Chapter 215 [VIP]
Bang!
Gu Zhizhuo parted his lips slightly and uttered the word silently.
At the same time, she pulled the trigger of the musket, and the deafening explosion of gunpowder shattered the silence of the stone forest.
"What a pity."
Gu Zhizhuo touched the scorching hot muzzle. The main improvement to this musket was to increase the rate of fire, at the expense of range.
This distance is not enough to hit multi-faceted surfaces.
But it was enough to throw him, already a frightened bird, into a panic.
"Young lady, they're trying to escape."
Qin Chen said in a low voice.
Under the cover of his men, Duo Leng mounted his horse. Gu Zhizhuo watched the direction he left in and raised his hand, saying, "Chase after him."
"here we go again."
The other's figure could be vaguely seen among the stone forest. Accompanied by the sharp whistling of arrows piercing the air, Duo Leng gritted his teeth and desperately urged his horse forward. Sweat soaked his back, and the wound tore deeper as he rode, with blood dripping down the saddle.
Damn it!
Duo Leng cursed under his breath and tightened his grip on the reins.
The anger of betrayal and betrayal burned fiercely in his chest.
The ancient city of Koya is a trap; where can we go next?
Absolutely safe.
He would never betray that place.
The horse was panting heavily, and its hooves were not as powerful as before, clearly indicating that it had reached its limit.
"Brother, should we... go and talk to Miss Gu?" Jia Ye rode closely behind him, gritting her teeth as she said, "If we offer enough benefits, Miss Gu will be tempted."
"If you live, you can check and balance the king, and Miss Gu will be happy to see that happen."
When it comes to interests, Duoleng immediately thought of the Hemuda Grassland.
This grassland has an excellent location, backed by the Garan River. Gu Taotao once wanted to take over this place and use it, along with the Garan River, as the new border between the two countries.
The Hemu Grassland is not far from here. It is the territory of his mother's tribe, a place that is absolutely safe and will not betray him!
Duo Leng stared into her beautiful eyes and suddenly asked, "Why did you risk coming to remind me?"
“Brother,” Jiaye said earnestly, “the Queen raised me, and I can only rely on the Queen. If you die, the Queen will have no children, and no matter how powerful her maternal clan is, she will lose.”
"The queen has lost, so what good life can I expect?"
"Only with the Queen here, and with you here, can I be the princess of Great Liang."
She sighed, her voice heavy: "I don't want to end up like my mother, passing from one man to another."
Multifaceted: "..."
She didn't say how much she respected the Queen and her brother, but Duoleng wasn't annoyed. As for feelings, the two of them didn't have much of a relationship to begin with; talking about interests was enough.
Jia Ye's birth mother was a dancer; without anyone to back her up, she would only be a plaything for others to amuse themselves.
The thunderous sound of hooves approached from behind, and arrows rained down. Several soldiers who had been using their bodies as shields fell one after another.
Jia Ye steeled her resolve and said, "Big brother, I'll distract them."
“Miss Gu’s target is me,” Duo Leng said haltingly. “You can’t distract her.”
The bleeding intensified, and the relentless pursuit made it impossible for Duoleng to think calmly. He had only one thought in his mind—the Hemuda Grassland.
Absolutely safe.
"Jiaye, go to the Hemuda Grassland and have your uncle send troops to pick me up."
Jia Ye nodded without hesitation.
Duo Leng ripped off the wolf fang amulet he always wore around his neck and threw it to her.
“Brother,” Jiaye hesitated for a moment, “I’m afraid Chief Wuza won’t believe me.”
Duoleng glanced at her and remembered that not long ago, when her uncle came to the capital, he took a fancy to Jiaye and wanted to ask her to accompany him for a few days. However, the king had already chosen Jiaye to marry into the royal family and did not agree.
Jia Ye was afraid that if she went there rashly, her uncle might not know the importance of things and would waste time.
Duoleng tore off a piece of his clothing, dipped his finger in the blood, and quickly wrote a few lines. He then handed the blood-stained silk paper to Jiaye.
"this……"
“I left my mark on it, and my uncle can recognize it.”
"yes."
Jia Ye solemnly accepted it, "Big brother, be careful, I'll be right back."
Duoleng said with a slight emotion, "If I can return to Daliang alive from this trip, I will treat you as my own sister from now on."
Duo Leng's promise delighted Jia Ye: "Thank you, brother!"
"Walk."
Jia Ye led a few soldiers and turned their horses around, heading towards another fork in the road.
"Your Highness, they've split into two groups," Balu said, estimating the number of men. "About a hundred have gone after Princess Jiaye."
very good.
He was panting heavily.
Baru steeled his resolve and said, "Your Highness, I will lead men to stop them. You go first."
Duo Li did not respond.
Balu could tell that he was tempted: "The king may have planted spies among my men. I can no longer keep them with me. I might as well use them to block them."
Duo Leng clutched his lower abdomen, blood seeping continuously from between his fingers.
Balu was right. All night, they kept taking detours, but Takato kept close behind.
There could only be a spy who revealed their whereabouts.
