Chapter 866 Paving the Way for the Prince!

"Father, cool tea."

Liu Dahu handed the newly filled water skin of cool tea to his father.

"Mmm."

The Sword Saint nodded.

Father and son were quite used to this way of interacting in the army.

The Sword Saint pulled out the stopper and took a sip; it was lukewarm.

Cool tea didn't necessarily have to be cold; it focused on the sweet aftertaste and coolness after drinking, plus the added sugar, making it a nice drink.

After all, many people in this world drank tea, but few really understood it. Most people used it to entertain guests.

The Sword Saint was about to wipe the sheath of Long Yuan again when he saw his son kneeling solemnly before him.

His hands were folded in front of him,

And he kowtowed three times earnestly;

"What are you doing?"

"Father, your son has a request."

"Speak."

"In tomorrow's breakout battle, please, Father, protect the Prince and escort him out."

"Father knows what to do."

"Please, Father, don't worry about your son. Please, Father, prioritize the Prince!"

The Sword Saint's gaze sharpened;

He didn't think Zheng Fan had asked Liu Dahu to say these words. Zheng Fan wouldn't be so low as to do that;

But precisely because he knew these words came from his son's heart, the father felt even more depressed.

Liu Dahu looked up at the Sword Saint,

And smiled:

"Father, my waist tag has also been thrown into the pit."

The Sword Saint looked at his son,

For a moment,

He had so much to say, but didn't know how to say it.

Was he calling him a fool for risking his life for that Zheng?

But you could call one person a fool, so were the nearly ten thousand armored soldiers who had knelt on the ground, pounding their chests and roaring, "Willing to die for the Prince," all fools?

"Father understands."

"Thank you, Father."

Liu Dahu smiled and walked out of the tent contentedly.

The Sword Saint sighed and looked down at the Long Yuan in his hand;

Since he first held a sword in his heart, he had been pondering what he was living for and what he was dying for.

In fact,

He already had the answer, not just now, but long ago.

This answer wasn't universal; it was only suitable for him.

That was:

To live freely and die willingly.

He was now practicing this principle, so what reason did he have to stop his son from practicing a similar one?

Was that Zheng deceiving them into going to their deaths?

No,

That Zheng wasn't doing that;

He was openly and clearly telling them that he wanted to live, so he needed them to die for him;

And those soldiers, those commoners, were willingly doing so for him.

Even his own son was the same.

The Sword Saint had drunk tea with Gou Moli many times, and he used to chat with Mr. Bei a lot;

They both had a similar feeling.

For example, Gou Moli had once used the stars and the future to create an army of barbarians loyal to him in the snowfield; and the blind man had been creating momentum, paving the way, and sculpting a "human deity" since Shengle City.

But that Zheng, while seemingly doing the same thing, was doing it in a completely different way.

Many people tried their best to disguise themselves, layer upon layer, just to hide their shameful fear of death;

But this one,

Stood up and shouted: This Prince is greedy for life and afraid of death.

It was hard to say what it felt like; it was strange, yet so damn natural.

He wouldn't wipe the sheath anymore;

He casually tossed Long Yuan onto the ground.

The Sword Saint leaned back, his hands dragging on the ground;

He could imagine that if he chose to save his son in the end and didn't manage to save that Zheng, his son might directly die for that Zheng.

He could stop him for a while, but how could he stop him for a lifetime?

He regretted it;

He should have moved away with his family long ago and found a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to live a peaceful life. With his Yu Huaping's three-foot sword, protecting his family's peace for this lifetime, was it that difficult?

He turned his head,

And looked at the side of the tent,

Where the commander's tent was closely attached.

The Sword Saint shook his head,

Then smiled,

And muttered to himself:

"Or should I just stab you now?"

…

Liu Dahu, after walking out of his father's tent, came to his two partners.

Today, there was no need to read any more reports, nor to patrol the camp. Chen Xianba was sitting there, wrapping cloth around the handle of his hammer.

