Chapter 92: The Army Besieges the City (10)

  In the imperial study, Nalan Xinnuo was asleep with her head on the desk. The country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and all the major and minor affairs in the court were handed over to Nalan Xinnuo, who had not closed her eyes for three days.

  At this time, the door of the imperial study opened slightly, and a small eunuch looked inside, hesitating for a moment.

  "Come in."

  The little eunuch was startled, and when he lifted his head again, Nalan Xianyu had already woken up. Her face was pale, and she looked a bit haggard. The little eunuch walked in and reported: "Your Highness, Dugu Taizi requests an audience."

  Nalan Xixiao nodded, got up and walked to the side hall, sat down, and a palace maid came over to serve tea. At the door, a man in his 40s pushed a wheelchair in, with Dugu Han holding a painting scroll in his hand.

  Dugu Han said calmly to the big man beside him: "You go down first."

  Dahan nodded and glanced at Nalan Xianyu before retreating.

  "Please take a look, Your Majesty." Dugu Han handed the painting to an eunuch standing beside him. The eunuch took it and walked into the hall, where he and several palace maids unrolled the painting together. The scroll was very large, and when unrolled, it filled the entire reception hall.

  As she watched the gradually unfolding painting, Nalan Xianuo's eyes widened slightly.

  This is a map of the Luotian continent, but it has more detailed annotations of various special landforms, as well as regional characteristics, weather conditions, local customs, and historical wars, military distribution.

  It's a complete war encyclopedia. With such a map, it's absolutely knowing oneself and the enemy, and it's of great help in deploying troops or using tactics.

  Nalan Xino was somewhat astonished, in such an era, without satellites, without all kinds of electronic detection equipment, to complete a map like this, it is necessary to invest manpower and financial resources, personally surveying and researching, it would be impossible to complete in just a few years.

  There is such a map, with Sheng Jin's current strength, wanting to unify the world is simply a matter of a thought.

  But he's actually handing over something so precious to her now?

  "I bid you farewell." Du Guo Han nodded his head.

  As soon as he finished speaking, a big man outside the door walked in. Nalan Xianyu opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

  She can't just say thank you, she should be grateful for many things, not just this one?

  "Your Highness needn't worry too much, I'll be ready at any moment." His calm demeanor was intoxicating.

  Here, he is Crown Prince Xing'er Dugu Chanhuan, she is Empress Nalan Xixi of the Luotian Empire. She is the ruler, he is the subject. It seems like a very ordinary loyal advice, but in fact, it's just one sentence: don't worry, I will always be here.

  Nalan Xixi quietly watched his departing back, the wooden wheel rolling on the ground, making a familiar yet strange muffled sound. She always managed to superimpose this scene with the figure she had seen countless times before, indifferent and desolate. For some reason, she felt an urge to cry.

  In the past, he was a prince of the world's greatest empire, living in peace and tranquility with his noble status and wealth, until one day, someone broke this silence, destroying all his illusions about the world.

  Later, he was the unparalleled crown prince Dugu Han, proudly cold and elegant, with a unique charm. Unlike Nangong Jin's overbearing aura, he commanded respect, and for the sake of the people's peace, he could silently endure the pain of his past.

  Today, he is as calm and serene as ever, but yesterday's glory has been confined to a wheelchair. In the silent waiting, there is not only pain, but also an additional love, an unrealistic and unrequited love.

  His love, like his pain, is forever buried in his heart, like a pool of clear water, faint but bottomless, flowing gently, unknown to others, yet etched in his bones.

  "Your Majesty! General Zhou requests an audience!" A small eunuch rushed into the imperial study in a flurry.

  Nalan Xixiao stood in front of the map, studying it carefully, his brow furrowed with anxiety.

  General Zhou rushed in alone, without even the usual formalities. "Your Majesty! Disaster has struck!! The eight regional lords, led by the Wusunan State, have formed an alliance with thirty million troops and are marching towards us under a unified banner, vowing to fight to the death!"

