89. First exposure majestic and magnificent

  First exposed majestic peaks

  "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

  Ye Li and his entourage rushed to Suixue Pass without stopping. The sudden deployment of troops by Nanzhao and the King of Lei was too sudden, and since Hei Yunji had entered the southern border earlier, it had already attracted a lot of attention. Ye Li could only bring Yan Er and Yan San, as well as several Black Cloud Riders, while others dispersed and returned to Dongchu separately.

  "What's going on?" Ye Li furrowed her brow and pulled tight the reins. The black cloud knight who brought the news spoke in a low voice, "General Wu Chengliang was assassinated, and the relief troops from Yongzhou were ambushed as soon as they crossed the river... The entire army... has been annihilated."

  Ye Lingshen's heart skipped a beat, "How far is it from Shuixue Pass now?"

  An Ye said: "There is still half a day's journey left. However... the Snowy Pass has already been surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Southern Zhao troops, I'm afraid we won't be able to enter the pass even if we arrive."

  Ye Li said: "Take a detour, don't worry about the Snowy Pass for now, go to Yonglin first. The Great King of Li's army should be arriving soon too."

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  The snow-covered pass was still filled with the sounds of killing and war drums shaking the sky. Murong Shen looked at the shouting Southern Yan generals below, his face as calm as water. The continuous days of closed-door defense were a severe blow to the morale of the soldiers, and many of the surrounding generals had long been unable to hold back their desire to go out and fight, but he stopped them one by one. "General, please let me go out and fight!" A young general begged firmly, his eyes filled with unyielding anger. The Southern Yan soldiers had been shouting insults below the city every day, but they could only close the gate and not come out, which made these young and vigorous generals feel stifled.

  "Shut up! What's most important now is defending the city, not a battle of wits. We absolutely cannot let the Nanzhao army take one step into Suixue Pass - this is our purpose in guarding the border. Wait quietly for reinforcements!"

  The young general looked at him incredulously and asked, "Will the reinforcements arrive in time?" They had only 800,000 defenders, while the Southern Zhao army surrounding them, plus the troops from Lingzhou who were ambushing from behind, exceeded three million. Murong Shen was silent for a moment before firmly saying, "They will arrive in time, as long as we can hold Shuixue Pass. So, let's not engage in unnecessary disputes."

  The young general gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, General."

  "General!" The messenger rushed over, "General, the vanguard reports that Wu Chengliang, the commander of Yongzhou, is leading 20,000 troops to reinforce us. As soon as they crossed the Yunlan River, they were ambushed and Commander Wu was killed!"

  Everyone present couldn't help but take a breath of cold air, and Murong Shen only felt dizzy. He quickly stabilized himself and said, "How is this possible? How could Li Wang be so fast?!"

  "Report! General, the governor of Yongzhou surrendered to King Li last night. This morning, King Li's army broke through Qingyuan City, and the vanguard may arrive at Yonglin City by dusk today." The generals all felt a chill in their hearts. Originally, there were not many troops stationed in Yongzhou, and now the governor had surrendered to King Li, no wonder his army was able to advance so smoothly. It's happening so fast, let alone the original plan to hold out for ten days, it's likely that Shui Xue Guan will be surrounded in just two days. Thinking of this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Murong Shen's anger turned to laughter, "Good! What a great governor of Yongzhou! Who is willing to go and defend Yonglin City?"

  Several young generals stepped forward at the same time, "General, we are willing to go!"

  Murong Shen looked at the young man in front of him with a stern expression and nodded, "Alright, Yun Tian, Xia Shu, I'll give you 20,000 troops to guard Yonglin. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, General." The two young men responded in unison and turned to leave after receiving the military order. No one asked how the 20,000 troops would defend Yonglin or for how long. Watching the backs of the two young men as they left, Murong Shen swept his gaze over the seated generals: "We're the same, defending Suixue Pass. Understand?"

  "Yes! General."

  The once peaceful Yonglin City is now in a state of extreme solemnity, with all the shops along the streets closed and not a single pedestrian in sight. Compared to the suffocating and oppressive atmosphere at the Snowy Mountain Pass, the area below Yonglin City is already filled with the sounds of clashing steel and bloodshed. Under the city walls, soldiers attempting to climb up using ladders were repeatedly repelled by stones and arrows shot from above. Those who fell were immediately replaced by others who continued the assault without hesitation. Similarly, the soldiers on the city walls were occasionally shot down by skilled archers below, their faces disfigured beyond recognition. At this point, no one had the luxury to care about these losses; everyone was consumed by the frenzy of battle. Everyone had forgotten that they were once fellow countrymen and comrades-in-arms. In the heat of combat, it was every man for himself - only one could emerge victorious.

