Mountain and River Festival 299: Zhu Yan's Sorrow

On the battlefield, seeing Zhu Ling's invincibility, the soldiers of the Mohist Army were getting a little impatient. Although Zhang Qilan knew that he was no match for Zhu Ling, he was not happy to see him being so arrogant in front of him.

"Who is this kid?" Zhang Qilan asked with frown.

On the other side, Qin Feng smiled and said, "It should be a descendant of Zhu Yan, probably someone of the grandson generation. I heard that Zhu Yan had a grandson, but he was weak and sickly since childhood and no one had seen him since he was about ten years old. Many people speculated that he died young. Now it seems that this is the one." Zhang Qilan nodded and said, "No wonder, the grandson of General Jingtian, he is indeed a character. Commander Qin, thank you for your help." The leader of Qilin had to follow him to defend the city, isn't it for this purpose?

Qin Feng showed his teeth in a rare smile, and when he pulled the reins, the well-trained warhorse neighed and rushed towards the man in moon-white clothes on the battlefield. During the fierce battle, Zhu Ling had already noticed that someone was rushing towards him, so he waved away the enemy beside him and turned around to meet the enemy, just in time to meet Qin Feng face to face. Qin Feng raised his eyebrows slightly, and swung the long sword in his hand, swinging it straight at Zhu Ling's face. Zhu Ling dodged on the horse and raised the long sword in his hand to fight back. The two of them started fighting back and forth on the horse.

However, both of them were using swords, and no matter how long a sword is, it has a limit. It was not convenient to fight on horseback, and after fighting for dozens of rounds, the two of them jumped off their horses and landed on the battlefield. Zhu Ling shook the sword in his hand and pointed it directly at Qin Feng's face, "Who is coming? Tell me your name?"

Qin Feng smiled and said, "I am Qin Feng, a subordinate of the Princess of Ding Palace. Who are you?"

Zhu Ling frowned slightly. It was the same as if the other party had said nothing. However, he still replied in a cold voice: "Zhu Ling, the commander of the Xiling National Defense Army."

Qin Feng smiled and said, "So you are the descendant of General Zhu? Nice to meet you!" Zhu Ling snorted, and the two stopped talking and started fighting again.

Zhang Qilan, who was standing behind, was in a good mood when he saw Zhu Ling being entangled by Qin Feng. He nodded repeatedly and said, "It's good that the princess saw Qin Feng staying. The princess is still far from being able to deal with him." If it weren't for Qin Feng, it would be really difficult to deal with Zhu Ling. Therefore, it is most annoying to see these martial arts masters interfering in the battlefield. Ignore them. The killing power of these masters is several times or even dozens of times stronger than that of ordinary soldiers. If you send generals to fight them, it would be a big loss if a general who can lead troops to fight is lost because of a martial arts master. Zhang Qilan decided to borrow a few Qilin from the princess to suppress the situation in every battle in the future.

Here, Zhang Qilan was happy. Zhu Yan on the top of the city was not happy. As soon as Zhu Ling was entangled, the formation of the Xiling soldiers behind him immediately became chaotic, and the Mohist Army took the opportunity to kill him. However, in just a moment, most of the Xiling soldiers had been lost. Qin Feng and Zhu Ling fought very happily. Although there were many masters in the Dingwang Mansion, they were all acquaintances, so there was no fun in fighting. And Qin Feng did not have the courage to challenge a master like Dingwang for the time being. So it was rare to meet an unfamiliar master like Zhu Ling, so he naturally entangled him with great interest. Zhu Ling, who was his opponent, groaned in his heart. He did not expect that with his hands, he would be entangled for such a long time by a young general with an unknown name in the Mohist Army. Originally, he just wanted to kill Qin Feng as quickly as possible to establish his authority, but now the fight was taking a long time to end and he was already in a difficult situation. If Qin Feng didn't stop, he couldn't stop the fight unilaterally.

After this fight, he also found that Qin Feng's attack was no worse than his own. If the fight continued, both sides would suffer losses. Then, Qin Feng could afford to be injured, but Zhu Ling could not. He was the commander of the National Defense Army, and his grandfather Zhu Yan was too old to lead the army to charge into battle. As a result, Zhu Ling was even less calm in his impatience, and was caught off guard by Qin Feng's fierce attack, and was almost seriously injured.

