Chapter 128: Fierce Battle!

  Although it was a release, Yuan You brought Wu Ren out of the horse shed and didn't show much courtesy to her. Her two maids were not tied up, but they didn't spare her either, still binding her all the way, under the heavy night color, the group held torches and left the camp.

  "Yuanyou, is this all you're capable of?"

  After listening to Wu Ren's low and muffled scolding, Yuan Yu rode on a tall horse, smiling down at her as she followed him with quick steps.

  "Ah, if I had known earlier, I should have shut your mouth."

  "You're blocking me. If you have what it takes, then kill me."

  "Don't think I dare not?" The rope binding her was right in his hand, Yuan Yu pulled her over, lowered his head, and smiled slyly at the pale-faced woman under the horse, his breath spraying on her forehead. "Believe it or not, I can really kill you."

  "How dare you be such a man?" Wu Ren shot him a sidelong glance.

  Seeing two people arguing all the way, Xia Chuyi, who had secretly followed Yuan Yu to "send someone off", couldn't bear it anymore. She rode her horse over, kicked Yuan Yu's leg, and stared at him with wide eyes.

  "Brother, today the moon is bright and the wind is fine, it's simply a beautiful scene! Why must you always be killing and ruining the atmosphere? I've heard that being reckless under the moonlight never leads to anything good. Hurry up and let Wu Ren get on his horse, send him back so he can sleep well."

  "Let it go, for your own sake."

  Yuan You let out a cold hum, pulled Wu Ren's reins, grabbed the rope around her waist, put her on the horse, hugged her around the waist, patted the horse's buttocks, and galloped forward. He showed off his horsemanship, jumping and leaping with great fanfare.

  Unfortunately, Wuren was a girl who grew up on the grasslands and riding horses was child's play for her. If Xia Chuyi were to exchange moves with someone at a lower level of horseback riding, she might have let out a few cries of surprise, but Wuren merely sneered coldly.

  "Immature!"

  "You little girls, aren't you afraid of death?" Yuan Xiao Gongzi's temper flared up.

  "You don't dare kill me! Your general hasn't given the order."

  "I dare not kill you, I can play with you."

  "Haven't you played enough? What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

  “……”

  A few words were blocked by her, Yuan You's face turned black with anger, and he tightly grasped her waist until she cried out in pain before letting go. This Wu Ruo Xiao was a Mongolian girl, raised wild and free from a young age, truly unlike the gentle and reserved women of the Central Plains. Upon careful consideration, Young Master Yuan suddenly discovered that she had several parts of Chu Qi's "wild nature", and at this thought, his eyebrows curved slightly upwards.

  "You know I've had my way with you, so you should understand a thing or two. If you return to the Northern Di and can't marry anyone off, remember to come back and find me. My backyard is quite spacious. As long as you're obedient, I'll give you a chance to warm my bed, it's not impossible."

  "Many people said they wanted to marry me, guess what happened to them later?"

  "Wow, really rare, someone still dares to marry you?"

  "This princess is the most beautiful woman on the grassland!" She got angry.

  "Oh, I see, so what happened to them afterwards?"

  "They're all dead!"

  "Hey." Hearing her serious tone, Yuan Yu chuckled softly, "That's their foolishness. Me? I just want to play with you, marry? Dream on."

  Wu Ren smiled and said in a gloomy tone, "So, you will definitely die more miserably than them."

  "Come on, young master is waiting, let's see what a wonderful way you'll die." Yuan You's pair of phoenix eyes were full of uninhibited smiles. Much later, looking at the still bright moon in the sky, he finally realized that people really can't be reckless under the moonlight, there is a kind of death called - seeking but not getting, living is worse than dying.

  The moon is suspended in the vast sky, and the evening wind follows the horse's hooves.

  The green hills were dim, the night fog was thick, and a group of people rode horses at high speed, arriving at the Medicine King Temple where they had agreed to meet with Hasaer in no time. Xia QiQi, who had been lagging behind all along, saw the temple under the moonlight and suddenly felt a shock, urging her horse to hurry forward.

  It is said that the Medicine King Temple enshrines Bian Que, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing and Sun Simiao as the Medicine Kings. As a descendant of a medical family and a successor to traditional medicine, she has some reverence for the Medicine King Temple. Today, apart from joining in the excitement, her purpose is also to worship the Medicine Kings.

  "Let me go!" Wu Ren struggled on horseback.

  "Alright, alright, let it go." Yuan Xiao Gongzi still refused to show any shame.

