Chapter 126
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Hundreds of arrows were released at once.
The whistling sound of the arrows swept through the air even faster.
The bewildered soldiers looked up upon hearing the sound and saw a vast swarm of dark objects swiftly approaching them.
“What is that?” Yan Hui also noticed and squinted, carefully staring at the black dots on the horizon, frowning, “What is flying towards us?”
Wan Liang’s eyes were better, and he stared in disbelief as the black dots grew larger and larger. Tremendous fear surged within him. He turned back suddenly, protecting Yan Hui, and anxiously shouted, “General, run! Those are arrows!”
“Arrows can’t be shot from such a distance!” Yan Hui was being protected and fled in a panic, suspecting, “Are those really arrows?!”
Before he could finish speaking, a nearby soldier was struck by one of the massive arrows. The force behind the arrow was terrifying, pinning the soldier to the ground, the arrow piercing half of his body into the earth.
The soldier’s waist and abdomen were torn open, and blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
Yan Hui, Wan Liang, and others couldn’t breathe properly and hastened their escape.
“Retreat, quickly retreat!” Yan Hui shouted fiercely, urging people around him to leave as quickly as possible. “Hurry, retreat!”
But their retreat speed couldn’t match the speed at which the arrows descended.
Massive iron arrows fell to the ground, causing chaos near the general’s banner. Though they didn’t know what was happening, they followed suit in panic, retreating and fleeing.
Wan Liang did his best to protect Yan Hui during the chaos, his heart pounding in his throat. This was the most terrifying battlefield he had ever encountered, and they had no idea how far these arrows could be shot or where they could escape to avoid death. The sound of screams echoed around them, and when Wan Liang hurriedly looked up, he saw one of the arrows strike the general’s banner, cutting it in half.
He was shocked, “Raise the banner quickly—!”
In battle, due to the large number of soldiers, military flags were used for command. The general’s banner was of utmost importance. If the banner advanced, the soldiers advanced; if the banner retreated, the soldiers followed suit. If the banner was lost, both enemy and friendly soldiers might believe that Yan Hui was dead!
This cannot happen.
Wan Liang gritted his teeth and decisively rode towards the broken banner, trying to raise it again. But just as he bent down to pick up the banner, a mournful and terrified cry came from behind, “General!!!”
Wan Liang’s whole body froze, and he couldn’t believe what he saw when he turned around. He saw a long iron arrow piercing straight through Yan Hui and his warhorse.
Yan Hui’s face turned deathly pale, his eyes bulging in disbelief as he struggled to look at the arrow lodged in his chest. His strength waned, and he stopped breathing.
Yan Hui was dead.
He had died just like that.
Wan Liang’s mind went blank, watching the suffering soldiers around Yan Hui, watching the scattered and fleeing soldiers, he realized with great clarity:
He was finished.
…Li Li was finished too.
Chu Hechao achieved a resounding victory.
The victory came so easily, even easier than defeating Wan Liang, with complete dominance. Yan Hui didn’t even have a chance to resist.
The iron arrows from the three-bow bed crossbows killed many generals near the general’s banner. When the banner fell, Chu Hechao and his men launched a fierce attack.
In the end, they captured thirty enemy commanders and over 80,000 enemy soldiers. While clearing the battlefield, the Youzhou soldiers carefully retrieved each iron arrow.
Such a weapon was too costly, and none could be wasted.
After the war ended, Lu He came forward, smiling, and congratulated Chu Hechao and Yuan Li. His attitude now contained a bit more awe than before, and he couldn’t help but ask, “What was that weapon the general used?”
Chu Hechao looked at Yuan Li and said, “This weapon was made by Lord Yuan. You should ask him about it.”
Lu He looked at Yuan Li with suspicion, “Lord Yuan?”
“General is just joking. How could it be my creation? Clearly, it was done by the talented individuals under my command,” Yuan Li said with a faint smile, “That weapon is called the Three-Bow Bed Crossbow. It’s just a small thing, not worth mentioning.”
Not worth mentioning?!
Lu He’s eye twitched, but he didn’t dare argue and instead thickened his skin, saying, “To be honest, Lord Yuan, I’m very interested in this Three-Bow Bed Crossbow. Could you give me one to let me experience its power?”
Yuan Li smiled without a word.
After the war ended, he immediately had people remove the Three-Bow Bed Crossbows. Thanks to the effective secrecy measures, even the Liangzhou soldiers hadn’t caught a glimpse of them.
His attitude clearly indicated refusal, and Lu He didn’t dare push further. He laughed heartily, “Then, when we return, the two of you can come to my Liangzhou for a visit. Liangzhou is far from Youzhou, and despite its desolation, it has its own unique charm.”
Yuan Li’s ability to quietly develop such a powerful weapon was reason enough for Lu He to seize the opportunity to befriend them both. If he didn’t, he would be a fool.
Over the next few days, news of “Chu Hechao killing Yan Hui and breaking through Hulao Pass” spread to the ears of the awaiting rebel forces in Henei Commandery.
Upon hearing the news, they were in an uproar, and the fear they had previously held for Li Li disappeared completely, turning into regret.
They regretted not having gathered the courage to follow the Youzhou army and fight against Li Li. If they had, they would have had a chance to claim credit after rescuing the emperor.
Many rebel forces immediately packed their bags, preparing to rush to Luoyang overnight to grab a share of the credit.
Similarly, Wu Shanshi, who had recently arrived in Henei Commandery, had an unsightly expression as if he had just dipped his face in ink.
