mutiny
In the northwest of the Yesha Plain, the north wind was so fierce that the Beishuo wolf flag fluttered in the wind.
Tuoba Hong stood atop a high slope, his gaze sweeping across the distant, chaotic battlefield where heaven and earth met. Behind him stood fifty thousand elite cavalrymen, their armor gleaming, their swords and spears reflecting the cold sunlight from beyond the Great Wall.
He came here not for the land of Western Qiang that was about to be divided up, nor for those insignificant wealth and slaves, but for one thing only - to capture Ning Lingyi alive.
He knew Ning Lingyi too well and was well aware that opportunities were fleeting.
Once the Western Qiang royal court is destroyed, the Northern Expedition that has lasted for several years will come to an end, and Ning Lingyi will surely return to the court in triumph with unprecedented achievements.
By then, she will be in charge of the capital, her prestige will be at its peak, the government will be stable, and people from all over the world will be loyal to her. It will be difficult to move her. Those who are afraid of her and want to suppress her can only lie dormant in the face of absolute authority, and it will be even more difficult for him to shake her.
Only now!
Only on the eve of the decisive battle, her elite army was firmly stuck on the front battlefield of Yeshayuan by the main force of Xiqiang, and she was unable to split herself up. She herself was sitting in the rear with relatively few troops. It was the moment when she was most vulnerable and most likely to be lured out of the nest!
This is the only chance, perhaps the last chance.
If Beishuo misses this opportunity, he may be suppressed forever in the bitter cold land of Mobei, and it will be difficult for him to compete with her who has integrated the power of the Southern Dynasty. I am afraid that the world will really have to change its name to Ning.
He feared her more than anything else, and was determined to capture her even if it meant sending tens of thousands of cavalry.
He must not let this opportunity go.
"Pass the order!" Tuoba Hong's voice broke the silence.
"□□'s army, lead 10,000 cavalry and attack the flank of Pan Hao's army in the Southern Dynasty. We don't seek to annihilate them completely, but simply to entangle them and prevent them from returning to reinforce!"
"promise!"
"Harbala, lead 15,000 elite cavalry and attack Wang Mengzi's camp!" Tuoba Hong's eyes flashed coldly. "No matter the cost, day or night, we must crush the Mingzhou army!"
"Yes!" The general accepted the order, but hesitated for a moment, "Great Khan, Wang Mengzi's troops are brave and fierce, and they are defending a dangerous position. A sudden attack would result in huge losses..."
Tuoba Hong said with a resolute expression, "It is his ferocity that this prince desires. He wants Ning Lingyi to know that her old soldiers in Mingzhou are being madly besieged. She values friendship, especially these old soldiers who have followed her since their humble beginnings. The louder Wang Mengzi cries out in pain, the faster and more anxiously she will come."
He knew too well how to exploit Ning Lingyi's weaknesses.
As long as you are loyal to her, she will protect you with her life. Women are always soft-hearted.
And this will become the bait for her to step into the trap.
"The rest of the troops, follow me. Send out all the scouts, and report immediately if Ning Lingyi sets out!"
Tens of thousands of Beishuo cavalry pounced on its prey.
The iron hooves shattered the silence of the wasteland, and the dust raised covered the sky.
*
In Anxi City, Ning Lingyi's face instantly darkened when he received the military report that Wang Mengzi's troops suffered heavy casualties after being attacked by Beishuo.
Tuoba Hong really took action!
The Mingzhou Army is her foundation, and they are the brothers who crawled out of the sea of blood and corpses with her. Wang Mengzi's letter for help is full of tears and blood. How can she sit idly by?
"Call the troops and march immediately!" Ning Lingyi did not hesitate at all.
The remaining 10,000 elite troops in the central army quickly assembled.
Ning Lingyi glanced at her sister who was also wearing military uniform and had a determined look in her eyes. Although she was reluctant and worried, she knew that there was no turning back at this moment, and it was time to fulfill her promise to her sister.
She said in a deep voice: "Lingyao, listen to my orders!"
