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

On the land leading from Puyang to Qingzhou, a mixed army was slowly marching across the vast snowfield.

After taking over the Puyang camp, Qu Yi's First Division immediately selected 20,000 men to serve as logistics troops, helping the First Division transport ammunition, cotton clothing, artillery, and other supplies.

It was already late November of the fourth year of Xuan Yuan, and the weather in the north was getting colder and colder.

In addition, a heavy snowfall in recent days has inevitably reduced the efficiency of the march.

"This awful weather!"

Qu Yi wrapped his cotton-padded coat tightly around himself and watched his mount struggling in the snow pit. He couldn't help but curse angrily.

"It's rare for the snow to stop today, but I didn't expect the roads to be so difficult to travel."

The soldiers around them were breathing out white breaths, and even though they had prepared winter marching gear in advance, their faces were still red from the cold.

Seeing that the warhorse was still unable to get out of the snow pit for the time being, Qu Yi impatiently called out: "Signalman."

"exist!"

The next moment, a soldier wearing a cotton hat, a scarf around his neck, and carrying a rifle approached Qu Yi with uneven skin.

"What are your orders, Commander?"

"Go and find out immediately where Commander Lü's troops are."

"Yes!"

After receiving his orders, the communications soldier turned and walked away into the distance.

At this moment, Deputy Division Commander Zhang Ji said, "Commander, this march is really too tiring. Why don't we let the soldiers rest for a while and have some hot soup before continuing?"

Qu Yi let out a long breath, glanced around, and nodded, saying, "Alright, order the entire army to rest on the spot and resume marching in an hour."

Then, he said to the two auxiliary soldiers who were pulling the mount, "Hurry up and pull the horse out. If something goes wrong with the mount, the commander will kill me if he finds out."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji and the two auxiliary soldiers all looked at Qu Yi.

Zhang Ji hurriedly reminded him, "Commander, Shen Lang is no longer our commander, have you forgotten?"

Qu Yi then realized what was happening and immediately sighed.

"I don't believe the commander is that kind of person; he must have been wronged."

Zhang Ji: "Actually, we all know what kind of person the Commander is, but the Commander once said..."

No matter what happens in the future, His Majesty remains the supreme commander of the Central Army and the Imperial Guard, and no disobedience is permitted.

Do I need you to remind me?

Qu Yi rolled his eyes at him.

"Quickly, heat up some ginger soup for me. This weather is awful, it's so cold."

After saying that, he found a pine tree nearby and sat down.

Clapping~

Suddenly, the sound of horses galloping through the snow echoed across the open plain.

The Chu soldiers, who had just set up the cordon, all looked up when they heard the sound of horses' hooves.

Less than a mile away, a group of knights on black warhorses were approaching them in an orderly fashion.

The cavalrymen on horseback, all dressed in black, black armor, and black cloaks, with yaksha masks on their faces, charged toward the Chu army's cordon without regard for anything else.

"Ok?"

One of the Chu soldiers' pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "The snow is knee-deep, yet their warhorses can still tread on the snow as if it were flat ground?"

The iron hooves clanged, kicking up snowflakes that quickly formed a white mist around the herd.

Snore snore—

The heavy neighing of the warhorses echoed, catching the Chu soldiers on guard off off guard from reacting immediately.

When the herd of horses was less than 100 meters from the warning line and still showed no signs of slowing down, the squad leader immediately shouted.

"Stop!"

In response, the lead cavalryman suddenly leaped off his horse, and with a flick of his wrist, a hidden arrow shot straight at the squad leader.

puff-

In an instant, the squad leader's neck was pierced by the hidden sword.

"Alert! Enemy attack!"

Finally, the guards realized that their opponents were coming for them and immediately shouted warnings.

Meanwhile, the sound of copper whistles rose and fell.

bass--

Faced with the warning from the Chu army, the cavalryman who was the first to dismount did not retreat. Instead, he drew out two swords, one long and one short, from his waist.

The mother knife was raised above her head, the back of the blade covering her shoulder, while the daughter knife was hidden behind her waist, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

He moved swiftly and nimbly, and in the blink of an eye, he was within ten steps of the cordon.

bang bang bang-

The garrison immediately opened fire on the approaching force.

