Chapter 9 first quarter

In the third year of Emperor Yincheng, August 17th. Ji Ye raised his head, and the ink flag fluttered above Xi Yan's head with the wind on the mountain, like a pure black wave. Under the pale sky, Xia Tang's 20,000 troops formed eight square formations and moved slowly on the grassland.Xi Yan immediately stood on a hilltop on the side, looking at the terrain near and far. The person holding the flag behind him was Ji Ye.Lu Guichen tied the disturbing long knife around his waist, and led his horse to guard nearby.Originally, he had no job, just a nobleman accompanying the army, but in Xi Yan's eyes, the people who accompanied him on the expedition were his subordinates, so Lu Guichen had been unconscious for eleven days.Xiyuan was in charge of the sword order, and his responsibilities were even heavier. In the team at the foot of the mountain, he replaced Xi Yan in the main line of the central army and suppressed the three armies.

As Xiyuan waved the green flag, the left and right armies slowed down, gathering their wings like a huge crane, and the huge and orderly army array slowly merged into a long belt.A mixed team of pawns and crossbowmen advanced from the central army and occupied the front line. The 20,000 Tang army was about to pass through the valley ahead. This is the offshoot of Leiyan Mountain, the valleys surrounded by lush and green mountains, the Xiatang army has advanced in the valley for eleven days, no one except Xi Yan himself knows the route for tomorrow.At this time, Xi Yan was silently looking at the thin cloud at the end of the world with a cigarette stick in his mouth.

"General, how many days until we reach Shangyang Pass?" Ji Ye asked. "one day." "One day?" Lu Guichen and Ji Ye looked at each other in surprise.Xi Yan's so-called map is just a drawing, so when he got on the horse, he didn't touch the marching map again.The army followed Xi Yan's command, and had already deviated from the route drawn before the expedition. Since entering Leiyan Mountain, they have been snaking forward in the mountains day after day.And now, just as he was about to leave the mountain, he was already approaching the Shangyang Pass.

"This valley is called Shimei Valley. When we walk out of this valley, we will be able to reach the plains, and there are only two hundred and fifty miles left. If we march quickly tomorrow, the cavalry will be the first to reach Shangyang Pass. I hope we will not be too late than Bai Yi and the others. "Xi Yan knocked the cigarette rod on the saddle casually. "This route is not on the map." Himeno said.He has followed Xi Yan for a long time, and he has learned to read maps. "I used to be a bandit here. Bandits rely on the mountains to live on the mountains. How can anyone not know the way?" Xi Yan turned to look at the two students with a half-smile, "There is no one in the eight hundred miles around here. Knows better than me."

Lu Guichen's heart skipped a beat.Xi Yan seemed to be joking, but no one knew where Xi Yan was twelve years ago before he became an official in the Tang Dynasty, and Xi Yuan was the same.Xi Yanxian came to point out Jiang Shan's self-reported life, and described it as if the scene of that day was right in front of him, but when his description was pieced together, some years were always blank. "Ji Ye sent my order, the front army abandons the excess luggage and marches at full speed! The rear army packs up the luggage and follows slowly." Xi Yan ordered, "The cavalry will feed their horses tonight and gallop all the way tomorrow. They must approach Shangyang Pass to set up camp before evening. ! Military punishment for falling behind!"

"Yes!" Ji Ye tossed the handsome flag in his arms to Lu Guichen, and turned around and Qing Xiao was about to go down the mountain. Lu Guichen held the ink flag in his arms, and stabbed the steel spearhead under the flagpole on the rock under his feet. He froze for a moment, his expression changed: "General!" "What?" Xi Yan frowned slightly. "Someone is marching nearby... it's getting closer and closer, at most no more than thirty miles!" Lu Guichen held the flagpole tightly in his hand, and listened intently with his ears close. When the barbarians marched, the warriors were used to sleeping with their heads resting on the saddle, and they could judge whether there was a large army moving nearby by relying on the vibration of the ground. A keen person could even infer the number and distance of the opponent, and distinguish between light cavalry and heavy cavalry.Lu Guichen had never marched in the Northland, but he had learned this skill while hunting.Right now, the vibrations coming from the flagpole of this big flag are not like the sounds that the infantry and the three thousand cavalry in the Central Tang Army would make.

