The oriole is behind
In addition, countless Hu soldiers wielding axes, halberds, and other weapons rushed in and suppressed both sides.
The outcome of the battle was clear. The Divine Hound Camp had not suffered many losses, but only a dozen or twenty soldiers of the Northern Qiang King's army remained standing. The rest were corpses.
This was naturally due to the valiant fighting of the Divine Mastiff Battalion, and also because they were numerous and powerful.
But at this point, it's clear that the advantage of having a large number of people no longer exists.
Hulü Guang said slowly and deliberately, "Your guard is indeed brave and extraordinary, but whether you will all perish here today depends on whether Lord Xiao is sensible."
He looked up at the sky, feigning deep thought, and said, “In my memorial to the capital, I will write that the Southern Dynasty’s guards, driven mad by lust, mutinied and massacred more than half of the dancers. Our Northern Qiang warriors fought back fiercely, but were outnumbered and suffered heavy casualties. Finally, the local Central Plains army arrived, quelled the rebellion, and executed the offending soldiers on the spot. The official report sent back to the Southern Dynasty will also say the same thing. What do you think, Lord Xiao? Is this acceptable?”
Under the firelight, the officers and soldiers of the Divine Mastiff Battalion all had ashen faces, gritted their teeth, and the veins on the backs of their hands gripping their knives bulged out.
They had anticipated the immense difficulties and dangers of this journey, but they never imagined that they would not only be slaughtered here, but also stigmatized and disgraced. Even after their deaths, the dancers of this camp would continue to suffer torment and humiliation.
Before Xiao Chang'an could reply, Yin Shang roared, "Fight them!"
He then swung his double hooks and leaped into the air, no longer bothering with the battle on the ground, but instead heading straight for Hulü Guang on the opposite side.
Hulü Guang's eyes gleamed with a strange light, his demeanor relaxed. Suddenly, a tattered silver spear appeared in his left hand, which he twirled in the air. He laughed with extreme delight, "I've heard that your Divine Hound Camp is the number one warrior regiment in the Jianzhang Division. It's been a long time since I've had a massacre. Let me personally send you all to your deaths!"
Only when A Qiu saw the extremely cold smile and excitement on Huli Guang's lips did he truly believe that there were people in the world who took pleasure in killing.
Hulü Guang did not show himself before, but watched as his personal guard was annihilated by the Divine Hound Camp, in order to deplete the Divine Hound Camp's fighting strength.
He only made his move when everyone in the Divine Hound Camp was exhausted, precisely to enjoy the pleasure of slaughtering the heroes.
What could be more satisfying than bringing down the knees of warriors and bowing the heads of the proud?
As soon as Yin Shang's double hooks arrived, they were struck heavily by the broken silver spear that Hulü Guang pulled out from the sky, the blows landing on the tips of the left and right hooks.
After the fierce battle, Yin Shang was already exhausted. He had killed the most people and was also the most physically drained, yet he still bravely attacked Hulü Guang.
But after he lunged forward with all his might, he lost his footing and was struck by the silver spear. Not only did the double hooks fly out of his hands, but he also fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, Hulü Guang, who had been conserving his strength for this very moment of slaughter, seized the opportunity and thrust his silver spear toward Hulü Guang's back, aiming to pin him to the ground before he could fall.
A Qiu's eyes widened in horror as the "Assassination of Qin" message slid from his sleeve to his palm.
She had made up her mind: as soon as the battle broke out, she would seize the opportunity to sneak in and tear Hulü Guang to pieces, piercing his heart with a dagger.
Then, she would hang the corpse of Prince Ning, Hulü Guang, on the gates of Luoyang as a form of revenge.
Although she was a former assassin, violence had never been her belief before.
Until they encountered the Northern Qiang people.
Fortunately, the tragedy did not occur.
Before Hulü Guang stabbed Yin Shang, a strong wind swept towards him from behind. Upon hearing the sound, Hulü Guang knew that if he insisted on pursuing Yin Shang, he would not escape the same fate of having his back pierced by the newcomer.
Faced with the choice between his own life and the life of the Shang dynasty, he decisively chose the former, shifting his position to lie on his right, barely avoiding Xiao Chang'an's purple bamboo flute that reached out from behind like a venomous snake's tongue.
