In the hellish Evil Wind Ridge Canyon, the wind and snow continue!
The snow on the ground had melted from the blood flowing from the bodies, and the stone walls on both sides of the canyon were blooming with thousands of peach blossoms as if spring had arrived. The bodies had not yet been cleared away, and the groans and cries of the wounded still echoed from time to time. When the Peace Army soldiers, who had fought for more than an hour, entered this hell on earth that they had created, the fanaticism in their hearts had faded, and what remained was only sorrow, not only for their fallen comrades, but also for those enemies who died with their eyes wide open in anger.
Just then, a group of people rushed over from the direction of Huai'en City, led by Li Jun.
"Looks like I'm late." Facing Meng Yuan and Lan Qiao, who had come to greet him at the canyon entrance after hearing the news, Li Jun laughed heartily. "Haha, I was worried that you wouldn't be able to adapt to the situation, so I came to check on you myself. What, you didn't leave me with a single enemy?"
"How dare you not believe in my abilities!" Meng Yuan said, half-jokingly, "Am I not as good as you at commanding battles?"
Li Jun raised an eyebrow, rolled his eyes at him, and said, "How about we try it out and see how many prisoners we captured in this battle? You lead the Peace Army, I'll lead the prisoners, and we'll fight another battle?"
Only Meng Yuan would dare to joke with him about the lives of tens of thousands of people. The two had formed an extremely deep friendship through long-term fighting side by side. A year ago, in order to clear the sea passage for Kuanglan City, Meng Yuan even abandoned himself under the attack of the dragon spirit to save Li Jun's life. The relationship between the two was unparalleled by others.
But Meng Yuan gradually sensed this as well. As the Peace Army grew stronger and Li Jun effectively controlled more areas, Li Jun began to change. The two of them joked less often, and even when they did, Meng Yuan could sometimes sense that Li Jun was being somewhat perfunctory, as if he was gradually disliking this kind of joke that lacked any sense of hierarchy.
"Could it be that what Commander Lu said about those in high positions of power being fickle actually applies to Brother Li Jun?" In his heart, Meng Yuan had never addressed Li Jun as Commander, but always as brother. The memory of the two of them under Lu Xiang's command, Meng Yuan extending his hand and Li Jun's hesitant and shy gesture, seemed still vivid. Back then, the young Li Jun, beneath his cold and aloof exterior, concealed a sincere heart yearning for warmth and passion. Why, then, did Li Jun seem so unfamiliar to Meng Yuan now?
For some reason, a touch of sadness, something he had rarely experienced, rose in Meng Yuan's not-so-delicate heart. But for a man like him, this sadness was merely a seasoning when feeling lonely, so he quickly shook his head, shaking off this wisp of sadness at Li Jun's change in attitude. At this moment, Li Jun was watching him with keen eyes.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Jun asked slowly.
"It's nothing. You came in such a hurry, surely it's not just to kill a few enemies, is it?" Meng Yuan changed the subject, steer the conversation towards Li Jun's purpose. Li Jun rode alongside him, the two large black horses entering the canyon.
The sight of blood and carnage stirred a strange excitement within Li Jun. As he surveyed the devastation, he imagined the fierce battle that had unfolded here just half an hour earlier. Meng Yuan, watching his face, a mixture of excitement and morbid rage over the aftermath, began to wonder: was Li Jun truly the same Li Jun?
"Ah." Li Jun suddenly dismounted and strode over to two Peace Army soldiers carrying a wounded soldier. He reached out and grasped the soldier's hand, who was gritting his teeth in pain, and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you badly injured?"
The Peace Army at this moment was no longer the small squad of 1,200 men that Li Jun could name every single one of, but a massive army of tens of thousands. This soldier had never even exchanged a single word with Li Jun before, but now, as his hero grasped his hand, an excited blush spread across his young face, and the pain in his wounds seemed to subside.
"No problem, it's just a superficial wound! Please rest assured, Commander, I'll recover in three to five days at most, and I'll be back on the battlefield fighting for you. Today I killed six enemy soldiers, and I'll kill many more in the future!"
The young soldiers' faces reflected not only pride in their achievements that day, but also a thirst for the bloodshed of the future battlefield. Meng Yuan, however, had a somewhat gloomy expression. Was the Peace Army going to betray its name of peace and become a mad force of slaughter and bloodshed?
