Liangzhou.

A towering pass stands majestically on the east side of the river leading to the main city. The city wall, which stretches for nearly two miles and is several meters high, stands majestically, guarding the main road leading to the Central Plains.

It was dusk, smoke from cooking fires rose in the city, and the soldiers guarding the gates on the high towers yawned as they took turns to take over. Suddenly, they caught a glimpse of dust rising on the plain to the west, and saw a dozen knights on fast horses galloping towards them in the twilight. They immediately rushed to the lookout and blew horns.

With the sound of trumpets, the outer city gate opened. Qin Fei, the commander who had arrived in Liangzhou not long ago, came forward and saw Li Xuanzhen dying on his horse. He shouted, "What's going on?"

The prince's personal guards rolled off their horses and said, "We were ambushed on the way back to the city!"

Qin Fei was extremely anxious. He carried the pale-faced Li Xuanzhen on his back and strode into the hall, asking, "Who ambushed you?"

The personal guard shook his head: "I can't tell what they are up to, they might be the remnants of the He clan."

The remaining forces in Liangzhou have not been wiped out. Although Yelu Khan killed the leader of the He family, the He family members are still hiding in secret, waiting for the opportunity.

The military doctor arrived quickly. Li Xuanzhen had been hit by several arrows in the back and had been riding horses all night. The wounds were horrible to look at, but fortunately the weather was cold and the wounds had not yet decayed. In addition, the venom on the arrows was a very common poison and was not difficult to treat.

Qin Fei paused and said, "What are you doing in Yelu tribe for no reason?"

The prince was usually strict, but he became careless when he got mad. For example, he only brought a few personal soldiers with Yelu Khan to the Yelu tribe.

The guard wiped his sweat and replied, "Yelu Khan's adopted son, Bemuti, invited you to watch the ceremony in the Yelu tribe and said he wanted to get drunk with you. Your Highness could not refuse and went."

Li Xuanzhen and Yelu Khan fought together, and Bemute mentioned several times that the Khan was about to marry Princess Wen Zhao. At first, Li Xuanzhen ignored it, but when Yelu Khan set off to return to his tribe, he suddenly changed his mind, agreed to Bemute's invitation, and followed him.

Qin Fei frowned slightly: Could it be that the prince missed Princess Wen Zhao's wedding, so he rushed to watch the ceremony?

Didn't the Crown Prince always dislike Princess Wen Zhao...

The military doctor applied medicine to Li Xuanzhen's wounds. Qin Fei was afraid that something unexpected might happen at night, so he stayed beside Li Xuanzhen's bed and did not dare to close his eyes.

In the middle of the night, Li Xuanzhen developed a high fever and talked nonsense.

Qin Fei twisted a handkerchief to wipe Li Xuanzhen's face. Hearing him shouting over and over again, he was stunned for a moment, his face full of shock. The handkerchief in his hand fell into the copper basin, splashing water.

Li Xuanzhen on the bed suddenly sat up, his hair disheveled, his eyes red, and his exposed back muscles covered with scars, like a fierce ghost.

Qin Fei was startled.

Li Xuanzhen jumped off the bed barefoot and stumbled out of the room.

"I don't regret it!" In the quiet night, his voice sounded like a desperate roar, "I don't regret it!"

Qin Fei came back to his senses, picked up the clothes on the screen rack, and hurried downstairs: "Your Highness!"

Li Xuanzhen was shirtless, with his long hair loose, and wearing only a thin pair of gauze pants. He walked barefoot through the ankle-deep snow, rushed towards a soldier on night patrol, pulled the man off his horse, climbed up himself, kicked the horse's belly, and ran out in the snow!

Qin Fei was so anxious that he stamped his feet and grabbed a horse to catch up.

Li Xuanzhen rode out of the gate on his horse and headed straight to the west.

The north wind was biting, and Qin Fei was shivering with cold as he rode on horseback. Li Xuanzhen was naked, but he was running against the wind as if nothing had happened. His long hair was messed up by the strong wind, his skin was frozen purple, and he looked like a madman.

