408. Life and Death Battle

"I'll take people to rescue them!" Leng Haoyu said anxiously.

Ye Li turned her head, looked at him calmly and said, "Go to rescue? For the sake of 500 people, add another 50,000 people?"

Leng Haoyu was speechless, and suddenly felt a chill in his heart, but more of it was shame and guilt. Qilin was created and trained by Ye Li herself. Although Princess Ding could lead the entire Mohist Army, in fact, Ye Li had always been very sensible and rarely interfered in the affairs of the Mohist Army and the Black Cloud Cavalry. Qilin can be said to be created by Princess Ding herself and is the most loyal to her. If it was not a last resort, how could the princess send these people out knowing that they would die?

In war, a general is destined to bear a burden that ordinary people cannot bear. Her words and deeds may determine the life and death of thousands of soldiers, and at this time, the choice becomes very important. The choice may be related to the outcome of the war or even the rise and fall of a country. That's why there is a saying - kindness cannot lead the army, and justice cannot manage finances. And Ye Li has already become a qualified commander. Such a choice may be cruel, but there is no other choice.

"Princess, you are righteous." Old General Yuan Pei said in a low voice as he looked into the distance at the dark shadow that was submerged by the Xiling army.

Ye Li raised a faint smile and sighed softly, "One general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers..." A drop of transparent liquid quietly fell from the corner of her beautiful eyes and disappeared in a moment.

"A general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of men..." Leng Haoyu murmured in a low voice, and suddenly he leaped down from the top of the city wall with a long roar, rushing into the chaotic army, "Kill! Defend Feihong Pass to the death!" Several figures soon fell from the city wall and joined the chaotic army. Only Yuan Pei, Ye Li and Zhuo Jing were left on the city wall.

The five hundred Qilin were submerged in the hundreds of thousands of Xiling troops in just a moment and disappeared. The black Qilin that was fighting with the Golden Guards made a sharp roar. When the last Golden Guard was chopped down by the sword, all the Qilins put their right hands on their chests to salute Ye Li on the tower, and then rushed to the direction where the five hundred Qilin disappeared. They will continue the mission that their comrades failed to complete.

On the battlefield, a black arrow that was even bigger than the previous one shot at the rear of the Xiling army at lightning speed. Seeing their actions, someone from the Mohist Army and the Black Cloud Cavalry under the city suddenly shouted loudly: "Black Cloud Cavalry! Make way for the Qilin brothers!"

"Mohist Army! Go!"

Countless cavalry and infantry dressed in white began to rush into the Xiling army in unison. The iron cavalry of Heiyun rushed into the army like a white tornado, clearing a path for Qilin following behind. The infantry of the Mohist Army following behind immediately rushed up and fought with the scattered Xiling soldiers. At this moment, it was no longer a simple defense. Originally, attacking was the best defense. But the difference in the number of Mohist Army and Xiling soldiers was too big, so they could only defend. But when everyone was blood-thirsty, no one cared about defense or attack. There was only one word in their eyes-die with the enemy! If I can't live, you have to die with me!

At this time, people standing far away will see a strange scene. The Mohist Army, dressed in mourning, and the Black Cloud Cavalry escorted a small group of black unicorns in the Xiling Army, rushing forward, heading straight for the place where the general flag and the king flag were behind the Xiling Army, and they were invincible. No one cared about the increasing number of Xiling troops behind them, and no one cared about the increasingly difficult road ahead. As long as they had a breath left, they would keep moving forward.

"These guys are crazy!" Behind the Xiling army, Lei Tengfeng was waiting angrily for the battlefield in front of him. Who could have imagined that in such a face-to-face confrontation, the Xiling army of hundreds of thousands of people would be suppressed by the Mohist army of less than 200,000 people. No matter what, Xiling has already lost this battle today. Morale is something that can be said to be strong when they are weak, or weak when they are strong. Once the momentum is suppressed, the Xiling army will not be able to break through Feihong Pass no matter what.

