Yumen Pass.
There was a strong wind and snow, and the sky and the earth were completely white.
The city walls were covered with arrows, and the thick white snow could not hide the raging bloodstains. The broken dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty was still fluttering proudly. The Tang army officers and soldiers posted at the top of the city were all disheveled, but their eyes were deep and energetic, and the spears standing in the wind were flashing with sharp edges.
The strong wind passed and there was silence.
In Guancheng Juntun, Su Dingfang led his yellow puma from the horse pen and stroked its cheek silently.
This yellow horse was once a trophy he personally snatched from a grassland chief when he followed Li Jing in his northern expedition to the Turks. After the war, rewards were given based on merit, and this horse followed him, following him for many years and showing great understanding of human nature.
Among the three treasures of a soldier, the horse is the only living creature and the most important. Lu Bu killed his father and rebelled against a red rabbit horse, which was shameful to the world. But it also happens to prove the importance of a BMW to those who practice martial arts.
At this moment, this extremely humane BMW waggled its tail, lowered its head and nuzzled Su Dingfang with its cheek. Hot tears actually flowed from its gem-like eyes.
Su Dingfang's hands trembled.
"Biao'er, Biao'er! If there is an afterlife, I am the cow and horse, and you are the master...!" Su Dingfang gritted his teeth until his bones made a sound, his whole body trembled, and his eye circles were red.
One hand slowly reached towards his waist and held the horizontal knife...
"General! General, don't want it!!"
The two pawns raising the horses shouted in panic when they saw the scene. They rushed over and hugged Su Dingfang's arms left and right, pulling his wrist holding the knife. They knelt on the ground and begged: "Such a good horse, it would be a pity to kill it." ah!!"
"Let go! Let go!" Su Dingfang, who had always been gentle and gentle, roared angrily, kicked the two pawns away one by one, drew his sword out of its sheath, and pointed the tip of the sword at Huang Puma's throat.
Huang Puma still just wagged its tail gently, but did not escape or dodge. It snorted a few times, and tears flowed from its eyes...
In the Yumen Pass, they have already run out of ammunition and food. There are tigers and wolves in front of us, and there is no way out behind us. There were originally more than 15,000 soldiers in the army, but now there are only more than 7,000 left, and not a single grain of food is left.
Now that heavy snow has fallen and grain routes are blocked, it is still unclear when supplies and rescue will come from the direction of Lanzhou. Su Dingfang had already ordered the horses to be killed for food, but the soldiers could not bring themselves to do it. He was so hungry that he killed some old, weak and disabled horses to feed his belly. Three meals a day had long been changed to one meal a day, or even one meal every two days.
"The horse must be killed, otherwise how can the soldiers defend themselves against the enemy? If something goes wrong at Yumen Pass, Lanzhou will be at an end and the Central Plains will be in danger!" Su Dingfang made this decision - "Let's start with my mount!"
…
The commotion alarmed many soldiers. Everyone came out of the barracks and gathered around Su Dingfang.
Su Dingfang held up the knife and kept shaking.
"General..." the soldiers begged in low voices, "don't kill! This is a rare thousand-mile horse!"
"We are the Yifu Yueqi, the most elite cavalry of the Kansai Army under the command of the young marshal. Without horses, what are we?"
"Even if you starve to death, you can't eat a horse! What's the difference between this and killing your own comrades!"
"General Su, please show mercy!..."
…
"Shut up!!" Su Dingfang became furious, shouted, and stabbed him with a knife! …
"Eh-"
There was a scream and blood mist sprayed!
"Kill the horse and get the meat!" Su Dingfang shouted, "Everyone must be fed, and those who disobey the order will be killed!"
After saying that, Su Dingfang strode away.
The soldiers watched silently and silently as the yellow puma lay twitching and bleeding on the ground until it died. After a while, several horsemen brought out more than ten horses from the stable. The soldiers present all knelt down in the snow in unison, clasping their fists in a military salute to the horses.
Su Dingfang, who had already climbed the tower, saw this scene from a distance and finally burst into tears...
"Young Marshal, how are you doing there?... It has been more than a month since there was no food and grass relief, and there has been no news about Lanzhou. Recently, the Tibetans have been attacking more and more fiercely. There is no food in the city, and the soldiers have suffered heavy casualties... I don't know. How long can we keep guard?" Su Dingfang murmured to himself, "When the horses are finished and all the people are dead, Su will do his best..."
"Report—" A sudden shout broke Su Dingfang's contemplation.
"What's the matter?"
"Report to General Su, something bad happened - Yangguan fell!!"
"What?!" Su Dingfang suddenly shouted and blood rushed to his forehead. He had been short of food for days and almost collapsed.
The generals on the left and right hurriedly supported him!
"Xue Wanche, what do you do for food?" Su Dingfang closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, "Once Yang Pass is lost, Yumen will become an isolated city... How to defend it!"
