Chapter 195 Bad Luck
After listening to Qiu Liming's report, Xiao Zhuo frowned and asked, "What is the current situation of the Xiliang army?"
Qiu Liming said, "The Xirong army has surrounded Mei Cheng and his son on the mountain. There are approximately 7,000 of them trapped. The rest of the Xiliang army is without a commander and has been dispersed. Many soldiers are retreating towards Zhangwu."
Shen Yuexi looked at Xiao Zhuo worriedly and asked, "Husband, will the Xirong army take this opportunity to attack Zhangwu?"
Seeing her worried expression, Qiu Liming quickly said, "Don't worry, Madam. The Xirong army is currently besieging the Xiliang King and his son. They can't spare any resources to attack here right now."
As he was speaking, Song Zhen arrived and said to Xiao Zhuo, "My lord, over 20,000 soldiers have returned to Zhangwu City. We should immediately close the city gates and send soldiers to the watchtowers for protection. The Western Rong army may attack Zhangwu soon, so we need to prepare early."
"What about the Xiliang King and his son?" Shen Yuexi asked, "Just ignore them?"
Song Zhen waved his feather fan in embarrassment and said, "The Western Rong army has turned defeat into victory and is in high spirits. I'm afraid we can do nothing to stop them. We can only abandon the King of Xiliang and his son."
Qiu Liming also interjected, "My lord, the military advisor is right. The Xirong army has escaped from the critical situation and is now besieging the Xiliang King and his son. We do not have enough troops to resist, so we should focus on defense."
Shen Yuexi looked at Xiao Zhuo.
His generals all believed that defense was the priority, which made sense, but Xiao Zhuo would ultimately make the decision.
"I want to go save them." Xiao Zhuo did not accept everyone's opinions, but made the opposite decision.
Song Zhen was horrified. He fanned the enemy twice and said, "My lord, please think carefully. We only have 20,000 soldiers who have just retreated and have no fighting spirit. The Western Rong army on the other side is twice as large as ours."
Qiu Liming also tried to stop him, saying, "My lord, Yongwei has been occupied by the Jingzhou army, and we only have Zhangwu as our city. If we lose Zhangwu again, we will have nowhere else to go."
"I know all about this," Xiao Zhuo said. "We live in Xiliang, yet we sit idly by while the King of Xiliang and his son are besieged. This is not the behavior of a gentleman. General Qiu, prepare armor and horses for me. You defend the city, and I will lead the army to rescue it."
Song Zhen threw away his feather fan, stretched out his hands to stop Xiao Zhuo and said, "My lord, don't forget the oath you made with King Doma."
"I've already broken my promise, and it won't hurt to break it again." Xiao Zhuo turned around and looked at Shen Yuexi, "Yuexi, you stay in the city."
Shen Yuexi refused and said, "I want to go with you too."
As soon as she said it, she regretted her hasty words. She wanted to stay with Xiao Zhuo forever, so she subconsciously said she would go with him.
If she follows, it will only cause trouble and do nothing.
Xiao Zhuo turned around and walked in front of her, holding her cheeks with both hands: "This time we are going to fight, if you follow me, I will have to split my attention to take care of you, and I can't concentrate on fighting the enemy."
Shen Yuexi also placed her hands on the back of Xiao Zhuo's hands and said, "Okay then, I'll wait here for you to come back."
Xiao Zhuo stopped talking, lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead, then turned around and hurried away with Qiu Liming and others.
Shen Yuexi returned to the room, sat at the table, and stared blankly with her hands on her cheeks.
Xiao Zhuo still went to save Meipu. With his ability, he should be fine, right?
He has never lost a single battle. Why should I worry?
Perhaps Song Zhen's words had influenced her. Right now, the momentum between the Western Liang and Western Rong armies had completely reversed. Could Xiao Zhuo, leading a defeated army, win? If he lost, what would happen if the Western Rong attacked Zhangwu?
She wanted to get up and call Qiang Lin to go to the battlefield to check the situation, but after hesitating for a moment, she sat down again.
The Xiliang Army is now fighting with the Xirong Army. As Qiang Lin and a group of secret guards are from Xirong, it is obviously inappropriate for them to participate.
After sitting for a while, she couldn't help herself and stood up and called out, "Qiang Lin, Qiang Lin."
She shouted so urgently that there was a hint of panic in her voice.
Qiang Lin's voice rang out from outside the door, saying, "Master, don't panic. I'm always here. Anyone who dares to harm you will have to walk over my dead body."
When Shen Yuexi opened the door, Qiang Lin was standing there, holding the hilt of his knife, guarding it like a loyal dog.
It started snowing lightly in the sky, and a thin layer of snow had already fallen on Qiang Lin's shoulders.
Shen Yuexi said, "I want to know about the battle situation ahead. Send a secret guard to investigate and report back to me. Also, you don't have to stand guard at the door all the time. You'll freeze to death."
