Looking up, all I could see was the vibrant red sunset on the horizon.
With a clang, the longsword, its blade broken, fell to the ground. The blood-soaked boy covered his eyes, unable to bear it any longer, and began to sob, suppressing his cries.
Zhao Lin watched from afar and stopped the soldiers around him who wanted to comfort Xiao Lin.
He hadn't expected Xiao Lin to wake up so quickly.
They never expected that Xiao Lin would return to Bei Yi City in such a short time to fight alongside them.
He thought that, in terms of the degree of pain, Xiao Lin was probably a thousand times, a hundred times, more painful than anyone else present.
She recalled what she had once said to Xiao Lin.
What? If you don't treat the general well, we will all make you regret it.
But now, he understands it deeply.
It was their general who betrayed His Highness.
The soldiers of Beicheng all knew what Yu Tang had done last night, but they had all joined forces to keep Xiao Lin in the dark.
This left the man who loved the general the most with no chance to stop him.
They... are all sinners.
Xiao Lin sat on the city wall until late at night. The corpses around him were cleared away, and the soldiers walked around him, but they all tacitly did not disturb him.
Leave him his own space.
The blood on his face had dried up, and the wound on his waist and abdomen had stopped bleeding because it was too cold.
The pain in his heart made him look pale, and his lips were deathly white.
I clenched my fist and pounded it on my chest several times before the feeling of suffocation subsided a little.
His frozen fingers gripped the wall to help him stand up.
Xiao Lin took a few steps, then everything went black before he collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness amidst the gasps of the soldiers around him.
He was unconscious for only a short time, and after being awakened by a nightmare, he was unable to fall back asleep.
The wounds on his body had been treated by the military doctor, but his forehead was burning hot.
The door was opened from the outside; it was Xiao Si.
The boy's eyes were swollen like peaches. He brought in a bowl of medicine and porridge, placed it on the small table beside the bed, and said to Xiao Lin, "Your Highness, please eat the porridge, drink the medicine, and then sleep a little longer."
Xiao Lin had already sat up, his expression calm.
He took the medicine bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and the bitterness spread between his lips and teeth.
He paused slightly, recalling the smile on Yu Tang's face when she stuffed candied fruit into his mouth.
He then gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and lowered his head.
He took the bowl of porridge again and ate it without saying a word, spoonful after spoonful, wolfing it down.
"Your Highness, please eat slowly..." Xiao Si was alarmed.
He dared not mention Yu Tang's matter, nor could he stop Xiao Lin, so he could only sit blankly by the bed, pursing his lips, tears welling up in his eyes again.
"There will probably be another battle tonight or at dawn." Xiao Lin handed the empty porridge bowl back to Xiao Si: "I need to recover quickly so I can continue the fight."
He understood Yu Tang's intentions perfectly.
With the enemy's supplies burned, a fierce battle is inevitable.
They'll still fight like they're risking their lives.
He is skilled in martial arts, capable of fighting dozens of soldiers, so he absolutely cannot rest.
He must defend the northern city and not let Yu Tang's efforts be in vain.
Xiao Si couldn't help but advise, "Your Highness, the military doctor said that your injuries have accumulated quite a bit over the past two weeks, and now you also have a fever. It would be best if you didn't go to the battlefield again..."
Xiao Lin interrupted him, his eyes crystal clear: "My arm isn't broken, my leg isn't bent, I can move and walk, I can wield a sword, so I can go to the battlefield."
He said firmly, "Don't worry, I won't die."
"I will live to protect this northern city and live to welcome my general back."
"But the general has already..." Xiao Si covered her mouth, her voice hoarse.
“I gave the general a jade pendant.” Xiao Lin said as if to Xiao Si, but also as if to himself: “He told me that if the jade doesn’t break, the person won’t die. The fact that I haven’t found the jade pendant means that it’s still in his possession.”
"Moreover, if the enemy really kills him, they will inevitably use his head to demoralize us!"
“So, I think the general is not dead.” His frostbitten fingers gripped the blanket tightly, aching and itchy, but nothing compared to the pain in his heart: “The general is waiting for me to go find him.”
"I firmly believe that one day I will find him!"
Xiao Si was shocked.
He seemed encouraged by Xiao Lin's words, and after a long pause, he nodded emphatically: "Yes, the general will definitely come back!"
Xiao Lin's guess was correct.