On the top of the city wall, Zhu Yan frowned as he watched Zhu Ling fighting with Qin Feng. He signaled the soldiers around him to call back.

At the sound of the trumpet, the Xiling soldiers quickly retreated back to the city gate. Zhang Qilan also did not allow anyone to pursue them. The gate of this small city was easy to open, but the nearly 200,000 Xiling troops inside the city gate were not so easy to deal with. If they entered the city and then engaged in a city and street battle with the Xiling army, the casualties would be too great and the Mohist Army was not willing to accept it.

Qin Feng was not interested in fighting, so he graciously withdrew a distance, let Zhu Ling return to the city, and then mounted his horse and returned to the Mohist army.

"How?" Zhang Qilan asked.

Qin Feng looked satisfied and nodded in praise: "Master, General Zhang should not confront him rashly." Zhang Qilan pouted and muttered unhappily: "I know, I am not tired of living. You kid, can you tell me now? Where is the princess?" Don't think that Zhang Qilan is heartless because of his carefree personality. It is said that the princess who came to support them has never shown up from beginning to end. How can Zhang Qilan not be anxious? Looking at this situation, I am afraid that even the prince does not know where the princess has gone. If the prince knew, wouldn't he skin him alive?

"General Zhang, please be patient," Qin Feng said soothingly, "Didn't I tell you that I have already sent someone to pick up the princess?"

Zhang Qilan rolled his eyes at him unhappily, "You might as well not say anything." It's time to need someone to pick them up. Obviously, the place where the princess is going is not that safe. Taking a deep breath, Zhang Qilan suppressed the urge to throw this person out, "What can we do?" Qin Feng thought for a moment and said, "Wait for the princess's signal, and then work together with the Third Master Feng to encircle and destroy the enemy?"

"Isn't Feng San in the main camp? Where did he get out from?" Zhang Qilan roared.

Qin Feng looked calm, "The secret of heaven cannot be revealed. General, do you understand this?"

I understand your sister!

Less than a quarter of an hour after the two armies withdrew, thick smoke suddenly rose from the mountains in the southwest. It was all thanks to the good weather today, with clear skies and no clouds. The fog that usually lingered in the mountains had also dissipated a lot. Even though they were dozens of miles away, they could see it clearly. Seeing this, Zhu Ling and Zhu Yan were shocked, "Grandfather! In the mountains..." There were not only hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers hidden in the mountains, but also enough food and grass for an army of 200,000 to eat for a year. Zhu Yan naturally knew all this, and his old face was gloomy, "You take the troops back!"

"But grandpa, here..." Zhu Ling said anxiously.

Zhu Yan interrupted him and said, "No need to say more. If the garrison is taken by the Mohist Army, we will be trapped in an isolated city with hundreds of thousands of people, and the food will not last for a few days." This small city is not a big city like Biancheng. Even if the Mohist Army does not come, it will not be a problem for the Mohist Army to besiege it for three to five months. I am afraid that hundreds of thousands of troops will eat up the food in this small city in less than three to five days. At that time, we can only wait for the Mohist Army to come and clean up with empty stomachs.

"The Mohist Army won't have that many people. The number of troops there will definitely not exceed 30,000. You lead the troops back, and you must stabilize that place no matter what!" Zhu Yan ordered.

"grandfather……"

Zhu Yan sighed softly, patted his grandson's shoulder and said, "Go, grandpa will take care of your future."

Zhu Ling gritted his teeth, nodded with red eyes and said, "Grandson understands, take care, Grandfather!"

"Go ahead!"

Zhu Ling led hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses to attack the mountains where they had occupied for more than ten years. In the small town behind him, Zhu Yan, who was over 70 years old, led less than 50,000 Xiling soldiers to guard this lonely small county town. What they had to face was the Mohist army with more than 100,000 soldiers and horses. Riding on horseback, Zhu Ling looked back at the small town in the night, and saw his grandfather standing alone on the tower looking in his direction. With a shudder in his heart, Zhu Ling endured the pain in his eyes, whipped the horse under him, and ran forward quickly.

