His voice was clear and melodious like jade pearls striking a plate. Behind Lian Yu, all the soldiers were shocked, whispering among themselves. Though they had determination to fight to the death, reinforcements were their motivation to hold on—
Lian Yu’s body swayed slightly, then steadied. Lian Jie and others’ faces changed dramatically. Murong Ding immediately shouted back: “Everyone hold steady! The enemy is trying to disturb our morale! Reinforcements will arrive soon – we must hold our position!”
“We received two emergency eight-hundred-li reports in succession – first that your army was ambushed, then that Liu’s army rebelled. Are you deceiving your own soldiers like this?” Li Zhaoting asked with a smile.
“Traitor spouting nonsense!” Murong Ding was furious and led his troops to charge. Quan and Li, having achieved their purpose, wheeled their horses around. Chao Huang laughed coldly and led troops to meet them.
Under the blazing sun, war clouds suddenly gathered. Wind passed through the treetops as horns wailed.
This battle was more intense than any previous engagement.
Charging, stabbing, killing – constantly people were pierced by spears, lifted up, and thrown down.
Constantly people advanced forward, constantly people fell.
Some sought to achieve fame and merit, others fought desperately to survive – everyone was going all out!
Blood stained armor – one general’s success built on ten thousand bones.
Regardless of which side, they were all pawns that had crossed the river. Usually unable to control their fate, the only place they could control themselves was on this cruel battlefield like the Hall of Hell!
For Murong army soldiers, as Lian Yu had declared, this was a moment of life and death, a battle to defend dignity. They fought more courageously as the battle progressed. But they had only sixty thousand plus brave soldiers left. An hour later, facing Chao’s army that nearly doubled their numbers, somewhat shaken by the opponent’s claims that reinforcements wouldn’t arrive, casualties began increasing drastically.
At Quan Feitong’s signal, several fierce generals under Chao Huang attacked Murong Ding relentlessly. Murong Ding gradually couldn’t hold on, roaring covered in blood, in extreme danger.
Chao’s army surged like water. A soldier’s fresh blood splattered toward Xiao’an, who hadn’t retreated. Lian Yu’s eyes darkened as he raised his sleeve to block it, then ordered: “Xuanwu, protect the Empress Dowager and withdraw! Qinglong, you and Jialu go save General Murong.”
Jialu was the dark-skinned attendant.
“Yu’er—” Xiao’an cried in alarm, but saw he had already pulled the reins. The thin horse reared and neighed, then charged forward to fight alongside Murong’s army. Lian Jie and Lian Qin immediately joined the battle without a word.
“Excellent!” Chao Huang’s eyes laughed with extreme viciousness. With a sideways glance, soldiers from his right wing immediately shot toward Lian Yu like dense arrows!
Quan Feitong and others had withdrawn to high ground behind, squinting as they watched, wanting Chao Huang to capture him alive and write a surrender document for greater legitimacy. Then thinking that Lian Yu was cunning and the opportunity to kill or capture was fleeting, he gave no orders.
Let him be killed today then, he thought indifferently. Li Huaisu, you can’t blame me – if I fell into his hands, it would be the same fate.
Lian Jie and others were greatly alarmed. Lian Yu had been planning battle strategy for days under mountain-like pressure. Suzhen’s situation made his nerves extremely taut, like a bowstring stretched to its limit. He had been running a high fever for three days – at this moment, though he struck down several enemy soldiers with effort, he was also pierced in the abdomen by a spear. He swayed on his horse, then pressed his feet firmly into the stirrups and straightened up.
The Lian brothers quickly spurred their horses toward him.
The thin horse was extraordinarily brave and agile, carrying him leaping and dodging, but there were too many soldiers attacking him. Though the Murong soldiers around him desperately protected their lord, they were cut down in bloody pieces, falling one by one. Seeing only one young soldier left in front of him, covered in blood, as enemy spears thrust forward, Lian Yu pressed his lips together, bent down to scoop the boy up, but having exhausted his strength, though he got the child onto his horse, he himself fell off.
