On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Chapter 1377 The Empress Has No Way Out

Murong Yan and her team had just retreated from a small tribe when it was already dark.

"Your Majesty, today's harvest was quite good. We rescued more than two hundred civilians and captured three hundred horses," the lieutenant reported, riding alongside her.

Murong Yan nodded, the five-zhang-long train of her black and gold phoenix descending to earth dress trailing behind the horse, with some grass clippings stuck to the hem.

"Let the people return to Yumen Pass first, but leave the horses behind."

"Yes."

The group had traveled less than ten miles when the scouts suddenly rode back at full speed.

"Your Majesty! Enemy troops have been spotted ahead!"

Murong Yan reined in her horse. "How many people?"

"At least ten thousand!" The scout's face turned pale. "They're heading this way!"

The lieutenant's expression changed. "Your Majesty, we only have eight thousand men now. The rest of us are escorting civilians. We can't win."

"Then we'll fight and retreat at the same time." Murong Yan turned to look at the soldiers behind her. "Pass down the order to prepare to meet the enemy."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the deafening sound of horses' hooves echoed from afar.

A dark mass of cavalry surged out from the horizon, their banners fluttering in the wind.

"Array up!"

The soldiers quickly formed a defensive formation, with spearmen in front and archers behind.

Murong Yan dismounted and took the spear from the guard. The shaft was entirely black, and the tip gleamed coldly.

"Your Majesty cannot go into battle!" the deputy general exclaimed anxiously.

"Shut up." Murong Yan gripped her spear tightly, the trailing train of her black and gold phoenix-themed dress spreading out on the ground. "My soldiers are bleeding, how can I hide behind them?"

As the enemy troops charged closer, the leading general raised his scimitar.

"kill!"

Ten thousand cavalrymen surged in like a tide.

"Fire arrows!"

The archers released their bows, and a rain of arrows flew towards the enemy. The cavalrymen in the front ranks fell from their horses one after another, but those behind them continued their charge, stepping over the corpses.

"Pikemen, hold the line!"

The soldiers planted their spears diagonally in the ground, aiming the tips at the charging warhorses.

Warhorses crashed into the gun emplacements, their cries of agony echoing through the air. But the enemy forces were too numerous, and they quickly broke through the first line of defense.

Murong Yan stood in the center of the formation, her spear sweeping horizontally. A cavalryman charged in front of her, only to be pierced through the chest by her spear.

Blood splattered on the black and gold Phoenix Descends to Earth dress, quickly seeping into the fabric.

"Protect Your Majesty!"

The Imperial Guard general, along with his personal guards, rushed to her side and blocked the surging enemy troops.

Murong Yan did not back down, thrusting her spear repeatedly, each thrust taking a life.

But there were simply too many enemy troops.

Eight thousand against ten thousand, and the enemy was all cavalry, whose mobility far exceeded that of infantry.

"Your Majesty, we can't fight anymore!" the lieutenant shouted. "If we keep fighting, we'll all die here!"

Murong Yan gritted her teeth, "Retreat! Retreat to the west!"

The soldiers began to retreat, but the enemy pursued them relentlessly.

"Archers, cover the rear!"

Several hundred archers remained behind, continuously firing arrows to hold off the enemy. But they were quickly scattered by the cavalry.

Murong Yan mounted her horse, her long spear held horizontally across its saddle. The trailing train of her black and gold phoenix-embroidered dress billowed behind her as she glanced back at the battlefield.

The sounds of fighting filled the air as soldiers fought desperately, but casualties continued to mount.

"Hurry up!" the lieutenant urged.

The troops fought and retreated, withdrawing for twenty miles.

As darkness fell completely, the enemy finally ceased their pursuit.

Murong Yan counted the number of people; only 6,000 remained out of 8,000.

"Damn it." She gripped the spear tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" the lieutenant asked.

"Let's find a place to rest first." Murong Yan looked at the surrounding terrain. "There's a valley over there, let's go in."

As the troops entered the valley, the soldiers collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted.

Murong Yan also sat down, the train of her black and gold phoenix-themed dress trailing on the ground. She looked at the spear in her hand, its tip still stained with blood.

"Your Majesty, please have some water." A maid handed over a water pouch.

