girl let me check

Chapter 470 Dusk in the Eye of the Storm
The outcome of a war is never decided by one person. Once the meat grinder of fate starts turning, it will never stop because of the kindness in human nature.

By the end of September, the all-out war in the Central Plains had entered its decisive stage.

On the Huai River, the Northern Army and the foreign tribes were separated by the river, and neither side took large-scale actions, reaching a strange tacit understanding. Although the two armies occasionally had some small-scale frictions, they generally showed a confrontation.

Whether it was Xie Lingwan or Tuoba Liang, both sides were waiting for the final outcome of another battlefield.

After the Bingzhou army conquered Luojing, it already controlled the four states of Bing, Yan, Ji and Si, and could mobilize a population of tens of millions. Under Wang Boguang's orders, the four states began to raise military supplies in a militaristic manner, and the carriages transported to Xiangyang were endless day and night, almost blocking the official road from north to south.

By the end of September, the Shangyuan Wang family had assembled more than 200,000 troops in Xiangyang, dividing them into the southern and northern armies with the Han River as the boundary. The southern army was led by Duanmu Ling, while the northern army was commanded by Wang Boguang himself. The northern and southern armies faced each other across the river, siege equipment was scattered all over the mountains and plains, and there were countless civilians and runners.

As for the imperial court, the imperial capital was stable and Shu was pacified. Thanks to the barrier of the four Guanzhong passes and the continuous Qinling Mountains, the Zhou court was able to transfer almost all of its troops to the Xiangyang front.

However, it would take time for the reinforcements from the Great Zhou to arrive, and the Wang family army obviously did not want to give them that time.

On September 7, the Southern Bingzhou Army launched its first large-scale attack on Xiangyang City. Duanmu Ling and Ni Yin broke through the Zhen'an Gate in the northeast of Xiangyang City and once fought their way to the city lord's mansion. At the critical moment, Tao Yunjiang led the Changyuan Iron Guards who came thousands of miles to the battlefield, and finally joined forces with Fang Tang to repel the Bingzhou army, beheaded Ni Yin, and seriously injured Duanmu Ling.

On September 10, the Southern Bingzhou Army pretended to attack Xiangyang City, intending to gain conditions for the Northern Bingzhou Army to attack Fancheng. This plot was discovered by Tao Yunjiang, who transferred the 30,000 Changyuan Iron Guards stationed in Xiangyang to Fancheng via the iron chain floating bridge to engage in a bloody battle with the Northern Bingzhou Army.

Wang Boguang personally supervised the battle. The siege troops rained down huge rocks and arrows, leaving a huge gap in the Fancheng city wall. The Bingzhou army filed in, but was pushed back by the Changyuan Iron Guards.

The two armies fought from early morning until nightfall. After a day of life-and-death fighting, the Bingzhou Legion still failed to capture the outer wall of Fancheng and had to retreat to its camp, leaving behind a mountain of corpses.

On September 11, the Bingzhou Northern Army once again launched a fierce attack on Chaosheng Gate, the northern main gate of Fancheng.

In order to achieve a quick victory, Wang Boguang once again sent out two more seventh-turn priests from the Shangyuan Wang family, namely Su Rong, who was the seventh-turn master of the Fire Five Elements and known as the "Zhenrongce" Su Rong, and Qu Zhongliang, who was the seventh-turn master of the Mingwu Five Elements and known as the "Donghaidao" Qu Zhongliang.

Su Rong bombarded the defenders at the city gate with skyfire meteors, while Qu Zhongliang led his troops to climb the city wall first. The Great Zhou side did not have a seventh-level cultivator, and it was difficult to stop the attack of these two people.

In just one hour, the Chaosheng Gate fell completely. The Bingzhou army launched a fierce attack along the city wall to the east and west, intending to completely capture the outer city of Fancheng.

Seeing that Fancheng was about to be lost, at the critical moment, Tao Yunjiang once again led the 5,000 Changyuan Iron Guards stationed in Xiangyang to rush in. This fresh force immediately launched a counterattack against the Bingzhou Legion, and the two armies engaged in street fighting in the streets of Fancheng.

