The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 229 Let's give my Fu family army a ride
As they were talking, Fu Qi's spirit suddenly became weak, as if it was about to drift away and disappear, which startled Lang Jiuchuan, who subconsciously reached out to pull him back.

Lang Jiuchuan's actions were entirely instinctive, but the moment she touched Fu Qi's soul, her consciousness was pulled away from this space.

thump.

Lang Jiuchuan, who had lost consciousness, collapsed to the ground.

dong dong dong.

The sound of war drums was deafening.

Lang Jiuchuan stood atop a high city wall, looking at the densely packed cavalry in front of Fenghuo Pass. The army was strong and well-equipped, numbering in the tens of thousands, while Fu Qi's side only had a mere three thousand emaciated Fu family soldiers, who could only stubbornly resist the enemy by relying on the natural terrain of Fenghuo Pass, which was considered an insurmountable natural barrier.

They could not retreat. Once they did, the barbarians would cross the beacon fire pass and reach Fengyang Pass, which would be the last barrier for them to enter the Central Plains. The people who were retreating behind them had not yet reached Fengyang City safely, so they dared not retreat.

The drums thundered like lightning, and the north wind from beyond the pass was as sharp as a knife, mercilessly slicing the pale, sickly faces of Fu Qi and the soldiers behind him. They gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes still cold and sharp, and their formation remained perfectly orderly.

Beneath the mottled, old city wall, barbarians laughed and cursed wildly, their language vulgar and utterly humiliating. They gripped the reins, pulling their horses high into the ground, their hooves slamming down heavily, as if to intimidate and swagger.

In this battle, they fought bitterly for a month but still failed to breach the city walls. This was due to two reasons: firstly, the natural terrain was formidable; and secondly, the Fu family army, led by Fu Qi, was disciplined and capable of fighting ten men at once. Furthermore, their commander, Fu Qi, was brave, skilled, and invincible, which delayed their capture of the pass.

But no matter how loyal and brave he was, he couldn't overcome the lack of support from the court behind him. With insufficient troops and supplies, Fu Qi, who had never suffered a defeat in his life, was destined to lose at this beacon pass and lose this city.

Fuqi was already at the end of his rope.

"Report..." A scout stumbled up the city wall, his dry, cracked lips covered with scabs, ice crystals falling from his lips as he trembled and said, "General, the canyon to the north and the riverbank to the south have both been sealed off by barbarians."

To the east, there was no way to go due to avalanches.

out on a limb.

They had no way to retreat except for Fengyang Pass behind them, nor could they retreat.

As expected.

Fu Qi gripped his broadsword tightly, staring straight ahead at the endless crimson torches. The hilt of the sword rested on his armor, the scraping sound like a dull knife scraping flesh and bone.

If the beacon fire is lost, Fengyang will be lost, and if the Central Plains are retaken, the capital of Liang Kingdom can be reached in less than half a month.

For over a month, they had been waiting for reinforcements, but they had not received any supplies due to the extreme weather caused by heavy snow. The city's residents had eaten their food and their warhorses, and they were already in dire straits. Now, the barbarians were about to launch a general offensive, and this was their last stand.

It was a battle they were destined to lose.

Fu Qi turned around and looked at his remaining three thousand soldiers. They stood in the snow and ice, their armor was tattered, and they stuffed a layer of dry grass under their armor for warmth. Their spears had lost their sharpness, and their hands that gripped their weapons were frozen stiff. Only their straight spines had not bent in the slightest.

Unyielding spirit, preferring death to surrender.

"General, we'd rather die than surrender. Let's fight them to the death. Killing one is a bonus, killing two is a bonus," a soldier said with a laugh.

Fu Qi's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw those firm and resolute eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.

Needless to say, and there's no need to say anything.

"Bring the wine!" Fu Qi shouted.

A soldier brought a wine flask and presented it with both hands. Fu Qi took it, took a sip, and handed it back, bowing and saying, "How could I say I have no clothes? I share the same robes with you all. I offer this wine to you all."