Xuanwu had just handed Xiao’an to Hong Gu who had rushed up from behind, while Qinglong and the dark attendant, under cover of several Murong soldiers, were rescuing the severely wounded Murong Ding. With disheveled hair, Murong Ding shouted: “Don’t worry about me – quickly go… save His Majesty.”
However, they and even the Lian brothers were all very far away. Seeing Lian Yu unconscious and about to hit the ground as over ten weapons stabbed down simultaneously, they could only watch helplessly. Several people cried out in alarm, but at this moment, a gray shadow leaped through the air. The newcomer’s head and face were wrapped, making it impossible to see clearly, but his skills were extraordinarily formidable. With just one palm strike, all nearby weapons shattered completely, and the attacking soldiers were thrown back. Seeing dozens more attackers approaching, he caught Lian Yu, spun and leaped onto the thin horse. The horse was also fierce – though it had been cut several times in the chaos, even carrying three people, it could still run like the wind.
“What a master! The palace truly has many capable people!” Quan and Li’s expressions changed. Quan Feitong smiled coldly: “But no matter how formidable a master is, can he match a thousand troops and ten thousand horses?!”
In the distance, Xiao’an gritted her teeth and shouted sternly: “Protect His Majesty – retreat!”
Murong Ding and the generals also called out with full force: “Retreat!”
The scattered Murong army began converging, rushing toward their emperor. Quan Feitong then ordered: “Chao Huang, pursue! Today we must intercept and kill Lian Yu and Murong’s army here!”
“Yes!” Chao Huang accepted the order, his laughter wild. His bloodlust had long been aroused, and now his killing intent erupted. At his command, he led troops charging straight ahead.
Qiu Jing said: “Little brother, let’s go too!”
“Naturally. Success lies in this moment!” Quan Feitong nodded, spurred his horse, and under his bodyguards’ protection, galloped down the mountain.
Li Zhaoting immediately followed.
Amid roaring, screaming, howling, pursuing and killing, Murong’s army protected Lian Yu as they rushed into a dense forest ahead.
Immediately, a volley of arrows shot out!
Murong army archers had been lying in ambush here.
However, surveying the terrain for li around both armies’ positions, Quan and Chao had long prepared for possible ambushes here. Quan Feitong had also long scouted where the army’s supplies were located. Like them, Murong’s army’s weapons and provisions coming from outside the capital weren’t abundant.
Unlike before, this time he ordered Quan’s army to attack forcefully! Quan’s army’s offensive was unstoppable. The vanguard were pre-arranged death warriors who charged with one overwhelming push. This way, Murong army’s arrow formation only slowed them briefly before Chao army’s center wing carved out a path.
In the forest, the two armies again formed a standoff.
With nearly ten thousand casualties, the imperial family protected in the center by fifty thousand plus Murong soldiers all had pale faces. Though Quan’s army had lost six to seven thousand, with one hundred thousand troops, they still outnumbered the enemy several times over with intimidating momentum.
Xiao’an’s hair was disheveled as she looked at the unconscious, feverish Lian Yu supported by the gray-clothed man and Xuanwu. Tears slid from her eyes: “Is our Lian dynasty’s kingdom truly going to fall today?”
Qiu Jing laughed loudly: “Lian Jie, won’t you turn back from your wrong path? Come back – this kingdom is yours now.”
Lian Jie was also wounded. He laughed proudly and stared back coldly: “Even if I die in battle today, I, Lian Jie, will never be a puppet emperor, letting the kingdom be trampled by you power-seekers! I advance and retreat together with Lian Yu.”
Lian Qin laughed heartily and nodded enthusiastically.
Murong Ding and the generals all responded in agreement.
At this moment, Xiao’an said quietly: “Xuanwu, Qinglong, you several people should take advantage of the chaos to dress His Majesty in soldier’s clothes and take him away. This palace mother and the Murong family will block them here to the death.”
“As long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of lacking firewood. Though the border armies are now surrounded, this palace mother doesn’t believe the frontier armies are all dead. Rush to the borderlands, gather scattered soldiers, wait for Chang’an to return, and support His Majesty’s comeback.”
Xuanwu and the others quickly nodded.