  "How is it? Shall I go first?" On the city wall, two young generals looked at each other with solemn expressions.

  "I'll go first!" The young general drew his sword and turned away.

  The one left behind let out a helpless hum as he watched the figure disappear into the distance, turned around and drew his sword to cut down an enemy soldier who was trying to climb up onto the city wall.

  The city gate was opened, and the young general led a team of horses to charge out, rushing into the enemy's formation to reduce the pressure on the city wall. The young general took the lead in killing countless people along the way. Soon, a middle-aged man with a sturdy build blocked his path, holding a large knife to sweep away the surrounding people, and sneered: "Does Murong Shen have no one under his command? He actually sent a little devil who hasn't even dried off his milk to block General's way! If you know what's good for you, open the Yonglin City gate immediately, and General will spare your life!" The young general's sword eyebrows rose, and he coldly laughed: "This young master doesn't take in nameless ghosts. Which rebel dares to report their name, this young master will leave you a complete corpse!"

  "This general is the vanguard of the Western Army appointed by His Highness King Li himself, Sun Wei!"

  The young general rolled his eyes, "So it's Mo Jingli, that traitor... Sun Wei... I've never heard of you, die obediently!" The long sword in his hand was fast and ruthless, cutting down the man who claimed to be the vanguard of the Western Army without mercy. For a moment, the man was caught off guard, and finally died at the hands of the young general he had looked down on. The young general snorted disdainfully, "A mere pustule, daring to show off in front of me?" The vanguard was beheaded, and the attacking army immediately fell into disarray. The defending general took advantage of the opportunity to lead his troops out and attack, and soon the attacking army retreated in disarray.

  "Xia Shu, how is it?" Returning to the city wall, looking out at the defeated enemy army retreating in disarray, the young general's face was flushed with excitement. The man named Xia Shu looked into the distance and furrowed his brow, saying: "This should just be the opponent's vanguard scouting ahead. Although we drove them back, when the real elite troops arrive..." The young general also furrowed his brow, the joy of their recent victory gradually dissipating. To say nothing of tens of thousands of soldiers, even tens of thousands of pigs could trample them to death with such a small number of people. Guarding the city with 20,000 men was already very difficult, let alone going out to meet the enemy. Yonglin City was not like Suoxue Pass; if they defended and didn't come out, the Li Wang army might be able to bypass Yonglin City first, although it would be a bit troublesome but not impossible. Once they took down Suoxue Pass, this isolated city with only 20,000 people would be a piece of cake.

  "Bring it on! I'll send him back just like the others! I, Yun Tian, am not one to fear death!" The young general hummed.

  Xia Shu also gradually revealed a smile, "Well said. Let's make a deal, next time it's my turn."

  Perhaps it was because the vanguard of the previous army had been defeated and returned, so the following troops came slower than they imagined, until the next morning when the war drums were heard outside the city. Xia Shu and Yun Tian stood on the city wall looking down, and Yun Tian couldn't help but take a deep breath. "Did Mo Jing Lei bring out all the troops of Fengzhou?" The front of Yonglin City was not open, but at a glance, the fluttering flags and dense shadows made people not want to estimate their numbers. Xia Shu said in a low voice, "In the past, when we were in the capital, everyone said that King Lei was a useless person, but now it seems that's not entirely true." Looking down at King Lei's troops lined up neatly below, they seemed quite intimidating. No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like an army that a useless person could lead. Yun Tian sneered, "Either he has a powerful person under him, or he's pretending to be crazy. Can a useless person start a rebellion? That's ridiculous."

  There were several people in the opposing formation who galloped out, among them a middle-aged man who was clearly not a military general shouted towards the upper floor: "The defending general upstairs, listen! Immediately open the city gate and let us pass!"

  Yun Tian raised an eyebrow, "Who are you? You say let go and I'll let go?"

  The middle-aged man said: "This official is the governor of Yongzhou, and Yongzhou has already surrendered to King Li. You should immediately open the city gate and invite King Li to enter the city!" Upon hearing this, Yunfeng couldn't help but curse in a low voice, "Who does he think he is? It turns out that this traitor. There's a road to heaven that you don't take, when you become a traitor, you should know your place and find a place to hide. How dare you come out and show off?" He turned around and drew the bow and arrow from behind the soldier next to him, and without hesitation, shot it at the governor of Yongzhou.

