169: Chasing Troops

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely heavy. After a long time, Mo Hua snorted with a gloomy face and said to Zhuo Jing and others, "You protect the princess." After that, he turned around and was about to leave. Ye Li frowned and asked, "Where are you going?" Mo Jia gritted his teeth and laughed, "I will take people to kill those commanders first, and see how they take advantage of the fire to rob!" Ye Li shook his head and said, "No, so many troops are parked near Hongzhou. If there is no one to control them, it will only be more chaotic. And... those who lead the troops now may not be the ones who have the final say. Mo Jingqi can't not send someone over." Mo Jingqi is not a person who can trust his subjects casually. If he can issue such a secret order, he will definitely send someone of great importance to come in person.

Mo Hua turned and looked at Ye Li, "What are your plans, Princess?"

Ye Li groaned for a moment, then said softly, "At least they can't be allowed to get close to Hongzhou City today. Zhuo Jing, find a way to let them know that I have left Hongzhou!"

Everyone looked at Ye Li, their eyes full of disapproval. Zhuo Jing said, "Princess, this is too dangerous." Ye Li sighed softly, "This is the only way now. I just hope... the prince can send someone to take over Hongzhou in time. Go." Zhuo Jing stood there, unwilling to move a step. Ye Li's face darkened slightly, and said, "This is an order!" Zhuo Jing had no choice but to turn around and leave. Mo Hua was silent for a moment and said, "The prince should be on his way to Hongzhou, princess, let's take a shortcut south, maybe we can meet the prince on the way." Ye Li looked back at Hongzhou City and said softly, "This is the only way, let's go."

As Mo Hua said, the group took a shortcut southward. Soon, the Chu garrison stationed not far away also started to move, but they did not move towards Hongzhou, but instead scattered in all directions as if they were looking for someone. At the same time, another team of elite troops passed through Hongzhou City at a very fast speed and headed towards the interior.

In the night, the sound of weapons clashing continued in the forest. In the forest, a dozen secret guards protected Ye Li in the center and calmly dealt with the enemies who kept coming. The ground around them was littered with dead bodies, and the thick smell of blood filled the entire forest.

"Princess, we are surrounded." Mo Hua stood beside Ye Li and said in a deep voice.

Ye Li nodded, "It's obvious." There were less than fifty people in their group, but the enemy had at least seven or eight hundred people. And seeing the signal sent by the other side earlier, she had no doubt that more enemies were coming in an endless stream, "Should I say that Mo Jingqi really values ​​me enough?" Lin Han said, "I'm afraid that in their eyes, Hongzhou will be a lose-lose situation sooner or later, so naturally it is more important to capture the princess." Most importantly, they learned from a captured general that Mo Jingqi's secret decree mentioned that anyone who captures Princess Ding will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and promoted three levels. Killing Princess Ding will also get ten thousand taels of gold. In comparison, the benefits of participating in the war in Hongzhou are enough to be ignored. Mo Hua looked at the four people and said, "You escort the princess out, and we will stop these people."

Ye Li smiled helplessly and said, "It's going to be very difficult for a few people to rush out now, let's go together." Mo Hua paused for a moment, and he also understood that the princess was telling the truth. Now they were surrounded in this forest, and it would be a death wish for a few people to rush out. Not to mention that the princess was the focus of those people's attention.

Ye Li ducked her head to avoid a soldier's spear, then turned around and easily cut the other's throat. The smell of blood in the air made her frown and suppress the urge to vomit.

"Princess Ding, please come out and talk!" A loud message suddenly came from the enemy's general outside the forest. The soldiers attacking around them obviously received the order and stopped, just staring at them vigilantly. Ye Li stood behind the dark guards, with a calm expression, and said lightly: "Which general are you?" The other party laughed and said: "The princess doesn't need to know. We have no intention of harming the princess, just ask the princess to come out of the forest. We will immediately escort the princess back to the capital for recuperation." Ye Li sneered, and what she said was really nice. After returning to the capital, what awaits her will only be endless house arrest and exploitation. Use her to negotiate conditions with Mo Xiuyao, not to mention that now that she is pregnant, she must not fall into Mo Jingqi's hands. Given Mo Jingqi's hatred for Prince Ding's Mansion and his jealousy of Mo Xiuyao, it was hard to imagine what he would do.

