Chapter 589 Arong, do you want to go?
Eunuch Zhao's face was so dark it seemed to drip water, his brows furrowed like iron: "Just now, an urgent message was sent to the palace—it was discovered that Yelü Qi had only gathered 30,000 troops at the border, but it turned out to be a deceptive trick. A few days ago, he suddenly launched an attack, leading a large army in a night raid on Ducheng. Two hundred thousand iron cavalry pressed in like a dark cloud, and the 50,000 border troops were simply powerless to resist. He captured Ducheng, Yuguan, and Jiangyan in one night." His throat tightened, and his voice trembled slightly, "The border generals Zhao Poqiong and Huo Lin both fought bravely and died for their country. Yelü Qi has hung their heads on the city wall for three days now."
"What did you say?!!"
Li Rong and Xiao Yuanshan turned around abruptly almost simultaneously, their gazes piercing Zhao Gonggong like sharp swords. On the other side, Lord Xie, who had been unconscious, suddenly coughed violently, his throat bobbing violently. He propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes wide open like copper bells, blood vessels throbbing in his cloudy eyeballs, and the hem of his robe trembling as he gripped it tightly.
Clang.
Despite the excruciating pain, Zhao Xiuyuan held the bowl of medicine brought by the imperial physician. It clattered to the ground, spilling the medicine all over his front, but he didn't care. His voice trembled as he asked, "Tell me, who is the dead garrison commander?"
...
"Arong? What are you thinking about? Should we go into the palace to take a look?"
When I came out of the Regent's Palace, I saw that the whole street was brightly lit by the palace servants coming and going. It wasn't just the Regent's Palace; all the important officials living around it had obviously received the summons from the palace. Candles were lit in every courtyard, and some officials were even quick enough to drive their carriages to the palace.
Jiang Nuanzhi glanced at Li Rong, who was looking distracted beside her, and finally couldn't help but sigh.
Li Rong snapped out of his daze, turned his head to look at Jiang Nuanzhi, paused, and gently stroked the top of her dark hair with his large hand: "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten anything today. Here, have something to eat first."
After saying that, Li Rong withdrew his gaze from outside the carriage, turned back, crushed a pine nut, and gave the small handful of pine nuts he had prepared to Jiang Nuanzhi.
"Arong, why does Yuguan seem so familiar? Oh, right, is that where the epidemic occurred before? I remember, the Emperor issued an edict ordering Chiheng and me to deal with the epidemic."
Jiang Nuanzhi suddenly remembered and unconsciously frowned.
Li Rong's eyes darkened slightly: "Yes, Yu Guan has always been plagued by disasters. I remember your prescription, which solved Yu Guan's urgent problem."
As she spoke, Li Rong's eyelashes trembled slightly: "When I was still young, I also fought the most difficult battle of my life in Yuguan City."
Jiang Nuanzhi turned around and looked at him curiously after hearing what he said.
Li Rong pursed his lips: "At that time, Yuguan City had been besieged for more than ten days, and the army had long since run out of ammunition and food. Reinforcements were slow to arrive, and there was no news of supplies. It was during this difficult time that the city's garrison commander, Lord Lin Yulin, led the people to collect food, and his wife led the women to cook rice for the soldiers at the city wall. With the strength of the entire city, they managed to hold out for seventeen days."
"And then what?"
"Later, we still didn't receive any reinforcements, but I took Yelü Wuji's head, and the Northern Tartars' morale collapsed. We managed to hold Yuguan Pass."
As Li Rong spoke, he let out a long breath. His eyes were filled with an endless, profound sorrow, as if a single glance from them was enough to make one feel unbearable pain.
"Arong, isn't it a good thing that we defended the city?"
"Yes, that's what I thought back then too. When we were at a complete disadvantage, we took the enemy's head in the battle, and I was overjoyed. I still remember the cheers in Yuguan City that day. The people took pots and pans and banged on them all night long. Everyone was so happy that they cried and hugged each other, celebrating their hard-won survival."
"However, of the many people in Yuguan City, only half survived to celebrate. It's laughable that more of my army died in battle than starved to death. Lord Lin's wife was pregnant and was also affected. In that battle, both mother and child died, leaving only Lord Lin alive."
Li Rong's voice trembled slightly: "Now, I think he must be in his sixties. The city garrison was replaced two years ago. I saw him once during my exile. He brought me wild vegetable buns from the people of Yuguan City and told me to take good care of myself."
Although the new city magistrate hated him and felt a thorn in his side whenever he saw him, making things difficult for him at every turn, he still stuffed a large bag of silver into my hand. He added that his wife and son were still in that land, and he would never leave.”
For some reason, Jiang Nuanzhi felt a lump in her throat.
So, now that Yuguan City has been breached by the Northern Tartars, what must the old man be feeling?
For a moment, Jiang Nuanzhi didn't dare to think too deeply about it.
Li Rong rubbed the pastries in his hand, lost in thought: "Yuguan City has fertile land, and the vegetables grown there are naturally sweet. The people have also experienced hunger, and when they meet, they always seem to ask each other if they have eaten."
However, the pastries in Yuguan weren't very good, but the wild vegetable buns were truly exceptional. Even after all these years, I still can't forget them; I actually crave that taste.”
As she spoke, she turned around and saw Jiang Nuanzhi with a red nose. She was stunned for a moment: "It's my fault. Talking about these unhappy things made Nuanzhi sad."
Jiang Nuanzhi sniffed, looked at Li Rong who was still smiling at her, pursed her lips, and finally leaned gently on his shoulder.
The carriage was originally quite spacious. Jiang Nuanzhi and Lin Chun could sit on one side of the carriage with room to spare, but now that Li Rong, a big guy, was in the carriage with her, it suddenly felt a bit crowded.
"Arong, do you want to go to Yuguan?"
Jiang Nuanzhi's voice had a slight nasal tone, which made her feel sad. How must A Rong be feeling when she experienced it firsthand?
Now, the Jade Gate City, which has been guarded by generations of people, has been occupied by bandits. How does he feel?
Jiang Nuanzhi felt uneasy just thinking about it. What about Li Rong? How did he feel, as the former guardian deity of Dajing?
Li Rong was leaning against Jiang Nuanzhi, his whole body stiff, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.
Remembering Ah Nuan's words, his dark eyes darkened, and he subconsciously looked down at Jiang Nuanzhi. He could only see Jiang Nuanzhi's profile; her long eyelashes fluttered, and the two were so close they could almost see the fine hairs on her cheeks. The unique fragrance of orchids, mingled with the scent of medicine, emanating from Ah Nuan, filled his nostrils, seemingly calming his restless heart.
He subconsciously reached out and put his arm around the soft, cuddly little girl beside him.
Uncontrollably, he used a little force to pull the person into his arms.
"Anuan, I will stay in Kyoto to protect you and the children."
He doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of Elder Lin. He won't leave.
(End of this chapter)
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