Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Qian Xu groaned, his body swayed, and he grabbed the flag beside him, barely able to stabilize his body. Blood flowed through his fingers, staining his battle robe red.

“Checkmate!”

“The general is wounded!”

The soldiers around him cried out in surprise and gathered around to protect Qian Xu's retreat. However, Qian Xu pushed them away and said with gritted teeth: "Don't worry about me! Pass the order and continue the attack! We must take down the rebel camp today!"

After saying that, he raised his spear again and wanted to continue charging, but his vision went dark and his body fell limply.

A few days later, Qian Xu finally woke up from his coma. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in a simple tent. He struggled to get up, but felt a sharp pain, which made him gasp.

"General, you are awake!"

A familiar voice was heard, Qian Xu turned around and saw Dou Qing waiting by the bed with a worried look on his face.

"Dou Qing...cough cough...how's the battle going?" Qian Xu asked, enduring the pain.

Dou Qing sighed and said, "General, we...we missed the best opportunity to attack."

"What?" Qian Xu was shocked when he heard this. "How could this happen?"

Dou Qing then recounted in detail what happened after Qian Xu fell into a coma.

It turned out that just before Qian Xu was about to launch the general attack, a sudden rainstorm hit the battlefield. The heavy rain lasted all night, washing the originally flat road into a muddy mess. The Tang army's food and supplies also suffered varying degrees of loss, the marching speed was greatly slowed down, and the offensive plan had to be postponed.

"Damn it! How could it be such a coincidence?" Qian Xu was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. He knew that the opportunity to fight was fleeting and this sudden rainstorm might make all their previous efforts go to waste.

"It's even worse, General." Dou Qing's face became more solemn. "While performing a reconnaissance mission, I accidentally discovered a secret base of Huang Chao, which contained a large amount of food and weapons, enough to support the rebels for several months. But due to lack of manpower, we cannot destroy it immediately..."

Qian Xu frowned and fell into deep thought when he heard this. He understood the importance of this stronghold. If it could be destroyed, it would definitely inflict heavy damage on the rebels and win them the final victory.

"General, I am willing to lead the troops and destroy that stronghold in one fell swoop!" Seeing Qian Xu was hesitant, Dou Qing volunteered.

"No!" Qian Xu refused flatly, "It's too risky for you to go alone. Not to mention whether you can succeed, once you are exposed, the consequences will be disastrous."

Qian Xu paced back and forth in the tent, feeling extremely anxious. After the rainstorm, Huang Chao would definitely strengthen his defenses. If he delayed any further, he would probably suffer more troubles.

"Forget it, wealth and honor come from risk! Pass the order, the army will be divided into two groups!" Qian Xu's eyes flashed with determination, "General Li!"

"I'm here!" A general in armor came in from outside the tent.

"You lead 5,000 elite soldiers and set out immediately. You must destroy the rebel stronghold within three days!" Qian Xu handed a map to General Li, "Remember, fight quickly and decisively, don't fight to the death!"

"I obey your command!" General Li took the map and turned to leave.

"Dou Qing," Qian Xu looked at Dou Qing, "You follow me to lead the main force and continue to attack the rebel camp as planned, attract their attention and buy time for General Li!"

"Yes!" Dou Qing clasped his fists and accepted the order.

However, what Qian Xu and Dou Qing did not expect was that their plan had already been seen through by a pair of invisible eyes. Shortly after they divided their forces, the aristocratic families that had been lurking in the dark began to act.

"You little bastard Qian Xu, you dare to disregard our interests and try to wipe out Huang Chao. You are really courting your own death!" said an old man in gorgeous clothes sinisterly.

"Now that he has divided his troops and attacked, the rear is empty. This is a good time for us to retaliate!" another middle-aged man echoed.

"Pass the order down and send out the troops!" As the old man gave the order, the private soldiers who had already assembled rushed out like a flood and rushed straight to Qian Xu's rear camp.

When the news reached the front line, Qian Xu was shocked. He never thought that he would fall into the trap of the aristocratic family!

"General, there is an emergency in the rear. Please return to help as soon as possible!" A messenger came running to report in a panic.

