In the large account of the Third Prince of Wala, the ministers came to report hurriedly.
"Oh, how many people did they leave?"
"My subordinates are looking at it. Almost all the cavalry have been mobilized and left."
"Very good! Then, it will be our turn to take action next, hehehe..."
…
Under the blue sky, vast smoke and dust rolled in again.
All the soldiers up and down the Zhanghe beach immediately gathered their spirits and prepared for battle.
However, after seeing the enemy's face clearly, all the soldiers couldn't help but tremble in their hearts.
Just because it was not inferior to the cavalry formation that appeared in the morning, it was also accompanied by a large number of infantry.
This is true for the soldiers, not to mention the civil servants of the mission, palace maids, eunuchs, and logistics servants in the central area above the river beach.
In the big tent, Xiang He urgently summoned the people in charge to discuss countermeasures.
"What should I do? What should I do? The imperial envoy has not returned yet. Now, the total number of soldiers in the camp is only more than a thousand, and almost all of them are soldiers.
As for the Tatars outside, their number is at least three to four thousand, and we're afraid they won't be able to stop them.
If we let them break through the defense line, we will give up!"
The civil servants were submissive and wailed to the sky.
I originally thought that as envoys from a higher state, they would go all the way to Oara. Although the journey was a bit more difficult, at least when they arrived at Oara, they would be treated with the highest standards. Maybe they could also enjoy some exotic customs.
Who knew that now that I didn’t feel the exotic customs, I saw the alien blade first!
At this time, when I heard the comparison of strength again, the thick haze couldn't be removed, and the breath of death shrouded the body and mind.
"Master Xiang, what should we do now..."
Facing his colleagues' questioning, Xiang He smiled bitterly and steeled himself to ask about the situation.
After hearing that the enemy did not attack immediately, but surrounded them all, Xiang He sighed: "Now we can only resist with all our lives. If we can hold on until the imperial envoy or reinforcements arrive, we can still do it."
There is a glimmer of hope.
If not...
Everyone, maybe today is the time for you and I to be loyal to His Majesty and to the Wei Dynasty!"
Xiang He's words silenced everyone in the tent.
Suddenly someone said: "Master Xiang, since the enemy did not attack immediately, do you think you can find someone to go out and negotiate with the other party...
If the other party’s purpose is just to make money, then maybe we can save money and avoid disaster.”
After hearing this, many people remained silent.
Because the possibility of this is too low.
The enemy in front of us looked like a regular Tatar army, numbering in the thousands. How could it be that they were rogue bandits seeking money?
"The Sword Comes"
But the hope of surviving still made them unopposed.
Xiang He sighed inwardly. Although he knew the chance was slim, how could he be willing to die if he could live?
Perhaps, the enemy may not want to fight them to the death. After all, the total number of people in the camp is two to three thousand. If they really fight, the enemy may not be happy!
It doesn't hurt to see what their purpose is.
So Xiang He asked who dared to be an envoy.
No one answered, everyone looked at him.
Xiang He was speechless, so he could only pack up and go to the enemy's formation.
The closer Xiang He got to the enemy formation, the heavier his heart became.
Those tall and powerful horses and the dark weapons gave him a great sense of oppression.
Fortunately, the other party seemed to know his purpose and had no intention of attacking him.
After hearing his intention, a seven-foot strong man walked slowly over with a black horse on his back, his eyes stern.
"Who are you?"
The Wei State has been entangled with the Tatars and Wala for hundreds of years, and there are many people who are well versed in the Mongolian language.
On this mission, there is naturally no shortage of such people in the mission.
"I am an official of the Wei Dynasty. May I ask who you are and why you are disturbing us?"
This alliance and marriage with Oara was a military secret, and Xiang He did not take the initiative to disclose it until he was sure that the other party knew about it.
The black horse general touched the sword on his waist and deliberately let Xiang He see clearly the Tatar totem on it. The meaning is self-evident.
After making sure that Xiang He had seen clearly, he smiled and said: "Our leader has always been hospitable, and I heard that the princess of your country has come to the grassland. Our leader specially prepared drinks and ordered us to come to welcome the princess and all the distinguished guests.
I hope you will respect me and don’t betray our leader’s good intentions.”
Xu saw that what his boss said was interesting, and the soldiers on the left and right couldn't help laughing.
Some seemed to have thought of something, with lewd expressions on their faces.
Xiang He's face darkened, and his heart sank at the same time.
Even the princess knew about the other party, so he was obviously well prepared.
