Chang'an is good

Even though she was looking from a distance, Kang Zhi could tell at a glance that the other party was holding a very powerful bow. In the blink of an eye, the sharp arrow broke away from the bow and whistled towards her in the wind and snow.

Everything happened in an instant. Kang Zhi was still drawing the bow, and the arrow was approaching rapidly in front of her pupils.

In comparison, the falling snowflakes became slow.

The world suddenly became quiet, and this silence seemed like a sign of the coming of death.

When a person is caught in a huge and sudden death crisis, the body will become rigid and motionless. Kang Zhi originally thought that this was a sign of cowardice and lack of opinion. Before this, she had always believed that she would not be so cowardly and useless.

But her family's envoy said during a drill that this was not cowardice, but a physical instinctive habit left over from the ancient times when their ancestors would hide all their movements and pretend to be dead to avoid danger when faced with wild beasts and unknown threats.

In this situation, what you need to do is remind yourself to overcome your instincts and force yourself to react, which can save your life.

At the critical moment, Kang Zhi overcame her instinct, suddenly pulled up her stiff and uncontrollable legs, stepped back, and dodged.

The arrow almost brushed past her nose!

She escaped death, but her position was exposed and she was surrounded by more murderous intent. Just as she was about to move, a sharp arrow followed and pierced her left leg with a "thump". The moment she was hit by the arrow, she turned around with all her strength and suddenly knelt forward and threw herself forward.

An archer who had stayed behind to wait for her to leave rushed forward, but was stopped by Kang Zhi: "... Get down! Quick!"

"call out--!"

Sharp arrows swept past his body one after another. The crossbowman fell to the ground, crawled forward quickly, stretched out his hand to grab Kang Zhi, and took her to a place behind rocks. This was a blind spot that bows and arrows could not reach, but it was only temporary. As long as those people changed their positions and approached this place, the two men who had run out of arrows would soon die!
"General!"

A female soldier's voice came from below, urging: "Hurry!"

The crossbowman had already handed the rope to Kang Zhi: "General, I'll let you go!"

At this critical moment, Kang Zhi did not refuse or hesitate. She dragged her injured leg and grabbed the rough rope with both hands. When she was about to fall to the ground, another arrow came closely. The female soldier Su Zhuo who came to support her waved her knife to block the arrow. The next moment, she took Kang Zhi's hand and lifted her onto the horse's back.

The crossbowman fixed himself on the rocks with his hooks and slid down by grabbing the rope. He quickly climbed onto a horse amid the hail of arrows, lowered his body, and jolted forward.

Kang Zhi was protected by Su Zhuo. She just glanced at the crossbowman who had also climbed onto the horse. The feeling of relief for having escaped death together made her subconsciously turn her head to look. She was planning to force a smile of victory to the crossbowman, but when her eyes met, she saw that the crossbowman was suddenly shot in the back and was thrown out by the horse which was also shot, and fell heavily to the ground.

Kang Zhi’s eyes suddenly widened. She wanted to shout, but found that she didn’t know his name!
"save him!"

Kang Zhi screamed. She wanted to go back to save people, but the horses did not stop and no one dared to stop. The horses were galloping and the scene was rapidly receding. Kang Zhi watched helplessly as the body of the crossbowman was trampled alive by several Northern Di cavalrymen who followed closely. Large flakes of snow got into her wide eyes, and then she could see nothing.

Flee, the horses galloped, not daring to take a moment to breathe.

The horses shook people so much that their internal organs seemed to be displaced. When they ran over uneven terrain, the hooves of injured war horses occasionally slipped, and both the horse and the rider were thrown out. The wind and snow quickly drowned out the neighing and cries for help.

Ashina Tilie led his troops in pursuit.

The boundless snow blurred the sky, earth and time. They fled for an unknown amount of time until the Beidi troops stopped one after another in front of a dense forest.

Sheng Jun broke into the cedar forest and soon disappeared.

But no one was in a hurry to chase them. A Beidi general reined in his horse and said, "They actually broke into the forbidden area!"

The terrain behind this cedar forest is extremely complex. On two sides are snow-capped mountains that never melt all year round, blocking the way. On the other side, at the end is a glacier, and wild beasts often appear there. It is regarded by the locals as a forbidden place of death from which there is no return. From generation to generation, it has gradually become tainted with a mysterious and terrifying taboo color, and even experienced hunters choose to avoid it in fear.

Putting aside the many rumors about ghosts and gods, it is a fact that the terrain there is complex and harsh, with many broken rocks and gullies. At this time, the road is covered with heavy snow, and those broken rocks and gullies are natural traps. Once the horse's hooves accidentally fall into them, it is difficult to escape broken bones.

