Fleeing in all directions in a panic, they found their escape route blocked by the Black Armored Army.
"Black Armored Army soldiers, attack!"
Amidst Shen Da's rough and impassioned battle cries, the Black Armored Army soldiers welcomed their first confident engagement since arriving in the northwest.
At the foot of the northwest mountains, the ground was still covered in unmelted snow and ice. The soldiers fought fiercely against the enemy, braving the wind and snow.
Lu Qingwan awoke in the middle of the night. The Black Armored Army and the soldiers of the two allied countries were still locked in combat. Before she even opened her eyes, she heard the shouts of battle.
Iron cavalry and icy rivers entering her dreams – so this was the feeling.
Lu Qingwan thought to herself, then opened her eyes. Ruyue immediately leaned forward, "Mistress, you're awake?"
Lu Qingwan didn't reply, blinking her eyes to regain her senses. She then asked, "How is the battle?"
"The enemy commander seems determined to prevent us from rescuing the Prince. The enemy soldiers, terrified by the artillery, scattered in all directions, and were all driven back this morning.
They are blocking Langyakou, preventing the Black Armored Army from passing. Bombardment is useless; for every wave killed, another arrives.
Li Jin led a team of secret guards to attack, but with only a few people and no supplies, their actual contribution beyond informing the mountain troops that we are making every effort to rescue them, is likely minimal."
Ruyue, not a soldier and not from the Prince Regent's mansion, but accompanying Lu Qingwan, had learned to understand the battlefield situation and could explain it concisely and methodically.
Lu Qingwan took out a bottle of glucose and gulped it down. She got out of bed, "Summon the December guards and the Evernight Continent shadow guards. We're going into the mountains."
Ruyue withdrew and returned shortly.
Accompanying them were not only the December guards but also Hanchen, one of the Four Seasons, nearly twenty secret guards from Evernight Continent, and Li Su.
Li Su, clad in black armor with several rents, her face still bearing traces of killing intent, said anxiously, "Princess Consort, I know I cannot stop you. If you must go into the mountains, take me with you."
Lu Qingwan met her gaze calmly, then looked away and turned to Hanchen, "Do we have any ammunition left?"
Hanchen cupped his hands, "We have thirty cannonballs remaining, but I've surveyed the area. To blast open a path through the mountain, at least twenty are needed. Therefore, we have very little ammunition left for the battlefield."
"Thirty, that's enough."
Lu Qingwan twitched her lips. "Later, I will lead people into the mountains. You and General Shen will cooperate to divert the enemy's attention. Do not cease firing until you see Xia Qiong."
Hanchen acknowledged, but his face remained worried. "Mistress, must you go personally?
You are more skilled at operating artillery than I am. Why don't you stay and feign an attack to divert the enemy's attention, and I will go to retrieve the Marquis's remains and bring the Prince down the mountain?"
They all knew Lu Qingwan's purpose in coming to the northwest and understood that they couldn't persuade her to give up on rescuing Feng Xiwu or reclaiming Lu Zhenting's remains. They could only try their best to undertake these dangerous tasks on her behalf.
Even so, Lu Qingwan's answer remained negative. "My father, my husband, I will save them myself."
She finished speaking, clenched her fist, and declared, "There's no need to say more. Each of you, carry out your orders."
This gesture left no room for anyone else to argue.
Hanchen, Li Su, and Ruyue exchanged glances, understood each other's commitment, and quickly moved out.
Thus, before the soldiers of the two allied countries could catch their breath, they were subjected to a new round of artillery bombardment.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingwan, with the December guards and the Evernight Continent secret guards, charged towards Langyakou, the only passage into the mountains, which the enemy was desperately trying to block.
The steel whip in Lu Qingwan's hand, like Moses' staff, swept aside the enemy soldiers who rushed forward to stop her.
Even so, the enemy soldiers at Langyakou continued to appear incessantly, like venomous insects clustered in one spot.
At this moment, a young, unfamiliar general of the Black Armored Army led his men forward, roaring, "The vanguard is escorting the Princess Consort into the mountains!
Brothers, clear the way!"
With a roar, these soldiers, whose attire and appearance were indistinguishable from other Black Armored Army soldiers, raised their sabers and, disregarding their own defense, charged at the defenders of Langyakou.
Through relentless assault, they quickly tore open a gap in Langyakou. The young general, baring his teeth, gestured to Lu Qingwan, "Princess Consort, go!"
Lu Qingwan's throat tightened as she watched. "Go!"
At her command, the December guards and the twenty Evernight Continent secret guards finally broke through the blockade line of Langyakou.
Curses followed them from behind. Lu Qingwan glanced back and saw the young general and his men locked in combat with the Langyakou defenders. Only a few pursuers remained, posing no significant threat.
Lu Qingwan released Da Bai and Teng Snake, gave them Feng Xiwu's discarded clothes to sniff, and then tossed the two little creatures into the snow-covered mountains. "Go find your stepfather quickly! If you don't, you'll be orphans!"
Da Bai nimbly jumped to the ground and darted away.
Teng Snake, clinging to Lu Qingwan's fingertip, shivered. "This baby is a snake! I'm supposed to hibernate. If you make me run up a snowy mountain to find someone, what if I hibernate halfway?"
Naturally, its complaints sounded like various hisses to Li Su and the December guards.
Lu Qingwan flicked her hand and tossed it to the ground. "You are Teng Snake. If you have any self-respect, don't admit defeat to a mere cat. Hibernate if you must."
The two little creatures had been vying for Lu Qingwan's attention for days. Her words were clearly aimed at Teng Snake's pride.
Upon hearing this, it instantly released Lu Qingwan's finger and vanished into the snow with a whoosh.
Lu Qingwan turned to the group and said, "Only Li Jin and his men have been able to enter the mountains recently. These footprints should be theirs.
Follow the footprints ahead and try to remain silent to conserve your strength, just in case."
As she spoke, she instinctively lowered her voice. The group responded in hushed tones.
The group slowly advanced along the footprints, with Li Su and Duan Yue walking steadily beside Lu Qingwan.
Seeing this, Lu Qingwan asked Li Su, "Who was that young general who cleared the path for us?"
"He is Yuan Qingfeng, the commander of the vanguard. They were the first to receive the new weaponry, winter clothing, and provisions.
Because they were assigned a mission to the northeast by the Prince, they survived. He is now leading the vanguard soldiers to repay the Princess Consort's great kindness!"
Lu Qingwan understood. Just as she was about to remark on how the generals of the Black Armored Army were either surnamed Shen or Yuan, she suddenly heard a flurry of shouts.
Instinctively, she looked towards the sound and saw a group of soldiers wearing peculiar armor on the mountain ridge ahead, shooting arrows into the mountain hollow.
Lu Qingwan decisively gestured, and her subordinates stopped tacitly, not a single sound uttered.
Lu Qingwan asked Li Su in a low voice, "Can you tell which country they are from?"
Li Su shook her head. "I've never seen armor like this in any of the three allied nations."
Duan Yue also spoke up, "The bows and arrows they are using don't seem to be from the three allied nations. I've seen this kind of repeating crossbow, which can fire over a dozen arrows at once, in Da Qin..."
"Everyone change into white robes and proceed stealthily. Ascertain the situation before acting."