Chapter 17 Mo Qie held her hand in his palm, and in her hand...
On the third day, the sky was still gloomy.
The Xiling army actually chose to take the initiative to go out of the city to fight, which was somewhat different from what Fang Yilan had imagined. However, Wang Ben was not a stupid person, so it was not surprising that he could come up with a countermeasure.
The Linqueqi followed the original strategy and attacked from the flank. After several rounds of fighting, the two sides ended in a draw.
Just as they were about to evacuate, a burly soldier rushed out from the Xiling army.
"You look so familiar, could your last name be Xiao?"
Immediately, Xiao Yue's eyes became strange.
"It's really you. Do you still remember that your sister was killed by me?"
"Shut up... Shut up!" Xiao Yue was furious, and the reins in his hands creaked.
The man grew increasingly smug and continued to humiliate her, "I asked her, 'Where's your brother?' The little girl stopped crying and yelled at me, saying she had no brother. I never thought you'd still be alive. Could it be that you were hiding nearby, watching her being tortured to death by me?"
"I will kill you!" Xiao Yue pulled the reins suddenly and rushed towards the Xiling soldier.
"Xiao Yue, come back!" Fang Yilan shouted, but his eyes were burning red with hatred and his reason had long been thrown out of his mind.
Fang Yilan couldn't bear to see him die in vain, so he turned his horse around and ordered, "All troops, listen to my orders and continue to retreat!"
Zhao Huaixu frowned and, without a word, chased after them. Xunyun and Zhuang Gu exchanged a glance before also riding off. Seeing these men openly defying orders and disregarding discipline and military law, the Linque Riders swarmed around and followed them to rescue the people.
Fang Yilan drew the longbow from behind him, put an arrow on the string, and shot it at Xiao Yue's horse's leg. The horse fell to the ground with a bang in pain, and Xiao Yue was thrown off the horse's back and rolled several times in the dust before stopping.
But the murderous intent in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest. He jumped up from the ground with his hands, let out an angry roar, clenched the weapon in his hand, and rushed away wildly.
Fang Yilan arrived immediately on horseback, leaned over, stretched out his arm, picked up the man, laid him horizontally on the horse's back, and turned to flee.
Xiao Yue, who was pulled onto the horse, was still struggling restlessly, and the horse was frightened by the noise and became a little restless.
A sharp arrow shot towards Fang Yilan who had no time to care about anything else. Zhao Huaixu's eyes suddenly became cold, he jumped up and cut off the fatal arrow, then landed steadily back on the horse.
Fang Yilan was unable to control Xiao Yue, the trapped beast, with just one hand, and actually let him break free and jump off the horse.
Fortunately, Xun Yun had been following Fang Yilan, and he rode his horse to catch Xiao Yue who was about to flee, and before he could react, he slashed at the back of his neck with a palm. Xiao Yue's eyes rolled back, and his body instantly collapsed.
However, Xunyun's rescue made her fall behind and fall into the enemy's encirclement. Xiling soldiers swarmed around her, and it was not easy to avoid the attack.
A Xiling soldier swung his long sword and slashed at Xun Yun. Xun Yun was unable to dodge and a hideous wound was instantly cut on his arm, and blood gushed out.
At the critical moment, Fang Yilan rushed to her front to block the fatal attack for her, and Lin Queqi also rushed into the enemy formation, slashing or stabbing, and forcibly created a gap for Xunyun in the heavy siege, protecting Xunyun from breaking out.
Seeing Xunyun had been successfully rescued, Fang Yilan had no time to breathe and immediately shouted loudly: "Don't fight to the death, retreat immediately!"
*
Xiao Yue's figure drew an arc in the air and fell heavily to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust. He covered his chest and glared at Fang Yilan who had just retracted his legs. Although he gritted his teeth and didn't say a word, his face was full of dissatisfaction.
"Not only is he seeking death, but he's also bringing harm to others." Fang Yilan's expression was fiercer than anyone had ever seen, and it was obvious that he was really angry.
The surrounding soldiers were silent as a mouse, and no one dared to speak for Xiao Yue at this time. Fang Yilan, who usually got along well with the soldiers, was even more intimidating when he got angry.
Fang Yilan caught a glimpse of Xun Yun tending to his wounds, and she wanted to give Xiao Yue another slap. Xun Yun also looked disgusted and turned his head away, not wanting to even glance at the person on the ground.
Zhao Huaixu spoke up for Xiao Yue, uncharacteristically: "Maybe he has some difficulties?"
But as soon as he said this, he actually added more fuel to the fire.
"I don't care what your difficulties are. If you don't understand military orders, just get out of here." Fang Yilan glanced at him coldly and walked away.
At night, the camp was silent. Only Xiao Yue was kneeling upright in front of Fang Yilan's tent, holding a military whip in his hand.
"Xiao Yue is guilty, please punish him, General."
Fang Yilan sat in the tent, concentrating on the military newspaper in his hand, as if he was oblivious to what was happening outside.
A rough hand snatched the whip from Xiao Yue's hand. Xiao Yue looked up at the person who came, his eyes flashing.
Outside the tent, the crackling sound of military whips continued. This noise finally caused Fang Yilan to put down her work and leave the tent. She reached out and lifted the curtain, only to see Huan Ying mercilessly whipping Xiao Yue.
Xiao Yue's back was covered with bloody wounds, a mess of flesh and blood.