  Glaring at his handsome face under the moonlight, Wu Ren was so angry that her lips were trembling, but her hands were still tied behind her back. She couldn't move him and could only grit her teeth and curse in a low voice, "Soon I'll have Brother's men kill you."

  "They dare not kill me."

  He easily jumped off the horse and Yu Wei gave a fierce tug.

  "Come down."

  Wu Ren was almost dragged down by him.

  The Medicine King Temple has been deserted for many years, far from the town and with almost no incense offerings due to war. The interior decorations are also old, as if no one had come in a long time. Spider webs sealed off the main hall, and several tall pagoda trees shaded the courtyard, casting deep shadows. Xia Zhiyu was the first to enter the main hall, where she saw that the rotten offering table was covered with dust, and the broken bowl under it contained several sheets of unburned paper money, fluttering in the night wind.

  The entire temple seems eerie and terrifying.

  "Where's the person? Come out."

  The Medicine King Temple is empty and deserted.

  Yuan You shouted outside, but didn't hear any response, which was a bit strange. Xia Chuqi walked around the temple, furrowed her brow, and walked out of the temple gate. Her eyes lit up as she found a note on the broken wooden board of the temple gate that they had previously overlooked.

  "Look, older brother."

  She shouted and Yuan Yu and his entourage also looked over.

  All I saw was a piece of paper stuck on the wooden board with a short knife, and there were a few words written on it.

  "The Crown Prince has an order: between us and the enemy, to avoid conflict and unnecessary misunderstandings, it's better not to meet. Please keep Princess Wuren at Yaowang Temple for now. After you leave, we will take her later."

  It's quite considerate to think of this, especially since the Medicine King Temple is now under Da Yan's control. Even if the Northern Di people came, they wouldn't dare to be so blatant. Moreover, not meeting in person would also avoid causing trouble for Zhao Zun. Yuan You thought about it briefly and waved his hand.

  "Alright, leave them behind, let's go."

  He didn't untie Wu Ren Xiao's bonds, but was able to temporarily escape his "devil's grasp". Wu Ren Xiao looked like he couldn't ask for more and let out a long sigh of relief. But Xia Chu Qi felt that it wasn't easy getting here, everything was ready, so she naturally wouldn't just leave like this, she glanced at Yuan Yu.

  "Older brother, you guys wait for me outside for two minutes, I'll go burn some incense for our ancestors and then come."

  Yuanyou urged her with a smile, "Hurry up."

  Before the seventh day of summer, she wasn't very superstitious, and now she doesn't count as very superstitious either. However, since the matter of crossing over, she has had a reverent heart for some things. In recent days, she has been quietly studying ways to remove the scar of the tattoo on her forehead, but after trying many kinds of medicine, the effect is not very obvious. So in her private heart, she wants to go and worship the Medicine King.

  She swept away the dust, lit the incense, and silently knelt on the old cushion in front of the altar, her hands clasped together, softly reciting.

  "Honorable ancestors, I am a humble practitioner of the ancient art of Golden Seal Jade Box medicine. Today, I am overjoyed to behold your true appearance. Please bless me with the discovery of an excellent method for removing scars and rejuvenating one's complexion. Ah, no, no, no... that's too greedy, let's just start by getting rid of the scars first..."

  The candle flame flickered in the wind as she finished her prayer and kowtowed heavily.

  Knock it off.

  She nodded her head and knocked again to show her sincerity.

  She nodded for the third time after lifting her head again.

  When she was knocking her head, she always closed her eyes. After the third knock, she suddenly opened her eyes. When she raised her head, her gaze swept across, and she was stunned for a moment.

  Earlier, Her Highness had hardly any breathing sound, she thought it was just her alone, but in the brief glance just now, she saw a few silhouettes under the canopy of the offering table.

  Without hesitation, she drew her sword and let out a stern cry.

  "Who's there? Come out!"

  The sound of the night traveled far, and with her loud roar, Yuan Yu and others outside the temple heard it and rushed in quickly. However, it was clear that the number of masked men was not just a few under the table. As soon as their trail was exposed, a sharp whistle suddenly sounded on the tiles of the Dawang Temple's main hall.

  It's called whistling, but it's also an order.

  Immediately afterwards, the bowmen hiding on the walls and tiles moved. A burst of cold arrows shot towards Yuan Yu and others like raindrops.

  "An ambush!"

