Chapter 619: I and the Crown Prince Return Together
As Li Suining mounted his horse, more than 2,000 of his men followed him.
Behind them was a not very large tribal camp. This was the third Northern Di tribe that Li Suining had led his troops to capture along the way.
Every time they passed a tribe and set out again, the team ahead was shrinking, from nearly five thousand people at the beginning to more than two thousand at this time.
Firstly, because of the casualties of the soldiers, the seriously injured were ordered by Li Suining to stay in the tribe to recuperate. Secondly, because the captured tribe needed someone to guard it as a temporary military stronghold - as expected, the Northern Di invaded this time, and almost all the young and strong men in each tribe were dispatched. There were not many young and strong men left in the rear tribes, usually no more than a thousand people, and the rest were mostly the elderly, the weak, women and children.
Therefore, Li Suining led his troops all the way here, taking advantage of the surprise attack and being invincible.
Her soldiers did not indiscriminately kill the weak. They confiscated all supplies, livestock, and horses, and the elderly, weak, women, and children were temporarily taken care of.
The further they go, the more dangerous it becomes - Li Suining has a clear goal, and the place they are heading to is the Northern Di camp.
Yazhang is the royal court of Beidi.
It can be expected that the crowds will become denser as we approach the royal court, and patrols and defenses will become increasingly strict. Under this premise, the larger the team, the harder it will be to hide their tracks.
Furthermore, Li Suining calculated the time. Even though the transmission of news in the desert was relatively slow, the news that she led her troops to raid the country should have most likely reached the ears of the Northern Di Khan by now.
The road ahead is destined to be dangerous as the cold wind blocks the way. The murderous intent is getting more and more serious, but the team is shrinking every time.
This place is far away from the borders of their homeland. These soldiers of Dasheng often feel that they are running on an unfamiliar painting and have become people in the painting, isolated from the world.
In this overly vast picture, they lost their way more than once.
Almost every day, comrades died, some died from the bows and crossbows of the Northern Di people, some died in the increasingly severe and unfamiliar weather, and there were also many wounded... Behind the mountains of frosty grass and trees, among the dry Gobi gravel, every step was a hidden danger. Even in our dreams at night, we must never leave our swords and must always be prepared for a life-and-death battle.
The news was difficult to convey. They didn't know the specific situation elsewhere, nor were they sure whether the soldiers sent back to report the news had made it out of the desert alive.
But no one, including Adian, thought of retreating.
Each of their names was selected by Cui Jing himself, and their physique, willpower and loyalty are undoubtedly outstanding.
As the cold wind blew around them, their skin became rough, but their eyes became more determined.
On horseback, Li Suining stared straight ahead with undivided attention.
She was never distracted when marching or fighting. She didn't need to waste her energy thinking about those distant disturbances. The only thing she needed to consider at this moment was to finish and win the battle in front of her and stay alive as long as possible.
The only thing she could see was the goal ahead - to raid the Beidi royal court and kill the Khan at all costs.
The leader's goal is the military orders. Along the way, the soldiers have loyally and resolutely followed the military orders, and have left their brave and fearless footprints with blood in this desert where no powerful army has ever set foot.
At the same moment, in the court of the Northern Di king, the Khan heard the urgent news and was shocked. He flew into a rage and said that he would punish Ashide Yuanli: "... He was not marching well, but he allowed the Sheng army to enter the territory of our Khanate! Kill the people of our Khanate!"
How did those mighty troops get in? How did they march through the desert? How did they capture three tribes along the way? If he hadn't known the news was correct, it would be unimaginable... A broken country that couldn't take care of itself actually invaded his territory without anyone noticing!
The Northern Di Khan almost gnashed his teeth and asked, "Who is the leader of the army?"
"It is said that it is a young girl!" The messenger said, "...This morning, a spy from Sheng State reported that the Crown Princess of Great Sheng personally led the army deep into Beidi. It was unclear whether it was true or not, but now it seems very likely that it was Li Suining!"
"What a princess of the Sheng Kingdom!" The Khan suppressed his anger and sat on a low couch covered with sheepskin. Murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "Although she is a woman, she is very courageous... Is she going to kill me?"
Amid the noisy voices in the tent, a tall man stood out.
He had a broad face, half of which was covered by a golden mask, and at this moment he bent his arms in front of him to salute.
The Khan looked at his only brother: "Tilie——"
Ashina Tilie had a pair of eyes like a gray wolf, and at this moment, a chill was seeping out of those light-colored eyes. He volunteered to lead the troops to stop and kill the Princess Dasheng.
The Khan looked at him for a moment and said, "Tilie, I will give you five thousand cavalry."
