Chapter 89
At long last, the great army of the Northern Di tribe had crossed over the Wushe Ridge.
According to the reports from the scouts, there was no response from the Northern Mansion troops stationed at the border. Li Wenjian looked at the military report in silence for a long time.
Could it be that in the end, Ziren had truly turned against him, willing to hand over the prosperous land to the Northern Di barbarians?
He urgently dispatched a message to Tongzhou, ordering them to swiftly lead the troops north to resist the enemy. However, based on the previous arrangements made when he went to Tongzhou, even if they rushed to the Luojia border with the fastest speed, it would still take nearly ten days.
Before that, Jingzhou would deploy twenty thousand troops to meet the enemy.
But within these ten days, there were too many variables. What exactly was happening at Ziren's end?
Was he reluctant to face the enemy, or was he truly colluding with the Northern Di tribe?
Two days after Li Wenjian issued his orders, he received another military report from the Northern Mansion - after the Northern Di army crossed the Wushe Ridge, they fell into an ambush set by the Northern Mansion troops.
It turned out that Li Yicheng led two thousand troops to set up an ambush light chariots in the valley below the Wushe Ridge. The Northern Di army had already received the information and assumed Li Yicheng would not resist, so they let their guard down.
When their troops entered the valley, the drums of war thundered in the mountains, and the ambush troops emerged from all directions, shouting loudly.
The Northern Di commander Ge Siqi was taken aback, quickly drawing his sword and loudly demanding, "Who goes there?"
A horseman rode like lightning, approaching in a flash and stopping in front of Ge Siqi. The man on the horse was clad in silver armor, gripping a golden blade in one hand and tightly holding the reins in the other. The warhorse neighed loudly, lifting its hooves and stirring up a mist of snow sand, stopping in front of Ge Siqi.
Ge Siqi, sitting on his horse, could clearly see the man's eyes. When they had met years ago, those eyes were as clear as a lake, even in anger, they seemed as threatening as a baby's. But now, he looked at him with cold indifference, a hidden killing intent in his eyes that even shook this seasoned general for a moment.
However, it was only a moment. Upon his arrival, Ge Siqi was more curious than anything.
"It's really you." Ge Siqi's eyes widened in disbelief. He should have been on his way to the capital by now.
Li Yicheng slowly lifted his sword. "Did that person tells you that I ordered a ceasefire, personally leading the troops back to the capital to save Fu Yu?"
"You're not going?" Ge Siqi stayed rooted in place.
That person had clearly told him how much Li Yicheng adored his wife, knowing that she had been taken away by Li Wenjian's men.
Why didn't he go back?
And from his tone, it seemed like he already knew that someone in the Northern Mansion was communicating with the Northern Di tribe?
"I'm already here, aren't I?" Li Yicheng clenched his fist, his knuckles and veins bulging. "Where is Fu Yu?"
Ge Siqi sneered, "How could I have avoided your eyes to enter Dongli and capture her? She wasn't taken by me."
Li Yicheng had not slept for three days, his eyes red from exhaustion. He had been struggling for two days, debating with himself for two days.
The vanguard brought back Li Wenjian's jade pendant, claiming that he had ordered the abduction of Fu Yu. But in the face of such a dire situation, why would he provoke himself?
Did he truly want to push himself to the brink?
Over the course of two days and nights, he told himself that human hearts could change. His father and brothers had abandoned him, abandoned the people of the Northern lands. Fu Yu was his wife, the person who needed him the most in the world. He should go and save her.
But as the sun rose, casting its golden light on the land he had guarded for five years, he remembered many years ago when he and his brother, Wei Zhan, and Liang Xingyan had made a pact to watch the sunrise together. But before they set off, he had injured his leg. He had thought they would leave him behind to enjoy the sunrise.
But his eldest brother had lifted him up, spending three hours carrying him to the mountaintop.
From there, he had seen the most beautiful sight of his life.
And now, as the dawn broke, the light and colors were just as they had been that year.
In that moment, his heart was illuminated by the dawn. At the critical moment, he thought of his brother and felt no resentment. Despite the bloody evidence before him, he still couldn't persuade himself to stand idly by as the Northern Di troops invaded, trampling on his land and his people.
He looked at the beautiful hues outside the tent, the pure ice below stained by countless bloodshed - the blood of tens of thousands of Dongli soldiers, the blood of the Dongli people, and the blood of Wei Zhan and himself.
After daybreak, he personally led two thousand elite cavalrymen, claiming that they were going to the capital to demand justice and retrieve Fu Yu.
