The prince is more stable

Chapter 689 The Thin Line of Life and Death

On the battlefield where the two armies faced each other, Zhao Xiaoqian rarely felt this kind of unease.

He knew how powerful the firearms he created were; at least in this era of cold weapons, they were absolutely overwhelming. As the commander-in-chief, he always sat comfortably in the rear, waiting for news of victory, and usually did not encounter any danger.

But tonight, Zhao Xiaoqian felt inexplicably uneasy. For a moment, his heartbeat lost its rhythm and became erratic, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

Zhao Xiaoqian couldn't help but sit up straight, his deep gaze fixed on the darkness ahead, trying to find the reason for his unease.

Unfortunately, no clues were seen. It was a battle fought in the dead of night, with both sides attacking and defending in the dark. Apart from hearing sounds, the enemy's deployment and tactical intentions could not be seen at all.

The sound of horses' hooves on the opposite side grew rapid; the Liao army's third charge had begun.

Tonight, Xiao Chouwo seized the opportunity of Zhao Xiaoqian being alone and was determined to eliminate him. Even though the three thousand Liao cavalry had suffered heavy casualties, he was still not giving up.

Regardless of whether they were friend or foe, Zhao Xiaoqian felt that Xiao Chouwo was indeed a qualified general. He would proactively seek out opportunities, seize them, and create victories. It was rare to find a general with such tactical awareness. He had to admit that he was much better than most Song generals.

Chen Shou's face was gloomy, clearly indicating that he had a heavy heart.

As a frontline commander, he was not worried about the Liao army breaking through his lines; he was worried about the ammunition problem.

Four hundred Imperial Guards were the standard entourage for Zhao Xiaoqian's travels, but these four hundred men were basically light cavalry, which meant that they could not possibly carry much material, including ammunition, when traveling with Zhao Xiaoqian.

So now the trouble begins. If they run out of ammunition, the four hundred imperial guards will have no choice but to fight with swords, and Zhao Xiaoqian's safety will be hard to guarantee.

If anything happens to the heir, even a hundred deaths wouldn't be enough to atone for his sins.

"All troops, listen to my command! Let the enemy get close and attack!" Chen Shou changed tactics, now prioritizing conserving ammunition.

"Fire in unison when the enemy is within 200 paces; be ready to swarm them at any moment!"

As Chen Shou roared, the sound of the Liao army's hooves grew closer and closer.

Finally, the charging Liao army entered within two hundred paces of firing range, and Chen Shou shouted a loud order to fire a volley. A deafening roar followed, and once again, men and horses fell in droves.

Chen Shou showed no joy on his face, his eyes fixed on the pitch-black darkness ahead.

The battle remained deadlocked, and Xiao Chouwo did not give up the offensive, repeatedly ordering the Liao army to charge regardless of casualties.

Chen Shou couldn't remember how many volleys the Imperial Guards had fired; he only knew that ammunition was running out and the Liao army's casualties were certainly increasing.

During the fierce battle, a question arose in Chen Shou's mind.

Why did Xiao Chouwo so frantically order an attack? Knowing that each attack would be fruitless, and that the Liao army couldn't even get within a hundred paces of the Song army's lines, he was like a stubborn madman, still irrationally ordering his generals to charge.

How many times can three thousand Liao soldiers withstand such attrition?
Zhao Xiaoqian also stood up at this moment, staring intently ahead with a solemn expression.

The unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger, but after observing for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what was wrong. This feeling was very bad; it was a sense of powerlessness, as if he couldn't control his own destiny.

After pacing back and forth a few times, Zhao Xiaoqian turned to look at Jia Jiu, who was standing silently to the side, and said, "You must protect me well and make sure nothing happens to me."

Jia Jiu bowed and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, unless we die in battle, no one will..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air, and an arrow shot from behind Zhao Xiaoqian. Almost without warning, Zhao Xiaoqian staggered, his right shoulder blade first went numb, and then a sharp pain reached his brain.

Jia Jiu was terrified. He and more than a dozen assassins quickly turned around, facing behind them, staring intently at the darkness.

With a whoosh, another arrow shot from behind, its accuracy and power both fierce and steady, and its target was clear, aimed directly at Zhao Xiaoqian.

Jia Jiu's eyelids twitched, and he subconsciously swung his knife, knocking the arrow away with a clang.

"The young master has been shot with an arrow!" Jia Jiu roared, his eyes quickly turning bloodshot and his muscles tensing, like a vicious cheetah searching for its prey.

This roar immediately startled Chen Shou and the other imperial guards, and everyone couldn't help but turn to look at Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian was pale, and the excruciating pain in his right shoulder blade almost made him faint. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

“They… someone has gotten behind us!” Zhao Xiaoqian said through gritted teeth.

Chen Shou was extremely anxious and shouted sternly, "Send fifty men from each of the left and right flanks to form a battle formation in the rear!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a rapid sound of hooves approached. Before the Song army could even change formation, a group of about a hundred Liao cavalrymen charged into the gap in the Song army's rear like lightning, brandishing their long swords and charging towards Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian's eyes widened in shock. He bit his lower lip hard, pulled out his short-barreled flintlock pistol, and immediately pulled the trigger without hesitation towards the leading Liao cavalryman.

With a thud, the leader of the Liao cavalry fell from his horse.

However, after firing the first shot, Zhao Xiaoqian didn't have time to reload, so he quickly retreated.

At this moment, Chen Shouhe and his imperial guards were rushing towards Zhao Xiaoqian. Jia Jiu and a dozen experts leaped up and blocked the hundred Liao cavalrymen who were launching a surprise attack from behind.

Jia Jiu suddenly leaped into the air, swung his long sword fiercely, and struck a Liao soldier before landing. He then leaped into the air again, continuing to slash with his long sword.

