Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Blades tripped horses, and encircling flames sought their kill. Xiong Lu's twenty-thousand strong iron cavalry had not even laid eyes on the Southern Garrison Army's camp before losing a third of their forces in this small patch of woodland along the way.

The raging fire swept in from all directions, its flames coiling and rolling like dragons, leaving no life in its wake. Trapped within the inferno, the soldiers of the Iron Cavalry Camp were thrown into chaos by a hail of arrows before even catching a glimpse of the enemy—a humiliating situation for battle-hardened cavalrymen accustomed to direct combat.

Xiong Lu was equally frustrated. His straightforward nature detested such intricate schemes and tricks, and he never thought a woods of just a few dozen yards could conceal any significant ambush party. Anyone attempting an ambush here was either arrogant or a fool.

Yet, someone defied all logic, ambushing a small squad precisely in this insignificant grove. That small squad managed to eliminate nearly thirty percent of the twenty-thousand strong iron cavalry—equivalent to costing Xiong Lu a limb.

To make matters worse, despite such heavy losses, they still hadn't even seen who their enemy was.

This infuriated Xiong Lu. Charging out of the sea of flames at the forefront, he immediately rallied the cavalry who hadn't yet entered the woods to circle around the grove and pursue the enemy retreating stealthily.

"Split into two groups, flank them around this woods. The area is small; they can't have gone far. Once caught, give no quarter—execute them all on the spot," Xiong Lu growled viciously, his face blackened with soot, contorted into a mask of fury.

His subordinates scattered to obey, dividing into two teams to flank and encircle the now fully-ablaze woods. They actually managed to catch up with one squad.

This squad was guiding two carts laden with oil barrels, spilling oil on the ground as they moved—clearly planning to spread the fire further.

Not if he could help it!

"Your lives are mine!"

The Iron Cavalry soldiers, thoroughly enraged by these fiery tactics and seething with pent-up fury, finally had a target for their rage after chasing for so long. They drew their bows, and in the blink of an eye, the small squad of Southern Garrison Army members driving the oil carts were riddled with arrows like porcupines.

Watching them fall, the cavalry felt tremendous satisfaction, laughing heartily atop their horses.

But just as they laughed, someone suddenly screamed, "They're rising! The corpses are rising!"

"What?!"

"Impossible!"

The cavalry's faces paled as one, for the Southern Garrison Army soldiers they had just riddled with arrows were now rising to their feet. Not only that, but they also ignited the oil carts, mounted the horses pulling the carts, and fled.

"They must be wearing armor beneath!" someone shouted.

"Wait, there's one who didn't get up. Go check," the cavalry said, wary, quickly surrounding the prone figure and demanding, "Are you wearing armor beneath?"

"Armor your ass! Die looking!" The man flipped up, tossing a lit torch onto the oil-soaked ground. Instantly, flames erupted with a roar, shooting up seven *zhang* high, spooking horses and unseating riders, who rolled in the oil, now ablaze and screaming in agony.

The fire-starter watched them writhe, smirking in triumph. But after only a few laughs, he gritted his teeth and yanked out the arrows, grimacing in pain. He quickly retrieved a pill from a small vial at his waist and swallowed it. Immediately, the bleeding stopped, and the pain vanished. Smug, he set his hands on his hips and taunted the figures rolling in the fire: "Tell Zhao Yun that if he wants to beat us, he needs at least a man named Gao in his army! Otherwise, he can keep dreaming!"

The Iron Cavalry soldiers were baffled. "What the hell is 'a man named Gao'? Talk sense, damn it!"

In the end, the main force led by Xiong Lu engaged in a head-on confrontation with a well-prepared ten thousand Southern Garrison Army troops on the plains downstream of the Porcupine River outside the southern city gate.

Indeed, the soldiers of the Western Capital Iron Cavalry Camp were fearless, each seasoned and combat-skilled. Yet, they simply couldn't kill the Southern Garrison Army soldiers.

It wasn't that they couldn't land blows—they just couldn't keep them down.

Even when they clearly struck someone down, by the time they completed a charge and returned, the fallen soldier would be standing again.

"This is sorcery! General, we should retreat!" A deputy general, after fighting through layers of the Southern Garrison Army's human waves, finally made it to Xiong Lu, only to suggest fleeing—and was immediately beheaded by Xiong Lu.

"Anyone else who dares mention retreat will share his fate. Charge with me!" Xiong Lu raised his blade, leading the charge into the enemy formation. Though he fought amidst the crowd, his gaze remained fixed on the silver-armored general before the enemy camp—a masked figure who seemed both mysterious and captivating, drawing attention effortlessly.

Xiong Lu wondered inwardly, since when did General Hua have someone like this under his command? Just a few glances were enough to sense this person was no ordinary figure.

Just then, the silver-armored general raised his long blade high and brought it down forcefully toward Xiong Lu's position. Instantly, a blizzard of arrows rained from the sky, and the Southern Garrison soldiers surrounding Xiong Lu scattered in all directions.

Thud, thud, thud—

Blood sprayed everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, Xiong Lu became a human pincushion.

As he fell from his horse, he stared blankly in Zhou Yunning's direction, the silver armor becoming the last image etched in his eyes before death.

Some noticed he seemed to want to say something, but only two gurgles of blood escaped his throat before he stiffened and tumbled from his horse, leaving only a sigh that drifted briefly in the air before fading.

