The personal soldiers who came to chase him came in waves. From time to time in the dark and quiet night, the heart-pounding sound of bowstrings could be heard. Haidu Aling crossed his arm and swung his sword, and the sky was filled with the cold light of the sword.

People kept falling down screaming.

Yuchi Damo's shoulders were being tightly grasped, and he felt as if they were burning with pain. He was shaking like a sieve, with a look of fear on his face, but his brown eyes were calmly looking around.

They fled the palace, the shouts and cries of killing fading away behind them.

Haidu Aling's clothes were torn and his body was stained with blood. He looked like he had just been pulled out of a pool of blood. He grabbed Yuchi Damo and jumped onto a snow-covered roof. He threw Yuchi Damo away and whistled quickly.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the darkness, and figures swayed. Several bodyguards in black came over and knelt at his feet.

"Jinbo is still alive. He went back and reported me to the Khan."

Haidu A Ling's voice was cold.

The guards were shocked, looked at each other, and kowtowed, saying, "We have failed in our duties. We are willing to return to the Yating and confess our guilt to the Khan. We will never implicate the prince."

Yuchi Damo was lying on the snow, secretly admiring in his heart: Haidu Aling had just broken out of the encirclement, had escaped death, and had not yet escaped from Gaochang, but he could calmly plan how to clear his guilt. He was indeed the most respected descendant of Wakhan Khan.

Haidu A Ling laughed slyly, wiped the sticky blood from his cheek, threw away the long knife in his hand with a clang, and said loudly: "You have followed me loyally, and have been with me through life and death. You risked your life to assassinate Jin Bo for me. You are all loyal and brave men. What crime have you committed? Man proposes, God disposes. It's not that you are incompetent, but Jin Bo is lucky."

The guards were stunned, their faces filled with emotion.

"This is what I was destined to do." Haidu Aling stood with his hands behind his back, looking at his subordinates, and said word by word, "The Khan will be furious. Everyone has their own responsibility. I was the one who ordered the assassination of Jin Bo. I will take all the blame and leave it to the Khan to deal with."

He leaned over, drew the sword from his subordinate's waist, and handed it to him.

The bodyguard took the knife, looking confused.

Haidu Aling patted his shoulder and said, "My assassination of Jinbo has been exposed. The Khan and the other princes will not let me go. Ina's pursuers will be here soon. I don't want to die at the hands of a woman. Cut off my head and take it back for the reward. The Khan will not only forgive you, but also reward you with gold, silver and beautiful women."

The guards reacted with trembling hands.

Haidu A Ling looked at each of his subordinates and said calmly, "You have fulfilled your duties. You don't need to obey my orders anymore. Find your own way to survive from now on."

The guards, with tears in their eyes, looked up at his resolute and upright figure, speechless for a long time.

Suddenly, there was a clear sound of collision. The soldier who received the sword threw away the sword and stood up angrily. His eyes were red and bloody. He cried, "The prince has fought bravely in the south and the north, and has made great contributions to the Northern Rong. He always leads the charge. Everyone in the army knows this! Just because the prince is not the Khan's biological son, the Khan ignores and suspects him. The eldest and second princes ambushed and murdered the prince, and the prince was seriously injured. The Khan knew that the second prince and his men were the most suspicious, but he only killed a few thieves and got away with it. Such partiality, I can't accept it!"

His accusations broke the silence and stirred up a thousand waves. The other personal soldiers also showed anger on their faces and said angrily: "Prince, you can't just surrender like this! Prince is the most brave warrior of our Beirong. The eldest prince and the second prince were the first to kill. Prince is just trying to protect himself!"

"The Khan is foolish and cowardly, and the eldest and second princes are narrow-minded and vindictive. If they inherit the Khan's throne, we will have no chance of survival!"

"Yes! It's death sooner or later. Rather than being bullied under their command, it's better to follow the prince. Only the prince can lead us to conquer more lands, win more battles, and snatch more beauties!"

"Prince, let's rebel!"

The guards raised their heads, looked at Haidu Aling, clasped their left hands and placed them over their chests, made a gesture of loyalty, and said in unison: "We are willing to follow the prince, and we will go through fire and water for him until the day we die in battle!"

Haidu A Ling stared at his subordinates, his eyes slightly reddened, and he sighed: "I really can't bear to drag you all down with me to death."

The guards shouted: "We have no regrets!"

