Красоты династии Сун

Глава 21

"Can't you see I'm injured? Quickly call the army doctor!" Xingge slumped into the chair, pretending to be dead.

"With Major General Ye's skills, this little flesh wound is nothing! I don't think Major General Dou is a match for you either!" Deputy General Zhao looked at Xingge with admiration.

Xingge squinted at this general who had been stationed in Xicang for more than ten years. He was truly a man of strong likes and dislikes. "Who else is in your family, senior?"

Deputy General Zhao was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. "I have elderly parents and young children at home."

"Very well. According to the plan, send 10,000 soldiers down into the valley every quarter of an hour. Deputy General Zhao, you will stay with me in the tent to maintain order."

"Since our commander is wounded, I shall lead the army down into the valley first."

"This is a military order, Deputy General Zhao!"

Deputy General Zhao was about to speak again, but he held back and left.

After the military doctor had finished treating Xingge's wounds, the valley was filled with the sounds of battle. Deputy General Zhao stood at the entrance of the tent, keeping a close eye on the battle situation inside the valley.

Time ticked by, and the hour felt like an eternity. The tent curtains remained drawn, and a damp, thick stench of blood wafted in from outside. Xingge sat quietly in the chair with her eyes closed, her lips pressed tightly together, as if feigning sleep, or perhaps trying to avoid the situation.

Deputy General Zhao suddenly rushed in, his face ashen.

"Major General Ye, the enemy forces outnumber ours by almost two to one, and our casualties are heavy. Why don't you retreat and send the crossbowmen in?!"

How many of our soldiers went down?

"We've already reached 40,000! But the enemy has at least 70,000 or 80,000."

"We still have nearly 20,000 troops, right? Send them all down!"

"You! Go to the front lines and take a look!"

Xingge indeed got up and went to the edge of the cliff. Inside the valley, the Qingyi Heavenly Dynasty army and the dark red Northern Jurchen army were locked in fierce combat, but even more intense was the crimson red, which had almost soaked the yellow sand in the valley. The sky was already gloomy and damp, and the air was filled with the stench of blood.

"It's going to rain!" Xingge whispered.

"Major General Ye, most of the enemy troops have already entered the valley. We can sound the retreat bugle now!" Deputy General Zhao pleaded.

"According to the plan, all 60,000 of our troops must descend into the valley. Please pass on the order, Vice General Zhao!"

"This is sending people to their deaths!"

"Deputy General Zhao, do you think it's worth exchanging the lives of 60,000 soldiers for decades of peace in Xicang?"

Deputy General Zhao was stunned, and after a long while, he could only stammer, "Peace, peace?"

"If the Emperor wants peace, we must give him at least 600,000, let alone 60,000. Does Vice General Zhao think this is the world of the common people, or the world of the Sima family?"

Deputy General Zhao's face was contorted, and his eyes overflowed with furious murderous intent!

Xingge stared blankly into the distance. "I'll give you a choice. One, you stay here and be a pragmatic soldier. You can earn military merit and comfort your family, though you might suffer some inner turmoil. Two, you go down into the valley with 20,000 soldiers and die in the line of duty. You'll have no glory after death, and your elderly mother and young children will be left destitute, but you'll have no worries." Xingge suddenly turned his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "But as I see it, what you want most right now is to kill this despicable man like me, isn't it? I advise you to think carefully! That way, you'll be charged with assassinating your superior, not dying on the battlefield, but dying by my sword!"

Deputy General Zhao's hand trembled as he gripped his sword. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he instantly calmed down. "Sir, you are a close confidant of Prince Qing and do not need to participate in the battle. It is only because you were afraid that Major General Dou would suffer such torment that you insisted on sending him to the expedition!"

"Generals die in a hundred battles, and brave soldiers return after ten years! Without great forbearance, there can be no great righteousness. General Dou can endure, so why can't Deputy General Zhao take a step back?"

Deputy General Zhao smiled sadly, "Thank you for your advice, Mr. Ye. I am a man of honor. I would rather die on the battlefield than die in comfort. I cannot stand by and watch my brothers die while I survive alone. This battle is meant to be fierce. How can it end without a general dying in battle? Let me claim this honor. This is a small personal item of mine. Please give it to my family in Jingzhou." As he spoke, he took out a cloth bag from his bosom and handed it to Xingge.

Xingge gazed at the resolute-looking Deputy General Zhao, and took the cloth bag from him. "General Zhao! Please hold on for half an hour!"

