The journey to Nanze is long and takes two to three months.
With few family members, Pan Jinhua lived a relatively comfortable life. To live a good life, one needs nothing more than two things: money and power.
Coincidentally, Pan Jinhua has now gained a little bit of power.
Although the emperor was wary of her, he may also have had a sense of awe towards ghosts and spirits due to his status as an emperor. In addition, Pan Jinhua was an elderly woman in her sixties, and no one knew how much longer she could live, so he did not pay much attention to her and outwardly treated her kindly.
Meanwhile, beyond the Great Wall, swords clashed and blood swirled.
"Has it been found?"
"General, it hasn't been found yet."
The elite soldier replied, then lowered his head deeply, not daring to look at the person in front of him.
It's not that I can't watch it, it's that I dare not watch it.
This man was none other than Ouyang Cheng, but he was no longer as calm as before; he was currently in a state of rage.
The frontier is harsh and cold, and enemy raids from beyond the Great Wall are frequent and restless, eager to break through the border and plunder resources.
Especially after the start of spring, the enemy launched frequent surprise attacks, causing considerable trouble. However, Ouyang Cheng had anticipated this situation and had already arranged for manpower to defend against them.
The land beyond the border is not fertile, and for some reason, earthquakes frequently occur there, earning it the name "the land forsaken by God." The people of this land call themselves "the Great Sun People."
The Great Zhao Kingdom once tried to bring the people of this land under its control, but the Great Ri people were very cunning. They said one thing and did another, only wanting to drain the Great Zhao Kingdom to strengthen themselves, and also looking for an opportunity to seize the Great Zhao's territory for themselves.
After over a century of entanglement, the Great Zhao Kingdom suffered considerable losses and finally realized that these people were not on the same side. Thus, the Great Ri people were swiftly driven out of the Great Zhao territory by a certain emperor and now live in a land forsaken by the gods.
Because of frequent earthquakes and food shortages, people had to tighten their belts and eat sparingly during the winter. They barely made it to spring, but the Japanese couldn't take it anymore and would come to rob them, a practice they did every year.
It's not that Da Zhao is short of food. If the people of Da Ri are grateful, they might spare a little.
Unfortunately, the Japanese were inherently cruel, burning, killing, and looting the people on the border, committing all sorts of atrocities. Women and children were their food, and the two sides had a blood feud that lasted for generations.
The people on the border only wished they could skin the Japanese alive, tear them apart, and grind their bones to dust. They wanted food? Bah! Starving to death would be the least of their worries.
What angered Ouyang Cheng so much was not the attack by the Japanese, but the disappearance of Li Qingtong!
After several years of training, Li Qingtong has adapted well to military life. He is no longer a squad leader, but a centurion with a hundred men under his command. The key is that he is still young, and his future is limitless.
Two days ago, a small team of 500 men from the Great Japanese army launched a surprise attack on a village near the border. Ouyang Cheng received the news and sent a team to pursue them, including Li Qingtong.
Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Ouyang Cheng was very cautious. Since the other side had mobilized 500 men, and they were all vicious and ruthless, Ouyang Cheng directly dispatched 800 soldiers, led by a general of the cavalry.
It's not that we can't win, it's just that the safety of the people is at stake, and we'd be in trouble if we did anything wrong. The other side has nothing to lose, so they're at a disadvantage.
Led by the General of the Flying Cavalry, Li Qingtong and his men charged forward and ran into the Japanese army, where they engaged in a fierce battle.
That Japanese man was tall and strong. I don't know how he could grow so tall and strong when he couldn't even get enough to eat in that land abandoned by the gods.
I suppose this is what my grandmother meant when she said, "When God closes a door, he opens a window."
Li Qingtong is indeed capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly. If no one interferes, this battle will definitely end quickly.
The general leading the group was none other than the same general who had fought Li Qingtong to a standstill when Li first entered the camp, causing Li to lose face.
Over the years, the old grudges haven't faded away; instead, they've left a vivid mark on each other's minds. Someone who usually appears magnanimous suddenly reveals all their malice at this critical juncture.
The general's surname was Guo. While the two sides were locked in combat, General Guo's mind was still on capturing the Japanese.
Seeing that the Japanese were no match for him, General Guo's attention turned to Li Qingtong, seizing the opportunity. Li Qingtong was Ouyang Cheng's adopted son, a true member of the Ouyang family.
He wasn't afraid of the Ouyang family; after all, he was the Emperor's man. Li Qingtong was too outstanding. The Ouyang family already wielded too much power, and the Emperor could still suppress them now. But if they were left to their own devices, the Crown Prince might not be able to control them in the long run.
He naturally had to help the emperor resolve the hidden dangers; Li Qingtong was too conspicuous and could not be allowed to live.
If Li Qingtong knew General Guo's thought process, she might have cursed him out several times. She didn't know how she ended up blaming him. Was he just bullying the weak and fearing the strong?
Li Qingtong was leading his men in a charge against the Japanese.
"I'll help you!"
General Guo charged into the crowd, squeezed to Li Qingtong's side, first sprinted and killed a big man, then dodged the man's knife and slashed at Li Qingtong.
Li Qingtong never expected to be attacked by his own people. He barely managed to dodge the attack, but the knife struck his back, causing him excruciating pain.
"General Guo, what do you mean by this!"
"It's your own fault for being too arrogant."
General Guo's objective was clear: to kill Li Qingtong and pin the blame on the Japanese.
"Guo Ping, have you gone mad?! How could you lay a hand on your own people?!"
"I only want your life today. If they are willing to defect, then you can escape this calamity."
As Guo Ping spoke, his men became increasingly ruthless. Li Qingtong was wounded by a knife, yet he still couldn't defeat him?!
As soon as he said that, people from Li Qingtong's side began to defect one after another. He didn't blame them; in this situation, defecting could save their lives.
"Centurion, we'll follow you!"
Li Qingtong's group of one hundred men, surrounded and attacked by the rest, managed to escape with great difficulty, but only thirty-odd of them survived.
Li Qingtong dared not go back directly. If General Guo dared to kill him, he must be confident that he could wipe everything away. There might be an ambush on the way back, so he could only run away.
"General, he's escaped. What do we do now?"
"Set up ambushes at key points and continue the pursuit. I want him dead!"
Guo Ping's eyes were fierce; he had just been kicked by Li Qingyao, and his stomach was still aching.
What about those people?
"Kill him. Go back and report that Li Qingtong deserted the battlefield and led his soldiers to defect."
——————
"Qingtong, what do we do now?!"
"Xiaomi, please change my dressing."
A man came out to bandage his wounds. These thirty people had been hiding outside for two days, traveling against the flow of traffic, and had run into the land of the forsaken.
His comrade who had protected him died not at the hands of the Japanese, but at the hands of his own people. Li Qingtong was filled with rage and wanted to take revenge on Guo Ping immediately.
"I, Li Qingtong, hereby swear that I will make Guo Ping pay for what he has done. If I do not kill this scoundrel, I will not be able to quell the hatred in my heart!"
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