“When the wind blows at the ancient pass, the trees crackle like cracks.

A desolate stranger, riding behind the moon.

The plank road is chiseled with frost, and the Shiliang River swallows its throat.

Strangely enough, the dawn is cold and the emperor loves the snow on the mountain."

——"Jiuli Caring about Ancient Times"

Jiuliguan at night has a lonely and majestic beauty.

This place is located more than sixty miles south of the Yunzhou border, bordering Xing'an Prefecture and Gaotang Prefecture in the south. It is surrounded by two mountains and a natural canyon. It is narrow at both ends and wide in the middle, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Someone once lamented that if Jiuliguan was located in the western or southern borders, it would definitely become a powerful pass on the border, but it is a pity that it has no place to be used in the northern border. Nowadays, the times have changed, and the barbarians can actually rise in the wasteland and form a powerful force that cannot be underestimated.

The despised tribe crossed the border and harassed the people of Daliang. Jiuliguan, which had been neglected in the past, instantly became a barrier to the north of Yunzhou.

Ge Shuyi suffered a humiliating defeat in that battle in the wilderness. He had the right time, place, and people, and his marching route was betrayed by the details, and he almost lost all 5,000 elite infantrymen. But he did not get up by relying on nepotism.

Jin, at least, still retains the basic qualities of a commander. After the news of the barbarians crossing the border came back, he immediately adjusted the distribution of troops in the Xuanhua camp, abandoned all military stations, and focused on defending the border passes.

The nights in northern Xinjiang seem extremely long.

In front of this team that was bursting with death determination, the barbarians who were almost invincible in hand-to-hand melee had to make way for a narrow path.

He Zong walked back and forth on the city wall. He did not criticize the soldiers who were keeping warm, but only told them not to relax their vigilance. Now the barbarians were moving on the border, and no one could be sure of their next move. Although Jiuli Pass was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

, but if the barbarians launch a fierce attack, it is not impossible.

After much hesitation, He Zong stood up, put on his armor, hung his sword on one side, and walked out of the house.

The dozen or so barbarians did not pursue He Zong and the other three, but instead ran toward the northeast corner of the pass at an astonishing speed.

He Zong was very satisfied with the morale. After chatting with them for a while, he walked down the city wall, went behind the closed door, and inspected it personally. Then he went to look at the beacon in the northeast corner before returning to his residence with confidence.

Two seemingly inconspicuous ordinary soldiers near the door looked at each other, nodded slightly at the same time in the dim light of the torch, and then pulled out the hidden dagger and suddenly took action. The comrade next to him was the sleepiest at this moment, and his eyelids were constantly covering his eyes.

How could you imagine that friends who have been together day and night would suddenly kill you.

The words stopped suddenly, and the smile on his face froze instantly.

At the same time, in the beacon behind them, a strong fire shot into the sky, and the smoke billowed up, almost lighting up the sky.

The two soldiers guarding the outer room were still conscious at this moment. Seeing this, they couldn't help but get up and asked: "Boss, why don't you rest?"

At the beginning of the war, he received a command from Ge Shuyi to ensure the safety of Jiuli Pass and not give the barbarians a chance to sneak attack. After Ge Shuyi's defeat, He Zong became more and more afraid to be careless and had to do it every day.

You need to inspect it several times before you feel confident.

Jiuli Pass is the top priority. As the gateway to the north of Yunzhou, it can play an extremely critical role in deterring the barbarians.

He Zong kept gathering the surviving soldiers and asked them to gather around him. When there were hundreds of them, he immediately returned to fight the barbarians who broke into the pass.

The process of these two ordinary soldiers killing their comrades was so short that they didn't even make any sound.

The sound shook the sky.

There was blood in his eyes, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the silent northeast, gritted his teeth and said: "Go to Fengsui!"

After more than a quarter of an hour of fighting, his throat was hoarse, but he still shouted tenaciously: "Fight to the death!"

"Boss, withdraw!" a soldier roared.

"Boss, we all know the seriousness, and we definitely don't dare to be lazy in the middle of the night."

"Yes, even Marshal Ge Shu has been defeated. Who dares not to cheer up?"

After doing this, the two of them left the door slowly and disappeared into the night without anyone noticing.

When he rushed near the beacon, there were only more than a hundred living people left around He Zong. He had no time to cry sadly. After killing several barbarians who had seized the beacon, he also did not look at the bodies of his two colleagues beside the beacon.

, while issuing orders for the soldiers to light the fire, he took the remaining comrades to guard the perimeter.

Under the firelight, young faces glowed with confidence.

He came from a wealthy family in Huazhou. With his extraordinary courage and bravery, he was promoted from a foot soldier to a commander in fifteen years. His journey was not easy. Although he knew that it would be difficult for him to make further progress in his lifetime.

, but did not seek trouble because of this, and still did his part conscientiously.

The barbarians surrounded him and Feng Sui.

Tossing and turning and still unable to fall asleep, He Zong always felt panicked, as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff, as if he might fall to pieces at any time.

