Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 464 Luo Yuheng's Feelings (1)

The carriage rocked.

Even in Pingyang, the weather in May was quite hot. The carriage wasn't very well ventilated, which made it feel even more stuffy. Beads of sweat appeared on her fair face, and some strands of hair clung to her face.

Luo Yuheng let out a soft breath and leaned against the carriage.

This time, she left alone, without taking anyone with her except for a coachman. Even her two maids, Caiyi and Qingyi, were temporarily entrusted to Tianyi and Yushuang's care. The solemnity on her face gradually faded, and Luo Yuheng raised her right hand to look at the somewhat crumpled envelope in her hand.

Wang Shaojie.

The former prince consort of the eldest princess was named after this.

Regardless, we studied and lived together for many years. Although I hadn't thought of his name for a long time and his appearance had become blurry in my memory, seeing his name immediately brought it back to mind.

But wasn't Wang Shaojie dead?
She watched with her own eyes as Wang Shaojie's neck was severed, his head rolling a long way across the stone slab, leaving a trail of blood. Blood gushed from the severed neck. She watched as his head, rolled far away, still stared wide-eyed at her.

It's somewhat frightening.

She remembered that, just before his execution, Wang Shaojie pleaded with her, tears streaming down his face, describing the beautiful times they had shared, expressing his love for her, and begging her to intercede with Emperor Ninghe to spare his life. She also remembered that, seeing no hope in his pleas, Wang Shaojie's face twisted in a grimace of curses and insults; his tears and snot, combined with his distorted features, made him appear somewhat ferocious.

Love?

Haha, that probably doesn't exist.

After all, how could a man who truly loves her betray the woman he loves for wealth and glory? Didn't he know that if the Yang family found out that he had secretly entrusted the children of Emperor Ninghe to his care, neither she nor her brother would have a chance of survival?
He probably didn't love her; he only loved power, wealth, and himself.

Luo Yuheng was also a decisive woman. If there was any affection between her and Wang Shaojie, it was mostly just a friendship cultivated from childhood when Wang Shaojie was her study companion in the palace, playing and teasing the princes and princesses together. This friendship vanished the moment Wang Shaojie betrayed her and Emperor Ninghe.

There are always rumors that Princess Luo Yuheng is a "face-value fanatic" and that she took the initiative to ask the late emperor for a marriage decree because she saw that Wang Shaojie was handsome.

Luo Yuheng was too lazy to explain.

The real reason was simply that she had reached marriageable age, and at that time the Yang family held absolute power in the court. The Ministry of Rites had prepared several potential husbands for her, all of whom were either sons of the Yang family or sons of noble families with excellent relations with the Yang family.

Once married into these families, Luo Yuheng would likely live under the control of the Yang family for the rest of her life, a life she certainly did not desire. However, being in the royal family meant she had little control over her own destiny, so Luo Yuheng needed a marriage to escape the Yang family's attempts to control her.

Wang Shaojie, on the other hand, is a congenital eunuch!

The so-called "natural eunuch" is a person born as a eunuch, who can enter the palace as a eunuch without castration. He also needs a woman to prove that he is a man.

The two sides hit it off.

Therefore, the union of Luo Yuheng and Wang Shaojie was essentially a pure transaction... Luo Yuheng promised that the royal family would grant the Wang family generations of wealth and honor, while Wang Shaojie served as Luo Yuheng's shield, each getting what they wanted. Although it is unknown what exactly the Yang family promised Wang Shaojie, he was the one who first broke the alliance, and his current predicament is not anyone else's fault.

I looked at the letter again.

The letter, written in Wang Shaojie's voice, described his longing for her, even suggesting that he had only faked his death to escape and wanted to rekindle their relationship. His words were earnest, as if his feelings were genuine.

"Ah……"

Luo Yuheng uttered a slightly contemptuous sound.

Let alone the fact that a decapitated person's head can't grow back, even if Wang Shaojie were still alive, the moment he betrayed her, there was no possibility between them anymore. Now, Luo Yuheng only wants to live a peaceful life with Tianxuan, Tianyi, Caiyi, Qingyi, Yan'er, Tianshu, and Tianquan.

