Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 466 Lin Xue's Cold Poison (6,000 words)

Agsang's body trembled uncontrollably, an indescribable fear washing over him almost instantly.

Rumble, rumble!

A deafening roar echoed through the valley, the earth trembled violently—the roar of billions of stones of floodwater breaking free of their restraints. Under the bright moonlight, the churning waves resembled a giant silver dragon, uprooting trees and sweeping away boulders in an instant.

The floodwaters stirred up mud and sand, and the waves turned from silvery white to deep yellow.

When we first saw it, the flood peak was still a thousand paces away.

In the blink of an eye, the distance had been rapidly reduced.

The splashing water droplets looked like a downpour from the sky.

In the mountains and forests, countless animals were awakened, letting out sharp, terrified cries in unison. Agsang's body trembled violently, and he suddenly opened his mouth, screaming in a piercing voice, "Run! Run! Run!"

The moment the voice rang out, Agsang's body shot out like an arrow, heading straight for the high mountain behind the camp. As the floodwaters swept down, only this high mountain could provide true safety.

Run along the river?
Don't joke around.

Even a skilled martial artist cannot outrun a flood that flows downstream.

Agsang's voice startled many soldiers awake. They looked up blankly, their expressions still somewhat dazed, until they felt the tremors from the mud and sand beneath their feet, heard the deafening roar, and saw the flood rushing down from upstream... Everyone's face changed.

The smile froze on his face.

The next moment...

"Run!"

“The flood is coming!”

"Help me."

"I don't want to die!"

The soldiers on the shore screamed in terror, disregarding the weapons around them, the money looted from their luggage, and the dried meat that was about to be cooked, and ran up the mountain, abandoning everything.

The people in the water had long lost interest in playing in it. They began to run frantically towards the shore. The distance, though short, now felt as far as the ends of the earth. Every step they took was incredibly difficult. They desperately clung to the water, their eyes bloodshot, trying their best to find a glimmer of hope.

The rumbling sound grew louder and louder in my ears. It seemed like a long time had passed, or perhaps only a short moment had gone by. Finally, amidst that desperate lament, the flood... came.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah……"

In a daze, it seemed as if one could hear the dying cries of the dying, and the raging flood instantly swallowed up thousands of soldiers who had no time to leave the Laolin River.

In the turbulent whirlpool, people are like scattered algae.

No one can escape.

How can flesh and blood withstand the mighty power of heaven and earth?

Under the onslaught of the torrent, bodies were broken and torn apart, mingling with the viscous mud and water, and vanished in an instant. Some were swept away by the flood and slammed heavily against boulders, creating waterfalls of blood several meters high.

The camps on the riverbank were directly submerged by the flood, and the exhausted soldiers sleeping inside never had the chance to open their eyes again. The grain carts rolled and crashed into the ramparts, instantly turning into pieces.

Even the warhorses tied to the tree trunks beside the river watched as the flood surged more than ten feet high and crashed down relentlessly. Even livestock could sense the fear in their instincts, and they neighed restlessly, trying to break free of their reins... Then the wave, more than ten feet high, crashed down heavily.

In an instant, the tree was uprooted.

The warhorse's massive body shattered in an instant.

Only blood stained the splashing waves a crimson hue.

Gone!

Everything that had been on the riverbed vanished completely in a short time, leaving nothing behind. On the hillside, the survivors were all pale-faced, trembling, and their eyes were filled with unyielding fear... They were so close to being among the dead.

But before these people could even feel a little relieved...

call……

A gust of cold wind swept up.

The branches and leaves swayed and rustled.

The next instant, I felt a faint red light rising on the other side of the mountain.

Agsang reacted quickly, instinctively looking up with a hint of doubt in his eyes. After a few breaths, a buzzing sound was heard, and crimson flames shot up several meters high on the other side of the mountain, illuminating the entire night. The firelight shone through the gaps in the forest onto Agsang's face, making him feel a burning sensation on his skin.

call.

Another gust of wind blew in.

The fire suddenly subsided, and the flames seized the opportunity to ignite this side of the mountain. Decaying leaves, withered branches... accompanied by a buzzing sound, the sea of ​​fire spread faster than imagined.

Agsang's body trembled, and after a few breaths, he suddenly burst into wild laughter like a madman.

"hahahahahahahahahaha……"

Amidst the horror, Agsang's laughter sounded particularly jarring. His face was already somewhat distorted, and his wide, bloodshot eyes revealed a deep despair.

Song Yan.

