Kang Zhi looked fierce and rode his horse forward.
Tang Xing had people follow her around, and ordered the rear army to be led. She also had a group of cavalrymen hold up the Huangzhou flag and ride around shouting: "The rebellion in Huangzhou has been quelled, and the Huangzhou governor Sheng Baoming has been executed!"
This high and powerful voice was repeated over and over again and soon spread among Cao Hongxuan's army.
The Anzhou rebels, whose last breath was hanging on by the thought of "reinforcements coming", heard this and their morale collapsed like a mountain, making it difficult for them to continue.
More people chose to surrender, and the soldiers who were forced to maintain their formation by their generals' death orders with knives completely lost their will to fight.
Under the protection of his personal guards, Cao Hongxuan fled desperately. While on the bumpy horseback, he looked at the collapsing troops and morale, and the blood color on his face gradually faded.
In the chaos and panic, he turned his head and looked towards the Han River on the right.
That was the direction of his ambition. He had been planning to cross the river and fight his way to Jingzhou...
But at this moment, he could not see the river, and the road leading there was blocked by a large number of cavalry. Thousands of cavalry stood solemnly, like a huge iron shield, seamless and indestructible.
At the front of this "iron shield" made of thousands of cavalrymen, a girl in green robe sat high on her horse, holding the reins in one hand, standing still.
Cao Hongxuan couldn't see her expression clearly, but he could sense the calmness around her.
There was no tension in her demeanor, nor even the smugness of a winner. She just calmly stared down at the decided battle in front of her, as if she had witnessed the same situation countless times before and had won the same fight countless times.
At this moment, Cao Hongxuan's panicked heart suddenly gave rise to infinite regret.
The pain from the torn flesh on his jaw reminded him how he had just been defeated by the opponent's two moves...and the gap between him and the opponent was not only in his skills.
He underestimated his enemy from the very beginning.
While in Huainan Road, he heard many amazing praises for Chang Suining, but he never accepted them in his heart, so he always sneered at them, thinking that this eighteen-year-old girl relied more on luck and the help of her father and other capable people.
Over time, he really believed it, and no matter how many stories about the other party he heard, it could not change his stubborn belief.
It was not until this moment that the sword in the opponent's hand fell on his head...he was finally able to see the whole picture at this moment.
In addition to underestimating the other party, he also overestimated himself.
He boasted that he had a part of Li blood, so he always felt superior to others. Seeing the turbulent situation, he could no longer suppress his inner restlessness. He often thought that a mere salt merchant could dominate a region, and a yellow-haired girl could become the ruler of Huainan Road... Cao Hongxuan was born in a famous family and had been an official for more than ten years, so why couldn't he have great ambitions? ! It was not until he was in this defeat that he realized that he had overestimated himself... In addition, he misjudged the situation and chose the wrong path.
Others have failed to accomplish their great cause, but he has not even started his great cause... He doesn't even have a chance to fight his way out of Huainan Road!
A feeling of self-mockery and sadness surged in his chest. Cao Hongxuan swallowed the salty blood in his throat and shouted, "...Follow me and evacuate this place!"
He also ordered that his family must be protected.
This time he rebelled against Huainan Road and did not dare to leave his family in Anzhou. At this moment, the carriages carrying his wife and children were all in the team.
In the chaos, Cao Hongxuan, escorted by his fellow soldiers and confidants, fought his way out of a bloody battle and rushed towards the direction of his family's carriage.
Seeing that Cao Hongxuan was about to abandon his army and flee, Kang Zhi rushed into the enemy camp without hesitation, shouting, "... You thief, don't run away!"
"Kang Zhi!"
Qinghua rode over and hurriedly blocked Kang Zhi's way, scolding her: "Have you forgotten the military rules? When two armies fight, they form a team of three, so that they can kill the enemy at the same time - who allowed you to charge into battle alone!"
Although this girl is extremely ferocious, once she is on the battlefield, she is like a wild and untamable wolf, and she is a lone wolf. Her mind is full of killing enemies and military achievements, and she does not understand the principle of coordinated operations at all! "But Captain, Cao Hongxuan is about to escape!"
Kang Zhi was extremely anxious, and quickly drew her bow and arrows, shooting several arrows in the direction of Cao Hongxuan's escape.
Her arrows hit their targets perfectly, and every arrow hit the personal guards who were responsible for covering Cao Hongxuan's retreat, but in the end she failed to injure Cao Hongxuan.