  Yuan You let out a loud shout and swung his sword to deflect the arrows. Before setting out, he had received Zhao Zhu's orders, bringing with him around twenty or thirty people. However, despite this, the enemy was well-prepared and held the advantageous terrain. Almost as soon as the cold arrows appeared, three Golden Guard soldiers were hit by arrows and fell to the ground.

  "Protect the princess."

  He shouted again.

  From the direction of the first wave of cold arrows, he discovered that their target was not the Golden Guard, but Wu Ren Xiao Xiao. After hearing his shout, several Golden Guards quickly rushed to the top of the wall, but the other side was clearly not an ordinary mob, with extremely good martial arts skills and high kung fu, and the two groups immediately became entangled in a fierce battle.

  Xia Zhiqiu in the main hall was very strange.

  As soon as she finished shouting, those black-clad masked men jumped out from behind the offering table and the statue of the Medicine King. However, when she took up a fighting stance, they didn't make any move towards her. They quickly ran out of the temple gate, their target clearly being the Wu Renyuan that Yuan You was holding in his hand.

  Suddenly she was enlightened.

  How could Kasar have let people put Wu Renxiao here? It must be that these people are trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain, wanting to get rid of them and then come back to kill Wu Renxiao. This way, Zhao Zhuo won't be alarmed either. And Kasar's reinforcements for Wu Ren are probably being delayed halfway now.

  Who is it? What's the purpose?

  Before she could think too much, when she ran out of the courtyard outside the main hall, there were already several corpses on the ground. Among them were three Jinwei soldiers, two black-clothed masked men, and Wuren's two maids.

  The torches have all gone out and can't see the blood.

  In the air, there seems to be a faint smell of blood.

  Fortunately, Yuanyou's speed was extremely fast and his skills were not bad either. In the life-and-death knife light and sword shadow, he and the Golden Army generals blocked the black-clothed masked men who rushed up, surrounding Wu Rensheng in the middle.

  She took a quick glance at the situation and Xia Qi quickly rushed over to join the fight against the masked man. However, her kung fu skills were only good for sneak attacks, and in a real fight with many people, she was no match.

  She was sweating in her palms.

  However, just like in the great hall earlier, those masked men seemed to not want to move her, and instead dodged around her as she joined the fight. Especially after she started fighting, the number of cold arrows shot from the rooftop decreased, as if they were afraid of hurting her.

  Too weird!

  She pondered "catch the thief first catch the king", her eyes quickly swept to a very thin masked man in the middle of the black-clad men. She found that this person was the leader, always using different secret signals to command others. But unexpectedly, she tried to rush up several times, but was avoided by him.

  He didn't want to kill her and deliberately avoided her.

  Unless it was someone she knew, no one wanted her dead.

  "Yuanyou, cut open my rope." Amidst the chaos, Wu Ren gazed at the masked men surrounding him and shouted in a low voice.

  "Think again!"

  Yuanyou's eyes gleamed with a cold light as he swung his hand to deflect the arrow that was about to hit Wuren's forehead. A particularly detestable smile played on his lips. "Little girl, you'd better pray that nothing happens to me. If something does happen to me, you'll only die faster."

  Wu Ren's voice was urgent and his breathing was rapid, his words tumbling out in a rush.

  "You cut the rope, I can hit."

  "You little master likes to see you scared pale, enjoy it well." As soon as the words fell, another sharp arrow shot from the rooftop towards Wu Ren's face. Her expression changed, she dodged with a tilt of her head and shouted loudly.

  "Yuanyou, you're a murderer of millions."

  "Don't be afraid, I won't let you die."

  Yuanyou's mouth was taunting, but his hands didn't stop moving, "Whoosh whoosh whoosh" the wind and rain pierced through to that sharp-eyed black-clothed masked man, each move a fatal blow. It could be seen that Yuanyou's kung fu was not ordinary, he could become the right general of the Golden Guard Army, his fighting skills were on par with his drinking and whoring skills.

  The two sides were evenly matched in the intense battle, and it was a draw.

  Ke Jin's team was not in a hurry, but the opposing side became visibly anxious.

  A masked man in black clothes lowered his voice, and his voice became even more stern in the wind. "Listen to Da Yan's brothers, we only want to kill the princess of Bei Di, we only want to avenge our parents, you are all people of Da Yan, go away, don't get hurt."

  Yuan You coldly smiled, "You have so many people, surrounding and killing a woman is what kind of skill?"

  "The Northern Di bandits have destroyed our home, we must kill them to avenge ourselves."

  "Are you going to kill the Northern Di people in Daning?"

  "You really won't let go?"

