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

"This battle..." Li Yingge slowly moved her fingertips toward the location of Chang'an, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, "The Great Tang Dynasty only allows victory, not defeat."

Thoughts churned in her mind, her fingertips tightened slightly, like a spider weaving a web in the shadows, quietly laying down its killing intent.

At that very moment—

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the camp! The voices, like a tidal wave, rushed towards us, accompanied by sand and dust!

Li Yingge's brows furrowed, and she coldly shouted, "What's all this commotion?!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already stepped out, his red robe fluttering like blood staining the setting sun.

She paused slightly as she stepped out of the military tent.

The sight before her gave her a jolt.

Han Ye.

And then there are the last two hundred masked soldiers.

They were silently moving among the corpses, carrying broken bodies away from the ruins on their shoulders and backs.

It's not about putting someone in a coffin.

There was no coffin at all.

They simply wrapped the corpse in coarse cloth, and two people carried it steadily, step by step, towards the high slope outside the city—from there, one could see the entire city of Dingzhou.

The corpses piled up like hills.

The blood and soil were not yet dry.

Every corpse was once a living person, but now only a cold weight rests on their comrades' shoulders.

But they walked very steadily and very slowly, as if carrying the entire lost country on their backs.

"How can you say we have no clothes? We share the same robes with you."

The king has raised an army; let us prepare our spears and shields, and fight together against this common enemy!

A deep chant rose from the crowd, like chains dragging on the ground, heavy and resounding.

"How can it be said that we have no clothes? We will share the same garments with you."

The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and halberds! Let us fight together!

"How can it be said that we have no clothes? We will share our garments with you."

The king is raising an army; let us prepare our armor and weapons.

"Let's walk together!"

Those were the lyrics that Master Jiang sang while beating a drum atop the city wall.

Now, it has become their funeral song.

Someone walked and laughed, their voice hoarse:

"Master Jiang, we've come to take you home..."

"Rugen, good lad, just as tough as your father, didn't disgrace Dingzhou!"

"Lord Zhongfang, did you see? We kept our promise..."

"That bastard Liu Chi, may he be reincarnated in his next life and grow up quickly so he can get married!"

Laughter echoed across the wilderness, but those eyes were already bloodshot, like embers that had burned out.

The soldiers under Li Yingge stood in formation, silent.

As soldiers, they are not afraid of death.

What I fear most is that after dying in battle, my bones will be left exposed in the wilderness, forgotten by all.

But today's scene—two hundred remaining soldiers collecting corpses for the entire city, carrying coffins for thousands of miles—is more powerful than words.

My heartstrings were plucked hard.

Li Yingge's pupils contracted slightly, and her voice became slightly hoarse: "What are they doing?"

The guard beside him solemnly clasped his hands in greeting: "General, they are burying all the people of Dingzhou and those who died in battle."

This was a vow they had made earlier—that the living would collect the bodies of the dead and carry their coffins to send them off.

"A vow?" Li Yingge's eyes flashed, as if sparks were flying across them.

She suddenly realized that this agreement... was damn awesome.

But what made her heart skip a beat was—

The predicament she had just been struggling to solve, if it were that masked man in her shoes...

Can it be broken?

She gazed at the aloof figure in the distance, her lips slightly pursed, and whispered as softly as the wind: "Perhaps... he can."

Once the thought arises, it's hard to suppress.

The next moment, she took a step forward, her red robe billowing like flames, and led several guards straight toward Han Ye.

there.

Han Ye and the others had exhausted their last bit of strength to properly bury everyone.

There is no tombstone.

There were no incense or candles.

Only an old wooden plank, dug out from under the broken wall, was stuck diagonally in front of the grave.

He personally carved several lines of large characters on it:

"The Han people of Dingzhou defended Dingzhou to the death."

We will fight to the death until our blood runs dry.

Though his body is dead, his soul remains.

"We will defend this land to the end, not yielding an inch."

Each word is like a chisel, deeply embedded in the wood, as if even the wind dares not easily disperse it.

After doing all this, Han Ye suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing slightly.

"I feel like... something's missing."

He turned his head to look at Xiahou Dun.

Xiahou Dun was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Sacrificial offerings."

"Yes!" Han Ye slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, "They're sacrifices!"

Ordinary offerings of fruit, wine, and meat are hardly worthy of commemorating the heroic souls who sacrificed their lives for the city!

If you're going to offer a sacrifice, you have to use the strongest liquor, the hottest blood, and the heaviest price!

Just then.

A red figure slowly walked over.

Li Yingge stood before the grave, her red robe blazing like fire, and solemnly bowed to the desolate tombs covering the mountainside.

As the wind rose, her hair flew in the wind, and her expression remained solemn, without a trace of arrogance.

Han Ye looked at her, his eyes behind the mask calm and composed.

Even though he had torn up the marriage certificate, he never expected to receive any favors from her.

He never depended on anyone.

At that moment, he stepped forward, his voice low and deep, like the clash of iron and stone:

"General Li, I heard—you captured that Turkic general?"

