The silence was broken a few days later.
Having held two positions in the imperial court before, taking over the affairs of the city was not a difficult task for Yun Qing. After a brief handover, the couple who had left home felt at ease entrusting the matter to her.
In addition to the Imperial Guards and the troops that had left their homes, extra people were left behind to protect the safety of the city. After all, this was the main base and an extremely important line of defense, and absolutely no accidents could be allowed to happen.
Even as the moment approached, Yunqing was still very worried. She was concerned about everyone, so before the army set off, she hurried to see them one last time.
Unfortunately, we arrived a little too late. All we could see was the billowing dust raised by the army, stretching towards the horizon. The heavy bugle calls were still ringing, and the flags at the forefront were flying high, like a knife, seemingly about to tear through this curtain.
As twilight descended, Yun Qing felt a pang of melancholy. She found her own actions inexplicably amusing and was about to turn and leave when she suddenly heard someone call her name—
"Yun Qing!"
Yun Qing stopped in her tracks, looking over in astonishment: "Xie Rang?!"
Her surprise was too obvious to suppress immediately. When she saw the boy sitting on horseback below the city wall, she found it hard to describe her feelings.
Yun Qing's breathing became erratic for a moment, and then, amidst Qing Lan's exclamation, she turned and ran down the city wall.
She rarely lost her composure like this. When she ran downstairs, she was still panting, but her gaze was fixed on Xie Rang.
He was clad in armor, his demeanor somewhat cold, yet a smile played on his lips as he gazed gently at Yun Qing, his voice slow and gentle: "I want to come back and see you one more time."
In fact, he knew he had made the right bet the moment he saw the figure on the city wall.
They both cared about each other.
"I know."
Yun Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the person, she suddenly felt less worried.
This is the first step for the Great Xi Dynasty towards a golden age, and it is also a great achievement for Xie Rang. He will surely win and return in glory.
After a long silence, Yun Qing simply said, "Be careful in everything you do, and bring yourself back to me safely."
"Yes, I will." Xie Rang smiled, reluctantly turning his gaze away. "It's not convenient to talk too much. There are too many people in the city, and Grand Tutor, don't tire yourself out."
Yun Qing nodded: "Okay."
Xie Rang was the commander-in-chief of the army and could not be away for too long. Moreover, he was in danger if he was alone. Yun Qing did not talk to him much. She felt at ease as long as she saw him.
Only after the person had completely disappeared from sight did my turbulent emotions gradually calm down.
She turned around, quickly regaining her composure: "Close the city gates. Keep an eye on the situation outside the city during this time. If anything unusual happens, report it immediately."
Surrounding soldiers: "Yes, sir."
-
That night, inside the grassland.
The most intense conflict has not yet broken out, and the Rouran army can still rest here for the time being, with campfires burning and crackling.
The strategist beside Lü Le said, "The news that came back says that the young emperor has also arrived, along with that renowned imperial tutor."
Lü Le narrowed his eyes: "He is quite confident."
When Lu Le first visited the capital, he could tell that this new emperor was different from the previous emperors. In fact, he probably resembled the founding emperor of the Great Xi Dynasty. However, he did not expect that the other party would be so confident as to personally lead the expedition.
The people around laughed loudly, "Then we must cut off his head and hang it in front of the camp!"
"Kill Xie Rang!"
...
"But to be honest, I really didn't expect that Li Yunqing was actually a woman."
When Lü Le visited the capital, he naturally found the Imperial Tutor to be younger and more handsome than he had imagined, so handsome that he seemed almost unmanly.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a woman.
If that were all, he knew that the emperor had always been indulgent towards his imperial tutor, and even at this point, he still went against the opinions of others to keep her in the court, truly showing extreme favoritism.
“But I’ve heard that Li Yunqing and the Emperor have that kind of relationship…” The strategist winked at him, hinting, “I don’t believe it. There’s not a single clue about her identity. Maybe she’s already offered herself to the young emperor to protect her position!”
"Yeah, haha..."
"I heard she came along this time too. Once we take the city, we'll get our hands on her sooner or later..."
A burst of laughter erupted around Lü Le. He remained calm, then abruptly raised his hand: "Quiet!"
Suddenly, the sound of clattering hooves rang in my ears, seemingly coming from a great distance, with an earth-shaking force.
The wind picked up, sparks flew from the campfire, and Lü Le stood up, looked southwest, and shouted sternly, "Prepare for battle!"
The soldiers' eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation: "Kill—"
...
Xie Rang pulled on the reins and suddenly stopped.
Li Yunshu, who had accompanied him on this trip, also looked rather unwell: "The winds have shifted."
Gunpowder is incredibly powerful, but its drawbacks are also obvious. The wind is currently blowing in their direction, and if used rashly, it might blow the fire towards them while igniting the grassland.
Xie Rang's gaze was calm. The Grand Tutor had told him about this, and historically, the Rouran soldiers had used fire to burn the grasslands and outmaneuver them.
Knowing this in advance means you won't fall into a trap.
"You and your men stay behind, I will flank you from the side."
Xie Rang looked at Li Yunshu.
At this moment, all entanglements were irrelevant; he was simply the monarch, the Son of Heaven of the Great Xi.
Li Yunshu accepted the order: "Yes!"
After speaking, Xie Rang turned his horse around and went to the other side. Most of his soldiers followed him and left, leaving only one team behind Yun Shu.
Amidst the flames and smoke, Li Yunshu showed no fear; instead, her eyes shone with an unusually resolute light as she faced the approaching Rouran army.
With a flick of his spear, the red tassel fluttered in the air.
"Charge! Let them see the might of our Great Xi warriors!"
...
Lu Le ordered his men to light a fire, and thick smoke billowed out before them. With the help of the wind, it instantly headed south.
They certainly knew that Dae Hee possessed powerful weapons like gunpowder, but its use depended on the right time and place; at least for now, they had absolutely no opportunity to use it.
Flames licked the grass, and a scalding sensation swept over them. Li Yunshu kept a close eye on her surroundings, dodging the open and hidden attacks that could come at any moment, while leading her soldiers to deal with the Rouran people.
Swords and spears clashed, smoke blinded their eyes.
Seeing that the battle was about to reach them, Lu Le stared at the army of Da Xi, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he grabbed the strategist and asked, "Da Xi... how many people has Da Xi sent this way?"
Strategist: "One hundred thousand!"
Lu Le spat, "Where are these 100,000? Where are they?!"
The firelight was everywhere, blinding not only the enemy but also themselves.
Lü Le immediately realized he had fallen into a trap: "Retreat! Retreat now!"
However, it was too late. Amidst the chaotic sounds of soldiers changing hands, another, even more orderly clatter of hooves rang out.
Lu Le looked up in astonishment. Not far away, the young emperor placed his hand on the heavy bow, and with a whoosh, an arrow came straight at his brow!
There was a rumor in the Great Xi Dynasty that the emperor was a master of the bow, never missing a shot and hitting the bullseye from a hundred paces away.
Now, Lu Le himself has confirmed this rumor.
With his death.
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