Love Lock

Chapter 122 First Merit!
Zhao Zun embraced Han Lei's petite body, kissing her full red lips without restraint. It was as if he wanted to kiss his beloved into his heart, to make her one with him.

Within seconds, Han Lei was almost out of breath, and Zhao Zun finally released her.

"Girl, let's go quickly."

Zhao Zun was still not satisfied, but this was, after all, a battlefield. He wiped his still-warm lips, pulled Han Lei along, and prepared to leave.

"Yeah! That little bit of gasoline won't last long."

Han Lei's voice was hurried, and in the firelight, her face was flushed with shyness, but her eyes were anxious.

The reason why the Turkic soldiers are in such a state of chaos now is simply because they took advantage of a time difference.

First, it was because they lost their commander and their supplies were burned. Second, the appearance of peanuts and fire walls briefly startled the Turkic soldiers.

If the Turkic army recovers and turns to using sheer numbers to wage psychological warfare, they will be endlessly defeated. Even if Zhao Zun and his men are all highly skilled in martial arts, they will still be in serious trouble.

"Hey~"

Just then, a rocket streaked across the night sky from the distant mountains, soaring straight into the clouds. Xiao Zhengfei, who was fighting with the Turkic soldiers, swung his sword and felled an enemy, then turned and shouted.

"Your Highness, we've reached the brothers who were burning provisions!"

"go!"

Zhao Zun responded in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield. The Turkic soldiers inside the fire wall had either fled or died, and now they could use the fire wall as a barrier to evacuate.

Immediately, he walked quickly to the sidecar motorcycle next to him and gestured for Pingchuan and Hua Tianyou to get off.

He personally carried Ma Cheng's body over and carefully placed it in the truck bed.

"Ma Cheng?"

Han Lei recognized that familiar face and her heart skipped a beat.

Three months ago, when they were at the Yong'an City camp, they spent a lot of time together, chatting and laughing.

Now, he has become a cold corpse, lying there quietly, lifeless.

"He did it to save me."

Zhao Zun's voice was low and sorrowful, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, picked up Alpi's head and threw it at Ma Cheng's feet. He then turned to give orders to his personal guards.

"Gather all the brothers in the vanguard battalion, and bring them all back, regardless of their lives. Don't lose a single one!"

With the firewall in place, Zhao Zun tried his best to bring his brothers home.

This time, Hua Tianyou acted quickly, and the other guards also sprang into action. The remaining brothers on the battlefield began to gather and move towards Zhao Zun's direction.

In the firelight, everyone's face was etched with exhaustion and determination.

Han Lei bought two flatbed carts from the system, tied them together with ropes to the back of the motorcycle, and used them to carry the bodies of her fallen comrades.

Zhao Zun stood beside the motorcycle, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He knew in his heart that this battle was far from over, but they had to leave as soon as possible, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

Han Lei walked to his side, gently took his hand, and whispered, "Let's go! Hua Tianyou and Pingchuan will cover our retreat on horseback."

Zhao Zun nodded, gripped her hand, and climbed onto the motorcycle.

Amidst the roar of engines, the guards and the vanguard brothers rode their horses to protect the convoy, while Hua Tianyou and Ping Chuan brought up the rear with their pistols.

Behind them, the place they had been was littered with corpses, and the flames of war were still burning, but their figures had gradually disappeared into the night...

As dawn broke and the first light of day appeared on the horizon, Xiao Zhengfei led the vanguard soldiers back to the Yong'an City camp on their warhorses, their steps heavy.

The sound of warhorses' hooves was exceptionally clear in the stillness of the early morning, as if each step was striking the hearts of the people.

The brothers' armor was covered in dust and blood, and their faces were etched with exhaustion, but their eyes still shone with determination and resilience.

The vanguard battalion returned at dawn, seemingly carrying an invisible force that instantly ignited the atmosphere throughout the entire camp.

The barricades at the camp gate were removed, and the soldiers who had stayed up all night to defend the city swarmed over at the sound of horses' hooves. Those who had been taking turns resting also poured out of their tents to welcome these victorious heroes.

The scouts had already sent back the news of the victory before they arrived. They only knew that the Turkic army was in a panicked retreat, and that the vanguard had won a victory against overwhelming odds, forcing back 200,000 enemy troops.

But the scouts' report of victory spread like wildfire throughout the camp, and the soldiers discussed and speculated about how the vanguard brothers had managed to do it.

It is said that Zhao Shuai's reputation truly struck fear into the hearts of his enemies. With Zhao Shuai in command, even the 200,000-strong Turkic army was no match for him.