"General Su, please report back to Lanzhou as soon as possible and ask the young marshal to send additional troops for reinforcements!"
Su Dingfang looked up at the sky, snowflakes were falling like crazy and the sky was gray...
"Now that the matter has come to this, what else can be done? Pick three hundred dead soldiers to form a team to break out and report the urgent military situation here to Lanzhou." After Su Dingfang said this, his eyes suddenly opened in anger and he slapped the wall brick with his palm, "Send the order! Kill the horse. Take meat to feed the whole army, and defend Yumen Pass to the death!"
"promise!"
At the same time, the Dragon Flag of the Tang Dynasty on the wall of Yangguan Pass was chopped down by Garzanpo, the younger brother of Garqinling.
"This Xue Wanche is so difficult to deal with!" Galzan Po said through gritted teeth, "Send an order to chop off his head and hang it on the door for public display!"
"Second brother, you can't be like this." Sidoyu, the third youngest of the Gar family, hurriedly advised, "Xue Wanche is also a famous general for a while. And in this battle, we feel that we are somewhat invincible. On the contrary, Xue Wanche is full of enthusiasm. They sacrificed their lives in a passionate battle and fought generously for justice... Second brother, look at this, there is no prisoner in this ruined Yangguan city. Even the seriously injured Tang army fought until the last moment or drew their swords and killed themselves! Second brother, don't you think that they! Is he a warrior worthy of our respect?"
Zan Po was speechless. Although she still had hatred, she nodded in agreement, "Although each has its own master, I have to admit that Xue Wanche is indeed a hero! His soldiers are also warriors!"
"Before this expedition, my eldest brother warned us many times that we should give up the mania and ferocity of the past and not blindly kill. We should learn more about the minds and skills of the Han people. Killing the city is the bottom and killing the heart is the top." Sita Yu said. , "Since we have captured Guancheng and killed all the enemy forces here, why not bury Xue Wanche carefully and send a few Han slaves to transport his body to Lanzhou as a favor. To show the loyalty of our army; Secondly, it can also damage the morale of the Kansai Army!"
"That's very good! I'll do what you want - collect Xue Wanche's body and transport it to Lanzhou, prepare the whole army, and then attack Yumen Pass!"
…
Due to the heavy wind and snow, which made traveling difficult, Qin Mubai's troops arrived in Shanzhou only after a few days.
Opening the window and seeing the Shanzhou City Gate, Qin Mubai smiled at Chen Yan beside him and said, "Yan, now you should tell me what happened to the groom and bridal chamber that Yuwen Hongtai mentioned, right?"
"Why, do you really want to know?" Chen Yan smiled slightly and said, "Gao Yang is right. You guys just like to cause some romantic debts everywhere. If no one cares about you for a moment, you will be dishonest."
Qin Mubai chuckled and said, "Actually, even if you didn't tell me, I would have probably guessed it - is it related to Li Xueyan?"
"Mu Bai, from a woman's perspective, I think you did something wrong this time." Chen Yan said.
"Yes, I admit it." Qin Mubai sighed softly and said, "This time, I deceived too many people. Not only Li Xueyan, but also you and Lou'er, Chang'an's mother and brothers and sisters, and many more People who really care about me... This will be a huge debt on my heart, and I don’t know how to pay it off.”
"Li Xueyan must have been deceived the most by you." Chen Yan said, "She almost died for you."
"This is somewhat beyond my expectation..." Qin Mubai sighed, "I admit that I am very despicable, and actually thought of using her special status to help me deceive Gar Qinling and abandon Zong Nongzan. In fact, a At first, I was hesitant, as I shouldn’t have been able to do this kind of thing, but at that time... I really had no choice.”
"I understand, you don't have to explain." Chen Yan stretched out her hand, held Qin Mubai's hand tightly, and said, "When I heard Su Lianqing say that what you took was real poison, I understood what you were doing at that time. How cruel you are."
"Oh? Su Lianqing, did you tell me?" Qin Mubai said a little surprised, "When?"
"Just the day before you showed up." Chen Yan smiled slightly and said, "Although she is very good at pretending and covering up, her guilty conscience cannot be hidden from my eyes after all. You know, she has always been fearless, but she is afraid of me. ”
"That's the truth. I didn't expect you to come here." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "By some chance, I sent Tantai Dandan to Lanzhou to report the news, but he happened to miss you and Lou'er. ”
"Let's not talk about this for now. How are you going to deal with Li Xueyan?" Chen Yan asked.
"I don't know..." Qin Mubai let out a long sigh, frowned, and said, "The debt owed must always be repaid. But a man will not use 'promise with his body' as a Pay back?"
