Chapter 45 The Gamble

Herren couldn't help but curse, turning around to retrieve the weapon he had just put down.

Unexpectedly, Rong Si, like a mad dog, ignored the obstruction outside the camp and rode into the tent.

The horse's hooves kicked up a cloud of dust as it landed, and with a flick of its longsword, it overturned his tent.

The camp was already somewhat chaotic due to the recent defeat and withdrawal of troops, and now it was in complete disarray.

The surrounding soldiers rushed to pick up their weapons and try to stop the bandits who had broken into the camp.

Rong Si remained completely unaffected, his face cold as he tossed aside the raised tent.

The sword spun around and slashed straight at Heron.

Herren deflected the attack with a clang of his spear, and even through the shaft, his arm trembled violently.

The shock made him stagger back a few steps, his shoulder feeling sore and numb on one side.

Herren clutched his shoulder.

Rong Si's blade touched his chest. "Where is he?"

Helen couldn't understand what he was saying. Without saying a word, he switched hands and stabbed at Rong Si.

The surrounding soldiers immediately mobilized to retrieve their equipment and opened fire.

Unexpectedly, the bandits attacked with great speed and were very adept at stealing.

Even the carts and horses being dragged over from the opposite side were the flying stone ropes they abandoned outside Long'an City when they withdrew their troops!

The bandits seized the key military location before they could.

The bandits didn't follow the rules and regulations like ordinary soldiers when they went to war.

They came up and mainly focused on looting.

Once you grab it, it's yours; start your counterattack.

If they couldn't take it, they opened fire directly on the military equipment storage areas and began bombing them without saying a word.

Previously, when they were in Long'an, they were concerned that attacking Long'an city would cause significant losses.

Right now, in the enemy camp, they are completely unrestrained and even unreasonable.

Every tent was overturned by passing bandits.

If there were no people hiding inside, they would seize the goods and turn the tables on the soldiers inside.

While cursing, Herren gathered the army at the rear.

These bandits are only capable of fighting at the beginning. I don't believe they'll be helpless when the main army surrounds them.

Soon, the sound of a large number of troops gathering came from the west rear.

Almost simultaneously, Chai Feng also arrived with his troops from Long'an.

Chai Feng didn't know why they suddenly wanted to pursue them.

However, based on the experience of fighting in Long'an today, these bandits have some ability to judge the enemy's situation.

They must have their reasons for doing this.

Chai Feng didn't care.

In any case, the enemy is currently exhausted, while our army is in high spirits.

Just hit them.

Su Fang tightened the ropes for throwing stones, employing the same attack tactics used by the Daizhou troops against them.

They mixed highly powerful gunpowder into clods of earth and launched an attack on the enemy camp!

The garrison in Daizhou was caught off guard, and smoke filled the air.

They can't even distinguish between friend and foe.

Rong Si suddenly opened one of the tents.

A scream and a cry came from inside the tent.

All of them were women's voices.

Inside the tent, a group of women were bound and stuffed inside.

Even under these circumstances, they had no way to escape and were all terrified and weeping.

The surrounding bandits were clearly surprised to find so many female prisoners hidden there.

The offensive weakened.

Rong Si pulled on the reins and looked closely, but still couldn't see Yu Wanyin's shadow.

He gave Zong Cheng a hand gesture, and Zong Cheng immediately led his men forward, clearing a path and sending the bound women out of the war zone.

Rong Si and his men overturned several tents and found countless prisoners.

There are both men and women.

The men were often tied up and forced to do hard labor.

Women are extremely rare to this group, so they were specially escorted away, with the intention of sending them back to Daizhou for further arrangements.

However, no matter what kind of prisoners they were, Yu Wanyin was not among them.

Rong Si was getting a little impatient.

They ransacked most of their camp, but still couldn't find it.

At this moment, the troops of Daizhou prepared to counterattack them.

However, the attack on Long'an had already resulted in the loss of nearly half of the troops and firepower. Although the army was not completely wiped out, the soldiers who returned had little offensive capability left.

Then, the reserve troops were suddenly attacked, so there was no advantage at all.

Where was the thought that the battle was over and I could finally go to sleep?

