My vicious dog, my horse, I can do whatever I want with it

Chapter 273: Protecting the Country with My Flesh and Blood

"Gao and Jin have received the news of sending troops. They should be arriving soon." Zong Yanli flipped through the military report and took a deep breath and said, "Baishui Pass is of vital importance. We cannot lose it at any cost."

"Now that winter is over, we must find ways to save money and defend the city."

"Conserve your energy and hold out until the reinforcements arrive, then go out of the city to meet the enemy, defeat the coalition forces of the three countries in one fell swoop, and completely conquer Qi!"

Zong Yanli issued a military order, switching from offense to defense and starting the battle to defend the city.

The winter snow was hard to melt, and Lu Peibai set up a stove on the city wall, and cooked tea and wine for the thousands of enemy troops outside Baishui Pass. He was so eye-catching in his green clothes. Long Feiguang, Meng Qi and others leaned against the railing of the city wall with their arms folded, looking at Lu Peibai's slender jade fingers, and felt a rare sense of admiration.

"Isn't that Mr. Gongsun's jade flute that the general is fiddling with?" Pei Liang was sitting in the back and saw Zong Yanli standing by the city wall. He held a familiar jade flute in his hand and placed it against his lips. He blew two notes and then stopped and changed fingers, as if he was thinking about how to play it.

"Yes." Zhan Haoyue raised his eyes and nodded.

The gentle breeze blew and lifted Zong Yanli's long hair. She seemed to have finally found the music score. She put the jade flute to her lips with ease and stumbled as she played a melodious tune.

Zhan Haoyue and the others listened carefully, and hearing the inconsistent tones, their faces turned grim, looking a little unbearable.

Lu Peibai was even more hesitant to speak, looking at Zong Yanli who was playing the jade flute in a slightly surprised manner. He had to admit that the music he played was really bad. It was fine if the tune was out of tune, but why was it so intermittent...

"How is it?" Zong Yanli turned to look at Wen Nian and asked with raised eyebrows.

"..." Wen Nian was silent for a moment, and all eyes fell on him in an instant. Meng Qi and others looked at him with an expression, "Brother Nian, if you dare to say the word 'nice', we really look down on you!!!"

"It's a bit unpleasant." Wen Nian lowered his eyes silently.

Zong Yanli: “…”

Meng Qi couldn't help laughing, Long Feiguang and the others also had a look of laughter on their faces. Pei Liang laughed and said, "It turns out that the general also has flaws! The general should not touch the art of music in the future."

Zong Yanli's face darkened. How could she not find it unpleasant?

Isn't this great?

She hung the jade flute back around her waist, turned around and sat down at the tea table. Lu Peibai raised his hand to pour tea for her. Her posture was indescribably elegant. No wonder Zhan Haoyue praised Lu Peibai's elegance.

"General, we have discovered unusual enemy movements." Just as everyone was enjoying the moment, Bai Xiujun came hurriedly and said, "We have discovered enemy traces in the west of the city."

"It's a rare opportunity to have such a refined taste..." Zhan Haoyue's face darkened, and he looked at the freshly brewed tea with a depressed look on his face.

"No problem." Long Feiguang stepped forward and said, "General, you can have tea here. I will take people there."

Zong Yanli was about to stand up, but when he saw Long Feiguang's action, he sat back down. He nodded to Long Feiguang and said, "Be careful, don't be fooled by the enemy and leave the city. Go."

Long Feiguang responded in a low voice: "Yes!"

The enemy had come up with endless strategies for attacking the city, but Zong Yanli always stayed in the city and refused to come out, which naturally made the enemy anxious. Today, he used the same trick again to lure the enemy out of its hole, pretending to be defeated in order to lure Long Feiguang out of the city to pursue him. However, Long Feiguang always kept in mind what Zong Yanli said, and let the enemy retreat and never went out of the city to pursue them.

In the enemy's tent, Baines listened to the news that they had failed again. He couldn't help but raise his hand and slap the armrest of the table and chair: "The Zong Yan family is so patient!"

"It may be difficult for us to attack them if they are so stubborn." Geng Wei's face was exhausted. He frowned and thought for a long time before saying, "I guess Zong Yanli must have some tricks up his sleeve. In the current situation, it is Daqian who should be anxious to break the impasse, not us."

"But Zong Yanli didn't move at all, and even seemed to be waiting..."

"Wait? Waiting for what?" Baines' expression was slightly shocked, he frowned and looked at Geng Wei and asked.

"Wait for reinforcements." When Geng Wei slowly uttered these words, Baines, Yi Tiangan and others in the tent widened their eyes and felt cold sweat on their backs. Then they suddenly realized that there were reinforcements behind Zong Yanli!

Daqian was established, Jin surrendered, and Gao made an alliance!

