Tang Dynasty: Starting with 3,000 elite cavalry, a bloody battle to retake the city.

In the ninth year of the Wude era, in Chang'an City.

Under the blazing sun, dust swirled on Zhuque Street, and the copper bells under the palace eaves jingled in the hot wind.

In the main hall of the Li residence, incense smoke curled from the burner, yet it could not suppress the ominous atmosphere of an impending storm.

A palace eunuch stood before the steps, holding a yellow imperial edict, and read it aloud in a shrill voice, each word like a knife—

"Your Excellency: General Li Yingge, the Divine Might, is hereby ordered to lead 10,000 elite troops to immediately depart and rush to the aid of Youzhou! Defeat the Turkic vanguard and relieve the siege of the city. There must be no mistake!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Li Jing and his wife knelt to the side, their expressions solemn.

The girl, still clad in red armor, with sharp, angular brows and icy eyes, slowly bowed her head, her voice like frost:

"Your subject obeys the decree."

The three responded in unison, their momentum unstoppable.

But as soon as the father-in-law's footsteps faded into the distance and the hall door closed, Li Yingge immediately let out a cold laugh, abruptly looked up, stared at her elderly father, and gritted her teeth:

"Father, stop pretending—was this imperial edict fabricated by you? Hmm?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lips parted slightly, as if she were about to burst out all the grievances she had been holding back for years.

Li Yingge, Li Jing's only daughter, was raised with utmost care and affection from childhood; even the most precious and noble daughters could not have been more pampered.

But he preferred warhorses to rouge, and the training ground to embroidery workshops.

Influenced by his father, he began learning swordsmanship at the age of ten, donned armor at fifteen, and by the age of eighteen, he had already killed three hundred enemies outside Yanmen Pass, his iron armor stained with blood.

In just a few years, she rose from a mere captain to become a renowned female general of the Tang Dynasty, her fame spreading throughout the land and even striking fear into the hearts of the nomadic peoples beyond the Great Wall.

She was extremely beautiful, with skin as smooth as jade and eyes like cold stars. Her smile could captivate a city, and when she didn't smile, she was like an iceberg snow lotus, keeping people at a distance.

Countless sons of powerful and wealthy families sought her hand in marriage through matchmakers, only to be rendered speechless by her retort, "This general will only marry on the battlefield."

But nobody knows—

Her engagement had been finalized sixteen years ago.

The target wasn't a prince or a nobleman, nor a descendant of a military family, but rather...

A nobody from Youzhou, named Han Ye?!

"Speak! Did you secretly beg His Majesty to make me go and save that Han Ye?" Her voice suddenly rose, her fingertips almost poking Li Jing's nose. "I don't even know what he looks like, and I'm supposed to risk my life for him?!"

Li Jing coughed lightly twice, his eye twitching slightly, but he feigned composure: "Absurd! This is His Majesty's decree, what does it have to do with me?"

"Really?" She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her suspiciously. "Then why were your eyes wandering and your Adam's apple bobbing just now?"

"Cough cough..." Li Jing's old face stiffened, and he finally opened his mouth, "It's...it's not a big deal."

"You just need to rescue him on your way and bring him back."

"On the way?!" She rolled her eyes in exasperation, her chest heaving. "Youzhou's practically a graveyard, and I have to go out of my way to pick up a fiancé?!"

She suddenly stood up, snatched the silver-scaled battle armor from the maid's hand, and moved as swiftly as a drawn sword.

"I can save him," she said coldly as she fastened her armor, "but marriage? Don't even think about it."

Before the words were finished—

"Report!!"

A roar tore through the sky!

The gate was flung open with a bang, and a young eunuch stumbled in, his face ashen, the urgent report in his hand soaked with sweat:

"Urgent dispatch from the frontier!!"

"Youzhou...has fallen!!"

"The Turkic cavalry have breached the city for three days, and the entire Han population... has been slaughtered!!"

"His Majesty has issued an urgent order—General Shenwei must depart immediately, or there may be no one left to save him!!"

Boom—

It felt like a thunderbolt had struck overhead.

