Chapter 189: Desperate Situation

"My Lord, it is bad. Zhong Li has led five thousand men and horses and broken out of Fanyang City."

Yuan Mansion.

Yuan Li was drinking and making merry with three beautiful concubines when Guo Tu walked in hurriedly.

"What!" Yuan Li was greatly shocked, pushing away the woman draped over him, which drew a coquettish pout.

"The gate guards tried to stop him, but Zhong Li only said he wanted to avenge his father and went straight ahead," Guo Tu said. "It is just that the direction he went is Lulong Mountain."

Yuan Li frowned; this was not right.

Pacing back and forth, he said, "The injury Zhong Li sustained last time he went to Shanggu Commandery was a bit inexplicable. With his shrewdness, he should not have made such a mistake."

Guo Tu had also suspected this for a long time, but he had not thought so deeply about it at the time.

Now it seemed that this Zhong Li was very strange.

"Order men to pursue him immediately. He must not be allowed to ruin our good deed," Yuan Li glared with rage.

Although his thoughts were still a bit chaotic right now.

Instinct told him that Zhong Li had betrayed him.

This time, he must have discovered the plan to kill Mo Di and was heading out to rescue Mo Di.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Guo Tu's forehead; he could not imagine how such a mess could have occurred.

Turning to leave, he urgently ordered the main army to pursue Zhong Li.

On the official road covered in thick snow, one thousand Cavalry were escorting Mo Di and his son as they traveled slowly toward the south.

On horseback.

The two talked from time to time, their expressions relaxed.

"So, it seems I did the right thing by sending you to Yan Wang," Mo Di laughed.

After Mo Yu returned to Yanguan, the two had immediately set off together.

Along the way, Mo Yu kept talking about his time in Yan Wang's army and was very satisfied with his current life.

"Father truly has eyes like torches; His Highness Yan Wang is different from the rest," Mo Yu laughed. "Just as Father said, if one wants Yanguan to be safe and secure, it is best to have Yan Wang assisting from the side. Based on my understanding of His Highness Yan Wang, if something were to truly happen to Yanguan, he would definitely take action."

Mo Di nodded; he had let Mo Yu go to Yan Commandery not just for the sake of Yanguan.

There was also his own selfish motive involved.

Although he was at Yanguan, he could feel the infighting among the powerful clans becoming increasingly severe.

He could also feel the Imperial Clan's control over the Great Song Dynasty's political situation becoming increasingly weak.

At first, Yanguan was under his control, and when military orders were issued, everyone was of one mind.

But in recent years, the voices of criticism against him in the imperial court had risen.

Some said he was relying on his troops to act arrogantly, others said he was stubborn and self-opinionated.

Under this constant slander and coercion, Emperor Zhao Heng had no choice but to concede and send him sons of powerful clans to serve as Vice General.

And he gradually increased the authority of the Vice General to keep him in check.

But even so, the powerful clans were still not satisfied and still wanted to replace him.

Fortunately, the powerful clans were also fighting among themselves, and to this day, they had not agreed on a common candidate.

Feeling this.

He decided to let his youngest son serve Yan Wang.

If one day a major change occurred in the political situation and the Mo Family was overthrown, at least in this distant Yanzhou, the Mo Family would still have a root.

"Hmm, since that is the case, follow Yan Wang well in the future," Mo Di stroked Mo Yu's head.

After traveling for another half day, they rested at a post station for the night, and the next day the father and son continued their journey, entering Lulong Mountain before long.

Gazing at the mountain forests and shrubs dyed glistening white by the snow.

Mo Yu cast his eyes about, admiring the beautiful scenery before him.

But just at this moment, a dense sound of air being torn apart suddenly rang out.

Countless black dots were seen flying out from the mountain forests on both sides, rushing straight toward them.

"Ah... hiss......"

A chorus of soldiers' screams and horses' whinnies rang out.

Mo Yu saw clearly what those things were; they were Arrow.

"Enemy attack!"

Mo Yu was greatly alarmed, shielding his father and preparing to spur his horse into a wild gallop.

