A day later.

The endless blizzard in the sky was still falling as always.

The dilapidated Northern Blockade City has been crawling like a giant beast on the path that the barbarians must pass through to the south, but the barbarians who have just completely occupied this giant city have begun to withdraw from this giant city one after another.

They did not understand the king's command, but because of their trust in the king, they did so.

After the wandering wolf cavalry received the war materials provided by the sect, the huge barbarian army passed by the endless camp of the sect, and went north under the cover of the blizzard.

The tacit understanding of two huge armies hostile to each other is so strange that it looks like they are acting in a pantomime.

Both sides were vigilant, but they were both restrained.

And while this strange picture is going on,

In a snowy forest two hundred miles to the north, a group of hundreds of remnants of soldiers was taking a short rest.

There was silence in the snow forest, and most of the people were silently running the exercises to restore the few remaining Yuan Qi in their bodies.

Li Qingyan sat quietly in the middle of the military formation with his eyes closed and recuperated, and his heroic face looked a little tired.

I don't know how long it has been in the wind and snow,

A man in a purple python suit fell in the blizzard, and there were some thunder arcs around him that did not disperse.

As soon as Li Zhaoyuan landed, a woman in a red unicorn official uniform immediately stood up and bowed:

"Second Highness."

Li Zhaoyuan glanced at her sideways:

"Mengxi, don't be polite, hurry up and heal your injuries."

Xu Mengxi hurriedly bowed his head and saluted:

"Thanks to the elixir given by His Royal Highness the Second Highness, Mengxi's injuries at this moment no longer affect his movements."

In that kind of desperate siege warfare, the person who crosses the axis and acts more upright is often the most seriously injured.

Xu Mengxi is not Zhou Chen's sixth child, as soon as the war started, he deliberately took the barbarian totem and then pretended to be dead, hiding in the rear to recuperate.

In the final offensive and defensive battle of the northern city wall, Xu Mengxi fought to the death, if it wasn't for Li Zhaoyuan's rescue, she would probably have been beaten into a pool of flesh and blood by the barbarian totem at this moment.

Li Zhaoyuan's deep black eyes showed just the right amount of softness:

"In the future, we may encounter the wolf cavalry roaming the barbarians, so don't rush forward again when the time comes."

Xu Mengxi's red lips hooked slightly when he heard this, and he was about to say something more, but Li Zhaoyuan waved his hand:

"Okay, you rest first, this king has something to find Qingyan."

"Yes." Xu Mengxi was slightly disappointed, but still nodded and sat cross-legged to breathe.

Walking in front of Li Qingyan in silence, Li Zhaoyuan sat down slowly.

Li Qingyan also opened his closed phoenix eyes at this time and asked:

"Second brother, how is the situation?"

Although he is a nobleman, as the person with the highest cultivation in this team of remnants, Li Zhaoyuan took over the task of scouting without complaint.

After a moment of silence, Li Zhaoyuan glanced at the south and said in a low tone:

"The barbarians and the sect have reached an agreement, and now the barbarians have begun to go north, and there is a high probability that they are preparing to take over the area of Houting County."

Li Qingyan bowed slightly:

"This speed is a little earlier than Hongu expected, but at least it will take a day."

Li Zhaoyuan pondered for a moment and asked in a low voice:

"Qingyan, we still want to go to the area of Houting County now?"

"Hmm." Li Qingyan nodded.

Li Zhaoyuan frowned slightly:

"Now there should still be people left behind by the sect over there, if the northern sect really reaches an agreement with the barbarians"

Speaking of which, he did not continue, but the meaning was already clear.

After defeating Beifeng, the reason why they chose Houting County instead of going to the Zongmen camp outside Beifeng City was because they were worried that the Zongmen side would directly sell them to the barbarians as bargaining chips.

Today's hundreds of remnants are no match for those sects at all.

Once they enter their camp, they can quietly make hundreds of them disappear.

In other words, traveling to the area of Houting County will also have this risk.

When the barbarian army arrives, as long as the border troops of the sect who remain in the area of Houting County drag them down, they can also make them disappear silently.

Li Qingyan's red eyes could not see joy and anger, and he asked in a flat voice:

"Second brother, do you think the barbarian king will really follow the agreement with the sect?"

