She wanted to speak, she had a lot to say, but when she opened her mouth, she could only make mute humming sounds.
Li Ce, do you know? Mr. Wu died, Miss Yu died, many people died, Yan Xun killed a lot of people. Do you think he will kill me?
Li Ce, Zhuge Yue is dead too. I was the one who killed him. Did you know? I was the one who killed him.
Li Ce, you are right, Yanbei is really cold, people's hearts are frozen to death, even the oaths have turned into ice.
The world suddenly felt so empty. Chu Qiao leaned in Li Ce's arms and slowly fell asleep, with fatigue all over her face. Li Ce lowered his head and felt that she was so pale and thin. He thought he was really crazy. He was frightened to death when he thought of the powerful crossbows he saw when he arrived just now. If he had been one step later, one step later...
A strong wind blew on them, and he took off his fur coat and wrapped Chu Qiao in his arms. She was so thin and curled up into a small ball, like a young child.
He raised his head, looked at the flying snow, looked at the murderous Great Xia soldiers on the opposite side, looked at the towering Longyin Pass, and his heart was filled with uncontrollable anger.
Yan Xun, how can you be so cruel?
How can you be so cruel?
"Your Majesty, Daxia sent an envoy to ask me why the Tang Dynasty wanted to interfere in Daxia's internal affairs. How should I respond?"
The guards dismounted and rushed forward. Li Ce held Chu Qiao in his arms and said coldly, "Tell Zhao Yang that I, Li Ce, took the person away. If you want her, I'll be waiting for you in Tangjing."
"Your Majesty, the people are here." Tie You came forward, followed by a middle-aged man with tattoos on his face. He was the leader of the group of people who had just jumped off the snow peak and rescued Chu Qiao in time.
Li Ce's expression eased a little, and he nodded and said, "Thanks to you."
The tattooed man lowered his head and replied: "We are few in number. If it weren't for His Majesty the Emperor of Tang, Lord Chu would be in danger."
"In short, you rescued me in time. I will remember your kindness in my heart. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely repay you."
"I dare not. I am just following orders."
Li Ce raised his eyebrows slightly and asked tentatively: "Your master?"
"My master has already stopped the Yanbei army and arranged for them to meet him at all the checkpoints on their way out. Emperor Tang, please set off quickly. We will cover your retreat."
Li Ce nodded slowly, his eyes deep, and said in a deep voice: "I am grateful for your kindness, take care." After that, he took the Bian Tang army and the Xiu Li army and left quickly.
The garrison at Longyin Pass is less than 60,000 troops now. Seeing Li Ce coming with an army of nearly 200,000, they don't know for a moment whether they should leave the city and pursue him. The general of the defending army weighed the pros and cons for a while, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "Quick, go and ask His Majesty for instructions."
The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. That was great. By the time they came back from asking for instructions, these evildoers would have disappeared without a trace.
In less than half an hour, the team arrived at Shichuankou, where a team of about two thousand people were waiting quietly. After Li Ce's men went over to negotiate for a few words, the group left behind a carriage and turned away.
Tieyou came back and said, "It's the same group of people. They said they have prepared horses and food for us 20 miles ahead. They also left a carriage, saying that Yanbei is cold and Your Majesty can drive it."
Li Ce lifted the carriage curtain and saw a large space inside, with soft quilts and brocade. Under the high couch was an iron plate, and under the iron plate were two braziers. The interior of the carriage was warm as spring. There was a small stove in the middle, with white steam coming out of the medicine jar on it. When I opened it, I saw a pot of steaming ginseng chicken soup.
"Your Majesty, who exactly is this King of Qinghai? Is he really just trying to do us Bian Tang a favor by mobilizing so many troops this time?"
Li Ce looked at the jar of chicken soup quietly and did not speak for a long time.
Chu Qiao was lying in the car, her little face looking pitifully pale. She seemed to feel the warmth as she slowly exhaled, then curled up quietly on the bed, as quiet as a sleeping rabbit.
“Tieyou, if it were you, who would do these things for you?”
Tieyou was stunned, and after thinking for a long time, he slowly said: "I'm afraid that only my mother and my wife can't do it."
Li Ce raised the corner of his mouth and smiled slightly: "Yes, there are not many people like this."
"Your Majesty, do you know who it is?"
"Got it." Li Ce nodded, turned his head and looked at the vast mountains hidden in the snow in the distance, his voice was a little vague, "If I was just suspicious before, now I can be sure."
Fate is full of twists and turns, and everyone is a puppet entangled in silk strings, walking on his own predetermined track. Since he cannot break free, why should he unveil the prelude to the end in advance?
Li Ce smiled slightly, his face gentle, with a bit of vicissitudes and calmness.
Zhuge Yue, I am not as good as you.
Before dawn, the heavy snow finally stopped, but the sun had not yet risen and the earth was still immersed in a bleak darkness.
On the top of a high mountain, a man in a simple green robe saw a snowy owl flapping its wings and flying towards him from afar. He stretched out his arm, and this most ferocious bird on the Qinghai Plateau landed tamely on his arm. It was pure white except for three red feathers on its tail, which were as bright as blood.
When I opened the letter, the ugly handwriting came into view: The Tang Emperor has led his troops back to Tangshui Pass. He is fine, don't worry.
The man's face was calm and his eyes were as cold as usual. He could naturally see that his subordinates were teasing him. Who was the one who was okay? Who is Wu Nian?
He picked up his pen and wrote: No need to retreat, just die there.
When the young general received the letter, he smiled happily, showing his white teeth. He waved his hand and said to his soldiers who were complaining bitterly, "Retreat, retreat, go home."