Baines felt nervous, probably because of the battle with Zong Yanli. The pressure she gave him was so great that Baines naturally felt that this was the strongest army of Daqian, and as long as they defeated Zong Yanli, they would win the battle completely!

But how could he have forgotten that Daqian has long been a dominant power in the southern region, so how could it be without support?

Lu and the Northern Kingdom allied with Qi, so how could Gao and Jin not come to their aid?

Baines' heart trembled, and he suddenly felt that he had wasted so much time here to block Zong Yanli, and it was as if he was being led by the nose by Zong Yanli.

"If Daqian really comes to help, the day when the reinforcements arrive will be the day when Zong Yanli will go out of the city to fight. For us..." Yi Tiangan said anxiously, "It's a danger of defeat!"

"I have a plan that may be able to resolve the current crisis." Geng Wei thought for a while, turned to look at Baines and Yi Tiangan and said.

"General Geng, please speak!" Baines and Yi Tiangan turned to look at Geng Wei.

Geng Wei pondered for a long time and said, "But... this move may lead to the complete destruction of Qi. If this strategy is implemented, Qi will have to make three agreements with Lu and the Northern Kingdom."

Geng Wei sat upright on the chair, looked at the two of them seriously and said, "The Northern Kingdom and Lu should sign a peace and mutual assistance treaty with Qi and cease fire for ten years."

He was using his last bit of strength to fight for an opportunity for Qi. Ten years would be a panacea for Qi to revive. If this battle could drive Daqian's troops out of the north, then Qi might still be able to continue to exist.

Geng Wei thought a lot and finally made such a bold decision.

No one knew what decision General Geng in the military tent had made regarding the Northern Kingdom and the Lu Kingdom. All they knew was that the Northern Kingdom and the Lu Kingdom both agreed to sign a treaty of peace and mutual assistance and become friendly countries.

In mid-March, the rainfall increased.

The situation inside Baishui Pass became increasingly tense. The entire army tightened their belts and lived on the principle of only having one meal a day.

Finally, one day at the end of March, when heavy rain was falling, the familiar sound of the horn was heard at Baishui Pass, which had withstood countless sieges, and the flags of the Gao Kingdom were seen flying on both sides.

Zong Yanli saw the flag of the Gao Kingdom at a glance when he was standing on the observation deck. Zong Yanli once picked up the broken flag of the Gao Kingdom with his own hands and covered Luo Chengren's coffin with it.

After suffering for a long time, Zong Yanli finally smiled at this moment.

"Open the gate and meet the enemy!" Zong Yanli's eyes lit up and he lit the beacon fire inside the pass. The war drums of Daqian sounded and a response came from the other side. It was the troops of Jin that had also arrived.

"Kill--!!!" A deafening shout of killing rang out. Zong Yanli put on his armor and took his sword. He led his troops to open the city gate and fight against the enemy.

The enemy troops outside Baishui Pass were surrounded and killed. Zong Yanli killed his way from the city gate to the center of the enemy's formation. After slashing down the shield formation in front of him with a knife, he finally broke through the enemy's front-line defense and rushed into the formation.

However, the countless enemies that were expected did not appear. Instead, there were countless standing scarecrows in the army formation, wearing tattered armor, and crude wooden horses, which made it easy for people to break through.

Zong Yanli's heart suddenly jumped when he saw the scene in front of him. When he raised his eyes, he saw tens of thousands of arrows shooting towards him from behind the straw man.

Clang——!

Ding!

Zong Yanli swung his sword to fight back the rain of arrows, rolled on the ground to avoid them, stepped back a few steps and waited for the rain of arrows to end before rushing forward again.

"Kill!!!" This time, it was finally the enemy troops that came forward. However, the moment Zong Yanli looked up, he saw that those rushing towards him with swords and knives were all veteran soldiers of Qi State. He even saw a few remnants of soldiers limping towards them.

Zong Yanli frowned. This trick again?

She was always merciless on the battlefield, and these old, weak and disabled soldiers charging towards her were undoubtedly seeking death for Zong Yanli.

Behind Zong Yanli, Monkie and others also broke through the army formation and rushed in. When they saw this group of old, weak and disabled soldiers, they felt that they were despised by the enemy. They became angry and rushed forward with their swords. It was simply no difficulty for them to charge forward.

"Protect the mountains and rivers, save the country from disaster!"

"Don't fear life or death!" Geng Wei, who was standing on the general's platform, personally beat the drum for the veterans. Looking at the old buddies falling one after another, his eyes seemed to be dyed red. Finally, he dropped the drumstick in his hand, drew the long sword from his waist, held it with both hands and shouted: "I will use my blade to resist the enemy, and my flesh and blood to protect the country. I will die on the battlefield without regrets!"

