The Loulan army could now truly be called a fatigued force. Although their number was still larger than that of the Dacheng army, the continuous blows and depletion had directly engraved fear and the desire to escape deep in their hearts.
Yazeb was riding on his horse, gritting his teeth as he stared at Sikong Ting in the distance. Beneath him, the horse was already gasping tiredly from the long - distance gallop.
"Lord Warrior! Run quickly!" Facing the imposing Dacheng army, the Loulan soldiers all stepped in front of Yazeb, their eyes filled with the determination to die.
On the snow - covered plain, there was a weak side and a strong side. One side was in hot pursuit, while the other was in disarray and fleeing.
Since Sikong Ting had led his troops in pursuit, it meant that Kozel...
Qin Huailian gritted her teeth.
On this vast Gobi Desert, there were many more souls who had perished.
"Lord Warrior, run quickly!" The subordinates roared with the determination to die.
Blood oozed from Yazeb's lips. His eyes scanned over the faces of his subordinates in front of him one by one. A flash of despair passed through his eyes. He protected Qin Huailian with one hand, pulled the reins, and shouted, "Go!"
"You can't escape!" Sikong Ting continued to nock an arrow on his bow and aimed at Yazeb's back as he was about to turn away.
The soldiers on both sides glared at each other with fierce looks in their eyes.
War was on the verge of breaking out.
Suddenly, Yazeb felt the person behind him struggle violently. Then his hand went slack, and immediately after, there was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground behind him.
"Sikong Ting! This war was all caused by me! If you want revenge, come at me!" Qin Huailian's voice was sharp and high - pitched, like a thunderbolt on a clear day, instantly interrupting the tense situation on the battlefield that was about to explode.
Yazeb was stunned for a moment, then pulled the reins, turned back, and roared angrily, "Qin Huailian!"
Qin Huailian stood up with her back to him. Her eyes were fixed on Sikong Ting in the distance, and her voice was almost devoid of any warmth. "I saw what happened back then in the library. To seek revenge, I contacted the Xiongnu people and facilitated the cooperation between the Xiongnu and Loulan within. I met the King of Loulan and Chanyu Huye and promised to help the allied forces destroy Dacheng! I secretly orchestrated this whole war. If you want revenge, kill me and spare them."
"Damn you, Qin Huailian... cough, cough, cough!" Yazeb was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath. He suddenly coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. He fell off his horse and rolled on the ground, then was helped up by several Loulan soldiers.
Hearing Yazeb's choking cough behind her, Qin Huailian frowned slightly. She still looked directly at Sikong Ting, who was looking down at her, and said, "Don't you understand yet? Otherwise, why do you think the Dacheng border, which had remained unbreached for a hundred years, was breached this time?!"
"I've always suspected it was you," Sikong Ting's voice was gloomy and terrifying, with a hint of blood - thirsty danger. "You've harmed countless common people out of your own self - interest. You deserve to die."
"You don't need to do it yourself!" Qin Huailian pointed at her chest and said, "I can kill myself here, but as a condition, you have to let them go!"
Sikong Ting narrowed his eyes dangerously. "What right do you have to bargain with me?"
"Don't you like my elder brother?" Qin Huailian said with a smile on her lips. "If you kill me with your own hands, my elder brother won't accept you."
Sikong Ting sneered. He immediately dismounted his horse, walked a short distance in front of Qin Huailian, and said coldly, "Qin Huailian, you venomous woman are really calculating. Even now, you're still trying to scheme against me? You've used Qiu'er and your father for so long, and you're still using them now!"
Qin Huailian's heart was stabbed painfully by Sikong Ting's words, as if countless knives were cutting her heart into pieces. She gritted her teeth, stared at Sikong Ting, and said harshly, "You can give it a try!"
"Qin Huailian! What are you doing!" Yazeb struggled to stand up, but after taking a few steps, he had to bend down due to the pain in his abdomen.
"Can't you see I'm trying to save you?" Qin Huailian roared.
"Humph." Sikong Ting grasped the hilt of his sword and slowly drew it out of its scabbard. "Qin Huailian, do you know what I saw after I woke up from taking the snow lotus back then?"
Qin Huailian pursed her lips and didn't answer. The wind lifted the ends of her hair and made them float gently in the air.
"After I woke up, I once happened to overhear General Qin Feng talking with the late emperor in the imperial study," Sikong Ting said. "General Qin Feng said at that time, 'Traces of Xiongnu activities were found at the place where Gu Hanfang fell off the cliff. The Xiongnu wanted to shift the blame. The war has lasted too long. It's not advisable to cause more trouble with the Xiongnu. Opening up the Silk Road is the top priority.'"
The expressions of Qin Huailian and Yazeb changed drastically!
It turned out that -
Qin Feng had known long ago that Gu Hanfang was killed by the Xiongnu. And his attack on Loulan was just a show to follow the pre - arranged plan.
No wonder Qin Feng always said that Gu Hanfang died on the battlefield but never mentioned the details. For the sake of the common people and the army of Dacheng, Qin Feng didn't choose to confront the Xiongnu head - on. Instead, he chose to open up the economic lifeline of Dacheng and did everything possible to help Dacheng recover from the shadow of war as soon as possible. He suppressed his inability to avenge his wife deeply, just not to tell Qin Huailian and Qin Huaiqiu for fear of hurting their feelings...
He had been carrying the guilt of not being able to avenge his wife alone for so many years. If Qin Huailian hadn't found out, how much longer was he going to hide this?
Qin Huailian trembled all over.
"Qin Huailian, General Qin had good intentions, but you were so arrogant and gullible that you believed the enemy and caused this great disaster. You're unforgivable even if you die a thousand times!" Sikong Ting said in a deep voice.
"This war was caused by me. Can't I give you my life? Let them go!" Qin Huailian shouted. "Are you still going to kill them all?"
"What about when they killed all those unarmed common people in Gengnan City?!" Sikong Ting's veins bulged as he roared angrily. "Qin Huailian, don't you understand even now?"
Qin Huailian was struck dumb. "I..."
"I want your life, and I also want their lives! If you dare to provoke Dacheng, then this is your death date," Sikong Ting said. He pointed the sword directly at Qin Huailian's face and said, "Do you have any last words?"
Qin Huailian looked at the sword blade in front of her despairingly. A glint of something flashed through her eyes.
She knew she couldn't escape. Sooner or later, all sins would have their retribution. Almost in an instant, she suddenly stepped forward and grabbed at Sikong Ting's face. But Sikong Ting reacted very quickly. He dodged to the side, and the sword blade cut down at a skillful angle, directly slashing her arm. Immediately, blood gushed out.
"Qin Huailian!" Yazeb cried out in pain.
Qin Huailian took a few steps back suddenly. Covering her arm, she looked at Sikong Ting and said, "I didn't expect you to be quite capable. What, do you want to fight me one - on - one?"
Sikong Ting's expression turned solemn. "Die!"
Unexpectedly, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind -
"Spare her life!!"