Chapter 333 I Want to Be Closer to Her
The King of Beihai integrated the former Liaodong Army and the Beihai Prefecture Army, totaling more than 30,000 people, fully armed and carrying countless explosives, and marched straight to Liaodong Pass.
When Xu Zhong got the news, his face turned pale.
Xiao Nanchen is leading a large force in the front, fighting against the Tatars and the Oirat. As soon as they have time, he will definitely be the next target.
The reinforcements that the second prince had mentioned had not arrived yet, but his retreat was blocked by the Liaodong Army led by the King of Beihai.
Xu Zhong certainly knew that he was in a bad situation, but he did not panic. He quickly calmed down and began to make plans.
Now, he has two choices. One is to directly attack Prince Ding Xiao Nanchen and join forces with the Tatars and Wala to defeat Prince Ding. Once Prince Ding is defeated, he will have no worries.
However, Xu Zhong subconsciously did not want to do so.
He didn't want to be a traitor who brought disaster to the country, he just wanted to get enough bargaining chips to get his Ranran back... Prince Ding was now protecting the people of Daxuan and fighting a bloody battle with the Tatars and Wala. He was stabbing Prince Ding in the back at this time, and even he himself looked down on himself.
The second method is to take advantage of the fact that King Ding is unable to take action, and to send a large number of troops to face King Beihai, and defeat King Beihai as quickly as possible, so that there will be no more threats behind him.
But the problem is that if he turns around to attack the King of Beihai, and the King of Ding suddenly turns around to attack him, then his Xu family army will definitely be doomed.
The only two options both had drawbacks, and in the end, Xu Zhong chose to turn around and attack the King of Beihai...
One is the Queen of Beihai, a woman. What can she do even if she has tens of thousands of soldiers?
Another thing is that he only wants to accumulate troops for his own benefit and does not really want to bring disaster to the country... Therefore, attacking the King of Beihai is the best choice.
But just when Xu Zhong was about to lead his troops out of Liaodong Pass and prepare to crush Beihai Prefecture with a large force, he did not expect that the King of Beihai would arrive even faster than him.
What was even more unexpected was that the King of Beihai was so arrogant that he dared to show up at the gate of Liaodong City where he was entrenched with only a few hundred cavalrymen.
Chen Ning was wearing a dark red riding uniform, with her long hair tied high on her head. If she hadn't lost weight these days and looked too thin, she would have looked a bit like a female general.
Next to him, Shuchi Yan, holding a scimitar, said with a smile: "Sister, why bother to make peace with him? Hand over those tens of thousands of Liaodong troops to me, and I will conquer Liaodong for you and take Xu Zhong's head!"
Shen Ning shook her head: "Our enemies are not them."
The Yuan army is approaching, and the Japanese pirates at sea are sneaking towards Liaodong. If the army of Daxuan fights each other to the death and suffers heavy losses, the ones who will benefit in the end are the Yuan Dynasty barbarians and those Japanese pirates.
Chen Ning was the King of Beihai, so Xu Zhong knew the rules. He personally climbed the city gate and sneered, "The King of Beihai has come to visit. I wonder what advice you have for me?"
Shen Ning took out a folded piece of paper, then pulled out an arrow, his movements neither hurried nor slow.
Beside him, Shuchi Yan raised his voice and said, "Someone asked my sister to bring something to General Xu. If General Xu wants it, he can come to the appointment himself."
Xu Zhong sneered.
He went to the appointment by himself?
Does the King of the North Sea take him for a fool?
At this moment, with a whoosh, the arrow hit the pillar next to it.
Shuchi Yan's eyes curved as he clapped his hands and praised: "Sister, you have great archery skills."
The young man took advantage of the opportunity and said, "When Sister comes to the Wulan tribe someday, I will take her to the grassland to hunt foxes... Sister is such a skilled archer, I'm sure she can help me get a fox fur coat. I like red ones."
Shen Ning glanced at him: "That's quite a lot of requirements."
Shuchi Yan curled his lips: "When I succeeded the Mongolian Khan, I wore..."
He had seen Shen Ning drawing the bow before, but the arrow was pointing at an empty place. Xu Zhong ignored it and wanted to see what tricks the King of Beihai was up to.
But when he took the letter handed to him by his subordinates, opened it and saw the jade pendant pattern printed on it, Xu Zhong's face lost all color in an instant.
He almost lost his composure and lunged forward to the edge of the city wall, shouting at Chen Ning, "Where did you get this thing from?"
Shuchi Yan turned around and said nonchalantly, "If you want to know, I'll be waiting for General Xu at Dingfengtai, thirty miles outside Liaodong City, in half an hour."
The young man smiled wickedly and said, "Remember, General Xu came alone. Otherwise, we will leave."
Xu Zhong said almost without hesitation: "It's a deal."
Shen Ning pulled the reins and turned around. The group left Liaodong City and headed towards Dingfengtai. Shuchi Yan was a little skeptical: "Will Xu Zhong come? Isn't he afraid that we will kill him?"
Shen Ning shook her head: "I'm not sure either."
