As dusk fell, the setting sun overhead resembled a ghastly crimson blood. Chu Changle, her face deathly pale, looked up at the blood-red sunset and blinked.
The entire battlefield was ravaged by war, with crimson blood splattered across the land and the shadows of corpses cast long, winding lines on the majestic city walls.
She recalled her childhood when her father was often away on the battlefield and rarely home. She and her sister always heard their mother talk about how terrible war was, how tens of thousands of innocent people were displaced, and how the country was destroyed and their homes were destroyed.
She now saw with her own eyes the countless corpses on the vast battlefield, and witnessed the blood of the dead flowing into the Chishui River and being swallowed up in an instant.
If the people from the Western Regions were to massacre their way into the Central Plains, the vast land and the beautiful country would be completely destroyed and slaughtered. Tens of thousands of people would wail and cry, becoming homeless and slaves of a conquered nation. Innocent children would freeze, starve, or be killed in the upheaval, and refugees would roam the land.
"Peace and tranquility, I will end this chaotic world of the past few centuries and establish a prosperous era."
The young emperor's sharp and resolute voice seemed to whistle in his ears from a very, very far place, and a vast expanse of vicissitudes and glorious years flashed before his eyes, along with the howling wind on the battlefield.
She stood on the chariot, leaping over the dense ranks of soldiers and horses to look at the man riding on horseback, his posture as straight as a spear, and watched him silently.
How much time has passed? His once sharp eyebrows and eyes now show signs of fatigue, and fine wrinkles can be seen at the corners of his eyes. Years of battlefield combat have caused a few strands of white hair to grow on his once black hair.
All around was silent, and the army stretched as far as the eye could see across the entire battlefield.
Helian Qi urged, "Has Your Majesty made up your mind?"
Chu Changle looked away and interrupted him, "Just strangle me then."
Helian Qi was taken aback, then tightened his grip slightly. "Shut up. You've finally survived, don't you want to live anymore?"
live?
Chu Changle suddenly felt like laughing. He had been so obsessive in saving her, but had he ever considered whether she wanted to live?
Her father and mother were dead, her elder brother was dead, and her elder sister had married far away. What reason did she have to live? She had long since given up on living.
She looked back at him and repeated, "Just strangle me."
"---"
He cursed, "Shut up, or I'll gag you."
"Well, Your Majesty, if you don't speak up soon, we'll really kill your little empress."
High in the sky, a war eagle circled proudly, emitting a sharp and piercing sound.
Shen Yan stared calmly at the person opposite him, her expression serene. "Here you go."
"---"
"Your Majesty, have you gone mad?!"
Helian Qi laughed heartily, "Your Majesty truly loves beauty more than the throne!"
"Why not give us those three cities in the Helian Mountains area as well?"
The general of Beidu roared, "You're pushing your luck! You despicable scoundrel!"
Chu Changle stared intently at the man opposite her, seemingly unable to believe that he would be so decisive.
A tear rolled down her cheek. Suddenly, she raised her hand to clutch the white bandage around her neck, turned away resolutely, and tightened her grip.
"No, Chu Chang Le, stop—"
As darkness fell, a fierce wind howled across the battlefield, and the blood-red earth lay desolate, littered with mountains of corpses and blood.
Helian Qi was shocked and immediately let go, cursing, "Are you looking for death?"
Chu Chang Le fell off the chariot, her hair disheveled, her thin face pale, coughing hysterically.
A sharp bugle call suddenly rang out, and the sound of thousands of cavalry trampling the earth reverberated.
The soldiers of the Western Regions watched as the army charged straight towards the center of the chariot. They raised their arrows high, and the sound of arrows shooting through the west wind and the sharp whooshing sound of them cutting through the air filled the entire battlefield with screams and wails.
Shen Yan personally rode over on horseback, with soldiers on both sides shielding him from swords. The night wind blew his robes, and his blood-stained armor gleamed on the dark battlefield.
Helian Ye paused slightly as he watched this scene from inside the chariot. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Shen Yan, who was now bloodthirsty, with a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
The entire world was a vast expanse of desolation. The sun set in the west, the moon rose in the sky, and on the boundless, desolate battlefield, the sounds of battle shook the heavens.
Helian Qi was about to pull the woman off the ground when he heard a cold voice from behind him.
"Don't move."
"---"
He was confused and didn't dare to move.
Ignoring the formidable ironclad chariots surrounding them, Shen Yan raised his sword and charged straight into the Western Regions army.
Surrounding Helian Ye were brave warriors who could fight against a hundred men each. They were ruthless, and the soldiers of Beidu fell in rows, their bodies and faces covered in blood. The killing intent of death permeated the earth. It was a bloody massacre.
Shen Yan was slashed in the back and stabbed in the chest. Countless soldiers rushed forward to shield him from the blows. Arrows rained down like locusts, and those at the front were instantly riddled with bullets. Screams and cries of agony echoed across the mountains and fields.
Chu Chang Le fell to the ground in a disheveled state, looking at the man who wanted to barge in. The waning moon shone on him, shining on his sharp eyebrows and eyes, as if covered with a layer of frost, making him appear fierce and ruthless. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She couldn't understand how he could do such a thing, how he could act so affectionately, when he had personally orchestrated that massacre, the deaths of his father and brothers, his mother, and the entire Southern Dynasty royal family were all inextricably linked to him.
A cold wind howled, and corpses littered the ground. She stumbled to her feet, drew her broadsword from its scabbard, pressed it against her neck, and let out a fierce shout.
"stop!"
Shen Yan coughed up blood, looked at the girl with the knife across her neck, and hissed, "Chu Chang Le, put down the knife."
Chu Changle looked past the heavy armor of soldiers at the man in the middle of the army. The night wind blew her messy hair, and the moon above made her face look pale, but her almond-shaped eyes, which were bright and moist, were full of sharpness.
"Is Your Majesty acting so impulsively to send your soldiers to their deaths on the battlefield, thus benefiting the enemy?"
Shen Yan gripped the knife tightly in his hand, a mix of desperate pain and madness churning within him.
"You once said that with the north divided, foreign tribes invading, the world in turmoil, and war raging everywhere, you would end this chaos and bring peace to the world. You've walked this path for so long; you should continue on the path you've chosen, instead of abandoning your great cause for a woman. The enemy won't give you a chance to hesitate or waver."
Shen Yan wouldn't listen to a word, his body trembling as he stared at the knife against her neck. This wasn't poison; once it cut, there would be no saving her.
His eyes, sharp as arrows, were fixed on her. "Please, please put down the knife—"
For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent, as if time itself had frozen.
Helian Qi couldn't help but laugh out loud, mocking, "The Northern Emperor who killed so many of my Western Region generals is actually a lovelorn fool."
Chu Changle remained motionless, staring intently at him. "Shen Yan, don't make me look down on you."
The fierce wind howled in the night, and the vast battlefield was filled with murderous intent. Suddenly, the knife in her slender hands spun with the wind, and her bright red wedding dress billowed wildly in the cold wind. The emperor's hoarse roar resounded throughout the entire battlefield.
At this moment, countless dark shadows suddenly appeared from the north, and the sound of tens of thousands of iron cavalry trampling across the entire battlefield resounded. The night owl circling high above the North Tower roared ferociously along with the sharp arrows, sweeping across the blood-soaked battlefield with the cold wind.
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