The night wind carrying sand and dust blew past the ruined beacon tower.
The dried-up riverbed narrowed here, flanked by steep loess slopes. The abandoned beacon tower stood alone at the top of the slope, blocking most of the moonlight.
Just as the Raid Camp was about to pass through the defile, torches lit up without warning.
They formed a neat wall of fire, completely blocking the way ahead.
In the dancing firelight, a row of heavy crossbowmen half-knelt on the ground.
In the center, a black-armored general sat on his horse with a spear held horizontally. He wore the mountain pattern armor standard to the Capital Camp, and his face under the helmet was cold.
"Commander Xu, it's been a while."
As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of everyone in the Raid Camp fell.
Xu Zhan held his sword in one hand and urged his horse forward two steps, examining the face ahead by the firelight.
"I wondered who it was!" Xu Zhan stretched his cracked lips. "So it's Official Han! Three years ago when you were transferred to the Capital Camp, I thought you went to enjoy life. Why did you run back to this windy and sandy place to eat dirt?"
Han Shao was expressionless. He pulled a copper plaque from his waist and shook it in the firelight.
"The Ministry of War has ordered the extermination of cross-border deserters. Commander Xu, you have committed a capital offense by taking men from the Northern Garrison Army out of the pass without permission."
Xu Zhan sneered, his eyes sweeping over the row of heavy crossbows.
Ministry of War plaque? Exterminating deserters?
The heavy crossbows were all aimed at the horses' bellies. Once the warhorses were shot, fifty light cavalrymen would fall to the ground, and facing heavy armored infantry would be a one-sided slaughter.
This was clearly an attempt to silence them, leaving both men and horses dead under this ruined beacon tower.
On horseback, Wei Qian, who was tied up, heard the commotion and struggled desperately.
With a rag stuffed in his mouth, he whimpered wildly and tried hard to twist his head toward Han Shao, causing the horse to spin restlessly in place.
Xu Zhan glanced sideways and struck Wei Qian heavily on the back with the back of his sword.
"Spit it out."
The rag fell out, and Wei Qian's voice cracked.
"General Han! Help! I'm Wei Qian! Save me quickly, His Highness will definitely not mistreat you!"
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere under the ruined beacon tower changed drastically.
Han Shao's eyes twitched violently.
What kind of idiot was this?!
Xu Zhan stared at Han Shao, his smile not reaching his eyes.
"His Highness?" Xu Zhan's tone was mocking. "Which Highness? Han Shao, the purity of your Ministry of War plaque isn't quite right. Since when did the Ministry of War become the private soldiers of a prince's mansion?"
Han Shao's grip on his spear tightened, his knuckles making soft cracking sounds.
"Xu Zhan, cut the crap." Han Shao's voice was chilling, and he thrust his spear forward. "Just die!"
Before Xu Zhan could answer, the rumbling sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the dark night behind.
The ground began to tremble, and a large group of cavalry was rapidly approaching.
Batu had arrived with Helian pursuers.
Illuminated by the torches, Batu pulled on the reins. After seeing clearly the formation ahead, his face turned livid and he cursed loudly.
"Wei Qian! You Daqian dog! We agreed to meet at Qingshi Pass, and you lured me to the ruined beacon tower for an ambush?"
Batu was a straightforward man, without so many twists and turns in his mind.
The three groups of people were blocked under the ruined beacon tower, and the relationships were completely laid bare.
Wei Qian shouted anxiously, his face covered in tears and snot.
"Batu! Shut up, you idiot! I didn't set an ambush! This one-armed madman intercepted the goods halfway! He stole the armor!"
Han Shao's face darkened to the extreme.
Things had gone off the rails.
Batu's appearance exposed all the under-the-table deals.
A Daqian prince privately selling military equipment to the Haliens—once this matter spread, let alone Han Shao, even that Highness would be skinned alive.
He couldn't delay any longer.
"Heavy crossbows, press forward!" Han Shao shouted sternly.
The front row of heavy crossbowmen stepped forward three paces in unison, the creaking sound of bowstrings tightening exceptionally harsh in the night wind.
Xu Zhan did not move. He looked at the wild grass next to the ruined beacon tower and found that the grass was blowing toward Han Shao.
The wind direction was right.
Xu Zhan felt confident.
When his younger sister gave him this thing, she said it depended most on the wind direction.
If it were a headwind, they would be the ones dying tonight.
Since God was showing favor, then let's send these lords from the capital on their way!
