrol of wolf soldiers on the edge of the camp seemed to notice the commotion on the hill. They looked up in astonishment, their wolf eyes filled with disbelief—

There really was a human cavalry unit that dared to appear near the camp of 100,000 wolf soldiers before nightfall!

Jiang Xingzhou's lips curled slightly as he glanced at Qing Fei beside him: "Qing Fei!"

The green-clad girl who had been standing quietly to the side smiled sweetly, formed a hand seal, and her body shimmered with a soft green light.

She parted her lips slightly and uttered an ancient syllable—

In an instant, countless vines sprang up like serpents from the tall grass at the foot of the hill, silently entangling the alert wolf scouts and dragging them into the deep grass in a flash, without even a whimper.

"Mysterious Maiden!"

Jiang Xingzhou's voice fell again.

The girl in black, Xuan Nu, nodded slightly, her figure flickered, and she vanished like smoke.

The next moment, she appeared a hundred feet away. With a flick of her finger, several shadowy streams of air shot out, accurately disappearing into the shadows of several wolf soldiers on guard duty in the distance.

The wolf soldiers froze, their eyes suddenly becoming vacant, standing motionless like soulless puppets, no longer making a sound.

Obstacles cleared!

Xue Chonghu suddenly drew his longsword from his waist, the blade pointing directly at the unsuspecting wolf demon camp below the mountain. His roar, like thunder, pierced the ears of his thousand riders:

"Soldiers—follow me and kill!"

"kill--!"

He spurred his horse forward like a tiger descending a mountain, his sword flashing through the air. Behind him, a thousand riders roared in unison, like a torrent bursting its banks, cascading down from the high ground and crashing into the enemy camp!
Iron hooves trampled the last rays of the sunset, shattering the twilight.

Xue Chonghu's thousand cavalrymen, like a red-hot blade cutting into solidified fat, tore through the outer perimeter of the Snow Wolf Camp without any hindrance.

The area was mostly filled with supply trains and exhausted demon soldiers, who were sitting around a campfire tearing at raw meat. Little did they know that the attack would come from the direction of Mizhou City, which they had already considered theirs for the taking!

"Enemy attack——!"

The mournful howls of wolves finally tore through the night amidst flames and chaos, but it was too late.

Xue Chonghu's iron cavalry, like a steel whirlwind, pushed speed and impact to the extreme, tearing apart the outer perimeter of the camp.

Iron hooves shattered the camp fences, and the flash of blades was like lightning. Wherever they passed, wolf soldiers fell to the ground. Those who hastily engaged in battle were not even able to raise their weapons before being swept into the bloody mud by the hooves and blades.

The campfire was overturned by the galloping warhorses, sparks flying and instantly igniting the tents and piles of wood. Thick smoke billowed and flames soared into the sky, plunging the wolf camp into chaos.

Xue Chonghu took the lead, his long sword like a dragon, each swing accompanied by a tearing sound, and the wolf soldiers and generals flew away in response, none of them able to withstand his sharpness.

Jiang Xingzhou did not charge into battle with the enemy. Instead, he reined in his horse in the center of the army, his gaze as cold as ice, calmly surveying the evolving battle situation, as if he were examining a game of chess that was about to be won.

The atmosphere inside the central military tent of the Snow Wolf Kingdom suddenly froze.

"Report! Your Majesty! The camp has been attacked! The number of enemy cavalry is unknown, but they are extremely elite and have already penetrated the supply depot!"

A wolf stumbled into the tent, its voice hoarse with fear.

The snow wolf king and the tribal leaders, who were tearing apart their prey inside the tent, paused in their actions.

"what?!"

The Snow Wolf King abruptly rose to his feet, his massive body causing the firelight in the tent to flicker. A moment of astonishment flashed in his wolf eyes, followed by a surge of boundless rage: "With an army of 100,000 men at the city gates, Mizhou City has not only failed to defend itself but has dared to send a surprise attack?!"

He bared his fangs and roared in fury, "Does this mean my Snow Wolf Kingdom is weak and incompetent? Do you think my 100,000-strong army is nothing but weeds?!"

"Roar! This is outrageous!"

The eldest prince overturned the food table in front of him, scattering bronze platters and bloody dishes across the floor. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and his fangs bared: "Father! Let me tear these ignorant fools apart!"

"Kill them!"

"Make wine vessels from their skulls!"

"I want to eat its flesh raw!"

Inside the tent, the princes, wolf lords, and wolf generals roared in unison, their demonic energy surging. In their eyes, this was no ordinary harassment, but a blatant trampling of the Snow Wolf Kingdom's dignity by the Great Zhou's garrison!
"Shut up, everyone!"