She didn't want her child to have an extra father for no reason... This was clearly a conspiracy against her, so she would handle the matter herself.

I was curious: who was impersonating Wang Shaojie?
They even wrote in the exact same handwriting.

He fooled me, what exactly does that guy want to do?
This trip to the Eastern Tombs is likely to be quite fun.

She gently tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear with her slender pinky finger, wondering if she might encounter any danger, after all, she was a weak woman who couldn't even kill a chicken.

Then a look of grievance crossed her face.

I left in such a hurry this time that I didn't have time to say goodbye to Tianxuan and Yan'er... They must be worried about me, right?

Absolutely.

If she truly had no feelings for him whatsoever... just thinking about it made Luo Yuheng feel wronged and want to cry.

The carriage creaked and groaned as it moved along.

Occasionally, when I glance back, Pingyang City is already out of sight.

……

Xinhou County.

boom!
boom!
boom!
The trebuchet continuously hurled thunderbolts outside the city.

The lit fuse, like a shooting star, left pale streaks in the air before exploding in the densest part of the crowd, followed by rising flames, billowing black smoke, and a devastating impact.

The severed limbs were mixed with blood and bits of flesh.

Almost every detonation of a thunderbolt can take several lives.

Of course, compared to the entire Xiongnu army of over 100,000, the number of lives directly killed by the thunderbolts was actually very limited. However, the explosion of the thunderbolts completely destroyed the Xiongnu's formation, and at the same time trampled their fighting spirit, killing intent, and morale into the mud.

When an army has no will to fight, defeat is only a matter of time.

Even though some generals with both strength and temperament roared loudly, trying to reorganize their formations or even launch a counterattack, their voices were like small ripples on the roaring battlefield, instantly drowned out by the surging waves of sound.

Worse still, the cavalry horses charging ahead had completely lost control. These animals instinctively wanted to get away from the thunderous sound and raging fire, completely ignoring their masters' orders, and desperately charged backwards, even directly into the infantry formation behind them.

boom!
boom!
boom!
The warhorses charged forward, and even the robust Huns could not withstand such a fierce impact. One by one, they were thrown into the air, and as soon as they landed, a hoof the size of a bowl appeared before them. Another muffled thud, accompanied by the sound of skulls or ribs shattering, followed by the sound of the horse's hoof trampling heavily on their bodies.

Those who died from being trampled by warhorses and trampled by their own people were probably far more numerous than those killed by the thunderbolts.

The sounds of swallowing saliva echoed continuously on the city wall, and the gasps of shock never stopped. Almost everyone who witnessed this scene was dumbfounded.

Especially Mei Wu.

Even though Song Yan had demonstrated the power of the Thunderclap Thunder before, he only understood what terror truly meant when these iron lumps exploded on the battlefield... It was an overwhelming and crushing power.

He had fought in wars for decades, but he had never fought such a lucrative war in his life.

Mei Wu let out a heavy sigh. As a general, he knew that from now on, the way wars were fought in the Central Plains would be completely changed because of these round iron lumps.

Sieges will no longer be as difficult as before.

The iron cavalry of the foreign tribes will be reduced to dust and dirt.

Firearms will gradually replace cavalry and become the new dominant force on the battlefield.

Unconsciously, Mei Wu's gaze drifted to the distant horizon, and a slight smile even appeared on his lips... Perhaps, in the near future, the Central Plains, which has been divided for more than a hundred years, will once again be unified.

He had a premonition that it would be an unprecedented golden age.

I just don't know if I'll ever have the chance to see him again.

Compared to Mei Wu, the soldiers on the city wall obviously didn't have such complicated feelings. At this moment, they only had one thought in their minds: Holy crap, that's awesome!

As expected of our Marquis.

