girl let me check

Chapter 464: Facing Fate
On August 20th, two pieces of news spread at an astonishing speed, shaking the entire Middle-earth like an earthquake.

The first one came from the Jianghuai direction. Under the command of Zhou Xiang Xie Lingwan, the main force of the Jianghuai Zhou army adopted the strategy of luring the enemy deep into their territory and ambushing them from all sides. They took advantage of the tactical characteristics of the foreign races who underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, deployed defenses layer by layer, and used various means to slow down the enemy's supply speed, making it difficult for them to supply continuously. In the end, in the Battle of Hefei, they completely dragged down the supply of the foreign races and forced them to retreat completely.

Because Xie Lingwan ordered the local people to plant a large area of ​​rice fields at all costs before the battle, the marching speed of the foreign cavalry was greatly slowed down. The Zhou army rushed all the way to Dangtu and successfully completed a large-scale assembly on August 15.

In order to win this battle, Xie Lingwan assembled almost all the elite forces on the Jianghuai front. The last 50,000 core members of the Northern Army, plus 30,000 veterans of the Jianghuai garrison, and the most elite and brave Xuanzhong Guards and Sili Xiaowei Cavalry were all out. In addition, Xie Lingwan broke through to the peak of the seventh level before the battle, and used the power of many amplification formation stones to temporarily possess the power of the eighth level of the water five elements, forcibly freezing the Huai River for 100 meters with solid ice, successfully sending the Zhou army to the other side of the Huai River as if hiding from the sky and the sea, and launching a sudden attack on the foreign army that was in a dream.

The foreign army had previously burned all the ships on the south bank of the Huai River. They never expected that the Zhou army on the south bank could cross the river and attack without any ships or bridges. For a moment, they thought that the Zhou army had descended from the sky and were extremely terrified. They had no way to resist.

In this battle, the Zhou army suffered more than 9,500 deaths, more than 28,000 injuries, 26,000 beheaded, and 18,000 captured. The foreign army was defeated with an overwhelming advantage, and all the baggage including 32 artillery pieces and thousands of war horses were seized. Chanyu Tuoba Liang only had time to break out with a few thousand personal soldiers and fled away.

This was an unsurprisingly crushing victory. The battle of Dangtu directly frightened the foreign army out of their wits, and the battle line retreated more than 500 miles north from the Huai River, and only stopped in Rencheng and Jiyin areas to regroup.

The Zhou army took advantage of the situation and pursued northwards, recovering the entire Yangzhou and the southern counties of Yuzhou and Xuzhou along the way, and was welcomed by the people of Zhou along the way.

Half a year after the loss of their homeland, the Great Zhou royal army finally set foot on this land again. Although the Great Zhou society had various long-standing problems, after experiencing the bloody and cruel rule of foreign races and the violent suppression of the aristocratic families, the people still yearned for a stable Great Zhou.

The reputation of Zhou Xiang Xie Lingwan has risen to a new level, and she is on par with the famous ministers of ancient times. Now everyone in the empire is saying: With the empress in the north and Xiang Xie in the south, the monarch and his subjects are of one mind, and the Great Zhou will definitely be able to survive this disaster year.

The battle of Dangtu will surely go down in history.

Compared with the first message, the second one caused less response, but in the eyes of Zhou Ting’s top management it was far more eye-catching than the first one.

Wang Shi of Shangyuan assembled all the troops from Bingzhou, Yuzhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou, totaling 300,000 troops. They were divided into three groups and marched rapidly southward. Judging from the direction, their target was Xiangyang.

"This is definitely not good news." Fang Weihan's expression was a little solemn.

"Ling Wan's Northern Army has just experienced a fierce battle. They are exhausted, with nearly half of their troops killed or wounded. Their equipment is also in urgent need of replenishment. They simply cannot launch another large-scale decisive battle with an entire army in a short period of time."

"It's a thousand miles from Xiangyang to Dangtu. Even if Xie Lingwan can withstand the pressure and lead the Northern Army to arrive, it will take several months." Fang Tang added.

"What are the current garrison forces in Xiangyang?" Fang Tang stared at the box representing Xiangyang on the map and asked.

Fei Hong saluted and said, "It's mainly the Jingzhou garrison, about 30,000 people, in addition to some private armies of the Wuxing Shen family and the Langya Wang family."

Wuxing Shen family, Langya Wang family... Fang Weihan's eyes narrowed slightly.

When in the Luojing camp, Wang Zhiyou and Shen Yuanxing helped him once, which was equivalent to standing on the opposite side of the Shangyuan Wang family. After Fang Ying's failure, they did not follow the Xingyang Zheng family to surrender to the Bingzhou Wang family, but chose to go south for refuge, which proved this point again.

Fang Weihan was not worried about their loyalty to the court, but with the army approaching, he was worried that the Wang and Shen families would avoid fighting in order to preserve their strength.