Qin Fei urged his horse forward, caught up with Li Xuanzhen, reached out to control his reins, and when Li Xuanzhen's horse slowed down, he immediately jumped forward, hugged Li Xuanzhen and rolled off the horse.

With a few thuds, Li Xuanzhen fell off his horse.

He lay on his back on the cold snow, looking at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky, and his crazy expression seemed to ease.

"Ah Yue..." He stretched out his hand and scratched the cold air, blood oozing from the wound on his back, "Why are you Xie Manyuan's daughter?"

…

In March of that year, when the bamboo shoots were sprouting, willows were swaying and orioles were singing, he was also seriously injured like he is now.

The military doctor told him that only the miracle doctor in Chibi could cure his injury.

Li Xuanzhen disguised himself as a southern Chu man seeking medical treatment and went to Chibi alone. When he arrived at the pier, his boat slowly approached the shore, and a young girl on the shore looked over at him with a smile.

The girl was not very old, with makeup on, delicate and pretty. She stood there facing the wind, smiling, her eyes like a pair of bright crescent moons.

For a moment, Li Xuanzhen felt as if the girl in front of him looked familiar.

Even though it was the first time they met, he felt very close to the girl.

It's like walking alone in a snowy night and suddenly seeing a flickering flame or a pot of bubbling soup, and the warmth fills your cold and stiff limbs.

Li Xuanzhen had never felt that way before. He felt strange in his heart, but he did not show it on his face. He went straight to the miracle doctor's house to ask for medicine.

The next day, a sudden rain fell in Chibi. His injuries worsened and he could not get up. He lay in the corridor outside the miracle doctor's house, soaked to the skin.

While he was drowsy, a pair of fair little hands reached out to him, helped him up, dragged him into the corridor to shelter from the rain, scooped up a bowl of boiling medicine, put it to his lips, and fed him to drink it.

Li Xuanzhen was in a state of confusion and did not regain consciousness until two days later.

The girl who had been seen at the pier was playing Cuju in the corridor. When she saw him wake up, she kicked the ball beautifully and smiled sweetly, "Brother, you're awake!"

She brought medicine to Li Xuanzhen every day, and seeing that he was alone and pitiful, she would occasionally share some food with him.

It was not until a month later that Li Xuanzhen asked her, "What's your name?"

The girl chuckled: "My name is A Yue."

Li Xuanzhen repeated this name several times in his mind and thought, this name really suits her, as bright as the moon.

Ah Yue asked Li Xuanzhen, "What's your name, brother?"

"My last name is Yang." Li Xuanzhen thought for a moment, "Yang Changsheng."

Yang is a disguised surname.

Changshengnu was the name Tang Ying gave him.

He originally thought that his mother was gone and no one would call him that anymore. However, when the girl smiled and called him "Brother Changsheng", he suddenly felt that perhaps he would not be alone for the rest of his life.

The years at Chibi were like a dream.

In the dream, he was Yang Changsheng, and he met a girl named A Yue. He curled his lips when he heard her talk about having the best brother in the world.

If Ah Yue was his sister, he would definitely love and pamper her, not willing to let her frown, and certainly would not leave her alone in Chibi without paying any attention to her.

For the first time, he felt unconvinced, like an ordinary conceited and impulsive boy. He secretly wanted to compete with A Yue's brother and think that he would be a more perfect and stronger brother.

On the boat back to Wei County, he was surprised that they might be from the same hometown, but he didn't think much about it until A Yue stood at the bow and pointed with surprise at the young man riding a horse on the shore.

"Brother Changsheng, the one riding the black horse is my brother!"

Before she finished speaking, she saw Li Zhongqian's followers carrying the Tang family flag not far away and was stunned.

Li Xuanzhen didn't know what Li Yaoying was thinking at that moment.

He only knew that when he recognized Li Zhongqian, his head buzzed, as if countless mines exploded in his ears.

It was as if everyone was laughing at him.

Pain, anger, despair.

Hatred.

She lied to him!

She is Xie Manyan’s daughter and Li Zhongqian’s sister!