The town was not far from the mountains where the Yasukuni Army was stationed. It would only take an hour or so to march twenty or thirty miles. But after entering the mountains, they had to slow down. Even though this was a place they had lived in for more than a decade and was very familiar with, the people hiding in it were no longer their comrades-in-arms and relatives, but more likely their enemies hiding in the dark.

"Sir, the scouts who went out to explore the way ahead reported that there is no movement ahead." The guard rode back to Zhu Ling and reported in a low voice.

Zhu Ling said in a deep voice: "It is the lack of movement that is more problematic. I am afraid that... all those who stayed behind are gone." He left 30,000 troops in the mountains and forests to guard them before he left. If they came back, how could these people not make any movement? Now, looking at the dark and silent mountains in front of him, Zhu Ling wiped out the last bit of hope in his heart.

"Sir, that Miss Yang is really..." The guard couldn't continue. Although they had only known each other for a few days, he had a good impression of Miss Yang. Similarly, he could see that his master had some differences towards that girl. They lived in the mountains for many years and rarely interacted with outsiders. It would be a happy thing if the young master and Miss Yang could achieve a happy ending. But he didn't expect...

Thinking of that delicate and graceful girl, Zhu Ling's face darkened. He never thought that he would be deceived by a woman, and that woman... Even now, he still had a little hope that this was just a misunderstanding. But his reason also told him that there was no such coincidental misunderstanding in the world.

Seeing his young master's gloomy face in the dark night, the guard quickly changed the subject and said, "Young master, we will soon reach our camp after passing this mountain pass."

"Tell the people in front to be careful." Zhu Ling nodded and said in a deep voice.

But sometimes being careful is useless. The mountain road is narrow, and the soldiers in front passed safely without any incident. Just when everyone was about to relax, a loud noise sounded in the mountains. People watched in shock as a huge rock on the mountain next to them was pushed down from the top of the mountain by something. Then there were loud noises all around, and countless rocks rolled down from both sides of the hillside. Soon, the way forward and backward was blocked. Not to mention the wailing and cries for help from countless soldiers who were hit by the rocks, which instantly echoed throughout the forest.

Soon, countless torches were lit on the hillsides on both sides, instantly illuminating the dark forest into two dazzling dragons.

Some of the Xiling soldiers trapped in the valley were screaming in panic, while others had already fought back. However, the enemy was on high ground, and the Mohist army's archery skills were famous in all countries. For a moment, the valley was filled with a strong smell of blood.

Zhu Ling stood silently in the chaos, while the guards beside him loyally shot arrows at him. His handsome face was filled with sinisterness and anger in the flickering firelight, but he was powerless to stop the rain of arrows pouring down from above. Did his grandfather's painstaking efforts of more than ten years and his painstaking management of more than twenty years just disappear before he could even react? What was destroyed in this small valley today was not only the Zhu family's 100,000-strong national defense army. It was also his painstaking efforts of more than ten years, his patience and waiting, and his aspirations.

After all, he was still too young. What Zhu Ling didn't understand was that although the ancients said that heroes emerge in troubled times, there are only a few heroes created in troubled times, and most of them are cannon fodder buried with the heroes. And no one in this world stipulates that whoever pays a certain amount of money will definitely become a hero in troubled times.

"Young Master, hurry up and leave!" The guards behind him pushed him back to his senses. Zhu Ling then saw that the guards around him were already injured, but they were still struggling to hold on around him. However, the terrain was already extremely unfavorable to them, and the Mohist Army's archers were not so easy to resist. At this time, they were already at the end of their rope.

Zhu Ling smiled bitterly, "Go? Where can I go?"

"It doesn't matter where you go. As long as there is life, there is hope. Sir, hurry up!" the guard shouted hurriedly, and couldn't help but push Zhu Ling again, reminding him sharply: "Sir, don't forget that the old general is still waiting for you." Zhu Ling was startled, as if he had really come to his senses. Looking up, the valley was in ruins, and less than 20% of the soldiers were able to stand up.

