Dark clouds covered the sun, and the pale sunlight shone feebly on the battlefield where the north wind was howling.
Time passed by incomparably long, and the wind of early autumn swept across the vast wilderness with the unique coldness of Yanbei. From early morning to noon, from noon to dusk, blood flowed all over the Huoleiyuan, the bright red Fire Cloud Flowers were in full bloom, and the blood-stained petals danced flamboyantly, like demon red blossoms. Countless fresh lives that were still alive and kicking in the morning are now lying on the cold land like wheat with broken roots.
The land has lost its original color. Eagles are hovering in the sky, ready to swoop down to enjoy this rare feast. The plains were piled up with corpses, and the wounded soldiers lay in the sea of corpses as high as hills, howling and wailing, like a lone wolf who had lost its homeland, howling in sorrow. But what's more, he can't even scream, he can only lie on the ground like a dead dog, and occasionally he will be kicked by the medical soldiers looking for the wounded, and then he will hum to show that he is still alive.
In the evening, the sky began to drizzle, and the drizzle was like a cow's hair, falling coldly on his body. The corpses in the trench were still burning, and the rain hit them, creating a layer of white mist.
Cheng Yuan stepped on the corpse and walked over. Years of battles had coated his slightly feminine face with a layer of tough blood. limp.
On a low soil slope, a man in black clothes stood upright under a poplar tree, Yanbei's eagle flag fluttered gently above his head, and withered yellow dry grass fluttered under his feet, blowing from time to time. spin. His eyes were empty, as if he was looking at something, but those eyes seemed to look beyond the battlefield, the blood light, and the floating clouds in the sky...
Cheng Yuan was suddenly a little dazed, and stood quietly on the spot without going forward.
"Cheng Yuan? Come up."
Yan Xun didn't turn his head, his voice was very calm, with a comfortable calmness. Cheng Yuan bowed and walked up, knelt on the ground on one knee, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the Xiuli Army has broken out from the defense line of the Xuanyu Legion in the southeast. The Xuanyu Legion is the second-line regiment that has just arrived, and hastily formed a formation." , couldn’t stop Master Chu’s attack. The cavalry of the Xiuli Army avoided the frontal attack of the Imperial Guards and directly inserted into the defense line of the Xuanyu Army. By the time we tried to stop it, it was too late. Xiu Jun fled from the left flank At present, it has gone in the direction of Yudao Northwest."
Yan Xun nodded quietly, but didn't say anything.
Cheng Yuan licked his dry lips, and continued: "The final general has sent a letter to General Gao and General Lu, ordering them to intercept at Yu Dao Pass, and the First Army will also send out 30,000 defenders to fight in the northwest. The territory blocked them in batches, Longyinguan was also ready for battle, and the southern border waterway leading to Biantang was also closely monitored and guarded by us, even if the Xiuli army had wings on their backs, we could shoot them down."
Yan Xun still didn't speak, just stood there, as if he couldn't hear anything. Cheng Yuan was a little nervous, and asked tentatively in a low voice: "Your Majesty?"
"Go on."
"Our army suffered heavy casualties. The third and seventh legions were wiped out. The commanders of the fourth, eighth, and eleventh legions were killed, and more than half of the soldiers under them were killed or injured. The thirteenth legion led by General Du Ruolin refused Combat, now the upper-level officers have been detained and controlled, but the lower-level officers and soldiers still refuse to obey the deployment. Not only are they useless here, we have to allocate troops to guard them... "
Yan Xun turned his head slightly when he heard the words, slightly raised his eyebrows, and said in a deep voice, "Refused to fight?"
"Yes... yes." Cheng Yuan swallowed his original words and said in a more gentle way, "The officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Legion are all from the Shangshen Plateau."
The cold wind blew, and the drizzle hit Yan Xun's nose. He nodded slowly and stopped talking.
"Your Majesty, it's only a matter of time before the Xiuli Army is stopped again, but at the end there is a sentence that I don't know if I should say it or not."
Yan Xun said expressionlessly, "Say."
"Yes. If our army successfully encircles Lord Chu, then I would like to ask the emperor, what kind of method should we attack? Should we attack with all our strength, or surround him in a roundabout way? Should we kill him or capture him alive? Please tell the emperor clearly."
The wind by his ears suddenly picked up, and he stood there quietly, the cold wind blowing over his body, blowing his robe sleeves flying. There are still small flames on the battlefield in the distance. The fierce fighting all day has taken away the spirit of the soldiers. At this moment, they are tired, tired, and their clothes are in tatters. There were a total of 20,000 imperial guards, and the three-way 10,000-man army that was reinforced later. Although they withdrew from the battle midway, they were still defeated in front of the Xiuli army. Chu Qiao led the 9,000 Xiuli Army, cutting through his encirclement like a knife. What the 30,000 Huoyun Army of Yanjia failed to do, but she did it easily. Yan Xun had to admit that in military affairs, Ah Chu was a rare genius. The prestige and status in the middle school are hard to compare with even myself.
He let out a breath slowly, and the heaviness in his heart rolled up layer by layer like ocean waves. At this moment, he didn't know whether he should be thankful that she had finally escaped, defeated him without being emotional and had no love for his children, and escaped, or should be sad that she finally left him completely and never looked back.
There was a taste of irony in his heart, which made him want to sneer unconsciously. He looked at Cheng Yuan indifferently, and suddenly said: "Cheng Yuan, do you know why so many people persuade me that you are useless, but I still want to use you?"