What a joke the heaven had played on him... After his mother's death, the first time he felt warmth, the first time he wanted to get close to her and take good care of her, turned out to be the daughter of his enemy.

His life is destined to be lived for revenge.

His mother's burned face appeared before him. "Kill them all! Kill them all!"

At that moment, all the good feelings he had before turned into surging hatred, burning a raging fire in his heart. He felt angry, ashamed, and humiliated.

His anger could not be relieved, he wanted to kill her!

This way she would always be the Yue he knew, and they could stay in that period of time forever.

Li Xuanzhen's eyes flashed blood red, veins bulged on his forehead, and he gripped Yao Ying's throat, squeezing it tightly.

Yao Ying stared at him blankly, trying to pry open his cold fingers.

He used force on his hands and showed no mercy.

She looked at his bloodshot eyes, "Brother Changsheng..."

…

The wind and snow were blowing, and in the silent night, the sound of a sighing voice from a few years ago seemed to echo: Brother Changsheng...

Li Xuanzhen lay on his back on the snow, his body trembling, his eyes red, and he roared like a trapped beast: "Don't call me that! Don't call me that!"

Qin Fei stood aside and said helplessly: "Your Highness..."

No wonder the Crown Prince has been so inconsistent in recent years. It turns out that there is such a past between him and the Seventh Princess.

Li Xuanzhen turned to look at Qin Fei with a straight gaze, and suddenly rushed forward and grabbed his sleeve: "When my mother died, Li Yaoying was not born yet... She was not born, so she doesn't count, right?"

Qin Fei's throat was choked and he couldn't utter a word.

Li Xuanzhen laughed loudly, his handsome eyes revealing a bit of slyness, and he continued in a self-centered manner: "A-niang never mentioned Ah-yue's name, so she doesn't count, she doesn't count, she isn't my enemy!"

He stood up unsteadily.

"I was wrong, I went to pick her up, she doesn't count!"

Qin Fei stopped Li Xuanzhen who was smiling strangely: "Your Highness... Yelu Khan will not let him go."

Li Xuanzhen's eyes widened, two bright lights burning in his dark eyes: "Then I will snatch her back."

Qin Fei sighed: "Can you get it back?"

Li Xuanzhen stopped in his tracks.

Yes, she couldn't be brought back. He accepted the invitation to go to the Yelu tribe on impulse. He was only accompanied by a few personal soldiers and had no ability to bring her back.

Even if he brought her back, Li De would send her away again.

The current situation is all caused by him.

If he had not tricked Yelu Khan into meeting her at the Buddha's birthday ceremony, the Khan would not have taken the initiative to offer Liangzhou as a betrothal gift, and Li De would not have set his sights on her.

If Li De had not issued an imperial decree to grant her the marriage, she would not have had to use this as an exchange when Li Zhongqian got into trouble.

The fire in Li Xuanzhen's eyes gradually went out, and returned to endless silence.

He looked dazed and took two steps forward. The wound on his back ached slightly and his heart hurt even more. He fell to the ground on the snow with a thud.

Qin Fei let out a long sigh, helped him up, put him back on the horse, and took him back to the room.

As soon as he returned to the gatehouse, the patrol soldier rushed up with a letter in his hand: "Your Highness, a letter!"

Qin Fei glanced at Li Xuanzhen, who looked numb, and said, "Send it to the chief secretary first."

The soldier said anxiously, "This letter was sent from the west! That Hu man said that Princess Wen Zhao asked him to deliver the letter! It's urgent and we can't delay!"

Qin Fei was stunned. Before he could say anything, Li Xuanzhen on horseback suddenly moved and reached out to snatch the letter from the soldier's hand.

His hands were shaking and he tried several times before he could unfold the letter.

The dim light of the torch shone down, and he finished reading the letter in the weak light, his face suddenly darkening.

"Everywhere on guard! Send out scouts!" Li Xuanzhen straightened his back, ignoring the wound on his back, and quickly issued orders, "Warn all the sentries, lock them immediately! Close the city gates tightly! No matter who comes to knock on the door, ignore them!"

