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  Yelü Deguang gritted his teeth and growled, "What are you all standing around for! Don't you go check where the problem is!"

  The commander of the horse team rushed over: "General, we have all investigated and found nothing unusual. The hay eaten by the war horses, the water flow in the river, and even this grassland have been searched thoroughly, but when we opened up the dead horses' chests, they were all black inside. I don't know what's going on either."

  Yelü Niegulu drew out his treasured sword and beheaded the general: "Since I couldn't save Ma, what use is he to me?"

  After finishing, his eyes stared at the dumbfounded grooms: "You all listen up! If anyone can save the horses, I'll reward you with a thousand taels of gold! If the horses are dead, this will be your fate!"

  The groomsmen didn't even know where the problem lay, let alone how to save the horse. A thousand taels of gold was something they couldn't enjoy themselves, but this life had to be preserved by all means.

  After being stunned for a moment, they immediately became busy, doing experiments with various methods, but all were ineffective. The horses continued to die one after another, at an increasingly faster rate.

  Yelü Niegulu's face was getting uglier and uglier, but his mind was not confused at all. Before long, he suddenly shouted: "Quickly go and inform the two small camps in front and back to abandon their camp and move towards us! Hurry!"

  The order had just been given when a series of mournful cries were heard coming from the distance, in the direction of the two camps he had set up.

  Yelü Nügu's face twitched with muscle spasms, and Yelü Lüjing asked: "Ninth brother, quickly dispatch troops to rescue them!"

  Yelü Nu'er remained silent for half a day before finally shaking his head: "No, it can't be saved."

  Without war horses, the Liao soldiers are no match for the Jurchen on this plain! Moreover, it's pitch dark now and the surrounding mountains are extremely advantageous to the Jurchen. If troops are sent to rescue them, even the reinforcements might be dragged into the battle.

  The distant cries of agony and the dying neighs of war horses at their last gasp sent a chill down the spines of all soldiers.

  When the last warhorse fell to the ground, Yelü Niwulu glanced at those grooms and spat out a word: "Kill."

  Yelü Lüjing seemed to say something, but ultimately didn't open his mouth.

  Yelü Niwulu glanced at her and said, "Let the soldiers rest for now. The enemy won't attack our camp tonight. Tomorrow, we'll concentrate all our strength to break out of here. Once we reach Huanglong Prefecture, there will be a way out. There are at least 7,000 war horses there."

  He suddenly felt a bit funny, he was originally here to save Yelü Hongji, but now he had to go find Yelü Hongji for help, to ask Yelü Hongji to borrow war horses.

  He felt a kind of fear, could those female Zhen people really make their two legs enter the Huanglong Mansion?

  He suddenly sighed and asked Yelü Lüjing a sentence: "Imperial sister, do you understand why Hongji can survive until now? Because Hongji is not the prey that the other party wants to capture, those Jurchen people's target is us."

  Yelü Lüjing thought for a moment, somewhat disbelieving: "Imperial brother, we have 20,000 men!"

  Yelü Niwulu smiled wryly: "This is just the first trap, and we've already lost two battalions and all our warhorses. There are still over 200 miles ahead of us, I don't know how many more traps those Jurchen people have waiting for us."

  Yelü Lüjing gritted his teeth and said: "Starting tomorrow, we will no longer rest. Let the soldiers force their way and try to reach Huanglong Prefecture within a day!"

  Yelü Nigulu's eyes also emitted a fierce glow, like a wild beast trapped in a trap. In fact, he is now a wild beast, if he retreats, he will have nothing. Everything he wants is ahead, even if he knows that the front is full of traps, he can only charge forward without hesitation, for himself and for the Great Liao.

  Yelü Hongji finally made his first inspection of the city's defenses. This was something he had never done before, and the reason he came to do it these two days was because he secretly calculated that reinforcements would arrive soon.

  Even if his sister knew the truth, in order to deal with Yelü Niegulu, he had to pretend that he was really directing the battle. Even though no one would believe this appearance.

  The officers on the wall had a one hundred and eighty degree turn in their attitude towards Yelü Hongji. After getting along with these days, they felt that this prince was a bit ignorant, but he was still a decent person. The most important thing is that when Liu Fang's head was thrown in by those Jurchen people, they all felt lucky that the dead person was not themselves.

  Yelü Hongji turned around twice and said to the officers following him, "This patrol is really boring. I was already feeling stifled when I first came up here. These soldiers must be suffering even more. Let's do this: since reinforcements are arriving soon anyway, let's have a good meal tonight and consider it a reward for all of you."

  The surrounding soldiers were overjoyed: "Thank you, General!"

