Jeune Premier ministre, un ermite

Chapitre 143

"Charge! Destroy their crossbows!" He Lu shouted, and countless Western Turkic warriors charged towards the Tibetan army. However, they were hit by rows of powerful crossbows halfway through their charge. Those who escaped the crossbows and continued forward were shot by archers. Very few were able to reach the front of the Tibetan army.

Standing atop the city wall, Wei Zijun's heart bled. "He Lu—retreat immediately! Don't launch a full-scale attack!"

"Get moving, launch a scattered attack, and flank them from behind." Wei Zijun channeled her inner energy, sending her voice into the ears of the Western Turkic army. If they moved, the enemy would have to constantly adjust their direction and aim, making it much more difficult.

"I'll go destroy those stone crossbows." Wei Zijun leaped off the city wall.

"Come back here—" He managed to grab her, but Li Tianqi roared anxiously from behind. Then, he jumped down after her.

At this moment, the Tibetan army began its advance, with large ranks of crossbowmen firing at the Western Turks.

At this point, the Western Turkic army lacked the strength to retaliate, which was the disadvantage of having their formation disrupted. Therefore, in a battle between two armies, it is essential to seize the initiative, otherwise one will be at the mercy of the enemy.

The well-organized Tibetan army, with their crossbows raised, fired wave after wave of arrows, sweeping away the brave demon-faced cavalrymen who charged forward.

"Don't throw your lives away—withdraw from crossbow range and launch a flanking attack—" Wei Zijun leaped onto a warhorse that had lost its master and shouted to the Western Turkic army.

She charged towards the Tibetan army, raising her bow, intending to shoot their commander. However, she discovered that the Tibetan army had no banner and their commander was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps fearing the power of her longbow, they deliberately concealed themselves.

Just then, another barrage of massive stones rained down on the Western Turkic army. The stones were all clustered together in one spot, right above the commander's banner. Under the banner stood Helu, wielding his sword to block the rain of arrows.

"He Lu—" Seeing the stones and crossbow bolts raining down on He Lu like a storm, Wei Zijun rushed towards him...

She brandished her long sword, rushed in front of him, shielded him from the incoming crossbow bolts, and at the same time grabbed him and leaped backward with force.

"Wind—go away—" He Lu roared. As soon as he finished speaking, a dense mass of boulders rained down on them from the sky. Just as a boulder was about to hit the two of them, Wei Zijun leaped into the air, used all her inner strength to kick the boulder away, and grabbed He Lu, intending to throw him backward with force.

However, another volley of crossbow bolts came, covering such a wide area that no matter how fast one went, one could not get past them. At the same time the crossbow bolts came, another huge rock came crashing down from the sky.

Wei Zijun leaped up and kicked away the boulder, but she couldn't deflect the incoming swords. He Lu rushed forward to shield her from the arrows, exposing himself to the hail of arrows.

Seeing that the dense rain of arrows was unstoppable, in that instant, Wei Zijun resolutely lunged towards Helu, pressing her body down to avoid the arrows, and at the same time resolutely covering him with her own body. At this moment, another huge rock came crashing down, accompanied by a volley of arrows.

However, at that very moment, another agile figure flew in. Without a moment's hesitation, he shielded Wei Zijun with his body. A sharp sound of an arrow piercing flesh rang out, followed by a huge rock falling from the sky. Li Tianqi arched his body with force, and with a thud, Wei Zijun heard a sound of bones cracking. A stream of blood gushed out, flowing hotly over the back of Wei Zijun's neck.

"Zijun, let's go quickly," he said weakly, his head drooping onto her shoulder.

"Second Brother..." Wei Zijun cried out, helped Li Tianqi up and leaped into the air as the rain of stones in the sky dissipated, leaving behind the army and quickly leaping towards the city wall.

