Chapter 238 On the Eve of the Expedition

Xie Tingzhou wanted to keep her, but also wanted to let her go.

He was suffering in such a dilemma, and his decision to kill was now empty talk. He was just a husband.

"Do I have to go?" Xie Tingzhou asked.

The sound of horse hooves is neither fast nor slow.

Shen Yu turned her head slightly, but still couldn't see his expression, so she turned her head again.

"Do you want to run a horse race?" she asked.

Before Xie Tingzhou could answer, Shen Yu added, "How about we have a race to see who gets home first?"

Xie Tingzhou thought for a moment, "Where's the bet?"

"Bet on whether I will go to Yanliang Pass." Shen Yu said and whistled.

Ben Xiao approached and she jumped up.

Xie Tingzhou was still taking off his cloak, "put on the cloak..."

She smiled slyly at him under the moonlight, and Ben Xiao rushed out immediately, her voice carried in the wind.

"The cloak is in the way, so wear it yourself——"

Xie Tingzhou smiled, raised his whip and chased after him.

An eagle chirped in the air, white feathers soared into the sky, wings streaked across the blue-black sky, and rushed forward in the night.

Shen Yu lay low on the horse.

The night wind in the north is very cold and strong, somewhat similar to Yanliang Pass.

For a moment, she seemed to have traveled through time and space to get there.

The horse's hooves stepped on the piles of corpses, splashing blood. They covered the horse's hooves, trying to drag her in like they did in every nightmare.

The cold wind howled in her ears, and the sound of horse hooves behind her pulled her back again.

She glanced back and saw Xie Tingzhou following closely behind her, from half a horse's length away to neck and neck.

They looked at each other on horseback, approaching the city gate.

The guards on the city wall had already seen the two people walking side by side and the goshawk above their heads.

"Open the door! The prince and princess are back!"

The two riders passed through the city side by side, and the palace was already in front of them.

Xie Tingzhou turned his head and took a deep look at her, and the horse gradually slowed down.

Shen Yu reined in the horse in front of the palace gate. The horse's hoofs were raised in the cold wind, and it neighed and stopped steadily.

"You win." Xie Tingzhou rode his horse and walked slowly over.

Shen Yu looked at him and didn't know what to say. She understood what Xie Tingzhou meant.

He replaced his answer in this way. It was so difficult to make the decision, but he did it after all.

Xie Tingzhou got off his horse and stretched out his hands toward her, "Are you cold? I'll carry you in."

Shen Yu leaned over and ran into his arms, hugging his neck tightly.

Surprisingly, they did nothing tonight.

Shen Yu sat on the low couch next to the window, lying in front of the window, her hair spread behind her.

Xie Tingzhou came out of the shower and held her in his arms behind him.

The night breeze was a bit cold, and her hands were cold to the touch. She reached out to close the window, "Why don't you close the window?"

Shen Yu held his hand and said, "Don't turn it off, I'm watching."

"What are you looking at?"

"Home."

Xie Tingzhou's breath was right next to her ear, and the two of them looked out the window together.

Shen Yu said softly: "I used to call Yanliangguan my home. Later, it became the place where my nightmares began. I was afraid to go near that place."

"After that battle, I would fall into nightmares every day in Yanliangguan. I thought I could get out with time, but I couldn't. My brother said that you have to get up from where you fell. This I agree with that. I want to conquer my fear.”

Xie Tingzhou hugged her and gently closed his eyes in the fragrance of her body, "My Ayu is the bravest woman in the world."

Shen Yu smiled and nuzzled into his arms.

His arms were the most reassuring place in the world for her, but even if she lay in his arms every night, she would still occasionally fall into nightmares.

"My father died in the conspiracy of the Zhou people, and also died under the sword of the Xijue people. I can't just point my sword at the disasters of the Zhou Dynasty and forget about the foreign enemies. I hate them all equally, and all of them killed My father and one hundred thousand soldiers should all be punished.”

