Dark clouds covered the city...
It was gray everywhere, the sun seemed to have disappeared, and the whole Fancheng was shrouded in dark clouds.
In the howling cold wind, snowflakes floated in the sky, and the snowflakes swirled in the air with the strong wind...
The floating snow falling on the city wall was instantly dyed red by blood, and soon merged with the blood...
This place had just experienced a bloody battle, and the whole Fancheng was filled with the smell of blood and decay...
On the city wall, Zhao Huaining, the main general defending the city, stood in the wind, and her tattered cloak danced wildly behind her... Her face and armor were covered with blood, as if she had crawled out of a sea of blood, which was shocking.
Before that, the Huns launched a large-scale attack on the border city of Daliang in the north. Zhao Huaining followed his father to the battle. When he arrived at Heyong Pass, Zhao Huaining, at the order of his father, led two thousand cavalrymen to rush to Fancheng for rescue!
Now, she has led the people to defend the city for nineteen days, but the army that only needs fourteen or fifteen days to walk from Heyong Pass to Fancheng seems to have disappeared!
Not only that, three days ago, Zhao Huaining sent people to the six border cities to ask for reinforcements, but no one has come back so far. And just last night, the people who were sent out again found the bodies of the scouts who were sent out before in a mass grave three miles away from Wancheng.
Zhao Huaining immediately arranged for people to escort the people out of the city after receiving the news, but the enemy attacked the city overnight, so she could only lead the people to fight on the city wall. Now the enemy has temporarily retreated, but her mood is like this gray dawn, and she can't see the slightest hope.
Zhao Huaining turned her eyes and looked at the wounded soldiers all over the ground in front of her. She felt very heavy. She knew that the reinforcements would not come. The most feared thing about marching and fighting is changes in the rear. Maybe her father has also had an accident. If her father still has the power to mobilize troops, he will definitely lead the army to fight with her!
"Long Biao!!!" Zhao Huaining spoke, a mist flower appeared between his nose and lips due to the cold, and then disappeared in the cold wind.
Long Xianfeng was bandaging the wounded, and he quickly stood up and walked to Zhao Huaining's side.
"General."
"According to last night's plan, you quickly take people to escort all the people in the city out of the west gate." Zhao Huaining said as she raised her hand to her bosom. The broken armor scratched the pus wound on her hand, and she immediately grimaced in pain. She endured the pain and pulled out a hand-drawn map and a letter to the governor of Minzhou from her bosom and handed them to Long Biao.
Zhao Huaining instructed: "Follow the route on the map all the way, avoid all the border cities, and within two days, be sure to take the people across the dike bridge!"
"General." Long Biao looked at the general in front of him. Now at the critical moment of life and death, although the general was devoted to the use of troops, he could not let a woman stand in front of him. He left like this, and his conscience would be uneasy for the rest of his life.
Long Biao clenched his fists and said with a firm face: "I will stay here to delay the enemy, and the general will take people to escort the people away."
"Big brother, you are so loyal!" Zhao Huaining wanted to smile, but the blood on his face dried and he couldn't smile. "I, Zhao Huaining, appreciate your kindness. After I escape from danger, I will go to Minzhou to have a drink with you!"
Long Biao's eyes lit up when he heard it: "General, do you have a way to escape?"
Zhao Huaining nodded seriously and said: "I have a good plan in mind, don't worry and pass on my order!"
"Yes! General!"
Long Biao turned and went down the city. He believed in Zhao Huaining's words. After all, he had witnessed the general escaping from danger many times, and this time would be no exception!
"This is too easy to deceive, if I die here, wouldn't it be considered a broken promise? I don't know if people who break their promises will be allowed to reincarnate in hell?" Zhao Huaining frowned and thought to himself!
Breaking a promise with a reason should be forgiven by the ghosts. The rumormonger will be judged in the underworld after death!
As Zhao Huaining was thinking, her stomach started to growl. When she looked up, she saw smoke rising from the mountains. The enemy troops that had just retreated began to eat breakfast.
It was so obvious that they had determined that she would not lead the troops to attack! !
"Too shameless." Zhao Huaining murmured to herself. If the King of Huns could fall into the trap and change the commander in the battle, perhaps she could escape death by chance. If she could really survive, one day she would also be able to feast in front of the enemy without fear, letting the aroma of food fill the noses of the hungry enemy.
