My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

The official road in Hejian was covered in dust.

The army marched day and night, their footsteps thundering across the official road, like a long gray dragon swiftly moving across the ground.

The fields on both sides of the queue had long been abandoned, with withered grass reaching above ankle height. Occasionally, abandoned wheelbarrows could be seen leaning against the roadside, with bedding rolls still tied to them.

A young soldier was walking along when his legs suddenly gave way, and he fell to the side.

An old soldier next to him grabbed his arm and held him up.

"Hold on tight!"

The young soldier was panting heavily, his face flushed, and he looked down at his feet.

The foot binding cloth was worn out, and blood seeped out from the seams, spreading a dark red stain on the heel.

The old soldier helped him to the roadside and squatted down to untie his foot bindings.

My feet were covered in blood and gore, and several blisters kept breaking and getting rubbed back up.

"Your feet were rotting like this, why didn't you say so sooner?"

The old soldier pulled a clean cloth from his bundle and quickly wrapped it back around him, his movements swift and efficient.

"Wrap it up tight, don't let the blood get on your socks. When we get to the Gentleman's Inn, I'll find you a new pair."

The young soldier gasped for breath, his eyes stinging.

"Uncle, how much further do we have?"

"It's not far." The old soldier tied the cloth strip, patted his calf, and said, "Listen, the drumming hasn't stopped yet. Walk another five li, and we'll reach the Gentleman's Pavilion. We can rest there."

"Five li?"

The young soldier swallowed hard and stood up, supporting himself on his knees.

"Five li is nothing." The old soldier stood up and handed him his water bag. "Take a sip, but don't drink any more. Finish it and get going."

The young soldier took a small sip and handed it back.

The old soldier nudged his back.

"Come on, don't fall behind."

The captain rode up from behind, not brandishing his whip, but simply pointing to the roadside with the handle.

"Hurry up and keep up! Don't fall behind!"

The young soldier gritted his teeth, quickened his pace, and limped back to the ranks.

The old soldier followed closely behind him, never falling behind by even a step.

At the fork in the road, refugees came towards us.

First came the few at the front, dressed in rags, carrying bundles, limping southward.

Seeing the large army approaching, they were so frightened that they hid in the fields by the roadside.

After seeing the large banner with the character "Sui" clearly, an old man suddenly stopped.

"Imperial soldiers?" His lips trembled. "Is it imperial soldiers?"

A woman nearby, holding a child, said in a trembling voice, "They're going north..."

The old man suddenly knelt down, his knees slamming onto the hard, muddy ground.

"The royal army is here! The royal army is here!"

The people behind him knelt down in a rush.

"You've finally arrived... Our village... the whole village was burned down..."

A wounded man pushed his way to the front of the column, blocking the soldiers at the front: "Are you going to fight the Turks? Really?"

The soldiers nodded.

The man stepped back to the side of the road and bowed deeply.

Li Ju, riding his horse, saw this scene and tightened his grip on the reins.

He turned his head to Xue Shou and said, "The people's hearts are like blood; we can't afford to owe them that."

The scouts had already mingled among the refugees, gathering scattered pieces of information along the way.

An old man grabbed the scout's arm and stammered, "The Turks are coming south. They have so many horses, I can't count them. They kill anyone they see and rob any grain they find..."

The scouts gathered up these bits and pieces of information and quickly reported it to Li Ju.

"Grand Chancellor, the vanguard of the Turkic cavalry has crossed the northern border of Hejian and is no more than fifty li away from Junziguan."

"Fifty li," Li Ju repeated. "The entire army must speed up."

Gentleman's Pavilion.

When the army arrived, the soldiers almost immediately collapsed upon stopping.

Li Ju arrived at a high slope and glanced northward.

Before he could get a good look, the scout came galloping back from the north, and the rider on horseback almost tumbled off.

"Grand Chancellor! Our advance scouts encountered Turkic cavalry! Three scouts were killed, and they retreated! The main Turkic force is less than half an hour away!"

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

"No time for rest! Issue the order to immediately build fortifications using dikes, high slopes, and ponds! Cut down trees to erect fences, dig trenches, and set up barricades!"

"Send this message to the generals!"

As the bugle sounded, the officers and soldiers of each battalion got up from the ground and ran towards the high ground while putting on their armor.

Li Ju stood at the top of the slope, with uneven dikes and reed beds below.

