3

Late autumn, the border fortress' temperature suddenly changed. The day was still rather cool, but at night, it was already extremely cold.

The Sun Guarding Army's army transporting provisions moved steadily. They were about to arrive at the checkpoint, so the leader had his men set up camp in an open area, encouraging everyone to have a good night's rest and hurry on with the journey tomorrow. They had to hand over the provisions tomorrow afternoon.

At night, the patrolling soldiers couldn't get close to the bonfires. Quite a few people were so cold they stamped their feet, so it was hard for them not to complain.

"There is a great drought this summer, hot to the point where several layers of skin are peeling off from our feet. However, this weather is even colder than before, it really is strange!"

"Enough, don't criticize the heavens. Moreover, it isn't a bad thing for the weather to get cold earlier, Western Mang will only be colder than here. I just want this snow to fall earlier, for them to get lost as soon as possible. "

"You have a point as well."

While the patrolling soldiers were speaking, right at this time, the Western Mang soldiers hiding in the haystacks suddenly jumped out, suddenly slaughtering their way over.

"Alert!"

"Enemy attack!!"

Copper bells and sky shaking alarm sounds rang through the air. The patrolling soldiers closest to the location of the incident screamed out while running for their lives towards the camp.

"Not good, it's those bastards from Western Mang who came to steal the provisions! Boys, take out your weapons, don't let them take a single grain of rice! "

"Boys, kill!"

The Sun Guarding Army's morale was high, but Western Mang, for the sake of ensuring that this operation was absolutely foolproof, also made complete preparations. They hid here for an entire day and night, enduring until the wee hours of the morning when the defenses were the most lax, only then did they take action. Meanwhile, when the first group of people took action, the sounds of horse hooves immediately approached.

The scouts listened to the sounds, their faces covered in cold sweat under the light of the flames. "Not good, there are at least five hundred horses, and there is even a large troop following behind them, at least five thousand."

In terms of fighting strength, they were completely inferior.

The Sun Guarding Army clenched their teeth and stubbornly resisted, bringing the provisions with them as they retreated. This continued until Western Mang's rear troops slaughtered their way over. The Sun Guarding Army who already didn't have any strength left frantically cut off the reins of the grain carriages, pulling over the horses pulling the carriages, actually abandoning the provisions and fleeing for their lives.

The leader roared while running, "Even if we burn the provisions, we cannot let Western Mang take advantage of us! Hurry, fire the arrows! "

"General, this is bad. They are serious!"

When the Western Mang Army saw several carriages of provisions go up in flames, their hearts ached terribly. A group of people already threw themselves over to put out the fire and seize the provisions. When they saw the Garrison Yang soldiers draw their bows and fire arrows again, they immediately cursed in alarm.

Food was the key, and it wouldn't be too late to take the heads of the Shuyang soldiers next time.

When he thought up to here, the Western Mang commander immediately roared out, "Stop chasing! Seize the food first!"

Hearing the order, the soldiers swarmed toward the grain carts. At this time, the second batch of fire arrows came one after another. The flames plunged into the grain carts, but it did not ignite the grain like before. Instead, it exploded when the soldiers were unprepared!

"Gunpowder! Hurry up and leave! Retreat!! "

Several grain carts exploded in succession. The Western Mang Army soldiers that were close by either died or were injured, the horses also raised their hooves in fright. Even though the Western Mang Army were experts on horses, there were still quite a few of them who were frightened or injured and flung off their horses, miserable cries continuously sounding.

Meanwhile, when the first explosion shook the horizon, the several thousand Guardian Sun Army soldiers who were lying in ambush outside slaughtered their way in, completely blocking Western Mang Army's path of retreat.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Western Mang had nowhere to retreat to. They knew that they weren't a match, so they could only light up the night sky with a fuse to call for reinforcements.

They fell into a trap.

Zan Bu's expression changed greatly. Now, they could only beat them at their own game.

Gou Liang spat out a blade of grass, sitting up straight on his horse. "The time has come."

Soon afterwards, just as Han Zhan predicted, two groups of well-trained troops left Western Mang Army's camp. One group headed to provide support to the troops that were ambushing the grain, while the other group headed in Shuyang City's direction, trying to besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.

As a result, Western Mang Army's strength was reduced by more than half.

"That bastard Zan Bu is actually still able to sit still. Perfect, let this old one raid his nest and kick his head around like a ball! "Gou Liang urged his horse forward, his voice full of schadenfreude. After giving the Western Mang Army camp at the foot of the mountain a look, he looked towards Han Zhan, his eyes full of raging fighting spirit. "General, please allow this subordinate to go out and fight."

During this period of time, he had always stayed in the camp to recover from his injuries. Gou Liang really was stifled to the extreme.

Han Zhan didn't even turn around as he said, "Just obediently wait here."