He had seen barbarians in the wilderness before, and his impression at that time was that although these people were tall, they looked tired, and they did not dare to approach Liang hunters like him, and would avoid them from a distance. However, tonight when he faced them head-on,

He Zong soon felt the terrifying power like a mountain pressing down on top.

The soldiers smiled honestly, knowing that their leader was cautious, so they did not make a fuss, picked up their weapons and followed him out.

He Zong pulled out his sword and slapped the soldier on the back who seemed to be frightened. The three of them ran towards the rear as fast as they could.

"Can't hold on any longer!" Another sentry officer helped He Zong block the attack from the barbarian on the side, but his right hand was torn apart by the shock.

The comrades described how miserable they were, their robes were stained with blood, but they roared in unison.

He Zong saw an extraordinarily tall and powerful barbarian appear, accompanied by a middle-aged barbarian. He then ordered the middle-aged man to stop and walked towards He Zong alone with his bare hands. According to the military intelligence report sent by Marshal Ge Shu

, this burly barbarian should be Liejiaomi, the leader of the barbarians. Judging from his demeanor, he seemed to want to chat with me for a few words.

More and more barbarians rushed into Jiuliguan. He Zong could no longer wait and see. He led more than 200 soldiers to resist desperately, but his comrades around him fell one by one. His heart was bleeding but he saved them.

Not less than those young lives.

The night inside the pass was as dark as ink, and only the light in the brazier was like stars, swaying with the cold wind.

Arriving within the scope of the North City, looking at the quiet scene on the city wall, a soldier smiled and said: "Boss, as long as the barbarians are not bad, they will definitely not come to Jiuliguan to run wild. They are very powerful in the wilderness.

But if you want to attack a city with thousands of people and don’t have ladders or anything like that, then you might as well dream about it during the day——"

"Fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death!"

Although he came from a wealthy family, his favorite thing since he was a child was to go hunting in the wilderness. Of course, he did not dare to go too deep and only try his luck in the fringes. After joining the army, he naturally could not be as free as before, but he still retained that sense of freedom.

A keen sense.

These barbarians are like the giant beasts passed down by their ancestors. They are not afraid of pain, life and death, and can often withstand three or four Liang Jun soldiers by themselves.

Immediately afterwards, countless barbarians surged in through the gate, rushing like a torrent to important positions in the pass. Many Liang Jun soldiers died under their crude weapons before they even understood the situation. The flames of war were like huge rocks smashing into the gate.

The lake surface generally spreads rapidly.

"Don't worry, boss. If the barbarians really dare to come and break through, we will definitely be able to avenge Marshal Geshu and those dead brothers."

The fighting broke out suddenly before dawn.

There is no snow tonight, but the cold is still deep. The soldiers responsible for keeping watch on the pass have to stay as close as possible to the brazier in order to withstand the severe cold in northern Xinjiang late at night.

He Zong stood up straight little by little, holding the handle of the knife with both hands and raising his head slightly.

More than two hundred people formed a charging spear. No matter who they were, sentry, team leader or infantry, their identity was no longer important at this time. They gathered tightly together, marched in unison, and roared solemnly.

At this time, He Zong's body was covered with scars, and he was surrounded by the corpses of his colleagues and barbarians. He was the only one left alive, and even the two soldiers who had shared the joys and sorrows for many years fell down.

Let's say that after He Zong returned to his residence, he simply wiped his face, put on his clothes and lay on the bed, but he couldn't fall asleep.

"run!"

He Zong said in a deep voice: "If you can't sleep, go out and take a look."

In the cold wind, a group of three people stood about thirty feet behind the door, watching helplessly as one after another burly and strong barbarians wearing animal skins appeared in the doorway.

He leaned on the ground with his knife and kept breathing heavily.

"Fight to the death!"

The defenders in the pass immediately made some movement, and at the same time, a dozen barbarians at the front of the gate rushed towards He Zong and the other three.

The soldiers immediately understood his thoughts. No one hesitated at this moment, and almost shouted in unison: "Kill!"

He Zong's body was trembling uncontrollably. Without any hesitation or hesitation, he roared with all his strength: "Barbarian sneak attack!"

He Zong knew that their choice was right, but Jiuliguan was the barrier to the northern border of Yunzhou, and behind him were countless people from Liang, ordinary people like his family members.

They dragged the body to the inner wall of the doorway and put it down, then walked to the door close, struggled to lift the huge door bolt, and then used extreme caution to open the door a little.

The barbarians were furious and their offensive became more violent and cruel.

At the beginning of the Yin hour, everything was completely silent. No human voice could be heard in the pass, only the sound of burning firewood and the whistling of the new wind.

The shrill sound pierced the night.

There are currently 2,500 troops stationed in the pass. The garrison will be Qinglongwei Left Army, led by He Zong.

The fire behind him is getting fiercer and fiercer. According to the unique design of the beacon, it will definitely not be extinguished in a short time.

He turned his gaze slightly and looked towards the night in the southwest, where there were his hometown and his parents, wife and children who were extremely concerned about him.

His eyes were full of nostalgia, but they quickly faded away, leaving only a tragic look.

"ah!"

He Zong let out the last roar of his life, raised his knife and charged towards the burly barbarian.
Chapter completed!