Deputy General Zhao clasped his hands in a respectful bow, then turned and left.

Meanwhile, on the western cliff, Xiao Ran was pale, her trembling hands barely able to hold the reins. Blood! Blood was everywhere!

"Report! General Dou has sent someone to report."

A slight smile flashed across Jiu Ru's face. "Bring the men up here!"

"Reporting to Your Highness, General Dou has captured Kucha Town! Please give your instructions, Your Highness." The man knelt on one knee to report, his eyes fixed on the ravine, frozen in shock by the horrific scene within!

"I understand! Go back and tell General Dou to guard the town of Kucha strictly. No one is to leave the town without my order! Go now!"

"Yes!" The person left as quickly as possible.

Xingge stood on the edge of the cliff, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. His dark eyes were stained red by the blood-red light reflecting off the sky. Thick clouds rolled with muffled thunder, and suddenly a heavy rain poured down, its coldness striking his face and seeping into his skin, gradually cooling his almost boiling heart! Turning back to his tent, he was shocked to see a rider in blue armor galloping towards him from the southeast. Xingge's heart clenched violently, and he almost suffocated!

35. The meteorite

Without a second thought, he spurred his horse and rode forward to meet the man, stopping him in his tracks.

"What are you doing here! Go back to town immediately!"

"How could this be! How could this be?! Ah, you're injured!" Dou Huai exclaimed in surprise as he looked at Xing Ge's left arm.

"You left the camp without permission! Go back now!" Xingge shouted sternly.

"Why aren't you retreating! Can't you see how heavy the casualties are?! What are 100,000 crossbowmen waiting for?!"

Dou Huai raised the reins to step forward, but Xing Ge drew his sword to stop him. "In the name of the commander, I order you to return to the town immediately! This is a military order!"

"Xiao Xing! Explain yourself clearly, and don't even think about stopping me!" Dou Huai's eyes blazed with fury.

Xingge turned his face to the side and said, "Didn't General Dou tell you?!"

"Get out of the way!" Dou Huai didn't want to wait any longer.

"For peace! The 60,000 troops of Xicang must die in battle!"

Dou Huai was stunned. "Why?! Why? Father knows?! He gave his permission!"

"To incite public resentment and make the people weary of war! Only by making peace with Xicang can prosperity be achieved! And Your Highness will also gain another ally!"

"For this, 60,000 soldiers were sent to their deaths in vain! What did they do wrong!"

Xingge turned his face away and remained silent.

"So that's why Prince Qing appointed you as the commander-in-chief? He's afraid I'll ruin his grand plan!"

"It's come to this! Let's go back!"

Dou Huai was stunned for a long time, then suddenly laughed sadly, "Wouldn't it be better if the young general of the Xicang army, the beloved son of the Grand General, were to die in battle?!"

"Are you crazy! Going now won't help!" Xingge's heart tightened, and she pressed her sword against Dou Huai's neck.

"Don't stop me. If I don't go, I will never have peace in this life. Xiao Xing, let me fulfill my duty as a soldier!"

Xingge stared into Dou Huai's calm yet resolute eyes, a thousand words stuck in her throat...

"Okay, Xiaodou, I'll go with you!"

"You're not a soldier, you don't need to do this!" Dou Huai said urgently!

"You promised to let me freeload, how can I not follow you!" Xingge said no more, turned his horse around and headed straight for the ravine, Dou Huai was startled and chased after him.

Two riders galloped into the valley, charging straight to the front lines. Countless soldiers lay dead in the blood-red mud beneath their hooves. The remaining blue-clad soldiers in the valley roared upon seeing their young general return. Dou Huai brandished his blue saber, the splattering blood and rain soaking through his armor. Xing Ge remained by Dou Huai's side, protecting him. His 'Chao Dan' saber, completely submerged in blood, gleamed with a brilliant red light, turning his silver armor crimson!

On the northern cliff, Tuolanxi silently watched this change, turning his brows to look at the high ridge to the west opposite.

On the Xilong side,

"Uncle, it's Xingge! It's Xingge! Quick, think of something!" Ran cried out anxiously.

Mo Yi's heart was in her throat, but she still just stared at the young master in front of the cliff.

