flstandardbreds Chapter 168 3 years
Chapter 168 3 years
At a critical moment in the battle, Lü Ding led the reserve force into the fray.
The arrival of the reserve force was like a powerful torrent, instantly overwhelming the barbarian defenses.
Holding a bronze cauldron, Lü Ding charged through the enemy ranks, and wherever he went, barbarian soldiers fell one after another.
This scene greatly boosted the morale of the Longxiang Army.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Liu Shan spurred his horse and charged toward the old barbarian king.
When the old barbarian king saw Liu Shan charging towards him, he was terrified, but he still pretended to be calm and raised his weapon to fight.
Liu Shan wielded his long sword with impenetrable speed.
The two fought back and forth, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.
In the fierce battle, Liu Shan gradually figured out the old barbarian king's attack patterns.
He noticed that the old barbarian king seemed to have an injury to his right arm, which made his right-side defense relatively weak.
So he feinted, then suddenly turned around and slashed at the old barbarian king's right side.
The old barbarian king had no time to dodge and was slashed in the right arm by Liu Shan, causing his weapon to fall to the ground.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liu Shan stepped forward and ended the old barbarian king's life with a single blow.
When the barbarian soldiers saw that their old barbarian king was dead, they were leaderless and collapsed in disarray.
The Longxiang army pursued their victory, scattering the barbarian soldiers in all directions.
Under the fierce attack of the Longxiang Army, the Nanman's defensive fortifications were completely destroyed and their stronghold was breached.
In this decisive battle, the Longxiang Army won a great victory.
Looking at the smoke and corpses scattered on the battlefield, Liu Shan was filled with mixed emotions.
With the fall of the barbarian stronghold, the Longxiang Army achieved a decisive victory in the battle in the Ten Thousand Mountains.
Standing on the land strewn with corpses, Liu Shan watched the barbarian soldiers fleeing in all directions and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He quickly organized his soldiers to clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and collect the spoils of war.
On the battlefield, the barbarian soldiers' weapons, provisions, and medicines were piled up like mountains.
Liu Shan ordered his soldiers to sort and register these supplies. Some of them would be used to replenish the supplies lost by the Longxiang Army, while others would be transported back to the capital and turned over to the national treasury.
During the cleanup of the battlefield, Liu Shan paid special attention to the casualties of Longxiang Army.
He visited the wounded soldiers' camp several times to comfort the injured soldiers and urge them to recover properly.
Liu Shan was deeply saddened by the heroic sacrifice of the soldiers. He ordered a grand funeral for them, and their remains were properly buried on a mountain peak near the Ten Thousand Mountains. A monument was erected in their memory so that future generations would remember their achievements.
After dealing with battlefield matters, Liu Shan was preparing to lead the Longxiang Army back to the capital when he suddenly received a secret edict from Chu Lan.
After reading the secret edict, a complex look flashed in Liu Shan's eyes.
Counting the days, he had been leading the Longxiang Army on campaigns for nearly ten months.
During this time, Chu Lan gave birth to a baby boy.
In the secret edict, Chu Lan ordered Liu Shan to return to the capital immediately.
According to Liu Shan's original plan, he still needed to lead the Longxiang Army to garrison for at least several months to deter the southern barbarians. However, he could not disobey the emperor's orders, so he immediately began to arrange for the Longxiang Army to garrison in the Shiwan Mountains.
After handing over all military affairs, he took only Han Chengjia and a few personal guards, disguised, and embarked on his journey back to the capital.
Along the way, Liu Shan was filled with thoughts. Chu Lan had given birth to her eldest son, which was a major national event, yet he was secretly summoned back to the capital at this time. What was the deeper meaning behind this?
Knowing the complex situation in the palace, every step must be taken with caution.
However, he never expected that danger was quietly approaching the outskirts of the capital.
As he walked into a dense forest, shouts of killing suddenly arose all around him, and a group of men in black appeared like ghosts, instantly surrounding him and his confidants.
Liu Shan was startled and quickly drew his sword, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily.
These men in black were all highly skilled and ruthless, clearly indicating they had come prepared.
Liu Shan and his personal guards fought back fiercely, but they were outnumbered. During the battle, he was hit by seven arrows, and his clothes were stained with blood.
Despite his tenacious will and profound inner strength, he eventually succumbed to his injuries and fell into a coma.
Fortunately, Han Chengjia and his personal guards risked their lives and killed all the men in black!
Subsequently, Han Chengjia and his personal guards quickly transported Liu Shan to the capital.
Upon learning the news, Chu Lan was extremely anxious and immediately dispatched the most elite imperial physicians in the palace to treat Liu Shan, and strictly ordered them to save Liu Shan's life at all costs.
Despite the best efforts of the imperial physicians, Liu Shan was temporarily out of danger, but remained unconscious.
While in a coma, Liu Shan sometimes fell into dark dreams, and at other times seemed to return to the battlefield of the past.
Images of fighting alongside his comrades and the moments he shared with Chu Lan, Li Wanqing, and others kept flashing through his mind.
After an unknown amount of time, he faintly heard a commotion nearby, as if many people were discussing something.
"General Liu has rendered outstanding military service, which has greatly pleased His Majesty. He has specially appointed him as General of the Cavalry, and hopes that he will recover soon and continue to serve the Great Xia." A majestic voice said.
Liu Shan was startled and tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt unusually heavy.
He struggled to regain consciousness, but fell into a coma again.
During Liu Shan's coma, Chu Lan visited him at the command tent multiple times.
One night, she quietly came to Liu Shan's bedside, carrying the young prince in her arms.
Moonlight streamed through the tent and fell on her face, reflecting the worry and concern in her eyes.
"Liu Shan, you must wake up. You are the pillar of our Great Xia. Now that the court is in turmoil, the prince and I still need your protection." Chu Lan said softly, her eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and expectation.
Looking at Liu Shan's pale face, she couldn't help but feel a ripple in her heart.
This man occupies an extremely important place in her life. Without him, her throne would be in grave danger, and the Great Xia dynasty would face numerous crises.
The young prince slept soundly in Chu Lan's arms, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere around him.
Chu Lan gently stroked the prince's face, her eyes filled with maternal love.
She turned to look at Liu Shan, secretly thinking that the best expedient measure now was to make Liu Shan the prince's adoptive father.
However, this matter requires careful consideration, and we need to see what Liu Shan's thoughts are after he wakes up.
As the days went by, Liu Shan's injuries remained severe.
The imperial physicians held daily consultations, but they were still unable to determine when he would wake up.
Chu Lan was extremely anxious and kept urging the imperial physicians to do everything they could.
Finally, after a consultation, the imperial physicians brought even more devastating news.
"Your Majesty, General Liu has been poisoned by a rare and extremely rare poison. Although we have done our best to save him, we can only temporarily suppress the spread of the poison. According to our estimation, General Liu probably only has three years left to live," the imperial physician said, kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear.
Upon hearing this, Chu Lan was struck dumb, his face turning deathly pale.
She looked at the imperial physician in disbelief, her eyes filled with anger and despair.
"You bunch of useless trash! What use are you to me? If you can't save General Liu, I will not let you off easily!" Chu Lan roared.