The Snow Wolf King roared, silencing the commotion. His wolf eyes flashed with a chilling light: "What's the panic! A thousand cavalrymen are nothing but blood food delivered to our doorstep! We can use their heads as a sacrifice for tomorrow's siege!"

His sharp claws were aimed directly at the most ferocious generals in the tent:
"The eldest prince led the left flank of the wolf cavalry and granted control of its left wing!"

"The Second Prince will lead the elite troops of the Right Wing to cut off their retreat!"

"Red-Haired Wolf Marquis, lead your central cavalry and crush them head-on!"

"Remember—leave them alive! Especially the general who led the troops! I want to see who gave him the audacity to trample my camp!"

"Leader!"

"Roar--!"

The wolves roared as they charged out of the tent, their demonic bodies swelling and transforming into streaks of black wind that hurtled towards the raging flames. They were determined to tear these audacious human cavalrymen to shreds on this blood-red wasteland!

Jiang Xingzhou looked up toward the central command tent and saw several powerful demonic energies soaring into the sky, like warning signals.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Father-in-law, the fish has taken the bait."

According to the original plan, strike and retreat immediately; do not linger!

His clear voice pierced through the noise of the battlefield and reached Xue Chonghu's ears clearly.

"Let the wolves taste what it's like to be guerrilla-hunted by a pack of wolves!"

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Chonghu swiftly swung his longsword, deflecting a wolf general who was charging at him. Using the momentum, he turned his horse around and roared like thunder: "All troops, listen to my command! Wedge formation—turn! Retreat!"

The order was given and it was like a landslide!
The thousand cavalrymen displayed astonishing training, abruptly turning back before their momentum was exhausted, like a raging tide precisely halting after crashing against the shore. Without hesitation, they abandoned their immediate gains and transformed into a sharp arrow, speeding off along their predetermined route.

Their movements were swift and decisive, leaving behind only a chaotic camp engulfed in flames, and countless wolf demon generals roaring and chasing after them from behind, consumed by rage.

Xue Chonghu led a thousand cavalrymen who came like lightning and went like the wind!
Like a sharp dagger that pierces precisely and then withdraws suddenly, after stirring up chaos and flames in the Snow Wolf camp, the entire cavalry, without waiting for the wolf army to surround them, suddenly turned like an arrow released from a bow, their hooves crushing the withered grass of the wasteland, and galloped towards Mizhou City, dozens of miles away.

"Chase them! We can't let them escape!"

"Tear these despicable humans to shreds!"

The eldest prince's eyes were bloodshot, almost spitting blood. His left-wing wolf cavalry were the first to react, howling and biting down hard.

Immediately afterwards, the Second Prince's right wing and the elite central army under the Red-Haired Wolf Marquis were also swept into the pursuit. Tens of thousands of wolf riders, like a black, raging tide bursting its banks, their murderous aura soaring to the sky, relentlessly pursued the audacious human cavalry. A frenzied chase across the plains had begun.

In terms of actual casualties, Xue Chonghu's surprise night raid was only a minor blow to the 100,000-strong Snow Wolf army—the casualties were only a hundred or so wolf soldiers, and a few carts were burned.

But this slap landed stingingly on the faces of every Snow Wolf general and commander!
With an army of 100,000 pressing in, their momentum was overwhelming. Instead of retreating into the city, the enemy dared to break into the camp with only a thousand cavalrymen, killing and burning, and then left triumphantly!

This is no longer tactical harassment.

This is blatant contempt!

This is a trampling on the dignity of the Snow Wolf Kingdom!

"A humiliating disgrace...a humiliating disgrace indeed!"

A wolf commander, gazing at the receding dust and his own ravaged rear camp, beat his chest and stamped his feet, roaring furiously.

In front of the central command tent, the Snow Wolf King gazed at the receding plume of dust, then looked at his own furious army, which surged out in pursuit like swarming bees, his thick brows furrowing tightly.

and many more!

not right...

The unease that had been lingering in my heart suddenly tightened like a poisonous vine.

What exactly is the purpose of this move?
Was it merely to provoke the wolf army?
Jiang Xingzhou has always been a man of profound strategy, and Xue Chonghu comes from a family of meritorious officials. How could they not know the importance of their actions and take such a risky move that only shows their courage?

"Stop! All of you, come back to me!"

The Snow Wolf King almost roared a command to halt this seemingly reckless pursuit. The opponent had clearly come prepared, choosing to launch a sneak attack at dusk and then flee in a flash, obviously having calculated the wolf clan's easily angered nature and intending to lure the enemy deep into their territory.

