Chapter Forty-Five: Soaring to the Sea, Turning the Universe Around
"So they didn't even see us?" Yang Xiao looked at Zhong Lishuo in disbelief, and a burst of laughter erupted from inside the tent.
Zhong Lishuo smiled and waved his hand, "My bad, my bad. How about this, to make it up to you two, I'll go first tomorrow."
"What kind of compensation is this? It's clearly taking advantage of him," Yang Xiao chuckled, crossed her arms, and gestured with her chin at him. "Tell me the truth, are you trying to show off in front of Tong Xi?"
"Is that even a question?" Bai Ming chuckled and shook his head, looking at Yang Xiao with a smile in his eyes. "Last time, Yu De competed with you in darts and wanted to show off his skills, but you stole the show."
Yang Xiao chuckled softly upon hearing this, "That makes sense."
“Zhao Qing, you still have something to say,” Zhong Lishuo said with a smile, pointing at Bai Ming. “Who scooped up all the leaves that Lingyu had pierced?”
Cen Xun watched the three laughing and joking with great interest. She sat on a small folding bed next to them, the warmth of the room dispelling all the chill from her body. With a smile in her eyes, she rested her chin on her hand and looked at Zhong Lishuo's back.
"Alright, we're outnumbered." Zhong Lishuo chuckled and waved his hand, then turned back to Cen Xun, taking her hands as if he had been wronged. "Tongxi, look, they're ganging up on me."
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun couldn't help but laugh and squeeze his hand. "You're the one who's accusing me first," she said, standing up and smiling at Yang Xiao beside her. "I was thinking, with Yu De and Ling Yu both out fighting, how bored must our lord and strategist be?"
“There must be endless official documents waiting for the lord to review,” Yang Xiao naturally picked up the conversation, sitting on the small folding chair next to him, and looked up at Cen Xun. “Tell me, after I left Jiangnan, weren’t you bored?”
Cen Xun smiled and nodded, "Extremely boring. That's why I thought of the lord and the others."
“Tongxi, look,” Zhongli Shuo smiled and took Cen Xun’s hand, “Now you not only serve Lingyu, but you also have me. Doesn’t that mean double the fun?”
“Yes, it’s so nice here that I don’t miss Jiangnan,” Cen Xun joked, following their words. Then he looked up at the three people beside him. “Speaking of which, this is my first time on the battlefield. I’ve heard Lingyu tell me about it before, and now I finally see what it’s like for you guys to fight.”
Zhong Lishuo nodded confidently, "The three of us will definitely not let you down," and then nodded to Yang Xiao and Bai Ming beside him, "Right?"
“Of course,” Yang Xiao nodded at Cen Xun. “I’m going to check on the Eagle Team and grab Mu Fei to cook for me while I’m at it.” She smiled and nodded slightly. “You’ll see tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Cen Xun replied with a light laugh, “but safety should come first.”
As Yang Xiao walked out of the tent, she waved to Cen Xun, "Don't worry, we'll be fine."
Just as she was about to lift the curtain and leave the tent, Bai Ming raised his hand to stop her. "Lingyu, wait a moment." He picked up the cloak that Yang Xiao had taken off at some point from the table and handed it to her. "It's cold outside. Be careful not to catch a cold. Stand at the door for a while before going out."
"Okay." Yang Xiao nodded with a smile, quickly fastened the cloak, and nodded to Bai Ming. "I'm going out now. Let's rest well tonight and be ready to go tomorrow to take Yingchuan in one fell swoop!"
Sparks flickered on the newly melted snow. Soldiers, exhausted from a day's work, sat in groups on the ground, warming themselves by the fire and drinking hot porridge, yet their faces showed no sign of fatigue.
As the sun gradually sets in the west, only a warm orange glow remains on the banks of the Milky Way. The crackling sound of fire dispels the chill of the night, filling dreams with sweet dreams.
A light clatter of hooves broke the silence of dawn. Yang Xiaogang rubbed his sleepy eyes and stepped out of the tent, only to see a scout galloping towards the main tent from not far away.
"Report—" The scout, who was looking for someone, had just called out when he saw Yang Xiao walking out of the tent. He turned his horse around and trotted towards Yang Xiao. "Report, General Yang, Qin Yi of Yingchuan is leading ten thousand troops and is rushing to Runan day and night."
Yang Xiao suddenly came to her senses and nodded. "This Prefect of Yingchuan is really punctual. He will send out his troops whenever the challenge letter says so." She waved to the scouts and said, "Tell all troops to prepare. We will go out to meet the enemy in half an hour."
"yes!"
In less than an hour, Qin Yi's 10,000 troops marched in from the foot of the mountain, and the entire mountain was filled with a dark mass of men.
Several battle flags hidden in the woods immediately began to wave. Zhongli Shuo mounted his horse, laughed heartily, and waved to the soldiers behind him, "Brothers, follow me!"
In an instant, the Yuzhou soldiers who had been lying in ambush in the forest rushed out. The horns blared and roared, shaking the heavens and the earth like a mighty dragon. The war drums followed, sounding like thunderbolts illuminating the ground. The soldiers, like a huge wave, surged out towards Qin Yi as the sun rose.
Qin Yi, who had just led his army to attack, had not yet settled down when he saw the ambush troops rise from the bushes, and three warhorses emerged, neighing and flicking their manes in the blazing sun.
The three men pressed down on Qin Yi relentlessly. The young general in the lead, dressed in black robes and riding a black horse, exuded arrogance and haughtiness. The saber in his hand gleamed in the sunlight. The two men beside him were equally menacing. One was confident of victory and calm, while the other was ready to fight, staring at Qin Yi like an eagle in the sky.