"Protect the young master! Kill them!" the people around him roared in a low voice. Soon, the loyal guards and retainers of the Zhu family rushed over and helped Zhu Ling rush forward. They had lived in this mountain forest for more than 20 years, so they naturally knew where they were more likely to rush out. The remaining soldiers seemed to understand that they had reached a desperate situation, and they roared and rushed up the hillsides on both sides, wanting to die with the enemy. But more of them were shot down again. Occasionally, a few climbed to the top but could not escape the sharp blades in the hands of the Mohist Army who had been waiting there.

The group of people protecting Zhu Ling were all highly skilled in martial arts, but in the end only seven or eight people rushed out of the valley. Once they got out of the encirclement and entered the mountains and forests, it was their world. No matter how powerful the Mohist army was, it would be extremely difficult to find them in such mountains. However, the scene in front of them as soon as they rushed out of the valley still shocked them. Even in the dark night, through the dim moonlight, they could still see the tragic scene of corpses everywhere, and the strong smell of blood in the air. These were the soldiers who rushed out first, but unfortunately they did not die in the chaotic arrows in the valley, but still could not escape the ambush set by the enemy outside.

"Young master, let's go!" The wounded guard beside him pulled Zhu Ling and said in a hoarse voice.

"Let's go!" Zhu Ling said in a hoarse voice.

"Mr. Zhu." A graceful and elegant voice echoed in the bloody forest. Zhu Ling's heart trembled and he looked up. Not far away on the mountain road, a girl in white stood in the wind. Under the dim moonlight, the girl's face showed a crystal luster, and her graceful and beautiful eyes were filled with a faint glow. Suddenly appearing in this dark and bloody mountain battlefield, it makes people feel like a banshee in the forest.

"Who are you?" Zhu Ling asked with difficulty in a dry and pale voice, staring at the girl in front of him.

The girl in white looked at him and smiled faintly, then said apologetically, "My name is Ye Li."

Ye, Li! What an ordinary word, what a plain name. But these two words sounded like thunder in Zhu Ling's ears, deafening. After a long while, Zhu Ling slowly laughed out loud, "Ye Li? Ye Li... Princess Dingguo Ye Li... Haha..." As if he heard something funny, Zhu Ling's laughter became louder and louder, and finally he laughed so hard that he seemed to be almost out of breath, "You are Princess Ding?!"

Ye Li nodded and said, "I am Princess Ding."

"You lied to me." Zhu Ling gritted his teeth.

Ye Li nodded, "I lied to you." There was a bit of regret and helplessness in her beautiful eyes, but no remorse or guilt. When two armies fight, there is no good or evil, no right or wrong, only positions. Those with different positions are enemies, and facing enemies... use any means necessary. This is the principle that Ye Li has recognized in both her past and present lives.

"What a great Princess Ding..." Zhu Ling murmured in a low voice, "I heard that the hundreds of thousands of troops of Zhennan King Lei Zhenting were almost annihilated by Princess Ding. Today, Zhu Ling was defeated by Princess Ding again, but it is not a loss. It is my great honor to let the princess go through so much trouble." Ye Li smiled helplessly and said, "Although the hundreds of thousands of troops under Master Zhu are not many, our army is currently short of soldiers. If you suddenly attack, I am afraid it will cause a lot of trouble to the Mohist army. In extraordinary times, you can only use extraordinary measures. If I am impolite, please forgive me."

"Have you been targeting the Yasukuni Army from the very beginning?" Zhu Ling asked.

Ye Li smiled faintly and did not deny it.

"General Zhu has quietly hidden hundreds of thousands of soldiers near Biancheng, so he must have a lot of food and fodder. To be honest, what we are interested in first is not Mr. Zhu's soldiers but the food and fodder to feed them." Not far away, Feng Zhiyao came strolling over in a bright red robe, with blood dripping from the long sword in his hand.

Ye Li smiled helplessly, looked at Feng Zhiyao and asked, "Why are you here?"

Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, "The princess herself took the risk. If I don't come back, how can I explain to the prince?"

Ye Li frowned and looked at Feng Zhiyuan calmly. You don't have to tell him!

Feng Zhiyao raised her eyebrows. Does the princess think it is possible to hide it?

