Chapter 178: The sound of war drums

"Boom!"

A powerful and majestic sound suddenly exploded.

The towering city walls began to shake.

Then came the second and third sounds.

The city walls, the city gates, and then the vast land, all began to heave and vibrate to the rhythm.

"Boom, boom, boom."

That feeling.

The sounds became more and more frequent and louder.

It was like an endless stream of elite cavalry, galloping towards us with overwhelming momentum.

All the citizens of Nanjing City raised their heads instantly.

“It’s a war drum.”

For people living in Nanjing city.

The sound of war drums is nothing new.

From Gao Changsheng's attack on Nanjing, to the Northern Mang army's approach to the city.

During this period, the city of Nanjing was caught in turmoil and war.

Fire, trumpets, and drums are commonplace.

But at this moment, everyone felt something strange.

The sound of drums rumbled and swept out like a landslide or tsunami.

A solemn and iron-blooded atmosphere instantly enveloped the entire Nanjing.

A few days ago, when Tuoba Bodhisattva led his troops here.

The sound of war drums also sounded in Nanjing City.

But both the sound and the momentum can't compare to now.

In everyone's feeling.

The city of Nanjing beneath my feet seemed to come alive in an instant.

The rumbling sound was like the heartbeat of this giant beast.

Looking around, there was no sign of any army.

But the extreme murderous aura was telling everyone that an elite army was surrounding them, with their blades raised and ready to strike at any time.

"Yes……"

Someone reacted immediately.

The defenders of Nanjing City were equally terrifying before, but they were never this terrifying.

At this moment, Nanjing seems to have a soul in an instant.

There can only be one reason for such a sudden change.

"Gao Changsheng, is he back?"

Someone exclaimed.

Just the next moment.

Amid the rumbling drumbeats, a general's flag flew out.

High flag.

In fact, since the day he entered Nanjing and raised the general’s flag on the city wall.

The flag was never lowered.

The flag is still the same flag.

But the feeling is completely different.

At this moment, the flying general's flag seemed to have come to life in an instant.

Everything shows the owner of this flag.

The war god of the Sui Dynasty who dominated the three lands of Liang and Mang is back.

The three kingdoms united and the army surrounded the city.

This is no secret.

In fact, the area under Gao Changsheng's jurisdiction was not conquered by the other side.

But the local residents were already in a state of panic.

After all, the comparison between the two sides is too obvious.

But at this moment, the panic and anxiety were completely wiped out in an instant.

The rumbling sound of the drums, like thunder, instantly washed away all the filth and impurities.

"Boom, boom, boom."

The drumbeats continued.

The vast sound waves spread in all directions with Nanjing City as its center.

The high-character general flag was also rising higher and higher in the rolling sound waves.

“Brush, brush, brush.”

One after another, eyes were raised, some looking towards the sky in surprise, some solemnly.

Liaozhou front.

The two figures raised their heads almost instantly.

"This is……"

Prince of Guangling Zhao Yi exclaimed.

"The war drums of Nanjing City have actually reached here."

Wang then spoke in a concentrated tone, looking up at the source of the voice.

The flag fluttering wildly seemed to appear before him through the void.

"Is it him, back?"

Zhao Yi has always emphasized that he is not afraid of Gao Changsheng.

But at this moment the voice was shaking involuntarily.

"good."

Wang Sui nodded.

Such momentum cannot be hidden from anyone.

"He, what does he want to do? Is he trying to intimidate us?"

Zhao Yi frowned and spoke.

Ever since he sensed Tuoba Bodhisattva's movements the day before, Wang Sui decisively issued an order to stop the attack.

He didn't know the reason why Tuoba Bodhisattva retreated at that time.

But as a famous commander, he must pay attention to all changes on the battlefield.

However, although he led his troops to retreat, he did not retreat too far.

Still facing Liaozhou from a distance.

"That's it."

Wang Sui nodded.

"It's a declaration, and also a deterrent. He's telling everyone that Gao Changsheng is back."

"However, these are just incidental. The biggest purpose of the drumbeat is to convey orders and to notify."

"This should be Gao Changsheng's military order. He is gathering troops, gathering the troops under his banner."

"Gather troops?"

Zhao Yi was stunned when he heard this.

