409. Battle

"I have seen the princess." In the study room inside Feihong Pass, a man in black knelt on one knee in front of the desk and said in a deep voice.

Ye Li looked at him calmly and asked, "Where is the prince?"

The man in black said, "The prince is leading a million-strong army and is approaching Feihong Pass. It will take at most two days to reach Feihong Pass." Ye Li nodded, "Does the prince have any other instructions?" The man in black took out a letter from his sleeve and presented it to the princess, saying, "This is what the prince has asked his subordinates to present to the princess." Ye Li took the letter, read it quickly, nodded calmly and said, "I understand. You can go."

The man in black looked at Ye Li, who looked calm, and hesitated. As a trusted guard beside Mo Xiuyao, he felt that something was wrong with the princess, but he couldn't tell what the problem was. He could only say goodbye, "Princess, take care. I'll take my leave." The study soon calmed down. Ye Li looked at the letter in front of her and lowered her eyes slightly, with a faint smile on her lips, "Xiuyao... have you ever thought about... what to do if Feihong Pass is breached?"

"Princess." Feng Zhiyao said in a deep voice outside the door.

"Come in."

Feng Zhiyao came in, looked at Ye Li, hesitated for a moment and asked: "Princess, is the prince... coming back?"

Ye Li nodded and smiled faintly: "Not bad, at most he will be back in two or three days."

Feng Zhiyao was delighted, but seeing Ye Li's expression was still indifferent, he asked in confusion: "Princess, Xiu Yao is coming back, aren't you happy?"

Ye Li looked up at him and asked leisurely, "Feng San, can we... make it back to Xiu Yao?" Feng Zhiyao was stunned, "What does the princess mean?" Ye Li sighed softly, "With a million troops... how could Lei Zhenting not know? Tomorrow... I'm afraid the Xiling army's attack will be even more intense." Feng Zhiyao frowned and said, "Will Lei Zhenting attack the city again tomorrow?" Ye Li smiled lightly, "If he can't capture Feihong Pass before the army arrives, he will die. If it were you, would you fight or not?"

Feng Zhiyao's expression gradually became serious, and he asked, "What are your plans, Lord?"

Ye Li reached out and handed the letter over. Feng Zhiyao took it and looked at it, frowning at Ye Li and said, "The prince asks the princess to leave Feihong Pass first. The princess seems..." It seems that Ye Li has no intention of leaving. Feng Zhiyao advised, "Since the prince has made some arrangements, the princess... should leave first and talk about it later?" Feng Zhiyao knew Mo Xiuyao's temper. If something happened to the princess, everyone would be in trouble.

Ye Li glanced at him calmly and said, "Go? Where to?"

"Of course we're going back to Licheng." Feng Zhiyao said, "The prince will be here soon. The princess will be safe as long as she leaves Feihong Pass. Even if Lei Zhenting is fast, he can't possibly reach Licheng, right?"

"Feng San, Lei Zhenting is now trapped. Do you know... what would happen if he entered Feihong Pass?" Ye Li asked softly. Feng Zhiyao was silent, and Ye Li said: "He will drag the people of the entire northwest into disaster, not because Lei Zhenting is cruel by nature, but because he has to do so. At this point, Lei Zhenting will definitely not think about turning the tables. He will think about perishing together with the Mo family army, and at the same time... buy time for Xiling."

"If that's the case, Princess, you have to leave." When it comes to who can best strike Mo Xiuyao, Ye Li is undoubtedly the most important candidate. Feng Zhiyao said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Princess, as long as Feng San is still alive, he will never let the Xiling army step into Feihong Pass. However, Princess, please leave Feihong Pass immediately." Ye Li looked at Feng Zhiyao and shook her head. Feng Zhiyao frowned and said worriedly, "Princess! Please think twice, in case something happens to you..."