Lei Zhenting exhaled slightly and said in a deep voice: "The Mohist Army... the Black Cloud Cavalry... the Kirin, are indeed the world-famous elite troops who have fought in hundreds of battles..."

"Father, please retreat first." Lei Tengfeng said worriedly.

Lei Zhenting shook his head, "No, this time we must get rid of all the Qilin and Black Cloud Riders! Drum roll!"

Lei Tengfeng had no choice but to order the drums to be beaten. The deafening sound of war drums rang out on the battlefield. The Xiling soldiers were all excited. The sudden and frantic attack of the Mohist Army had made them panic for a moment and even confused their steps. Only then did they come to their senses and immediately rushed up to fight with the Mohist Army again.

On the tower of Feihong Pass, Ye Li stood in front of a huge war drum that was much taller than her. She picked up the two drumsticks beside it and struck it hard.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The sound of the war drums became more and more frequent, and soon it drowned out the sound of the Xiling army's war drums. Many people looked back in a hurry, and saw a slender woman in white swinging a drumstick and beating a huge war drum on the high tower in the distance. Each beat seemed to hit everyone's heart, and the sound of war drums was faintly heard in the sound of iron horses.

"Thank you, brothers! Qilin, take action!" Qin Feng, who was at the forefront of the chaos, shouted loudly. Lin Han and Wei Rui beside him jumped up at the same time. Qilin, who was originally sandwiched in the middle by the Black Cloud Cavalry and the Mohist Army, was divided into three and surpassed the occupants around him at a faster speed than before and headed towards the rear of the Xiling Army. The Black Cloud Cavalry and the Mohist Army soldiers had already completed their mission, and there was really no return from now on.

The Black Cloud Cavalry commander who led the army casually chopped down a Xiling soldier who sneaked in, and silently said take care in the direction where Qilin was going away. He raised the long sword in his hand and shouted: "Return to defend Feihong Pass!"

It was still the Black Cloud Cavalry that led the way, and the remaining soldiers and horses once again turned around and rushed towards the perimeter of the Xiling army.

Qin Feng and Lin Hanwei led a group of Qilin to kill in the direction of Lei Zhenting. People kept dying along the way, but no one had time to care about it. Everyone's black clothes were almost soaked with blood. It was like a group of evil spirits from hell, which made many Xiling soldiers instinctively want to retreat before they were even covered, but they soon became the dead souls under the knife.

The original number of Qilin, which numbered more than a thousand, was reduced to less than three hundred when it was about to approach the rear of the Xiling army. However, the remaining three hundred people had already made all the Xiling soldiers feel terrified. Qin Feng made a gesture to Lin Han and Wei Rui, and they both nodded at the same time. Just when the people of Xiling thought that these three hundred people were going to desperately move forward to assassinate the King of Zhennan and began to shrink their defense, Qin Feng led his men forward and rushed to the King of Zhennan and Lei Tengfeng, while Lin Han and Wei Rui rushed to the left and right to the other two generals who were pressing forward on the left and right.

"Not good!" Lei Tengfeng shouted in shock, "Quickly shoot! Kill without mercy!"

Unfortunately, he realized it too late. Before the arrows were shot, the black-clad unicorns had already rushed into the army. From a distance, Lei Tengfeng saw Lin Han showing him a mocking smile. At the same time, the sword in Lin Han's hand had already chopped off the head of the left-wing general.

Lei Zhenting's face turned pale. Hundreds of thousands of people could not stop more than a thousand people... "Sign the bell and withdraw the troops!" Even if Lei Zhenting was no longer willing to admit it, Xiling still lost this battle. It lost not only the fighter planes and the results, but also the fighting spirit of the Xiling soldiers. From now on, unless Xiling can also defeat the Mohist Army with the same or even better results, the Mohist Army will become the nightmare of all Xiling soldiers.

No one wins this battle.

