"Look at that flag! It's the Donghu Army!"
A burst of cheers of surprise suddenly rang out, and in an instant, everyone was shocked. They looked in surprise, their faces flushed with excitement.
"It's the Donghu Army! It's the Donghu Army!"
"It's His Majesty the Seventh Prince's army! It's our people!"
"Long live! Long live the Seventh Prince! Long live Daxia!"
…
Wei Shuye was stunned on the horse. He never expected that at this moment, Zhao Che, who was supposed to be attacking Zhenhuang City, would suddenly appear here.
After he betrayed his friends, followed his family's arrangements and supported Zhao Yang's ascension to the throne, at this critical moment, his family abandoned him, Zhao Yang gave up on him, and the empire rejected him. Instead, it was the person he had betrayed who came all the way to save him.
He gritted his teeth, roared, and smashed the skull of an enemy with one blow.
“Kill the enemy!”
The sound of the charge rang out again, along with the boiling blood, pouring down on the men's fighting spirit.
On a devastated battlefield, at dusk and sunset, the shouting and killing suddenly stopped, and a gray wind blew, bringing with it a bloody stench.
Zhao Che, dressed in military uniform, stood far away on the river bank, gazing at the devastated battlefield.
Wei Shuye stood not far behind him, looking at his figure quietly. Vaguely, it seemed as if I had returned to many years ago, when the defeated prince returned home in a panic and knelt in Ziwei Square to apologize. He also stood there quietly, looking at his strong back and his fists that were always clenched.
So many years have passed, and we have experienced life and death, ups and downs, twists and turns, and loyalty and betrayal. Everyone's eyes and hearts have become old.
Zhao Yang became ambitious, Zhao Song became disheartened, Zhao Qi died in the land of northern Yan, Yan Xun became murderous and decisive, and Zhuge Yue opened his eyes in paranoia, but he was the only one who remained resilient and courageous from beginning to end, never changing, never becoming fragile, and not even showing the slightest hesitation.
This man is a natural born soldier and a natural born guardian.
He slowly walked over, stood behind him, and said, "Thank you for saving me."
Zhao Che did not turn around, as if he had known that he was standing behind him. He said in a calm voice, "I just don't want to live up to my family name."
Yes, he is the descendant of Emperor Perro, with noble golden blood flowing in his veins. He is only guarding his land and people, regardless of his stance, and even less of any favors.
"Look, how beautiful." Zhao Che suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed his scabbard at the vast plain below. As the sun sets, thousands of red rays of light sprinkle on the barren wild grass. They rise and fall with the wind, like blood flowing in gold, looking magnificent and gorgeous.
"No one has ever seen the truly vast world, because it has not yet been created. One day, from the Shangshen Plateau in northern Yan to the Dongya Sea in Huaisong, from the Adu Desert in the western desert to the Jiuwai Mountains in southern Xinjiang, they will all submit to the Empire, and all of this will begin with my sword."
He turned around, looked at Wei Shuye with sparkling eyes, smiled confidently, then raised a fist and said firmly: "Daxia will not perish."
Wei Shuye looked at him in silence for a long time. Finally, he smiled, and the smile gradually widened and merged into his eyes that were full of vitality.
"Daxia will not perish!" He raised his fist and hit Zhao Che's fist hard.
In the northwest sky, a gorgeous sunset slowly sets.
After a day's rapid march, the army got a temporary rest. The entire army began to make fires and cook, and then took the time to sleep, because they only had two hours, and when the time was up, they would continue to rush to the southwest.
Zhuge Yue had just returned to the camp after inspecting the entire army when he saw Chu Qiao had already packed her luggage and was waiting for him to arrive.
Zhuge Yue stood at the door, looking at her in silence, and did not speak for a long time.
The spring wind was quite strong, blowing the curtains of the tent. The bright red light shone in and sprinkled on them, as if they were covered with a thin film like blood mist.