Instead of pressing their advantage immediately, those people suddenly came back to bite people as if they had a seizure less than two hours later.

They even stole people's belongings.

I've never seen such a shameless act.

They gradually encroached upon Yanzhou, depleting their main army, so their forces here were not particularly strong.

In this way, we can only manage a draw.

The struggle of a trapped beast is the most unbearable.

People are most willing to go all out when they are at their wits' end.

Just like the soldiers and generals of Long'an.

They had nowhere to retreat but to hold their ground.

But the soldiers of Daizhou were different; for them, the road ahead was a trophy, a medal.

Taking a step back is also an option.

Once the thought of retreating one step further takes hold, it's easy to keep retreating.

The lieutenant couldn't hold out any longer and discussed with Herren, "They're like a bunch of lunatics. Should we avoid their attacks for now and fight back another day?"

Herren's breathing became heavy; even if he won by fighting head-on like this, it would only result in mutual destruction.

We can't afford to exhaust our resources so early in the attack on Yingzhou.

"There's plenty of time in the future. Let them have Long'an, and then we'll withdraw."

As soon as he finished speaking, orders to retreat were given to the troops scattered throughout the camp.

With the primary goal of preserving their strength and preparing for the next battle, they began to retreat westward.

The soldiers of Daizhou abandoned their camp and retreated.

However, Rong Si did not find anyone, and it is impossible that they stopped looking just because they retreated.

He chased after them.

Zong Cheng also led his men in pursuit, using the weapons they had seized along with them in the attack.

They didn't intend to keep any of it; they used it all on the troops in Daizhou.

Chai Feng didn't concern himself with anything else; he just wanted to see how they would act, so he led his troops to follow.

Of course, the farther you can knock the enemy, the better.

In this way, Herren discovered that no matter how he retreated, the group of people would chase after him.

It's like a mad dog that you can't shake off.

Once it bites, it will never let go, no matter what.

Even after being evacuated to Taixi, the relentless march continued.

The pursuit lasted for two days.

The attack only ended when the troops from Daizhou withdrew from Taixi.

Rong Sizu fought the leader of Daizhou three times, turning over all the people and supplies he had seized from the people in the past few days, but still could not find Yu Wanyin.

Zong Cheng vaguely sensed something was wrong. "My lord, perhaps they really didn't capture the Queen."

"How about we go back and take another look?"

Rong Si, his face grim and covered in blood and dust, watched the dense figures of the Daizhou soldiers withdrawing from Taixi.

His face remained frighteningly gloomy.

The surge of bloodlust within him made him want to kill again.

Zong Cheng knew that Rong Si was stubborn, so he tried to persuade him a couple of times, but didn't dare to try again.

If our lord wants to fight, I reckon the fighting could go all the way back to our hometown of Daizhou.

But the others couldn't withstand that kind of fighting.

Besides, if they had actually captured him, they wouldn't have been able to find him in such a surprise attack.

It's possible that the Queen is indeed not here.

*

The Daizhou troops retreated to a city below Taixi, where they encountered the garrison of their own clan who had occupied the city, and only then did they stop.

The garrison soldiers watched in disbelief as they rushed back. "Is Long'an really that difficult to capture?"

"A bunch of mad dogs," Herren cursed under his breath, having already exhausted all his strength.

Thinking about that battle makes me feel humiliated. They said they were going to attack Yingzhou, but they ended up losing a city.

The deputy general tried to smooth things over, saying, "We won many battles in a row before we finally captured Yanzhou, so it's understandable that we're short on energy and firepower."

"We just happened to run into a group of desperate bastards who were putting up a last-ditch resistance, which caused us to suffer a temporary setback."

Seeing Herren's extremely pale face, the garrison soldier said, "I have some good news for the general."

"What?" Herren asked gruffly.

"The Northern Chi have already reached Shang'an."

Herren felt this was not good news at all, but rather a disgrace.

One of the allied forces won consecutive victories, advancing all the way to Shang'an, while the other was repelled by the forces of a small town.

Although they are indeed not as powerful as the Northern Chi, it is still shameful.

Herren gritted his teeth, "Can the Northern Chi tribe provide us with assistance?"

His subordinates remained silent for a moment, then said, "Once the Northern Chi tribe has rested and is heading south, they will definitely provide assistance."

