Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

"Tao Tao..." Hu Bugui's voice was weak, but it was like a beam of warm light, dispelling all the haze in Wu Tao's heart. She cried with joy, holding his hand tightly, and her tears blurred her vision. Feeling the warmth of his palm, she knew that he really came back, struggling back from the gates of hell.

The news of Hu Bugui's awakening spread throughout the military camp like a spring breeze. The dark cloud that had been hanging over the soldiers' hearts instantly dissipated, replaced by deafening cheers. Their morale was low because of the poisoning of their commander, but now that they saw Hu Bugui was safe and sound, their fighting spirit was rekindled, and everyone's eyes were shining with hope.

"For the prince, for the Tang Dynasty, we must win this battle!" A young soldier raised his sword high and shouted at the top of his lungs, but his voice was soon drowned out by the thunderous response.

Although Hu Bugui was still very weak, he still insisted on letting the soldiers support him to patrol the barracks and comfort the soldiers. He looked at the high-spirited faces in front of him, and his heart was filled with emotion and relief. He knew that his efforts were not in vain, and this army had become his strongest backing. They would fight side by side for the common goal until the last moment.

Wu Tao was also not idle. She distributed the new weapons she had developed to the soldiers and personally taught them how to use them. These new weapons were improved by her based on modern knowledge. They were powerful and easy to use, and soon won the unanimous approval of the soldiers.

"With these weapons, we can defeat the enemy!" A soldier waved his weapon excitedly, his eyes full of confidence.

With the joint efforts of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, the army's morale reached an unprecedented high and they were fully prepared for the upcoming decisive battle.

However, they did not know that a greater crisis was quietly approaching.

The atmosphere in the enemy commander's tent was solemn and depressing.

"Useless! All of you are a bunch of useless!" The enemy general angrily smashed the wine glass in his hand to the ground, the fragments flying everywhere, reflecting his distorted face, "After so many days, you can't even deal with a little Hu Bugui!"

"General, calm down," a counselor stepped forward and whispered, "Hu Bugui has a master who helps him. We have failed several times, which shows that the opponent's strength should not be underestimated."

"Hmph! Master? I want to see how many of my troops he can stop!" A fierce look flashed in the enemy general's eyes, "Pass the order, rest for three days. After three days, I will personally lead the army to destroy Hu Bugui's camp!"

"General, you are wise!" everyone in the tent responded in unison.

At the same time, in Chang'an City, thousands of miles away, a conspiracy was brewing secretly.

In the prince's bedroom, the prince sat opposite a beautiful woman. This woman was none other than the current emperor's favorite concubine, Yang Guifei.

"Your Majesty, our father is seriously ill. All state affairs are now controlled by that old bastard Hu Bugui. We can't just sit there and wait for death!" There was a greedy gleam in the prince's eyes.

Yang Guifei smiled softly with her hands covering her lips, and there was a hint of disdain in her tone: "Don't worry, Your Highness. I have arranged the personnel to take advantage of Hu Bugui's absence from the capital to cut off his source of trouble."

"Your Majesty, what you mean is..." The prince's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something.

"I have secretly contacted the enemy. As long as they can wipe out Hu Bugui's army in one fell swoop, then..." Yang Guifei did not say anything else, but the prince already understood what she meant.

He stood up suddenly, a ferocious smile on his face: "Okay! I'll do as the queen says. This time, I will take back everything that belongs to me!"

The storm is coming, and the mountains and rivers are in turmoil. A bigger conspiracy is quietly unfolding, but Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, who are at the center of the storm, are completely unaware of it...

 Peach Blossoms Shining in Chang'an Chapter 90 Storms Rise Again

"Kill!" The deafening shouts of killing tore through the tranquility before dawn. The dark mass of enemy troops surged like a tide, and with overwhelming momentum, they launched a fierce attack on Hu Bugui's camp. The drums of war beat, the horns blew, and a bloody battle began.

Hu Bugui, wearing silver armor and holding a long sword, stood on a high place to command the battle. His eyes were sharp and he was calm and composed, as if this war was just a game of chess in his eyes. Beside him, Wu Tao, dressed in tight clothes, looked heroic. She calmly observed the situation on the battlefield and made suggestions to Hu Bugui from time to time. The two cooperated tacitly, like a pair of sharp blades on the battlefield, defusing the enemy's attacks again and again.

"Report! Your Majesty, the enemy is coming in full force, and our left wing defense line can no longer hold!" A soldier, covered in blood, stumbled over to report.

"Pass the order down, order General Zhao to lead the Huben Army to reinforce the left wing, and make sure to hold the defense line!" Hu Bugui made a prompt decision and issued the order.

