It was another late night, and starlight cast dappled shadows across the vast grassland. Xu Yuehuai, riding his warhorse, was leading General Lin and a group of soldiers, hurrying towards the Kingdom of Dongsang.
Suddenly, Xu Yuehuai tightened the reins, and the horse neighed and stopped.
"Your Highness, what's wrong? Are there enemies nearby?" General Lin rode closer, his face full of doubt and vigilance.
Xu Yuehuai looked around, her face turning pale. "Shh! Did you hear anything strange?"
The surrounding soldiers immediately fell silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects and the sound of the wind in the distance.
General Lin listened intently, but couldn't detect anything unusual. "It seems I didn't hear anything," he answered truthfully.
Xu Yuehuai didn't answer immediately, but closed her eyes, seemingly trying to sense the flow of air around her. After a moment, she suddenly opened her eyes and ordered in a deep voice, "Don't advance yet. Send a few skilled people to check."
General Lin dared not delay and immediately selected several agile soldiers, ordering them to go and investigate. The soldiers obeyed and disappeared into the night. However, what awaited them was utter silence; there was no response whatsoever.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment; everyone held their breath, waiting anxiously. Finally, the silence was broken by the rapid sound of galloping hooves, but what followed was a terrifying scream. None of the soldiers sent out returned.
"Something's wrong! We need to retreat to the side path immediately!" Xu Yuehuai gave the order decisively.
General Lin did not hesitate for a moment and immediately arranged for the evacuation of his men, while leaving a group of men behind as a rearguard.
However, before they could completely retreat, a deafening roar shook the heavens. A massive burst of flame erupted from the spot where the soldiers had vanished, accompanied by a powerful shockwave. Those who had been at the rear were instantly engulfed in the inferno, none surviving.
General Lin stared in shock at the horrific scene before him, a wave of fear washing over him.
"How could such a powerful explosive be transported and placed here?" he muttered to himself, his eyes filled with doubt and fear.
"Bang bang bang!"
Xu Yuehuai had no time to think about these issues; the most important thing now was to lead everyone to safety as quickly as possible. However, the situation around them was getting worse. More weapon traps were being triggered, and flashes of light and explosions echoed everywhere, as if the entire grassland had been set ablaze.
"We can't scatter now, we have to stay together," Xu Yuehuai shouted.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately gathered together, forming a tight formation. Xu Yuehuai quickly analyzed the surrounding situation and directed everyone to launch a counterattack and break through the encirclement.
"You guys break through from there and destroy their weapons." She pointed to a spot where the firelight was weaker and signaled one group to attack. At the same time, she said to another group, "Then the people here go and provide backup."
Under Xu Yuehuai's command, everyone worked together seamlessly and finally found a route to break through.
As dawn broke, they escaped the dangerous area!
General Lin looked at the sea of fire and ruins behind him, his heart filled with grief and anger.
"Those soldiers were all elites handpicked by me!"
Xu Yuehuai looked at him silently. "We will avenge this!" she said. "But now, we must survive first."
"Yes, Your Highness." General Lin suppressed his grief, reorganized the ranks, and set off again.
"How many people are injured?" Xu Yuehuai asked as he walked up to General Lin.
“More than thirty people.” General Lin frowned, his eyes constantly scanning for any potential dangers around him.
Xu Yuehuai took out several bottles of medicine from his bag and handed them to General Lin, saying, "Distribute these medicines to them."
General Lin hesitated for a moment, "These are all top-quality first-aid medicines for external injuries. Your Highness, you should keep them for yourself." He knew how precious these medicines were and understood that the princess's injuries were not minor.
Xu Yuehuai shook her head and smiled gently, "I wasn't seriously injured. Giving it to the soldiers is just a token of my appreciation."
"Alright then, I'll thank the Princess on behalf of everyone!"
General Lin no longer refused, took the medicine bottle, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. He turned around and distributed the medicine to the wounded soldiers, who were all moved as they received the medicine.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" The soldiers bowed respectfully to Xu Yuehuai, their voices echoing around them for a long time, as if it were a vow, a promise.
Xu Yuehuai looked at them and found that the once mighty army was now less than half gone.
Her heart sank. The explosion in the forest had killed more than twenty of them. She hadn't expected to suffer such heavy losses so soon after arriving near Dongsang.
"It might get even more dangerous next, so everyone needs to stay alert," Xu Yuehuai warned.
"How about we take turns?" General Lin tried to find a more prudent solution.
Xu Yuehuai shook her head. "Absolutely not. The other side might be trying to scatter us and then defeat us one by one. This time, we have to move forward together."
"Yes, the Princess is indeed wise."
General Lin turned to his soldiers and gave them orders, and the army was ready to go again.
However, just as they were about to continue on their way, a pool of blood suddenly appeared on the road ahead. The blood was particularly glaring in the sunlight, like an ominous sign.
General Lin immediately went on alert. He drew his longsword and pointed it at the pool of blood. "Everyone be careful, there might be an ambush!"
Xu Yuehuai looked around and suddenly said, "This looks like a mark."
"You guys, come with me to take a look."
General Lin led his men to investigate, but they couldn't figure out anything.
"Your Highness, this seems to be just ordinary bloodstains, nothing special about it!"
"Impossible, my hunch must be right."
Xu Yuehuai went down to see for herself. She carefully observed the shape and color of the bloodstain and suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"This seems to have been left behind by the Ghost Doctor. He may have hidden nearby after being injured. We need to hurry and rescue him."
"The Ghost Doctor is an ally of our Great Zhou, let's all go and find him!"
General Lin was shocked upon hearing this, and he immediately summoned his soldiers to prepare to go and find the Ghost Doctor.
"call out!"
Just as everyone had spread out a little, the surrounding trees suddenly moved, and countless arrows shot out from the shadows, surrounding them completely.
"Watch out!" Xu Yuehua shouted a warning.
She immediately drew her long sword from her waist and fought alongside General Lin.
However, this time the traps were triggered one after another, instantly wiping out a large number of their allies. Blood flowed like a river, and countless people were killed or wounded!
At this critical moment, Xu Yuehuai remained remarkably calm. She directed her soldiers to launch a counterattack while simultaneously searching for an opportunity to break through the encirclement.
But just as she was about to launch her final attack, the ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed!
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