Chapter 57: Desperate Situation

  No way out in front, pursuing troops behind!

  The most embarrassing escape route, once again presented in front of me, unfortunately this time Qing Xia didn't have high-grade explosives to blast a way through the mountains, nor did he have heavy machine guns for large-scale suppression, let alone hope that 9 comrades would descend from the sky with helicopters to rescue him.

  Everything depends on oneself.

  "Yan Pingxi, you're quite bold." Zhong Bo stood in the crowd, wearing a long green robe, facing the opponent's thousand soldiers and horses, but he didn't show any fear, his face calm and serene as he said quietly.

  "Your words are too serious." Yan Pingxi, dressed in a light yellow Confucian robe, sat tall on his war horse, the black cloak behind him fluttering in the wind, making him look even more elegant and refined. He smiled faintly and bowed his head, "I am fed by the king's salary, I am loyal to the king's affairs, Pingxi is ashamed to not dare to accept."

  "What a fine way to enjoy the salary and do the duty!" Zhong Bo's face changed, and he said in a cold voice: "You are an official appointed by the court of Great Qin, eating the royal grain supplied by the people of Great Qin, loyal to the ruler of Great Qin, not to the Crown Prince!"

  "Zhong Taifu, it's better not to say such rebellious and unrighteous words." Yan Pingxi smiled lightly: "The Crown Prince is the heir of our country, the foundation of the nation. Being loyal to the Crown Prince is the same as being loyal to our Great Qin, what difference does it make? On the other hand, Taifu, you don't think about loyalty to the monarch and love for the country, but instead follow those who plot rebellion, occupy your fiefdom, control troops and become powerful. Outside the Yanmen Pass, you have opened up over 3,000 miles of barbarian land, established private territory, secretly recruited soldiers and bought horses. What is your true intention?"

  Zhuang Tai Fu's face was solemn, and he finally sighed in a low voice: "In the battle of Yanmen Pass, our Qin state soldiers fought bravely and defeated the Xiongnu, driving them back three thousand miles. If it weren't for treacherous courtiers like you who persuaded Your Majesty to withhold military rations at critical moments, our great Qin would have no more troubles in the north. With treacherous officials in power, they are the pests that harm the country."

  "Hmph," Yan Pingxi sneered, "Lord Taifu thinks I'm a pest to the country, but I think Lord Taifu is a treacherous minister. We each have our own masters and different paths, so it's pointless to continue this conversation. This time, I've been ordered to bring Third Highness back to the capital for medical treatment. Please, Lord Taifu, produce Third Highness and let them obediently follow me back."

  Zhang Tai Fu sneered and said in a low voice: "You're overestimating yourselves."

  "Is it that you overestimate yourself, I have a number in my heart." As soon as the words were spoken, he suddenly raised his hand, and the sharp blade of the knife and the arrowhead all pointed at Zhong Taifu and others. The cold killing intent slowly rose in the air. Yan Pingxi said in a cold voice: "If Your Highness insists on disobeying the imperial edict, I have no choice but to behead you first and then report back to the capital with your corpse."

  As soon as the words fell, the neat blades were simultaneously unsheathed, and under the illumination of countless torches, a fierce red glow was emitted, shining on a piece of pitch-black armor, revealing a bloody red light. On the plain where one thousand black armored cavalrymen stood in formation, not a single sound could be heard. The cold wind swept across the foot of the mountain, making a low and mournful howl, like a ferocious beast walking in the darkness of night, adding an even heavier sense of oppression to this silent night.

  Yan Pingxi sneered coldly, slowly backing away step by step. A row of bowmen and crossbowmen immediately moved forward, hiding him behind them. Zhong Taifu's eyebrows were icy cold, the eighteen iron guards' faces were deep and solemn, without a hint of panic, but instead gazing calmly ahead, their aura was in no way inferior to Yan Pingxi's thousand-strong army.

  A crow suddenly flapped its wings and let out a sharp cry, swooping through the crowd and flying swiftly away towards the distant ancient road.

  The tense atmosphere was about to erupt, Zhong Taifu arrived beside the third horse carriage, his aged face suddenly revealed a hint of heroic spirit, and his hunched back seemed to straighten up in an instant.

