There were many places in Hanbei that had been locked down because of the plague.
Lin Bing, the general of Beiping, was a brave man. Even though the imperial edict said to "travel slowly and carefully," he still ordered his trusted lieutenant to travel through the night. In just three days and three nights, he had arrived in Hanbei from the capital.
Mingde was a bit uncomfortable from the bumpy journey. On the day he arrived at the Hanbei camp and saw Lin Bing, he couldn't help but mock, "General Lin's defense against the enemy is truly impregnable. You can even hold out for three whole days. The imperial court should really give General Lin a golden plaque for being invincible!"
Lin Bing was a tall, thin, silent, and pale young man. In his early years, he had offended someone because of his vicious tongue and was sent to guard the border.
In reality, he was a very capable general. Zhuo Yu's attacks were fierce and fierce, but he still couldn't break through the Hanbei camp in time. It was clear that he wasn't as useless as Mingde mocked him.
Lin Bing didn't bicker with a young master who obviously hadn't reached the age of twenty. He said calmly, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. I'm only waiting for tonight's night attack to take you with me."
"Night attack?"
"Yes.
The spies reported that Zhuo Yu would bring more than three hundred men to a remote village in Yun Province tonight. For some unknown reason, he didn't even bring the thirteen Iron Guards with him. All of them were left in the camp to defend.
This is a great opportunity for us to capture Zhuo Yu alive. "
Mingde almost laughed coldly, "General Lin, have you fought with Zhuo Yu before?"
Lin Bing paused, "… No."
"Do you know who is the number one expert in the world?"
"I do."
"Then how many men does General Lin plan on bringing to capture Zhuo Yu alive?"
Lin Bing paused. Just when Mingde thought he had nothing to say, he sighed and said in a low voice, "I will personally lead the night attack … some things are dangerous, but someone has to try … if the two armies face each other, to be honest, it's only a matter of time before the army is destroyed …"
He waved his hand as if to cover it up, then turned and left.
The moment he turned around, Mingde seemed to see the silver hair on his temples glowing faintly under the light of the fire.
The General of the Garrison Border was only in his twenties.
Over the years, these matters — provisions, pay, training, defending the city, dealing with the mounted bandits, guarding the border … all of them were pressing down on him one by one. They were slowly forcing him to grow old. In a short while, everything had passed …
After dinner at night, the deputy general led the carefully selected 3,000 cavalrymen to gather outside the tent.
The torches made crackling sounds in the cold night wind outside the Great Wall. The burning hot knife was drunk in one gulp, the wine jar was smashed to the ground. Under the light of the fire, the warriors roared in unison, "Protect us for thousands of years!"
"Protect my glorious kingdom!"
"Charge!"
Mingde was riding on Lu, the horse that Lin Bing used to ride. It had been trained to be extremely docile, and its speed was extremely fast. However, its movements were very agile.
Lin Bing probably knew how much this gentle and weak military governor of the Ministry of War was favored by the Emperor, so he had to be taken care of carefully.
He didn't think that Mingde had the ability to go on the battlefield, but since the Emperor had sent him here and had given a secret edict saying that he would be punished if he lost even a strand of hair, then he had to comply with the Emperor's edict.
The army held their weapons in the night. Two large flags fluttered in the light of the fire. Mingde's horsemanship was exceptional. He led the charge. When he turned his head to look at the 800 li long army, his roars shook the sky and his aura was high. It made people's hearts burn with excitement that flowed through their veins.
Lin Bing led his personal guards at the front. Suddenly, he heard the voice of a young man beside him scatter with the wind, "General Lin, if you win this battle, I will definitely report to the Emperor and promote you three ranks!"
Lin Bing tilted his head to look and was shocked, "When did Shangguan Daren follow?"
Shangguan Mingde didn't answer. He fiercely lashed his horse with his whip.
He used to be a secret guard, so his moves were exceptionally precise and vicious. With just one whip, the docile Lu Yangtian let out a long neigh and then rushed out like an arrow.
Lin Bing hurriedly ordered his men to follow. Looking at the way Mingde whipped his horse, he was secretly surprised. This young master of the Shangguan family, who was rumored to be weak in Chinese, was actually so good at horsemanship!
Before Mingde arrived, most people thought that he was just a spy sent by the Emperor and that the so-called Phoenix Seal was just a rumor. But now, it seemed that Shangguan Mingde was actually a little different!
According to the reports of the spies, Zhuo Yu didn't know why he wanted to go there personally before the battle. Even the thirteen guards couldn't persuade him.
It was said that before the order was given, there was a dispute in the commander's tent. Someone said that Zhuo Yu went there to find a woman, but no one knew the specific reason.
Lin Bing had already investigated. The village was sparsely populated and there weren't any hidden enemies.
Zhuo Yu was really reckless this time. Maybe he didn't think that there was a spy in his commander's tent. Maybe he underestimated the enemy and didn't think that there would be three thousand elite soldiers ambushing him in the middle of the night.
The army majestically climbed over the hill. Below them was a flat plain. The scattered lights in the village entered their eyes. The soldiers guarding the entrance of the village shouted loudly, "Alarm!"
The alarm fireworks were long in the sky. The vanguard of the army was like a sharp knife, instantly stabbing into the entrance of the village.
