Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Because of the terrain of Zhanghe Beach, with a cliff behind it, there is basically no defensive pressure.

The slopes on the front and sides were prepared in advance, with three lines of defense set up using horse-drawn carriages, man-made trenches, and other means.

Therefore, the enemy cavalry could not rush up the hill for the time being and could only break through these three lines of defense first.

Even with this geographical advantage, the Wei soldiers fought with fear due to their large number of personnel, limited defensive equipment, and the vast disparity in strength between themselves and the enemy.

"Look, it's Your Highness!!"

Just as the first line of defense was breached and a large number of soldiers were forced to retreat to the second line of defense, their morale was low, when suddenly a soldier shouted loudly.

Upon hearing the sound, the officers and soldiers looked over and saw dozens of soldiers with golden armor and iron horses galloping down from the center of the riverbank, like a torrent, instantly blocking the gap that was under the greatest defensive pressure.

Such a dashing and well-equipped knight could only be a member of the princess's royal guard.

They initially thought the princess had summoned her personal guards to help, but upon closer inspection, they saw a lone rider at the head of the formation, agile and slender, yet exuding fearless spirit as he charged boldly into the enemy ranks.

It's a woman!

Upon seeing the woman trapped in the formation, the golden-armored knights immediately rushed to protect her, cutting down the surrounding enemies one by one.

Although most soldiers had never seen the princess's golden face, the woman whom the royal guards were willing to risk their lives to protect was undoubtedly a princess.

Taking advantage of the situation, a general shouted, "Quickly, protect the princess! Kill them!"

"kill!!"

"kill!!"

The princess personally took to the battlefield, and the thousand-plus soldiers, inspired by honor and mission, unleashed astonishing fighting power, bravely charging out of the second trench and once again engaging the enemy in fierce combat between the first and second lines of defense...

On the riverbank slope, the Oirat prince watched the battle unfold before him.

But his gaze was completely drawn to the agile figure in the middle of the battle formation.

"What a charming woman!"

The Oirat prince was familiar with the culture of the Great Wei. He was certain that the Wei princess before him, like other Wei princesses, had been raised in the deep palace since childhood.

This was definitely her first time facing a battlefield.

However, as a woman, her fearlessness and bravery on her first battlefield experience were truly admirable.

He believed that only the warriors of their grasslands possessed such a spirit of bravery and fearlessness in the face of death!

A look of eager anticipation flashed in his eyes.

"Prince, they...should we go down and help them?"

The guard was not speaking in support of the Wei Kingdom.

The third prince of the Oirat waved his hand slightly, "No need, they are just a rabble. Facing the warriors under General Abu, defeat is their only fate."

"Isn't it interesting that we just stand here and watch an impending massacre?"

"The prince is wise!"

……

To boost morale and to test whether her martial arts skills, honed over more than a decade, were merely for show, Princess Zhaoyang personally came to the front lines.

Everywhere was a sea of ​​blood, and the mournful cries of soldiers from both sides falling were heard everywhere.

Without time to think it through, she raised her long sword and charged at the enemy.

But she only had time to swing a few swords before she soon discovered that the enemies around her had been wiped out by the Imperial Guards who had fought desperately to protect her.

If she wants to continue killing enemies, she can only keep moving forward.

But she stopped at an appropriate point, knowing that now was not the time for her to make a move.

More and more soldiers gathered around her to protect her. If she were to get too deep into enemy territory, it would only lead to the innocent deaths of the soldiers around her.

So he threw down his longsword, took up his bow and arrows, and fought while retreating.

But before she could finish shooting all the arrows in the barrel, she sadly discovered that she no longer had the chance to even shoot arrows.

In her field of vision, the number of enemies was far less than the number of people protecting her.

In the midst of the chaos, the chances of shooting down the enemy are greatly reduced.

"Your Highness, enemy cavalry are closing in! Let's retreat!"

The enemy seemed to have discovered the secret of this place as well, and mobilized a considerable number of cavalry to charge forward.

Upon seeing this, Princess Zhaoyang nodded and led her troops back to the second line of defense to direct the defense on the spot.

Although, because of her noble status as a princess by their side, the soldiers were all fearless in the face of death.

However, Princess Zhaoyang, after surveying the entire battle situation, had no choice but to accept that if things continued this way, the defensive line would collapse and the enemy's iron cavalry would charge in sooner or later.

To die on the battlefield is perhaps the highest honor.

The imperial court will give them the compensation and honor they deserve.

However, besides the soldiers, there were also thousands of non-combatants in the camp at this time.