This was definitely done by Song Yan, the governor of Pingyang.

Agsang knew very well that he was definitely not a good person. Although he did not massacre the city during this invasion of Ningguo, it would not have been difficult for him to issue an order to massacre the city... But he never expected that there would be someone in this world who was more ruthless and cruel than him.

On one hand, the dam was breached, causing a massive flood.

They set fire to the mountain, blocking their last escape route.

Ice and Fire.

ruthless.

This is definitely a ruthless person.

In Song Yan's eyes, is a human life just a cold, hard number?
To lose to someone like that... is not unjust.

Hahaha... For some reason, that slightly manic laughter sounded like a desperate sob.

The tens of thousands of surviving soldiers finally saw the flames gradually spreading. The firelight illuminated their faces, making them appear pale and bloodless. Their bodies froze on the mountainside, with the ever-growing fire in front of them and the raging flood behind them. They didn't know which way to run.

The wind was blowing loudly.

The fire is getting closer and closer.

The flames were reflected in everyone's pupils, and the ever-approaching death almost crushed all hope and will in people's hearts.

They instinctively stepped back.

back.

They had retreated to the riverbank without anyone noticing. In the pushing and shoving, someone accidentally fell into the flood and was swept away by the flood before they could even scream.

call.

Another gust of wind blew, and the flames finally reached the survivors, setting their clothes and hair ablaze. The fire began to spread among the crowd.

Ah ah ah ah ah……

The feeling of being burned by fire is unbearable, as evidenced by the 60,000 Xiongnu soldiers in Dehua County. People were in complete chaos, their densely packed figures writhing desperately in the sea of ​​fire like vengeful ghosts. Their screams mingled together, like rusty saws grinding bones, or like... an old woman choking and weeping at a lonely grave.

Some, unable to bear the agony of being engulfed in flames, leaped into the raging torrent in despair, hoping to end their lives quickly. Others clutched their heads, howling and screaming as they rushed towards the mountaintop, seemingly trying to break through the blockade of flames before them. Unfortunately, the thick layer of fallen leaves, withered branches, and tree trunks on the ground could not be burned away in a short time; all they could see was a crimson expanse.

Until his body completely lost its strength, he collapsed to the ground, turning into a twisted, charred corpse.

Tragic, tragic, tragic!
Agsang slowly turned around and walked step by step towards the flood.

His hair was already on fire, and the flames burned his scalp, causing a searing pain. He knew he was about to die, but compared to being burned to death, he would rather be drowned in a flood, at least... it would be a quicker and more painful death.

Just as Agsang mustered his courage and prepared to leap, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder. The next instant, Agsang felt a chill penetrate his body. The fire on his head and clothes seemed to be suppressed by some indescribable force and went out immediately. The heat waves rolling in from all directions seemed to be completely separated from Agsang at this moment.

This unexpected turn of events surprised Agsang. He turned around and saw a middle-aged man in his fifties standing behind him. The man was burly and wore a coarse linen shirt with a towel draped over his shoulder. He was a cook in the army.

He opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to say something, but before he could even utter a sound, he felt his body lift off the ground. Then he saw the burning flames and charred tree trunks on either side of him, rapidly receding. Occasionally, a large tree would fall in front of him; the cook would casually wave his arm, and with a bang, the tree trunk would instantly turn into dust, which would then reignite in the sea of ​​fire, like countless falling stars.

...At the broken site of Laolinba, Song Yan stood quietly on a mountaintop, gazing at the magnificent scene of ice and fire on the other side of Laolin River.

Not far away, Luo Tianxuan sat on a tree branch with a smile, her two long, shapely legs hanging down naturally, swaying in the wind.

Hua Lianyue lay quietly on a stone slab, gazing at the starry sky, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, as if sensing something, she turned to look at Luo Tianxuan, her eyes meeting in a glance as she made a decision. Then, she leaped off the mountain peak.

There's also an Abalu.

This person is one of Song Yan's quirky tastes.

After all, tens of thousands of elite Xiongnu troops were to be buried, one of whom was his younger brother... As the older brother, Song Yan felt it would be better to have Abalu come and see them off in person.

But clearly, Abalu hadn't grasped Song Yan's good intentions. He collapsed to the ground, his dirty face pale and bloodless, his eyes vacant, as if his soul had been drained away. His body was limp, like a puddle of mud. After an unknown amount of time, Abalu slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Song Yan: "You madman, you'll get your comeuppance."

Song Yan smiled, facing the wind, and stretched out her arms.

The cool breeze on your face is refreshing and invigorating.