"What?" Li Zhaoyuan subconsciously muttered, his eyes a little strange.

Li Qingyan raised his eyes and glanced at the heavy snow clouds over the school forest:

"Second brother, what they want to see in the Northern Sect is that the barbarians and the elite of our court are desperate, and they are watching from the wall, but the ultimate goal of that barbarian king from beginning to end is to break the northern blockade and invade my Great Yan in the south."

"If you think about the position of the barbarian king standing in this palace, this palace is more inclined to the barbarians who will take advantage of the elite class of the sect to give them a surprise attack when they enter the city."

"Raid?"

Li Zhaoyuan's sword eyebrows furrowed even tighter: "The Barbarian King now knows that we have a spirit weapon like the Yun Qi Bullet to disperse the blizzard, and when we lose the sky, if we don't use the city or some geographical advantages to fight in the wilderness, their chances of winning are almost zero." ”

Li Qingyan shook his head:

"So the barbarian king waited for a day."

Li Zhaoyuan pondered:

"One day?"

Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice was a little hoarse:

"On this day, the barbarian king may be waiting for the sect to offer a higher price, but in fact, the palace is still more inclined to him to judge whether the elite of the sect has a third Yunqi bomb, after all, if there is, the sect only needs to explode another Yunqi bomb under the northern city to disperse the blizzard, and they can only compromise obediently."

Li Zhaoyuan was silent for a few breaths and slowly got up.

Li Qingyan stopped him:

"Second brother, where are you going?"

Li Zhaoyuan replied as a matter of course:

"Naturally, we are going to monitor the movements of the Northern Closure City, if the sect fights with the barbarians, we need first-hand intelligence."

Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes revealed a touch of playfulness:

"Second brother, although your cultivation is high, if they really fight, after the military formation composed of hundreds of thousands of troops is completely unfolded, it will not be difficult for the Lord to find out about you, this trip is too dangerous, so forget it."

Facing Li Qingyan's gaze, Li Zhaoyuan exhaled and arched his hand:

"In that case, then King Ben should stay by your side."

Li Qingyan smiled slightly, stood up on his knees, and glanced at the soldiers around him who were resting and recuperating, and his voice was heroic and loud:

"Form a marching array and continue north to Houting County."

The marching array is a kind of military array, and the soldiers and soldiers complement each other and can achieve long-distance running.

After no more sound, a group of hundreds of people stepped on the snow and headed north.

When approaching the area of Houting County, Li Qingyan suddenly frowned and stopped the marching soldiers:

"Stop."

The elite divisions were all forbidden, and the moment she spoke, the queue of hundreds of people immediately stopped on the snowfield.

Li Qingyan's red eyes crossed the white snowfall, and he vaguely saw two figures standing on a small hillside not far away.

Watching,

A sound with a coquettish smile fluttered lightly across the wind and snow for two miles, and it accurately reached Li Qingyan's ears:

"Your Highness Wu Yuan, our parents miss you for a long time, and we are waiting for you here."

Hearing this, Li Qingyan's chest rose and fell slightly.

But the next moment,

Li Qingyan glanced sideways at the soldiers behind him, and immediately lowered his voice and said:

"Arrive in Houting County immediately, rest in place, form a Xuanwu array, and wait for the order of the palace."

Speaking of which,

Li Qingyan glanced at Li Zhaoyuan who was accompanying him again:

"Second brother, please take the trouble to keep an eye on the surroundings to prevent the wolf riders of the barbarians from raiding."

Li Zhaoyuan's eyes also saw the two people standing on the hillside in the distance, he pondered for a moment, nodded and said:

"Okay, do you need to be accompanied?"

Li Qingyan's red lips were slightly hooked, and he asked rhetorically with side eyes:

"Second brother, how can the horses of this palace be willing to be unfavorable to this palace?"

Speaking of which,

Li Qingyan stepped on his feet, and rushed to the hillside in the distance like an arrow from a string.

Two miles away, in an instant.

be born

Xu Yuan turned his back and looked into the distance, while Lou Ji stood behind him, clasped his hands on his chest and said with a smile:

"Your Highness, our parents have something to say to you."

