Chapter 156 Chapter 30 Long Live Freedom

Dark clouds covered the sun, the sun was hazy, and the pale sunlight shone weakly on the battlefield where the north wind was howling. Time passed extremely long. The early autumn wind swept across the vast wilderness with the unique coldness of Yanbei. From early morning to noon, from noon to dusk, blood flowed all over the Huoleiyuan, and the bright red fire cloud flowers were unrestrained. The flowers are in full bloom, dancing flamboyantly with blood-stained petals, like blossoming demon reds.Countless fresh lives that were still alive and kicking in the morning are now lying on the cold ground like wheat with severed roots.

The land has lost its original color. The eagles are hovering in the sky, and they will swoop down to enjoy this rare feast at any time. The plains are filled with corpses, and the wounded and sick are lying in the sea of ​​corpses as high as hills, howling and mourning. The voice is like a lone wolf that has lost its homeland, howling sadly, but more, it can't even scream, and can only lie on the ground like a dead dog, occasionally being searched for the wounded Only when the medical soldier kicked, he let out a hum, indicating that he was still alive. In the evening, the sky began to drizzle, and the drizzle was as cold as a cow's hair, pouring coldly on his body.The corpses of the trenches were still on fire, and the rain beat on them, creating a hissing white mist.

Cheng Yuan stepped on the corpse and walked over. Years of battles covered his slightly feminine face with a bloody and tough light. His thigh was injured by a stray arrow, and he tied it roughly with a white cloth. limp. Under the setting sun, on a low soil slope, a man in black clothes stood straight under a poplar tree, Yanbei's eagle flag fluttered gently above his head, and withered yellow dry grass fluttered under his feet It is spinning, spinning from time to time.His eyes were empty, as if he was looking at something, but his eyes seemed to look beyond the battlefield, the blood, and the clouds in the sky...

Cheng Yuan was suddenly a little stunned, he stood quietly on the spot without going forward. "Cheng Yuan? Come up." Yan Xun did not turn his head, his voice was very calm, with a comfortable calmness, Cheng Yuan walked up with a bow, knelt on the ground on one knee, and said in a deep voice: "Qi Your Majesty, the Xiuli Army has already arrived from Xuanyuan in the southeast. The Yu Legion's defense line broke out. General Xuanyu was the second-line regiment that had just arrived. The hastily formed formation could not block Master Chu's attack surface. Among the troops, by the time we tried to stop them, it was already too late, the Xiu army fled from the left flank, and is currently heading towards the northwest road."

Yan Xun nodded silently, did not say anything, Cheng Yuan licked his dry lips, and continued: "The last general has sent a letter to General Gao and General Lu, ordering them to intercept at Yu Dao Pass. The First Legion will also send out 30,000 defenders to attack in batches in the Northwest. Longyinguan is also ready for battle. The southern border waterway leading to Biantang is also closely monitored and guarded by us. Even if the Xiuli army has wings on their backs , we can shoot them down too." Yan Xun still didn't speak, he stood there as if he didn't know anything about everything in front of him, Cheng Yuan was a little nervous, and asked tentatively in a low voice: "Your Majesty?"

"Go on." "Our army suffered heavy casualties. The entire Seventh Regiment of the Third Regiment was wiped out. The commander of the Eighth Regiment and Eleventh Regiment of the Fourth Regiment was killed, and more than half of the soldiers under his command were killed or injured. The Thirteenth Regiment led by General Du Ruolin refused to fight. Now The upper-level officers have been detained and controlled, but the lower-level officers and soldiers still refuse to obey the deployment. Not only are they useless here, but we have to allocate troops to guard them..." Yan Xun turned his head slightly when he heard the words, raised his eyebrows lightly, and said in a deep voice, "Refused to fight?"

"Yes, yes," Cheng Yuan swallowed his original words, and said in a more gentle way: "The officers and soldiers of the Thirteenth Legion are all from the Shangshen Plateau." The cold wind blew, and the drizzle hit Yan Xun's nose. He nodded slowly and stopped talking. "Your Majesty, it's only a matter of time before the Xiuli Army is stopped again, but at the end there is a sentence that I don't know if I should say it or not." Yan Xun expressionless: "Say." "Yes, if our army succeeds in encircling Lord Chu, then I would like to ask the emperor, what method should we attack? Should we attack with all our strength, or surround him in a roundabout way, kill him, or capture him alive? Please tell the emperor clearly."