Since she was the only rank seven cultivator on the side defending the city of Great Zhou, Tao Yunjiang had to fight against two rank seven cultivators, Qu Zhongliang and Su Rong, alone. Unlike the two Mingwu cultivators last time, this time it was the most difficult combination of Five Elements and Mingwu.

If it comes to one-on-one combat, Qu Zhongliang is far from being Tao Yunjiang's opponent, but if he concentrates on defense, he can hold Tao Yunjiang back for a long time, thus creating conditions for Su Rong, who is in a safe position, to attack.

Tao Yunjiang could not defeat Qu Zhongliang quickly, and because of Qu Zhongliang's entanglement, her several attempts to attack Su Rong in the distance ended in failure. Seeing the situation was stalemate, she had to resort to the strategy of exchanging injuries for injuries, taking Su Rong's heavenly fire from her back while attacking Qu Zhongliang fiercely, and only then did she succeed in forcing Qu Zhongliang to retreat with serious injuries.

At this time, the Changyuan Iron Guards had successfully recaptured the ruined Pilgrimage Gate, and Su Rong had to leave first with Qu Zhongliang. The outer city of Fancheng was once again defended.

But at this moment, the morale of the defenders in the city was declining. General Tao was seriously injured by the heavenly fire. The number of defenders in the city was decreasing day by day, while the Bingzhou army seemed to be endless. They left corpses on the ground one day and would come back again the next day.

A mood of despair spread among the defenders of Fancheng, and some people had even made plans to escape after the city was broken.

Just one day after the large-scale attack the day before, the Bingzhou Northern Army took advantage of its numerical advantage to launch another attack on the Chaosheng Gate, the northern main gate of Fancheng.

Tao Yunjiang's injuries were still very serious, so he was unable to participate in the battle this time. There were no rank seven cultivators stationed in the outer city of Fancheng, and the city walls were still in ruins, so it was impossible to organize an effective defense.

On September 12, the outer city of Fancheng was breached, and the Great Zhou army retreated to the inner city. At the same time, the Bingzhou Southern Army was accelerating its attack on Xiangyang, and the situation in Xiangfan was becoming increasingly urgent.

At this moment, the bright moon is among the reeds.

Fang Tang: "How is Yun Jiang's injury?"

Tao Yunjiang: "I'm fine, but my combat power will be greatly reduced in the near future."

Fang Tang: "Damn Su Rong, I will definitely kill him in the future!"

Xie Lingwan: "'Zhen Rong Ce' Su Rong, this person was once a lecturer at Qinghuo Academy. Haha... Come to think of it, he also taught me the Five Elements Magic. I didn't expect that he was also poached by the Shangyuan Wang family. I thought he would remain neutral."

Fang Tang: "What discouraging words are you saying, Prime Minister Xie?"

Xie Lingwan: "I feel sorry for him. He has to go to hell before he lives long enough."

Fang Tang: "My prime minister is domineering."

Xie Lingwan: "Where is my husband? Why aren't you talking?"

Fang Tang: "Teacher is scouting ahead. The East Palace Guards have been on a rapid march these past few days, and their scouting efforts are not strong enough, so Teacher asked all the high-level monks to disperse and act as scouts."

Fang Tang: "We have already left Qinling Mountains and arrived at Li County. In front of us is Guanjun. If we maintain the current marching speed, we can reach the city of Xiangyang in seven days."

Xie Lingwan: "Don't worry, someone has already gone there."

Inside the Xiangyang City Lord's Mansion, in a room filled with the smell of medicine, Tao Yunjiang had just woken up and was leaning on the edge of the bed with a thick layer of bandage wrapped around his shoulders.

She looked at the information on the bright moon and reed flowers in front of her and was slightly stunned.

The reed ring vibrated. This time it was not a message in the group, but a private chat.

Xiao Jin: "Jiang Jiang, open the door for me."

Tao Yunjiang: "?"

Tao Yunjiang got out of bed, put on his shoes, and quickly opened the door of his bedroom.