Helen couldn't swallow this insult. "I'll raze Long'an to the ground sooner or later."

"Turn them all into my slaves!"

"Then I'll make the Prefect of Long'an kneel before me and beg for mercy."

"And his three daughters, you'll take them and make them your only wives!"

Several lieutenants nearby were quite tempted upon hearing this.

It's important to understand that in Daizhou, there are far more men than women.

It's rare to find a family that practices monogamy.

Even if it appears to be so on the surface, it's just a matter of arranging a marriage between the wife and the most influential man in the family.

In reality, for the sake of his family's rise and fall, the man had no choice but to submit to the traditional practice of communal wives.

Otherwise, family harmony cannot be maintained.

Having only one wife means that one can have only one wife.

This is a symbol of the greatest honor and status of the entire Daizhou.

One of the lieutenants seemed to remember something and casually mentioned, "By the way, it's not just the prefect's family. A couple of days ago, our spies outside Long'an City saw a new official's daughter arrive in Long'an."

Herren frowned. "What official's daughter?"

“I don’t know,” the lieutenant paused, “My informants have seen the prefect’s wife and the female members of the prefect’s family recently, but they haven’t seen that lady.”

"They must be the women brought by their reinforcements."

Women who could accompany the reinforcements generally held a high position in the military camp.

"I heard that this lady went up to the city wall to observe the situation and then talked with the prefect for a long time. That same day, Long'an cleared the city gates and began to set up military camps, pretending that they had many reinforcements."

"Unfortunately, we didn't know at the time that those reinforcements were just bluffing."

"That honest and simple prefect suddenly became shrewd and started playing with military secrets; he must have been instructed by someone behind the scenes."

Herren frowned, listening to his deputy's analysis, and muttered to himself, "The female relatives of the reinforcements?"

He ordered in a deep voice, "Investigate the origins of the reinforcements from Long'an this time."

*

Long'an quieted down early on, and the prefect was busy searching the whole city for people and rescuing the people who were deployed for security.

So we can settle them one by one.

After all, it's uncertain whether they will fight back, so the prefect needs to be on guard at all times.

Of the ten locations in Long'an, more than half of them had their entrances to the underground palace buried by collapsed houses.

During the cleanup process, it is also necessary to ensure that the opening remains secure so that the people who are about to emerge will not be injured again.

Even though they had increased manpower and worked day and night to clear the entrance to the underground palace, they still didn't have enough manpower, and the progress was much slower.

Even if you manage to clear out three people from the whole city in a single day, that's considered a lot.

The northwest side is the most remote corner of Long'an City.

And it was the most severely buried.

Those inside the underground palace, hearing that the sounds of battle had ceased outside, anxiously tried to determine whether the battle had ended in defeat or victory.

However, they were buried quite deep and remained silent for a long time, so no one could tell them apart.

During this time, Yu Wanyin had listened to all the gossip and family matters of the people in the underground palace.

We've become somewhat familiar with each other.

Even now, they have nothing else to say.

Perhaps because they had waited a little too long, everyone's spirits were somewhat inexplicably low.

Yu Wanyin sat on the stone steps to the side, with He Yi sitting next to her.

The little girl's face was dusty and gray.

He was holding a rope in his hand.

At the end of the rope, a small dog stood guard below the stone steps, craning its neck to eat the food in Yu Wanyin's hand.

He Yi remained silent, resting her chin on her knees as she stared at the buried stone gate.

Like a lost child, waiting for her parents to come and find her.

Her parents said they would come to find her once the war was over.

Is the war considered to have ended now?

Then why did she wait for so long but never see him?

The little girl lowered her eyes and asked in a muffled voice, "Don't my father and mother want me anymore?"

Yu Wanyin parted her thin lips slightly, "No."

She was about to add, "How could there be parents who abandon their children during wartime?"

But she immediately thought of herself.

"Then why haven't they come to find me yet?"

Yu Wanyin smiled silently, "Your father and mother have found a way for you to survive, they won't abandon you."

“Perhaps… something tripped him up.” Yu Wanyin remained silent for a moment.

Her parents lived in Taixi, and were crushed by the Daizhou army as they passed through...