Taking this chance to catch his breath, Yin Shang staggered to the ground but did not back down. Instead, he once again used both hooks, the sharp blades carrying a strong wind, to sweep straight towards Huli Guang.
Xiao Chang'an also seized the opportunity, and in an instant, he used his bamboo flute to strike, stab, or flick at Hulü Guang from different directions more than ten times.
Huli Guang was simultaneously facing the combined attack of two formidable enemies, and was overwhelmed and constantly in danger.
In his haste, he shouted, "Why haven't you made your move yet!"
They then rallied the Zhongzhou army on the wall and in the courtyard to launch an attack, joining forces with the Northern Qiang King's army to annihilate the Divine Mastiff Camp.
But the situation inside the courtyard was quite strange.
Whether it was the Zhongzhou army lying on the wall with their crossbows ready, or the Zhongzhou army that had entered the courtyard and forced both sides of soldiers to stand still, they were as impenetrable as a fortress, silent and not one of them obeying orders.
Huli Guang hesitated for only a moment before Yin Shang's iron hook, carrying astonishing force, slashed at his chest again.
Hulü Guang swung his silver spear with all his might, using the shaft to withstand the blow from the iron hook, and roared, "Zhongzhou Army, listen to my command! Immediately slaughter all the Southern Dynasty people in this place! The women in the house are all yours!"
No sooner had he spoken than Xiao Chang'an snorted coldly, flicked his purple bamboo flute, and several points of green light burst forth instantly just inches from his face.
Hulü Guang sensed something was wrong and immediately turned his head to dodge. But in that panicked dodge, a sharp, cold aura pressed against the back of his head, and a cold, sharp needle was pressed against his neck.
A steady, calm voice roared, "Hulü Guang, you have secretly ambushed and attacked the Southern Dynasty envoys, and instigated the Central Plains army to attack the music troupe. Are you plotting a rebellion?"
The Zhongzhou army immediately parted to both sides, and walking in the middle was none other than Shangguan You, the white-haired and solemn-faced Left Chancellor of Dayan, who was also the chief envoy of this mission.
Although Shangguan You was the representative of the Shangguan family, the leading aristocratic family in Jiangzuo, and almost represented all the political aristocratic families in the Southern Dynasty, strictly speaking, Hulü Guang did not think much of him along the way.
The reason is simple: when the Han Dynasty in Zhongdu collapsed, the Hu people had already witnessed too many nobles and princes who only knew how to talk nonsense and ruin the country, and they thought that these aristocratic people who seemed to have high status, illustrious family background and arrogant manners were just empty shells.
Hulü Guang was not stupid. After exchanging a few words with Gongyi Xiu, he knew that Gongyi Xiu was indeed talented. However, Shangguan You was arrogant and self-important, and since he had come to surrender, he was not honored. Therefore, he rarely spoke to Hulü Guang. This was consistent with Hulü Guang's impression of the Southern Dynasty nobles who were arrogant and haughty based solely on their birth.
Hulü Guang's strategy towards Shangguan You has always been: if Shangguan You wants to act aloof, let him be. There's no need for him to offend him here.
Once we reach the Northern Qiang King's court, we'll have plenty of people and methods to put an end to the arrogance of these Southern Dynasty aristocratic families.
But I don't need to flatter him or be at his beck and call.
Therefore, it is best for the two not to meet.
Shangguan You was a civil official, and according to the traditions of the Northern Qiang army, Hulü Guang expected that the Southern Dynasty's escort troops wouldn't listen to him much. Therefore, what he was more wary of and concerned about were Xiao Chang'an and the officers in the Divine Hound Camp.
This shows that Xiao Chang'an's actions were substantial enough to earn his attention and concern.
According to Hulü Guang's thinking, as long as the Divine Hound Camp is dealt with, civil officials like Shangguan You, without the support of an army, will be at his mercy, able to be beaten and scolded at will.
Because that's how they treated the nobles and princes among the remnants of the Han dynasty back then, and there were no consequences.
But at this moment, Hulü Guang suddenly realized that he had underestimated Shangguan You's existence all along.