Then he suddenly reacted and looked towards Liaozhou in the distance.

"What? You mean Gao Changsheng is recalling his troops?"

"Among them are soldiers from Liaozhou and other fronts?"

"Has Gao Changsheng gone crazy?"

Zhao Yi cried out in disbelief.

"If he calls the troops back now, isn't he afraid that we will take advantage of the situation and attack Liao and Liao, or even..."

Zhao Yi's eyes widened, as if he had heard some Arabian Nights fairy tale.

You know, although they have retreated temporarily, their troops are still here.

Such a scene is actually no different from a war.

At this time, Gao Changsheng withdrew his troops.

Wouldn't that be equivalent to just giving the territory to them?
He really couldn't believe that such a famous commander like Gao Changsheng would actually give such an order.

"You dare?"

Wang then looked at Zhao Yi with a sneer.

"I……"

Hearing this, Zhao Yi's face instantly turned red.

But the word "dare" was still not uttered.

"Look, let alone whether Gao Changsheng will leave his troops behind at this time, even if he withdraws all his soldiers, you will not dare to invade Liaozhou."

"I……"

Zhao Yi's whole body began to tremble, both out of anger and shame.

"Ha ha……"

Wang then shook his head and smiled.

"Not only you, no one in the surrounding area dares to move at this moment."

"The bloody murderous intent in Nanjing City is still clearly visible from such a distance."

"This is Gao Changsheng's warning. Whoever dares to act rashly at this time will be hit by the thundering attack of hundreds of thousands of troops."

"Of course, the news about the Great Sui Dynasty has already spread."

"At this time, no one would provoke Gao Changsheng."

"At least no one will advance before Gao Changsheng leads his troops back to Sui."

"So, what happens after Gao Changsheng leaves?"

Zhao Yi's eyes lit up.

Yang Lin died in the battle, and even a fool knew that Gao Changsheng would lead his army to return to Sui.

And once he leaves, the land ahead will undoubtedly be in an undefended state.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yi couldn't help but reveal an excited look.

Wang Sui sneered and ignored the other party.

He had no interest in explaining to someone who only cared about immediate benefits.

Besides, he and the other party are not the same kind of people.

Looking up and deeply towards Nanjing, there was a constant flash of light in Wang Sui's dark eyes.

Just as Wang Sui and Zhao Yi were stationed there and watching.

On the other side, Kublai Khan decisively ordered the withdrawal of troops.

"Fourth Prince, we can just wait and see for a while. There's no need to retreat now, right?"

"Haha, stay here? Wait for Gao Changsheng to leave, or wait for Gao Changsheng and Genghis Khan to decide the winner?"

Kublai chuckled.

Everyone could see that Gao Changsheng returned to Sui and fought against Temujin.

Countries like Beimang and Liyang should wait and see for the time being, awaiting the outcome of this battle.

After all, when two tigers fight, one of them is bound to be injured.

No matter who falls between Gao Changsheng and Temujin, it will not be a bad thing for the other two countries.

If Gao Changsheng was defeated, they could naturally advance their troops without any worries to attack the land, or even divide up the Sui Dynasty.

If they win, the Sui Dynasty, which has been suffering from continuous consumption, will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

“No, we are different from them.”

"What I mean is that we can continue to advance. Even if we don't fight, we can still put some pressure on Gao Changsheng, which can be regarded as supporting Genghis Khan."

"Hahaha, that's a good idea."

Kublai Khan laughed out loud.

"However, Beimang and Liyang have made it clear that they want to wait and see."

"We will lead the army to advance. If Gao Changsheng turns back, are you sure you can stop him?"

"This..." The man was speechless for a moment. "Even if Gao Changsheng doesn't turn back, do we have to follow him into Sui?"

"You know, from the south of the Sui Dynasty to the northwest, the distance is more than a thousand miles."

"How can we support Genghis Khan? Should we fight our way through?"

The man shook his head instantly, this was obviously a fantasy.

Don’t even mention whether they have the ability to fight from south to north.

Even if you can do it, you can't do it.

After all, they came here to borrow the passage from Beimang.

They did not border the Mongols and the southern part of the Sui Dynasty.

In this situation, if a single army attacks the Sui Dynasty, even if it succeeds, it will not gain any benefit. Instead, it will benefit Beimang and Liyang.