Li Ying paused for a moment, and the armor plate fell to the ground with a "clang".

Her pupils contracted sharply, and the image of that desolate border town flashed through her mind—broken walls and ruins, rivers of blood, and wailing cries echoing across the scorched earth…

Is Han Ye still alive?

……

At this moment.

Frontier region, Youzhou.

The heat of July was intense, yet the cold felt like being in hell.

This place was once the most fortified barrier in the northern border of the Tang Dynasty, but now only ruins and the stench of corpses remain.

The Turkic army swept over the city walls like a black tide. Khagan Jieli personally led 300,000 iron cavalry southward, taking advantage of the political upheaval in the Tang Dynasty to enter the country and capture eight cities in succession. Wherever they went, not a blade of grass grew.

Three days ago, Youzhou fell.

The massacre began the moment the city gate was smashed.

The Han people were driven like sheep, and the cries of women and children echoed through the night sky.

The Turkic barbarians grinned as they slit throats, burned houses, raped and plundered, and even chopped up and ate living people, calling them "two-legged sheep."

The streets were littered with corpses, and blood flowed through the cracks in the bricks, forming dark red streams.

Crows circled overhead, wild dogs gnawed at bones, and the entire city resembled a living hell.

The wind swirled ashes among the broken walls, occasionally carrying a few dying groans.

In this desolate silence, only one dilapidated temple remained deep within—

A faint breath was still struggling.

That is……

A young man, covered in blood, leaned against a broken pillar, his fingers digging deep into the soil, murmuring a name:

"Li... Yingge..."

The city of Youzhou was stained with blood.

Hidden deep within an alley, a white-robed youth knelt in the hall, his back ramrod straight as a spear, showing no intention of fleeing whatsoever.

"Young master, let's go!"

"The Turkic barbarians have invaded!"

"If we don't run, we'll be dead!"

"Please...live on!"

The old butler knelt and kowtowed, his voice hoarse and blood seeping from the corners of his eyes.

The servants wept bitterly, their eyes filled with the ashes of despair.

But the boy slowly opened his eyes—his gaze was like an abyss, so cold it could cleave the long night.

He shook his head, his voice soft yet sharp as a drawn sword: "Escape? Youzhou... is the city my father defended with his life."

How could I, Han Ye, discard this land like worn-out shoes?

"You may leave."

In short, all attempts to retain them were thwarted.

He was born and raised here.

Enemy cavalry invaded his territory, forcing him to flee like a stray dog.

joke!

He's Han Chinese! His feet are on Han soil! Why should he retreat? Why should he be the one to retreat?!

The crowd sighed deeply, tears streaming down their faces, and finally turned and scattered.

Only he sat alone in front of the hall, dressed in white, as white as snow, like a flag being offered as a sacrifice.

Han Ye.

This name will be stained with blood tonight.

But no one knew that Han Ye at this moment was no longer the playboy who only knew about romance and relied on his father-in-law's power to get by.

More than a decade ago, a soul from the future quietly descended upon this body.

At first, he was secretly delighted: his fiancée was Li Jing's daughter, Li Yingge? Good heavens, he could just relax and retire comfortably!

But fate never allows people to live in comfort.

The war drums suddenly sounded, and Khagan Jieli personally led the Turkic iron cavalry southward, breaking through passes and seizing strategic points, heading straight for Youzhou—

With the city on the verge of collapse and all four gates breached, the escape route was cut off.

"Sizzle—"

A tearing sound, like silk being ripped apart, rips the heart out.

Han Ye pulled a marriage certificate from his pocket, his fingertips trembling slightly, and then he tore it off with a ruthless tear!

Paper scraps flew everywhere, like snow falling into a sea of ​​fire, turning to ash in an instant.

There's no need to mention this marriage again.

If he were to defend this city to the death and be buried in the yellow sand, what would be the point of talking about marriage and destiny?

His blue robe fluttered in the wind as he rose and strode towards the door—

"Ding! The Han Soul Reincarnation System is activating..."

"1%……50%……100%——Startup complete! Host bound: Han Ye."

