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Глава 88

After several days of fierce fighting, the battlefield has long since shifted from the Qilian Mountains to the border.

"Reporting to the Marshal, the vanguard of Rizzo's army has been spotted ahead..."

Riso's unit was the retreat route left by Zhenmutier, which could be used for both offense and defense. Originally, Zhou Yida, who was returning victorious, led his army to intercept him, but he actually took a shortcut and bypassed Zhou Yida's army, arriving just in time.

Riso is no ordinary man, as evidenced by his willingness to sacrifice Zhou Yida to rescue Zhenmutier. If he were to join forces with Zhenmutier, the situation could be reversed immediately. With the addition of several generals from the Crimson Gold Clan who are coming to reinforce, the advantage between the two sides could be reversed in an instant.

"Reporting to the Marshal, Zhenmutier is leading a contingent of elite troops in a breakout attempt..."

From afar, the Crimson Gold Clan army suddenly carved a bloody path, charging straight towards the flank of the encirclement. Bypassing the flank and breaking through the border, they could rendezvous with the arriving reinforcements. Although his stronghold had been wiped out by Liu Zhiyuan, if he were allowed to escape back to the grasslands, he would likely regroup and launch a counterattack in due time.

Just then, a fast horse galloped back; it was none other than Mr. Nongying.

"Sir, Rizzo's unit has bypassed Zhou Yida and is on its way!"

"If he manages to meet Zhen Muter, all our efforts will be in vain!"

Junyu nodded, feeling somewhat anxious. He turned to Lu Ling beside him, about to give an order, when Mr. Nongying immediately said, "Junyu, I'll lead men to intercept him! Lu Ling can stay and assist you."

"Sir, the situation here is largely settled, and Tosang will be back soon."

"Tuo Sang hasn't returned yet!" Mr. Nongying shook his head, gave an order, and led his men away. They had ridden quite a distance when they saw that Zhenmutier's breakout momentum was getting stronger and stronger. Although Junyu had an absolute advantage, for some reason he was still worried. He reined in his horse and turned back, gathering all his inner strength, "Junyu, you must be more careful."

Seeing that he was still so concerned about her, Junyu couldn't help but smile. Looking at his figure from afar, she replied, "Take care, sir."

The war drums thundered, the bugle calls filled the air with terror, and the fierce charges almost turned into hand-to-hand combat. Eager to break out, Zhenmutier led several hundred elite soldiers and had already carved a bloody path. Lu Ling led a contingent to charge immediately after them. Zhenmutier glanced around, then suddenly turned his horse and charged towards the left flank, the weakest link in the Northwest Army.

Zhenmutier's several hundred men were all the most elite warriors of the Crimson Gold Clan, who had protected him through countless life-or-death situations. He knew that as long as he broke out of this encirclement, he could reunite with Riso, who was on his way, and march towards the Western Regions, avoiding a complete defeat.

Hundreds of warriors, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting their lord, fought desperately, each taking on ten men, and managed to break through the encirclement and escape.

Junyu looked behind her, where the sounds of battle grew even more deafening, and another plume of smoke rose into the sky. A surge of joy filled her; it was Tuosang's signal. Clearly, Tuosang had lifted the siege of the pass and returned. The battlefield was now far from the Qilian Mountains, and she had expected Tuosang to return in another day, but his return was unexpectedly swift.

She had intended to wait for Tuosang, but from afar, she saw that Zhenmutier had already broken through the gap and fled far away. The Red Gold Clan army, trapped within the encirclement, crumbled even more upon seeing their "Great Khan" escape. However, this did nothing to slow Zhenmutier's escape. Junyu had already made up her mind that this time, she would not allow Zhenmutier to escape under any circumstances. Without further hesitation, she drew her arrow, mounted her horse, and gave the order, personally leading a troop in pursuit of Zhenmutier.

Ahead were one or two forked paths, one leading to a mountain range and the other to an unnamed grassland.

In his panic, Zhenmutier was about to rush onto the mountain path when he suddenly saw the sound of hooves approaching from the opposite road, with a hundred or so riders galloping towards him. It was one of the four great generals of the Crimson Gold Clan. Seeing the critical situation, he had abandoned his main army and selected one hundred of his most elite cavalrymen to form a suicide squad to come to Zhenmutier's rescue.

"Great Khan, you go first..."