Xi Yan put his hand on the flagpole, was silent for a moment, and nodded: "It came so fast... I don't know if it's an enemy or a friend." "Cavalry," Lu Guichen said, "I don't know the number, but it must be the galloping cavalry approaching." "How far is it?" "No more than twenty miles." Xi Yan drew out the bow at his waist, opened the bow and set an arrow, and a Ming Dy pierced into the sky with a sharp whistling sound.It was too late for him to go down the mountain to deliver an order, and he blew his hand, ordering the three armies to go all out to pass through the valley and set up a defensive formation on the plain outside.The three of them then whipped their horses and galloped down the hill like a whirlwind. At this time, Xiyuan had already sounded Shen Xiong's marching horn in the army.

When they rushed down the hillside and caught up with the former army, faint smoke and dust had already risen on the horizon at the end of the grassland.The three armies had passed through the valley, and the crossbowmen spread out in a line in front of the formation, mixed with the light cavalry of the vanguard battalion.All the light soldiers formed a scale formation of 15,000 people in the rear, which is one of the most defensive formations.At this time, everyone could clearly feel the vibration under their feet. "Wuli," Xi Yan said in a low voice, "If it's not Peng Guo's wind and tiger cavalry, then it can only be..."

Before the words were finished, the blood-red banner was slowly rising above the dusty head. Under the light of the sky, the emblem on the flag could not be seen clearly.Ji Ye shuddered, and amidst the sound of iron hooves, he heard singing. "Across thousands of mountains and boundless fields, Cross the river in the wild. Across the great river and boundless sky and sea, It's a long way to go to war with Zi. " At the beginning, only one person sang and shouted, but at the end of this sentence, the three armies responded in unison: "Over a thousand mountains, Over the river.

Absolute sky sea, The road is long. Receive my bones by the sea, Take my old bow and shoot Sirius! " It was a funeral song, and it was the first time in Ji Ye's life that he heard such a tragic and heroic singing.They lisp, like those frontiers who can't pronounce clearly, but no one can laugh at their songs, because there is such ambition in them.The red armored cavalry on the opposite side swept across the grassland like a gust of wind, singing songs about burying bones on the battlefield, even though they had seen their own flag, they did not retreat in the slightest.They don't seem to care about life and death at all, they just want to let their horses gallop like this, and gallop again, stepping through thousands of mountains and rivers and heading straight to the edge of heaven and earth.