  "With a young master around, you'd better not be so arrogant! What kind of heroes are you? Hiding in the dark and shooting cold arrows, what kind of heroism is that?"

  After hearing Yuan You's words, several black-clad masked men exchanged a glance, seemingly unwilling to waste any more time. With a cold laugh, they let out a low, stern shout: "Brothers, since the military officer won't give us face, we shouldn't be timid either! Kill them! Take down the Princess of Northern Di!"

  "Yes!"

  The opponent was clearly a well-trained person, and unlike the Golden Guard who excelled at large-scale battles, they emphasized small-scale team coordination. It seemed that they had not used their full strength earlier, but with this loud shout, the clashing of swords became even more intense, with attacks coming down like raindrops. In terms of individual combat strength, the black-clad men were clearly superior to the Golden Guard soldiers, and since they outnumbered them, Yuan Yu's group was at a clear disadvantage.

  "Leave behind the Princess of Northern Di, you can go, we absolutely won't chase."

  "Bullshit!" Yuan You's face turned extremely ugly, "Am I a coward who fears death? Today, I'll leave my words here. If you want to kill her, you'll have to step over my corpse first."

  "Sorry then! Fire the arrow——"

  In the dark, archers and nearby black-clad masked men made the Golden Guards increasingly unable to hold on. However, their mission today was to safely hand over Wu Renshuo to the Huihe people, so they naturally couldn't let her die at the hands of the masked men. During the melee, Yuan You also noticed that the masked man seemed to be wary of Xia Chuyi and called out to her in a low voice.

  "Ah Qi, ride back quickly and ask for reinforcements."

  "I understand." Xia Chuyi nodded at him, just about to escape from the circle of masked people surrounding her, but apparently the other party did not want to give her such an opportunity, and the attack speed became faster and faster, trapping her inside.

  "Yuanyou!"

  Wu Ren let out a sudden terrified shriek.

  In the early summer of the seventh month, a great shock occurred. Turning back to look, he saw that due to her departure, the masked man had let his guard down, and several cold arrows shot quickly from the rooftop, rushing straight at Wu Ren's face. Yuan You swung his sword to block several of them, but the last one was too fast to be blocked by a returning knife. He let out a loud roar, raised his left arm, and forcibly blocked it. The arrowhead entered his left arm without any hindrance, and fresh blood gushed out instantly.

  "Master saved your life, remember that."

  He let out a low snort and scared Xia Chuqi so much that her heart skipped a beat.

  "Older brother, are you okay?"

  "It's nothing, just a minor injury. It was worth it for this cheap woman."

  At this time, he still had the mood to tease, Xia Chuyi knew that the wound was not serious, and his left arm didn't matter if it was going to be crippled, so he slightly relaxed. But thinking about it, if he hadn't used his body to block it, the arrow would have hit Wu Ren's head.

  "A Qi, I'll see you out."

  Yuanyou shouted, but his left arm was injured and it was no longer convenient to pull Wu Ren to dodge, so he wrapped the rope on her body around himself, gritted his teeth and carried her on his back, "Don't expose your head."

  He had already turned his back on Wu Ren and charged in the direction of Xia Chuqi, determined to clear a bloody path for her. But these people's kung fu was truly exceptional, and for the time being, it was impossible to distinguish between victory and defeat.

  Almost subconsciously, an idea popped into Xia Chuqi's mind.

  "What good will it do you to kill Wu Zixu?"

  "There's no benefit." The black-robed, masked man's voice was deep. "We just want revenge. It seems the rumors about Prince Jin and Princess Beidi having an affair are true after all. A prince of a great nation, a general king, actually willing to kill his own people for the sake of a Northern Di bastard, it really chills our hearts."

  "Stop spouting nonsense!" Xia Chuyi glared at him, her eyes sharp and cold as she sneered, "What kind of absurd idea have you people come up with? Don't think I'm unaware."

  "Do you know?" The masked man said coldly, "You will never know."

  "Oh, so it seems you know me too?"

  The man in black closed his mouth and stopped making a sound, but the attack became more intense, and even the orders given were more ruthless. "Brothers, don't be polite to them anymore. Anyone who hinders us from killing the Northern Di barbarians is an enemy."

  At the beginning of summer, Xia had already made up her mind. Just as Yuan Yu was about to kill the black-clad man with his knife, her cunning eyes flashed and she rolled on the ground, quickly slipping out from under the armpit of a masked man, and after several rolls, she had already escaped dozens of feet away.