"Have you decided?" A low voice sounded slowly, and it was impossible to tell whether it was happy or angry, it just asked calmly.
Chu Qiao nodded and said seriously: "Well, I've decided."
Zhuge Yue turned around and was about to leave, saying, “I will go get you a warhorse.”
“Zhuge Yue!” Chu Qiao ran forward and grabbed his hand, shouting in embarrassment.
The atmosphere in the tent was very depressing. Chu Qiao lowered her head, her brows furrowed, and her palms were as cold as a piece of ice.
Finally, the man in front of her turned around and looked at her seriously. After a long time, he sighed helplessly, took off the sword from her waist, and hung his own sword on her. Then he squatted down and tied a sharp dagger next to her leggings. Then he went into the inner tent, took out a tough built-in soft armor, took off her cloak and put it on her. He hadn't spoken a word the whole time, but had been busy quietly, sharpening her sword, checking her bag, and bringing her medicine for her injuries...
Chu Qiao's eyes were sore, she pursed her lips, lowered her head and let him busy himself.
"Okay." The man finished everything and stood in front of her, saying, "Get ready to eat. We will part ways in an hour. I can only take you here."
Chu Qiao nodded, feeling sad, helpless, guilty, and even scared.
She hadn't been this scared for a long time. As expected, people cannot have too much. Once they feel that they are very happy, they will become afraid of gains and losses.
"Xing'er, promise me that you will come back to see me in good condition."
Chu Qiao nodded quickly, looked up at him, and asked, "Are you not angry with me anymore?"
Zhuge Yue smiled bitterly, "If I'm angry, you won't go?"
Chu Qiao immediately lowered her head. They had argued about this matter several times, and now that they were about to part, she didn't want to continue this dangerous topic.
"Since I can't stop you anyway, I might as well send you off properly."
Zhuge Yue suddenly opened his arms to embrace her, resting his chin on her forehead, and whispered, "Xing'er, Zhao Che is leading his troops into the southwest. The situation is critical, and I must go to support them. Now the entire southwest is occupied by the Yanbei Army, and the road between Bian Tang and Da Xia is blocked. If anything happens in the future, I will not be able to help you in time. You and I don't know what the situation is like in Bian Tang. You must do what you can. If you find that something is not feasible, you must turn back immediately and don't take risks."
Chu Qiao leaned in his arms, nodding repeatedly but saying nothing.
Zhuge Yue sighed and continued, “If Bian Tang is in danger and the situation cannot be reversed, you will lead your troops to Qinghai. I have ordered Yue Qi to return to Cuiwei Pass. He will arrange for someone to be ready to pick you up at any time.”
Chu Qiao's eyes were slightly moist, she sniffed and just nodded.
"Well, now that you've decided to go, don't act like that. When leading troops into battle, the most important thing is momentum. How can I feel at ease if you leave like this?"
Chu Qiao raised her head and smiled at him, her voice choking slightly as she said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Zhuge Yue held her face and kissed her gently on the lips, then smiled and said, “This is the aura that a woman like me, Zhuge Yue, should have.”
Chu Qiao was amused by him and raised her head and said, "You have to be careful too. The situation is critical this time. Not only the Yanbei army, but also Zhao Yang and the various princes, you have to be careful and guard against them. The mountains and rivers of Daxia are broken, and foreign enemies are invading the country. The world is in turmoil, so you must act with caution."
“I understand.” Zhuge Yue nodded. “I have been on the march and fighting for so many years, and I have rarely suffered a serious loss. You should trust your husband.”
Chu Qiao was dressed in military uniform, looking pretty and lovely. Her face slightly blushed when she heard this, and she scolded with a smile: "Whose husband are you? Have I ever worshipped heaven and earth with you?"
Zhuge Yue snorted disdainfully, "You have been in my family for a long time, but you just refuse to admit it with your little mouth." After that, his eyes suddenly softened and he said, "Xing'er, I still owe you a grand wedding."
