Chapter 39: Li Xiao's Visit

  His heart was greatly excited, galloping in the desolate wilderness 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 at all, his attention always focused on the noble horseman in the middle of the enemy army. However, the opponent's horses were particularly divine, and they were 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 broken suddenly. And in this instant, the hundreds of cavalrymen who had rushed forward had vanished into thin air.

  Ice surface? Xinkè was greatly shocked, and shouted "Stop!" As he exerted force on the stirrup, his whole body suddenly rose into the air. However, the cavalry beside him didn't have such good skills, and in the instant he rose into the air, more than 2,000 cavalrymen fell onto the ice surface. The cavalry behind heard the cries of surprise from the front, but in their haste to stop, it was difficult to halt, so many more cavalrymen were pushed into the ice by their comrades behind them. The troops immediately became chaotic. By the time Xinkè landed back on the ground, 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 is no reaction at all. Due to the severe cold weather, a thick layer of ice has formed on the surface of the lake. However, although the ice surface is thick, it still hasn't reached the point where cavalry can fight on it. 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 opponent was slowing down due to exhaustion, but unexpectedly, the opponent was actually slowing down to identify the road. The plan to steal a chicken ended up losing rice, one thousand cavalry were not caught, and instead, three thousand brothers were lost.

  However, there was no time for regret now. For with a low-pitched horn, countless cavalry suddenly emerged from the vast wilderness, all wearing silver-white armor, which was extremely difficult to detect in the vast snowy field. The Imperial Guard of the Mandan Dynasty? Shinkou's eyes twitched, but he didn't show it, instead casually jumping onto an unmanned warhorse, lining up his brothers, and tightly grasping 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 remained silent, quietly advancing towards the center, step by step compressing 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 seven thousand cavalry 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 was not 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 dual-bladed battle axe swung down, and the 7,000 cavalrymen instantly 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 immediately boosted once again.

  "Haven't you seen, Han Zhongjun,

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

  Haven't you seen, Ban Dingyuan,

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

  A man should be willing to take risks,

  How can he let his life be misled by Confucianism?

  Now the country is in danger like an egg on a precipice,

  The imperial edict rushes back and forth without a moment's pause!

  Abandoning my former brush,

  Donning my armor for battle,

  One call gathers over 100,000 comrades,

  Loudly singing war songs to follow the army.

  Following the army, clearing the dust of the barbarians,

  Vowing to sweep away the Japanese slaves without regard for life!

  Enduring the pain of parting from home and family,

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

  With a proud smile, rushing to the battlefield,

  The great banner unfurls, shining with no sunlight.

  The wind blows the White Tiger into the vast month,

  Strength pulls the long bow 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 being polite, 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 deserve to be rewarded with a king's title. It's just unexpected that you were only granted a marquis title in the end, which is truly regrettable!"

  Hao Tian was shocked in his heart, and Li Xiao's words were indeed laced with venom, clearly intended to drive a wedge between himself and the imperial court. He hastily cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness's 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? The fact that Your Majesty has granted him a marquis title is already making him tremble with gratitude; how dare he be greedy and dissatisfied?"

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

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

  Haotian smiled slightly, "I'm afraid 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 the will of heaven, but neither of these two wishes are easy to fulfill!"

  Li Xiao Mo laughed: "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 must be a female Zhuge 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, perhaps the fairy princess would fall for him at first sight." Although he said this, Hao Tian's heart was still filled with pride, but 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 be too suspicious. And the news that Tian Yi and Xian Lian Chen became sisters spread from Li Xiao Mao's mouth, making it 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 Mao might have some suspicions, he probably wouldn't mind being the one to spread the news.

  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 chatting and laughing, 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.

  Highly recommended books: "The Little Prince", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "1984", "Pride and Prejudice", "The Catcher in the Rye", "Jane Eyre", "Wuthering Heights"

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