Chapter 729: Yunya Ancient Town (VI)

Not only is there a huge disparity in numbers, but they are attacking the unprepared with the prepared.

The fierce battle that took place in the ancient town at the foot of the mountain tonight can no longer be described as a "melee" but should be called a "massacre."

Although the 800 Mongolian cavalry led by Sui Zuo were all veterans, they were brave and invincible on the battlefield.

However, when they were tired from traveling, when they were exhausted, when it was the middle of the night and they were soundly asleep, when they had let down their guard and were completely unvigilant... the eight hundred elite soldiers were no different from the eight hundred lambs.

What's more, the enemy launched a surprise attack with nearly four times the number of troops, so how could they not be defeated?
If it weren't for Sui Zuo's experience and prompt response. If it weren't for Su He's loyalty, courage and strategy. If they hadn't protected An Chen from danger before the black-clad men formed a large-scale siege, I'm afraid that "King of Hexi" would have become three cold characters on the tombstone.

Being able to keep the two most core figures in the wedding escort team under such an unfavorable situation is not only a blessing in disguise for Su He and Liu Xunyi, but also a glimmer of hope for the Song Dynasty and Mongolia to maintain peace.

This bloody and costly "massacre" and "rebellion" lasted from midnight to the eve of dawn before gradually coming to an end.

In the end, it ended in a mess with Su He and Feng Tianba "fleeing in panic".

Ding Ao was wounded by an arrow in the palm and was bandaged in the West Street store. Xu Guangsheng was sitting on pins and needles, and he hesitated several times, but he didn't dare to speak easily.

"Boom!"

It was not until dawn that a noisy sound of footsteps was heard in the corridor.

"boom!"

Before Xu Guangsheng could stand up to greet him, the tightly closed door was violently pushed open. Then, Wen Lian, with a gloomy face, and Dong Xiaoer, with a disappointed look, walked into the room one after another.

"how……"

Ding Ao was about to speak when he saw Dong Xiaoer winking at him and shaking her head with a helpless look on her face.

"Didn't catch him?" Ding Ao asked suspiciously, "Who escaped? Liu Xunyi or Zhao Xin?"

"They all ran away!" Seeing Wen Lian sitting aside, secretly angry and silent, Dong Xiaoer couldn't help but smile bitterly and explained, "Su He and Feng Tianba blocked our people at the entrance to the mountain. It's a 'gourd mouth', where one man can block the passage of ten thousand men, so..."

"One man guarding the pass?" Ding Ao asked angrily, "Do they have three heads and six arms?"

"Feng Tianba was mediocre, but Su He was the tough one..." Dong Xiao'er recalled fearfully, "We traveled thousands of miles in Mobei and captured 24 cities in a row. With curved swords like the sun, moon and stars, our horses galloped freely. Today, I finally saw the methods of 'Mobei's fastest swordsman'. He blocked the entrance to the mountain with his sword, and even though our people continued to fall, he did not retreat even a single step, until the corpses piled up like a mountain and the blood flowed like a river."

"This……"

"It's not that I'm belittling myself. Su He's martial arts... may be better than ours. Even if we go out in person... we may not be able to get what we want." Finally, Wen Lian, who had been silent for a long time, spoke slowly, his tone full of shame, anger and helplessness.

"Right now, dragons go to sea and tigers go to mountains. It would be difficult for us to find them in the vast Qinling Mountains." Dong Xiaoer sighed, "What's more, the owner of the dock has said before that if we fail, we must not send people to chase and kill them, so as not to let them catch us."

"In any case, we slaughtered all of Sui Zuo's 800 elite soldiers tonight, and also intercepted ten carts of 'dowry', so we didn't return empty-handed." Wen Lian took a deep breath, tried to calm himself, and said soothingly, "We failed tonight because we underestimated the Mongols' ability. No one expected that they could escape from adversity."

Ding Ao said in a deep voice: "How many casualties did we suffer in this battle tonight?"

"More than 200 people died and more than 300 were injured." Wen Lian sighed, "I have to admire the bravery of these Mongolians. In such adverse circumstances, they were able to cause hundreds of casualties to us who were well prepared. It's really terrifying. If we were to fight head-on, perhaps our 3,000 troops might not be a match for the 800 Mongolian cavalry."

"We killed 800 enemies and injured 600 of our own people. Moreover, it was a well-planned and late-night surprise attack..." Ding Ao muttered to himself, "No wonder the Mongols were able to continue to expand their territory. They are indeed brave."

"Right now, the North Street store and the East Street store have been burned to ashes, but there are still many corpses on the street. How should we deal with them?" Dong Xiaoer asked, "Should we burn them all together?"

"Burn them!" Ding Ao said without hesitation, "Pile all the bodies at the three-way intersection in the center of the town and burn them all. Remember to leave a 'blood letter', saying..." At this point, Ding Ao narrowed his eyes slightly and thought, "It is better to die on the battlefield to restore the Northern Kingdom than to live in disgrace and beg the barbarians."

"I would rather die on the battlefield to restore the Northern Kingdom than live in disgrace and beg the barbarians..." Wen Lian pondered, "It is indeed the tone of the 'Great Song Righteous Army'. This is very good."

"How should we deal with the people in Yunya Town?" Dong Xiaoer asked again, "Just in case, should we also..."

"No!" Ding Ao shook his head repeatedly, "Since we are the righteous army, how can we attack the civilians?"

"That makes sense!" Dong Xiaoer suddenly realized, "I was confused."

"It's almost dawn, clean up quickly and don't leave any clues..."

"Wait a moment!"