Not everyone could be like the Sword Saint, launching Long Yuan with a flick of his finger;

Even Jianghu heroes would wrap their weapons in cloth to prevent them from falling out during a fight;

This was even more true for soldiers fighting in wars, especially for the Yan army, where killing enemies while charging on horseback could easily cause them to drop their weapons. And in the chaos of battle, wanting to calmly pick up a suitable weapon again depended on whether the enemy was merciful enough to allow it.

Zheng Man was sitting there sharpening his knife.

When Liu Dahu came over, Zheng Man looked up and said, "Bring your knife, I'll sharpen it for you."

Sharpening a knife before battle was like a scholar picking up a book to glance at it before entering the examination hall; it wasn't about improving much, but about calming one's mind.

"Oh, okay."

Liu Dahu handed over his knife.

Chen Xianba kicked Zheng Man's leg,

And said:

"You have to sharpen your own knife."

Zheng Man pouted but didn't dare to talk back.

Before, this wolf cub had been the king of the kids since he was little, only obeying Big Sister Jian Bi, but after Chen Xianba came, the wolf cub was ruthlessly suppressed.

Liu Dahu sat down, took the whetstone from Zheng Man, and began to sharpen his own knife.

"Afraid?" Chen Xianba asked.

He knew that although these two partners had accompanied the Prince on expeditions before, they had never really been on a proper battlefield.

Zheng Man "hehe" laughed and said, "Small scene."

Liu Dahu also shook his head and said, "Not afraid."

"You have to keep telling yourself not to be afraid. On the battlefield, whoever chickens out dies first. The braver you are, the less the enemies dare to approach you; the more you shrink back, the more they like to find you."

Before he could finish speaking,

A clerk came over.

Because Chen Xianba had gradually taken over the Prince's daily military affairs, the people below would also come to consult Chen Xianba about some matters.

"Start cooking," Chen Xianba said. "Cook all the remaining grain."

"Yes."

The Yan army camp began to cook.

When it was about to dawn, the food was delivered to each soldier's hands, and everyone was eating quietly.

Inside the commander's tent,

The Prince's food looked more exquisite, with vegetables, meat, and a pot of wine.

Wine wasn't usually allowed, but it was still served.

Zheng Fan didn't say anything about it; he didn't touch the wine either.

The Sword Saint and Xu Chuang ate with the Prince.

Xu Chuang wanted to ask why he didn't go out and eat with the soldiers? For example, why not pour the wine into the soup and drink it with the soldiers?

But after hesitating, Xu Chuang didn't ask anything.

After finishing a hearty breakfast,

Zheng Fan, with the help of Chen Xianba and others, was dressed in armor.

Outside the commander's tent, the dawn was breaking.

The Prince of the West was already riding a Pixiu, standing at the gate of the military camp.

In recent days, the Qian army had begun to gradually tighten the encirclement, and both sides were now playing their cards openly.

Logically speaking, it was very simple for two hundred thousand people to besiege ten thousand, but in reality, it wasn't as simple as two hundred people fighting one person;

The quality of the Qian army's various troops was uneven. After making their moves early on, it was difficult to form a unified and coordinated combat rhythm. Furthermore, what the Qian people wanted was to not leave any fish out of the net, wanting to wipe them all out, so they were deliberately suppressing their pace, like an entire team carefully adjusting to keep in step.

Another reason was that the original plan was to encircle fifty thousand Yan troops, so the pocket was made very large. Swallowing a large portion would have been a great victory, but who knew that the Yan people only had ten thousand left here, which meant that the size of the gaps in the fishing net had a problem.

However, the commander of the Qian army shouldn't be the official family (the Emperor). The official family should be skilled in strategy, even though people always had a thorn in their side: official family, you don't know how to command troops!

But in fact, the person who said this in the first place, the Prince of the West, was mostly talking nonsense at the time.

It was only later, with the opening of Jin by the Prince of Jingnan and the Prince of Zhenbei, and with Zheng Fan's constant rise, that it seemed to repeatedly hammer that "mockery," forcibly labeling the official family's head.

