Xia Jun didn't rush up again, but he didn't open the encirclement and let them go. The cruel siege finally started. At this moment, Zhao Yang already believed in the accuracy of the news, Chu Qiao had indeed fallen out with Yan Xun, and they were going to leave Yanbei, the gate of Longyin Pass would not be opened for them. In addition to going south to the waterway from Nanjiang to Biantang, you can only pass through your own defense line, and Yan Xun has completely sealed off the waterway in Nanjiang.
He firmly believes that all this is accurate.
On September 20, it began to snow. The heavy snow was not heavy at the beginning, but it fell for two consecutive days. The rations in Xiuli's army were almost exhausted, if some commoners hadn't brought some food, they might have been starving. All the tents in the army have been allocated to the old and weak, women and children, and more than 30 people are crowded in each tent, but there are still old people and children who are constantly freezing to death at night. There is no medicine for wounds in the army, and the wounded soldiers don't even get a sip of warm water. Chu Qiao could only watch helplessly as the cold and injuries took away the lives of the soldiers who were able to stand firm in front of the Great Xia army, but there was nothing she could do.
Whenever she saw the soldiers die one by one, and the young children crying and starving in the cold wind, she wished she could rush back to Longyin Pass, kowtow to Yan Xun and beg him to save these innocent people.
She smiled helplessly, only feeling that there was no strength in her whole body. Yan Xun is indeed the person in the world who understands her weaknesses the most. He may have figured this out a long time ago. She is not afraid of summer, war, killing, or death. The only thing she is afraid of is that the person who loves her sacrificed for her .
In the past two days, she led troops to attack four times, but all of them returned without success. Zhao Yang maintained a steadfast attitude, neither coming out to fight nor paying attention to their attacks, every time he rushed up, there was a round of dense arrow rain, leaving behind dozens of innocent corpses.
On the night of September 22, a snowstorm fell, the temperature dropped suddenly, and the cold wind blew in. In just half the night, more than 50 wounded and more than 80 civilians were frozen to death. Finally, someone among the people couldn't stand it anymore. A woman in her forties suddenly left the army and ran to Longyinguan to call the door. It was like a flood. After that, more people left the tents of the Xiuli Army and stood on their shoulders. Leng Feng cried loudly and staggered towards Longyin Pass.
At the juncture of life and death, the fear of death in people's hearts finally overcame their conscience, and they left the team that had been desperately protecting them and ran towards their hometown.
The soldiers of the Xiuli Army stood quietly, no one made a sound, no one stopped them, they watched the group of crying people silently, and let them leave with a blank expression.
The sixtieth old man ran up to Chu Qiao crying, holding the weakly breathing child in his arms, trying to say something with shame on his face, but in the end he could only let out a few short sobs.
The child's complexion was already pale, and Chu Qiao knew that if he didn't keep warm, he might die soon. Something seemed to choke her throat, and she had no anger, no sorrow, no hatred for their treachery.
As a soldier, she couldn't protect the people who supported her, and could only watch them die innocently. She had nothing to say. She couldn't bear to look at the old man's guilty eyes anymore, because the guilt in her heart was even worse, she could only bow her head silently, expressing her emotions wordlessly.
sorry.
The Dragon Yin was closed, and a bright light gradually lit up. Under the gate, countless old people, children, and women came staggeringly. People were yelling "open the door, open the door" with indescribable despair and fear in their voices. In the final analysis, they are some ordinary civilians after all, their wish is to live, and occasionally they have a little extravagant wish, that is to live a better life.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and the sky and the earth were pale. The officer at the top of the city shouted: "Don't get close! Back! Back!"
But no one paid any attention to him, his voice was drowned out by the noisy voices, and the people cried bitterly and threw themselves on the city gate, slapped it hard, and shouted: "Open the door! Open the door! We are the people of Yanbei, why? Do not open the door?"
The cry pierced through the sky, and the soldiers of Longyin Pass were stunned. They all clearly saw the battle two days ago. At this moment, no one is willing to point their weapons at their former comrades-in-arms. Now, seeing these common people, they stand still on the spot, not knowing how to fulfill their responsibilities as a defender.
"Open the door!" The people slammed into the city gate frantically, someone fell down, and the people behind rushed forward regardless, trampling that person into a ball of meat paste.
The cries and screams echoed in the wilderness, and the snow was flying and falling, and the sky and the earth were vast.
"Stand back! Otherwise we will shoot arrows!" The officer at the top of the city shouted loudly.
"Don't shoot arrows! We are ordinary people!"
"Please! Save my child!" The woman who ran out first knelt on the ground, held up the swaddling baby in her hand that was no longer crying, and cried bitterly, "You don't need to save me! But please You, save my child!"
"Open the door! Open the door! Let us in!"
…
"Master Chu!" The guard at the top of the city shouted loudly, "Come back! If you don't come in, we can't open the city gate. Your Majesty has an order, as long as you are willing to come back, we will forget the past!"
"Master Chu! Don't blame the past!"
Hundreds of defenders shouted together, the sound was like a rolling thunder, rumbling across the vast plain.
The common people seemed to have found a savior, and suddenly someone turned around and knelt down in the direction of the Xiuli Army, and the people were crying bitterly.
"My lord! Go back!"
"My lord! Help us, let's go back!"
"My lord! Go back and admit your mistake to Your Majesty!"
"My lord!" The woman ran out from behind, stumbled and fell to the ground, the child in her arms was bumped, and suddenly burst into tears, the voice was sharper than Da Xia's saber Stinger, "My lord, please, save my child! My lord, please, save my child!"
The world was so cold and pitch black, the Xiuli Army stood silently, looking at their commander.