"Feng San." Ye Li looked at Feng Zhiyao and said seriously, "I will not leave. As long as there is still one soldier in Feihong Pass, I will never leave before them. Today I gave up Qilin, and I can tell myself that it was for Feihong Pass. So now... why do I give up Feihong Pass and the soldiers stationed there? For my life, Ye Li? Feng San, in this world... there are always some things that are more important than life." Feng Zhiyao was silent. He understood Ye Li's thoughts, and he would understand them. In fact, if other generals planned to abandon their subordinates and the place they were stationed at on the eve of the war, he would only hate and despise them. But Ye Li was different, not only because she was a woman, but also because she was the mistress of Ding Wang's mansion, the person Ding Wang valued the most. Perhaps in the eyes of the Mo family soldiers, including Feng Zhiyao, Princess Ding is someone they need to protect even at the cost of their lives and blood. But they don't understand that Ye Li is not only Princess Ding, but also a soldier. To die on the battlefield is the fate of the military. Abandoning the city and fleeing is absolutely something that the soldiers despise and will endure for the rest of their lives.

Feng Zhiyao hesitated for a moment, and finally asked: "Princess, are you... blaming the prince..." At first, she didn't know what she felt, but when Feng Zhiyao fully understood Mo Xiuyao's plan, she had a vague feeling that what the prince did this time might not be recognized by the princess.

As a general of Prince Ding's Mansion and a good friend of Mo Xiuyao, Feng Zhiyao didn't think there was anything wrong with Mo Xiuyao's decision. But at the same time, as a member of the current guard of Feihong Pass, Feng Zhiyao clearly understood that from the beginning, the soldiers who stayed in Feihong Pass were destined to be sacrificed in Mo Xiuyao's eyes. This can't be blamed on Mo Xiuyao. As the supreme commander of Prince Ding's Mansion and the Mo Family Army, his decision is absolutely correct and for the sake of the entire Prince Ding's Mansion and the Mo Family Army. But how can this be fair to these soldiers who are defending Feihong Pass? Those who are not generals have to decide to kill and attack, and decide the life and death of countless people between choices and changes of mind. So Feng Zhiyao knew that he was destined not to be a real famous general in his life.

Ye Li was stunned for a long while. Just when Feng Zhiyao thought she would not answer, she smiled faintly and shook her head, saying, "No, I understand what he means."

Ye Li's previous life's books on strategy and tactics were not read in vain. When necessary, she could even talk about these theories more eloquently than Mo Xiuyao, making it impossible to refute them. However, compared with Ye Li, Mo Xiuyao was the real commander. His decision was definitely not wrong. The war that was originally expected to last for at least several years could be ended soon under Mo Xiuyao's operation. Then the people in the entire Central Plains region could enjoy peace again. Even if the number of sacrifices was counted, under the current situation, even if all the soldiers of Feihong Pass died in battle, the number of sacrifices would be much smaller than if the war continued.

However, some things are hard to accept even though they are understandable. Even if you can accept them, it is still hard to do them when they really happen to you. At least, Ye Li couldn't do it. When hundreds of thousands of Mohist soldiers fought bloody battles for Feihong Pass, Ye Li couldn't escape alone. And then come out to enjoy the glory and splendor of the sacrifices after the war. In the end, Ye Li is still a soldier, not a politician.

Seeing that Feng Zhiyao wanted to say something, Ye Li waved her hand and said, "No need to say more. Unless you intend to defeat me. But if you really do that, I will come back on my own. Feng San, if I escape this battle, I will never feel at peace in my life." Feng Zhiyao was silent for a long time, and finally sighed and said, "I understand. But...Princess, please take care of yourself."

Ye Li smiled and said, "Of course, there are people waiting for me to return."

Unable to persuade Ye Li, Feng Zhiyuan had no choice but to retreat. He knew very well that what Ye Li said was likely to become a reality. Lei Zhenting had no hope of turning the tables. Even if he broke into Feihong Pass, he would still be quickly destroyed after Mo Xiuyao's army arrived. Therefore, Lei Zhenting was indeed likely to make a desperate move and wreak havoc in Feihong Pass. As a member of the Mo family army, they could not sit idly by and watch the mountains and rivers they protected flow into rivers of blood and the land filled with sorrow. Therefore, they could only choose to fight and fight the Xiling army to the last man. Delay as much time as possible so that Mo Xiuyao and his army could arrive on time.

