I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1090 Shocking News from Yumen
In the second month of the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, at Yumen.

On the city wall of Yumen Pass, the local garrison commander leaned against the wall with nothing to do, enjoying the dry, cold wind of the Gobi Desert, glancing occasionally at the bustling scene at the gate, and taking a few sips of wine.

"Boring, fucking boring."

General Hou Cheng complained to his confidants:
"Can you believe it? A few years ago, our Yumen Pass was a place of swords and shadows, a place where we were always on high alert. The sound of the Hu bandits' horses' hooves could be heard outside the pass every few days. Caravans had to hire half a squad of armored soldiers to escort them across the pass."

Hou Cheng took a swig of strong liquor and said drunkenly, "But what about now? The generals are having a great time on their western expedition. They burned through the Western Regions and even took the Kushan king as their woman. I think the Parthians don't have much time left either. The surrounding barbarians are all driving their cattle and sheep to submit to us. Our once-powerful pass is now just a decoration. Every day, besides checking caravans, they don't even give me a chance to fire an arrow."

The confidant chuckled and pointed to the caravans stretching beyond the Great Wall: "General, you are living in bliss without realizing it. Look, from sunrise to sunset, the camel bells never stop ringing—those foreign merchants drive their camels, monks carry scriptures, and even those blond-haired, blue-eyed barbarians from the West are learning to speak Chinese. In the past, we would never have seen such a sight."

"But what's the use of that?"

Hou Cheng took two more sips of wine and said, "Look at those soldiers who followed the General out of the Great Wall. They've all become rich now. When they left, they were just generals, not much different from men. Now, before they've even returned, they've all become generals, and several have even been enfeoffed as marquises."

"That's not all. I heard that all the officers and soldiers under them got a huge piece of land and were even given money and wives."

"They're all living the high life out there, while your brother was one of the first to follow the General. How did I end up guarding the gate in this godforsaken place? If I'd known, I wouldn't have come. Wouldn't it have been much better to hang out with Old Song in the Central Plains? Let whoever wants to guard this ghost town gate be!"

"Oh dear, my dear General, you can't just say things like that."

The trusted aide quickly poured wine for the garrison commander, smiling obsequiously, "Don't forget, when the General promoted the brothers, it was you yourself who said you didn't care for the comforts within the pass, saying that Yumen Pass was where true men belonged. Last year, when the General left the pass, you even patted your chest and assured him that you would guard this western gate for him, so he could focus on fighting westward without looking back."

Hou Cheng was speechless for a moment after hearing this, took a swig of wine and muttered, "Wasn't that just a moment of impulsiveness back then? Who knew the war would go so smoothly? Those damned Kushans are all talk and no action."

Hou Cheng has been looking at the reports of victory that have been passing by, and he is filled with regret.

When he requested to be transferred to Yumen, he was secretly pleased, thinking that he had made a brilliant calculation, and that the general would definitely target the Western Regions after pacifying the country.

As it turned out, he was right. The general did indeed go on an expedition, but he, the garrison commander, didn't get a single thing.

The army marched out of Yumen Pass, a whirlwind of sparks and lightning, leaving not a single ghost in its wake. The vanguard alone routed the enemy outside, leaving him, the dignified General of Yumen, to stand there helplessly in the wind and sand.

It wasn't until then that Hou Cheng belatedly realized that their general was no longer the same as before. He had a multitude of fierce generals and strategists under his command, and his actions were earth-shattering. Not only did he not give anyone another chance to block his door, but even the reserves did not need to be mobilized.

"Damn it, what kind of gate am I guarding? They just kicked it down and drove right out!"

Hou Cheng felt increasingly aggrieved and punched the city wall hard. "Now look what's happened! I've become the gatekeeper for those unscrupulous merchants from the Western Regions Development Company! Every day I watch them strut through the gate with the General's note, hauling cartloads of gold and silver treasures to Luoyang, and I have to bow and scrape to them!"

The confidant shrank back, knowing that his general was extremely resentful and that anything he said could easily ignite a conflict. If he agreed with him and said something treasonous, things would get complicated.

"General, don't panic. The General just pacified the Kushans, hasn't he? He should be back by now. We can request to fight again then. There's no need for us to stay here." Before the confidant could finish speaking, Hou Cheng interrupted him impatiently: "Back? Back my ass!"

Hou Cheng slammed the wine flask against the edge of the battlements, spilling the remaining wine all over the ground. "Didn't you see the latest military report? The Kushans are finished, and the Parthians are causing trouble again. The General is probably already at war with them and won't be able to come back next year."

Indeed, the latest military reports were still stuck months in the past, highlighting the terrifying distance between the two regions. At this moment, not only Luoyang, but even Yumen Pass was unaware of Parthia's crushing defeat and Su Yao's ascension to the throne as King of Kings.

The confidant was just about to pick up a wine jug, intending to pour the general some more wine so that he would get drunk sooner, when suddenly a series of exclamations came from all around.

"Hey, hey, what's that?"

"Look! Look at the sky!!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell from the city walls, even the foreign merchants in the caravans from beyond the pass dropped their goods and craned their necks to look up at the sky. Hou Cheng, already seething with anger, grew even more impatient upon hearing this and strode towards the crenellations: "What's all the noise about? Do you think gold will fall from the sky—"

The words caught in his throat before he could finish speaking. Hou Cheng's pupils contracted sharply, and then a look of terror spread across his face.

Amid exclamations of surprise, everyone saw a golden light suddenly flash across the northwestern horizon, tearing through the sky and instantly transforming into a shadow that blotted out the sun, hurtling straight toward Yumen Pass.

At first, it was just a small dot, but in the blink of an eye, everyone could see its terrifying outline.

"Mom!"

The colossal creature had a pair of enormous wings. It fanned out a gale, whipping up sand and gravel that swept across the city, causing the large flag atop the gate tower to flutter backwards. The entire city was engulfed in a sandstorm, making it impossible for everyone to open their eyes.

"A monster! What kind of monster is that?!" Hou Cheng's confidant craned his neck, the wine jug in his hand clattering to the ground, his voice trembling like a leaf. "Is it a Golden Crow or a Bifang? How did it get here?"

"Who cares what it is!" Hou Cheng roared at the top of his lungs, "Fire arrows! Fire arrows now—don't let the monster get any closer!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the guards on the city wall trembled as they raised their weapons and, as the giant bird slowed its descent, unleashed a volley of arrows into the sky.
"Not bad, not bad!"

A hearty laugh echoed from the sky, followed by a gust of wind that scattered the hundreds of arrows across the ground.

Hou Cheng and the others on the city wall were dumbfounded. However, they were no longer afraid, because the voice coming from the giant bird was all too familiar.
"General?!"

"Your Highness, the King of Tang!"

"You're really back?!"

(End of this chapter)