My vicious dog, my horse, I can do whatever I want with it

Chapter 206 What a pity...

"The Northern Army suddenly chased after us and disrupted our formation." Lei Jiliang said quickly, "General Lu Hao and General Dong Haoqiang took a different route. I thought the two generals would catch up with us immediately."

"We have already reunited with General Long, and we haven't seen General Lu Hao for a long time." Lei Jiliang was also anxious. He and Wang Yi as well as the Wuhuan and other tribes had already withdrawn from the camp. On the one hand, he was worried that Zong Yanli, who was left behind, might be in danger, and on the other hand, he was anxious about why Lu Hao had taken a wrong path and had not returned yet?

Lei Jiliang was worried that they were trapped in the enemy's formation and could not escape. After discussing with Long Feiguang, Lei Jiliang asked for help without any hesitation.

As soon as he came over, he met Zong Yanli. When he turned around, he did not see Lu Hao following Zong Yanli, so he became a little anxious.

"Which fork in the road did they take?" Zong Yanli's heart was pounding and he turned around to ask.

"It's the direction you came from, General!" Lei Jiliang was also confused and spoke quickly.

Zong Yanli turned around and looked back, only to see the massive enemy army. She had not seen any trace of Lu Hao and the others since she had fought her way out. Since they were traveling with Dong Haoqiang, they could not be easily detained. Moreover, she had attracted a lot of attention in the front camp. Could they still be surrounded?

Zong Yanli forced himself to remain calm, and after roughly understanding the situation, he turned his horse's head and said, "Come on, follow me back!"

"General!" Monkie hurriedly stopped him and said, "It's too dangerous to go back. General, you and Brother Nian go first. I'll go with General Lei!"

"Lu Hao has not yet withdrawn his troops, and I am afraid that he is in great danger. If you two are killed again, even if I leave, I will be defeated here!" Zong Yanli said with a stern face and a very calm look in his eyes: "Let's go together. If we can't find Lu Hao's trace, we will leave!"

She is not a weak person, and she will never cause chaos because of a momentary sense of loyalty.

Zong Yanli had thought about it before giving the order to go back, and it was also the last struggle in her heart, the belief that she would never abandon or give up her brothers.

If she has made efforts but still fails to change, she will not regret it!

"Let's go!" Zong Yanli turned his horse's head and led Lei Jiliang and others to gallop down the steep slope on the side and rushed towards the direction of the enemy pursuers.

"Hey!" Seeing this scene, Monkie gritted his teeth, his eyes full of heavy anxiety. He raised his hand, flicked the whip, and followed closely behind.

Zong Yanli and others hurried along the mountain road, and finally after walking for nearly two quarters of an hour they heard a fire ahead. This place was like a concave valley, and two armies were fighting fiercely below. Those trapped in the valley were Lu Hao, Dong Haoqiang and others.

However, the battle situation below is extremely dangerous. Thousands of soldiers are now trapped in this valley, with only a few hundred left struggling to hold on.

Under the firelight, Dong Haoqiang was still fighting hard despite being stabbed several times, and the flag that was burned by the fire was incomplete.

Zong Yanli searched all the way here, and after so much time he finally found them. He saw with his own eyes the rubble gathered on the hillside. The enemy soldiers were raising their blades fiercely, and under Zong Yanli's horrified gaze, they cut the ropes that bound the pile of rubble.

"Ahaha!!!" Seeing this scene, Monk's eyes turned red and he rushed down the hillside roaring.

"Kill them!" Zong Yanli's eyes suddenly turned red, and he threw the long knife in his hand towards the enemy in front who was about to cut the rope again.

Bah——!

That was the sound of a sword piercing flesh.

Lu Hao, who was trapped in the valley, heard the familiar angry shout. He looked sideways in the direction of the sound and saw that one of his eyes was covered in blood due to a sword injury. Only one eye was left, trying to see clearly the military flag that was erected for him in the dark.

He saw the Wolf-Fault long sword that seemed to have cut through the blood mist and appeared before his eyes.

"General, here they come..." A low and hoarse voice came out from his throat. At this moment, Lu Hao felt as if his whole body was injected with fanatical blood. He stared at the enemy in front of him fiercely, no longer afraid of life or death!

His general is coming!!!

The deafening roar sounded behind Lu Hao. He froze and turned his head to see the rubble and firewood piles rolling down the hillside.

The night became pitch black, and he suddenly saw a figure rushing towards him. The next moment, he heard the dull sound of huge pieces of rubble hitting his body. However, Lu Hao did not feel the pain at all. He opened one eye and saw Dong Haoqiang who knocked him down.

"Wow!" Large mouthfuls of blood spurted out of Dong Haoqiang's mouth, and the rubble rolling down from behind him had not yet stopped.

