Chapter 432 Severance
In the darkness, the chaos grew greater and greater. Roars, cries, and hideous laughs merged into one, mixing with the gurgling sound of the Huangshui River and the whistling sound of the breeze blowing through the grass and bushes when the summer grass was lush, forming a strange sound like the dance and music of shamans at a sacrificial ceremony.
And at the same time as this sound, the flames quickly swept across the entire camp on the south bank of the Huangshui River, triggering a kind of collapse-like dispersion, as if the fire had just been lit but was blown by a strong wind, causing the sparks to fly directly into the air.
But there is no doubt that just as the wind can only blow away piles of ashes and grass leaves but cannot blow away real firewood, several scattered and bright areas quickly formed on the south bank of the Huangshui River, and still maintained a certain order and mobility.
"Your Majesty, Minister Xi Yin, Minister Qin... Wu Lin answered the Minister."
Wearing full armor, Erlubu hurried into the central courtyard of the market where the king and his wife were staying. He ignored the minor officials and only saluted the nobles in the courtyard, then immediately faced them seriously. "I received a message from the King of Liao and came here to protect him immediately... Unfortunately, only 300 people were gathered in a hurry. The rest either fled on their own or were difficult to gather together for a while."
"That's enough."
The king, Qin Hui, and Wulinda Zanmo said nothing, letting Xi Yin, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, take over the conversation. "The enemy is bluffing and has been slow to cross the river, so they must be short of troops. You bring 300 people, and the remaining 400 Hezhameng'an here will also be armed. Together, they are enough to protect the king's safety... Just wait for God's will."
This sentence was both an affirmation of Erlubu's coming to support... After all, three hundred people were definitely a bit too few, and he should have left a lot of people behind to protect his family... It was also to comfort the king and his wife who were still in shock.
As expected, Wanyan Hela, who was also wearing armor and waiting on the steps, was relieved immediately after hearing this. However, after a little relief, the young king pressed the sword at his waist and asked a sensitive question:
"Prince Xi Yin, are the troops on the other side of the river really General Ma Wu's? If it was him, why didn't Taiyuan and Huolu surrender directly to the Song people? Why didn't Dading Prefecture rebel? Moreover, why did they come from the other side instead of chasing from behind..."
"Your Majesty, this is not the time to worry about this matter."
In the firelight, Xi Yin, dressed in ordinary Confucian scholar's clothes, suddenly interrupted the other party with his hands together. "Perhaps Yelu Ma Wu really rebelled, or a small group of Mongolian and Khitan pursuers came to Changning, and persuaded and forced Yelu Ma Wu, or simply some Khitans were blinded by greed and did this behind Ma Wu's back, or even the bandits and tribes wandering around heard about Changning and borrowed Ma Wu's name... But it doesn't matter, because even if it was Yelu Ma Wu's troops coming from the other side, they were far fewer than our large group, and we were defeated without a fight and became a mess... The problem is not on the other side of the river, but on this side of the river."
As soon as these words were spoken, Qin Hui, Wulinda Zanmo and Elubu nodded almost in unison.
Hela was silent for a while, then he nodded dejectedly and put down his hand that was holding the sword:
"My husband is right. We don't need to worry about the enemy's large numbers. The problem now is our internal situation... We almost mutinied in the evening, and now it has become like this... I don't know what will happen when we get to Huanglong Mansion?"
"What's the situation outside?" Xi Yin avoided the topic and turned to look at Elubu.
"The camp has been largely out of control, with looting and fleeing. Several generals gathered their troops and held on to wait for reinforcements, but some people thought they were familiar with the route since they were here, so although they could gather a crowd, they still took the initiative to flee." Erlubu hurriedly explained. "As for the enemy, as you said, they are just making noises, but have not yet crossed the river..."
"Who are the ones who are fleeing? Who are the ones who are staying together?" Xi Yin kept asking.
Qin Hui's eyelids twitched, and then without saying a word, he took a half step back to the dark side and rear.
"I can't say for sure whether he left or not, I can only see from the lights." Erlubu didn't pay attention to Qin Hui's actions, but looked at Wanyan Xiyin carefully. "The place where General Jiagu Wulibu lived was dark, it seemed that he left. The back where General Pucha Huzhan lived was brightly lit, and there were shouts of orders from afar. The post station occupied by General Hesheli Taiyu was also bright..."
"Wulibu actually collapsed." Wulinda Zanmo sighed, and then suddenly asked, as if he had thought of something. "Where are Marshal Talan and Yinshu?"
"Although these two do not have many soldiers and horses, they did build a fire in the courtyard, which is particularly obvious... After all, they are veterans." Erlubu still did not dare to neglect them. "They are actually next to General Hesheli's camp."
Hearing this, Xi Yin and Wulin Da Zanmo suddenly stopped talking and fell silent in the courtyard. The rest of the people, from the king to Erlubu, were a little confused for a moment, but they still maintained their patience.
Only Qin Hui remained silent as usual... He didn't dare to say a word now.
After waiting for a while, Xi Yin finally spoke seriously beside the brazier: "Elubu, if I ask you to lead our troops to burn or break the floating bridge on the river, are you sure you can do it? How long will it take?"
"In the dark night, apart from knowing roughly that the enemy's forces are not too many, the rest of the situation is unclear, so it's hard to say anything." Erlubu answered quickly. "And even if the military situation goes smoothly, it will take another half an hour to complete this task and come back..."
"It's too late then." Xi Yin's expression remained unchanged, but he asked another question calmly with his hands clasped. "In this situation, do you want to stay here to protect the king, or do you want to go back to protect His Royal Highness the King of Liao?"
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