Lei Zhenting's plan to capture Feihong Pass as quickly as possible was thwarted. The morale of Xiling soldiers plummeted, the entire Jinyiwei army was wiped out, two generals and above of Xiling were killed, and five deputy generals were killed. The Mohist Army once again defended Feihong Pass, and then the army of no more than 200,000 was lost by half. Qilin, who was known as the strongest fighter in the Mohist Army, had less than 100 people in the end. Five of the six team leaders died in battle and one was seriously injured. Qin Fengwei was slightly injured, and Lin Han was seriously injured.

However, this battle really made Qilin famous. According to Xiling's statistics afterwards, more than 27,000 Xiling soldiers died at Qilin's hands in this battle. Among them were 5,000 elite Golden Guards and more than 70 generals above the rank of colonel. Most of Xiling's generals were killed or wounded. In the past, Qilin's reputation was more about sneak attacks, assassinations, intelligence and other secrets. This battle really made people understand that an army of ten with one is not a legend. On the battlefield, a thousand Qilins were enough to wipe out Xiling's 20,000 elite soldiers. Since then, people have called him "Blood Qilin".

In this battle, both sides suffered heavy losses and had to temporarily cease fighting. The battlefield outside Feihong Pass returned to its former silence, but the strong smell of blood in the air lingered for a long time.

Outside a small courtyard in Feihong Pass, Ye Li stood in front of the gate and did not move forward. Qin Feng followed her and whispered with some worry: "Princess, should we go back and rest first?" Everyone was exhausted from today's battle, and the princess had not rested well in recent days. Ye Li shook her head and asked: "Has Xiaobao been sent away?"

Qin Feng nodded and said, "He was sent away this morning. I estimate that the young master should arrive in Licheng tomorrow morning at the latest."

Ye Li nodded and said, "That's good. You stay here and I'll go in and take a look." This was just an inconspicuous courtyard, originally for the soldiers stationed at Feihong Pass to live in. Now the people living here are the surviving Qilins who have just retreated from the battlefield.

After entering the courtyard, I saw many people lying in all directions under the eaves. Many people didn't even have time to change their clothes. They just bandaged their wounds casually and fell asleep on the ground. Shen Yang was directing his men to bandage the wounds of the people. The Mohist army also suffered heavy casualties. All the military doctors went to take care of them, so Shen Yang came here in person.

Seeing Ye Li coming in, Shen Yang quickly stood up and saluted. Ye Li shook her head, indicating that he didn't need to be polite. Shen Yang then turned around and continued to apply medicine and bandage a wounded soldier in front of him.

Not wanting to disturb the wounded soldiers from resting, Ye Li and Shen Yang went to the inner room to talk. Ye Li asked, "Mr. Shen, are their injuries not serious?" Shen Yang shook his head and said, "Only a few of them are seriously injured. I'm afraid they won't be able to fully recover in the future. The others are fine and will recover in a few days." Ye Li breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Then I'll trouble Mr. Shen. If you need anything, Mr. Shen can just send someone to tell Zhuo Jing."

Shen Yang nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, Princess. I guarantee that their injuries will be fine. These people... are truly capable men." Although Shen Yang had not been to the battlefield in person, he still knew what happened on the battlefield. Even as a doctor, Shen Yang had to admire these soldiers who risked their lives.

"How are Lin Han and the others?" Ye Li asked again. When she had just withdrawn her troops, she saw Lin Han being carried back by someone. His injuries must have been serious. Shen Yang sighed and said, "Wei Rui and Qin Feng were both slightly injured, but Lin Han was seriously injured. I suggest that after he wakes up, he should be moved to a quiet place to recuperate. He shouldn't have any major problems in the future. But his martial arts... I'm afraid..."

Ye Li was silent for a long while before nodding and saying, "I understand. Mr. Shen, please make the arrangements. Mr. Shen, please take good care of them. I have something else to do, so I will take my leave now." Shen Yang looked at Ye Li and sighed, "I see that your complexion is not very good, so please take care of yourself. These things... are not your fault."

Ye Li smiled faintly, but her smile was filled with a hint of bitterness that was hard to explain. She nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Mr. Shen."

