A way out
The great victory at Shuocheng had the soldiers cheering, but Yun Xiao, riding his horse, was filled with worry. General Qingli was right; Ningchang's chances of victory in this war were indeed slim. For years, Ningchang's defenses had been lax, with only his own army training as usual. A shortage of troops was one problem, and the low quality of the troops was another. In fact, Shuocheng currently only had 50,000 troops...
At night, Lu Zhuo applied medicine to himself by the light of a fire. He exposed half of his chest, and there were many wounds of varying depths visible. He used one hand to apply the ointment on the back of his shoulder, but he couldn't reach the wound after several attempts.
Suddenly, a hand snatched his ointment. Yunti took some and smeared it on Lu Zhuo's wound. A cool touch spread across his back, and the wound that had been burning unbearably suddenly felt cool and gentle. Yunti applied the ointment and bandaged it for him. "Thank you for today."
"What." Lu Zhuo pretended not to understand what she was saying.
Yunti glanced at him sideways. "If it weren't for you on the battlefield today, I might have died. I know you've been protecting me the whole time. Thank you."
Lu Zhuo opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Normally, he was not good at speaking and was serious. He treated everyone equally, but for some reason, on the battlefield, he was so worried about Yunti and didn't want to put her in danger.
…
Outside the main tent, Yun Xiao instructed his men to deploy the straw figures they had prepared earlier. In the darkness of the night, these "dummies" would conceal any enemy forces attempting to scout out their strength. He then passed by tent after tent, where wounded soldiers sat bandaging their wounds by the fire. Yun Xiao sighed and called his men to assemble.
Yunti and Lu Zhuo heard the order and rushed over. Yun Xiao said, "I have a difficult task for you tonight. I need 500 warriors to attack the enemy camp at night! You just need to attract the enemy's attention and delay them as much as possible. After the task is completed, I will send someone to pick you up. But please know that this raid is a one-way trip. If anyone is unwilling, I will not say anything. If you are ready, please step forward at any time!"
Almost at the moment when Yun Xiao's voice fell, Yunti stood out, and Lu Zhuo took the lead and followed Yunti out. Then many soldiers rushed forward with an appearance of being ready to die.
Yun Xiao's eyes were filled with tears. He held a soldier's shoulder and said passionately, "It is Ningchang's honor to have such brave and powerful soldiers like you!"
Hearing her father say this, Yunti couldn't bear to shed a tear. She raised her hand to wipe it away, and Yun Xiao happened to see it. Yun Xiao felt even more sad when he saw this.
Five hundred soldiers assembled in just a few seconds, and at Yun Xiao's command, they set off!
At midnight, the assault force advanced cautiously. They split into three groups, forming a semi-encirclement in front of the enemy camp and laying numerous fire mines. After the three groups reunited, the leader fired a signal into the sky. Instantly, with a "bang!" the fire mines exploded, sending thick smoke billowing into the air. The nearest strongholds were the first to be blasted to the ground.
The Qingli camp was suddenly in chaos, and the sentry hurriedly reported to the main tent.
This team of 500 people no longer hid their tracks. Taking advantage of the chaos in Qingli's camp, they drew their swords and fought with the enemy.
"Report! Report! Report!" The sentry shouted loudly and rushed all the way to the main tent. General Qingli rushed over immediately after hearing the noise, but the crown prince just sat on the bed with his legs crossed, without a trace of panic.
"Speak." He spoke slowly.
The sentry reported, "Your Highness, the Ningchang army attacked our camp at night and blew up several strongholds in front of the army!"
General Qingli, who was standing nearby, then asked, "Can you see how many enemy troops are attacking?"
The sentry replied hesitantly, "It was dark and covered with smoke, so I couldn't see it clearly."
General Qingli sighed, waved his hand and said, "You can go down."
"Yes!" The sentry took the order and retreated.
General Qingli turned to the crown prince and said, "Your Highness, please immediately dispatch the army to the front to fight."
The prince sitting on the couch didn't seem to care about the losses of the Qingli Army. He said ruthlessly, "Mobilize all the troops and leave no one alive!"
Such a cold tone frightened General Qingli. Although he felt it was inappropriate, he dared not say anything and could only do as His Highness ordered.
Relying on the advantage of smoke, the assault team killed many enemy troops, but soon the enemy's reinforcements arrived. They were of course no match for them, but General Yun's order was to delay as much as possible, so they rode their horses to lead Qingli's army away from the camp.
The Qingli Army chased the enemy all the way and finally forced them to have no way to escape. When General Qingli saw the enemy clearly, he found that it was just a team of only a few hundred people!