Whether one knew how to command troops or not was relative. If the Yan and Qian armies were to switch places, the Qian Emperor wouldn't be in such an awkward position.

Zheng Fan guessed that the commander of the Qian army was that Mr. Xun Dao;

It was a pity,

This time he only had people raid Shangjing,

Next time,

He had to find a chance to level that back mountain that promoted feudal superstition.

The Prince of the West was petty and vengeful, especially when it came to that enemy who had almost turned him into a moron!

The Qian people's gradual contraction and caution were actually very effective. An excellent commander wasn't like Li Fusheng, who recklessly charged forward, relying on his "strong troops and horses" to overwhelm you, but someone who could integrate a group of uneven troops.

It was precisely because of this almost "seamless" pressure and rhythm that Zheng Fan had to give up on taking shortcuts to break out.

In this situation,

Any shortcuts and wishful thinking would only lead to regrets.

At certain times, military strategies and tactics were ineffective. The battlefield and war began to return to their essence, relying on real swords and guns to speak.

Then,

Let's speak.

Zheng Man held the Jin Dong Prince's double-headed eagle flag, which was the Prince of the West's royal flag, while Liu Dahu held the Great Yan Black Dragon Flag, and Chen Xianba held the Jingnan Army flag.

"Woooooo!!!"

The horns sounded.

At this time, there was no need to worry about whether it would alarm the outer Qian army. Deceiving oneself was meaningless. As soon as the army left the camp, the Qian army would inevitably receive feedback.

A team of Yan army knights rode out of the camp,

Under the three flags, was their Prince.

Zheng Fan sat on the back of the Pixiu, not waving, not shouting, but just looking straight at the rows of knights passing in front of him.

And these Yan army knights, when passing in front of their Prince, subconsciously straightened their backs, so that the Prince could see their most heroic side.

What needed to be said had already been said;

What needed to be done had already been done.

The commander had made his plan, and the soldiers understood the plan;

That was already enough.

What about eating the last meal with the soldiers, calling the soldiers brothers and patting their shoulders, or pouring a pot of wine into the stream and drinking it with the soldiers to boost their morale?

The people who wrote these stories were basically scholars;

In the eyes of scholars, the commoners were simple-minded and well-developed, no different from those ignorant people;

But in reality, this group of commoners who risked their lives on the battlefield were more sincere in their view of things and people than most people in this world.

It was like a leader giving a speech,

The people below sat neatly, clapping enthusiastically at the right moments, and the leader spoke with great interest;

But in reality, the people below were thinking:

Why isn't he finished yet, this idiot!

The most difficult group to control in this world was the army.

They were brutal, trampling on the corpses of enemies, and could even point their blades at innocent women and children without blinking an eye. In a specific atmosphere, they would lose their sense of morality as human beings and transform into the purest beasts;

But sometimes, they could also be very gentle.

They were greedy, they looked forward to war, hoping to earn military merit, be promoted and become nobles, and were accustomed to receiving rewards, living a carefree life;

But sometimes, they could also be very self-disciplined.

They could be unruly or docile; they could be violent or obey orders.

Zheng Fan didn't try to put on a fake show at the last minute, because he had already done enough acting beforehand.

He was already the undisputed number one military figure in the current Yan army, legitimately!

He was the true successor of the Prince of Jingnan, the guardian of the Prince of Jingnan's son. Although he had gone out on his own, no one could deny that he was a member of the Jingnan Army;

He had just overturned Shangjing, the wealthy city of the Qian people in the tea house storytellers, and trampled the Qian people's pride under his feet!

It wasn't just Zheng Fan who was reviewing these Yan army knights,

The Pixiu under his crotch seemed to be infected by its master, reviewing the warhorses passing in front of it: Little Black, Little Red, Little White…

From time to time, white air would burst out from its nostrils, as a sign of affirmation from the noble Pixiu to its mount brothers.

After the army left the camp and finished lining up,

The Prince of the West urged the Pixiu under his crotch to move. Behind him, Chen Xianba and his three, plus the Sword Saint, A Ming, and Xu Chuang, closely guarded the royal carriage.