Before Wen Lian finished speaking, Xu Guangsheng, who was sitting beside him with an embarrassed look on his face, suddenly spoke up: "You didn't catch Liu Xunyi, so he will definitely betray me in the future. If the court finds me, they can find the Lu family, and if they find the Lu family, they can find you. Then... what should we do? And... what should I do with my 300 guards?"

"General Xu, if you don't say anything, I almost forgot about you." Ding Ao smiled meaningfully, "All the Mongolian cavalry are dead. If we keep your 300 guards, it seems... not appropriate." "What..."

"And this Di store." Ding Ao ignored Xu Guangsheng's astonishment, looked around, and said seriously, "At present, the East Street store and the North Street store have been burned to ashes. If this West Street store is intact... it doesn't seem appropriate."

"This..." Looking at Ding Ao's sinister smile, Xu Guangsheng couldn't help but feel nervous and asked hesitantly, "You mean... burn this place down?"

"Not only this place, but also your 300 guards camp will be burned down as well." Wen Lian interrupted, "Killing one more soldier from Song and Meng today will mean one less enemy for us tomorrow."

"This……"

Although Xu Guangsheng felt reluctant, he did not dare to refute due to the current situation. After hesitating for a moment, he simply made up his mind and nodded, "Forget it! I'll let the brothers pack up, and then burn this place..."

"Eh!"

Before Xu Guangsheng could stagger to his feet, Dong Xiao'er suddenly floated forward, her soft and delicate body sitting directly on his legs, her two jade arms hooked around his neck like a slippery snake. Under Xu Guangsheng's surprised gaze, Dong Xiao'er smiled and said, "General Xu, there is no need to let anyone pack up. Take them with you on the road. It will be convenient for the underworld to use them."

"what?"

Just these words made the already confused Xu Guangsheng unable to sit still any longer. His expression suddenly changed and he pushed Dong Xiaoer away rudely, angrily scolding: "Those are my brothers from the Quanzhou camp. They have been through life and death with me for many years..."

"That's right!" Dong Xiao'er was not angry. Instead, she took out a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped the sweat off Xu Guangsheng's forehead with a distressed look in her eyes. She said absentmindedly, "What we mean is that we want them to continue to follow General Xu through thick and thin and never leave him."

There was a hint of mockery in Dong Xiaoer's tone when she spoke the last eight words.

"What do you mean?" Xu Guangsheng was not stupid. He quickly understood the hidden meaning of Dong Xiaoer's words. So he looked fierce, grabbed Dong Xiaoer's wrist and said sternly, "You want to destroy the bridge and kill me too?"

"Since Liu Xunyi is not dead, the general can only sacrifice his life for the country. After all, if the general does not die, how can he keep his reputation?" Wen Lian played with the teacup in his hand and smiled calmly, "Only if you and the three hundred guards are buried here together, the court will not believe Liu Xunyi's revelations. In this way, the Jiangnan Lu Mansion and we will also be spared from the disaster. As for you, not only can you keep your reputation, but the court may also posthumously confer you an official position, at least you can bring honor to your ancestors and give your wife and children a title. Don't worry, when we set the fire, we will avoid the general's body and let you go with dignity and glory."

"Bullshit!" Xu Guangsheng was furious and cursed, "I haven't even married yet, so how can I have children? If you dare to kill me, Tingxiang will never let you go!"

"General Xu, please don't worry about this matter." Ding Ao sneered, "After you die, we will give Master Lu a satisfactory explanation."

"You...you guys..." Xu Guangsheng seemed to sense the threat of death. His face turned pale and his lips turned bloodless. He shouted, "Someone come! Someone come quickly..."

"Stop shouting!" Dong Xiaoer gently blocked Xu Guangsheng's lips with her hand, pretending to be compassionate, "My good brothers who have been with you through thick and thin, I sent them ahead before I entered the door. General Xu, you have to hurry up, otherwise I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up with them, and it will be too lonely on the road to the underworld."

"I kill you……"

"Crack!"

"Forehead……"

Just when the furious Xu Guangsheng was about to attack Dong Xiaoer, Dong Xiaoer's hand suddenly slid from his chin to his throat, and then her five fingers were like hooks, pinching him mercilessly, accompanied by a crisp sound of broken cervical vertebrae. Xu Guangsheng was caught off guard and glared, trying to speak, but unexpectedly a stream of blood foam spurted out of his mouth and nose, and his body couldn't help but tremble violently for a while, and then his head tilted, and he was motionless.

"Originally, the owner wanted to keep you by his side and make use of you, but your good brother Lu Tingxiang is too calculating, so the owner dare not use you." Dong Xiaoer leaned close to Xu Guangsheng's drooping head and whispered in his ear, "As the saying goes, 'Don't employ a person you doubt, and don't doubt a person you employ.' Unfortunately, you are the 'suspect' in the eyes of the owner. Don't meet a relative like Lu Tingxiang in your next life."

After saying that, Dong Xiaoer gently pecked Xu Guangsheng's cheek with her red lips, leaving two faint lip marks, and then she pushed the body with her big hand, and the body fell to the ground.

“It’s clean now!”

Ding Ao and Wen Lian smiled at each other, then they stood up and walked out of the room with Dong Xiaoer.

"set fire!"

Along with a cold command, a blazing fire rose up and in the blink of an eye surrounded the West Street store covered with kerosene.

The intense flames alternated between red and yellow, dazzling the eyes, contrasting with the hint of white at the end of the sky, creating a unique artistic conception.

Between the firelight and the sunlight, Ding Ao, Dong Xiaoer, and Wen Lian led a group of men in black and meandered along West Street, gradually going farther and farther away.

Yunya Ancient Town has once again regained its former tranquility.

……

　2019, thank you for your care. Farewell tonight, we will never meet again!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)