This time, Feng Linyuan fell silent. His eyes were extremely cold as he stared quietly at the Marquis of Gaochang.
It was as if he could see through the marquis to the blood - drenched storm six years ago.
"I'm sorry for what I did to Feng Zhen," the Marquis of Gaochang said, raising his head with a bitter taste in his mouth.
The curtain of memories slowly drew back. All the things from that time, those darknesses hidden beneath the sunlight, were now all exposed.
Although the Marquis of Gaochang didn't have a deep friendship with the late Marquis of Dingyuan, Feng Zhen, and they only happened to cooperate in a few battles, those limited contacts made the marquis look at Feng Zhen with admiration.
That year, the city of Yan was in urgent need of rescue.
Feng Zhen led Feng Linyuan and a 150,000 - strong Changping Army on an expedition to Yan City.
Logically speaking, although the Western Liang had sent 400,000 troops at that time, Feng Zhen's 150,000 "one - against - ten" Changping Army should have been able to handle the situation.
However, the problem was that there was a traitor in the Changping Army's barracks.
This traitor deliberately intercepted the correct information brought by the scouts and let in false information. He also constantly leaked the combat plans of Feng Zhen and his son to the Western Liang, enabling the Western Liang to make full preparations. As a result, Feng Zhen suffered continuous defeats.
At that time, Feng Zhen was extremely anxious. Seeing that he failed to defend the Great Zhou's border and his soldiers were constantly damaged, he had no choice but to ask Feng Linche for help.
But what he didn't know was that the very person he trusted most while fighting on the front line, the one who he defended regardless of his own safety, was the mastermind behind this series of defeats.
Feng Linche, the lord of the Great Zhou, had sent Zhao Yujin, the eldest son of the Grand Tutor Zhao, on a mission to the Western Liang half a year before this battle.
That mission was not for the so - called border trade negotiation on the surface. Instead, it was to use the cities of Yan, Yuba, and Cangliu as incentives to ask the Western Liang to help -
Wipe out the Changping Army and kill Feng Zhen and his son.
To make the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion disappear from the world forever.
In the Battle of Yan City, the Western Liang actually sent 800,000 troops, but Feng Zhen only received the news of 400,000.
Moreover, the personal guards around Feng Zhen constantly passed information to the Western Liang, causing the Great Zhou to suffer repeated defeats.
But Feng Zhen was no easy opponent.
He quickly realized that something was wrong. He became vigilant towards those around him and no longer easily revealed his combat plans.
And the Changping Army was well - trained. Even though the enemy had 800,000 troops, they still couldn't be completely wiped out.
Therefore, Feng Linche used Zheng Yan's marriage as bait. Three days after Feng Zhen set off, he sent the Marquis of Gaochang privately with 400,000 troops to Yan City.
Naturally, it was not to help Feng Zhen and his son.
The Marquis of Gaochang led his troops to lie in ambush ten miles behind the main city of Yan. This distance was not far, and 400,000 troops was a large number.
But at that time, Feng Zhen was only focused on the Western Liang in front of him and never expected that trouble had already started in his rear.
On the night of the ambush on the Western Liang, 100,000 soldiers of the Changping Army first ate the poisoned military rations that would make them weak, which were sent from the rear. Then they were massacred by 800,000 Western Liang troops and 400,000 Great Zhou soldiers in Qinghe Ridge.
What made Feng Zhen die with eternal regret was his life - and - death fight with Zhuo Yi.
At that time, Feng Zhen fought with all his might and barely got the upper hand. Just as he was about to cut off Zhuo Yi's head when the latter fell off his horse, his most trusted personal guard stabbed him hard in the chest at a critical moment.
Feng Zhen died.
None of the 100,000 Changping Army soldiers survived.
However, in this battle, both the Western Liang and Feng Linche also paid a heavy price.
Especially the Marquis of Gaochang. Only more than 200,000 of the original 400,000 troops he led remained. So after the battle, Feng Linche could only claim externally that the Marquis of Gaochang had led 300,000 troops when he went to rescue, deliberately underreporting by 100,000.
When the Marquis of Gaochang said this, his voice choked with sobs and his body trembled.
After the war, they didn't know how long it took to move away the bodies that shouldn't have been left at the scene.
It seemed that he could smell again the thick blood - stench that permeated the air above Qinghe Ridge on that night when they were cleaning up the bodies.
It seemed that he could see again the astonishment and despair on the faces of the 100,000 Changping Army soldiers. They fought one Western Liang soldier after another, only to suddenly find that the soldiers fighting them were also from the Great Zhou.
On that night, there was only a waning moon in the sky, and the light was very dim.
Although the visibility was so poor and they were dozens of meters apart, he still clearly saw the scarlet eyes of Feng Zhen when he was stabbed in the chest.
He had never seen Feng Zhen cry.
But at that moment, when Feng Zhen saw the Marquis of Gaochang and the swords of the Great Zhou soldiers slashing mercilessly at the exhausted Changping Army soldiers, tears welled up in his eyes.
Feng Zhen died in a shower of arrows, leaving not a single word.
And the Changping Army, the "Great Wall of the Great Zhou" that had protected the Great Zhou for a hundred years, finally died at the hands of their own people, in the dirty political means.
The Marquis of Gaochang was extremely agitated. He couldn't bear the inner struggle any longer. Finally, he got up and slowly knelt down in front of Feng Linyuan.
"If you want to avenge your father, just take my life first," he said.
Feng Linyuan remained silent.
He listened to this past story expressionlessly. From beginning to end, there was not a single ripple on his face.
The Marquis of Gaochang buried his head and couldn't see Feng Linyuan's expression. But he still felt the bone - chilling cold emanating from him.
In the study, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
After a long time, Feng Linyuan finally spoke faintly, but his voice was hoarse for some reason.
"Your life indeed shouldn't be spared."
The Marquis of Gaochang forced a smile, a smile with a touch of desolation: "Yes."
"However, it would be too easy for you to just die like this," Feng Linyuan's eyes flashed with a cold light.
The Marquis of Gaochang was stunned: "What do you mean?"
Feng Linyuan raised his eyes: "My lord, did you come here today just to seek death?"
The Marquis of Gaochang lowered his head.
Naturally, he didn't come here today to seek death.
He had done so many heinous things for Feng Linche against his conscience. In the end, his daughter died a tragic death, and he couldn't even get the most basic fairness.
Without his daughter, he was just a walking corpse now. The only thing he hoped for was to avenge Zheng Yan!
He wanted Feng Jingyang, Concubine Zhao, the Grand Tutor's Mansion, and Feng Linche who was protecting them behind the scenes to all pay a heavy price!
Thinking of this, his eyes were filled with fierce determination. He said loudly to Feng Linyuan.
"You're right. Since they have a deep - seated hatred with both your Dingyuan Marquis Mansion and my Gaochang Marquis Mansion, it's more likely to succeed if we avenge our hatred together!"
A barely noticeable arc appeared on Feng Linyuan's lips. He slowly raised his eyes and looked directly at the Marquis of Gaochang: "Even if this journey will cost your Gaochang Marquis Mansion its generations - long good reputation, leaving you reviled by everyone and unable to turn things around?"
"Then let everyone revile me. Let me be unable to turn things around!"
The Marquis of Gaochang looked at Feng Linyuan calmly, "I only want the fairness in my heart."
Feng Linyuan didn't say anything else. He just slowly turned his head and looked at the bright full moon hanging in the sky outside the window. He smiled faintly.