When the flag fluttered, the emblem on it finally caught Ji Ye's eyes, and a garland of thunderbolts emerged from the unrolling of the red flag - the "Flower of Thunder and Lie" of the Liguo Ying family. Li Gongying Wuyi's "Thunder Cavalry Army"! "Use my old bow and shoot Sirius... the heart of war is endless," Xi Yan caressed the hilt of the sword at his waist, "Heroes of the world always meet by surprise." "General, why don't you charge forward immediately while their footing is not secure?" Lu Guichen asked. "His Majesty King Mighty King's thunder cavalry can charge at any time, it doesn't matter if our foothold is unstable. They have already seen us, and singing this song "Song of Fearless" is to warn our army not to be presumptuous. They might want to take advantage of our unstable foothold, Charge in one fell swoop and kill us without leaving a piece of armor." Xi Yan smiled, but the smile was not easy, "I didn't expect to meet the mighty king's army here. Could it be that the defense line of Shangyang Pass has been breached? But facing this man, Should we go through the ceremony first and then fight?" "Mighty King?" Ji Ye asked.He remembered that Li Gong was only made a duke, and the Bai family seldom made a foreign surname king. When Ying Wuyi ruled the world, he didn't care about a prince, so Li Guo was still a dukedom. Xi Yan smiled: "The seal letter of 'Wei Wu' used by Duke Li has spread all over the Eastern Continent. Although he is only a Duke, the world has already passed on his name as the King of Might. It is not an exaggeration. One who doesn't bend his waist and knees under his majesty?" "Such an arrogant person..." Lu Guichen sighed lowly, not knowing whether to admire or despise. "This song "Song of Fearless" was written by His Royal Highness the Mighty King himself, and Feng Linwan composed the music. Feng Linwan, a female stream, was inspired by the magnificence contained in the lyrics, and unexpectedly composed a magnificent song. The only one in the world Only His Royal Highness King Mighty's own cavalry will sing this song "Song of Fearlessness" when encountering the enemy. Rolling yellow sand, heaven and earth wind and thunder, I heard it today, and this trip is worthwhile," Xi Yan praised, "Don't worry about it Fortunately, the other party must be Li Gong himself." "But general, the etiquette of Donglu samurai is that when a mortal enemy meets, do we still have to talk about the etiquette before fighting?" Lu Guichen asked. "It depends on who you're facing. If you're facing an ant, it's okay to step on it. But facing Ying Wuyi, even those who want to kill him want to be able to watch him die with their own eyes, right? Ying Wuyi, what? Could it be the kind of man who died silently in the melee of the chaotic army?" Xi Yan still smiled, "Besides, Lei Qi is strong, reunion rashly is equivalent to death, I don't have the guts yet." "The cavalry dismounted and opened the flag gate," he waved his hand fiercely, "wait for me to meet His Royal Highness Mighty King!" The army on the opposite side rushed close against the wind, and they were three hundred feet away from the Xia Tang army and held the horses together.The dust rolled up under the horses' hoofs was blown away by the wind, and the cavalry archers protruded from the lancers, and they lined up in front of the formation, drawing horn bows.Under the leading red flag, two horses stood alone.The warrior in the front wore a fire-colored cloak, and his face was hidden under a heavy fire-bronze helmet.Just now, it was this knight in heavy fire-bronze armor who took the lead and raised the banner of Lei Liezhihua.His horse was so fast that even the Thunder Cavalry Army, which was famous for its maneuverability, had to gallop two hundred feet behind him, only the magnificent white horse beside him followed closely.On the white horse is a knight covered in black armor, with an ebony crossbow hanging on one side of the saddle. Pushing towards him in a frenzied manner after hundreds of steps, Ji Ye grasped the tiger teeth hanging on the saddle, only to realize that his palms were already burning like fire. "Xiyuan, the winged army is scattered, the arrow battalion and the supply battalion are advancing," Xi Yan patted his horse out of the formation, "Without my military order, the three armies are not allowed to charge, prepare to deploy!" "Yes!" Xiyuan turned his horse and retreated to the main camp of the Chinese army. Ji Ye and Lu Guichen clamped Xi Yan on one left and one on the right, and the three cavalry came out in a formation, and Lu Guichen held the wildly dancing ink flag in his hand. "Did Luan, Duke of the Li Kingdom, come in person?" Xi Yan immediately shouted, "Command Xi Yan from the Tang Dynasty Martial Palace to ask for an audience." He no longer honored Ying Wuyi as the Mighty King, but called him by title, showing caution. The Fire Bronze Warrior was silent for a moment, then inserted the banner into the soil with one hand, raised his hand to take off his heavy helmet, and shook the dust on the armor.The moment the helmet was removed, a head of long brown hair was blown up in the wind, strands of silver had already appeared in the long hair, and the slashed cheeks were also stained with the