In the slanting light of dusk, a girl in black armor and black skirt leaned against the pillar of the corridor, playing with the colored glass beads in her hand nonchalantly. Behind her, dozens of Xuanzhong guards spread out, seemingly taking over the security of the City Lord's Mansion.

"Xiao Jin!" Tao Yunjiang was very surprised.

"Jiang Jiang!" Xiao Jin's eyes lit up. He put on the bracelet, rushed over quickly and took her hand.

Although Xiao Jin's movements were not big, they still pulled her wound, causing Tao Yunjiang to groan in pain.

"Sorry, sorry!" Xiao Jin hurriedly slowed down his movements.

"You are finally here!" Tao Yunjiang did not pay attention to this little thing, "Help everyone heal their wounds quickly, there are not enough Tiangong doctors in Xiangyang."

"Don't worry, I've asked Master Zhang to take people there."

Xiao Jin pulled her into the house and sat her down, then closed the door. The loyal Xuan Zhongwei was standing guard outside the door.

"You don't know how many Tiangong doctors I brought with me this time." Xiao Jin said with a smile, "I got them from Xie Lingwan."

"Wanwan..." Tao Yunjiang felt warm in his heart, and then felt a little confused.

"Who is Mr. Zhang?"

"Who else could it be? It can only be the Taoist doctor Zhang Rucheng, the one in the white robe of Tianque."

"Even the Taoist medical senior is here?" Tao Yunjiang finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

This Zhang Rucheng is usually hard to find. Although he also wears the white robe of Tianque, his style of doing things is completely different from the other three.

The old man has been practicing medicine for more than a hundred years and has cured countless patients. Before his destiny was revived, he was already a genius doctor at the peak of the sixth level. After his destiny was revived, he directly entered the seventh level. It is no exaggeration to call him a medical saint.

Xie Lingwan must have spent a lot of effort to call him over. "Humph, I'm also a seventh-level Tiangong now, why are you not as excited to see me as to hear that Lord Zhang is coming?" Xiao Jin pouted, full of resentment.

"I don't love Jiang Jiang anymore."

"Of course I'm happy that Xiao Jin is here." Tao Yunjiang begged for mercy and hugged her good sister.

"Alright, alright, your injury hasn't healed yet, you can't make such a big move."

Xiao Jin pushed her to sit down, white-green life energy swirling in his palms.

"Wait for me, just half an hour."

The source power mixed with the vitality of all spirits slowly seeped into the surface of Tao Yunjiang's skin. The remaining fire poison collided with this energy, making a hissing sound.

"Woo..."

Tao Yunjiang frowned tightly, cold sweat oozing from his fair forehead, obviously he was in great pain.

In order to divert her attention, Xiao Jin began to talk to Tao Yunjiang about things in Xiangyang.

"What can we eat in Xiangyang these days?" Xiao Jin asked, "I heard that Xie Lingwan has transferred the entire fleet from Dajiang here? Will everyone be hungry?"

"Although this is the case, there are too many Seven-Turns from the Uehara Wang family, and the fleet dares not to dock directly for transportation." Tao Yunjiang closed his eyes and gasped in pain.

"Taking advantage of the heavy rain, the ships can land on the shore. Occasionally, we get some vegetables and meat. Apart from that, we eat fish the most all day long... I am about to vomit. As for food, there is definitely enough food, but Fancheng is about to be undefendable."

Tao Yunjiang opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Jin: "Xiao Jin, how many people did you bring this time?"

"There are only six battalions of Xuanzhong Guards, about 2,000 people." Xiao Jin kept moving his hands and curled his lips, "Duanmu Ling has surrounded the outside of Xiangyang, and we can only slowly move over by water."

"But I brought with me a group of imperial guards from Huainan and Jiangbei that were dispersed. There are about 30,000 of them, and you know their commander."

"Who?" Tao Yunjiang thought for a moment and asked, "Is it King Fang Xuanmei of Pingyuan?"

"That's right." Xiao Jin nodded. "Prince Pingyuan has been gathering the defeated soldiers of the Imperial Army in the Chenliu and Jiyin areas. He and I came together this time, but the Xuanzhong Guards are faster, so I arrived a few days earlier."