These inexperienced people who were only concerned with escaping had no idea where they had gotten into!
"It was the gods who drove them here!" A Northern Di man said loudly, feeling relieved, "This is the punishment of the gods!"

Ashina Tilie looked at the bloodstains spreading into the forest. He had not believed in gods for many years, but he believed in the power of this natural forbidden land before him.

The snow-capped mountains and glaciers cannot be crossed by human power. This pine forest is the entrance and the only way out from all sides.

He slowly sheathed his sword, grasped the cold and hard reins with his fur-gloved hands, and turned the horse's head.

After passing through the forest and going deeper into the country, Li Suining, who was at the front, reined in his horse and ordered the soldiers behind him to slow down as well.

Then, dozens of soldiers who were not injured were ordered to dismount, holding spears in hand, and use them to test the road conditions under the snow.

In the face of escape, they tried to run fast at first, but when the long spears suddenly sank into the ravine several times, the depth and danger of the spears were frightening, so everyone was forced to calm down and slowly explore the way in the snow.

Fortunately, the pursuers did not go any further, which was a blessing, but they could not care about the reason behind this blessing and did not dare to think about it for the time being, so they could only obey orders and move forward.

Under the guidance of the soldiers in front, the soldiers in the rear avoided one danger after another, looked after each other, and searched for places to take shelter.

An injured general sat on a slow-moving horse, looking at the soldiers marching in an orderly manner under his command, and said with uneven breathing: "Your Highness seems to have been here before..."

Li Suining: "I came here in my dream and have some impression of it."

The general forced a smile, as if he had not expected her to be so ridiculous. However, he felt more relaxed and relieved, and even followed her words and asked, "In your dream, did we return victorious?"

Li Suining turned his head, blood on his pale lips, and said to him: "We have returned with a great victory, and the country has been peaceful and the people have been safe since then."

The general also turned to look at her and gave a weak smile: "Your Highness, this dream is very auspicious."

"My dreams have always come true. General Wei, please come with me to see if this dream will also come true."

The general nodded and said "OK".

The snowstorm was terrible, but there was one small benefit: the snow shone like a lamp, preventing the deadly darkness from invading.

As the sky began to turn gray, a soldier pushed aside the snow-covered grass and excitedly discovered a cave.

"Wait a minute!"

Kang Zhi on the horse hurriedly spoke out to stop them, but the soldier who was escaping was so excited that he temporarily lost his composure and rushed into the cave first, forgetting the instructions to use gunpowder to test the situation in the cave first.

After a moment, the sound that everyone least wanted to hear appeared, it was the roar of a wild beast.

"Quick! Be on guard!"

A general near here shouted, and the next moment, the soldier stumbled out. In the light of the snow, he tightly covered his bloody neck, where there were several claw marks and bloody marks, spreading from the neck to the cheek, deep enough to see the bone. The soldier opened his mouth, but what came out of his mouth was not words, but thick blood, and he fell to the ground in an instant.

As everyone was horrified, the snow at the entrance of the cave fell off, and a huge black bear ran out roaring. Its heavy paws fell to the ground with a frightening muffled sound.

Some soldiers suppressed their fear and shot arrows. The arrows pierced the black bear's thick skin and flesh, making it completely crazy. It ran on all fours and roared, charging towards the soldiers who shot the arrows.

There was chaos everywhere and the horses were frightened and scattered. Even Guiqi, who had never seen such a situation before, was greatly frightened and retreated, neighing and shaking his head.

"Lihuo!" With Li Suining's shout, Liuhuo shook off the snow on his body and ran forward.

Li Suining changed horses swiftly, jumped onto Liuhuo's back, held a bow and drove the horse. In the chaos, they circled on the snow several times until the black bear was lured away by General Wei who shot an arrow again.

Li Suining seized the opportunity, drew his bow, and shot several arrows, hitting the black bear on the back of the neck.

The black bear ran a few steps and finally fell to the ground with a thud.

The crisis and riots subsided and the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.

General Wei, who cooperated with Li Suining in silent understanding and completed the hunt at the risk of his own safety, no longer had the tension on his face. The next moment, the longbow in his hand fell and he fell off his horse.

"General Wei!"

A fire was quickly lit in the cave, water was boiled, arrows were pulled out, and medicine was applied. The smell of blood soon covered up the original smell in the cave.

General Wei stopped his subordinates from applying medicine to him. He knew his own situation well. He had struggled all the way here and now he was barely relieved.

