The battle cries rang out in the howling wind. The 300,000 troops of Beidu marched in a mighty procession across the Beichuan Plain. The two sides had been fighting in Beichuan for several days, launching surprise attacks, burning military camps, and destroying supplies—they had done everything they could.
Below Chishui City lies the vast Beichuan Plain. A massive army crossed Yuehan Pass, and the entire battlefield was filled with the smoke of battle. After a day and a night of bloody fighting, the Western Regions troops were besieged at the pass.
Yuehan Pass is a vast and expansive place, near the Chishui River. In the afternoon, the entire land is bathed in golden light. The steep barriers on both sides give the pass a geographical advantage, making it an impregnable fortress that surrounds the entire city of Chishui.
On the vast battlefield, the golden sunlight bathed the entire land, shining on the Chishui city gate and casting large swaths of radiance upon it.
Helian Qi sat on a golden chariot, looking at the Northern Emperor riding a horse across the dark army, his eyes gradually turning gloomy.
If he loses this battle, he will be hacked to death by the elders of the royal court.
"Well, Your Majesty, have you made up your mind?"
At the front of the army, Shen Yan stared intently at the corpse hanging on the Western Region chariot, his face calm and silent.
His Achilles' heel has been exploited again.
Helian Qi chuckled lightly, "If Your Majesty would chase me all the way here for a corpse, then leaving Yuehan Pass shouldn't be a problem."
Don't blame him for being despicable. On the battlefield, one wrong step leads to another. Using a woman to defeat the enemy is the simplest method.
The white light of daylight illuminated every inch of the land, and on the blood-soaked battlefield, corpses lay strewn everywhere.
"Did Qi Jin defect to you?"
Hearing his voice, Helian Qi raised an eyebrow. "Yes."
They're just pawns, if they die, they die.
Shen Yan remained silent, staring at the hanging corpse.
The light on the horizon was dazzling, illuminating the entire earth. The wild grass on the banks of the Chishui River rustled and swirled with the wind.
In a daze, he saw the people from Jiangdong who had traveled thousands of miles to escape famine, and the refugees from the Northwest who were starving.
They saw the glittering noble families sitting high in the halls of power, saw their corrupt faces, but they couldn't see the tens of thousands starving and freezing to death in the north. They were indifferent to the suffering and devastation of the people across the land, to the countless refugees fleeing the famine. All they knew was to indulge in pleasure, building magnificent mansions and holding extravagant banquets.
From his childhood outside Jiangdong City, to the later conflicts among the various northern tribes, and finally his ascension to the throne, nearly ten years of tumultuous life had passed. So long, so long, that he could barely remember his mother's face, his grandfather's ugly countenance, or the bright young girl who always followed behind him. The unwavering belief that sustained him allowed him to live like a walking corpse for many years.
The light on the horizon flickered, the wind swirled the clouds, and through the blur, he seemed to see that grand wedding again, and witness the figure falling from the city tower—
A cold wind blew past the corner of his clothes, and blood suddenly spilled from the corner of his mouth. Bai Xun, who was behind him, was shocked and quickly took out a porcelain bottle and handed it to him.
"His Majesty---"
"No need."
Bai Xun, hearing the weariness in his voice, silently put the porcelain bottle away.
Helian Qi was getting impatient and urged, "If Your Majesty does not withdraw from Yuehan Pass soon, then I will personally cut off the flesh and blood of this Southern Dynasty princess and stew it for everyone to eat."
It's strange, isn't it said that the princess died a long time ago? How come her body is not rotting or smelling bad, and her skin is smooth and fair, as if she just fell asleep.
Shen Yan ignored him, staring silently at the corpse. He then withdrew his gaze, his deep voice slowly uttering a few cold words.
"Kill him!"
The sky boomed with the sounds of horns and war drums, and on the distant horizon, countless armies drew their swords and charged forward like a hurricane.
Helian Qi was shocked and jumped off the chariot, shouting angrily.
"Shen Yan, don't you want this woman anymore?"
The man opposite him remained silent, riding his horse quietly through the crowd, his gaze calm and undisturbed.
A deafening roar of battle cries echoed across the battlefield as a massive army surged forward like locusts. Helian Qi had no time to ponder why this attack had failed; the repeated defeats had left him anxious and he dared not even imagine the punishment he would face if he lost Chishui City.
A hurricane howled across the desolate plains, and arrows carrying a sharp killing intent pierced through the westerly wind, passing over thousands of troops and heading straight for his head.
Helian Qi was greatly shocked and slashed upwards with his sword, but the black arrow was too thick and pierced his flesh, splattering bright red blood.
Enraged, he grabbed the corpse from the chariot and held the sword to its neck.
“Shen Yan, if you don’t stop, I will cut off her head and hang it on the city wall for people to trample on.”
Surrounded at Yuehan Pass, they suffered a crushing defeat in their first battle, losing tens of thousands of soldiers. They simply cannot break through.
The enemy's numbers were vastly outnumbered, and their attack was extremely fierce. A dense barrage of arrows rained down, obscuring the sky, and rows of soldiers fell, their crimson blood staining the entire battlefield.
Helian Qi watched as wave after wave of soldiers were killed in the encirclement. Seeing that the people opposite him remained unmoved, the veins on his hand holding the knife bulged. Just as he was about to strike, suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves from the northwest resounded across the battlefield like thunder. Ten thousand horses galloped, as if a black eagle was spreading and occupying the entire Chishui with overwhelming force.
"Reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!"
The earth trembled, and the roar of horns echoed across the sky, emitting deafening shouts and howls.
Helian Qi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the reinforcements, but his heart sank immediately. He knew that his brother would not let him off easily after this defeat.
As Shen Yangao rode his horse, he spotted the troops rushing to his aid from the northwest in the distance. Upon seeing the leader, his expression remained unchanged.
A sudden, violent sound erupted in the sky, and a large number of warships from the northern part of Chishui crossed the river, with the Yan army, which had been flanking them, surging out like a raging tide.
As the sun sets, its golden rays illuminate the crimson earth. Two armies clash in a fierce battle, leaving behind mountains of corpses and seas of blood. A cold wind sweeps across the ravaged battlefield, carrying with it the deafening roar of battle.
On the chariot in the Western Regions, Helian Ye dismounted and kicked Helian Qi in the head, shouting angrily.
"I entrusted you with guarding the Handan River, yet you dared to launch a private attack on Beichuan. Do you know how many soldiers you lost for such a small amount of military merit?"
Helian Qi was kicked off the chariot and didn't dare to say a word. He silently stood up, his lowered eyes flashing with anger.
To embarrass him in front of so many people is to show him absolutely no respect.
"Go back---"
An overwhelming killing intent swept across the entire battlefield. Under the northwestern sky, the setting sun slowly sank. No one noticed that the woman who had been thrown to the ground slightly twitched her eyelids, and black Gu worms slowly crawled out from the cuts.
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