Originally, their two families had already suffered heavy casualties in Pingqiu. Not only did they lose almost all of their offerings from the aristocratic families, but even the life of the head of the second family was lost there. It can be said that they were seriously injured.

If he were to put himself in their shoes, he might make the same decision to avoid fighting. Fang Weihan could understand their motives, but the current situation absolutely did not allow them to do so.

"The Eastern Palace Guard stationed in Changming leads the nearest troops that can reinforce Xiangyang. If they march at full speed and abandon their baggage, they can arrive within a month." Fang Tang frowned and said, "But this is the most ideal situation. Given Wang Boguang's character, the Wang family of Shangyuan will definitely block us on Tongguan Road and Wuguan Road to prevent us from reinforcing Xiangyang."

"And the Uehara Wang family's army will be able to launch an attack on Xiangyang City in mid-September. We don't have enough time at all."

Fang Tang’s analysis made sense, and this was exactly what Fang Weihan was worried about.

Xiangyang City must not be lost.

This is the gateway for Jingzhou to defend against enemies to the north, and it is also the only way for the Jingxiang Ancient Road from north to south. Once Xiangyang is lost, the foreign army can go south along the Han River. There will be no more defenses in Jingzhou, and the empty Jiangling City will be in danger.

If Jingzhou is controlled by the Wang family of Shangyuan, the Zhou Dynasty will be divided into two by land, and Jiangnan's finances and taxes will no longer be able to be transported to the Minghe Valley. Jiangnan and Guanzhong will be at risk of being divided and defeated.

"I will write a letter and send it to Wang Zhiyou and Shen Yuanxing." Fang Weihan said.

At this point, he had to keep the Wang and Shen families' troops no matter what.

"But...if we want to get to Xiangyang, it will conservatively take at least one and a half months. And within one and a half months, the more than 30,000 Xiangyang defenders will have to face 200,000 Bingzhou troops." Fang Tang said with great concern.

"No, it's not one and a half months." Fang Weihan smiled and shook his head, "We are not the army closest to Xiangyang."

"Did you not check Mingyue Luhua's group chat just now?"

"Indeed not."

Fang Tang was slightly stunned, then looked away embarrassedly. She took out the reed wreath and saw the most conspicuous messages on it.

Xie Lingwan: "Xiao Jin, where are you?"

Xiao Jin: "Jiyin, I'm next to the aliens' main camp."

Tao Yunjiang: "?"

Tao Yunjiang: "Xiao Jin, can you just chop Tuoba Liang down?"

Xiao Jin: "I want to, too, but Tuoba Liang is a rank seven expert, and there are two rank seven experts beside him. I can go, but if I go, I'll probably be throwing meat buns at dogs."

Tao Yunjiang: "Forget it, I think it's better for you to be alive, Xiaojin."

Xiao Jin: "..."

Xiao Jin: "The foreign tribes have been recruiting soldiers on a large scale recently. It is said that Tuoba Liang has transferred a lot of grassland troops from Yuguan Changyuan. Now there are about 100,000 people in this main camp alone. Although Dangtu was victorious, the Great Zhou army was also seriously injured. I feel that if they come again next time, we may not be able to defeat them."

Tao Yunjiang: "The main problem lies with that damn Shengzhu. Turning a civilian who has never killed anyone before into a beast is simply a brainwashing cult! If Tuoba Liang is really determined to fight a protracted war with us, the situation will be hard to predict."

Xiao Jin: "Well, this is why I am here."

Xiao Jin: "If we can't deal with Tuoba Liang, killing a few Shengzhu will be easy."

Xie Lingwan: "I'll give you three more days. After three days, you will immediately lead the Xuanzhong Guards to Xiangyang by water. The city defenses there are empty and reinforcements are needed."

Tao Yunjiang: "Xiao Jin, don't worry. I will be at the foot of Xiangyang in about half a month."

Xiao Jin: "Yes! How could you forget Jiang Jiang!" Xie Lingwan: "Yun Jiang, how many people do you have?"

Tao Yunjiang: "With 50,000 people, we only need to take a boat south along the Changhe River, and then turn north at Jiangling. It will be quick!"

Xie Lingwan: "It's enough. You have 50,000 men under your command, 20,000 reinforcements from Jiangling, 30,000 garrisons from Xiangyang, and your husband's East Palace Guards with 40,000 men. In addition to Xiao Jin's Xuanzhong Guards and Sili Xiaowei's elite troops, we can barely match the Bingzhou Legion on the front battlefield."

Tao Yunjiang: "Will the Northern Army not participate in the battle of Xiangyang?"

Xie Lingwan: "There are only 30,000 Northern Army troops left that can participate in the battle. We need to keep a close eye on the remaining foreign troops and never let them cross the Jianghuai defense line, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

Xiao Jin: "What if Tuoba Liang launches an attack southward while our main forces are concentrated in Xiangyang?"