wind and frost of the years.But one look at his pair of brown eyes, like burning coals, anyone can understand what kind of blood is flowing in this man's body. "General Yu Dianyu's breath?" The voice that came along with the wind was like the whispering of gold and iron. "The name of the younger generation can be heard by the prince, and what Xiyan has learned in thirty years is finally not in vain." "Suyue Moyu, these names are enough to startle Donglu, you don't need to be modest. My military newspaper said that Tang Gong Baili Jinghong has declared war on me, and the only people he can send are you and Tuoba Shanyue, He chose you to play against me, very good. You are going to Shangyang pass, why are you here?" "Yes, I'm going to Shangyang Pass to fight against the prince. I want to take a road that others don't know, but I didn't expect to meet here. The prince only brought the cavalry with him. Is he eager to return to Liguo?" "Yes," Ying Wuyi responded calmly, "I broke out at noon and broke through the iron wall in front of Shangyang Pass. I thought I had won a complete victory, but I didn't intend to meet the general here. It is indeed a miscalculation to meet more difficult people in the back lines of defense." "Does the prince intend to fight?" "It depends on how willing you are to fight and how much authority you have. If you get out of the way, I won't use weapons." Ying Wuyi smiled coldly, "But with Baili Jinghong's character, if you don't fight, You are a dead end, I don't think you have the guts." "The prince is sharp. I really want to avoid the prince's sharpness, but if I let the prince go, I'm afraid I won't be able to return to the country to explain." "Okay!" Ying Wuyi laughed suddenly, "I have heard your name for a long time, and I am not disappointed! Xi Yan, since you have the will to fight, why don't you urge the army to come up?" Xi Yan also smiled: "If you can control the enemy, why bother to kill more? I have heard that before the lord twenty years ago, before he became a marquis, his swordsmanship had already crowned Li Guo. The Li Guo nursery rhyme said 'Young master is innocent, you are invincible with a sword' .Xi Yan has been thinking about it for a long time, and I am lucky to meet you today, why don't you take the time to give advice and encourage the younger ones?" Ying Wuyi raised her brown saber eyebrows, and her slender eyes were even more cold.The strong wind blew up the red flag beside him, the flag lowered and rolled up in front of him, the red flag was raised, and Ying Wuyi already had a nine-foot saber in his hand.A pair of hands with tangled muscles and bones tightly grasped the three-foot-long handle of the horse-chopping knife, and the six-foot-long blade cast a narrow, cold light on the side of the horse. "That knife..." Lu Guichen felt a chill in his back, and whispered in Ji Ye's ear. "The center of gravity is wrong. This kind of long knife has a short handle and a long blade. It is probably for easy chopping. To be able to use such a knife, Li Gong's strength is really amazing!" Ji Ye was also amazed at the overbearing weapon that is rare in the world. On the Xiatang side, the sergeant presented a black iron halberd in front of the resting horse. Xi Yan is known as "the number one fighter in 30 years" in Donglu. He is second only to Li Lingxin, the general of Emperor Fengyan decades ago. His famous weapon is the ancient sword "Jingdu", which is of excellent quality. .As for fighting immediately, the most important thing is to kill the enemy with long soldiers. The sword is not a sharp weapon for horseback fighting, so Xiyan also has a long halberd "Bitter Thorn", which was bought with a lot of money after searching for many years.And Ying Wuyi has spent his whole life charging on horses, and his favorite weapon in his life is a pair of nine-foot-long sabers, which were forged by Ying Wuyi himself from iron taken from Leiyan Mountain. The two coaches looked at each other from a distance, as if an invisible pressure suppressed the surrounding wind, and the flowing clouds gathered and rolled in the sky.The white ribbon tied on the halberd fluttered in front of Xi Yan's eyes.While the white sash was rising and falling, Xi Yan looked at the shadow of the red armored fire horse in the distance without moving. Ji Ye raised his head, and suddenly felt that the sky seemed so low. Lu Guichen clenched the handle of the knife on his back, and his hands were suddenly filled with cold sweat. This was the first time in five years that he saw Xi Yan go all out. "I hope it's not the last battle of my life." After saying this, the last ray of smile on Xi Yan's lips faded, and he sat on the horse and walked out slowly. On the entire grassland, there is only the sound of hulala wind blowing the banner, and a black horse advances alone.Xi Yan's war horse took small steps calmly, but as he came out of the battle, everyone in front of the two armies held their breath in unison—an indescribable coercion slowly pushed up as Xi Yan came out of the battle. Beside Ying Wuyi, the entourage on the white horse stretched out his hand to grab his arm armor, as if trying to prevent him from going out.And Ying Wuyi remained expressionless, he let go of the pull