"Okay, Boyan, I know what you are thinking."

"But at the moment, we can't help Genghis Khan."

"I also believe that with Genghis Khan's strength, he will never be defeated by Gao Changsheng."

"The most important thing for us now is to withdraw our troops."

Kublai Khan took a deep breath.

"We are different from Beimang Liyang."

"We are here to borrow the passage, so it is quite inconvenient to get food and grass supplies."

"We don't have to worry about the alliance for now, but now no one can guarantee whether Beimang will have other intentions."

"They may not send troops, but if they can just cut off our supply lines, they can cause us a lot of trouble for a long time."

"Moreover, Genghis Khan killed Yang Lin, and he and the Sui Dynasty have been at war to the death."

"Now that Gao Changsheng is back, there is a high probability that he will return to Sui Dynasty immediately."

"But no one can guarantee whether he will attack us before leaving."

"I don't want to provoke Gao Changsheng at this juncture, and I don't want to become his sacrifice."

Boyan nodded quickly.

Indeed, no one knows what Gao Changsheng is thinking now.

What if before leaving, they suddenly march westward.

Just thinking about it made Boyan feel his scalp tingling.

"What the Fourth Prince said makes sense. We should not stay here for long."

"Our army should quickly withdraw to the north. I believe the Khan will also send troops to support us."

"Retreat north? Haha."

Kublai Khan shook his head and smiled when he heard this.

"I never said I would retreat north."

As soon as these words were spoken, Boyan's face instantly turned strange.

If they don't retreat north, where will they go?
The borders between Beimang and Mengyuan are in the north and northwest.

At this time, they were in Gusai Prefecture, which was in the southwest of Beimang.

If they want to return home, they must go north.

"Genghis Khan defeated the Sui army and killed King Yang Lin, which shocked the world."

"Although I am not as capable as him, it is impossible for me to return in such disgrace after leading an army to war."

Kublai Khan laughed.

"Your Highness still wants to continue fighting, but..." Boyan said in surprise.

Kublai Khan waved his hand:
"Of course this king knows that the opportunity for battle has passed."

"Of course I won't be thinking about Gao Changsheng's territory."

"In fact, from the beginning to the end, the purpose of our army's dispatch was not to seize the enemy's land."

Kublai Khan spoke in a cold voice.

The land occupied by Gao Changsheng does not border the Mongols, so even if they take it down, they cannot eat it.

"The reason for sending troops this time is nothing more than to give those two countries a reassurance so that they can send troops without worrying about anything."

"Conquering land has never been the goal of this king and the Khan. This is also the reason why we did not go to war with Song Que on all fronts."

Kublai explained with a smile.

In his and Mengge's plan, this expedition was only intended to tie up a portion of Gao Changsheng's troops, and the real show would come from the other two groups, Beimang and Liyang.

Compared to this place, they are more concerned about the killing of Gao Changsheng in the territory of Ming Dynasty.

To Mongke and Kublai, Gao Changsheng was undoubtedly a greater threat than the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses.

But unexpectedly, they ended up in failure both in the Ming Dynasty and here.

Boyan is not stupid. After hearing this, how could he not hear the hidden meaning?

"Now that this place is temporarily closed, we should also go back to our business."

A fierce look appeared on Kublai Khan's face.

"Boyan, release the hawk that I carry with me. He will deliver the message to the Khan."

"The decisive battle between Gao Changsheng and Genghis Khan is on the border between Sui and Yuan. We cannot interfere."

“But we also have our stage.”

"It's time to let them know that our Great Yuan Empire has never been just Genghis Khan's Thirteen Wings."

"Pass on this king's order..."

Regarding the unusual movements of Kublai Khan's troops and even Mongke behind them.

No one knew at this time.

Above the city of Nanjing, the heroic and iron-blooded drumbeats are still ringing.

In the city center, inside the government office.

Gao Changsheng was sitting cross-legged on the couch.

Looking around, there seemed to be a shadow standing behind him, but it quickly disappeared as if it had never appeared.

"Commander, Marshal."

Just at this moment, urgent shouts were heard from outside the door.

It was none other than Lieutenant General Li.

Due to time constraints, Li Yuanba was left with Nangong Pushe and was not brought back.

