After a little thought, Yu Tang's intention became clear.
All my strength was draining away, and tears were falling uncontrollably.
He didn't ask Yu Tang what she was going to do, he just stubbornly choked up.
Pleading: "Don't go, General... Don't leave me alone... Please... Please..."
As the medicine took effect, Xiao Lin's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, yet he stubbornly refused to let go. His body slumped onto the stone table, and tears soaked his eyelids.
“Yutang…”
"Don't go, please..."
Yu Tang couldn't bear to see him like this, so she reached out her other hand and covered Xiao Lin's eyes.
Then she placed a kiss on Xiao Lin's forehead.
He said softly, "Your Highness, remember those words."
"As long as the jade remains unbroken, I will not die; I will wait for you to come and find me."
When he removed his hand again, Xiao Lin had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Tears of despair streamed down her eyelashes.
It took Yu Tang a lot of effort to pull her hand out of Xiao Lin's tightly clenched fingers.
He picked the boy up, carried him into the house, placed him on the bed, covered him with a blanket, and then used the corner of his clothes to wipe away the mottled tear stains on the boy's face. He watched him quietly for a while before getting up and taking out a black night outfit from the wardrobe. He wanted to change out of his wedding clothes, but hesitated for a moment and didn't do so.
Instead, he wore his night clothes over his clothes to cover the glaring red.
After that, he took a shovel and dug the ground under the locust tree three feet deep before putting the jade pendant in, wrapped in cloth.
Tonight's battle will surely be a one-way trip.
So he wanted to use this lie to keep Xiao Lin alive.
Even if it's self-deception, he wants Xiao Lin to live.
Cover the soil firmly to create the appearance that it has not been disturbed.
Afterwards, he knelt before General Yu's memorial tablet, poured two bowls of wine, and said solemnly, "Even though I am not your son, I will still defend this northern border for you! I will not let the Yu family be disgraced!"
He drank one bowl and poured the other bowl onto the ground in front of the offering table.
Once outside the courtyard, Xiao Si was already waiting there with his warhorse.
Seeing Yu Tang come out, tears streamed down her face.
"General, is there really no other way?" he said. "Can't we just stay here and hold out?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Yu Tang took the reins from his hand and said, "This medicine is enough for His Highness to sleep for two or three days. You must remember what I said and take good care of him."
After saying that, he mounted his warhorse, gently stroking its reddish-brown mane with his fingers, leaving only the two words "Little Four".
"They're gone..."
Watching that receding figure, Xiao Si covered her face and cried uncontrollably.
Upon arriving at the city gate, Zhao Lin and his soldiers were already waiting there.
The remaining five thousand men were all wounded.
They still formed a line, weapons in hand, standing straight, waiting for Yu Tang to speak.
Zhao Lin stepped forward: "General, Mu Chen and the others are ready."
As they were talking, a group of people dressed in night clothes and carrying bundles came up, led by Mu Chen.
He bowed to Yu Tang and said, "General! The sixteen men of the Dark Guard are at your disposal!"
The grain delivery team at that time belonged to Xiao Lin's forces in the capital—the Dark Pavilion.
Each of them possessed remarkable martial arts skills and was utterly loyal to Xiao Lin, ready to die for him.
Therefore, Yu Tang felt that choosing them to break into the enemy camp with him and burn their supplies was the most suitable option.
And Zhao Lin...
Yu Tang looked at Zhao Lin, who had a sorrowful expression, and said, "Linzi, I'm entrusting Bei Yi City to you."
"If we succeed, the supplies will be burned, and the enemy will definitely launch several more large-scale general offensives. The battle will likely be even more intense than before."
So you absolutely must lead the brothers and hold off this final attack. If we can hold on, victory is ours!
Yu Tang was well aware of just how enormous the amount of grain and fodder would be required for an army of 300,000.
Once their supplies run out, they will surely go berserk. But this madness is merely a facade; if they cannot take the northern city with overwhelming force, they will have no choice but to retreat in defeat, returning empty-handed.
"Yes!" Zhao Lin replied solemnly, his wide eyes glistening with tears.
Yu Tang did not comfort him.
Because separation by life and death is something that can never be avoided in this era of war.
As a soldier, one must be stronger than anyone else to protect this country.
Yu Tang took the bundle Mu Chen handed him, which was full of kerosene. He carefully placed the tinderbox close to his body, took the rope with the claw hook attached, and led a group of executioners up to the city wall.
They found a corner spot, and a dozen people hooked the grappling hooks onto the wall, tied the other end to their waists, and slowly and silently descended.
