Chapter 78: Shocking Turn of Events
"You don’t need to be so formal. This is what you deserve. From now on, the Zhou Family will give you its full support."
Zhou Hongling said candidly.
Lu Yuan had demonstrated immense talent and command ability. The Zhou Family would naturally invest in cultivating someone like him.
Regardless, as long as he grew stronger in the future, this bond would remain, even if he eventually left the Zhou Family’s control.
Lu Yuan nodded, saying nothing more.
Zhou Hongling, smiling, took out a jar of wine and filled his bowl.
The two drank and ate, and time passed quickly.
Just then, however, the sounds outside grew chaotic.
Lu Yuan frowned and stood. ’I’ll go see what’s happening.’
As he stepped out of his tent, he grabbed a running Warrior. "What’s going on out there?"
"The Northern Barbarians are raiding the camp under cover of darkness! King Yan is leading the charge himself and is already fighting the Marquis!"
The news stunned Lu Yuan.
His grip on the Warrior loosened.
’So the Northern Barbarians have really attacked. They’re clearly trying to annihilate Dayong’s right flank in one move, giving their diplomatic mission more leverage at the negotiating table.’
’But,’ he thought with some confusion, ’King Yan has always advocated a defensive strategy. This raid is too sudden.’
But there was no time to dwell on it.
He rushed back into the tent. "General, the Northern Barbarians are raiding the camp! The Marquis of Jiuse and King Yan are already clashing at the front lines!"
WHOOSH!
Zhou Hongling shot to her feet. "Gather our men at once," she ordered Lu Yuan. "Follow me to the front!"
He acknowledged the order and hurried out.
A few moments later, Helian Shang, Yun Mo, and Lu Yuan had all gathered their troops.
After days of fighting, their numbers had dwindled from four thousand to just over three thousand.
Still, it was a considerable force.
When gathered, they formed a significant unit. Under Zhou Hongling’s command, they charged toward the front lines.
As they neared the front, they saw the Marquis of Jiuse and King Yan locked in a fierce battle high in the sky.
The Marquis wielded a long spear, its dark, heavy form exuding power, yet he swung it as if it were made of straw.
The spearhead slammed down, leaving white trails in the air.
King Yan dodged with ease.
BOOM!
The hillock below was instantly obliterated.
But King Yan didn’t pause for a second, slashing out diagonally with his longsword.
A beam of Sword Qi shot forth.
The Marquis of Jiuse raised his spear to parry.
BANG!
After the collision, the Marquis of Jiuse plummeted downward.
Armor Leaves rained from his body.
BOOM!
He crashed to the ground, gouging a massive crater and sending dust flying everywhere.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He was clearly at a disadvantage in his clash with King Yan.
On the battlefield below, the Dayong Warriors fought desperately, but King Yan had clearly brought reinforcements, outnumbering them significantly.
In addition to King Yan’s main army, there was a force of Northern Barbarian Elite Cavalry, also numbering in the tens of thousands.
They charged into the camp, burning and slaughtering everything in their path.
The Dayong army was now virtually powerless to resist.
The moment Zhou Hongling, Lu Yuan, and their troops arrived, they found themselves being surrounded by enemy cavalry.
As the commander of her unit, Zhou Hongling was instantly targeted. A Northern Barbarian general led a charge straight for her.
Zhou Hongling did not hesitate, twirling her long spear as she rode forth to meet the charge.
"Kill!"
Lu Yuan had no time for anything else. After shouting the order, he led his men to guard Zhou Hongling’s flank and began to cut down the enemy.
The battlefield had descended into utter chaos.
A black tide of enemies, seemingly endless, swarmed them from all sides.
After what felt like an eternity, Lu Yuan’s armor was caked in blood.
He glanced back just in time to see Zhou Hongling kill the enemy general she was fighting.
THWIP!
From a distance, a feathered arrow pierced through her shoulder.
Her body swayed, and she nearly fell from her horse.
"Fall back! All troops, retreat!"
...
The Marquis of Jiuse’s hoarse voice rang out. He was in an even more wretched state.
Besieged by King Yan and three other Northern Barbarian generals, he had already suffered several cuts.
In the flickering firelight, his gaping wounds were clearly visible.
Lu Yuan spurred his warhorse forward, sweeping his Crescent Saber at the Northern Barbarian warriors charging Zhou Hongling.
SLASH!
The sound of his blade slicing through leather armor rang out.
Then he said to Zhou Hongling, "General, I’ll cover you! We’ll break out of this encirclement!"
But as he drew closer, he saw that her face was pale and she was drained of all strength.
He then noticed a deep saber wound on her back as well.
She seemed to have lost the strength to even stay on her horse.
When the Northern Barbarian army had first swarmed them, she had intercepted the majority of their experts. Though she had defeated that first wave, she had been badly injured in the process.
With no time to think, Lu Yuan grabbed Zhou Hongling and pulled her onto his own warhorse.
He yelled to the Personal Guard behind him, "Break out!"
At his command, Helian Shang and Yun Mo fell in behind him. They were also heavily wounded; Helian Shang had taken a blow to the chest from a Wolf-toothed Club, caving in his Chest Guard.
Blood streamed from his mouth.
Drawing near Lu Yuan, he growled, "We’ve been sold out! The brass was bribed! They’re withholding reinforcements, letting the Northern Barbarians win so they can negotiate a ceasefire! That bastard Zhang Zhe was reassigned days ago. I should have seen this coming!"
Lu Yuan’s expression darkened. He glanced at the others and said, "Let’s just get out of here first."
’A flicker of confusion crossed Lu Yuan’s mind. He didn’t understand what Zhang Zhe’s transfer had to do with this battle or why he was moved beforehand. But this wasn’t the time to ponder it. The priority was to break through the encirclement.’
Now, the commanders at his side were all wounded.
When the first wave of Northern Barbarians had charged, each of them had been forced to face several experts of their own caliber.
Lu Yuan had been fine, dispatching his opponents with ease, but the others lacked his heaven-defying combat prowess and were now suffering for it.
His thousand-man unit had been reduced to about five hundred.
Fortunately, the survivors had all rallied around him.
He viciously whipped his horse, charging toward the edge of the battlefield.
The others followed close behind.
Lu Yuan held Zhou Hongling steady with one arm while sweeping his Crescent Saber in wide arcs with the other.
Blood sprayed in every direction.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
They were surrounded. He could clearly hear the sounds ringing out from his own body as enemy weapons struck him.
It was only because his Mixed Element Golden Bell Shield had reached the Perfection realm that he could withstand such a barrage.
THWACK!
A Northern Barbarian warrior’s saber struck Zhou He’s shoulder.
But just as the warrior raised his blade for a second strike, Lu Yuan’s Crescent Saber swept out.
BANG!
The snarling Northern Barbarian warrior was cleaved in two by his blade.
On a battlefield like this, unless one’s power was truly incredible, even the strongest expert would eventually be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
This was true not just for them, but even for Innate Experts.
And as they fought desperately to break through...
...a series of notifications echoed in Lu Yuan’s mind.
[Enemy killed. Wind and Thunder General-Slaying Saber Technique Skill Level +10]
...
[Enemy attack blocked. Mixed Element Golden Bell Shield Skill Level +10]
...