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers took the order and soon, an elite force arrived from the rear and joined the battle on the left wing. The situation was temporarily under control.

However, the enemy commander was obviously well prepared. When he saw that the frontal attack was blocked, he ordered his army to change tactics and concentrate the main force at one point to launch a series of fierce attacks on Hu Bugui's army, attempting to consume their physical strength and morale with human wave tactics.

Facing the enemy's frenzied attack, Hu Bugui's army gradually felt exhausted, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and the originally solid defense line began to show loopholes. Wu Tao looked at the battlefield anxiously, her heart full of worry, she knew that if this continued, they would be dragged down by the enemy sooner or later.

"Bugui, we can't go on like this. We must find a way to break out!" Wu Tao grabbed Hu Bugui's arm and said hurriedly.

Hu Bugui nodded solemnly. He knew that Wu Tao was right. However, the enemy was coming fiercely and surrounded them. How could they break out? At this moment, a messenger rode a fast horse to Hu Bugui. He dismounted, knelt on one knee, took out a letter from his arms, raised it above his head, and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, an urgent letter from the capital!"

Hu Bugui took the envelope and quickly opened it. When he saw the contents of the letter, his face suddenly turned ashen. He clenched the letter tightly with both hands, and his knuckles turned white.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Wu Tao saw that Hu Bugui looked strange and felt nervous, so he asked quickly.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath, handed the letter in his hand to Wu Tao, and said in a low voice: "Read it yourself."

Wu Tao took the letter, quickly read it, and his face turned ugly. It turned out that this letter was sent by Chun Tao from the capital. The letter said that the prince colluded with Yang Guifei and secretly contacted the enemy army, wanting to cooperate with the enemy inside and outside to kill Hu Bugui!

"Damn it! How dare they?!" Wu Tao angrily slammed the letter on the table, his eyes burning with rage.

"Now is not the time to be angry, we must find a way to deal with it." Hu Bugui forced himself to calm down, frowned, and fell into deep thought. He knew that they were now under attack from all sides and were in a very dangerous situation, so they had to come up with a foolproof plan.

"Got it!" Hu Bugui suddenly raised his head, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, "We can..." Hu Bugui paused, and said with a firm look: "We can do the opposite, pretend to attack, attract the main force of the enemy, and then wait for an opportunity to break through!"

Wu Tao's eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Okay! But a feint attack requires a brave and skilled general to lead the troops, so that we can win the trust of the enemy."

Hu Bugui pondered for a moment, and a figure appeared in his mind. "Pass the order down, order General Li to lead 3,000 elite soldiers to attack the east side of the enemy army, and make sure to delay the main force of the enemy army!"

"Yes, sir!" The messenger took the order and left.

"The enemy is coming with great force. We cannot fight head-on. We must use the terrain advantage to consume as much of their manpower as possible." Hu Bugui pointed to the map and said to Wu Tao, "Look here, it's a canyon between two mountains. It's easy to defend but difficult to attack. We can..."

Wu Tao looked in the direction of Hu Bugui's finger and immediately understood his intention. She added: "We can set up an ambush here and wait for the enemy to enter the canyon before launching an attack and catching them off guard!"

Hu Bugui nodded in approval. Wu Tao's intelligence always brought him surprises. So they immediately set about making arrangements. Wu Tao led a team of soldiers and laid out many rolling logs, boulders and traps on the hillsides on both sides of the canyon, making all preparations.

After everything was ready, the 3,000 elite soldiers led by General Li also engaged the main force of the enemy. General Li was extremely brave. He held a spear in his hand and rushed in and out of the enemy's formation like a tiger descending from the mountain. The enemy never expected that Hu Bugui's army, which was already on the verge of collapse, would still have such a strong fighting power. For a time, they were beaten back step by step.

Seeing the situation was not good, the enemy commander thought Hu Bugui was going to make a desperate move, so he mobilized more troops to besiege General Li's troops. However, they did not know that all this was part of Hu Bugui's plan.

When the main force of the enemy was attracted to the canyon by General Li, Hu Bugui gave an order and the soldiers who had been ambushed on the hillsides on both sides launched a surprise attack. Suddenly, rolling logs and boulders fell from the sky and smashed into the enemy camp, and screams and wails filled the air.

"Kill!" Hu Bugui led the remaining soldiers and plunged into the chaotic enemy camp like a sharp knife, dividing and surrounding them. The enemy was attacked from both sides, and their morale plummeted, and they soon collapsed.

Wu Tao stood on the hillside, looking at the scene in front of her, her heart filled with joy. She knew that they had won the battle, at least temporarily. However, she did not let down her guard, because she knew that the enemy would not give up and would come back again.