Li Yingge nodded slightly, her red lips parted slightly: "Mm."

Han Ye stretched out his hand, palm up, and said calmly, "Lend it to me."

Li Yingge frowned, her gaze sweeping over him like a blade.

A moment later, she turned around with a flick of her sleeve and coldly gave the order:

"Bring it up."

Simultaneously,

Li Yingge's gaze was sharp as she stared directly at Han Ye, her voice clear, cold, and firm: "This Turkic general was not captured by me, but by you."

"If you hadn't routed them first, how would we have had the chance to win in one fell swoop?"

"This military merit—" she paused, her words ringing out firmly, "is yours to begin with, and no one can take it away from you."

"You may take this Turk back to Chang'an. With this great achievement, you will be ennobled and appointed as a general, and entering the palace as a minister will be just around the corner."

Her tone was earnest, as if she were explaining something, or perhaps revealing her innermost thoughts.

As if afraid that Han Ye would misunderstand and think that she, a mighty female general, would covet the merits earned by others in bloody battles.

Is it ridiculous?

She is Li Yingge, a renowned female general who commands thousands of troops and defeats enemy states. She has never bothered to fight for a piece of paper.

But actually...

Han Ye didn't even consider that possibility.

He was always indifferent to power, position, and rewards.

In his eyes, merits and demerits were far less weighty than a life.

And at that very moment—

Huyan Zhuo, the Turkic general, was bound hand and foot and dragged forward by iron chains!

His face was covered in blood, and his armor was tattered, but his eyes still burned with an untamed arrogance.

He looked up at Li Yingge, a sinister grin spreading across his face, and laughed maniacally: "Little woman, when my Khan's iron cavalry breaches the gates of Chang'an, I will make you wish you were dead! You'll be subjected to three days of slow slicing, begging for death but unable to! Hahaha—"

Li Yingge's brow furrowed, and she said coldly, "Gag him, sew him up stitch by stitch!"

"No need."

A cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Bang!"

Han Ye took a step forward, his figure flashing like a ghost, grabbing Hu Yanzhuo's throat with one hand and kicking him hard in the back of the knee!

"Snap!"

With a loud cracking sound, Huyan Zhuo knelt down abruptly, his forehead slamming heavily against the tombstone!

"Ghost-Faced General?!" Huyan Zhuo roared, his eyes filled with mockery. "You cowardly coward, how dare you oppose my Turkic people?!"

"Go ahead and kill me if you dare! Kill me! Let's see if my Khan will raise 300,000 iron cavalry and slaughter all of you two-legged sheep! Chang'an will become a sea of ​​blood, and the imperial city a graveyard! Hahaha—"

He laughed maniacally, showing no fear whatsoever.

Why aren't you afraid?

Because behind him stood Jieli Khan!

They were a million-strong army that swept across the grasslands and drank rivers of blood!

We spared his life last night precisely to allow him to negotiate peace and secure a way out!

He saw things clearly: these people dared not touch him!

But what he didn't know was—

The one wielding the sword today is neither Li Yingge nor Emperor Li Shimin.

It was Han Ye.

The avenger who crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Han Ye looked down at the filthy body at his feet, his eyes devoid of emotion, only a deathly crimson.

He spoke slowly, his voice as soft as the wind, yet as heavy as thunder:

"The offerings have arrived."

After speaking, he suddenly drew the long sword from Xiahou Dun's waist. The blade reflected the setting sun and gleamed with a cold, bloody light.

The next instant, he roared to the sky:

"People of Dingzhou—you can rest in peace now!"

"We'll walk the rest of the way for you!"

"Your grudge—"

"We will report it ourselves!"

"A blood debt—"

"Pay in blood!!"

The words were spoken, and the sword was drawn!

A chilling light tore through the air, striking like a thunderbolt!

"Pfft—!"

The blade pierced his neck, and a wave of blood surged into the sky!

Hu Yanzhuo's pupils suddenly contracted, and a strange "clucking" sound came from his throat. His head instantly left his body and rolled into the dust in front of the grave!

Blood splattered like rain, staining the yellow earth red and seeping into the cracks of the tombstone, as if the earth itself was drinking in the hatred of the departed souls.

Li Yingge was stunned, her beautiful eyes wide open, staring at Han Ye in disbelief.

Really...killed him?

He killed her right in front of her, without hesitation!

Without consulting the imperial court, without keeping any bargaining chips, and without even the slightest hesitation!

This is not a prisoner offering, this is—a sacrifice!

Huyan Zhuo's head, hot blood, and corpse...

All of these became the heaviest sacrifices for this land, offered to the people of Dingzhou who perished in the flames!

Xiahou Dun clenched his fists, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears.

Behind him were hundreds of masked iron cavalrymen, each with burning red eyes and suppressed growls in their throats.

They remembered the oath they made on the city wall last night—

"As long as I have a breath left, I will avenge Dingzhou!"

Now, the first head has fallen to the ground.

The feud began.

Everyone dismounted, knelt on one knee, bowed their heads, and shouted in unison:

"A blood debt must be paid in blood!"