At this time, several soldiers of the Chang family came up, and Kang Zhi hurriedly said, "That's enough for three people! Come on, come with me to get Cao Hongxuan's dog head!"
Having said that, he shouted "Go", and ran forward quickly.
Qinghua sighed helplessly and had no choice but to follow immediately - this Kang Ani must be properly disciplined by the adults later!
As for Cao Hongxuan in front, Qinghua concluded that he could not escape.
Her master had been waiting here for a long time, and even if the other party had grown wings out of thin air, there was no way he could escape from this trap today.
Cao Hongxuan asked his soldiers to block the enemy from behind, while he himself, under the protection of his military officers, fled in front with two carriages.
Just after escaping for a distance, Cao Hongxuan saw that the leading carriage in front of him suddenly slowed down.
Before the carriage came to a complete stop, a frail figure in plain grey jumped out from inside.
"Madam, how are you getting off the car?" Cao Hongxuan urged: "Get on quickly and leave with me!"
The woman ran towards him quickly, holding up her dress, and said, "My dear, I know a way to leave safely!"
Cao Hongxuan had no choice but to dismount and let the people behind him block the pursuers. He then supported the frail woman and stared at her, saying, "Which way? Madam, tell me quickly!"
However, the woman he was supporting asked tearfully, "My husband, didn't you promise me that you would never plot against Bian Chunliang?"
"My mother, father, brother, uncle, and hundreds of people in my family...all died under the knife of Bian the thief!" The woman's eyes were full of tears: "My heart is torn day and night. I often dream of my mother holding my little nephew, asking me for help with tears and blood on her face..."
She was the daughter of the Dou family, a noble family in Hengzhou. When Hengzhou was conquered by Bian Chunliang and the tragic news of her family being wiped out reached Anzhou, she grew white hair overnight and never recovered from her illness.
"Madam, I am only pretending to cooperate with Bian Chunliang temporarily. Besides, at this moment..." Cao Hongxuan stopped talking halfway, holding the woman's shoulders and said hurriedly: "This is not the time to talk about this! Madam, what you just said..."
Having said this, Cao Hongxuan's voice suddenly stopped and his body trembled suddenly.
After a moment, he looked down and saw that his wife had a sharp dagger in her hand, and the tip of the dagger had already pierced his heart.
The young men and women who got off the carriage and ran over screamed when they saw this.
"Mother!"
"Father!"
“Mother…!”
"Madam..." Cao Hongxuan looked at his wife, who was still supported by his shoulders, in disbelief: "Do you... hate me so much? You want to kill me now?"
He and his wife have been together for more than 20 years...
Dou smiled sadly and said in a low voice: "I can't leave... Husband, you can't let more people die because of your mistakes."
Cao Hongxuan was stunned for a moment, then he understood. He said in a difficult voice, "So this is what Madam...said, the way to leave safely."
"grown ups!"
The loyal soldier rushed over with his men and was about to draw his sword when he saw the situation.
Cao Hongxuan suddenly raised one hand and signaled the soldier to stop.
"Okay, Madam, you are wise and decisive..." Cao Hongxuan said with an uneven breath: "You are worthy of being my wife, Cao Hongxuan..."
He looked at his eldest son who was crying, and said, "Yude... Later, you will take your father's head and go to Chang Suining to apologize!"
"No, father...father!"
Cao Hongxuan ignored his eldest son's cries and continued, "Join the army late!"
The soldier clasped his fists and said, "...I am here!"
"You will chop off my head...bring your wife, husband, and daughter...and surrender to Chang Suining to atone for your crime!"
The soldier had tears in his eyes and bowed his head in silent agreement.
Cao Hongxuan tremblingly grasped his wife's skinny hand, and using his last bit of strength, he thrust the dagger deeper into his heart.
Dou's whole body was trembling, and tears were falling like beads from a broken string.
"Madam..." Cao Hongxuan looked at his wife in front of him and said in a weak voice: "Thank you..."
Thank you for her determination to save his children and his dignity.
In addition, after being married for many years, he has many other things to thank his wife for, but he is no longer able to think about or recall anything.
Cao Hongxuan could no longer stand, closed his eyes, and fell heavily backwards.
Her husband and the dagger fell to the ground in front of her eyes, and Dou also fell down, unable to hold on.
The military officer, along with the remaining soldiers, knelt down in front of Cao Hongxuan's body and paid their final respects.
Then, the soldier gritted his teeth and swung his sword to cut off Cao Hongxuan's head.
Heart-wrenching screams broke out from the Cao family's children.