Seeing that Ye Li did not answer, the other party became a little impatient and said in a deep voice: "Princess, we also know that His Royal Highness Prince Ding is leading his troops here now. So we don't have much time to give you. If you can't come out after an hour, please forgive me for my rudeness." Wei Rui sneered and said: "Since you know that Prince Ding is coming soon, you still dare to be so rude to you, don't you want your lives?" The other party was silent for a moment before saying: "We have to eat your salary and share your worries. I have no choice but to do so. Please forgive me, Princess Ding." What followed was a solemn and tense wait. Ye Li looked at the countless pairs of eyes that were watching them vigilantly not far away, gently stroked her flat abdomen, and smiled helplessly and tiredly, "Zhuo Jing, what's going on in Hongzhou City right now?" Zhuo Jing said, "The troops that arrived first are not

Not much, I'm afraid they'll all be used to hunt us down. As long as there are no accidents, the situation in Hongzhou should be no different from what the princess had imagined before. "Ye Li nodded with some relief and smiled: "That's good. Finally... one side won." Lin Han asked in a low voice: "Princess, what should we do now?" Ye Li raised her eyes calmly and whispered: "To the southeast corner

, rush out. "

Mo Hua frowned in worry and said, "The princess's health..."

Ye Li smiled coldly, "If it falls into their hands, what do you think will happen?" Mo Hua said nothing, but if a Princess Ding falls into Mo Jingqi's hands, she may not die or be used to seize the prince. But if a Ding Palace with a future prince falls into Mo Jingqi's hands... it will definitely be a disaster, not only for the prince and princess, but also for the entire Mo family army.

After taking a deep look at Ye Li, Mo Hua bowed to her with unprecedented respect, "I will follow your orders, Princess."

The southeast corner leads to the deep mountains, and the terrain is more rugged and dangerous than other places. Perhaps because of this, the number of people guarding this side is much less than that of the other sides, and this is also their only hope to rush out. Ye Li gave an order, and all the secret guards rushed to that place together, showing no mercy along the way. It can be said that if a god stood in their way, they would kill the god, and if a Buddha stood in their way, they would kill the Buddha. The same was true behind them.

There was an angry shout from outside the forest, "Kill them! No matter if they are dead or alive, don't let any of them go!"

With such an invincible momentum, the group actually fought their way out of the encirclement and headed deeper into the mountains. However, there were only seven or eight secret guards left, including Mo Hua, Zhuo Jing and others, all of whom were covered in wounds. Only Ye Li, who was protected in the middle by them, had no external injuries except for a tired look.

There are few people in the deep mountains and old forests. Even if the enemy has thousands of troops, it is not easy to find a few people who are hiding in such a vast forest. The next morning, the group had basically gotten rid of the pursuers, but they were also deep in the mountains and didn't know the way forward. They could only move forward in a general direction. In addition, in her past and present lives, Ye Li had never experienced such a

Wolf. Although she had experienced many worse environments in her previous life, that was based on her healthy body. But now, because of her pregnancy, even though it did not affect her movements, her mental and physical strength were obviously a bit exhausted. The first three months of pregnancy are a dangerous period, and it is not suitable for too intense activities. Although it was only a day, Ye Li was also

She felt a little uncomfortable. She knew in her heart that if she wasn't careful she would probably lose her first baby.

