Chapter 394: Two Lis and Three Zhus
Jin State, Xinzhou.

Jing Xin Mo took the letter from the Bad Guy with a stunned look on his face and said in astonishment, “You don’t want to fight anymore?”

“The commander-in-chief has ordered that the situation in the Central Plains has changed. It is not appropriate to encourage Li Cunxu to launch a surprise attack on Bianliang. First, Hanzhong has been captured by Xiao Yan, and Shu is no longer a threat to him. The Liang army in Guanzhong can return at any time. Second, Xie Yanzhang of Luzhou and Wang Yanzhang of Hebei both lead heavy troops. If Li Cunxu cannot expand his victory in Bianliang, he is likely to be surrounded and annihilated in the heart of the Central Plains…”

The bad guy with one eye exposed spoke calmly: “Li Cunxu has missed the best opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Bianliang. What the commander needs now is to make Jin retain its strength and not fall too far behind in the subsequent battle between Jin and Liang.”

Mirror Heart Demon was speechless for a moment, staring blankly at the letter in his hand containing the military situation in Hanzhong. After a long time, he sighed bitterly: “Is this guy a human?”

Of course, the bad guy knew that Jing Xin Mo was talking about Xiao Yan, so he just kept his head down and said nothing.

“It’s not difficult to persuade Li Cunxu, but why doesn’t the commander-in-chief let Li Cunxu attack Hebei?” Jing Xin Mo asked puzzledly, “Now should be the best time to take Hebei.”

“Prince of Jin Li Keyong has come to his senses.” The bad man explained, “He first recalled Li Sizhao, sent Li Cunli away, and dispatched Zhou Dewei to Jinzhou. Taiyuan is now as solid as a rock, and he is preparing to break off relations with the commander-in-chief. Not long ago, a part of the Yaer Army was inexplicably transferred to the north. Their destination has not yet been discovered, but Li Keyong obviously has no good intentions.”

The latter continued, “At present, Li Maozhen has led Yelu Lage eastward to Yinshan. If Li Keyong also targets Li Maozhen and joins forces with him, Jin will inevitably lose control. The commander has already decided that instead of letting Li Maozhen help Yelu Lage to gain Mobei, it is better to continue to dig deeper into Li Siyuan’s line and force Mobei into Li Cunxu’s camp.”

Jing Xin Mo was startled, and his expression became serious. He said hurriedly: “Remind the commander-in-chief that Li Cunxu has great ambitions and is even more difficult to control than Li Keyong. He must not be allowed to stay!”

The bad guy said, “What the commander-in-chief means is that keeping Li Cunxu now will bring more benefits than disadvantages. There are many famous generals in Jin, but only Li Cunxu can fight against the Liang Dynasty. Compared with Li Siyuan, Li Cunxu can also quickly unify Jin without Li Keyong.”

“The Marshal is going to give up Li Siyuan?” Mirror Heart Demon asked.

“Regarding this point, I don’t know how the Marshal will plan it for now.”

“hiss……”

The Mirror Heart Demon knocked his forehead and finally nodded: “I understand. Go back and report to the commander-in-chief. Tell him about Li Siyuan’s movements. I need accurate information. How to force Shuliduo to turn to Jin also requires Li Siyuan’s cooperation.”

“Here.”

The bad guy left immediately, while Jing Xin Mo just paced back and forth in the room worriedly for a long time, until finally, he forced a smile and went to look for Li Cunxu.

——

The distance from Taiyuan to the Yinshan area is even farther, and one has to cross the vast mountains in the clouds. If one transfers via Hebei, the distance will be hundreds of miles longer, so the news will be even more delayed.

It was already mid-July when Shuliduo received the information about Hanzhong from Hebei.

However, at this time, Shuliduo was not in the mood to think about the meaning of this information, and he had no time to summon Li Siyuan for a talk.

Because the war is about to break out.

The month-long peace made the various tribes in Mobei who were accompanying the army feel a little relieved. They were no longer worried that the Jin army would suddenly march north. However, they were dissatisfied with Shulido for staying in Yinshan for too long.