Although the vanguard battalion also paid a heavy price, suffering numerous casualties, the victory in this battle was enough to make the entire Yong'an City camp erupt in cheers.

The soldiers' eyes were filled with admiration and curiosity, eager to know how these two thousand men had managed to repel a Turkic army of two hundred thousand.

Even Li Gang, the garrison commander of Yong'an City, saw Xiao Zhengfei and his group enter the city gate. With his eyes red and swollen from lack of sleep, he walked down the city wall and hurried over to greet them.

He hadn't slept a wink all night, his steps were unsteady, but a joyful smile graced his face.

Li Gang walked up to Xiao Zhengfei, patted him on the shoulder, and spoke with great approval.

"Commander Xiao, you've worked hard. You've done a great job this time!"

Xiao Zhengfei nodded slightly, but there wasn't much joy on his face.

They won, but behind this victory lay the sacrifice of countless brothers. If Han Lei and the others hadn't arrived in time, they might not have made it back.

Xiao Zhengfei glanced back at the soldiers behind him; many of those familiar faces were gone. A pang of sadness welled up in his heart, but it was quickly drowned out by the cheers around him.

The soldiers surrounded him, asking him all sorts of questions about the details of the battle.

When they heard that the vanguard had taken advantage of the Turkic army's exhaustion to burn the enemy's supplies, and that Hua Tianyou had even accidentally shot and killed the enemy's commander, the entire camp erupted in excitement once again.

Hua Tianyou's name, in particular, instantly became the focus of everyone's discussion.

"Hua Tianyou! Hua Tianyou!"

Someone shouted his name, and then more people joined in.

"Hua Tianyou! Hua Tianyou! Roar, roar."

The soldiers' shouts grew louder and louder. Hua Tianyou was pushed to the center of the crowd, his body was lifted up, and he was repeatedly tossed into the air.

When has Hua Tianyou, that fetal deity, ever enjoyed such star-like treatment?

At that moment, he seemed to have suddenly grown up. This sense of heroic honor made him realize that his previous纨绔 (wán kù, a spoiled, dissolute young man) lifestyle had been a waste of his life.

His face showed a mixture of shyness after a sudden realization and undisguised pride. This battle, by a twist of fate, made him a hero in the army.

At the same time, it also made him determined to follow Zhao Zun closely and learn how to be a hero admired by everyone. The crowd tossed him high into the air, and cheers rose and fell throughout the military camp, as if he were the greatest contributor to this victory.

A complex expression flashed in Li Gang's eyes as he watched this scene.

He knew better than anyone that Hua Tianyou's victory was merely a lucky accident, and that the real hero of this victory was Zhao Zun, but he didn't want to mention it too much.

Since Zhao Zun didn't die in this mission as he wished, let's hope that Zhao Zun will be more sensible and continue to be his carefree prince after returning, instead of causing trouble for him in the military camp.

Zhao Zun's presence had always made him uneasy. However, the most important thing right now was to stabilize the morale of the troops. In any case, the Turks had already been defeated, so Zhao Zun's mission was naturally accomplished.

As for the distribution of credit, he has his own plans.

Thinking of this, a smile reappeared on Li Gang's face, and he announced it loudly on the spot.

"Hua Tianyou personally shot and killed the enemy's commander-in-chief in this battle, making a great contribution. I have decided to reward him with one hundred taels of silver! I will report this to the court immediately."

That's a huge achievement!
Hua Tianyou, who was thrown into the air, looked at the spinning sky and was so excited that his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

He came to gain military merit, but he never expected to gain such a great military merit, enough to bring glory to his ancestors.

If his father, the Duke of Heng, knew this in the capital, he would probably be so happy that he would erect a memorial archway for him outside the ancestral hall!

As soon as Li Gang finished speaking, Hua Tianyou became excited, and the crowd cheered again.

However, in this moment of celebration, a deep roar of a motorcycle came from afar, breaking the brief joy.

All eyes turned to the main gate of the military camp. Han Lei rode her sidecar motorcycle slowly into the camp.

Because it was towing two tandem flatbed carts behind it, the motorcycle was not moving very fast.

The cart was neatly arranged with the bodies of the brothers who had sacrificed their lives in this mission. Some were from Zhao Zun's personal guards, and others were from the vanguard battalion.

In the back of the motorcycle, a figure lay half-reclined, head tilted to one side—it was Ma Cheng's corpse, and at his feet lay a bloody human head.