He only breathed a sigh of relief when his feet touched the ground.
The enemy camp was located a dozen miles away, not far away. Yu Tang led the group to wait along the city wall for a while, making sure they hadn't attracted the attention of the enemy scouts, before assigning tasks and heading into the nearby woods towards the enemy camp.
After walking a hundred meters, Yu Tang couldn't help but look back at the towering city gate.
For some reason, I thought of that kiss at sunset the day before.
Warm colors spread across her eyes, then slowly faded into silence.
Yu Tang turned around and silently recited in his heart.
Goodbye, my... Your Highness.
Chapter 41
Died for the fourth time for the villain ⩨100023456789⩨
Yu Tang gave Xiao Lin a very strong dose of medicine. An ordinary person would probably sleep for three days and three nights.
But Xiao Lin woke up at noon the next day.
There was some jolting beneath me. When I opened my eyes, I saw the wooden roof of the carriage, and I was covered with a thick quilt.
He woke up with great willpower, still feeling weak all over. He saw Chen Mei sitting in the carriage, and his pupils gradually focused.
He shouted almost immediately, "Where is the general!"
"Sister Mei! Where did the general go?!"
He slammed down from his seat, his weak fingers gripping the woman's clothes so tightly that the veins bulged.
"What time is it now? Where are we?"
Chen Mei was startled by his appearance and quickly knelt down in front of Xiao Lin, supporting his shoulders.
"Your Highness, the general, along with sixteen members of the Dark Pavilion led by Mu Chen, infiltrated the enemy camp last night and burned the grain supplies of 300,000 troops."
The enemy is now launching a furious attack on North City, their offensive is fierce, and both sides are fighting to the death.
"So Zhao Lin wants us to take His Highness out of the city first, and then let us go back after we have secured the city."
Yu Tang's instructions were: if Xiao Lin wakes up, tell him the truth.
So Chen Mei told the truth.
But as she spoke, her eyes were filled with reluctance.
"He succeeded, didn't he?" Xiao Lin asked. "You mean the General Fire attack on the grain supplies was successful, right?"
"Yes!" Chen Mei was deeply moved when she saw Xiao Lin's calm expression. Her voice became much firmer, and her eyes were filled with admiration and pride for Yu Tang: "General and the others have succeeded! As long as the soldiers can hold out for this round of attacks, our city will be saved!"
Xiao Lin looked at the woman's reddened eyes and suddenly smiled.
Feeling that he had regained some strength, he ignored Chen Mei's objections, lifted the carriage curtain, stood on the carriage shaft, and shouted to a soldier escorting civilians, "Give me the horse!"
"Your Highness!" Chen Mei grabbed him, "What are you going to do?"
"Return to the city!" Xiao Lin took the horse from the soldier and told Chen Mei to loosen his sleeve: "I want to fight alongside the soldiers!"
"Your Highness!"
Chen Mei tried to stop him, but Xiao Lin pushed off with his stomping foot, and the horse galloped away, leaving the woman with only a slightly hunched red silhouette.
The hem of her wedding dress fluttered in the cold wind, and her disheveled black hair contrasted sharply with the vibrant red, making her eyes glare.
When Xiao Lin arrived at Bei Yi City, the reinforcements from Bei San City also arrived just in time.
Everyone was taken aback when they saw the red wedding robes he was wearing.
The incredibly handsome young man's cheeks were flushed red from the cold wind, and his eyes, as if washed with salt water, were glistening with tears.
But his expression remained calm, his thin lips pressed into a thin line, as he said to the soldiers in front of the city gate: "Immediately seal the city gate with wooden planks! Don't leave the connecting points on both sides unsealed either!"
After saying this, he took the long sword that the soldier had found for him and led the reinforcements up the city wall to meet with Zhao Lin.
The battle on the city wall was still undecided.
The enemy climbed up the ladder like madmen.
The battle began almost as soon as Xiao Lin and the others went up.
The boy's face was cold and stern. With each swift movement of his knife, he targeted the enemy's vital points, taking a life with a single slash and thrust.
Warm blood splattered on his clothes and his face, then dripped down his chin.
No one noticed that along with the blood, there were also drops of tears.
The blood was diluted, spilled on the ground, seeped into the cracks in the rocks, and disappeared without a trace.
This callous killing continued into the afternoon.
The enemy finally sounded the retreat horn.
Xiao Lin staggered two steps, his back slammed into the stone wall, he coughed up blood, and slowly sat down on the ground.