The north gate was not a battlefield, and the guards were the former guards of Chidu City. Song Qifeng asked, "Aren't you going to check the command arrow?"
"Sir Song, you coming here in person is the order, why are you still checking that thing?"
"Haha, thanks brother."
The last glimmer of hope in Chu Qiao's heart was shattered. The war horses were galloping and the wind was freezing cold outside the Great Wall. Chu Qiao only felt desolate in her heart. What would happen to Chidu City without her? Will the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government think that they have been abandoned again? What should the people in the city who trust him do?
The sky gradually turned white, and the long night was about to end. At dawn, Chu Qiao was helped down from the carriage and taken into a sheltered tent. After untying the rope, she pulled off the black cloth in front of her eyes, but was immediately startled. Miss Yu stood in front of her gently, handed her a warm towel, and said lightly: "Wipe your face. You must have worked hard on the journey all night."
"Miss Yu?"
Miss Yu was wearing a white cotton robe. She had a thin face, sunken eyes, and a few faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. "It's me."
Chu Qiao's eyes changed from shock to disbelief. She frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Why?"
"This is not a safe place. Beishuo doesn't have much time left. Without you, it's doubtful whether Chidu can survive today. Come with me first. I'll explain everything to you on the way."
"Tell me first, why?"
Chu Qiao looked at the ace of Yanbei's armed forces with cold eyes, and said word by word: "Have you known about the battle situation in Beishuo? Do you know how the people there are messing around?"
Miss Yu nodded and said calmly, "Yes, I know."
"Then Daxia divided its troops into two groups, strengthening the Helan Mountains and attacking Chidu City. Did you know?"
"I know." Miss Yu said calmly.
"In Beishuo City, Cao Mengtong recruited soldiers on a large scale, used the militia as human shields, and brutally murdered the people of Yanbei."
"I know."
"The people of Chidu left their homes and headed for the Blue City Castle. Countless of them died of freezing and starvation on the way."
"I know."
"Once Daxia breaks through Chidu, they can attack Beishuo from two directions. Beishuo's millions of soldiers and civilians will die without a burial place. The entire eastern part of Yanbei will be controlled by Daxia. Daxia's troops will march straight into the inland of Yanbei, and all civilians east of Sunset Mountain will be slaughtered by the Xia army!"
"I know."
From beginning to end, Miss Yu's expression was so calm. She listened quietly, as if they were just talking about some daily trivial matters.
Chu Qiao's chest rose and fell, she clenched her fists, frowned and asked in a deep voice: "Why? Since you knew everything, why didn't you stop it? Why did you watch the good situation turn into fatigue and fall into the flames of war?"
Miss Yu looked at Chu Qiao quietly, her eyes gentle and wise, her tone calm as a stream, "A Chu, don't you understand yet?"
Chu Qiao was stunned for a moment, and a terrible thought slowly emerged from the bottom of her heart, like a butcher's knife cutting fiercely on her fragile nerves.
Miss Yu smiled faintly, "There is not a single soldier in Blue City right now. All the troops in Sunset Mountain Range have been withdrawn and transferred. Not only in Blue City, but there is not a single soldier in the entire inland of Yanbei. The inland is now a racecourse. If any of the Xia army attacks, they will win. I am powerless to stop General Cao, and no one has authorized me to do so. My mission here is just to take you away. Other than that, I have not received any orders for action."
It was as if she was suddenly thrown into a world of ice and snow. Chu Qiao stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. Her heart was beating fast, as if it was surrounded by solid ice, and every beat was a bloody pain. She took a deep breath, but felt her chest was blocked. She opened her mouth and frowned, and everything gradually connected together to form a terrible line.
"Yan Xun..."
"Your Highness is not in Meilin Pass either."
Just a few words shattered all of Chu Qiao's beliefs. All of her thoughts turned into sharp arrows with barbs, piercing into her flesh and blood, causing her so much pain that she couldn't open her mouth or make a sound. Her body swayed and she grabbed the tent pillar. Her chest heaved violently and she gasped for breath. She wanted to say something but couldn't utter a word.
Miss Yu said quietly, "Before His Highness left, he told me to take you with me. I waited for you in Lancheng for a long time, but you didn't come. Later, I learned that something happened on the road, and the Beishuo Army was messing around. I had no choice but to invite you here in this way. Please forgive me."
"You are crazy!" A deep voice came slowly, with a rough and wild-animal-like wheeze in between. Chu Qiao bent over and raised her head, her eyes bloodshot as she stared coldly at Miss Yu, shaking her head repeatedly and saying, "This is too crazy!"