  "Ah?!" The Eternity State Governor, who was speaking triumphantly on horseback, was pulled by someone beside him. An arrow flew past his ear and he let out a shrill cry, almost falling off the horse. Yun Tian made a regretful sound, "This move is a bit lacking." The Eternity State Governor's persuasion had no effect, and one of them waved their hand to have him sent back to the army. Only then did they look up at the two people on the city tower and say: "Are you two young generals Yun Tian and Xia Shu? You only have 20,000 to 30,000 troops, which can't withstand my army of 200,000. Why must you resist stubbornly? We are all citizens of Great Chu, if there is any damage, wouldn't it be unbearable for everyone?"

  Yun Tian snorted and coldly laughed: "Joke, you still know you're a citizen of Great Chu? I thought it was some rebel's dog barking here."

  The people below the city wall changed color slightly and soon continued to laugh: "The emperor is tyrannical, and King Li is the true son of heaven. We should naturally follow King Li's orders..."

  "Damn it!" Yun Tian raised his hand and shot another arrow. Seeing that the opponent easily let it pass without being concerned, he loudly cursed: "You shameless little lord, I've seen many of you, but I've never seen anyone as shameless as you! The Emperor is unjust... did the Emperor kill your parents or steal your wife? You're really a heaven-sent child... didn't you hear that when you were far away in the border? You hooked up with your future aunt before marriage and were caught with a woman on the day of the royal wedding. Ah... and also, you fainted on the day of the grand wedding... your body is so weak, just stay at home and don't come out to make a fool of yourself!" Summer Shu, standing on the side, listened to Yun Tian's curses without even taking a breath, his expression slightly embarrassed. The soldiers on the city wall burst into laughter, and even the soldiers under Lei Wang's command below had some strange expressions. The general who wanted to persuade them to surrender was so angry that he wished he could immediately dig a hole and hide in it. He pointed at Yun Tian with hatred: "You little brat! You'd better not fall into my hands, or I'll make you wish you were dead!"

  Yun Tong raised his chin and looked at him with a proud gaze, "I'm waiting."

  After the heavy military affairs, Mo Jingli's face turned pitch black, and his cold and gloomy aura made the generals around him dare not to speak. Although they were far away from the front line, Yun Tian's words just now were all transmitted with internal force, and the generals who followed Mo Jingli naturally heard them clearly. Mo Jingli's ugly expression could be imagined, "Attack the city! That little boy is going to live for this king!"

  "Yes." With a wave of his hand, the people around him struck up a thunderous war drum behind him, and the army above began to attack the city.

  Mo Jing Lei was clearly intent on a swift and decisive victory, aiming to capture the majority of the area south of Yunlan River before reinforcements from the imperial court arrived. As such, he showed no mercy even to the small city of Yonglin, for it was situated right behind the Shui Xue Pass. This time, Yun Tian and Xia Shu felt an immense pressure that was several times greater than what they had experienced yesterday. They were already overwhelmed just defending the city walls, let alone sending troops out of the city to engage in battle. Even if they could spare some troops, those few soldiers would be utterly useless once they were surrounded by tens of thousands of enemy forces. The massive wooden battering rams below the city began to pound against the gates, causing the entire city wall to tremble under the heavy thuds. Soldiers on the walls fell one after another, but the enemies attempting to climb up seemed endless. Yun Tian and Xia Shu continued to wield their weapons non-stop, filling in the gaps left by fallen soldiers, as a thick smell of blood filled the air.

  Looking at the dwindling number of defenders on the city wall, Yun Tian's white battle robe was stained with blood flowers. "This is really unlucky, this is my first time leading troops in person, and I'm going to be completely defeated?"

  "Don't worry, after you die, the imperial court will definitely posthumously confer upon you the title of general." Xia Shu pulled up the corners of his lips and smiled faintly.

  "Thanks for the comfort. I still want these bastards to die first!" Yunfeng said, raising his hand and striking down an enemy who had climbed up the city wall and was trying to sneak up on Xia Shu from the side. He then picked up the corpse and threw it straight at the people climbing up the ladder below.

  "Brothers, hold on for me! If we let these rebels pass through Snowflake Pass, it's all over. Snowflake Pass has been standing for hundreds of years and has never allowed those southern barbarians to take another step forward, we can't let it be destroyed in our hands!" Yun Thunder shouted with his arm raised high, the defending generals and soldiers roared in unison: "Defend Yonglin to the death!" Although they are also military personnel, those stationed within the borders find it difficult to understand the psychology of the generals stationed at the border. Guarding the country's gate is the most important honor and mission in their hearts, as well as a responsibility etched into their bones.