  Nalan Xixiao continued to gaze at the map, her eyes falling on the eight countries of Jiangnan south of the Yangtze River basin, which is now the Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, a land of rich soil and abundant resources, a treasure trove.

  Zhou Gai furrowed his brow, lamenting: "This is Dugu Han's sinister plot! He first raised an army to shock the eight nations of Jiangnan, letting them form an alliance. If he withdraws now and waits for us to be exhausted from fighting each other, he can reap the benefits as a fisherman...

  Nalan Xixi sneered. "It's just Huanfu Ling's sinister plan, I said it before, Huanfu Ling won't wait for death, originally he wanted to unite with Wunanchu to make trouble during the ceremony of investiture, but later Wunanchu withdrew, now he has no way out, the only ones who can help him are just Jiangnan's eight nations."

  Zhou Gai seemed to be thinking deeply. "But I'm still worried about Dugu Han, once he retreats..."

  Nalan Xixi said lightly, "Originally we didn't expect him to help us much anyway. Now that the war is about to break out, since we can't avoid a big battle, why not just have a thorough and satisfying fight with him and forever eliminate our worries!"

  Zhou Gai clasped his fists. "I am willing to follow Your Ladyship, even unto death!"

  As night began to fall, the north gate of Luotian suddenly opened, and a swift horse rushed out of the city, galloping towards the camp where millions of elite soldiers were stationed hundreds of meters away.

  "Hush," Suddenly, the sound of horseshoes came to an abrupt halt.

  Four swift horses suddenly ran out from both sides and blocked Nalan Xinnuo's path. Four people jumped down from the horses.

  "What's first!"

  "Kung Lung!"

  "Silver Dragon!"

  "Get out of here!"

  "See the master!"

  Under the moonlight, four people knelt down on one knee in front of Nalan Xianyu's horse, and Nalan Xianyu trembled. She didn't say a word, nor did the four people below get up, and for a moment, the air around them was somewhat oppressive.

  "Master..." He couldn't help but speak up first.

  "Have you found Shangguan Qinyue?" Nalan Xianyu asked coldly.

  "Huo Zhe and Tian Lang Wei have already escorted them to the island where Shangguan Qinyin is!" He Xian replied.

  Nalan Xixiao nodded, pulled up the reins, and prepared to leave. At this moment, she was not qualified to be cold towards them, but for the first time, she didn't know how to face these people. In the most critical moment, when life and death were on the line, they gave her unconditional trust, but she betrayed them and chose to abandon them.

  She doesn't deserve to say anything more.

  Watching Nalan Xixi about to leave, He Xi hastily called out, "Master!"

  Nalan Xixi stopped her horse and said, "Don't call me master again, I'm not worthy."

  The barracks, brightly lit.

  Within a radius of several hundred li, there are dozens of military camps. Each camp has an elite army of one million soldiers.

  Outside the camp, a large area of open space was lit up with bonfires. Soldiers from each camp were walking towards the open space, while soldiers in charge of food were busy shuttling back and forth to deliver fine wine and meat.

  The soldiers couldn't help but glance at Nalan Xiong, who was still chatting with Du Guhan on the stage, their eyes filled with unconcealed admiration and reverence. After three rounds of wine, He Xian had already become drunk, stumbling as he stood up and walked towards Nalan Xiong's side.

  "Everyone!!" His loud voice echoed in the air, and gradually quieted down. Everyone looked up at the stage, He Xian smiled and ignored Quan Long's obstruction, pointing to Nalan Xinnuo proudly: "This is my master!!"

  Quan Long and others came to pull him, he pushed them away with force. The people below whispered, Dugu Han drank coldly, Nalan Xian's eyebrows slightly frowned. He continued loudly: "I have something to say!! Today, my master actually said that she is not worthy of being our master. Today, I want you all to evaluate and see if she is worthy or not!"

  He sat down on the ground with a thud, and the soldiers below him chuckled softly. However, he didn't think it was funny and said loudly: "In the twelfth year of Luo Tian, Princess Nan Gong Yan fell seriously ill and needed three rare medicines to cure her. Those three rare medicines were all in the deadly forest where one goes in but never comes out."