The civil war in Mobei that year was caused by the fact that the various tribes were dissatisfied with Yelu Abaoji’s plan to replace the Khan election system with a hereditary system. When they heard that Yelu Abaoji’s troops had died in Hebei, they rose up and supported Yelu Lagu as the Great Khan to attack Shulido, who was ambitious and wanted to turn the grassland into a family empire.

Later, a great defeat was suffered at the Wuluan River, and the seven tribes supporting Yelu Lagu collapsed. Yelu Lagu, who was known for his 100,000 iron cavalry, was like a paper-made creature in front of the southerner Xiao Yan. They fled all the way from the south of the desert to the royal court. In the end, he was so frightened that he dared not even ask for the throne and fled in embarrassment.

As a result, the grassland was frightened by the terrifying power of the Khan in the south, and not only did it need to support Yelu Abaoji’s son to become the King of Mobei again, but also had to accept Shuliduo’s regency.

Shuliduo and Xiao Yan formed a powerful alliance and promoted trade, winning over many small tribes. This stabilized the situation a little and made the various tribes hold back their resentment for the time being. Even this time when they were delayed in Yinshan, all parties had to swallow their anger for fear of Xiao Yan, who was behind Shuliduo.

But just when Shulido was preparing to return to the grassland after waiting for a long time for Li Siyuan’s conclusion, Yelu Lage suddenly arrived at Yinshan!

In just half a day, Yelu Lage defeated the tribal army led by Shuliduo’s younger brother Xiao Dilu, who was severely injured and most of his troops were killed or wounded. Yelu Lage quickly surrendered the two armies, and then marched eastward along the river with great fanfare, heading towards Shuliduo’s main camp in Baishui Luo.

It was actually difficult for Yelu Lagu’s elite troops to defeat Xiao Dilu, who was once regarded as Yelu Abaoji’s right-hand man. In fact, this was true. As soon as the two sides fought, Yelu Lagu’s central army quickly fell into a disadvantage. But soon a well-equipped cavalry of more than a thousand suddenly rushed to the battlefield and attacked Xiao Dilu’s flank. If Xiao Dilu had not had his personal soldiers fighting to protect him, he would have been nearly beheaded by the commander of this cavalry.

After Xiao Dilu was defeated, Yelu Lage seized more than a thousand good horses from the Mobei Army. He was very powerful and defeated several tribal armies loyal to Shuliduo one after another. Then he marched quickly, conquering people along the way. He marched twenty miles in half a day and soon approached Baishui Luo, making the people of various tribes who were originally dissatisfied with Shuliduo ready to make a move.

Fortunately, Zhao Siwen, the chief general of the Han army in Mobei, and Yelu general Yelu Helu stabilized the situation in time. The Han army first confronted Yelu Lagu across the river, while Yelu Helu led his troops to encircle the enemy. The two routes responded to each other and engaged in a bloody battle with Yelu Lagu, forcing Yelu Lagu to retreat in a hurry.

But what was surprising was that the reason why Yelu Lage was defeated was that he, the self-proclaimed Great Khan, was unable to mobilize the elite cavalry that had previously defeated Xiao Dilu, or in other words, the latter simply ignored Yelu Lage’s military orders.

While the two sides were engaged in a bloody battle, more than a thousand elite cavalrymen drove northward, crossed the lake area north of Baishui Luo, and headed south directly for the Shulido camp.

Zhao Siwen and Yelu Helu hurried back without mentioning that their cavalry had defeated several tribes in Mobei until their younger brother Yaonian led Shuliduo’s personal guards to attack, and their advance was temporarily blocked.

“Queen, I will protect you from the sharp edge for a while!”

On the watchtower of Mobei Camp, Shili Qixiang was so anxious that he jumped up and down when he saw that Shuliduo could still calmly look at the battlefield several miles away.

“These can’t be Yelu Lage’s men…”

Shulido just covered his forehead with his hands and looked at the elite cavalry who were fighting fiercely with his brother Yaonian. His brother Yaonian also led cavalry, and they were the Orudo Palace Guards who were responsible for protecting Shulido. They were elite troops that had been formed with great difficulty over the past year.

But at this time, the two cavalry units were fighting fiercely. Orudo was unable to do anything to the other cavalry unit. Because of the lack of numbers, he was actually at a disadvantage.

