West Gate, the main general's camp.
"quick!"
"Gather the troops and follow me out of the city gates to Yanlian Mountain!"
Upon learning that Song Yanqing was trapped in Yanlian Mountain, Qin Shiyu suddenly sprang up from his armchair, took two or three steps forward, and loudly gave the order.
The Shadow Guards, who had returned to camp from outside the border to report, silently retreated to the side.
An Jiu left the camp to search for the whereabouts of the Crown Prince, while An Shi was also recalled and placed on standby at the West Gate.
Now, the Shadow Guards who accompanied An Jiu have returned to report that the Crown Prince of Libei is in Yanlian Mountain, and the Tatars are surrounding and searching the area at the foot of the mountain. The situation is not optimistic.
When An Shi heard the news, even though he was used to seeing battlefields littered with corpses, his heart still skipped a beat when he heard that his master was in danger.
But Qin Shiyu's words instantly brought him back to his senses.
Previously, the Shadow Guard reported that the general leading the siege at the foot of Yanlian Mountain was actually the Tatar prince, Tadar.
In the past year, the number of times the Tatars attacked the West Gate was equal to the total number of attacks on the East Gate and the main camp combined.
All of this is thanks to General Qin for beheading the Tatar second prince, Kedar, to pay tribute to her deceased husband.
From then on, Tadar acted like a mad dog. According to information gathered by the Shadow Guards, Tadar had personally issued a military order that whoever took Qin Shiyu's head would receive a hundred cattle and sheep, as well as hundreds of beauties and slaves.
This is tantamount to a bounty of ten thousand taels of gold.
Therefore, An Shi reminded him, "General Qin, you must not lead the team yourself. Tadar is violent by nature. If he learns that you have come out of seclusion to rescue the Crown Prince, he will probably spare no effort to raise troops and surround the foot of Yanlian Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Qin Shiyu paused. She knew perfectly well that what An Shi said was true. She and Tadar were both burdened with a blood feud, and even without the war between the two countries, they would still fight to the death.
The two men exchanged glances and said in secret, "General Qin, Ximen still needs you to stay here and oversee things. Let me lead the troops to meet the young master."
An Shi was right; they couldn't afford any trouble at this moment. Qin Shiyu exchanged a glance with him, then raised her hand and patted his right arm.
She said, "I'm sending you three thousand elite soldiers. You must bring back the Crown Prince and the Princess of Kangle Township unharmed."
Upon hearing this, An Shi bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute, accepting the order and saying, "Yes! Your subordinate will certainly live up to your expectations, General."
Just then, the troops assembled outside the tent.
An Shi then led three thousand elite soldiers out of the pass, riding swift horses straight towards Yanlian Mountain!
......
The hundred Tatars discovered the Shadow Guards on the cliff. Despite the poison that would explode upon contact with the ground, they successfully forced the three men off the cliff.
To leave no survivors, dozens of people rushed down the mountain and headed straight for the bottom of the cliff.
They want to see him alive or dead!
A dozen or so Tatars were guarding the foot of the cliff. The place was remote and quiet, with cliffs in the forest, so they were less vigilant.
Several men hunted and killed two wild rabbits in the mountains and forests, skinned them, and roasted them over a fire.
Smoke rose into the air, and the aroma of meat wafted through the air.
The Tatars, who had just come down from the cliff, headed straight for the cliff.
The birds nearby were startled by the commotion of dozens of people and flew away. The men around the campfire became alert at the sound, grabbed the scimitars at hand, and prepared to fight.
To everyone's surprise, as the footsteps grew louder, their own companions came into view.
They quickly gathered at the cliff edge, a dozen or so Tatars looking at each other, puzzled.
They had been guarding this spot for a long time but had not detected any movement from the enemy.
What exactly happened?
Fortunately, someone always reacted first. No matter what happened, they stayed here to roast meat. If the eldest prince found out, they might be chopped up and fed to the eagles.
Therefore, as the main group approached, they quickly extinguished the fire and destroyed the half-cooked rabbit meat to cover their tracks.
The Tatar leader didn't spare a single glance for the dozen or so men. As they approached the bottom of the cliff, everyone tightened their grip on their scimitars.
At this moment, An Jiu, who was below the cliff, noticed something amiss as the birds took flight and hid with his Shadow Guards.
However, to their surprise, there were so many people who came that they soon found themselves in hostile confrontation with the Tatars.
The leading Tatar general had a fierce look with stern eyebrows and eyes.
When he saw An Jiu with a dozen or so Shadow Guards at the foot of the cliff, he thought of the troops behind him and burst into laughter, "Weak enemy soldiers, put down your swords and I'll leave you with a whole corpse."
The general's voice was rough and he spoke the official language of the Great Jin Dynasty with a thick accent. His words were mumbled and unclear, and he had a disdainful look on his face.
Seeing this, the Shadow Guards drew their swords and cautiously moved closer to Dark Nine.
"Ninth Guard, you go first! We'll cover the rear!"
An Jiu quickly turned around to look at the cliff behind him. He knew the terrain here better than anyone. Escaping from the bottom of the cliff amidst several times the number of enemies was practically impossible!
He whispered, "We can't leave."
Upon hearing this, the Shadow Guards felt a surge of anxiety; they were not afraid to sacrifice themselves for their country.
But the Crown Prince was still waiting for their help. Now that their mission had failed, his own death was a small matter; failing to complete the mission was a big deal!
An Jiu tossed the scabbard aside, tightened his grip on the sword, and shouted, "Shadow Guards, heed my command! Follow me to kill the enemy!"
With a ferocious expression, he shouted out the words, and more than a dozen Shadow Guards rushed forward like sharp swords. Amidst the flashing blades, the cold blades were stained with bright red liquid.
A dozen or so Shadow Guards fought fiercely, even though they had passed through layers of selection for the Shadow Guards and were capable of taking on ten opponents at once.
Faced with the burly Tartars and the relentless onslaught, the earlier sound of broadswords slicing through skin gradually transformed into the clash of sharp blades.
An Jiu fought a fierce battle with a Tatar general. The general's blood soaked his clothes, and An Jiu also took several cuts during the fight.
Blood flowed out like a trickle of water, but he seemed oblivious to the pain. Taking advantage of the general being forced back a few steps by his broadsword, he suddenly raised his sword and swiftly cleaved it toward the general's head.
Having been immersed in the battlefield for many years, the enemy general knew that An Jiu would take the opportunity to kill him after taking a few steps back. His muscle memory was faster than his brain, and he instantly raised his scimitar to block An Jiu's broadsword.
With a deafening clang, the sound of two sharp blades clashing was deafening. An Jiu quickly slid his broadsword, and sparks flew from the friction between the two blades. The Tartar general was forced to retreat step by step by the powerful force.
"Hmm~"
An Jiu was suddenly slashed in the waist and abdomen, and the pain swept through his body. The Shadow Guard behind him noticed that An Jiu had been ambushed and slashed the Tartar who had attacked him, knocking him to the ground and rendering him unable to move.
The taste of blood surged in his mouth, and An Jiu strained until he grimaced, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Despite the Tartar general's provocative smirk, he did not lose heart and did not lessen the force in his hand.
As the sounds of clashing blades around them grew fainter, more and more Shadow Guards fell.
An Jiu was suddenly kicked in the bleeding waist and abdomen, and fell to the side along with the big knife.
He felt weightless and fell, the trees in his eyes grew horizontally, but he heard a familiar voice!
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