The royal flag,

To the west.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

In an instant,

Tens of thousands of Jingnan Army cavalry began to move, following the royal flag and rushing west.

The Northern Qiang cavalry,

Would soon see the real,

Yan Iron Cavalry!

…

"Beacon smoke, beacon smoke, Dusi, Dusi, the Yan people have moved, the Yan people have moved!"

"Haha, good."

Ming Ya Dusi walked out of his commander's tent, beckoning to the Northern Qiang warriors under his command:

"My Northern Qiang warriors, the Yan people have finally moved! Later, follow this King… follow this Dusi to cut off the Yan people's heads and find the imperial court, find the Emperor, and exchange them for reward money! Hahahahaha!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!"

The Northern Qiang cavalry began to quickly prepare and line up their formation, but it wasn't a defensive formation, but an offensive one.

"I want to see where the Yan people will break out. Hehe, after receiving confirmation, this Dusi will go and stab the Yan people's rear wing."

"Dusi, what if the Yan people are coming towards us?" The Qian Ministry of War assistant minister, who was serving here, asked cautiously.

He was actually equivalent to a liaison officer.

"Hahaha, unless the Yan people are crazy!

This Dusi has two thousand warriors here, all good sons and horsemen of my Northern Qiang tribe. Since the Yan people also play cavalry, they naturally know what cavalry against cavalry means.

If they dare to break out towards me, then it's exactly what this Dusi wants. This Dusi won't confront them head-on to damage my…

This Dusi will directly choose to avoid their edge, and then stick to them. Using two thousand people to stick to one thousand, how can the Yan people shake them off?

By that time, when your Emperor and the other three armies of the imperial court arrive, the Yan people will be directly drowned here!

If the Yan people break out in other directions, they may have a glimmer of hope, but if they dare to come here, they will be courting death!"

"That's what they say, but please send someone to inform that Imperial Guard in the rear, so that they can prepare early. After all, they were also sent by Prime Minister Li to support you, Dusi."

"Support me? I'm afraid they're here to keep an eye on me. Hmph, do you think this Dusi can't see through your Qian people's tricks?"

As soon as he finished speaking,

Beacon smoke of different colors rose again.

"Dusi, Dusi, the Yan people are really coming towards us, they're coming!"

Ming Ya Dusi gritted his teeth,

Then laughed loudly:

"Hahaha, good, these Yan people are leaving the main road and coming to my ghost gate. Good! After this battle, this Dusi will ask the Emperor for more rewards, to be promoted and become a noble. I want the Emperor to learn from the Yan Emperor and make me a king!"

Soon,

Dust came from the front,

And black-armored knights began to gallop towards here.

Ming Ya Dusi took a deep breath and immediately ordered:

"Let the children open the road and let the Yan people pass first. Then, stick to them. My Northern Qiang warriors have been herding horses since childhood, so don't lose that skill. For this Dusi, lasso that Yan horse!"

"Dong dong dong!"

"Dong dong dong!"

The Northern Qiang cavalry began to give way to both sides. It looked like they were deliberately making way for the Yan people, but in reality, it contained great danger.

However,

The next scene directly stunned this Ming Ya Dusi.

The Yan army, which should have been trying their best to break out, did not choose to take the main road first, but when their Northern Qiang cavalry formation changed direction, they unhesitatingly changed direction with them.

Finally,

No kiting,

No probing,

No compression,

No maneuvering,

But directly in the most resolute and fearless posture, directly smashed into their own army!

The Yan army at the front,

The people and the warhorses under their crotches were like heavy hammers. After smashing in, the people and horses were quickly injured;

And the comrades behind them didn't care about the fallen brothers in front of them at all, continuing to urge the warhorses under their crotches to increase their speed to the extreme, and continued to drill down along the gap that their comrades had just smashed open with their flesh and blood!

They didn't care that the bodies of their comrades might have been trampled by their horseshoes,

They were not sad, let alone grief,

Because they had already prepared to be crushed by the subsequent comrades!

