Shanhe Festival 297. The Power of the Veteran

Long Yang and Zhu Yan could not help but worry about Mo Xiuyao's intentions. After Lei Tengfeng sent the news that many soldiers of the Mo Army had secretly left, such worries became a reality. Zhu Yan sat in the chair in silence for a long time, and sighed: "Well, it is worthy of the Mo Army!"

Facing the two veteran generals' expressions, Lei Tengfeng knew that something might have changed. He asked worriedly, "Veteran, what happened?"

Zhu Yan and Long Yang looked at each other and finally told the story. It was already this point, and there was no point in keeping it a secret. After hearing what Long Yang and Zhu Yan said, Lei Tengfeng was also shocked, "General Zhu is saying... you still have a hundred thousand elite soldiers in your hands!"

At this point, he could not help but glance at Long Yang next to him in suspicion. In the past twenty years, the Zhennan Palace could be said to have carefully monitored Zhu Yan who lived in Biancheng all the time. In the past twenty years, he had never contacted his old subordinates, and even lived in seclusion in Biancheng. Lei Tengfeng was almost completely relieved about him, but he did not expect that the other party actually had a hundred thousand elite soldiers in his hands quietly.

A few hundred thousand troops may not seem impressive in the Xiling army, which has a total of nearly three million troops and can be increased at any time, but they are also very scary if used on the right side. For example, in the past twenty years, my father has come to Biancheng several times. If Zhu Yan suddenly attacked at that time... Lei Tengfeng shuddered in his heart and dared not think about it anymore. He finally understood why his father was always on guard against these old generals. It is said that civil officials are in chaos, but those who can really change the dynasty and usurp the throne are generally military generals. Without military power, everything is empty talk.

As if he understood what Lei Tengfeng was thinking, Long Yang snorted and said, "This elite force was personally given to Zhu Yan by the late emperor. Even the current emperor has no right to take it back. Why should the Zhennan Palace know about it? Moreover... this elite force was originally prepared to defend against the Ding Palace."

Lei Tengfeng was silent. He believed Long Yang's words. But some things cannot be solved by just believing. And now is not the time to discuss this matter. "Hundreds of thousands of troops... It's useless to fight against the Mohist army, right?"

"Stupid!" Zhu Yan snorted coldly, "The late emperor was wise and intelligent. He had long understood that the Mohist Army was the biggest enemy of Xiling. So he started preparing to deal with the Mohist Army early on. If the late emperor had not suddenly passed away, there would be no need to... And Lei Zhenting. When the Ding Palace was seriously injured, he wasted a great opportunity in vain in order to eliminate dissidents. If the snake is not killed, the Mohist Army will be at the gates of the city today!"

Lei Tengfeng was speechless. When the Mo family army was seriously injured and Mo Xiuyao was seriously injured and dying, the royalists in Xiling were the most active. In order to fight these people, my father gave up the great opportunity to attack Da Chu. But at that time, who really believed that Mo Xiuyao would stand up again? Even if they did not participate in Mo Xiuyao's poisoning and serious injury, it did not mean that they knew nothing.

"Old General, what should we do now?" Lei Tengfeng saw that the atmosphere was not right, and quickly changed the subject. Zhu Yan sighed and said, "Old Dragon, you help the prince defend the city, and I will go to meet the world-famous Prince Ding."

"Zhu Yan..." Long Yang frowned. He was a few years older than Zhu Yan, but Zhu Yan was not young either. It was too dangerous to go out of the city in person. Zhu Yan waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I can still move. You are right, I can't just watch Mo Xiu Yao swallow up my hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers!" Long Yang also knew that this was the best choice. He sighed and said, "Forget it, be careful, I will hold back some of the Mo family troops in the city for you."

"Take care of yourself!"

"Take care." The two white-haired old men looked at each other, said goodbye solemnly and left. Zhu Yan turned and left, and his trembling and slightly hunched body seemed to straighten up instantly. Long Yang closed his eyes and looked at his friend's figure going away, and ordered Lei Tengfeng beside him: "Get ready, go out of the city to fight!"

It was already noon on the third day. The Mohist army below the city wall kept shouting and cursing, and the Xiling defenders on the city wall were not idle either, and they also responded rudely. It just so happened that the two countries had the same origin and no cultural differences, so there would be no obstacles when cursing at each other. If it was a quarrel between Nanzhao and Beirong, I'm afraid most people would not understand.

In front of the army, Yun Ting and Chen Yun stood side by side on horseback, looking at the tower in the distance. Yun Ting said anxiously, "Aren't Long Yang and Zhu Yan said to be famous generals of Xiling? Why are they refusing to come out like turtles?" Chen Yun shrugged helplessly. How could he know?

"Are you trying to buy time with us? Until Lei Zhenting comes back to reinforce us?" Chen Yun said uncertainly.

