Outside the city of Lanzhou, a team of people came in a hurry. Although this team of people is under the banner of the Great Song Forbidden Army, they look very embarrassed.

At the front of the team is a handsome young man, who is Zhao Ling, who is dressed as a man. She sat on horseback, her face expressionless. The smudges on his face and the tired look showed no joy or anger.

was driven by the Liao army for a few days, and this team of Song soldiers was like a lost dog. It wasn't until it entered the territory of Lanzhou and crossed the water that it was truly safe. The Liao army did not rush to cross the river, because they had also heard the news that the emperor of the Song State had come to Lanzhou on a personal expedition. Even if the Liao army is now gaining momentum, I am afraid that they will not dare to rashly start a decisive battle.

A few days ago, Zhao Ling accepted the request of Lin Feng and others, and came all the way south with the main foot soldiers. Lin Feng and others led only a few thousand cavalry, attacking and harassing in the rear, delaying the advance of the Liao army. If it weren't for their breakdown, with the fierce momentum of the Liao army, this group of foot soldiers would have been wiped out long ago.

But even so, there were several big fights along the way. Although Zhao Ling's command was correct, he would inevitably suffer losses if he did not have an advantage in the troops on foot and cavalry. In a few days, the forbidden army, which was originally well-groomed, became a remnant of the defeated army, and it was miserable.

The Liao army stopped advancing, and Lin Feng also took the opportunity to gather his forces and bring back the broken cavalry. However, their losses were even heavier, with less than half of their forces remaining. Several generals of the unified army were also wounded.

The two teams converged outside the city of Lanzhou, looking at the flags fluttering in the wind on the city in front of them, as if they were in a different world. Lin Feng sighed: "It's finally back......"

Zhao Ling's expression was not as happy as his, and he thought to himself, Chen Ao, I have already helped you bring people back, but where are you......

She suddenly thought of Long Qingping again. Long Qingping said that she was going to find Chen Ao's body, but after five or six days, there was still no news. Could it be that she encountered the Liao army and was in danger?

Zhao Ling couldn't help but be secretly worried. Although this little girl is strong in martial arts and has a firm mind, she is young after all, and she needs to be taken care of by others many times. It's too dangerous for her to be alone in this chaotic place. Although she is named Chen Ao's bodyguard, Zhao Ling knows that Chen Ao has always treated her as a good friend. If Long Qingping had another accident, Chen Ao would definitely not be happy.

Thinking of this, Zhao Ling had the idea of looking for Long Qingping. Anyway, now that the masters of the rivers and lakes led by Feng Hu have returned to the team, it's a big deal to go to the Liao Army's sphere of influence just like he led the Ghost Hidden Society in the past!

Just thinking about it, a group of forbidden troops had already walked on the main road in front of him, holding the emperor's guard of honor. As soon as Zhao Ling and the others saw it, they immediately knew that it was Zhao Heng who personally went out of the city to greet them. Everyone immediately dismounted and fell to their knees. Only Zhao Ling stood on the side of the road, neither kneeling nor saluting.

Zhao Heng's team came to the front, Zhao Heng took the lead in getting off the frame, and saw Zhao Ling who "stood out from the crowd" at a glance. Seeing her, Zhao Heng seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and strode forward and said with concern: "It's good to come back, it's good to come back, go back with me!"

Lin Feng and other generals didn't know what the relationship between Zhao Ling and Zhao Heng was, and only when Zhao Heng was for Chen Ao's sake, they were so polite to Zhao Ling. They didn't dare to guess, and Zhao Heng didn't let them get up, so they could only kneel all the time.

Zhao Ling arched his hand slightly, and said: "The forward soldiers have insulted the mission, please ask Your Majesty to surrender." ”

Her tone was a little cold, and she was completely businesslike. In fact, Zhao Ling not only behaved like this in front of everyone, but also had some resentment in his heart. Chen Ao led the forward 30,000 soldiers and horses to the front line, if Zhao Heng could lead the army to follow, maybe Chen Ao would not die. However, although Zhao Heng promised to drive the expedition in person, he was always reluctant, so that he delayed in the capital for a long time. In the end, it was Kou Zhun who tried his best to persuade Zhao Heng to set off. But along the way, Zhao Heng still deliberately slowed down. He hoped that the soldiers on the front line would kill the enemy bravely and be able to block the Liao army. In this way, he doesn't have to face the Liao people like tigers and wolves in person.

