World Shock 137. Repel the Enemy

The black army emerged from the end of the street like a tide, rushing quickly towards the people fighting on the street and at the city gate. The city gate that collapsed just a quarter of an hour ago was quickly closed again. The Xiling soldiers who rushed into Jiangxia City first in order to seize military merit were horrified to find that they had become trapped in a cage. The black-clad soldiers rushed to the places where they were needed in an orderly manner. Countless black-clad people suddenly appeared on the wall that was already full of the gray figures of Xiling soldiers, and the fighting began again.

In the distance, King Zhennan looked at the black-clad soldiers who suddenly appeared on the city wall, and his face changed greatly. Then he saw a flamboyant red-clad figure appear on the city wall, like a dragon, invincible.

"Your Majesty, that's Feng Zhiyao. People in Chujing call him the Third Young Master Feng. He is the illegitimate son of the richest man in Chujing and was kicked out of his family when he was young. He followed Mo Xiuyao to fight on the battlefield when he was in his teens and is Mo Xiuyao's most trusted confidant. His appearance here must mean that reinforcements from the Mo family army have arrived." King Zhennan's face was gloomy, and he said in a deep voice: "Continue the attack!"

The drums of war were deafening, and gray and black figures were fighting each other. But the gate of Jiangxia could never be opened again. When countless black-clad archers appeared on the city wall and their sharp arrows rained down on the people under the city wall, a snow-white and slender figure calmly walked up the city wall. Standing beside her were Nan Hou Mu Yang and Zhuo Jing. It was obviously a bloody storm, but the snow-white Luo Yi was unexpectedly not stained with blood. The purity of the white gave people an inexplicable coldness and murderousness.

Ye Li stood on the city wall, looking far away at the Xiling army behind the enemy. Even though she couldn't see the enemy's face, she could still sense the enemy's majestic aura and anger. She sneered and ordered in a cold voice: "Don't spare any Xiling soldiers who entered Jiangxia City. Throw all the bodies out of the city!"

Zhuo Jing nodded, "I obey your command."

Ye Li looked back and gave a provocative smile towards somewhere in the distance.

"Is that Princess Dingguo?" Prince Zhennan asked in a deep voice.

The generals beside him looked at the woman in white clothes on the top of the city wall, hesitated for a moment and said: "It looks like Princess Dingguo." In fact, not many people have really seen Princess Dingguo, but the woman who can appear on the top of Jiangxia City with the Mohist Army at this time should be Princess Dingguo. King Zhennan looked for a long time, and suddenly laughed out loud and said: "Good! Interesting... Princess Dingguo? It is said that women in Dongchu are weak, but this Princess Dingguo is even better than my Xiling noblewoman. No wonder she scared Princess Lingyun back then." The generals beside him had a stiff smile on their faces, and they didn't know whether they should agree with King Zhennan's praise for Princess Dingguo. Now it is this Princess Dingguo who has ruined their plan to take over Jiangxia today. Moreover, the soldiers who had rushed into Jiangxia City earlier were probably in danger now. As a result, the number of troops they lost in this small city of Jiangxia exceeded the total number of troops they had lost during this period. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the morale of the Xiling army.

"Your Majesty, the soldiers who rushed into the city..."

The King of Zhennan waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "It's too late. Attack the city with all your strength! Capture Princess Dingguo alive and you will be rewarded with a thousand households!"

"yes."

Near dusk, Xiling finally called off the troops. It was unwise to continue the continuous fierce attack without knowing how many reinforcements the Mohist army had. If the two armies were almost equal in strength, both would probably suffer losses in the end. And this was after all the homeland of Dongchu, which could always provide a steady supply of troops and food. After their harvest in Xinyang was obviously lower than expected, they had to be cautious everywhere, otherwise they would be doomed if they were not careful. Seeing the Xiling army retreating quickly with the sound of the trumpet, the people on the city wall breathed a sigh of relief. The remaining soldiers from Jiangxia City couldn't help but cheer.

Yuan Pei, wearing a half-dried blood-stained shirt and numerous scars, walked up to Ye Li and said, "I, General Yuan Pei, the governor of Jiangxia, have seen the princess!"

Ye Li quickly reached out to hold him back from kneeling, and said in a deep voice, "Old General, you have worked hard. It is because I came late that you have suffered."

Yuan Pei's expression was moved, and his bloodshot eyes couldn't help but flash with suspicious watery light. He said loudly: "I dare not. It is my incompetence that caused Jiangxia to fall into the hands of Xiling. I dare not complain." Ye Li smiled faintly and said: "It is the situation that forced us. It is not the fault of the general. We don't need to delve into these things again. General, take the people down to rest. Leave Jiangxia to us for the time being." Yuan Pei nodded heavily. Feng Zhiyao stood behind Ye Li and smiled: "General Yuan, please rest assured. Feng San will never let the people of Xiling surpass Jiangxia."

Yuan Pei was not polite either, and he bowed and said, "Thank you for your hard work, General Feng."

After rearranging the city defense, Ye Li led the people to go down the tower. As soon as they walked down the tower, they saw Leng Qingyu standing under the city with a bloody sword in his hand, looking wooden. After thinking for a while, Ye Li stepped forward and asked, "General Leng, are you okay?" Leng Qingyu raised his head and looked at Ye Li, smiled bitterly and said lightly, "What's good or bad about being a defeated general?" Ye Li raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "Victory and defeat are common in the military, and this matter is not entirely General Leng's fault. Take care, General." Leng Qingyu was stunned for a while, and then said, "Thank you, Princess."

