The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

No matter what Zhang Ping'an thinks, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. The Hu troops will not retreat easily, and the Emperor of the Great Zhou will not give up this plan.

When Zhang Ping'an returned to the city wall, Zhao Renzhi had already packed up his bow and weapons, ready to go down with Wei Cunxiao.

Later they would leave the city together to repel the enemy.

Wei Cunxiao still looked like that big fool, and he had some of the shadow of Zhang Ping'an's elder brother-in-law, but he was much smarter than his elder brother-in-law.

As the two of them walked, he kept thanking Zhao Renzhi, his words full of heroism and gratitude, as if they were going to become sworn brothers in the next moment.

"Swords and knives have no mercy on the battlefield, so be careful!" Zhang Pingan warned meaningfully.

Both of them seemed to have not understood the meaning of Zhang Ping'an's words. They smiled, thanked him, and left.

When turning the corner, Zhao Renzhi looked back and happened to meet Zhang Ping'an's eyes, with a look of confidence in his eyes.

Zhang Ping'an was stunned, looking at Zhao Renzhi's confident look, he suddenly had an idea. He was so sure, could it be that he had some tricks up his sleeve?

But it stands to reason that as a minister on the Western Tour, he doesn't have to participate in the war personally. Now he is so active. Could it be that Wei Cunxiao really has no doubts about him?

Zhang Ping'an didn't know what he was expecting or looking forward to.

It's rare to feel uneasy.

Not long after, Wei Cunren came over after finishing his work. After helping to deal with the chores, he was able to free up his hands.

Although he did not go to the battlefield with Zhang Pingan, he had to go to the city wall and supervise the battle with him to boost morale.

As the old saying goes, the first push is strong, the second is weak, and the third is exhausted.

They had just retreated and their morale was a little low. They couldn't retreat again this time, otherwise the war would be prolonged.

Thinking of this, Wei Cunren also looked at Zhang Ping'an meaningfully.

He turned his head slightly and looked in the direction of the Guazhou military camp, with a hint of certainty in his eyes.

Just after the hour of Chou, drums sounded and Yumen Pass opened again.

Zhao Renzhi and Wei Cunxiao were wearing armor and riding horses. They took the lead and rushed towards the opposite side with long spears in their hands.

The Hu people on the opposite side knew the Han army very well. They could roughly guess the level of the troops by looking at their clothing, and soon sent generals to fight.

The night was too dark, and even standing on the city wall, one could only see the general idea and could not see the specific moves.

In the end, the two sides were almost tied.

Then, at some unknown time, the battlefield moved further and further forward, and in the end, Zhang Pingan could no longer tell who was who.

"Why did he suddenly go so far away?" Zhang Ping'an murmured softly, with a bad feeling in his heart.

Not long after, a burst of cheers suddenly broke out on the battlefield. From a distance, it sounded as if their side had captured an enemy general alive.

Zhang Ping'an and Wei Cunren looked at each other, and some joy appeared on their faces.

"It seems that I can return victorious this time, and finally live up to my adoptive father's trust," Wei Cunren said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Unexpectedly, after a while, the boiling sound suddenly became louder and the team became noisy. Zhang Pingan always felt that he seemed to hear a cry for help.

"Something seems to have happened!" Zhang Pingan frowned.

Wei Cunren also frowned tightly and replied, "The ones I brought here are all elite troops. This shouldn't be the case!"

Wei Cunren was right. The troops he brought were indeed elite. No matter in terms of numbers or combat effectiveness, they were not inferior to these Hu soldiers.

So in the end they did not lose, the Hu troops temporarily retreated, and they even captured an enemy general alive.

But the leaders Zhao Renzhi and Wei Cunxiao were both dead.

The two leading generals died at once, which was undoubtedly a huge blow to the soldiers.

When Zhang Pingan saw the two bodies, he was a little bit unbelievable. They just died like that?

So easy?

He still remembered the determined look in Zhao Renzhi's eyes when he left just now, and thought there would be some reversal in the end.

As a result, the two men really died. They were killed by arrow wounds that pierced their chests. When the arrows were taken out, blood sprayed all over Zhang Ping'an's face.

Zhao Renzhi didn't close his eyes, which were filled with disbelief and unwillingness.

I'm afraid he never thought that he would die in this place until his death!

Zhang Pingan sighed softly and helped him close his eyes.

Wei Cunren repeatedly checked Wei Cunxiao's body, and after a while he confirmed that he was really dead. His second brother would never be able to joke and play with his brothers again.

"Second brother, didn't you say the fortune teller said you would live to be a hundred years old?! Huh?"

He couldn't accept this result and looked stunned.

Although death on the battlefield was common, this time was different. He thought his second brother could handle it, but he was ultimately too blindly confident.