Death is the untying.

A clear sound suddenly resounded in my mind, like a bell resounding through the heavens!

Han Ye paused, his pupils shrinking sharply—

A system? A cheat code?!

Heaven hasn't forsaken me?!

Before I could think it through, another prompt appeared:

"Ding! Host is facing a dire situation. Newbie gift pack activated. Open?"

"Activate!"

"Ding! Gift pack being distributed—"

"Strength +30, Speed ​​+30, Strategy +30! All attribute enhancements complete!"

"Summoning authority for underworld troops x1, three thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry have been extracted and are ready to materialize at any time!"

"Bestowed the divine weapon, the Azure Dragon Spear! Formerly Zhao Zilong's Bright Silver Spear, it has been tempered by a thousand years of malevolent energy, transforming into a weapon that devours the souls of the Azure Dragon!"

boom--!!!

In an instant, his blood and qi surged like a river overflowing its banks!

My muscles and bones resonated, and my five senses were heightened, as if I had been reborn!

He looked down at his hands, and it seemed as if lightning was moving within them.

That frail old body has been reshaped into the body of a war god!

"Buzz—"

His brow twitched, and his eyes snapped open!

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, like a blade slicing through the darkness.

He murmured, his voice trembling with fervor: "Is this... a command for me to reignite the flames of the Han people, all by myself?"

Before the words were even finished, the courtyard suddenly changed!

The once empty ground was now filled with churning black mist and howling winds!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The heavy thud of hooves echoed from the void, each step seeming to pound on people's hearts!

Three thousand iron cavalrymen emerged from the Nine Netherworlds!

They were clad in armor and armed with weapons, with ring-pommel swords at their waists and iron-framed bows on their backs. Their faces were covered with ghost masks—it was hard to tell whether they were crying or laughing, and their murderous aura was overwhelming!

It was none other than the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, the strongest elite force of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period!

He once pacified the western Liang region, intimidating the Qiang and Hu tribes, and striking fear into the hearts of countless enemies!

Tonight, they return from the underworld, to fight for only one person!

Han Ye stood on the steps, his robe billowing in the wind.

A long spear suddenly appeared in his hand—a blue light flowed, a dragon roared, and a cold star was pointed at the tip of the spear, reflecting in his icy eyes.

He raised his hand and pointed towards the city gate.

The sound was like thunder that shattered the night sky:

"Follow me—and fight your way out!"

However, what shocked Han Ye was—why were all three thousand Tiger Leopard Iron Cavalrymen wearing those hideous and terrifying ghost masks?!

On a whim, he immediately summoned the system to question it.

The system responded coldly: "The true appearance of any soldier summoned from the underworld must not be revealed in the mortal world."

Therefore, all must cover their faces to conceal their souls!

"I see……"

Han Ye spoke softly, his gaze darkening slightly, then raised his hand: "In that case—put this mask on me as well."

"Whoosh—!"

A burst of black energy exploded, and in an instant, a ghostly face that seemed to be both crying and laughing, eerie and sinister, was firmly attached to Han Ye's face, as if it were symbiotic with his flesh and blood, surrounded by yin energy.

From then on, he also became one of them.

Three thousand iron cavalrymen stood motionless like mountains, then suddenly knelt on one knee in unison, their armor clanging, the sound shaking the heavens—

"Greetings, General!!"

"Greetings, General!!"

"Greetings, General!!"

The roar tore through the sky, like thunder rolling over the dilapidated city walls of Youzhou.

Han Ye stood in the wind, his eyes slightly narrowed, a chilling killing intent bursting from his spine and sweeping across the surrounding area.

This great Tang dynasty was built by the bloodline of the Han people!

Now that the system has commanded me to rebuild the Han spirit, how can I sit idly by and watch barbarians slaughter my people and burn my cities?!

A slow, chilling smile crept across his lips as he suddenly roared—

"Let's go! Slaughter all the barbarians!!"

But he was unaware—

His fiancée, Li Yingge, had already led her troops at breakneck speed and was heading to Youzhou!