  "Cough! Cough!"

  A low, hoarse cough suddenly rang out. The voice wasn't loud, but rather weak, and it was clear that it came from someone who had suffered greatly. Yet this single cough seemed to explode like a thunderclap over the Black Armor Army's heads. Almost simultaneously, everyone's eyes narrowed, their palms began to sweat, and even their feet retreated a step backward at the same time.

  This was a very strange scene, as soon as the coughing sound rang out, the entire army's encirclement circle retreated in unison. After unconsciously completing this action, those black-clad and black-armored soldiers looked at each other without warning, and saw unspeakable panic in their companions' eyes.

  A pale and slender hand slowly opened the curtain of the carriage, a man with a slightly pale face in a cyan long gown, his hands clasped to his mouth, coughing lightly. With Zhong Taifu's support, he stepped down from the carriage, walking step by step forward, standing between the Eighteen Iron Guards and the Black Armor Army. He then raised an eyebrow, his cold and stern eyes scanning the dense army, saying in a deep voice: "Feng Yukun, Li Qun, you're doing well."

  The originally silent and still thousand-strong army suddenly erupted into a flurry of panic, Yan Pingxi furrowed his brow tightly, and suddenly shouted: "Qin Zhiyan, we have been ordered by the king to bring you back, do not engage in futile resistance!" He knew that if he failed to complete this task, he would certainly die without a whole corpse, yet at this moment, he didn't even call out "Your Highness", but instead called out his name directly.

  Qin's eyebrows rose slightly, a faint anger slowly gathering in his narrow eyes. He furrowed his brow, seemingly thinking about something, then asked calmly: "Was the Yan Su who served in the horse stable of our army before you?"

  Yan Ping's face suddenly changed, and his anger surged up uncontrollably as he gritted his teeth and said, "It was indeed my father!"

  Qin's flames nodded, his voice faintly saying: "Your father was greedy for wealth and beauty, bought by Xichuan, added poisonous grass to the fodder in our military stable, attempting to kill my country's northern expeditionary army. After I discovered it, he was beaten to death. Indeed, there is a father must have a son, your father betrayed the army, you as a minister stole the country, very good, very good."

  "My father was wrongly accused! The Crown Prince has already cleared his name, it's you who framed and killed him!" Yan Pingxi shouted in great anger.

  "Hmph..." Qin Zhiyan sneered, not refuting him, but instead looked at Yan Pingxi with a cold gaze, his smile full of disdain as he said in a soft voice, "Is that so?"

  Qin's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he suddenly turned around, about to walk back to the carriage. It seemed as if he didn't even want to look at these people again: "You can leave now. If you hurry, you might still be able to see your loved ones for the last time."

  "What did you say?" "Don't spread rumors and deceive the public!"

  Feng Yu Kun and Yan Ping Xi's voices almost sounded at the same time, Qin Zhi Yan's figure slightly stopped, without turning around, lightly said: "Wind Cliff City is adjacent to the Northern Xiongnu garrison, you are now following me recklessly to the southern border, Wind Cliff will be destroyed, the two great Feng and Lie clans, from now on, will be severed from the Great Qin."

  "Your Majesty!" Lü Qun was shocked by his words and, disregarding Yan Pingxi's angry gaze, hastily asked: "What do you mean by this?"

  "General Li, after serving in the army for many years, do you need me to explain such a simple thing?" Qin Zhiyan slightly raised his head, looking at the snowflakes falling from the sky like goose feathers, and said in a low voice: "This winter is really cold. I heard that on the Xiongnu side, a large number of cattle and sheep froze to death, and many families have resorted to selling their children as food. As Fēng Yá is a major city in the northern border, do you think they will attack Fēng Yá?"

  "But?" Li Qun said in a deep voice, "The Northern Xiongnu have already been defeated by you at the Yanmen Pass, how can they recover so quickly and attack Fengya?"

  "Lei Qun, you joined the army at 14 and served under me for two years as a general. Don't you understand my character at all?" Qin Zhiyan suddenly turned around, his sharp eyes gleaming with intensity, no longer resembling a frail patient. Lei Qun was caught off guard by his sudden mention of past events and didn't know how to respond, staring blankly at the man's dark blue robe and black hair, feeling an ominous premonition rising from the depths of his heart.