There is no room for maneuver in things.
He suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "Thank you for your kindness, sir. It's just that I have other important matters, so I can't accompany you."
"Haha, that's not up to you."
The black horse general said something, and the knights on the left and right immediately took a step forward and looked at Xiang He with eager eyes.
Xiang He's face changed, and he said sternly: "Do you want to provoke a war between the two countries again? Have you forgotten the pain of the Wei Dynasty's conquest last year?"
The dark horse general's face turned cold, and he raised his hand to stop him. Ran He sneered and said: "How dare you speak harshly when you are about to die. Go back, I will give you a quarter of an hour, or put down your weapons and come to my grassland as a guest.
Either..."
A cruel smile appeared on the lips of the black horse general. He pulled out the sword from his waist and gently stroked it: "Or let me chop off your heads one by one."
"you……!"
After all, Xiang He was a Confucian scholar and civil servant, not good at changing things, so he suppressed his anger and returned to the camp.
Others found out about the outcome of the negotiation and were in a dilemma.
"Otherwise, we will just agree to them... Anyway, we can't defeat them..."
A man suggested in a low voice, and from his lowered head, it was not difficult to see that he understood what his proposal meant.
surrender!
If you can't fight, then surrender.
What a simple and smart choice.
Xiang He looked at him in shock, and then realized in a daze that although the others around him did not speak, their eyes expressed their same cowardice and fear of death.
"Confused! You, you are wasting your royal salary and saying such things, how can you be worthy of being a minister of my great Wei Dynasty!"
Xiang He scolded, but the man was so ashamed that he suddenly raised his head and said angrily: "Do you think I am willing to do this?
If the Imperial Envoy is still here and we still have the strength to fight, I will never propose this.
But the current situation is that the imperial envoy has taken away all the elites. What can the remaining troops do?
If we really want to fight, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out even a stick of incense...
Does Mr. Xiang want to watch everyone die innocently?"
In the face of life and death, whether to fight or surrender, there is never the only choice.
At least, the current leaders of the camp are not all brave men who are not afraid of death and dare to sacrifice their lives for the country.
Therefore, when Xiang He was speechless by this person, others also expressed their opinions.
"By the way, why did the Imperial Envoy leave just now? Could it be that he knew something in advance, so..."
A person suddenly made a suspicious sound.
There was a sudden silence in the tent.
Everyone knows what he means.
Xiang He was stunned, "What do you mean? General Zhu was trapped in Yinmulin. The situation was urgent, and the Imperial Envoy led people to rush to rescue. This matter was decided upon by us together. Er'an dares to speculate and slander the Imperial Envoy at will!"
This place is the boundary of Oara territory, and there are people from Oara in the mission. Zhu Dahe was besieged before, and based on the location information brought back by the soldiers asking for help, they were naturally able to determine where Zhu Dahe was besieged.
Jia Lian also found a guide and took the cavalry away with the purpose of going back quickly.
Although Xiang He's scolding stopped the man's words of inciting military morale, the seeds of doubt suddenly took root in everyone's hearts.
Yes, as soon as the imperial envoy left, the enemy came.
Could it be that the imperial envoy knew that there was danger and therefore fled for his life in advance?
No wonder the imperial envoy refused to let several commanders go to the rescue and insisted on going there himself.
Perhaps he had foreseen such a situation and had withdrawn in advance.
With so many cavalry under his command, even if he encounters enemies on the way, even if he rushes to kill them, he can still return to Ganning Pass safely...
The Imperial Envoy has abandoned all of them!
Once such an idea came to mind, several generals no longer had the will to fight, and all of them looked sluggish.
When Xiang He saw this, his heart was filled with despair.
If it were said before, they could still fight to the death. Even if they lost, they still had to cut off a layer of the enemy's skin.
Now, there is no hope.
None of these people inside the tent have the will to fight, let alone those outside.
If he persists in his obsession, I'm afraid these people in front of him can chop him into pieces without the enemy taking action...
"The princess is here!"
Princess Zhaoyang slowly stepped into the big tent. Facing the different expressions of the people in the tent, she walked quietly to the end as if she knew everything, then turned around and looked at everyone.
"I also know the situation outside.
Now in the camp, even if we include the Imperial Guards around me, the number of available troops is less than two thousand.
The enemy numbered four to five thousand, and half of them were cavalry.
The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is too great. If we fight, we have no chance of winning."
Hearing Princess Zhaoyang say this, the few people in the tent who wanted to give it a try hesitated.
