The first cries of war
Ever since the competition, Yunti and Lu Zhuo's reputations have spread throughout the military camp, with people often looking for them to chat or compete with each other. However, the good times did not last long. In the past two days, the enemy troops gathered outside the city again, attempting to launch a second attack. The army needed to draw troops from the camp, so the captain sent a thousand soldiers to strengthen the army, including Lu Zhuo, Yan Sheng and Yunti.
The moon was bright and clear at night, reflecting a full moon on the river. Yunti's wounds had healed. She hadn't washed herself properly before, and now that the scabs had fallen off, she found a quiet night to bathe.
She folded the clothes neatly and placed them on the shore. It was summer now, and the cool river water did not make Yunti feel uncomfortable but refreshed. She enjoyed the rare tranquility and swam in the river like a little fish. The surging water touched her skin. She couldn't help but think how nice it would be if all the suffering people could live such an ordinary and happy life.
Half of Yunti's face was hidden underwater, her eyes slightly dazed and she didn't notice anyone approaching at all.
Lu Zhuo was carrying a wooden bucket as he approached the river. Although it was dark, he could clearly see a figure on the river surface in the moonlight. He thought it must be a brother bathing there, and that was why he had come. So Lu Zhuo walked over and said, "I would like to bathe here. I wonder if I am disturbing you, brother?"
Yunti turned her head when she heard the voice. Suddenly realizing something, she immediately turned her back to the person who came. Yunti secretly complained, "Why would someone come here in the middle of the night? And it has to be Lu Zhuo."
Lu Zhuo was puzzled. The man didn't answer or move. His dazed face and figure seemed familiar, as if... "Is this Brother Li?" Lu Zhuo went into the water and slowly approached.
Yunti felt the water shaking and shouted, "Don't come over!"
Lu Zhuo stood there blankly, as if waiting for his next instruction.
Yunti was in a panic at the moment. He didn't know whether to move or not. What should he do? What should he do?
Lu Zhuo didn't know what he was going to do, so he called out tentatively, "Ziran?"
His shout made Yunti's heart stop. Yunti held it in for a long time and finally said, "Close your eyes."
Lu Zhuo was stunned. What was wrong with Li Ziran? He was just taking a shower. He looked at Li Ziran and suddenly felt that the man in front of him was a little petite, not at all like a man. Li Ziran's black hair was scattered and wrapped around half of his body. Although he couldn't see it, Lu Zhuo always had an inexplicable feeling that the back behind the long hair was very slender. He suddenly thought of something incredible.
Yunti glanced at him secretly, and found that Lu Zhuo's eyes were still open. She subconsciously protected her privacy and swam ashore in a hurry.
Lu Zhuo witnessed Yunti fleeing in panic with clothes in his arms, leaving him alone in the cold water for a long time.
The next day, the sun was shining brightly. Yunti opened the door and saw Lu Zhuo coming back from outside.
"Brother Lu, good morning." She greeted Lu Zhuo without changing her expression, as if nothing had happened last night.
Lu Zhuo wanted to ask, but when he saw that everyone else in the room had already stood up, he forced himself to take back the words on his lips and finally said, "Good morning."
Yan Sheng kicked off his shoes and ran to Lu Zhuo, hugged his neck and said, "You haven't come home all night, where have you been?"
Lu Zhuo was so suddenly hugged that he lost his balance on his feet. He laughed and said, "I wanted to go to the river to take a bath in the middle of the night, but I ran into some trouble. It's nothing, just a delay. I returned home in the daytime."
"I see. Let's pack up, we are going to the new camp today." Yan Sheng said to everyone.
When everyone first arrived at the new camp, they were busy with many things to do and didn't have time to rest until late at night. Everyone was exhausted after a day of training and most of the soldiers in the tents took off their shoes and fell asleep.
Yunti sat on the stone pier outside the tent. It was freezing cold outside late at night, but luckily there was a fire at her feet, which gave her a little warmth. She looked at the bright moon, wondering what her father was doing at the moment...
Inside the main tent, Yun Xiao leaned back in his chair, his forehead in his hand. With the enemy approaching, he dared not rest for a moment. He had already made all the necessary arrangements for today. The enemy had been stationed outside the city for days and could launch an attack as early as tomorrow. No matter what, he would defend this city to the death! As for his own situation, he could forget about it for now...
Seeing Yunti alone, Lu Zhuo found a vacant spot near the fire and sat down. He asked, "Who are you?"
Yunti glanced at him for a long time without saying anything.
"I'm just a Ningchang citizen who wants to follow my father and protect my homeland..."
In fact, Yunti had a lot of things to ask Lu Zhuo, but she was afraid. She was afraid that the person she respected was really like what he said. Now she thought that what the teacher said to her before had a deeper meaning.