“Whose soldiers did Yelu Lage borrow?” Shuliduo couldn’t help but mutter to himself, thinking secretly.

Shili Qixiang was extremely anxious. She stepped forward and whispered, “Queen Dowager, now that the tribes have heard that Yelu Lage has suddenly returned, they are all ready to make a move. The tribes that were easily surrendered by Yelu Lage are proof of this! If the palace guards are defeated again and the enemy forces approach the main camp, I am worried that the tribes may have second thoughts! For the sake of the future, Queen Dowager, please stay out of the spotlight for a while!”

“…” Shuliduo glanced at Shiliqixiang and said slowly, “If I retreat, I will fulfill the wish of the commander of this cavalry. Yelu Lage only has a thousand cavalrymen, and the rest of the troops are bandits. Zhao Siwen’s Han army alone can crush them. If I retreat because of a thousand cavalrymen, how can I manage the grassland?”

Shili Qixiang had no choice but to stay beside Shuliduo and watch carefully, fearing that someone would suddenly rebel and offer the queen mother to the enemy. Shuliduo was not afraid, but after watching for a while, he suddenly pointed forward and said, “This commander is brave. If brother Yaoyan loses, he must be no match for him. Let Aogu deal with him.”

Shili Qixiang also looked up and saw the battlefield a few miles away, with smoke rising and flags waving. The cavalry of the two sides were fighting fiercely. But neither side could break through the other’s line. At this time, a group of people suddenly rushed into the depths of the Ordos. The number of people was not large, but they were able to charge left and right among nearly a thousand Ordos, and almost no soldiers could stop them. They were very powerful.

But if you look closely, you can clearly see that the entire group of people and horses relied on the fighting of the rider in the front. They were able to do their best by following the bloody path opened by that rider. And that rider was clearly dressed in armor, just like a commander of an army.

Shili Qixiang was shocked. If she hadn’t known that was impossible, she would have thought that it was Khan Xiao who was breaking through the enemy’s formation just based on that handsome and brave figure!
They are actually somewhat similar!
I guess Shulido also had this illusion, which is why he sent out Yelu Zhiwu without hesitation.

Shili Qixiang did not dare to delay and quickly sent someone to invite Yelu Zhiwu to fight. The latter had no objection and even did not change his cumbersome robes before riding out of the camp alone.

It was because Shili Qixiang was worried that Yelu Zhiwu would not be able to identify the target after entering the battlefield that she sent a few riders to escort her.

As soon as Yelu Zhiwu came on the battlefield, the situation suddenly turned to the side of the Ordos. She charged into the battle, and the Ordos who passed by consciously made way for her. As she approached the center of the battlefield, a group of enemy cavalry who tried to intercept her suddenly dispersed inexplicably, and countless people and horses trampled on each other and ran around. Steaming blood flew in the air, blood mist floated in the sky, and broken limbs and arms instantly fell to the battlefield with wailing.

It took her no more than half a quarter of an hour from the time she entered the battle to the time she found the enemy cavalry commander. Moreover, the way she rode forward looked as if she had never been in a fight. If it weren’t for the blood flowing along the edges of the demon-subduing pestle in her hand, it would have looked like a blooming blood lotus from a distance, as if she was really just a passerby who had accidentally strayed into the battlefield.

Too fierce…

Even though she had known that Yelu Zhiwu was powerful, Shili Qixiang couldn’t help but feel impressed and was very envious. Looking around, she realized that the leaders, chiefs, and generals who were watching the battle in the camp were also shocked by Yelu Zhiwu for a moment, and her tense mood relaxed a little.

Shuliduo had great confidence in Yelu Zhiwu and did not show any surprise. Instead, her expression became serious.

Because she saw that the commander of the cavalry, after seeing Yelu Zhiwu’s powerful entry, not only did he not retreat, but instead took the initiative to kill the latter.

wrong!

In just a moment, a gust of air exploded in the center of the battlefield. Countless people saw with their own eyes countless clouds of dust rising up. Many knights from both sides who were fighting were thrown off their horses by the gust of air, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

And suddenly, amidst the smoke and dust, a slender and tall figure was seen sliding out, and only stopped after being about ten feet away.