Watching Ye Li leave, Leng Qingyu looked at the long sword in his hand and put it back into the sheath. Princess Ding might be right. This failure was not his fault alone, but now he is the only one who can bear the responsibility for the failure. Fortunately...Jiang Xia is still here, and the Mohist Army has arrived.

"General Leng." Leng Qingyu turned around to leave when he heard Nan Hou's voice from behind.

Nan Hou stood on the street, looking obviously older and more tired than the last time they met. This war had just begun, but many of them seemed to have aged ten years. Nan Hou looked at Leng Qingyu for a long time before he asked in a deep voice, "General Leng, do you know...any news about my son?"

Leng Qingyu said sadly: "That day when the enemy army attacked, the prince led a team of soldiers to divert the enemy's attention... The whole army was wiped out... Lord Hou, I'm sorry..."

"I know." The faint light in Nan Hou's eyes gradually faded, and he sighed and whispered. He didn't even say goodbye to Leng Qingyu, and turned away. Leng Qingyu looked at Nan Hou's lonely and desolate figure, and felt a bone-chilling cold for no reason. Once, he yearned for this battlefield. He thought that the battlefield was passionate and attracted countless people. But now, after a defeat, he understood the coldness and pain under such passion.

Jiangxia is a small city, and Ye Li and his party temporarily stayed at General Yuan Pei's residence. The so-called General's residence was actually just a courtyard of moderate size in Jiangxia City. Veterans like Yuan Pei and Zhang Qilan would definitely not be inferior to the generals who guarded the country and Murong Shen, but because they were generals of the Mohist Army, they were suppressed and secluded indefinitely, and could never truly obtain the honor and glory that should belong to them.

Because of Ye Li's arrival, Yuan Pei moved his wife and children from the main courtyard to the backyard. Knowing Yuan Pei's intentions and his loyalty to Prince Ding's Mansion, Ye Li did not refuse and randomly chose a room to live in. Without time to clean up, he casually washed up and went to the front hall to discuss the war with everyone. When Ye Li stepped into the study, the study was already full of people. They were discussing something fiercely, and they calmed down when they saw Ye Li coming in. Yuan Pei personally came forward to invite Ye Li to sit in the main seat. After Ye Li sat down, he re-tidied his clothes, stepped forward and bowed solemnly, saying: "Thank you, Princess, for saving my life."

Ye Li sighed helplessly and motioned Zhuo Jing who was standing beside her to go forward and help Yuan Pei up.

"General Yuan, let's stop with these empty formalities and stand up to speak," Ye Li said seriously.

Yuan Pei stood up and returned to his seat, saying, "My princess, there are now 300,000 soldiers from Xiling outside Jiangxia City, and they are determined to capture Jiangxia. I have received news that the armies from the north and south are also leaning towards Jiangxia. Once the three armies are united, there will be nearly 500,000 troops besieging Jiangxia. Although our army is brave and unparalleled, Jiangxia is a small place with weak people and a lack of military supplies. I am afraid that we will not be able to resist the siege of 500,000 troops. Please make plans early, princess."

Ye Li nodded and said, "Thank you General Yuan for reminding me. I know what's going on now. As for the food and fodder, you don't have to worry. The court will naturally send enough food and fodder. Nan Hou, Mu Shizi, don't you agree?"

Nan Hou was a little absent-minded. He looked up after hearing Ye Li's words and smiled faintly, "What the princess said is true. We have been through life and death on the battlefield. The court and the emperor will naturally not wrong the soldiers on the front line."

Ye Li looked at Nan Hou and saw clearly the fatigue and sadness in his eyes. She didn't know what Leng Qingyu said to him, but she could probably guess something, because there was still no news about Nan Hou's son. This could not help but make people have some bad thoughts. She looked at Nan Hou with some worry, and Nan Hou nodded slightly to her to show that he was fine.

Although Nan Hou had expressed his opinion, the expressions of the people were still not much better. After so many years, the soldiers of the Mohist Army could no longer hold too much hope for the man in the palace. Ye Li saw the expressions of the people and did not say anything. He turned around and discussed the war with the generals.

After the discussion was over, everyone left. Nan Hou was still sitting in his seat without moving. Ye Li originally thought that Nan Hou had something to say, but when everyone left, she realized that Nan Hou was just in a trance. She frowned slightly and called out worriedly, "Lord?"

Nan Hou's eyes were blank. It took him a while to come back to his senses. He still looked at Ye Li absentmindedly. After a long while, he slowly said, "Princess, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm leaving now."

Ye Li shook his head and said, "Marquis, the status of the prince is different. The fact that there is no news now is good news. Now many important matters in the army still need your decision. I hope you take care of yourself." Nan Hou forced a smile, looked up at Ye Li and said, "The old Duke once said that the princess is an extraordinary person. This Marquis has also seen this journey. The princess still has to worry about many military affairs. This Marquis... This Marquis is afraid that I am a little bit unable to do it."

"Master..."

Ye Li wanted to say something, but Nan Hou waved his hand and said, "I will take my leave now. Princess, please rest early as well."

Watching Nan Hou walk out of the door with shaky steps, Ye Li finally swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue, "Have a safe journey, Lord Hou."