"Pass the order down, all units hold on!"

"If there are any cowards, kill them!"

After giving these instructions, Li Xuanzhen called his personal soldiers and said, "Go to Yelu tribe quickly to bring back Princess Wen Zhao!"

The soldiers in the gatehouse were stunned for a moment, then responded in unison and went their separate ways to carry out the order.

A low horn howled, piercing through the boundless wind and snow, sending signals from the pass to the north and south sides. All passes responded immediately, and the sound of the horn echoed through the sky.

The atmosphere kills.

Qin Fei followed closely behind Li Xuanzhen and rushed to the observation deck.

Li Xuanzhen's face was solemn, completely different from his crazy look just now. He put on his clothes in a hurry, tied his long hair casually, stood on the high tower in the corner of the city wall, and looked at the endless snow fields to the west and north.

Biemutie turned out to be Haidu Aling.

…

Haidu Aling is the most trusted nephew of the Northern Rong leader.

Legend has it that he was born in a sheep-herding tribe on the grassland. Later, his tribe was massacred and all the men and women in the tribe died at the hands of bandits. He was thrown into the river and drifted with the current until he landed on the ice field. He was adopted by several she-wolves and survived miraculously.

At the age of eleven, he killed the she-wolf that had raised him and fled to the Beirong tribe. With his extraordinary riding and archery skills, he was recognized by the tribal leader and was adopted by the leader, following him in battles.

That leader was Wakhan Khan of the Northern Rong.

Li Xuanzhen had never had a direct confrontation with Haidu Aling, but last year when Haidu Aling led his tribe south to plunder, the two had passed each other many times and had heard of each other's names.

In recent years, Wakhan Khan concentrated his forces to conquer the Western Regions. It is said that he suffered several defeats in the northern route of the Western Regions, which damaged his vitality.

Li De and Li Xuanzhen once discussed the deployment of defense in the north with the ministers in the court.

They all agreed that the Northern Rong would not send troops southward in the next few years, and that the Northern Rong's current goal was to unify the entire Western Region.

That was why the Wei Dynasty was eager to recover Liangzhou in order to prevent the Northern Rong army from marching south in the future and the Wei Dynasty being unable to resist.

…

I didn’t expect that Haidu Aling was Biemutie.

Li Xuanzhen gritted his teeth, and a fishy smell came from the roots of his teeth.

The Prince of Beirong, whom he and Li De deeply hated, had always been under their noses and had even chatted with him and competed in martial arts.

During the past six months, Haidu Aling has fought alongside the Wei army as a member of the Yelu tribe. Has he already figured out the Wei army's deployment?

I was invited to the Yelu tribe, and was ambushed on the way back. It couldn't be a coincidence. The person who did it must be Haidu Aling!

If he had stayed in the Yelu tribe that day, or had returned a little later, wouldn't he have been killed by Haidu Aling?

This was all Haidu Aling's plan, which he had been planning several months ago.

Zhu Luyun has close contacts with the Hu people. The Yelu tribe, contrary to their usual practice, strongly demands a marriage from the Wei Dynasty...

Zhu Luyun!

She said she wanted to restore the country.

Who promised her the restoration of her country?

If Zhu Luyun had really married into the Yelu tribe, would Haidu Aling have planned to attack Chang'an under the banner of the Zhu family and restore the country for Zhu Luyun?

Everything that happened in the past six months flashed through my mind.

Li Xuanzhen's heart was pounding with fear, cold sweat dripping down his face, and he punched the city wall.

He fell into the trap, and all of them were played around by Haidu Aling!

Now that the Northern Rong troops are attacking, he is far away in Liangzhou and cannot rush back to Chang'an immediately. He doesn't know the situation in Chang'an. Will the Northern Rong troops bypass Liangzhou directly?

There was a clatter of footsteps as the generals rushed up the tower.

Li Xuanzhen asked solemnly, "How many guards do we have?"

The generals looked at each other and said in embarrassment: "Your Highness, in such a hurry, we can only gather about 2,000 people."