Li Qingyan looked at his back, his chest rose and fell slightly, and while stepping forward, he said with a smile:

"Oh? What else do you have to say to Hongu? ”

Hearing this, Xu Yuan slowly looked back.

Between the wind and snow, look at each other for a breath.

Xu Yuan frowned slightly, moved a step sideways and quietly moved to Lou Ji's side.

He. From Li Qingyan, a bad woman, I saw a little urge to beat people.

Lou Ji "giggled" when she saw this scene, and directly dragged Xu Yuan out from behind.

“.”

Pushed in front of Li Qingyan, looking at her beautiful eyes close at hand, Xu Yuan glanced back at Lou Ji.

Lou Ji clasped her hands to her chest, ready to be a fun-seeker.

Sighing lightly, Xu Yuanyu was helpless:

"Sister, you leave for a while, it looks like Qingyan should have something to say to me alone."

“.”

Lou Ji's eyes glanced around the two of them, pursed her lips, and while thinking about some miscellaneous things, she swayed her plump figure and disappeared into the wind and snow.

After Lou Ji left, the two people standing on the hillside were a little silent.

Xu Yuan looked at the woman in red in front of him, shook his head, and said with a smile:

"Looks like you have a lot to say to me?"

"What do you say?"

The cold wind ruffled the ends of Li Qingyan's hair, and the red crystal-like red pupils stared directly at the man in front of him, and the smile on the corner of his lips was a little dangerous.

After listening to the reminder when the guy left, she realized a lot of things.

She was tricked by him.

From the very beginning, the whole situation in the North Lockdown was this guy playing tricks.

Under her gaze, Xu Yuan slowly sat down on the hill by himself, and then patted the position next to him and motioned for Li Qingyan to sit down as well.

But Li Qingyan didn't move, staring at him quietly.

Xu Yuan shook his head when he saw this.

Not obedient at all, I miss the fifth day of the big ice mound.

After a pause, he said to himself:

"Qingyan, I think you should have seen some clues, right? After all, even if the Northern Lockdown City is lost, haven't you touched the things I left in the northern city wall? ”

"Huh"

Li Qingyan was so angry that he sneered: "Donkey. Do you think this palace dares to touch the things you left behind? If you don't pay attention to it, the strong people of the first grade will have to die there. ”

Xu Yuan was dumbfounded when he heard this, and said with a smile:

"Sometimes lifting the floor is also an art."

"Art?"

Li Qingyan's long hair fluttering in the wind fell a little snow-white: "The art is not art, the palace doesn't know, but the palace knows that if there are those source crystals for energy, the North Closure City will not be lost until now." ”

"Yes, it really won't be lost."

Xu Yuan nodded in agreement, then stared at Li Qingyan and asked, "Then what?" How long can the defenders in the city last? ”

“.”

Li Qingyan was silent.

The most fundamental problem in the fall of Beifeng is not the lack of energy in the city protection array, but the lack of troops, but the attitude of the elite of the sect outside the city towards the friendly army when they are in trouble.

After counting the interest,

She looked at his angular side face:

"Xu Changtian, you have been trying your best to make the Northern Closure City fall as soon as possible from the very beginning, is this palace right?"

Xu Yuan raised his head slightly, met her gaze, and nodded directly:

"Yes."

Li Qingyan let out a long breath when he heard this, but he didn't get angry, and asked calmly:

"So, the Arc de Triomphe in the southern city was blown up, and you did it too?"

Xu Yuan hesitated slightly when he heard this, and this time he answered ambiguously:

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't."

Li Qingyan's willow eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his eyes gradually narrowed:

"What do you mean by that?"

Xu Yuan propped his hands on the snow layer behind him, looked up at the black and oppressive snowy sky, and was quiet for a while before he said quietly:

"I didn't do it,

"However, I suspect my father did it."

“.” Li Qingyan.

That's a lot of information.

Thinking about it deeply, can it be understood as the barbarian who allowed public and private affairs?

After a moment's pause, Li Qingyan frowned and asked:

"You mean, Xu Gong has a connection with the barbarians?"

"Huh?"