Zhenmutier was overjoyed and immediately turned his horse around and galloped along another path.

Junyu, who had rushed over from afar, drew his bow to shoot, but it was already too far away. At this moment, the hundred elite cavalrymen of the suicide squad had already blocked the hundreds of pursuers led by Junyu, and the two sides engaged in a melee.

Seeing that Zhenmutier's figure had become a black dot, Junyu could no longer care about the two sides in the battle. She abandoned everyone and chased after Zhenmutier alone. Behind her, more than a hundred elite soldiers of the Northwest Army also jumped out of the battle and followed their commander.

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Chapter 322: The Final Battle

The prolonged drought of midsummer has caused this nameless grassland on the edge of the desert to gradually turn into sand. The already scarce grass has been devoured by wild rabbits and ground squirrels, leaving it patchy and scraggly like a mangy head. However, beyond this severely desertified and barren land, a hundred miles ahead lies a vast grassland with abundant water and grass. There, herds of cattle and sheep roam, valiant warhorses gallop freely, and a vast expanse to roam.

The army was advancing steadily when Zhu Yu reined in his horse, and Zhu Sihuai also reined in his horse and stopped.

Zhu Yu looked at the distant sky and laughed, "We will soon become the masters of this grassland!"

"Yes, Second Young Master."

Along the way, they received reports from scouts that Zhenmutier himself was besieged in the Qilian Mountains, and his sons and generals had either been defeated or blocked outside, while his main force had been basically wiped out.

Zhu Yu gazed into the distance for a long while, then Zhu Sihuai said, "Second Young Master, let's go."

Zhu Yu suddenly said, "There's a cloud of dust ahead, someone's coming!"

Zhu Sihuai also looked over and saw that the cloud of smoke was not large, indicating that there were not many people coming.

Zhu Yu rode his horse a short distance before stopping. In the distance, a line of black dots appeared—it was Zhenmutier and his several hundred elite soldiers.

At this moment, Zhu Sihuai also noticed and immediately said, "Second Young Master, it seems that Zhenmutier has been defeated and fled!"

Zhu Yu laughed: "Fourth Uncle Zhu, how can we let go of such a great threat like this opportunity!"

Zhu Sihuai understood that if Zhenmutier survived, he would be the greatest threat to Zhu Yu's ambitions. If he were allowed to escape, it would be like a fierce tiger lurking outside the door, ready to return and devour you until you were nothing but bones.

The fleeing Zhenmutier suddenly stopped. In front of him was a vast, dark army, led by Zhu Yu.

When he saw Zhu Yu suddenly appear in this place where he shouldn't have been, his heart sank. As a powerful and ruthless man, he reacted very quickly and had already been informed that Zhu Yu had not come to the rescue of the second prince, which led to the second prince's death on the battlefield and the complete defeat of the army.

At this moment, how could he dare to have even the slightest thought of adventure? He immediately turned his horse around and led several hundred elite soldiers to gallop backward, beyond which lay the vast desert.

"Chase!"

At Zhu Yu's command, he led a group of men to give chase.

After chasing for some distance, he saw a large black horse charging into the grassland from the side, heading towards Zhenmutier. He spurred his horse and galloped for a while. As they drew closer, he saw the rider in a blue robe—it was Junyu's silhouette.

Immediately afterwards, a group of elite troops from the Northwest also came from the same direction, chasing after Junyu.

Zhu Sihuai stopped: "Second Young Master, I think we don't need to pursue them. That Northwest Army will definitely wipe out Zhenmutier completely."

"If we seize this opportunity to eliminate Zhenmutier and Fengcheng Feishuai in one fell swoop, wouldn't that be a permanent solution!"

Now that Zhenmutier and Junyu are both deep in enemy territory, it is the perfect opportunity to eliminate the two strongest forces in the north. However, Zhu Sihuai felt that something was amiss and immediately advised, "Second Young Master, they will inevitably suffer heavy losses. We should not ruin our original plan."

"Uncle Zhu, you lead the troops to proceed according to plan, and I will lead two thousand men in pursuit. I will not be able to sit still until I see these two completely annihilated!"

If these two were eliminated, it would mean removing the two biggest obstacles on the road ahead. After some deliberation, Zhu Sihuai was still hesitant, but seeing Zhu Yu's resolute attitude, he could no longer persuade him and had no choice but to accept the order.