Haidu Aling stood still for a long time, and sighed helplessly: "We are the descendants of the divine wolf, and we have the blood of the divine wolf flowing in our bodies. We can't be like mice and wander around in the gutter. We must die bravely! Let's go back to Yating. If the Khan really wants me to die as an atonement, I have nothing to say. But before I die, I have to drag the eldest prince and a few others to accompany me!"

The guards were excited and responded loudly.

Wei Chi Damo said nothing, but watched quietly as Haidu Aling encouraged his men to follow him in the rebellion.

Lady Ina is hunting him down, and Jinbo and the other living princes will also send out killers. He can hardly protect himself, so he pretends to be nice and wins over his subordinates. No matter what kind of difficulties he encounters in the future, these subordinates who are loyal to him will never betray him.

Sure enough, there is fineness in the rough.

Haidu Aling calmed down his angry subordinates, looked at Weichi Damo, and helped him up: "I was in a hurry just now and offended you. Please forgive me, my lord."

Wei Chi Damo impatiently shook off his hand, his face gloomy as water, and asked: "Are you really going to rebel against the Northern Rong?"

Haidu Aling's golden eyes flashed with coldness, and he said, "If the Khan really wants to kill me, I cannot wait to be killed."

Wei Chi Damo narrowed his eyes, looked at him for a moment, and said in a low voice: "I only have a few thousand soldiers and horses, and I am powerless to fight against the Northern Rong. I can't promise you anything unless you can be on an equal footing with other princes. Only then can I lend a helping hand to you."

Haidu Aling's eyes suddenly turned fierce.

Wei Chi Damo was so frightened that he stepped back and almost fell off the roof. He swayed several times and managed to stand steady. His eyes bulged and he said angrily, "You almost killed me tonight! You only have so few people, I can't die with you!"

He was trembling while roaring, and it was obvious that he was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. Haidu Aling saw that he was just showing off and smiled contemptuously in his heart: This King Weichi is really as timid as the legend said. Tonight, when Yina signaled her subordinates to shoot thousands of arrows at once, he was so scared that he wet his pants and his body smelled of urine.

coward.

Haidu Aling looked down on men like Yuchi Damo, but now he was alone and had no choice but to form an alliance with such a man. Although Gaochang did not have many soldiers, as long as he could weaken the support of the eldest prince and his men, he would have a better chance of winning.

He turned around, looked towards the southeast, and pursed his thin lips.

He was supposed to be a wolf roaming the grasslands and hunting wantonly, but in order to survive, he had to be a mouse lurking in the gutter all day. Today he almost died in a woman's trap. He will remember this humiliation in his heart. Sooner or later, he will kill everyone who laughs at him and looks down on him with his own hands, and wash away his humiliation with their blood!

The strong are respected.

The position of the Great Khan will eventually fall into his hands, and the most beautiful women, the most fertile and rich land, and the most precious treasures in the world will all be in his hands.

…

Two hours later, Lady Ina's personal guards found the dying Wei Chi Damo thirty miles outside the city gate.

The guards quickly sent him back to the palace, covered in blood.

Mrs. Ina came to visit after hearing the news.

The witch doctor had just pulled out several arrows from Wei Chi Damo, and there were several bloody holes on his body. He lay on the couch with black and blue lips, and said angrily: "Scorpion woman! You are so vicious! You saw clearly that I was in the hands of Haidu Aling, but you still ordered the arrows to be shot! Did you want to take the opportunity to kill me? Buddha bless me, I rolled down the city wall when Haidu Aling was not paying attention and saved my life. You miscalculated!"

Madam Yina said angrily, "The king really misunderstood me. How could I not care about the king's safety? I was anxious to capture Haidu Aling because I was worried about the king."

After saying that, he changed the subject.

"Why did the king have a secret meeting with Haidu A Ling? What did he tell you?"

Veins on Wei Chi Damo's forehead bulged with anger: "You suspect that I am colluding with Haidu A Ling? He almost killed me! You sent people to imprison me, and I am surrounded by your spies. I want to ask you, how did he sneak into the palace? Did you deliberately let him in to kill me through him?"

In his excitement, he pulled the wound and immediately grimaced in pain, crying out "ouch", cursing Madam Ina for being vicious, then cursing Haidu Aling for being cruel. After a few curses, he was sweating profusely, his breath was weak, and his voice became smaller and smaller.

The witch doctor quickly treated his injuries.

Lady Ina watched coldly as the witch doctor applied medicine to Yuchi Damo. After confirming that he was really injured, she turned and walked out of the house, asking her personal guards how they discovered the king.

The guard answered truthfully, his voice getting lower and lower: "Madam... when we found the king, his underwear was soaking wet."