However, the bullets fired were skillfully dodged by the opponent, and all of them missed their mark.

Just as they pulled back the bolt to fire a second volley, the cavalry had already charged in front of them and delivered a low, slewing slash.

Pfft, pfft—

The two soldiers were instantly struck in vital areas by the sharp blade energy.

Then, he spun the mother knife in his hand, rose up while skimming the ground, and in an instant, as snowflakes filled the eyes of the remaining people, he slashed with the knife again.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft*

Three streams of hot blood splattered, and three more soldiers fell.

bang bang bang-

Another burst of gunfire erupted, and the remaining squad members panicked, firing their bullets at the agile cavalryman.

However, the cavalryman's movements were so swift and dazzling that he dodged the bullets with a side spin and disappeared into the snow.

Just when the team was at a loss, they suddenly emerged from the snow and launched a surprise attack on them from behind.

In just a moment, more than a dozen soldiers fell into pools of blood.

Meanwhile, more cavalrymen had already charged into the cordon behind them.

The cavalry leader casually tucked his twin swords back into his waistband, pulled his charging mount along, and mounted it with a flourish, continuing his charge forward.

However, the Chu army had already reacted by this time, and a dense array of gun holes were already aimed at the attacking Xiangma herd.

"shooting!"

bang bang bang-

Accompanied by a shout from an officer.

Countless bullets rained down on the herd of horses.

Puff, puff,

"Uh--"

A bullet pierced through the smiling mouth of the Yaksha mask, poised to strike a cavalryman.

After a muffled snort, the cavalryman swayed a few times on his horse and then collapsed onto the snow.

However, most of the cavalrymen had already crouched down on their sides, using their shields to withstand the hail of bullets.

Finally, at the cost of seven riders falling from their horses, the cavalry finally broke through the infantry's gun emplacement.

*Pfft, pfft, pfft*

Boom~

A series of thuds, like metal clashing against metal, echoed across the field. The dull thuds left the Chu soldiers in front of them in a gruesome state.

The formation was instantly disrupted.

The next moment, the cavalrymen on horseback dismounted in unison, holding shields in one hand and swords in the other, and launched a swift attack on the Chu officers and soldiers.

After the Chu army underwent military reforms, its firepower output was indeed fierce, but it lacked more practical combat experience.

Faced with a sudden attack from a group of martial artists, his lack of mental fortitude was quickly exposed.

The cavalry leader, like a tiger among sheep, wielded his twin swords with fluid grace, slashing down on the Chu soldiers before him.

The remaining hundred-man squad behind them were also each capable of taking on ten men.

For a time, the Chu army's powerful firepower was no match for this group of assassins who had suddenly appeared.

"calm!"

Just then, Qu Yi's voice rang out in the army.

"Machine gunners, fire!"

Da da da--

A series of crisp, booming sounds came, and several cavalrymen who had no time to dodge were instantly riddled with bullets.

"Don't panic, travel in groups and move forward steadily!"

"Grenade!"

Qu Yi, as expected of a renowned general, remained calm and composed in the face of this situation, directing his soldiers to launch a counterattack.

Under his reassurance, the Chu army officers and soldiers finally demonstrated the qualities of a strong army and gradually stabilized their position.

puff-

The cavalry leader severed the throat of a Chu soldier with a single stroke, and watching his sixteen comrades perish under machine gun fire and grenade barrage, he decisively raised his mother sword.

"retreat!"

The next moment, the remaining cavalrymen ceased fighting, formed orderly ranks, used their shields for cover, mounted their horses again, and galloped away.

After a flurry of swordplay, the cavalry leader sheathed his sword and leaped onto his warhorse.

At the same time, a wooden sign was left behind.

They come like the wind and go like a shadow, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"Stop shooting!"

"Clean the battlefield!"

"Rear guard, watch your surroundings!"

After giving the order, Qu Yi picked up the wooden plaque that had been deliberately left behind.

There were two characters engraved on it:

Swift wind.