Ashina Tilie once again bent his arms in front of him and pledged, "Tilie will bring back the head of the Dasheng princess before the fasting festival and present it to my brother!"
The Khan nodded and watched his brother retreat.
After the officials in the tent left one after another, the Queen of Beidi tried to remind them: "The royal court has less than 10,000 cavalrymen now, and the Khan asked Tilie to take 5,000 cavalrymen away. Isn't it too risky? What if..."
Before she could finish her words, the Khan stood up and slapped her in the face without warning.
The queen was horrified and raised her hand to cover her cheek. She raised her frightened eyes and met a pair of eyes full of murderous intent.
"Your brother failed to do his job well, but I have not yet held you accountable! How dare you speak nonsense here to sow discord between me and Tilie! Tilie doesn't even have a wife, how can you question his loyalty to me!"
"I wanted Tilie to lead the troops, but I believed your lies that Ashde Yuanli was familiar with the Han Chinese military tactics... But now he allowed the Han Chinese to approach the royal court and take my life! Is this his military tactics? Or is he being lenient towards Dasheng because of his half-Han bloodline, and is just fooling me!"
"When Tilie retrieves the head of the Dasheng princess, if Ashde Yuanli still fails to break into the Dasheng Pass, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The Northern Di Khan stared at the pale-faced young queen, disgust gradually emerging in his eyes: "...You useless fool, how can you compare to your sister!"
The one he was referring to was his previous queen, who was also from the Ashide Khatun tribe. Most of the queens of the Northern Di Khan were from this tribe.
The previous queen died long ago, leaving behind a son, who was the only son of the Northern Di Khan. At this moment, he was standing aside and watching quietly, looking to be a teenager of about sixteen or seventeen years old.
And now the queen has only given birth to one daughter, who is only ten years old this year.
The queen trembled and lowered her eyes, admitting her mistake to her husband, but she did not dare to speak to defend her brother.
The Khan of Beidi left in anger, and his son followed him. Before leaving, the boy glanced at the young queen, whom he never regarded as a mother, with a mocking look.
Those whom his father had never loved and respected were naturally unworthy of his respect - this cowardly and incompetent woman was only fortunate enough to be of the same clan as his biological mother, otherwise how could she be qualified to become the queen.
After the father and son left, the queen stood there alone until a girl ran into the tent and said, "...Khatun!"
The queen came to her senses, looked at her daughter who was pulling at her dress, reached out and touched her daughter's face, and comforted her: "It's okay, don't be afraid."
Looking at the finger marks on her mother's face, the girl tried not to show her fear, holding back her tears, and only asked: "When will uncle come back? Is the war over?"
As long as her uncle is there, she and her mother don't have to be afraid!
"Whenever you ask your uncle to come back, he can come back." The queen looked at her daughter and whispered softly, "You don't have to wait until the war is over."
There was innocent anticipation in the girl's eyes: "Really?"
The queen nodded slightly, her slightly red eyes looking outside the tent, with a calm look in her eyes.
The Khan of Beidi was obviously very angry and fearful of the Sheng army that had invaded his country, and five thousand Beidi cavalry were quickly prepared and ready to go.
Before mobilizing the troops, they prepared livestock for sacrifice. Ashina Tilie picked up his short knife and killed two sheep with his own hands, letting the hot blood stain his hands.
The blood seemed to dye his eyes red, and for a moment, he vaguely saw the Han princess who was always dressed in plain clothes, and the eagle that suddenly swooped down.
Driven by memories, he suddenly closed his eyes for an instant, and the scars on his head and face seemed to become bloody again. When Ashina Tilie opened his eyes, he suddenly stabbed the dagger into the sheep's neck, venting the hatred and cruelty surging in his heart.
Without wiping the blood off his hands, he mounted his horse, led his troops out of the royal court with murderous intent.
As the winter month arrives, grey clouds float by, bringing the scent of the first snow.
At dawn, in the palace of Prince Rong in the capital, Li Yin stood at the attic window with his clothes on, quietly looking at the tiny snowflakes floating in the air.
Absurdly enough, he had a nightmare and was awakened.
He seldom dreams, and has never been frightened in his dreams.
He dreamed of Ashang.
To be precise, he dreamed of Li Suining, whom he had never seen before. In his dream, her face turned into that of Ashang.
Or maybe I’m thinking about something…
The news came back from Taiyuan that the empress refused his "welcome" and said:
[Whether Dasheng can be safe or not depends not on the capital, but on the northern border. 】
[I am the Son of Heaven. As long as the northern border is not at peace, I will stay in Taiyuan.]