Li Xuanzhen closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, murderous intent was in his eyes.

"Two thousand people are enough to guard the pass."

Haidu Aling had often clashed with Wakhan's other sons in recent years. The Northern Rong were in constant internal strife and it was impossible for them to send all their main forces to attack the Wei Dynasty. He only needed to hold on until reinforcements arrived.

On the battlefield, no matter how great the gap between the enemy and us was, he was never afraid.

The generals were worried, but seeing Li Xuanzhen's calm face and his heroic spirit of one man blocking a thousand, they gradually calmed down, returned to their posts and counted the number of people.

Half an hour later, the scout came back with the news: "Your Highness, there is indeed movement ten miles north on the other side of the river!"

Qin Fei was filled with fear. It had only been half an hour since Li Xuanzhen finished reading the letter, and the enemy had already arrived. If the letter had been delivered a little later, would they still have had a chance to prepare for a battle?

He was terrified and gripped the hilt of the knife tightly: "How did Princess Wen Zhao know Haidu Aling's plan?"

Li Xuanzhen trembled.

He doesn't know either.

She was far away in the Yelu tribe, alone and helpless, in a miserable situation. She realized that Biemu Tie was the prince of Beirong, so she sent him a letter to remind him that Haidu Aling was preparing to divide the army into several routes to attack Wei, so that he should be prepared to fight.

He woke up and locked himself up in time, but what about her?

What happened to her?

In the snowy night, the sound of horns could be heard one after another.

The enemy is coming.

Li Xuanzhen drew his sword and stood still, calming his mind and looking at the slowly approaching battle formation in the dark sky.

He has to defend Liangzhou.

Only by winning this battle can he lead his troops to rescue her.

…

The battle between the Northern Rong and the guards at the pass lasted for more than half a month.

No matter how the Northern Rong cavalry charged, the defenders in the city never retreated and remained firmly on their positions.

Whenever the morale of the defenders was low, the prince of Wei would always lead the troops and fight bravely, thus boosting the morale of the defenders.

On the eighteenth day, Haidu Aling rushed over from Jincheng, rode up the hillside on the other side of the river, looked at the majestic pass still standing proudly on the river bank on the other side, and asked the counselor behind him: "Didn't you say that the crown prince of Wei was seriously injured?"

How could a dying man lead his subordinates to hold on for so many days?

The strategist lowered his head and said, "He was indeed seriously injured. It's a pity that the ambushers didn't expect him to return to Liangzhou so soon. They didn't have time to prepare poison arrows. They only prepared arrows that were usually used for hunting."

The prince of Wei is so lucky.

Haidu A Ling curled his lips, his pale golden eyes slanted: "Since you want to set an ambush, you should kill them all! No one should be left alive!"

The counselor said nothing.

Haidu A Ling sneered: "He is lucky."

He once wanted to assassinate Li De and Li Xuanzhen, but later found that the risk was too great. He then planned to kill Li Xuanzhen in the Yelu tribe and then directly frame the Yelu tribe, but Li Xuanzhen left that night.

Actually, it was his own carelessness.

But how could Li Xuanzhen detect the Northern Rong’s attack in advance?

Haidu Aling frowned.

Not only Li Xuanzhen, but also Jincheng, Xiaoguan, Shanzhou...all the important towns he planned to attack seemed to have received warnings in advance.

He sent several hundred people disguised as members of the Yelu tribe and sneaked into Jincheng in the name of Princess Wen Zhao, intending to capture Jincheng by surprise with the help of both inside and outside forces. This vicious plan was foolproof, but the gates of Jincheng were suddenly closed that night, and all the people who sneaked into the city were ordered to be killed by a man named Du Sinan in the city.

In addition, Southern Chu and Shu, which were supposed to send troops to attack Wei, suddenly changed their minds and kept their troops in place. Only Northern Qi, which controlled Fengzhou, sent troops.

Haidu Aling touched his chin.

What went wrong?

Only by figuring out where the mistake was made can we avoid making the same mistake again.