  In the mountains several miles outside Yonglin City, Ye Li stood under the shade of a tree on a slope, gazing out at the distance. The sounds of clashing steel and horse hooves could be heard clearly even from several miles away.

  "Prince Wang...the young master, Yonglin City is about to fall." An San hastily approached and reported.

  Ye Li lowered his head and said: "It's pretty good that the 20,000 troops can hold on for so long. Who is defending Yonglin now?"

  An Ye said: "They are two lieutenants under General Murong, Yun Tian and Xia Shu."

  Ye Li furrowed her brow and said, "Only two school officers?"

  An Er nodded and said, "There aren't many generals stationed at Su Xue Guan. These two are the most promising and favored young generals under General Mu Rong. That Yun Tian even beheaded the vanguard of Li Wang's army yesterday." Ye Li furrowed her brow and asked, "Is Mo Jing Li also in the army?" An Er nodded again, pointing to a distant place where a banner was fluttering, "Li Wang should be there. Young Master... do we..." Ye Li shook her head, "Mo Jing Li must have strict guards around him, not to mention he's not an incompetent person himself. It's almost impossible to capture the king first and then the bandit. An Er, An San."

  "Yes."

  "Choose a few people yourselves and kill the governor of Yongzhou."

  An Er and An San exchanged a glance, then responded in unison: "Your subordinate obeys."

  Ye Li said in a low voice: "As long as we kill the governor of Yongzhou, don't do anything else, and retreat immediately."

  "Yes! And you, young master..."

  Ye Li took a light breath, looked up at the azure sky and said: "I'm with the Black Cloud Riders." The several leaders of the Black Cloud Riders standing behind her gazed at Ye Li's face with respectful expressions. Although they should have listened to the queen's orders anyway, a queen with agile movements and a clever mind was obviously more acceptable to these proud and powerful warriors than a spoiled mistress who only had looks and talent.

  Dark Two and Dark Three also knew that although they were called the Dark Guards, the princess did not actually need people to follow her around and protect her at all times. The princess would send them on various missions, which was also for their future consideration, hoping that they could stand openly among the crowd instead of just being a personal bodyguard who couldn't see the light. "Understood," Dark Two said, exchanging a glance with several Black Cloud Riders: the princess's safety is in your hands.

  Hei Yun Qi raised an eyebrow and responded accordingly.

  "Are you all ready?" Yan Er and Yan San led their men away, Ye Li turned around and asked.

  "Please be informed, young master, that everything is ready. We can depart at any time."

  Ye Li nodded, "Alright. Divide the troops into four routes, and enter the battlefield from both flanks in a cross pattern. One minute later, the remaining people will prepare to take action."

  "Yes." The situation on the battlefield was getting increasingly dire, from just one or two enemy soldiers climbing up the city wall and being immediately killed, to later on, enemy soldiers who climbed up the tower were able to take advantage of the situation and kill a few people. Although it hadn't caused too much harm yet, it was believed that they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Yun Tian finally didn't have the energy to shout and curse anymore, silently wielding his weapon, his young face revealing visible fatigue and a fierce killing intent. Xia Shu's right arm had been torn open by a gash, so he switched to using his left hand with his sword, fortunately, his left-handed swordsmanship was just as sharp as his right-handed one.

  One wave of attack paused, another wave of attack surged up. Xia Shu raised his hand and swept the sword to knock an enemy soldier off the city wall. Suddenly, another person emerged from the city wall with a ferocious expression and stabbed forward with a knife. "Xia Shu!" Yun Tian exclaimed and shook off an enemy soldier to rush over. Xia Shu was stunned for a moment, but saw that the man's ferocious face had a look of astonishment as he fell backwards.

  Four black shadows, like four sharp black arrows, shot into the midst of a huge army of hundreds of thousands with a shocking speed. Wherever they went, it was like a black tornado, and quickly divided the camp of the huge army into pieces, and soon the gray battlefield was suddenly split into four or five parts by the black divisions.

  "What is that?" Looking at the black-clad man flying under the city gate, drawing his bow and shooting three arrows in quick succession, accurately hitting the three people trying to climb up. Then several black whirlwinds swept by even faster, and the ladder under the city gate was reduced to a pile of debris in an extremely short period of time. The horseback riders then galloped away as if they had entered a realm without people. Yun Tian looked at the shocking scene below the city gate and exclaimed in shock.

