Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

As soon as the soldier finished speaking, the deafening shouts of killing resounded throughout the night sky. Qian Xu didn't have time to think about it, so he grabbed his sword and strode out of the tent. The originally quiet night sky was now illuminated by the flames that shot up into the sky, as bright as day. The deafening shouts of killing, the sound of weapons colliding, and the screams intertwined together, forming a scene like hell on earth.

"General, what should we do now?" asked the deputy general anxiously.

Qian Xu's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said in a deep voice: "Pass the order, the entire army will enter an emergency combat state, and must defend the camp and wait for reinforcements to arrive!"

"Yes!" The deputy general took the order and left.

Qian Xu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew that panicking at this moment would only make him lose his composure, and he had to find a way to reverse the situation. At this moment, he suddenly remembered the secret letter that Dou Qing had given him before, which mentioned that there was a secret passage in the city that could lead directly to the outside of the city.

"Someone come here!" Qian Xu shouted.

"I'm here!" Two personal soldiers immediately stepped forward to receive orders.

"You two should go to the city quickly, find Dou Qing and give this thing to him!" Qian Xu said, taking out a token from his arms and handing it to one of his personal soldiers.

"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers took the token and quickly disappeared into the night.

Qian Xu watched the two soldiers leave, with a gleam of determination in his eyes. He knew that this was their last chance, and if they failed, all of them would die here!

"General, let's go too!" The remaining soldiers also requested.

Qian Xu shook his head and said, "No, you stay and guard the camp. I have other arrangements."

After saying that, Qian Xu turned around and walked into the tent behind him. A moment later, he changed into an ordinary soldier's uniform, quietly left the camp, and sneaked towards the city...

At the same time, Dou Qing also received news of Huang Chao's army's night attack in the city. He was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do. The city gate had been blocked, and he had no way to leave the city to join Qian Xu. Just when he was at a loss, two of Qian Xu's personal soldiers suddenly appeared in front of him and handed him Qian Xu's token.

Dou Qing took the token, examined it carefully, and immediately showed joy on his face. He quickly asked, "Where is the general now?"

One of the guards replied, "The general has led the elite troops out of the city through the secret passage and is preparing to attack Huang Chao's main camp at night. Please help the general from inside and outside!"

Dou Qing was immediately cheered up when he heard this. He laughed and said, "Okay! I'll go gather some troops and cooperate with the general!"

Dou Qing acted quickly and quickly gathered a group of confidants to open the city gates and welcome Qian Xu's troops into the city. After Qian Xu led his troops into the city, he did not take time to rest and immediately marched non-stop towards the direction of Huang Chao's main camp.

When two armies fight, momentum is the most important thing. Although Huang Chao's army was large in number, they were in a hurry after all. In addition, Qian Xu's troops were all carefully selected elite soldiers and generals. Therefore, Huang Chao's army was at a disadvantage at the beginning of the battle.

However, Huang Chao was a veteran general after all, and he quickly stabilized his position and personally led his elite troops to counterattack. For a time, the battle situation fell into a stalemate again.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!

The clear night sky suddenly became overcast with thunder and lightning. The wind was howling, sand and rocks were flying, and visibility on the battlefield suddenly dropped.

The soldiers were frightened by this sudden change and looked up at the sky, their hearts filled with anxiety.

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, a flash of lightning streaked across the night sky and struck a high platform.

The platform collapsed in an instant, with smoke and dust rising everywhere.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the soldiers were surprised to find that a general wearing armor and holding a spear had appeared on the platform!

The general was tall and strong, with a stern face and sparkling eyes. He exuded an awe-inspiring and inviolable majesty.

"It's General Li! It's General Li who has appeared!"

Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone's eyes were focused on the general.

"General Li" slowly raised the spear in his hand, pointed it at Huang Chao's army, and said in a loud voice: "Soldiers, follow me to kill the enemy and defend the Tang Dynasty!"

The soldiers' morale was immediately boosted, and they raised their weapons and followed "General Li" to charge into battle.

Qian Xu also saw "General Li". Although he was confused, he knew that the opportunity was not to be missed, so he immediately ordered the entire army to attack.

"Kill!"

The soldiers were like tigers descending from the mountains, unstoppable, and Huang Chao's army was defeated step by step.

Qian Xu took the opportunity to lead an elite force, went around the rear of Huang Chao's army, and attacked Huang Chao's central military tent.

Huang Chao never dreamed that Qian Xu would launch a counterattack under such circumstances, and with such fierce force.