Below, cooks and soldiers handed out earthenware jars filled with cheap, yellowish liquor, each taking a sip before passing it on. "How dare we say we have no clothes? We share our robes with you!" The hoarse roar, the sound of sand scraping against their throats, echoed throughout the city, reaching even the heavens.

Immediately afterwards, Fu Qi took the oil bucket handed to him by the cook, took off his hat with tassels, and poured the oil over his head. The other soldiers also took off their helmets and followed suit, pouring the oil over their heads.

Lang Jiuchuan's expression changed drastically. She finally understood why the air smelled greasy. It was because oil had been burned throughout the city, and right now, Fu Qi and the others were also pouring oil on themselves.

This is like using oneself as an oil drum to attack with fire!
"My lads, open the city gates and follow me to meet the enemy." Fu Qi leaped down from the city wall, gripping his long sword as he walked toward the city gate.

The crunching sound of footsteps echoed across the snow, like a heavy and tragic melody.

Suddenly someone started reciting "The traveler returns home," and then someone else joined in, humming along to the beat of the drum, their voices booming like bells.

The city gates swung open, and Fu Qi lightly touched the ground with his toes, gathering his strength and charging towards the enemy general with his scimitar. Behind him, a tidal wave of soldiers also charged at top speed, rampaging through the barbarian ranks.

boom.

Boom boom.

As the Liang soldiers charged haphazardly into the barbarian ranks, the tinder they held fell on themselves, the flaming oil igniting and one after another, the burning figures rampaging through the enemy ranks, startling the barbarian warhorses and throwing the enemy into chaos. Soon, the flames spread into a sea of ​​fire, and some enemy soldiers spurred their horses into the city.

Lang Jiuchuan stared at the fire-breathing figures mixed in with the barbarian ranks, his eyes bloodshot, his fists clenched tightly.

Boom.

A loud bang came from behind. It turned out that several people had set fire to the city. The fire was blown by the wind and instantly engulfed the entire city. Screams of agony filled the air.

A vast sea of ​​fire appeared in Lang Jiuchuan's eyes. Looking at the city wall, the battle flag embroidered with the character "伏" (Fu, meaning to submit) stood against the wind, just like those spines that would never bend even a little when surrendering to the enemy, never falling down.

Her knees buckled, she pressed her heavy, suffocating chest, and closed her eyes.

The wind howls.

The heavy snowfall buried the loyal bones beneath it.

After an unknown amount of time, Lang Jiuchuan finally opened her eyes, but the scene before her eyes made her eyes widen in horror.

how come?
Fu Qi stood on the city wall again, and the scout stumbled back to report: drink the death wine, pour oil on them, and fire breaks out...

Once, twice, three times, countless times.

Every time the heavy snow falls, the same scene repeats itself when I open my eyes again.

The Fu family army, which had been dead for two hundred years, was repeating its tragic final act at Fenghuo Pass.

“Child, please give my Fu family army a ride.” Fu Qi appeared beside her at some point, his voice trembling with pleading: “For two hundred years, they have never left Fenghuo Pass.”

So that's how it is. No wonder Fu Qi said that as soon as he opened his eyes, he was in front of the shop in Langjiuchuan. It was because he had never left during this battle, repeatedly using his own flesh and blood to build the last line of defense and do his last bit of strength for the people.

With the Central Plains in turmoil and the world not at peace, they dared not leave.

This is their obsession, an obsession that forms an endless cycle, repeating the tragic scene, trapping them in it and unable to escape.

Lang Jiuchuan's eyes welled up with tears as he looked at the fiery figures and nodded, "Okay."

Writing this chapter on my laptop was so laggy I almost wanted to smash it. It wasn't that my thoughts were stuck; it was that the laptop couldn't keep up. It was typing out word by word, and even restarting didn't help. It took me two or three hours to write this chapter, and I was furious! Who understands that kind of impatience?!