The Prodigal Son

Yuwang Pass is built on Yuwang Mountain and runs in a north-south direction.

It is bordered by the sea to the south and close to Yuwang Mountain to the south.

Beyond Yuwang Pass lies Gongzhou, the capital of the Chu Kingdom.

This was the first and most formidable pass of the Min Kingdom, and it was also the most important pass for the Min Kingdom to defend against the Chu Kingdom.

But now, this place has become a passage for the State of Chu to support the State of Min.

The general guarding Yuwang Pass was Wu Zhang, Yu Wu's maternal uncle.

To be honest, Wu Zhang was initially very dissatisfied with being assigned by Yu Wu to guard Yuwang Pass.

He felt that it was a waste of his talents to guard Yuwang Pass with his abilities.

But when he heard that Yan Mu, Liang Jingzhe, Deng Pu and others had all suffered defeats, he suddenly felt that guarding Yuwang Pass was not a bad idea!

At least, I don't have to live in constant fear.

I can sleep until I naturally wake up every day, and I can even eat wild game hunted from Yuwang Mountain from time to time. Life couldn't be more comfortable.

If Yu Wu gets into trouble, he can always seek refuge with the State of Chu.

At that time, he will enjoy wealth and luxury just the same!

Now, he won't trade positions with anyone who wants to!

After breakfast, Wu Zhang symbolically climbed the city wall to inspect the defenses and digest his food.

Wu Zhang was lazy, and so were the garrison at Yuwang Pass; many of them squatted in the shade under the battlements to avoid the sun.

"Do you think we've suffered another defeat at the front?"

"Nonsense, if they hadn't suffered a defeat, would the Chu army of 20,000 be rushing forward?"

"Hehe, we're so comfortable here. No matter how much fighting happens at the front, it won't affect us..."

"Don't get too excited yet, damn it. If the front lines collapse, the Ning army might just come charging in any day..."

"Let them kill us! At worst, we'll just..."

"Are you asking for it?! What nonsense are you spouting!"

The garrison soldiers gathered in twos and threes, chatting leisurely, completely unprepared for wartime conditions.

Only when they saw Wu Zhang leading his men approaching did the soldiers hurriedly get up and salute.

"All of you, perk up! What kind of nonsense is this, all of you so sluggish and lazy?"

Wu Zhang sternly rebuked the soldiers.

Although the soldiers appeared fearful and apprehensive, they secretly harbored disdain in their hearts.

It's as if he's not lazy!

In recent days, they have never seen Wu Zhang ascend the city tower before 9:00 AM.

Even under the blazing afternoon sun, Wu Zhang never appeared on the city wall.

Wu Zhang, unaware of what these soldiers were thinking, conducted a brief inspection and then prepared to return to his residence to rest.

"Thump thump..."

Just as Wu Zhang was walking down from the city wall, he heard the sound of rolling hooves.

The sound was like a war drum, each beat striking Wu Zhang's heart.

cavalry?

Judging from the commotion, there must be quite a few cavalrymen coming!

Wu Zhang frowned slightly, muttering to himself, "Where did these cavalry come from?"

It is said that the ten thousand cavalrymen of Chu were seemingly decimated, and the cavalrymen of Min were all in the hands of Huang Dengxing.

Where are the large cavalry forces heading towards Yuwang Pass?

Is it...

Wu Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly returned to the city tower, looking in the direction from which the sound of horses' hooves was coming.

As the sound of hooves grew louder, a dark mass of cavalry finally came into his view.

Finished!

It really is Ning Jun!

How did Ning's army manage to reach Yuwang Pass?

Wu Zhang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave; his body trembled uncontrollably. He gasped several times before finally managing to squeeze out a sound from his throat: "Enemy attack! Prepare to meet the enemy!"

Wu Zhang's voice trembled slightly, and the messenger beside him thought for a moment before he could decipher the message.

"Enemy attack! Prepare to engage!"

The messenger ran off quickly, shouting frantically as he ran.

"Quickly, grab your weapons!"

"Archers, where are the archers?"

"What are you all standing there for? Get over here right now!"

Just as the soldiers on the city wall were hastily preparing to fight, Qin Yu led 7,000 cavalrymen to the outside of Yuwang Pass.

Under the cover of Ning Huang, Zeng Guan, and others, Qin Yu rode up to the gate tower and roared at the soldiers on the tower, "Where is Wu Zhang? Come out and speak at once!"

Wu Zhang was about to peek out, but then suddenly stopped.

After a moment's thought, Wu Zhang instructed his adjutant, "Say you are this general and find out what the enemy is up to!"

The lieutenant glanced at Wu Zhang suspiciously, but still poked his head out from the city wall and shouted sternly, "I'm right here! Where did these bandits come from, daring to act so arrogantly in front of me? If you know what's good for you, retreat immediately! Otherwise, you'll all die a horrible death!"

The lieutenant knew, of course, that they were not bandits.

But that doesn't matter!

The important thing is that he must exude full momentum!

We must not let the enemy see that they are feeling guilty.

"joke!"

Qin Yu scoffed and roared, "I am Qin Yu, the Right Guard General of Da Ning! Yuyang has already been captured by Da Ning, and the traitor Yu Wu has been executed! I order you to surrender immediately, or you will die a horrible death!"

Qin... Qin Yu?

Upon hearing this name, Wu Zhang and his deputy's expressions changed simultaneously.

Although they were at Yuwang Pass, they had heard of Qin Yu's great name.

This bastard led his troops into their rear, turning their rear into chaos and forcing Yu Wu to ask the State of Chu for help again!

However, they couldn't care less about cursing Qin Yu; Qin Yu's words kept echoing in their minds.

Has Yuyang already fallen?

Has Yu Wu been killed?

Although Wu Zhang was flustered, he still remained skeptical.

After regaining his composure, Wu Zhang instructed his deputy again: "Tell them to stop spreading rumors and misleading the public! If they're not afraid to die, then come and attack the city!"

"..."

The lieutenant's face twitched violently, and he hesitated, saying, "Sir, with so few men, I'm afraid..."

The elite troops of Min Kingdom were either in Yuyang or had been taken to Yiling by Huang Dengxing.

The soldiers at Yuwang Pass knew best how capable they were in battle!

Moreover, despite having an army of ten thousand, very few of them are truly loyal to Yu Wu.

"What are you afraid of?"

Wu Zhang's eyes widened in anger. "The enemy has no siege equipment. We're holding this formidable pass; what are we afraid of?"

nonsense!

He knew, of course, that he couldn't rely too much on the soldiers at Yuwang Pass.

But now he has to rely on these soldiers!

We must not allow these soldiers to surrender on the spot!

He's Yu Wu's maternal uncle!

Others might be spared if they surrendered, but if he surrendered, even if Qin Yu let him go, Yu Jing would not let him go after he ascended the throne!

He will not surrender as long as there is even the slightest hope of holding on!

Under Wu Zhang's cold, piercing gaze, the deputy general reluctantly poked his head out and roared at Qin Yu and his men outside the pass: "You brat, stop spreading rumors! If you're not afraid of death..."

As the deputy general was shouting, Ning Huang, who had been standing sideways, suddenly turned around.

A cold light suddenly shone.

"Whoosh!"

Without any aiming, an arrow pierced the air and struck the lieutenant.

This arrow was both fast and accurate.

By the time the lieutenant realized something was wrong, it was too late.

puff!

The arrow pierced the deputy general's neck and embedded itself deeply in the pillar of the gate tower.

The lieutenant instinctively clutched his neck and staggered backward...