  "With you pack of jackals and wolves lurking in the background, how can I bear to drive the Xiongnu out of the northern borders so quickly?"

  It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head, and Lü Qun's face turned pale in an instant. The Great Qin and the Eastern Qi were different, after the division of the Qin state, the aristocratic families of the Great Qin grasped power in various regions, governing themselves, each almost like a small vassal state. Therefore, for generals like Lü Qun, although they had to obey the country's arrangements, in their subconscious mind, everything was prioritized with family interests at heart. Just like today, when they led troops to rush thousands of miles to assassinate Qin Zhiyan, it was also out of consideration for family power.

  The Li and Feng families are both prominent aristocratic families in the north, with a history of over a hundred years. If Wind Cliff is breached, the two families will be destroyed in an instant. Even if they become the Duke's most trusted ministers, it would not be worth it. Thinking of this, Li Qun made a decisive decision, kneeling on the ground in his cold iron armor, and said in a low voice: "I was deceived by treacherous people and deserve to die ten thousand times. However, there are tens of thousands of innocent civilians in the north. If the north is breached, the Xiongnu will invade, and the land of Great Qin will be torn apart instantly. Please, Your Highness, have mercy on the northern civilians and save them!"

  Feng Yu Kun was also a clever person, and as soon as he furrowed his brow, he too knelt down on the ground. The six hundred elite cavalry behind them were all soldiers from the Northern Border, and when the Northern Border fell, their homes were destroyed. All that could be seen was a sea of black armor kneeling on the ground. Yan Ping Xi's four hundred men stood amidst the crowd, looking at these sudden changes with terror, feeling a chill run down their spines, and almost following suit to kneel down as well.

  "Thirty miles from here is the border town, where the beacon fire of the border pass will be lit. Mu Cheng will see it and come to rescue the northern border. By now, Yanzi Camp should have arrived at Fengya Ridge."

  Qin Zhiyan's voice was faint, but to Feng Li and the others, it sounded like a thunderclap. The Flame Character Camp cavalry under the Third Prince were known for their ferocity and unmatched bravery, striking fear into the hearts of the Northern Xiongnu. Before arriving, they had received intelligence that the 3 million-strong Flame Character Camp army was currently stationed outside Yamenguan Pass, garrisoned in the newly acquired Xiongnu territory. Unexpectedly, they had already arrived at their own Wind Cliff lair, it seemed Qin Zhiyan had anticipated his own unusual movements and had secretly left behind a poisonous tooth to restrain himself two months ago during the decisive battle with the Northern Xiongnu.

  Thinking of this, his clothes were almost soaked. Li Qun said in a low voice: "Thank you, Your Highness, for not killing me. If the danger of Wind Cliff is resolved, I will definitely repay your great kindness and virtue in the future." After finishing speaking, he exchanged a glance with Feng Yu Kun, and suddenly shouted, then led his cavalrymen to leave with a loud noise.

  Yan Ping's eyes turned red with rage, his voice low and menacing as he said: "The debt of blood for killing my father will be repaid today! You will pay with your life!" He didn't even glance at Feng Li and his men, but instead turned to his own 400 troops and gave a stern order: "Take down the rebel Qin Zhiyan! If they resist, kill them on the spot, no matter if they live or die!"

  Qin's flames stood still, coldly laughing, not moving. Yan Pingxi's subordinates stared blankly at this Qin state so-called war god Xuanwang, and didn't listen to Yan Pingxi's command at all.

  "What are you all staring at? If we return to Kyoto empty-handed this time, none of you will survive!" Yan Pingxi roared in great anger.

  "A mere commoner dares to openly plot against the prince, you have a big nerve!" A clear and crisp voice suddenly sounded behind Yan Pingxi and others, Yan Pingxi was furious, thinking it was some soldier who had spoken out of turn, and angrily turned his head around, shouting: "Who said that?!"

  But as soon as he finished speaking, a silver cold light suddenly shot out like a bullet, bringing with it a sharp and fierce whistling sound!