Chang'an is good

Ashina Tilie's sight was also fixed on Li Suining.

He held the reins with both hands, sat on the horse, stared at the woman in the black robe, and spoke loudly in Chinese, "I heard that the Crown Princess of Dasheng is coming in person, so I led a large army to welcome her--"

Shepherd's Purse looked away from the scout's head that was thrown at her, and a look of surprise appeared in her eyes - they had come all the way to attack the Beidi tribe, and their whereabouts would definitely be exposed, but no one in the army had revealed the identity of the princess, so how could the Beidi people be so sure? !
The Crown Princess's surprise attack deep into the Northern Di is a military secret. Internally, it will affect the morale of the army and the people, and externally, it will bring about the most urgent pursuit of the Northern Di... The significance of killing an ordinary commander is completely different from that of killing the Crown Princess. No wonder the Northern Di royal court, even though the garrison force was already insufficient, still quickly mobilized no less than 5,000 cavalry to intercept them!

In the wind and snow, Li Suining’s expression could not be seen clearly under the cover of his heavy hood.

"It is truly admirable that a woman could cross the desert and fight her way here..." Ashina Tilie slowly drew out the long-handled sword from his waist that was suitable for fighting on horseback. The murderous aura emanated from the scabbard, and his eyes were like those of a prey waiting to be slaughtered. "However, the road ahead is not easy to walk on, so let the sword in my hand lead the way for you."

"How can swords tell the way? It would be better to use your head to lead the way." Li Suining spoke slowly, without moving his eyes at all. He drew out the spear behind him with his backhand and held it at the side of the horse.

This dangerous and vicious battle is inevitable.

Ashina Tilie came forward with his sword raised, issuing orders in the northern Di language.

"Kill the enemy!" Shepherd's Purse shouted loudly, and immediately rushed forward with another deputy general.

On the not-so-wide mountain path, the snow on both sides fell down with the sound of horse hooves and fighting.

The troops of both sides quickly charged into each other's camp. In the chaos, human and horse blood splattered, leaving scarlet dents in the snow.

During the fight, Li Suining knocked a Northern Di cavalryman off his horse with his spear, and soon engaged in a face-to-face battle with Ashina Tilie who was riding a horse and rushing towards him.

In just over ten moves, Li Suining knew the difference between the superior and the inferior.

Ashina Tilie's body movements and swordsmanship are both sharp, but he is not reckless. Instead, his moves show the result of years of accumulation. This, combined with his tall stature and the physical strength of a middle-aged man, makes it almost impossible to find any weaknesses in him.

He possesses strength, technique, patience and vigilance, and each move is more lethal than the last. In addition to the basic skills, this level requires at least a dozen years of hard work and willpower to hone day and night. In addition, talent is also indispensable.

The physical fitness, living and eating habits of the Beidi people from generation to generation have determined that their martial arts talent is superior to that of ordinary people.

During the Battle of Yinshan, Li Suining had seen Cui Jing and Ashide Yuanli fight once. In her opinion, Ashide Yuanli was already difficult enough to deal with, but compared to Ashide Yuanli, in terms of personal combat power, the Ashina Tilie in front of her was the most difficult one.

This was even the toughest enemy she had encountered in all her years of marching.

And this most powerful enemy, as the two fought and swords and spears clashed, gradually revealed his most violent murderous intent towards her.

This murderous intent seems to be directed not only at national hatred.

Looking at the pair of gray-blue eyes under the mask, Li Suining began to realize that the real source of the murderous intent was hatred.

This hatred was probably due to her identity - a woman from Dasheng, a princess of Dasheng.

Many years ago, when Ashina Tilie was still a teenager and his father, the previous Khan, was still alive, Ashina Tilie was a better candidate for the throne than his brother.

But an "accident" made him lose the opportunity to inherit the throne of Beidi.

That year, Ashina Tilie was suddenly injured by a ferocious female eagle while drunk. His face was disfigured and he fell into a coma due to a serious illness.

After he woke up, he said some "crazy words" that touched his father's taboo, and he was completely rejected from then on.

Since then, his temperament became gloomy and he rarely appeared in public.

This is from Li Shang's memory.

At the beginning of the Beidi invasion, Li Suining had given the spy that Li Shang had planted in Beidi to Cui Jing to contact in order to obtain intelligence about Beidi, which naturally included the situation of the Beidi royal family members.

What is interesting about Ashina Tilie is that he was obsessed with martial arts, had a solitary personality and rarely interacted with others, but he was still feared by his brother, the Khan of Beidi. The reason why this fear never turned into a blade was related to the fact that he had no wife or children.

Some people speculated that he contracted the hidden disease when he was injured by the eagle.

The spies reported back that he had secretly tortured and killed Han women.

The so-called hidden disease was probably in his heart, a demonic obstacle transformed from resentment.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind in just a moment. Li Suining, who did not dare to be distracted, stabbed the spear in his hand to the side, almost touching Ashina Tilie's mask.

This shot was a test.