Murong Yan took it and drank a few sips, and then she felt that her throat was not so dry.

"Send someone to contact Lin Zhen and Yue Fei and tell them to come as soon as possible."

"Yes."

Just as the scout was about to leave, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the valley.

Everyone stood up and gripped their weapons.

"Damn it, they've caught up!" The lieutenant's face turned pale.

Murong Yan stood up and planted her spear on the ground.

"how many people?"

The scout climbed to the mouth of the valley, took a look, and returned even paler.

“Your Majesty, there are more than ten thousand. At least twenty thousand, and... and there are wolf riders as well.”

"Wolf riders?" Murong Yan frowned.

"Yes, at least three thousand heavily armored cavalry riding war wolves," the scout said. "They are surrounding the valley."

The lieutenant knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, this humble general will escort you to break through the encirclement. The rest of you will stay behind to cover the rear."

"Break through?" Murong Yan sneered. "Break through where? There are 20,000 men outside, plus 3,000 wolf riders. Do you think we can escape?"

The lieutenant lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Murong Yan looked out of the valley, where the dark torches illuminated the surroundings. "Pass down the order: everyone prepare for battle."

"His Majesty……"

"I said, prepare for battle." Murong Yan interrupted him. "The Empress of the Great Qian Dynasty never kneels and begs for mercy."

The soldiers stood up, exhausted, but their eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

Outside the valley, the general of the Northern Desert King rode on horseback, looking at the surrounded valley.

"General, should we attack now?" his subordinate asked. "What if their reinforcements arrive..."

"They won't be able to come." The general sneered. "I've already sent men to intercept them. Their reinforcements won't arrive until at least tomorrow afternoon. By then, all of them will be dead. They'll be trapped like turtles in a barrel, unable to escape. We'll make our move at dawn. I want to show that empress what despair is."

He turned to look at the wolf riders behind him.

Three thousand heavily armored wolf riders stood in neat rows, each soldier riding a huge war wolf. These wolves were larger than horses, with protruding fangs and green eyes.

"Send the wolf riders in first thing tomorrow morning. I want to capture that empress alive."

"Yes!"

In the valley, Murong Yan sat on a rock, the trailing hem of her black and gold phoenix-themed dress trailing on the ground.

She looked at the spear in her hand and remembered what Lin Zhen had said.

"If you ever find yourself trapped, remember, don't panic. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer you need to be."

Murong Yan took a deep breath and stood up.

"Vice-General."

"His Majesty."

How many exits does the valley have?

"Three of them, but they were all blocked by the enemy."

Murong Yan walked to the edge of the valley and looked at the terrain.

“This valley is flanked by cliffs on both sides, with only exits at the front and sides.” She turned to her lieutenant. “What if we climb out through the cliffs?”

The lieutenant was stunned. "Your Majesty, that cliff is at least ten zhang high and extremely smooth. It's impossible to climb it."

“If we can’t climb up, then we’ll find a way to climb up,” Murong Yan said. “Have the soldiers take out all the ropes and tie them together.”

"Your Majesty, you mean to..."

"Let's retreat from the cliff under cover of darkness," Murong Yan said. "The enemy will never expect us to do this."

The lieutenant's eyes lit up. "This subordinate will make the arrangements right away!"

The soldiers began collecting ropes and connecting all the usable ropes together.

Murong Yan looked at the cliff and considered the possibility of success.

Six thousand people need to be evacuated before dawn; time is of the essence.

But if we don't do this, we'll be doomed tomorrow.

"Your Majesty, the ropes are ready."

Murong Yan nodded, "Let the skilled ones go up first and provide support from above. The rest of you climb up in order, be quick, and don't make a sound."

"Yes."

Several agile soldiers grabbed the ropes and began to climb. The cliff was very steep, and they almost slipped several times, but they eventually made it to the top.

"Your Majesty, it's safe up there!"

Murong Yan looked at the other soldiers and said, "Begin the evacuation."

One by one, the soldiers grabbed the ropes and climbed up.

Murong Yan stood below, the train of her black and gold phoenix-patterned dress trailing on the ground. She gripped her spear, watching the valley entrance warily.

Time passed little by little.

Five thousand people have already climbed up.

Just then, shouts suddenly came from the mouth of the valley.

"Oh no, they've found us!"