If the enemy cavalry were to break through the defenses, it would be a brutal massacre.

It's time to make a decision.

"Walk!"

Princess Zhaoyang gave the order and led her personal guards back to the central area of ​​the hillside.

Decision-makers voluntarily came here to observe the battle firsthand.

Without time for pleasantries, Princess Zhaoyang said to Xiang He and the others, "I have a decision that may offer us a glimmer of hope."

Xiang He and the others, who had already turned pale, were overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly asked for more information.

"Given the current situation, if we continue this standoff, we have absolutely no chance of winning."

Once the enemy cavalry charges in, we will all die.

Therefore, I intend to devise a plan to lure their cavalry away…”

"What does the princess mean?"

Because of their high vantage point, Xiang He and his companions were able to observe the entire situation.

The enemy seems to cherish their cavalry, and so far, they have barely allowed them to charge into battle.

But they didn't believe that the enemy had gathered so many cavalry here just to watch a show.

I fear that once the three lines of defense are breached, that will be the moment they launch a full-scale attack!

At that time... the outcome will be self-evident.

Therefore, upon hearing that Princess Zhaoyang had a plan, they grasped at it as if it were a lifeline.

"The Tatars have gone to such great lengths to come here, their main target must be me."

Therefore, I have decided to lead a breakout.

Upon hearing Princess Zhaoyang's words, Xiang He thought for a moment and then understood, and was immediately shocked.

"No, Your Highness, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

He understood what Princess Zhaoyang meant.

Since the enemy's target is Princess Zhaoyang, as long as Princess Zhaoyang breaks through the encirclement, the enemy will inevitably send cavalry to pursue her.

With the immense pressure from the cavalry reduced, this large camp might have a glimmer of hope...

But how can that be!

All of them exist to protect Princess Zhaoyang, so how could they expect Princess Zhaoyang to draw away the enemy for them instead?

The others who realized what was happening also knelt down to express their disagreement with Princess Zhaoyang's plan.

Princess Zhaoyang said frankly, "The current situation allows no room for hesitation."

If this stalemate continues, everyone will die here.

Rather than waiting to die, we should seize the opportunity while we still have the strength to fight and devise a plan for survival.

This strategy failed, but the outcome was the same.

But if successful, not only will I have a chance to escape, but you will also have more time to wait for rescue.

Do you all understand?

Hearing Princess Zhaoyang say this, everyone calmed down.

Yes, if this stalemate continues, we'll only end up in a dead end.

If we help the princess break through the encirclement, even if the enemy doesn't fall for the trap, at least the princess will have a chance to escape.

As long as the princess can escape, then even if they all die here, it will be a worthy death, won't it?

2kxs

After some thought, everyone replied, "We, your subjects, will obey the princess's command!"

Thus, they conspired to help the princess break through the encirclement.

……

No movement in the camp escaped the eyes of the Oirat prince.

Sensing something was wrong, he immediately came looking for him.

Although Xiang He and the others were very dissatisfied with the Oirat prince, they never suspected him.

After all, the Oirat prince had not only stayed with them the whole time, but he had also been wounded in the morning's battle, so he had done his best.

Given the long-standing enmity between the Tatars and the Oirats, it's likely that this Oirat prince wouldn't fare well in the hands of the Tatars!

Therefore, they did not hide it from him.

There's no need to hide it, because the princess has already changed her equipment and is ready to take action immediately.

When the Oirat prince saw Princess Zhaoyang and her two identically dressed maids, he immediately understood their plan.

Although he scoffed at this futile effort, he secretly admired Princess Zhaoyang's courage.

So he volunteered: "It is the fault of our Oirat that the princess has been put in danger this time."

To atone for my sins, I am willing to personally escort the princess to safety!

The Oirat prince knelt on one knee, showing great sincerity.

Princess Zhaoyang's expression changed slightly. She glanced at him and asked, "But wasn't the prince injured?"

"It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. Your humble servant is willing to go through fire and water for the princess!"

By positioning himself as a vassal of a lower state, he could lower the other party's guard. The Oirat prince habitually did this very well.

"It's kind of you, Your Highness. Thank you for your trouble."

……

Although Jia Lian took away the main cavalry to save Zhu Dahe, it did not mean that the camp was without warhorses.

Putting aside everything else, Princess Zhaoyang's imperial guards alone numbered at least one hundred riders.

Besides, if they really wanted to escape, it wouldn't take many riders...

West of the riverbank, the enemy, having just launched a fierce attack, was about to catch their breath when suddenly the Wei soldiers shouted in unison and charged forward.