To the north lies the open lake area, crisscrossed by dikes and dotted with puddles, the narrowest point only wide enough for three or four riders to ride side by side.

Behind us was a high slope, below which were several deep gullies, and beyond that lay the heart of the river region.

"Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin—"

"exist!"

"The main pass at the front of the Tiger Killing Camp is the first line of defense for the front line. No one is allowed to pass through."

"Yes, sir!"

"Shen Guang".

"exist."

"The elite battalion will be stationed on the left flank, relying on the reed marshes and waterways to deploy crossbow positions, to guard against enemy flanking maneuvers from the reed beds!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Yuchi Gong, Liu Heita!"

"Your subordinate is here."

"The Forging Battalion is stationed on the outer right flank, while the Hebei Righteous Battalion is positioned on the inner right flank. The two units will support each other, working together to defend against the enemy!"

"Yes, sir!"

Pei Renji.

"exist."

"Thirty thousand soldiers are stationed in the central command post, relying on the high ground to construct the main fortifications. This is the foundation of the entire army, and it cannot be lost."

"This subordinate understands."

"Yuwen Chengji, three thousand Golden Scale Guards, will protect the central army, ready for a central attack!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Li Xiuning, the Women's Army is stationed at the rear, serving as the army's general reserve. They will rush to the aid wherever danger arises!"

Li Xiuning clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general obeys."

The generals received their orders and left, and the area below the high slope immediately became bustling with activity.

The soldiers dragged their tired bodies to their feet and began cutting down trees, digging ditches, and setting up barricades.

Before long, Li Xiuning came over with one person.

Dou Xian Niang.

She changed into plain armor, with a short sword at her waist, walked up to Li Ju, clasped her hands in greeting, and spoke in a crisp voice.

"Prime Minister, Liu Heita and others have already gone into battle. I, Xianniang, am not talented, but I beg you to give me a chance to don armor and join the fight, to do my part for the people of Hebei!"

"This battle is perilous. The barbarian cavalry is powerful, and their swords and arrows are indiscriminate. You are a princess of the Great Xia Dynasty; you must not be placed in such a dangerous situation."

Li Ju looked at her.

"You are the princess of Great Xia."

"Can't a princess fight? Now that the barbarian cavalry are marching south, everyone is fighting desperately. What kind of woman am I, Dou Xianniang, if I just cower in the rear and watch others fight?"

"I have long since become indifferent to matters of life and death. If I can die on the battlefield, defending against invaders and protecting our homeland, then I will not have wasted my martial skills or my homeland of Hebei."

His words were frank and open, without the slightest affectation.

Li Ju finally nodded slowly.

"Xiuning".

"I am here."

"Give her back her armor and weapons."

Li Xiuning took a set of armor from her personal guard and handed it over.

Dou Xianniang touched the scratches on the armor plate; they were from her battles on the battlefield.

Li Xiuning then handed over a pear blossom spear and a sword.

Dou Xianniang took the gun, weighed it in her hand, and the tip of the gun trembled slightly.

"Xianniang, thank you, Prime Minister Xie."

Then he mounted his horse, turned it around, and followed Li Xiuning to the rear of the formation.

"Prime Minister! To the north!"

A scout galloped back from the north, two broken arrows stuck in his saddle; his voice preceded his arrival.

"The main force of the Turks—has arrived!"

Everyone looked north.

On the horizon, a plume of smoke was slowly rising.

At first, it was just a grayish-yellow line, almost invisible against the gray sky.

But it grew bigger and thicker, like a wall rising from the ground, blocking out half the sky to the north.

Amidst the smoke and dust, countless horse heads faintly emerged.

Then came the banners—a dense array of wolf-head banners, like clouds torn down from the sky and laid on the ground.

The sound of horses' hooves finally reached us, deep and muffled, like a rumble of thunder rolling across the earth, shaking the ground beneath our feet.

The sound of a reed pipe drifted from afar. Deep and drawn-out, one note after another, slowly and steadily entered the ears.

Forty thousand barbarian cavalry emerged from the dust and smoke, sweeping across the entire plain like a black tide, silently engulfing everything.

Li Ju stood under the flagpole, drew his sword, and pointed the tip forward.

"Return to your respective positions."

The bugle sounded and spread throughout the entire army.

The officers and soldiers of each battalion drew their swords and gave orders. The soldiers stood up from the ground, gripped their weapons, and faced north.