As the Turkic soldiers' shield formation surged out of the city gate corridor and into the city, a mocking smile suddenly appeared on Lu Xuan's face. He then lightly waved his hand. An old man, who had been waiting for some time, casually cut a rope beside him. A wooden barrel hanging from the top of the inner wall fell from the sky. Xiao Si threw out a torch at the opportune moment.
Flames shot skyward, accompanied by screams and the smell of burning flesh, sealing off the entire city gate. This was a final precaution, as that was the last barrel of oil.
Lu Xuan staggered, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. The flames brought a brief moment of peace to the city gate. But then, shouts erupted from the city walls.
With a thud, Lu Xuan looked up and saw a Tang Dynasty soldier fall from the city wall. Looking further up, he saw dozens of Turkic soldiers had already occupied the wall. Lieutenant Li and Lai Xi and the others had been forced back to the stairwell.
Lu Xuan sighed deeply; his worst fears had come true. Even though he had held the city gates, the breached walls meant the same result. He took a deep breath, raised his serrated saber, and prepared for a final desperate attempt. He would never entrust his fate to others. Even in dire straits, he would strike with his last might.
But just then, his ears twitched, and a strange expression appeared on his face. He heard the chaotic sound of horses' hooves outside the city; cavalry were charging at the Turks outside the city.
A rough shout could still be faintly heard.
"The Cui family of Longyou is here..."
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Chapter Twenty-One: Defeating
Although utterly exhausted, Lu Xuan could still hear the commotion outside the city gates. The chaos had reached the gates themselves. It made sense; given the current state of the battle, a large number of Turkic soldiers should have already gathered at the city gates. If someone were to attack from behind, they probably wouldn't be able to hold out.
The only thing that puzzled Lu Xuan was that he originally thought it would take at least a day to wait for reinforcements. But unexpectedly, the reinforcements arrived in just half a day.
The Turks were clearly thrown into disarray. Some tried to flee, while others, unaware of what was happening, continued their attack blindfolded. But regardless, their morale had crumbled.
The attacking army displayed formidable fighting power. From the moment Lu Xuan heard the chaos to the complete rout of the Turks, less than a quarter of an hour had passed. However, by the time Lu Xuan had cut down several Turkic soldiers before him, no one was rushing into the city gate anymore.
Lu Xuan had no time to pay attention to the outside world; he immediately rushed up the city wall to support Lieutenant Li and the others. At this time, including Lieutenant Li and Lai Xi, only six people remained on the city wall. They were surrounded by more than thirty Turks. Fortunately, the city wall was narrow, so they didn't suffer multiple attacks at the same time. The key was that the Turks now knew about the situation outside, and many of them had lost the will to fight. Even the strongest race will feel fear in the face of death.
Lu Xuan rushed up the stairs, and at the same time, a Tang knight broke through the Turkic formation and charged up the city wall. Wielding some kind of dual-wielding warhammer, he rode his warhorse onto the wall and smashed the head of a Turkic soldier in front of him with a single blow.
"Cui Qi of Longyou is here..." the man shouted, charging wildly across the narrow city wall. Lu Xuan also began his attack from the other side. He sliced open the throats of two Turkic soldiers with his saber, then charged forward, crashing into the crowd of Turkic soldiers.
*Thud... Clang...* Two sounds rang out almost simultaneously. These were the sounds of Cui Qi's warhammer and Lu Xuan's saber striking the last wolf guard. This unknown Turkic warrior, whether lucky or unlucky, was caught between Lu Xuan and Cui Qi, his martial prowess rendered useless, his head smashed by Cui Qi, his throat severed by Lu Xuan.
"Excellent swordsmanship..." Cui Qi exclaimed in admiration as he looked at Lu Xuan. Without lingering, he turned and charged towards the other Turks. The remaining Turks on the city wall had already thrown down their weapons and knelt in surrender.
Lu Xuan stood on the city wall, gazing at the scene outside. Cui Qi's men didn't seem to be many; in the chaos, they appeared to number only around two hundred. However, their formidable fighting strength, coupled with their unexpected attack, tore apart the Turkic formation, leaving only a massacre.
He noticed a small group of Turks forming a battle formation and charging out. However, neither he nor Cui Qi's men gave chase. They were short-handed; it was best to stabilize the situation first.
The chase lasted for half an hour. Most of the Turkic soldiers had been cut down, and the few remaining knelt on the ground, offering no resistance whatsoever. Lu Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, he heard Lai Xi's hoarse voice.
"Over here..."
Looking over, they saw that Lai Xi and several soldiers were helping Lieutenant Li to sit down on the ground.
Lu Xuan rushed over.
Lieutenant Li was covered in blood, not just from the enemy, but also from his own. Three arrows were lodged in his shoulder and back, swaying precariously. A gash on his thigh was gushing blood like a fountain. This was not a good sign; in this city, such injuries were practically incurable.
