Chapter 39: Li Xiao's Visit

  His heart was excited in the desolate wilderness, galloping freely on horseback, which was undoubtedly a very pleasant thing, especially when there were still a thousand prey ahead. Although small groups of cavalry occasionally fell off from the main team and ran to the wild fields on both sides of the road, Xinkè did not pay attention to them, his attention always focused on the nobly dressed cavalry in the middle of the enemy army. However, the opponent's horse was exceptionally spirited, and familiar with the terrain, although they chased for nearly thirty miles, but Xinkè's army kept a distance of two miles from the opponent.

  At this moment, the enemy's speed seemed to slow down a bit, and the remaining hundreds of cavalry teams were actually dragged into two long queues fleeing in disarray. Seeing the enemy like this, Xinkai's heart was even more excited, and he fiercely whipped several times, causing the team's advance speed to increase again. At this moment, Xinkai suddenly discovered that the man with noble attire seemed to turn his head and smile at himself triumphantly, and a bad premonition surged up in Xinkai's heart, along with his horse slowing down as well. Despite this, Xinkai's 10,000 cavalry still followed closely behind the enemy at an extremely fast speed.

  At that moment, a crisp sound suddenly came from the side of his ear, as if something had suddenly broken. And in this instant, the hundreds of cavalrymen who had rushed forward had vanished without a trace.

  Ice surface? Sheng Ke was shocked, shouting "Stop!" and the man on horseback exerted himself, instantly flying into the air. However, his fellow cavalrymen didn't have such good skills, and in that instant when he flew up, over 2,000 cavalrymen fell onto the ice surface. The rear cavalrymen heard the front ones' cries of surprise but couldn't stop in time, so many more were pushed into the ice by their comrades behind them. The troops instantly became chaotic. By the time Sheng Ke landed from mid-air, the remaining soldiers had controlled their warhorses, and at this point, approximately 3,000 cavalrymen had fallen onto the ice surface.

  Until now, Xin Ke was finally able to see the situation here clearly. This is a very deep and wide natural lake, at least after falling into three thousand cavalry, there was no reaction at all. Due to the severe cold weather, a thick layer of ice had formed on the surface of the lake. However, although the ice surface was thick, it still hadn't reached the point where cavalry could engage in fierce battle. The reason why the two teams of cavalry were able to escape was because they had hammered down wooden stakes on the surface of the lake and then laid down wooden planks on top. Xin Ke's heart was filled with anger, originally thinking that the enemy was slowing down due to exhaustion, but it turned out that they were actually slowing down to identify the road. The plan had backfired, failing to capture a thousand cavalry, instead losing three thousand brothers.

  However, there was no time for regret now. For with a low, mournful sound of a cow horn, countless cavalrymen suddenly emerged from the vast and empty plain, all wearing silver-white armor, which made them almost invisible in the snowy wilderness. The Imperial Guard of the Mandan Dynasty? Sheng Ke's eyes twitched, but he didn't show it, instead he casually jumped onto an unmanned war horse, lined up his brothers, and tightly grasped his double-bladed battle axe.

  Taking a glance around, Xin Ke suddenly found that at least 600,000 enemy troops had gathered around his 7,000 cavalry. 30,000 infantrymen had firmly blocked the way he came from, while on both sides were 15,000 cavalrymen each. The three armies stood silently, quietly pressing in towards the center, step by step squeezing the activity space of Xin Ke's 7,000 cavalry.

  Facing the unprecedented pressure, Xin Ke's heart had not a shred of fear, but instead stirred up boundless fighting spirit, even his pupils rapidly contracted due to intense excitement. Slowly raising the double-bladed battle axe in his hand, Xin Ke loudly roared: "Who is willing to conquer the world with this general?"

  "We wish to follow the general in conquering the world!" The 7,000 cavalrymen shouted in unison. Those who could set foot on the road out of the pass were not a single one who feared death and loved life. Although they were in a difficult situation, there wasn't a single person who retreated.

  "Alright! The Blood Butcher's 110,000-strong army is right behind us, we can't lose face in front of them! Brothers, follow me and charge!" With that, the double-bladed battle axe swung down, and the 7,000 cavalrymen charged towards the enemy's extremely dense infantry formation. Meanwhile, the soldiers who survived the Battle of Jizhou began singing a stirring song on horseback, and the morale of the army was instantly boosted once again.