"Master Huan, what do you mean?" Zhao Huaixu was the first to speak up and stop him. "You and Xiao Yue share a father-son relationship, so you can be somewhat understanding in punishing him on behalf of the general. But you acted so arbitrarily, completely disregarding the general's military prestige. And what do you mean by that? Where do you put those soldiers who were injured trying to save him?"
"Okay, come in first." Fang Yilan rubbed his temples and felt a headache.
In the tent,
Huan Ying pressed Xiao Yue's shoulder hard, forcing him to kneel down. "Xiao Yue, speak for yourself."
Xiao Yue struggled for a moment before finally speaking with difficulty, "My father was the former commander of Liangzhou. He and my younger sister have had a bad relationship since childhood. She despised me for being born out of wedlock and yet being born before her, which completely humiliated her mother. She never acknowledged me as her brother and was never very friendly to me."
As he spoke, his breathing began to tremble. "When the Xiling people broke into my house, I was scared and hid in the kitchen. Xiao Xiaoxiao and I had the same idea, but she arrived later than me. Before she could hide, she was caught by those beasts. I thought she hated me so much that she would definitely betray me, but..."
"She was only six or seven years old!! She didn't tell me a word until she died..." Xiao Yue choked up, his body shaking uncontrollably. "I was too cowardly at the time. I knew I would die if I left, but what kind of a bullshit excuse is that! For so many years, I've regretted it every day and night, hating myself for not rushing out that day."
He gave a wry laugh, "No wonder she never acknowledged me. I'm a complete coward."
It would be a lie to say that he was not moved. Fang Yilan suddenly understood why he looked at Chu Die with complicated eyes. They must have met each other several times when they were young.
"I won't give you a second chance. If you do it again, no one's pleas will help you." She said this coldly, then stood up and left the tent. "Withdraw from the Lingque Camp and come back next year based on your own ability."
Huan Ying, however, showed a delighted expression and bowed deeply, "Thank you, General!"
Xiao Yue obviously felt that this punishment was a bit too severe. He hesitated for a few seconds, but still bowed politely with his fists clasped together: "Thank you, General."
*
The war gradually reached a stalemate. The Xiling Army no longer rushed to meet the enemy as hastily as in previous times. It would dispatch troops in an orderly manner to block the surprise attack of the Linque Camp.
But the weather was getting colder and the north wind was as sharp as a knife. Bonfires and hot pots were lit in Liangzhou City for the soldiers to keep warm, but the Ruining army could not wait in vain to guard the city gate in the snow and ice.
Wang Ben, wrapped in a thick cloak, stood on the city wall and pleaded with a hint of false sincerity, "General Fang, I have a request. I hope you can let Chudie and I be together. She and I are truly in love, but a misunderstanding in our youth caused us to miss each other for many years. If you agree, can you endure this cold winter and fight again?"
Fang Yilan covered her nose, as if she had smelled something foul. "Why? Is it an honor to be remembered by you?"
"you!"
"Don't yell at me! I've been afraid of dogs since I was a child. If you say anything rude again, I'll rip your mouth off!"
Wang Ben's face flushed red from Fang Yilan's sharp words. The elegant facade he had been trying so hard to put on collapsed, revealing his hideous and ugly side. "I want to see how long you can keep up your arrogance!"
Even though Fang Yilan strictly forbade anyone to mention this matter to Chudie, Chudie had always been well-informed and could not hide it. However, after a few days, the news still reached her ears.
She looked at Chu Die who had come uninvited, and slammed her big hand on the table, causing the inkstone on the table to jump, and a few drops of ink splashed out, soaking into the paper beside her.
Zhao Huaixu held her hand in his warm palm and applied the frostbite ointment to the ulcer on her hand.
"He said this deliberately just to force you to submit. Does he really think I'm the same scum as him? I have to rely on a woman to do that dirty deal!" Fang Yilan said with anger, his chest heaving.
Zhao Huaixu poured a cup of warm tea and gently placed it next to her hand.
Chu Die's expression was gentle, and she softly comforted her, "General, you misunderstood. I don't have much time left, and I just hope to see more people I want to see. After all, seeing them once is less, and it has nothing to do with that matter."
Fang Yilan complained dissatisfiedly: "Stop saying such depressing things. It's not far from New Year's Eve. It's so unlucky."
Then he glanced at Zhao Huaixu beside him.
Zhao Huaixu immediately gave him a look of approval and nodded heavily several times.
Chu Die silently observed the natural and intimate way the two people in front of her were getting along with each other. She lowered her eyebrows and smiled, with a hint of imperceptible envy hidden in her smile. When she raised her eyes again, she was left with sincere relief.
"You really won't run away without telling me, will you?" Fang Yilan asked worriedly.
Chu Die was amused by her nervous look and burst out laughing. "Why don't you trust me? There's a blood feud between him and me. How could I possibly go off on my own and rekindle my past relationship with that bastard without caring about anything?"
Fang Yilan listened to this and thought of Wang Ben's disgusting and ugly behavior on the city wall that day. Her face wrinkled up: "You know that's not what I mean."
"Alright, alright, I'm not here just to listen to your scolding." Chu Die waved her hand gently, and with a bit of pampering, she gently scratched Fang Yilan's nose. "Look at you, you're five or six years younger than me, but now you're giving me a serious lecture."
"Don't worry, there's no one in this world who wants to see him go to hell more than I do."
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