"I'm here!" Ning Lingyao stepped forward.
"I grant you one thousand cavalrymen to serve as scouts on the left wing of the army. Remember, from now on, you are no longer responsible for your own safety, but for the lives and property of these one thousand soldiers. Every order you issue will be carried out with their blood and loyalty. The battlefield is no joke, so proceed with caution!"
Ning Lingyao took a deep breath, knelt on one knee, and clasped his fists to receive the order: "General Ning Lingyao obeys your order! I will do my utmost to protect the army's flank! If the three armies suffer due to my incompetence, I will accept military punishment and will not hesitate to die!"
Ning Lingyi gave her sister a deep look and helped her up: "Okay! Let's go!"
The army rushed out of Anxi City like an arrow, heading towards the vast sea of sand and the unknown danger.
After marching for several days, smoke and dust rose in front, and a team of cavalry with the flag of "Xue" came towards them. The leading general was Wang Zhen under Xue Cheng's command.
Upon seeing Ning Lingyi's carriage, Wang Zhen hurriedly dismounted and saluted, his expression solemn. "Your Majesty! General Xue has learned of the unusual movements in Beishuo. He's worried that Your Majesty, anxious to rescue General Wang, may have led his troops deep into the enemy territory and been ambushed. I've specially ordered this general to lead 3,000 cavalry to rescue them! Your Majesty, please follow me to the main force of the central army. We can unite our forces and then attempt a rescue. This is the most foolproof plan!"
Ning Lingyi frowned and looked in the direction where Wang Mengzi was asking for help, feeling anxious. However, Xue Cheng's worries were not unreasonable. Tuoba Hong was cunning and there was no guarantee that he would set an ambush along the way.
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded, "Okay, I'll follow General Xue's instructions. General Wang, lead the way."
"I obey your command!" A hint of relief flashed across Wang Zhen's face, and he quickly stood up to lead the way.
The army then turned and followed Wang Zhen's troops, marching across the barren Gobi Desert.
For two consecutive days, the journey was unusually quiet. Apart from the whistling sandstorm, no Beishuo cavalry were encountered. However, Ning Lingyi felt more and more uneasy.
On the third night, the army camped in a sandy valley sheltered from the wind to rest.
When the men and horses were exhausted, suddenly there were cries of killing!
Countless Beishuo cavalrymen emerged from behind the sand dunes like ghosts, torches instantly illuminated the night sky, and arrows shot into the camp like locusts!
"Enemy attack! Protect His Majesty!" The guards reacted instantly and formed a shield wall at the risk of their lives.
Ning Lingyi drew his sword and commanded the resistance. The attacking Beishuo army had far more troops than expected, numbering over ten thousand. It was obvious that they came well prepared and their attack was extremely fierce.
After a fierce battle, although the Southern Dynasty army fought hard, it was inevitably at a disadvantage due to its hasty response.
Wang Zhen fought bravely, rushed to Ning Lingyi's side, and said urgently, "Your Majesty! The enemy is well prepared and has a strong force. I am willing to lead my troops to fight to the death and cover their retreat. Your Majesty, please immediately lead your elite guards and break out to the southeast! General Xue's main force should be only two days away. Once we reunite with them, we can regroup!"
"No!" Ning Lingyi flatly refused, "How can I abandon my soldiers?"
"Your Majesty!" Wang Zhen fell to his knees with a plop, his voice hoarse and filled with tears. "Your Majesty! Your safety is of paramount importance! It concerns the overall situation of the Northern Expedition and the fate of the Southern Dynasty. If Your Majesty is harmed, we will die a thousand times to atone for it! I beg Your Majesty to put our country first and break out of this siege as soon as possible! Even if it takes our last breath, we will stop your pursuers!"
Ning Lingyao also grabbed her sister's arm: "Sister! General Wang is right! Hurry up and leave, we will stop them! You can't get hurt!"
Watching the soldiers around her fall one by one and listening to the pleas of Wang Zhen and her sister, Ning Lingyi felt heartbroken, but she also understood that they were telling the truth. If she failed, everything would be over.