In the end, Yunti couldn't bring himself to ask. As for her identity, she wouldn't reveal it, and Lu Zhuo, with his intelligence, could only guess it. In the end, they spent the night in silence, the two of them sitting there watching the dawn break, until a horn sounded and the crowds began to move.
The smoke of war filled the sky. This time, the Qingli Kingdom's crown prince was personally leading the attack on Shuocheng. If Shuocheng fell, Qingli could march straight into Kyoto! Qingli mobilized a hundred thousand troops this time, and with the crown prince in charge, it seemed that victory was inevitable.
Yun Xiao observed the situation from the tower. Qingli's previous attacks had been small-scale incursions, but now they were determined to take Shuocheng in one fell swoop. It seemed they had been waiting for today. However, Shuocheng had a geographical advantage, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Although its military strength was far inferior to Qingli's, it would not let Qingli take advantage!
General Qingli rode his horse and shouted to Yun Xiao, "General Yun! Today, I, Qingli, have dispatched 100,000 troops to encircle and suppress Shuocheng. All the reinforcements from the left and right cities have been cut off. You will surely lose this battle. It would be better for you to surrender and reduce casualties!"
Yun Xiao's sword-like brows relaxed, revealing a relaxed demeanor. He spoke in a deep and powerful voice, "Whether Shuocheng wins or loses, why don't you give it a try!"
Swords were waving, horses were neighing, and wherever the cavalry of both sides stepped, blood flowed like a river!
The vanguard troops bravely advanced, each one fighting ten enemies at a time, leaving a river of blood in front of the main army. The ladder was in the middle of it. She watched her comrades fall down, as well as the enemy soldiers. The land was covered in red, and the soldiers on both sides fought bloodily with bloodshot eyes!
However, the enemy's constant replacement of troops gradually exhausted this powerful vanguard army...
After an hour of fighting, Yun Ladder was a bit tiring. Her movements were obviously much slower, and the enemies in front of her kept coming one after another, and it seemed that they would never be finished.
The sun rose, silver light flashed, and cold rays swept across Yunti's eyes. She waved her sword to avoid them all.
As she turned around, the silver iron blade came straight down towards her. At that moment, Yunti was unable to react due to exhaustion. At the brink of life and death, Lu Zhuo held the spear against the sword in front of her.
Lu Zhuo grabbed Yunti's shoulder with one hand to avoid the enemy's attack. While resisting the enemy's attack, he asked with concern: "Are you okay?"
"It's okay, be careful!" Yunti immediately adjusted his state, and with the long sword in his hand, he killed the enemy who wanted to sneak attack Lu Zhuo.
Seeing that the vanguard troops were injured, Yun Xiao ordered them to retreat first. Seeing the situation, the Qingli army continued to advance. As soon as they entered the ambush circle, Yun Xiao immediately ordered the archers lying in ambush in the mountains to shoot.
The Qingli Army was caught off guard, and most of the soldiers who rushed forward were shot to death by the rain of swords. The ground outside the Shuocheng Gate was suddenly littered with corpses, and the remaining Qingli soldiers stopped and dared not move forward.
Yun Xiao saw the opportunity and commanded the central army to launch an attack, while the vanguard troops retreated all the way to the city gate, and Yunti finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The battle between the two main forces was even more tragic, with horns blaring and drums beating, the war truly began!
The vanguard assisted the reinforcements in transferring the injured soldiers back to the city. Then Yun Xiao pointed his sword to the sky and led the remaining soldiers to rush onto the battlefield again.
The general personally arrived on the battlefield and instantly killed two of the enemy's generals. The Ningchang soldiers were greatly encouraged and excited. The two armies clashed on the battlefield, fighting back and forth in a fierce battle. The roars and screams of the soldiers could be heard constantly amid the flashing swords and shadows. Ultimately, under Yun Xiao's leadership, the Qingli army was defeated.
Seeing that the situation was not good, General Qingli immediately reported to the crown prince: "Your Highness, the enemy is constantly transferring troops from the city, and our army's morale is currently low. We may suffer heavy casualties if we fight again. Why not retreat first and look for an opportunity to fight again?" General Qingli looked at the man in the black chariot nervously.
Speaking of the Crown Prince Qingli, he had a youthful face and a frail figure. Judging by his appearance, one wouldn't imagine him to be as cold and heartless as the rumors said. Instead, he looked more like a frail young man living in seclusion. The man on the high seat was dressed in dark clothes. Although his face was young, he held an unfathomable mystery. He simply smiled and said calmly, "Then let's retreat."
General Qingli received the order and immediately ordered the army to retreat. He galloped on his horse not only to command the front line but also to quickly escape from the crown prince. For some reason, there was always a strange aura around the crown prince, which made people feel scared...
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