"We just received a letter from King Pingyuan today. They have already built a defense line in Anchang, Yiyang County. Once Brother Fang's East Palace Guards arrive, we will start a three-line siege!"

"Good disciple..." Tao Yunjiang pursed his lips, and the longing in his heart poured out like a spring, with a slight sourness and throbbing.

How long has it been since she last saw her good disciple?
Since they parted in Changming, she went to Bashu and he stayed in Changming. For nearly half a year, they could only communicate through the bright moon and reed flowers.

Although she is a woman of the world, in the cruel war, every day is like the last day of her life. How could she not want him to be with her?

The girl's eyes gradually dimmed and her mood became low.

"Okay, okay, isn't it just a few months since we last met? Brother Fang won't forget you, so what's the point, Jiang Jiang?" Xiao Jin sighed sadly, "Do you think it's any use for me to see you so many times? Didn't some sluts still pick the peaches first?"

Tao Yunjiang; "..."

Even though I was scolded, I was very happy.

"You were injured by Su Rong, right?" Xiao Jin narrowed his eyes and said, "You bully my Jiang Jiang with your outnumbered people. It looks like I have to pay with his life."

"The main force of Xuanzhongwei has not entered the city yet, and I brought 30 personal guards. The Bingzhou army should not have discovered our traces yet. If they come again... we can give them a small surprise."

"That's right!"

Tao Yunjiang took Xiao Jin's hand and pretended to be tearful.

"He hit me so hard, Xiao Jin, you must avenge me."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

The two talked about the situation in Xiangyang for a while until Tao Yunjiang recovered from his injuries. Xiao Jin was about to go out when he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

"Miss, the Changyuan Iron Guards want to see General Tao." Xuan Zhongwei whispered outside the door.

"Let him in, it must be something important." Xiao Jin said.

Changyuan Iron Guard pushed open the door, walked in quickly with sweat all over his forehead, knelt down and bowed:

"General Tao, it's bad! This afternoon, many of our brothers started to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea, and some even started to vomit blood!"

"The brothers are in good health and can still hold on, but the situation of the people in the city is much more serious! General...we..."

Tao Yunjiang stood up suddenly, his face solemn.

"what happened?"

Xiao Jin gently squeezed her wrist, indicating that she didn't need to worry.

"What did Doctor Zhang say?" Xiao Jin asked.

"Doctor Zhang said that someone poisoned the upper reaches of the Han River." The soldier replied hastily.

Tao Yunjiang's mind raced, and after pacing around the room for a while, he figured out the problem.

"We have a fixed time to draw water at noon. The Bingzhou Army must have noticed this, so they chose the time to poison the upstream in advance."

She was so angry that her chest heaved and the blood in her body was rising.

"These beasts... they want everyone in the city to die!"

"What kind of poison is this? Can Dr. Zhang cure it?"

"What did Doctor Zhang say this poison is called... something like evil soul powder... something like that?" The soldier couldn't remember the difficult-to-pronounce name and his face turned red with anxiety.

"The Five Evils Soul-Severing Scattering." Xiao Jin said.

"Yes, that's the name!" The messenger nodded quickly. "Dr. Zhang can cure it, but he said that this poison is extremely difficult to treat. He can only treat a dozen people in an hour. General, with so many of us, we won't be able to make it in time!"

Tao Yunjiang looked to Xiao Jin for help.

Xiao Jin said quietly, "Five Evils Soul-Severing Powder. This poison is recorded in the inheritance of the Fan Saint Temple. It was originally a secret recipe of the royal family of Yelang State, specially used to torture prisoners. Later, Yelang was destroyed by the Han Dynasty, and this recipe was also obtained by the Han Dynasty. However... according to Xuan Zhongwei's information, someone has used this poison before."

Tao Yunjiang took a deep breath, his peach blossom eyes filled with anger.

"I know who it is..."

She seemed to squeeze out a few words from between her teeth:

"Damn Huo Guang."

(End of this chapter)