There might be a trap ahead!
However, before his command could be uttered, it was drowned out by the furious roars of tens of thousands of wolf riders. The eldest and second princes, their eyes already burning with shame, led their vanguard like unleashed beasts, surging forth like a burst dam, impossible to rein in.

The Snow Wolf King's Adam's apple bobbed, suppressing its roar into a deep, muffled howl.

He knew that the morale of the troops was now ignited by anger, and that forcibly suppressing it would only backfire.

"That's it!
Order the rear guard to form ranks and advance slowly, maintaining strict vigilance! The vanguard should pursue, but must not stray more than twenty li from the main force!

He had no choice but to settle for second best and issue the safest instructions.

His gaze was fixed on the blurry outline of Mizhou City, his wolf eyes flashing with an icy light.

Jiang Xingzhou, Xue Chonghu... what kind of tricks are you playing?

But in the face of absolute power, all conspiracies are ultimately futile!
"When the sun rises tomorrow, my army will press on and crush this city of Mizhou into dust!"

Although he suppressed his doubts with strong self-talk, an ominous shadow, like a persistent carbuncle, was quietly eroding the wolf king's confidence. This battle for Mizhou Prefecture seemed to have quietly deviated from his expected trajectory from the moment those thousand iron cavalrymen marched into the camp.

Dusk fell like blood, the last rays of light on the horizon swallowed by the deep indigo. The majestic outline of Mizhou Prefecture was now in sight, torches strung like dragons on the city walls, illuminating the tense faces of the defending soldiers.

Just as the journey home was coming to an end and the city gates were in sight, Jiang Xingzhou, who was leading the way, suddenly pulled on the reins!
"Uu——!"

The magnificent steed beneath him reared up and neighed, then suddenly stood on its hind legs and came to an abrupt stop.

Jiang Xingzhou's blue robe fluttered in the rising night wind. He raised his hand and made a clean and crisp gesture behind him.

Behind him, Xue Chonghu and a thousand Iron Mountain cavalrymen acted as if on cue, reining in their horses almost simultaneously.

The torrent of iron that had been rushing like thunder just moments before has instantly transformed into a solemn steel forest, standing silently in the open field only a mile away from the city wall.

The dust that was raised slowly settled.

This lone army, fresh from its thunderous strike, did not retreat to the nearby safe city gate. Instead, it turned its horses around again, blades pointed outwards, forming a formidable formation, silently facing the direction from which the pursuers were attacking.

In the distance, billowing smoke and dust resembled a black hurricane sweeping across the land.

The roars and howls of tens of thousands of wolf riders were deafening, and even the ground beneath their feet trembled.

Leading the charge was none other than the eldest prince of the Snow Wolf Kingdom, who had already revealed part of his demonic form, with a ferocious appearance and bloodthirsty fangs, surrounded by several demon lords and demon generals exuding murderous aura!

Their eyes burned with the fury of humiliation and a thirst for slaughter, vowing to crush the audacious human cavalrymen before them into dust.

However, when they caught up and saw the thousand-strong army that should have been fleeing in panic but had suddenly stopped and stood ready for battle, their surging momentum involuntarily paused.

what happened?

Why not escape back to the city?
Could it be... that there really is an ambush?
Even the tyrannical eldest prince couldn't help but tighten the reins, slowing his frenzied gallop.

Its crimson wolf eyes scanned its surroundings with suspicion and uncertainty, especially fixed on the silent Mizhou City, which stood like a primordial beast in the twilight. Banners fluttered atop the city walls, and the cold glint of armor was blindingly bright in the torchlight, yet not a single soldier came out to meet it.

The battlefield was locked in a suffocating and bizarre standoff.

On one side, there was a vanguard of tens of thousands of wolf demons, who had been running wildly for dozens of miles and whose murderous aura had reached its peak. They were restless and agitated, like a surging black tide.

On the other side was the human iron cavalry, who had just delivered a thunderous blow, numbering only a thousand, yet remained as immovable as a rock, their calm demeanor concealing explosive power.

Jiang Xingzhou sat upright on his horse, his gaze calm and serene, seemingly looking beyond the surging wolf pack in front of him, directly at the central banner of the Snow Wolf King in the distance.

Xue Chonghu, standing beside him, pointed his long sword diagonally at the ground, his body radiating a powerful aura, like a volcano about to erupt.

The thousand Iron Mountain Cavalry remained silent, with only the occasional snort of their warhorses. Yet, their fierce and bloodthirsty aura, honed through countless battles, was so unified that it was in no way inferior to the frenzied and tyrannical wolf demons on the opposing side.

"Hmph! A bluff!"

The eldest prince was completely ignited by this deadly provocation. He roared to the sky, "My sons! Follow me and charge forward, crushing them into a bloody pulp!"

