An unprecedented passion suddenly made Li Jun's blood surge. He pulled Ji Su into his arms, his left arm tightly around her waist, as if he wanted to break her strong and graceful waist.
Ji Su's heart pounded. The two of them had never been so close before. She could hear Li Jun's heartbeat, just like her own, thump, thump, thump! This made her feel flustered and confused, as if all the words she wanted to say had been forgotten. She felt weak all over and could only nestle in the arms of the person in front of her.
“Ji Su, my dear sister…” Li Jun’s eyes were so bright that Ji Su couldn’t help but lower her eyes and close them slightly, hiding the unease and excitement in her heart.
"I almost lost her, I almost lost her..." Li Jun said to himself again and again. Then, he pressed his hot lips to Ji Su's trembling lips. Ji Su felt his burning breath, opened her eyes in fright, but closed them again in embarrassment.
The kiss lasted for an unknown amount of time before Ji Su finally broke free from Li Jun's embrace, panting heavily. She dared not look at Li Jun again, keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. Li Jun seemed astonished by his own recklessness; he had actually kissed a woman, and right there in the central military tent!
The two remained silent until their breathing gradually calmed down. Li Jun stared at Ji Su, his gaze fixed on her slightly parted lips. He pulled Ji Su close again and kissed her fiercely on those fiery red lips.
"Mmm..." Ji Su hummed softly. This time, she didn't struggle at all; the two were lost in the excitement of their intertwined emotions. Outside the tent, Wei Zhan paced anxiously, while Feng Jiutian, with a composed expression, smiled slightly. The Peace Army soldiers made faces at each other, and Lei Hun's face grew even paler, his gaze almost frozen. But all of this had nothing to do with the two people tightly embracing inside the tent. At this moment, the whole world consisted only of them.
Just as Wei Zhan was about to scream, the curtain of the large tent moved, and Li Jun emerged, embracing Ji Su. Ji Su struggled to shake off Li Jun's arm but failed. Meeting the smiling gazes of the crowd, a blush crept onto her face once more.
"If all goes well, I will marry Miss Ji Su after the New Year."
Li Jun's first words nearly killed everyone, including Ji Su. This man with gynophobia was finally getting married? What exactly happened inside that tent just now?
"You..." After a brief moment of stunned silence, Ji Su finally broke free from Li Jun's embrace. She dared not look at anyone, and just stomped her feet, stammering, "You...you..." for a while before turning and running away, leaving behind only the words, "Who wants to marry you?"
Everyone burst into laughter, and Li Jun laughed too. His gaze suddenly turned fervent as he said, "For my bride, I will fight a victorious battle. To attend my wedding, I beg you all to return alive. Set out! Attack Liu Guang's camp!"
"What!" Feng Jiutian and Wei Zhan both exclaimed in surprise. Wei Zhan took a step forward, about to offer some advice, but Feng Jiutian stopped him. Looking at Li Jun's face, the two couldn't help but shake their heads slightly.
Li Jun flipped onto Xiaoyue Feishuang, glanced back at the two men, and laughed heartily, "Don't worry, gentlemen, don't worry, I'm not dizzy yet. Liu Guang has just dug a trap and is waiting for me. All I have to do is dance a little dance at the entrance of his trap. Gan Ping Lanqiao!"
"exist!"
"You two will lead the armored infantry and cavalry to protect the Xuanji Chariot and attack Liu Guang's camp head-on. Advance to within three thousand paces of the camp, then do not advance further. There, using the Xuanji Chariot as a shield, construct a fortified camp!"
"yes!"
"Wei Zhan, Yang Zhenfei, Zhang Yong!"
"exist!"
"You three will lead five thousand light cavalry from the north gate, march swiftly along the side paths, circle around to the enemy's rear, and recapture Huichang to cut off Liu Guang's retreat. Zhang Yong, the people of the villages outside Huichang should still support us, right? Ask them to join the battle. They usually live off the land, now is the time to use them!"
"We've recaptured Huichang!" Zhang Yong was overjoyed. Although Fang Fengyi hadn't returned with Li Jun, Zhang Yong still felt regretful about abandoning Huichang. His excitement didn't escape Li Jun's notice, who laughed heartily: "Remember, during the siege, make good use of inside help. That depends on Mr. Wei. When Liu Guang flees, let his vanguard and central armies escape, then pursue his rear guard from the flanks and rear. A feint attack will suffice; there's no need for a desperate fight!"
"Understood!"
"Feng Jiutian, Yuan Youxing!"
Feng Jiutian raised an eyebrow at Li Jun. Standing atop the towering Xiaoyue Feishuang, Li Jun exuded confidence and composure, showing none of the initial agitation and anger he had displayed. Feng Jiutian felt a sense of relief, knowing that he had finally calmed down.
Li Jun quietly observed Feng Jiutian for a while, without blaming him. He simply smiled slightly: "Whether something is benevolent or righteous has only one standard: whether it benefits the people. If it benefits the people, then whatever we do, we can have a clear conscience. Mr. Feng, you and Yuan Youxing should immediately mobilize the militia from all the villages under Pingyi City, ordering them to create momentum for our army from all sides. I want to give Liu Guang a big surprise!"
Feng Jiutian bowed deeply to Li Jun, knowing that Li Jun had forgiven him for scheming against Ji Su. He raised his head and took a deep breath.
"Hmm, Brother Lei Hun," Li Jun turned to Lei Hun, who stood there quietly, silent, "Could you please make another trip back to Kuanglan City and speak to Sister Mo Rong? Tell her that I intend to marry her upon my return!"