In fact, she felt that Xu Zhong would come.
He was born into a noble family and held a high position in the government, but he risked his life to stay with that one person and never married... Regardless of other things, he probably valued Concubine Xu more than his own life.
Judging from Xu Zhong's reaction just now, this jade pendant must have some other meaning. If it was just a token of love or something, he wouldn't have lost his composure like that.
Beside him, Shuchi Yan tsked: "I think he will come."
Shen Ning laughed: "Really?"
Then the young man nodded seriously: "If someone tricks me into going there with my sister's token someday, I will go too."
He spoke each word with great emphasis: "Even if I'm deceived and die, I will never let my sister be disappointed when she needs me..."
Facing the boy's focused and passionate eyes, Chen Ning sighed: "Go to the grassland and find a good girl, Shuchi Yan, I only have Xiao Nanchen in my heart."
The boy's face immediately fell, he snorted coldly and looked away: "If you don't like me, leave me alone."
Shen Ning: ...
In less than half an hour, Xu Zhong arrived. Although he was fully armed, he was riding alone.
The action of dismounting was accompanied by the sound of armor colliding. Although he was already middle-aged, this general still exuded an imposing aura.
"If the King of Beihai intends to kill me and destroy the Xu family army, I advise you to think twice. This is not a good idea."
Xu Zhong took off his helmet, revealing his weather-beaten face. His eyes were deep and sharp, with a cold and intimidating light.
Shen Ning shook her head: "General Xu misunderstood, I didn't intend to use force today."
"Yeah?"
"General Xu, please take a seat."
Xu Zhong glanced at Shen Ning, walked over and sat opposite her, and spoke first: "Where did you get that piece of paper?"
Shen Ning thought for a moment and asked him, "How about General Xu tell me first what the rubbing on the paper is?"
Xu Zhong's face was icy cold. "It has nothing to do with you. Your Highness, please tell me as soon as possible. I have a quick temper. If I lose control, I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt Your Highness."
Shuchi Yan curled his lips and grinned: "Just try and see if you miss one."
Xu Zhong raised his eyes coldly.
Shen Ning was silent for a moment, then took out the jade pendant and gently placed it on the table... With just this one action, Xu Zhong opposite him suddenly froze, as if he had been hit hard and lost his mind in an instant.
He raised his hand, but it was shaking so violently that he didn't even dare to pick up the jade pendant on the stone table.
"Who, who gave it to you, who..."
Xu Zhong's voice suddenly became hoarse: "Who gave it to you? This is not, this... No, it won't be, it's impossible..."
At this moment, Shen Ning guessed something.
After a moment's hesitation, she spoke slowly, "It was given to the Fourth Princess by Concubine Xu, who asked her to send it to General Xu. It just so happened that I was going to Liaodong, so I brought it here."
Xu Zhong finally grabbed the jade pendant. In an instant, he curled up and twitched, letting out a beast-like roar from his throat: "Ran Ran..."
"Ranran..."
Xu Zhong looked a little scary. Shu Chiyan raised his hand and pulled Shen Ning away to protect her behind him. He drew his scimitar and frowned at Xu Zhong: "What are you crazy about?"
Shen Ning pulled him and signaled him to shut up.
Shuchi Yan curled his lips and stopped talking.
After a long while, Xu Zhong finally managed to calm down. When he looked up again, Shen Ning was horrified to find that his eyeballs were bloodshot... There was a patch of red blood around his black eyeballs.
"Who killed her?"
Xu Zhong spoke in a hoarse voice, emphasizing each word.
Shen Ning shook her head and said, "Before I left Beijing, Concubine Xu was still fine..."
Seeing Xu Zhong about to go berserk, she immediately continued, "But the Fourth Princess believes that that isn't the real Concubine Xu."
Xu Zhong closed his eyes and took a deep breath, tears rolling down his cheeks. After a long moment, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "This is a token of our promise to spend the next life together. It's known only to the two of us."
Shen Ning fell silent.
After Xu Zhong calmed down for a while, Shen Ning spoke again: "General Xu, I express my condolences."
She said: "The Second Prince wants to use Concubine Xu to control General Xu. Concubine Xu does not want the general to be controlled by others. Please think twice.
Now the Second Prince is colluding with the Yuan army and the Japanese pirates, and is about to encroach on the Liaodong region, with the goal of besieging Prince Ding... General Xu, a loyal and brave warrior throughout his life, is he now going to become the eternal sinner who aids the tyrant and wreaks havoc on the world?"
Just then, someone approached.
"Your Highness, spies have reported that the Yuan army has been dispatched, and secret patrols at sea have discovered the Japanese fleet, a hundred miles from Liaodongwei..."
Shen Ning took a deep breath: "I know."
She looked at Xu Zhong quietly: "General Xu, I'm leaving."
Shen Ning stood up. Xu Zhong, who had been holding the jade pendant tightly and keeping silent, suddenly raised his head and said, "I'll take the jade pendant."
Shen Ning nodded: "Of course."