His tone didn't allow for discussion at all. Gou Liang could only press this matter down and not mention it.

When those two groups of troops completely left their line of sight, Han Zhan raised the torch in his hands and waved it down. The soldiers received this order, splitting into eight groups, slaughtering their way into the enemy camp as quickly as possible.

Gou Liang sat high up on his horse, watching as his army slaughtered their way into Western Mang Army's camp with great momentum. Meanwhile, torches lit up the night sky again. The second group Zan Bu sent out to attack Shuyang City turned around and slaughtered their way into the rear of Shuyang City's soldiers as expected.

Unfortunately, even if Zan Bu guessed that the matter of the grain was a trap set by Shuyang Army, it was already too late. In his plans, the troops that could coordinate with him from the inside and outside had long fallen into Shuyang Army's ambush. Two battles erupted inside and outside. Raging flames forced the cold moonlight back into a dark corner, shouts of war shaking the horizon.

When he saw this, Gou Liang withdrew his line of sight.

He urged his horse a bit closer to Han Zhan, asking him, "Han Zhan, in another two months, it will be Marquis Of Shuyang's fiftieth birthday, right? Are you returning to the capital? "

Han Zhan stared at the intense battle situation at the foot of the mountain, not replying. Gou Liang's eyes darted around. He propped himself up on his horse's back, immediately straddling Han Zhan's warhorse. His hands forcefully gripped the reins to prevent General Han from kicking him off. He maintained this hugging posture as he whispered into his ear, "Say something, won't you?"

Han Zhan's brows furrowed, inwardly dissatisfied that he was running amok in front of the formation to distract the main general's attention.

Gou Liang rested his head on his shoulder, saying in a frivolous manner, "What are you scared of? If we can lose this battle, what's the point of raising them? Relax, let's talk. "

Han Zhan's answer was to clasp Gou Liang's wrist and apply some force. Hearing Gou Liang cry out in pain, Han Zhan loosened his grip on the reins. Without another word, he grabbed Gou Liang's belt and threw him back onto the horse beside him.

If it weren't for the fact that Gou Liang had just recovered from a serious illness and couldn't suffer external injuries, he would have already kicked him off the mountain.

Gou Liang simply lay on his side on the horse's back and looked at him. In his hand, he found a stalk of grass and stuffed it into his mouth. He supported his forehead with his hand and said leisurely, "Han Zhan, will you take me back with you? Didn't Marquis Of Shuyang say that he wants to meet this humble servant who has made General Han fall in love with him and has repeatedly performed miraculous deeds? An ugly husband has to pay his respects to his mother-in-law. I'm already prepared to go through water and tread on fire for you at any time. "

When Han Zhan heard this, he turned his head to look at him. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, "Where did you hear this from?"

Previously, there were people with ulterior motives who stirred up trouble in the capital and spread rumors about him and Gou Liang. They said that the Shuyang Army's Commanding General Han Zhan had a male pet in the army and had repeatedly used his power for personal gain, breaking military discipline. This kind of false accusation seemed harmless, but it was exactly what some people wanted. In a short period of time, they added oil to the fire and spread the rumors. Secret letters from the Emperor and the Marquis' household were sent to his desk.

In order to avoid upsetting the army's morale, Han Zhan concealed this matter. Gou Liang shouldn't have known about it.

Moreover, the rumors about Gou Liang came from a letter from the Marquis of Shuyang's wife. How could he have known about it?

"Heh heh, I accidentally came across a masterpiece yesterday and wanted to write it for you. I accidentally saw it in your room."

Gou Liang said with an obsequious smile.

Han Zhan glanced at him faintly, "Without this general's permission, you trespassed into the Commander-in-Chief's tent and spied on the Commander-in-Chief's official and private messages. Do you know that this is a serious crime? If it's a light punishment, you'll be flogged fifty times. If it's a heavy punishment, you'll be treated as a spy and killed on the spot. "

Gou Liang wasn't afraid at all. He held the grass in his mouth and said, "You should be glad that I'm not a spy. I'm also reminding you that your tent isn't watertight. That's right, it looks like the general hasn't seen my masterpiece yet, right? It's a dark and windy night right now. It's a good time to recite poetry. I ask the general to listen to me recite — "

"Shut up."

Gou Liang continued to recite in a loud voice, "With the sun and the moon as my alliance, with the heaven and earth as my witness. From now on, the high mountains don't hinder my will, the deep streams don't stop my progress. Fleeting time doesn't destroy my will — "

"Zhanbu has broken through."

Han Zhan sternly interrupted him.

Gou Liang flipped over and sat up. He looked at the group of people breaking through the encirclement and laughed, "Son of a bitch, there's a path to heaven, but you don't want to take it. General, please come with me. I'll let you watch a good show. "

Han Zhan had long known that Gou Liang had set up a formation along the path of Zhanbu's escape. It was said that he had created it himself, and its power was unknown. He only said that he wanted to give Zhanbu an unforgettable lesson.