This time, he didn't bring a single trusted aide with him.
When he had sent Fu Yu away initially, only a few trusted aides knew about it. Now he wasn't sure who he could trust and who he couldn't.
Looking around the army, he dared not trust anyone, whether it be old acquaintances from the capital or people he knew from the Northern lands. The only thing he could trust was the blade in his hand.
From Ge Siqi's reaction, he knew he had made the right bet.
Someone in the army had betrayed him.
But after a brief pause, he heard Ge Siqi smugly say, "But I know, she's already dead."
Li Yicheng's veins still bulged on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Ge Siqi on horseback. He shouted to the soldiers hidden in the mountains, "Kill!"
Countless arrows shot out like a dense rain from the forest, and massive rocks rolled down the mountains with thunderous force. The silent valley was suddenly engulfed in flames as his two thousand elite troops, filled with hatred towards the Northern Di people, charged down the mountains.
Li Yicheng's expression was dark and icy, his hand gripping the sword hilt pale and heavy, the veins seemingly about to burst through his skin. With red eyes, he charged forward, slashing at the Northern Di soldiers as if in a trance, quickly decimating Ge Siqi's vanguard.
Ge Siqi had conspired with He Xian, and the information he received was that Li Yicheng wouldn't engage in battle. That's why he confidently led his troops to the frontline.
But before the battle even began, the vanguard was wiped out by Li Yicheng's hand, leaving him shocked and angry.
What did this inexperienced child know about war?
When he had planned the murder of Wei Zhan, he couldn't do anything but cry.
He had never regarded him highly, and it was the same now.
Ge Siqi waved off his men, personally taking up a spear to confront Li Yicheng.
He looked at Li Yicheng's blood-stained face and said, "Thanks to you, I was able to kill your pillar of support, Wei Zhan back then. And now I must thank you again. If it weren't for you guarding Luojia, it would have been a bit more challenging for me. For so many years, you've been as reckless and impulsive as ever, daring to ambush me with just two thousand men."
The glaring sunlight reflected off Li Yicheng's silver armor, his veins bulging on his forehead as he suppressed his anger. "There are still my hundred thousand Northern Mansion troops stationed here. They will exterminate all of you, leaving no one behind."
"Just relying on the underfed Northern Mansion troops?" Ge Siqi sneered, pointing at Li Yicheng. "Don't you know? Most of the grain and supplies brought to the capital every year end up in my camp."
"As a border general, I defend the mountains and rivers, protect the nation. Fear of death has no hold over me. Even if I bury my bones here today, I will die fulfilling my duty." Li Yicheng's entire body was chilled, his chest heaving violently, and the next moment, he stepped on the dead bodies on the ground and leaped forward.
Li Yicheng charged into the fray, but how could he withstand the enemy's overwhelming numbers?
In a moment of distraction, his arm was cut, blood flowing freely. Then, one of Ge Siqi's guards struck him in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Li Yicheng."
Ge Siqi stood at the head of his horse, laughing loudly. "You've improved since last time, but you're still a failure. If you commit suicide now, I'll let you keep your whole body. Otherwise, I will make sure you suffer a thousand cuts."
In the midst of speaking, Li Yicheng quietly reached for the safety button on his waist, his pupils constricted. In an instant, the button flew off his fingertip, hitting Ge Siqi's hand painfully, causing him to drop the spear.
Li Yicheng swiftly rose and delivered a heavy kick to his chest before bringing down the golden blade in his hand without a hint of hesitation.
The warm blood splattered on his cheeks, and belatedly he turned his head to see several Northern Di soldiers charging towards him. The heavy blade in his hand had already severed Ge Siqi's head, leaving a gaping wound that continued to bleed, dropping onto the snow-covered ground.
Just a few steps away, Ge Siqi's eyes still wide open, as if unwilling to meet his end at the hands of this young upstart.
Countless Northern Di soldiers swarmed around him, surrounding him.
His grip on the blade gradually weakened, each swing of the sword becoming a reflex, his consciousness slowly fading.
More and more swords and blades fell upon him.
The sound of war drums in the mountains grew weaker and weaker.
With two thousand against thirty thousand, his odds of victory were slim.
Although someone had returned to the camp to send a message after the battle began, it would take at least two hours for any reinforcements to arrive, without even mentioning the time to regroup the troops.
It seemed he might not make it.
"Reinforcements are here."
Suddenly, a shout rang out.