"Boom!" Monkie reached his limit, calmed down and took a horse stance, then opened his arms to block the falling rubble.

Zong Yanli jumped up on the horse's back and chopped down the rubble that Monk had blocked with the long sword in his hand.

A huge roar sounded, Zong Yanli turned around and used her body to protect Dong Haoqiang, letting the tiny pieces of stone hit her. The slight dull pain made her unable to care, and she turned around to look at Dong Haoqiang and Lu Hao: "Is there anything wrong!?"

"Dong Haoqiang!" Zong Yanli stretched out his hand and grabbed Dong Haoqiang's shoulders, only then did he see that he had been hit by arrows on the back and chest. With the block just now, the arrow directly penetrated his flesh and stabbed into his internal organs.

Zong Yanli's pupils shrank, he opened his mouth but without saying a word, he stretched out his hand, put Dong Haoqiang's arm on his shoulders, and carried him onto the horse.

Monk immediately picked up Lu Hao, and then heard Lu Hao say, "I can walk!"

Monk paused and saw that although Lu Hao's body was covered in blood, he did not have any fatal injuries. He nodded and helped Lu Hao get on the horse.

Lei Jiliang and Wen Nian led their men to clear an open space on the left and right sides. In such chaos, they protected the remaining troops and broke out of the encirclement, and finally withdrew.

Zong Yanli carried Dong Haoqiang in front. All he could hear was the sound of the cold wind and the slightly stiff body temperature of Dong Haoqiang behind him.

She had never wanted to run faster and faster.

Military doctor, find a military doctor.

"Zong Yan, Zong Yanli..." Not knowing how far he had run, Zong Yanli keenly heard Dong Haoqiang's voice calling from behind, with a faint sound mixed with breath.

"Stop." Zong Yanli stopped his horse, found a hidden place under the bushes and laid Dong Haoqiang flat on the ground.

In order to avoid being detected by the enemy pursuers, they did not light torches, and she could not see anything in the dim night.

Wen Nian squatted down immediately and took out a fire starter from his arms, slightly blocking the firelight to illuminate Dong Haoqiang's face.

Dong Haoqiang's face was covered in blood. He opened his eyes as if he wanted to see the faces of Zong Yanli and the others clearly, but from the faint firelight, he could only see a few figures with their heads leaning against him.

Dong Haoqiang suddenly felt like laughing. There were dried blood stains on his cracked lips. His eyes were a little distracted. He closed his eyes and said, "It was...it was Duan Yuanqing who proposed that the march...the path...the pursuit troops..."

"What?" Zong Yanli couldn't hear clearly and bent down to hear more clearly.

She reached out and pulled off her helmet visor, put her ear close to Dong Haoqiang's mouth, and heard his whisper: "It's so cold..."

Zong Yanli's heart trembled, and he reached out and held Dong Haoqiang's almost cold hand.

He continued, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have... shouldn't have kept him..."

"Zong Yanli, I am so disappointed that I didn't get to see you conquer the world...

"what a pity."

Zong Yanli held Dong Haoqiang's hand tightly and said, "Don't be afraid, I will take you back, Dong Haoqiang! Open your eyes!"

Dong Haoqiang's eyelids gradually became heavy. In this bone-chilling cold wind, he seemed to feel a rare warmth and could no longer feel the cold. The shouts of Zong Yanli, Meng Qi and others in his ears seemed to be dispersed by the warmth.

Until it disappears completely.

The tinderbox was blown out by the cold wind, and the scene before my eyes was plunged into darkness again.

Zong Yanli lowered his head. In the darkness, he could only see Dong Haoqiang lying there quietly, without any sound.

"Go home, go home." After what seemed like a long time, Zong Yanli reached out and lifted Dong Haoqiang up again, helped him onto the horse's back and said, "Let's go."

The howling of the north wind was particularly clear at this moment. When Zong Yanli and others appeared in front of the camp, Long Feiguang and others who had been looking forward to it all breathed a sigh of relief.

Zong Yanli was not wearing a mask, and her face was covered in blood under the firelight. When they saw Zong Yanli personally holding a person and placing him on the ground, Long Feiguang and others' eyes trembled and they all looked down, and what they saw was Dong Haoqiang's almost frozen, bloodless face.

"We should not stay here for long. The enemy's movements are unknown." Zong Yanli stood in front of everyone, looking at them with a stern face and said, "Retreat to Shanping Pass overnight and set up defenses at Juqu River to resist the external enemies."

"Light the beacon fire and ask for help at Anzhou Pass." Zong Yanli was clear-headed and calm as he issued the order: "Send the food and fodder through Danlin outside Taicheng to prevent the enemy from blocking the food supply route."

