Chapter 195 The mantis stalks the cicada

At dawn on the third day, the sky was slightly bright, and on the vast grassland outside the Beidi King's court, an army of 100,000 had already formed up.

Murong Qi drew the sword from his waist, pointed the blade towards the south, and shouted loudly:

"Soldiers, the time to achieve great things is now. Follow me to the battle!"

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" The one hundred thousand strong army roared, shaking the plains and even changing the color of the sky and the earth.

The iron hoofs crushed the tranquility of the early morning.

With flags waving and spears like a forest, the huge army of Beidi's most elite forces headed straight for the Dagan border with the momentum to crush everything.

Murong Qi was in the center of the army, looking at the billowing smoke and dust in front of him, with a cold and determined smile on his lips.

"Murong Feng, my good brother, you have to hold on a little longer and wait for me to come and pick you up."

The news that Murong Qi was leading 100,000 Northern Di cavalry was like a sudden burst of wolf smoke on the grassland, and it spread to the south through various secret channels in an instant.

late at night.

At the border of Dagan, a hundred miles outside the capital, Murong Feng’s army tent.

The flickering candlelight illuminated Murong Feng's gloomy face.

He had just received a letter via carrier pigeon from a spy from the Northern Di royal court. The few words in it made him break out in cold sweat.

"Crown Prince Murong Qi, under the king's orders, has led 100,000 elite troops out of the royal court, heading due south."

Murong Feng's heart sank suddenly.

Murong Qi's move was called assistance, but in reality it was an attempt to steal credit, and it was more likely that... there was someone else behind the scenes.

"What a great Murong Qi." Murong Feng almost squeezed out these words from between his teeth.

"Your Majesty?"

Seeing his expression suddenly change, his trusted generals couldn't help but ask.

Murong Feng lit the note in the candlelight, watched it turn to ashes, and said in a voice as cold as ice: "Our good prince has arrived with an army of 100,000."

Several generals in the tent were shocked when they heard this.

They were all Murong Feng's confidants and were well aware of the open and covert struggles between the two princes.

"The Crown Prince has come at this time, I'm afraid he has ill intentions. Your Highness, we..."

Murong Feng raised his hand to interrupt him, his eyes sweeping across the crowd sharply. "His targets are first the capital and secondly me. We are already on the verge of a decisive attack. How can we retreat because of him? We must resort to other methods. We must capture the capital before Murong Qi arrives. As long as the capital is in my hands, Murong Qi's 100,000-strong army will be powerless."

He had to move faster. His carefully planned plan had been disrupted, and there was no room for hesitation.

At the same time, outside the capital, in a courtyard.

Jiang Qingning did not fall asleep. She stood in front of the window, looking at the dark night sky in the north, a warm jade pendant being unconsciously stroked on her fingertips.

An Yi appeared silently behind her like a ghost and reported in a low voice: "Master, news has come from the north. Northern Di Crown Prince Murong Qi has led an army of 100,000 south."

The corners of Jiang Qingning's mouth curled up slightly, as if everything was under his control.

"Got it. What about Murong Feng?"

"The Third Prince must have received the news, and his men are ready to march, but they still only have three thousand men."

"A cornered dog will jump over the wall."

Jiang Qingning said softly, his tone unclear whether it was mocking or satisfied, "Alright, let's make the two brothers go faster."

She turned around, her face looking particularly profound in the dim light. "Is everything in the capital ready?"

"Everything is ready as the master ordered. But is it too dangerous to let two hungry wolves into the house at the same time?" There was a subtle worry in An Yi's voice.

Jiang Qingning smiled, a smile that was cold yet gorgeous. "If it's not dangerous, how can we clear the sludge that has accumulated for years? If we don't let them think they have victory, how can we let them fight to the death? What we have to do is to guard the most crucial door."

"Don't forget, Xun Chen's forces are also taking action at almost the same time. If two of the three forces collide, we will surely reap the benefits."

A cold light flashed in Jiang Qingning's eyes, full of determination to win.

"By the way, where's Lu Bin?"

"I took medicine today and have been drowsy the whole time."

"Well, very good. Go down and keep a close watch. Report any unusual movements to me immediately."

An Yi bowed and merged silently into the darkness again.

Another two days.

Murong Feng's cavalry rode almost non-stop, day and night, and finally arrived at the city of Luzhou.

Luzhou is the last decent gateway to the north of the capital. Once it is breached, the capital will be defenseless.