"At this moment, if you make a wish, she may not be willing to take it." Chen Yan said, "For a woman, the most desperate and disappointing thing is the deception and betrayal of her beloved man. There is a saying, there is no greater sorrow than greater sorrow. I am heartbroken. Li Xueyan is so deceived and used by you. She is still a young girl who has no experience in the world and only knows how to invest her feelings at all costs. How do you ask her to bear it? "
"..." Qin Mubai was speechless for a moment, and after a while he choked out, "Let's talk about it again! The battle isn't over yet!"
"That's fine. Mu Bai, I know you are focusing on the war now, and I don't want to nag you too much to distract you from your children's private affairs." Chen Yan said, "I only want to say the last sentence - for Li Xueyan, You can’t treat it with avoidance.”
"okay, I get it."
When people and horses enter the city, the people line the streets to welcome them. The news of the great victory in Huanyue Valley has already reached Shanzhou, and the whole city has been celebrating for many days. Now that Qin Mubai has returned with his troops, there is no doubt that he will be welcomed and praised as a heroic savior.
In the governor's office of Shanzhou, Li Daozong heard that Qin Mubai had returned to the city, but he sat still in the government office. Moreover, his face is not that pretty either.
The first thing Qin Mubai did after returning to the city was to visit the King of Jiangxia. There seems to be some kind of tacit understanding between the two.
"Your Highness!" Qin Mubai cupped his fists and bowed.
"Where are you coming from?" Li Daozong responded with a long sound from his nose, neither cold nor hot.
Qin Mubai waved his hand to signal others to leave, then closed the door, walked to sit next to him, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, are you really angry with me?"
"There is no way to talk about this." Li Daozong said seriously, "Why am I angry with you, my king?"
"Hey, it looks like he's really angry." Qin Mubai drooled a little, and said with an apologetic smile, "I was wrong about what happened this time. I even hid it from the prince. In fact, I should have informed the prince in advance. A sound. But..."
"Okay, you don't need to say anything." Li Daozong took a deep breath and sighed heavily, "Fortunately, everything is over, the battle has been won, and the crisis has been temporarily relieved. I am not that petty, so I won't fight with you. Calculate."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity!" Qin Mubai bowed with his fists in his hands, then he smiled, and came forward to squeeze Li Daozong's shoulders flatteringly, "Your Majesty, these days, you have been taking charge of the overall situation and commanding the war on my behalf. You have really worked hard and worked hard. Another day , I will definitely repay the prince with good compensation.”
"Stop pretending here!" Li Daozong pushed Qin Mubai's hand away with one hand, and said sternly, "Stop beating around the bush, what are you going to do about Xue Yan? - You deceived her so miserably! Why? You almost risked your life or death, and you asked her to go to the Tibetan camp as an envoy to help you deceive - you are really capable of anything, you bastard! "
"Your Majesty, calm down, calm down!" Qin Mubai knew that he was in the wrong and hurriedly said with a smile, "This matter is absolutely my fault. I have no excuse and will never explain it. I will definitely bear the responsibility that I should bear; Your Majesty wants this. I won’t say anything about punishment. This is the end of the matter. Why should the prince be angry and hurt his liver?”
"Hey! Who gave you such a silver tongue? I can't speak against you! Most of the resentment in my heart has been eliminated by your sweet words and nonsense!" Li Daozong shook his head helplessly and smiled. Finally, he showed a hint of relief, patted Qin Mubai on the shoulder, and said, "Sanlang, I also know that it's not easy for you. This time, you really risked your life. In addition to being angry, I am more angry. I feel sorry for you, I feel sorry for Yan'er. Fortunately, your efforts have paid off, and the victory in Huanyue Valley is enough to comfort the court. I wrote a report a few days ago to inform the court. You were killed in battle and our army was defeated in Dafeichuan. The military report must have been in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor. You should quickly hand-write a report of victory and report it to the court to avoid chaos there. "
"Okay, listen to your Majesty, I will start writing right away." Qin Mubai smiled and called, "Come here, I will serve you with pen and ink!"
"Hey, you kid!... You really make people worry!" Li Daozong shook his head with hatred and love, sighed and laughed, and said, "I don't know how much Shu Bao has suffered and worried about you over the years!"
Speaking of his father, Qin Mubai felt a pain in his heart, but with a smile on his face, he said, "The prince feels like my father now."
"They say a son-in-law is better than a son-in-law... Tsk, you're not my son-in-law yet, and I haven't approved of you yet!" Li Daozong suddenly glared at Qin Mubai angrily, "You know about Xue Yan's secret marriage to you? Is it okay? Although this kind of thing is nothing, it was just a random act of hers, but the news has been spread, how do you want her to behave in the future? ... After learning that you were back, Xue Yan fainted on the spot. One thing is to return to Chang'an. Even I, the father, don't know what words to comfort her. She is already ashamed to see others! - Bastard, if you don't solve this big problem for me, I will do this. I will never end my life with you!"
"Uh!..." Qin Mubai was a little dumbfounded for a moment and murmured, "Then... let's wait until the battle is over before we talk!"
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