"The army will be divided into three groups and march in three different directions to reduce the load and conserve energy."

"Leave immediately."

All the soldiers stood still and responded respectfully. With the arrival of Zong Yanli, the lights in the army seemed to become particularly eye-catching. The soldiers no longer had any hesitation and only needed to obey the general.

Zong Yanli turned around and asked Wen Nian to take the wounded soldiers away, then closed his eyes and said: "General Dong died bravely for his country until his last drop of blood was shed!"

She stood in front of Dong Haoqiang's corpse, staring at the road of withdrawal, as if she wanted to pass through the darkness and look towards the distant north.

"One day, I will walk this road." Zong Yanli's tone was firm and passionate, as if a raging blood was burning in her body: "Lead the heroic souls of my brothers and bring them back home from this land!"

"Trampling the North!"

The pairs of eyes behind him looking at him were burning with enthusiasm. When they saw Zong Yanli standing in the firelight and under the military flag, there seemed to be a raging fire in their dark pupils.

"Trampling the North!"

"Let's go home together--!"

Zong Yanli collected Dong Haoqiang's remains, erected a blank stone tablet on the hill, and packed up his belongings and sent them back to his home.

Zong Yanli looked at the blank stone tablet and said, "When I conquer the world, I will carve a tablet for you."

"This is the world we conquer together."

"Dong Haoqiang, can you trust me?"

Zong Yanli smiled slightly, lowered his eyes for a long time before turning around and asking, "How is Lu Hao's injury?"

Gao Feilin stepped forward and replied, "The injury was serious. One of his eyes was blinded, but it was not fatal. It was said that General Dong blocked the boulder for Lu Hao, so he was able to save his life."

Zong Yanli's eyes darkened, and he squinted and asked, "Is he awake?"

Gao Feilin nodded, and Zong Yanli turned and walked towards the camp for the wounded. Gao Feilin looked at Zong Yanli, who was covered in blood, and couldn't see clearly whether she had any wounds. He wanted to say something but held back, and silently followed Zong Yanli into the camp for the wounded.

Lu Hao had just bandaged his wound. His left eye was completely damaged and wrapped in gauze. When he saw Zong Yanli coming, he immediately struggled to get up.

Zong Yanli reached out to stop Lu Hao, turned around and asked the others to wait outside, then sat down on the chair in front of Lu Hao and said, "Danger areas are the most taboo when marching. You are veterans who have led the army for many years. How could you make such a mistake on the way to retreat and enter such a dangerous place?"

Lu Hao opened his mouth, but lowered his head with a dry voice, not knowing how to speak.

"Lu Hao, I have no intention of holding you accountable." Zong Yanli calmed down, took a deep breath and said, "Based on my understanding of you and Dong Haoqiang, I would never be so reckless."

"General Dong risked his life to save me..." Lu Hao really didn't know what to say.

"It is precisely because he risked his life to save you that I want to know clearly." Zong Yanli thought of what Dong Haoqiang said before he died. The fragmented words were blown away by the north wind and she could not hear them clearly. She seemed to hear a few words vaguely and had some guesses in her mind, but could not piece them together.

She wanted to know all the circumstances, and stared at Lu Hao with a serious expression and said, "Today I want to ask you about everything that happened from the time the enemy attacked the camp to the time I ordered the withdrawal."

There was a hint of hostility in Zong Yanli's eyes: "If you dare to conceal it and not report it, you will be punished by military law!"

Lu Hao's heart trembled, and he lowered his head with tears in his eyes and said, "I dare not hide it. This... this marching strategy was given by General Dong!"

The enemy's attack on the camp was too sudden, but they had plenty of time to evacuate. However, Dong Haoqiang did not want to leave, especially when he heard that Zong Yanli was still in the front camp, until Yi Tiangan led the Northern Army to attack from Liangcheng.

When they were forced to retreat, Dong Haoqiang suddenly changed his strategy. Instead of evacuating with Lei Jiliang and others, he volunteered to cover the flank and take a detour to withdraw.

Lu Hao and Dong Haoqiang were in the same camp and tent, so they became more and more familiar with each other. Lu Hao decided to go with Dong Haoqiang so that they could help each other in fighting the enemy.

“No, he is not a reckless person. Although he is brave, he will not change military orders without permission.” Zong Yanli thought he understood Dong Haoqiang. He had followed his second uncle for many years, so how could he not know that military orders are as heavy as a mountain!

"I..." Lu Hao wanted to say that this was all he knew, but suddenly he paused as if he had thought of something and said, "Yes, Duan Yuanqing?"

"Oh, right! Duan Yuanqing!" Lu Hao raised his eyes suddenly. Duan Yuanqing was already the deputy general beside Dong Haoqiang and was also capable of leading troops on his behalf.