Madam Ina showed disgust on her face.

He was so scared that he peed his pants! No wonder Wei Chi Damo surrendered before the Northern Rong army attacked the city.

Lady Ina curled her lips and smiled softly. Her husband was so cowardly that he would never dare to take revenge on her even if he knew that his two children were dead. With her uncle Wakhan Khan as her backer, she could do whatever she wanted in Gaochang.

She put aside her suspicion of her husband and ordered her personal soldiers to continue tracking Haidu Aling's whereabouts.

Half an hour later, the palace guards came to ask for instructions. The nobles in the city heard that the king was almost assassinated and were afraid that Haidu Aling would return, so they sent their soldiers into the city to protect the king.

Madam Ina became alert and said, "We can't let them into the city!"

She was able to control Wei Chi Damo because the guards of the royal city were all brought by her from the Northern Rong, and she secretly bribed the royal palace guards. The Gaochang nobles were respectful to her on the surface, but in fact they had their own ulterior motives. If the nobles' family soldiers entered the city, how could she shock the princes and nobles?

The palace guards went out to issue the decree, and when they came back they looked embarrassed: "Madam, the people from the Yang, Meng, and Zhang families said that if the assassin is not caught soon, they will be unable to sleep or eat. We must send more people to protect the palace and the mansion to sleep peacefully."

Madam Ina's face turned pale, and she said in a cold voice: "Then let them be more alert at night. Without my order, the family soldiers are not allowed to enter the city!"

The palace guards were sweating and said carefully, "Madam, when the king was sent back, the people in the city saw it. Now the people in the city are in a panic. If this continues, it will not be a good idea."

Madam Ina glanced coldly at the guards around her. If they had been able to kill Haidu Aling last night, there wouldn't have been all these troubles.

The guards dared not say a word.

The palace guards said cautiously, "Madam, the best plan now is to issue an imperial decree in the name of the king and send the family soldiers of the nobles in the city to hunt down Haidu Aling and his lackeys. In this way, Madam can appease the people and prevent the family soldiers from entering the city, and also take the opportunity to weaken the remnants of Hexi and Helong."

Madam Ina pondered for a moment, clasped her hands together and laughed: "Great idea!"

Most of the Gaochang nobles came from the prominent families of Hexi and Helun. They relied on their strong family foundation and often pretended to obey her but secretly disobeyed her. She had long disliked them. They asked to send their own soldiers into the city, which must be to take back the palace. She could not let them do so.

The palace guards were right. Since they used the excuse of protecting the king, she would send all their family soldiers far away!

…

That afternoon, the royal palace issued an edict, ordering the nobles to gather their men and station them in various places to guard against assassins. They also selected those with outstanding martial arts skills from their family soldiers and formed ten teams of five people each, and chased the assassin who was trying to kill the king eastward.

"Mrs. Ina said that if we can't catch the assassin, there's no need to come back!"

The powerful families immediately objected. They wanted to enter the palace to protect the king, not be sent to the desert to eat sand!

"We want to see the king!"

"We are going to the palace to protect the king!"

There was a commotion in front of the palace.

In the palace, Madam Ina sneered: Want to seize power? Let you taste the feeling of lifting a stone and dropping it on your own feet!

Outside the palace, the Yang family residence.

After listening to his subordinates' report, Yang Qian rubbed his hands, turned around and rushed into the corridor, smiling and said, "Princess, you guessed it right. The louder our people shouted, the more suspicious Madam Ina became. She dared not let the soldiers of the families enter the city."

A graceful figure stood in front of the corridor, looking up at the mottled colorful murals on the wall. Upon hearing his words, she turned around and smiled at him. She was wearing a brocade gown with narrow sleeves and a pattern of knotty patterns. Her skin was whiter than snow and her eyes were bright.

Yang Qian was so excited that he took a few steps closer and said in a low voice, "Princess, I have already chosen the candidate. Now Madam Yina wants them to pursue Haidu Aling, so they must set off immediately."

After saying this, he sighed, as if helpless, but a hint of excitement at having succeeded in his conspiracy flashed across his eyes.

Yaoying and he smiled at each other.

She learned from Sultan Gu that Northern Rong scouts were spread all over the Western Regions, that every checkpoint was strictly guarded, and that every tribe was strictly managed.

It is extremely difficult to deliver news to the Central Plains as quickly as possible.

Yang Qian has recruited a lot of people over the years who are willing to risk their lives to deliver letters.