  "Haven't you seen, Han Zhongjun,

  Weak and crowned, bound by the enemy's long rope?

  Haven't you seen, Ban Dengyuan,

  In a distant land, lightly riding to expedite war clouds?

  A man should be willing to take risks,

  How can he let his scholar's hat mislead him for life?

  Now the country is in danger like piled eggs,

  The imperial edict rushes, without a moment's pause!

  Abandoning my former brush,

  Donning my armor in wartime,

  One call gathers over 100,000 comrades,

  Loudly singing war songs to follow the army.

  Following the army, clearing barbarian dust,

  Vowing to sweep away the Japanese slaves, disregarding life!

  Enduring emotions, lightly cutting off thoughts of home,

  Generously offering one's heart to report to the country.

  With a proud smile, rushing to the battlefield,

  The great flag waves, without sunlight.

  The wind blows Taibai into the vast month,

  Strength pulls the longbow to shoot at the heavenly wolf."

  The Jingbei Marquis's estate. When Haotian walked into the main hall, Li Xiao was sitting in the main hall drinking tea and chatting with Zhan Shudong.

  "Why is the Crown Prince so happy?" Although he was puzzled in his heart, Haotian still asked with a smile.

  Li Xiao Mo hastily stood up: "Just now, Li was talking to General Zhan about the heroic appearance of Lord Hou when he recovered the Yellow Sleeve. He was moved by Lord Hou's brilliant military achievements and couldn't help but laugh heartily, which is why he laughed so loudly."

  Hao Tian hastily said: "The prince is overpraising. Hao's humble self was only able to do so because of the emperor's blessing and the efforts of our soldiers. As for someone else's merits, it's not even worth mentioning."

  Li Xiao Mo waved his hand nonchalantly: "Your Excellency is too kind, but let's recall that you once recovered Dingzhou with a thousand troops and then swept across the Yellow River, annihilating over 200,000 enemies. Not only did you kill Wu Le's number one warrior, Woler, but also Wang Shuye Yelu Zhaochang, a veteran general of the Mandan dynasty, who lost his life in the Yellow River. Such great achievements are rarely seen even during the Taizu Emperor's conquests. And since the Wu Lieti Emperor's revival, it has been unheard of for over 100 years. My father once said that your merits, Your Excellency, would be worthy of a king's title. It's just that in the end, you were only made a marquis, which is truly regrettable!"

  Hao Tian was shocked in his heart, and Li Xiao's words were indeed venomous, clearly trying to drive a wedge between himself and the imperial court. He hastily cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness' words are biased. As an official of the imperial court, Hao has always considered it his duty to drive out the barbarians and serve the emperor, without any thought of personal gain or seeking to ennoble his family. How could he be so presumptuous as to ask for rewards from the imperial court just because of one victory? Thanks to Your Majesty's gracious bestowal of the title of Marquis, Hao is already deeply grateful and fearful, how dare he be greedy?"

  Li Xiao Mo seemed to have expected that Huang Tian would say something like this, and didn't think much of it. He just smiled and said: "The imperial court having a loyal and virtuous gentleman like you, is truly my good fortune!"

  Hao Tian smiled and said, "The prince is overpraising me. I am just lucky this time, how can I be worthy of such praise from the prince? Moreover, there are many talents in the court, and people like Taishi and Guoshi are the pillars of the country. The real blessing for the court is their existence. By the way, what brings the prince here today?"

  Turning to the main topic, Li Xiao's expression also turned solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "Last night, the rebels of the Extreme Joy Sect actually committed a heinous crime by assassinating high-ranking officials of the imperial court. Your Excellency was also among those targeted for assassination, so you should be particularly aware of this matter. Fortunately, I, Qingfeng Hongfu, foiled their plot. Unfortunately, however, Iron Zheng, the Minister of War, was seriously injured in the assassination attempt. As he has served four dynasties and is a truly respected figure in the imperial court, I, Li, heard about the incident and prepared to visit him at his residence. On my way there, I passed by Your Excellency's mansion and thought that you would certainly be interested in this matter as well, so I came especially to invite Your Excellency to join me on this visit."

  Hao Tian nodded: "The words of the prince are exactly what I wanted. Someone is preparing, and the prince has already arrived. Please wait for a moment." Turning around, Hao Tian said to the maid in the hall: "You quickly go and see if the lady is ready, Prince Jing Xi has come to invite us to visit Iron together with our national father. Iron is our elder, we must not lose courtesy."

