Chapter 74: Attack

    Haidu Aling, the Northern Rong Chief’s most trusted and valued nephew.

    Legend had it that he was born in the grasslands of a sheepherding tribe. Later on, his tribe was slaughtered, all the men and women in the tribe dying under the knife of the bandits, and he was thrown in a river and drifted down the current. Ending up on an icy land, he was adopted by a few female wolves, miraculously surviving.

    At the age of eleven, he killed the wolves who fed and raised him, then joined the Northern Rong tribe. Relying on his outstanding riding and shooting skills, he obtained the tribal chief’s appreciation and was adopted at the chief’s knee, following the chief to fight on all sides.

    That chief was Northern Rong’s Wakhan Khan.

    Li Xuanzhen had not yet crossed swords with Haidu Aling, but last year, when Haidu Aling took his tribe south to plunder, the two had passed each other many times and heard of each other’s name.

    In the past few years, Wakhan Khan had been concentrating his military strength on conquering the Western Regions. It was said that he had suffered several defeats in the Northern Road of the Western Regions, which had hurt his vitality.

    Li De and Li Xuanzhen had discussed with the ministers of the court on how to defend the north.

    They agreed that Northern Rong would not send troops south in the coming years. The Northern Rong’s current goal was unifying the entire Western Regions.

    That was why the Wei empire was in a hurry to recover Liangzhou, so that in the future when the Northern Rong army would come south, the Wei empire would not be powerless to resist.

   …

   He did not expect that Haidu Aling was Bemutai.

    Li Xuanzhen gritted his teeth, an iron taste emerging from his teeth.

    The prince of Northern Rong, whom he and Li De deeply scorned, had been under their noses. He had even talked to him and competed in martial arts.

    In the past six months, Haidu Aling has fought alongside the Wei army as a person from the Yelu tribe. Had he already figured out the deployment of the Wei army?

    It was by his invitation that he went to the Yelu tribe, and on the way back, was ambushed. It could not have been a coincidence; the person who did it must have been Haidu Aling!

    If he had stayed in the Yelu tribe that day or returned later, wouldn’t he have been killed by Haidu Aling?

    This was all Haidu Aling’s plan, the groundwork laid out months ago by Haidu Aling.

    Zhu Luyun and the Hu people had dealings with each other, and the Yelu tribe was uncharacteristically persistent in asking the Wei empire to give marriage…

    Zhu Luyun!

    She had said that she wanted to restore the country.

    Who gave her the promise of restoring the country?

    If Zhu Luyun had really married to the Yelu tribe, had Haidu Aling intended to attack Chang’an under the Zhu clan’s banner, restoring the country for Zhu Luyun?

    The events of the past six months flew through his mind.

    Li Xuanzhen’s heart jumped, body trembling, cold sweat dripping, and he slammed his fist on the city wall.

    He had been tricked. All of them had been played in the palm of Haidu Aling!

    Now, the Northern Rong soldiers were attacking, and he was far away in Liangzhou. It was impossible to rush back to Chang’an immediately. Not knowing the situation in Chang’an, would the Northern Rong directly bypass Liangzhou?

    Footsteps were strewn, and the generals rushed up to the high tower.

    Li Xuanzhen asked in a heavy voice, “How many soldiers do we have?”

    The generals looked at each other and said with difficulty, “Your Highness, in haste, we can only gather about two thousand men.”

    Li Xuanzhen closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were surging with murderous intent.

    “Two thousand men to guard the pass is enough.”

    Haidu Aling often clashed with other sons of Wakhan in these years, and the internal disputes of the Northern Rong were endless, so it was impossible to send all their main forces to attack Great Wei. He only needed to hold on until the arrival of reinforcements.

    On the battlefield, no matter how big the disparity between the enemy and him, he had never been afraid.

    The generals were on tenterhooks, but looking at Li Xuanzhen’s calm face, his whole body exuding the majestic aura of a man who could hold steadfast against ten thousand enemies, their hearts slowly settled down. Each returned to their posts and parted ways to count their men.

    Half a shichen later, the scout rushed back to report: “Your Highness, there really is movement ten miles north of the river!”

    Qin Fei had lingering fears. From the time Li Xuanzhen read the letter to now, it had only been half a shichen, and the enemy army had already arrived. If the letter was delivered a little later, would they still have had the opportunity to prepare for battle?

    He was frightened and clutched the hilt of his sword: “How did Princess Wenzhao know about Haidu Aling’s plan?”

    Li Xuanzhen’s body trembled.

    He didn’t know either.

    She was far away in the Yelu tribe, lonely without any dependence, her situation miserable. Perceiving that Bemutai was the prince of Northern Rong, she sent him a letter to remind him that Haidu Aling was preparing to attack Great Wei with several large armies so that he could prepare for the battle.

    He responded in time and locked the gate without delay, but what about her?

    What happened to her?

    The snowy night came with the blowing of the bugle-horn, one after another.

    The enemy was coming.

    Li Xuanzhen drew his sword and stood still, settling his mind. He looked at the slowly approaching battle formation from the pitch-black horizon.

    He had to defend Liangzhou.

    Only when he won this battle would he be able to bring his troops back to save her.

   …

    The battle between the Northern Rong and the soldiers at the mountain pass lasted for more than half a month.

    Regardless of how the Northern Rong cavalry charged and attacked, the city’s defenders never retreated an inch and held their position.

    Whenever the defender’s morale was low, the Crown Prince of Great Wei always took the lead and fought bravely, boosting the morale of the defenders.

    On the eighteenth day, Haidu Aling rushed over from Jin City. Riding up the hill on the other side of the river, he saw the majestic pass still standing unyieldingly on the other side of the river. He asked the strategist behind him, “Didn’t you say that the Crown Prince of Great Wei had been seriously wounded?”

    A dying man was able to carry his men for so many days?

    The strategist bowed his head and said, “He is indeed seriously wounded, but unfortunately those who set up the ambush did not expect him to return to Liangzhou so soon. They did not have time to prepare poisoned arrows, but only the usual arrows used for hunting.”

    The Crown Prince of Wei was very lucky.