They found a secluded and relatively flat place to stop and had some dry food and water. Lin Han said, "As long as we don't encounter any pursuers, we'll be fine from here." Wei Rui shook his head and said, "Although I don't know the exact location, judging from the location of this mountain range, no matter which direction we go out, we'll be far away from the prince and the Mo family army. And if we go back the same way,

We may be pursued." Ye Li thought for a moment and said, "Lin Han, you go back alone and find the prince." Lin Han disagreed and said, "If you go back for help, just send a secret guard. I can help more if I stay here." Ye Li shook his head and said, "No, the way back must be very dangerous. I will feel relieved if you or Zhuo Jingwei go back. And

Besides, we are deep in the mountains now. As long as we are careful and concealed, the chances of encountering pursuers are very small. Go quickly and come back quickly... If something happens to the people returning, no one will know we are here. Then..." Wei Rui reached out and patted Lin Han's shoulder, nodding. Lin Han glanced at everyone and nodded: "Yes, I will find the prince as soon as possible!"

Ye Li nodded, "Be careful on the road."

After seeing Lin Han off, everyone took a break in this relatively flat area. Ye Li sat under a big tree, leaning against the tree trunk and looking up at the sky through the layers of tree shade. A self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips: You are really a wolf... In this world, ==

She knew that she was not strong enough. This was an era of cold weapons. Compared with those top masters, her internal strength was not strong enough, and her martial arts skills were not good enough. On the battlefield, compared with those truly world-famous generals, the military theories she learned were of no use at all. She relied only on her completely different thinking from that of ordinary people. She seemed to have the upper hand in this confrontation with King Zhennan, but she knew in her heart that if the troops and reserves were completely equal, she would most likely be defeated in three months at most. She also understood that in fact... she could choose to live a more relaxed and comfortable life. As a woman, no one could say that she did anything wrong. But... she still could not completely regard herself as a weak woman of this era. Watching the man working hard outside while she was at home enjoying the fine food and clothing provided by him. Even in such a desperate situation now, she never regretted it. At least... she had done what she could, instead of staying in the capital and waiting to be caught by Mo Jingqi as a pawn to threaten the father of her child.

Ye Li stood up with the help of a tree and walked to the fire. It was already quite cold in the early winter night. Three secret guards who were busy grilling meat and cooking soup stood up quickly when they saw Ye Li coming. Ye Li waved her hand and said, "Everyone is tired. Don't be so polite. Sit down." The secret guards had obviously never met such a master before. They looked at Zhuo Jing, who was sitting on a tree with his eyes closed and resting his mind, with some hesitation. Mo Hua led his men to hunt, so they could only seek the advice of Zhuo Jing, who was also a secret guard. Noticing the gaze of the secret guards, Zhuo Jing opened his eyes and looked at them and said, "Listen to the princess's orders." The three of them sat down again and did their own things in silence. They looked a little more restrained than before.

Ye Li smiled faintly, reached out to take a branch and stirred the fire, picked up a bunch of bird meat that had been roasted on the fire and threw it on the branch on the side. Wei Rui, who was hanging upside down on the tree, reached out to catch it, took a bite and ate it without saying much, watching Zhuo Jing on the other side of the tree drooling, "Princess..." Ye Li raised her eyebrows, took another bunch and threw it over, Zhuo Jing cheered and then ate happily. Ye Li looked back at An Wei who was surprised at their interaction and smiled, "You are all hungry, eat first, wait for Mo Hua and the others to come back and roast them." Zhuo Jing bit the roast meat and said vaguely, "I said... I go out to find food, I must be faster than... Commander cough cough... Mo Hua..."

It seemed that due to the interaction between Ye Li and Zhuo Jingwei, the atmosphere gradually became more relaxed. Ye Li endured the smoke and greasy smell of the fire, eating the barbecue in her hand without appetite. A secret guard looked at her, took out two fist-sized red wild fruits and handed them to Ye Li, saying shyly: "I picked these on the road. If the princess doesn't mind, you can eat these." Ye Li smiled, took it, wiped it casually, and took a bite. The sour and sweet fruit made her feel much better immediately. She nodded and smiled at the secret guard: "Thank you."

The secret guard blushed and said quickly that he dared not.

