After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"Bang!"

The sounds of horses' hooves, shouts of battle, gunshots, whistles, arrows leaving their bows, and swords being drawn suddenly mingled on the plain.

…………

dark night.

White clouds obscured the moonlight.

Braving the howling wind, it presses down a thousand feet from the perspective of the white clouds, hanging above this plain.

To the east of the plain stood five rows of staggered, cone-shaped cavalry.

To the west of the plain, there was a line of twenty riders at the front, moving like a long dragon with the speed of thunder, nearly three hundred cavalrymen.

Between the two cavalry units.

A cavalry force of only fifty riders marched from east to west, forming a teardrop shape as they broke through the enemy lines in a cone formation to the east.

When the two were only thirty feet apart, the teardrop-shaped cavalryman reined in his horse and turned right, and the cavalryman on the east side began to spew flames.

The western cavalry, which was originally less than fifty feet away from the teardrop-shaped cavalry in the middle, had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows.

As the teardrop-shaped cavalry turned right.

Many of their arrows missed their mark.

At the same time, what appeared before the western cavalry was the lead bullets fired by the first rank of fire from the east, sending chills down the spines of the twenty riders in front.

At this time, the two sides were less than eighty zhang apart, still outside the range of the shot.

Caught off guard, in the brief moment between the first volleys of fire, the western cavalry spotted the approaching cavalry, their left arms wrapped with red cloth strips identical to those of the enemy, which they had been pursuing all along.

The color of the cloth strips was so vivid in the firelight that the western cavalrymen were immediately horrified.

Driven by inertia, the two cavalry forces were within sixty zhang of each other in an instant.

"Eternal Mother! My Pure Land! The White Sun Descends! Reclaim My Land!"

In the darkness of night, a deafening roar rose from nowhere.

The sudden roar shattered the last shred of reason in both cavalry units.

The fear of death overwhelmed everything.

The two cavalry units were forty zhang apart.

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

The western cavalry fell within range of the eastern cavalry.

The twenty riders in front of him fell down like weeds.

Warm blood and bits of flesh splattered onto the faces and eyes of those who came after them.

The smell of blood and stench filled their nostrils, their eyes began to turn red, and the blood in their bodies became scalding hot.

Thirty zhang (approximately 33 meters).

There was no way for either side to avoid it.

The cavalry on the east side took out their three-barreled guns and began to disperse.

The cavalrymen on the west side with muskets also took out their three-barreled guns.

Some of the cavalrymen without muskets drew their bows and nocked arrows, while others raised their long spears, the tips of which were icy cold.

Ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

"boom--"

Two shadows on the plain collided with a deafening roar.

……

In the darkness, Shangguan Xiu led fifty riders, still circling the enemy lines, constantly letting out long howls to the sky:

"Eternal Mother! My Pure Land! The White Sun Descends! Reclaim My Land!"

"The White Sun descends upon the world!..."

"Give me back my homeland!..."

Meanwhile, a woman named Zhen Susu led the Imperial Guards and servants in a retreat, heading straight for Shuijing Township...

……

……

"Clang!"

The moment the cold blade clashed with the gun barrel was the exact same moment that thunderous hoofbeats and shouts of battle echoed from afar.

Alin's reaction was quick, and his thoughts were also incredibly sharp.

They fought the Jiangpu Army in the Pingnan Camp in the south for three years, and then fought the Rakshasa people in the snow and ice in the north for two years.

For the next eight years, he served as a guard in the Shangyu Preparatory Office. Three years ago, he was promoted to First-Class Guard.

If nothing unexpected happens, one day he will suddenly feel like asking the emperor for permission, and the emperor will appoint him as a general, either to go to the northwest or to Huainan, to lead an army south.

He became another famous Manchu-Mongol general after the "super brave" Prince Borjigit.

"Clang!"

A flash of cold light startled everyone, sending up a spray of blood.

With a flick of his wrist, he swung his sword again, aiming at the young man from the South who was dressed in a moon-colored robe.

When the other party said, "You're going to die here," Ah Lin's vigilance reached its peak.

But he was naturally not afraid.

With a thud, two footprints were left on the ground, and the shadow swept across the grass at an extremely fast speed. Before the ignorant scholar opposite could finish speaking, his knife had already slashed in front of the scholar.