"Karma?"

"Whatever, I'll carry it."

A faint sound could be heard in the wind.

The weeping of all living beings is but a reflection of the mortal world.

……

The fire burned for a very, very long time.

The flood roared for a long time.

As night faded and the sun rose, everything gradually calmed down.

Following the Laolin River, Song Yan walked slowly. The water level had completely receded, and the ground beneath his feet was soft mud and sand. The mountains on both sides still bore the marks of the flood. Trees were leaning to the side, and countless trees had been uprooted. The bark of many trees had been completely worn away by the mud and sand, leaving only bare trunks.

Looking out, the vast marshland was filled with floating corpses blocking the rivers.

Some drowning victims had bulging pupils and their fingers were digging deep into the silt.

A banner wrapped around the corpse's neck fluttered in the wind, like a summoning banner for the soul;
A broken branch pierced the lower abdomen, and the intestines drifted away with the waves.

The drowning horses swelled up like balls, and as they floated up and down, the golden bells on their saddles still jingled, as if striking a chime for the spirits of the dead.

Heaps of corpses gathered on the riverbank, swaying precariously.

Or perhaps they are piled up in the fields on both sides of the Laolin River.

The stench of blood and filth filled the air, attracting flocks of crows that blotted out the sky.

Looking up, the green hills are gone, leaving only black ashes, and in the ashes, one can still see human-shaped charred remains.

Most of them were probably dead... but letting these corpses float on the water was not a good idea, as it could easily lead to disease. Soldiers and even surviving civilians from Anzhou Prefecture were summoned to clear the river and cremate or bury the corpses nearby.

Thus, of the three Xiongnu armies that had invaded Anzhou Prefecture, two were completely annihilated and one retreated, temporarily relieving the crisis in Anzhou.

However, dealing with the aftermath remained troublesome. Anzhou Prefect Ma Zhifeng was captured alive by Song Yan, and most of the other officials, including prefects, vice-prefects, and military commanders, were killed in battle. For a time, Anzhou Prefecture was leaderless. Following Zhang Han's advice, Song Yan led his black-armored soldiers to take control of Anzhou City, temporarily assuming the position of Prefect.

That's not all. All twenty-three counties under the jurisdiction of Anzhou Prefecture were taken over by the Pingyang Prefecture soldiers and black-armored warriors.

As for the reason... to prevent the Xiongnu from launching another sneak attack, there is no reason more reasonable than this.

Of course, this process was not smooth. In some counties not yet occupied by the Xiongnu, the magistrates were unwilling to relinquish their power. Moreover, although Song Yan held a high position and noble status, he had no authority over the affairs of Anzhou Prefecture. Furthermore, several magistrates who had fled when the Xiongnu army attacked earlier, upon seeing the recapture of Anzhou, approached Song Yan and righteously demanded that he hand over the county to them again.

The surrendered county magistrates were even more resistant to Song Yan's appearance, stating directly that Song Yan was not qualified to govern Anzhou. Some county magistrates also secretly sought out Song Yan, knelt down and begged, saying that their surrender to the Xiongnu was not their true intention, but rather a last resort to protect the old and young in their counties. They claimed that they were only alive to seek an opportunity to assassinate the Xiongnu.

Song Yan's approach was simple and brutal. He didn't bother to negotiate with these people. Several thunderbolts shattered the city gate, and the surrendered magistrates and officials were all beheaded and their heads sent to various counties.

The "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" approach was quite effective; those county magistrates who had previously openly and covertly opposed the government suddenly became extremely cooperative.

I guess I've figured it out.

Song Yan's soldiers then took over the entire Anzhou Prefecture.

Subsequently, in Yongchang City, the remains of 30,000 border soldiers were collected and buried.

On the city wall, the former governor Ma Zhifeng, who had already been tortured beyond recognition, was skinned alive to appease the spirits of the 30,000 heroes in heaven.

……

The twentieth year of Ninghe.

Mid-May.

Summer sunshine often displays magnificent colors, with warm clouds painting the entire horizon a bright red. The temperature is quite high, and you can see some children playing naked in the clear river water by the riverbank. Occasionally, they catch a fish or a crab, which attracts envious glances and praises from all around.

If you encounter someone with a more carefree personality, they might even give their spoils to the prettiest girl among their group of friends, immediately eliciting laughter and comments like, "XX has taken a liking to XX... He wants to marry you," which would always make the girl blush and then secretly glance at the dark-skinned, honest-looking boy in the ditch, wondering what thoughts were stirring in her heart.