"Ah!" The soldiers nearly collapsed in shock. Li Jun, once he acted, was astonishing. He burst into laughter, and without waiting for Lei Hun's reply, spurred his horse and roared, "The rest of you, march!"
"Go!" With this roar, the news that Li Jun would use victory as a way to commemorate his marriage spread throughout the entire army.
"Finally, this day has come!" a Peace Army soldier laughed, but then frowned. "I don't think it looks good."
"What's not good about it?" a warrior beside him asked curiously. "I think it's great! I want to get married when we get back to Kuanglan City!"
"Well, I mean, Liu Guang's head isn't a good wedding gift!" the soldier who had spoken earlier said with great enthusiasm, tilting his head back and laughing. "Using this dog's head as a chamber pot would make the bride unhappy!"
"Pah!" the soldiers spat in unison, then burst into laughter: "If the bride doesn't need it, we will! Go get Liu Guang's head and use it as a chamber pot!"
The good news and Li Jun's high spirits revitalized the morale of the Peace Army after repeated setbacks. The 100,000 Peace Army soldiers surged towards Liu Guang's camp with the momentum of moving mountains and filling seas, and their vanguard consisted of dozens of steel-armed vehicles.
three,
"They've come, just as I expected!"
The spy relayed the news back to Liu Guang as quickly as possible. Although he hadn't learned Li Jun's specific plans, he had informed Liu Guang that the news of Li Jun's marriage had spread throughout the army. Liu Guang laughed loudly: "Trying to celebrate your marriage with a victory? I wonder what that Yue woman is like. As for this Rong woman, since she's a rare beauty, I'll accept her without ceremony."
His smile vanished, and he continued, "Order the entire army to act according to plan. No one is to act rashly. In this battle, we must annihilate that brat Li Jun forever!"
"Strange, the enemy army seems to be in a fierce mood, so why are they stopping in front of our army?" When the Xuanji chariot stopped in front of the Chen army's camp according to Li Jun's plan, Liu Guang narrowed his eyes and was slightly taken aback.
"We cannot allow them to build a fortress here. How can we allow others to snore beside our beds?" When he saw the Peace Army soldiers line up the mysterious carts and connect them with wooden fences, Liu Guang decisively declared, "Since they won't come, go and lure them here!"
A squad of Chen's armored infantry advanced in neat square formation towards the two armies. Liu Guang already knew the power of the crossbows and mages on the Xuanji chariot, but the armored infantry, protected by heavy shields and thick armor, should be able to get close to the Xuanji chariot.
As expected, the crossbows fired in rapid succession from the chariots did not inflict significant losses on the armored infantry. Occasionally, a few soldiers would be wounded and fall to the ground, but another soldier would immediately fill the gap. When the armored infantry had advanced to about three hundred paces in front of the chariots, the yellow flags in the main formation were unfurled a few times, and a drumbeat immediately sounded. The armored infantry formation suddenly changed, and gaps appeared between the previously impenetrable square formations. Soon, armored cavalrymen would burst out from each gap and charge forward with an invincible momentum.
"Excellent formation!" Li Jun smiled coldly, a smile that was both praise and mockery. The enemy was indeed a regular army, but the Peace Army was no weakling either. He turned and said, "Attack!"
Instead of crossbows from the chariots or spells cast by mages within, what met the armored cavalry were massive boulders launched from catapults hidden behind them. Like a meteor shower, the boulders streaked across the sky, mingling with snowflakes as they crashed into the armored cavalry ranks. The armor, capable of withstanding crossbow fire, could not protect the warriors within against the enormous boulders. A wave of wailing erupted, the heavy thuds of horses falling mingling with the clanging of rocks against armor.
"That's exactly what I've been waiting for!" Liu Guang's eyes were hidden in that narrow opening as he waved his hand and said, "Release!"
Following the armored cavalry and infantry, countless crossbows launched massive crossbows, each over ten feet long, into the sky, aimed directly at the location of the Peace Army's catapults. The giant crossbows, accompanied by a whistling sound, pierced through the air, destroying the catapult mechanisms and pinning many Peace Army soldiers to the ground.
"Counterattack!" Amidst the resounding drums and gongs, the long-range battle before close combat commenced. The sky was almost devoid of snowflakes; all that could be seen was a dense rain of crossbow bolts, catapults, and arrows. Just then, the armored cavalry of the Chen state army charged towards the Heping army's Xuanjiji.
"Kill!" An extended spear pierced the throat of a Peace Army soldier who had emerged from behind the Xuanji chariot. The spear's owner, an armored cavalryman from the Chen Kingdom, pulled back the spear and thrust it into the long slit in front of the Xuanji chariot used for scouting. With a clang, it seemed to have struck something. Just then, three short and one long horn sounds came from the Peace Army formation.
"Finally, it's my turn!" Lan Qiao leaped out from behind the Xuanji chariot, followed by over six hundred short-statured Peace Army soldiers. Clad only in leather armor, they moved nimbly, rolling into the ranks of the armored cavalry. The armored cavalry's lances were too long to retract, and their heavy armor made it difficult for them to bend over. The Peace Army soldiers rolled on the ground, their goose-feather sabers aimed at the horses' hooves, which were unprotected by the armor. The horses, wounded, could not stand and collapsed to the ground, causing the armored cavalry to fall as well. Unable to rise again due to the weight of their armor, they were easily killed by the Peace Army soldiers who then removed their helmets.
"That's enough, retreat!" Liu Guang saw that the Peace Army soldiers had already mixed with the armored infantry, and his own side was showing signs of weakness, so he ordered the retreat to begin.