He frowned, then glanced behind the three men—"Bai," "Yang," and "Zhongli"—three battle flags appeared before him. Qin Yi immediately understood. He took a deep breath, tugged at the reins, and looked up at the three men.
"This is going to be a tough battle," Qin Yi slung his broadsword over his shoulder, turned the blade, and shouted, "Charge!"
Suddenly, chaos erupted in the mountains, filled with shouts of battle. Two large groups of men clashed, and the sound of weapons clashing filled the air.
Qin Yi gritted his teeth, frowned, and raised his sword to fight against the three men. He could not necessarily win against any one of them, let alone the fact that all three of them were gathered here and attacking him at the same time.
He spun the knife in his hand rapidly, but with great effort, he had no chance to attack and could only endlessly parry.
It seems that Zhong Li'an's attitude is very clear: he wants to teach them a lesson from this defeat—don't try to take over the Central Plains of Hebei and Henan.
What appears to be a battle between a general and his soldiers on the battlefield is also a contest between Zhongli An and Xiao Yan.
"No," Qin Yi gritted his teeth, reining in his horse and glancing at his adjutant beside him, "Scatter and fight."
The lieutenant immediately snapped out of his daze and nodded to Qin Yi, "Yes."
The dark mass of soldiers before him immediately split into several groups and scattered in all directions, and Zhong Lishuo's sharp edge was instantly avoided.
Seeing this, Bai Ming twirled the gun in his hand, frowning as he looked at the scattered team. "Are they... trying to create a formation?"
"At this rate, when will it be finished?" Yang Xiao chuckled, stepped forward with her gun, and looked at Bai Ming. "Don't forget, we still have Tong Xi."
The war drums behind them suddenly thundered, and the command flags cut through the north wind like sharp knives, sending out wave after wave of fluttering sounds.
The soldiers behind the three immediately rushed forward, changing formations according to the direction of the command flag.
Dust settled on the ground, and a high-riding chariot suddenly appeared behind the formation. Cen Xun held the command flag in his hand and looked up at the ever-changing formation before him.
"Everyone," she called from the carriage, her voice light and ethereal yet able to penetrate the formation and reach everyone's ears, "take advantage of this advantage and pursue them relentlessly."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Lishuo immediately turned around, nodded confidently to Cen Xun, exchanged glances with Yang Xiaobaiming, and then brandished his sword and spurred his horse to chase after Qin Yi.
Hearing the drumbeats, Fei Mo seemed to get excited as well, and shot out like an arrow, heading straight for Qin Yi.
"General Qin, be careful!" Qin Yi's deputy general was startled when he saw Zhongli Shuo's warhorse galloping faster and faster. He quickly swung his double axes forward to meet the enemy.
For some reason, Qin Yi glanced back and nodded at his adjutant as if he didn't care at all. He cracked his whip, and his warhorse neighed in pain and galloped off, instantly putting distance between itself and Zhongli Shuo again.
The war drums behind him continued to beat incessantly. Cen Xun set up a formation, looked up at the field, and was startled by the scene before him, involuntarily gasping for breath.
Where Qin Yi's warhorse leaped, the sand trembled slightly. Cen Xun looked closely and saw a soldier lying in ambush on each side. Her heart jumped into her throat, and her hand on the carriage shaft trembled slightly.
"Yude, be careful!"
She shouted as if she had exhausted all her strength, but at the same time, the tripwire in the soldier's hand suddenly rose up and blocked Fei Mo's front hoof.
A sudden hiss shattered the battlefield, and Fei Mo lost his balance and fell forward.
With a "bang," the warhorse fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"An opportunity!" The lieutenant was overjoyed when he saw Zhongli Shuo's warhorse stumble. He immediately used all his strength to raise his double axes and smash them down on Zhongli Shuo, who was about to fall.
In an instant, it seemed that everyone's eyes fell on the lieutenant's axe. Cen Xun clung to the carriage shaft, his limbs suddenly turning cold.
Everyone's heart jumped into their throats, and they dared not breathe.
The two axes swung down fiercely, and in an instant there was another loud "bang," as if the two axes were burning hot, and they flew straight away.
As the dust settled in the center of the battle formation, the situation on the battlefield gradually became clear. Zhong Lishuo knelt on the ground, the scabbard of his sword still trembling slightly from the aftershocks.
He looked up at the terrified enemy general and couldn't help but chuckle. The next second, a white blade flashed in the light, and the sword was suddenly drawn.
"You really think a tripwire can trip me up?"
With a sizzling sound, the enemy general's horse's blood gushed out. In an instant, the cold blade pierced the enemy general's waist and abdomen, and blood flowed out in a gush before his incredulous gaze.
Dust billowed up on the field. Zhongli Shuo slammed the hilt of his sword down, and the enemy general, like his flying double axes, crashed into the sand.
The battle formation fell silent. Only Zhongli Shuo, his sword slashing in the sunlight, spun around his back. "Giddy up!" he shouted, pulling on the reins and leaping onto his horse, galloping towards Qin Yi.
Fei Mo had already struggled to his feet while Zhong Li Shuo was fighting the enemy general, and was carrying his master as he raced wildly toward the stunned Qin Yi.
Seeing that things were not going well, Qin Yi turned to run away, but Yang Xiao and Bai Ming had already seized the opportunity to set up the battle and completely blocked his escape route.
Before he could even rein in his horse and turn around, a strong smell of blood wafted from the back of Qin Yi's head.
"So, are you still running?"
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