Chapter 239 Ambush Liyang Army, Xu Zhihu follows her husband

A huge fire broke out in the Beiliang Palace. Although the guards were numerous, it was too late to put out the fire.

The fire burned fiercely, even the hill of corpses at the gate of the palace was burned down, and the entire Beiliang Palace was completely turned into a sea of ​​fire.

Xu Xiao and his two sons were under the protection of the Royal Guards as they watched the palace where they had lived for many years turn completely into ashes.

Xu Longxiang was filled with righteous indignation, Xu Fengnian had a blank expression on his face, and Xu Xiao's eyes flashed with a deep sense of desolation. Li Yishan died, and Xu Xiao suddenly felt that his era was over.

Xu Zhihu was escorted by Xu Weixiong and Xue Songguan. As the Shazhou team went away, Princess Suizhu Zhao Fengya was also tied up and thrown into the carriage.

The wedding procession from Shazhou left Qingliang Mountain in high spirits without encountering any obstruction.

Even if Xu Xiao didn't care about the lives of Xu Zhihu and Zhao Fengya, if he wanted to destroy Li Changan's team, only 30,000 guards would not be enough.

At the same time that Li Changan was heading to Shazhou, the order for Liyang Dynasty to transfer troops from various places also arrived.

Gu Jiantang led 100,000 elite Liyang troops and, after joining forces with King Zhao Kai of Shu, they marched towards Shu in a mighty force.

These 100,000 elite soldiers are all Gu Jiantang's old subordinates. They include some elite soldiers mobilized from the border areas of the two Liao states, as well as soldiers from prefectures and counties such as Yongzhou and Hezhou.

King Yan Chi received the imperial edict but did not send troops immediately. Although he had 200,000 elite troops, he really did not want to send his troops on a long expedition from the southeast to the northwest.

In his opinion, the troops in the northwest were enough to encircle and suppress Li Changan.

Gu Jiantang had 100,000 troops, Jiange garrison 60,000, Qingzhou navy and palace soldiers 60,000, and Xu Xiao had 200,000 troops.

All together, there are a total of 420,000 people!
Although Li Changan has developed rapidly, it only has about 200,000 people at most.

These 200,000 men also have to defend against Beimang and garrison the prefectures and counties bordering Xifan and Xirong. It is already considered that Li Changan is capable to mobilize 110,000 to 120,000 combat troops.

When Li Changan left the palace, he had already started mobilizing his troops. He would not wait until the enemy's troops were gathered before engaging in a positional war, as the losses would be too great.

Li Cunxiao has brought 5,000 elite Xuanjia soldiers and ambushed on the road that Gu Jiantang and Zhao Kai must pass. No normal person would do such a thing as ambushing 100,000 people with 5,000 people.

But Li Changan is not a normal person, and Li Cunxiao and the Xuanjia Army are even less normal people.

Tai'an City.

When Zhao Chun received the news that his daughter had been kidnapped, he finally couldn't help but explode!
"Li Changan massacred the Beiliang Palace and killed my special envoy. The two Heavenly Masters and dozens of disciples of Longhu Mountain were all killed!"

"He also kidnapped Feng Ya. What a beast!"

Zhao Chun felt heartbroken at the thought of his only beloved daughter being kidnapped by Li Changan. How could a sheep falling into the tiger's mouth have a good ending?

"Teacher, what are the developments of all parties?"

Yuan Benxi replied, "Gu Jiantang and the King of Shu are already on their way, Xu Xiao is also following orders to reorganize the troops, and the King of Jing'an's troops have already assembled."

"King Yan Chi said that the troops are scattered all over the place and are gathering. They can only set out after they gather."

Zhao Chun snorted angrily, "Zhao Bing, that sly guy, is just watching again!"

Yuan Benxi hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, the latest news is that Li Changan said that Princess Suizhu can be released."

"But he wants His Majesty to grant him the land of Shu before he can release the princess. Otherwise, when the princess comes back, he will have to buy one and get one free."

Upon hearing Li Changan's conditions, Zhao Chun, who was dressed in a solemn dragon robe, was so angry that he swore.

"Li Changan, you damn it, you exchanged Xu Fengnian for Liangzhou, and now that you've tasted the sweetness, you're asking me to exchange Shu for my daughter!"

Of course he knew what Li Changan meant by buy one get one free. If the court did not use Shu to exchange for Zhao Fengya, Zhao Fengya might become pregnant with Li Changan's child.

As the king of a country, Zhao Chun felt extremely humiliated that he was threatened like this!

"No! Shu is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and it is also known as the Land of Abundance. If Li Changan gets Shu, he will be more difficult to deal with than Xu Xiao!"

Although he said he would not change, he felt like a piece of flesh had been cut off from his heart.

Now the imperial court and Shazhou are about to go to war. Zhao Fengya is the princess of the enemy country, and there is no telling how she will be ravaged by Li Changan.

Even if the war was won and Zhao Fengya was rescued, the matter would have been a done deal.

Zhao Chun had only this one daughter, who was raised in the palm of his hand. Now she has ended up like this. His Majesty the Emperor is heartbroken.