Seeing the eye contact between the two people in front of him, Zhu Ling sighed with a sad look, then calmly looked at the girl in white in front of him and said, "What does the princess want?"

Ye Li was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Sir, please come back with us."

Zhu Ling was silent for a moment, then he looked up to the sky and laughed. He pointed at Ye Li and said loudly: "I, Zhu Ling, have accomplished nothing in my life, but as a member of the Zhu family, I will never be a prisoner of that level. I will not give you the opportunity to threaten my grandfather!" Ye Li sighed with regret: "So, what do you want, young master?"

Zhu Ling took the long sword from the guard beside him, pointed it at Feng Zhiyuan and the Black Cloud Cavalry behind him not far away, and said in a deep voice: "I only hope to die in battle!"

The smile on Feng Zhiyao's face slowly faded, replaced by a solemn expression. In his opinion, Zhu Ling in front of him was still a little immature, and if he achieved more in a few years, he would definitely be better than himself. As a general, even if the other party was a defeated general, he still admired him and was willing to help him. He picked up a piece of clothing and cut it, wiping off the blood on the sword. Feng Zhiyao nodded and said, "Mr. Zhu, please."

"Wait." Ye Li's voice came from the side. Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows, put away his sword and looked at Ye Li. Ye Li raised her hand to stop Lin Han behind her, walked forward and looked directly at the young man in front of her with bloodstains on his clothes, and said softly and clearly, "I am willing to fight with you, young master."

"Princess!" Feng Zhiyao and the others were all shocked and hurriedly tried to speak up to stop him. Although Zhu Ling's army was defeated now, Zhu Ling himself was still a master. The bloodstains on his body were not his own. In fact, Zhu Ling had hardly fought tonight. Ye Li waved her hand to stop Feng Zhiyao and the others from trying to persuade him, and slowly walked up to Zhu Ling, "I am willing to fight with you, sir. Is that okay?"

"I heard that Princess Dingguo is also a master. I am honored to be here. Please!"

In the not-so-vast forest, corpses were everywhere and blood flowed like a river.

On the battlefield littered with the bodies of Xiling soldiers, the man in moon-white clothes and the girl in white stood facing each other calmly. If it weren't for the corpses and blood-stained swords, it would have been a beautiful scene. Not far away was a crowd staring at them quietly.

Zhu Ling's long sword trembled, and two silver sword flowers appeared. Ye Li smiled at him faintly, and the snow-white dagger flashed across her fingertips. It seemed that there was only a moment of pause, and the two figures rushed towards each other at an extremely fast speed. For a moment, the two figures crossed and entangled again. Zhu Ling's long sword was full of sword energy, and the dagger in Ye Li's hand also flashed with cold murderous aura.

Soon, Zhu Ling found that he could not gain any advantage in a close fight with this woman, and it even greatly restricted his sword skills. So he quickly distanced himself from Ye Li. But Ye Li would not give him this opportunity. The cold dagger passed through his clothes again and again like a leech, and the skin under his clothes was also chilled.

The long sword and the short blade collided, and Ye Li's hand holding the dagger trembled slightly. After all, it is difficult to compete with a man's strength. With a frown, the dagger went straight up along the sword body and cut Zhu Ling's wrist. Zhu Ling's wrist sank and he quickly dodged.

"Princess Ding has great skills!"

"Thank you, Master Zhu."

Outside the battlefield, Feng Zhiyao stared at the two people fighting with a frown. However, he had to admit that the princess had made rapid progress in the past few years. Even when facing a rare master like Zhu Ling, she would not fall behind. Lin Han came to his side without blinking his eyes, staring at the two people fighting, but asked: "Why is the third son of Feng here? General Zhang..." Feng Zhiyao said: "Qin Feng is enough over there, even if not enough, he can delay for a while until we get back. I am worried about the princess taking risks alone. What about you, are you okay?"

Lin Han touched his back and shook his head. The knife wound looked ferocious and dangerous, but the person who attacked him had calculated it and just avoided the vital parts. It was only a flesh wound.

Feng Zhiyao raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I think it should be okay. I did it myself. Did I plan well?"