The back of Hulü Guang's head was held by Yin Shang's double hooks, which gleamed with a cold light; while Xiao Chang'an's green bee needle was firmly pressed against his neck.
Of the personal guards he brought, only a dozen or so remained standing. Their uniforms were torn in many places, their skin was ripped and bleeding, and they were holding their knives to the ground, panting heavily. They were no longer the arrogant and ferocious tyrants they had been at the beginning.
The battle situation that A Qiu had sensed earlier was correct. The Zhongzhou army that had arrived did indeed continuously join the battle. Therefore, although the Northern Qiang army was repeatedly slaughtered by the Divine Hound Camp, their fighting spirit did not stop, and they continued to launch a relentless attack.
However, the Central Plains army deployed was merely stationed behind the Northern Qiang army, offering encouragement but not actually participating in the battle. Therefore, the real losses were all suffered by the Northern Qiang soldiers. The Central Plains army maintained order and observed the situation, without engaging in any actual combat.
Hulü Guang suddenly realized that the situation was extremely unfavorable for him, as all his men had been killed or wounded.
Before he could even ponder where things had gone wrong, a man stepped out from behind Shangguan You and said in a completely emotionless tone, "Prince Ning secretly sent a decree ordering the Central Plains Army to join forces with the Northern Qiang Guards to ambush the Southern Dynasty's envoys. This is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Southern Dynasty's surrender and to undermine the Great Khan's great cause of unifying the North and South. Your Highness is so disloyal and unjust, harboring such treacherous intentions. I wonder who gave you the audacity?"
He took another step forward, and in the firelight he saw that the man was a Jie, with bristling hair and beard, and a fierce demeanor. He continued to shout, "Or is it that His Highness Prince Ning feels that he has enough power to ignore the Khan's decree?"
Hulü Guang, who prided himself on being an eloquent and persuasive speaker among the Hu people, was now rendered speechless by this Jie man, his words falling flat on his face. He knew he had suffered a major setback today, both militarily and morally.
He finally remembered that this person was Fu Ning, the governor of Zhongzhou, who had hosted a banquet for him that evening.
He said in a deep voice, "Prefect Fu, we are both Hu people, why do you side with these Southern Dynasty people?"
Before Fu Ning could answer, Xiao Chang'an had already inserted the Green Bee Needle into his neck a little. Huli Guang felt a stinging pain in his neck like a bee sting, and then blood dripped down in a winding stream. He felt a chill in his heart.
Xiao Chang'an sneered, "None of my men understand the concept of ghosts, and I will not answer any of your questions."
He continued, "What Prince Ning needs to consider now is, if Lord Shangguan and Prefect Fu send a letter to Luoyang, saying that His Highness unfortunately died of a sudden illness on his way back north, do you think the Great Khan will refuse to accept it and vow to find out the truth and avenge you, or will he be happy to see that the strongest opponent in the court has been eliminated, and in his joy, promote Lord Fu by another rank?"
Upon hearing Xiao Chang'an's words, Hulü Guang's expression finally changed.
He had planned everything meticulously, but he had never anticipated this possibility.
That is, he thought that even if he annihilated the entire delegation within the territory of the Northern Qiang, as long as the letter of surrender was presented as before, neither the Northern Qiang emperor Huli Jin nor the Southern Dynasty emperor Xie Lang could do anything to him, and the Southern Dynasty would not dare to speak out even if it was angry.
But what he didn't expect was that the situation was the same on the other side. If Xiao Chang'an went all the way and killed him on the way back north, Huli Jin probably wouldn't pursue the matter at all, and might even be secretly pleased.
Huli Jin initially relied on him because he was well-versed in Han classics and understood the political tactics of the Han people. Huli Jin needed to rely on him to govern the Han lands and balance the political power of Han princes and nobles in the dynasty.
But now that the Southern Dynasty has agreed to submit, his strategic value has diminished considerably. In addition, the Southern Dynasty has many talented Han Chinese who are good at governing the country, so his existence is no longer necessary for governing the country. They even have to be wary of his share of the spoils.
Therefore, if Xiao Chang'an wanted to kill him, he wouldn't need to worry at all.
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