The enemy's retreat in the afternoon was just a ruse.
The real all-out offensive began in the latter half of the night.
He forced himself to sleep for more than an hour, and by the time he put on his armor and went into battle again, he had recovered a lot of strength.
Zhao Lin looked at him as he approached, his face full of surprise: "Your Highness, what brings you here again..."
"I'm fine..." Xiao Lin knew what he was going to say.
They silenced Zhao Lin beforehand with words.
How many troops are left?
Zhao Lin replied: "The original garrison of the first northern city still has 2,300 men, and the garrison that came to reinforce from the third northern city has 3,000 men. In total, there are 5,300 men."
Xiao Lin: "That's enough..."
“Some of you will guard the city gates, and the rest of you will follow me up to the city wall.”
Zhao Lin stared blankly at his retreating figure, his eyes filled with admiration.
This is the kind of prince who deserves the military tally entrusted to him by the general!
Only he is worthy to sit on the highest throne of this country!
The fighting didn't end until dawn. The remaining thousand soldiers, all wounded, stood on the city wall, supporting each other, gazing at the retreating enemy army, tears welling in their eyes.
After a long while, someone cheered.
After that, these rough men used their last bit of strength to cheer wildly until their voices were hoarse, then collapsed to the ground, weeping with joy.
Xiao Lin, on the other hand, stood leaning against the city wall for a long time.
Gazing at the rising sun.
After a long time, I gently closed my eyes.
General, did you see that?
We...we defended this city...
Thud—
Zhao Lin knelt on one knee in front of Xiao Lin.
As he knelt down, the soldiers, their eyes filled with tears, also knelt down before Xiao Lin.
"Your Highness!" Zhao Lin took out the military tally that Yu Tang had given him from his bosom and presented it to Xiao Lin with both hands: "This is the military tally that the general asked me to give to you before he left! From now on, all the soldiers of the Northern Nine Cities will be at Your Highness's command! We will go through fire and water, and die ten thousand times without hesitation!"
The surrounding soldiers roared, "We are willing to go through fire and water for Your Highness!"
Xiao Lin opened his eyes and looked down at the palm-sized token, on which was engraved a neat "Yu" character.
Back then, he even stayed up all night for this token, deliberately pressing down on that person and asking such shameless questions.
Xiao Lin pursed his lips, wanting to laugh.
But he ultimately didn't laugh.
With the handover of military command completed, the enemy forces completely withdrew.
Xiao Lin led his soldiers out of the city to search for the remains of Yu Tang and the others at the enemy camp, but they found none.
All that could be seen were large areas of charred blackened grain and fodder.
They searched in nearby villages for three days and finally found Li Wen, who should have been dead, in a dilapidated thatched hut.
However, Li Wen's two lower legs were cut off, so he could only lie in bed and usually ate wild fruits and vegetables brought by the children living there.
It was probably because their will to survive was so strong that they were able to hold on for so long.
When Xiao Lin found him, he had lost a lot of weight, his cheeks were sunken, but his eyes were still bright.
"Your Highness..." His voice was hoarse, as if he had aged ten years in the past half month: "I heard from Xiao Mu that the enemy has retreated, is that right?"
After his initial shock came Xiao Lin a pleasant surprise. He didn't mind Li Wen's frostbite and sour smell, and sat down next to him, saying, "Yes, the enemy has withdrawn."
"How is the general?" Li Wen asked. "He must be very happy, right?"
“He…” Xiao Lin’s throat tightened as he replied to Li Wen, “He went out, and I’m looking for him right now.”
He forced a smile: "I didn't expect to find you instead of him, so it's a great thing."
After saying that, he stood up and had the soldiers who came with him carry Li Wen out. Before leaving, he also took the little boy who had been raising Li Wen with him.
Li Wen said he wanted to adopt the child as his godson, so that he would have three children and his house would be more lively.
He just hoped his wife wouldn't blame him for disappearing for so long, and that Chen Mei could forgive him.
Afterwards, Xiao Lin searched the nearby forests and valleys for five more days, looking everywhere, but still couldn't find Yu Tang.
But he still didn't give up.
Li Wen's appearance brought him hope.
He felt that if Li Wen could survive the siege, then his general must also be alive; he just needed to search for him diligently.
We'll find it someday.
On New Year's Eve, Xiao Lin led his troops to attack the capital.