C36

One side retreated, the other pressed forward step by step. The bandits were forced by the benefits of the ballista and had no choice but to retreat. They had no ballista and could only temporarily evade.

The military took the opportunity to press forward, seizing the advantageous position in the middle of the mountain to confront the bandits.

However, the ballista also had its own drawbacks. It could only reach the foot of the mountain and not the top of the mountain. The mountain was extremely steep, with not a single blade of grass growing. It was all bare rock, and at a glance, it was filled with a dark aura of death.

The surrounding mountains were filled with sand and gravel, making the road difficult.

The eight ballistas took turns to deter the bandits on the mountain. The bandits retreated to the top of the mountain, out of the ballista's range.

The ballista's range was also limited. Fortunately, the mountains on both sides of the road were not high, but they were steep and there were no roads or trees to climb.

Most of the mountains were bare and it was difficult for one to stand firm on one's feet.

At this moment, the military had already occupied half of the mountain, and the ballista was no longer able to deter the bandits. Meng Li had already sent people to take a roundabout route, trying to get close to the bandits from other directions. Unfortunately, the surrounding mountains were all stone mountains. There was no place for them to hide, so it was easy for others to find their whereabouts.

"Rumble …"

Huge boulders rolled down from the top of the mountain. The bandits had long since prepared for this. There were many piles of rocks on top of the mountain. In this place, rocks were the best weapon for attacking.

There were many rocks in the surroundings, so there was no need to worry about not having a weapon on hand. The rocks that rolled down from the mountain peak were menacing and extremely powerful. Meng Li ordered the soldiers to step back once again. He placed the crossbow in the center of the safe zone. The crossbow was their sharpest weapon, and it was extremely expensive to build. It was a precious heavy weapon that would not be easily used.

This time, because they had to travel a long distance to the branch of the Huns, Shengdi knew that the journey was long and the Huns were fierce and aggressive, so he secretly ordered Meng Li to bring eight ballistas to accompany the wedding carriage.

"Master, it is late and the enemy's situation is unclear. Our army has suffered heavy losses." Sir, it is late and the enemy's situation is unclear.

"No worries, our army will temporarily not move. We will check the bandits' intentions and stop them at the top of the mountain so that they cannot get close to our caravan and Princess's carriage."

Meng Li was also worried. The nearest town was at least a few hundred miles away. He had already sent people to inform the nearby town to have the military here eliminate the bandits. Unfortunately, there weren't any large towns nearby, only a few small towns and villages, and there weren't any garrison troops.

The nearest major city was over two hundred kilometers away from the city. Only by the time they arrived, it would take them a few days to arrive.

This was one of the reasons for the rampage of the bandits here. In addition, not a single blade of grass grew here. Only the rocks and desert were covered in scattered clusters of thorny bushes.

Occasionally, there would be an open space, and it would be a desert filled with gravel and sand. In the midst of a faint yellow wind, a wave of yellow sand would rise up, covering the sky and covering the earth, and the air would be indescribably dry. In the blink of an eye, a layer of dust covered everything.

He was wearing a veil on his face. A few days ago, he had felt that the weather was dry and full of dust. As a result, he had covered his face with a veil to block the dry wind and dust.

From the window, he could see that the scenery was completely different from the Great Kang. Such a desolate scene, if it was in the daytime, the stone mountain would reflect the azure sky, and it would still look majestic and dangerous.

However, he had seen it many times. In addition to the fact that the sky was already dark, the surroundings were completely dark. Under the cold moonlight, there was only a dark stone mountain standing under the moonlight, heavy and depressing.

The faint sounds of occasional screams, arrows, and falling rocks intertwined with each other.

Meng Li sent men ahead to see if there was any open space that could be used for a large group of people. Or explore the way out of here.

"Milord, there are rugged mountain roads ahead, and they are even narrower and harder to traverse."

Meng Li was helpless. If they had to travel through the night, the road ahead would be narrow. If the bandits had set up an ambush, the soldiers would be at a great disadvantage.

"The princess' safety is of utmost importance. We will temporarily guard here and wait for the right time."

Meng Li gazed into the dark night. He had sent He Jiahui to lead a group of elite soldiers, abandoning their horses to find a path to take a detour through the other places. He wanted to form a pincer attack with the large group.