The military officer looked at Cao Hongxuan's eldest son with red eyes: "...Big Brother!"
The young man turned pale. He looked at his father's head, stepped back in fear, and kept shaking his head: "No, no..."
Pick up his father's head... He couldn't do it! Just now, his father was still talking to him!
When the soldier was about to step forward when he saw Dou, who was sitting on the ground, crawl forward two steps, stretch out her hands, and pick up the head.
Dou burst into tears, closed her eyes, lowered her head and rested her forehead on her husband's still warm head, and the scene of their first meeting as teenagers flashed through her mind.
It was so nice back then. When I looked up, the sky seemed clearer than it is now. Kites were floating, the clouds were white, and apricot blossoms fell on my shoulders.
Unfortunately, people change, and so do world situations.
After a while, Dou held the head, slowly stood up, walked towards the approaching Jiangdu army, and shouted loudly, "...We have killed the criminal Cao Hongxuan! We apologize to Envoy Chang for this!"
Kang Zhi, who was chasing closely, was stunned on horseback when she saw this situation. After a moment, she put away the knife in her hand.
Dou had been ill for more than a year, and before today, she had been bedridden for several months.
No one knew where she got the strength to hold the heavy head and walk to Chang Suining. With her children and the remaining people from Anzhou behind her, she held up the head in her hands and knelt down to apologize.
Chang Suining sat on the horse, looking at the thin woman covered in blood, and listening to her apology.
After the woman's voice fell, there was a moment of silence.
The children of the Cao family behind her all knelt there, with their heads lowered, not daring to move.
Most of them knew that even if their mother killed their father as an apology, they might not necessarily survive.
This is Huainan Road, and the girl on the horse holds the power of life and death in Huainan Road. Even if the other party gives an order to kill them all here, no one dares to say a word.
They knelt here, waiting for the other party to speak. In a moment, a single sentence could decide their life or death.
After a moment, Chang Suining signaled to She Cai, who stepped forward to take Cao Hongxuan's head.
Dou folded her bloody hands in front of her forehead and bowed her head.
"I will write to the court and truthfully explain your righteous actions."
The calm voice of the young girl came from above, and Dou immediately lowered her body even lower, crying, "...Thank you, envoy!"
She raised her head tremblingly when she heard the sound of horse hooves, only to see that the girl in green robe had turned her horse's head and rode away.
Soon, the cavalry followed with the sound of horse hooves.
Amidst the flying dust, Dou stood up with difficulty and looked behind her at her children who were either crying loudly or sitting on the ground.
There were also young men with sorrow and hatred in their eyes, crying and pounding the ground with their fists.
Dou looked at them. Among these seven people, the eldest son and daughter were hers, and the remaining five children were all born out of wedlock.
"If you want revenge, you must identify your enemies. You must remember that there are three people who killed your father." Dou looked at them, and her originally weak voice became powerful: "The first is Cao Hongxuan, who brought this upon himself. The second is Bian Chunliang who is in Yuezhou... The third is me, Dou Shaojun of Hengyang!"
"——The only one who is not here is the Jiangdu Changjieshi who just spared your lives!"
The boys cried: "Mother..."
"If you want to avenge your father, then go to Yuezhou or come and kill me!" Dou asked in a serious tone, "Have you remembered everything?!"
Everyone had never seen her so stern before, and they all cried as they agreed.
"Okay..." Dou showed a relieved expression. Her thin body seemed to have been drained of the last bit of strength. Scarlet blood gushed out of her mouth, and she fell to the ground like a dead leaf.
"Mother!"
The blood after the fight mixed with the damp air of the Han River, mingled in the air and slowly suppressed the dust left by the horses' hooves.
"Sir, Cao Hongxuan's wife, Dou, is dead." In the cavalry team, She Cai reported the news from the rear to his lord.
Chang Suining: "Allow them to have a lavish burial."
"yes."
Ding Su and his men stayed behind to clean up the battlefield, while Chang Suining took two thousand people to Anzhou City.
The guards defending Anzhou city saw the cavalry rolling in from afar, and they immediately became alert and urgently evacuated the people. When they got closer, they saw that the cavalry leading the way in front of them were holding the dragon staff of the governor, and they could not help but be shocked.
Although the guards did not know what had happened and why the governor had come in person, they all hurried forward and knelt down to salute in reverence and awe.
"Welcome to the governor!"
The red flag hanging from the Jiedushi's golden bronze staff fluttered in the air under the city gate.
Good night everyone!
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