  "Have you guys heard of the Lin's Path?" He Xian disdainfully swept his gaze around the people on and off the stage, and there was a dead silence. "In that Lin's Path, there are countless strange insects and exotic creatures, all of which are unheard-of and unseen wonders. My master, alone and unafraid, burned fireflies and flying moths, caught fish with his bare hands, beheaded giant alligators, fought ferocious beasts, beheaded cloud spiders, and went through life and death with the king, collecting the three flavors of medicine!"

  The unheard-of strange beast made the training ground suddenly quiet, and Du Guo Han's expression was slightly cold.

  "In the thirteenth year of Luo Tian, the Qiang people invaded the border, and the rebel leader caused internal chaos. My master came alone to kill the left prime minister, eliminate the rebellious party, gather the scattered army, and rescue the king from the midst of water and fire. Later, after the king's great victory, he encountered a Qiang ambush at Kirin Mountain, where my master was severely injured. He risked his life to go forward, exterminate the rebels, and defeat the Qiang army!"

  The entire drill ground was silent except for the sound of torches burning.

  "In the fourteenth year of Luo Tian, my master entered the palace and interacted with the treacherous officials of the chaotic country. He made plans in secret every day to prepare for today's battle. The capital city erupted into chaos, and the rebels injured our king. Fortunately, my master had been preparing for months, and the king escaped disaster. However, he was caught off guard by those rebels and was on the verge of life and death. My master rushed into the flames, suffered severe injuries all over his body, and rescued the king. Immediately after that, Huang Fu Ling led an army of 500,000 to besiege our borders. My master went alone to the enemy's camp to rescue Princess Nan Gong Yan, enduring humiliation from those scoundrels."

  He slammed the wine bottle in his hand to the ground, and the shattering sound echoed through the night, lingering on.

  He slowly stood up, his eyes already brimming with hot tears. His voice was agitated, every word coming from the bottom of his heart. Everyone held their breath and listened attentively.

  "All these years, the master and Wang Shang have been through thick and thin together, sharing countless life-and-death struggles, suffering countless injuries, but only we can see it, yet we cannot imagine what kind of pain and suffering the master has endured all these years. Today, the eight princes and Lenovo form an alliance to launch a massive counterattack, our master once again charges into battle without hesitation, another life-or-death struggle, how many more wounds will be inflicted, how much more blood will be shed, what kind of agony will be endured? I don't know, and I'll never know."

  He hastily wiped away his tears, "I only know that in my heart, she is not just the queen on the king's side, in my heart, she and the king are equally my Lord of Luo Tian! Are our eternal masters!!"

  Suddenly quiet in all directions, if it were said in the past, it would be a great rebellion and treasonous words that deceive the ruler.

  But now, everyone was shocked by this remark. Nalan Xianyu frowned slightly and said in a cold voice, "Come on, General He is drunk, hurry up and help General He down."

  "I'm not drunk!" He Xian waved his hand, "Every word I said is true!"

  As he finished speaking, he tore open his collar, revealing his scarred arm in the firelight. At this moment, three figures floated over and knelt down in front of Nalan Xianyu, also tearing open their collars. On their left shoulders, identical blue marks stood solemnly silent under the moonlight.

  The azure wolf head seemed to glow in the night, its ferocious fangs representing their unwavering determination. Nalan Xianyu's left shoulder twitched, as if responding, and for a moment, the air congealed. Nalan's anger subsided, his eyelashes lightly trembling.

  "Born as a human prodigy, soul returned to the heavenly wolf. Through life and death, together forever, no regrets, no parting!"

  A resolute vow echoed through the night, on and off stage, whether it was Luo Tian or Sheng Jin, all the generals, involuntarily stood up, they unconsciously placed their hands on their chests, as if they too had the same mark.

  Below the stage, soldiers echoed in unison, their loud and firm voices piercing through the long sky, reverberating in the quiet night.

  "Born as a human prodigy, soul returned to the heavenly wolf. Through life and death, together forever, no regrets, no parting!"