Jiu Ru's expression remained unchanged, his eyes cold and unwavering, only his hand holding the reins was so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Seeing that no one moved, Ran angrily shouted at Jiu Ru, "I'll get off and see if you'll listen to me!" He then pulled on the reins and mounted his horse. Jiu Ru flicked the whip, and with a thud, Ran fell off his horse and fainted.

"Guards, take Young Master Ran away to rest and recuperate!"

The disparity in troop strength within the valley was immense, and gradually only a dark red expanse remained. Dou Huai and Xing Ge, riding two horses, charged forward and approached the northern cliff, where they were surrounded.

Xingge shouted to Dou Huai, who was still charging into battle, "Xiaodou, the crossbow formation is about to come up, hurry back and fight!"

Dou Huai seemed not to hear and continued charging forward. Suddenly, he saw a faint glimmer of gold and stone light on the north cliff.

"Arrows are lying in ambush, be careful!" Before the words were even finished, swish, swish, swish! A rain of arrows poured down on Dou Huai from the cliff.

Xingge leaped off his horse, his longsword spun open to block the flying arrow for Dou Huai, but he was shot in the left leg and fell into the encirclement of enemy soldiers.

"Hurry up and get on!" Dou Huai rode over.

Upon hearing Dou Huai's call, Xingge swept aside the surrounding enemy soldiers with his sword, attempting to mount his horse. However, three arrows in quick succession forced Xingge back into the crowd. After this fierce battle, the excruciating pain in his leg intensified, forcing Xingge to kneel on one knee in the pool of blood and use his sword to repel the attacks.

"Get on the horse quickly!" A figure in blue suddenly appeared beside her. Xingge felt herself being grabbed and thrown into the air. She quickly spun around and landed on the horse.

"Don't worry about me! Go back now!" Dou Huai shouted urgently!

"Let's go together!" Xingge spurred his horse through the crowd, galloping to Dou Huai's side. He extended his left arm, but suddenly heard arrows approaching from behind. He merely dodged to the side, stubbornly keeping his hand outstretched. Seeing the arrow hurtling towards Xingge, Dou Huai leaped behind him. Sword flashed, arrow fell—clang, clang! A muffled groan! By the time Xingge turned around, Dou Huai was already on his horse.

"Let's go!" Dou Huai shouted in a low voice!

Xingge brandished his sword and spurred his horse southward, but the enemy soldiers were numerous and moved as slowly as ants. Xingge couldn't hear Dou Huai swinging his blade behind him. A thought flashed through his mind: Three arrows! It must have been three arrows fired in quick succession! He had only heard two just now!

"Xiaodou!" Xingge wanted to turn around and look back.

"Don't look back! Let's go!" Dou Huai leaned against Xing Ge's neck, his voice even lower!

Xingge glanced sideways and saw that Dou Huai's lips were already pale under the helmet. "Hang in there! We'll go back together!"

On the Xilong side, when Mo saw Xingge kneeling in a pool of blood, he couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" Then he saw that the young master's expression had also changed drastically!

"General Lin, prepare the crossbows! Attack as soon as Commander Ye enters the battle path!" Jiu Ru suddenly gave the order, his voice urgent and hoarse!

“I have not yet received your orders!” General Lin, who had been waiting for orders, hurriedly stepped forward.

After a long while, the horse turned its head and charged down the western ridge, heading straight for the battle road!

Mo was startled, immediately regained his senses, and hurriedly chased after the young master.

On the northern cliff, Tuolanxi watched as the Xuanjia commander of the western ridge rode down the valley on horseback, his long sword instantly emitting a dark crimson light, fighting his way through the blood to approach Xingge. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh!

Xingge resembled a bloodthirsty demon, his long hair disheveled, his armor tattered, and his body covered in blood. He swung his sword wildly with one hand while using the other to protect Dou Huai behind him. Dou Huai's head rested against the back of Xingge's neck, and Xingge felt that the cold rain that had been flowing down his neck had now become warm and viscous.

"Little Bean, hang in there!"

There was no echo behind them!

Unable to distinguish between rain, blood, and tears, everything in Xingge's eyes was shrouded in a hazy red, her mind a complete blank! She couldn't hear the shouts of battle around her, nor could she feel the pain in her body; only coldness! Only coldness!

The hand wielding the sword gradually slowed; a soldier's duty! Little Bean, don't be afraid, I'm with you…

"Come with me! Mo Yi! You cover our retreat!"

Xingge couldn't see clearly who the dark figure in the red mist was, but the voice was familiar!