The Southern Garrison Army immediately shouted, "The rebel commander is dead! Surrender now, and the Ninth Prince, acknowledging your past merits, will spare your lives!"

At these words, all the Iron Cavalry soldiers froze.

"The Ninth Prince is with the Southern Garrison Army? How is that possible?"

"Lay down your weapons, and your lives will be spared." Zhou Yunning's low voice carried across the battlefield, strangely compelling and convincing.

The previously hesitant Iron Cavalry soldiers ceased fighting, dropped their weapons, and gathered under the watch of the Southern Garrison Army. The once smoke-filled battlefield fell silent almost instantly.

Ninth Prince Zhou Yunning urged his horse forward and said, "I know you were only following orders, unaware of my presence here. Zhao Yun has forged imperial decrees, set fire to the Empress Dowager, and murdered officials—his attempt to usurp the throne is undeniable. Now he has deceived you into coming to kill a prince, which is utterly despicable. I understand your lifelong loyalty to the Zhou royal family and your duty to protect Great Zhou. Today's transgressions were not your intent but the result of Zhao's deception. However, the bloodshed has occurred. Now, there is a chance to atone through meritorious service. Will you accept it?"

With a unified motion, the Iron Cavalry knelt, their eyes bloodshot, having endured to the limit. The front row shouted, "Zhao Yun has gone too far! Such a villain deserves death by a thousand cuts! I am willing to follow Your Highness into the capital to eliminate this traitor!"

"Willing to follow Your Highness to kill the traitor and defend the nation!" the soldiers roared in unison, shaking the plains.

Zhou Yunning nodded. "Then follow me straight to the capital."

That night, the remaining ten thousand Iron Cavalry soldiers were incorporated into the Ninth Prince's forces, bringing his total troops to over sixty thousand.

However, the one who gained fame in this battle was not any general nor the strategically brilliant Ninth Prince, but the already legendary Mr. Gao of the Southern Garrison Army.

All because he contributed ten thousand bottles of hemostatic medicine during the battle—medicine so effective it rivaled divine pills. Wounded soldiers who took it could immediately stop bleeding and pain, continuing to charge into battle alive and kicking.

In the soldiers' own words: "One bottle contains over a dozen pills; carrying it is like carrying over a dozen extra lives. From now on, young Mr. Gao is my savior—don't anyone try to claim him!"

The Iron Cavalry finally realized why the Southern Garrison Army was so resilient and hard to kill—they had such miraculous medicine. For a time, everyone was curious about this legendary figure in the army. It wasn't until the Ninth Prince gathered all troops and personally awarded the battle's top honor to an ethereally handsome man that everyone learned Mr. Gao was no reclusive master but a *ge'er*.

To be precise, he was merely the Ninth Prince's Tutor *Ge'er*—whose duty was only to warm the bed.

For a moment, no one knew what to say, only that the Ninth Prince was incredible—even his bed-warmer *ge'er* possessed such remarkable skills.

These days, wherever Gao Zhen went, he immediately drew crowds of soldiers. Their admiration for him was no less than the adoration people in his original era had for giant pandas. But he wasn't a panda—he couldn't trade cute antics for bamboo shoots. He had only wanted to reduce casualties, and being treated like a rare spectacle made him deeply uncomfortable, so he simply stopped going out.

Seeing Gao Zhen sulking in the main tent, the Ninth Prince chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Those outside are rough men. If they've upset A Zhen, I apologize on their behalf. Please don't let your anger lead you to abandon them."

Gao Zhen laughed in exasperation and glared at him. "Don't worry, I won't leave them to die."

The Ninth Prince sighed in relief. "That's good."

Thanks to Gao Zhen's pills, the Ninth Prince's side had almost zero casualties yesterday. Gao Zhen himself gained a large amount of Karma Points, and the hidden task's character cards refreshed ten thousand times—meaning every soldier who participated in the battle was injured and had taken his pills, thus saving their lives. The system issued character cards for each person, filling the hidden task's progress bar instantly.

The hidden task didn't exist in the original plot. Upon completion, the world was supposed to undergo drastic changes, but so far, nothing seemed overtly discordant—everything progressed logically.

Gao Zhen didn't dwell on it. He eyed the small golden crown in the mission rewards but, unsure of its meaning, didn't claim it.

Noticing Gao Zhen's distraction, the Ninth Prince kissed his hair and said, "We've received confirmed news: Zhao Yun is mobilizing troops from all over to return to the capital. We have no time to waste. I've discussed with General Hua—tomorrow, the entire army will advance and take Zhao Yun's head. So,"

Gao Zhen looked up and smiled at him, cutting off his sentence with a nod. "No problem. I can supply as many elixirs as the Ninth Prince needs, but—"

"Just tell me what you require," the Ninth Prince said, leaning in closer to him.

Gao Zhen promptly hooked an arm around his neck. "Let me collect a little interest first—don’t be stingy, Ninth Prince."

"Everything is yours."

Zhou Yunning murmured in agreement, his voice seductive and alluring.

Gao Zhen swung a leg over and settled onto his lap. Thinking it’d be more thrilling to pin him down and kiss him, he pressed both hands on Zhou Yunning’s shoulders, pushing Zhou Yunning firmly into the chair, and kissed him hard.