General’s Gown

Chapter 90 The north wind sweeps the earth Part 3

Helian Rongchuan knew that his Changqing was guilty, so he wanted to make up to him in this way. 

And he has to accept it. Only by accepting it will his Changqing leave with peace of mind. 

The woods and valley was fading away, as were the clouds. 

It was deep in twilight and Helian Rongchuan climbed to the top of the mountain and looked down into the distance. Sure enough, in the winding mountain road like a silver ribbon, he saw two figures galloping on horses.

“Your Royal Highness?” Jiu Jin looked at Helian Rongchuan’s face nervously: “You have to stop it now, or else it’ll be too late…” 

As long as an order was given, the guards at the foot of the mountain would come out in full force. 

Helian Rongchuan didn’t say a word, and after a long while, he silently took out a simple bamboo xiao and put it on his lips. The ethereal and long sound of the xiao, like a blue bird with long feathers, spreads its wings and flew along the cool breeze of autumn, passing through the waves of pines, passing through the sea of ​​​streams and flowers, circling the mountains, echoing… 

In the mountains and forests, Yan Changqing suddenly tightened the reins and stopped. 

Xiao sound. It was the Xiao sound of Helian Rongchuan. 

Along with the Xiao sound, the red lanterns hanging beside the forest road in the distance lit up one by one. The warm red light illuminated the mountain road. 

“This…this is…?” He Li was extremely surprised. The red lantern must have been lit by the servants. Since there were servants, how come no one has stopped them? What does this Dongyun person mean to do? 

“General Yan, this shouldn’t be their secret code to send someone to stop us right?” 

Yan Changqing didn’t answer, just stared blankly at the red lanterns and listened to the melodious and familiar sound of Xiao. 

After a long while, he replied: “He won’t.” 

Of course not. 

Once upon a time, in the vast desert, in the darkness where even the stars appeared stingy, in the boundless bitter cold, it was this Xiao sound that reawakened the will of Yan Changqing’s remaining life. 

In the desert, that man held him tightly in his arms. Although the flames burned his back and his thirst was unbearable, he still endured the pain and fed him his own blood.

Afraid that he would never wake up after falling asleep, he played a tune to him with a flute. 

“The Wild Goose”. 

It was this song “The Wild Goose”. 

May your heart be like a wild goose, year after year looking forward to returning. 

It turned out that Helian Rongchuan knew. 

There seemed to be a stream of heat circulating in his heart, turbulent, murmuring, warm, gentle, circling, nowhere to be found, but it warmed his heart. It was so hot that he almost shed tears.

Yan Changqing raised his head and sighed softly, and said, “Let’s go.” 

He liked freedom, he liked Helian Rongchuan. He was reluctant. 

However, he was born to shoulder the country’s hope, and this was his responsibility. 

Responsibility has nothing to do with like or dislike. 

Even though he knew that the road ahead was difficult and dangerous, that he was chained in the sky where he could be shot at anytime if he was a little careless, he still had to grit his teeth and go on. 

Even if he knew that person would be heartbroken, even if he was reluctant to give him up, he still had to make such a choice. 

Night finally came, the Xiao sound was getting further away, and that stubborn figure finally disappeared into the darkness. 

Helian Rongchuan gently unfolded the note that he had been holding in his palm. The thin gold body with iron and silver strokes was beautiful and strong, just like the person who wrote it. 

Although there were only four words on the paper, each word was deeply embedded in Helian Rongchuan’s heart. 

He would definitely return. 

He said there will be a day he will return. 

In the dark of night, Helian Rongchuan held the note and smiled faintly.

——————————————– 

Yan border. Ningcheng. 

The north wind howled, the wind and sand raged, and the sky and earth were dark and chaotic. Beirong’s army was still firmly stationed outside the city. Neither attacking nor retreating, but surrounding Ning Cheng like an iron barrel. Murong Xiu stood on the tower of Ningcheng, wearing a bright yellow cloak, staring at the vast distance for a long time. It’s just that his eyes didn’t stay on the dark enemy, but looked further into the sky. In his Danfeng eyes, that have always been deep and restrained, there was a look of anticipation and anxiety that was difficult to detect. 

