Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Clapping along~~

On the winding paths in the valleys on the outskirts of Luoyang, the heavy sound of iron hooves echoed, shaking the entire earth.

Amidst rolling yellow sand, squads of heavily armored foreign cavalry, fully armed, sped steadily into the depths of the valley.

Directly in front of them was a group of unarmed Luoyang civilians, all running forward with fear on their faces.

The alien cavalry behind them seemed to be enjoying driving their prey, not rushing to attack, but maintaining their formation and advancing slowly.

Fear drove these people to flee in panic.

"Wow~"

A newborn baby, just a month old, cried out in the arms of a woman and child, as if foreshadowing the inevitable tragic end to come.

"stop!"

Suddenly, a long shout rang out, and the cavalry commander at the head of the unit brought the troops to a halt.

He removed the mask from his face, revealing a hideous face covered in centipede-like scars, his eyes like those of a hungry wolf, greedily gazing at the terrain.

"Ha ha……"

As the group of people ran into the empty valley, their cruel, sinister laughter echoed across the wilderness.

At this moment, behind a hidden natural bunker in the empty valley, a squad of Chu soldiers lay in ambush on each side.

Almost all of them were injured, and their weathered faces were filled with exhaustion.

The young general, in his early thirties, licked his cracked lips and cautiously peered out from behind the cover. He could only see billowing black smoke rising above Luoyang in the distance.

The young man's name was Han Yu, a lieutenant general guarding the front line of Luoyang.

Looking at the burning city, Han Yu's eyes were filled with desolation and indignation.

Suddenly, his lieutenant pulled him back into the bunker: "General, let's go quickly, or none of us will be able to leave!"

The young general clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "I have failed the court's trust and failed Prime Minister Ye's instructions."

"Luoyang has fallen, causing suffering to the entire city's inhabitants. How can I possibly have the face to return to the capital to face the Emperor and see Chancellor Ye!"

The adjutant beside him immediately advised, "General Han, the responsibility for the fall of Luoyang is not yours at all."

It was all Zhang Liang's dereliction of duty in withdrawing the city walls that allowed the Qiang people to launch a surprise attack on Luoyang overnight.

After all, no one could have predicted this situation. What we should do now is return to Beijing immediately.

"Explain the current situation to the imperial court and to Prime Minister Ye; the most important thing is to quickly request the imperial army's assistance!"

Han Yu lowered his head and remained silent, feeling very unwilling.

"Ah~"

With a soft sigh, he slammed his fist heavily on the rock, sending up a cloud of sand and dust.

"The entire army..."

Just as he was about to order a retreat, he heard a series of shrill cries and wails.

Accompanying this was the echoing sound of horses' hooves and the clanging of swords clashing together.

Han Yu was startled and, together with his deputy, peered out of the bunker.

That glance revealed a scene that made his eyes widen in horror:

The civilians ahead fled in terror, while behind them, fully armored Western Xia cavalrymen slowly approached, leisurely hacking down the catching civilians in pools of blood.

The valley was filled with desperate cries.

The cries of women and children, the curses of men, and the most desperate howls of people before their death all stimulated Han Yu's nerves.

"General, let's go quickly, or we really won't be able to leave!"

The deputy general urged Han Yu to retreat immediately.

"They are all citizens of Luoyang, and also citizens of our Great Chu!"

Han Yu bit his teeth so hard they almost bled.

"As a soldier defending this land, how can I stand by and watch the people be trampled and slaughtered by the enemy!"

The lieutenant immediately understood Han Yu's meaning and advised, "General, we can't protect them right now. Our brothers fought their way out of the encirclement with great difficulty. Do you want them to go and die in vain?"

Upon hearing this, Han Yu glanced around at the exhausted soldiers.

At this moment, they are staring at him with questioning expressions.

Of the two thousand men, less than a hundred survived the final battle.

Faced with the charge of tens of thousands of Western Xia cavalry, none of these soldiers retreated or surrendered. They bravely fought their way out of the encirclement, enduring the cavalry's charge and the barrage of arrows.

Han Yu knew what the consequences would be if he stayed; the remaining brothers were destined for a grim fate.

He understands everything.

but……

He simply couldn't bear to watch his compatriots turn into a pile of minced meat under the enemy's iron heel.

"Those who wish to stay, come with me to rescue them; those who do not, follow Li Jing (the deputy general) to retreat to the capital."

Those who remain this time will face a near-certain death. As your general, I will absolutely not stop you; the decision to stay or leave is entirely up to you.