  Xia Shu covered the wound that was burning with pain, and forced a smile: "It's reinforcements! Quick, release the arrows!" Because the ladder for attacking the city had been destroyed, the pressure on the city wall suddenly decreased. Xia Shu hastily ordered the soldiers on the city tower to release arrows to support the black-clad knights below. From their position on the city tower, they could see clearly that the reinforcements were not many in number, but their momentum and combat power, as well as the imposing presence of thousands of iron cavalry, had caused the enemy to become disorganized and confused. The southern regions rarely had cavalry, and looking at the black-clad knights below, Xia Shu's heart stirred. His originally tired eyes suddenly became hot with excitement: "Quick, Yunfeng, pay attention to receiving them in the capital city." Even if these knights could fight against a hundred enemies, being trapped in a large army of tens of thousands for a long time was still not a sustainable plan.

  "Alright, I'll go out of town to pick them up!"

  Xia Shu shook his head, "No need, they can kill their way out of the city gate themselves."

  Yun Tian gave Xia Shu a strange look, but decided to follow the advice of this slightly older comrade.

  The black cloud rode on the battlefield, invincible. The enemy's rear, Mo Jingli, was watching the battle with his subordinates. He didn't take this small city of Yonglin too seriously, as everything had been going too smoothly so far. As long as they could capture Yonglin, they would almost be able to secure half of the Chu state. In fact, even Mo Jingli himself hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. He glanced sideways at the Yongzhou governor standing beside him, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. A person who would betray their master might also betray their second master. This man was still useful for now, but in the future...

  Whoosh! Several dark projectiles broke through the air, shooting towards Mo Jingli in the crowd. Mo Jingli quickly dodged to the side, and the guards surrounding him immediately formed a tight circle. "Assassins! Protect the prince!" Several figures burst forth from all directions, but instead of attacking Mo Jingli, who was protected by layers of guards, they charged at the guards blocking their way. One of them turned around and pounced on the cowering Governor of Yongzhou. The governor was so frightened that he wanted to scream, but not a sound could be heard. He felt a chill in his heart as a dagger pierced through it. Looking up in terror, he met a pair of icy, indifferent eyes, and a low voice whispered in his ear, "By order of the Queen of Dingguo - treason, rebellion... kill!"

  "Retreat!" With a swift motion, he pulled out the short knife from the heart of the Yongzhou governor, and suddenly blood spurted out like a fountain. An Er turned around and with one slash of his knife, cut down the neck of the approaching guard, then shouted to the few people still entangled...

  A few people quickly got rid of their entanglements and dispersed in all directions. And very quickly mixed into the soldiers of King Li, gradually disappearing.

  Mo Jingli's face was gloomy as he stared at the corpse of the Yongzhou governor, who lay on the ground with his eyes closed. The surrounding generals had equally solemn expressions, accompanied by a hint of fear and worry. They hadn't heard everything the assassin said, but that last sentence - "Rebel against the emperor, kill!" - they all heard clearly. In this vast army, under multiple layers of protection, the Yongzhou governor was killed so cleanly and efficiently, how could it not make these people's hearts cold and their gallbladders tremble?

  Mo Jingli didn't even have time to get angry before someone suddenly shouted: "What is that?!"

  Everyone looked at the battlefield, and suddenly black-clad knights appeared out of nowhere, coming and going freely. The soldiers in the front line had already shown signs of defeat after several charges, "Where did so many cavalry come from in the south?" These cavalry were extremely fast, sometimes crisscrossing, and it was impossible to see how many people there were at a distance. It just felt like the entire battlefield was filled with the shadows of black-clad cavalry, leaving corpses everywhere they went. Unfortunately, the terrain outside Yonglin City was narrow, making it impossible to deploy all the troops, and for a time, they were unable to do anything about it.

  "Hei Yun Qi!" Mo Jing Lei gritted his teeth and said.

  The Black Cloud Riders! Everyone trembled again, and those with weak hearts had already turned pale. The Black Cloud Riders were the most elite force of the Dingguo King's Manor, and could even be said to be the most elite army in all of Great Chu. They were personally controlled by the Dingguo King himself, and no one else could command this army except for the Dingguo King and the mistress of the manor who had been acknowledged by him. The Black Cloud Riders have appeared here... then... the Dingguo King must be nearby!

  "Impossible!" Mo Jing Lei said in a cold voice, "Mo Xiuyao, that sickly weakling, absolutely cannot arrive here so quickly!" He had secretly left the capital, even if Mo Xiuyao received the news and immediately chased after him, with his frail body, it would take at least several days to arrive. Even if he did sense something, he was fundamentally powerless to command a battle again.