"A blood debt must be paid in blood!"

"A blood debt must be paid in blood!"

The roar was deafening, tearing through the sky and shaking the city walls, as if the entire city of Dingzhou was responding to this oath!

This is not just a slogan, it is a vow etched into our very bones!

Li Yingge stood there, staring at Han Ye's solitary figure, her heart trembling violently.

She suddenly understood—

These people aren't just shouting; they're making a pact, using their lives as paper and their blood as ink!

They really want revenge.

If it were truly necessary, a hundred men could fight against hundreds of thousands of Turkic cavalry!

But... how is this possible?!

Under the command of Khagan Jieli, there were 300,000 wolf riders, whose iron hooves left nothing but desolation in their wake!

Li Yingge's beautiful eyes narrowed sharply as she stared intently at the masked general Han Ye before her. Her lips parted slightly, and her voice was so soft it sounded like it was being squeezed out of her throat:

"They really killed him..."

She murmured to herself, her fingertips trembling involuntarily.

The man before them actually severed Huyan Zhuo's head with a single stroke—clever and decisive, without the slightest hesitation!

Who is Huyan Zhuo?

He was merely a minor Turkic general, hardly a prominent figure.

But if we take him back to Chang'an and make him kneel before the emperor...

That's an incredible achievement! It's like being promoted, ennobled, and granted land – a meteoric rise to power!

But what about him?

This man wearing a ghost mask placed Huyan Zhuo's head gently in front of the mass graves of the people of Dingzhou, as if it were a sacrificial offering.

There was no boasting, no ecstasy; it was as if he had simply done something ordinary.

Li Yingge's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes changed.

This is hardly the kind of general who seeks fame and fortune.

He's clearly... a madman who disdains the rewards and punishments of the imperial court!

She doesn't understand.

All she knew was that this kind of person was too dangerous and too terrifying.

At this moment, Han Ye stood under the setting sun, his face covered by a ghost mask, his shoulder armor stained with blood.

He gazed at the desolate graves, and the knot in his chest finally eased somewhat.

It was as if they had avenged countless wronged souls.

He slowly turned to Li Yingge, bowed slightly, and said in a hoarse but steady voice, "Thank you, General Li, for your kindness."

"Huh? Uh...it's nothing, no need..."

Li Yingge seemed a little flustered, and even her hand gestures appeared stiff.

The usually ruthless and decisive female general was at a loss for words when she heard a simple thank you.

"Cough cough—"

The guard behind him coughed twice and whispered, "General, ask! Don't forget the important matter: the whereabouts of Young Master Han Ye!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, and Li Yingge suddenly snapped back to reality.

Correct!

She traveled thousands of miles to Dingzhou, not only for military affairs but also for one other reason—to find Han Ye!

The young master of the Han family in Youzhou who had once been engaged to her, but then quietly tore up the book and broke off their relationship!

She took a deep breath, parted her red lips slightly, and spoke in a cool voice: "Ghost-faced General, I am looking for someone. Do you know anyone?"

Han Ye's eyes flickered slightly, but his tone remained calm: "Please speak."

"Han Ye." She paused, then said, word by word, "The young master of the Han family in Youzhou."

boom--!

These three words exploded in Han Ye's mind like a thunderclap!

Looking for me?!

She actually came to see me at this time, right in front of me?!

His pupils contracted, his mind raced, but he still couldn't figure it out—

The marriage certificate has been destroyed, and all ties are severed. Why is she still coming to me?!

Little did he know that while he tore up the marriage certificate, the Li family did not.

The marriage arranged by parents and matchmakers cannot simply vanish if one party breaks the agreement.

The thought flashed through his mind, but Han Ye's expression remained unchanged. He simply shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know this person."

Li Yingge frowned, her voice suddenly turning cold: "But Zhongfang clearly called out 'Han family's youngest son' before he died! Do you think I'm deaf?"

Han Ye remained unmoved, his tone calm: "You misheard."

"you--!"

Li Yingge's face turned pale, her chest heaved, and she was almost laughing in anger.

Did I hear that right?

Li Yingge has served on the frontier for many years; her hearing is incredibly sharp. Could she have misheard?!

She stared intently at the ghost mask, wishing she could tear it open and see whose face was underneath!

Han Ye must be among these masked soldiers!

Why are you hiding? Why won't you acknowledge me?!

Her gaze swept over the crowd, but all she saw were masks that seemed to be both crying and laughing, eerily sinister.

Everyone was clad in armor and wielding a weapon; their figures were so similar that they were indistinguishable from one another.

Even though she was Li Yingge, at this moment she could only grit her teeth and look on with suspicion.

The atmosphere was tense, the murderous intent lingered, and an inexplicable undercurrent had been added.

Han Ye, however, no longer wanted to get entangled with the matter.

He turned away from her, no longer looking at her, and whispered to Xiahou Dun beside him, "Fall back. Take everyone back to the city to prepare. We'll depart at midnight."

Xiahou Dun clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice as firm as a hammer: "Yes!"

Li Yingge was taken aback: "Depart? Where to?!"