Chapter 1

He stopped, took two deep breaths, and then heavily bent down to lie among the grass and sand by the shore

Indeed, it is a madman

Before the nearby bodyguards could react, he had already leaped off the horse, drawn his sword, strapped it to his waist, and swiftly ran in the opposite direction of the retreating soldiers.

Ten wooden rafts, one hundred people, silently lying on the shallow bank, completely immersed in the smoky river water mixed with the scent of gunpowder, blood, and dust

"You are crazy!" A personal guard was the first to react, spurring his horse to chase after him, but was forced to roll off his horse by a sudden downpour of arrows, stumbling and nearly falling to the ground, yet he managed to turn around and pull himself up.

The sounds of battle in the distance have diminished significantly; however, on the southern bank of the river, there is an endless stream of troops marching down along the river. The waves of the river are stirred higher and more violently by a dark mass of boats and rafts, and the sound of them striking the riverbank is akin to the roar of thunder.

The night of December 17 in the fifth year of the Yuan Guang era

His voice remained calm: "I was originally sent by General Feng to the rear of the formation to report to His Highness the Third Prince. Since His Highness is not dead, I shall naturally find His Highness to fulfill General Feng's orders." After saying this, he withdrew his arm and no longer glanced at the personal guards, swiftly crossing through the gaps between the disordered soldiers and horses.

At six o'clock.

On a cold winter night, the biting wind howled as it swept past, carrying with it the coarse sand from the riverbank, suddenly dispersing the thick, lingering scent of blood that hung in the air, slicing through the surroundings like a sharp blade around a loyal cavalry scout of the Pure Army galloping along the northern bank.

In the river, amidst the depths of a hundred zhang, there lay countless corpses. After enduring three waves of arrow rain, he had charged to the most turbulent point where the troops gathered to cross the river, with more and more summoned silver-armored guards gradually following behind him.

"I forgot to ask earlier, what is your name?" said the personal guard who had followed him in a rush, his voice muffled as he spoke through a mouthful of hay.

He stared motionlessly at the opposite bank of the river, his eyes glinting with a cold darkness, remaining silent for a long while

My name is Xu Hong. The bodyguard, growing impatient after a long wait, lightly nudged his shoulder with his elbow and said, "If we are to face death side by side shortly, we might as well leave a name behind."

However, the scouts under General Feng's command? Quickly go and report to General Feng that His Highness the Third Prince has been struck by an arrow and has been captured alive by Liang Yin's subordinates. His life and death are currently uncertain! General Feng must swiftly divide his troops to provide assistance...

The situation of the battle began to tilt completely from the moment the first evenly matched iron hoof stepped onto the northern bank

"What nonsense!" The bodyguard, upon hearing this, was greatly enraged, raising his whip and pointing it at his nose, ready to curse him out. However, before he could utter a word, he saw him silently turn around, intending to charge towards the densely packed arrow formation on the shore ahead. Unable to help himself, he quickly grabbed his arm and angrily asked, "If that is the case, why are you recklessly running back? Do you wish to seek death?"

The State of Chun, facing the sea, prides itself on its naval forces. However, once it loses its defenses along the river, even with a thousand boats and myriad oars, it would be difficult to withstand the fierce cavalry and infantry of the unified army armed with long spears.

The water flows tumultuously, with corpses blocking the floating bridge on the river. Hundreds and thousands of military rafts are crossing the river from the southern bank, casting a dense shadow over the blood-red river. Through the faint night mist, one cannot discern the beginning or end, only hearing the mingled sounds of horses neighing and soldiers shouting, which surge together with the roaring river waves, violently shaking the camp of the loyal army on the northern bank.

In the distance, the golden-trimmed black flag of the commander of the Pure Army had long since fallen to the shore, stained with blood to the point of obscuring its inscriptions. Amidst the cries, the last troops of the Pure Army, positioned at the rear, fought while retreating, surging like a swarm of ants towards the gathering point on the shore. In the chaos, they trampled over one another, horses fell, and people were thrown to the ground, wailing in despair

The personal guard suddenly became enraged, and you nearly stumbled. Before the situation could escalate, you heard him speak softly and slowly: "I am going to kill Liang Yin"

The darkest night, the coldest water

Two quarters of a split time

The wind carries the sound of slaughter into the ears, the hooves of horses strike the ground, and blood splatters.

Amidst the howling wind and the whistling arrows, he maintained a calm expression, released his grip, and once again grasped the hilt of the dagger at his waist. He spoke: "General Feng has ordered nearly one hundred rafts and boats to be locked along the river. Once this army retreats, the two banks will be sealed, cutting off the river to obstruct the advance of the Jun army." He paused for a moment and continued: "Let alone that General Feng cannot possibly divide his forces to provide assistance at this critical juncture; even if he could, by the time he rescues His Highness the Third Prince, it would already be too late. With the river blocked, how can we evade the pursuit of the Jun army?"

He then turned around, paused in silence for a moment, and said: "If one is to die, what is the point of leaving a name? If I can live, I will let you know my name later"

The front line stretches across the river for more than 10 miles, and the sounds of the two armies clashing resonate throughout the fields.

As the sound of the sea conch echoed with a long and mournful wail, the troops of the Chun army, engaged in fierce combat on the northern bank of the Yanhe River, quickly assembled their forces and began to retreat along the river. Although the Jun army had temporarily gained the upper hand by launching a strong assault across the river, many of their soldiers were unfamiliar with water. By the time they turned back to board their ships and pursued upstream, it had already proven to be quite a challenge. Moreover, due to their apprehension of the Chun army's defenses on the water, their delay allowed a significant portion of the Chun troops to retreat downriver.

In a swift moment, he cast a glance at the faces of his personal guards and said, "I am not going to rescue the Third Prince"

The bodyguard was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head and spat a curse, making a gesture to a few people behind him. He then followed closely behind, striding forward in a frenzy, and gasped beside him, saying: "If you have a way to save the Third Prince, I will gather a hundred of the deceased's bodyguards to accompany you to death!"

You ... ... ! '' A word was spat out from the mouth of the personal guard, swallowing the latter half of the sentence that rolled in his throat, yet his feet involuntarily ran even faster.

The voice was abruptly interrupted by a whistling short arrow, and in the blink of an eye, a person fell before him

His eyelids twitched slightly, and he reined in his horse, turning to gaze into the wind. As he steadied his focus, he saw several silver-armored personal guards charging towards him, bloodied and in haste. The leader, unable to rein in his horse in time, leaped off and rolled to the ground. Whether it was tears or water on his face was unclear, but he took a large step forward, grasped the reins of his horse, and shouted urgently.

A hint of white emerged from the distant sky, only to be swiftly engulfed by the dark, heavy clouds.

The sky is as dark as ink, and the blood-red light rises to the heavens along the banks of the smoky river

The heavy crossbows, each weighing over 100 pounds, were lined up along the riverbank, continuously launching massive bolts towards the enemy troops on the opposite shore who were desperately attempting to cross the river. The waves surged angrily, yet what met them was the increasingly reckless and fierce assault of the enemy forces.

Fill in the moment