Xu Yuan sneered, staring at Li Qingyan, his smile was slightly playful: "Why do you have this thought?" ”

“.”

Li Qingyan was quiet for a moment, chose to lean over and sit beside him, and exhaled:

"Also, Fang Cai Bengong is a little confused, Duke Xu has no common interests with the barbarians, and with Bengong's understanding of the barbarian king, it is impossible for him to bet the luck of the whole clan on a promise from others, and it will only be his own decision to detour to the north and seal the south of the city."

Speaking of this, Li Qingyan stared at Xu Yuan with sideways eyes:

"So to speak. This should be Xu Gong's idle chess? ”

"Probably, after all, a carload of Yuanjing is not too valuable for my Xiangguo Mansion."

Xu Yuan's voice was gentle, slow and reasonable.

The triumphal giant gate in the south of the city was blown up by the carriage of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce, and at first Xu Yuan also felt that someone was framing their Xiangguo Mansion.

But the more you know, the more something seems wrong.

Previously, the four of them were able to enter the Northern Closure City without being tested because of Li Qingyan, the commander of the Yulin Army.

And what about the carriage with the Cheonan Chamber of Commerce logo?

Just carrying a cart of prohibited items, he passed the layers of inspections outside the city and entered the Arc de Triomphe.

And more importantly,

After the incident, Lou Ji personally investigated and failed to find out the slightest clue about the carriage.

How many people in the world can do this?

Coupled with the fact that Zong Qingsheng was able to use Tianxun Circle Crystal to contact Di'an City in real time, the old man knew very well how long it had been since the army that had penetrated into the snow field had not been harassed by a large-scale attack.

Isn't this the idle chess played by the old man, who did it?

After the words fell, the two fell silent for a short time.

Li Qingyan's eyes were dewy and he thought for a while, and asked word by word:

"Even if it's idle chess, there should be a reason, Xu Gong. And the horse, what is the reason why you want to let the North Seal fall? ”

"Because I can't hold it."

"I can hold it."

Li Qingyan said very seriously: "From the beginning, if you didn't do those things, if you wanted to defend the Northern Closure City, you could defend it." ”

Xu Yuan sighed and said:

"I don't understand military affairs, and your strategy of Qingyan may be able to hold on until Hou Ye and Mr. Zong go south, but this does not maximize the benefits."

“.”

Li Qingyan thought for a moment, the look in his eyes immediately became a little complicated, and his red lips opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Seeing the change in her expression, Xu Yuan smiled gently and said:

"I thought you'd beat me up."

Li Qingyan slowly raised his eyes and laughed at himself:

"How to choose between a northern closed city and a hundred years of peace in the north, this palace still knows, just like the horse said before he left last time, there is a gift to get."

Saying,

She pursed her red lips: "It's just that I didn't expect that this palace would become a pawn in your hand." ”

"Me?"

Xu Yuan raised his finger and pointed at himself, shaking his head: "You think too highly of me." ”

Li Qingyan had a smile of unknown meaning on the corner of his lips, and his long hair fluttered in the cold wind:

"This palace led the elite out of the city to attack the camp, and you immediately provided Yun Qi bullets for the sect, at first the palace thought it was your mediocre move, but now it seems that the palace is short-sighted, specifically to force the barbarians to forcibly attack the city, and at the same time lead the sect 300,000 elites to the south, encountered outside the northern city."

"This palace only thinks about how to slaughter the barbarians, and you not only want to kill the barbarians, but also drive the tiger and devour the wolf to eat the 300,000 elites of the sect in one fell swoop.

"Of course not."

Xu Yuan glanced at Li Qingyan deeply and shook his head:

"What I'm doing is just a corner of the game."

"A corner?"

"Do you remember those military frames we saw on our way north?"

"Those military frames that carry relief supplies to the people of the North?"

"Yes, that's it, but I guess the targets of those "disaster relief" are not ordinary disaster victims, but those mountain gates of the Northern Sect. ”

“.”

The wind howled, and silence spread.

Xu Yuan slowly stood up on his knees, looked in the direction of Di'an City from afar, and said in a low voice:

"Qingyan, we are all chess pieces, and the real chess players are in Di'an City."

or2

(End of chapter)