"I will protect my country with my flesh and blood!"

The shouts from below, one louder than the other and filled with age, were so deep and powerful.

Geng Wei jumped off the general's platform with fearlessness in his eyes. He clenched the sword in his hand and rushed towards the direction where Zong Yanli was. He truly protected the country with his flesh and blood. Such an old veteran had veterans like him behind and around him.

Geng Wei was like the last afterglow of the setting sun, burning his last bit of blood, wanting to bring glory and brightness to the Chinese people in this last moment.

Zong Yanli didn't even rush forward, Geng Wei was already staggering after being stabbed several times by the siege of many soldiers and generals. The sharp halberd pierced his chest from left, right, front and back. The old general bled to death and died under the siege of many soldiers.

"General, the number of enemy troops is wrong." With the reinforcements from Gao and Jin, the speed at which the coalition forces outside Baishui Pass were strangled was simply outrageous.

When Long Feiguang led his troops deep into the enemy's territory, with Geng Wei killed in battle, the enemy's front-line defenses collapsed and were all strangled, the rear was completely exposed. The flags of the Northern Kingdom and the Lu Kingdom were still there, but the number of people defending against the enemy was only more than a thousand!

Long Feiguang broke into the military tent and did not capture any generals from the Northern Kingdom and the Lu Kingdom. Baines, Yi Tiangan and others had already disappeared.

Zong Yanli's face darkened. He looked at the battle in front of him, then at the wooden horse and straw man that were being trampled and chopped down. His expression changed again and again: "This is terrible..."

"The Lu and Northern armies must have discovered that our reinforcements had arrived, and they figured out that Daqian lacked troops, so they gave up on joining forces with Qi and marched south to attack Daqian!" Zong Yanli thought of the reason for the change in the battle situation almost instantly, and he didn't even have time to catch his breath. He turned around and said, "Ask Duzhe to see me!"

"Yes!" In the chaotic battle situation, Zong Yanli turned around angrily and chopped down the Qi soldiers who were like leeches on the heel and vowed to never surrender. Those soldiers who were barely surviving would pick up swords with their last breath and would bite them with their teeth even if their hands and feet were cut off.

On this battlefield where blood and flesh are flying everywhere, this scene is truly terrifying.

Zong Yanli's eyes were bloodshot. She sat on the corpses of Qi soldiers. Her black armor was covered in blood and under her feet was someone's severed hand. She sat on the pile of corpses with a long sword in her hand and took a moment to catch her breath.

"General Zong Yan!" Du Zhe was not in a much better condition. He had a broken palm and was wearing a dagger as a weapon. The armor on his head was lost somewhere. He hurried over, dismounted, leaned over and said to Zong Yanli.

"To make a long story short." Zong Yanli raised his head slightly to signal Duzhe that there was no need for courtesy, and then he said, "Qi was defeated, Beiguo and Lu have withdrawn their troops, Baishui Pass has been completely occupied, and Qi is now vulnerable."

"I think the Lu army and the Northern army have marched south to take Daqian." Zong Yanli's voice was hoarse and her lips were cracked. Although her eyes were bloodshot, her black pupils were unusually calm. She stared at Du Zhe and said, "Wuhuan helped me get here. Today, I will give you Qi."

"Du Zhe, I want you to start your army from Baishui Pass, march into the Qi royal court, and present the head of the Qi monarch. Are you willing?"

Du Zhe widened his eyes in shock as he listened to Zong Yanli's words. He didn't know whether he was shocked by Zong Yanli's words that the Lu army and the Northern army would march south, or by her words that she would give Qi to him.

Zong Yanli stood up with his sword, walked to Duzhe, put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Qi is delaying with this strategy. I will be unwilling to give up Qi and return to Daqian. This Qi..."

"You and I are brothers, and Daqian and Wuhuan are also brothers."

"No matter who takes over Qi, you and I will be brothers, and we will not be separated, how about that?"

Du Zhe quickly calmed down after being shocked. Hearing Zong Yanli's words, he felt his blood boiling. He immediately reached out and pulled out the dagger from his waist and said, "General Zong Yan, I am willing to swear an oath of blood with you and become your sworn brother!"

"From now on, you are my sworn brother! I am willing to live and die with you!" Du Zhe said with a firm look in his eyes.

"Okay." Zong Yanli nodded slowly and agreed with a smile.

"Someone, bring some drinks!"

On the battlefield full of flames, Zong Yanli and Du Zhe swore an oath of brotherhood through blood. The drops of blood that fell into the wine dissolved, and the two men raised their glasses to drink it, as if symbolizing that at this moment, each other's blood was flowing in their bodies, and they became sworn brothers!

Zong Yanli turned to Duzhe and said, "Brother, I will leave Qi to you!"