Ma Cheng's pale face showed a hint of pain, as if his nerves were still struggling in the last moments of his life.

Sitting on the back of the motorcycle, Zhao Zun looked at the joyous scene that had just unfolded in the military camp. His face was gloomy and his eyes were cold, like an emotionless statue.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers instantly fell silent. The previously jubilant atmosphere seemed to be frozen by an invisible force, and a heavy sense of oppression filled the air.

Someone exclaimed in a low voice, "It's General Ma Cheng!"

Although Ma Cheng is no longer a general, many soldiers still habitually call him that.

"What's wrong with General Ma Cheng?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

No one answered; all eyes were on Zhao Zun.

Zhao Zun got off the motorcycle, his gaze swept over the crowd, and finally settled on Li Gang's face.

His gaze was cold and sharp, like a poisoned ice arrow piercing Li Gang's heart.

Li Gang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

He stepped forward, a smile plastered on his face, his tone tinged with feigned concern.

"Your Highness, are you alright? Thanks to your help, you have done a great service this time!"

Ha! What a petty person who only knows how to talk about merit and profit. Does anyone's contribution matter more than their life?
In every battle, his personal guards were wounded or killed. But those were battles fought head-on against the enemy, battles fought to defend their homeland and the people of Dajing.

Even if his personal guards died on the battlefield, it was still their honor.

But this time is different.

This time, if it weren't for Emperor Jing's suspicion, there wouldn't have been that ridiculous imperial edict.

This time, if it weren't for Cao Xiong and Li Gang's incompetence in dealing with the Turkic army's invasion, he, who had already become a retired prince, would not have led his personal guards back to the battlefield.

His personal guards wouldn't be lying cold on the cart.

As for Ma Cheng, if Cao Xiong hadn't made things difficult for him, he might have been the one smiling and rewarding his soldiers based on their merits.

But now, Ma Cheng lay slumped in the truck bed, while Li Gang, who only knew how to use imperial edicts to summon people, stood in front of him with a smile.

Everything changed because of the selfish ideas of these fools.

He was once the commander of the First Army of Beiguan, and he knew the soldiers' desire for merit and glory.

But he was also a flesh-and-blood man, a man of integrity. He had his bottom line and would never disregard the lives of his subordinates for his own selfish reasons.

Upon hearing Li Gang's words, Zhao Zun sneered, gave Li Gang a stiff fist salute, and spoke in a cold and sarcastic tone.

"Zhao Zun of the Vanguard Battalion reports back. Thanks to General Li, the mission was successfully completed. Now that the great battle is over, please ask General Li to take good care of the brothers of the Vanguard Battalion. I take my leave."

After saying this, Zhao Zun ordered his guards to unload the bodies of the vanguard battalion brothers from the cart and arrange them neatly on the ground. He didn't say another word, turned around, and got back on his motorcycle.

Han Lei started the engine, and the motorcycle roared away, taking away the guards and Ma Cheng's corpse, leaving only dust and a silent crowd.

Li Gang stood there, the smile on his face gradually disappearing, replaced by a cold expression.

He didn't care about Zhao Zun's attitude; what he cared about was that Zhao Zun didn't stay to compete with him for credit.

He glanced at the corpses laid out on the ground, then waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to carry the bodies of the vanguard soldiers away for burial.

The atmosphere in the camp became heavy again. Although the joy of victory remained, Ma Cheng's death and Zhao Zun's departure seemed to cast a shadow over the victory.

The soldiers silently turned and left, their hearts filled with complex emotions. Even Hua Tianyou awkwardly stuck out his tongue, suppressing his excitement at his achievement, and returned to his tent with his head down.

Zhao Zun's words and the cold corpses of his brothers in the vanguard battalion made him feel ashamed.

Zhao Zun never mentioned any merits, but what about him? A single military achievement made him lose his head.

He had just resolved to learn from Zhao Zun how to be a hero admired by everyone, but now he felt that what he should learn more from Zhao Zun was his selfless spirit.

Despite their exhaustion, Zhao Zun and his group left the south gate of Yong'an City and stopped to rest in a quiet mountain valley beside the official road.

They've endured so much; they need rest. Here, there are no enemy troops, no fighting, and no sign of Li Gang's snobbish, petty nature. It's safe here.

The guards fetched water from the nearby stream to wash themselves, feed the horses, and care for the wounded.

Han Lei bought boxed lunches from the system and, together with Pingchuan, distributed them to everyone one by one.

After eating, they could finally relax and take a nap on the ground.

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