Looking at Ye Li's receding figure, Shen Yang sighed helplessly, shook his head, turned around and continued to be busy. Such a heavy pressure is not something a woman, even a grown man may not be able to bear. In fact, the princess is just a woman in her twenties. If she had not married into the Dingwang Mansion, she might have been just a gentle and elegant, well-fed young lady. But now she has to bear the rise and fall of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Feihong Pass and even the entire Mohist Army and the Dingwang Mansion. For a woman, is such a life really good?

Ye Li returned to the general's residence, waved away the people following her, and sat down alone in the study. She stared at the book in front of her with her eyes closed. A crystal teardrop fell from the corner of her eye, dripping on the book full of handwriting and quickly spread out. Ye Li quickly reached out to wipe off the water stains on it, and added a new word next to the unclear handwriting. This is the list of all Qilin soldiers, but now, most of them are gone. And Ye Li will never forget that they did not really die for the mission. From the beginning... it was destined to be an unsuccessful mission, from the beginning... those people were cannon fodder abandoned by her. As a commander, she knew that what she did was right. But as a soldier, she could never forgive herself. Those she abandoned didn't even know they were destined to be cannon fodder from the beginning.

After a long silence, Ye Li took a blank piece of rice paper from the side, picked up the pen and began to write down the names on the list word by word. Only those names were crossed out with black marks, and the black marks represented death.

The atmosphere in the big tent of Xiling Army Camp was heavy. The generals felt a chill in their hearts when they saw the empty seats beside them. The comrades who were still excitedly discussing the war this morning, whether they were good friends or had conflicts, were still alive. But now, half of the people in the big tent have been reduced. And the reason for all this... is just because of the more than 1,000 Qilins.

"They are not human! They are devils!" a young general murmured in a low voice with a pale face.

The mood of other people was not necessarily calmer than his. Everyone sat there in a daze as if they had lost their souls.

"Enough!" Lei Zhenting looked at the generals in front of him coldly and sighed deeply. More than a thousand Qilin... less than one-third of the Xiling army, defeated the hundreds of thousands of Xiling army. In a short time, the Xiling army will be helpless when facing the Mo family army.

"Your Highness..." A general stood up and said after a moment's hesitation, "Your Highness, I'm afraid we won't be able to break through Feihong Pass in a short time. Mo Xiuyao is about to come with hundreds of thousands of troops. Should we retreat first?"

Lei Zhenting sneered and asked, "Retreat? Can we retreat now?"

They have advanced too far into the north. It is too late to retreat now. They will be caught off guard by Mo Xiuyao halfway. The general who spoke turned pale. Mo Xiuyao's troops were right behind them. They had no other way to go except to break through Feihong Pass and return to Xiling through the northwest. But the Feihong Pass in front of them was not so easy to attack.

Lei Zhenting sighed and said, "Today, the Mohist army also lost more than half of its troops. Now the number of Mohist troops at Feihong Pass will not exceed 100,000 at most."

"But if they still have Qilin..." someone whispered. No one knows how many Qilins there are in the Mohist Army. They seem to have been seen in many places over the years, but no one has ever really caught their trace. Many people are very curious about this army, and this time they finally got to see it for real, but it really brought them endless nightmares.

"No, at this point neither the enemy nor us will hold back any more. In today's battle, Ye Li must have tried his best." Lei Zhenting said in a deep voice.

Lei Tengfeng asked, "Father, do you mean... we only need to fight one more battle to take Feihong Pass? But our troops..." The Xiling army was not defeated by the Mohist army, but the morale and spirit of the Xiling soldiers were crushed by the Mohist army. In a short period of time, I'm afraid that they can only exert less than half of their abilities on the battlefield. Lei Zhenting waved his hand and said, "This king has his own ideas."

"Report! Urgent news from the front!" Someone came hurriedly from outside the tent and reported loudly.

"Come in!" A man in military uniform came in hurriedly and handed over a secret letter. Lei Zhenting opened it and his face changed slightly. He quickly calmed down and said, "Everyone go down to rest and reorganize the troops."

"I will take my leave!"