However, he didn't know if this plan was feasible, so he could only give it a try.

There were stone mountains in front of and behind the Xiao Mountain. In addition, the Gobi Desert and the Gobi Desert were important roads leading to the Great Moon Branch. One had to travel hundreds of miles through these areas to be able to enter the border of the Huns.

It was not that there were no other roads leading to the Huns, but it would take them longer and longer to take another detour from there. Moreover, it was also a long way to the Great Moon Branch, so it was very dangerous for them to pass through many foreign territories along the way.

Yue Chanjuan followed the rest of the army and retreated to an open area at the back. Tuoba Fei also ordered the accompanying soldiers to follow Yue Chanjuan to the open space, while the guards stood beside Yue Chanjuan's horse carriage.

"Your Highness, are you worried?"

Yue Chanjuan smiled faintly as she looked into Tuoba Fei's eyes that were brighter than the stars. "With Prince here, there's no need for me to worry."

Tuoba Fei laughed, "I will not disappoint Princess's trust. With an army of thousands, it will be difficult and dangerous. I, Tuoba Fei, will definitely ensure Princess's safety."

Yue Chan tilted her head to the side to avoid Tuoba Fei's gaze. After the two of them had been intimate with each other for the past few days, she was unwilling to face Tuoba Fei directly.

In her heart, she had never forgotten that person. In her heart, there was only that person's position.

"Although I don't know who my husband is nor what is waiting for me in front of me, the place in my heart is still for him. I wonder if he has left a spot for me in his heart. "

He turned his head and looked back in disappointment. The yellow sand was endless. Where was he going to return to his homeland?

Deep in the night, the army was still confronting the bandits. After all, the bandits were a mixture of several groups of people and horses, which were not as well-trained as the regular army. There were also several Chinese and other foreign tribes working together, so they were not the enemy of the army.

As the officials pressed on, the bandits could only barely stand guard at the top of the mountain. However, they could only watch as the officials slowly approached the peak.

With the Archers behind them, and the infantry closing in step by step, with the protection of the rocks, the bandits did not dare to show their faces. At this moment, the moment they appeared, they would be killed by the other party's arrows. At this moment, they were at the top of the mountain, facing the moonlight, but they were in the light while the soldiers were in the shadows.

"Not good, someone is attacking from behind."

In the darkness, there were several groups of people attacking from an unknown direction. The bandits on the mountain peak were suddenly thrown into disorder, falling to the ground in a mess.

At this moment, He Jiahui had already led his men to quietly get close to the bandits in the dark of the night, launching a surprise attack.

"Attack!"

Seeing that there was movement from He Jiahui's side, Meng Li immediately ordered his army to charge forward. The bandits were thrown into chaos as they scattered in all directions. The government troops occupied an important area and were chasing down and killing bandits. However, since it was late at night and the surrounding mountains were very complicated, they were not familiar with the terrain of the government, so they did not dare to pursue too far.

"Master, about twenty li in front of us are narrow roads. After this section of the road, the roads gradually opened up, and after thirty li, there are no tall mountains on either side. There are mostly short stone mountains and empty spaces.

"Send the order that He Ju Hui and his men are to advance from the two sides of the mountain to clear out the bandits."

Meng Li sent two troops to follow the momentum of the mountain. They cleared out the remaining bandits and then sent another team to clear the way.

The large group slowly advanced. Tonight, he was going to cross this mountain road and set up camp in a spacious area ahead of him.

"Your Highness, there are narrow paths twenty miles ahead. Thirty miles away is an open area with a wide road. If he couldn't make this trip tonight, he was afraid that the bandits would disturb him again. Please get up, Princess. I will be tired for a moment, and then we can go to this dangerous place to rest. "

"Let's go."

As Yue Chanjuan spoke lightly, Meng Li bowed and urged his horse to move forward.

It wasn't until the latter half of the night that they finally walked out of this narrow mountain road. The area in front of them was empty, and after walking for a while, they stopped beside a few short stone mountains.

After this war, the soldiers were tired after a long journey and rested soon.

"Night Assault, enemy Night Assault!"