"Thank you for showing mercy, Mr. Feng San." Lin Han gritted his teeth. Although he did it voluntarily, no one would feel good after being slashed for no reason. Especially seeing the culprit still there smugly taking credit. Lin Han deeply felt that this Mr. Feng San should be punished.

"Princess, be careful!" Feng Zhiyuan, who was laughing happily, saw the silver light flash and quickly warned. On the other side, a guard under Zhu Ling looked at Ye Li, who was evenly matched with Zhu Ling, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes. At the moment Ye Li and Zhu Ling separated, a hidden weapon with a silver light was shot out.

At the same time as hearing Feng Zhiyao's reminder, Ye Li also heard the sound of a hidden weapon breaking through the air behind him. Without turning his head, he moved the dagger in his hand back to block the hidden weapon behind him, but he saw Zhu Ling suddenly flying over from a distance. Ye Li frowned slightly and was about to slap him, but he saw Zhu Ling push away his hidden weapon and shoot it into Zhu Ling's chest without any hindrance.

"Young Master!" the guards shouted loudly. Before they could react, the long arrows of the Mohist Army had already pierced their chests.

Ye Li stood still, turned around and looked at the fallen person, her beautiful face flashed with surprise. Feng Zhiyao was relieved to see that the princess was fine, and hurriedly led people to check if there were any survivors in the group, in case of sudden hidden weapons like the one just now.

The hidden weapon was a common willow leaf dart. The entire dart was shot into Zhu Ling's chest, with only a little bit of the dart head showing through the blue light. Feng Zhiyao's face changed slightly, and he said, "The dart is poisonous." Lin Han looked at Zhu Ling who fell to the ground, and said in a light voice, "Even if he didn't block it, the dart couldn't hit the princess." Originally, the dagger in Ye Li's hand could have knocked the dart down, but it was knocked away by Zhu Ling.

Zhu Ling was lying on the blood-stained ground. Even his upper body was resting on the body of a soldier who had been dead for a long time. He looked at Ye Li in front of him with a dull look in his eyes, moved his lips but didn't say anything. Ye Li looked down at him and said lightly: "Why do you have to do this?"

The handsome young man smiled with difficulty and said, "I lost... My life turned out to be like this..."

Ye Li said calmly: "Victory and defeat are common in the military. Only when you are alive can you turn the cards. If you die, you will have nothing." Zhu Ling was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head and smiled at her: "What's the point of saying this now? I never thought... I never thought that I would lose like this... Just like I never thought that you would be, would be the Princess of Dingguo..."

Ye Li was silent. Zhu Ling smiled faintly and said, "You don't have to... don't have to feel sorry. I'm tired too... tired..." The poison on the willow leaf dart was obviously not an ordinary poison. After a while, black blood flowed from the corners of Zhu Ling's lips and he slowly closed his eyes.

Ye Li looked at the corpses strewn across the field, and the young man in white clothes stained with blood, who was quietly closing his eyes. Suddenly, she felt a bone-chilling cold, and she couldn't help but reach out and wrap her arms around him.

"Princess, he didn't want to live in the first place. It's not your fault." Lin Han whispered. Even if Zhu Ling didn't block the dart, the princess would be fine. They could see it clearly from such a distance, and Zhu Ling, who was standing next to him, could also see it. From the moment he drew his sword and challenged to fight, he had already made up his mind to die. Such a proud young man suffered such a terrible defeat in his first battle. He had no reason to let himself live.

"I know." Ye Li nodded and said, "Clean up the battlefield and go back to reinforce General Zhang!"

"Yes, Princess." Feng Zhiyao responded.

In a small town a few dozen miles away, Zhu Yan, who couldn't sleep late at night, stood on the top of the city and looked into the distance. Suddenly, he was startled by an inexplicable fear, staring blankly in the southwest direction, moving the corners of his lips, and two lines of tears slowly flowed down his wrinkled face.

"Ling'er..."

The Xiling garrison of the small town suddenly launched an attack at 4:00 a.m. Although the Mohist army had been on alert, 4:00 a.m. was when most soldiers were sleeping. The sudden attack still caused some confusion among the Mohist army. However, they were experienced soldiers, and they quickly responded and fought against Zhu Yan's Xiling army.

