Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 30 Xie Lu
The heroic spirit soars to the sky, and looking from a high place, the vast mountains and rivers are so boundless. A good man will not be afraid of being buried in the green mountains.

Kou Qianzhi was a famous general of his generation, deputy envoy of the Taining Army of the Tang Dynasty, governor of Mizhou, and general of the fourth rank of Zhongwu. He died on the battlefield at the age of 37.

Zhu Wen sighed.

He finally understood what kind of person Kou Qianzhi was.

It turns out he's just a fearless, stubborn fool.

In troubled times, such idiots will often die at the hands of others even if they don't kill themselves.

However, after using Kou Qianzhi's life to test his own principles, Zhu Wen still felt a deep sense of discomfort in his heart.

Because of his different stance, he could only use Kou Qianzhi's death to establish his own reputation.

But he felt upset now, because Zhu Wen knew that he was such a fool in the past.

Only someone like Kou Qianzhi, who has remained true to his original aspirations throughout his life, could gain the unwavering support of 28 of the world's top knights, who would follow him to the death without seeking fame or fortune.

But such people will live a very tiring life whether in times of peace or in times of chaos.

That's why Kou Qianzhi seemed to be liberated before his death.

"According to common sense, our army should cut off the enemy commander's head and display it to the public before letting you go." Meng Kai said.

Kou Qianzhi's soldiers, including the twenty-eight cavalrymen of Xingyun, were instantly dismayed. They had not imagined that this heroic young man, who had just fulfilled Kou Qianzhi's last wish and was willing to pursue the murderer for thousands of miles, would destroy Kou Qianzhi's body and behead him!

"If that's the case, how can we accept charity from you, the bandits?" "Suzaku," clad in fiery red armor, shouted, "Even if we fight to the last man, using our bodies to shield General Kou's remains, we will ensure his remains remain intact."

Tear marks can be clearly seen around the eyes of the "Qinglong" figure next to her. This woman, who appears stronger than a man, weeps red in the moment of Kou Qianzhi's death, and can only quickly wipe away her tears with her battle robe to hide her sorrow.

All the soldiers of Kou's tribe responded one after another, surrounded Kou Qianzhi's body, rubbing their hands together, their eyes filled with murderous intent and fighting spirit.

Meng Kai continued, "But now the Tang army's defeat is irreversible. The news of General Kou's death cannot be concealed no matter what. It's okay for you to bring back General Kou's body. Loyal bones can be buried in the green mountains everywhere. In summer, corpses decay easily. You can buy a coffin nearby and bury General Kou. Once I fulfill General Kou's last wish, I'll pay my respects at his grave!"

Hearing this, Kou Qianzhi's soldiers all turned their anger into joy.

As the leader of the Twenty-Eight Riders of the Nebula, "Qinglong" was the first to bow in gratitude. "So it was a misunderstanding. General Meng is truly a heroic and righteous man."

"I, Tian Jun of Weizhou, owe General Meng a favor. If I can ever be of any use to you in the future, I will repay you with my life."

Junior Sister Duan Hongyan also smiled sweetly: "Big Brother, you are rough but also meticulous. Although you are usually rough and rude, you can handle things properly at critical moments."

Meng Kai said proudly, "Of course. Hongyan, don't you see what kind of person my senior brother is..."

The heroes of the Cao army made way for a passage and spontaneously paid tribute to Kou Qianzhi's body. Even though he was an enemy, such a heroic figure was truly worthy of respect.

"White Tiger" took off his armor, wiped the blood off Kou Qianzhi's body, wrapped him up carefully and picked him up. Together with his comrades, he walked out of the gap and slowly walked away in the light blue drizzle.

The falcon, Kou Qianzhi's inseparable companion, was still circling in the sky, its sharp eyes gazing down at its master's lifeless form. It wailed several times before slowly descending, finally letting out a long cry as it crashed into the rocks. Blood immediately spurted from its brain, and it died alongside its master! A warrior among the twenty-eight riders, witnessing this scene, was overcome with grief. He sighed, "Isn't a human inferior to an eagle? After I've taken care of General Kou's affairs, I will commit suicide by slashing my throat in front of his grave to repay his lifelong kindness in nurturing me!"

Everyone's face was filled with sorrow, but no one spoke to dissuade him. Even in such a time of declining social order, there were still those willing to sacrifice their lives to repay the kindness of a patriot. If Kou Qianzhi himself wasn't an unparalleled patriot, how could he have such a high reputation?
"The dew on the leek, how easily does it dry up? The dew dies and falls again tomorrow morning. When does the dead return?"

The government troops marched along the ridges of the fields. The mournful song of "Xie Lu" rang out from the mouths of the soldiers who had lost their general, and the mountains, rivers, grass and trees also contained sorrow.

The rebels were infected by the atmosphere and began to hum the ballad in low voices.

The two armies were originally enemies, but they sang in the same voice, and the sadness and joy were vaguely mixed together in the twilight.

In the direction where the main force of the imperial army was located, the government troops also slowly withdrew under the cover of Qi Kerang.

Huang Chao walked briskly, ahead of the thousands of soldiers, and came up to Wang Xianzhi, giving him a big bear hug, with unconcealable excitement flashing in his eyes.

"Brother Xianzhi, we won!"

"Yes, we won," Wang Xianzhi murmured. "This is the most satisfying victory since we launched the uprising! The renowned General Song Wei and the Taining Snow Commander Qi Kerang have both been defeated by our army. The defeat of the main force of the government army will surely shock the government and the people. The countless sacrifices and bloodshed of our brothers over the years have finally been worth it..."

Thinking about how many loyal brothers and sisters have been buried in foreign lands over the years, Wang Xianzhi couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Huang Chao said, "Although Qi Kerang has set up the wooden ox and flowing horse formation to block our pursuit, the Taining army has limited manpower and is unable to protect Song Wei's entire army. The branch camps on the east and west wings have also been destroyed by our army. Our righteous army is still cautiously pursuing them. In this battle, we must have killed nearly ten thousand imperial soldiers and horses."

"As long as we work together, who says that the wild dragons and snakes can't resist the imperial army!" Wang Xianzhi said proudly, his eyes sweeping over a pile of distorted and blurry objects on the ground.

Those were the corpses of the men and horses left behind by the fully armored cavalryman "Tian Dao" Song Jue, who had been smashed into a ball by him not long ago.

Even though he was a peerless master with a great reputation, he could not escape being torn into pieces and his body would be destroyed without a trace if his men smashed the monument.

Huang Chao and Wang Xianzhi held hands with great affection, without any affectation.

After all, the two met as teenagers and have been close friends for more than forty years.

Under the vast sky, between the six directions, how many true friends are there in this world who can stay with me through life and death and care for me in times of trouble?

Huang Chao wiped the rain from his helmet, turned to the generals, raised his arm and shouted, "Today, our two armies have united their strength to defeat the government troops and chase them north. The peaceful world you all long for is not far away!"

"In this battle, our army seized countless supplies. Now that the battlefield is cleared, all the soldiers will receive their rewards. Alliance Leader Wang and I will not take a penny! We only hope that you, our brothers, will be considerate of others, sympathize with the suffering of the people, and refrain from harassing or bullying them."

"We in this world only seek justice. The imperial court refuses to grant us justice. So, we will raise our swords, using our mighty bodies to fight for justice!"

"The leader is mighty, General Huang is mighty!"

The soldiers cheered in unison, their emotions running high, the sound rolling, and in the drizzling rain, it was heard far, far away...

(End of this chapter)