As Gu Jiangli emerged from the palace, he faintly sensed something amiss.
However, the anticipation of retiring with Ning Yitao soon made him overlook the lurking danger.
He rushed straight to the military camp, planning how to quash the Southern Kingdom's ill - intent with minimal losses so that he could return as soon as possible.
The Southern Kingdom had long been coveting the Northern Kingdom. The reason traced back to the past when the crown prince of the Southern Kingdom, arrogant and over - confident, secretly led assassins to the Northern Kingdom to kill Gao Zhuo.
But Gu Jiangli beheaded the crown prince of the Southern Kingdom. To warn the Southern Kingdom, he sent the head back.
The king of the Southern Kingdom, Wumi, harbored a deep grudge and had been plotting revenge for his son ever since.
He had been biding his time for years, just waiting for the chance to avenge his son.
Unexpectedly, Gao Zhuo came to him on his own initiative, proposing to join hands to kill Gu Jiangli. When the secret messenger reported this, Wumi even thought it was a probe from the Northern Kingdom.
Ridiculously, to show his sincerity, Gao Zhuo reluctantly sent his young son, Gao Su, as a hostage to the Southern Kingdom.
In addition, he ceded eight cities to the Southern Kingdom in exchange for Gao Su's safety.
Gao Zhuo was truly out of options. Gu Jiangli was pressing too hard.
If he really let Gu Jiangli go, he would never be able to find him again. Gao Zhuo just wanted him dead to eliminate future troubles.
He wanted to eradicate any potential threat to himself.
When Wumi saw Gao Su, he excitedly licked his back teeth and laughed loudly, "Heaven is helping me! Hahaha, truly heaven is helping me! Son, father will avenge you soon."
"Just wait and see how father will seize this kingdom."
Wumi also agreed to Gao Zhuo's request. As long as Gu Jiangli was dead, the Southern Kingdom would never invade the Northern Kingdom again.
Gao Zhuo and Wumi reached an agreement. They both believed that they should act quickly to get rid of Gu Jiangli, the great trouble in their hearts.
The war of the Southern Kingdom came suddenly and fiercely.
Gu Jiangli spent two sleepless nights in the military camp to complete the battle deployment and was about to set out immediately.
Gu Jiangli spared a little time for Ning Yitao. He mounted a fast horse and rushed straight to the Gu Mansion. The wind roared in his ears.
The parting between Ning Yitao and Gu Jiangli this time seemed so hasty and pale.
When he saw Ning Yitao, Gu Jiangli's eyes were filled with intense and sincere affection, with no trace of concealment.
Just a single look into each other's eyes, years of friendship and understanding were fully demonstrated. There was no need for more words.
The two could only say goodbye in a hurry. Gu Jiangli didn't even dare to hug her too tightly for fear that his armor would scratch her.
They quietly felt each other's body temperature. When they separated, Gu Jiangli turned over and mounted his horse.
A young hero in fine clothes on a spirited horse.
Gu Jiangli waved his whip. The horse neighed long and loud, then galloped northward like an arrow, kicking up dust. He was as swift as a meteor.
Ning Yitao watched his disappearing back and was reluctant to leave for a long time.
She was a little worried. In the eyes of others, he was an invincible general, but no one knew the scars under his armor.
Both of them were looking forward to a life away from disputes after the war ended.
No more worries, no more injuries, and no more dealing with the intrigues around them.
They both thought they were heading for a smooth path, but a single misstep could lead to a bottomless hell.
**********
The war had lasted for more than half a month.
In several initial battles, Gu Jiangli noticed something strange. The enemy seemed to know every detail of his battle plan.
Once could be an accident, but it was suspicious if they were always one step ahead.
He didn't suspect Gao Zhuo, nor did he doubt the brothers who fought side by side with him. He only thought that there was a spy in the army.
In each subsequent battle, it was Gu Jiangli's quick wits that managed to stretch the war for half a month. He outsmarted the enemy and gradually broke through the Southern Kingdom's defense lines.
Even with such precautions, he still fell into a trap.
Seeing that the Southern Kingdom was about to lose, Gao Zhuo knew that if Gu Jiangli returned safely this time, he would gain more popular support.
"No! I will never allow this to happen!" Gao Zhuo gritted his teeth in hatred.
He took a desperate measure. He sent people to sneak into the Gu Mansion and drugged Ning Yitao with a large dose of sleeping pills. Then he sent her to Wumi as a hostage.
He repeatedly assured Wumi that with Ning Yitao in hand, they had grasped Gu Jiangli's weakness. He was sure that once Gu Jiangli saw Ning Yitao, he would obediently follow Wumi's orders.
The country that Gu Jiangli had protected with his life, the place he thought was his last retreat, finally betrayed him.
Gao Zhuo of course knew that Ning Yitao was the most important person to Gu Jiangli. With her, he was the only one who could win this war.
As for Gu Jiangli and those like him, they were just nobodies. They would never be able to surpass him.
The vast distance and the blockage of information, along with Gao Zhuo's deliberate concealment, finally allowed him to succeed.
When Ning Yitao slowly woke up, the scene before her eyes was desolate and helpless.
The fierce battle with swords and arrows was long over. Soldiers in armor had fallen in pools of blood.
The tattered clothes soaked in blood covered the mangled flesh. There were still some dying people struggling, crawling with difficulty among the severed limbs.
On their blood - stained faces, there was a look of fear that was a mixture of despair and hope. Their blood - shot eyes stared fixedly at Ning Yitao, and they let out weak cries for help, "Save, save me."
The faint voices were blown away by the howling wind and drifted away along with the smell of blood.
Ning Yitao's eyes were filled with tears. She saw that these soldiers were all wearing the armor of the Northern Kingdom. These were the soldiers of the Northern Kingdom. Where was Gu Jiangli?
The corpses wrapped in tattered blood - stained clothes were scattered everywhere. The severed limbs oozed scarlet blood, attracting scavenging birds to circle in the sky.
They let out terrifying cries. Sometimes they swooped down, their huge wings skimming the ground, suddenly raising a foul wind that made people shudder.
After staying here for so long, Ning Yitao had already forgotten the past completely. She had truly become Ye Qianmo, the young lady who had never seen a bloody scene.
The pungent smell of blood made her retch. She staggered forward through her tears to drive away the scavenging birds from the immobile soldiers.
She felt the horror of war for the first time. Looking at these soldiers of the Northern Kingdom, the speculation and grief in her heart were overwhelming.
She was afraid, afraid that Gu Jiangli was among them, afraid that he was in such a situation.
The birds that she couldn't drive away and the scene before her eyes were all shocking her.
These soldiers who still had a glimmer of hope couldn't move. They could only wait for death.
She knelt on the ground and covered the chest of the soldier who had just called for help with her clothes. There was a big black hole that you could almost see the ground through.
A large amount of warm blood was gushing out continuously. She deluded herself into thinking that she could stop the bleeding like this.
Tears had long since hung on her face.
"Who can come and save them? Hurry and save them!" Ning Yitao couldn't help but tremble.
It seemed that God heard her words. In the distance, there came the sound of a horse neighing.