Xie Tingzhou felt the excitement hidden under her calm words, wrapped his arms around her and caressed her gently.

"I can't go with you." He said: "You have to walk part of that road by yourself."

"I know." Shen Yu said, "You have to guard the northern defense line here."

To the north of the Great Zhou Dynasty were the Beiqi people. Xie Tingzhou was injured in a fierce battle a few years ago, and both sides were severely weakened.

After that, the two sides entered a relatively calm stage, with only occasional disturbances, but they had to be on guard against foreign enemies, and they needed to remain vigilant at all times.

Qingyun Guard is an iron wall between Beiqi and Dazhou.

And heavy snow is the second one.

Every year in the middle of winter, after heavy snow seals the mountains, the Beiqi people cannot cross that mountain ridge. Only then can the north be considered completely safe and the war completely stop.

This is the coldest and most peaceful time in Beilin.

Xie Tingzhou said "Yeah", "The snow came late this year."

The snow held back his steps, making it impossible for him to fly with her even if he wanted to.

"I will allocate 20,000 Qingyun Guards to accompany you to Yanliang Pass." Xie Tingzhou said.

"No." Shen Yu immediately refused, "It hasn't snowed yet in Beilin. Once the defense line is weak, if the Beiqi people take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack, Beilin will be very passive and even in danger."

Xie Tingzhou also knew this.

A hundred years ago, when the Zhou Dynasty was rich and powerful, there were more than 600,000 soldiers and horses in the territory. Now the north is still as solid as a rock, but the various areas on the border are being weakened step by step. Taken together, the military strength is less than half of what it was a hundred years ago. .

Why doesn't this damn snow fall?

Shen Yu said: "I will take Xiao Chuan and five thousand soldiers and horses, and then select some useful ones from the new recruits. I will not take the rest of the soldiers who have not been trained yet. You can train my soldiers in Beilin. This will add up." There are probably about 10,000 people, and with the garrison at Yanliang Pass, they can resist for at least some time. "

"Okay, wait for me." Xie Tingzhou hugged her tightly, "I'll come when it snows."

"Um."

Shen Yu turned back, Xie Tingzhou lowered his head, and they kissed each other deeply, hugging each other for warmth in the cold wind, enjoying the last peace before parting.

The next day, people in the palace were coming and going, and civil and military officials were constantly coming in and out of the meeting hall to discuss matters such as sending troops and providing supplies.

"We can get the people from Wantong Escort to move." Xie Tingzhou said, "The princess and I have negotiated with them on the road before. He Xuehui will take the grain transport officer in charge of the baggage to get familiar with the route in depth so that he can arrange the next baggage route. ”

Shen Yu suddenly asked Xiao Chuan, "Have the troops and horses been ordered?"

"Okay." Xiao Chuan said: "Five thousand people were selected from the recruits. These five thousand people will not be worse than the new garrison formed by Yanliang Pass. The rest of the recruits heard that they were going to fight the Xijue people. Come on, I didn’t let you.”

Shen Yu nodded, "Well, recruits who haven't been trained can't go to the battlefield. If these five thousand people go to Yanliang Pass, I will only be responsible for the logistics."

Xie Tingzhou turned his head and said: "The army is marching along the northwest route. Marquis Xuanping is in the south and cannot be an obstacle to you at this moment. Xiao Chuan will lead a small scout team to go ahead lightly. I will ask Changliu to follow you. He is not good at anything else. Running errands is fast..."

Xie Tingzhou said almost everything he could think of.

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The war with the Beirong people here quoted the pre-Qin era's doctrine of "no troops in winter and summer". This doctrine was broken in the Han-Hungarian war and successfully shook the economic foundation of the Xiongnu, but it also paid a heavy price.

Therefore, in ancient times, there was a rule not to fight in winter. As for how to fight, it is recommended not to dwell on the details.