She has always been willing to learn humbly about things that destroy the willpower of the enemy!
Half an incense stick later, Long Biao changed out of his battle clothes and walked up to the city wall wearing civilian clothes.
"General, we are all ready!"
Zhao Huaining turned around and walked down the city wall. She swept her eyes over the crowd. Most of the soldiers had changed into coarse linen clothes. Some of them had bandages on their arms, some had wounds on their foreheads, and some stood in the crowd leaning on dead branches...
They had fought in such harsh environments before, but this time, the soldiers who were originally full of confidence lost hope of survival due to being isolated and helpless. The entire army lost its momentum.
In the past, when her soldiers stood there, they were full of morale and awe-inspiring, but now it's all gone. It was a miracle that two thousand people resisted the enemy's 20,000 for nineteen days, but only more than three hundred people were left, and they couldn't hold on in the end. Just thinking about it makes people bleed. The dead soldiers were passionate about defending their country, but they were betrayed after all.
Zhao Huaining took a deep breath, looked at the people with their luggage, and said, "Mr. Long should have told everyone the situation. I feel guilty for failing to defend the city and causing everyone to lose their homes. But don't worry, I have written a letter. When we arrive in Minzhou, the governor of Minzhou will settle everyone down."
"Thank you, General." An old man with a white beard stood up among the people, "We all know that the general and the soldiers have done their best." "Thank you for your
sympathy, old man." Zhao Huaining said and looked at everyone, "The journey to Minzhou is difficult. I have one thing to make clear in advance. All food and water on the road will be distributed by Mr. Long. Whoever wants to steal food, no matter who it is, Mr. Long has the right to kill him!! Let me remind you again, those in the six border cities who watch people in danger and kill scouts are punishable by death. Anyone who dares to escape to the six border cities during this period is seeking his own death! Along the way, you must obey Mr. Long's arrangements completely. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Long Biao stood behind and secretly looked at Zhao Huaining. The general was alerting everyone and thinking about everyone's safety, but he also buried a pit for the generals guarding the six border cities and the army going out on this expedition! If any of these civilians and soldiers survived to Minzhou, the news of what happened in Fancheng would spread. The governor of Minzhou would see the general's letter and report it to the emperor truthfully. At that time, the garrisons of the six cities would be questioned, and the army led by Marshal Zhao would also be questioned. At that time, the fact that the army was late and there was no news would be revealed. The
general is still the general, and he will avenge his grudges!
After Zhao Huaining finished his instructions, Long Biao ordered the captain to lead most of the soldiers, bring food and winter clothes, mix with the people, and walk to the west gate.
Because Fancheng is a natural place, there is a steep cliff in the north of the mountain of the west gate. The enemy army cannot climb the steep cliff. If they want to attack, they can only attack from the front of the north gate. Therefore, leaving from the west gate will not be detected by the enemy.
"General, Long Biao bids farewell to you." Long Biao knelt down. "
Get up quickly." Zhao Huaining helped him up and whispered, "Big Brother has always been steady, I have nothing to worry about, but I need to remind you that the road is difficult and some people will not be able to stand it. If anyone is found to have left the team and is heading towards the Six Cities, no matter the elderly, children, or women, they will all be killed."
Long Biao was shocked when he heard this. He had followed the general for many years and had never seen the general put his knife to the people.
Seeing Long Biao's expression, Zhao Huaining knew that he was soft-hearted and was afraid that he would really let the people go to the Six Cities on the road, so he explained.
"Since the six border cities did not help, they will never let Fancheng have anyone alive. If you are soft-hearted and let them go, they will die in the hands of those people! Once the six cities know that someone has escaped, they will definitely send troops to search and kill them, and the people and all the soldiers in Fancheng will die." Zhao Huaining looked at Long Biao deeply, "It is a good thing for a man to be kind, but you must be ruthless when you need to be ruthless. If you don't, you will only let everyone be buried with you!"
Long Biao was shocked and said hurriedly, "Long Biao will keep it in mind, General, don't worry."
"Go." Zhao Huaining said and turned his back. "
Take care, General! I look forward to drinking with you in Minzhou!" After saying this, Long Biao picked up the sword wrapped in cloth, bowed heavily, and stood up and left. The
fierce north wind blew wildly, and Fancheng was left with only more than 30 people who volunteered to stay, like an empty city.