He ordered his strategist: "Personally interrogate the captured garrison commander of Jincheng. I want to know who the informant is!"

The counselor should be.

At this time, thunderous sound of horse hooves could be heard from the east, flags were fluttering, dust was rolling, and a group of dense black spots appeared on the endless plain.

Haidu A Ling narrowed his eyes and looked at them, then smiled and said, "Their reinforcements are here, so withdraw your troops."

Li Xuanzhen is one of the best generals in the Central Plains. If you can't kill him in one fell swoop, it's best not to fight him.

Haidu Aling turned his horse around and galloped down the hillside.

One day, he will personally lead the army and take the bravest warriors in his tribe to conquer this rich land.

This fertile land was destined to become Haidu Aling's pasture.

Wherever the Northern Rong's horses go, they will be conquered.

"Return to Yelu."

Haidu Aling curled the corner of his mouth.

Although he failed to stir up disputes among the Central Plains countries and plunge the Central Plains into war again as planned, he did rob a lot of things, destroyed several small countries, occupied the entire Helong area except Liangzhou, and also got a stunning beauty.

Thinking of the beauty's fragile and helpless look as she lay sobbing beside the old Khan's bed, he moved his fingers.

He likes to see beautiful women cry.

The beauties from the Central Plains had delicate skin, flesh as white as mutton fat, and every part of them was just right from head to toe. They were gentle, docile, and delicate. When they saw him, they trembled with fear, like a lamb to be slaughtered, waiting to be swallowed.

It must be the most intoxicating taste.

Haidu Aling laughed softly.

That night, they crossed the snow-covered mountains and ran into the riders sent by the Yelu tribe.

The knight immediately dismounted and reported: "The eldest prince was killed by the elders of the tribe who were loyal to the old Khan!"

Haidu A Ling was furious: "Aren't you guys holding back?"

He expected that the idiot eldest prince could not control the tribe, so he left a few followers to deal with the situation. So why was the eldest prince still killed?

The knight said shyly: "It happened suddenly. I didn't expect that heaven's punishment would come down suddenly!"

Haidu A Ling was stunned: "Heavenly punishment?"

The knight told the story of that night in detail: "Princess Wen Zhao of Wei avenged the old Khan and brought down heavenly punishment. The tribesmen were terrified. The elders and the followers of other princes took advantage of the chaos to kill the eldest prince, and Princess Wen Zhao disappeared."

Haidu Aling's face was gloomy, and a sharp and cold light like an eagle flashed in his light golden eyes.

He was fooled.

Princess Wen Zhao actually speaks nonsense!

How could a princess who was hastily married off to a distant place and who was able to learn a foreign language without making a sound cry and complain to her maidservants over and over again about her brother sending her to marry a foreign prince?

Similarly, how could a princess who knew nothing but cry and complain about her brother sending her to marry a foreign prince have the courage to play tricks, use the excuse of heavenly punishment to disrupt the entire Yelu tribe, and take the opportunity to escape?

Those expressions of fear and those cowardly behaviors were all disguises, making him think that she was just an ordinary woman who was delicate and timid.

As soon as he left, she revealed her true colors.

How gentle and submissive!

Haidu Aling sneered.

"Which direction did she flee?"

He wants to capture that Han woman himself!

The knight answered loudly: "The princess is heading east. We should hurry up and catch up with her!"

As he spoke, he took out several blood-stained letters from his arms.

"We killed several of the princess's followers on the road. Each of them had letters on them! We killed eighteen people in total and took away twelve letters!"

Haidu Aling frowned slightly, took the letter, read it quickly, and a look of slight surprise appeared on his face.

The person who informed the news was actually a woman.

His entire plan was ruined by this woman.

Haidu Aling narrowed his eagle-like eyes, whistled, called the eagle slave, and released the male eagle he had raised.

The eagle spread its wings and flew high into the sky on the wind.

This eagle is his eyes. It will circle above the sky and help him find the trace of the Princess of Wei.

She was his chosen prey.

She couldn't escape even if she had wings.