  At that time, people emphasized the importance of dignity and integrity. A normal man would not stoop to hitting someone under their arm, so no one expected her to use such a shameless tactic. In the midst of everyone's shock, she had already rushed to the gate of Yao Wang Temple, ready to grab the horse and escape.

  "Chase after her—"

  "Black-clad man?" someone shouted loudly. At this moment, a chorus of "Ah-la Ah-la" battle cries and angry roars echoed from outside the temple, growing louder by the second. Xia Chuyi had just mounted his horse when he saw a group of Northern Di warriors charging towards them, their iron armor glinting in the light of their torches, clearly having also been through a fierce battle to arrive here so quickly.

  "Bang!"

  They were shouting with surprise, delight and anger.

  Wu Ren's eyes sparkled as he shouted, "General Agu, kill the black-clothed masked man!"

  Looking at the disheveled Wu Ruo Xiao, Ah Gu's heart ached and he let out a mournful cry. "Princess, I'm late in coming to your rescue...I was intercepted on the way here, it seems there was indeed a plot! Brothers, kill!"

  "Kill! Save the princess!"

  Agu led a group of Beidi warriors shouting and surrounding them, directly joining the battlefield. In this way, Xia Chuyi didn't rush to go for reinforcements, but instead jumped off his horse. With the addition of the Beidi people, the situation on the battlefield changed immediately. The black-clothed masked men who had previously held the upper hand were now attacked from both sides by the Yan army and the Di army, and they couldn't help but get angry.

  "General Da Yanjun, is this going to be a betrayal?"

  Yuanyou coldly shouted in a low voice, "Let your mother's fart go."

  When fighting, they were still arguing, originally a waste of energy. Seeing that they were no match for the enemy, the black-clothed and masked men became more anxious, and several people were cut on the arm by the northern Di people's curved knife. Xia Chuyi's heart sank, and he quickly ran over to look at the leader of the thin and dark-clothed masked man.

  "Hurry up and get out! What are you waiting for?"

  He looked at her and gritted his teeth.

  "Brothers, retreat!"

  The situation developed too quickly, the situation changed in an instant, and just as a group of black-clad masked men were about to retreat, General Agu of Beidi furrowed his brow.

  "Charge! Kill them!"

  Bei Di army listened to the order, just about to chase out, Yuan Yu suddenly put down the Wu Ren Xiao Xiao on her back, a bloody steel knife was placed on her neck.

  "Halt! Don't chase anymore!"

  General Agu looked back at him with a cold gaze.

  "What does 'former general' mean?"

  Yu Wei slightly raised his chin, the blade pressed tightly against Wu Ren's neck, and he spoke in a cold voice, "Listen carefully, this is our territory, whether to kill or not is up to us. Our great general Wang wants to release your princess, not because we want to be friends with you, but because we don't want to harm women and children. Dahan and Beidi are eternal enemies, I hope you understand that."

  Agu's eyes slightly sank, and she made a fist.

  "Prince of Jin, Renyi, our Crown Prince said, never forget each other."

  "There's no need to say any more nice words." Yuan You slowly retracted his dagger, lowered his hand and with a push, handed the still-bound Wu Renxiao over to Agu.

  "Next time we meet, it's either you die or I perish."

  "See you on the battlefield!" Agu gazed at him coldly and said faintly, "Farewell!"

  ……

  ……

  Lushan Road, wrapped in night wind.

  A gentle breeze lifted a corner of the curtain, and in the flickering firelight, a tall, ravishing figure in red sat quietly, savoring the night tea as if waiting for something. Before long, a green-clad figure swiftly pushed aside the curtain and rushed in, falling to their knees with a thud.

  "Grand Commander, the mission has failed."

  The Eastern Blue Mystic suddenly lifted his head, his eyes sank, and a pair of phoenix pupils looked at him for a moment with a mixture of anger and depression before slowly getting up and walking over.

  "Get up!"

  The man in blue quickly stood up, still with his head hung low, "Your subordinate is incompetent."

  Dongfang Qingxuan's lips curled up, and his stunning face was filled with a frosty smile that was even colder than the night wind outside. Before he could finish laughing, "slap" - a palm landed on his face.

  "What's wrong with you? Can't even handle such a small matter?"

  The man in green clothes didn't dare shout, nor did he go to cover his face that had been slapped.

  "Great General, I didn't expect that Chu Qi was also there... I couldn't bear to harm her, and our actions were restricted, wasting time. The Northern Di people who were intercepted arrived, so we had no choice but to retreat."