Lu Xuan and Lai Xi, along with the others, forcibly stopped the bleeding with strips of cloth. They applied some medicine that Lu Xuan had prepared beforehand. However, the wound was extremely deep, and these were all they could do; whether he could pull through depended entirely on himself.
Lai Xi himself, and even Lu Xuan, were all seriously injured. Even Lu Xuan himself was covered in wounds. However, his physique was amazing, and he could still hold on. Lai Xi, on the other hand, couldn't hold on any longer. As soon as he relaxed, he collapsed to the ground. His right hand trembled, and he couldn't even hold the knife.
In reality, the knife in his hand was no longer the original one. It was a horizontal sword that he had picked up randomly during the melee. Such intense combat caused immense damage to weapons. Not to mention half of the horizontal sword, even Lu Xuan's thirty-plus-pound horse-slaying sword was now nothing but scrap metal.
Lu Xuan casually threw away the horse-slaying sword he had used for several years and then slumped to the ground.
“I thought you wouldn’t get tired?” Rachel said, panting.
"That's what I originally thought too."
"...Hahahaha..." The two were silent for a moment, then burst into laughter together. This time, the bitterness was gone, replaced by a sense of ease.
Half an hour later, the officer named Cui Qi came over.
He first glanced at Lu Xuan, recalling their brief joint fight. Lu Xuan's formidable combat prowess had left a deep impression on him. However, Lu Xuan wore a mixed-style armor, making his rank indiscernible. The other man, though covered in blood, wore clothing in a style reminiscent of the capital. He only vaguely recognized the man but couldn't immediately recall which department he belonged to.
After all, he was a soldier from the Western Regions, while Lai Xi was from a central government department; they were quite different and had almost no interaction.
“This sir…” Cui Qi’s face was somewhat fierce, with a fleshy expression. However, his speech and actions were not as rough as his appearance suggested. To avoid offending the important figure, he even used honorifics.
Rachel quickly stood up and returned the greeting. No matter what, the other person was his savior.
He revealed his identity by showing his badge. This startled Cui Qi. He had led a patrol around the area and, upon seeing the smoke signals from Xiaogucheng, had decisively come to its aid. However, deep down, he still harbored some doubts.
First, why would such a large group of Turks appear here without any prior intelligence? Second, Xiaogucheng doesn't seem to hold much value, making it seem unlikely that the Turks would risk such a great deal of effort to penetrate deep into the Tang Dynasty and attack it.
Upon seeing Lai Xi's identity, his heart tightened. Knowing it might involve some confidential matters, he dared not press further. Having served in the Western Regions for many years, he was a seasoned veteran. He knew what to ask and what not to ask. Lai Xi's token was from the Secret Service, an intelligence system directly under the emperor.
Although the secret agents within the Secret Service were not of high rank, most held important positions. All officers and soldiers, upon seeing them, were required to cooperate unconditionally. Cui Qi's elder brother was working in Chang'an to try and transfer him back from the Western Regions. At this time, he dared not cause any trouble, lest his brother's efforts be in vain.
"Is there anything else you require, sir?" Although he couldn't inquire about specifics, anything related to the Secret Service reached the Emperor's ears directly. If he could lend a hand in such matters, wouldn't it be possible to get the Emperor to hear his name? Cui Qi immediately made up his mind to curry favor with this official from the Secret Service.
“Indeed, we need your help, General. We are carrying out a secret mission, which has led to our pursuit by the Turks. I am now acting as a special envoy of the Tang Emperor to temporarily summon you and your troops to escort us back to Chang'an. If this succeeds, I will certainly petition the Emperor for your honor.”
"I am willing to serve you, sir." Without saying a word, Cui Qi immediately agreed.
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Chapter Twenty-Two: Seeking Instructions on Sword Techniques
Cui Qi's cavalry, numbering about two hundred, was led by the garrison of the Anxi Protectorate. This mission was a routine patrol of the surrounding area. Because the Tang Dynasty was currently at war with the Turks, patrols were more frequent than usual, which allowed them to arrive at Xiaogucheng so quickly.
The Western Regions army under the Anxi Protectorate was renowned throughout Chinese history for its toughness and formidable strength. Cui Qi's cavalry was among the best of the best, boasting exceptional combat prowess and strict discipline. Despite his seemingly rough exterior, Cui Qi was actually quite meticulous and possessed remarkably comprehensive control over his cavalry.
With their protection, Lu Xuan was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and rest properly to recover from his injuries. As for Lieutenant Li, this guy was quite a tough guy; after being unconscious for three days and three nights, he actually woke up.
After surviving the high fever, his condition began to improve significantly. This brought a noticeable sense of relief to Lu Xuan and the others. After all, they had fought side by side and risked their lives together, and Lu Xuan naturally didn't want to see him die like this. The only thing to worry about was how the emperor would deal with him.