The wind by his ears suddenly picked up. He stood there quietly. The cold wind blew over his body, blowing his robe sleeves fluttering. There were still small flames on the battlefield in the distance. The whole day of fierce fighting The spirit of the soldiers was taken away. At this moment, they are tired, tired, and their clothes are in tatters.There were a total of 20,000 imperial guards, and the three-way ten-thousand army that was reinforced later. Although they withdrew from the battle halfway, they were still defeated in front of the Xiuli army.Chu Qiao led the 9,000 Xiuli Army, and like a knife, they broke through his encirclement. What the 30,000 Huoyun Army failed to do, she did it with ease. Yan Xun had to admit that in In terms of military affairs, Ah Chu is a rare genius. Her grasp and control of the battle situation, her prestige and status in the army are even unmatched by herself.

He let out a breath slowly, and the heaviness in his heart was covered layer by layer like ocean waves.At this moment, he didn't know whether he should be thankful that she finally escaped, defeated himself and escaped without being emotional or affectionate?Or should she be sad that she finally left him completely and never look back? There was a sense of irony rising in his heart, which made him want to sneer unconsciously. He looked at Cheng Yuan lightly, and suddenly said: "Cheng Yuan, do you know why so many people persuade me that you are useless? But still want to reuse you?"

Cheng Yuan was startled when he heard the words, he quickly knelt down on the ground, kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty loves you so much, the death of the last general is not enough to repay." "Because you are very much like me before." Cheng Yuan suddenly raised his head, looked at Yan Xun in shock, but stopped talking. "I know that all your parents and relatives died in the flames of war. Your wife and younger sister were captured by Daxia's army to be military prostitutes. Your brother was also a general of Datong, but died in an internal assassination."