He hurriedly mobilized his troops to resist, but it was too late. Qian Xu's troops had already entered the central army tent and surrounded Huang Chao.

After a fierce fight, Huang Chao was eventually outnumbered and was killed by Qian Xu with a single blow.

As soon as Huang Chao died, his army's morale was immediately broken, and they abandoned their weapons and armor and fled in all directions.

Qian Xu took advantage of the victory to pursue and annihilate all of Huang Chao's remaining troops.

The remnants of Huang Chao's army were in disarray, and they fled in all directions like dogs that had lost their homes. Qian Xu did not order a pursuit, but his eyes swept across the battlefield and finally fell on the representatives of the aristocratic families. They all looked pale, and it was obvious that they had anticipated their fate.

"General Qian, please spare us! We were also coerced by Huang Chao and had no choice..." A representative of a noble family fell to his knees and begged for mercy in tears.

Qian Xu sneered and interrupted him: "Coercion? When you colluded with Huang Chao, opened the city gates, and killed loyal officials, did you ever think that you were coerced?"

Representatives of other noble families also knelt down, kowtowed, and begged for mercy.

"General Qian, we know we are wrong. Please spare our lives for our loyalty!"

"Yes, General Qian, we are willing to give away all our family property, just begging you to spare our lives!"

Qian Xu ignored their pleas and slowly raised his right hand.

"Fire arrows!"

With his order, the archers who were lying in ambush nearby appeared one after another and fired thousands of arrows. The representatives of the noble families fell in a pool of blood before they could even scream.

Qian Xu dismounted, walked to the corpses, and said coldly: "In troubled times, severe punishments should be used. You are helping the tyrant to commit atrocities. Your crime is unforgivable!"

After dealing with these traitors, Qian Xu turned to the surviving soldiers on the battlefield and the people in the city and said loudly: "Fellow soldiers, fellow countrymen, we have won! We defeated Huang Chao and defended our homeland!"

The soldiers burst into deafening cheers, and the people were so excited that they burst into tears.

"We were able to win this battle because we were united and worked together!" Qian Xu's voice echoed on the battlefield. "We are all citizens of the Tang Dynasty. We all have the responsibility and obligation to defend our homeland!"

"Defend our homeland! Defend our homeland!" The soldiers raised their weapons high and shouted in unison.

Qian Xu looked at the scene in front of him, his heart full of emotion. He knew that although the war was over, there was still a long way to go. What he had to do was to lead the people of the Tang Dynasty to rebuild their homes and create a better future. The smoke of gunpowder cleared, leaving devastation everywhere. Qian Xu and Dou Qing stood side by side on the city wall, overlooking the city that had been reborn from the ashes. The people walked out of the ruins, their faces filled with joy of surviving the disaster, and full of hope for the future.

"We really did it," Dou Qing's voice trembled a little. She turned to look at Qian Xu, tears in her eyes, "We really saved this city and these people."

Qian Xu held her hand and said firmly: "It was done by everyone together. We just did our part."

The task of rebuilding their homes was arduous and long, but no one backed down. Qian Xu and Dou Qing led the way, working with the people to move bricks and tiles and reclaim wasteland. They exchanged the soldiers' armor for farm tools, and with their own hands, they turned ruins into fertile fields and ruins into homes.

Qian Xu was strict in military discipline, but also sympathetic to the people. He formulated a series of policies to encourage the people to resume production and rebuild their homes. Dou Qing used his medical skills to treat the wounded and comfort the people. With their joint efforts, the city gradually regained its vitality.

Spring goes and autumn comes, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye. The city that was once devastated is now filled with smoke and laughter. The people live and work in peace and contentment, leading a happy life.

On this day, Qian Xu and Dou Qing went out incognito, walking on the busy streets. When the people saw them, they stopped and saluted them.

"General Qian, Mr. Dou, thank you!"

"If it weren't for you, we would have died long ago!"

"You are our great benefactors!"

Listening to the people's heartfelt thanks, Qian Xu and Dou Qing smiled at each other. They knew that everything they had done was worth it.

However, at this moment, a sudden voice sounded among the crowd.

"Qian Xu, you deceived the emperor and hid the imperial seal. Why don't you surrender now?"

The crowd suddenly became agitated, and Qian Xu and Dou Qing's faces instantly became solemn. They looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a man in official uniform, holding an imperial edict, riding a horse, slowly walking towards them...