The enemy was astonished that these lambs to the slaughter dared to launch a counterattack.

Did they know they were doomed and this was a last-ditch effort to fight back? The enemy, who hadn't even caught their breath, barely mustered their strength to resist the onslaught.

Being caught off guard and unprepared, and facing a fierce opponent, they quickly retreated.

Suddenly, the enemy soldiers parted to make way, and then a group of swift warhorses galloped out.

The experienced general immediately understood what this meant and wanted to lead his men to attack.

Upon seeing the figures charging ahead, he paused involuntarily.

Not only him, but the other soldiers also instinctively made way for the knights in their familiar clothes and attire.

But the leading, fierce knight did not give up because of their retreat. Instead, he swiftly drew his sword and reaped several of their lives...

It's perfectly normal for a besieged enemy to try to break out.

However, these "Tatars" knew that the enemy's princess was inside the camp, so the enemy had no choice but to hold their ground. They never expected the enemy to choose to break out.

Moreover, this is also the place where they are least guarded.

The people of Wei wanted to escape, so they could either go south or east. Going west would mean heading into their own territory, wouldn't it?

With the enemy having a large number of armored cavalry clearing the way, the encirclement was quickly breached.

Three women on fast horses galloped off, fleeing for their lives along three separate routes.

At this moment, even a fool would know what's going on.

"Quickly, stop them!!"

The other party's princess wanted to escape.

How could this be allowed!

On the hillside, they watched the three long streams disappear rapidly into the distance, and then, as expected, a large number of enemy cavalry pursued them relentlessly...

Xiang He's eyes welled up with tears.

As a subject, he couldn't understand Princess Zhaoyang's actions.

Clearly, by remaining calm and quiet, a breakout could provide the princess with a greater chance of escape.

But the princess chose this method.

Seemingly afraid that the enemy wouldn't know she had escaped, she even found two other women to impersonate her to increase attention.

Although there was a scheme involved, such as "making the real appear real and the false appear real," Xiang He knew that Princess Zhaoyang really wanted to use this to lure away more enemy cavalry!

Otherwise, the princess could have disguised herself as a man and blended in with the cavalry, which would have made it much easier to escape the enemy's pursuit.

After silently praying for Princess Zhaoyang, Xiang He wiped away a tear and then rallied his spirits.

He knew that this was all the princess could do for them.

Whether they survive or not depends on their own fate.

"Someone, bring all the oil drums here!"

He was about to set up the fourth line of defense...

……

Dusk had passed, and the sky was dark.

The remaining imperial guards around Princess Zhaoyang couldn't help but feel secretly delighted.

After dark, it will be much easier to shake off the enemy's pursuit.

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The Oirat prince, accompanied by his personal guards, was always by their side.

Seeing that Princess Zhaoyang and his guards were exhausted, his mood improved even more.

His gaze, which was both admiring and observing his prey, never left Princess Zhaoyang.

"Princess, less than forty li ahead is one of our Oirat military camps."

I have already sent people to gather troops to come and meet the princess.

Now, let's take a break here.

Seeing that the enemy had not pursued them and had not refused to leave, Princess Zhaoyang and the others ordered them to rest on the spot and replenish their food and water.

The night was dark and gloomy.

The third prince of the Oirat Mongols held a bowl of goat's milk that his subordinates had prepared and slowly savored it.

It wasn't until a guard he had sent out as a scout returned and whispered a few words in his ear that he nodded, drank the goat's milk in one gulp, and then got up and walked to Princess Zhaoyang's side.

Upon seeing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards in charge of guard duty immediately stood up and glared at him fiercely.

"Step back."

Sitting under the tree, Princess Zhaoyang, who was staring at the campfire and seemingly lost in thought, looked up and scolded.

Upon seeing this, the Oirat prince walked over and sat down in front of Princess Zhaoyang, laughing, "This humble subject did not expect that Your Highness would be so skilled in riding and archery. So many Tatar cavalrymen were unable to catch up with you."

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the prince's great help."

"Really? What a pity..."

"What do you mean?"

Princess Zhaoyang's expression changed slightly, and the third prince of the Oirat Mongols laughed upon seeing this. With a wave of his hand, all his guards, who had been prepared beforehand, rushed over and surrounded Princess Zhaoyang and all the imperial guards around her.

Upon seeing the remaining twenty or so Imperial Guards immediately draw their swords and protect Princess Zhaoyang, the Oirat prince did not care.

He looked only at Princess Zhaoyang and smiled, "Putting aside our respective identities, I do really like the princess. I've even considered having her become my 'Ordo' and fight alongside me to conquer the world."