She sped along, her face streaked with tears, crying out, "Imperial Physician—hurry—Imperial Physician—"

Hearing their Khan's heart-wrenching cry and seeing their three commanders entangled together, the Western Turkic army was enraged. Raising their shields, without orders or commands, they roared and charged towards the Tibetan army. Their momentum was terrifying, their roars chilling. They ran swiftly, weaving through a hail of arrows, towards the stone crossbows. Those in front fell, but those behind charged even harder. Their swift warhorses leaped over their fallen comrades like the wind. When the first wave of Western Turkic soldiers arrived, the Tibetans could no longer fire their arrows. Countless black iron tides, carrying endless grief and anger, surged forth, their hideous faces overwhelming, pushing over and cutting down the crossbow carts. Bloodthirsty eyes were filled with hatred, and their longswords swung wildly. Despite being thrown off balance by the stone crossbows and losing much manpower to the arrows, the warriors' spirit remained like that of a million-strong army, chilling to the bone.

Blood spurted out, and the raging roar seemed capable of devouring people. With each roar, the heads of Tibetan soldiers flew into the night sky. Large numbers of Tibetan soldiers fell, and wherever the Ghost-Faced Army swept through, there was no survivor.

Finally, unable to withstand the fierce offensive, the Tibetan army began to flee, abandoning hundreds of stone crossbows and escaping at breakneck speed. The Western Turkic masked cavalry pursued them relentlessly, killing many more of the lagging enemy soldiers before halting their advance. They did not pursue the Tibetan army all the way to their camp, because without their commander's orders, they could not leave the battlefield without permission.

Inside the Western Turkic army's camp, the lights were on, and countless anxious figures paced in front of a door. Among them, a man with a resolute face and sharp features was particularly worried. Miaozhou had rushed over after hearing that Supi had started a war, only to witness this scene.

"Imperial Physician Lin, how is he?" Wei Zijun looked anxiously at Li Tianqi's bloodless face, her hand trembling slightly as she held his.

"Your Highness, His Majesty's internal organs are ruptured, and he has multiple fractures in his back. Thanks to your timely transfer of internal energy, his life is no longer in danger. However, His Majesty needs to rest and will not recover quickly. Nevertheless, he should wake up after midnight. After waking up, he will need to rest. I hope everything will be alright. I'm afraid that no matter what, he will not be able to recover to his former state." Lin Huajing sighed and withdrew.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zijun felt a sharp pain in his heart. Could he never return to what he was before? He was once so handsome and incomparable, so healthy and spirited, but what had she done to him?

Stroking her thin face, Wei Zijun clutched her chest in heartache. How could she ever repay him for risking his life to save her? "Second brother, you can't be hurt, you absolutely can't be hurt. What will happen to Zijun if something happens to you? When Zijun came into this world, you were the first person she relied on. You are as important as Zijun's parents. You can't abandon Zijun."

Looking at her thin, haggard face, pale and ashen, devoid of its former radiance, she thought, perhaps she shouldn't be a burden to him anymore, shouldn't let him struggle in hopeless love, struggling to the point of sacrificing his life for her. Perhaps, if he didn't love her so much, he wouldn't have disregarded everything for her, wouldn't have abandoned his country to travel thousands of miles to come to her, wouldn't be in so much pain, wouldn't look at her with such longing eyes, and wouldn't have tormented himself to such a miserable state for her. Perhaps it was best to let go, to seal away this hopeless love; that way, perhaps she could give him a way out.

After midnight, Li Tianqi indeed woke up. The first thing he uttered upon opening his eyes was a hoarse cry: "Zijun—hurry—"

Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she choked back sobs as she cupped his face in her hands. "Second Brother—I'm here."

Li Tianqi gazed deeply at her. If only he could see her face every time he woke up, how wonderful that would be. "Don't cry, I won't die." Li Tianqi smiled and reached out to gently stroke her cheek, trying to wipe away her tears.

Wei Zijun grabbed her hand. "Second brother, you mustn't be so foolish in the future. You are the ruler of a country. Your life no longer belongs only to yourself. You are responsible for the lives of all people. You cannot treat your life so lightly. Otherwise, what will become of this vast country?"