"The deceased is gone, please accept my condolences!" Zhang Pingan half squatted down and patted Wei Cunren's shoulder.

He then called over several other deputy generals to explain the situation.

Several lieutenants were also confused, feeling both sad and anxious. "Your Excellency, to be honest, we were all busy fighting each other and didn't pay much attention to who shot the arrow. The enemy had many archers, all of them were mounted and skilled in archery. It was dark, so it was difficult to detect. We only discovered it after General Wei and Lord Zhao fell off their horses."

"Yes, Lord Zhao and General Wei are both experts in riding and archery. They were standing next to each other. We didn't see clearly how they were both suddenly hit by arrows, but we can be sure that the arrows were shot from the enemy camp. There is no mistake about that." Another person replied.

"In fact, based on their skills, it should not be difficult for them to avoid us. Alas, it is our fault," sighed the deputy general who was the first to respond.

There was still a hint of regret in his eyes.

Yes, it is a pity for a young man to die young. This should have been the time when he was on the rise.

"It's no use saying this now."

Zhang Ping'an thought of the captured enemy general, who might be a breakthrough point.

"Didn't you capture an enemy general alive? Take me over, I want to see him."

"And me, I'll go with you," Wei Cunren said, standing up.

Although my eyes are red and bloodshot, sadness cannot solve the problem.

He also had to help his adoptive father get through the current hurdle first.

"Please follow me, my lords," the deputy general said with a bow.

Then lead the way.

Prisoners on the battlefield are usually held together, but the man captured alive today has a special identity, he is a general after all.

Therefore, the deputy general arranged a separate tent for him to be guarded.

At the same time, it also prevents others from passing messages to him.

Zhang Pingan was actually a little surprised when he saw the man. Although the man had an unshaven beard and was not dressed very well, he was dressed like a typical Hu person.

But from the way he spoke, one could tell he was very well-educated, completely different from the ordinary barbarians who were ignorant of etiquette.

Most importantly, the Chinese is very good.

Zhang Pingan and his team didn't even need a translator.

"Are you really from the Zadalan tribe?" Zhang Pingan asked in a skeptical tone.

The other side responded again with a firm tone: "Yes, my lords, I am General Yehe of the Zadalan tribe. Why, don't I look like a general? No matter how many times you ask me, I will always answer this way, hahahaha!"

"General Yehe is so free and easy. This is the first time I have seen a Hu general who did not commit suicide after being captured and was not afraid of death at all!" Zhang Pingan smiled sarcastically.

The Hu people are generally fiery-minded and generally do not want to be captured and enslaved. Many of them would die on the spot after being captured.

If you are unfortunately captured and do not commit suicide, it means you still want to live, and you will be much more honest, and silence is a common phenomenon.

It is indeed rare to find someone as arrogant and free-spirited as Ye He.

"So I am the general, and they are just the lowest-ranking soldiers," Ye He said with his head held high, his tone full of disdain.

"Oh, really?" Zhang Pingan smiled.

After interrogating him for half the night, by daybreak, he and Wei Cunren still hadn't gotten any more information out of him. This guy was acting like a piece of tough meat.

They used torture, but they didn't dare use too harsh a method. The man had serious injuries and they were afraid that he would die if he wasn't careful.

Seeing this, Wei Cunren pinched his brows and suggested: "Forget it, let's take a break first. This guy is determined and you won't get anything out of him even if you ask him more."

"But we don't have much time. I always feel that it's not that simple. After you eat, bring over those Hu soldiers I selected," Zhang Ping'an said after pondering for a moment.

"What? Why call them here?" Wei Cunren was a little confused.

Zhang Pingan explained, "They all grew up outside the Great Wall. They have some understanding of the appearance and language characteristics of the Hu people of various tribes. If nothing else, they are definitely better than us. If they find something new, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try!"

After saying this, he looked directly at the Hu general who called himself Yehe, and said with a forced smile, "It's definitely rare among the Hu people to speak Chinese so well. It can't be compared with those who only half understand it. Most of the Hu people who can receive Chinese education are tribal nobles living in the interior of the country. The Zadalan tribe lives far north of the Hangai Mountains and is isolated from the world. I'm afraid they don't deliberately learn this. I'm really curious, why did you invade Yumen Pass!"

"Haha, guess?" Ye He was covered in blood, and his breathing out more than inhaling didn't affect his teasing in the slightest: "Maybe if you guess right, I'll confess everything."

"So you admit that you haven't finished recruiting, right?"

"Haha," Ye He laughed again, then forced himself to sit up and demanded, "I'm hungry. I want to eat, eat meat, and preferably a pot of wine. It doesn't have to be too good, just your Great Zhou specialty, sweet potato stew!"