Chapter 4: Using oneself as bait to create confusion

He Zhaojun clapped her hands three times and called over several men. They were wearing the same clothes as He Yong and several young generals, and even their expressions and appearances were about 50% similar.

"I'm worried that Prince Yong has stationed a large number of troops. If we send them all out, my father and brother won't be able to hold out for long. I'll go with them to lure away some of the enemies. If we can somehow break through, we'll look for a chance to ask for help." He Zhaojun looked calm, without a trace of fear.

She looked at her palms awkwardly.

These were a pair of hands that had lived a life of luxury and had no traces of labor. Naturally, they could not hold a sword or ride a horse.

He Zhaojun got on the carriage, and two maids holding swords and whipping the horses, the group quietly left through the back door.

Seeing that they were about the same distance, He Zhaojun opened the carriage window and looked out. In the distance, flames and smoke were rising from the house, and it was obvious that fighting was going on.

"Father, brother, where are we going? Ah... this road is so bumpy!" She deliberately asked loudly, and sure enough, a figure flashed in the dark.

The stand-ins in front did not answer, but just galloped forward on their horses.

Not long after, Wu Bi quietly sent a message: "Young lady, I see from afar that there are more than a thousand people coming from the direction we came from. Should we shake them off and return quickly?"

He Zhaojun steadied herself. The carriage was shaking, and she couldn't even sit still. "No... Since Prince Yong is planning a rebellion, he must be gathering his forces in Linjin County. Let's go to Linjin and capture the thief and the king."

She would never tell anyone that if she could hold on a little longer, until Ling Buyi led his troops to Linjin County, she would have a chance of survival.

The maidservants looked at each other. There were only a few dozen people in this group. Although they were all cavalry, if they encountered the enemy head-on, they would probably not be enough to fill the gaps in the enemy's teeth.

“Dangdangdang!”

The carriage was struck by arrows, the arrowheads clanging against the copper mesh. The horses, startled, ran even faster. He Zhaojun looked out the small window at the back and saw a group of infantrymen within an arrow's reach of them.

She took down the crossbow hanging in the carriage, pulled the trigger, and shot at the enemy troops chasing her. Unfortunately, she had no experience in mobile shooting, so her accuracy was not satisfactory. Seeing that she was about to be caught up, He Zhaojun could no longer sit still.

Although she hoped to save her family's lives, she did not want to lose her own life. She leaned out and was carried on the horse by the maidservants. Two maidservants also jumped on the horses, whipped the horses with whips, and fled towards another path with the empty carriage.

He Zhaojun only felt dizzy from being shaken around. If it weren't for the excellent riding skills of the maid behind her, she would have fallen off the horse by now.

"How far?" she shouted.

"My lady, if we go at full speed, we can arrive in the evening."

"This won't do. People can bear it, but the horses are all run to death." He Zhaojun muttered twice. After abandoning the heavy carriage, the cavalry's advantage was fully demonstrated. At this moment, they had completely left the enemy behind and disappeared without a trace.

She signaled everyone to stop, cut down branches, and tied them to the horses' tails. Then they started running. The air was filled with smoke and dust, and visibility was extremely low. It seemed that there were many more people in the crowd.[3]

"Half of the people will ride their horses and circle around the woods ahead a few more times, and the rest will rest here." He Zhaojun took out some dry food, drank a few sips of water, rubbed her sore buttocks, and limped to sit on the stone.

Wu Bi hurriedly wanted to take off her coat to serve as cushion for He Zhaojun, but she waved her hand. How could she be so delicate?

"My lady, if the enemy attacks, I will escort you away first." She looked firm and spoke with great righteousness.

He Zhaojun pounded her shoulders and said, "They don't dare to move forward. At least they have to wait until the smoke and dust clears."

A faint groan could be heard from the forest behind him, as if someone was injured. The maidservant beside him immediately rushed to He Zhaojun's side, protecting her tightly.

He Zhaojun mustered up her courage and whispered in the direction of the man, "Who is coming?"