This is probably what youthful innocence is like.

A horse-drawn carriage creaked and groaned along the official road.

After more than a month of waiting, even though the two women in the carriage were quite capable, their faces were now etched with exhaustion. Looking out the window at the children playing outside, Lin Xue seemed to be lost in thought, a slight smile finally appearing on her weary face.

Not far away, there was a tall city wall.

Chu Menglan stretched her arms forcefully, and a burst of light suddenly appeared in her tired eyes: "Ugh... We've finally arrived at Dongling."

“We should have come with the delegation.” Chu Menglan puffed out her cheeks, her slightly haggard face showing a hint of annoyance: “I heard that the carriages of the Court of State Ceremonial are excellent, second only to the Emperor’s Five Lu and the Empress Dowager’s Double Dipper.”

After moving my limbs slightly, I could hear creaking sounds coming from between my bones, and my body felt like a piece of iron that was about to rust.

Hearing this, Lin Xue smiled and said, "It's alright. Tonight, we'll find a good inn and get a good night's sleep."

Chu Menglan chuckled and patted her belly with a touch of coquettishness: "I'm going to have a big meal. I've heard that although Ning Kingdom isn't very powerful, it has a rich variety of delicious food..."

"Slurp!" Although she was a princess, Chu Menglan didn't have much of a princess's demeanor in front of Lin Xue. She slurped her lips and said, "My mouth and stomach have suffered these days."

Lin Xue smiled and remained silent. Compared to the fatigue of the long carriage ride, the food was not a big problem. Although sometimes they had to rely on dry rations because they were far from any village or shop, they still ate in restaurants in the county town or villages quite often. The food might not have been very delicious, but it was definitely not as bad as Chu Menglan had made it out to be.

Before they knew it, the carriage had arrived near the city gate.

There were guards conducting strict checks.

Just then, Lin Xue and Chu Menglan both saw some people reach the vicinity of the city gate, but suddenly change direction and walk towards the left. Others emerged from inside the city and headed straight in the same direction. There were quite a few of them.

Lin Xue and Chu Menglan exchanged a glance, both able to see the curiosity in each other's eyes. They then got off the carriage together. Lin Xue was fierce and aloof, but Chu Menglan had a bit of a tough personality. Chu Menglan walked towards the city gate with a grin and waved to a guard on duty: "Young man, I have a question for you."

The garrison soldier, who had probably rarely seen such a beautiful and energetic young woman, blushed instantly on his dark face: "Wh...what is it?"

Chu Menglan raised a slender, white finger and pointed to the left: "Has something happened over there? Why are so many people heading that way?"

The garrison soldier looked at Chu Menglan with some curiosity: "Miss, are you from out of town?"

Chu Menglan nodded her little head like a chicken pecking at rice.

“No wonder, everyone in the area knows that. That’s the most historically significant spot in the entire Dongling City.” The garrison soldier straightened his voice and said, “Do you know the Marquis of Champion?”

Chu Menglan glanced at Lin Xue secretly, then nodded.

"Over there are the two mounds of skulls that the Marquis built himself."

"The yellow mud was all applied by the Marquis himself, and the heads used to build the Jingguan were all cut off by the Marquis himself. Merchants coming and going, especially officials sent to other places, would all go to the Jingguan to pay their respects before leaving Dongling. The incense was very popular, even more so than Huayun Temple."

Upon hearing this, Chu Menglan and Lin Xue both looked somewhat strange. They both knew some things about Song Yan and knew that Song Yan liked to build mounds of corpses, but they never expected that he would actually build a mound of corpses in the capital city.

Isn't the Emperor of Ningguo being a little too lenient with Song Yan?
"Ladies, if you're interested, you can go take a look, but it's best not to get too close," the guard kindly advised. "After all, a dense mass of heads can be a bit frightening."

Chu Menglan then looked at Lin Xue.

After a moment's thought, Lin Xue nodded. Although it was a mound of skulls, it was something her younger brother had made himself, and Lin Xue was still quite curious. The two of them walked together towards the mound of skulls, but they hadn't gone far when Lin Xue suddenly stopped. Her originally rosy face turned deathly pale in an instant, and a chill emanated from her strong, slender body.

Chu Menglan's expression changed slightly. She quickly stepped forward and grasped Lin Xue's small hand. She immediately felt a chill seep into her body through her skin and fingertips, and Chu Menglan couldn't help but shiver, her face turning slightly pale.

"Senior Sister...your cold poison..."

(End of this chapter)