Chapter 164: Deserters?

Accompanied by this eager shout, a man in military uniform in his thirties with a slightly plump figure rushed out from the back of the team.

Behind him, Yun Yi, the handsome young man in white, saw that there was a lot of fun to watch, and he followed closely.

Seeing this, Zhao Ling frowned slightly.

Why was Yao Wentao here to join in the fun?

Yao Wentao was the nephew of Yao Chong, the minister of households, and the leader of the fifty thousand soldiers and horses dispatched by the imperial court to Xuanwang's mansion. Relying on Yao Chong's protection and the background of the eldest prince Meng Tianluo, this person was always showing off his power and running rampant.

After knowing his identity, Zhao Ling finally, deeply, understood why Meng Yuan would say that the imperial court's fifty thousand soldiers were useless at all.

On the face of it, this was a soldier and horse allocated by the imperial court to the palace of Xuan Wang, but in fact it was the old emperor, or more precisely, it was sent by Meng Tianluo to restrain Meng Yuan.

Although Yao Wentao was wearing a military uniform, he had always been pampered and had never been on a battlefield at all, so his complexion was much paler than that of ordinary soldiers, and he was not as tough as Wen Renyuan, but more like a white-faced scholar.

He dismounted in a hurry, and when the fat man kneeling among the three soldiers heard his voice, he raised his head abruptly, as if he had caught a life-saving straw, and shouted loudly, "Brother-in-law, help, brother-in-law."

Brother-in-law? Zhao Ling raised her eyebrows slightly. It seemed that the two were still in-laws.

Yao Wentao glared at him fiercely, turned his head and said to Zhao Ling, "Princess Xuan, this person is my uncle-in-law, and his name is Ma Shizu. I also asked Princess Xuan to look at my face and spare his life."

Although he said it politely, but in the end, because he had Yao Chong and the first prince to support him, his tone didn't show much respect, instead it was faintly arrogant.

She's just a weak little girl, even if she wore the name of Princess Xuan, so what, how capable a mere girl could be?

However, her appearance was really beautiful. Even though she was wearing a simple blue garment, she still couldn't hide her beautiful face, especially her elegant and calm figure, which made Yao Wentao, who has seen countless winds and moons, bear it. He couldn't help but be moved.

Zhao Ling noticed Yao Wentao's squinted eyes projected on her body, her brows furrowed deeper, and her voice became a little colder. "Listening to General Yao, could it be that General Yao consider his face bigger than the military law?"

Yun Yi next to her sneered, and said with a sarcastic tone. "This military law is determined by the emperor. Will General Yao's face be bigger than the emperor?"

Yao Wentao was speechless by the words of the two, and he became angry for a while, and his fair face gradually turned into the color of a pig liver.

At this moment, the image of Wen Renyuan suddenly said sharply to Ma Shizu. "Ma Shizu, aren't you the deputy general of Jinyang Pass, why did you leave your post without permission and sneak here? What is the current situation of Jinyang Pass?"

A lieutenant general was an official position second only to the chief general. He was the soul who led the troops when the two armies are at war. If even the lieutenant general ran away, would the defenders of Jinyang Pass still have the confidence to fight?

When Ma Shizu heard the question, he began to cry with snot and tears.

The Beidi army was sturdy and belligerent, and the leading general He Liancheng was well versed in arranging troops. He used his troops like sound less sands. It was generally known that he maximized the advantages of the Beidi army in combat, and easily captured the city of Licheng overnight. He also captured all the remaining defenders of Licheng. 

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Then he used Licheng as a stronghold, to replenish his troops while planning to hit Jinyang Pass in one fell swoop. To instill fear in the mind of the guards of Jinyang Pass, he slaughtered all the Licheng defenders he had captured under the Pass of Jinyang, without leaving a single one behind.

On that day, the setting sun was like blood, and the wind and sand filled the sky, but the blood flowed into rivers and corpses were scattered all over Jinyang Pass. When Ma Shizu recalled the tragic situation that day, he could not help but turn pale and tremble all over.