"Princess Ding refuses to leave?" In the moonlight, Han Mingyue was handsome and handsome, and the faint moonlight cast a different kind of tranquility on him. Feng Zhiyao sighed and shrugged, "Didn't you guess it a long time ago?"

Han Mingyue nodded and said, "If Princess Ding is willing to leave at this time, she will not be Princess Ding. As for Xiuyao, he is really relieved." Mo Xiuyao only sent someone to deliver a letter back. Is he so sure that Ye Li will do what he wants? Feng Zhiyao smiled bitterly and said, "Don't you think that the young master is still in Feihong Pass? Even if the princess doesn't do it for herself, she will leave Feihong Pass for the young master."

Han Mingyue smiled and said, "It's a pity that he doesn't know that Princess Ding will send the young master away in advance."

"Isn't it?" Feng Zhiyao frowned worriedly, looked at Han Mingyue and asked, "Why don't you leave?" Han Mingyue smiled calmly and said, "I'm alone, isn't it the same wherever I go?"

"Tomorrow... the princess's safety will be out of your hands." Feng Zhiyao said solemnly. Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you trust me?" Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows, rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you don't trust me, why would I waste my words on you?" Han Mingyue nodded seriously and said, "Don't worry."

"Thank you very much."

"Princess." In the study, Qin Feng and Lin Han stood in front of the desk and said in a deep voice. Both of them were injured. Qin Feng still had a white cloth wrapped around his left shoulder. Lin Han didn't see any external injuries, but his pale face showed that he was not intact. Ye Li put down the pen, frowned and looked at the two of them and said, "Why don't you go to rest?"

Qin Feng said in a deep voice: "I request to follow the princess into battle tomorrow."

Lin Han followed up and said, "So do I."

"Nonsense!" Ye Li scolded coldly, "If you are injured, just take good care of yourself. Do you think you have more lives than others or do you think the world will stop without you?"

Qin Feng and Lin Han looked at each other, and Qin Feng stepped forward and said, "I beg the princess to agree. This is not only a request from the two of us, but also a request from the more than one hundred Qilin brothers who just came back alive."

Ye Li sneered and asked, "What then? You drag your seriously injured body to the battlefield, and then let Qilin die? The order was given by me, even if you have to be buried with it, it is not your turn!"

"We dare not!" Qin Feng and the other two knelt down and said.

Ye Li looked at the two of them quietly, and after a long while, she sighed and said, "Get up. I understand how you feel... but I hope you also understand. The sacrificed Qilin would never want to see you buried with them. Instead, they hope that you and all the survivors can live well, and live together with them."

Ye Li really understood their feelings. The feelings between Qilin's soldiers were deeper than those between the Mohist Army and the Black Cloud Cavalry. They were all elites among the elites selected from various armies, and almost all of them had experienced the process of disliking each other in the beginning and then slowly getting along with each other. They had gone through the tough training like hell together, and they had carried out various difficult tasks together many times. That was true life and death together. This time, with nearly 90% of the people sacrificed at once, the survivors would never have the so-called feeling of surviving a calamity or escaping a disaster. More people... would only blame themselves for being alive and would only feel guilty.

Ye Li had seen many such examples, many soldiers who had experienced brutal battles did not die under the enemy's swords and guns, but ended up taking their own lives.

"Princess..." Qin Feng and the others' eyes were red. These Qilin soldiers were carefully selected by them and trained by them personally. To them, these soldiers were more like their brothers, students, and nephews. Seeing so many people die in front of them and being unable to do anything, such pain was enough to make them doubt the meaning of their existence.