"Don't joke. It will take at least a month for Lei Zhenting to arrive." Yun Ting said. They only had three days, and now the three days were almost up and they hadn't even touched the edge of the city wall of Biancheng. They had tried all kinds of methods in these three days, including violent attacks and sneak attacks. But they had to admit that it made sense for the veteran to take on two of them. They simply couldn't find any loopholes in Biancheng's defense. Such a blow made the faces of several young generals look uglier day by day. Even at this moment, Yun Ting still had a pale face. In fact, if Yun Ting knew that not only him, but even his prince and princess couldn't find any loopholes in Biancheng's defense for a while, he wouldn't be so frustrated.

"Look, are they about to come out?" Chen Yun pointed at the place where the flags were fluttering on the top of the wall. It was obvious that there were people and horses moving very quickly there.

Yun Ting narrowed his eyes, and a sneer appeared on his young face, "Zhu Yan! Brothers, keep scolding me!"

The Mohist army officers and soldiers behind him once again greeted Zhu Yan's eight generations of ancestors and relatives in a loud voice.

Long Yang led his men to the top of the wall, squinted his eyes at the young man showing off his might below the city, smiled, and said, "Young man, tell me your name."

Yun Ting said proudly: "Yun Ting, deputy general of the ninth division of the Mohist Army Eagle Army!"

Long Yang was startled. This obviously different organization from the general army made him unable to determine Yun Ting's identity for a while, but he could probably guess from Yun Ting's age. Such a young and spirited youth would probably not be the commander of an army. He looked at Yun Ting with a smile and said, "Where is the commander of the Mohist Army? Or is there no one left in the Mohist Army?"

Yun Ting was unhappy, he looked up at the old man on the tower and said: "I am the commander! It's just a Biancheng, there is no need to trouble others. I will show you what my Mo Army is capable of!" Long Yang was not angry either, as if he was looking at an ignorant kid, he smiled and said: "What? Then let me see what the young commander of the Mo Army is capable of. And... I am not Zhu Yan."

"Longyang!" Yun Ting gritted his teeth.

As expected, the older the better. Yun Ting was already at a disadvantage after just a few casual exchanges before the official fight.

Under the city tower, the gate that was originally tightly closed suddenly opened, and the drawbridge on the moat was lowered. The Xiling soldiers who had been hiding in the city rushed out like a tide and attacked the Mohist Army's camp. These days, not only the soldiers of the Mohist Army were frustrated, but also the soldiers brought by Lei Tengfeng to reinforce. Being insulted and scolded by the enemy but unable to rush down and kill the enemy without leaving a single piece of armor, this is the greatest shame for a soldier. Now that they can finally leave the city, these soldiers naturally rushed towards the Mohist Army soldiers who showed off their power in front of them these days with red eyes.

The war was about to break out, and for a moment the sound of war drums and shouts of killing outside the city reached the sky.

On the tower, Long Yang calmly watched the fighting below the city. Both the Mohist Army and the Xiling Army were quite strong, so when the two strong forces met, the fighting was naturally very intense. Long Yang smiled at the young white-robed general below the city and raised his hand to wave the small red flag in his hand.

The soldiers of Xiling in grey uniforms changed their formations quickly under the guidance of the flags. Standing on the tower, one could clearly see the entire battlefield. The black Mohist army camp was split and surrounded by the grey crowd at a very fast speed, and then defeated one by one. Yun Ting's reaction was not slow, and he also commanded the formation at the fastest speed. But he was still one step slower than Long Yang. The Xiling army changed its formation again, like a grey dragon baring its fangs and claws and hunting wantonly in the Mohist army.

Although the Mohist Army was brave, the battlefield was not a battle that could be solved by the bravery of a single soldier. When a Mohist Army soldier faced three Xiling soldiers at the same time, when a small group of Mohist Army soldiers was surrounded by a large group of Xiling soldiers. Yun Ting could only watch the soldiers around him fall one by one in front of him.

Suddenly turning around, he saw the old man in white clothes on the top of the city wall. He was dressed in cloth and looked like an inconspicuous countryman. However, the confidence and pride in his old eyes showed that he was extraordinary. Being looked down upon by someone from such a high position, Yun Ting should not be able to see the other person's expression clearly from such a long distance. But Yun Ting clearly felt that he was as small as an ant in the eyes of the other person.

"Yun Ting! What are you doing? Get out!" Chen Yun kicked the stunned Yun Ting away, and an arrow narrowly missed where Yun Ting was standing. Chen Yun glared at him unhappily. He dared to be dazed on the battlefield. He was really asking for his life!

Yun Ting finally came to his senses. Just at that moment, he was so frightened by Long Yang's aura that he forgot that he was on the battlefield. After avoiding the knife that was coming at him, Yun Ting was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat. This was the might of the Western Region Killer God!

