Chapter 220: Surrounded by thousands, a close call...
The evening wind was bleak, and the chill seeped into the bones.
On the other side, the protagonist of the story politely declined all visits from old friends, and knelt silently before the table, as if disheartened by his lord's wavering.
As the object of everyone's affections, Zhang Ting, with her back to the door, looked at herself in the mirror, checking her left and right sides, raising an eyebrow, then suddenly gasped. So the "stunning beauty" label was just something she created for herself; one person capable of captivating a city—was she some kind of irresistible charmer?
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, then touched her face, which was slightly rough from marching, and couldn't help but sigh. Her personal charm was too great; it was truly a sin.
To be honest, she didn't want to be a femme fatale, having been pursued by two "crown princes" through all sorts of schemes.
well!
After a brief moment of remorse, Zhang Ting summoned the soldier guarding the tent, "Has Lord Xu come out yet?"
Soldier: "Not yet, sir."
Zhang Ting yawned, her biological clock making its usual appearance. "Let's turn off the lights and rest then." Usually at this time, she and Zong Suyi would have already washed up and been wrapped in blankets.
Before long, she undressed and lay on the couch. Occasionally, the sound of armor plates clashing could be heard. Combined with the dim light, it was perfect for sleeping. Soon, she drifted into a deep and sweet dream.
Without the disturbance of the little demons at night, Zhang Ting woke up refreshed, her cheeks flushed with a warm pink. After a quick wash, she fastened her belt, put on her outer robe, and went to the central command tent for a meeting as usual.
She encountered many colleagues along the way and greeted them naturally, but the others looked at her with a hint of pity.
Zhang Ting touched her face with a strange expression. Could it be that she hadn't washed her face properly this morning?
As the second-in-command of the anti-military camp, she was no ordinary, slovenly brat like Zhang Xiaozhu.
He deliberately lagged behind the others by a step and elbowed the soldier beside him, saying, "Do you see any dirt on my face?"
The soldier was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Sir, your face is as fair as jade, and you are elegant and refined."
Zhang Ting regained her confidence, nodded with a smile, and entered the tent.
Inside the tent, Chen Jue had dark circles under his eyes and was dozing off with his chin resting on one hand. He had been kept up all night by the old minister and now wished he could meet the Duke of Zhou (the Duke of Zhou) immediately.
At this moment, all the civil and military officials had arrived. An attendant patted Chen Jue on the shoulder to signal her, and she opened her eyes in a daze. "All the officials have arrived." Her eyes subconsciously searched the crowd, and her gaze fell on Zhang Ting. She looked away guiltily, then swept over Xu Qiushui, who was equally haggard and tired, before fixing on her gaze.
Something's not right. Chen Jue's gaze shifted back to Ai Chen, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Zhang Ting looked no different than usual, but compared to her and Xu Qiushui, her complexion was much better.
With red lips and white teeth, she had a beautiful face.
Chen Jue was speechless, unsure of what to say. It turned out that only she and Xu Qiushui, two old women in their sixties and seventies, had stayed up all night worrying, while she, a young woman, had slept comfortably.
Chen Jue admitted that he was getting old and couldn't keep up with the younger generation.
Xu Qiushui looked at Zhang Ting with a strange gaze, glancing at him several times, but ultimately said nothing.
The morning meeting began, and everyone went about their business as if yesterday's incident had never happened.
The only difference with Zhang Ting was that she received more frequent glances. However, since the other person admired her so much, she couldn't stop it.
Perhaps being too perfect is sometimes a mistake.
...
In the afternoon, the Eastern Palace Guards continued their advance, advancing with unstoppable momentum.
Many veteran generals and officials defending the city, seeing that Chen Jue's army was large and the outcome of the power struggle was uncertain, and since it was not an invasion by foreign enemies and they would still have to serve as officials in the future, all held back their strength and naturally suffered repeated defeats.
In just half a day, the Eastern Palace Guards had reaped a great harvest, capturing five key locations.
The place was already very close to Kyoto, and the news soon reached Kyoto. Chen Liu was furious, and even wearing mourning clothes, he could not contain his anger.
She could figure out the true nature of the officials below her with her eyes closed, and a shadow fell over her eyes. "These are the officials and generals who guard various places. They all eat the court's salary and do such treacherous and despicable things!" The fist in her sleeve cracked.
“And Chen Jue,” she sneered, “I didn’t expect that this useless person would have some foresight.”
The hall was quiet, and even the ministers were breathing softly.
Chen Liu turned to the Minister of War and said, "Prepare the troops and horses to meet the rebels!" He paused, his pupils swirling with a turbulent vortex, "And Zhang Ting, since he cannot be used by me, then this brat must be eliminated!"
The Imperial Guard, numbering over 100,000, was well-equipped and guarded the capital, and was capable of fighting the rebels.
Chen Liu appointed Zheng Zeyan as commander-in-chief, leading 30,000 heavy infantry, archers, and engineers to defend the city walls, while he himself led 50,000 light cavalry and elite infantry out of the city to fight. In addition, he secretly dispatched 15,000 elite troops to surround and kill Zhang Ting.
To ensure absolute success, she spared no expense, but as long as she successfully beheaded Zhang Ting, it would all be worth it.
After giving his orders, Chen Liu went to the Zichen Palace to offer incense to his mother. The weather was hot, and no matter how much ice was placed inside, the corpse couldn't be kept warm; it emitted a faint stench of decay mixed with the cold air.
Suppressing her nausea, she gritted her teeth and prayed to her mother in heaven to bless her with victory.
"Your Majesty, you have been a tyrannical ruler your whole life, but considering how many years I have served you with filial piety, you should at least do me a good deed, right?"