"Wang Zhen, come back alive!"
"I... obey your command!" Wang Zhen kowtowed heavily and led his troops to charge into the enemy formation in the opposite direction, tightly blocking the offensive of the Beishuo army.
Ning Lingyi no longer hesitated. Surrounded by more than 2,000 of the most elite guards, she fought hard to break out in the southeast direction indicated by Wang Zhen.
Behind him were deafening shouts of killing and burning camps, like a picture of hell.
The breakout team did not dare to stop and galloped all the way.
After running for two days and two nights, according to the distance Wang Zhen described, they should have met the support troops sent by Xue Cheng or seen the lights of the main camp.
But what we see before us is still the endless desolate Gobi Desert, with nothing but wind and sand.
Ning Lingyi reined in her horse, looked around, and her face looked extremely pale in the moonlight.
"No..." she murmured, spreading out the simple map she carried with her and carefully identifying the direction with the torches held up by her personal guards.
Something is really wrong.
Ning Lingyao was still asking what happened, but Ning Lingyi's heart was already in turmoil.
She didn't show it on her face, she just said, "Wang Zhen betrayed me."
Ning Lingyao was shocked when she heard this: "Sister, are you talking about General Wang..."
Ning Lingyi put away the map: "He didn't point to the main force, he led us in the direction of Tuoba Hong. Wang Zhen... has rebelled!"
"Rebellion? He defected to Beishuo?" Ning Lingyao couldn't believe it. "He was General Xue's subordinate, a veteran who followed my sister from Heshuo!"
"He didn't defect to Beishuo," Ning Lingyi looked at the dark sky, as if trying to see through the conspiracy behind it.
"He betrayed me. If I'm not mistaken, the person who ordered him came from the capital, from the Jing family."
"The Jing family? My brother..." Ning Lingyao was struck by lightning, and she understood everything in an instant. A chill rushed from the bottom of her heart to her head, making her whole body cold. Her voice trembled, "How dare they... Why?"
A trace of deep pain flashed across Ning Lingyi's eyes, and she said self-deprecatingly, "Why? The Northern Expedition is about to succeed. If I return to the capital safely with unparalleled achievements, Yan He will forever be just Prince Qing. But if I unfortunately die on the battlefield, at the hands of Beishuo..."
"Then it would be natural for the younger Prince Qing, who is known to be my sister and brother, to ascend the throne. At that time, all he needs to do is shout a few slogans demanding revenge for me, and he'll easily win over the army and the people. The Jing family will then be able to seize power and control the world."
Ning Lingyao felt dizzy.
She had always known that there were struggles in the court and the influence of the Jing family on her brother, but she had never imagined that this struggle would be so cruel that her sister's life would be sacrificed!
Did her brother, the one who had followed her around and depended on her when she was little, know about this? Did he agree? Or had he become part of this conspiracy?
The sister is still the sister, but the brother is no longer the brother?
How could power lead to such fratricide?
Confusion, fear, anger, sadness...all kinds of emotions overwhelmed her like a tide.
She looked at her sister. Under the cold moonlight, her sister's profile was still calm, but how many storms were hidden beneath that calmness?
"Let's go!" Ning Lingyi interrupted her thoughts, "Turn northwest immediately and head to the nearest border town."
Ning Lingyi did not get emotional. She had long expected that the Jing family would win people's hearts. She originally thought that the war with the Jing family would be in the court, but she did not expect that there would be a traitor in the army she controlled.
She underestimated the enemy. She should have expected it.
This is a serious fall. If you are not careful, you will die.
Wang Zhen, what did the Jing family promise you to betray me?
Ning Lingyi put all her thoughts aside. The most important thing at the moment was to break the impasse.
The team set off again and disappeared into the night of the vast Gobi Desert.
Behind them, a huge web woven of betrayal and ambition is rapidly closing in. Tuoba Hong's main force is following the trail like a hound, frantically searching for her.
The real danger has just begun.
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