Chu Qiao's eyes were full of ripples, and she whispered, "I don't want any wedding, as long as you are here, that's enough."
Suddenly, a loud military bugle call was heard outside the tent, penetrating the vast wilderness and echoing between heaven and earth. The surroundings suddenly became empty. Chu Qiao closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Zhuge Yue on the lips. The fragrance of lilac flowed quietly, and the kiss was as lingering as water.
“Zhuge Yue, nothing can happen to us.”
“Yes.” Zhuge Yue hugged her waist tightly.
The deserted plank road stretched all the way. Chu Qiao, He Xiao and others rode on horseback, gazing at the handsome figure under the Qinghai flag for a long time.
“Zhuge Yue! I’m leaving!”
The wind blew up a cloud of dust, and Chu Qiao's cloak was also lifted high, revealing the pure white tough inner armor underneath.
Zhuge Yue's eyes were like lightning, his expression was calm, and he said loudly: "Success at once!"
Chu Qiao raised the whip in her hand and shouted back, "Success at the first attempt!"
The rumbling of war drums and military trumpets suddenly sounded. Chu Qiao whipped the horse's buttocks, turned the horse's head, and shouted loudly: "Go!"
The horse's hooves were flying, and the woman was wearing a silver helmet with a bright red tassel on her head, like a dancing flame, which was so eye-catching against the vast sky and earth.
As they were about to part, there were no words of comfort or feminine coziness between the two parties. Immediate success, just four words, that's all.
They both know what the other wants. In troubled times, life is like duckweed, and only faith will never die.
"Master." Yue Liu frowned and continued to ask, "Just letting the girl go like this, Bian Tang is in great danger, why didn't you stop it, sir?"
Zhuge Yue turned around, raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "If she doesn't go, will she still be herself?"
The sound of horse hooves faded away, and Zhuge Yue looked into the distance, with a few words in his mind that he had yet to say.
Isn't she exactly like this the one I love? How could you imprison and destroy her after getting her?
He laughed loudly, turned around and said to his subordinates who were ready to go, "Let's go!"
In early April 882, Yanbei launched a full-scale attack on Daxia. They joined forces with Princess Qiu of Bian Tang and entered Bian Tang from Tanghu Pass opened by Princess Jing'an. They defeated the Bian Tang defenders west of Meishan at lightning speed, opening up a way forward for Prince Jing'an's army. Then, before the Bian Tang civil war broke out on all fronts, he quickly withdrew his troops and made a roundabout way to encircle Baizhi Pass in Daxia.
Due to the outbreak of the Great Xia Civil War, the Fourteenth Prince Zhao Yang mobilized 80% of the Southwestern Army to fight against the Qinghai and Donghu armies led by Zhuge Yue and Zhao Che. Moreover, since there has been no war in Baizhi Pass for many years, the garrison here is currently only one or two tenth of the total, and there are only a few hundred veterans guarding the huge pass. Therefore, facing the fierce and powerful army of Yanbei, Baizhi Pass was as fragile as a piece of window paper.
Afterwards, after Yan Xun eliminated a part of the troops that resisted stubbornly, he opened the pass and allowed the bandits and robbers who were eyeing the pass to enter, thus bringing a nightmarish killing spree to the people in the southwest.
Simon is a vast territory with numerous national factions and many uninhabited areas between borders. Bandits are rampant in all directions, and their numbers are considerable and they are fierce and brutal. Many big-name thieves can even fight against small-scale national armies.
Thanks to these people's brutal methods and spine-chilling reputation, the aristocratic families in the southwest region retreated one after another, the people fled in large numbers, the army had no intention of fighting, and more than 100,000 local defenders fled without even a single fight, handing over the vast territory of the southwest to the iron-blooded soldiers from the Yanbei Continent. In this way, Yan Xun gained the greatest benefit at the lowest cost.