The horn of Mingjin's retreat sounded behind them, and the soldiers of the Mohist Army broke through the encirclement of the Xiling Army and rushed out. But the final retreat was a bit more ferocious than the Mohist Army had ever been in many years. On the tower, Longyang also signaled Mingjin to withdraw the troops after watching the Mohist Army retreat. Lei Tengfeng frowned and said, "General, why don't you take advantage of the victory and pursue them?"

Long Yang said calmly: "Today is just a test. It seems that the Mohist Army has indeed divided its forces. Just now, the Mohist Army was about to be defeated, but no one came out to support them. Instead, they called for retreat."

"That……"

"Don't be impatient, try them again tomorrow." Long Yang said in a deep voice.

After the defeat, Yun Ting and his party returned to the camp to apologize to the prince and princess. However, Zhuo Jing, who was waiting outside the tent, told them that the prince and princess were busy. All military affairs were temporarily handed over to Chen Yun and Yun Ting. Yun Ting was so scared that he almost fell to the ground, and Chen Yun behind him also had a pale face. It's not that they are self-deprecating. With their qualifications and experience, they are not even qualified to lead an army alone. How can they lead the entire Mo family army camp? The two looked at each other and sweated. Yun Ting looked at Zhuo Jing for help.

Zhuo Jing shrugged and patted Yun Ting's shoulder helplessly, saying: "Since the prince has instructed you like this, it means he trusts your ability. Don't worry."

"But...but we just lost the battle..." Yun Ting said with shame. He originally thought that he would be punished by military law for not completing the task assigned by the prince. But in this situation, it would be better to be punished by military law!

Zhuo Jing smiled calmly and said, "You almost lost just now, but you haven't lost yet, have you?" He gave the two of them a look that said "I'm optimistic about you", and then he turned around and went back to the battle. Yun Ting wanted to cry but couldn't. If you hadn't called back the troops just now, I might have died on the battlefield.

A hundred miles southwest of Biancheng, there is a small county town. The area of ​​the entire county town is less than one-tenth of Biancheng, but the location of the county town is right on the official road between Xiling Imperial City and Biancheng. In other words, if the troops in the west want to rush to Biancheng as quickly as possible, they must pass through here. Three days ago, Zhang Qilan, under the order of Mo Xiuyao, led 70,000 troops to occupy this small town. Because the focus of Xiling's defense is in Biancheng, such a small town is naturally weak in military strength. Zhang Qilan occupied this small town with almost no effort.

Then 70,000 soldiers were stationed in this small city, seemingly doing nothing. But Zhang Qilan knew that there was an elite force of more than 100,000 soldiers nearby, although even the most elite Qilin of the Mohist Army could not find their specific location. But Zhang Qilan knew that they were hiding in the mountains thirty miles away. It was obviously unwise for the Mohist Army to enter the mountains, so Zhang Qilan waited here. If this army wanted to get close to Biancheng, it would inevitably pass by him, so he was not in a hurry.

Not far from the town, on a small road away from the official road, a group of Mohist soldiers were chasing a group of people. There were only five people in this group, and four men were protecting a girl in plain clothes while fighting and retreating. Although these four men were good at fighting, they were helpless because there were too many pursuers behind them, and the soldiers of the Mohist Army were not ordinary people. The four men were already covered in wounds, but they still did not forget to protect the girl in the middle.

"Miss, hurry up! Let's stop them! Go to the capital... go to the capital to find..." One of the men pushed the girl hard, and shouted at the narrow path ahead. Unfortunately, before she could finish her words, she was stabbed in the abdomen and fell to the ground. The remaining three people did not have time to look at their companions. One of them pulled the girl forward and ran away, while the other two stayed behind to stop the Mohist Army's pursuers behind.

The two ran all the way, but unfortunately, not long after they ran, the girl fell to the ground panting, "I can't walk anymore...you guys go..."

"No! Miss, hurry up! You must return to the capital. Don't forget... the general wants you to stay alive!" The guard said in a stern voice, and dragged the girl to the forest beside the road. Soon, the footsteps of the pursuers were heard from behind, and it was obvious that the two guards who stayed behind had also died in the battle.

The two men hid in the thorns in the forest, and the pursuers found that they had lost their trace. They searched for nearly half an hour in four places, stabbing and hacking in the thorn bushes where people could hide with knives and guns, but in the end they still did not find any trace of the two men, so they gradually left, and took the body of the dead guard back to claim the reward.

The forest gradually became quiet. After a long time, the grass on the roadside moved. A girl in wolfish clothes crawled out of the grass and pushed the people around her, "Wake up! Wake up..." Her slender hands were stained with blood. The girl screamed in fear. It turned out that when the soldiers were searching, the guard used his body to block the sword that was slashing at the grass. There was a long wound on his back that was constantly oozing blood. The man had already fallen into a coma. The pale girl looked at the desolate mountains and the only guard she could rely on who was in a coma, and finally couldn't help crying.