  Yelü Hongji also spoke casually, saying: "Before I didn't know that you brothers were working hard and being slow, please don't mind the humble conditions here. When we return to Yanjing, I'll invite everyone to a good meal. Chen Shimei, can we borrow that warehouse for now? Otherwise, there's no place to seat 7,000 people."

  Chen Yuan was taken aback: "Your Highness, you want to invite 7,000 people for dinner?"

  A general beside him immediately said, "No need for such a prince, you have this heart and we are satisfied. Even if those victorious generals invite us to dinner, it's just letting the kitchen burn more food. At most, give brothers some money and let us eat ourselves."

  Yelü Hongji shook his head: "That's not possible, this is my first time leading troops and also the last. We came out together on this trip, quite a fate. If we can return safely together, of course we'll celebrate, I'll definitely treat you to dinner, as for the money, I'll pay it too, don't worry."

  The soldiers heard and busily knelt down to thank: "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, General!"

  Yelü Hongji was just about to say that since there's nothing going on, they should go down and play a couple more rounds when he suddenly saw a figure appearing in his line of sight. The figure stumbled and staggered towards the earth wall, and although it was very far away, Yelü could tell at a glance from its clothing and posture that it was a Liao soldier.

  Everyone was stunned, but Chen Yuan reacted the fastest. He knew that there were many true men hidden outside, and this person was already lucky to have made it this far. If they didn't go out to meet him, he might not make it into the city alive.

  Hurriedly, Xiao Huwei led 500 people out. They had developed a habit that whenever they left the Huanglong Mansion, at least 500 people would go together, and absolutely not leave the sight of the soldiers on the earthen wall.

  The man walked closer and closer, with everyone's eyes fixed on him. His military uniform was stained with blood, and his pale face was filled with panic. Just as Xiao Huwei and the others approached him, he suddenly swung a knife at them without saying a word.

  Xiao Huwei knew that this must be his consciousness was blurred, taking himself as the enemy. He hastily retreated and called out to the surrounding soldiers: "Quickly hold him down, don't hurt him!"

  The man was already seriously injured, and several soldiers beside him easily subdued him, then carried him back.

  Xiao Huwei put down the person and found that the Liao soldier was already weak. Yelü Hongji frowned: "Can he still live?"

  Chen Yuan placed his hand on the man's neck artery and felt almost no pulse, shaking his head and saying, "It doesn't look good."

  After finishing speaking, Chen Yuan started pinching that soldier's people middle, he knew this soldier must have something to say, perhaps bringing some oral message.

  So Chen Yuan wanted to try and see if he could make him clear-headed one last time and say what needed to be said.

  After a while, the soldier's eyes finally opened, looked around and asked in a very weak voice: "Where is this?"

  Chen Yuan said: "This is Huanglong House, brother has something?"

  The soldier suddenly raised his voice: "Quickly, quickly, I'm looking for Prince Yelü Hongji, I have an urgent matter!"

  Yelü Hongji immediately squatted down beside him: "I am Yelü Hongji, what's the matter?"

  The soldier's chest heaved, clearly with his last breath, and all he said was: "To the west, one hundred miles away, the Ninth Prince and Princess are surrounded by the Jurchen people, their lives hanging in the balance. Please, Your Highness, send troops to rescue them!"

  After saying this sentence, he died with his neck twisted.

  He's dead, but the entire wall of people was stunned! This man's words were like a heavy bomb, destroying their hopes when all 7,000 people thought they would soon be leaving the battlefield.

  Yelü Hongji was stunned for a long time before suddenly grabbing the man's clothes: "You haven't told me the location yet! Where is it? How many people are on the other side?"

  Where can the soldier still respond?

  Chen Yu calmed himself and said: "Your Highness, he is already dead."

  The soldier died, and his words were unacceptable to everyone. They were waiting for the ninth prince to come and rescue them, but now this person said that the ninth prince and princess were besieged, waiting for them to come and save their lives! Even if it's a joke, it doesn't seem necessary to open it so big at once, does it?

  Yelü Hongji didn't say a word, Chen Yuan only saw his face change color in an instant.

  Xiao Huwei suddenly asked: "Is this true or false? The troops brought by the Ninth Prince and Princess are all elite troops of my Great Liao."

  Next to him, a voice immediately followed: "I don't think it's true. If he was really surrounded, how could he come out like this?"

  "Moreover, he didn't have any military tokens or letters on him, just his clothes, and we're supposed to be convinced that he's one of us? It seems a bit too careless."

  "Not even a specific address was given, just told us to head west. Even if we want to go and rescue them, it's not necessarily possible."

  "I think this person is probably bought by the female Zhen people. Those female Zhen people can't do anything to us here, they want to get rid of us."

  "I think so too,"

  Everyone was talking in a cacophony of voices, but what they actually wanted to say was just one sentence, and the purpose was only one thing: not going out.

  （）

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