He was currently surrounded by three Northern Di soldiers, unable to discern which side the reinforcements belonged to, only looking towards the direction from where the sound of hooves came.
The snow on the ground mixed with countless bloodstains, resembling red plum blossoms blossoming in the snow.
The biting wind blew through Fu Yu's clothes, as she urged her horse forward without hesitation. Occasionally, scattered Northern Di soldiers tried to stop her but were swiftly cut down by her companions, Xilin and Ning Wanzhi.
The eyes of the Northern Mansion troops fell on the heavily pregnant, crimson-clad princess, filled with admiration and excitement.
No one expected that it was she who brought the reinforcements.
Upon seeing the sea of corpses and blood, tears welled up in Fu Yu's eyes, now misty with emotion. The howling wind seemed like a demon's wail, cutting her face like a knife.
Ignoring everything else, she galloped towards the trapped figure.
With Xilin and others clearing obstacles for her, she quickly reached the circle, lowering her head to meet the eyes of the man drenched in blood, with disheveled black hair.
The armor that Fu Yu had personally crafted for him was now torn, his body covered in wounds, and the effort to lift his head seemed to have exhausted him.
Li Yicheng's face was pale, devoid of color, his beautiful eyes gazing blankly at her.
"Husband, I've come to save you."
The woman bent down to reach out to him, the small sheep bell on her wrist tinkling softly.
As if to remind him that it was truly Fu Yu.
Large snowflakes floated down, landing in her dark hair, gradually melting on the crimson cloak, her nose turning red from the cold, her freshly shed tears quickly turning cold.
After a moment, he tentatively reached out his scarred hand.
Fu Yu struggled to lean forward, gripping him tightly, pulling him with all her strength. With a leap, using the corpses on the ground for leverage, he mounted the horse, leaning against her.
âHold on tight, my husband,â Fu Yu urged as she swiftly turned the horse around.
Li Yicheng, still dazed, reached out to clasp her waist, his hand gently resting on her protruding belly as he held her close. Fu Yu spurred the horse forward, their path soon intersecting with Ning Wanzhi, who had brought reinforcements. But just as they met, Fu Yu felt the weight of Li Yi Cheng vanish from her embrace. She turned her head around to see him lying motionless on the ground, having fallen from his horse.
Without hesitation, she dismounted and rushed to his side, cradling his head in her lap.
Looking down at the man in her arms, Fu Yu's heart ached at the sight of his wounds. Blood seeped through his clothes, staining them crimson. She leaned in close to his face, checking for signs of breath. His respiration was shallow, barely perceptible.
Fu Yu bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks, unable to be contained.
âFu Yu, don't cry,â Li Yicheng murmured weakly, lifting his hand to gently wipe away the tears that streamed down her face. As her tears continued to fall, he patiently used his sleeve to dab them away, one by one.
Overwhelmed by grief, she clutched him tightly, her sobs echoing through the air, âIt's all my fault for being late.â
His long eyelashes fluttered as he tried to sit up, reaching out to comfort her, but his injuries were too severe, rendering him too weak to move. He could only look up at her, his face pale, and say, âFu Yu, I'm so glad you're safe.â
Fu Yu nodded, her voice thick with emotion.
âI'm sorry, I couldn't save you in time,â he apologized, his hand caressing her cheek, his blood staining her face. âBut I've made up my mind. If you were to die, I would follow you.â
âNo!â Fu Yu finally spoke, her voice trembling, âI want to live with you. I went to Meizhou to seek help, and now we'll both live. We'll have many more years together.â
Slowly, he turned around, placing his hand on her rounded belly.
âThank you.â
âYou're welcome,â Fu Yu replied, her fingers running through his hair, tightening her embrace.
âI killed Ge Siqi and avenged Big Brother Wei.â
âI saw his head. It was like a horse ball, kicked around on the ground,â Fu Yu said, fighting back the tears that welled up in her eyes. âMy husband is so brave.â
He looked up at her, his eyes somewhat unfocused, perhaps due to the severity of his wounds. He tried his best to focus on her face.
âMy brother didn't want to kill me.â
A genuine joy, unlike anything Fu Yu had ever seen before, flickered in Li Yicheng's voice.
Fu Yu reached out to touch his face, tears streaming down once again.
âI know too. His men saved me and took me to Meizhou to seek help, and they came to rescue you.â
âââ
Author's Note:
Second Brother: My brother still loves me! Yay, I'm so happy!
Fu Yu: I risked my life for you, and that's all you have to say?