As expected, just as Hu Bugui's army was preparing to pursue the victory, the enemy commander suddenly appeared on the battlefield. He stared at Hu Bugui with a vicious look, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Hu Bugui, do you think you really won?"

 Peach blossoms shine brightly in Chang'an

 Chapter 90: Storm Rising Again

As soon as the enemy commander finished speaking, the flags behind him changed, and the soldiers who had fled retreated like a tide and regrouped under the new flags. Hu Bugui's face darkened, and he recognized that it was another famous general in the enemy army - Xue Rengui, known as the "ghost-seeing general".

"It seems that we still underestimated the enemy." Hu Bugui clenched the sword in his hand, his tone solemn.

Wu Tao also noticed the change in the situation, and her original joy was replaced by worry. She walked to Hu Bugui and whispered, "What should we do now? Xue Rengui is a master of military strategy, and we are afraid..."

Hu Bugui raised his hand to interrupt her, his eyes swept over the enemy troops that were regrouping around him, and said in a deep voice: "Pass the order down, the entire army will shrink their formation and hold on until reinforcements arrive!"

"Yes!" The messenger took the order and left. The rapid sound of drums echoed in the valley. The soldiers who had been chasing separately quickly moved towards the location where Hu Bugui was.

Xue Rengui rode a black warhorse and slowly came to the front of the battle. He stared at Hu Bugui with sharp eyes and sneered: "Hu Bugui, do you think you can defeat me with your little cleverness? Today is the day you die!"

"The outcome is still unknown, why are you so sure, General Xue?" Hu Bugui's expression remained unchanged, but his tone revealed an unyielding will.

"You are so stubborn!" Xue Rengui snorted coldly and swung the long knife in his hand, "Kill them all! Don't spare any of them!"

The deafening shouts of killing rang out again, and the enemy army surged like a black tide, surrounding Hu Bugui's army. Hu Bugui and his soldiers stood back to back, forming an indestructible line of defense, fighting desperately against the enemy's attack.

Wu Tao also joined the battle. Although she had never learned martial arts, she relied on the wisdom and courage of a modern person, used the terrain and the bow and arrow in her hand, and shot and killed many enemies who rushed up.

However, the enemy was outnumbered, and the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for Hu Bugui's side. Soldiers fell one by one, their blood dyed the ground red, and the originally majestic team became sparse.

"Your Highness, we can't hold on any longer!" A soldier covered in blood staggered to Hu Bugui, his voice tragic and heroic.

Hu Bugui wiped the blood off his face and said with a firm look, "Pass the order down. Everyone, live and die with this position!"

"Yes!" The soldiers shouted in unison. They knew that today would be the last battle of their lives, but they were fearless because they were fighting to defend their country and for the beliefs in their hearts!

The sun gradually set, and the sky was dyed blood red by the sunset, foreshadowing the fierceness of this battle. Hu Bugui's army had suffered heavy losses and was out of ammunition and food, but they still did not give up resistance because they believed that reinforcements would definitely arrive!

At this moment, a deafening sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the distance, and a huge team appeared on the horizon, led by the prince!

"Your Highness! It's Your Highness who has arrived!"

The soldiers who had already despaired suddenly burst into thunderous cheers when they saw the arrival of reinforcements. Hu Bugui looked at the troops getting closer and closer, and his tense nerves finally relaxed, with a relieved smile on his face.

The prince rode on a tall horse, followed by a sea of soldiers, and rushed into the battlefield like a god. The enemy army, which had originally had the upper hand, suddenly lost its footing and its offensive gradually slowed down.

"Xue Rengui, your time of death has come!" The prince drew the sword from his waist, pointed it at Xue Rengui, and shouted sternly.

Xue Rengui saw the situation was reversed and knew that the situation was hopeless, so he had to order a retreat. The enemy retreated like a tide, leaving behind corpses and weapons all over the ground.

Hu Bugui forced himself to walk in front of the prince with his exhausted body, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said, "I am sorry that I am incompetent and frightened Your Highness."

"General Hu, please stand up quickly. You have worked hard." The prince dismounted and personally helped Hu Bugui up, his eyes full of admiration. "If it weren't for your desperate resistance, our army wouldn't have won the victory so easily."

Hu Bugui shook his head, looking at the corpses scattered all around him, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, "This victory was won with the blood of countless soldiers, I dare not take credit for it."

The prince patted Hu Bugui on the shoulder and said in a deep voice: "The dead are gone, and the living are like this. General Hu, please accept my condolences. We must continue to move forward, completely destroy the enemy, and bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world!"

Hu Bugui nodded and looked into the distance with a determined look. He didn't know how long this war would last, nor whether he would be alive to see the day of victory, but he had only one belief in his heart: for the country, for the people, and for the girl in his heart, he would fight to the last moment!