And this last stab... If the spy were to strike him again when they were exhausted, he would have no chance of survival.
"good."
Duo Leng quickly made a decision.
"Balu, you must survive. I will wait for you on the Hemuda Grassland."
Balu slammed his fist into his chest and vowed, "I will drag them down with me, even if it means my death!"
The rain of arrows grew denser and denser. Without further delay, Duo Leng deflected several arrows with his sword, shouted "Giddy up!", and lashed out with his whip. The horse neighed, blood already streaming from its mouth and nose, and with all its might, it galloped away at full speed.
Arrows rained down like locusts, densely landing behind them, embedding themselves in the ground and the stone forest with a "thud" sound.
"Brothers, kill these Qi people!"
"Kill them!"
Balu led his soldiers forward into the hail of arrows.
Duoleng leaned down: "Faster, faster!"
The wounds kept tearing open, causing more and more blood to flow. Fewer and fewer arrows were chasing them, leaving only the whistling of the wind in their ears.
Balu held off the pursuers.
However, only four people who had escaped from the capital with him remained behind Duo Leng.
Duolen wiped the blood from his face and was about to speak when his horse suddenly buckled in the front, nearly throwing him off. Duolen quickly bent down to look and saw that the horse's mouth and nose were already covered in blood and foam.
Coming from the capital to here, not only are the people exhausted, but the horses are even more weary.
Snap!
Turning around, Helan tumbled off his horse, his back hitting the gravel. He groaned in pain, and his horse, limp and lifeless, died.
Immediately afterward, more blood gushed from the mouth and nose of the multi-faceted horse, which also collapsed to the ground. The other horses were in no better condition, all on the verge of death.
"Let's rest for a while."
Duolen touched the horse's head and closed its eyes.
He tore open his clothes, bandaged himself up simply, and took a big gulp of wine to warm his increasingly chilly body.
Without a horse, how do we proceed?
It would take at least one or two days to walk from here to Hemuda Grassland.
unless……
"We'll go around Blackwater Beach."
Duo Leng wiped the wine off his face.
Blackwater Beach.
It is the largest marshland on the border of Qiliang. Further west from Heishuitan is the Hemuda Grassland.
Blackwater Beach is a remote and sparsely populated area, known even to few in Daliang. It was here that Duoleng trapped Gu Taotao, causing the death of this renowned general.
"Your Highness, aren't you going to wait for Princess Jialan?"
"Miss Gu only brought three to five hundred men at most. As soon as reinforcements arrive..."
"Three to five hundred men?" Duolen dug out the arrowhead from the broken arrow still lodged in his shoulder and groaned, "What about the king?"
Initially, in the Stone Forest, the fireworks and arrows came from two directions, more like a mutual echo between the two sides.
He did the same thing back then...
"Now it must be that Miss Gu's three or five hundred men are in the open, while the king's men are in the shadows."
Duolen took some wound medicine and sprinkled it on his wound, saying, "The king will not stand idly by and watch Jiaye bring reinforcements; he will ambush Jiaye."
"Jiaye is the bait."
"It would be best if she could deliver the things to her uncle alive, but if she died, it would be expected."
Duoleng didn't place all his hopes on others. He gave Jiaye the wolf fang necklace and the blood letter just to make her believe that he trusted her and to make her do her best.
"There's a path on Blackwater Beach that leads across the swamp."
"Let's go to Blackwater Beach!"
yes!
The others immediately agreed.
Duo Leng threw the blood-stained arrow on the ground and bandaged his wound.
The others either pulled out their arrows, bandaged their wounds, or rested.
Duo Leng cursed under his breath. If he survived this time... he would make the Gu family pay with their blood.
The pursuers must have been held up, and they took the opportunity to rest for a while longer.
Without horses, they had to walk. All of them were injured and could not walk fast. Duoleng originally thought they would arrive at dusk, but they walked until dark.
Everyone was exhausted.
Blackwater Beach is actually a vast grassland connected to the Hemuda Grassland. The grass is lush and green, and people who are not familiar with it would never know that it is a man-eating swamp.
"Rest for the night, and set off early tomorrow morning."
Duo Leng dragged his tired legs as he walked and said.
Unlike the starry night before, this night was dark and visibility was extremely limited.
Even if Duoleng knew the secret, he wouldn't dare to take the risk.
That's a place where one wrong step could lead to utter ruin...
"Your Highness, there are quite a few fireflies here."
Since Balu stayed behind to cover their retreat, there were no more pursuers along the way, and Helan felt a little more relaxed.
Fire bug? !
Duoleng turned around and froze. These weren't fireflies at all; they were clearly torches!
There's an ambush!
"Run!"
At the very moment those words were uttered, bang! The sound of gunpowder exploding resounded in our ears.
"Walk!"
Once again, a hail of arrows descended, relentlessly pursuing them and forcing them to inching closer to the Blackwater Beach.
We can't go any further!
In this black watery area, the land and swamp are connected in a completely irregular pattern, and no one knows whether the next step will be life or death.
"Miss Gu."
Duo Leng shouted.
