"In the past few days, I have been rushing to the vicinity of Wuliang Town to investigate. From the mouths of captured bandits, I learned that the situation over there has already become a scene of carnage, with the war effort reaching a white-hot intensity. According to reports from scouting horses, the area between Liudaokou and Wuliang Town, including Sanlipu and the lower plains, is strewn with corpses, resembling a hell on earth..."

  Su Wenchuan reported the situation of Wu Liang Town to Liu Ce in detail. After listening, Liu Ce fell into deep thought: If he really wanted to join the government army, what should he do to ensure his safety?

  "What news is there from Gaoyang?" Liu Ce asked.

  "According to the news from the spies infiltrating the city, the bandits in Gaoyang City are still indulging in their usual carefree life, because last month my Jingwei Camp raided their grain and supplies, so Zhang Hui and others dare not send any more reinforcements to Wuliang Town."

  "How many troops are currently stationed in Gaoyang City? Who is the commander of the garrison?"

  "There are currently 114,000 bandit soldiers inside and outside the city of Gaoyang, with fewer than 3,000 elite soldiers. The rest are ordinary bandits and refugees. Apart from their large numbers, they have no other strengths. This is the gathering point for the bandits in the suburbs of Gaoyang. Please review it, General."

  "Alright, you go rest first."

  "I will take my leave now."

  After Su Wenchang left, Liu Ce began to press his slightly aching head and carefully consider the next strategy. Looking at the charcoal-drawn topographic map on the desk, he furrowed his brow: If they remove each of the strongholds near Gaoyang one by one, it will inevitably trigger a chain reaction, and Gaoyang City will definitely close its gates tightly to defend itself. But if they don't remove these strongholds, how can they safely advance to the foot of Gaoyang City? The bandits outside the stronghold will surely discover and report back to Gaoyang City! They must think of another way.

  Thinking of this, Liu Ce got up and left the government office towards Qin Mo's residence.

  ……

  Wuliang Town, on the vast plain littered with corpses, the cries of killing still shook the sky. Tens of thousands of bandits and government troops clashed together in a frenzy, each swinging their swords to knock down their enemies before them.

  Li Xiùwén stood on the arrow tower inside the big camp, gazing at the killing scene not far away. Her eyes were exceptionally cold, and several attendants behind her also quietly watched the bandits and government soldiers fighting each other without saying a word, waiting for Li Xiùwén's orders.

  "General! When will the reinforcements arrive? We can't hold on any longer!" Du Fang shouted loudly from under the arrow tower, his troops of over 10,000 now reduced to less than 4,000, their bows and crossbows exhausted, their arms aching so much they could no longer lift anything.

  Li Xiufeng placed his hand on the railing of the arrow tower and did not respond to Du Fang's words, but instead exchanged a glance with the personal guard. The personal guard understood implicitly and immediately shouted loudly at Du Fang below the arrow tower: "General Du, don't worry, within half an hour at most, the Thunderbolt Army will definitely arrive to relieve the siege! Please General Du, you must hold on for this last half hour!"

  Du Fang heard this and loudly replied, "Alright, I'll hold on for another half an hour! If by then we still haven't seen the reinforcements, what will happen to my troops and Yan Heng's troops, I also can't guarantee!"

  Li Xiwen heard this and secretly smiled to herself, thinking: It seems that the military here is still not reliable. Do they think they can use a coup to threaten me? Ha ha, will I give them the opportunity to stage a coup?

  At this point, Li Xiwen climbed down the arrow tower and came to Du Fang's side, smiling at him, staring at him until Du Fang's scalp felt numb, and in this cold weather, his back was actually wet.

  After a long time, Li Xiwen raised his hands and patted them heavily on his shoulders, saying: "In less than half an hour, General Ben will go to meet the Thunder Army and give the bandits a fatal blow! This achievement is all thanks to the two armies of Du and Yan, who have been resisting the bandits' advance for ten days, making it impossible for them to advance even an inch. When we defeat the bandits in the future, General will be the first to be credited with the merit."