Lin Bing unsheathed his long knife with a clang. He only felt a few drops of blood on the back of his hand. He looked up and saw that Mingde had cut down the soldier who had sounded the alarm.
The long sword entered the body and twisted horizontally, carrying with it pieces of the human body's internal organs. His movements were so skillful that it made people's hearts palpitate.
This beautiful and delicate young master turned out to be … an experienced killer.
Lin Bing didn't have time to ask. They had already led the charge into the village.
In an instant, the three hundred light cavalry that followed Zhuo Yu collided head-on with them. The sharp sounds of the three thousand soldiers killing shook the heavens. The fleeing and crying of the people accompanied by the light of the fire exploded in the night.
Lin Bing shouted, "Only kill the Xiwan soldiers!
The people will not interfere! "
Wave after wave of orders exploded in the surroundings like water dripping into a pot of oil. "Only kill the Xiwan soldiers!"
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"The people will not interfere!"
The shadow of an arrow pierced through the air. Lin Bing turned his head. He didn't have time to block it. He saw a sword flash and cut the arrow in half.
He suddenly looked and saw a trail of blood splattered on Mingde's pale face. It snaked down, looking particularly demonic in the light of the fire.
He pointed not far away. "Zhuo Yu is over there!"
Lin Bing looked over, but the night outside the Great Wall was filled with fog. The battlefield was chaotic and he couldn't see any further.
He was just about to open his mouth to ask when Mingde waved his hand and ordered, "Those who can run faster, follow me!"
Lin Bing turned his horse around. A few hundred soldiers immediately followed. They were invincible as they cut through all obstacles. Just a few hundred meters away, they saw Zhuo Yu wearing a black robe and riding a black horse. He was breaking out of the encirclement with the help of a few personal guards.
Lin Bing shouted, "Release the arrows!"
The archers in the front row immediately nocked their bows and shot. In the night, the sound of arrows flying could be heard. There were a few clanking sounds. Some of the guards on the other side cut down the arrows, while others were injured and fell off their horses.
Lin Bing personally took the lead and led her personal guards to chase after Zhuo Yu. When she was about to reach the place, she realized that the few personal guards beside Zhuo Yu were already exhausted and could not hold on any longer. Not only that, Zhuo Yu's mental state was also not very good. Her entire upper body was tightly pressed against the back of the horse, as if she was seriously injured.
Lin Bing's spirit was lifted. He shouted, "Chase!"
Before he finished speaking, Zhuo Yu made a hand gesture from afar. A few of the guards hesitated for a moment before they heard him shout, "Disperse!"
The few guards who were heavily injured looked at each other. The leader lowered his head and said in a choked voice, "General, please forgive us!"
As he said that, he ignored Zhuo Yu's order to escape on their own. He led his men to turn their horses around. A few light cavalry soldiers lined up in a row and blocked Lin Bing's group of a few hundred elite soldiers.
Lin Bing's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but sigh at how loyal these people were.
There was no right or wrong on the battlefield. Everyone was just serving their own master. The few of them had reached such a level that ordinary people couldn't do.
Just as he led the soldiers to charge forward and raise their swords and arrows, Zhuo Yu suddenly came back. In the night and in the light of the fire, he charged straight at them!
Lin Bing subconsciously paused, only to see Zhuo Yu fiercely reining in the horse. The black warhorse gave a long neigh and leaped over the heads of the guards, suddenly charging towards them!
No matter how cruel and bloodthirsty Zhuo Yu was, at that moment, the young general in black riding on a black horse in midair looked like a god of war.
The aura of the number one expert in the world, whose name had shaken the world for many years, shook the pursuing soldiers. Immediately after, Zhuo Yu smoothly pulled out her sword, and in a flash of blood, she chopped down three elite soldiers who were charging at the front.
That ruthlessness was simply appalling. The few groups of pursuers behind him slowed down, only to see him abruptly turn his horse around and gallop in the other direction, far away from the direction where his guards were.
It turned out that he had rushed back to take the risk just to let the few loyal guards escape this pursuit.
Lin Bing's heart was filled with sorrow. He had known for a long time that Zhuo Yu treated his subordinates well. He didn't expect that he would still treat his subordinates this way in a life and death situation.
This person was able to be a general, a minister, and a powerful official of a generation. He had his own unique qualities.
Although this was what he thought, the few experts who ran faster had already put some distance between them and the pursuing soldiers.
At this moment, Zhuo Yu seemed to be seriously injured. His entire body was almost bent over the back of the horse. It was completely this black horse that was carrying him forward with all its might.
The horse didn't know the way and gradually entered the depths of the mountain.
The mountain roads in the night were rugged and slippery. Lin Bing looked around. Including the delicate and delicate Shangguan, there were only about a dozen people following them.
This was a dangerous situation.
If Zhuo Yu really went all out, whether or not these dozen over people could capture him alive was actually an unknown.
At this moment, Zhuo Yu suddenly stopped.
He saw a person standing in the distance on the mountain road ahead. He stood there silently, but he was like an immovable mountain blocking the road.
Lin Bing didn't recognize who that was. He only heard Shangguan Mingde softly say a few words, "… Ah, Chief Steward Lu …"