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Chapter 123 Put yourself to death and survive

My heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe. General Zhen...is he injured?

"General!" Zhao Xianfeng exclaimed, waving his spear vigorously to force back the surrounding enemy soldiers, trying to rush to Zhen Youcai.

"Leave me alone! Hurry... protect His Majesty!" Zhen Youcai shouted at the top of his lungs, with a hint of weakness in his tone, but the sword in his hand was still firmly pointed at the Human King, like a mountain that was about to collapse but still stood proudly.

"Hahaha, the last gasp of a dying force!" King Hu Man laughed wildly, and smashed the mace in his hand towards Zhen Youcai with the force of thunder.

"No——" I closed my eyes in despair, unable to bear to watch any longer.

"clang--"

The expected loud noise didn't come, replaced by the crisp sound of metal clashing. I opened my eyes suddenly and saw that Zhao Xianfeng had rushed in front of Zhen Youcai without knowing when, holding the Hu Man King's mace with his spear in his hand.

"Zhao Xianfeng! How dare you disobey military orders!" roared the Hu Man King.

"My duty is to protect Your Majesty and the general with my life!" Zhao Xianfeng said gritting his teeth, veins bulging in his arms as he tried his best to resist the attack of the Hu Man King.

"Hurry up and take the general down to heal his wounds!" Zhao Xianfeng shouted to the surrounding soldiers. Several soldiers rushed forward and carried the unconscious Zhen Youcai away.

"Your Majesty, I am unable to escort you away for the time being. Please take care of yourself!" Zhao Xianfeng looked at me anxiously, then turned around resolutely and commanded the remaining soldiers to resist the enemies who were surging like a tide.

I suppressed the grief and fear in my heart. I knew that now was not the time to be sad. I had to cheer up and not let the sacrifice of Zhen Youcai and all the soldiers be in vain!

"Military Advisor Sun, what should we do now?" I forced myself to calm down and asked Military Advisor Sun, who had been silent beside me.

Military Advisor Sun frowned, his eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield and the gradually darkening sky in the distance. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, our army has suffered heavy casualties, and the Human King has a strong force. We have no chance of winning by force. Our only option now is..."

He paused, a gleam of light flashing in his eyes: "We can only take advantage of the time and place, deal with the enemy, and perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope!"

"The right time and place?" I asked doubtfully.

Military Advisor Sun pointed to the setting sun in the west, then to the rolling hills behind us, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Your Majesty, please look, it's almost dark..."

Military Advisor Sun's words were like a stone, stirring up a thousand waves in my heart. Dark? Could it be...

"Your Majesty, I have a plan that may help us overcome this urgent situation!" Military Advisor Sun leaned closer to me and spoke in a low voice. His eyes gleamed with wisdom, giving me a glimmer of hope amidst my despair.

"Hurry up and tell me!" I asked anxiously.

"Your Majesty, please follow me!" Military Advisor Sun said, and took me to a woods on the edge of the battlefield.

We arrived deep in the woods and saw an old man, over fifty years old but in good spirits, waiting anxiously. He was wearing a coarse linen shirt, leaning on a wooden stick, and his weather-beaten face was full of worry.

"Who is this?" I looked at Military Advisor Sun in confusion.

"This is Chief Wu of Wujia Village," Military Advisor Sun introduced respectfully. "Chief Wu has lived here for generations and knows the terrain of this mountainous area like the back of his hand."

"I am Wu Laosan, a commoner, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty!" Village Chief Wu knelt down and saluted.

"Village Chief Wu, please get up quickly!" I hurriedly helped him up and asked anxiously, "I wonder if Village Chief Wu can help our army escape from this danger?"

Village Chief Wu looked up at me, then glanced in the direction of the battlefield. A glint of determination flashed in his eyes. "Your Majesty, I have been blessed by the Emperor for generations. Now that we are facing a formidable enemy, I am willing to serve Your Majesty at all costs! There is a small path in this mountain that can lead us around to the rear of the enemy, but..."

"Just what?" I demanded.

"It's just that this path is difficult to travel, and..." Village Chief Wu looked troubled, "and we need someone to hold the enemy back to buy us some time."

"Your Majesty, don't worry!" Before I could say anything, Military Advisor Sun, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up, "I have already made all the necessary arrangements. The leader of the Ma Family Village, Ma, will lead the brave men in the village to assist Village Chief Wu and ensure the safe evacuation of you and the wounded!"

I looked at Military Advisor Sun in surprise. I didn't expect that he could make such careful arrangements in such a short time.

"Your Majesty, time is running out, we must set off immediately!" Military Advisor Sun urged.

I took a deep breath, suppressed the anxiety and worry in my heart, and said resolutely: "Okay, let's do it!"

As night fell, the forest was completely dark, with only a few starlights shining through the gaps between the leaves. With the weak light, we struggled forward on the rugged mountain road.

From time to time, I heard deafening shouts and cries of killing. I knew that it was Zhao Xianfeng and his soldiers fighting desperately. My heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, fearing any bad news.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, we finally reached a relatively flat area. Village Chief Wu told us that if we walked a little further, we would reach the agreed meeting point with Majiazhai.

"Your Majesty, please rest here for a while. I will go ahead to explore the way." After saying this, Village Chief Wu turned around and walked forward.

I sat on a rock, waiting anxiously. Suddenly, the sound of rapid horse hooves came from a distance, getting closer and closer...

