Shen Qianyu licked his parched lips, leaning on the city wall with confused eyes. For a moment, he didn't know the meaning of guarding Suhe River.
He couldn't help but think that perhaps what Emperor Wen Hui did was not wrong. He was timid and cowardly, but he avoided the death or injury of the generals in the court.
And when he watched the people fighting alongside him die one by one at the hands of his enemies, he couldn't help but doubt himself.
"If I don't send troops to Suhe, maybe..."
Jiang Xingjian said calmly: "If Your Highness does not send troops to attack Suhe, what awaits you in Dongning is that the mountains and rivers will be shattered and the people will be in ruins."
"Your Highness, let's go to Shaanzhong. Your Majesty will definitely have arrangements in Shaanzhong."
Carrying a huge bamboo basket tightly on his back, Jiang Xingjian murmured: "For the current plan, we can only give up these two places and make plans for the future."
"I'm with you."
Jiang Xingjian shook his head: "If the prince dies, Dongning will be in chaos. How will the situation be turned around when there are internal and external troubles?"
"I will accompany Mr. Hou all the way."
"No need."
Looking at Wan Xiao, Jiang Xingjian declined softly: "President Wan will escort the prince back to the capital and tell the courtiers about the Suhe River."
"hold on."
Shen Qianyu stopped him: "Wait for two more days. I believe that the imperial court will definitely send troops to reinforce Suhe. I also believe in Wan'er. Although she is a woman, she will never let the imperial generals be easily damaged here. They will have a way. Yes, hold on for two more days."
"I'll wait with you for two more days. If we don't receive reinforcements after two days, I won't stop you from doing anything."
When Song Wan was mentioned, Jiang Xingjian's eyes seemed to be filled with reluctance for a moment, but he finally shook his head.
Song Wan may have some skills in the back house, but she is only a woman in the back house. What can she do about the court affairs where the courtiers are helpless? Even some women's methods may not necessarily be of any use.
He smiled softly, with a bit of nostalgia and tenderness in his eyes.
Putting his hand into his sleeve, Jiang Xingjian took out a slender object that he had carefully treasured for a long time and was carefully wrapped in a cloth.
Unfolding the cloth bit by bit, a white jade hairpin was gradually revealed, but there were inlay marks in the middle of the hairpin. A quick look revealed that it had been broken into two pieces.
Jiang Xingjian carefully stroked the white jade plum blossom hairpin, her eyes seemed to be filled with joy and sadness.
He and Wan'er are married at the fingertips, and they are childhood sweethearts. They are the most destined couple in the world, but the two of them have ended up in a situation where their work is divided, which is really sad.
He repented and hated it, but now there was nothing but sighing.
"Your Highness, please bring this thing back and return it to Song Chenghui."
Jiang Xingjian's eyes turned red and he whispered: "I hope Your Highness can give me a message..."
"If possible, let her serve as an official and never return to Beijing. I hope she will still regard her as the Jiang Yi in her childhood memories."
Passing the plum blossom hairpin to Shen Qianyu, Jiang Xingjian walked down the city wall carrying the bamboo basket.
What he was carrying was a firearm made using Lin Jiayue's original recipe.
After the firearm prescription was handed over to the imperial court, although it was improved by the craftsmen of Shenshu Camp and became more powerful, no one except the Holy Emperor and the officials who were in charge of this thing could get a glimpse of it.
So he only had the crude things that Lin Jiayue could make when she first coaxed him.
But no matter how crude a firearm is, it is still useful for killing people.
Seeing Jiang Xingjian resolutely walk down the city gate, Shen Qianyu stood up but was stopped by several arrow wounds on his shoulder and left leg. He struggled to get up, trying to stop those who died tragically.
"Your Highness, Marquis Chengyang is right, you can't..."
Wan Xiao choked with sobs, gritted her teeth and carried Shen Qianyu on her back, tied him tightly to her waist with a cloth strip, and strode down the city wall.
Shen Qianyu's eyes were blood red, but no tears fell.
There are not many left in the city. They can no longer stay here. If King Ning arrives, they will be completely wiped out.
But Prince Dongning cannot die, nor can he die.
In order to leave him a way to survive, Jiang Xingjian took the last few people to carry firearms, intending to use himself as a carrier to take the stupid thing to the enemy's feet and die with him.
All they did was to find a way for him to survive.
Jiang Xingjian walked to the city gate, followed by his brother who had lived and ate with him for six years. Although these people were originally refugees from mountain bandits and were far inferior to the regular army, the bloody spirit in the hearts of these men was not necessarily half as weak as that one.
"Failed to fulfill the promise of that day, but also caused the lives of all the gentlemen. Jiang Yi's death is not a pity."
A dark-skinned man sneered: "We men just don't have the blessing of being granted the title of Marquis and Prime Minister. We can't blame the Marquis. If we hadn't had the support of the Marquis in the past few years, we would have been arrested and imprisoned by the government."
"Everyone is dead, up, down, left, and right. It's not a loss if I can get a few Nanqing thieves to support me before I die."
"That's right, we all have a single life, but it's a pity for the Marquis..."
Jiang Xingjian curled his lips slightly, blew the fire stick in his hand and held it between his fingers.
"It's no pity. Going on the road with the brothers can also be a companion. Later, we brothers will have a drink and have a good time."
Standing in front of the formation, Jiang Xingjian waved his hand, and dozens of people behind him stepped forward to push the city gate open.
He quickly got on his horse and led the people armed with firearms to rush out.
"A bunch of shrinking cowards, are you willing to show up?"
Qin Rao stood in front of the formation. The original naked man, Huai Xuan and others had already died under the sword of General Dongning, but she was seriously injured but still stood tall.
It's a pity that the wound on her face never healed. It festered from her cheek to her neck, and was hidden under her clothes. Blood and pus were mixed between the wounds, and bones could even be seen in the depths.
Even so, she never felt any pain and still stood in front of the formation and screamed loudly.
The emperor's brother has passed away. Now that he can't go back to Nanqing, he might as well fight to the death with these cheap thieves from Dongning.
Qin Rao raised his palm and signaled the generals behind him to rush into the city.
Although they only have less than a thousand people left, it is not difficult to defeat Qianzhou City.
Jiang Xingjian held the reins tightly with one hand and threw the fire sticks between his fingers into the bamboo basket behind him with the other hand. The faint smell of fireworks came, and he was suddenly in a trance when he rushed into Nanqing's formation.
Since leaving Shangjing, he had never thought of Lin Jiayue, but now that the deadline was approaching, the image of her suddenly appeared in his mind.
Thick smoke rose from the battlefield, and explosions continued one after another. Wan Xiao couldn't help but stop her horse and look back, but she saw only billowing smoke and dust in the sky.
Shen Qianyu gritted his teeth, with blood and tears mixed in his eyes, and looked silently.
"Walk."
Wan Xiao choked up and everyone held back tears and turned around and rode towards Shaanxi.
Galloping all the way, when the moon set and the sun rose, just before everyone was about to enter Sun City, they suddenly saw billowing dust and smoke not far away, accompanied by the deafening sound of iron hoofs.
Wan Xiaoqian said with a hoarse voice and a sore nose: "Your Highness..."
"The Dongning Army has arrived."
"Your Highness, the Dongning Army has arrived, and reinforcements from the DPRK have arrived. Your Highness..."
Wan Xiao leaned on the horse and cried bitterly, while Shen Qianyu stiffened his body and pressed tightly on the wound on his leg.
The pain made him regain some sense of reason. After a long time, when Ming Chun dismounted and knelt down to pay homage to the prince, he quietly turned his head to look at him.