In the blink of an eye, three Liao cavalrymen had died under Jia Jiu's blade, and more than a dozen other experts also leaped up and down several times, charging into the Liao cavalry formation.

However, Jia Jiu and his men were ultimately outnumbered. The Liao cavalry that launched the attack numbered a hundred. No matter how skilled Jia Jiu and his men were, they could not stop all the Liao cavalry from charging towards Zhao Xiaoqian.

At this moment, the Liao cavalry, who were launching a surprise attack from the rear, had a very clear objective: they had their sights set on Zhao Xiaoqian. They were willing to risk their lives and casualties to rush towards him, all in order to kill Zhao Xiaoqian on the spot.

Zhao Xiaoqian's face grew increasingly pale; he never imagined he would face such a desperate situation. He saw that Chen Shou and the other imperial guards were still rushing towards him, about several dozen paces away, while Jia Jiu and the others were already embroiled in a chaotic battle behind them, unable to stop all the Liao troops. Even in the midst of the fighting, more than ten Liao cavalrymen charged towards Zhao Xiaoqian.

Zhao Xiaoqian gritted his teeth, enduring the sharp pain in his shoulder blade, and looked around. Then he saw a dagger on the ground near the campfire.

The blade and handle of the zhuodao are both relatively long, somewhat like the Modao of the Tang Dynasty, and it is also quite heavy.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to grip his sword tightly with both hands and stare intently at the Liao cavalry charging towards him.

"Kill—!" Zhao Xiaoqian roared, his eyes bloodshot.

His pupils dilated violently as Zhao Xiaoqian watched the Liao cavalry rushing towards him, getting closer and closer. He could even see the fierce glint in the eyes of the leading Liao cavalryman and the snow-white, cold light emanating from the long sword in his hand.

In an instant, the Liao cavalry were within arm's reach!

Zhao Xiaoqian gritted his teeth, then brandished his saber and swept it fiercely at the first Liao soldier charging towards him.

"Fuck you!" Zhao Xiaoqian roared.

The blade flashed, striking the Liao army's warhorse. The horse neighed in pain as the blade cleaved its neck in half, blood gushing out. The horse collapsed, and the Liao rider on its back also fell to the ground.

Before Zhao Xiaoqian could even rejoice, a Liao soldier charged forward from behind in the blink of an eye.

Before he could draw his sword, Zhao Xiaoqian instinctively let go and retreated hastily, but the Liao cavalry charged relentlessly.

There was no way to dodge it, and no time to react. Zhao Xiaoqian felt a pain in his chest, and then he was knocked away by the horse. He felt himself being lifted into the air, and then crashing down hard.

Zhao Xiaoqian fell heavily to the ground, nearly fainting. He opened his lips and spat out a mouthful of blood, his mind reeling and buzzing.

The Liao cavalry were overjoyed to see Zhao Xiaoqian being knocked away. They yelled a few times and were about to spur their horses forward to finish him off when, at the critical moment, the dazed Zhao Xiaoqian finally heard the gunshot.

With a thud, the Liao cavalryman who was about to deliver the finishing blow fell from his horse.

More gunfire followed, and Liao cavalrymen fell from their horses one after another. Amidst the anxious cries of Chen Shou and Jia Jiu, Zhao Xiaoqian's pupils gradually lost focus, and finally, his eyes closed, he lost consciousness, and fell into endless darkness.

…………

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious. Zhao Xiaoqian felt as if he were on a small boat, rising and falling with the waves of the sea.

It was like having a long nightmare. The dream was pitch black, with no light to be found, and my consciousness was very blurry. I vaguely heard many people calling my name loudly, and it was as if I had returned to the company where I was a beast of burden in my past life, bowing and scraping to my boss and earning a pittance of two or three thousand yuan.

The scene flashed by quickly, and he found himself born in an ancient side room, then being held in swaddling clothes.

A large, fat man held the child as if it were a priceless treasure, proudly telling everyone around him that this was his son, the only son of the King of Chu. He was still young, but he was sure to be extraordinary when he grew up.

The images of babies, children, and teenagers flash by quickly, and finally freeze on the scene where he stands majestically before a hundred thousand soldiers, clad in armor, raising his hand with high spirits and pointing to the distant north.

No, not just the North, I'll take you to conquer the stars and the sea.

The shouts of 100,000 soldiers were like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting, shaking the heavens. In that dark mass of people, there was a light of fanatical reverence.

Finally, Zhao Xiaoqian opened his eyes, feeling extremely tired, his eyelids feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

He returned to this world.

That vast expanse of stars and sea is still there, and so is he.

There was a cacophony of sounds around me, including suppressed sobs and angry roars from not far away.

With his eyes darting to one side, Zhao Xiaoqian found himself lying in a rather luxurious room, surrounded by a dense crowd of familiar faces.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian saw Chen Shou waiting by the bedside.

At this moment, Chen Shou noticed that he had opened his eyes and immediately shouted with delight.

"The prince is awake! He's awake!"

With a clattering sound of armor plates striking each other, Zhao Xiaoqian noticed that many people had rushed to his bedside, looking at him with surprise and delight.

All that came into view were familiar faces: Chen Shou, Jia Jiu, Zong Ze, Di Zi…

His bodyguards and generals were all present.

Zong Ze's eyes glistened with tears, and it was only then that he burst into tears.

"His Highness has finally woken up! He's finally awake!"

With a loud bang, the rest of his generals knelt down on one knee before him, their faces filled with shame and remorse.

"This humble general failed in his duty to provide adequate support, resulting in Your Highness's unfortunate fate. This humble general deserves to die!"

Their unanimous apologies finally brought Zhao Xiaoqian back to his senses.

"Where...where am I?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.

(End of this chapter)