“No need to apply medicine, and no need to bring anything back…” General Wei leaned against the stone wall and told his subordinates, “Bury me here… and write a line on the stone…”

His voice was already very weak. At this point, he smiled and then said clearly, "Then leave it - Wei Shouyuan of Dasheng Xuan Ce Mansion to suppress the Northern Di thieves forever."

A soldier held his hand tightly and responded with sobs.

Wei Shouyuan raised his eyes weakly and looked at the woman in black robe who came over and half-knelt in front of him.

Wei Shouyuan was a man of few words usually. This time he came to Beidi to recommend himself to Cui Jing.

He had lost his family long ago. He had married and had a daughter in his early years. However, during a flood, his ten-year-old daughter was washed away. When he returned home, his wife, who could not face the fact of losing her daughter, went mad and hanged herself.

He never remarried, lived alone and was taciturn. Only once, when he was looking at Li Suining washing his warhorse by the river, did he say that if his daughter were still alive, she would be exactly this age.

At this moment, he looked at the young woman in front of him, smiled somewhat absentmindedly, and said: "Today's breakout battle was very enjoyable... Coming to Beidi to promote our great national prestige is very worthwhile. I will not regret it even if I die."

He did not ask Li Suining for any promises, and Li Suining did not make any promises either. When their eyes met, he could read the determination in her eyes.

After a moment, Wei Shouyuan closed his eyes, and his subordinates fell on him and burst into tears.

"Why are you crying? You're not dead yet..." Wei Shouyuan's voice suddenly sounded weakly again, with a hint of joking: "You're not even allowed to close your eyes and take a rest."

"General!" The general raised his head, and the great feeling of losing and regaining made him burst into laughter.

After waiting for a while, Wei Shouyuan closed his eyes again with a smile, as if he didn't want his death to be too heavy and serious.

This time, he couldn't open his eyes.

Wei Shouyuan left amid sobs.

Before he closed his eyes, he said, "In my next life, I will be a member of Xuan Ce Army again..."

As long as Xuan Ce's army is here, great prosperity will be here.

This wish for reincarnation is also a blessing for the homeland.

Kang Zhi, who had just removed the broken arrow from her leg, was trembling all over. She leaned her head against the cold stone wall, tears falling uncontrollably, and she bit her lower lip in hatred until it bled.

Adian sat there wiping her tears, sobbing with her lips pursed, not daring to cry out loud.

Li Suining turned around, walked out of the cave, and checked on the remaining soldiers.

Li Suining knew very well that this was a forbidden area, and entering here would be tantamount to seeking death. However, if he did not enter this area, it would not be enough to deter the Northern Di army, and the soldiers needed a shelter to recuperate and rest.

You have to survive this step first before you can think about how to live the next step.

After all the troops had found shelter and settled down, they took a headcount and found that there were still 1,600 men left. Nearly 400 of them had been killed in this battle.

They were lucky to break out, and were extremely lucky to escape at the cost of 400 casualties. Moreover, they counterattacked and inflicted heavy damage on the Northern Di army of nearly 1,000 people. This was a record to be proud of, but even so, no one could be really excited.

Having escaped from a battle in which they were sure to die, they were now in the midst of another battle in which they were sure to die.

After a day and a night of exploration, they found that there was no other way to leave this place except the way they came. At the end of the road, Ashina Tilie had already set up camp with his troops and had people guarding and patrolling all the exits.

This forbidden area with complex terrain was obviously not suitable as a battlefield. Having experienced the experience of being severely damaged by a trap in the mountains, the Northern Di army was unwilling to rush into deep battle again, so as to avoid being ambushed by the Sheng army again. They were very afraid of the gunpowder and poisonous smoke in the hands of the Sheng army.

It would only take half a month at most to trap Sheng's army in this forbidden area. Once the enemy's food is completely exhausted, they can win at the lowest cost. Why not do it?

Before that, they only needed to set up camp, rest, barbecue, drink, and discuss how to "treat well and make good use of" the body and head of the Crown Princess of Dasheng.

Behind the bonfire, Ashina Tilie wiped the long sword in his hand and occasionally looked up at the cedar forest. The pair of gray-blue eyes under the mask narrowed slightly, and he seemed to be in a good mood. He enjoyed and concentrated on immersing himself in this fight between trapped beasts.

After the snow stopped, a few lonely stars appeared in the blue sky.

This was the fifth day that Sheng’s army had been besieged.

At this point, Li Suining, who had been concentrating on recovering from his injuries, had already made the final decision in his heart.

That night, Li Suining, who had a rare deep sleep due to the medication, woke up and found that Adian was gone, and she was covered with Adian's coat.

Li Suining stood up, left the cave, and went to look for Ah Dian. (End of this chapter)