"So, I have a proposal."
Hearing Princess Zhaoyang speak, everyone bowed their heads and listened.
"You are all wise men of our Wei Dynasty, or brave generals.
Since you are destined to fail if you fight, you can't die in vain.
I believe you all know in your heart that I may be the only target of these Tatars.
So, you now have a choice.
By handing me over, maybe I can give you a chance to survive."
Princess Zhaoyang's voice was calm, revealing a touch of sarcasm, and seemed to have a hint of resignation.
She just said as if she had nothing to do with her own business, "You don't have to feel sorry.
This time when I went to Wala to get married, I was here for the great Wei Dynasty.
Now that we are in deep danger, if I can save thousands of our great men in the Wei Dynasty with my own body, so that they can continue to be loyal to the country in the future, I will die without regrets."
After Princess Zhaoyang finished speaking, the tent fell into a brief silence, and everyone's face was filled with excitement.
Suddenly, a person knelt down heavily and cried in a deep voice: "My lord, you deserve to die!
Your Highness, please take back what you just said. I will protect Your Highness to the death and never allow Your Highness to fall into the hands of bandits!"
A man of insight, a brave general, a good man of Wei...
These words, spoken from Princess Zhaoyang's mouth, made everyone feel ashamed and wished they could dig a crack in the ground to get in.
In the face of life and death, these six-foot-tall men who have read poetry and books and are deeply educated in loyalty and patriotism, there is no woman who is more courageous and calm.
In vain, they have been singing "eating the emperor's salary and being loyal to the emperor".
Now that the safety of Her Royal Highness the Princess depends on them, they actually try to surrender to the enemy in order to survive!
Don't they know what will happen to the princess if she falls into the hands of those Tatars?
No, they all know.
No one said it before, it was just their selective forgetfulness.
"boom"
"Bang bang..."
A series of kneeling sounds made countless knee holes on the ground of the tent.
"I, my ministers, are willing to protect Your Majesty to the death!"
"I, my ministers, are willing to protect Your Majesty to the death!"
Will is a two-level thing.
One moment, I was depressed and depressed.
At this moment, it can send out a shocking power.
Seeing all the civil servants and generals kneeling down, and seeing the will to die on all of their faces, Xiang He suddenly understood in his heart what it means to lead an army and receive awards!
Just like in the morning, facing a strong enemy, under the leadership of Jia Lian, everyone worked together and won the battle without any surprise.
I originally thought that no one was willing to listen to him just now, and everyone was depressed because the situation was so bad.
Now that Princess Zhaoyang has arrived, just a few words have reignited everyone's fighting spirit...
Although it was a bit frustrating to realize his own shortcomings, looking at his colleagues who were looking forward to death, boundless pride emerged in his heart.
Okay, this is worthy of being the civil servants and generals of our great Wei Dynasty!
So with a bang, he knelt down with the others.
Facing everyone's oath of allegiance, Princess Zhaoyang was silent for a moment and said: "You know, everyone may lose their lives in this way."
"Be loyal to His Highness, and I will have no regrets even if I die!"
"Death without regrets!"
Facing everyone's eager and passionate eyes, Princess Zhaoyang's eyes were deep and she suddenly turned around to look at the attendant.
A nearby attendant hurriedly presented a sword inlaid with gold and jade.
Princess Zhaoyang took the sharp sword, drew her right hand and raised it to the sky, saying in a deep voice: "I will bear in mind your loyalty to the Wei Dynasty.
In this case, let me and you all live and die together!"
Everyone in the tent looked up, and in a daze, they saw that Her Highness the Princess was actually dressed in a military uniform, with a sharp sword unsheathed, like an invincible general who had been on the battlefield for a long time!
The princess is like this, let alone the ministers?
Being able to be loyal to the country and to such a highness, at this moment, even death seems to have become calmer.
In front of the enemy's tent, which is far away from the main camp.
"General, the time has come, do you want to wait any longer..."
"No."
The general shook his head and smiled. He had already clearly seen that the other side had changed from being in a hurry at first to actively deploying defenses.
He didn't expect that the Wei people, who had always been weak, could still have such fighting spirit in the face of such pressure from his army.
I originally thought of fighting without bloodshed, but it's a pity...
"Send the order and the whole army will attack. No one will be left except women."
The ordering soldiers immediately ran to deliver the order.
The black horse general said to the generals on the left and right: "The prince is still in their camp. You should be careful and don't hurt the prince!"