As expected, Ashina Tilie, whose mask was almost removed, suddenly became filled with violent aura and his eyes were cold.

Chongyue died, but the scars he left behind remained: the ruined face, the lost throne, and the setbacks in his youth, which could never be erased in a lifetime.

Although Chongyue died, he did not die at his hands. Moreover, Chongyue's death led to a great defeat for Beidi. Although he died, his inner resentment increased instead of decreased.

The resentment was like a rotten abscess, corroding every corner of his body over the years.

Today he finally met another Princess Shengren, and to his "surprise", this princess was quite similar to Chongyue!

The sword wind was fierce and intimidating. When it attacked Li Suining, a long spear appeared and with a "bang" it heavily blocked Ashina Tilie's long sword.

"Don't even think about hurting His Highness!"

Adian, who had been ordered to stay behind, rushed out at some point, waving a long spear in his hand, with a frown on his face and a firm and solemn expression, as he fought back at Ashina Tilie.

Adian is an excellent martial artist with amazing strength, but he lacks agility. He is suitable for fighting in a large army or crushing the enemy with force, but he is not good enough to deal with a powerful enemy with a changeable mind alone.

However, he could sense which people were the most dangerous, as if he had a natural sense of smell. For example, the Ashina Tilie in front of him gave him an extremely dangerous smell.

But this instinct did not make Adian retreat. He was eager to protect Li Suining and rushed forward almost regardless of the consequences, wanting to block the danger for Li Suining.

In the melee, Li Suining was surrounded by other Beidi soldiers in an instant, and had to fight hard to tear his way out in an attempt to bring Adian back behind him.

Blood splattered, Adian's weapon, the long spear, flew out of his hand, and he fell backwards.

Li Suining, covered in blood, broke through the obstacles and galloped forward. Using the forward force of the horse, he stretched out one hand to push Adian's back to prevent him from falling off the horse. At the same time, he swung his spear and stabbed at Ashina Tilie who was approaching.

Ashina Tilie did not dodge, his horse was reined in and raised its hooves, he suddenly swung his sword to cut off the spear head, and when the horse's hooves fell, he had already attacked again. While Li Suining drew his sword to deal with it, a knife approached from the side. With his arm injured, Adian didn't care much and drove his horse hard into the man's horse. When the man's body moved away, he rushed forward to grab the knife, and the two of them fell off the horse together.

Adian thrust his knife into the opponent's chest. The horse's hooves trampled forward rapidly. Liuhuo rushed out from behind with a neigh. Adian grabbed Liuhuo, jumped on the horse, endured the pain, swung the knife with his left arm, and bloodily killed several Beidi soldiers who tried to surround Li Suining.

Li Suining fought with Ashina Tilie several times in close combat and was wounded in several places. The Sun in her hand clashed with the opponent's long sword. She could only hold on for a moment each time, and then tried to reduce his force and avoid his sword.

But whenever she has the initiative for a moment, she will definitely take the initiative to attack.

"You dare to fight back even though you know you can't win!" Ashina Tilie's eyes were flaming with blood. He seemed to be enraged by the woman in front of him, but also seemed to be inexplicably excited. His blood was boiling and his murderous intent was even stronger.

Li Suining still did not retreat.

She was no match for the enemy, and if she retreated, the soldiers behind her would die in vain.

Besides, how can I try again if I return it?
Everyone has weaknesses, but the strong tend to minimize their weaknesses. Knowing yourself and your enemy on the battlefield has always been tested with blood!

"You are testing me..." Ashina Tilie keenly sensed her purpose. As the swords came to bear, he looked at the similar eyes with cold irony in his eyes: "Very good, but it's a pity that you don't have another chance to fight me!"

The pursuing troops from the other side were approaching, and she had no way to retreat. They would be attacked from both sides, and she and her men would all die here today.

He admitted that the Sheng army had some capabilities, but this was the battlefield territory of their Khanate, and no Sheng people could leave here alive!

Li Suining, knowing the disparity in combat power between the two sides, should have accepted the result of being buried here - if this place was not in the mountains.

When Li Suining saw that the scouts had not returned, he had already made a judgment.

She had been dealing with the surveillance of Ashina Tilie's army for many days, and now she knew there was no escape.

If you can't avoid it, you will be forced to fight.

What Ashina Tilie didn't know was that in this snowy chase between the two sides, there was not only reconnaissance, but also counter-reconnaissance.

Sheng Jun was forced into this mountain path. It seemed that they had no choice but to do so, but in fact it was the result of Li Suining's careful consideration.

Including the head-on interception of the road section here, it was also observed and measured.

If the chances of winning a head-on confrontation are slim, then try to choose complex terrain and adapt to local conditions.

On the battlefield, even if you cannot win for the time being or are in a desperate situation, you must not be discouraged and passive. It is the duty of a leader to do his best to survive at all times.

As early as in the initial melee, Kang Zhi, who was in the central army, had abandoned his horse, waded through the snow, and climbed to the high ground on the left side of the mountain path.

