Chapter 259 Ambush 2
"Let's die together! I won't leave you! And I hope that if I'm gone one day, you can live well!" Zhao Xiaofei said.
Li Sihong shook her head. She knew full well what happened to women who were captured. She couldn't stand that kind of humiliation, and neither could the palace. She was the first concubine of a prince of a different surname in the Ming Dynasty, and she couldn't let Zhao Xiaofei suffer that kind of humiliation.
So she had no choice but to die, the only way out was death.
Zhao Xiaofei sighed and said, "I thought this expedition would go smoothly, so I gave the jade pendant to the princess. Without it, I'll have no magical powers." Then he smiled and said, "My dear! I'm sorry to have implicated you this time. If we both die this time, I'll be your wife in the next life. I'll serve you and bear you children. What do you say?"
Li Sihong was moved to tears when she heard this. But she didn't want Zhao Xiaofei to die. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, she wanted Zhao Xiaofei to live, even if it meant sacrificing her own life for his.
The second wave of attack came very quickly. As soon as the wall of corpses was set up, we saw a black mass of enemies rushing towards us not far away.
Gu Mancang shouted to the other officers: "Get ready! After the first platoon fires, immediately throw grenades. The second platoon fires, the third platoon throws grenades. The fourth platoon fires, the fifth platoon fires, and the fifth platoon throws grenades. Do you understand?"
“Understood!” everyone answered in unison.
As the cavalry drew closer, the musketeers began to take aim. A spotter shouted, "Five hundred paces! Three hundred paces! Two hundred paces! One hundred paces!"
Gu Mancang shouted loudly: "Release!"
Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang! Row after row of cavalrymen fell. After firing their muskets, the Kenan Army began throwing grenades. Men and horses were blown everywhere, limbs and arms broken, and human and horse limbs were blown everywhere. Some people did not survive, lying on the ground wailing. Then they were trampled to death by their companions on horseback behind them.
Several rounds of volleys and the roar of grenades made this attack retreat faster than the last one!
After counting the number of people again, there were only 1,100 guards left. Gu Mancang walked over and said to Zhao Xiaofei, "Your Highness, if this continues, we will be unable to bear it sooner or later. I can't guarantee that the soldiers will not collapse! Please, Your Highness and Concubine, please turn back!"
Zhao Xiaofei knew that his own side had suffered heavy losses, and the other side wasn't much better off either. Everyone was waiting for the other side to make the first mistake.
So Zhao Xiaofei said, "No! We'll lose if we move! They must have an ambush! They must have set up an ambush in the direction of our escape. Do you think they can withstand the rest of our troops? We still have a chance now! Wanshan and the others will find us!"
What a pity! Zhao Xiaofei guessed wrong again. Zhou Shuai and Wanshan were unlikely to come to the rescue. Wanshan and his men chased in the direction Zhao Xiaofei had fled. On this road, they had to pass through a gourd-shaped valley.
The locals call this place Fish Mouth Valley, and the terrain isn't particularly steep. The mountains on either side aren't particularly high either! The 5,000-man search team was halfway there when they heard a rumbling sound. After several loud bangs, rocks from the mountains on either side began to roll downhill, splitting the road in two, making it impossible to see the front and the back.
Wanshan could tell this was the power of TNT. Black powder didn't have that much power. Wanshan cursed inwardly: Damn it! It seems there's a traitor in the logistics department too!
Huge rocks crushed and killed many men and horses. One Kenan cavalryman was pinned beneath a large rock. Perhaps the rock's sharp edge broke him in half. The soldier didn't die immediately, but instead screamed to another soldier who wanted to save him, "Brother! Give me a quick death! It hurts! Ah!"
Another soldier said to the soldier who wanted to save him, "Don't let him suffer. He can't be saved if his lower body is gone!"
The soldier who was trying to save the man was helpless and shouted with tears in his eyes: "Brother! Have a safe journey!" Then he drew his sword and swung it down, and the man died.
Wan Shan called the messenger and said, "Split the troops into two groups. One group will take a detour! Clear the road as you go!"
"Yes!" The messenger agreed and went down.
Take a detour? That's a long way to go. I hope the boss is safe! Wanshan thought as he directed the soldiers to clean up.
At this moment, Zhao Xiaofei was facing the greatest crisis of his time traveling. Only 500 combat-capable soldiers remained, and the wall of corpses around him grew taller and taller, gradually forming a circular fortification. Everyone, including Zhao Xiaofei and Li Sihong, opened fire.
Li Sihong seemed to have the potential to be a sniper, and her rifle was becoming more and more accurate. She could hit eight out of ten shots, while Zhao Xiaofei could only hit four or five.
The enemy forces were dwindling in number, but their attacks were becoming increasingly frenzied. While the firearms they held weren't as powerful as the Ming army's, they were still far superior to the Ming army's muskets. They also had grenades, just as powerful as the Kenan army's. However, they didn't have many, and they were quickly used up.
Zhao Xiaofei also cursed: "There is a traitor in the logistics department! How dare they use this idea on the Jiannu! If they had done this earlier, what would the Jianlu be able to do?"
"It's useless to say this now, husband! You go alone! We will block it for you!" said Li Sihong.
"Your Highness! I think today's event is over. If Your Highness can go back, please take care of my two concubines. They are both pregnant!" said Gu Mancang.
"Would I abandon my woman and my men to live alone? We'll die together! My wife! We can definitely survive. The child still needs his mother to take care of him!" Zhao Xiaofei said. In fact, Zhao Xiaofei was very scared. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. But he didn't know why these words came out. Maybe he had watched too many movies and TV shows and his brain was washed.
"Your Highness! They had more people and horses just now, but now there are not many left. There is still a chance to break out!" said Gu Mancang.
Li Sihong would never give up if there was a chance for her to escape alive with Zhao Xiaofei. She had no friendship with Gu Mancang, so at most she would treat his wives and concubines well.
But Zhao Xiaofei was too embarrassed to say it out loud, and he didn't want to give up.
Seeing Zhao Xiaofei's hesitation, Li Sihong said, "Brother Gu! Don't worry, if the prince can escape, I will take good care of your family!" Li Sihong turned around and grabbed Zhao Xiaofei and said, "Prince! Let's go! Think about our son Guangzong and Wenxian! Sister Kou is about to give birth, and we don't know whether it's a boy or a girl. We have to see them!"
Wanshan finally reached the battlefield after much effort. Unfortunately, aside from the circular fortifications made of corpses, the bodies of the fallen soldiers were scattered everywhere. While clearing the bodies, he discovered Gu Mancang was still alive and was quickly carried away. Wanshan decided to inquire about Zhao Xiaofei's whereabouts.
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