Ye Li stood up, looked at the two people seriously and said, "Go back and tell them that as long as I am still alive, I will personally bring Lei Zhenting's head back to pay tribute to the dead soldiers. But... I hope they can all live well and continue Qilin."

"I obey your command!" Qin Feng and Lin Han stood up and said. After that, Qin Feng hesitated for a moment and said, "But I still want to ask to follow the princess into battle. I am not only the leader of Qilin, but also the princess's bodyguard. As long as I have not died in the battle, I must follow the princess and protect her safety."

"I have the same intention. I am a secret guard of Prince Ding's mansion. The purpose of the secret guard is to protect the safety of the princess. Please allow me to do so."

Ye Li looked at them in embarrassment. Lin Han said, "Don't worry, Princess. My injuries are not a problem." Qin Feng nodded and said, "My injuries are not a problem either. They are just minor flesh wounds."

There was silence in the study for a long time before Ye Li raised his head, glanced at the two of them and said, "Since you know there will be a tough battle tomorrow, why don't you go back and rest!"

"Yes, I'll take my leave!" The two were overjoyed and quickly bowed to Ye Li to take their leave.

Sure enough, before dawn the next day, the sound of the Xiling army entering the palace was heard from outside the pass. Ye Li appeared on the city tower with Yuan Pei and others. When it was almost dawn, the Xiling army below the city was deployed, and it was dark and overwhelming. Before the battle, people could feel the murderous aura and fighting spirit that covered the sky and the earth. No one knew what Lei Zhenting had done. After yesterday's battle, the morale of the Xiling army should have dropped, but it was actually full of morale and murderous aura.

"Xiling Zhennan Wang Lei Zhenting requests to see Princess Ding." Under the tower, Lei Zhenting no longer hid behind the army this time, but rode his horse to the front, looking up at the people on the tower. Even the guards who would normally be around him were nowhere to be seen, as if Lei Zhenting no longer cared about life or death, and it didn't matter if the Mohist army on the tower suddenly shot a cold arrow.

Ye Li was slightly startled, took a step forward and revealed her figure between the two battlements on the tower, and said lightly: "Ye Li is here, I wonder if King Zhennan has any advice for you?"

Lei Zhenting smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing, it's just that there are some issues that I want to discuss with Princess Ding alone. I originally wanted to talk to Prince Ding, but... now it seems that I don't have this opportunity anymore."

"Now that things have come to this, does the King of Zhennan think there is anything else to discuss?" Lei Zhenting waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "I don't care, but there are some things that I have to say."

Ye Li frowned, and Feng Zhiyao and others beside her quickly advised: "Princess, there is no need to waste time talking to him."

Ye Li knew that it would not be bad for the Mohist Army to have a private talk with Lei Zhenting. At least, it could delay the war for a while. No matter how long it took, for the current Feihong Pass defenders, the longer the delay, the better it would be for them.

At the foot of the city, Lei Zhenting looked at Ye Li and said with a smile: "If the princess is worried, I can go into the city alone to talk to her."

"No need." Ye Li smiled calmly, jumped from the top of the city wall, and landed at the gate under the city tower. She looked at Lei Zhenting and said, "King Zhennan, if you have anything to say, you can come over and tell me." The moment Ye Li fell, Zhuo Jing, Qin Feng, and Lin Han, who were following Ye Li, also jumped down. They formed a triangle to block Ye Li behind. On the city tower, the bows and arrows of the Black Cloud Riders were also aimed at the city. As long as Lei Zhenting made the slightest move, whether he succeeded or not, the Black Cloud Riders' arrows would shoot him into a hedgehog. And with Qin Feng and others blocking Ye Li, Lei Zhenting's chance of hitting the target with one shot was infinitely close to zero.

Lei Zhenting smiled calmly and rode forward.

"Prince, don't!" The generals behind Lei Zhenting also spoke up to stop him. It was not just the Ding Palace that was worried. Lei Zhenting waved his sleeves, signaling that there was no need to say anything more. Then he walked towards the tower alone.