The mountain wall on the left side of this section of the mountain road is not high, but it is particularly steep. It is extremely difficult to climb the barren mountain that has never been excavated and stepped on. However, this section of the road is relatively the best choice. Other sections are simply impossible to start with, and even if you manage to climb up, it will be difficult to find a place to stay.

Even with the help of the hook, the mountain wall was hard and the snow was slippery. Kang Zhi and others still had to use their hands and feet. It took a long time before they finally climbed to the top. Without stopping, they ran forward while paying attention to the battle formation below, until they came to the rear of Ashina Tilie. There was no Sheng army joining the melee yet, but only the remaining half of the Northern Di army that was ready to move. This was the special feature of fighting on the mountain road. The time to join the opponent's battle would be prolonged, and Li Suining had been leading his men to fight hard, setting up a line of defense, trying to delay and reduce the scope of the melee between the soldiers of both sides.

After finding the right position, Kang Zhi quickly half-crouched down, put the arrow on with her worn hands, and pulled the bowstring hard!

The hundred archers following closely behind her lined up in an orderly manner and began to shoot arrows at the Northern Di army below.

The cold rain of arrows fell along with the equally cold snow, but faster than the snow.

It was impossible for a hundred people to climb to a high place quietly. The Northern Di soldiers had already noticed it, but the difference in terrain meant that they could only wait for death.

Kang Zhi's arrows never missed their targets. The bowstring was soaked in blood, and her eyes were also bloodshot.

The Northern Di soldiers wailed and fell down in large numbers. Soon some of them tried to evacuate, but Kang Zhi aimed at the leader and pierced his head with an arrow.

But the number of arrows was limited. When most of everyone's quivers were empty, Kang Zhi ordered the "flying fire" to be lit.

The "flying fire" they carried was gunpowder filled in a clay pot. The clay pot was specially made, not very big for easy carrying, and the amount of gunpowder that could be filled was limited. It would not easily explode and injure people, and it would not start a large-scale fire in the snow without any flammable materials. However, the sound of the bombing was very intimidating, enough to cause a commotion among the horses. More importantly...

In addition to lime, the gunpowder also contained poison powder.

A long time ago, when fighting against the Japanese enemies, Shen Sanmao had proposed adding poison to the gunpowder, but was rejected by Li Suining. At that time, the war was fought in a smoke screen and the wind direction at sea was unpredictable. Li Suining did not want the situation where the wind direction or the direction of the ship was out of control and hurt his own army.

This is a land battle. Facing these brutal aliens, there is no need to worry about the skill of the means used. The only thing to consider is to survive!

The earthenware jar with a lit fuse was thrown down and exploded among the Beidi people and horses. The air was filled with smoke, and people and horses fell to the ground. The sounds of choking, coughing, and screaming could be heard one after another.

Kang Zhi didn't show any sign of weakness, she just regretted that she had too little gunpowder to bring with her!

The noise from the rear quickly spread to the front and reached the ears of Ashina Tilie, causing his face to change drastically. He turned his head to look towards the high place on the left side behind him.

At this time, the troops he had arranged to pursue at the other end of the mountain road were about to arrive, and the sound of horse hooves could be heard faintly.

Upon hearing the report from the rear, Li Suining made a prompt decision and ordered: "All soldiers, listen to my order, follow me and fight your way out of the encirclement!"

In the rear are the incoming elite soldiers who are well-equipped and physically fit, while in the front half of the enemy troops have lost their combat effectiveness.

With repeated cries of "Yes, sir" with unyielding spirit, Li Suining led his most elite generals and Adian to charge forward, clearing a bloody path for the soldiers behind them.

Before the poisonous smoke in front of them had dissipated, they covered their mouths and held their breath. The horses, which had their mouths and noses covered with black cloth tied around their necks by the soldiers, charged at them with their iron hooves, trampling over the bodies of the fallen Beidi people. Amid endless wailing, they broke out of this deadly situation.

Seeing the situation, Kang Zhi ordered the archers to evacuate. With the help of ropes and their companions above, the archers slid down one by one. In the chaos, they turned over and jumped onto the fleeing air cavalry, joined their own team, and rushed forward quickly.

Kang Zhi, who took the initiative to cover the rear and watch, saw her fellow soldiers of the Sheng army who were retreating at the back falling off their horses one after another under Ashina Tilie's relentless pursuit and orders to shoot with arrows. She decisively stopped her retreat and instead drew her bow and shot arrows.

Even among archers, Kang Zhi's archery skills are one in a million. Just as she said when she recommended herself to Li Suining, the skins her brother used to make his fur coat were all hunted by her.

She stood on a high place and fired three arrows in succession, knocking three Northern Di archers off their horses.

There were only two arrows left in her quiver, and this time she chose to aim at Ashina Tilie.

But when Kang Zhi narrowed one eye and tried to aim at Ashina Tilie, she was surprised to find that the opponent's arrow had already aimed at her first! (End of this chapter)