Zhao Huaining and the soldiers took turns to look out, but the Huns did not attack again after they retreated in the morning until the evening of the next day.
"General, why don't the Huns attack the city?" The soldier asked in confusion, looking at the smoke rising again from the distant mountains.
Zhao Huaining had washed her face at this moment. She skillfully took out the cooked horse meat and put it on the hay and said, "Do you see that the flag in the distance has changed from blue to yellow?"
"What's the explanation, General?" The soldier squatted beside Zhao Huaining. In the past two days, he felt that the general was approachable and they became familiar with each other while talking and laughing.
Zhao Huaining looked at the yellow flag flying in the distance and smiled, "Changing the flag is equivalent to changing the commander-in-chief. The news that was spread before worked. The other side could not conquer Fancheng in 19 days. Whether the commander-in-chief received our benefits or not, his combat strength was questioned by the King of Huns. Now that they have put up the yellow flag, it means that the Hungarian prince Su Hechun has come. This person is keen to seize the city at the lowest cost. Now he is not moving his troops. Either there is a change in the army and he has not yet freed up his hands to attack us, or he has determined that we have no reinforcements and the food and grass in the city are exhausted, and he plans to wait us out and easily seize the city."
If it is the latter, it means to a large extent that someone in the rear may be colluding with the enemy and selling out the country!
"Anyway, it's a good thing for us that he is not attacking the city now." Zhao Huaining said, looking at the sun that was about to set, thinking that Longbiao should be crossing the dike bridge soon, "Everyone cook more horse meat and dry it. Once it gets dark, we will retreat to the mountain!"
She will not defend a city that cannot be defended. Instead of dying in vain, it is better to keep the green mountains.
The soldiers were delighted to hear this. They stayed in the city for two days without any bloodshed and escaped death.
As night fell, the north wind blew even more fiercely. Zhao Huaining led his men to put on battle clothes on the straw to create the illusion that there were people guarding the city. Several other people were divided into three waves to search for cold-proof clothes in the city and prepare to take them to the mountains.
Two of the soldiers walked to the south wall and heard the sound of horse hooves getting closer and closer. They looked over and saw a team of soldiers wearing Daliang military uniforms.
"Open the city gate quickly. We are under the order of the marshal to assist the general to retreat!"
The tall soldier hurriedly lowered the drawbridge when he heard this!
"Wait a minute, the general has an order that no one is allowed to open the city gate privately. You and I should go back and report to the general!" The shorter soldier held the other's hand and said.
"Oh, look, that man is holding the marshal's token. The general is the marshal's son. Can the marshal harm the general?" The tall soldier said, slapping the other's hand and lowering the drawbridge.
The short soldier saw the other party running down the wall to open the city gate and hurriedly chased after him.
"No, the general has repeatedly ordered that if there is a change in the rear, the city gate must not be opened rashly!" The short man stopped the other party, but the next second he was stabbed in the abdomen, and his eyes were full of disbelief when he fell down!
The tall man went up and stabbed him again, and quickly opened the city gate: "Princess, please come in!"
"Where is Zhao Huaining?"
The tall man heard the words and said in a loud voice: "The general is on the north gate wall."
The man tightened the reins and headed for the north gate! The tall soldier looked around and ran away from Fancheng quickly!
The man rode all the way to the north gate, and the sound of horse hooves startled Zhao Huaining.
"Who is coming?" Zhao Huaining's heart tightened, watching a group of people and horses riding under the city wall, and she couldn't help but frowned. Who opened the city gate without her order?
"It's me." The man climbed up the city wall and responded loudly.
This voice...Princess Jinyang is here?
Zhao Huaining was delighted at first, but then he became confused. The princess should have been in the capital, so how could she suddenly appear here? The six cities in the rear refused to lend her a single soldier, so how did the princess get here?
"Everyone be alert!" Zhao Huaining slowly opened his lips, his face solemn.
The soldiers heard the words without any hesitation, and their hands grasped the hilts of their swords.
Princess Jinyang Song Lingyue entered the city and observed the surroundings. After climbing the city wall, she was surprised to find that there were only so few soldiers left in the city. In this case, she didn't need to go to great lengths!
"Princess!" Zhao Huaining asked loudly after Princess Jinyang climbed up the city wall: "Aren't you in Beijing? Why are you in Fancheng?"