But an iron chain suddenly jumped up from the ground, cutting off the official road from east to west.

He wanted to flee toward Yanguan, but the road behind was also blocked by an iron chain.

"Protect the General, the rest follow me and kill!" Mo Yu's eyes were bloodshot.

He could not think about who wanted to kill them right now, but a wild rage rose in his heart.

The Mo Family was loyal to Great Song, yet they treated the Mo Family like this; how could he not be angry.

He reined in his horse and charged toward the enemies pulling the chains in the forest.

Mo Yu raised his Cavalry Saber, but just at this moment, dense crowds of soldiers suddenly jumped out from the snow.

The leading soldier raised his Long Spear and thrust it toward his horse.

"Hiss......" With a miserable cry, the horse Mo Yu was sitting on collapsed to the ground.

Mo Yu rolled with the momentum and scrambled up from the ground; he saw enemies several times their number emerging from the snow, slaughtering the accompanying guards.

More enemies were rushing toward his father.

Although the guards were shielding his father tightly, they kept falling under the enemies' attacks.

"Ah..."

Mo Yu let out an angry shout, grabbed a Long Spear thrust by an enemy soldier, and took advantage of the momentum to slash at them with his blade.

But he only felt a jolt in the web of his hand, and did not manage to wound the enemy soldier.

Through the tear in the enemy soldier's clothing caused by the blade, he saw dark, swarthy iron plates underneath.

In the moment he hesitated, several enemy soldiers rushed over, their Long Spears thrusting toward him.

"Captain, watch out!" a Yanguan soldier shouted, blocking the way in front of Mo Yu.

The Long Spears instantly pierced through the Yanguan soldier.

Warm blood flowed onto Mo Yu's hands, and extreme rage made him charge at the enemy soldiers regardless of everything.

Dodging a thrust of a Long Spear, he pressed close to an enemy soldier and drew his blade across the enemy soldier's throat.

But more enemy soldiers came one after another, surrounding him.

Mo Yu could not parry them all and could only fight while retreating, constantly moving closer to his father.

In less than half an hour, more than half of the accompanying Yanguan soldiers had been killed or wounded.

The Cavalry had lost their mobility in the accumulated snow, and the enemy soldiers were wearing heavy Armor, so they had lost all their advantages.

After killing another enemy soldier, he arrived at his father's side and shouted to the remaining Yanguan soldiers, "Follow me, let's break out together."

"It's useless," Mo Di's hoarse voice rang out, "This is an assassination that has been long in the planning."

In his field of vision, enemy soldiers were coming from all directions, surrounding them in the middle and constantly compressing their space; they had nowhere to escape.

"Father..." Mo Yu's voice was trembling.

Mo Di's voice carried a trace of sorrow, "I, Mo Di, did not die under the blades of the Northern Di, yet today I am to die at the hands of the Song People. Oh, Song, it is not that the soldiers are not brave or the blades are not sharp; the root of this national ruin lies in this bunch of people with crooked hearts."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yu was filled with unbearable indignation; he did not know who had arranged this assassination, but even if he were to die, he would fight to the very end.

"You sons of bitches, remember this: my name is Mo Yu! If you want to kill me, come on!" Mo Yu charged out.

"Haha, well done," Mo Di also charged out.

The remaining Yanguan soldiers looked at each other; they had always held Mo Di in high regard.

Knowing they would surely die, they cast life and death aside; some protected Mo Yu, while others protected Mo Di, fighting the enemy soldiers.

When their blades could not cut through the enemy's Armor, they threw themselves directly at them, tearing at the enemies with their teeth.

Even when pierced by Long Spears, they would still grab the enemies' legs and refuse to let go.

The accumulated snow was melted by blood, and the corpses of the Yanguan soldiers blossomed like red roses amidst the brilliant white.

The enemy's encirclement grew smaller and smaller, and few Yanguan soldiers remained.

Mo Yu and Mo Di looked at each other and smiled.

Today, they would meet their deaths together.

"Kill!"

However, at this very moment, a sudden roar rang out.

From the south of the official road, a Cavalry commander holding a Silver Spear came riding over the snow.