Some things are hard to say.

If it's a family that can guarantee their safety.

Why would someone go to such lengths to send a child who doesn't even know the way out?

Yu Wanyin stroked the puppy's fur and looked at her, "If they don't come looking for you, would you like to come with me?"

He Yi blinked and looked at her.

For a moment, she felt as if she wasn't being touched by rice cake, but by herself.

But He Yi shifted her body slightly and said apologetically, "But I still want my father and mother."

Yu Wanyin smiled, "Then I'll wait with you for them to come find you."

"Can they still come?"

Yu Wanyin didn't know, but she said, "Yes."

Waiting is a gamble with no return.

Those who wait will be the winners.

Although she rarely wins.

Suddenly, a heavy thud, as if something heavy had fallen, was heard above the long-silent underground palace.

It didn't hit them from above.

Instead, it was left outside the underground palace.

Some chaotic sounds mixed with noise came from the entrance of the underground palace, which was buried very deep.

The people who had been sitting and waiting inside the underground palace all stood up and looked towards the entrance of the underground palace.

"Has someone arrived?"

Just as someone was about to get excited, they suddenly realized, "Are they our people or people from Daizhou?"

Upon hearing this, the people who had stood up around them became tense again.

The guards dared not utter a sound. Standing inside the stone gate of the underground palace, they gripped their long swords tightly and listened warily to the sounds outside.

However, the heavy covering made it difficult to hear people talking outside.

All that could be heard was the sound of heavy objects being moved away one by one at the entrance of the underground palace.

The clearer the sound, the more tense the people around became.

Until finally, the heavy stone door was lifted and slammed to the ground with a loud thud.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Yu Wanyin saw a tall figure approaching against the light.

The muffled sounds outside became clear at that moment.

Along with his tough, sharp armor and his angular, cold face.

The dried bloodstains on his cheeks contrasted sharply with the murderous glint in his eyes, a testament to the fierce battle that had taken place not long ago.

Zong Cheng stood to the side, waving away the surrounding dust, which only made the figure clearer.

Zong Cheng asked, "How many people are there?"

Everyone relaxed completely upon seeing that it was their own people. The guards inside the underground palace quickly responded, "Thirteen!"

Everyone inside the underground palace became excited, "It's them!"

The woman standing nearby burst into tears of joy, exclaiming, "We won! We actually won!"

"I thought Long'an was about to fall."

Zong Cheng repeated the guard's words, took a torch and entered the underground palace, illuminating it.

He froze on the spot the moment he saw Yu Wanyin, overjoyed, "She's here!"

"My lord, the Queen is truly here!"

Rong Si saw it.

He knew it was her the moment he saw just a glimpse of her.

Rong Si, with a tense expression, strode two steps into the underground palace.

Before he could even go inside, the people inside were already rushing to leave.

The darting figures blocked him at the doorway.

The people who had been hiding in the underground palace for a long time and the soldiers who came to meet them from outside were talking about their situation in turn.

Yu Wanyin stood still.

He was still holding Heyi's hand.

He Yi didn't recognize these people, but felt that the one at the door looked somewhat cold and aloof.

He hid half his body behind Yu Wanyin, secretly observing them.

Immediately afterward, two familiar figures appeared behind Rong Si and called out, "He Yi!"

He Yi's eyes lit up, somewhat surprised and a little dazed, "Father, Mother."

The two people ran in from the entrance of the underground palace, and the woman hugged He Yi, who was next to Yu Wanyin.

"Oh dear, you're alright, that's great."

He Yi was embraced by the woman, blinked her bright eyes, and then pouted.

She finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears, crying, "Why did it take you so long to come?"

Yu Wanyin was surrounded by a cacophony of noise, becoming a blurry mess.

The person outside the stone gate was crystal clear.

Most of the people inside the underground palace have been evacuated.

Rong Sicai walked in.

He remained silent, his face tense.

His dark eyes were swollen with emotion as he stared at her intently.

For some reason, the atmosphere felt subtly strange.

This left Yu Wanyin speechless for a moment. She tried asking a question, "Is it over?"

"Um."

Silence fell between the two of them again.

Yu Wanyin didn't know what had happened outside, but she figured he was probably just tired.