“If I die, I will pass the throne to you!” He gazed intently at her, his dry lips parting slightly. “No one is more suitable for that position than you. In my heart, you are also the closest and most reliable person to me.”

Wei Zijun's nose stung with tears. "Second brother, you must take good care of yourself. You must not get hurt. And don't make such sacrifices for Zijun anymore. Zijun doesn't deserve it, and can't bear it."

Li Tianqi felt a pang of disappointment upon hearing this. He remained silent for a long while before saying, "Zijun, come up and lie down with your second brother for a while." Finally, he had an excuse to sleep with her. He remembered the night they were held hostage; she had lay beside him, taking care of him. Every time she got up to stroke his forehead, he knew it. He felt sorry for her and wanted to tell her to sleep, but he was unconscious and unable to stop her. Tonight, he wanted to watch her fall asleep.

"Second Brother, I'd better go see He Lu. I've been so worried about you. I heard he was shot with an arrow too. You go to sleep first, I'll stay with you until you're sound asleep before I leave." She comforted him softly, afraid of saying something wrong. But she couldn't lie down beside him, afraid that once she did, she wouldn't be able to leave. If she couldn't leave, what would happen to her sister-in-law? She could live without a man, but she was afraid her sister-in-law wouldn't be able to live without him.

Li Tianqi felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but he still nodded, "Go ahead, after all, he's injured too."

Wei Zijun did not leave; she stayed by Li Tianqi's side until he fell asleep before getting up and leaving.

The cool night breeze ruffled her hair, soothing her aching, troubled, and slightly bitter heart. She stood quietly in the night, letting her unspoken thoughts drift away with the wind...

After calming herself down, she quietly went to He Lu's room, thinking he was already asleep, but to her surprise, he was waiting for her.

He Lu's injury wasn't serious; he'd only taken an arrow to his left arm. When Wei Zijun arrived, he was lying on the couch, staring at the candlelight. The moment he saw her, his heart leaped. She had finally come.

Perhaps he had waited too long, his heart was racing, and when he saw her, his throat suddenly tightened. "Why did you take so long to come?"

Wei Zijun smiled, her smile softening perhaps from exhaustion. "Isn't this it?" she asked, sitting down beside his bed. "Does it hurt?"

He Lu sat up. "Feng—hold me."

Wei Zijun leaned in and hugged him. "What's wrong now? Hmm?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to hug you." He hugged her tightly. He hugged her for a long, long time. "Feng, stay with me tonight."

At that moment, her heart ached. Such a request was not unreasonable, but she could not agree to it. Her second brother was seriously injured and sleeping there. How could she sleep there with him?

"He Lu, be good and go to sleep." She gently laid him down on the couch. Before she could pull her arm away, He Lu tightened his grip and pulled her down onto the couch. Wei Zijun tried to get up, but He Lu immediately groaned loudly in pain to show that he was a patient and should be unconditionally satisfied.

Fearing that it would aggravate his wound, Wei Zijun reluctantly gave in for the time being.

The two lay face to face, He Lu's large hands stroking her cheeks repeatedly, as if it were never enough. His affectionate gaze was fixed on her, as if he wanted to stay like this forever. Then he gently leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Give me the wind," He Lu murmured in a low, hoarse voice.

"He Lu, you're injured! Get some sleep." She clung tightly to He Lu's neck to prevent him from continuing.

He Lu sighed softly and held her tightly. "Give me the wind. Perhaps this is the last night..."

Wei Zijun did not let go, and He Lu stopped insisting. He just kissed her clear cheeks again and again. When he got tired of kissing her, he held her tightly and fell asleep.

Only when He Lu's breathing became even did Wei Zijun quietly get up and leave. She stood in the night for a while, lost in thought. Both men caused her pain; she thought of one and felt pain, yet couldn't let go of the other. She didn't want to hurt either of them, and these two emotions tore at her heart. Perhaps if her heart had been a little colder, perhaps if she had been a little more selfish, perhaps if she had been a little more ruthless, perhaps then all three of them wouldn't have suffered at the same time.