Chu Qiao's heart seemed to be torn into thousands of pieces, she bit her lower lip tightly, the taste of blood filled her mouth, her hands were icy cold, and her fingertips were trembling slightly.
Yan Xun, Yan Xun, you've already arrived, haven't you
You have expected all this a long time ago. At this moment, are you quietly waiting for me to go back and kowtow to you on the Huolei Field outside Beishuo Gate
There were waves of screams in her ears, and thousands of people knelt at her feet, knocked their heads on the ground, and cried loudly at her. Just a few days ago, they were swearing allegiance to her with their fists raised high, shouting the slogan "Long Live Freedom", but now they are begging her, begging her to go back and confess to Yan Xun.
The reality is so cold, yet so helpless.
Her eyes were dry, and she couldn't shed any tears. The bitter taste was rampant in her chest. Fate had driven her into the abyss of despair. It seemed that every step she took, she would be hit to the point of bleeding.
"My lord." He Xiao came over, stood firmly behind her, looked at her worriedly, there seemed to be faint distress and pity in his eyes, "My lord..." He wanted to persuade her, but he didn't know what to say , everything is so absurd and funny, the world is so big, but where should they go
"He Xiao." Chu Qiao sighed in a low voice. For a moment, she felt that the blood in her body was frozen. She was so desperate that she wanted to die on the spot, but she still insisted on issuing a brief order, "Send the whole army, we …”
At this moment, there was a sudden sound of horseshoes behind him. The soldiers of the Xiuli Army turned their heads quickly, only to see Daxia's battle flag approaching ferociously, and Zhao Yang led the army to fight back again!
"Order the whole army! I will resist Xia's enemy!" For the first time in her life, Chu Qiao felt that Da Xia's army was so cute. She didn't know if it was right for her to think so, she just wanted to escape from this place like an ostrich, when Daxia came, everything could no longer be taken care of, she had to turn back and fight! But she still thanked God quietly in her heart for not letting her make that heart-wrenching decision at this time, although she might pay a heavy price for this.
"Your Highness! The whole army is ready to attack."
"No need!" Zhao Yang said lightly, "We'll just turn around and leave."
"Ah?" His subordinate was slightly taken aback, and asked, "Why?"
Zhao Yang did not speak for a long time, staring deeply at the thick night, and after a long time, he said in a low voice: "We can't let her go back to Yanbei."
Fighting back and forth like this lasted for a whole night, and Daxia seemed to regard Longyin Pass as a playground, and he would come to take a turn in a while. Until the sun dispelled the long night and the heavy snow stopped, the horn of withdrawal was finally sounded.
Chu Qiao returned to the camp with the exhausted army, but saw the silent eyes of countless people. Rows of corpses were neatly placed in front of the army. The lives that were alive yesterday were lying lifeless on the ground like fish out of water. The heavy snow covered their eyebrows and faces, and small snow slopes were accumulated.
Seeing that the battlefield subsided, gradually, some people left slowly. The flow of people gradually expanded, turning from a stream to a spring, from a spring to a small river, and then from the small river to a dark ocean. They did not go to Longyin Pass or Yanbei Pass, but to Yanming Pass in Daxia slowly. and go.
"Come back!" Standing beside Chu Qiao, Pingan suddenly yelled loudly. He tried to pull those people, but was pushed to the ground. He lay on the ground and shouted loudly: "Everyone come back! Don't go!"
But no one paid him any attention.
People gradually moved away and walked up to Zhao Yang's army, raising their hands high in a gesture of surrender, repeatedly emphasizing that they were just civilians.
A team from Zhao Yang's army came out and asked them to kneel down. Thousands of people knelt down in unison, raised their hands high, and kowtowed in panic. In the distance, suppressed bitter cries and Xia Bing's triumphant laughter came over. The soldiers of the Xiuli Army stood there in a daze. Some were crying silently, but they couldn't say anything. What should I say? Do you encourage the unarmed to fight the enemy, or tell them that you will rescue them
Heavy snow fell from the sky again, Chu Qiao's heart was as cold as a rock under the ice, she looked at all this with empty eyes. The battle flags are flying, the red clouds are like fire, and the world is bleak. Welcome to the winter of 19778. On September 25th, the wind was strong and the snow was flying like cotton wool.
The inside and outside of the underground palace were covered by heavy snow, and the Qianling Mausoleum exposed on the ground also hung pure white lanterns early. The walking palace maids were all dressed in linen and white clothes, the curtains fluttered, and the white gauze was rolled up, gently sweeping the dust on the ground.
There were no lamps in the hall, only rows of white candles were quietly burning, emitting pale light and forming deep candle shadows.
Above the huge mourning hall, a slender figure sat quietly in the shadows. The lights seemed to be unable to penetrate the darkness beside him, leaving only a faint halo of light, his eyebrows and eyes could not be seen clearly, only the light on the small table beside him. , the cup is half tilted, and the wine is overflowing.
He never liked drinking, but now, he has been drinking alone in Qianling for three whole days.
For three days, the Qianling Hall was filled with the smell of alcohol, and the empty altars were piled up like a mountain, but why didn't there be a trace of drunkenness
Outside the door, the wind was blowing, and the snow was flying, and the shadows of candles in the hall were deep and quiet. He sat quietly alone, but he seemed to hear the rumble of war drums at the border, the soldiers holding up their sabers rushing into the cold wind to fight and hack, and the people screaming and wailing for their hometown in the cold wind, and the blood slithered to the ground. It permeates up, submerging the majestic city walls of Longyin Pass, submerging the Xiao Xiao Grass in Yanbei, and even submerging the last trace of warmth between them.