"What's going on? Why would Zhu Yan suddenly launch a surprise attack?" Zhang Qilan asked in a deep voice, staring at the battlefield in front of him. Having spent half his life in the military, he could easily tell that the morale of the Xiling defenders in front of him was completely different from before. It was clear that they were determined to die with the Mohist army. Looking up at the old figure standing on the city wall in the distance, Zhang Qilan always felt that something had happened that he didn't know. With Zhu Yan's experience and ability in fighting, it was absolutely impossible for him to make such a rash decision to attack.

Qin Feng, who was standing next to him, had a calm expression on his face. He said calmly, "Maybe the princess and the others succeeded. But... we haven't received any news yet. How did Zhu Yan get the news?"

"Success?" Zhang Qilan turned around and grabbed Qin Feng's collar and said, "You haven't told me yet, what did the princess do?!" Qin Feng slowly slapped his hand that was grabbing his collar and said, "The princess went to check the whereabouts of Zhu Ling's hundreds of thousands of troops. And... there should be a large amount of food and fodder there. In this way, we don't have to worry about food and military supplies in the short term."

"What?" Zhang Qilan was shocked. "The princess is going..." Qin Feng laughed and said, "Otherwise, what do the generals think we have been doing guarding this useless broken county town these days? If they hide in the mountains and refuse to come out, we may not be able to do anything to them even if we send 300,000 or 400,000 troops in. Now they are coming out by themselves, right? Once they come out, we can take the opportunity to seize that place. The 100,000 troops that went back last night are probably gone too. Otherwise, Zhu Yan would not be so crazy."

Zhang Qilan took a few deep breaths. He felt that he was almost scared to death by this sudden news. But this...is good news after all? Even if Zhu Yan wanted to go crazy, he might not be afraid of him in this dark battle. The military strength of both sides was not much different. It was hard to say who would win in the end.

In the chaotic battle between the two armies, the deafening sound of galloping horses came from afar. The Mohist army officers and soldiers who were familiar with them showed their joy.

"It's the Black Cloud Cavalry! The Black Cloud Cavalry is coming!" From the southwest, a group of black cavalry came like a whirlwind. They rushed into the battlefield quickly, and soon, the battlefield, which was originally evenly matched, showed a one-sided situation. Behind the black cavalry, Ye Li and Feng Zhiyao rode their horses one after the other and galloped over, and quickly joined the Mohist army's camp.

Seeing Ye Li coming back from a distance, Zhang Qilan quickly led people to greet her, "Princess!"

Ye Li glanced at the battlefield ahead, and of course saw the isolated old figure on the tower. He paused for a moment before saying, "General Zhang, please don't be polite. How is the battle going?" Zhang Qilan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Princess. With the addition of the Black Cloud Cavalry, we will definitely defeat the Xiling garrison before dawn." Seeing Ye Li coming back with his own eyes, Zhang Qilan was completely relieved. A few days ago, the princess brought Qin Feng and others to help him defend the city on the orders of the prince. But he has not seen anyone since the princess came. It was not until just now that he knew what the princess saw. He was so scared that he is still trembling. If something happened to the princess, how would they explain to the prince?

"Congratulations, Princess. You wiped out hundreds of thousands of the Yasukuni Army without any effort." Zhang Qilan said with a smile.

Ye Li smiled faintly and shook her head, saying: "If there weren't a general sitting here, it wouldn't be so easy."

The fighting continued until the sky was dark, and the Xiling defenders finally couldn't resist the gradual defeat and retreated into the city. The city gates and walls of the small city were almost useless for defense. The Mohist Army and the Black Cloud Cavalry knocked on the city gates in less than an hour and rushed into the small county city again. In fact, there were not many Xiling defenders in the small city. Only the sounds of fighting could be heard from the streets from time to time. When Ye Li and his group entered the city, the soldiers who entered the city first came to report, "General Zhu Yan is still on the city tower."

Everyone looked at each other, and Ye Li said softly, "Let's go and take a look."