“Your Majesty.” Zhang Jian said, “It’s windy and sandy outside, do you want to wait inside? He Li has been away for a few days, he wouldn’t be back so soon…” 

Murong Xiu continued to look outside the city without saying a word. Zhang Jian didn’t dare to say any more, and just stood silently aside. 

General Yan, General Yan, if you don’t come back, this old minister’s legs won’t be able to stand… 

Until it got late, Zhang Jian couldn’t stand still, and he was thinking about how to open his mouth to take leave when Murong Xiu suddenly pointed to the distance and shouted: “Look! Is it him!” 

A black shadow appeared in the sky that was about to merge into one color, and the shadow expanded rapidly, only to see a uniform black attire and black armor like a sharp blade. The stars shone in the sky and a neat cavalry team poured down from a distance, smoke and dust were everywhere. The shouts were loud, and they rushed to the city in a short time. 

It’s the black armoured troops! 

Zhang Jian’s voice trembled with excitement: “Your Majesty is brillliant, Your Majesty is brillliant, General Yan is here with the black armoured troops! !” 

Murong Xiu, as if he didn’t hear him, stared at the vigorous shadow at the forefront of the army. 

He still had jet-black hair, a sharp body, and eyes that were as clear as black gems under the hideous mask. It’s him, it’s him! He was really back! 

Murong Xiu’s heart trembled, and for a moment he just wanted to jump off the city wall and run towards Yan Changqing. But he immediately controlled his mind and said solemnly: “Is the city gate closed?” 

Zhang Jian was stunned, and immediately understood: “Don’t worry, Your Majesty, everything is arranged properly.” 

In a blink of an eye, the black armoured troops had rushed to the outside of the city where the stationed Beirong Army were. The Beirong Army seemed to be frightened by the iron cavalry that suddenly rushed over, and it was too late for them to react. In a riot, the black armoured troops were like stomping on bamboo, galloping into the enemy army. Fighting, fierce shouts, horses neighing, and the sound of tearing flesh and blood headed straight into the sky. 

The Beirong Army suffered heavy casualties soon after. However, they didn’t know if they were scared and lost their heads and couldn’t tell the direction, or they were thinking of fighting to the death, but they all rushed towards the Ningcheng city gate. 

The fastest people reached the bottom of the city gate, their faces covered in blood, and they slammed their fists on the city gate, crying hoarsely while smashing. In the blink of an eye, the city gate had been surrounded by many, and there was a scream. 

The heavy iron gate, which weighed 10,000 catties, remained motionless amid the smashing of countless bloody hands. 

Murong Xiu looked down at the tragic situation under the city, his fingers clasped the city bricks tightly, and his whole body seemed to be shaking.     

The commander of the guards under the tower trotted up and said in a trembling voice: “Your Majesty, do you want to open…” 

“How dare you!” Zhang Jian shouted: “Who let you come up here without being summoned! Why don’t you get out!” 

It was rare to see such a high official, and the courage to come up to report with a gritted teeth just now was all gone, he didn’t dare to raise his eyes again. He immediately left in a daze. 

Zhang Jian turned his head back, his angry expression changed to a humble and worried look: “Your Majesty, success or failure depends on this one move! You must not be merciful at this time!”

Murong Xiu acted as if he had never heard that. His fingers were almost embedded in the mud crevice, seeming to be facing an extremely difficult choice. 

“Look, Your Majesty, General Yan is right in front of you!” Zhang Jian pointed anxiously into the distance and said, “Look!” 

Murong Xiu raised his head abruptly, his eyes moved from the bottom of the city to the distance, and finally locked on to the familiar figure. 

Everything was worth it for him! 

Murong Xiu closed his eyes, as if he had made up his mind, then finally he raised his right hand and waved down—— 

“Aaaaaaaa !!!” 