"Your son promises: after ascending the throne, I will choose a beautiful posthumous title for you, so that future generations will remember you." After saying this, he felt that he did not have enough strength, and adhering to the idea that no one can do anything to him after he dies, "If your son is defeated, then I will ask that your burial gold and jade artifacts be taken with me to the south."
After rattling off a string of words, Chen Liu covered his mouth, his stomach churning, and ran out in a panic, but couldn't hold it in and vomited at the palace gate.
The six ministers were on their way to pay their respects to the late emperor when they saw this and rushed over, asking with concern, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Chen Liu slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with sorrow. "My mother's body is barely cold, and my own sister has already conspired with a traitor to rebel. Just thinking about this makes me unable to control my heartache." She pounded her chest and shed a few tears. "That position truly transcends blood ties... Second sister, oh second sister, Mother was the one who loved you the most!"
Three days later, the enemy troops were at the city gates, and a conflict was imminent.
Chen Liu, clad in heavy armor and wielding a three-foot-long sword, stood facing Chen Jue at the front of the battle.
"Second sister, you're already so old, why are you still fighting on the battlefield?" She glanced at her from head to toe with a contemptuous look and sneered, "Don't hurt your back, or you'll surrender later, and your sister won't be merciful."
Chen Jue is not young, but she doesn't consider herself old. Like an old horse in its stall, she still aspires to gallop a thousand miles. Sixty is the perfect age to strive!
She calmly declined, saying, "I am honored to have my half-sister's concern. As the only legitimate daughter of the Empress and the only Crown Princess appointed by the Great Yong Dynasty, it is my honor to set an example for you."
Chen Liu glared hatefully, gripping the sword hilt so tightly her fingers turned white. Her status as a concubine's daughter, never officially recognized as the Crown Princess, had always been a thorn in her side, a constant source of pain. Now, with the three armies facing off and this being revealed, Chen Liu only wanted to skin her alive, tear her limb from limb, and shred her to pieces!
She scoffed, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "What legitimate daughter, what crown princess? All that is the twilight of yesterday. Sister, you're old, and your glory has died with you. You're now a deposed commoner, destined to pound rice in a secluded courtyard until you die of old age—"
"The only future emperor of the Great Yong Dynasty can only be me." Chen Liu's eyes were like those of a venomous snake, his cold tongue flicking as he stared intently at his prey, poised to strike.
The two commanders simultaneously raised their blades, spurred their horses forward, and were determined to cut off each other's heads as spoils of war in this battle.
At the same time, 15,000 elite troops carefully lay in wait and quickly approached the central command tent.
Zhang Ting and Xu Qiushui discussed the follow-up plan. After all, their lord was an old man, so it was not surprising that he lost to Chen Liu. The problem was how to save face without damaging morale.
As the discussion was in full swing, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the tent: "The Imperial Guards are attacking! The Imperial Guards are attacking! Quickly protect the supplies and safeguard our lords!"
There are 50,000 soldiers stationed in the rear camp. It would be difficult to burn and kill the grain and fodder, but what about using the strength of 10,000 men to surround and kill one person?
"Damn it—" As the sword blade pierced her eyes, Zhang Ting swore, a rare occurrence for her. No matter where she was, there were enemy soldiers everywhere. She dodged another spear by sidestepping it, seized the opportunity to pick up the broadsword on the ground, and ran towards the crowd.
Has Chen Liu lost his mind? Sending so many men to kill defenseless civil officials! The ones who can fight are in front!
Along the way, they encountered many comrades fleeing for their lives, and the pursuing forces behind them grew stronger and stronger. Their own side had to protect the supplies and could not expand their support efforts.
"What happened? There weren't that many people trying to kill me just now..." a colleague cried out in distress.
"It seems like the enemy is all heading this way! Damn it, why aren't they burning our supplies?! Which idiot gave that order?" They ran forward for their lives.
Zhang Ting felt that the large number of people made them too conspicuous. Adhering to the principle of "better to die than for my fellow Daoists," he and his colleagues split up and fled for their lives. Was that alright?
On the way, a civil official accidentally tripped over a tree branch, fell, and was about to get up when the enemy army was already close by. She was just about to lay down and wait for death when—the huge army bypassed her.
Huh?
She stood up blankly, only to see an unprecedented spectacle: an army of ten thousand men closely following one person.
That man was none other than Zhang Ting, the most trusted and capable minister and general of His Highness.
She had intended to shake off or distract the enemy, but instead, their attention was all focused on her. What was there to misunderstand? Zhang Ting felt like a million grass mud horses were stampeding through her mind. Chen Liu really thought highly of her; over ten thousand elite troops—did he intend to chop her into mincemeat with each of them?
She was on the verge of tears. If she couldn't have it, she would destroy it. Chen Liu, aren't you being too obsessive? Actually, it's not that she couldn't choose another ruler.
The enemy troops were hot on their heels, and the archers began to fire arrows. Zhang Ting struggled to run into the mountains, buying time for reinforcements. Zhang Ting was quite familiar with this mountain forest; the main camp was always noisy, and she would often come here for a stroll.
They found a secluded crevice in the rocks to hide in. As soon as the enemy troops came to pursue them, they saw that there were many bushes and piles of leaves in the forest, making it impossible to tell which direction the target had fled.
The general divided his troops into eight groups to search, determined to cut off Zhang Ting's head before reinforcements arrived.
"Move swiftly!" She brandished her sword and stood on the rock, and the elite troops from all sides quickly set off.
Hiding in the crevice, Zhang Ting felt as if an earthquake was hitting her head. Dust swirled on her face, and she closed her eyes heavily.
What to do? More than 10,000 people are searching for her in this tiny place; they'll find her in less than an hour.
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