I became the God Brother of the Regent King after Transmigration!-Chapter 291 - 217: Blossoms on the Tree

When the "Gu" character banner appeared, the Qiangrong light cavalry chasing Rong Shuo halted their horses involuntarily.

Gu Character Banner, Dingyuan Marquis Mansion!

For the past century on the Snowfield, it had been a nightmare in the heart of every Qiangrong person.

Why the Dingyuan Army from the Northern Territory of Yan Country was here no longer mattered.

After all, since they, the Qiangrong, could come, why couldn’t the Dingyuan Army?

The Wei Country army also stopped in their tracks, staring in shock at the Yan Country army that appeared in the distance.

Amid thousands of thundering hooves stirring up a dust storm, a young man on a horse as fiery red as flames broke through the clouds of dust and charged forth.

Clad in white and silver armor, his fiery red cloak fluttered wildly behind him.

In Gu Lan’s right hand was a dark golden long sword, slung diagonally across his back was a spear wrapped in cloth strips.

The chaotic backdrop couldn’t hide her stunningly beautiful face.

"Gu Lan!?"

From afar, Jiang Qu exclaimed in surprise when he saw the figure.

Gu Lan’s horse was fast, and in an instant, she had dashed out from the ranks of the Dingyuan Army.

Her red lips curved slightly, and the vermilion ribbon highlighted her dark, clear eyes, standing proudly in front of everyone.

"Oh, it’s the second dog who murdered his brother and betrayed his family," Gu Lan’s voice was clear and sharp, like an arrow piercing Jiang Qu’s chest, "Do you think by changing to a Central Plains name, you’re now a Wei Country person?"

"Gu... little brother."

Rong Shuo lay slumped over his horse, straining to lift his head, murmuring softly.

Through the countless people, he saw the familiar long sword, the familiar face.

That rebellious figure atop the fiery horse overlapped with the memory of Gu Chengzhao.

This was the last scene Rong Shuo saw before he fell unconscious.

Unexpectedly, the person who saved him was his little brother... Rong Shuo’s blood-stained lips curled into a smile, then everything before him turned to darkness.

"Prince!" his subordinates called out urgently.

"The prince has fainted, we must get into the city quickly!"

"That young man seems to be Gu Lan, the son of the Dingyuan Marquis."

Someone loudly shouted Gu Lan’s identity.

"Young Master Gu!?"

"Why is the Dingyuan Army here—"

Dust billowed behind Gu Lan, the Iron Cavalry roared, faintly, the Dingyuan Army seemed to have surrounded the Wei Country army in reverse.

A few miles west of Yinzhou City’s outskirts was a dense forest, previously where Jiang Qu’s Qiangrong cavalry had hidden, and now, Yan Country soldiers continuously emerged, faintly visible within the woods.

"Are you the son of the Dingyuan Marquis, Gu Lan?"

Wei Junzhuo turned his horse, facing the young man head-on.

He never expected the Dingyuan Army would come, and now, they cut off his retreat.

Wei Junzhuo squinted, intending to take a closer look at the Dingyuan Army behind the dust, but Gu Lan and the Wei Country soldiers protecting him blocked his view.

He wasn’t sure how many Dingyuan troops had come, but seeing the dust behind her, he knew there must be a substantial army.

The last time he faced the Dayan Dingyuan Army, he was just a youth.

That was over a decade ago, when collaborating with the old Qiangrong Chanyu Gongbu, he led troops across thousands of miles to help the Qiangrong fight against the Old Marquis Dingyuan, Gu Yuan, in the northern territory of Yan Country.

At that time, Wei Junzhuo had marveled that the Dingyuan Iron Cavalry was indeed unparalleled in the world.

"So you are Wei’s great general, Wei Junzhuo, I’ve long heard of your distinguished name." Gu Lan’s clear voice captured Wei Junzhuo’s attention.

Wei Junzhuo frowned, "Young Master Gu, you really have given this general a surprise."

Amidst the swirling dust, Gu Lan finally got a clear look at Wei Junzhuo’s face.

Her expression grew solemn, her eyes slightly narrowing.

He was Wei Junzhuo?

Dressed in golden armor and helmet, wielding a black gold heavy halberd, he appeared to be in his early thirties.

Wei Junzhuo had cold, ruthless eyes, rugged features, and a determined demeanor.

His stern face showed no extraneous expressions, like an emotionless blade.

His demeanor seemed like a reflection of his former self.

But those weren’t the main point.

The main point was that Gu Lan thought he bore a striking resemblance to Yuan.

They shared a fifty percent similarity, but Wei Junzhuo seemed older than Yuan.

"Great General," Gu Lan urged his horse forward a few steps, calmly drawing the Azure Gold Spear from his back, speaking quickly, "I want to ask you a question."