Compared to the excitement and jubilation of Ning Jun's side, Suochuoluo felt a strong sense of foreboding when the thunderclap first exploded. He stood atop the hill on his warhorse, gazing at the distant battlefield. From a great distance, he saw the destruction caused by the exploding iron lumps… he saw iron lumps falling like meteors, and clusters of flames and billowing smoke rising from the ground… he saw the cavalry formation shattered, their ranks completely broken, and he saw countless Xiongnu warriors not dying in the battle, but at the feet of their own comrades and the iron hooves of their horses.

At that moment, Sochoro could no longer hold back. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, and a metallic taste surged up his throat and into his mouth... But Sochoro was no ordinary man. He desperately suppressed the blood that was about to spurt out and roared sharply, "Retreat! Retreat quickly!" The horn of retreat sounded on the battlefield.

The troops behind began to retreat rapidly.

Meanwhile, in the chaotic area ahead, it seemed that some kind of guidance had been heard. The commanders, centurions, and platoon leaders seemed to have snapped out of their panic and quickly began to calm the soldiers around them. It was clear that the army under Sochoro's command was usually well-trained and disciplined.

Even in this massive rout, it is still possible to take the vast majority of soldiers out alive.

If... barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Just as the chaos subsided a little, with a whoosh, countless white arrows, like locusts suddenly rising, rose from the woods on both sides and plunged headlong into the densest part of the crowd.

"Puff puff."

A series of sounds of arrows piercing flesh, accompanied by the mournful screams of the Huns, echoed through the mountains and fields.

There were simply too many Xiongnu people, densely packed like ants. Although their formation was chaotic, they were still packed shoulder to shoulder, and a volley of arrows hit almost every target.

After ten volleys of arrows, large empty spaces immediately appeared among the fleeing Xiongnu.

Then came four squads of black-armored warriors, each a thousand strong, emerging from different directions to attack. Their black armor gleamed in the sunlight. If these Xiongnu soldiers were to turn and meet the enemy at that moment, they might be able to wipe out all four thousand black-armored warriors… After all, the difference in numbers was too great; exhaustion alone would kill them.

But then came a deafening thunderclap, followed by a dense rain of arrows, which shattered the courage of these notoriously fierce and cruel Xiongnu people. When they saw the black-armored warriors charging out, they only cared about stepping over the corpses of their own people and desperately trying to escape. They were all huddled together in a chaotic mess, and every step they took was extremely difficult... Then the black-armored warriors caught up with them from behind and hacked them to pieces.

Slashing and blood flowing everywhere.

They chased and hacked for several hundred meters, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

Seeing that the black-armored soldiers had caught up to a relatively dangerous position, Xinhou County sounded the retreat.

Seeing the Ning army retreat, those fierce and cruel wolf cubs all breathed a heavy sigh of relief, their minds mostly filled with only one thought: these scoundrels have finally left. Some of the hot-tempered ones, whose courage hadn't been completely shattered, still tried to fight their way back, but after glancing at the faces of their kinsmen, they ultimately gave up the idea, unwilling to give up, and could only watch helplessly as the Ning soldiers swaggered back into the city.

This time, the Xiongnu army retreated a full five kilometers before stopping.

After taking stock of the losses, it was discovered that in less than half a day, nearly 20,000 Xiongnu soldiers had died in battle, with countless others wounded. Upon hearing this number, even though Suochuoluo had anticipated it, he couldn't help but blush.

So many Xiongnu warriors have died in battle... If we can capture Xinhou County, it will be barely acceptable.

But now, they haven't even been able to touch the gates of the county town.

Sochoro knew that this time... he had lost.

Total loss.

Even with hundreds of thousands of warriors under his command, as long as he couldn't break through those rumbling iron lumps, the city walls of Xinhou County would forever remain an insurmountable fortress.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from afar.

Looking up, they saw a tall, burly man in Ning army armor riding a warhorse at great speed towards the Xiongnu army formation in the distance.

One person charging into battle?

Has this person gone mad?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the man suddenly raised his head, grabbed a sack, and flung it with all his might. With a whoosh, the sack drew an arc in the air and crashed straight into the Xiongnu army formation.