So during this period of time, Lieutenant General Li has been waiting by his side.

Open your eyes.

The door opened slowly and automatically without any wind.

"Marshal, there is news, there is news."

Hearing this, a gleam of light suddenly flashed in Gao Changsheng's eyes.

"explain."

Without any hesitation, Gao Changsheng opened his mouth and shouted.

The so-called news, without a doubt, must be the battle report from Yumen Pass.

He didn't care whether it was discovered by his spies or reported back by the Sui Dynasty.

Gao Changsheng just wanted to know what exactly happened at Yumen Pass.

An army of 200,000 soldiers, including 70,000 brave warriors, was completely wiped out.

This is no longer something that can be described as a disastrous defeat.

What's more, King Yang Lin, who was known as the Backer of the Mountain, was also killed in the battle there.

If it was just a normal battle between two armies, this situation would obviously not happen.

Something must have happened that no one expected.

When the voice fell, Lieutenant General Li had already entered the room.

But he did not speak immediately, but turned slightly.

Soon, behind Lieutenant General Li, two soldiers came in, supporting a big man covered in blood.

When he saw the person coming, Gao Changsheng raised his eyebrows immediately.

He knows this person.

To be precise, I have met this person before.

He joined the army in the Liaodong-Goguryeo War and served under Yang Lin.

After the war, he met with various generals in the army, including the two armies under Yang Lin, Taibao and others.

"Coming General?"

Gao Changsheng spoke softly, with a hint of strangeness on his face.

This person was Lai Huer who had been following Yang Lin.

He is also one of the most powerful generals under Yang Lin.

Gao Changsheng didn't expect to see the other person here.

Judging from the situation, it was obvious that the other party had rushed out from the battlefield.

This is obviously an extremely surprising thing.

The news that the Sui army was completely annihilated had long been confirmed by all parties.

I didn't expect that there were still some fish that slipped through the net.

But even Yang Lin couldn't escape in the end, so how did Lai Huer get out?

Moreover, when the other side broke out of the battle circle, they did not go to Daxing, but instead came all the way to Nanjing.

This is all puzzling.

Of course, for Gao Changsheng at this time, these are all trivial matters.

Lai Huer has always been Yang Lin's deputy general, and in terms of intimacy, he is even as close to him as the other party's Twelve Guardians.

This person must have experienced the Battle of Yumen Pass from beginning to end.

In other words, apart from Temujin of the Yuan Dynasty, this person is the only one who knows the most about what happened at Yumen Pass.

"thump."

Before Gao Changsheng could ask.

Lai Huer was the first to react.

He was originally so weak that he could only stand with the help of two soldiers, but now he seemed to have suddenly taken some tonic.

A dazzling light suddenly appeared in his tired eyes.

Then he pushed away the soldier who was supporting him, took two steps forward, and knelt in front of Gao Changsheng.

"I, your humble servant, pay my respects to the Duke of Qi."

The voice was filled with endless sorrow, causing several people present to tremble in their hearts.

"General, please get up quickly."

Gao Changsheng also quickly stretched out his hand and released a gentle stream of true energy to protect the other party's heart.

It goes without saying how tragic the battlefield was where even Yang Lin died.

It was a miracle that Lai Huer managed to get out alive.

After that, I traveled thousands of miles and came here. It can be said that I just held on with one breath.

Gao Changsheng was also afraid that such drastic emotional ups and downs would cause problems for the other party.

After all, this is most likely the only insider who can be found in a short period of time.

However, Lai Huer did not stand up.

Instead, he knocked on the ground three times without caring about anything, and then slowly raised his head.

He took something out from his arms tremblingly.

In an instant, everyone in the field was shocked at the same time.

In Lai Huer's palm, there was a blood-stained token.

On the token, there was a square word "靠" engraved, but the font had already been stained red with blood.

Gao Changsheng reached out to take the token and took out another one from his arms.

After placing it in the palm of your hand, it instantly turned into a complete piece.

Lieutenant General Li and the soldiers who were originally supporting Lai Huer knelt down involuntarily.

King's order.

The complete Backer King Order.

"Your Majesty!"

Lai Huer prostrated himself on the ground and let out a howl that was deeply saddened.

(End of this chapter)