"Han Shao, we all came from the Northern Garrison Army." Xu Zhan spoke slowly, leaning slightly forward on horseback. "You have to let me die understanding!"
"Are you standing here tonight on orders from the Ministry of War, or on orders from the noble's mansion?"
Han Shao looked at him coldly.
"Dead men need not ask."
Xu Zhan nodded.
"True. Then let's talk about something else. How many heavy crossbows did you bring? Fifty? Eight hundred sets of fine iron armor, can you transport them away? Even if you kill all of us, Batu has eight hundred cavalry over there. Are your few dozen men enough to fill their teeth?"
Xu Zhan rambled on, speaking very slowly.
Niu Dali was grinding his teeth anxiously beside him.
"Brother Zhan, what the hell are you talking to him for! Fuck him!"
Niu Dali cursed, having already half-drawn the sword in his hand.
Xu Zhan ignored him, instead pressing the scabbard backward, precisely hitting Niu Dali's saddle.
The bottom end of the scabbard knocked twice on the second backpack hanging by Niu Dali's side.
Niu Dali froze for a moment, reached for the backpack, and undid the buckle.
Reaching inside, he felt several cold, smooth objects.
He pulled one out and looked closely. It was a grayish-black clay pot, the size of a fist, sealed with mud and with a short fuse sticking out.
Several veteran soldiers from the Raid Camp around them turned to look, their faces full of confusion; none of them had ever seen this thing before.
Xu Zhan was still talking to Han Shao.
"Han Shao, following that Highness, how much silver does he pay you a month? Is it worth coming to the grassland to eat sand? Aren't you afraid of having the life to earn it but not the life to spend it?"
Han Shao completely lost his patience.
"Fire!"
Xu Zhan jerked his head back, snatched the grayish-black clay pot from Niu Dali's hand, struck a fire starter on the saddle, and lit the fuse.
His movements were extremely fast.
Xu Zhan raised his arm and smashed the two clay pots fiercely toward the heavy crossbow position.
The clay pots traced two arcs in midair and landed in the open space in front of the heavy crossbowmen.
Seeing this, Han Shao instinctively thought it was the fire thunder pot mentioned in the intelligence. So, out of muscle memory, he leaned back and raised his spear to block.
With a loud "bang", the clay pots shattered.
Immediately after, a cloud of yellow-green thick smoke billowed up.
At this time, the night wind happened to blow from behind Xu Zhan toward Han Shao.
The yellow-green smoke cloud hugged the ground and, aided by the wind, rolled directly into the heavy crossbow formation.
The front-row heavy crossbowmen had just pulled the triggers, and the crossbow bolts shot out, but their aim was completely off.
Dozens of thick crossbow bolts flew past the scalps of the Raid Camp and nailed into the dirt slope behind.
The smoke enveloped them.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Violent coughing erupted in swathes.
The heavy crossbowmen affected by the smoke dropped their weapons, desperately clutching their throats with both hands, tears and snot streaming down.
Some fell directly to their knees, rolling desperately on the ground. Exposed skin that came into contact with a little smoke instantly broke out in large red patches.
The formation was paralyzed on the spot.
Han Shao's warhorse was startled and reared up.
He choked on a mouthful of smoke, and his windpipe immediately burned with pain. Every breath tasted of blood, and his eyes were so stung that he couldn't open them at all.
"Retreat! Fall back!" Han Shao roared, covering his nose and mouth.
The wind was too strong, and the poisonous smoke spread extremely fast.
Xu Zhan didn't give them a chance to catch their breath.
With a swift backhand slash, he severed the thick hemp rope binding Wei Qian.
Before Wei Qian could even react, Xu Zhan grabbed him by the back of his collar and hurled him straight to Niu Dali beside him.
"Take him! Charge!"
Xu Zhan pointed his long blade forward, and the fifty riders of the Raid Camp spurred their horses simultaneously.
The warhorses neighed as they galloped away under the cover of the toxic smoke.
Xu Zhan rode at the very front. A Black Armor soldier who had just snapped back to his senses tried to block his path, only to be cleaved to the ground with a single strike, blood spurting into the air.
He did not linger to fight; his only goal was to break through the encirclement.
Meanwhile, in the rear, Batu watched the sudden turn of events unfold, completely dumbfounded.
What kind of wicked sorcery was that yellowish-green smoke!
What sinister weapon had the Great Qian people forged this time!
