Chapter 34: Determination

Huanglu Ridge, Xiangyang Road, Fenyang County.

The straight pillar of wolf-smoke rising in the east caught the attention of the eagle-shooting scout in the mountain fortress watchtower. After summoning a guard and giving a few brief instructions, he hurried down the stairs toward the fortress parade ground.

There, a tall, burly officer with a long face, clad in iron armor, was wielding a long staff against three Royal Court Iron Guards who were also armed with wooden practice staves. Though alone, he pressed forward relentlessly, exerting complete dominance over the three.

"General Lan, there is military intelligence."

As the scout's voice rang out, the three Iron Guards were momentarily distracted, and a flurry of rhythmic thuds followed as the officer delivered a sharp rap to each of their faces.

"How many times must I teach you? As long as your opponent is not dead, do not take your eyes off them! On the battlefield, such carelessness will cost you your life!"

"Yes, sir!"

"We have learned our lesson!"

This cold-faced officer, who kept his subordinates in line, was none other than Lan Ya, the garrison commander of Huanglu Fortress for the Xutuge tribe and a deputy general of the Xutu King’s personal guard.

"General Lan, there is an alert in the east."

"I see. Speak, master scout, what is the situation?"

Lan Ya removed his helmet and shook out his sweat-dampened long hair, revealing a young, heroic, and handsome face. He was remarkably young, not yet thirty.

"It is the wolf-smoke," the scout said, lowering his head. Though he held the prestigious title of Eagle-Shooting Scout, he could not help but bow before this young talent trusted by the Xutu King. This was not out of reverence for rank, but respect for sheer strength.

As the most brilliant genius of the Xutuge tribe’s younger generation, Lan Ya had burst onto the scene at seventeen. Since then, he had swept the Royal Court martial arts tournament for four consecutive cycles. His combat talent and prowess were known to all, and no one dared challenge his authority. It was even rumored that the Xutu King’s two daughters had fought bitterly over who would marry him, eventually forcing the King to betroth both to Lan Ya. Whether the story was true, the scout did not know, but the reality was that Lan Ya had indeed married both princesses and ascended to the rank of deputy commander of the Royal Guard.

"Wolf-smoke? Could the Han army still have troops in Taiyuan?" The Xiongnu had successfully replaced the Han beacon system after seizing it. If the smoke was rising now, it certainly signaled an emergency.

"The deadline for the King’s evacuation order is within these next few days. No matter what happens, we must hold our Hu people’s eastern gateway." Lan Ya pondered for a moment before instructing his personal guards.

"Pass the order down: everyone is to sleep in their armor and remain on high alert for the next few days. Also, double the night patrols. Anyone attempting to force the pass under the cover of night may be executed without trial!"

"Is there really a need to be so tense?" the scout frowned. "What if we kill someone innocent by mistake?"

"Better to kill wrongly than to let one slip through. I don't care what happened to Tataruo and his men, but here at Huanglu Fortress, not even a fly will be allowed to slip in!"

Huanglu Fortress was vital to the Han, and just as important to the Xiongnu. It was their eastern gateway; with the fortress in their hands, the Jinzhong Basin was like a woman with open arms, allowing them to take what they pleased and come and go as they wished. Therefore, Huanglu Fortress must never fall.

At the same time that Huanglu Fortress received the signal, Bu Ye, who had just returned to the Fenyang border, also spotted the smoke.

"Do you think this is the handiwork of Tataruo or Huyan Jun?" the thousand-man commander Bu Ye asked his subordinates with a stroke of his beard and a laugh. Responsible for the plundering regions of Fenyang and the southern Xiongnu border, he was equally in the dark about what was happening in the east.

"I bet it's that wretch Huyan Jun; he’s always making a fuss over nothing, creating a massive scene for the smallest trifle."

"I agree. The Han troops in Bingzhou have already been crushed by us; there are barely any left. Even those peasants in the south are more of a threat. If anyone dares to provoke Tataruo, they’ll be chopped into mincemeat."

"Exactly! Don't look at Tataruo as just the Xutu King’s nephew; among the commanders of our generation, no one can fight like him."

Bu Ye let out a cold snort. "I didn't realize you all held Tataruo in such high regard."

"Oh, General, what are you saying? Huyan Jun is just a coward, and Tataruo is just a brute. When it comes to real marching and fighting, only you, sir, have the skill."

Only then did Bu Ye nod in satisfaction. Warfare wasn't as simple as these youngsters thought—it still required an old hand like him to lead. "Regardless of who is causing the trouble, send two scout teams to investigate. Everyone else, perk up. You’ve had your fill of fun these past two days; now pick up the pace and aim to reach the rally point as soon as possible!"

"Understood!"

Immediately, two scout teams of ten riders each, all equipped with two horses per man, broke away from the main force and galloped toward the wolf-smoke.

Then, as dusk fell and the moon rose among the scattered stars, these two groups were completely devoured by Su Yao.

"Is this it? Is this all there is to the Bu Ye division you boasted about?" Su Yao flicked the blood off his blade and curled his lip at Jin Fangyan. "The experience from this handful of men isn't even enough to split between us."

Jin Fangyan felt ashamed. Upon seeing the smoke, he had sensed disaster and begged Su Yao to retreat to the city and stop taking risks. Neither Lan Ya at Huanglu Fortress nor Bu Ye on the road were easy targets. Lan Ya was as brave and skilled in battle as Su Yao, and Bu Ye was a master of military formation, far surpassing Zhang Yang in tactical command.

Yet, no matter how much he pleaded, Su Yao remained stubborn, leading his men straight toward Huanglu Fortress and refusing to let him leave. It was pitiful—he, a dignified Eagle-Shooting Scout of the Royal Court, burdened with the mission of saving his Chanyu and his friends, was repeatedly held hostage by others and might eventually die with the reputation of a traitor to the Hu... Jin Fangyan felt bitter.

Especially now, when they had wiped out the enemy scouts and gained valuable information, this man was still unsatisfied. Was he only going to be happy when they crashed headlong into the teeth of Bu Ye’s main force?

"General, isn't this good news? At least we have an extra day to think about how to conquer Huanglu Fortress." According to the scouts, Bu Ye’s division would arrive at the earliest the day after tomorrow. This aligned with Huyan Jun’s march time. If they reached Huanglu Fortress late tonight, they could rest for the night and have a whole day tomorrow to... go to their deaths. He simply did not believe this group could capture Huanglu Fortress, even after seeing Su Yao’s peerless archery.

"You’re long-winded. How long are you going to keep talking about Huanglu Fortress?" Su Yao scratched his cheek, truly hating that this game lacked a function to block NPCs. Despite being an archer, this guy constantly tried to show off his pathetic political or intelligence stats, appearing as a disastrous, defeatist advisor. "A mere Huanglu Fortress doesn't need until tomorrow; I’ll take it for you before dawn."

"What?!" Jin Fangyan’s eyebrows shot up. "That mentality will get us all killed! You haven't seen Huanglu Fortress—it’s not a place you can capture with luck. The martial arts and archery you take such pride in will have no room to shine before the sheer cliffs of that fortress!"

*Sheer cliffs?* Su Yao patted the back of his head, looking indifferent. "Then how about we make a wager?"

"Huh?"