However, compared to a daughter, Li Changan's potential to overthrow the Liyang court is what Zhao Chun cares about most.

The border between Qingzhou and Xishu Road.

The resting place of Gu Jiantang and Zhao Kai is located between Jiange Pass and Liusha. It is located in a steep canyon twenty miles long in the upper reaches of the Zhe River. It is an important passage from Western Xinjiang to Eastern Xinjiang across the mountains.

Whenever the situation of the Central Plains dynasty was initially determined, it would have to conquer the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and the Central Plains soldiers would inevitably pass through this place.

Every time the horse's hooves beat westward, it symbolized the heyday of the Central Plains dynasty, and every time it retreated eastward, it meant the collapse of the separatist regimes in the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Therefore, the two men headed west from here, feeling a sense of pride and honor in their hearts. Only when the Li Yang Dynasty became strong would they have the opportunity to send troops westward.

Zhao Kai, who had been depressed for a long time, suddenly received an imperial decree to make him a king. Although it was an edict with a military order, he was still ecstatic.

He was blessed with great fortune and had been waiting for such an opportunity. This time, during the encirclement and suppression of Li Changan, his two masters in the court actually won this opportunity. How could he not be excited?

As long as he can win this battle, he will become a powerful vassal prince with heavy troops under his command, just like Prince Yanchi and Prince Jing'an, and be qualified to ascend the throne.

When Zhao Kai thought of this opportunity, he felt that he was destined to be king. Otherwise, why would he, an illegitimate prince, be chosen among so many princes to be crowned king and go to war?

However, not long after he reunited with Gu Jiantang, the two received bad news. Li Changan went on a killing spree in Beiliang, massacring all the underworld forces that supported Xu Xiao, even killing the Prince of Beiliang.

What shocked Zhao Kai the most was that Han Diaosi, who was highly respected in the palace and feared by people in the martial arts world, was also killed!
The master is gone. His greatest support since childhood is gone!
However, news also came from the court that his second master, Yang Taisui, the sick tiger who had collapsed half of the Dragon-Tiger Devil-Slaying Platform, was on his way.

At the critical moment when Gu Jiantang and Zhao Kai were about to encircle and suppress Li Changan, the greatest military advisor of the Li Yang Dynasty came to lend a hand both publicly and privately.

One hundred thousand soldiers, half of them infantry and half of them cavalry, came out of Tiemen Pass like a long dragon. After passing Tiemen Pass, Liangzhou was to the north.

The once important place of Beiliang has now been completely taken over by Li Changan.

Gu Jiantang looked at the plains in the north, and his heart suddenly became serious. "Order the entire army to be on alert. There is no natural barrier between this place and the rebels!"

Zhao Kai said disapprovingly, "The general is too cautious. There are still several county towns in the north. If Li Changan's army comes, we will definitely find it."

"If there is no discovery, even if he sends people, it will be a small group and there is nothing to be afraid of."

Gu Jiantang's thick eyebrows were suddenly twisted together, and his tone was already filled with dissatisfaction. The new King of Shu was a little too ambitious.

"Li Changan defeated the Xifan and Xirong, and defeated Xu Xiao's army of 100,000. Anyone who can defeat Xu Xiao will have his name recorded in history books."

"If we neglect an opponent like this for even a moment, it could be a disaster!"

Zhao Kai often listened to his two masters' comments on people in the world. He said that General Gu Jiantang was not as bold as Xu Xiao in fighting, and was a little more mechanical and acted more cautiously.

But what Zhao Kai didn't know was that no matter whether these big shots were strong or weak, it depended on who they were compared with.

Anyone picked out at random would be much better than him who had never fought in a war or served as an official. But Zhao Kai had no self-awareness, and he always thought that because he often associated with masters, he himself was also a master.

He thought that Yang Taisui had come all the way here because he was anxious to help him, but in fact he was afraid that he would act improperly and get into big trouble.

"General, you are worrying too much. We have a hundred thousand troops behind us!"

"If Li Changan dares to mobilize a considerable number of troops, his rear will definitely be attacked by Xu Xiao, so Li Changan will not be so stupid."

"If the troops he sent out were small and not enough to fill our gaps, Li Changan would not do such a futile thing."

"Therefore, Li Changan can only send out some scouts to investigate the military situation. He is outnumbered, so how could he send people to attack us?"

Gu Jiantang did not speak. Zhao Kai's words seemed to be fine, but Gu Jiantang was still worried. He ordered the entire army to be on alert and sent out a large number of scouts to keep alert.

On the third day after leaving Tiemenguan, something went wrong.

Several fast horses came from the north in a cloud of dust, and the scouts used their inner strength to transmit urgent military information.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Shazhou cavalry attacks!"

The marching team was still far from the Xishu Daofu City, and the team was advancing like a long dragon.

At the same time as the scouts were seen, a mass of black cavalry appeared on the northern horizon.

The men and horses were wearing black armor, holding lances and carrying long swords on their waists, and were rushing towards Li Yang's team at lightning speed.

Gu Jiantang said in a deep voice, "The Black Armor Army, Li Changan's trump card Black Armor Army!"