This scene inevitably made the guards of Jinyang pass feel frightened, and everyone felt he was in grave danger. After a few days of fighting, countless soldiers were killed and wounded, and there was not much left in the army. 

Ma Shizu saw that Jinyang Pass was in a critical situation with no formidable army and would fall to the approaching Beidi army, and he was specificaly terrified by He Liancheng's cruel treatment of the prisoners. In order to save his life, he brought two entourages, disguised as soldiers, and sneaked out.

"The Beidi people are ferocious and cruel, and they will cut down the people upon seeing them. He Liancheng's martial arts are strong, and the killing of the captured soldiers was casual. It was really terrifying. I'm afraid that this Jinyang Pass can't be defended..." Ma Shizu was chattering and wanted to continue to play up the power of the Beidi army. 

The brutality and power of the man seemed clear to be his reason of escaping.

But Zhao Ling would not give him the opportunity to grow any form of dangerous ambitions and destroy his own prestige. She ignored Ma Shizu's voice begging for mercy and Yao Wentao's obstructions, and decisively ordered Wen Renyuan to tie the three of them, and escort them to Jinyang Pass with the army for military law enforcement.

It seemed that this He Liancheng was not only brutal, but also knew how to attack the heart of the people. He deliberately chose to slaughter the defenders of Licheng under the city tower. The purpose was obvious, to shake the hearts of the defenders at Jinyang Pass. Once the enemy's military heart was shaken, he could win without a fight.

He Liancheng was indeed not simple. Zhao Ling suddenly wanted to meet him for a while.

Galloping forward all the way, the eighty thousand-strong army finally reached Jinyang Pass before dark, riding the last rays of the setting sun.

The frontier fortress was bitter and cold, everywhere was desolate, sparsely populated, and the sky was full of sand and dust. The icy cold wind mixed with yellow sand rushed towards her mercilessly. Zhao Ling wrapped her entire body in a wide and warm hooded cloak, leaving only a pair of sharp and agile eyes still exposed.

In front of her was a tall tower, standing between the vast sky and earth, like a lonely guard, guarding the people in this pass. The two vigorous words of "Jinyang Pass" on the city gate highlight the sense of simplicity and grandeur.

The gatekeepers learned that reinforcements had arrived and greeted them at the gate of the city early.

Cao Xun, the commander with a tiger-backed waist, stood at the forefront, with a burly body and a black beard. The frontier wind and frost carved traces on his rough and tough face, and a pair of tiger eyes watched the army in front of him getting closer and closer, and his heart was a little relieved.

A thick bandage was wrapped around his right arm, which must be what Ma Shizu said, the place where Cao Xun got injured by He Liancheng during the fierce battle with the Beidi army.

The first thing Cao Xun saw was Wen Renyuan at the front of the team. He knew Wen Renyuan and was about to say hello, but saw a woman in a cloak flashing from behind Wen Renyuan.

Behind the woman was a boy in gray. Just seeing the handsome and charming appearance of this gray-clothed boy, it should be a woman disguised as a man.

As for the cloaked woman, her entire body was wrapped in a long satin cloak with a fur collar. It was difficult to identify her appearance. Cao Xun only came to the conclusion that she was a woman based on the peony pattern on the cloak.

Cao Xun looked surprised. He only knew that the imperial court had sent King Xuan to lead troops to reinforce Jinyang Pass. Originally, he was worried about how King Xuan would be able to march for a long distance with his sickly and disabled body, so he didn't want King Xuan to appear, but to be replaced by a woman who was too weak to help herself?

Looking at her frail and weak appearance, it seemed that a strong wind from Jinyang Pass could blow her away.

Wen Renyuan met Cao Xun's surprised and inquiring gaze, probably guessing what he was thinking, the solemn and dignified national character's face was slightly relaxed, the corners of his tightly pursed mouth were slightly raised, and he said, "General Cao, this It's Princess Xuan."

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