Lei Zhenting stopped a few steps away from Ye Li, not minding the eager eyes of Qin Feng and the others. He looked at Ye Li for a long time before sighing with some regret, "This king has been able to roam freely throughout his life, and rarely had any rivals. But he was always defeated by the people of Ding Wangfu. Over the years, this king has been thinking about why this is the case, and has been trying every means to defeat Mo Xiuyao. But now... it is clear that he has failed."

Ye Li remained silent. She knew that Lei Zhenting just wanted to say something and didn't really want him to answer. Sure enough, Lei Zhenting didn't care about her silence and continued, "Now that it has come to this... I finally understand. From the moment Xiling, Da Chu and the Northern Rong Alliance formed, they had already fallen into Mo Xiuyao's scheme. I pride myself on my intelligence, but I also ask myself that I am far from being able to scheme to this extent. I guess... even the most intelligent Master Qingchen wouldn't have such a mind. Prince Ding Mo Xiuyao... is really very calculating. Princess, don't you think so?"

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "If the King of Zhennan is like him, and one day he suddenly falls from a high place to the dust, and you also force yourself to suppress and endure all emotions and pains like him, and you have to remain calm in front of your enemies with a blood feud, maybe the King of Zhennan will understand why he can do all this." Not to mention Lei Zhenting, even Ye Li is often amazed by Mo Xiuyao's arrangements and designs. If Mo Xiuyao is unwilling to say it, Ye Li believes that he is absolutely capable of keeping everyone in the world in the dark even after he reigns over the world.

"Princess, you are right." Lei Zhenting had to admit that Ye Li was right. Lei Zhenting was a true son of heaven. In his life, except for the hatred of Mo Liufang's broken arm, he had almost never suffered any setbacks. Whatever he wanted to do, he could always do it. Except for things related to Ding Wangfu.

Lei Zhenting looked at the calm Ye Li, with a little admiration and amazement in his sad eyes. At present, let's not talk about the end of the Xiling Army. At least for now, the Xiling Army is definitely capable of breaking through Feihong Pass within two hours. Feihong Pass, the Mohist Army stationed there, and even Ye Li's end are almost predictable. Even in such a situation, she can still maintain such composure, which is absolutely impossible for even a man. The woman in front of her really deserves the respect and admiration of all men in the world.

"I originally thought that the princess would leave Feihong Pass last night." Lei Zhenting said.

Ye Li said in a deep voice: "I am not only the princess of Prince Ding's Mansion, but also a member of the Mohist Army. There is no soldier in the Mohist Army who would flee without a fight."

Lei Zhenting nodded and praised: "You are so brave. Although I have said it more than once, I still want to say it. The luckiest thing for Prince Ding in his life should be marrying such an outstanding princess." Speaking of this, Lei Zhenting also felt a little regretful. Why didn't he bring this woman to Xiling by any means? What made Lei Zhenting even more regretful was why such a woman became the princess of Prince Ding? Could it be that God really did not destroy Prince Ding's palace?

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "The luckiest thing in Ye Li's life is marrying Prince Ding."

"Princess Ding, do you know what I will do once the Xiling troops enter the pass?" Lei Zhenting asked in a deep voice. Ye Li said calmly, "No matter what the King of Zhennan wants to do, he must first pass this test of the princess."

Lei Zhenting couldn't help but smile and said, "It seems that the princess has already guessed it. The princess doesn't seem to want to compromise at all."

Ye Li lowered her eyes, "At this point, is there any room for compromise between the enemy and us?" At this point, it is destined to be a life-and-death battle.

Lei Zhenting praised: "Not bad. In this case... let me see how tenacious the Mohist army is. In addition... I also want to see... when Prince Ding loses his beloved forever, will he still have the mind to make such calculations? I'll take my leave, and take care, Princess." As if he had finished speaking, Lei Zhenting nodded to Ye Li, turned the reins and returned to his own army.

Ye Li nodded, "Each other."