Li Jun slowly released the soldier's hand. Although his mindset had changed significantly since before, especially when he was under Lu Xiang's command, the young soldier's words, filled with a thirst for bloodshed and death, still sent chills down his spine. Therefore, he said, "Brother, we are not fighting to kill, not fighting for glory. We are fighting for peace, for the people of Shenzhou to have a settled life. Brother, take good care of your wounds."
The soldier, still basking in the excitement of shaking hands and speaking with Li Jun, couldn't truly process or accept Li Jun's words. He saluted and was carried away by his comrades. In that moment, he felt that everything he had done, risking his life in battle, had been worthwhile. For those Peace Army soldiers struggling on the front lines, receiving encouragement from their commander was an immense honor and inspiration!
Li Jun remounted his horse and asked Meng Yuan, "What are our casualties? How many enemy soldiers have we killed?"
Seeing that he first inquired about the casualties of his own troops, Meng Yuan felt somewhat relieved. Although there had been some changes, Li Jun's concern for his subordinates remained unchanged. He replied, "Our army suffered 1,500 dead and more than 3,000 wounded, mostly minor injuries. The enemy army had 6,000 killed, 10,000 surrendered, and the rest perished like birds and beasts."
“Fifteen hundred…” Li Jun couldn’t help but sigh. This number was even greater than the total number when the Peace Army first rose up. Although compared to the enemy’s casualties, this number was extremely light, Li Jun saw it differently. It was said that the Peace Army had dealt a devastating blow to the enemy, but who could deny that the battle was also cruel and merciless for the Peace Army?
But he quickly put those numbers out of his mind, his eyes gleaming, and he said resolutely, "I've come here to ask everyone to put in the hard work for now and take advantage of the victory to defeat the enemy's reinforcements on both sides!"
Accompanying his words was an aura of domineering power, as if the sky were filled with snow, and a confidence that regarded enemies as nothing. His imposing presence stirred the competitive spirit of a martial artist within Meng Yuan, who said, "What's so difficult about that? Why did you need to come in person? Leave this to me!"
"How can I, Li Jun, let my brothers fight bloody battles on the front lines while I cower in my tent warming myself by the fire?" Li Jun laughed loudly, pointing towards the direction of Baoshan. "There are more enemy reinforcements here. I will lead ten thousand men to break through them. Brother Meng Yuan, you and Lan Qiao will lead the rest of the troops to break through the other route, how about that?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuan's eyes widened. His ambition, stirred by Li Jun's words, transformed into soaring pride. He proudly declared, "No need for ten thousand, give me five thousand cavalry, and watch me utterly crush the enemy army!"
"Give me three thousand men, and I'll go!" Lan Qiao, moved by the two men's boldness, declared, "If I cannot decisively defeat the enemy, I am willing to sign a military pledge!"
Hearing that Lan Qiao wanted to argue with him, Meng Yuan glared at him and said, "I said it first, and I will only take three thousand men!"
Li Jun laughed and said, "No, although my second brother's ambition is commendable, he shouldn't be too overconfident. How about this: Brother Meng leads five thousand cavalry as the vanguard, and Brother Lan leads five thousand infantry as reinforcements?"
“That’s not fair. His cavalry is fast, and my infantry is slow. How can we possibly defeat him?” Lanqiao shook his head.
"In the end, it was Brother Meng who volunteered to fight first, so Brother Lan should step aside." Li Jun smiled slightly and raised his eyebrows. "Besides, the enemy has a large force, and with the two sides locked in fierce combat, wouldn't Brother Lan's arrival be crucial in making a decisive difference?"
Lan Qiao thought about it and agreed, then said to Meng Yuan, "Brother Meng, don't kill all the bandits. Leave some for me!"
"Then we'll see if your two feet can outrun our four legs." Meng Yuan laughed loudly, spurred his horse and rode off. After running several dozen steps, he turned back and waved. Five thousand-man commanders immediately followed, followed closely by the five thousand cavalrymen whose morale had been roused.
Watching the soldiers gradually disappear into the distance, Li Jun's smile slowly faded. Although he had seen the Peace Army soldiers somewhat demoralized due to the fierce fighting, and had therefore used a goading tactic to boost their morale, he couldn't help but feel worried after Meng Yuan and the others left. Despite knowing victory was assured, his concern for Meng Yuan and the other Peace Army soldiers remained undiminished; after all, killing three thousand would mean losing eight hundred of their own…