Chapter 21

Lu Yao naturally understood Li Yun's urgent feelings. The County Lady of Jingling was the legitimate eldest daughter of the King of Donghai. Even his uncle, the Duke of Dongying Sima Teng, would treat her with courtesy. After all, Sima Teng's glory and wealth were entirely dependent on the King of Donghai's will. Not to mention, this County Lady was involved in politics, and everyone believed she was astute and capable, a woman who could match any man. If she were to speak, promoting a few mid-level officers would be a trivial matter.

Li Yun was already over forty and had always been in a middle position under the Duke of Dongying. He was not as powerful as the high-ranking generals like Nie Xuan, Chen Yong, and Chunyu Luo, nor was he much higher than military commanders like Lu Yao. This time, he had come like a god from the heavens, naturally determined to seize the opportunity to show his skills before the noble.

But after some thought, Lu Yao called out repeatedly, "Commander Li! Commander Li! I have something to ask!"

Since waking up, Lu Yao had been trekking in the mountains and had no idea about the outside situation. This made him extremely anxious. After all, exploring the map is something every real-time strategy game player must remember.

Li Yun, unable to refuse, stopped and turned back.

"Commander Li, do you know the situation in Shangdang? I just heard that the Duke of Dongying is actually considering abandoning Bingzhou?"

After the defeat at Daling, the only intact force in Bingzhou was the Duke of Dongying's main army stationed in Shangdang. This force was the last hope for maintaining the situation, and Li Yun was one of its main generals.

Just now, Hu Liuniang mentioned that the Duke of Dongying had fled without a fight, abandoning the important town of Shangdang. Lu Yao found this hard to believe and immediately asked Li Yun for confirmation. This question made Li Yun's body tremble.

Lu Yao looked at his expression and suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Commander Lu, you are right. The Duke of Dongying has indeed abandoned Shangdang and fled to Yecheng."

"..." Lu Yao had hoped for a slim chance, but now he didn't know what to say. He lowered his voice and asked, "Why has it come to this?"

Li Yun said dejectedly, "It's all because of the Duke of Dongying..."

The story was brief. Four days ago, after the news of the defeat at Daling reached Huguan City, Sima Teng, fearing the Huns' might, immediately lost the will to continue fighting. High officials in his court, such as Zhou Liang, Sima Yu, and Shi Xian, were also terrified. That night, Sima Teng secretly convened his confidants and decided to abandon the important town of Shangdang and flee to Yecheng for safety.

Lu Yao felt a burning rage in his heart. He vaguely remembered that historical records stated that Sima Teng had indeed abandoned Bingzhou and fled. But he never expected him to be so decisive.

The Duke of Dongying's main force of over ten thousand troops stationed in Shangdang and Huguan was known for its elite status. Generals like Li Yun were all brave and capable. After the defeat at Daling, the Bingzhou army retreated on three fronts, and countless scattered soldiers were still fighting, hoping for the Duke of Dongying's support. When he led his troops to break through the encirclement and was finally trapped in a small fort, the situation was dire. Commander Chen Yi, who led the breakout, still hoped for the Duke of Dongying's reinforcements. At that time, if the Duke of Dongying had sent just five thousand troops... no, even three thousand to resist, the situation would not have deteriorated so much.

But this man had fled without hesitation!

He spat out a bloody saliva and sneered, "This will surely be laughed at by the world. How pitiful that the people of Bingzhou have such a coward as their governor."

Li Yun was somewhat embarrassed. Lu Yao, having experienced such things, no longer regarded Sima Teng as his superior, but he still had some hope. Although he had cursed Sima Teng countless times in the past few days, he now said, "The situation is too dire, and it's understandable that the Duke of Dongying made such a decision. Many people in Bingzhou have followed the Duke of Dongying to Yecheng, and perhaps they will find a way to survive in Hebei."

Lu Yao shook his head repeatedly and did not respond.

Li Yun looked deeply at Lu Yao and quickly ran downstream.

A few days ago, the Duke of Dongying prepared to flee secretly at night. Before leaving, Li Yun suddenly reminded him: the legitimate eldest daughter of the King of Donghai, the County Lady of Jingling, who had come to report on the court situation a few days ago, had left Shangdang and was returning to Luoyang. Calculating the route, she was within the reach of the Huns.

The Duke of Dongying, being a close relative of the imperial family and the King of Donghai's full brother, did not consider the loss of troops and territory a big deal, but he dared not offend his brother, the King of Donghai. The King of Donghai regarded the County Lady of Jingling as a precious gem. If anything happened to her, the King of Donghai would surely be furious. He immediately sent Li Yun with hundreds of elite troops to chase her and ensure her safety.

First, Li Yun was capable, second, they had great luck, and third, the Hun army was busy attacking and plundering elsewhere, leaving no time to pay attention. This small force moved stealthily through the mountains, and they successfully caught up. When they reached Funiu Fort, they encountered the Hun forces that had received a tip-off and were trying to kidnap the County Lady.

At that time, the traitors in Funiu Fort were shouting and fighting, and Hu Liuniang was in a dire situation, almost unable to hold out. Li Yun's troops and the Funiu Fort defenders fought together for half an hour, barely repelling the Huns. They then followed the river behind the fort, running madly to catch up. They arrived just as Lu Yao and Xiang Fei were in a critical battle, and they managed to turn the tide by sheer luck.

After great effort, they managed to save the County Lady in time... such a great achievement must be reported to her immediately, or they would be seen as fools.

"Commander Li!" Lu Yao shouted, "Don't search randomly, and don't disturb the County Lady. Just go to the sixth oak tree to the left of the reef!"

Li Yun's face lit up, and he shouted at his soldiers, "Don't panic! If you disturb the County Lady, it will be a grave sin!" He adjusted his armor and used the river to check his appearance before walking downstream with his head held high.

"Commander Lu..." Wang De, limping, was supported by two soldiers. He patted Lu Yao's shoulder, "In such a situation, being alive is a great fortune. Don't worry too much about other things..."

Lu Yao pursed his lips. Li Yun's hundreds of subordinates were still running madly over the rocky riverbed. In their eyes, seizing the great achievement of saving the County Lady was the top priority. The sound of their footsteps made Lu Yao suddenly feel irritable.

The Ningbei General, who commanded over ten thousand elite troops and was the governor of Bingzhou, known as one of the strongest feudal lords in the world, was so afraid of the enemy that he fled at night before the enemy even arrived, leaving the Huns' cavalry unable to catch up. Tens of thousands of soldiers on the front lines were eagerly awaiting his support, but he only sent a few hundred men to rescue the King of Donghai's daughter, a royal noble.

"Ah..." Lu Yao sighed, "Being alive is a great fortune. What's the point of thinking about other things?"