SWDnovel Chapter 318 Yang You Breaks Through the Encirclement, Zhang Xutuo Fights to the Death
Chapter 318 Yang You Breaks Through the Encirclement, Zhang Xutuo Fights to the Death
"Your Highness, we'll reach Daxing after passing two more checkpoints."
While resting, Yuwen Chenglong pointed to the northwest and said, panting, as he gulped down two mouthfuls of water.
Having not slept all night and riding a horse for so long, even though he had become stronger, he was still somewhat exhausted.
"Um."
Lu Xiao picked up a water bag and gulped down two mouthfuls, then kept looking up at the sky, searching for something.
No, where is his golden eagle?
What about the golden eagle that was a system reward, one that was fully intelligent?
Why didn't you come along?
Could it be that it hasn't hatched yet?
"Your Highness, what are you looking at?"
Yuwen Chenglong leaned closer and followed Lü Xiao's gaze to look up at the sky.
"There's a giant eagle."
Luo Cheng saw a bird, about the size of a black dot, circling high in the sky and couldn't help but say something.
He often stayed in Youzhou, which was very close to the grasslands. He had seen many eagles and great eagles and could recognize them at a glance.
Aow!
A roar rang out, sharp and loud, piercing the sky.
The giant eagle swooped down from the sky at an astonishing speed.
Like a black lightning bolt, its wings spread wide, covering the sky and the sun.
"He's hungry and wants to catch people to eat!"
Yuwen Chenglong picked up his spear, already in battle stance, the spear tip pointing towards the sky, ready for battle.
If he were given a chance, he'd probably stab that beast to death and turn him into roasted carp!
Luo Cheng silently grabbed the bow from the saddle, nocked an arrow, drew the bowstring taut, and aimed at the giant eagle.
"There's no need to be so alarmed."
Lu Xiao raised his arm and spoke calmly.
The golden eagle swooped down and slowed down, its wings spread, and it glided steadily.
Finally, it landed steadily, its two paws gently gripping Lü Xiao's arm guards, tilting its head, its black bean-like eyes staring at Lü Xiao.
"Your Highness, where did this come from?"
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Chenglong clicked his tongue in amazement, put away his spear, and came closer to examine it closely.
This tiger was incredibly intelligent, even more so than his father, and he followed Lü Xiao closely, never leaving his side.
Now another giant eagle has appeared. It's unbelievable. Heaven is really too fond of the prince.
"Given to me by an old immortal in my dream, it helped me on my journey to the Western Regions."
Lu Xiao was too lazy to explain, so he just gave the same old excuse.
"Great! This thing seems even more intelligent than my dad; maybe it can guide us!"
Yuwen Chenglong exclaimed in surprise, his eyes lighting up. He reached out to touch the golden eagle, but the eagle swatted his hand away with its wing, causing him to shake his hand in pain.
He only studied the northern grasslands, and was not very familiar with the maps of the Western Regions, so he was completely clueless about them.
Now we're not afraid anymore; with this aerial guide, we can go anywhere.
"Let's go, keep going!"
With a slight lift of his arm, Lü Xiao caused the golden eagle to let out a cry, flap its wings, and take flight, soaring straight into the sky.
It circled in the air, hovered a few times, and then flew northwest, leading the way.
Lu Xiao was very satisfied with this.
With this thing, he's really not afraid of getting lost anymore.
Let alone going to the Western Regions, I could just wander around and go on a pilgrimage to obtain Buddhist scriptures. I'm not afraid to travel the world.
I just hope Yang You can hold on and not die in Zhangye.
Given His Majesty's current health condition, if he were to learn of Yang You's death, he would likely find it difficult to get over it.
In that case, there won't be a need for the elderly to send off the young; they can just send them off together.
Yang You, whom Lü Xiao was talking about, was currently leading his defeated troops to garrison in Zhangye City, besieged in the isolated city.
At this moment, he was completely devoid of his previous high spirits, as if he had become a different person.
His face was covered in dust, his hair was disheveled, and his armor was stained with blood and dirt; he didn't even have time to wash himself.
The scions of powerful families weren't much better. After winning too many battles, they became arrogant and overbearing.
Faced with this unfavorable situation, they were completely at a loss.
Some were squatting in the corner in a daze, some were crying with their heads in their hands, and some were blaming each other.
No one could step forward, and no one could come up with a solution.
Especially after several attempts to break through the enemy's lines, they suffered heavy casualties; each breakout resulted in the loss of a large number of men.
The remaining Sui soldiers were demoralized, hanging their heads in dejection, and could barely hold their weapons.
"How... how was this battle fought?"
Sui general Wei Shizheng stood outside the main tent, looking bewildered, as if asking the heavens or himself.
Just a few days ago, they numbered nearly 300,000, a vast and imposing force.
But in the blink of an eye, there were less than ten or twenty thousand people left. Some died, some surrendered, some scattered, and they were all trapped in a desperate situation.
With Xue Ju and the foreigners in front, and Li Gui behind, they have no way to escape.
"Ugh."
Zhang Xutuo sighed, feeling utterly melancholy, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to deepen even further.
If Yang You had listened to a single word of his advice, if His Highness hadn't been so arrogant, things wouldn't have come to this.
Unfortunately, there's no going back in life.
"Your Highness, now we have no choice but to continue our breakout. I will risk my life to ensure your safety."
Upon entering the main tent, Zhang Xutuo spoke to Yang You, his voice firm and his gaze resolute.
He had prepared for the worst; even if it meant death, he would send Yang You away.
"General, haven't we already broken through several times?"
Yang You raised his head, his eyes dim, and spoke in a hoarse, weak voice.
The previous attempts to break through the encirclement all failed, and batches of people died. How could this attempt possibly succeed?
Breaking out would be suicide, not breaking out would also mean waiting to die, so what hope did he have?
"Is Your Highness going to wait here to die?"
Zhang Xutuo retorted, his voice not loud, but every word carried immense weight, striking Yang You's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Then I'll do whatever the old general says."
With things having come to this point, Yang You had no choice but to place his hopes on Zhang Xutuo.
He no longer has the right to be arrogant, nor the right to give orders.
"Yuanqing, split up and run. You break through from the other side, and I will arrange for people to protect you."
Zhang Xutuo turned his head and looked at Pei Yuanqing, who was injured, his eyes filled with heartache.
This child is a fierce warrior, one in a million, and also an honest child who never cheats or slacks.
Unfortunately, Yang You gave incompetent commands on the battlefield, pretending to know what he didn't.
This led to Pei Yuanqing being besieged by Xue Rengao, Xiong Kuohai, Wu Tianxi, and others. Outnumbered, he suffered considerable injuries and almost lost his grip on his silver hammer.
"General, I'll break through the encirclement with you."
Pei Yuanqing stood up, wincing in pain and sweat beading on his forehead.
"No need."
Zhang Xutuo shook his head. Yang You was of noble status, the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, and had long been targeted by enemies, becoming the target of everyone's hatred.
Their chances of breaking through were slim, with only a slim chance of survival.
Pei Yuanqing has a better chance of survival if he goes alone; he doesn't have to go to his death with them.
With the arrangements in place, the Sui army launched another breakout attempt, their final attempt.
Just as Zhang Xutuo had thought, Yang You had long been targeted by Xue Ju and the foreigners, and was surrounded and unable to move an inch.
Before they could break through the encirclement, Wang Buchao and Xue Rengao had already rushed over and blocked their way.
On the contrary, Pei Yuanqing, although also besieged, broke out from another opening and fought his way out.