They were once powerful rivals on the battlefield in the north. Huyantuo's father was defeated by Xie Guangzong, and his son Huyantuo was also defeated by Xie Tingzhou.
Huyan Tuo smiled particularly evilly, "You are back unexpectedly. Is Yanliang Pass about to be destroyed?"
Cracks finally appeared on Xie Tingzhou's face.
"The people of the Zhou Dynasty are indeed ruthless." Huyantuo said: "You gave up your wife and left her on the northwest border. I heard that your wife is very beautiful. Let me guess what Boda will do to her. Defeated women will never be as lucky as men. They can't die even if they want to, but will become livestock under men's crotches. They will tear her clothes to pieces, and then..."
"Wha—" Xie Tingzhou drew out his sword and leapt forward.
He knew Huyantuo was deliberately irritating him, but he couldn't bear it.
Huyan Tuo wanted to break into the Zhou Dynasty from here when Beilin lost the shield of Qingyun Guard, but he did not expect that Xie Tingzhou would leave 20,000 people behind.
Xie Tingzhou came back for reinforcements. Even if Huyantuo's attack failed, fighting again would only be a waste.
"Retreat!" Huyantuo stared and said.
He rode his horse and led the Beirong soldiers back.
"Qingyun Guard, follow me in pursuit!" Han Jiwu said loudly on his horse.
They had planned out their tactics on the way back, and they were going around from the east and west gates to outflank them.
The streets were in a mess, the snow turned red, and the stone roads were soaked with blood.
Only when Chang Heng stopped did he feel that his whole body was exhausted, and he sat down on the stone steps beside the street.
Xie Guangzong came on horseback. When he got off his horse, he knocked Chang Heng on the head, causing his helmet to clang.
"You dare to let people take me away? Do you see clearly? I am your old prince!"
Chang Heng took off his helmet and said, "If you weren't the old prince, I wouldn't be like this."
Xie Tingzhou saw Xie Guangzong's broken armor and ordered the military doctor to come forward to bandage it. Xie Guangzong still wanted to show off, but seeing the expression on Xie Tingzhou's face, he did not dare to speak.
Xie Tingzhou walked onto the city wall, but none of the guards dared to follow him.
Chang Heng grabbed a guard and asked, "How many Qingyun guards have come back?"
The guard said: "Seventy-eight thousand people."
"Seventy-eight thousand..." Chang Heng muttered and repeated, and then said: "Xifeng didn't come back."
"Xifeng is taking two thousand Qingqi to Yanliang Pass." said the guard.
"Two thousand Qingqi are enough!" Xie Guangzong sat on the side and bared his teeth as he asked the military doctor to look at his injuries. "There are more than 100,000 Xijue people. What can those two thousand people do?"
Chang Heng looked up at the city wall and wiped his face again.
Xie Guangzong glanced at him and said, "Oh yo yo yo, come on, the cat urine has come out, why are you crying?"
"It's no use to me. I have to ask the prince to come back for reinforcements." Chang Heng has shallow eye sockets and is a tall and rough man who loves to shed tears.
Xie Guangzong said: "Don't take the responsibility on yourself. With twenty thousand people, I wouldn't have been able to fight this battle when I was young."
Chang Heng's hands were full of blood, and his face was stained with tears as he wiped away his tears, "What should I do with the princess?"
Xie Guangzong was silent, and after a long while he said: "I hope Yanliang Pass can last longer. We will fight here quickly and fight back the Beirong people before we go to rescue my daughter-in-law."
Xie Tingzhou squinted his eyes in the wind on the city wall.
The two thousand men thrown into the battlefield were of little use, but he hoped that Xifeng could bring her back safely. Xie Tingzhou gave an order to Xifeng before leaving. She would not abandon the city and flee. If necessary, she would even be knocked unconscious. She also wants to bring her back.
……
The war at Yanliangguan continued intermittently for three days. During these three days, the Xijue attacked again and again, only to be blocked by them again and again.
While Xi Jue's troops were being depleted, the garrison in the city was also being depleted.
The Xijue people could not attack from the front, so they wanted to use infantry to advance and dig loose the foundation under the city wall, intending to use a trebuchet to smash through a city wall.
This plan failed, but the trebuchet attacks continued, and the speed of repairing the wall could not match the speed of the trebuchet smashing the wall. If this continued, the city wall would one day be broken through.
"How is the evacuation of the people going?" Shen Yu asked.
Shen Yu was in a mess, but Cao Guangjin standing in front of her was still well-dressed.
"We are already evacuating one after another." Cao Guangjin heard the sound of trebuchets hitting the city wall again. He worriedly said: "I wonder how long this can last?"
"Just organize the people to evacuate in an orderly manner, and don't let others take advantage of the chaos to steal and rob."
Cao Guangjin nodded, "Well, I'll go down first."
It was too dangerous here at the city gate. The rumbling sounds could shake people's hearts. Cao Guangjin didn't want to stay there for a moment.
Shen Yu returned to the temporary meeting hall under the city wall. She was so tired that she sat on the bench and leaned against the wall to take a nap.
Chang Liu came to deliver food to Shen Yu and Xiao Chuan. When he found Shen Yu in the meeting hall, she was asleep with her head tilted to one side. Her face was a little dirty, her eyes were black and blue, and she looked extremely tired.
Changliu didn't wake her up. When he saw that the charcoal pot in the room was out, he went to find some charcoal to light it and held the food box in his arms for fear of getting cold.
How heartbroken it would be if the prince saw it. Changliu's eyes turned red. The prince told him to take good care of the princess when he asked him to follow her, but he failed to take good care of her.
Shen Yu could fall asleep despite the sound of the trebuchet, but was awakened by a slight sobbing.
She saw Changliu staring at the charcoal basin, tears falling down.
"Long stay?"
Chang Liu wiped his eyes carelessly and handed the food box that was still warm in his arms to Shen Yu, "Princess, eat quickly, it will cool down later."
"Have you eaten?" Shen Yu asked warmly.
Changliu nodded with tears in his eyes.
Shen Yu opened the food box and started eating.
In the past two days, Changliu and Xixi helped the people evacuate. Cao Guangjin arranged for Shen Yu's maid Shen Yu to evacuate with her family. When it came to the meal point, Xixi cooked rice and Changliu delivered it.
This year's situation is much better than last year. At least there is enough food in the city. The court has not appropriated any money. However, the Lu family in the pass is constantly sending food and armaments to the border, and money is flowing out like snowflakes.
"Are you crying because you are scared?"
Chang Liu shook his head hurriedly, "I'm not afraid."
Shen Yu said: "It's okay to be afraid, you are still a child."
"What about the princess?" Changliu asked with red eyes, "The princess is not much older than me."
"I'm about three years older than you know."
Changliu didn't understand what this meant, "Why hasn't the prince come yet? It's been snowing for so long."
Shen Yu lowered her eyes, "He must have been tripped up by something. He will come, Chang Liu."
"Ah?" Changliu looked at her.
Shen Yu paused, "I have a few letters, and I don't feel comfortable handing them over to anyone else. You can take Xi Xi and set off tomorrow to deliver the letters for me."