"Although it's crazy, it's very effective. Your Highness's army has now broken through Changting Province. More than 30 provinces and counties in the northwest have all surrendered. The old Batuha family has become history. Now the main forces of Daxia are all gathered in Yanbei, and several border guards are gathered on the borders of Bian Tang and Huai Song. The internal forces are surprisingly empty. Huai Song is currently cooperating with us and has conducted several large-scale military exercises on the border of Daxia to attract the attention of Xia soldiers. At this time, as long as we attract Daxia's forces into Yanbei, and use the heavy snow and scouts to cut off their information channels, we can enter Zhenhuang City in less than half a month! Afterwards, even if we wait for the Northern Expedition Army to react, Daxia will have fallen into the hands of our army. At that time, If they want to fight back, they will be blocked outside Yanming Pass!" Miss Yu came forward, gently brushed away the loose hair on Chu Qiao's forehead, and said quietly, "Ah Chu, His Highness knows that you will not agree to this proposal, so he kept it from you, but this does not mean that he does not trust you. Daxia attacked with all its might. We can resist it once, but not the second time. The bitter cold in Yanbei has greatly restricted our development. No matter how hard we try, we cannot compete with the inland of Daxia, not to mention that we have a natural weakness, which is the Quanrong people who keep knocking on the pass and disturbing the border. Therefore, only by launching a counterattack unexpectedly and switching positions can we be invincible and completely reverse the situation! You are his closest person and should understand him."
“Just for this complete strategic shift, are you going to use millions of Yanbei soldiers and civilians as your bait and cannon fodder?” Chu Qiao’s voice was cold and tired. She slowly raised her head with bloodshot eyes. The hard work and expectations of the past few days turned into rubble in an instant.
She once suspected that Yan Xun led his troops to attack Meilin Pass in order to wear down the main force of the Second Army and stabilize his position in Yanbei. But she didn't think that Yan Xun's ambition was not in Yanbei at all. He used millions of Yanbei soldiers and civilians as bait and set a huge trap in Beishuo City to attract all the troops of Daxia. Then, despite the wrath of the world, he led the First Army and elite troops from the Sunset Mountain area of Blue City and rushed into the heart of Daxia at lightning speed. With the help of his rapid military force and the use of wind and snow to block communications, he forcefully invaded the inland of Daxia and occupied its land.
Haha, what a fantastic and crazy plan. It was like when the United States attacked Iraq, Iraq abandoned its homeland and led its troops to occupy the United States. After the American Expeditionary Force declared victory, it looked back and found that its homeland had been completely occupied. Such a great bargain is hard to come by in a thousand years.
No wonder he insisted on dividing his troops to attack Meiling Pass before the war. No wonder he didn't take me with him. No wonder he would arrange for a fool like Cao Mengtong to stay in Beishuo and support Cao Mengtong in stationing troops and recruiting soldiers, just because he wanted to create a situation of Yanbei's all-out counterattack to attract the attention of Daxia. No wonder, his letter for help fell on deaf ears, his guards were all Yan Xun's close confidants, and Lancheng did not raise any objection to Beishuo's antics!
Such deep scheming, such deep scheming, such a terrifying and rigorous plan, even she, a senior commander who had received modern military education, could not imagine it. Yan Xun was really amazing.
"Miss Yu, do you remember what you said to me when we first met?"
Miss Yu's expression froze, and her face turned a little paler, but she still said slowly: "I hope that one day, there will be no more orphans like you in Yanbei."
"Yes," Chu Qiao smiled bitterly, "You have done a great job. Once we win this battle, there will no longer be an orphan like me in Yanbei, because all the people in Yanbei have died."
The woman in white's eyes dimmed. She thought for a long time and finally whispered, "If a nation wants to be free, it always has to pay a price."
Chu Qiao looked at her with disgust and said coldly: "Very well, all the people of Yanbei will die, and then you will get wealth and glory and ascend to the Supreme Saint. This is the price that the people of Yanbei have to pay for their desire for freedom!"
“Ah Chu!” Miss Yu grabbed Chu Qiao and said anxiously, “Don’t be so extreme. There is absolutely no problem with this matter strategically. This is a great feat. Can’t you see it? The gates of Daxia will be opened, and Shengjin Palace will tremble in front of Yanbei’s cavalry!”
“Don’t touch me!” Chu Qiao shouted coldly, her eyes as sharp as a cold knife, “There is nothing wrong with the strategy, but you have abandoned the people who support you! Abandoned the people who have always firmly protected and supported you when you were in the most difficult situation! You have failed the people’s expectations, deceived the trust of millions of people, and pushed them into the fire pit! For your own glory and wealth, for your own power struggle, you want to let tens of millions of people die! Miss Yu!” Chu Qiao’s eyes were red, and two lines of tears slowly flowed down. She bit her lower lip and said slowly, “Why? What’s wrong with you? Have you forgotten everything you said before? These days, no matter what "In the difficult circumstances, no matter how difficult the situation is, I firmly believe that you will come to save me. The rebels of the Southwest Town Government know to come back to protect the people at such a time. Why do you abandon them? Do you know? In Chidu City, every household worships the longevity tablets of you and Mr. Wu. They burn three incense sticks every morning and evening, hoping that you will live a hundred years. They say that you are the patron saints of Yanbei. As long as you are there, Yanbei still has hope. They left their homes and fled to Lancheng without even enough food, but they still remembered to take your "honorary position". Go and see how many incense sticks were burned for you along the way. Are you worthy of them?"
Miss Yu took a deep breath, her delicate brows knitted tightly together, and she said with difficulty: "I am doing this for the harmony of the people of the world."