She couldn't accept her second brother's relationship. Neither of them had the right to destroy another woman's happiness. In that woman's eyes, he was her everything, and she couldn't let her world collapse.

But what kind of feelings did she have for He Lu? She felt sorry for him, missed him, and couldn't bear to leave him. Perhaps, without her second brother by her side, she would end up with He Lu.

She was tired and didn't want to think about it anymore, so she went into her room. She was so tired that without any worries, she relaxed completely. Exhaustion and sleepiness washed over her, and she collapsed onto the tatami mat, fully clothed, and fell asleep.

I slept without any dreams.

When Wei Zijun woke up in the morning, she was startled awake by the chirping of birds outside her window. The first thing she did after getting up was to check on Li Tianqi, who was still asleep. She then went to check on He Lu, but when she entered He Lu's room, she found that He Lu was gone.

Volume 3, Dayu Chapter 131: Vanishing

His blankets were neatly folded, indicating that he had been gone for quite some time.

Wei Zijun was startled and quickly walked out, asking Fuli beside her, "Where did Shabolo Yehu go?"

"Khan, because we learned last night that in addition to the stone crossbows left on the battlefield, the Tibetan army still had more than a hundred stone crossbows parked in their camp, Yabghu led a team to raid the enemy camp in the dead of night to destroy the stone crossbows." Nafuli said worriedly, "However, it's already this hour, and they haven't returned yet."

Wei Zijun's heart skipped a beat. If they hadn't returned by now, something must have happened. "Send the order to immediately assemble an army of 100,000 and set off for the Tibetan garrison camp."

My heart was pounding wildly, a feeling I'd never experienced before. That ominous premonition had truly arrived. Even when I learned of He Lubei's siege and his several encounters with danger, I'd never felt this panicked.

She hurriedly washed and splashed cold water on her face, trying to calm herself. Her eyelashes were lowered, her thoughts churning in her eyes, her face clear yet pale. Before the army departed, she went to Li Tianqi's room. He was still fast asleep. She leaned down to look at his sleeping face and whispered, "Second Brother, Zijun owes you a debt of gratitude in this life, and will repay it in the next." Then she resolutely turned away.

As they stepped outside, they ran into Miaozhou. "Miaozhou, take good care of him and don't let him move."

"Where are you going?" Miaozhou sensed something was wrong.

"I'm going out to find He Lu." She said casually, without saying where she was going to look. If she had told him, Miaozhou would never have let her go.

“I’ll go with you.” Miao Zhou turned around and followed her.

"You must stay and watch over him. He might wake up soon. Don't tell him I went out; just say I'm still sleeping." Perhaps if she stays asleep, he won't worry. "There's one more thing. I've hand-drawn a map here, showing my master's secluded place, which no outsider has ever known. Miaozhou. Once he's recovered for a few days and can endure the hardships of travel, take him to my master. He will heal him. If he can't travel, you go to him alone and ask him to come. You must memorize this map, then burn it immediately. Don't let a second person know about it."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Miao Zhou frowned and stared into her eyes. "Where are you going? Don't think about revenge. Although Gong Song Gong Zan is not very skilled in martial arts, you can't kill Nan Gong Que."

Wei Zijun smiled faintly, "I am in charge of the three armies, I don't have time to take care of him, and I can't leave this place, so only you can do this."

Miao Zhou gazed at her for a long while, then nodded. The moment she left him, he grabbed her wrist from behind, looking at her quietly, "Don't do anything foolish. If I find out, you'll never have freedom again."

Wei Zijun slowly turned her head and gave him a gentle smile.

On this day, the third year of the Jiande era of the Dayu Kingdom, the Year of the Snake in the Western Turks, in the fifth month, on the day of Gengxu, at the hour of Si (9-11 AM), Wei Zijun led his army and set off silently. The verdant grasslands stretched endlessly, distant snow-capped peaks rose into the clouds, and several eagles soared across the spring sky, a pristine blue. But his heart was heavy with unbearable anxiety.