  "Thanks to Master Qi's cultivation, I will never be able to repay General's great kindness even if I die ten thousand times!" Du Fang said and heavily knelt down and knocked his head on the ground.

  Li Xiufang gazed at Du Fang, who was kneeling on the ground, and a hint of playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He walked forward, lifted him up, patted the dust off his body, and said: "It's been half an hour since General has been holding out, time is not on our side, I'll go meet the Thunderbolt Army now, General take care."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiùwén strode to his warhorse and mounted it in one leap. Several dozen of his personal guards also quickly mounted their horses, and with a crack of the whip, several dozen riders galloped out of the camp like a whirlwind...

  "Kill him for me!" In front of the array, several miles away, Yan Heng roared loudly, and with one shot, he pierced through the chest cavity of a fleeing bandit. The momentum of the gun did not decrease as it slammed into another stunned bandit behind him, achieving two kills with one shot.

  "Hmm..." At this time, Yan Heng was covered in blood, panting heavily. His paired sword had long been chopped into a curled blade and thrown aside, so he could only pick up the long spear on the ground to continue fighting. The bodies of the bandits were already piled around him, a gruesome sight that made one's heart skip a beat.

  "General, the messenger of the division commander has an order. If we can hold on for half a time unit, reinforcements will arrive on the battlefield!" A soldier from Du Fang's unit came to the front line and said to Yan Heng.

  "Half a time!" Yan Heng's eyes widened, "My flag team now has less than 7,000 people, and the arrows have been exhausted. How can we hold on for half a time?"

  The orderly soldier said: "General's dying order, no matter what, must hold the camp for half an hour!"

  "Defending the camp, is it?" Yan Heng swept down two bandits who were about to advance with one spear, and continued, "Alright! I understand!"

  Then he shouted loudly: "The army retreats into the camp!" After finishing, he led the way to run towards the camp site a few miles away. However, after running for a few steps, he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind blowing from behind his neck. In a flash, he lowered his head abruptly, and an arrow as thick as a thumb flew off his helmet. For a moment, Yan Heng's hair was disheveled, like a malevolent spirit.

  "Heh, He Xiao, these past few days you've been indulging in pleasures with the ladies of Gaoyang and have no energy left, not even able to shoot an arrow?" From dozens of steps away, three barbarian Hu people appeared on the battlefield under the cover of their shields and knives.

  The man named He Xiao, a Hu person, had an icy expression. From behind his back, he took out another wolf-toothed arrow and said: "Consider him lucky, but it ends here." After finishing speaking, the bow in his hand was drawn to its fullest extent. Along with the soft sound of the bowstring, the wolf-toothed arrow flew rapidly towards Yan Heng's back.

  "Hmmph..."

  "Uh..."

  The wolf-toothed arrow pierced through Yan Heng's back, the entire length of the arrow entering his body, leaving only the tail end visible outside. Yan Heng let out a muffled groan and fell to the ground, the shattered arrow inside him instantly tearing apart his internal organs, rendering him immobile, unable to move or speak, he could only watch as countless pairs of large feet passed before his eyes. Suddenly, he felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, feeling an intense chill, in a daze, he couldn't hear anything, and it seemed as if he was already floating in mid-air, seeing the soldiers fleeing in disarray and the ferocious expression on the bandits' faces as they chased after them...

  That Heshuo's barbarian saw one arrow shot down Yan Heng, and suddenly his expression relaxed, turning his head to the two barbarian companions beside him with a licentious smile: "The women of the Central Plains are really unforgettable, that delicate skin is really irresistible, on them I can indulge myself, just like treating sheep, this point is not something that our grassland women can compare with."

  Those two barbarians nodded in deep agreement, one of them said: "No wonder the Hulan tribe has been raiding the eastern regions year after year. I finally understand that they can extort so much wealth from these rich Zhou people, who wouldn't be tempted?"

  He Xiao smiled brightly and said, "After we capture that pass in front of us, our good days are still ahead."