"Young Master Gu, feel free to speak." Wei Junzhuo said coldly.

Beside him, layers of Wei soldiers had already begun to protect Wei Junzhuo.

Although the young person before them looked thin and slight, bearing the status of the Heir of Duke Dingyuan, no one dared to underestimate her skills.

It’s not unheard of for a master to take the head of an enemy amidst thousands of troops.

"I want to ask, Great General, do you have any more brothers—"

As soon as Gu Lan asked this, a slight change came over Wei Junzhuo’s cold expression.

"Charge!" Taking advantage of Wei Junzhuo’s moment of distraction, Gu Lan pierced the heart of the nearest Wei general with a spear, gave the order, and led the charge towards the Wei army!

The long spear swept across, blood blooming like flowers.

Behind her, the fierce Dingyuan Army also began their assault, each one riding forward with raised swords, their eyes turned red with the desire to kill.

"Protect the Great General!"

"Charge and kill Gu Lan!"

The Wei army suddenly descended into chaos. Some wanted to protect Wei Junzhuo and retreat, some wanted to tangle with the Dingyuan Army, while seeing the fierce Dingyuan Army behind Gu Lan made others’ courage fail.

The cavalry shielding Rong Shuo also took the opportunity to slay in the midst of the chaos.

"Hyah!"

Gu Lan controlled Hong, her spear clashing with weapons, sparks flying, reflecting in her ever brighter eyes; she charged all the way, carving a path of blood.

Blood stained Gu Lan’s clothes and silver armor, splattering onto her white face, yet she never retreated a single step, nor did she frown.

In the distance, Wei Junzhuo finally awoke from his daze.

Seeing Gu Lan about to break through the Wei army and the Qiangrong Light Cavalry to meet Rong Shuo at the gate, Wei Junzhuo waved his hand:

"Retreat! Move to the flanks, don’t engage the Yan army!"

He had clearly blocked a hundred miles around Yinzhou City, yet this Gu Lan had followed the path ambushed by the Qiangrong, bringing so many Dingyuan cavalry!

And the Qiangrong, who had been clamoring to take Rong Shuo’s head, cowered like cowards upon seeing the ’Gu’ banner.

As for his own Wei army, facing such a formidable force, Wei Junzhuo did not want to fight head-on, unnecessarily incurring losses.

Gu Lan’s appearance achieved Rong Shuo’s initial strategic intent—driving back the Wei army to buy time for Su Yi and Li Yuanju’s return support.

"Retreat!"

Wei Junzhuo reined back and retreated, ordering once more: "Retreat thirty miles and station, continue to encircle Yinzhou, find out how these Dingyuan soldiers arrived!"

The Wei army retreated swiftly, and Gu Lan pursued them for a moment before turning back.

On the other side, Jiang Qu, seeing the Wei army’s retreat, had no choice but to reluctantly order a withdrawal back to their forest encampment.

He bit hard, staring at that fiery figure in the distance.

"It’s you again, Gu Lan; one day, I’ll make you pay the price."

On the city wall, Tang Zhan shouted:

"Open the gate!"

"Open the gate!"

Tearful Yan soldiers pulled the heavy iron chain controlling the gate.

The gate opened wide, and the soldiers inside also rushed out.

Gu Lan put away her spear, quickly rushed to Rong Shuo’s side, and dismounted in a single move.

Rong Shuo lay unconscious on the horse’s back, eyes closed, breath extremely weak; his armor was soaked with blood, his chest, arms, shoulders, all bearing various wounds.

Two unbroken arrows still stuck in his body.

He had become a man of blood.

Gu Lan had seen countless dead, many who were barely alive, unconscious, half-dead; she thought she was accustomed to such scenes, but seeing Rong Shuo, her nose stung, throat parched.

Even in his final conscious moment, he remembered to order Tang Zhan to shut the city gate, to leave him be.

Gu Lan stepped forward, gently placing Rong Shuo on her back:

"Get inside the city immediately."

The three thousand cavalry that had initially left the city with Rong Shuo, only about a hundred remained now.

Gu Lan carried Rong Shuo on her back, behind her were these remnants.

The dust raised by hooves finally settled, the Dingyuan Army that pretended to pursue the Wei army also returned.

Tang Zhan, who came to welcome Gu Lan, stood in shock at the scene before him.

The fierce Dingyuan cavalry, only numbered a few hundred!

Some of these ’Dingyuan Army’ cavalry had withered branches tied to their horses’ tails, stirring up dust with the horse hoof’s movement.

And the so-called Yan infantry behind them were actually refugees in black clothes, with pale faces and waning energy.

If Tang Zhan didn’t understand what had happened by now, he’d truly be a fool.