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Regarding the submission of the Brave Warriors Camp, Xue Dayi found it both expected and surprising, which was also the consensus among the soldiers of Salt Marsh Prefecture.
The outcome seemed abrupt and forced, not easily understood by others; however, only those who had struggled for survival in the wilderness could truly feel and comprehend its significance.
The Xu Zhen did not grant any special treatment to the Brave Warriors Camp due to their submission. Orders were strictly enforced without exception, yet many of the Brothers from the Brave Warriors Camp expressed no dissatisfaction or complaints.
Due to the brawl that delayed them for three days, the Xu Zhen dared not postpone any longer. She led her Brothers in a swift march, quickly leaving Shandan County and entering Zhangye territory.
Gao He Shu led a group of scouts to spread out and monitor a two-mile radius. The Rouran People had keen eyesight and an extraordinary sense of impending danger. During their march, they frequently captured enemy scouts, and before the main force even entered the combat zone, Rouran scouts had already achieved significant victories!
Although Qin Guang and other Brothers from the Brave Warriors Camp were discontented, they understood the importance of survival. Like hidden martial arts masters among Street Folk, they were usually meticulous about avoiding losses but fought fiercely when it came to battle.
Xu Zhenxin understood their temperament and simply sent Zhou Cang to communicate more with them since Zhou Cang and his companions also came from humble beginnings, sharing similar experiences and character traits with the Brothers of the Brave Warriors Camp.
Zhangye was originally the land of the Xiongnu King. During the Han Dynasty, Zhangye County was established, and in the Year of Martial Virtue during the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Ganzhou. Zhangye County governed both Shandan and Zhangye, making Ganzhou City the heart of Zhangye. Losing it would mean a collapse of national defenses and an open gateway.
After marching for two days, Xu Zhenbu finally approached Zhangye County. Rouran scouts continuously sent back warnings, and skirmishes among scouts became increasingly fierce and frequent, indicating that enemy forces in Zhangye County had discovered Xu Zhenbu's intentions.
When they were ten miles from the county town, Gao He Shu's scout camp had already gathered intelligence on enemy forces. In terms of the Tuguhun, General Tu Han led eight thousand infantry to besiege the city while three thousand cavalry patrolled to block surrounding areas. Inside Zhangye City, Right Guard General Qibi Helix was stationed.
Although Qibi Helix hailed from a Tiele Khan family, he was loyal to the Tang Dynasty. After submitting to Sage, he was placed in Zhangye, his homeland. He would never allow Tuguhun Barbarians to trample it. Well-versed in the essence of prairie warfare, he boldly led his troops to resist after an ambush. His soldiers displayed great courage without fear of death. After securing Zhangye, he proactively led his troops to drive Tu Han's forces out of the county town!
Just as Qibi Helix intended to pursue Tu Han's remnants, urgent news arrived from Ganzhou City. He had to split his forces for rescue under Left Tunwei Grand General Xue Wanjun's command while leaving only a portion of his military strength to guard Zhangye City. However, with this division of forces, their strength was insufficient. Tu Han launched another attack, trapping Qibi Helix within Zhangye City and relentlessly assaulting it daily.
While many tribes on the prairie excelled in mounted archery and combat, they were not skilled in siege warfare. However, during the Tuguhun, they admired Tang methods and imitated them everywhere. Although they were like monkeys wearing crowns—clumsy imitators—they did not merely mimic Tang Dynasty styles; they also built Fushi Wang City and trained their infantry effectively. Furthermore, with Murong Hanzhu's strategic guidance behind them, they aimed to break through Tang defenses by utilizing timber from the Qilian Mountains to create siege engines, putting Zhangye City in a precarious situation!
After Murong Hanzhu and his son Murong Geerhe joined them, Tu Han did not exclude them but ordered them to lead troops in attacking the city. Unexpectedly, Murong Xiao seemed like a different person; he always took the lead in battles. Although he did not capture the city outright, he won much support from the troops. With Murong Hanzhu devising strategies—felling trees in the mountains for siege equipment and gathering stones by rivers for cannons—they managed to deplete Qibi Helix's forces by seventy to eighty percent!
In this critical situation, Xu Zhen no longer hesitated. She commanded many Brothers to eat well and rest fully before launching a long-distance night raid after midnight. At dawn, when enemy forces were preparing breakfast—a subtle opportunity—she planned a sudden attack on the rear of Tuguhun to catch them off guard!
Brothers was not their first battle, and there was no fear in their hearts. However, in the chaos of combat, there would inevitably be casualties. The camp was filled with a solemn atmosphere. Xu Zhen did not make many speeches to rally the troops. After everything was prepared, she entered Li Mingda's tent.
The young girl knew that Xu Zhen was determined to fight, and she felt a mix of reluctance and worry. But thinking of how Caesar visited Xu Zhen's camp every night, and the faint fragrance that surrounded her, she maintained a cold demeanor on the surface.
After ensuring that Li Mingda and the others were settled, Xu Zhen ordered Caesar to act as her personal guard before confidently leading her troops away.
The night was dark, and the autumn wind had turned chilly. Xu Zhen dared not light a fire, and the thousand soldiers moved cautiously through the darkness, relying entirely on the guidance of Rouran Scout Camp.
With dawn still a long way off, she was not worried about arriving late; this also allowed some time for the Brothers to rest and regain their strength.
Gao He Shu, along with several scouts, and Qin Guang, who had dispatched dozens of skilled reconnaissance soldiers, cleared out the scouts and sentries of Tuguhun. By the time the eastern sky began to lighten, they were already approaching the camp of Tuguhun!
The only regret was their inability to contact the Garrison at Zhangye City. Otherwise, they could have coordinated an attack from both inside and outside!
