Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

"Kill without mercy!"

These three words echoed in the night sky, lingering for a long time.

The entire Wolongpo area was deathly silent.

All the soldiers of the Mountain Shaking Army were stunned.

Colluding with traitors?

Intending to rebel?

These were men who had shed blood for the Great Xia and risked their lives for the northern border.

In the end, he turned out to be a traitor?

An indescribable sense of absurdity and overwhelming rage exploded in the hearts of every soldier.

"Bullshit!!"

A hot-tempered veteran of the Mountain Shaking Army could no longer contain himself and pointed at the messenger outside, cursing loudly.

"Back when I was fighting those barbarians at Black Wind Pass, you were still wearing open-crotch pants!"

"Calling us traitors? Pah!!"

Inside the large tent, Chu Wenshan, who had been unconscious, suddenly gripped the blankets tightly with his withered fingers.

A painful gurgling sound came from his throat, and his eyes widened.

Chu Tiankuo stood outside the tent, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

He stared at the sea of ​​fire that had completely engulfed them, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

"Let's fight them!! Let's fight them!"

Someone shouted something, and then everyone else started shouting too.

"Yes, let's fight to the death! We'd rather die than surrender!!"

For a time, the entire Hanshan Army camp was filled with indignation.

However, Chu Tiankuo's heart sank little by little.

He looked at the massive, dark army outside, at the arrogant royal banner, and a chill ran down his spine.

This is a dead end.

A carefully orchestrated scheme for the Chu family.

Fight? Fight with what?

The opposing force numbered over 100,000, surrounding Wolongpo like an iron barrel.

All escape routes were blocked from all directions.

The ribbons of light formed by the torches looked like nooses wrapped around their necks.

Yuwen Biao didn't even use any fancy tactics; he just used the simplest and most brutal human wave tactic.

They could fill the space with human lives and kill all of their less than 30,000 people.

Anger solves nothing.

Passion is worthless in the face of sheer numbers.

Chu Tiankuo's mind raced, trying to find a glimmer of hope in this seemingly hopeless situation.

No.

Absolutely not.

The moment Uncle Meng and his sister led their troops away, the chessboard was already locked.

What Yuwen Biao wanted was this moment when the Wolongpo camp was empty.

What he wanted was this excuse of "colluding with rebels".

What he wanted was for the Mountain Shaking Army to disappear completely from the northern border.

What should I do?

Leading 30,000 brothers in a pointless, suicidal charge?

Then let Yuwen Biao step over their corpses and rightfully swallow everything of the Hanshan Army.

No.

he can not.

Chu Tiankuo raised his hand and used all his strength to suppress all the boiling shouts.

"All troops...lay down your weapons."

His voice was hoarse, as if it weren't coming from his own throat.

The commotion throughout the camp came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone looked at him with an incredulous expression.

"Young General... what did you say?"

"I said, put down your weapons!"

Chu Tiankuo repeated it, each word like a knife, first cutting himself, then stabbing his brother.

He took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the astonished, angry, and bewildered faces.

"That's an order."

"I will not surrender!"

A one-armed veteran slammed his steel knife into the ground and roared with bloodshot eyes.

"Young General! I lost this arm twelve years ago on the icy river!"

"My life was saved by the old general, who pulled me out of a pile of corpses!"

"If anything is to be returned, it should only be to the Mountain-Shaking Army! We can't kneel down and give it to that fat pig!"

"That's right! We won't surrender!"

"Born a member of the Mountain-Shaking Army, will die a member of the Mountain-Shaking Army!"

"Kill me if you want! I'll be a hero again in eighteen years!"

No one obeyed his orders.

They looked at him with an almost sorrowful gaze, as if he were a traitor.

Chu Tiankuo's lips moved, but he couldn't say anything.

He knew he couldn't force these tough men to kneel.

Just then, a violent coughing fit came from inside the tent.

Immediately following was a sound so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Tiankuo...come in..."

He is the father.

Chu Tiankuo was startled and immediately rushed into the tent.

Chu Wenshan leaned against the headboard and opened his eyes with difficulty.

"Father……"

"I...I heard everything."

Chu Wenshan gasped for breath, his cloudy eyes looking at his son.

"You want to surrender... to save them?"

"We can't get out."

Chu Tiankuo knelt by the bed, his voice filled with despair.

"Father, your son is unfilial!"

"I am willing to die and bear all the blame, I only beg Yuwen Biao to spare the brothers!"

Chu Wenshan did not answer, but only gave a bitter smile, a smile that was more painful than crying.

"Silly child... sigh..."

"If only... Yao'er were here... She could see things more clearly than you..."

Chu Wenshan paused for a moment, gathering his last bit of strength.

"You think... Yuwen Biao's target... is our Chu family?"

He shook his head, a knowing sadness flashing in his eyes.

"What he wants is for the words 'Mountain Shaking Army' to disappear completely from the map of the Northern Territory."

"We... are the last nail in his heart, driven into Yuwen Biao's flesh, reminding him that this northern border... belongs to Great Xia, not to him, Yuwen Biao."

"If you surrender, what will he do with the 30,000 talking nails?"

"He'll take away our military command, rearrange our ranks, and mix your brothers into his Zhenbei Army like livestock. And then what?"

Chu Wenshan gripped his son's hand tightly.

"Then, he'll send these most capable 'rebels' to the most dangerous battlefields, as the first wave of cannon fodder to die!"

"Kneel down today, and tomorrow, your brothers will die silently and without explanation in some unknown ravine for the man who called us traitors."

"Tian Kuo, that's not called living, that's called queuing up... waiting to die."

Chu Tiankuo was struck dumb, his entire body stiffening.

"The Mountain-Shaking Army..."

Chu Wenshan's voice grew softer and softer as he used his last bit of strength to grip his son's wrist tightly.

"There are no cowards who are born on their knees..."

"Only...the heroic souls who died standing..."

Before the words were finished, that withered hand slumped to the ground.

Chu Wenshan slowly closed his eyes and fell silent.

"Father!!"

Chu Tiankuo let out a heart-wrenching cry.

Much later.

Chu Tiankuo slowly stood up and closed his father's eyes.

He didn't cry, but silently took down the old sword that hung above his father's bed.

The sword was riddled with nicks and nicks, and the rope binding the hilt was soaked with blood and sweat.

He carried his sword and walked out of the tent step by step.

Outside, all the soldiers waited quietly.

When they saw the sword in Chu Tiankuo's hand, an old guard suddenly trembled and roared out four words.

"The commander...is dead..."

boom!

It was as if a silent thunderclap exploded in everyone's hearts.

"Splash!" "Splash!"

At this moment, tens of thousands of tough men knelt down in unison towards the central command tent.

There were no cries, no roars, only an extremely oppressive silence.

They removed their helmets and pressed their foreheads heavily against the cold earth, bidding farewell to their only hero in this oldest and most solemn way.

Chu Tiankuo raised his father's sword high.

"Brothers!"

His voice echoed through the night sky, without a trace of tremor, only a chilling killing intent remained.

"Those fat pigs outside are calling us traitors!"

"I ask you! Are we traitors?!"

"no!!!"

The roar of 30,000 soldiers seemed to tear the sky apart.

"Will the Mountain-Shaking Army kneel down?!"

"I won't kneel!!!"

"good!"

Chu Tiankuo pointed his sword at the endless sea of ​​fire ahead and roared with all his might.

"Then follow me and fight your way out!"

"Let their blood wash away our injustice! Let their lives commemorate our loyal souls!"

"All troops! Form ranks!!"

He mounted his horse and took the lead.

"Break through!!!"