  Dongfang Qingxuan let out a cold laugh, closed his eyes for a moment, rubbed his forehead, and looked at the person in green clothes in front of him. His voice was soft and gentle, "You'll fail even with such an easy task, Rufeng, you're really something."

  "It is unfavorable for subordinates to handle affairs, please let the Grand Commander punish them."

  "Like the wind!" Dongfang Qingxuan shouted in a low voice, suddenly flinging his sleeve and sweeping away the delicate tea cup on the table. Amidst the splashing of tea water and porcelain shards everywhere, he almost lost his composure and growled, "Who told you not to hurt her? Who told you that I couldn't hurt her?"

  Like the wind without raising his head, he swallowed and said, "It's a guess of mine."

  "Guess what? Guess what?" Dongfang Qingxuan sneered, seemingly self-mocking, yet also sarcastic. For a moment, his emotions changed dramatically, and a layer of chilliness floated up in his beautiful phoenix-like eyes, as if they were being swept away by a thousand-layered stormy wave.

  "Get out and take your family law with you, roll!"

  Like the wind, no one dared to look up at him.

  Having followed him for so long, he understood Dongfang Qingyun's temperament.

  In his great anger, he would kill people, he knew.

  "Yes! I bid you farewell."

  No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone came in from outside. He looked around at the situation in the room, hung his head low and spoke with a hint of fear.

  "General Commander, Chu Qi... is looking for you."

  Dongfang Qingxuan took a deep breath, furrowed his brow, glanced at Rufeng, waved his hand, and waited for him to leave before replacing his expression with a smile, instructing the other person.

  "Let her in."

  After returning from the Medicine King Temple, Xia Chuyi simply bandaged Yuan Yu's wound and didn't go anywhere else. She directly found the tent of the Imperial Guard and entered with big strides after getting permission. Her gaze was fixed on Dongfang Qingyun's face, looking at his smiling face that seemed to be forever elusive under the candlelight. She stood there for a long time before asking a question.

  "Why?"

  "In the middle of the night, you ran to the man's camp and asked why. I'd like to ask you instead, why? Is it that the King of Jin cannot satisfy you, so you came looking for me?"

  His teasing and belittling, Xia Qi didn't mind. It wasn't that she was magnanimous, but rather that at this moment, there were more important things she wanted to figure out. As he walked closer, she sat down uninvited, straightened her back, and sat across from him with an unusually serious expression, her tone even more solemn than usual.

  "Your goal is to help Zhao Zhu?"

  Her words came out of nowhere, Dongfang Qingxuan was slightly stunned. Immediately, a pair of phoenix eyes sparkled with waves, and amidst the ripples, a subtle smile emerged, "So in your eyes, I'm still a good person?"

  Xia Zhi Qi did not avoid his gaze and stared at his face intently.

  "On the way back, I kept thinking about what benefits or gains you would get from doing this. Later, I could only think of one possibility. You left a note there to provoke Yuan Yu, originally not wanting to fight with Jin Wei's army, and the person you wanted to kill was only Wu Renyao."

  He let out a soft "oh" and Dongfang Qingyun smiled.

  "Azhu, have you gone mad? I don't understand what you're saying."

  Ignoring his rhetorical question, Xia Chuyi sneered and continued: "Wu Renshengsheng is just a woman, although she's a princess, how much influence can she have? If you're thinking of killing her to drive a wedge between Zhao Zhuo and Hasaer, that's unnecessary. Because Dahan and Beidi are sworn enemies, Zhao Zhuo and Hasaer will never become friends, even if Wu Renshengsheng dies at Zhao Zhuo's hands, it won't have any impact on him except to add another title of 'bloodthirsty killer' to his name. The war between Hasaer and him won't be softened regardless of whether Wu Renshengsheng lives or dies. So the only reasonable explanation is that you want to help him."

  "What a fanciful idea! Why don't you go write an opera?"

  Xia Qiqi smiled lightly and said, "General Commander, you're overpraising me. If I were to write a play, would you read it?"

  Dongfang Qingxuan's eyes dimmed slightly, and a hint of mockery flashed in his pupils. "Chu Qi, you really are self-righteous. Do you think everyone is like you? To be honest, my friendship with Zhao Zun hasn't reached the point where I need to help him."

  "No need to pretend." Xia Chun's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Dongfang Qingxuan's beautiful face with a hint of a smile, "Wu Ren has died, and for Zhao Zhu, it's all good and no bad. Dongfang Qingxuan, I'm asking you, is the imperial court planning to make a move on Zhao Zhu? Are they going to use this incident to create a big fuss, just like what happened to my father, pinning a 'treason' charge on him, making him lose credibility in the army and never be able to turn things around? In the army, he was intimate with the Northern Di princess, and now he's secretly releasing her, and also has a close relationship with Haxia... these few points, if exploited by someone with ill intentions, would be enough."