While crying drowsily, she vaguely saw a white figure appear in front of her. The girl raised her head with confused eyes, "Save me..."

The young man in moon-white clothes silently looked at the man and woman who had fainted in front of him, with a pair of sword-like eyebrows slightly wrinkled on his handsome face. He lowered his head to check the man's injuries. The scars on his body and the almost fatal knife on his back were enough to show that the man had experienced a hard battle. Although the girl was wearing ordinary cloth clothes, her beautiful face and slender hands were enough to show that she was originally a delicate person who was raised in a private house. Originally, he could have saved them, even the dead guards. But his special identity destined him to think twice before doing anything, so he had been watching in secret, watching the guards die one by one in battle, and watching the girl crying helplessly in the wilderness.

"Sir, what should we do?" the guard following behind asked in a low voice.

The man was silent for a moment, then said, "I just heard the guard talking about a general. Which general is she the daughter of?"

The guard shook his head and said, "I don't know, maybe she is the daughter of a general who was defeated by the Mohist army." The man thought for a moment and said, "See if they have any tokens on them." The guard stepped forward, squatted down, and quickly found a piece of pie on the unconscious guard's body. He also took a purple jade bracelet from the girl's wrist and respectfully handed it to the handsome man in moon-white clothes.

The man took it and looked at it with wrinkled eyebrows. He said, "It was the guard of General Huwei Yang Hu. This purple jade bracelet... was a tribute from the Western Regions during the reign of the previous emperor. The previous emperor awarded it to the then Grand Tutor Master Ling. And General Huwei's wife is Master Ling's daughter."

The guard whispered, "So, this girl is the daughter of General Hu Wei? General Hu Wei was defending Licheng and was killed in battle ten days ago. This girl..."

The man pondered for a long time, and finally said, "Take it back."

In the hidden mountains, there are courtyards and houses scattered around. Under the dense forest and the perennial fog, outsiders can hardly find any traces. In a simple room, the sleeping girl seemed to wake up from a nightmare and sat down suddenly. But she saw a handsome young man sitting not far away from her, "Ah?! Help..."

"Shut up." The young man said in a deep voice.

The girl hid in the innermost part of the bed in fear and wrapped herself tightly in the quilt. "Who... who are you?"

The young man said in a deep voice: "I should ask you this question. Who are you?"

The girl bit her lips and refused to speak, "Where did A-Lin go? He...he is still..." The girl shuddered, as if she didn't dare to ask further. The man said calmly, "He is still alive, if that's what you want to ask." Hearing this, the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good...you saved us?"

The man did not comment and asked calmly, "Who are you?"

"My name is Yang Xianya. My father is General Huwei. My father... my father..." As she spoke, the girl's eyes turned red. Crystal tears fell from the corners of her eyes, and she slowly sobbed. The man frowned slightly, sighed and said, "I know that General Huwei died in battle ten days ago. Was it him who asked the guards to escort you to escape?"

The girl, Yang Xianya nodded. She bit her lip and whispered, "Before Licheng was captured, my father had someone escort me back to Beijing. Originally, there were twelve people. But now... only A Lin is left. Wuwuwu..." The man frowned, thought for a while and asked again, "Why did the Mohist Army keep chasing you?" Although she was the daughter of General Huwei, she was far less important to the Mohist Army. It was unreasonable for them to keep chasing you all the way.

The girl shook her head in confusion and said, "I don't know. Dad only told me to go back to the capital to find my uncle."

The man stood up and said, "I understand. You should have a good rest first. When you recover from your injury, I will send someone to take you back to the capital." After saying that, he turned and walked outside.

"You... Xianya still don't know your full name... I will repay you for saving my life when I return to the capital." The girl said in a low voice.

The man paused and said calmly, "Zhu Ling."

The man went out, and the guards were waiting outside. Seeing him coming out, they hurriedly came up to him and said, "Sir, I have checked. The daughter of the late Grand Tutor Ling did have only one daughter after marrying General Huwei. General Yang and his wife doted on this daughter, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they pampered her. The current Lord Ling, Miss Yang's uncle, also treats this niece as his own. It is said that Miss Yang is only seventeen years old this year, and she has been engaged to her cousin, the eldest son of the Ling family, since she was a child. If it weren't for the sudden dispatch of troops in the northwest, General Yang would have brought his daughter back to the capital to hold a wedding in a few days."

The man nodded and said, "I asked this question just now, and it's basically the same as what you said."

The guard asked, "So... can we trust what she said?"

Zhu Ling said, "Leave her here for now. Grandfather has a good relationship with the Ling family. If she is really the granddaughter of the Ling family and we do not save her, it will be difficult to explain to the Ling family in the future. Send someone to keep an eye on them."

"Yes, sir."