Chapter 874
He Cannot Die
The battle raged until late at night, and the Ming army only stopped after driving the Oirat army fifty miles away.
Thinking of the emperor who had already perished, the soldiers wept in the dead of night, and at the same time, they felt intense hatred for the Oirat Mongols.
Some of the generals had already returned to the city, where they saw the emperor, who had changed into clean clothes.
The emperor's face was ashen; he was dead beyond dead.
Several high-ranking officials were brought in for identification, and they also brought in eunuchs who had previously served the emperor to confirm that this was indeed the emperor's true identity.
The officials surrounded the emperor's body and wept. After they finished crying, they ordered the military doctor and the coroner to examine the body.
Although they dared not touch the emperor's body, the military doctor and coroner still managed to determine the cause of his death by examining the wounds.
"This arrow is extraordinary. It pierced through the chest. It must have required immense strength that most people couldn't do."
"Ordinary people can't do that, so what about cultivators?" Jing Yuan said in a deep voice, "Such a large bird is extremely rare, and that person can stand on its back and shoot an arrow from such a high and distant sky..."
Cao Nai clenched his fist: "Cultivators dare to participate in the murder of an emperor. Aren't they afraid of retribution for interfering in worldly affairs like this? Didn't they say that the founding emperor had an agreement with them? Aren't they afraid of backlash?"
Kuang Ye: "Judging from that person's clothes and appearance, he doesn't seem to be from the Central Plains. Perhaps he wasn't included in the agreement. Shouldn't Lamas be used instead?"
"We also have Pan Yun in our hands. How is Pan Yun now?"
Kuang Ye sighed, "He's been coughing up blood; they say he's suffering a backlash."
Therefore, the agreement made by Emperor Taizu is still valid.
But no one was very happy.
What's the deal with the fact that this agreement only applies to cultivators in the Central Plains?
If those vassal states, such as the Oirat, the Northern Liao, Korea, and Japan, are invalid, doesn't that mean they can use cultivators to bully them?
That's not as good as...
Everyone swallowed the words that were on the tip of their tongues, all feeling a headache coming on.
Nevertheless, they decided to ask the imperial court to search for Longhu Mountain.
"The Celestial Master's Mansion governs all Taoist priests in the world and serves the imperial court. If foreign cultivators use their powers to bully us, they should have ways to retaliate."
"Let's report the Emperor's death back to the capital first. His Majesty has no son, and the new Emperor..."
Everyone felt uneasy, but unfortunately, none of them were in the capital. They exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.
Kuang Ye took charge and ordered someone to send a messenger back at top speed to report the news. At the same time, he found a large amount of ice to cover the emperor's body, which was then transported back to the capital by Cao Nai and others.
In addition to the emperor's body, the corpses of the Duke of Yingguo, Li Zhen, Chen Ying, Shen Rong, Fan Zhong, and others were also to be transported back to the capital.
The emperor's personal expedition brought forth a small court. Although many civil and military officials died, a considerable number of people could still be assembled.
They immediately devised a new strategy for dealing with the enemy.
Although the emperor had been recaptured, with the emperor dead, no one knew how things would change in the capital. Therefore, they decided to prioritize defense until they received orders from the capital.
They devised a strategy and began preparations for their departure overnight.
Xue Shao stood outside the gate, watching a group of soldiers run past and then another group run past, before turning back to the courtyard where Pan Jun was recuperating.
Miaohe brought out a basin of bloody water.
Xue Shao frowned: "Is she still vomiting blood?"
How much blood is there to vomit?
Miaohe said, "He has stopped vomiting and is currently unconscious."
Xue Shao sighed, pushed open the door and went in, and saw that Pan Yun's face was deathly pale.
Miaozhen stood up and asked him, "Have you found out anything about Pan Yu?" "He's still alive, but he's stationed thirty miles away, guarding the pass."
Miao Zhen frowned: "Junior Uncle almost died, and they still sent Pan Yu to the front line."
Xue Shao: "Where isn't the front line right now? On the battlefield, there are families with three generations of grandparents and grandchildren all together."
He paused for a moment and then said, "The Wu brothers, both generals, died in battle; just now, a military report came that the army found Chen Ying's body. His... his brother Chen Jing and nephew Chen Yu's bodies were piled on top of his, all with severed limbs. When they were found, the bodies were almost decomposed."
Wu Kezhong and Wu Keqin fought desperately against the Oirat army to cover the emperor's retreat, buying them half a day. However, after the emperor's entourage headed south, it turned back from its original route, causing the time and opportunity they had gained to vanish.
Chen Ying and his two brothers and nephews were also there to cover the retreat and buy time so that the emperor could change his clothes and escape in the chaos of the army.
"And there's Zhang Zhong, the son of the Duke of Ying. He's badly injured and barely clinging to life. The military doctor has given up on him, and he'll be sent back to the capital tomorrow along with the Duke of Ying's body."
“We have medicine.” A hoarse voice sounded behind Xue Shao.
Xue Shao turned his head abruptly, looking at her in surprise: "You're awake?"
Pan Yun whispered, "Zhang Zhong cannot die, Miaozhen..."
Miaozhen took out her life-saving medicine and said, "I'll take it to him right away."
Tao Yanbai: "I'll go with you."
Xue Shao watched the two leave, leaving only the two of them in the room.
Xue Shao poured a bowl of warm water for Pan Jun to soothe his throat: "When I went to see Zhang Zhong, I found that he was wearing a yellow talisman around his neck. His personal guards said that the talisman was originally yellow, but later turned charred. He fought against Esen, who was very strong and often split people in two with one stroke. The knife wound on his body was so deep that the bone was visible. He really almost split people in two, but he was still alive and was sent back to the main tent."
Pan Yun: "I gave him the yellow talisman."
Xue Shao: "You seem to know who is in more danger."
"I am a Taoist priest, and Taoist priests can all predict the future."
"Did you foresee that you would suffer such a backlash?"
Pan Yun looked up at him and smiled, then asked, "You knew, so you didn't do it? You felt you would die if you came here, but you still came, didn't you?"
Xue Shao: "But I didn't die, and many people who were supposed to die didn't die."
Pan Yun: "Isn't this a good thing?"
Xue Shao said in a low voice, "You're planning to trade two lives for theirs? Yours, and his?"
Pan Jun remained silent.
Xue Shao took two steps forward and pressed, "Will you die?"
Pan Yun felt extremely uncomfortable, as if her soul was being torn apart by a thousand knives, and she was in constant pain. She endured the discomfort and said, "I don't know, but I don't think so."
"You are as confident as ever."
Pan Yun smiled.
Xue Shao turned around and said, "I will help you. Don't move around for the next few days. Go into seclusion and cultivate."
The Ming Dynasty avenged its previous humiliation, defeated the Oirat army, and reclaimed a large area of occupied land, driving the Oirat army fifty miles away. The soldiers were all excited.
But the thought of the murdered emperor fills him with indignation and sorrow.
But when the emperor is mentioned, people can't help but think of the birdmen shooting arrows in broad daylight and the cauldron snatching of corpses.
Nobody knows who Birdman is, mentioning him would kill the conversation, but the people in the big pot do know.
"She's a deity from Longhu Mountain named Pan Yun. I heard she's saved many people along the way, including the Imperial Son-in-Law and numerous civil and military officials. I heard that the night before last, she even sneaked into the enemy camp and met the Emperor, hoping to rescue him. However, His Majesty was too cowardly to risk it, so he refused. She and the Imperial Guard scout who went with her were both seriously injured. Today, she still risked going back to the battlefield to retrieve the Emperor's body." (End of Chapter)