……

Youzhou has fallen.

Flames engulfed the sky, and corpses littered the fields.

The Turkic barbarians swarmed across the land like locusts, relentlessly slaughtering entire cities.

The defending general was killed in battle, the remnants of the army fled in disarray, and the survivors either hid in the ruins trembling with fear or were dragged out of the streets and alleys, becoming lambs to the slaughter.

These grassland beasts know nothing of farming or morality; they only know how to plunder and kill.

Running out of food? Then eat people!

They called the Han people "two-legged sheep"—animals with two legs that could be slaughtered, cooked, and played with to death!

In their eyes, Han people are not human beings, but walking jerky, meat to satisfy hunger!

At that moment, at the end of the street, several Turkic soldiers were frantically chasing after a thin little girl.

She was dressed in rags, her face streaked with tears, and she crawled screaming in the pool of blood.

"Hahaha! It's female! It's female!"

"What luck! We'll have tender meat tonight!"

"Use it first, then eat it? Same as always!"

"Get out of the way! I caught it! I got to go first!!"

Their ugly faces twisted in the firelight, like demons crawling out of hell.

The girl's piercing cries shattered the deathly silence of the city.

Just then—

Not far away, several bound Tang prisoners suddenly burst into wild laughter.

"Hahaha! A bunch of bastards! You're only fit to bully children? Come at me if you dare!!"

The speaker was none other than Lou Yuanbo, the Commandant of Youzhou.

Although he was bound hand and foot and covered in injuries, his spine remained straight and his eyes were like knives.

Upon hearing this, a burly Turkic man approached with a sneer, grabbed him by the collar, and sneered, "Who do you think you are? A slave waiting to be slaughtered, how dare you be so arrogant?"

Before the words were finished—

"Sizzle!"

Lou Yuanbo suddenly looked up, bit the other person's ear, and pulled hard with his teeth!

"Aaaaaahh ...

The Turks screamed and rolled around, blood gushing out.

He frantically drew his knife and stabbed Lou Yuanbo in the abdomen—

"puff!"

"puff!"

"puff!"

One cut! Another cut! Three cuts... ten cuts...

The knife pierced through his intestines and guts, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Lou Yuanbo still held on to that piece of flesh tightly until a "ripping" sound was heard—his entire ear was ripped off!

His mouth was full of blood, and he threw his head back and laughed, his voice like a broken string: "You... will never understand... how hard the bones of the Han people are..."

The laughter faded, and his body slowly collapsed, falling into his own warm pool of blood.

"Captain!!"

"Captain!!"

"General Lou—!!"

A mournful cry echoed through the ruined city, but no one answered.

The wind swept through the streets, carrying ashes, as if heaven and earth were bowing their heads in silent mourning.

Beside him, the few remaining Tang soldiers were bound hand and foot, watching helplessly as Lou Yuanbo hung by a thread, letting out heart-wrenching roars.

His eyes were bloodshot, almost bursting from their sockets.

The little girl, held captive by the barbarians, looked at Lou Yuanbo with tears streaming down her face. Her small hands trembled slightly, but she still whispered, choking back sobs, "Uncle Lou...it doesn't hurt, it really doesn't hurt..."

She was lying to him.

She was trembling all over from the pain, but she bit her lip tightly and refused to cry out.

She was too young, but she understood—she didn't want Uncle Lou to die because of her!

Lou Yuanbo listened, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, but a trace of intense sorrow flashed in his eyes.

He whispered, "It's because Uncle Lou couldn't protect you... It's because the Tang Dynasty has let you down..."

"In my next life... I hope to be born into a good family."

His voice was hoarse, as if it were being squeezed out from a shattered chest cavity.

Before the words were even finished, the Turkic barbarians, who had been grinning and preparing to inflict torture, suddenly changed their expressions.

Especially the guy whose ear had been bitten off—his face contorted like a demon, one hand clutching his bloodied earlobe, his rage exploding, roaring like thunder: "Kill him! Slaughter them all!!"

"Damn scum, leave no one alive, they're all dead!!"

.