Gu Zhizhuo stepped out from the crowd, less than fifty paces away from him: "We meet again, Prince Duoling."
The torchlight illuminated her face, casting shadows that obscured her expression. Behind her, countless arrows reflected the scattered light.
“Miss Gu.” Duo Leng steeled her heart and said briefly, “Seven border cities, plus ten thousand taels of gold, to buy my life.”
Gu Zhizhuo: "..."
Seeing that she remained noncommittal, Duoleng continued, "Your Majesty almost cost me my life this time. I will not let this go. As long as I live, the Great Liang will continue to fight amongst ourselves."
This is definitely what Qi Kingdom wants.
Between the two countries, there is only a struggle for interests; otherwise, why would Qi Kingdom have instigated its king to betray him?
"If Qi Kingdom wants the Garan River, I can find a way to deliver it to them."
Duolen believed that with his sincerity, the king's offer would not be better than his own.
Given such conditions, Miss Gu would not be unmoved, or rather, she couldn't help but be moved.
Along the way, he also considered how to survive if he were caught up.
After much thought, nothing is more persuasive than self-interest.
"This is an achievement of opening up new territories!"
"If Miss Gu were to abandon such a vast territory for personal revenge, would you still be fit to be Empress? I've heard that the people of Daqi love to impeach and file complaints."
First, offer incentives, then build rapport.
“Miss Gu, we can shake hands and make peace.”
After a moment of silence, Gu Zhizhuo spoke, clapping her hands and saying, "The eldest prince's conditions are indeed tempting."
"I've made up my mind."
Her tone carried a hint of amusement.
"You have two choices. One, let me shoot you in the head. Two, walk into this black water beach, and whether you live or die depends on your fate."
"you!"
Duo Leng's expression changed drastically.
“Miss Gu, if you think I lack sincerity, how about the Garan Mountains?”
Gu Zhizhuo didn't even lift his eyelids, and slowly raised the musket.
"Your Highness, it's time for you to make a choice."
“Miss Gu!” Duo Leng gritted her teeth and struggled to say, “The death of the Duke of Zhenguo was the King’s idea!”
"When two countries are at war, each serves its own master..."
“No. It was your idea, Your Highness.” Gu Zhizhuo took a step forward, her face fully illuminated by the firelight. “Back then, when the previous King of Liang had just died, ‘brother succeeds brother, father succeeds son,’ you and the current King of Liang both had a chance. The King of Liang couldn’t wait to use the war in Daqi to keep you occupied, while you were eager to return to the capital to fight for the throne.”
"Prince Duoling, tell me, who is it that's so eager for my father to die?"
"With my father dead, the Great Qi has no capable generals, and this battle must be stopped."
Multifaceted: "..."
He was careless.
He underestimated women! Aside from a disabled person and Gu Yican, the Gu family consisted entirely of women and children. Over the years, he'd only focused on Gu Yican, and perhaps a little more Gu Yique.
But now, it is Gu Taotao's daughter who has driven him to the brink of despair!
"Miss Gu..."
“Your Highness,” Helan said through gritted teeth, supporting him. “Let’s charge over there. Even if we can’t escape, we can at least kill a few of them.”
He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
"The warriors of Daliang never fear death!"
He glared at Gu Zhizhuo with intense hatred. They were fighting to the death, and at least they could take a few people down with them before they died.
This guy surnamed Gu has them completely manipulated; he'll take her with him even if he dies!
“Yes! Prince, let’s give it our all.” Another confidant also gripped his dagger tightly.
"The eldest prince!"
The others growled in unison.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, and the bullet struck Helan squarely in the forehead.
Heran's voice stopped abruptly, his body stiffened abruptly, and he fell straight backward, blood splattering and dripping from the bullet hole.
Gu Zhizhuo's gun was still emitting white smoke, which was particularly dazzling under the firelight.
"Your Highness, you choose."
Gu Zhizhuo raised three fingers.
"Same, I counted to three..."
"One, two..."
"Walk!"
Going back means death, going forward is the only option!
Duo Leng gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and took the lead in stepping into the Blackwater Beach.
"Let's walk slowly and use our knives to probe the way."
As long as you don't accidentally step into a swamp, you'll be fine.
"Walk slowly."
They were lucky; the area they stepped onto was not a swamp. Duo Leng breathed a slight sigh of relief. He carefully placed his feet on the ground, and each of them untied their curved swords. Like blind men, they cautiously explored their way forward.
Gu Zhizhuo raised his telescope and slowly counted, "One, two, three..."
When they had walked about a hundred paces into the Blackwater Beach, her lips barely moved: "Attack!"
Behind him, bows were already fully drawn, waiting for her command. Arrows rained down on the group in the Blackwater Beach. In a moment of carelessness, one of the men was pierced through the throat by a sharp arrow.
"Nova!"
“Miss Gu,” Duo Leng said fiercely, “you broke your promise.”
An agreement?
Gu Zhizhuo laughed: "I only let you choose, but I didn't say that I would stop attacking once you entered the Blackwater Beach."
"This isn't an agreement. It's a game."
The game is called—
Cat catches mouse.
"attack!"
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