of his entourage, and with a flick of his wrist, the tip of the Saber fell to the ground.After a short moment of silence, the charcoal fire horse that Ying Wuyi was sitting on suddenly roared loudly, and Ying Wuyi's leaping horse roared and charged out from the formation.One man and one horse, but like a tsunami, the peace on the grassland was completely torn by him! "Good!" Lu Guichen couldn't help admiring. Xi Yan's advance did not break the "quietness" on the battlefield, but it quietly squeezed the momentum of the Li army and gained the upper hand.But Ying Wuyi let out a long shout and charged decisively, breaking the situation set by Xi Yan.Occupying the opportunity to "move" is a psychological competition and a tactic of the two of them. At this time, the coercion that Ying Wuyi was under was bounced off by him with a long roar, which in turn pointed to Xi Yan. Xi Yan couldn't maintain that quiet and cold coercion, the black horse neighed and charged towards Ying Wuyi, only then did the sergeants who applauded from the two armies react.The drums of war sounded in unison, shaking the clouds and mountains in the sky. Ying Wuyi and Xi Yan's horses intertwined, their weapons collided with each other.The war horses on both sides are one out of a thousand famous horses, and all the power they bring is applied to the weapons.There was a sound of gold and iron clashing, and the two weapons seemed to be broken on the impact, Ying Wuyi and Xi Yan brushed past.Both sides suppressed the pain in their arms together, turned around with their horses and cut them off.The horse-chopping knife was locked by the iron branch of the halberd head, and both sides felt a rush of blood rushing to their hearts, and the two forces were equal. "My lord is ten years older, and his strength is even better than Xi Yan's. The juniors have to feel inferior." Xi Yan could barely speak. "General Xi has a Confucian demeanor," Ying Wuyi sneered, "It's a pity that there is too much nonsense." Ying Wuyi suddenly exerted strength, and the locked saber was withdrawn like lightning, and Xi Yan's iron halberd lost its support and immediately went astray.Xi Yan rode his horse back, Ying Wuyi's charcoal fire horse followed closely. Ji Ye was too far away, and he could only see the two horses galloping side by side on the battlefield, and Ying Wuyi threw a large shadow of the sword at Xi Yan with the saber in his hand, and Xi Yan parried left and right.But Xi Yan, who was in the shadow of the knife, felt more clearly the mountain-like pressure coming from every knife.Ying Wuyi who holds the knife is like a giant god, every knife has the potential to open a mountain.There was a shrill wind whistling on the saber, without any false moves, each knife was done with all its strength, enough to split pig iron. This is the arrogance of the knife in his hand. As long as he swings the knife, he will break his armor and kill people! Xi Yan fought with halberds, so he could only stay on the defensive.The sound of Li Jun's drums shook people's hearts, thousands of Thunder Riders shouted in unison, the momentum rose sharply, Ying Wuyi's saber became even more powerful, gaining the upper hand. But no matter how strong Ying Wuyi was, he couldn't break through Xiyan's defense.The war horse neighed, the domineering sword crisscrossed, Xi Yan remained unmoved. Ying Wuyi was shocked.The military science and swordsmanship he is good at are nothing more than the four words "Yue Zhi Lei Xing", defending like a mountain, attacking like a wild thunder.Regardless of the "Red Tide" of the Lei Cavalry Army or the horse-slashing sword technique, they all focus on quick battles and quick decisions.Among the two swords, the heavy sword "Zhan Yue" weighed thirty-two catties, and it was not a weapon for prolonged battles.When he fights immediately, he often beheads with one blow, and there are only a few people who can block his power with one blow.And in the blink of an eye, more than thirty knives have passed, Xi Yan is surrounded by an iron wall of defense, and there is still a faint offensive feedback. Xi Yan raised his halberd, slashing across an arc pointing to the sky.Ying Wuyi defended for the first time, Zhan Yue knocked and avoided Xi Yan's attack.At that moment, Ying Wuyi's heart suddenly became clear, the memory of the past was still there, and Ying Wuyi had seen the martial arts of Xiyan, the fox of the Eastern Continent, in the hands of another person. "It's as immovable as a mountain!" Ying Wuyi roared. The Saber, which was on the offensive like a tide, suddenly stood up to the sky and remained motionless. Xi Yan's war halberd suddenly stagnated, and then straightened with a "shua", pointing directly at Ying Wuyi's eyebrows: "The clouds are a thousand feet!" During the fierce battle, the two stopped their hands suddenly, and stared at each other coldly with the horses separated by two feet. Ying Wuyi nodded: "I guessed right, you are his student and you learned his martial arts. I thought he had never accepted students." "But I have heard the name of the prince, and I also know that he taught him a style of sword." "That's why you want to try hands with me?" Ying Wuyi asked, "You deliberately exposed your identity to me." "I'm just