There were many places in Hanbei that were now locked down due to the rampant plague.

General Lin Bing was a rather daring man. Despite the imperial edict instructing him to "ride lightly, move slowly, and act cautiously", he still had his trusted deputy general travel day and night, taking only three days and three nights to rush from the capital to Hanbei.

Mingde was quite uncomfortable from the bumpy journey. On the day he arrived at the Hanbei base camp and met Lin Bing, he couldn't help but sarcastically remark: "General Lin's defense of the city against the enemy is truly as solid as a metal cauldron. It can even withstand a full three days. The court should really bestow General Lin with a golden plaque of the Undefeated Divine General!"

Lin Bing was a tall, thin, silent and pale young man. In his early years, he had offended people with his sharp tongue and was exiled here to guard the border. In fact, he was an extremely capable general. Zhuo Yu's fierce offensive still failed to break through the Hanbei base camp within the scheduled time, showing that he was not as useless as Mingde had sarcastically implied.

Lin Bing didn't bicker with a young master who was clearly not yet an adult. He calmly said: "This general has been waiting for Lord Shangguan for a long time, just waiting for tonight's raid to take you along."

"Tonight's raid?"

"Yes. The scout reported that tonight Zhuo Yu will lead more than 300 men to a remote small village in Yun Prefecture for unknown reasons. He didn't even bring the Thirteen Iron Guards, leaving them all in the base camp to defend and garrison. This is a great opportunity for us to capture Zhuo Yu alive."

Mingde almost sneered: "Has General Lin ever fought against Zhuo Yu?"

Lin Bing was stunned for a moment: "...No."

"Do you know who is the number one master in the world today?"

"I know."

"Then how many men does General Lin plan to bring to capture the State Preceptor Zhuo alive?"

Lin Bing paused. Just as Mingde thought he had no response, he heard Lin Bing sigh and say softly: "This general will personally lead the night raid team... Some things, although dangerous, someone has to try... To be honest, if the two armies confront each other head-on, the annihilation of the army is just a matter of time..."

He waved his hand as if to hide something and turned to leave. At the moment he turned around, in the firelight, Mingde seemed to see the silver strands at his temples emitting a faint glow.

A general guarding the border, only in his twenties.

These years, these things - provisions, military pay, training soldiers, defending the city, controlling bandits, guarding the frontier... pressing down one by one, slowly forcing people to age, withering away in an instant...

After dinner at night, the deputy general led 3,000 elite cavalry to assemble outside the tent. Torches crackled in the cold night wind of the frontier, burning blades were drained in one gulp, wine jars were smashed on the ground, and the heroes' roars in unison under the firelight shook the heavens and earth: "Protect our celestial dynasty for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations!"

"Protect the glorious rivers and mountains of our celestial dynasty!"

"Charge--"

The horse Mingde was riding was the one Lin Bing used to ride, already trained to be extremely obedient, running at great speed but very responsive. Lin Bing probably knew how much this weak-looking military superintendent from the Ministry of War was favored by the emperor, so he had to be careful and attentive in every way.

He didn't think Mingde had the ability to go to the battlefield, but since the emperor had sent him and the secret edict stated that even if a single hair was missing, it would be a cause for military action, he had to cooperate with the emperor's decree.

The army marched with torches in the night, two huge commander's banners fluttering in the firelight. Mingde's horsemanship was superb, charging at the forefront. Looking back, he saw an army of 800 li, their roars shaking the sky and their morale soaring, making one feel a burning excitement gradually flowing through the blood vessels.

Lin Bing was running at the front with his personal guards when he suddenly heard a young voice beside him scattering in the wind: "General Lin, if you are victorious in this battle, I will definitely petition the emperor to promote you by three ranks!"

Lin Bing turned his head to look and was shocked: "Lord Shangguan, when did you catch up?"

Shangguan Mingde didn't answer, but fiercely whipped his horse. As a former secret guard, his movements were exceptionally precise and vicious. With just one whip, the obedient horse reared up with a long neigh and shot out like an arrow from the bowstring.

Lin Bing urgently ordered his men to follow on horseback. Seeing Mingde's whipping technique just now, he secretly found it strange: This young master of the Shangguan family, rumored to be weak in literature, actually had such superb horsemanship! Before Mingde arrived, most people thought he was just a spy planted by the emperor, and the so-called Phoenix Symbol was just a rumor; but now it seemed that this Shangguan Mingde really had something special about him!

The people in Yun Prefecture were fierce and tough. According to the scout's report, for some unknown reason, Zhuo Yu wanted to go there personally before the big battle, and even the Thirteen Iron Guards couldn't dissuade him. It was said that before giving the order, there was a sound of argument in the commander's tent, and some rumored that Zhuo Yu was going to find a woman; but no one knew the specific reason.

Lin Bing had already investigated clearly that the village had a sparse population and no hidden enemy troops. Zhuo Yu's trip was really reckless. Perhaps he never thought there would be spies in his commander's tent, or perhaps he was too arrogant and didn't expect 3,000 elite soldiers to ambush him at night.

The army crossed the hill in a grand manner, and below was a flat plain. The scattered lights of the village were already in sight. The Xiwan soldiers guarding the village entrance shouted loudly: "Alert--!"