Han Zhan agreed with this.

In the end, the strength of the Shuyang soldiers was limited. They had to pay a price to resist Zhanbu's desperate counterattack.

The Western Mang people were warlike and cruel. If they wanted to fight, they didn't care about the cold of winter or the snow. If they were forced into a corner, they would fight to the death. Heavenly Sun Kingdom had also been affected by the disaster years. They couldn't support a prolonged war in the next one or two years. Han Zhan wouldn't do something that would hurt both sides, so he hadn't planned to kill them all in his initial plan.

However, he naturally didn't mind giving Zhanbu too much trouble.

Gou Liang and Han Zhan's group chased after the Western Mang fleeing army. In the distance, everyone heard a burst of bitter laughter and screams. They couldn't help but jump in fright.

When they listened carefully, they realized that it was actually the Western Mang army that was making these sounds.

The fleeing army of a hundred thousand had already broken up into smaller groups, fleeing in different directions. Right now, they had already escaped the range of the Shuyang Army's pursuit, about to enter Western Mang territory.

Who would have expected that Zhanbu and his personal guards, three thousand in total, would remain at the front.

They were clearly fleeing for their lives, but they didn't seem nervous at all, instead becoming rather strange. Through the light of the fire, everyone on horseback could see that the Western Mang army, including the commander Zhanbu, were all kneeling on the ground piously, chanting to the wooden man.

There were some among them whose faces were full of joy, as if they had received the praise of a deity. There were some who wept endlessly, currently repenting to the wooden man, begging for forgiveness. The remaining group screamed in horror, as if the wooden man before them was a ghost that came to claim their lives, yet they didn't dare run a single step. They kowtowed to the wooden man, shouting 'don't kill me, don't kill me'.

Gou Liang pulled on the reins. "Don't get too close, if you all don't want to follow in their footsteps."

A hint of deep thought flashed through Han Zhan's eyes. He knew that Gou Liang was busy making wooden men before, even saying that if these 'people' were used well, they could compare to a great army.

From what he saw now, Gou Liang really wasn't boasting before.

This wasn't all. Gou Liang was able to accurately predict how the situation would develop before the battle, locking onto Zhanbu's escape route and laying down a great formation in advance. Regardless of whether it was his intelligence or experience, he was far above ordinary people.

[Ding! Target's favorability has been updated. Current favorability: 70!]

Han Zhan's appreciation of Gou Liang went one step further, and his tone became much gentler. He asked him, "What's going on here?"

"It's a formation. I call it Guarding a Tree Stump Waiting for Rabbits. Don't think that it's so mysterious, but it's actually just a little trick, an optical illusion created by light and shadow. "

This was a formation he had created when he was still Heavenly Master Meng Qi Ning, using the Art of Divination and the Five Elements. It didn't hurt people, but it could trap people to death without paying for it.

"Oh, I didn't think that a treacherous villain like Zhanbu could see such a good thing. However, seeing how treacherous his smile is, he couldn't have seen his sister-in-law, right? I heard that this guy has been lusting after his sister-in-law for a long time. Look at that lecherous face, he's definitely up to no good. " Gou Liang commented, "And those few people who were so scared that their heads were bleeding. Tsk tsk, they really haven't done a single good thing, and they haven't done a single bad thing. Aren't they scared out of their wits by the ghosts in their hearts? That's why I said, this type of shameful thing can't be done … Eh, I'm digressing. "

After being shot a look by Han Zhan, Gou Liang rubbed his nose and said with a laugh, "It will be daybreak in a quarter of an hour. At that time, this formation's effects will disappear."

However, this bit of time was enough to do many things.

He dismounted from his horse and walked towards Zhanbu who was currently dreaming of a drunken beauty, stuffing a medicinal pill into his mouth.

Gou Liang squatted down and patted Zhanbu's face, saying with a low voice, "Since you helped me eliminate Wei Xuanming, I'll leave you an intact corpse. There is no need to thank me too much."

He released a light chuckle and then got up to leave.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard from the distance behind him — Western Mang's army that discovered that the rear division and their commander didn't meet up on time were slaughtering their way back.

After the battle of Blood Night, Shuyang Army obtained a complete victory. Western Mang withdrew their troops, so even if they wanted to cause trouble this year, they didn't have the strength to follow up.

Ten days later, the imperial court's decree to reward the entire army, as well as the decree to allow Marquis of Shuyang's heir, Han Zhan, to return to the capital to congratulate Marquis Of Shuyang on his birthday.

Gou Liang casually flipped through the bright yellow scroll. The imperial decree praised Marquis Shuyang's family for their bravery, and also felt pity for Heir Han's years of hard work on the battlefield. However, no matter how one listened to it, there seemed to be some other meaning hidden within.