While eating wild fruits, Ye Li watched the secret guards looking at her in a cryptic and curious manner. She smiled faintly and asked softly, "Are you afraid of getting into trouble this time?"

These secret guards were all extremely young and outstanding youths. If they were reorganized in the future, whether they were placed in the Black Cloud Cavalry Army or entered the Qilin, they would have a bright future. However, this time, almost all of them followed her and died.

"Don't be afraid!" The dark guard who gave Ye Li the wild fruit said loudly: "It is the honor of the dark guards to die loyally for the prince and princess."

"Nonsense." Ye Li scolded softly, "Why do you only want to die for your loyalty instead of trying to survive first? If everyone dies, who will be loyal to the Dingguo Palace?" The three young men looked at Ye Li in confusion. What the princess said was obviously contrary to the education they had received since childhood, which made them a little confused. "Does the princess mean that we should be greedy for life and afraid of death and escape from the battlefield? Although we are not the Black Cloud Cavalry and Mohist Army that are famous in all countries, we can't do such a thing." The three young men obviously did not agree with Ye Li's words. Ye Li smiled and said, "Death can be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather. If you give up your life for a little thing or die for a little setback, then even if you are loyal, it is still foolish loyalty. If you have tried your best for the overall situation, for your ideals, and for your beliefs, but in the end you can only sacrifice yourself, then even if you die, you are still a true warrior." The three young men thought for a while. In fact, the secret guards or similar people these days have an unwritten rule, such as many people will die to apologize for the failure of an important mission. As secret guards, they have naturally seen many such examples, and even they themselves have the same idea. Therefore, although they are sad that their brothers died protecting the princess this time, they are also mentally prepared. If the princess has any accident, they will all die to apologize. But after listening to the princess, it seemed that the princess felt that what they were doing was not right.

"Princess...if you make a mistake, shouldn't you die as a way of atonement?"

Ye Li looked up at the sky and rolled his eyes, then asked, "If the person who made the mistake died to atone for his crime, does that mean the mistake no longer exists?"

"So...what should we do?"

"Of course, I will try my best to survive and make up for my mistakes. To die is a coward's behavior." Ye Li said firmly. The three young men thought for a long time in a daze. One of them asked cautiously: "Princess, will that... Qilin still want people?" Ye Li smiled, "You also know Qilin?" The three nodded in unison. Qilin was not completely hidden in the Mohist Army and Dingguo Palace. Compared with the hundreds of thousands of Mohist Army scattered all over the place, the secret guards obviously knew more. The three young men looked at Zhuo Jing and Wei Rui, who were sitting and hanging upside down on a tree not far away, and there was more envy and yearning in their eyes. They all came from comfort, and some even trained and grew up with them. But now they look so different.

Ye Li tilted her head and smiled, "Of course, if you can come back alive this time, I might be able to plead with Qin Feng and ask him to give you a chance. But... do you have to convince Mo Hua yourself?"

The three young men were overjoyed, their young faces glowing with vigor, sweeping away all their previous fatigue and depression.

"Someone is coming!" Zhuo Jing and Wei Rui jumped down from the tree at the same time and landed beside Ye Li with alert expressions. The others also stood up quickly and prepared for battle.

Ye Li tilted his ear and listened to the deep voice: "Two groups of people, one group is going up the mountain from the bottom, still far from here. The other group is Mo Hua and his men coming down from the top." The secret guards behind him had quickly put out the fire, and in a blink of an eye, Mo Hua also came up with a few secret guards. Mo Hua said with a serious face: "I just saw someone coming up the mountain." Ye Li frowned and said: "It is definitely impossible to go down the mountain. The mountain is now surrounded and there is no way out. Is there a way up the mountain?" Mo Hua said: "There is a cliff on the top of the mountain. The mountain on the opposite side of the cliff is completely separated from this side. If we can get through..."

"Is it okay?" Ye Li asked.

Mo Hua nodded slightly, "You can give it a try."

Ye Li exhaled slightly and said in a deep voice: "Let's go up the mountain."