The alert flare trailed long in the sky. The vanguard of the army was like a sharp knife, instantly piercing the village entrance. Lin Bing drew his long saber with a clang, feeling a few drops of blood splashing on the back of his hand in the wind. Looking up, he realized that Mingde had cut down the soldier who sounded the alert as he brushed past.

The long sword entered the body, twisted and pulled out with shredded internal organs, the technique so skilled that it made one's heart tremble. This young master with a beautiful and delicate appearance was actually... an old hand at killing.

Lin Bing didn't have time to ask before they had already charged into the village. In an instant, the three hundred light cavalry that followed Zhuo Yu collided head-on, and the piercing war cries of the three thousand soldiers of the Celestial Dynasty shook the sky. The fleeing and wailing of the people, accompanied by the firelight, exploded in the night.

Lin Bing shouted, "Only kill the Xiwan soldiers! Spare the civilians!"

Wave after wave of orders spread out like water drops dripping into a frying pan. "Only kill the Xiwan soldiers!"

"Spare the civilians!"

An arrow shot through the air. As Lin Bing turned his head, before he could defend himself, a flash of sword light cut the arrowhead into two pieces. He took a quick look and saw a trail of blood splattered on Mingde's pale cheeks, winding down in an especially enchanting way in the firelight.

He pointed not far away, "Zhuo Yu is over there!"

Lin Bing looked into the distance, but the night fog was thick on the battlefield, and it was chaotic, making it impossible to see further. Just as he was about to ask, Mingde waved his hand and ordered, "Those who can run fast, follow me!"

Lin Bing turned his horse around, and several hundred personal guards immediately followed. They fought their way through, unstoppable. In just a few hundred meters, they saw Zhuo Yu, alone in black robes on a black horse, breaking through towards the hillside under the protection of a few close guards.

Lin Bing shouted, "Shoot arrows!"

The archers in the front immediately drew their bows and shot arrows from horseback. In the darkness, there was a constant whooshing sound, followed by a few clangs. Some of the guards on the other side had slashed down the incoming arrows, while others were injured and fell off their horses.

Lin Bing personally led the guards in pursuit. As they got closer, they realized that the few close guards accompanying Zhuo Yu were already exhausted and in danger, unable to hold on. Not only that, but Zhuo Yu himself was also not in good shape, his entire upper body tightly pressed against the horse's back as if he had been seriously injured.

Lin Bing's spirits lifted and he shouted, "Chase!"

Before he could finish, Zhuo Yu made a gesture from afar. The few guards hesitated for a moment, but then heard him roar, "Scatter!"

The few heavily wounded guards looked at each other. The leader bowed his head from a distance and choked out, "General, forgive us!"

With that, despite Zhuo Yu's order for them to flee on their own, they turned their horses around and lined up in a row, blocking Lin Bing and his several hundred elite soldiers!

Lin Bing's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but sigh at their loyalty. On the battlefield, there is no right or wrong, each serves their own master. For them to do this, it was already beyond what ordinary people could do.

He had just led the charge and raised his bow and arrow when suddenly Zhuo Yu returned. In the night and firelight, he charged straight at them! Lin Bing subconsciously paused, only to see Zhuo Yu abruptly rein in his horse. The black warhorse let out a long neigh and leaped over the heads of those few guards, charging towards them!

Regardless of how bloodthirsty and brutal Zhuo Yu was, in that moment in mid-air, the young general in black on a black horse, his robes fluttering in the firelight, was like a god of war. That aura of being the world's top expert for many years, shaking the world, made even the pursuers tremble. Then they saw Zhuo Yu draw his sword, and in a flash of blood, he cut down three elite soldiers charging at the front.

That swift cruelty was simply horrifying. The next few batches of pursuers slowed down, only to see him abruptly turn his horse around and gallop away in another direction, far away from where his few loyal guards were. It turned out that he had taken the risk to charge back just to let those few loyal guards escape this pursuit.

Lin Bing's heart ached. He had known long ago that Zhuo Yu treated his subordinates well, but he didn't expect it to be like this even at the juncture of life and death. For this man to be able to lead armies and be a generation's powerful minister, he must have his unique qualities.

Although he thought this in his heart, the few of them who were fast had already pulled away from the pursuers behind. At this time, Zhuo Yu really seemed to be seriously injured, his entire body almost lying on the horse's back, completely relying on this black horse to carry him forward in a desperate run.

The horse didn't know the way and gradually entered the deep mountains. The mountain road in the night was rugged and slippery. Lin Bing looked around and saw that only a dozen or so riders had followed, including the gentle and delicate Lord Shangguan.

This was quite dangerous. If Zhuo Yu really fought hard, whether these dozen or so people could capture him alive was actually an unknown.

Just at this moment, Zhuo Yu suddenly halted abruptly. A person could be seen blocking the mountain road ahead, standing there silently and motionlessly, yet seeming like an immovable mountain blocking the way.

Lin Bing didn't recognize who it was, but he heard Shangguan Mingde beside him softly utter a few words: "...Ah, Lu Jiuchen..."