Late at night, the moonlight was like water, and only the torches in the hands of the patrol team were left in Li Yan's military camp, swaying in the night like the sparse stars in the night sky. Inside the camp, the soldiers were immersed in sleep. However, at this moment of complete silence, the shouts of killing suddenly rang out. The sharp sound of horns, the neighing of war horses, and the shouts of soldiers intertwined together, breaking the tranquility of the night. Li Yan woke up suddenly. He sat up from his sleep, his heart pounding, and he was at a loss for a moment. "What happened?" he shouted, a tremor in his voice. "General, we have been attacked!" A soldier rushed into the tent with panic on his face, "The enemy cavalry suddenly came and the camp has been breached!" Li Yan woke up instantly. He grabbed the long sword on the bedside and rushed out of the tent. I saw flames soaring into the sky, people looming, and chaos and fighting everywhere. Some of the soldiers who were awakened from their sleep were disheveled, and some were even fighting the enemy with bare hands.
"Array! Array!" Li Yan shouted loudly, trying to organize effective resistance, "Archers prepare! Cavalry to fight!" However, the enemy's attack came like a tidal wave, and their cavalry charged into the battle in the night, brandishing their sabers. Although Li Yan's army was brave and good at fighting, they were caught off guard by this sudden attack. Li Yan's heart was filled with anger and regret. Regretting his carelessness and underestimating the enemy, Her Royal Highness the Princess clearly told him to be careful along the way, but in the end the enemy still caught him. Li Yan was in chaos, and the shock and doubts in his heart surged like a tide. He grabbed the collar of a soldier beside him and asked urgently: "Have you seen clearly? Who is the enemy?" The soldier's face looked extremely pale in the firelight. He swallowed and replied in a trembling voice: "Looking at the flags and clothes, it seems to be General Wang Shan's army." "What?" Li Yan's heart sank suddenly, and he couldn't believe his ears. Wang Shan was one of theirs, how could he suddenly attack his own army? There must be some fraud in this! However, when he raised his head and used the firelight to see clearly the flag flying opposite, the luck in his heart was instantly shattered. That is indeed the flag of Wang Shan’s army, yes!
The general on the opposite side obviously also discovered Li Yan's presence. He sneered, waved his hand and ordered: "Seize Li Yan! Don't let him escape!" Following this order, the army swarmed towards Li Yan's position like a tide. After a fierce fighting, the five thousand men and horses brought by Li Yan had been slaughtered. Under the desperate protection of hundreds of elite soldiers, he fled the battlefield in panic. Behind him were blazing fires and shouts of killing one after another. His heart was filled with endless grief, anger and despair. His supplies had been robbed and the entire army was wiped out. How could he go back to see Her Royal Highness the Princess? …… In another mansion in Kaifeng City, Zhao Yingluo and Chuntao were leisurely discussing the expansion of Zui Furong Hot Pot Restaurant to other cities. Chuntao's face was filled with excitement and anticipation, as if she had already seen the glory of the future business landscape. At this moment, housekeeper Zhou Wang walked in with a hurried expression, "Your Highness, Li Yan Li Yan is back." Zhao Yingluo suddenly raised her head when she heard this, and the smile on her face instantly solidified. There was a strong sense of uneasiness in her heart, as if something important was about to happen, "Where are the others? Where are they now?" "Right outside the door!" "Let him in!" Zhao Yingluo was meditating in her mansion when suddenly a burst of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility. She raised her head and saw Li Yan, covered in blood, staggering in, looking in a state of embarrassment. "Your Highness the Princess!" Li Yan shouted angrily, his voice full of endless pain and regret, "The general deserves death! Those cannons, muskets, and food and grass have all been robbed!" Zhao Yingluo was shocked when she heard this. She stood up quickly and asked sternly: "What is going on? Who dares to steal our things?"
Li Yan gritted his teeth and said, "It's Wang Shan! He did it!" "Wang Shan?" Zhao Yingluo couldn't believe her ears, "Are you sure you got it right? How could he do such a thing?" Li Yan shook his head in pain and said: "The general didn't believe it at first, but that flag is Wang Shan's flag! He betrayed us!" Zhao Yingluo suddenly felt dizzy. She suppressed her anger and scolded: "Li Yan! What did I tell you at the beginning? Be careful! But you made such a big mistake! How do you want me to explain to the court? Why? Account to those dead soldiers?" Li Yan knelt on the ground and said with tears streaming down his face: "The general deserves to die! Please punish me, Princess!" Zhao Yingluo took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She knew now was not the time to lose her temper and she had to come up with a solution as soon as possible. She said in a deep voice: "I won't deal with you for now. Go down and reflect on yourself! Jiang Laosi!" "What are your orders, Your Highness?" Zhao Yingluo looked at him and said: "Immediately arrange for someone to go to Luoyang, Xijing to inquire about the news. I want to know what happened! Why did Wang Shan suddenly betray us? Are there any other forces involved?" Jiang Laosi respectfully agreed and turned around to leave. Zhao Yingluo fell into deep contemplation. She knew that this incident was not trivial and she must deal with it carefully to save the situation. The school captain Gu Pei was ordered to go to Luoyang, Xijing to inquire about the news this time, and he did not dare to be careless at all. Leading more than ten elite cavalry, after three days of arduous trek, they finally arrived less than ten miles away from Luoyang City. In view of what happened to General Li Yan before, he was extremely cautious along the way and maintained a high degree of vigilance at all times for fear of making the same mistake again. However, just as he was about to enter the city, an accident happened. Dozens of bows and arrows suddenly appeared on both sides of the official road, aiming at Gu Pei and his party. After a burst of random shooting, most of Gu Pei's men were killed or injured, and screams and horses neighed everywhere. Gu Pei was also hit by two arrows. Fortunately, his armor was extremely defensive, and the archers seemed to have deliberately avoided his vital parts, so he was lucky enough to survive. He struggled to stand up and saw Duzhi Lan Gui walking out of the official road in a swagger. He looked at Gu Pei with a proud look on his face and said mockingly, "Captain Gu, you didn't expect that, did you? General Wang Shan has already surrendered to the imperial court. Go back and advise the Princess Palace not to worry about the land of Luoyang anymore." Gu Pei's face darkened when he heard this. He glared at Lan Gui with wide eyes and shouted sternly: "Don't talk nonsense! General Wang Shan is a loyal man, how could he betray Her Royal Highness the Princess?" Lan Gui laughed loudly, shook his head and said: "Gu Xiaowei, Gu Xiaowei, you are so naive! General Wang Shan knows the current affairs and is a hero, and serving the court is loyal. I know that I will spare your life, so go back and do well." I would like to advise Your Highness the Princess, if you surrender to the imperial court now, let the official family forget the blame, otherwise you will face encirclement and suppression from all sides by the imperial court, the Kingdom of Jin, and the Kingdom of Daxia."