It was nearly dusk. Zhu Yu gazed at the distant sky and smiled coldly: "Everyone in the world sees me as their enemy. Today, I will send these two strongest men in the North to the Yellow Springs, making them enemies of the world!"

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Chapter 323: Zhu Yu VS Jun Yu

Zhenmutier and his most trusted guards rode only the finest Ferghana steeds, and having seized the initiative to escape, they couldn't close the gap quickly, even though Junyu's mount was a top-quality steed carefully chosen by Tuosang. Meanwhile, Zhenmutier's remaining few hundred elite cavalry and the vast majority of Junyu's Northwest Army were left far behind, locked in fierce combat.

When Zhu Yu arrived with his 2,000 troops, the remaining few hundred men had already suffered heavy casualties. The remaining hundred or so men, realizing the main force was closing in, had no time to escape and were riddled with arrows.

The main guards of Zhenmutier and Junyu who were lagging behind had all been slaughtered. Zhu Yu smiled with satisfaction. Now the Great Khan and Fengcheng Fei Shuai who had chased them into the desert were left with no troops. The moment to completely eliminate the two stumbling blocks was one step closer.

He glanced at the corpses strewn across the ground. Suddenly, one of the Northwest Army soldiers staggered to his feet from the pile of carcasses, his eyes barely open, yet he seemed determined to continue the pursuit. Zhu Yu suddenly remembered the terrifying Phoenix Army led by Tuosang, an army almost inhuman, and how Junyu had long considered him a formidable enemy. He remembered his forced retreat from the pass guarded by Tuosang…

The hatred in his heart burned like a fireball, growing ever stronger. He drew his bow and shot an arrow into the throat of the heavily wounded soldier whose eyes could not even open. He laughed loudly, "I will grant your loyalty. You can go to the Yellow Springs and wait for your Phoenix City Flying Commander!"

The soldier collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound. Upon closer inspection, among the pile of corpses, none of those loyal to Fengcheng Feishuai or Zhenmutier remained breathing.

Zhu Yu waved his hand, and the army continued its pursuit ahead.

After chasing for a while, most of Zhenmutier's dozens of elite guards were left behind, while only three of Junyu's elite northwestern soldiers remained behind.

When Zhu Yu led his troops to catch up, the thirty-odd Red Gold Clan guards and the small squad of Northwest Army soldiers who had fallen behind were already engaged in a melee. The fighting had not been going on for very long, and the casualties were not yet severe.

Suddenly, everyone saw a large, dark army behind them, and some of the Crimson Gold Clan guards cheered, "The Prince Consort..."

Zhenmutier was cunning and shrewd. When he saw Zhu Yu appear in a place where he shouldn't be, he became suspicious. He had already sensed Zhu Yu's ambition, so he dared not take any risks and immediately changed direction to flee. However, the guards behind him did not see who the general in front was before retreating. They were also unaware of their Khan's cautious thoughts. Therefore, when they saw Zhu Yu, they were overjoyed.

The men leading the cheers of "Prince Consort..." hadn't even finished uttering the word "consort" before they were riddled with arrows. Meanwhile, the Northwest Army, trapped in the encirclement, fought back desperately against a powerful enemy, and their ability to dodge attacks resulted in slower casualties.

However, no matter how skilled these dozens of elite soldiers from the Northwest were, they quickly fell to the ground one by one. Only one man remained, who threw down his bow and arrows, grabbed a broadsword, and engaged in almost hand-to-hand combat, defeating all who stood in his way. Upon closer inspection, Zhu Yu realized that this valiant soldier was one of the four men who had caused trouble with Lang Xiong at the tavern years ago and had been punished by Jun Yu.

A row of archers had already drawn their bows, and Zhu Yu waved his hand to order them to step back.

The soldier stood in the middle, wielding a large sword, and glared fiercely at Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu laughed: "The Flying General of Fengcheng once humiliated and punished you, so why are you still so devoted to her? Why not join me and I'll guarantee you wealth and honor!"

"I'd rather be a lowly soldier under Marshal Jun than a general under a traitorous dog like you!"

"I'll grant your wish!"

Zhu Yu suddenly leaped off his horse, snatched the soldier's broadsword, and slashed down hard, instantly splitting the soldier in two, his blood splattering all over Zhu Yu's face.

Zhu Yu wiped the hot blood from his face and laughed loudly: "Junyu, you won't be lonely even in the afterlife, with so many loyal lackeys willing to die for you!"