Originally, he planned to take advantage of the situation when Chu Hechao and Yan Hui were fighting and enter Luoyang to kill Li Li. However, it hadn’t even been long since then, how could Chu Hechao resolve Yan Hui so quickly?
Wu Shanshi thought that it would take at least a month to determine the winner!
“It’s all because of the Grand General. How could Yan Hui be so disappointing?” Wu Shanshi felt extremely disappointed in Yan Hui and couldn’t help but complain, “He was defeated and killed in just a few days. Truly…”
Wu Shanshi sighed, but panic surged within him, “If Chu Hechao really killed Li Li, wouldn’t I be caught in a dilemma?”
No, he mustn’t let Chu Hechao kill Li Li.
Wu Shanshi barely calmed down, not even bothering to rest, and led his troops toward Luoyang overnight. Before reaching Luoyang, news arrived that Li Li had fled to Chang’an.
Wu Shanshi was delighted and quickly changed his course to Chang’an with his troops.
Before Wu Shanshi learned about Li Li’s escape to Chang’an, Yuan Li had already been informed of the news.
He was able to know due to the sudden activation of the System.
[Chancellor of the First Generation system has been activated.]
[Mission: Eliminate Li Li, who has fled to Chang’an.]
[Reward: Improved warship design blueprint.]
As soon as the system’s voice fell, Yuan Li immediately halted his horse. Chu Hechao, who was riding beside him, also reacted quickly, pulling on the reins to stop his horse. He turned and asked, “What’s wrong?”
As they stopped, the rest of the army behind them also came to a halt.
Wu Kai and Yang Zhongfa looked at them in confusion, waiting patiently as they seemed to have something to discuss.
Under the scorching sun, the heat made everyone dizzy and parched. The sand stirred up by the horses’ hooves filled the air, and even the birds in the forest were scared off, with no chirping sounds heard.
Such heat could easily make people irritable, but Chu Hechao patiently waited, eager to hear what Yuan Li had to say.
Sweat soaked the men’s temples, dampening their hair.
Yuan Li pursed his lips, and the skin on his lips became dry and flaky. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “Do you believe what I say?”
Chu Hechao nodded helplessly, “If I don’t believe you, who else can I trust?”
Yuan Li took a deep breath, looking directly at Chu Hechao, and said slowly, “Li Li is not in Luoyang anymore. He has fled to Chang’an.”
Chu Hechao was taken aback for a moment, then frowned, a coldness creeping onto his face, “I knew it. He wouldn’t stay in Luoyang waiting for death.”
Now it was Yuan Li’s turn to be surprised. He asked in bewilderment, “Do you believe what I said so easily?”
He didn’t even ask how Chu Hechao learned this information.
Chu Hechao smiled and reached out, deliberately messing up Yuan Li’s hair with a strong grip, “How could I not believe your words?”
His large hand touched the corner of Yuan Li’s eyes, and Chu Hechao lowered his voice teasingly, “If I don’t even listen to my wife, won’t I have to sleep outside tonight?”
Yuan Li, “…”
With one slap, he knocked Chu Hechao’s hand away.
Chu Hechao laughed again, then dismounted and had Yang Zhongfa gather five thousand light cavalry. He was going to personally lead the troops to pursue Li Li.
Yang Zhongfa was taken aback and asked, “Li Li has fled to Chang’an? Where did General get this information?”
“Don’t ask too much,” Chu Hechao lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, “Just follow my orders.”
Yang Zhong’s expression turned serious, and he didn’t ask any more questions. He immediately gathered five thousand light cavalry for Chu Hechao.
There was no time to waste; Chu Hechao needed to catch up with Li Li as soon as possible. He filled his water flask with water and brought ten days’ worth of dry rations, then bent down to adjust his armor.
Days of continuous marching and fighting had made Chu Hechao’s complexion slightly darker, making his features appear more rugged. Yuan Li looked at him for a moment, feeling a slight pang of heartache, but before he could say anything, Chu Hechao scolded him with a low voice, “Stop staring at me like that.”
“I haven’t done anything during the march,” Chu Hechao’s eyes burned with anger, “If you keep looking at me, I can’t control myself.”
Yuan Li smiled instead, raising an eyebrow, “Then I’ll have to look at you a few more times.”
Chu Hechao was stirred up by his teasing, and he reached out to pinch Yuan Li’s face, “Wait for me to come back, and I’ll let you have a good look.”
In the afternoon, Chu Hechao mounted his horse and glanced at Yuan Li. He took out a jade pendant of Guanyin, kissed it, and then rode away with his men, disappearing among the continuous mountains.
Yuan Li watched his figure for a moment before remembering the mission given by the system: to kill Li Li.
He had no idea if Chu Hechao killing Li Li would count as him completing the task, but he couldn’t bring himself to go after Li Li’s head. He knew better than anyone how much Chu Hechao wanted to kill Li Li.
Li Li had become a thorn in Chu Hechao’s heart. Only by killing Li Li could Chu Hechao remove this thorn and truly let go of the death of Chu Wang and the Madam.
Yuan Li didn’t want to use the system’s reward to have Chu Hechao hand Li Li’s life over to him.
He let out a sigh and turned to Yang Zhongfa, smiling gently, “Lord Yang, let’s continue on our way to Luoyang. We need to meet the Emperor as soon as possible.”
Yang Zhongfa naturally had no objections, “I’ll follow your lead, Lord Yuan.”
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