The woman beside her checked that He Yi was unharmed, and that the abrasions on her legs had been cleaned and treated with medicine. Looking around, she saw Yu Wanyin and probably knew what had happened. She stood up and thanked her, "Thank you for taking care of He Yi, young lady."

Yu Wanyin said modestly, "We just happened to run into each other on the way."

She suddenly remembered, "You came from Taixi?"

“Yes.” The man beside him echoed, gesturing to Rong Si, “It’s all thanks to this military officer.”

"He helped drive the people from Daizhou out of Taixi. We met him on the way and asked the sir to take us to Long'an."

Yu Wanyin was quite surprised, "You've already fought all the way to Taixi?"

Rong Si looked at her and finally spoke, "If it weren't for Madam, I wouldn't have been able to reach Taixi."

Upon hearing this, the couple next to them realized, "So you two are..."

"I see, thank you both..."

Yu Wanyin found his words strange, but no matter what, winning was something to be happy about.

Moreover, they even reclaimed Taixi. "Why do you say that?"

Seeing her smiling and asking questions, Rong Si felt restless and irritable, and he chuckled silently in response.

He stepped forward, wanting to touch her, but caught a glimpse of the dirt on his hands out of the corner of his eye, and stopped when he touched her moon-white dress.

The family of three, reunited inside the underground palace, emerged together with Yu Wanyin.

The night was as dark as ink, and the city of Long'an remained in ruins.

The remaining soldiers are tidying up the debris on the street.

The prefect found some houses that were not too damaged to house the suffering people in the city.

This also includes the He Yi family and the Rong Si who were rescued from the prisoner-of-war camp.

The recapture of Taixi was only temporary; the subsequent defense of the city quickly became a problem.

If the military strength of one city is used to support three cities, it will be easily depleted in a short time.

Just as the prefect was worrying, He Yi's father suddenly stood up and said, "If there's no one else, we can manage too."

"At this critical juncture, joining the army means dying in battle, while being a civilian means being taken prisoner and tortured to death. It's better to die in battle."

After a moment of silence in the courtyard, someone said, "I can do it too, but I've never practiced."

They looked at Rong Si and said, "If we learn from the general, we should be able to learn very quickly too."

"yes."

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions.

The prefect and the guards beside him also glanced at Rong Si. Rong Si was extremely agitated at this moment. He used the water beside him to wash the bloodstains off his hands and face, and threw out a sentence, "I am not a soldier, I am a bandit."

After saying that, he walked to the carriage and helped Yu Wanyin get off.

Silence fell over the surroundings for a moment.

Most of the surprise stemmed from Rong Si's identity.

When Yu Wanyin came out, she was stunned to see everyone looking in her direction.

She helped the man out of the car and asked him, "What are they looking at?"

Rong Si did not answer.

The prefect was overjoyed to see Yu Wanyin, exclaiming, "Madam of the Chieftain, you scared us to death!"

"The enemy's attack was sudden. We couldn't find you and thought you had been captured by the enemy and taken to Taixi."

The prefect asked, "Where did you go today?"

Yu Wanyin paused for a moment, then said, "I just went out for a walk."

She could easily glean some of the background and context from the prefect's words.

They thought she had been captured by the enemy and taken to Taixi.

Therefore, in his desperation, Rong Si pursued the Daizhou troops all the way to Taixi.

He Yi listened to their conversation and kindly said, "Madam did not wander off."

"My wife was with me, and she even helped me find a place to hide."

Yu Wanyin felt uneasy upon hearing these innocent words from a child.

She wondered if he would question her about how she had promised not to go out but had still gone out, and subconsciously looked at Rong Si.

She happened to meet the man's burning gaze. "Going back to the room?"

As he spoke, he placed his large hand on her waist and pulled her towards the prefect's residence.

Yu Wanyin had no choice but to walk in that direction.

On the way back to his room, Rong Si remained silent.

Since they met, Rong Si has been very quiet.

It was as if they were suppressing something.

It's like waiting for an exit.

The door opened, and the room was pitch black.

Yu Wanyin was led through the door by him, and then slammed against the door with a loud bang!

His kiss came fiercely and urgently.