  Li Xiao Mo was slightly startled, but he smiled and said: "I didn't expect that in your heart, Tian Yi is such a treasure, you take her with you wherever you go."

  Haotian smiled slightly, "I've made the Crown Prince laugh. To be honest with you, I have only two wishes in this life. One is to drive out the barbarians and reclaim our rivers and mountains, and the other is to welcome Tianyi as my wife. However, neither of these two wishes are easy to fulfill!"

  Li Xiao Mo smiled and said, "With your intelligence and martial arts skills, what's there to worry about not succeeding in great things? Heaven's intention that Miss can get your love and care, must be a female Zhuge Liang too?"

  "Tianyi is just a weak woman, how can she bear the evaluation of Shizhong? It's just that she and the master have been together since childhood, and were engaged by their parents, so the master only shows her a little more care. Tianyi's voice was like a yellow oriole, crisp and clear, echoing in the great hall, and she slightly bowed to Li Xiaoming before saying: "Since the master is going with Shizhong to visit Secretary Shang, then I won't go along. Besides, Lianchen may come over today, so I still need to prepare."

  Li Xiao Mo was shocked again: "Lian Chen? Is the Heavenly Maiden referring to Lian Chen, one of the Four Great Heavenly Talents of Wulin and the Holy Maiden of Tian Wu Xing He?"

  "It's true." Tian Yi nodded: "The Crown Prince doesn't know yet, but last night the Master was stabbed by the heretic of the Extreme Joy Sect. Fortunately, Lian Chen and Sheng Nu Sheng Lan Xin Zai saved him, so the Master narrowly escaped disaster. And Tian Yi and Lian Chen have become sworn sisters at first sight."

  "Oh, is this really happening?" Li Xiao's eyebrows rose in surprise, clearly digesting the news. However, his face showed a hint of envy and admiration. He let out a sigh before speaking to Huang Tian: "Lord Hou is truly blessed with good fortune. The Four Great Heavenly Kings are renowned for their exceptional abilities on the Jianghu. With Tianyi Maiden becoming sworn sisters with the Fairy Princess, Lord Hou will have many more opportunities in the future. But, isn't Lord Hou afraid that Tianyi Maiden might get jealous?"

  Hao Tian smiled and said, "The prince is really good at joking. I'm just a martial artist, even if I did have thoughts in my heart, I'm afraid the fairy princess wouldn't look down on me, a rough person like myself. On the other hand, the prince is not only handsome and elegant, but also talented and intelligent. Who knows, maybe the fairy princess will fall for him at first sight." Although he said this, Hao Tian's heart was still filled with pride. What made him happiest was Tian Yi's cleverness and intelligence. Because of the assassination attempt last night, Xian Lian Chen appeared in his own mansion, which wouldn't arouse too much suspicion. And since Li Xiao Mo had spread the news about Tian Yi and Xian Lian Chen becoming sisters, it would be easier for people to accept. Later on, when Xian Lian Chen appeared by his side, there would be fewer troubles. Thinking about it, although Li Xiao Mo might have some suspicions, he probably wouldn't mind being a messenger.

  As expected, Li Xiao Mo smiled and said: "Li Mou does have a heart, but Master Hou must know that someone like Li Mou from such a family background can't possibly get together with the fairy princess. It's just that Master Hou's conditions are exceptionally good, since Tian Yi young lady has become sworn sisters with Lian Chen fairy, then Lian Chen fairy will definitely often reside in the Hou manor, hehe."

  "The master and the young lord can chat slowly, I'll take my leave first." Seeing the two of them laughing and chatting, Tian Yi smiled and said. She had already roughly understood Li Xiao's intentions, so there was no need for her to stay here any longer.

  As the next-generation heir of the Li family on Qin River Road, especially during this time of great change, Li Xiao Mo is naturally particularly concerned about the movements of various forces in Qingfeng. With Huan Tian's sudden rise to power in He Tao, not only was he promoted to Governor of He Tao, with over 2 million troops under his command, but he also directly pressed down on the rear of Qin River Road. Clarifying Huan Tian's attitude is naturally extremely important for Li Xiao Mo. However, relying solely on these few words, it's likely that Li Xiao Mo won't be satisfied and will probably continue to press on.