But it backfired, and the news of the destruction of Dingzhou City came back, and the Liao army was like a bamboo. Zhao Heng had no choice, so he sped up and rushed to Lanzhou. As soon as he arrived in Lanzhou, he received the news of Chen Ao's martyrdom. Zhao Hengda was stunned, and immediately thought that Zhao Ling would be fine.

Fortunately, seeing Zhao Ling return safely today, Zhao Heng was relieved. But Zhao Ling was so cold, which made him a little uncomfortable. But Zhao Heng also knew that Chen Ao was dead, and Zhao Ling's mood would naturally not be too good, so he didn't delve into it, but just whispered: "Let's talk about these things later, now hurry back with me to rest." ”

Zhao Ling didn't speak, he agreed, but he didn't get into the carriage with Zhao Heng, but turned around and led his horse. This horse was originally Chen Ao's mount, that is, Liang Xiaoya's white horse. There is also a "Night Owl Treading Snow", which has been ridden by Long Qingping to find Chen Ao.

When Zhao Ling saw this white horse, he couldn't help but think of Chen Ao, and he felt even more depressed in his heart, and turned around and subconsciously ordered the whole army to get up. As soon as the words came out, she realized that she should no longer command. Even if the emperor is not here, Lin Feng, the deputy general, has already returned, and the team should be handed over to him.

Zhao Heng waved his hand, and agreed to Zhao Ling's order. Tens of thousands of people dared to stand up, and Lin Feng took a few commanders to salute again before his death, and was preparing to report the situation briefly.

Zhao Heng turned his face blank and said to Fang Baishi, who was wearing armor beside him: "Take them down first!"

Fang Baishi immediately led a group of forbidden troops, pressed the hilt of the sword, and surrounded Lin Feng and other generals. Everyone was stunned, and watched in amazement as Fang Baishi ordered someone to take out the rope and tie them up. Zhao Ling came back to his senses and asked loudly, "Your Majesty, what's going on?"

Zhao Heng sighed and said, "You go back and have a good rest, and the matter here will be left to me." ”

As he spoke, he glared at Lin Feng and said, "Lin Feng, can you be convicted of your guilt if you are defeated so far?"

Lin Feng and the others were stupid, and they didn't know how to answer. Zhao Ling said loudly: "Your Majesty, victory and defeat are a common thing in soldiers, how can you punish the generals of the army because you have lost the battle?"

Zhao Heng snorted, pointed at Lin Feng and said: "You are stubborn and self-serving, underestimating the enemy's rash advance, not listening to admonitions, and commanding indiscriminately, resulting in successive defeats and damage to the prestige of our army." even intended to harm the court officials. Whether this battle is a big Liao, or whether you are acting arbitrarily, I'm afraid there are still a lot of doubts!"

The implication of his words is that the reason why this battle will be lost is all the problem of these forbidden army generals. But Zhao Ling and other people who have experienced the war know that the Liao army is strong, the Song army is inferior, and they are fighting separately, so this has fallen to the point where it is now, is it a problem for a few generals to command the army?

Zhao Ling and the others didn't know how Zhao Heng came to this conclusion, so they were really furious, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, what is the basis for what you say? If you offend the generals for no reason, aren't you afraid that the army's will will fluctuate?"

Her words were very harsh, and even Lin Feng and the others couldn't help but pinch a cold sweat for her. Zhao Heng was really a little unhappy, and anger flashed on his face. But when he saw Zhao Ling's red eyes, his heart softened, and he sighed: "Okay, since you are not convinced, I will give you an explanation." Lin Feng, do you know General Peng from Dingzhou, General Guo from Jizhou, and General You from the Jing'an Army?"