Naturally, the others had no objection and followed Ye Li onto the tower of the small town. In a corner of the tower, Zhu Yan, wearing a somewhat old battle robe, stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards the distant Biancheng. Even Ye Li and the others seemed not to have heard anything. Ye Li was not in a hurry either, but just calmly looked at the old man's back.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Yan slowly turned around and looked at everyone. Finally, his eyes fell on Ye Li, who was dressed in white and holding out her hand. He asked in a deep voice, "Is this... girl Miss Yang? Or Princess Dingguo?" Ye Li bowed, smiled faintly, and said respectfully, "I am Ye Li, the younger generation, and I have met General Zhu."

Zhu Yan nodded and said with a smile: "Is it really the Princess of Dingguo? She is so young... She is indeed a young talent. The Dingwang Mansion is blessed..."

Ye Li said softly, "Thank you for your compliment, Senior."

Zhu Yan looked at her with an indescribable strangeness in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "I wonder how the princess dealt with my useless grandson?" Ye Li sighed slightly and whispered, "Master Zhu has... died in battle. I hope the old general will mourn for him."

Zhu Yan's body trembled slightly, and the hand holding the spear could not help but tremble. In the end, he just looked up to the sky and sighed, saying: "Did he die in battle... No matter... I killed him, he could have..." His only grandson was smart and talented since childhood. If it weren't for him, if it weren't for the National Salvation Army, he could have lived freely and had fame and fortune. Just because of him, for his wishes and ambitions, Zhu Ling hid in the mountains at the age of twelve or thirteen and did not see outsiders. Even if he died on the battlefield, no one would ever know his name, and he would never get the status and honor that he deserved.

"General..." Ye Li sighed, "Master Zhu has died in battle, please be patient and mourn for him. Master Zhu would not want you to be sad for him."

Zhu Yan shook his head and said, "Princess Ding, you don't have to persuade me. I am already nearly 70 years old and have lived enough. Since we have been defeated today, I have nothing to say." Feng Zhiyao frowned slightly and said loudly, "General Zhu, why do you have to do this? The Mohist Army is not a group of people who want to kill everyone."

Zhu Yan glanced at Feng Zhiyao and couldn't help but laugh. He said with a smile: "What does this general mean? Could it be that the Mohist Army still wants to persuade them to surrender? An old man like me has no effect on the Mohist Army. Moreover... I have fought for Xiling for half my life, and it is ridiculous that I have lost my integrity in my old age."

Ye Li lowered her eyes and said calmly, "General, you have misunderstood. The old general is of high moral character and the Mohist Army dared not persuade the general to surrender. Now that the victory and defeat have been decided between you and me, the old general would have already laid down his armor and returned to his farm. Please leave now, the Dingwang Mansion will not make it difficult for you." Zhu Yan looked at Ye Li and asked, "Aren't you afraid that after I leave, you will come back and fight against the Mohist Army?"

Ye Li shook her head and said, "I trust the old general."

There was silence on the tower for a long while, and Zhu Yan finally laughed out loud, shaking his head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess. But unfortunately... Zhu Yan was General Jingtian of Xiling in life, and he will be General Jingtian of Xiling in death! Zhu Yan was defeated today, and I have no face to see the elders of Xiling and the late emperor again. I don't want this life anymore!"

"Old General..."

Zhu Ling calmly looked at the woman in white in front of him, with a hint of regret and helplessness in his eyes, "It's just a pity..." Sun'er was raised by him, how could he not understand. When Ling'er mentioned the woman named Yang Xianya to him, he knew that the woman was a little different in his eyes. Now he finally saw a woman who could make his Sun'er look at her differently, but it was a pity... fate played tricks on people...

"General Zhu?!" In the shocked eyes of the crowd, the old man who was already in his seventies suddenly jumped and fell from the top of the city wall. Ye Li took a step forward, his sleeves moved slightly, and finally stopped. Everyone walked forward, stood on the top of the city wall and looked down. At the entrance of the city gate, the old man lay quietly, blood slowly flowing out from his body, dyeing the ground under him and the white hair on his head red.

Ye Li silently looked at the lifeless old man under the city wall with a dim look in his eyes.

"Princess..." Feng Zhiyao asked worriedly.

Ye Li turned around calmly and said, "Come on, bury him with honor."

"Yes, sir."