The Northern Qiang people were directly stunned by the Yan people's fearlessness, and the army formation immediately became disordered.

At this time,

Chen Yuan, who was in the central army, looked back at the royal flag standing in the rear, and the figure in black armor under the royal flag.

For a moment,

He couldn't tell whether it was the Prince of the West or the Prince of Jingnan standing under the royal flag.

Then,

He smiled,

This nephew of Earl Yishan, the Yan deputy commander who had advised Chen Yang to put on the yellow robe for the Prince of the West in order to avoid punishment, at this time,

Raised his horse lance,

And shouted:

"Everyone in the Jingnan Army!"

"Roar!"

"Pave the way for the Prince!"

"Roar!"

Chen Yuan began to urge the warhorse under his crotch, and the central army knights beside him also began to increase their speed.

The Northern Qiang people wanted to lasso horses,

Unfortunately,

The Yan people were not horses, the Yan people were… wolves!

When facing opponents, wolves would not choose to survive and give their opponents a chance to lasso their necks, but would choose to… bite them to death!

With the rapid rush of the central army,

Chen Yuan's horse lance began to lift forward, and the Yan army knights on both sides also erected their horse lances, like a ferocious beast made of gold and iron, completely bursting out its ferocity and cruelty!

At the moment when the two sides were about to collide, Chen Yuan shouted:

"The will to break through the formation!!!!!!!"

Beside him and behind him, all the Yan army knights shouted in unison:

"Death before retreat!!!"

…

The scene before them could be described as tragic and magnificent.

They were not breaking out,

They,

Were annihilating the enemy.

Only by killing, destroying, and collapsing the only cavalry corps in the Qian army's four armies, could they ensure the safety of their Prince's escape next.

They used their own flesh and blood, without fear, to rush towards the Northern Qiang people's blades, paving the way for their subsequent comrades, and using this disregard for death, they suppressed the Northern Qiang people's morale from the very beginning!

They were all battle-hardened veterans, and they naturally knew what kind of opponent was the most terrifying, that was… a fearless opponent;

And now,

They themselves were practicing all of this,

Paving the way for the Prince,

Dying for the Prince!

And at this time,

Zheng Fan, standing under the royal flag, reached out to Liu Dahu, and Liu Dahu handed the Black Dragon Flag in his hand to the Prince.

Even the Sword Saint and others, who could be considered knowledgeable, were still shocked by this tragic and magnificent scene.

Chen Xianba, Zheng Man, and Liu Dahu, the three of them, had eyes that seemed to be spitting fire. If it weren't for their duties, they would have wanted to be in the battle below at this time.

Zheng Fan, who took the Black Dragon Flag, took a deep breath,

And said:

"Once, Lao Tian asked me to swear to this Black Dragon Flag, to never put down this flag in my life.

I thought this was a restriction given to me by Lao Tian, or even a shackle given to me by Lao Tian.

He wanted to bind me to this Black Dragon Flag.

But until now,

I finally understood.

My brother,

Would never be willing to let me suffer the pain of such restrictions.

He asked me to keep carrying this Black Dragon Flag because he knew what this flag meant.

When I carry this flag,

How many people,

Because of my words,

Would be willing to die for me."

Zheng Fan stroked the flag,

And continued:

"It is not a shackle, it is protection."

The Sword Saint turned his head and looked at Zheng Fan, who was holding the Black Dragon Flag beside him;

Zheng Fan clamped the Black Dragon Flag under his shoulder, and the flag's mouth was diagonally forward.

"In these years,

The world believes that the Yan Emperor is a hero with great talent and strategy, that the Prince of Zhenbei and the Prince of Jingnan are generational military gods, and that there is me, the new Prince of the West, taking over, which is why the Yan Dynasty is so prosperous!

In fact,

The Yan Dynasty's strength,

Is not based on any wise ruler, nor is it based on any military god,

What it relies on,

Is nothing more than in these years,

A group of Yan soldiers,

Under the guidance of this Black Dragon Flag,

Going to death generously!"

————

Seeking monthly tickets.