: Bloody Battle at the Border

In the midst of the battle, Meng Kai had lost all sense of time.

He felt as if a great deal of time had passed, as he continued to brandish his weapon and engage in fierce combat with the surging waves of enemies.

Finally, after swinging his sword once more, the endless stream of enemies disappeared from his sight.

It was only at this moment that Meng Kai felt the soreness all over his body. Even a general like him felt extremely uncomfortable in such a high-intensity battle.

He could hardly imagine how the border army, with a mere 100,000 troops, had managed to hold out for so long.

He was certain that his army, having suffered such a brutal battle, could not possibly hold out for long.

At that moment, he couldn't help but feel a deep respect for the border troops' fighting spirit.

This willpower is terrifyingly strong.

He took two steps forward and felt a sticky sensation under his feet. He looked down and saw that the ground was covered in blood.

Meng Kai leaned against the city wall, panting heavily, his eyes sweeping over the soldiers around him.

Many soldiers lay half-paralyzed on the ground, oblivious to the blood and limbs around them.

Some soldiers who still had a little strength left began to silently move their brothers' bodies.

Of the soldiers who had followed him, very few were still standing; most had collapsed from exhaustion.

A somber atmosphere permeated the city walls; no one was cheering for the victory, only the sorrow of their fallen comrades.

"General Meng, thank you for coming to our aid. Otherwise, with my exhausted brothers, I don't know how many more corpses would have been lost in today's battle."

Yuan Shouze stepped forward and expressed his gratitude.

Meng Kai looked at Yuan Shouze with a complicated expression. He hadn't expected that Yuan Shouze, despite losing an arm, would still be fighting on such a brutal battlefield. His respect for Yuan Shouze grew even stronger.

"General Yuan, you're too kind. We are also citizens of this land, and it's our duty to protect our homeland!"

Yuan Shouze realized that Meng Kai was referring to the people of Shenzhou, not the people of the Tang Dynasty. However, he was also aware of the current situation in the country. Meng Kai was following Huang Chao, the number one rebel of the Tang Dynasty, and it was possible that the dynasty would change and become the Great Qi in the future.

However, this had little to do with these border troops. They would submit to whichever family could unify the land, guarding the frontier and not participating in internal struggles. Under the protection of the Wei family, the change of dynasties had almost no impact on them.

"The general has brought 50 troops here. As for Luoyang..."

Yuan Shouze was somewhat worried. Meng Kai had brought 50 elite troops, leaving Huang Chao with only 150 million troops in Luoyang. On the other side, there was both a fortified city and 300 million elite troops. If this led to Huang Chao's defeat and the world returned to the hands of the powerful families, it would be a great pity.

"General Yuan, rest assured, I believe that those good-for-nothings from the aristocratic families are no match for the boss."

Meng Kai said confidently, "Right after I led the army away, the boss told me to pretend that we were leaving with a million troops, and that the number of tents and cooking smoke in the camp should not be reduced, so as to confuse the enemy."

"Then we set up ambushes at each entrance, waiting for the Tang army to walk in themselves, and then gave them a good beating."

"I received the news on my way here that we had annihilated nearly 50 Tang troops in one battle, which can be described as a great victory."

"I'm sure the Tang army will not dare to leave the city so easily again. Once our battle is over, I can lead my troops back to reinforce the city, crush Luoyang, take the capital, and rebuild the world."

"General Yuan, we might have to continue fighting side by side then."

Meng Kai smiled.

Yuan Shouze's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected there to be such a variable in Luoyang. This put his mind at ease.

With an army of 50 and fortified cities, it's absolutely impossible for the enemy to break through!

Unfortunately, their forces were better suited for defense than offense, making it difficult for them to recover lost territory.

He had met Huang Chao once and had a very good impression of him. He believed that once Huang Chao unified the country, with Huang Chao's support, they would definitely take back every inch of the lost land.

Even a counterattack is possible; today's humiliation must be avenged with blood.

He also intends to march into the enemy country, behead its king, and capture its city!

To avenge his brothers who died in battle!

It's a pity that their border troops couldn't participate in the dynastic struggles within China; otherwise, they would have absolutely been willing to support Huang Chao without hesitation.

Those powerful families in Luoyang dared to betray the Central Plains and collude with foreign powers; it is simply unforgivable!

As someone who had dedicated his life to the frontier, he absolutely could not tolerate such a thing happening. It was a betrayal of China, a betrayal of the soldiers who had stood guard on the frontier and shed their blood for China.

If he weren't burdened with the important task of guarding the frontier, he would have loved to join Huang Chao in storming into Luoyang and killing all those traitors one by one.

As citizens of China, how can we allow ourselves to degenerate?!

How can we face our ancestors who fought on the battlefield?!

Do they have any respect for the land of China that gave them birth and nurtured them?!

A bunch of traitors, a bunch of ungrateful scoundrels!

"General Yuan, is the battlefield here as brutal as it is today every day?"

Meng Kai asked sincerely.

Yuan Shouze nodded, agreeing.

The formidable passes ahead were captured by the enemy through sheer grit and determination.

This was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for those foreigners, and they would naturally not give it up easily, no matter the cost.

It's likely that the various nations consumed countless resources to send this army here.

Otherwise, these long mountains wouldn't be so easy to cross.

"You've worked hard."

Meng Kai said from the bottom of his heart.

"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be this tragic."

Yuan Shouze sighed. Under normal circumstances, the intensity of wars on the border was not that great.

However, this time, seeing this good opportunity, the nations became extremely aggressive, showing a willingness to take over China at any cost, which led to the war being so brutal.

Meng Kai nodded in understanding. If this were the case every day, absolutely no army could withstand it.

Everyone's going crazy.

With the help of the reinforcements brought by Meng Kai, they finally held the pass and prevented the enemy from advancing an inch.

External threats are no longer a concern; they will be firmly kept out of Kyushu.

Next, we need to clean the house thoroughly.

The call to arms issued by the Tang Dynasty's border troops had already spread throughout the land, and retired border troops from all over the country responded one after another, putting down their farming tools and taking out the weapons and armor they had worn during their military service.

After bidding farewell to their wives and children, they brought their own provisions, along with the disciples they had taught who were willing to go to the border with them, and the luggage prepared for them by their families. They gathered at their respective locations, ready to head to the border.