He looked up and suddenly saw that the group of people chasing him desperately had completely disappeared. Without pausing, he swung his broadsword, spurred his horse, and galloped off to catch up. Zhu Yu's mount was a famous Akhal-Teke horse, so at full gallop, it quickly left his army far behind.

From dusk till dawn, the desert stretched ever deeper ahead. After a fierce battle of wits, only a few guards remained with Zhenmutier, while the three elite soldiers behind Junyu, though far behind, were still within sight. Junyu knew Zhenmutier's immense influence and prestige on the steppe; if he escaped, even with victory in this battle, it would ultimately leave a major hidden danger. Despite his magnificent black horse being exhausted from galloping for so long, he continued to pursue him without hesitation.

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Chapter 324: Killing the Beloved 1

They rode on for a while longer, but the morning wind grew stronger and stronger, soon making them sway unsteadily. Junyu glanced at a pile of sand dunes ahead that had been swept up by the wind and dared not continue. If this kind of sand were to be swept up and cover them by the strong wind, it would be a catastrophic disaster. She surveyed the terrain and reined in her horse.

Fortunately, the gust of wind passed quickly. This delay allowed her to see that Zhenmutier and his group were also hindered, bringing them closer. Overjoyed, she was about to spur her horse to catch up when she heard several screams from behind. Turning around, Junyu saw the three elite soldiers lying dead, and a magnificent Akhal-Teke horse was catching up – it was Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu, covered in blood, charged straight at him, wielding a large sword, his eyes bloodshot. Jun Yu had never seen him with such a terrifying, crazed expression before, and was greatly startled, immediately spurring his horse to avoid him.

The more blood stained Zhu Yu's face and head, the more frenzied he became. Seeing Jun Yu dodge, his vision and mind were filled with a sea of crimson blood; only one word occupied his mind: Kill! Kill! Kill! ...

Seeing his frenzied rage, Junyu was both shocked and anxious, and shouted, "Zhu Yu..."

The voice, now so familiar yet utterly unfamiliar, only fueled his arousal. He swung his broadsword, aiming a blow at Jun Yu. In haste, Jun Yu dismounted, and Zhu Yu, seeing this, immediately followed suit, charging forward with his sword.

Seeing that his eyes were bloodshot and he had completely lost his mind, Junyu was greatly alarmed and raised her voice: "Zhu Yu, what's wrong with you? It's me, Junyu... Junyu..."

The name "Junyu" struck Zhu Yu like a thunderbolt. Zhu Yu burst into maniacal laughter, "Junyu, you are Junyu! Today I will kill Junyu! Since you consider me your enemy, I will consider you my enemy too... I will definitely kill you today..."

"I have never considered you an enemy!"

"You sent Tuosang to attack me!"

"That was war...war..."

“I don’t care about any war. People all over the world can be my enemies, but how can you treat me as an enemy?! You’ve never cared about me. You want me to be defeated and you want me to die. You treat me as your greatest enemy and you’ve never taken me seriously…”

Zhu Yu's voice grew louder and more frantic. Although Jun Yu's martial arts were superior to his, he did not want to hurt him. Therefore, he kept dodging Zhu Yu's gleaming broadsword, and slowly, he began to struggle.

Zhu Yu's broadsword slashed, sending sand and stones flying. The two chased and dodged, their desperate flight oblivious to the sudden gust of wind. Before they knew it, they had reached the sand dune. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in, carrying sand down in a dark, oppressive storm. Jun Yu leaped away quickly, but Zhu Yu, in his semi-mad state, reacted too slowly and was about to be engulfed.

Junyu was terrified and rushed back, grabbing his arm in her panic. Zhu Yu, who was already half-mad, suddenly felt a black mass approaching and temporarily forgot about killing Junyu. The two of them ran a long distance with all their might, but before they could stop, a loud rumble came from behind them, and the sand pile had already covered the spot...

Junyu released Zhu Yu's hand, her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground. She had just breathed a sigh of relief when Zhu Yu's broadsword came slashing down. "You want me to lose, you want me to die, you consider me your greatest enemy... Kill you, and I can dominate the world... Hahaha..."

Junyu was right beside him, and there was no time to dodge. Even though she reacted very quickly, the knife still struck her left shoulder hard. She let out a cry of surprise, and blood immediately gushed out.