Wow.

Perhaps they were terrified by that strange lump of iron from before.

When the sack came crashing down, the surrounding Xiongnu people were all startled and retreated in a flurry.

Luo Tianyang chuckled, pulled on the reins, and turned to leave.

After waiting for a long time without the expected explosion, a captain finally mustered up the courage to step forward, cut open the sack with his curved knife, and then his pupils contracted as he saw a dirty, blood-stained head inside the sack.

Upon closer inspection, the face, which had long since lost its color, even looked somewhat familiar.

A few breaths later, the thousand-foot-tall man gasped sharply.

Damn it, this is... Prince Arunchi?
Right beneath the head, there was a letter.

His body trembled violently. Without hesitation, the commander picked up his head, grabbed the envelope, and rushed straight towards Sochoro.

When Suochuoluo saw his own son's head, he gasped for breath, feeling a chill run through his body. Although the Xiongnu people were generally indifferent to emotions, they were not entirely devoid of feelings.

Trembling fingers took her son's head.

He opened the envelope again, and inside was a piece of white paper covered with tiny characters. He recognized the Chinese characters, Suochuoluo, but after only glancing at them, he handed it to the strategist beside him, who knew a few Chinese characters.

The strategist looked at him, his expression suddenly turning strange: "Great Chanyu...do you really want me to read it?"

"Recite it." With a heavy sigh, Sochoro said in a deep voice.

I'd like to see what's written in this letter.

The strategist pursed his lips, then, without further hesitation, cleared his throat and began to read aloud:
"Respectfully presented to the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu, Suochuoluo:"

“I am Prince Arunchi of your esteemed state. Your Highness graced our humble town of Pingyang with your presence. I was overjoyed and greeted you with the utmost courtesy. But I never imagined that Your Highness's visit to the brothels would lead to such an unfortunate incident—you fell from a cooking pot, broke your limbs, and suffered complete mutilation.”

"At that time, in order to save Your Highness's life, I personally severed his limbs. However, Bian Que was helpless, and Hua Tuo was filled with resentment. Your Highness died suddenly. It was truly the will of Heaven. I hope the Chanyu will not be too heartbroken."

"On his deathbed, His Highness wished to be buried in his homeland. However, the flames of war were raging, and his body was infested with insects: flies and gnats swarmed in his dantian, and maggots gnawed at his vital organs, making his filthy form unbearable to be presented to the world. Only by cutting off his skull and placing it in an ice box could his body be preserved."

"I now respectfully present your head to fulfill my long-cherished promise."

"As for your esteemed prince, Abal, he is currently staying at my humble abode. He once said to me, 'My lustful desires are harming my nature, and I am deeply troubled. I wish to find a way to be free from this delusion.' I then advised him, 'To eradicate the root of delusion, you can simply cut off half an inch of bark each day.'"

"I humbly request that the Chanyu not take this to heart. I, Song Yan, the Marquis of Champion, bow my head."

Sochoro's lips twitched. He realized that he seemed to be illiterate. Not only did he not recognize the characters, but he also could not understand what the strategist was saying.

"What do you mean?"

The strategist blinked, looked at Suochuoluo opposite him, and then at the letter in his hand. The Grand Tutor had taught him that in this situation, one must speak more tactfully.

After thinking for a moment, the strategist spoke up: "It means... your two sons, the younger one is dead, he died a terrible death, his body is infested with maggots, and in a few days, the elder son will also become a eunuch."

First, they suffered a major defeat, with 20,000 Xiongnu warriors dying in battle.

Then came the news of her youngest son's tragic death and her eldest son's impending eunuchhood... The shock was immense in such a short time.

puff!
Even though Suochuoluo was the Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu and had a calm and composed nature, he could no longer bear it at this moment and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His body lurched violently, and he fell straight off his warhorse to the ground.

One hand still stretched towards the sky, and its blood-stained mouth let out the most frenzied roar:
“Song Yan…”

"I will kill you!"

"I will kill you!"

(End of this chapter)