As the first rays of morning light broke through, a group of Barbarians emerged from their camp to replace the Brothers on duty at the Watchtower.
These Watchtower structures had been built under the supervision of Murong Hanzhu. They stood over three meters tall and were strategically placed at key entrances of the camp—five in total—monitoring all directions and providing a clear view of the entire camp layout!
The Ah Chai exchanged loud conversations, seemingly excited about how many Tang Soldiers they had killed yesterday. Then they split up to climb up to the top of the tall Watchtower.
However, as they reached the rooftop, their eyes widened in shock, pupils constricting sharply as they reflected a red figure. Suddenly, a flash of cold light passed by; their necks went numb and cold as they saw blue skies—this was because their heads began to fall!
Xu Zhen wiped her blade on one of the fallen Barbarians, slid down along the column of the Watchtower, while the Brothers charged out from both sides of the road through the forested hills. Mounted on her Azure Wind Antelope, she pointed her long knife toward the enemy camp. Zhou Cang and Qin Guang, leading their troops, silently launched their charge!
The sound of iron hooves thundered as the guards at the enemy camp reacted quickly, hastily ringing the Alarm Bell. However, they were soon overwhelmed by a torrent of steel—their cavalry mixed with mud on the ground!
“Kill!”
Like an enraged tiger, Xu Zhen roared as the Brothers shouted in unison. The enemy collapsed like a receding tide!
Under the impact of the Riding Team, the Large and Small Tents were as fragile as paper. The enemy soldiers, who had just begun to prepare their meals, had not yet donned their armor before being trampled by the warhorses, instantly becoming victims of the battlefield!
Tu Han hurriedly crawled out of the tent, only to find that the entire camp was in chaos. The Tang army's Cavalry had carved a bloody path through, then began to scatter, ruthlessly pursuing the unarmored Brothers of the Tuguhun!
"Defend! Counterattack! Counterattack!"
Tu Han shouted, not even taking the time to put on armor. Exposing his curly chest hair, he grabbed his Iron Thorn Bud and charged at a Cavalryman from the Brave Warriors Camp!
His physique was extremely robust and tall, and the Iron Thorn Bud in his hand weighed at least thirty-four pounds. He ducked to avoid the Cavalryman's Spear, smashing the Iron Thorn Bud down onto the horse's front hoof!
"Crack!"
The horse's front hoof was shattered into two pieces, blood and flesh flying everywhere as it neighed and collapsed forward. The tremendous momentum caused it to slide a considerable distance before coming to a stop. The Brave Warriors Camp Brother had just gotten back on his feet when he instinctively swung his Spear, but with a jolt in his hands, the Spear was knocked away. The spiked Iron Thorn Bud instantly filled his vision!
The Brother's head was smashed like a watermelon, splattering red and white all over Tu Han. However, he merely snorted coldly and turned back to continue his assault!
Xu Zhen led her Brothers to spread out. After cutting through the enemy forces, they regrouped with dozens of riders and quickly charged toward the center of the camp. The Central Army Tent was right ahead when they saw Tu Han, covered in blood, with Iron Thorn and Iron Thorn Bud smeared with human flesh, unstoppable in his fury!
Qin Guang saw his brothers being slaughtered by the enemy and was filled with rage. He spurred his horse forward, wielding twin swords aimed directly at Tu Han!
"Clang!"
In their clash, Qin Guang's left sword was knocked away by the Iron Thorn Bud, losing two fingers in the process! Qin Guang winced in pain but showed no fear as he charged at Tu Han again!
Tu Han's eyes lit up; he seemed to hold a certain respect for this Tang soldier. However, for him, smashing the enemy's head along with their dignity into the ground was the greatest form of respect he could show.
As Qin Guang fought through unarmored fleeing soldiers, he did not expect such ferocity from an enemy general. Infuriated by his losses, he quickly threw his right-hand sword at Tu Han while seizing a nearby Spear to thrust forward!
Tu Han let out a strange cry as he swung his Iron Thorn Bud to deflect Qin Guang's Spear aside. Then another Iron Thorn Bud swept horizontally, smashing half of the massive horse's head!
As the warhorse landed, Qin Guang quickly rolled to the side, certain that Tu Han would follow closely behind. Instinctively, he used the blade of his spear to stir up mud and water, while his body shifted back half a foot. Tu Han hesitated slightly, and the Iron Thorn Bud crashed down at Qin Guang's feet!
Tu Han's expression was emotionless, like a killing machine. He dragged the Iron Thorn Bud and charged a few steps forward, bringing it down toward Qin Guang!
"My life is over!" Qin Guang was alarmed as he saw the Iron Thorn Bud about to crush his chest. Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air from behind him, and an iron arrow shot forth with incredible precision, piercing cleanly into Tu Han's chest!
"Ah!!!"
Tu Han roared like a ferocious beast, but the Iron Thorn Bud lost its momentum. Seizing the opportunity, Qin Guang rolled to the side, his legs suddenly springing up as he leaped high into the air, swinging his spear with all his might. Tu Han's head fell to the ground with a thud!
At that moment, he felt utterly drained. Turning his head, he saw Zhou Cang holding a massive crossbow. The two exchanged glances without any unnecessary communication or gratitude, for the battle surged around them like a tide once more!
Qin Guang dashed forward several steps, killing three or four enemies before seizing a horse and returning. He impaled Tu Han's head on his spear and shouted loudly in the camp: "The enemy leader has been slain!"
Seeing their king's head cut off, the Barbarians grew even more chaotic, while the morale of Xu Zhen's troops soared as they charged left and right once again!
However, at that moment, a roar echoed from deep within the enemy camp, followed by a rain of Feathered Arrows falling like raindrops!
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