Yao Ying believed in their loyalty, but loyalty and perseverance alone could not break through the blockade of the Northern Rong people. They did not have the written copper tokens that were circulated within the Northern Rong tribe, and they would be hunted down by the Northern Rong cavalry wherever they went.

She and Yang Qian discussed several ways to disguise their identities: businessman, monk, diplomatic envoy.

Finally, Yao Ying had an idea: What identity could be more appropriate than that of Lady Ina's personal soldier?

With Lady Ina's decree, the team could move forward unhindered, at least on the road from Gaochang to Guazhou and Shazhou, no one would check them carefully.

That's why Yao Ying and Wei Chi Damo reported the news to Lady Ina.

It would be best if Lady Ina could set an ambush and kill Haidu Aling, but failure would not be a big deal. They had calculated every possible outcome and thought it was worth the risk.

Now, they received the imperial edict from Lady Ina, obtained the bronze token of the pass, mobilized troops in the name of protecting the king, transferred the secretly trained volunteer army, and deployed personnel in various places in Gaochang - all of this was done under the nose of Lady Ina.

Yang Qian couldn't help but sigh: "With the imperial edict, things will go much more smoothly."

Yao Ying reminded him: "Don't take it lightly. Lady Yina's edict will only be effective for a few months. After passing Shazhou, everything will depend on their tact."

Yang Qian said: "They know this journey is difficult, so they are not afraid."

Yao Ying nodded.

The first team to set out had already been prepared. The royal decree was delivered to Yang's residence, and everyone immediately packed their luggage and prepared to set off.

Yao Ying and Yang Qian saw everyone off.

A dozen young men wearing turbans, swords at their waists, and white cloaks were standing in the corridor. When they heard the footsteps, they looked up, saw Yaoying approaching, and hurriedly saluted her.

Yaoying walked to the front of the stairs, her eyes moving around, her gaze lingering on each person's face for a long time.

They were so young, yet so determined and brave that they went on the journey knowing that they would most likely be beheaded, yet they still did not look back.

Yao Ying looked serious, bowed, and bowed deeply to everyone, then clasped his hands three times and performed a solemn military salute.

Everyone held their breath, and dozens of eyes fell on her with burning gazes.

Yao Ying raised her head and looked at the crowd. "Exploring the tiger's den and entering the dragon's palace, looking up to the sky and exhaling, a white rainbow appears. In the past, Prince Dan saw Jing Qian off by the Yishui River. How tragic and magnificent it was, and it will be remembered forever. Today, I will see you off..."

Everyone looked solemn, with pride flashing in their eyes.

One of the young men clenched his fists and shouted, "Please rest assured, Princess. We will definitely deliver the letter to Liangzhou. We will never turn back until we get there!"

Others followed suit, swearing oaths one after another, and everyone spoke generous words.

Yao Ying thought of the dry bones in the yellow sand and shook her head.

Everyone was stunned.

Yao Ying looked at the crowd, her eyes seemed to have brilliant stars flowing, and she said word by word: "You all put life and death aside, Yao Ying admires you very much. Today I will see you off, without songs, poems, or grand speeches. I only have one request, please be careful to protect yourselves and be cautious in everything. One day, you and I will definitely meet again!"

Her tone was gentle, but every word she spoke was sonorous and resounding.

Each word seemed to weigh as much as a thousand pounds, striking everyone's heart. Everyone was shocked, put away their fearless youthful spirit, and returned the greeting to Yao Ying.

After the ceremony, they raised their heads and saddled their horses.

Yaoying stood at the stairs and watched them leave.

After they had gone a long way, they looked back and found Yaoying still standing there watching them go. They scratched their heads and smiled at each other with a bit of shyness.

"Can we come back alive?"

"Of course."

"Weren't we so impressive just now? Will people sing our stories in the future?"

"I am much more powerful than you. Look how pale you are. Are you scared? Once we are out of the city, just follow me and I will protect you!"

A voice exclaimed: "The princess is so beautiful..."

The others stopped and shouted angrily: "Zhang Jiu, you are really dishonest! What are you thinking about! Did you peek at the princess just now?"

Zhang Jiu quietly defended himself: "I just said that casually..."

The noisy chattering of young men was heard in the wind.

Yang Qian's face flushed red: What a good-for-nothing! They were more serious than his grandfather just now, how come they became so dissolute in the blink of an eye?

Yao Ying stood where she was, shaking her head and laughing, watching the high-spirited figures of the young men disappear in the snow and wind.

I hope they will not be let down this time.