Song Lingyue walked forward quickly and said: "I secretly mixed in the army. I also want to kill enemies and protect the country like you. The military supervisor in the rear is doing bad things, and the army has been stagnant. Your father is dealing with him. I heard that Fancheng is in danger, so I came to find you."
Zhao Huaining glanced at the soldiers following the princess. She frowned when she saw the way those people held their swords. Those people gave her the feeling that they were too much like swordsmen.
"Princess, Fancheng is very dangerous. The enemy may attack the city at any time. Let the soldiers who followed you go to the front to watch. You come here alone, and we will reminisce about the past!" Zhao Huaining said, and saw that the princess stopped, and her heart paused.
"Come here quickly. It's snowing hard. You must be frozen. Come to my fire to warm yourself." Zhao Huaining waved at the other party. Deep in her heart, she hoped that the other party was held hostage, not really bringing people to harm her. They grew up together, and Song Lingyue was one of her few friends in the capital!
Song Lingyue was stunned when he heard this. He tilted his head and whispered to the person behind him: "She may be suspicious. I can't kill her alone."
The swordsman who was leading behind Song Lingyue said coldly: "I thought there would be more than a hundred people in the city, but I didn't expect that there were only so many people left. In this case, Your Highness doesn't need to greet each other. I will kill them directly. I am sure that no one will be left alive."
"Then go!" Song Lingyue waved his hand when he heard this!
As soon as the voice fell, the swordsmen behind him rushed up one after another!
Zhao Huaining's suspicion was confirmed. A trace of shock flashed across her eyes for a moment. She slowly drew out her sword...
The best person wanted to kill her, just like a strong crossbow arrow, one by one, hitting her heart defense.
"Set up a cone formation to wait for the enemy." Heartbroken, she opened her cracked lips and spoke word by word. Upon
hearing this, the soldiers quickly set up their formation!
Zhao Huaining clenched his sword and led his men to rush forward when the enemy was one sword away.
Under the silent and dark night of Fancheng, the sound of weapons being exchanged rang out.
Although the soldiers of Fancheng had been guarding the city for many days, they had been resting for two days. Although their combat effectiveness was not as good as when they first arrived, they were also extremely brave!
The cone formation, led by Zhao Huaining, was like a sharp sword inserted into the swordsman!
The enemy and us fought for half an hour, and both sides suffered casualties!
But just when Zhao Huaining was gaining the upper hand and the sword was about to pierce the throat of the leading swordsman, she paused and stopped. She looked down at the knife that went straight through her abdomen from the back of her waist, and looked back with pain in her eyes. Her soldier attacked him from behind with a knife! !
"General!" Seeing this, the soldier on the left wing quickly stabbed the soldier to death with a knife, while the soldier on the right wing supported Zhao Huaining who was about to fall. At this point, the cone formation was in chaos! "Stop!
" Song Lingyue stepped forward to stop the swordsman who was about to swing the knife, and looked at Zhao Huaining with complicated eyes, "Huaining, you commit suicide, I will leave you a whole body."
"I want to know why?" Zhao Huaining, who was covering her wound, looked up at Princess Jinyang in front of her. She didn't understand why the other party wanted to kill her when she was defending the city for their Song family?
"Huaining... I'm sorry." Song Lingyue saw Zhao Huaining bleeding in front of her, and a trace of pain flashed in her eyes.
"I want to know why?" Zhao Huaining roared.
At present, the Hun soldiers attacked the city, and she led people to fight bloody battles to protect the Song family's country and people, but the princess of the Song family wanted to kill her. How ridiculous!
"Huaining, what if you know?" Song Lingyue turned her eyes away after hearing the words, and lowered her eyes to cover up the endless sadness, "Huaining, I'm sorry for this life, you... go!" Song Lingyue said and waved to the swordsmen behind her, "Do it, don't leave a single person alive."
The soldiers heard the words and blocked Zhao Huaining with knives.
Zhao Huaining raised her eyes and looked at the soldiers fighting with the swordsmen in front of her. Her eyes moved slightly. She gritted her teeth and held the blade behind her waist with her bare hands, pulling it out of her body bit by bit. A blood mark on the palm of her left hand was striking!
"Huaining, don't struggle!"
Song Lingyue watched the other party pull the knife out of his body bit by bit. She could feel the pain. She would rather Zhao Huaining die happily!