Li Changan's 5,000 elite Black Armor Army are all warriors at the peak of the fourth rank and the third rank, and are all elites with fusion templates.

The Black Armor Army, like the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, can switch between light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The current Black Armor Army is in the light cavalry state.

"The cavalry turned their horses around and protected the rear!"

Behind the team are 50,000 elite infantrymen, who are most afraid of cavalry attacks.

Zhao Kai was shocked. He didn't expect that Li Changan would actually send cavalry to launch a sneak attack quietly.

He took a look from a distance, then said with relief, "Don't be nervous, General. There are only about four or five thousand people."

"We have tens of thousands of cavalrymen, but we can't stop them."

Gu Jiantang didn't want to pay attention to this idiot. The Black Armor Army had defeated the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, and everyone in the world knew about it.

The fighting power of these five thousand men might be able to kill fifty thousand of his men!
Sure enough, the 5,000 Black Armor Army marched so fast that they even surpassed the scouts of the Liyang Army.

The scouts who brought the news had their chests crushed by horse spears, and were then trampled into meat paste by the Black Armor Army.

Li Yang's infantrymen had already felt the earth shaking. Under the orders of the officers, these infantrymen began to form a square formation, with the long spears in their hands forming a forest of spears. This was the most practical formation for infantrymen to resist cavalry.

The galloping Black Armor Army saw the Li Yang cavalry coming from an oblique direction, but their target remained unchanged, which was Li Yang's infantry phalanx.

The cavalry generals of Li Yang were both puzzled and contemptuous of the behavior of 5,000 cavalrymen charging an army of 100,000.

"Kill! Stop the rebels!"

"With only four or five thousand men, you dare to attack an army of one hundred thousand!"

"A frog in a well, a bumpkin who has never seen the world!"

But soon they couldn't laugh anymore.

Those Liyang cavalrymen who tried to stop the Black Armor Army were like hitting an iron wall and could not be stopped at all!
The Liyang cavalrymen who rushed in were all trampled by the Black Armor Army!

After more than a thousand cavalrymen were slaughtered, the remaining cavalrymen actually stopped their horses and dared not pursue anymore.

Watch as a torrent of five thousand steel soldiers charged into Li Yang's infantry formation!
Those spears raised high were easily cut off by the horse lances, and the black-armored warhorses stepped into the infantry formation without mercy!

The war horses galloped at high speed, crushing the infantrymen one by one, and the horse lance of the old soldier in black armor could kill several people with one swing!
Li Cunxiao took the lead. With every thrust of his spear, dozens of people were pierced through armor and flew out, then were trampled to pieces.

A black dragon of fighting spirit gradually formed above the infantry phalanx, and then rushed into the phalanx with a roar.

"Help!"

"There's a monster!"

"The rebels will summon monsters!"

After thousands of them were slaughtered, more than 50,000 infantrymen were actually dispersed.

The royal troops sent by Tai'an City were so vulnerable. The Black Armor Army attacked once, then turned around and attacked again!
It is not impossible for the Tang King's Black Armor Army to kill an army of 100,000 with only 50000 men!
Fortunately, Gu Jiantang was still there, and the cavalry did not disintegrate, but began to counterattack in an organized manner.

However, the Black Armor Army and the cavalry made light contact, and then began to charge and kill the infantry again, directly slaughtering half of the 50,000 to 60,000 infantry, and the remaining half fled in disarray.

The steel torrent that came and went like the wind, after a clash with the Liyang cavalry, suddenly withdrew from the battle and fled to the north.

Gu Jiantang didn't dare to pursue them at all. Even if there was no ambush, if these Black Armor Army who had not suffered much loss turned around again, it would be enough to cause them a lot of trouble.

Li Cunxiao followed Li Changan's order, killed a group of soldiers and ran away, and waited for the defeated soldiers to be gathered by Gu Jiantang again, and then killed another group!
When the Black Armor Army massacred the Liyang Army, Li Changan had already returned to the Beiliang Palace.

In an elegant room, Xu Zhihu was staring at the pond outside the window in a daze.

So many things have happened these days that she felt like she had lived through several lifetimes. The Beiliang Palace was burned down, and she was bound to become Li Changan's person without any accidents happening.

Now there is no turning back, and Xu Zhihu really has no idea what to do next.

A tall figure appeared at the door, and was attracted by Xu Zhihu's confused sigh.

"Princess, why are you sighing?"

Xu Zhihu looked at the handsome and gentle Li Changan, but she could not feel any hostility towards this man who was supposed to be her enemy.

How will she be treated? Will she be locked up like a plaything and be this man's plaything forever?

Is there any other possibility besides this?

"Your Highness, what do you plan to do with me?"

Li Changan walked to the bed, held the fair and soft hand in his hand, and stared into Xu Zhihu's panicked eyes, with tenderness and murderous intent in his eyes.

"I have asked you before, now that you are married, should you obey your husband or continue to obey your father?"

Xu Zhihu opened his lips, looking stunned, then thought for a moment, and his final answer was quite helpless.

"I... obey my husband."

(End of this chapter)