Xu Zhong said again: "Your Highness, please open a path for the Xu family army... I will deal with the Japanese pirates and the Yuan army."
The stone in Shen Ning's heart finally fell to the ground, and she said solemnly: "All the people in Liaodong will remember the general's kindness."
Shuchi Yan frowned: "Sister, do you trust him so much? If he..."
Shen Ning raised her hand to stop him from talking. Shuchi Yan reluctantly shut up. Across from him, Xu Zhong had already stood up.
He walked a few steps to the horse, jumped on it, and rode away without looking back...
Shuchi Yan couldn't help but speak up: "Sister, do you really believe that he will betray us and go to fight against the Yuan army? Isn't he afraid that he won't be able to explain himself to the Second Prince?"
Shen Ning retracted her gaze and whispered, "He no longer intends to explain to anyone."
Facts have proved that Shen Ning is right.
The next day, Xu Zhong led the Xu family army out of Liaodong City, leaving the gates of Liaodong City wide open to Chen Ning, and he led 70,000 Xu family soldiers across Beihai Prefecture and headed straight for the Yuan Dynasty.
As they crossed paths, Xu Zhong said, "After this battle, I will make it difficult for the Yuan Dynasty to recover for fifty years... If I can do that, could Your Highness please collect some of my remains and bury them in the capital?"
The tall, burly middle-aged general was already weathered, but he still showed the rebellious spirit of his youth. He smiled and said, "I want to be closer to her."
Shen Ning didn't say anything extra, just nodded and said seriously: "Okay."
In the afternoon, the Xu family army clashed with the Yuan army...
The Japanese pirates from the sea arrived soon after.
As expected, someone from Liaodong Guard would meet them, welcome them ashore, and then attack Prince Ding's army from behind.
In fact, there were people from Liaodong Guard who came to support them.
The right protector of Tianxin Sect followed the agreed-upon commands and commanded the Japanese warships to line up and enter the port with a smile on his face... Strange protest cries continued to be heard from the Japanese fleet.
At this moment, countless small balls with hissing smoke lined up along the harbor, crossed the sky in an orderly manner... and landed in the Japanese pirate fleet.
The Japanese pirate fleet lined up to enter the port, which made it convenient for the Liaodong Army on the shore to line up and throw out thunder bombs accurately at the same time.
The entire sea seemed to burst into flames in an instant, accompanied by wailing screams and curses at the top of their lungs, accusing the Tianxin Sect of betrayal and the Second Prince of scheming and deceiving their Kingdom of the Rising Sun...
The Japanese fleet behind, which had not yet entered the port, turned around and tried to escape, but the warships docked at the port and ready for it immediately caught up with them.
Chen Ning's goal is also very simple: to achieve success in one go.
This battle is to completely destroy the military power of that tiny country... so that they will no longer have the time and the strength to covet other people's things!
For most of the day, the sea near Liaodongwei was filled with the sound of explosions. Shen Ning had been doing this since he first arrived in Beihai Prefecture. To date, almost all of his accumulated wealth had been spent.
But it didn't matter, she knew she had done it.
The Japanese pirate fleet was completely annihilated, and the Liaodong army that pursued them was almost on the verge of catching them back home...
On the sea, amidst the broken ships and the lingering flames, the Japanese pirates who jumped into the sea desperately called for help but could only drift on the endless sea.
At the same time, on the vast grassland, the smoke of gunpowder had not yet dissipated.
Prince Mu Huali of Yuan Dynasty came with great momentum, but what was waiting for him was not the back of Prince Ding, who was exhausted after fighting for many days and was attacked from both sides, but the powerful Xu family army who was ready to go.
Mu Huali had no idea why the things he had initially planned to investigate would suddenly change drastically: was the Xu family army supposed to rebel? Was Prince Ding supposed to be attacked from all sides?
"Dog Da Xuan plays me!"
However, it was too late.
As autumn was approaching, Mu Huali took away almost everything the Yuan Dynasty could offer... But he returned in defeat, and did not bring back the gold, silver, and other valuables and news of victory that had been promised before departure.
Instead, they threw the bodies of tens of thousands of soldiers into the vast wilderness.
Xu Jiajun cheered excitedly...
No one wants to be a traitor if they can be a hero defending their country. But now, they have defeated the Yuan army and are heroes of the Daxuan Dynasty!
But at this moment, the deputy general suddenly opened his eyes wide.
He ran towards that place with bloodshot eyes, but it was too late.
Dusk was setting in the west, the setting sun was blood-red, and Xu Zhong, the commander-in-chief of the Xu family army, stood on a high slope, facing the direction of the capital.
His body was covered in blood from the enemies he had killed, and there was a scar on his cheek from an arrow. This general, who had just led the Xu family army to defeat the Yuan army and left them tumbling and crawling, without any warning or hesitation, raised his sword and committed suicide...
He fell to the ground with a loud bang, his neck felt warm, and Xu Zhong held the jade pendant tightly in his hand.
He saw, at the end of the wasteland, a pretty woman in a gorgeous dress running towards him with her skirt in hand.
"Second brother, second brother..."
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