Qian Xu clenched his fists tightly, his eyes full of anger and unwillingness. He knew that this trip would inevitably miss the best opportunity to attack, giving Huang Chao a chance to catch his breath. But he also understood that the rear camp was of great importance and must not be lost.

"The whole army retreats! Go back to the main camp to support them!" Qian Xu gritted his teeth and gave the order, his heart filled with bitterness and helplessness. He knew that this battle was becoming increasingly difficult to fight...

When Qian Xu led his army back to the rear camp, the army of the aristocratic families had already evacuated, leaving behind only a mess. Looking at the looted food and supplies, Qian Xu's heart sank to the bottom. He knew that this was a warning from the aristocratic families to him, and also a punishment for his ambition.

At this time, Huang Chao also got the news of Qian Xu's division of troops. He quickly adjusted his strategy, gathered the originally scattered troops, concentrated superior forces to defend the fortress, and laid layers of defensive fortifications around it. The terrain, which was originally easy to defend but difficult to attack, is now even more solid.

Qian Xu led his army to Huang Chao's camp again. Looking at the towering city walls and dense barricades, he could not help but feel powerless. He knew that he had missed the best opportunity to attack, and it would be extremely difficult to break through Huang Chao's defenses.

"General, we launched several attacks but failed to break through the rebels' defense line. We suffered heavy casualties!" General Li came to Qian Xu's tent with a tired face, his tone full of worry.

Qian Xu's face was solemn, and his fingers kept tapping on the map, trying to find the enemy's weakness. "Huang Chao is cunning in his tactics. Now he has the advantage of terrain. If our army wants to win, we must use our wits to defeat him."

In the next few days, Qian Xu kept adjusting his tactics, trying to find a breakthrough from all directions. He tried to send a small force to attack the enemy camp at night, but was discovered by Huang Chao's well-prepared patrol team; he also tried to attack with fire, but Huang Chao had already dug fire trenches around the camp, so the fire could not spread at all; he even risked sending people to disguise as civilians to sneak into the city, trying to cooperate with Huang Chao, but they were all seen through by Huang Chao.

Every attempt ended in failure. Qian Xu's army's morale was low, and their food and grass were dwindling. The situation became increasingly unfavorable.

"General, I have a plan that you may want to try!" Dou Qing's voice rang out in the silent tent, causing Qian Xu to suddenly raise his head, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"tell me the story!"

Dou Qing walked to the map and pointed to a valley behind Huang Chao's camp. "General, please look, this place is called Broken Soul Valley. It has a dangerous terrain and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is the only way Huang Chao needs to transport food and grass."

Qian Xu frowned slightly, "You mean, robbing food?"

Dou Qing shook his head, "No, I plan to burn the food!"

"Burning food?" Qian Xu was shocked. "The Soul-Breaking Valley is narrow and easy to defend but difficult to attack. How can we send troops in?"

"No need to send troops," Dou Qing's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "Just send one or two people, carry kerosene, sneak into the valley under the cover of night, and burn Huang Chao's food and grass!"

Qian Xu took a deep breath. This plan was indeed bold, but also extremely dangerous. The Valley of Broken Souls was a notoriously dangerous place. Sending people in was like sending a sheep into a tiger's mouth.

"General, although this plan is risky, it is our only hope at the moment. As long as we burn Huang Chao's food supplies, his army will be demoralized within three days and will collapse without a fight!" Dou Qing said in a firm tone. He knew that this was a life-threatening situation, but he also understood that this was their only chance of winning.

Qian Xu was silent, he stared at the map closely, his mind full of thoughts. He certainly understood what this plan meant, if it failed, he would lose his last chance.

"General!" The soldiers outside the tent shouted anxiously, "The rebels... the rebels have begun to attack!"

Qian Xu stood up suddenly, a look of determination flashed in his eyes, "Just as you said! Dou Qing, I'll leave this matter to you!"

"I obey your orders!" Dou Qing clasped his fists and accepted the order, then turned and walked out of the tent and disappeared into the night.

Looking at Dou Qing's receding back, Qian Xu felt mixed emotions. He knew that they had gambled everything on this battle.