The sound of horse hooves was getting closer, and my heart was in my throat. Could it be that the leader of the Ma Village had arrived?

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A familiar voice came from far away. I looked closely and saw that it was Zhao Xianfeng running towards me covered in blood!

"General Zhao, what's wrong with you..." I exclaimed and quickly stood up to greet him.

"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and failed to complete the mission..." Zhao Xianfeng knelt down in front of me with a plop, his voice hoarse, obviously he had experienced a fierce battle.

"Hurry up and talk!" I suddenly felt an ominous premonition in my heart, "Where are the others? Where is Military Advisor Sun?"

"Military Advisor Sun...was killed by the enemy in order to protect me..." At this point, Zhao Xianfeng choked up and tears as big as beans rolled down his blood-stained cheeks.

"Village Chief Wu and Village Chief Ma were also killed. Our army... was completely wiped out..." Zhao Xianfeng's voice became lower and lower, and my heart became heavier and heavier.

"How could this happen..." I collapsed to the ground, my vision darkening. Was this God's will? Was I really going to die here?

"Your Majesty, please don't give up. As long as there is life, there will be no shortage of firewood!" Zhao Xianfeng suppressed his grief and persuaded, "Please leave quickly. I will fight to the death to buy you time!"

"No, I won't leave!" I shook my head and closed my eyes in despair. "Without you, what's the point of me living alone?"

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Xianfeng wanted to say something else, but suddenly, a deafening cry of killing came from all directions, startling us.

"Oh no! The enemy is chasing us!" Zhao Xianfeng's face changed drastically, and he quickly drew his sword from his waist. "Your Majesty, hurry up!"

I closed my eyes in despair, waiting for death to come. However, the expected severe pain did not come, and instead, another voice rang in my ears, a voice full of hope!

"Kill--"

"Come on -"

I suddenly opened my eyes and saw countless soldiers emerging from the hillside. They were wearing black armor and holding weapons that flashed with cold light. They rushed towards the enemy like a tide!

"That is..." I rubbed my eyes and looked at the scene in disbelief.

"Your Majesty, it's reinforcements! It's reinforcements!" Zhao Xianfeng shouted in surprise, "We're saved! We're saved!"

I looked closely and saw a familiar figure riding a tall horse under a flag embroidered with a golden phoenix, commanding the army to fight bravely.

"Mengmeng..." I murmured to myself, tears blurring my eyes again.

"It's the general! The general is still alive!" Zhao Xianfeng shouted excitedly, his voice breaking.

I was shaking with excitement. He was really still alive! I stared at that familiar figure, my eyes blurred with tears. I could hardly see his face, but I could feel that he was there, leading thousands of troops, rushing towards me.

"General Zhao, hurry up! Follow me and fight back!" I wiped away my tears and drew the sword from my waist.

"Yes!" Zhao Xianfeng answered loudly, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

The two of us, along with the few remaining soldiers, re-entered the battlefield. The arrival of reinforcements greatly boosted morale. The soldiers, who had already despaired, seemed to have been injected with new strength, and each one fought bravely.

The enemy obviously didn't expect our reinforcements and was caught off guard. They thought they had victory, but suddenly they were caught in a tough battle.

"Kill!" The deafening shouts of killing resounded through the sky. Our army was like a tiger descending from the mountain, unstoppable.

I swung my sword, each swing taking the life of an enemy soldier. I was consumed by killing, with only one thought in my mind: Kill! Kill all these invaders!

Blood stained my clothes and the ground beneath my feet, but I paid no attention. I was like a killing machine, tirelessly harvesting the lives of the enemy.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Suddenly, a black shadow attacked me. Zhao Xianfeng was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and swung his sword to block the opponent's attack.

I looked closely and found that the person coming was the enemy commander!

"Niu Mengmeng, today is the day you die!" The enemy general roared and attacked me again.

I didn't dare to be careless and quickly drew my sword to fight. The enemy general was very skilled in martial arts and I gradually lost the upper hand.

"Your Majesty, I'm here to help you!" Seeing this, Zhao Xianfeng hurried forward to help.

The two men joined forces and fought against the enemy general.

During the fierce battle, I suddenly found a flaw in the enemy general, and I swung my sword without hesitation.

"Ah--!" The enemy general screamed and the weapon in his hand fell to the ground.

I seized the opportunity and stabbed him through the heart with my sword.

The enemy general fell to the ground with a loud bang, and our army's morale was greatly boosted. We pursued the victory and finally defeated the enemy completely.

Looking at the scene of corpses everywhere, I breathed a long sigh of relief, my body went limp, and I almost collapsed to the ground.

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Xianfeng quickly supported me, "Are you okay?"

I shook my head and forced myself to stand up straight. I glanced across the battlefield, but did not see that familiar figure.

"General Zhao, General Zhen..." There was a hint of trembling in my voice.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. The general is a man of good fortune. He will be fine!" Zhao Xianfeng consoled him. "I will send someone to look for the general right away!"

I nodded, but my heart was still full of worry.

At night, I sat in the tent, anxiously waiting for news.

"Your Majesty, you haven't slept for a day and a night. Please eat something." Zhao Xianfeng walked in with a bowl of porridge.

I shook my head, no appetite.

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Xianfeng wanted to say something else when suddenly a soldier stumbled in.

"Report—the general…"

The soldier's voice trembled, and my heart sank.

"What happened to the general?!" Zhao Xianfeng grabbed the soldier's shoulder and asked anxiously.

"The general...has woken up..."