The screams rang out, and countless sharp arrows shot out from the four sides of the tower. He shot the remnants of the Beirong army who were knocking on the city gate into bloody men. 

Outside the city gate, the black armoured troops led by Yan Changqing stopped its pursuit. 

“These Beirong barbarians are really stupid!” A black armoured troop soldier beside Yan Changqing sighed: “Obviously they can’t beat us, but they still want to rush to the city gate to attack the emperor!” 

Yan Changqing wiped the blood on his long sword, frowning. He looked narrowly at the layers of Beirong Army corpses that were shot to death by the bows and arrows under the tower. For some reason, from the beginning of this war, he felt that something was not right. 

The Beirong Army had always been sturdy and good at fighting. He had fought with Beirong many times, but the Beirong army had never been so vulnerable. 

Could it be that after the epidemic, Beirong’s military had declined to such a degree? But if it was declining, why would it send troops to besiege the city? 

Just in the midst of thinking about it, the desolate bugle sounded. The gate of Ningcheng slowly opened, and two lines of guards lined up with torches, speeding ​​towards him. 

Yan Changqing looked at Murong Xiu steadily, and instantly remembered the past, but for a while he didn’t know what to say. But seeing that Murong Xiu was unscathed, Yan Changqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

“This official came to escort His Majesty late, I hope His Majesty can forgive me!” He and all the soldiers dismounted and knelt down to salute. 

Murong Xiu stopped abruptly beside Yan Changqing, staring at this familiar face he was thinking about for a long time. The frozen ice in his heart seemed to melt into a large tide at this moment, slapping his heart with warmth, sorrow, and emotion, completely overwhelming him. 

Only this man can easily break his guarded heart, make his heart surge, day and night longing for him. 

Only this person made him want to seize it at all costs. 

“You came at the right time, how could you be at fault?” Murong Xiu smiled gently. 

In the blazing fire, Murong Xiu held Yan Changqing’s hand, raised his head high, and said loudly to everyone around him: “God-sent a divine general, this is my General Yan!!!

Having the Emperor welcome him and referring to him as being sent from the heavens was the highest honor of a soldier. The black armoured troops outside the city and the guards in the city immediately knelt together and responded in unison: 

“General Yan!!!” 

“General Yan!!!” 

“General Yan!!! ” 

In the middle of the shouts, Murong Xiu clenched Yan Changqing’s stiff fingers tightly, and said with a smile, “Brother, welcome back.” 

——————————————————— 

The battle ended with a quick victory for the Yan army, but the aftermath had just begun. Although it was already deep into the night, Ning Cheng’s soldiers were still standing still, sweating profusely, carrying corpses, digging holes for landfill, and cleaning the blood-stained ground, all in a hurry on this cold night.     

Yan Changqing did not return to the tent to rest. He changed his blood-stained armor and came to the gate of Ningcheng wearing a black shirt. He looked at the soldier who was busy moving corpses at the door, feeling somewhat uneasy.     

From rushing to the black armoured troops’s camp with the military talisman to relive Ningcheng, the journey seemed to have gone too smoothly. Yan Changqing couldn’t help but think of the question on the battlefield again. 

Why was the Beirong Army so vulnerable? This was too much of an anomaly. Could it be that the Beirong people contracted some kind of disease and deliberately wanted to spread it to Ning Cheng? Or was there some conspiracy? 

This battle happened at sunset, it was too dark and Yan Changqing couldn’t see the appearance of these Beirong people at all. Now that he had the opportunity, Yan Changqing walked to the city gate, wanting to check whether the bodies of the Beirong people was abnormal. Coincidentally, there were two thin soldiers struggling to carry a corpse in Beirong armor and staggered over. Seemingly out of strength, a soldier in front fell to the ground. The corpse rolled on the ground and spread out at Yan Changqing’s feet. 

Under the cold moonlight, the man’s corpse’s face looked particularly white and terrifying. 

Yan Changqing glanced down and stopped suddenly. 

Why did this man make him feel like déjà vu? 

…He seemed to have… where did he see him before? ! !