here to ask a question." "Say!" At this time, the leaders of the two armies faced each other, but no one could hear what they were saying, and all voices were suppressed in their throats.Li Jun and Tang Jun soldiers could only maintain their vigilance with full energy, Xi Yan took a deep breath: "For ten years, the prince has spared no effort to oppress the people in the country, dominate the armed forces, and overwhelm the princes. What is the prince doing this for? Is your dream to conquer the world and destroy it?" "Crush the world, destroy it?" Ying Wuyi asked back. "That's right, the sun has set." Xi Yan whispered. There was a dead silence. Slowly, a smile broke out on Ying Wuyi's face: "Yes, the sun has set, and everyone who wants to support the sun will understand that it is futile to do so. Bai's world is crumbling. The elders lived above the imperial court by virtue of their surnames, but they were just a group of walking corpses! Even if Bai Yin was still alive in the world, he would still be powerless to return to heaven! This is my dream, and I want to ask you, is it the dream of Tianqi? the same with me?" Xi Yan shook his head: "There are many people in Tianqi, and everyone in it thinks differently. For me, Tianqi, what I want is a new era of peace, and the country you dream of will have this era of peace. Is it given to the peoples?" "If I can bring peace to the people, is there still a chance for me and Tianqi to join forces?" Ying Wuyi asked coldly. "We have joined hands with many people. What we want is a peaceful era!" Ying Wuyi stared into Xi Yan's eyes, and he smiled softly: "What I want to do is indeed to destroy the dead. At that time, the only thing left in Donglu and even in the world is Liguo...but I am different from you. !" He suddenly laughed loudly, and the moment the laughter started, Ying Wuyi led his horse forward a foot.Borrowing horsepower, the long knife slashed down through the wind, and a bright arc of light fell on the top of Xi Yan's head.There was no room for thinking at all, Xi Yan raised the iron halberd with all his strength, the edge of the halberd forcefully cut off the arc of the knife, and the twigs at the head of the halberd locked Ying Wuyi's knife again.Xi Yan felt the sharp pain of contusion coming from his elbow. "In this world, there will never be an era of peace. There will always be wars one after another. I am very grateful that you have such a dream and refuse to wake up after being put on the gallows. But," Ying Wuyi said with both eyes Ruju whispered quietly, "Tianqi has no reason to exist in this world!" "Die!" Ying Wuyi roared. The saber's momentum was uninterrupted, and there was not even the slightest stagnation.Xi Yan's whole body was shocked, seeing that incomparable arc of the knife cut off the twigs of the halberd head with a "crack", and continued to cut down.At the moment of life and death, Xi Yan's hands shook violently. Ying Wuyi felt an astonishing shock suddenly coming from the halberd that was attached to the face of the blade, and the Saber suddenly shook in his hand, as if stuck by an iron thorn, a huge tremor slowed down the blade.The knife only slowed down for a moment, Xi Yan pushed the halberd pole with all his strength, pushing Ying Wuyi's offensive aside.The shoulder armors of the two collided, passed by on the wrong horse, and galloped to both sides of the battlefield. "Jimo!" Lu Guichen shouted. Ji Ye has already driven the horse and rushed out!He is very skilled in archery, and there is already a carved feather arrow hanging on Su Tie Gong.At this time, Xi Yan and Ying Wuyi separated, and he had a chance.While galloping, Ji Ye fully stretched the iron bow and locked it on Ying Wuyi's vest. The range of his iron bow was as far as two hundred and fifty steps, and it was not difficult to hit at this distance. "Ji Ye! Shoot the man in front of you first!" Lu Guichen yelled behind him. Ji Ye was startled, turned his head to look, and suddenly reversed the arrow.In Ying Wuyi's army, the black-armored knight under the banner also rode out alone, holding a hard crossbow, no doubt aiming at Xi Yan. The eagle feather arrow shot at the black armored knight first.Ji Ye knew that the crossbow was more lethal than the iron bow in his hand, and could easily penetrate Xiyan's back armor.In a hurry, he had no time to aim, and the arrow let out a shrill scream, and barely brushed against the black armored knight's neck. The black armored knight's crossbow dropped from his hand, and the iron arrow shot into the grass. Fall on your back. The entire Thunder Cavalry Army suddenly shook, and the three armies moved forward like a tide.Countless iron hooves kicked up smoke and dust, and a gray wave rose on the grassland.The cavalry and archers flew up on both sides like bird wings, while the cavalry occupied the central battlefield, and the accelerated horses finally left the dust.The sergeants in Xia Tang watched helplessly as the li army cavalry in red light armor rushed out of the billowing fly ash, forming a ochre-red wave that undulated along the grassland. "Red Tide!" It is unknown who in the Tang Army's camp made such a hoarse voice, but his voice was immediately drowned in the overwhelming sound of iron hooves.