Xie Lingwan: "Don't worry, I have a plan."

Xie Lingwan: "If you all work together and win the battle of Xiangyang, I, Xie Lingwan, can guarantee that this horrific and bloody war will be completely ended."

The little queen closed the reed wreath and curled her lips: "Xie Lingwan really thinks of herself as the queen, and still wants to give orders, hum..."

"I won't listen to her - I won't listen to anyone except the teacher."

Fang Weihan put his arm around the girl's slender shoulders and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Then can I tell Tangtang again?" Fang Weihan said as if coaxing a child, "Pack up your things, take all the Luantai Guards, Jinwu Guards, and Donggong Guards, and let's go to Jingzhou."

The teacher's sudden kiss made Fang Tang blush suddenly, his head felt dizzy, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.

"Well! Let's go!" Fang Tang nodded vigorously.

The dragon circled and transformed into a golden giant beast, crawling in the center of the Yuanhui Hall. The white-gold dragon robe was brilliant, and the girl had a beautiful and elegant face. She held the Xuanyao Sword horizontally with one hand and reached out to Fang Weihan with high spirits.

"Teacher! Please end this war with me!"

……

……

In midsummer and early autumn, when the sun was scorching hot in the Central Plains of the Great Zhou, a heavy snowstorm was still falling in the Tianshan Mountains.

The top of the Linyuan spire was buried in the clouds; the bright white day and the flying snow blended into one, like a fog covering the sky.

Apart from the bright stars, what Wen Zhexue likes to see most is the snow on the Tianshan Mountains. They have no roots or support, and move with the wind, lingering in a corner of the world without disturbing the peace of the world. Even if they melt, what remains is still harmless and fresh water.

Even if it melts, it will be as if it had never been there.

No one knows how the first snowflake was created, just as no one knows when the last snowflake will melt.

She has seen Xue in many identities: an orphan, a protégé, a disciple, Linyuan Yuchen... or, the master of Linyuan Pavilion.

Wen Zhexue raised her hand. Her fingers were clearly articulated, slender and well-proportioned. Her skin was truly meticulously carved out of ice and jade. Even now, when her fingertips were immersed in the flying snow, it was difficult to tell which was whiter, the snow or her skin.

The strong wind blew the snowflakes across her fingertips, and the slightest touch of the cold turned into a dull pain like a knife cutting.

But no matter how much her fingers looked like snow, they were not snow after all, and could not catch the flying ice crystals.

Three days had passed since she returned to the sect. During these three days, Wen Zhexue had searched all the places where Master Taixu had appeared, and had also searched through all the precious books and records in Wentian Peak. Her panicked eyes searched anxiously, staring at the obscure symbols, but she could not find any information about her master.

She asked them, who were the sixteenth Pavilion Masters of Linyuan Pavilion? Every book had the answer to this question, and everyone told her the cold and ruthless answer.

In the column of the current Linyuan Pavilion Master, his name was clearly engraved.

Taixu Zhenren Wen Zhexue, a disciple of Lingfu Zhenren, is the sixteenth master of Linyuan Pavilion.

Everyone in the world seemed to have forgotten the existence of the Master, as if they had once faced an insignificant snowflake.

Fortunately, Xiaohan still remembers it.

Wen Zhexue quietly tightened the reed wreath in her sleeve. On this icy Tianshan Mountain, it was the only thing that could bring her a little warmth.

Not only Xiaohan, Lingwan, Xiaojin, Yunjiang, and Fangtang also remembered it. But apart from them, no one else knew of the existence of the Master.

What kind of power could completely wipe out the existence of a seventh-level mirror heaven? The eighth-level Yinyu realm? The ninth-level Shattered Universe realm? Or the immortal means above the ninth-level realm?

Until now, Wen Zhexue couldn't even determine whether the disappearance of her master was accidental or a frame-up. However, the girl would rather believe that her master, who had always protected her like a father, was more likely to have directed this drama himself in order to achieve some purpose.

It would be great if we could contact Saint Yun Shu. As a holy vessel that knows the past, she must know what happened to her master.

Master will definitely come back, Wen Zhexue told himself.

The phoenix flew down from the sky, bringing with it a gust of snow-filled wind.

"Ah! (Tianyi calls you over!)"

"Saint Tianyi?" Wen Zhexue instinctively felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

The phoenix shrank and transformed, landing on her shoulder. The little phoenix silently used its feathers to wipe away the frost and snow between its master's brows, chirping softly.

"Are you okay, Wen Xuan?" The dark side in the sea of ​​consciousness asked worriedly, "If not, let me do it. The inner demon is not afraid of these things."

"It's okay." Wen Zhexue said to them softly.

She lowered her eyelashes, and her voice seemed to be crushed into the wind and snow.

“It has to be faced eventually.”

(End of this chapter)