As he spoke, he handed a blood-stained letter to Li Jing: "Deputy General Li, if you can successfully retreat back to the capital, give this letter to Prime Minister Ye, and he will protect you."

"General Han!" Li Jing pushed the letter back. "This humble general knows you can't bear to see those people suffer."

But look closely, those cavalrymen aren't in a hurry to wipe us out. They're clearly trying to lure us out. Perhaps..."

He paused for a moment, then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Why don't you let me stay and save the people, while you take everyone back to the capital to explain to Prime Minister Ye!"

"It's no use!" Han Yu gave a bitter laugh. "As the commander of the troops at the front, abandoning the city and fleeing is a death sentence for me. Whether I go back or not, I will die."

"It's better to die on the battlefield than on the execution ground. That way, you'll leave behind a reputation for loyalty and bravery. Don't try to persuade me anymore. Do as I say; this is a military order."

After saying that, he looked at his subordinates again: "Brothers, those who want to leave, leave now."

Staying behind to save the people this time is a matter of life and death, and I, Han Yu, will not force you!

"We are willing to follow the general!"

Unexpectedly, not a single one of the remaining Chu soldiers retreated; they all shouted that they were willing to die with Han Yu!

"Alright! Brothers! If there's an afterlife, let's be brothers again!"

Han Yu was very pleased. He then stood up, drew his long sword, and roared at the pursuing Western Xia cavalry: "You barbarian thieves, your grandpa Han Yu is here! What kind of skill is it to bully the old and weak? If you have the guts, come at me!"

The next moment, the Western Xia cavalry stopped chasing the civilians and instead lined up in a row of twenty riders, their gleaming sabers resting on their shoulders, grinning as they looked in Han Yu's direction.

"The royal army, it is the royal army!"

The panicked people, upon seeing the "Chu" military flag behind Han Yu not far away, felt as if they had seen a ray of light in the darkness, and rushed towards him one after another.

"Fellow villagers, hurry up! We'll stop them. Run, run as far away as possible. Don't let these beasts catch you again."

After loudly reassuring the passing people, Han Yu led the last remaining troops forward with a single step, displaying the imposing presence of a single man guarding the pass.

"Ha ha……"

The Western Xia cavalry commander's eyes were filled with contempt and disdain upon seeing this scene.

"Attack!"

At a command, the cavalry began to advance slowly like a forest, rushing towards the group of government soldiers with the force of Mount Tai pressing down.

……

Inside the Taiji Hall of Weiyang Palace.

"The Xia Kingdom mobilized an army of 200,000 to attack Luoshen Pass. The general defending Luoshen Pass was terrified and abandoned the city, thus leaving Luoyang wide open."

The Hu cavalry captured Luoyang, and the prefect Zhang Liang abandoned the city and fled to Shu overnight, leaving the 70,000-strong garrison in Luoyang leaderless.

A city that could have held out for three years was breached by Hu troops in just three days.

The people of the city were brutally slaughtered, raped, and plundered; more than 100,000 civilians were abducted and taken north to be enslaved. Is this the military prowess of my Great Chu?

In the Taiji Hall, Jiang Mengxuan was unusually furious.

She couldn't understand how Luoyang, a city with strong walls and formidable passes, could be so easily breached.

Recalling the triumphant return from the expedition to Luchuan only a month ago, the Empress suffered such a heavy blow; one can imagine her feelings.

Of course, what was even more unacceptable to her than her own influence was the miserable plight of the people in Luoyang.

Thinking of all this, Jiang Mengxuan felt a tightness in her chest, and her gaze toward the assembled officials was filled with frost.

No one spoke, and the one with the most solemn expression was none other than Prime Minister Ye Mo.

"Report~"

Suddenly, a guard came to report.

"Your Majesty, ten miles outside the west gate of Jinling City, we have discovered over a thousand refugees who have set up camp. One of them, who claims to be a general of Han Yu and a subordinate general of Heluo, says he wants to see Chancellor Ye."

"What? Han Yu!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mo became agitated and, disregarding the etiquette between ruler and subject, immediately stepped forward and grabbed the guard's shoulder.

"You mean, that general's name is Han Yu?"

"Yes, that's what he said."

Ye Mo immediately bowed to the Empress: "Your Majesty, this old minister humbly requests Your Majesty's permission to go outside the city to see Han Yu."

Jiang Mengxuan frowned slightly, then said, "Prime Minister Ye, there's no need to rush. I'll go with you!"