"Seventh General, are you missing your wife?" A man in his forties laughed. He was shot in the shoulder by an arrow and had just been bandaged. But now he seemed like nothing had happened, laughing loudly, and the tattoo on his face was shaking like a winding little snake.
"Go away! You old bachelor, I wish you will never have to suffer from this lovesickness for the rest of your life."
"This Yanbei kid is too vicious!" A general in his thirties walked in. It was very cold, but half of his shoulder was exposed. His chest was bandaged with a white cloth. It was obvious that he had just been hit and injured.
"I didn't steal their wives, but they are fighting with me."
The Seventh General laughed and said, "You didn't steal their wives, but the master did. Let's go, we are not here to fight. Tell Qi Lang to arrange the retreat route, and everyone should take their positions and prepare to flee."
The general, who was called "Old Bachelor" by the Seventh General, stood up and grumbled, and said as he walked out: "I think the master did not fight this battle properly. He didn't even get to see his wife and she was snatched away by someone else. It's not like we are destined to lose to them. This deal is too bad."
The people in the big tent gradually left. General Seven stood there, stunned for a moment after hearing what the man said. He thought for a long time before he said softly, "Young Master can't afford to take this risk!"
Yes, once the battle reaches a stalemate and the time is prolonged, if something unexpected happens on one side, what is the point of winning?
General Seven thought of the man he had met on the battlefield before. His shrewd eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of hatred. If it weren't for the help of Dingzi, one of Yue Da's men, he would have died in the massacre two years ago. This account will be settled sooner or later.
It was dawn three days later when Li Ce took Chu Qiao to board the ship at Tangshui Pass. The sun rose from the horizon, casting a bright golden light. The sky was so high, clear and cloudless. Tangshui Pass is located in the southwest, with a very mild climate and clear blue water.
The big ships set sail, and a thunderous sound rang out from the sky. Thousands of big ships drew anchor and sailed away. Waves surrounded them from all directions, like a rolling avalanche. The sky showed a blue glass splendor, and the masts tilted to the sky, with white sails fluttering one by one.
"Sail the boat!" Tieyou shouted loudly, his voice was so long and carried a hint of joy.
Li Ce stood at the stern, dressed in pine green clothes, with evil eyes and a handsome and unruly look. He raised his head slightly, looking at the tall Cuiwei Mountain, and could vaguely see a gloomy figure on the top of the mountain.
The tides of people and the changing of seasons, the wind on the river blowing from the mountain tops, brought bursts of fragrance, as if stirring up a subtle numbing pain in the bone marrow, and all thoughts became clearer than ever before.
Li Ce suddenly smiled, as cunningly as a fox, happily showing his white teeth, and then, in the horrified gazes of all his subordinates, he blew a passionate kiss to the high mountain top.
Everyone was embarrassed, and Tieyou asked gloomily: "Your Majesty, did you see the village girl collecting firewood on the mountain?"
Li Ce turned around and shouted in surprise, "Ah! How did you know?"
Everyone sighed helplessly, Your Majesty, who doesn't know?
The river is like a silk thread, the ships are sailing in a long line, the sun is rising, everything is perfect.
On the top of the mountain, the man stood quietly. He clearly saw Li Ce's provocative action. His brows frowned slightly, but he did not turn around and leave.
The ship gradually went away, but he stood there for a long, long time, his heart was silently calm, without sadness or fatigue. The whistling mountain breeze blew across his back, and his shadow was cast on the ground with a clear, faint glow. The scent of dust and water vapor mixed with the mountains and forests blew towards his face, feeling extremely gentle.
He vaguely remembered her eyes, as if following the wild weeds in his memory and suddenly seeing a tall tree. Her expression was gentle, and she seemed to have lost her cold direction.
It was September 29, 1978, the season when chrysanthemums were in full bloom in Tangjing. The wind blew through the city, casting a golden glow on the ground under the clear sky and broad daylight.
The ship went south, slowly sailing towards that luxurious sweetness. Late autumn has passed and the cold winter is approaching, but in the warm country of Bian Tang, the distinction between autumn and winter is not so obvious. The chrysanthemums have already withered, and the black flowers are clinging to the branches. The wind blows hard in the evening, and the yellow flowers are piled up on the ground, swirling around lightly.
Chu Qiao was dreaming again, vaguely, her feet were still on the wasteland. The sun was extremely red, and a long wind blew from the end of the sky, blowing up the wormwood on the ground, rolling in waves like withered yellow sea waves. At dusk in the field, the young man was happily riding his horse, with the smile on his face as always, just as he was in her earliest memory. Red clouds of fire bloomed in the blood-soaked soil, swaying lavishly under the snow-white horse hooves. In a trance, she heard the young man's hearty laughter.
He smiled and said: Achu, come and catch up!
Then she ran after him, the scorching sun shining all over her body, the wind blowing fiercely past her ears, and the future full of bright yellow hope, just like the thousand times she had fantasized in those eight years.
But just when she was about to hold his hand, the sky and the earth suddenly turned pale, and the heavy snow covered all the beauty and wishes. The cheerful boy grew up in an instant, standing in front of her with an indifferent face, and behind him were countless Yanbei soldiers in black armor. The warriors pointed their cold arrows at her back. She turned around in panic, only to see large pools of blood blooming on the man's body. The ice field collapsed, cold water spread, and she jumped into the silent deep lake, and finally saw those lonely eyes. He kissed her gently on the lips, his cold mouth brushed her hair, his palms were so big and so strong, he dragged her bit by bit, and placed the hope of life in her hands.