"Father, what happened?" Lei Tengfeng asked without hesitation when only the father and son were left in the big tent. Lei Tengfeng clearly saw his father's hand tremble when he saw the secret letter just now. Something must have happened. Lei Zhenting fell back into the chair, his face pale, a trace of blood seeping through his clothes. The yellow battle robe of Lei Zhenting was stained with a bright red, "Father?!"

After a long while, Lei Zhenting finally raised his eyes, looked at Lei Tengfeng and said, "Tengfeng, take Feng Li, Zhang Yi and Shangguan Qing and leave the north and return to Xiling."

"What?" Lei Tengfeng was stunned, a little confused about Lei Zhenting's brilliant order. Puzzled, he picked up the letter that Lei Zhenting had placed on the table and looked at it. Lei Tengfeng's face became uglier than Lei Zhenting's. "Nan Chu abolished Mo Jingli and formed an alliance with Prince Ding's Mansion? How is this possible?" Lei Zhenting smiled bitterly and said, "What's impossible? There are no eternal enemies in this world. Moreover, for the people of Nan Chu, compared to Prince Ding's Mansion... we are their real enemies." After all, there are not many people in this world who think the same as Mo Jingqi and Mo Jingli, the strange brothers. Lei Tengfeng looked at the contents of the secret letter, "800,000 Chu troops returned to Prince Ding's Mansion, and 300,000 Chu troops crossed the Yunlan River..."

"I have always wondered where Murong Shen and Nan Hou went after they suddenly left the battlefield. Now I understand... they went to Nan Chu." Lei Zhenting sighed and said somewhat apathetically. Murong Shen and Nan Hou were famous generals of Da Chu. With them leading the 300,000 troops sent by Nan Chu, there would naturally be no problem. I just don't know what kind of benefits Mo Xiu Yao gave to the Nan Chu court to make them decide to abolish Mo Jingli so unexpectedly and send troops to support Prince Ding's Mansion.

"Father, let's go together!" Lei Tengfeng said. Lei Tengfeng had already seen the current situation clearly. Once Mo Xiuyao's million-strong army arrived, even if his father had the power of heaven, he would not be able to escape.

Lei Zhenting shook his head calmly and said, "I am not leaving, and I cannot leave. Tengfeng, you take the three generals away tonight. Don't take any soldiers except your personal guards. Generals Feng, Zhang and Shangguan are the most promising people in Xiling in terms of age and ability. As long as you can suppress them, Xiling will not be in a desperate situation. After you go back... do you know what to do?" He was seriously injured and could not travel long distances, not to mention that things had come to this point... How could he face the people of Xiling again? It is better to die a worthy death than to live in vain.

"No, father..." Lei Tengfeng said anxiously, "Father, I beg you... I am not capable enough to take on the responsibility of Xiling's rise and fall. Tengfeng is willing to stay behind to take care of the family. Please take the generals and leave first."

"Teng Feng!" Lei Zhenting said in a stern voice, "Remember this, from now on Xiling will be handed over to you! Ye Li, a woman, can shoulder the entire Mohist Army. Are you trying to tell me that you are not even as good as a woman?"

“Father…”

Lei Zhenting closed his eyes, raised his hand and patted Lei Tengfeng's shoulder and said, "It's all your father's fault for restricting you too much in the past. You have to rely on yourself in the future. Remember... don't go head-to-head with the Mohist army. Protect Xiling first. One day you will make a comeback." To Lei Tengfeng, these words sounded more like a last word. In fact, Lei Tengfeng also understood that if he left today... this would be the last time his father would lecture him. He couldn't help but burst into tears, "Father... son... son knows!"

Lei Zhenting patted him hard, turned around and stopped looking at him, "Let's go, take my token and tell those people to leave with you immediately. Don't stay for a moment."

"My son obeys! Father... take care!" Lei Tengfeng's eyes were red as he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. He stood up and took one last look at Lei Zhenting's somewhat old and languid back before leaving resolutely.

"Teng Feng, if you meet Ling Tiehan on the road, tell him... I'm waiting for him at Feihong Pass!"

Lei Tengfeng nodded silently, lifted the curtain and walked out.