The cold iron armor gleamed with a chilling light, heavy iron hooves trampled the grassland, long broadswords lay flat on the horse's back, and the neat and rapid hoofbeats resounded to the heavens.

That peerless figure, leading the way, sat upright on his horse, tall and graceful, serene as the moon. His clear face was somewhat pale, yet still clean, sharp, and imposing. Yet, beneath that commanding aura lay a hint of weariness and tenderness. Even the rough and rugged men couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for him.

The Black Iron Army advanced rapidly. The thunderous sound of hooves was incessant. Just as the army was about to reach the Tibetan army's encampment, a loud thud of hooves came from ahead. A moment later, the Tibetan army surged forward and stopped in front of them when they saw the Western Turkic army.

The two armies faced each other, a hundred paces apart.

The two armies stared at each other for a long time. Wei Zijun reined in her horse and slowly moved forward. The Tibetan army line stirred and two fine horses stepped out, with two people standing on their backs. One was the current Tibetan prince, Gongsong Gongzan, and the other was Dayan Mangjiebo, the prince of the fallen Tuyuhun Kingdom, who was once known in the martial arts world as the ruthless killer Nangong Que.

Wei Zijun gazed silently at the two people opposite her, the two enemies who had killed her parents, her mind churning with thoughts.

"Fourth brother—did he rescue your lover?" Nangong Que took two steps forward, his eyes sparkling with a smile. "He probably won't win your favor anymore."

Her heart was clenching, but her clear face remained expressionless. "What have you done to him?"

"How about it? Haha..." Nangong Que burst into laughter, "It's certainly not good. He destroyed all the stone crossbows we painstakingly made, which is equivalent to ruining our entire plan to repel the enemy. Tell me, should he be killed?"

At that moment, her heart trembled, and her hand gripping the reins tightened until her knuckles turned white and she trembled slightly. "You killed him?" she asked with difficulty.

Gongsong Gongzan's deep, eagle-like eyes were fixed on the face opposite him. He said slowly and coldly, "These thousand warriors, you should erect a monument for them. Although none of them survived, they died very bravely." His eagle eyes pierced through the air, carefully examining her expression.

A sudden roar filled her mind, a sharp pain ripped through her heart. Something blurred her vision, blurred the past, blurred the years gone by… He was dead? Dead? He Lu, how could he be dead? This must be a dream, just a nightmare. She remembered last night, how he said he wanted her, how he said it was the last time, how he wanted her, and how she cruelly rejected him.

Has that pure, snow-like man, who was so impetuous in her presence like a child, gone? Has the man who held her last night gone? He said he wanted her, so why didn't she give it to him? He never asked for anything. He never forced her, only silently followed her. When she said no, he obediently fell asleep, content simply holding her. But how cruel, how stingy she was! He so longed to hear her say "I love you," yet she never said it. She so desperately wanted a response, yet she never gave it to him. He endured countless lonely nights, then mustered the courage to ask for her, but she still didn't give it to him…

Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. It was as if she only realized he had taken root in her heart after losing him. She had never been willing to face his feelings because there was someone else always standing in front of him, so she had always ignored him. But his love had always warmed her heart, and she followed him to the death without ever giving up...

He Lu—how can I ever make it up to you, make up for the agonizing, lonely nights you endured, make up for the heart that never received a response? If everything could start over, I would hold you tight and tell you… whatever you want to hear… as long as you want… I will tell you…

The spring breeze swept across the grassland, blowing away the burning tears in my eyes... The person opposite me let out a cold laugh.

"Truly deep affection indeed. He must have given you a lot of pleasure in bed." Gongsong Gongzan's expression was strange, his eyes revealing an unusual emotion.

She lowered her eyes gently, wiping away her tears imperceptibly. Then, she slowly raised her eyes and said resolutely, as if making a vow: "Nangong Que, Gongsong Gongzan, I will make you pay the price."