  "These things, you should go ask Zhao Zhu."

  "I won't ask him, I'll ask you."

  "Why don't you ask him why he still insists on doing it his own way even though he clearly knows better?"

  "Zhao Zun is different from you, he's a real man, he has his own backbone. In his heart, there are only things that should be done and shouldn't be done, he won't go against his will just because of threats."

  "Hmph!" Dongfang Qingxuan sneered, her face still as beautiful as a flower, "So that's what you think? In your eyes, only I am not a man, without any heroic spirit, resorting to assassination and stabbing in the back, doing all sorts of evil deeds?"

  "Right, you're not a good person." Xia Chuqi stared at him, her voice hoarse. "You sent people to intercept Hassar's men and kill Uren Qiqi, all part of your plan. As long as Uren Qiqi is dead, the one who killed her will become the Jinwei Army that left early, so Uren Qiqi died at Zhao Zhu's hands, and the rumor of treason and rebellion can't be established."

  In the eastern blue mysterious phoenix's eyes, amber light flows, but it is gloomy and frightening.

  "As you said, how could I not be a good person?"

  "Because you helped Zhao Zhuo, it was just for your own sake."

  "Huh?" Dongfang Qingxuan sneered, "What's there to say about this?"

  Xia Chuqi gazed at him, her mouth curving into a faint smile, revealing that long-missed dimple. "Hassar and the Beidi people are more eager than anyone to take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of Zhao Zhuo. Without Zhao Zhuo, the northern gate would be wide open, and Hassar's iron hooves could march all the way south. But none of these are what you want to see... You want to stop the situation from developing..."

  She paused for a moment and smiled slightly.

  "What is your relationship with the Emperor of Northern Di?"

  ……

  ……

  The 25-year-old Hong Tai's victory in the Battle of Lulong Pass ended with the defeat of the Northern Di army and the triumph of the Great Yan army. After this battle, the Great Yan army gained control over the entire region north of Kaiyuan and Yongning. However, Khazar was cunning and guarded Danning and Huai water line, relying on several strongholds of the Northern Di, still forming a strong confrontation with the Great Yan army.

  Ludong's victory was a historic landmark.

  In the middle of June in the 25th year of Hongtai, an imperial edict bearing the seal of Emperor Hongtai arrived at Lulong Pass. Zhao Mianze, acting as regent for the crown prince, commended the achievements of the northern expeditionary army and approved Zhao Zun's proposal to grant large-scale tax relief to the entire war-torn region in the north, forcing local gentry to reduce rents for the people to restore their livelihoods.

  At the same time, Zhao Mianze ordered the Northern Expedition Army to divide its forces into two routes, advancing simultaneously from Karashar and Lulong Pass to Danning, with the goal of capturing the Danning region within two months, annihilating the Khazars at the Huai River, and driving the Northern Di people back to the grasslands.

  The imperial edict from Beijing arrived soon after, and at the end of June, the Beiping Prefecture sent over the first batch of grain and military supplies after the arrival of the Northern Expedition Army.

  Xia Chang, the commander of the supply depot, had completed the handover of grain and fodder with the imperial envoy from the court. He immediately sent people to transport them from Kaiyuan to Lulong Pass and Karashar. Xia Chang also went to Lulong Pass in person to apologize to Zhao Zun, saying that the northern provinces had suffered three consecutive years of snow disasters, and many civilians had fled south, making it difficult for Ma Chenghong, the governor of Beiping Prefecture, to prepare military rations.

  More bad news came from Xia Chang's mouth. In mid-June, the grain and fodder transported from the south were loaded onto a ship in Dengzhou Prefecture and sank in the Bohai Sea on their way to Yongping Prefecture due to a rare storm, with tens of thousands of military rations lost... Furthermore, Xia Chang also said that an urgent report from the imperial court stated that the second batch of military rations was being prepared and would arrive at Kai Ping about a month later, and asked Zhao Zun to calm the soldiers first.

  Since ancient times, military rations and pay have been the comfort of soldiers. What is the purpose of fighting? In the end, it's all about having enough to eat and wear, but now the military pay has not been issued for two months, and the military rations have encountered wind and waves, the officers and men are discussing it everywhere, no one wants to fight on an empty stomach.