"Quick battle and quick decision!" Song Lingyue said to the leader of the swordsmen behind her.
Zhao Huaining saw the cold sword coming towards her heart, and she dodged it while enduring the pain in her back and abdomen. Blood dripped down rapidly. Zhao Huaining fought with the swordsman, and the blood under his feet had gathered into a pool.
Seeing this, the soldiers desperately rushed to meet the swordsman!
Zhao Huaining shook her body, while dealing with the swordsman, she retreated to the city wall. After she tried her best to kill a swordsman, she leaned on the city wall to support her body, pointed the sword at Song Lingyue, blood and tears on her face, and collapsed and shouted word by word: "Even if I die!! Let me be a ghost who understands!! Why is all this happening?"
Song Lingyue looked at Zhao Huaining with complicated eyes, and the other party's words struck her heart word by word, so painful!
"Your father... is actually the illegitimate son of the previous emperor. It was secretly verified by your father two months ago. But your Zhao family holds the military power, and your father can't sleep or eat!" Song Lingyue said with sobs. The person she loved became her cousin, and it was impossible in this life! Even so, she didn't want Zhao Huaining to die, but if Zhao Huaining didn't die, her mother would have to die, and she had no choice!
Zhao Huaining was shocked on the spot when she heard this. Her father was the illegitimate son of the previous emperor? ?
The sudden news shocked Zhao Huaining so much that she couldn't hold on. So the mastermind behind all this was actually the current emperor? ?
"Hehe..." Zhao Huaining laughed bitterly. No wonder the reinforcements hadn't come for so long, no wonder the six border cities refused to lend troops, no wonder, "Hahahaha!!"
Zhao Huaining was covered in blood and laughed loudly in the dark night. His laughter was accompanied by unstoppable tears, and his laughter was filled with unspeakable sadness. Song Lingyue's heart was gripped when she heard it!
"Where are my parents?" Zhao Huaining knew that she would die today, so she stopped laughing and slowly raised her eyes to look at Song Lingyue!
Song Lingyue's tears welled up in her eyes: "They... are gone!"
Zhao Huaining tightened her sword when she heard this. Then, she felt her vision getting more and more blurred. She seemed to be unable to see anything clearly. Her body was getting weaker and weaker. The pieces of armor on her body fell to her feet one by one, making a crisp sound...
"General!!!" The voice of the last soldier came to her ears, "Ah!!!"
Zhao Huaining looked around anxiously when she heard the sound. Her vision was blurred. She had to prick up her ears and listen carefully. The sound of weapons stopped, and her soldiers... never made a sound again!
All dead!
"Song Lingyue!!!!" Zhao Huaining shouted, "Tell the dog emperor that my father and daughter are dead, and there are still tens of millions of Zhao family soldiers!! As long as the Song family is not overthrown, the souls of my family of three will not rest!!" After saying
this, Zhao Huaining jumped off the city wall with all her strength! ! She knew she was dying. She would rather die in the cold river than die in the hands of Song Lingyue and her swordsman! Their hearts are dirty, their swords are dirty, and they are not qualified to take her life!
"Huaining!!" Song Lingyue trembled all over and ran to the city wall!
With a loud bang, Zhao Huaining fell into the moat covered with thin ice!
The river water was piercing and gradually took away Zhao Huaining's consciousness...
Song Lingyue looked at the splashes below, and watched Zhao Huaining gradually sinking. She sat down on the city wall... Big snowflakes floated in the sky. Song Lingyue raised her hands listlessly. In this world, the person who once accompanied her to play snowballs in the snow was gone...
"Your Highness, let's go quickly. There are horse hooves in the distance. Someone is coming from Hungary."
Song Lingyue wanted to go down to bury Zhao Huaining, but the sound of horse hooves was approaching not far away, so she had to retreat temporarily with the swordsman.
The snow in the sky was getting heavier and heavier. The snowflakes landed on Zhao Huaining's half-sunken body, and soon merged with the blood on Zhao Huaining's body...
The sound of horse hooves stopped in front of the moat, and a woman dressed in Hungarian clothes jumped into the moat. After a while, she flew to the edge of the moat holding Zhao Huaining, who was wearing major general armor. The woman's brows were filled with worry. She touched Zhao Huaining's ear with trembling fingers, then picked him up, flew on the horse, and galloped towards the horizon...