  "Hahaha..." The three of them simultaneously let out unscrupulous and lustful laughter, continuing to bend their bows, load arrows, and reap the lives of the government soldiers.

  ……

  Inside the main camp of the government army, the scattered government soldiers huddled together, gripping their swords tightly in front of the dark and dense rebel forces outside the camp.

  "Yan Heng... is dead?" When Du Fang heard the news, his face turned pale and he stood there stupidly, "Are you sure?"

  The soldier who had been sent to report back said weakly: "He's dead, I saw it with my own eyes, he was shot and killed by a stray arrow... General, what do we do now?"

  Du Fang closed his eyes for a moment, then suddenly opened them and said loudly: "General Yan died from the bandits' sneak attack! We, the government army, should die defending the camp to avenge him!"

  Before everyone could react, Du Fang raised the great banner of Yan Heng and continued to shout: "I, Du Fang, vow to take the head of Duan Hong! To comfort General Yan's spirit in heaven! Now, under the command of General Yan, I will temporarily take over, brothers follow me to defend the camp to the death, waiting for the arrival of the reinforcements from the commander-in-chief!"

  "Wah wah wah!"

  The morale of the government army was suddenly boosted by Du Fang's words, and in an instant their eyes were filled with blood and energy, as if they had endless strength.

  At this moment, a rain of arrows appeared in the sky above the government army camp, and those soldiers who had just gained courage were shot down one by one before they could exert their bravery, and there was a continuous cry of misery.

  "When did the bandits have archers? Why are they appearing now?" Du Fang, who had just finished performing, was stunned on the spot and couldn't understand what was going on.

  "Ah...... General, save me~ I don't want to die~"

  "My waist is sore!"

  ……

  The wailing and moaning sounds continued to echo inside and outside the camp, not only were there government troops, but also bandits. Gong Qing's elite soldiers, two thousand archers, indiscriminately shot and killed both their own comrades and government troops, in their eyes, these bandits were nothing more than cannon fodder, and being alive was just a waste of food...

  "It's all over..." Du Fang never thought that just as he had barely managed to boost the morale and was about to hold on for a while, they were suddenly struck by a rain of arrows and shattered. Looking at the wailing and fleeing soldiers everywhere, he felt despair for the first time.

  Outside the camp, the figure of Zhang Zhong's Iron Tiger Army appeared. More than 900 sharp soldiers wearing iron armor and holding various sharp blades were sneering as they rushed towards the camp entrance. Suddenly, Zhang Zhong accelerated about ten steps away from the camp gate. The heavy armor on his body shook with a rattling sound like the iron chains of hell, striking the last line of defense in the hearts of the government army.

  "Boom! Crash!"

  A loud crash, the thick and hard wooden gate of the camp made of bowl mouth was actually cracked under Zhang Zhong's blow, with a sharp cracking sound mixed with the impact of armor, finally breaking through the last psychological defense line of the government army - the government army, defeated!

  The gate of the barracks was knocked open, and the soldiers in the camp shouted and fled towards Wuliang Town. The rear gate of the camp was crowded with a sea of people, countless officers and soldiers were trampled to death on the ground, and even countless comrades-in-arms who had been in the same camp for days turned their knives against each other. The ugliness of human nature was revealed in this moment of life and death, and it was extremely dark.

  "I, Du Fang, have been in the army for twenty years. It's not easy to get to this position today, but I didn't expect it to be just a fleeting moment... Ah, well! At least I've held the position of flag bearer, and my descendants will be proud of me when they think of me later." Du Fang gazed at the slowly falling camp gate and the constantly overturned shields, let out a deep sigh, then spread his arms wide, embracing the dozens of arrows flying towards him...

  ……

  Outside the city, Li Xiwen gazed at the government army's large camp being attacked by the bandits, his expression was unusually calm, all of this had been within his expectations.

  What you are reading now is only half a chapter of the 66th volume of "Yi Jie Feng Huo Lu". To read the full version, please search on Baidu: () and then search again for "Yi Jie Feng Huo Lu" after entering.