[When the war in the north is won, I will return with the crown prince.]
Not only did she reject Prince Rong's proposal to welcome her back to the capital, she also dispelled the rumor that the Crown Princess had died in the Northern Di. She also increasingly firmly acknowledged and supported Li Suining's identity as the Crown Princess of the Li Dynasty.
The emperor's words spread far and wide, and people were talking about it everywhere.
Among the officials in Taiyuan, some have secretly defected to Prince Rong and sent a message to inform him that the Empress did not act or say this under duress, but took the initiative to do so.
Li Yin became suspicious because of this.
He knew Empress Ming very well, and naturally considered the possibility that she would refuse to return to Beijing. However, Empress Ming's resolute attitude of not leaving any way out was not just a challenge to him, but also a firm belief that Li Suining would definitely come back alive...
The Queen was never one who was willing to make wedding clothes for others. Her style was to fight to the death. Now that the situation was hopeless, she should know that she had no chance to regain the imperial power. However, she still took the initiative and firmly paved the way for Li Suining... Did she believe that Li Suining would definitely leave her a way out?
Facing the struggle for the life and death of the emperor, why did the Queen trust Li Suining so much? Thinking carefully, from the very beginning, the Queen seemed to have an inexplicable trust in Li Suining...
She dared to trust someone who never trusted anyone, and she trusted an ambitious threat... Why? Because the queen felt that she could control the other party? What could she use to control him?
As far as he knew, the last person who was "fortunate" enough to be treated in such an attitude by the Queen was A Shang.
Li Yin instinctively wanted to deny that absurd possibility, but when he thought about the dream and the "secret" Ming Luo mentioned, he couldn't help but wonder - in his desire to avoid that inner demon so as not to be disturbed by it and affect his judgment, did he end up neglecting and missing out on some truths?
Li Yin suddenly fell into a strange and contradictory feeling of calmness and illusion.
He looked at Taiyuan and the northern border from afar, and slowly made a decision in his heart.
Perhaps he shouldn't have underestimated the enemy, shouldn't have believed that Li Suining would never come back alive...
He was very curious about the truth, but he didn't intend to verify it himself.
Many times, the so-called truth is the biggest bait in the world. When you walk in front of it, you fall into its trap, and it is too late to resist.
He finally reached the capital. It was the final moment and he couldn't allow any mistakes to happen...
Be it "her", Ming Hou, or the truth...let them all stay in Taiyuan and the northern border.
When they meet in the underworld someday, it won't be too late for him to confirm it in person with Ashang.
The dead should only be met again after death.
Wind and snow silently gathered in Li Yin's usually calm eyes, intending to use them to bury all unfavorable accidents.
At daybreak, Li Yin returned to his room and wrote a reply letter.
When Luo Guanlin came to ask for a meeting, a guard walked out of the pavilion.
Luo Guanlin glanced at the guard who was walking away calmly.
According to his observation, this person is the confidant of Prince Rong, who is only responsible for delivering important letters between Prince Rong and Jiannan Road.
At this early hour, he must not be here to deliver a letter to Prince Rong, so he must be delivering a letter to Jiannan Road on behalf of Prince Rong...
But what important matter was there in Jiannan Road that could make Prince Rong write a letter personally? Luo Guanlin looked to the west, Shannan West Road, Jiannan Road... and beyond Jiannan Road was the foreign land.
Luo Guanlin's eyes moved slightly. Combining what he knew secretly and the current situation, an almost crazy guess quickly emerged in his mind.
"Mr. Luo."
A servant came out and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, please come in, sir."
Luo Guanlin nodded with a restrained expression and walked into the pavilion.
The wind and snow were drifting, and the sky was an endless grey.
The heaven and earth are like a furnace that is about to go out, and the snowflakes are like ashes swirling in the furnace.
After more than half a month of searching, Ashina Tilie finally found the trace of Sheng's army.
This was the border of the Northern Di people, and Ashina Tilie knew every path leading to the royal court, whether it was bright or dark. The weather was not good, and the snow was neither too heavy nor too light, just enough for the horses' hooves to leave marks, but not too quickly covered up.
Under the siege of the Northern Di army, the two sides finally met and confronted each other on a mountain road.
A head was thrown over, leaving a glaring bloody trail in the snow.
Li Suining sat on his horse and looked at the head that was thrown at him. After a moment, he moved his sight forward, raised his eyes, and his gaze fell on the leader of the other side.
Looking at the half golden mask, covered by the fox fur hat, she revealed an expected expression.
It was indeed him, Ashina Tilie.
Good night everyone~ (End of this chapter)
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