General Qingli was horrified, realizing he'd fallen for a decoy. He immediately looked toward the main camp, and sure enough, the entire compound was ablaze, with smoke billowing into the air! He turned his horse and was about to return when he suddenly remembered His Highness's words. He had left behind two thousand soldiers and ordered them to annihilate the hundred or so enemy troops at all costs, then led the remaining troops back to the main camp.
Yun Xiao watched the flames erupt from the enemy camp, thinking his plan had finally come to fruition. He had first sent five hundred soldiers as a decoy, then ordered the burning of the enemy's food and fodder stores. Without food, the soldiers would have no strength to fight, and this would undoubtedly intensify internal conflict within the Qingli Army.
The next step was to meet the 500 soldiers who had been sent out. Yun Xiao ordered his deputy general to lead the troops and prepare to set off. Unexpectedly, a soldier came to report: "General Yun, a Yun family guard wants to see you."
Yun Xiao frowned. Why would a guard from the Yun Mansion ask to see him at this time? Could something have happened to Ti'er?
"Tell me quickly, what happened?" Yun Xiao asked immediately when he saw the people from the Yun Mansion.
"General, the young lady disappeared on the way to Yecheng." said the guard.
"What!" Yun Xiao's eyes widened. Gone? How could she be gone? He suddenly remembered the young soldier who had stood up first tonight. That soldier had secretly wiped away tears. No wonder he felt that figure was familiar at that time. Could it be that the little girl had come to the barracks? Then she was...
Yun Xiao thought of something and quickly jumped on his horse. He personally led the selected troops to meet them! As the horse galloped along, Yun Xiao just wanted to go faster! Faster!
This team of 500 people has been fighting with the Qingli Army for a long time. Each of them has tried their best. Even though they know that they may be buried here, they still risk their lives to kill more enemy soldiers.
Yunti's helmet had long been knocked off, her hair fluttering in the wind, her face stained with dust and blood. Many times she felt she couldn't hold on any longer, but a voice in her heart whispered, "I think I can hold on a little longer."
It wasn't just Yunti who felt tired. Lu Zhuo also participated in this operation. Faced with such a huge gap in troop strength, even if he had all his supernatural powers, he would find it difficult to resist.
A few minutes passed, and this small world was littered with corpses. Only a few dozen men remained on Ningchang's side, while the Qingli army still had nearly a thousand men. Yunti and Lu Zhuo were gradually surrounded, surrounded by Qingli soldiers, who surrounded them layer upon layer. Even if Yunti and his men wanted to break out, they had no way to do so. They huddled together, awaiting the final counterattack.
Seeing this, Yunti knew they couldn't escape. She said to Lu Zhuo, "It looks like we're going to die here..."
Lu Zhuo smiled at Yunti and said, "Are you scared?"
Yunti snorted and said, "Don't be afraid."
Everyone was ready to fight for their lives, but suddenly, Yunti raised his sword and shouted at the enemy, "I'd rather die than be captured!"
The remaining dozens of men, as if summoned, clenched their swords and charged towards the enemy. Killing a few more enemies before their death would be worth it! In short, in this life, I will live up to Shuocheng! I will live up to Ningchang!
“Charge!”
Yunti swiftly picked up a longsword from the ground. With a leap, she grasped the double-edged sword and was the first to slay the two closest soldiers. Lu Zhuo no longer concealed his true intentions, unleashing all his lifelong training. He imbued his weapon with spiritual energy, its powerful force shaped into a spear, striking down every enemy it passed through. The others roared and fought with all their might, hoping to take a few more of the enemy with them before their death. Within a short moment, the dim world was awash with spiritual energy, awash with blood.
I don't know how much time passed, but most of the dozens of tough guys died, and only Yunti, Lu Zhuo and a few scattered soldiers were left alive.
It seemed she was really going to die here this time. Yunti used her sword to support her upper body. Tears welled up in her eyes, and each tear mixed with blood fell on the loess. To be honest, she was really unwilling to accept this! She hadn't said goodbye to her father and mother properly, nor had she witnessed Ningchang's great victory with her own eyes...
Seeing Yunti like this, Lu Zhuo simply supported her shoulders and said, "Don't be afraid, I'll accompany you."
Yunti's eyes were blurred with tears and he could hardly see the outline of the man in front of him, but what he said made him feel so reassured. Perhaps he was not alone before his death.
Several people knew there was no chance of recovery. They were exhausted and dying. When the Qingli Army rushed over with swords in hand, everyone slowly closed their eyes...
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