"Your Highness, please reconsider!"

A more experienced demon lord hurriedly tried to dissuade them, pointing his claws at the walls of Mizhou City, "The situation is strange! They dare to deploy a thousand cavalrymen with their backs to the city, yet the troops inside remain stationary. There must be an ambush!"

Just as the wolf demon vanguard was in a state of shock and uncertainty, unsure of what to do next.

On the city tower, Tang Xiujin, the Minister of War, slowly raised his right hand, his eyes, weathered yet sharp as a hawk's, piercing through the deepening twilight.

With this seemingly simple action, from behind the crenellations of the city wall facing the battlefield, giant crossbows, each requiring several people to encircle, were quietly pushed out, their bolts, as thick as a child's arm, gleaming with a cold, metallic light; immediately afterward, rows of scholars dressed in black robes silently appeared, their bodies radiating literary energy that resonated with the literary energy of heaven and earth, causing a gentle breeze to swirl.

There were no earth-shaking war drums, no soaring shouts, but an invisible yet chilling aura, like an invisible tide, spread from the top of Mizhou City, heavily enveloping the entire wilderness, even silencing the roars of tens of thousands of wolf riders.

Xue Chonghu reined in his horse and turned to the side, a hint of confusion flashing across his rugged face. He lowered his voice and asked, "My dear son-in-law, if we don't enter the city now, when will we?"

Jiang Xingzhou's lips curled slightly, but a chilling glint flashed in his eyes as he calmly replied, "Not enough killing yet."

Xue Chonghu was taken aback at first, then burst into thunderous laughter that shook the surrounding area: "Hahaha! Good! What a fine 'not enough killing'! Since my son-in-law is so willing, I will accompany you to kill through this wolf formation today! Tell me, how do you want to kill them?"

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Xingzhou did not lead his troops forward. Instead, he slightly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a sword, sweeping across the vast twilight and the lurking wolf army in the distance. His voice, like the resounding clang of gold and jade, echoed loudly:

"Father-in-law, I wish to present this battle poem to you, both to support you in battle and to send off the iron cavalry of our Great Zhou!"

Xue Chonghu was terrified, and his eyes burst with unbelievable ecstasy!
Jiang Xingzhou's poems are known to all; each one possesses the grandeur of a national treasure and even the potential to be passed down through the ages.

What scholar in the world doesn't yearn to see his words and feel his meaning? And now, my worthy son-in-law is going to compose a poem for him, Xue Chonghu, right in front of a vast army!
What an honor, what a magnificent achievement!
"A good son-in-law..."

Xue Chonghu's voice trembled with excitement, and the longsword in his hand hummed involuntarily.

Jiang Xingzhou said no more, focusing his energy in his dantian. His clear, resonant voice, like a chime piercing the clouds, overwhelmed the howls of thousands of wolves and echoed across the battlefield.
"Jiang Cheng Zi: Hunting Trip in Mizhou - Presented to Prefect Xue!"

As soon as the poem's title was uttered, the surrounding fields fell silent, and even the wind seemed to freeze.

Then, the first sentence exploded like a thunderclap:

"This old man, in a moment of youthful exuberance—"

boom!
Jiang Xingzhou's body erupted with literary energy, which shot into the sky as a dazzling pillar of azure light, soaring straight into the clouds.

Within the pillar of light, the faint phantom of a white-haired old general could be seen raising his arms and roaring, his heroic spirit soaring to the heavens and his fighting will reaching the sky!

Xue Chonghu felt a surge of intense heat rise from his dantian and instantly flow throughout his body, as if he had returned to his youth when he rode horses and laughed triumphantly on the battlefield. His blood surged, and the long sword in his hand almost flew out of his grasp!

"Left holding the yellow, right holding the blue -"

hum!
To the left of the pillar of literary energy, a magnificent yellow dog materialized, barking loudly towards the sky. Its sound waves were like waves, causing the wolf riders opposite to growl and retreat. To the right, a soaring eagle with wings that blotted out the sky materialized, its eyes like lightning, piercing straight at the general in the wolf army formation, its murderous aura overwhelming!

"Wearing brocade hats and sable furs, a thousand horsemen sweep across the plains."

As the poem was finalized, strange phenomena began to occur again!
Behind Jiang Xingzhou stood a thousand Iron Mountain Cavalrymen, each with a phantom image of a brocade hat above their heads and clad in shimmering, illusory armor, their attire as magnificent as imperial robes, adding to their imposing presence amidst their menacing aura. The thousand riders exuded a unified aura, like a torrent of iron forged in stone, as if they were about to sweep across the mountains and plains, utterly annihilating the enemy ranks!
(End of this chapter)