  "Then... who is commanding this Black Cloud Cavalry now?" a general asked in a trembling voice.

  Mo Jing Lei hummed softly, he could be sure that Mo Xiuyao was absolutely not in Yonglin, but who exactly was commanding this black cloud cavalry? Feng Zhiyao? That wasn't right either, Feng Zhiyao couldn't command the black cloud cavalry...

  "Your Highness, there are a large number of cavalrymen coming this way from the south!"

  Mo Jingli was taken aback, "How much?!"

  "There are many... countless... scouts who got a little closer were all shot and killed!"

  The crowd looked south, and indeed saw the other side of the forest with rolling smoke and dark shadows, as well as the sound of galloping horses that shook the ground from a distance. It wouldn't have such an effect without several thousand horses.

  "Your Highness..."

  The retreat bugle sounded, and the attacking enemy army retreated like a tide. At the same time, the gate of Yonglin City opened, and the black-clad knights rushed into the city. The heavy city gate closed again. On the city wall, looking at the retreating enemy army, Yunfeng and Xia Shu exchanged a glance and both let out a sigh of relief. If it weren't for these people, they were afraid that they would not be able to hold on any longer.

  Yun Tian wiped the blood off his sword and sheathed it, curiously asking: "Xia Shu, who exactly came to help us?"

  Xia Xi sighed and said, "From now on, don't brag about being raised in the capital city. You can't even tell this apart. Usually, you spend all your time collecting those street rumors." Even knowing about Lian Li Wang's affair with his sister-in-law, he still looked clueless.

  Yun Tian tilted his head and blinked, suddenly opening his eyes wide in a daze, staring at Xia Shu. After half a day, he stuttered: "Xia... Xia Shu, won't it be... the one I thought of?" Xia Shu gave him a white eye, "Besides that one, which one else is there?" Yun Tian finally let out a loud shriek and rushed down to the city tower. Xia Shu shook his head helplessly and followed suit. The legendary Black Cloud Rider, he was also very curious, wasn't he?

  Under the city wall, the wide street on both sides was packed with people and horses. However, neither humans nor horses made a single sound. The entire street was quiet as if a fallen needle could be heard. As soon as Yun Tian walked down from the city tower, he felt a fierce killing intent and an overwhelming atmosphere that filled the sky and earth, and his originally excited and expectant expression involuntarily retracted, standing up straight to look at the person in front of him.

  The person in the front was also dressed in black, but he didn't ride on horseback like the others. Instead, he stood quietly with a black stallion by his side. Yun Tian noticed the difference at a glance. Compared to the knights on horseback, he looked petite and gentle, without any of the sternness or sharpness of the knights. Even when looking at Yun Tian, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. However, Yun Tian knew that this didn't mean this person was weaker than the others. On the contrary, this person should be their leader.

  "In the snow-covered mountain pass, Xiaoyue Yunfeng. Thank you all for rushing to our aid, I don't know... how to address you?"

  Ye Li looked at the young general in front of her, who was obviously nervous and expectant, and couldn't help but find it amusing. However, her face remained calm, "Cloud Lieutenant, would you mind changing to a different location to talk?" Cloud Thunder was still in a daze, when Xia Shu, who had followed behind him, spoke up, "Of course we can. This way please. I am Xia Shu, the Fragmented Snow Pass Lieutenant."

  Ye Li nodded and turned to the Black Cloud Riders behind her: "Rest in place."

  "Yes."

  Two thousand black clouds ride in unison, their movements uniform and astonishing.

  Yun Tian came back to his senses and said: "Everyone has had a hard journey, why don't we go back to the camp to rest for a while?"

  Ye Li said with some helplessness, "I'm afraid there won't be much time to rest. No need to bother again, I suppose Yonglin City also has many wounded soldiers who need attention. These war horses still need the two of you to take care of them." Xia Shu naturally understood, fortunately, although the cavalry at Suixue Pass was not numerous, the fodder for 2,000 war horses could still be supplied for some days. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir, I'll have someone take care of it on horseback. Please, this way."

  Ye Li nodded and followed Xia Shu to the military camp set up not far from the city tower.

  Yun Tian somewhat dazedly turned his head to look at the black-clad knights who were either sitting down, closing their eyes to meditate, or wiping their swords after sending off the war horses. He then turned his head again to look at Ye Li who was walking away with a few black-clad men following behind Xia Shu. He shook his head and hastily chased after them.