Qiang Lin said, "Master, rest assured. I have already sent secret guards to investigate the situation at the Benniu River. There are no officials in the city to maintain order, and I have just driven away two groups of rebellious troops."
Only then did Shen Yuexi understand why he had been guarding here all the time. He was afraid that a rebel army would break in.
Besides her and Xiao Zhuo, Madam Li and her daughter and Doctor Hua are all here, and they rely entirely on these secret guards for protection.
She said, "My husband is currently fighting with your people. I know you must be feeling bad, and I don't want to trouble you."
Qiang Lin smiled and shook his head, saying, "I have sworn allegiance to the gods, my master. This life belongs to you. Even if anyone of my clansmen wants to harm you, I will kill them without hesitation."
As they were talking, a secret guard arrived. He saluted the two men and said, "Master, leader. Good news! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has rescued the King of Xiliang and his son."
Shen Yuexi was overjoyed and asked hurriedly, "How did you save him? Is my husband injured? Tell me quickly."
The secret guard said, "His Royal Highness is unharmed. The Western Rong, upon seeing him approach, immediately withdrew their troops. His Royal Highness did not pursue them. Instead, he rescued the King of Xiliang and his son, gathered the scattered troops, and returned. He must be almost entering the city by now."
Shen Yuexi breathed a sigh of relief. She was such a fool, worrying about nothing. When had Xiao Zhuo ever disappointed her?
Since being with Xiao Zhuo, Xiao Zhuo has never failed. Whether fighting alone or leading troops, Xiao Zhuo will always be the final winner.
This was a man she didn't need to worry about at all.
"I'll go and greet my husband right away!" Shen Yuexi turned around and took out two cotton cloaks from the house, tied one around herself, and draped the other over her arm.
Qiang Lin was guarding her. Shen Yuexi arrived at the city gate and just happened to see the Xiliang army entering the city.
The soldiers' faces were dusty from the battle, their armor stained with snow. They didn't seem disheartened by the defeat, but the ranks were silent, and a heavy atmosphere seemed to hang over Zhangwu City.
Shen Yuexi spotted Qiu Liming in the ranks and shouted, "General Qiu, are the Western Rong troops still there? Where's my husband? Why can't I see him?"
When Qiu Liming saw her, he quickly rode out of the ranks and came to her: "Madam, the Xirong army has retreated. My lord is in the middle of the ranks, and the King of Xiliang is injured."
"What kind of injury did you suffer?" Shen Yuexi asked with concern.
"He was hit by two arrows in the chest and abdomen. The situation is not optimistic." Qiu Liming whispered, "The doctor said he needs immediate treatment, otherwise he may not survive."
Shen Yuexi ran to the center of the procession and saw two soldiers carrying a stretcher. Xiliang King Mei Cheng lay on it, his hair and beard stained white by snow. Xiao Zhuo and Mei Pu were flanking the stretcher, along with two men who looked like doctors.
She came closer, handed the cloak to Xiao Zhuo, and whispered, "How is the situation?"
Xiao Zhuo shook his head slightly, his expression solemn.
Mei Cheng, who was on the stretcher, seemed to have heard her words and raised his head. "Haha...it was shot by the Xirong people's archer. Even though I was fully armored, the arrow went right into the gap."
Seeing that he could still speak, Shen Yuexi shook Xiao Zhuo's hand, turned around and said, "Your Highness, you have been shot by an arrow, don't speak."
Mei Cheng was struck by an arrow in his right chest, just below his collarbone, and another in his abdomen. His armor had been removed, and his clothes, where the arrows had struck him, were stained black and red with blood.
"I won't die. I've got a lot of fat on my belly." Mei Cheng lay down again and said, "It's just that I lost again. Alas... I thought I could win. If it weren't for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I would have gone to see my ancestors."
As he spoke and gasped, the arrow wound began to bleed again. Two doctors hurried forward to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
Mei Pu held Mei Cheng’s hand and said, “Father, listen to Madam Shen and don’t say anything more.”
Everyone arrived at the prefect's residence and first placed Mei Cheng in a clean room. Mei Pu asked the two doctors, "Do you have any ideas?"
The two doctors shook their heads in embarrassment. One of them said, "Your Highness, this is a specially made wolf-tooth arrow, designed for use by Western Rong sharpshooters. If you were to pull it out forcefully, I'm afraid the prince wouldn't be able to withstand it..."
"At this moment, we can only let the prince relieve the pain first..."
"You are useless. Get out of here." Mep waved his hand irritably and drove the two doctors away.
"Prince, I'm here to find a good doctor for you."
Hearing Shen Yuexi's voice, Mei Pu turned around and saw Shen Yuexi running over breathlessly with an old man carrying a medicine box, and Xiao Zhuo following closely behind.
"Doctor Hua is the best at treating arrow wounds. With him here, the prince will be absolutely fine, don't worry!"
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