However, a dozen zhang away, Quan Feitong seemed to know what she was thinking and smiled as he said word by word: “Empress Dowager, though this minister doesn’t know what you’re saying, I can guess your thoughts.”
“Today, I will certainly hunt down Lian Yu. He can escape nowhere – the war will end today!”
His expression was viciously cold, making one shudder.
Murong Ding cried out in grief and anger: “This general doesn’t believe that with our desperate protection of His Majesty, we can’t carve out a bloody path!”
“Originally it might have been possible, but your reinforcements are trapped and killed, while our reinforcements have arrived. Surrounded front and back, you have no path of retreat.” Qiu Jing’s lips curved slightly. His gaze was sharp as it slowly fell on the trees on both sides.
“The border war is over. Your armies have been annihilated.”
Across from them, everyone was shocked and turned to look. They saw a military banner embroidered with the character “Liu” emerge sideways from the trees. Then came the neighing of horses that echoed throughout the valley, and the ground trembled slightly.
Countless soldiers poured out from the trees on both sides.
“General Liu’s rebel troops! General Liu’s former subordinates really did rebel!” Among Murong’s army, some deputy general cried out in panic, and the entire army fell into terrible silence.
Soon, several generals spurred their horses rapidly from the northwest sides.
“Gentlemen, I trust you’ve been well? This journey was arduous – you’ve worked hard.” On horseback, Quan Feitong cupped his hands and asked with a slight smile.
The generals were all travel-worn, clearly having rushed back to the capital without stopping. They laughed heartily and spurred their horses forward. One of them said: “Thank you for Chancellor Quan’s kind intentions. By your good fortune, the border war is over, and we’ve returned as the vanguard.”
“There’s someone we’d like to introduce to Chancellor Quan. The swift victory at ‘Sui’ owes much to his contributions.”
Quan and Qiu exchanged glances. Quan Feitong said “Oh” with some curiosity, then smiled: “Please.”
On Xiao’an’s side, there was both shock and anger. “Sui” had fallen, and these people treated them as meat on a chopping block, showing no concern whatsoever.
At this moment, a person slowly emerged on horseback from among the thousands of troops in the forest.
He had a slight beard, was in his fifties, weather-beaten with deep wrinkles at his eyes. His clothing was more tattered than Liu division’s generals, but his eyes were bright and alert.
“Chancellor Quan, Lord Qiu, and General Chao – I trust you’ve been well?”
Quan Feitong’s smile slowly froze on his lips.
“Liu… Liu Shouping?”
Among the thousands of soldiers in the forest, there was dead silence. After a long moment, Qiu Jing called out in shock, while Chao Huang exclaimed: “Weren’t you already beheaded?”
The middle-aged man slowly smiled: “General Chao, since you haven’t died, how would this humble general dare to die?”
“Haha, Lian Yu played such a grand chess game, deceiving everyone. So the execution that day… you weren’t loyal to Lian Jie, but to him!” Quan Feitong’s whole body shook. In extreme anger, he laughed instead, his feather fan dropping from his hands as he pointed directly.
“Yes. I have a son and daughter who were raised in seclusion from childhood – you rarely saw them. His Majesty specifically selected two young palace guards with high martial arts skills to disguise themselves slightly, wearing armor under their clothes. Before the escort departed that day, my ‘daughter’ deliberately provoked the princess. You weren’t responsible for the escort then and didn’t see this act. Those responsible for the escort weren’t as careful as you and couldn’t detect anything unusual in this scene. The princess already had grievances with me, so she definitely wouldn’t ‘spare’ my family. Once the matter ‘erupted,’ it became inconvenient to publicly supervise the execution, so the execution ground was sealed off. This also provided the excuse for your later attempts to win over my subordinate generals.”
Liu Shouping replied indifferently: “His Majesty led the army here, using few against many, fighting desperately to delay you for over a month, precisely so I could use many against few to quickly destroy your border forces. Liu Shouping doesn’t serve His Majesty as a person, but serves a ruler who has the people in his heart. Chancellor Quan, you’re right – the war should end. I’ve brought two hundred thousand troops, including my Liu army and His Majesty’s Murong army. Today we… have come specifically to rescue the king!”