  The court gave a deadline for sending troops to Da Ning, but Zhao Zun still did not give the order.

  In early July, the second imperial edict urging troops arrived at Wenhua Hall. Zhao Mianze, in the name of Emperor Hongtai, ordered Zhao Zun to complete the encirclement of Danning by the end of July.

  In mid-July, Zhao Mianze once again implemented benevolent governance, issuing an imperial edict to greatly reduce corvée labor and taxes nationwide. The edict was quickly disseminated to all provinces, stating that "the court will not impose levies or labor for three years, allowing the people of the world to rest and recover." As a result, Zhao Mianze received widespread acclaim from the people for his "benevolent policies, reduced punishments, and light taxation," and people from all over knelt down to pay homage to the imperial capital, praising the crown prince's kindness and concern for the people's hardships.

  Following the imperial edict, rumors emerged from unknown channels, causing widespread speculation among the people. It was said that General Wang Zhi, the great military leader, had not sent troops to attack the Northern Di Haxial because he had a "connection" with them and was deeply acquainted with them. There were even rumors that Zhao Zhen and Haxial's sister, Wu Renxiao, had secretly fallen in love. The scenes at Lulong Pass and Yaowang Temple were even made into songs and ballads, hinting that Zhao Zhen was a "hero who couldn't pass the beauty test", a man of great talent and virtue who was ruined by a woman's hand.

  Rumors spread like an epidemic.

  However, no one expected that at the end of July, when rumors were rampant, Emperor Hongtai personally ascended to the Tianfu Hall and ordered Grand Eunuch Cui Yingda to read aloud Zhao Zhen's "Thirty-Three Meritorious Deeds" over the years. At the same time, an imperial edict was issued, ordering Zhao Zhen to join forces with Ding'an Hou Chen Xiang to besiege Danning, along with a shipment of 10,000 dan of grain and fodder arriving at Kaiyuan.

  On August 1, Zhao Kui went to the Lulong Pass and worshipped in the capital, according to the imperial edict, he replaced the emperor to sacrifice to heaven and announced to the world, took an oath at Lulong, led 150,000 troops to rush to Dading, Chen Daoniu also sent troops from Karakhany at the same time, preparing to complete the encirclement of Dading...

  Two days before the departure of the main force, in the middle of the night, Xia Chuyi was in the "Bingzhang Workshop" in Kaiping with Yuan You, making the final inspection and preparing to transport this batch of new weapons to Lulong Pass, following Zhao Kui's northern expedition, firing their first shot...

  Apart from the arsenal departments authorized by the imperial court, private possession and manufacture of weapons were prohibited. However, Yuan Xiao Gongzi was a firearms enthusiast and had made significant contributions to the development of Da Yan's firearms equipment over the years, and Emperor Hong Tai had always turned a blind eye to his actions.

  Of course, they have established their own arms workshops, but without the financial support of the imperial court, the difficulties they are facing now are just a matter of funding chain problems.

  "Brother, this is called a three-shot burst cannon, how's it?"

  "Not bad!"

  On the seventh day of summer, Xia's hands were covering a large iron cannon barrel. Looking at this dark thing, her eyes were very bright. Yuan You was beside her, teaching several artillerymen the basic knowledge of loading, igniting and firing.

  The big cannon is not a new thing, it's just that the artillery of the Divine Machinery Battalion usually has to be disassembled and reassembled after each shot, and its range and power are not as good as this improved version of the "Three-Shot Cannon". This one can fire three shots at once, which is already considered a divine artifact in today's standards.

  This thing was studied by Xia Chuyi and Yuan You for nearly three months with more than 20 craftsmen. In addition, they also have a batch of invincible hand cannons, bird-beak cannons, and meteorite cannons, but unfortunately, due to funding constraints, they cannot be widely promoted. This time attacking Danning, they just tried it out.

  "Hmm——"

  A loud cannon shot brought Xia Chuyi back to his senses.

  Among the cheers of more than a dozen craftsmen, she walked up to Yuan Yu with a smile and said, "Brother-in-law, how's it?"

  Yuanyou returned her a handsome smile.

  "Awesome, my dear."

  Hehe, Xia Qi took down two exquisite wrist guards from the shelf, carefully wiped them clean and put them in a box wrapped in velvet. Her eyes were full of smiles.

  "Ready for departure, Lu Long——"

  Digression

  It's the end of the month, where are the girls' monthly tickets?

  Special thanks to the following people:——

  Dear Zhao Zhao 996 has been upgraded to Yuan!