It’s Yelu Zhiwu!

In front of her, there was a handsome figure with one hand behind his back, slowly walking out of the smoke and dust, looking at Yelu Zhiwu from afar, and seemed to be saying something.

Shuliduo’s face suddenly changed, and countless Mobei people who were watching the battle in the camp exclaimed in surprise. Obviously, no one would have thought that Aogu, the great shaman known as the number one person in Mobei, would actually be at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight!

Fortunately, it seemed that Yelu Zhiwu was only in a weak position because of a little carelessness when they first met. He just jumped out and started fighting with the man again.

However, even if this is the case, it is enough to show that the man’s strength is definitely not inferior to Yelu Zhiwu! In this way, Yelu Zhiwu’s strategic goal of reversing the decline of Oruduo cannot be achieved for the time being!
Shili Qixiang was also stunned for a moment. The shock she felt at this moment was no less than the shock she felt when she learned in Yuyang that Yelu Zhiwu was captured by Xiao Yan!

“Does your Majesty know who the man was who fought against the Great Shaman?”

Looking downstairs, a cunning laugh suddenly came from afar.

Shuliduo narrowed his eyes and looked back, and saw Li Siyuan and Shi Jingtang being stopped by a group of guards not far from the watchtower.

“Queen Mother, don’t let this man get too close.” Shili Qixiang reminded in a low voice: “This Li Siyuan is quite skilled in martial arts, and he has ulterior motives. He is definitely not a good person.”

In this regard, Shuliduo did not insist on his own opinion, so he just asked Shili Qixiang to ask Li Siyuan what he meant by what he had just said, and asked Li Siyuan not to make loud noises so as not to disturb the morale of the soldiers in the camp.

However, after Shili Qixiang brought Li Siyuan’s answer, Shuliduo was still surprised.

“Prince Qi Li Maozhen?”

After hearing this news, Shuliduo instantly understood why Yelu Lage was able to lead his men back to the grassland, so she frowned and said, “Are the reinforcements Yelu Lage brought in from the Qi Kingdom?
Shili Qixiang was unable to answer for a moment, and only whispered: “Li Siyuan said that he has a way to resolve the current crisis, but he needs to talk to the Queen Mother…”

Then she said, “Queen Mother, I think…”

“Let him come up.” Shuliduo did not hesitate, and waved Li Siyuan to go up to the watchtower.

“Does your Majesty know that there was once a master in my Central Plains martial arts world?”

Li Siyuan didn’t keep the secret, and said with a smile: “The so-called King of Jin, King of Qi and King of Ghost are the three kings of the Central Plains. There is also such a theory about the level of martial arts. After my adoptive father’s leg disease, King of Qi Li Maozhen has been known as the best in the Central Plains. Your aunt Ao is caught in the war. Isn’t the Queen Mother afraid or in any danger?”

Shili Qixiang sneered: “No matter how powerful he is, he is alone. Once Zhao Siwen and General Yelu Helu return, they can kill him in an instant. What is there to be afraid of?”

Li Siyuan smiled and said, “In that case, I will leave.”

“Wait…” Shulido finally frowned and spoke, but at this moment, a roar suddenly came from the battlefield in the distance, as if a thunder hit the earth, with a loud bang.

Not only Shulido turned around instantly, but Li Siyuan also looked up in surprise, along with countless people in the camp, looking in that direction.

In the center of the battlefield, there was a scene of blood flowing like a river. The bodies of people and horses were overlapped and smashed to pieces. The broken limbs and flesh were piled up in the gurgling blood, and the air was filled with blood.

Li Maozhen took a few steps back, shielding his eyes from the wind and sand with his hands, and squinted at the tall figure that seemed to have fallen from the sky.

The latter was surrounded by ghostly aura, with a black face, red hair, and a particularly eye-catching blood-red beard. His figure was particularly tall, and he was even an inch taller than Li Maozhen.

The man did not even look at Yelu Zhiwu who was staring at him with her head tilted not far away. He just put one hand behind his back, grabbed the neck of a Yaer Army knight with the other hand and raised him high, then threw him away and glanced at Li Maozhen.

“Someone told this king that you can be killed here.”

(End of this chapter)