Cheng Yuan was startled when he heard the words, he quickly knelt down on the ground, kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty loves you so much, the death of the last general is not enough to repay."
"Because you are a lot like me before."
Cheng Yuan suddenly raised his head, looked at Yan Xun in shock, but stopped talking.
"I know that your parents and relatives all died in the flames of war. Your wife and sister were captured by Daxia's army to be military prostitutes. Your brother was also a general of Datong, but died in an internal assassination."
Cheng Yuan's eyes gradually turned red, and he knelt on the ground without saying a word, his lips were blue and white.
"I know what you're thinking, just like me, I know what I'm thinking too."
Yan Xun raised his head, looking at the blood-red rays of the setting sun piercing through the dark clouds in the sky, sprinkling a ghastly red. The corners of his mouth slightly curled up, and he said in a deep voice: "A person can have many wishes, but he must live first. If he dies, none of his wishes will be fulfilled."
The corners of Cheng Yuan's eyes suddenly became hot, and his vision was blurred by tears. He was scolded by the whole Yanbei as a despicable person, clenched his fists tightly, and lowered his head deeply.
A large pale bird flew across the sky, passing Yan Xun's field of vision. Yan Xun looked at it, his gaze was far away, like a long line, lost the goal of maintenance, and finally couldn't find the focus of cohesion. He was silent for a long time before he said in a deep voice: "The Xiuli army is too powerful, it is not appropriate to block its edge head-on. Open the border, pass the news to Zhao Yang and Wei Shuye, it is almost winter, let Ah Chu come to open the big summer for us." It's a stalemate battlefield."
Cheng Yuan was slightly startled, and with his composure, it was hard to hide the shock on his face, and he whispered after a long time: "Big Xia is now gathering at Yanming Pass are all heavy armored soldiers, Master Chu is leading all light cavalry , the final general is worried that Da Xia will not be able to block Master Chu's way in a hurry."
"Then hold her back." Yan Xun turned around and walked towards the majestic Beishuo City. The dark war horse followed him, and the setting sun shone on him, casting a long shadow, and a deep voice came slowly, like the wind cruising on the grassland all year round, "Notify Beishuo, Shang Shen, Huihuishan The people in the area say that their Lady Xiuli is about to leave Yanbei."
The strong wind blew the corners of his clothes flying, and the sword at the waist reflected the blood-red light. The man's footsteps were so heavy, and he walked slowly into the dark and towering cage step by step. The golden shackles locked him whole. Black smoke rose slowly in the distance, screams and wailing continued to be heard, and a deathly silence shrouded the sky above Huoleiyuan.
Ah Chu, I once said that everyone can betray me, but you can't, because you are my only light source, the sun that shines on my dark sky.
Now my sun is out.
Will you think of me when you are surrounded by enemies, surrounded by enemies, alone and helpless, and with no way to escape
Ah Chu, I am watching you from behind.
The battle came without warning, and the armies from all walks of life in Yanbei remained transparent about their arrival. Chu Qiao was naive at first, thinking that Yan Xun couldn't bear to attack her, and finally let her go. However, outside Longyin Pass, when she saw the common people carrying their burdens and dragging their children, her heart suddenly fell into the ice pool of ten thousand feet, completely desperate and dead.
In the morning light, the dense flow of people is like a long dragon. Someone was pushing a cart full of large and small boxes, pots and pans were clanging; someone was waving a whip and driving their cattle and herds; With half of their chests exposed, they breastfeed their children in the cold wind; some people carry poles filled with sweet potatoes and corn, and they have to sit down and eat a meal every time they walk a certain distance.
Tired, hard, and in a hurry, but when they saw the flag of the Xiuli Army, they all cheered in unison. The people rushed forward and shouted to the army: "My lord has arrived! My lord is here!"
An old man with white beard and hair pushed his grandson to the front, the child's face was flushed with cold, they shouted to Chu Qiao: "My lord, where are we going?"
"Yes, my lord, where are we going?"
"No matter where I go, I will follow Sir Ding, but I can't let him go by himself."
"My lord, why didn't you tell me before you leave? My crops have not been confiscated. Fortunately, I walked fast, otherwise I would not be able to catch up."
…
The soldiers of the Xiuli Army stood quietly in the open field, no one said a word, they all turned their heads to look at Chu Qiao in unison. The girl was wearing a blue cloak, sitting tall and straight on the horseback, like a sharp javelin. Her expression was very calm, without the slightest shock or panic, so the soldiers were all relieved, don't worry, your lord has a clever plan, and it must have been planned long ago.
"My lord." He Xiao rode up to catch up and whispered in her ear.
Chu Qiao turned her head slowly, He Xiao was so close to her, so close that he could feel the momentary trance and confusion in her eyes. A trace of sadness and regret suddenly appeared in his heart. Years of getting along has made him no longer blindly believe in the ability of the girl in front of him as he was at the beginning. In the past two years, he saw so much, saw her depression, saw her crying, saw her weakness, and saw her confusion. She is not the invincible myth in the legend. More often than not, she is just a young woman who stubbornly and foolishly bears too much responsibility and pressure, and even sheds tears, hiding in a corner where no one is around. But all of this did not affect his loyalty to her, on the contrary, he developed a more complicated feeling, like a relative, like a brother, like a subordinate, and more like a confidant.
He stretched out his hand, shook her shoulder gently, and said in a deep voice: "My lord, He Xiao is here."