He sneered, "His Majesty feels pity for Marquis Shuyang's lack of happiness, so he specially allowed Heir Han to return to the capital to congratulate him, even sending your second uncle to guard the city gates in your place. Heh, it truly is Sima Zhao's heart, fearing that no one will know. "

Those who knew a bit of inside information all knew that Marquis Shuyang and his second brother didn't get along. When the latter was young, for the sake of seizing the position of marquis, he repeatedly framed his older brother, to the extent where he almost had Marquis Of Shuyang killed on the battlefield. This enmity wouldn't dissipate no matter how many years had passed. Now that the emperor sent him to take over Shuyang City's military affairs, it was clear how deep his intentions were.

Presumably, after Han Zhan returned to the capital this time, it wouldn't be long before he officially inherited the position of Marquis Shuyang, replacing his' old 'father to guard the capital. He wouldn't be able to return to the frontier fortress, so as to avoid his meritorious service overshadowing the emperor.

Han Zhan himself also understood this point, but he was more worried about his second uncle's limited talent as a military advisor. If he wasn't up to the task, there would be no end of trouble.

Looking at Gou Liang's mocking eyes, Han Zhan didn't reprimand him for his disrespect. Instead, he asked, "How long is the incubation period of the poison you gave Zan?"

"The shortest is seven months, the longest is nine months. Once it flares up, he will undoubtedly die."

Speaking of this matter, Gou Liang grinned, revealing a pleased expression. "This year's situation is bad. Next year, Western Mang's situation won't be too good either. Before next year's autumn harvest, Western Mang will definitely march south. This generation's Western Mang King still thinks highly of Zan Bu. I just don't know if they'll like the surprise of their commander dying before achieving victory. "

Gou Liang could already foresee the Western Mang King spitting out three liters of blood in depression. Even though Zan Bu wasn't the only commander in Western Mang and war was unavoidable, if he could make things difficult for the opponent, he would naturally spare no effort.

Han Zhan nodded and muttered to himself, "Apart from Western Mang, Northern Desert also cannot be underestimated. My uncle is a person with limited breadth of mind. In his eyes, other than power, he doesn't see anything else. It's difficult for him to take on great responsibilities. I truly don't feel at ease leaving Shuyang City's matters in his hands. If I can't return to the capital on time, then I'll have to trouble you all with the military's important matters. When necessary, just make him shut his mouth. As for what the other side will say, Officer Chang will definitely be able to give everyone a satisfactory explanation, right? "

Gou Liang's expression froze. He slapped his forehead as if he had a headache and said, "I am very happy that the general trusts me this much. However, this time, forgive me for not being able to share the general's burden."

Han Zhan stared at him for a while and said indifferently, "Don't try to play tricks. I won't bring you back to the capital."

He didn't lack experts in battle under his command, but the only one who could play tricks and scheme was Gou Liang.

After receiving the imperial edict, Han Zhan purposely left Gou Liang behind precisely because he wanted to entrust the great responsibility of Shuyang Border City's safety to him. He definitely didn't want to hear a negative reply from him.

"Even though I look forward to it day and night, I also look forward to you granting me a status and bringing me home to pay my respects to the elders. However, this time, I really have no choice but to return to the capital. " Gou Liang laughed bitterly. His expression was completely devoid of his usual indifference. He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Three hours ago, I received a letter from home. My grandfather is seriously ill and I have to go back to see him."

Han Zhan saw that Gou Liang didn't seem to be lying. He was just about to ask Gou Liang about his grandfather's condition when he suddenly stared at him and said coldly, "Officer Chang, you should be from Jiangyin. Other than the uncle who embezzled the land and abused his nephew, you don't have any other relatives in your family. Did this general remember wrongly, hm? "

Gou Liang ⊙ ω ⊙, "…"

Han Zhan narrowed his eyes slightly. A smile suddenly appeared on his grave and stern face. He said slowly, "Officer Chang's guilty expression is a rare sight in a hundred years. It seems this general didn't remember wrongly. Officer Chang, how do you explain this, hm? "

Unlike the last time, Han Zhan's voice was filled with a gentle smile. However, this made Gou Liang's hair stand on end.

He silently moved back and laughed dryly, "Chang Xuanning is indeed from Jiangyin …"

"Oh?"

Han Zhan looked at him with a smile that wasn't a smile.

An invisible pressure pressed down on him like a five-fingered mountain. Gou Liang swallowed his saliva and said with difficulty, "It's just that in this world … there has never been a Chang Xuanning, that's all."

Han Zhan's expression changed slightly. He put away all his emotions and looked at Gou Liang with a scrutinizing gaze.

After a long while, he said, "If there is a Chang Xuanning in this world, then who are you?"

Gou Liang met his gaze. After holding on for a moment with a guilty conscience, he gritted his teeth and tore off the disguise on his face.