On the top of the city wall, the defending general's face turned pale as he looked at the black mass of elite Northern Di soldiers below. It was obvious that these were far more powerful than the bandits that had caused trouble in the past, which was terrifying.

Murong Feng reined in his horse before the battle line, not in a rush to attack the city. He shouted, "Listen up, defenders on the city walls! I am Murong Feng of the Northern Di! The Great Emperor is incompetent, treacherous officials are in power, and the people are living in misery! I am raising an army this time only to purge the emperor and save the world!"

"If you surrender, I will ensure the safety of you and all the people in the city! If you resist stubbornly..."

He sneered, and the army behind him said in unison, their voices resounding throughout the field, "After we take the city, leave no one alive!"

The murderous aura swept over the top of the city, and all the defending soldiers trembled with fear.

The defending general forced himself to remain calm and shouted, "Murong Feng! How dare you, the Northern Di barbarians, challenge my great majesty? We are deeply blessed by the Emperor, how could we surrender to you? Attack if you dare!"

A cold light flashed in Murong Feng's eyes, and he lost his last bit of patience.

He was about to wave his hand to order a violent attack when a fast horse came galloping madly from behind. The rider was covered in blood and almost fell off the horse. He shouted at the top of his lungs: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince's army is a hundred miles away, and the flags are pointing directly at our flank."

"What?!" Murong Feng's face changed suddenly and he turned his head abruptly.

Baili? How could it be so fast?! Did Murong Qi fly here?

Murong Qi simply wanted to take advantage of the fierce battle between Murong Feng and the defenders of Dagan to give him a fatal blow from the flank and swallow up Murong Feng and the defenders of Luzhou at one gulp.

At this moment, he was attacked from both sides. In front of him was the Da Gan army defending the city, and behind him was the prince's personal army who were eyeing him covetously and whose strength far exceeded his own.

"Your Highness! What should we do?" The subordinates and generals were all panicked. The situation reversed in an instant and they were in an extremely dangerous situation.

Murong Feng's brain was working rapidly.

He cannot retreat. If he retreats, all his previous efforts will be wasted. He will also be chased and beaten by Murong Qi and die without a burial place.

He also couldn't attack the city with all his strength, otherwise Murong Qi would defeat him in an instant.

In a flash, an extremely risky idea flashed through my mind.

He yanked the reins, and his horse reared up. "Order! The rear troops will become the front troops. The left and right camps will build a defensive line based on the terrain to prevent a surprise attack from the Crown Prince's army. The central troops will follow me!"

The subordinates were stunned: "Your Majesty? You're not going to attack the city anymore?"

Murong Feng did not answer, but rode his horse to the foot of Luzhou City and shouted:

"Listen up, everyone on the city walls! I've changed my mind. I know your loyalty and righteousness, and I can't bear to slaughter you any more. The real threat is the impending arrival of Prince Murong Qi of Beidi. He's brutal and ruthless, and if he captures Luzhou, he'll definitely massacre the entire city."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in and outside the city was stunned.

Murong Feng continued to shout, "Murong Qi is a usurper in our country, intent on killing his father and brother. He has come here to steal our military merits and to slaughter the people of Dagan to establish his authority. I, the king, am willing to temporarily suspend hostilities with you. You and I will first join forces to resist this foreign enemy, Murong Qi. Once we defeat this beast, you can then decide whether Luzhou should fight or surrender."

The Luzhou garrison commander was completely confused and had no idea what was going on among these Northern Di people.

But if the two armies attacked the city one after another, Luzhou would undoubtedly be captured.

If we can temporarily compromise with one of them and deal with the stronger one first, this is the only glimmer of hope in this desperate situation.

Although it is like trying to get the skin of a tiger, but...

The general was still hesitating when Murong Feng sternly declared, "There's no time! If we wait for Murong Qi's army to encircle us, we'll both be dead. Open the gates. I will bring only my personal guards into the city to discuss a joint defense with you. The army can temporarily retreat three miles!"

There was deathly silence on the city wall, the wind was howling, and everyone's eyes were focused on the defender.

As time passed, rising dust seemed to be visible on the northern horizon.

Finally, the commander stamped his foot and shouted hoarsely, "Open the side gate and let Your Highness enter the city. The rest of the troops will retreat three miles as agreed!"

The heavy city gate creaked and opened a crack.

Murong Feng did not hesitate, kicked his horse's belly, and rushed into Luzhou City with dozens of elite guards.

The city gates quickly closed behind him.