Cheng Yuan's eyes gradually turned red, and he knelt on the ground without saying a word, his lips were blue and white. "I know what you're thinking, just like me, I know what I'm thinking too." Yan Xun raised his head and looked at the blood-red bed in the setting sun piercing through the dark clouds in the sky, sprinkling a piece of ghastly red. The corners of his mouth slightly curled up, and he said quietly: "A person can have many wishes, but he must live first. If you die, you will not be able to fulfill any wish." The corners of Cheng Yuan's eyes suddenly became hot, and his eyes were wet with tears. General Cheng, who was scolded by the whole Yanbei as a despicable person, tightly clenched his fists and lowered his head deeply. A big pale bird flew across the sky, and passed Yan Xun's sight. Yan Xun looked at it, his eyes were far away, like a long line, lost the goal of maintaining, and finally could not find the focus of cohesion.He was silent for a long time before he said in a deep voice: "The Xiuli army is too powerful, it is not appropriate to block its edge head-on, open the border, pass the news to Zhao Yang and Wei Shuye, winter is coming, let Ah Chu come to open the summer for us This stalemate battlefield." Cheng Yuan was slightly startled, even with his deepness, it was hard to hide the shock on his face, and after a long time, he whispered: "Big Xia is now stockpiling under Yanming Pass are all heavy armored soldiers, Master Chu is leading all Light cavalry, the final general is afraid that Da Xia will not be able to block Master Chu's way in a hurry." "Then hold her back." Yan Xun turned around and walked towards the majestic Beishuo City. The dark horse followed him. The setting sun cast a long shadow on his body. A deep voice came slowly, like It is the wind cruising on the grassland all year round. "Notify the people of Beishuo, Shangshen, and Huihui that their Lord Xiuli is leaving Yanbei." The strong wind blew the corners of his clothes flying, and the blood-red light reflected from the sword at his waist. The man's footsteps were so heavy, step by step, he slowly walked into the dark and towering cage. The golden shackles locked him whole.Black smoke rose slowly in the distance, screams and wailing were heard continuously, and a deathly silence shrouded the sky above Huoleiyuan. Ah Chu, I once said that everyone can betray me, but you can't, because you are my only light source, the sun that shines on my dark sky. Now my sun is out. Besieged on all sides, surrounded by enemies, alone and helpless, when there is no way to escape, will you think of me? Ah Chu, I am watching you from behind. The battle came without warning, and all the armies in Yanbei kept a transparent state about their arrival. At first, Chu Qiao had naive illusions, thinking that Yan Xun couldn't bear to attack her, and finally let her go.However, outside Longyin Pass, when she saw the common people carrying their burdens and dragging their children, her heart suddenly fell into the ice pool, completely desperate and dead. In the morning light, the dense flow of people is like a long dragon. Some people are pushing carts full of large and small boxes. Pots, pans and pans are clanging. Some people are waving whips to drive their cattle and sheep. , a woman holds a crying baby, sits on a stone with half of her chest exposed, breastfeeds the baby in the cold wind, and some people carry a shoulder pole full of sweet potatoes and corn, and they have to sit down and eat a meal every time they walk a certain distance. pause. Tiredness, hard work, haste, and various expressions continuously appeared on the faces of the common people, but when they saw the flag of the Xiuli Army, they all cheered in unison.The people flocked forward and shouted to the army: "My lord has arrived! Where is my lord here?" An old man with white beard and hair pulled his grandson to squeeze in front, the child's face was flushed red from the cold, they shouted to Chu Qiao: "My lord, where are we going?" "Yes, my lord, where are we going?" "No matter where I go, I will follow Mr. Ding, but I can't let Mr. Ding go away by himself." "My lord, why didn't you tell me before you leave? My crops have not been confiscated. Fortunately, I walked fast, otherwise I would not be able to catch up." The soldiers of the Xiuli Army stood quietly in the open field, no one said a word, they all turned their heads to look at Chu Qiao in unison, the girl was wearing a blue cloak, sitting tall and straight on the horseback, like a Sharpened javelin.Her expression was very calm, without the slightest shock or panic, so the soldiers were all relieved: don't worry, your lord has a clever plan, and it must have been planned long ago. "grown ups." He Xiao rode up to catch up and whispered in her ear. Chu Qiao turned her head slowly. He Xiao was so close to her, so close that he could feel the trance and confusion in her eyes for a moment. A trace of sadness and regret suddenly rose in his heart. Years of getting along made him uneasy. As before, he blindly believed in the ability of the girl in front of him. In the past two years, he had seen so much. He saw her depression, saw her crying, saw her weakness, saw her confusion, she It's not the myth of invincibility in the legend. More often than not, she is just a young woman who stubbornly and foolishly bears too much responsibility and pressure. Even shedding tears, she has to hide in a corner where no one is around.But all this did not affect his loyalty to her, on the contrary, it gave him a more complicated feeling.Like a relative, like a brother, like a subordinate, and more like a confidant. He stretched out his hand, shook her shoulder lightly, and said in a deep voice: "My lord, He Xiao is here." Yes, He Xiao is still here, Xiulijun is still here, she is not alone and helpless. But soon, a large cloud of rising smoke and dust rose in the direction of Yanming Pass, and the scouts hurried back and reported: "My lord, twenty miles ahead, Zhao Yang's 100,000 troops are coming quickly. We will be ambushed when we leave Longyin pass." At this moment, Chu Qiao almost wanted to laugh out loud. Yan Xun, Yan Xun, you are so shrewd! The switch makes way, without spending a single soldier; delaying by the common people destroys her cavalry's high-speed maneuver advantage;Even if Da Xia had doubts about this news, he couldn't let Chu Qiao, a Yanbei military leader, bring the Xiuli Army into Da Xia's territory. Even if he knew that Yan Xun had another purpose, this battle was inevitable. He accurately grasped the thoughts of Shang Shenhui and the common people, Chu Qiao, her, and Zhao Yang. Maybe in a small-scale battlefield, she can still beat him in one game or two through the use of tactics and clever command methods, but when it comes to calculating people's hearts and skillfully using various forces, she is far behind Yan Xun's scheming . The common people also noticed the smoke and dust flying in the east, and there was a low level of panic spreading among the crowd. Although everyone still thought confidently, "Your Excellency is here, don't be afraid", but thinking of the iron-blooded army of Daxia, and The Xiuli Army was less than 5,000 strong, so they couldn't help but hesitated. He Xiao had already returned to Longyin Pass, a soldier shouted loudly: "The defenders of the city, please open the city gate and let the people in!" After shouting three times in a row, someone said slowly in a long tune: "The emperor has an order. If you want to enter the city, please invite the soldiers of the Xiuli Army to enter the city." "The Great Xia army is coming in no time, please let the people enter the city first!" "The emperor has an order to invite the soldiers of the Xiuli Army to enter the city!" The monotonous echo resounded over and over again, and the strong wind blew up, blowing dust and grass all over the place. Chu Qiao raised her head, watched Long Yin close the flying Black Eagle battle flag, and clenched her fists tightly. "grown ups?" There were soldiers calling in a low voice. "grown ups!" The sound became louder and more people gathered around. "My lord, what should I do?" Some people started to shout in panic. The children were caught by the cold breath and cried out in panic. Countless voices asked loudly in their ears: "My lord, what should I do?" "My lord, the enemy is coming." "My lord, go into the city, or avoid it for a while." "My lord, go back and apologize to His Majesty, he will forgive you." "My lord, let's fight to the death, give an order!" "My lord, my lord, my lord..." Yan Xun, is this what you want? Chu Qiao smiled coldly at the empty sky, the last softness in her heart was shattered by reality. What would you like to see?See me alone?See me embattled?Seeing that I have become a bereaved dog, do you have no choice but to flee back to Yanbei with your tail between your legs and wag your tail to beg for mercy? Yan Xun, you underestimate me too much. "Soldiers, you have seen everything that has happened these days." Chu Qiao sat on the horse, stretched out her hand, made a quiet gesture, and said slowly in a deep voice: "Our king, the emperor of Yanbei, has abandoned the oath he once made and the promise we made to the land of Yanbei and to returning to the snowy mountains. The bones of the people in Changqing are still alive, and the butcher's knife loyal to the emperor is on the ground. On the neck of Datong. Mr. Wu is dead, Miss Yu is dead, Princess Gou is dead, General Xiaohe is dead, General Biancang, General Xirui, and Major General Abdu all died in the fanatical dream of the Great Empire. Now, the blade is hanging over our heads, warriors, in front of you is Daxia's 100,000 army, they are gearing up and gearing up, waiting for us to send them to the door, behind us, It is the Yanbei army that has gone bad. They are standing in their positions, ready to spit on our heads, and then laugh at us as useless cowards. Beside us are the fathers and folks who have been deceived and abandoned by the country , soldiers, where should we go?" The cold echo echoed quietly in the wilderness, no one spoke, they all raised their heads and looked at Chu Qiao with burning eyes. Chu Qiao jumped off the horse suddenly, pointed at the soldiers and shouted loudly, her voice was sharp and fierce, like a mighty war eagle: "Should we turn back to be the lackeys of the dictator, and be ridiculed by the traitors who betrayed our oath? Or should we abandon our loved ones and run for our lives alone? Or should we rush forward to an enemy twenty times our size and win the dignity and honor that a soldier deserves?" Chu Qiao raised her head and shouted, "Soldiers! Do you want to live?" "think!" Both soldiers and civilians roared in unison, the sound pierced through the clouds and scattered the flying birds hovering above. "Do you want to be traitors?" "In no mood!" "It's the same choice between death and being a traitor. What do you choose?" People shouted loudly: "Swear to the death not to betray Datong!" Chu Qiao stood against the wind and shouted loudly: "Soldiers, folks, follow me, obey me, obey my orders, if you want to die, let us use our own blood to interpret the last glory of Datong! Heads can be broken, Blood can be shed, but our faith will never be extinguished! Long live Yanbei! Long live Datong! Long live our freedom!" Shan Hu Hai drink sounded at the same time, tens of thousands of hands raised in the air: "Long live my lord!"