However, this top scholar, who was famous in both the Northern and Southern Dynasties, surprised him. The other party's reaction speed was faster than he expected.

With a thud, the opponent quickly stepped back, dodging his attack.

Alin couldn't help but chuckle softly. The other man unfastened his cloak and reached for the musket at his lower back.

Ah Lin swept past again, slashing upwards with his sword. The scholar dodged backward, but Ah Lin lunged forward and slashed down with his sword, cutting the scholar's left thigh.

"What is your purpose in colluding with the Heavenly Principles Sect? Is it to prevent an alliance between the Northern and Southern Dynasties? Or is it out of hatred for the Prince Yi's Mansion?"

Looking at the blood-soaked thigh of the other person, Alin guessed the other person's purpose in colluding with the Heavenly Principle Sect.

talking.

Arlin calmly added, "You're too close to me; don't count on your musket."

Ning Nan covered the wound on his thigh with his left hand, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. He had dodged quickly enough that the wound was not deep, at least it hadn't severed the major artery.

Three flintlock muskets developed by the Ministry of Works were neatly placed behind his waist.

He smiled leisurely in the darkness:

"Brother Alin, how did you know I colluded with the Heavenly Principle Sect?"

Ah Lin calmly replied, "Who else but Heaven could accomplish such a great feat?"

He held the knife horizontally downwards, his eyes fixed on the other man's right hand, his voice still cold and calm as he spoke:

"But it's impossible for the Heavenly Principle Sect traitors to carry so much gunpowder through the many checkpoints of the capital, bypass the guards of Tianye, and evade the secret guards of my Shangyu Reserve Office to storm the embassy under the cover of night... Unless..."

Alin narrowed his eyes slightly:

"Someone in the mission was there to meet them, allowing them to hide inside the embassy long ago."

Ning Nan's eyes showed a hint of surprise; to some extent, the other party's guess was correct.

Most of the servants that Erlai led were indeed members of the Heavenly Principle Sect.

"Then how are you sure the mole is me?" Ning Nan asked with a curious smile.

At the same time, he felt a little helpless.

Originally, it was thought that the Northern Dynasty would send a civil official to negotiate with "Han Qing". However, it was unexpected that Yongzheng was quite bold and that the Northern Dynasty was full of talented people. Anyone who came out was a man of both literary and military talent like Alin.

However... Ning Nan's left hand was still covering the wound on his left leg, blood seeping out from between his fingers... He had already done his best tonight.

If it weren't for someone like Alin by his side, Yongzheng probably wouldn't have been able to bring himself to send him to help him capture Han Qing alive.

If it weren't for the three hundred cavalrymen following him, Yongzheng probably wouldn't have been willing to open the city gates... because he would have thought that he couldn't catch Han Qing anyway.

I want to solve a problem.

This will inevitably introduce another problem, or even more problems.

The current predicament is the last problem he has to face.

Master Ning's back was already soaked with sweat.

Tonight, the last thing he can do is stall Ah Lin here a little longer.

Jia Shi'an, Xu Xiyin, Chen Ruhai, Shangguan Zhao, Xiuxiu, Su Su Fox, and Qian Baihu... He had entrusted every lead to the most reliable people he could find.

Next... it's up to them.

Ning Nan's question was natural and casual, but A Lin shook his head and said, "Lord Ning, since Han Qing is not here, I have no interest in chatting with you."

"If it weren't for Han Qing, I wouldn't have allowed you to leave Yonghe Palace."

He flicked his sword, sending a few drops of blood onto the withered grass on the ground.

"I'll first cut off your right thumb, then take you back to the capital for a proper interrogation. If you obey, that's the end of it. If you don't, I'll sever your Achilles tendons."

He took a step forward.

They were less than three steps away from Vice Envoy Ning, who was kneeling on the ground, covering the wound on his left leg with his left hand.

Ning Nan did not reach for the musket with his right hand; he lowered his head slightly, his face somewhat pale.

Seeing him like this, Ah Lin remained calm. This was all expected, and he was glad that the other person had already accepted his fate.

Suddenly, under the moonlight, his shadow fell in front of Ning Nan.

At that moment, Ning Nan's blood-stained left hand suddenly swung upwards!

Warm blood suddenly splattered into Alin's eyes!