Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 162: Request for peace talks? There must be a trick

"Peace talks?" Hu Bugui muttered to himself, his brows knitted tightly, his deep eyes full of suspicion. The enemy army was aggressively attacking the city a few days ago, why did they suddenly change their strategy and ask for peace talks? There must be a trick!

Wu Tao also noticed that something was amiss. She gently tugged at Hu Bugui's sleeve and whispered, "My husband, this is too strange. We can't believe it easily."

Li Xiaoyao, who had been silent all this time, also stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the enemy is full of tricks. This peace talk may be a trap. We have to be on guard!"

Hu Bugui knew that this matter was of great importance and that he would fall into the enemy's trap if he was not careful. However, he always believed that peace was the most precious thing and did not want to see the loss of lives and the continuous war.

"I know this is a very risky matter," Hu Bugui said in a heavy tone, "but I don't want to see the people displaced and the soldiers shed blood on the battlefield. If this war can be resolved through peace talks, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, I will try!"

He looked at Wu Tao and Li Xiaoyao with a firm gaze, and continued: "I know you are worried about my safety, but as a prince, I should shoulder the responsibility of protecting my country. I have made up my mind. I will go to meet the enemy general tomorrow to see what he is up to!"

Wu Tao and Li Xiaoyao saw that Hu Bugui had made up his mind and stopped trying to dissuade him. They knew Hu Bugui's character very well, and once he made a decision, he would not change it easily.

"In that case, we will accompany the prince so that we can take care of him." Wu Tao said softly, but there was unquestionable firmness in his tone.

Li Xiaoyao also nodded and agreed: "Your Majesty, I am also willing to accompany you to protect you and will never let you fall into danger."

On the second day, Hu Bugui led a small number of elite guards, accompanied by Wu Tao and Li Xiaoyao, to the location agreed upon by the enemy - an abandoned temple on the border.

The cold wind was biting, the dead branches were rustling, and the desolate temple was even more desolate. When Hu Bugui and his companions arrived, the enemy general had been waiting for a long time. He was a burly man, wearing black armor, with an ambiguous smile on his face, making it difficult to figure out his true intentions.

"I've long heard that the Tang prince Hu Bugui is brave and good at fighting. After seeing him today, I find that his reputation is well-deserved." The enemy general spoke in an arrogant tone with a hint of provocation.

Hu Bugui looked calm and unmoved. He bowed and said in return, "General, you are too kind. I came here today hoping to make peace with you and bring peace to the people."

"Peace talks?" The enemy general laughed as if he had heard something funny. "Your Highness, you are too naive! Do you think there is still a possibility of peace talks in this war?"

Hu Bugui's brows furrowed, and his tone was cold and stern: "General, what do you mean by that? Could it be that the general invited me here today not sincerely for peace talks?"

The enemy general stopped smiling, and a sinister light flashed in his eyes: "Peace talks? How ridiculous! You Tang princes are all so naive! I tell you, today is the day you die!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly drew the sword from his waist, pointed it at Hu Bugui, and shouted: "Kill them all! Don't spare any of them!"

In an instant, countless enemy soldiers suddenly appeared around the originally quiet temple, each holding a sharp blade, and surrounded Hu Bugui and others with murderous intent.

All this happened so suddenly that Hu Bugui and his companions were completely unprepared and were immediately surrounded by the enemy.

"Protect the prince!" the guard commander shouted, drew his sword, and struggled to resist the enemies who were swarming in.

However, the enemy outnumbered us, and although the guards were brave and good at fighting, they could not withstand the enemy's frenzied attack.

Hu Bugui was surrounded but remained calm. He drew the sword from his waist and rushed left and right. The sword flashed and the cold air was overwhelming. In a blink of an eye, several enemy soldiers fell under his sword.

Wu Tao and Li Xiaoyao also joined the battle. One of them was an expert in martial arts, and the other in swordsmanship. They fought their way through the enemy army and risked their lives to protect Hu Bugui's safety.

However, the number of enemy troops was too large, and each of them was a well-trained elite soldier. Although Hu Bugui and others fought hard, they were gradually at a disadvantage.

To make matters worse, because the incident happened suddenly, Hu Bugui's army was caught off guard and lost unified command. The soldiers fought on their own and were soon divided and surrounded by the enemy, engaging in a bitter battle.

“Hahaha! Hu Bugui, you have finally met your end!” The enemy general looked at the chaotic battlefield and laughed triumphantly. “Today, I will make you pay for your stupidity!”

He waved the big knife in his hand and personally led a team of elite soldiers to rush towards Hu Bugui.

Hu Bugui and his companions were surrounded by the enemy, and the situation was extremely critical...

The guards fell one after another, and the blood stained the bluestone in front of the temple. Hu Bugui's swordsmanship was sharp, but two fists could not beat four hands, and he was inevitably injured. Wu Tao was anxious, but he could only try his best to wave the dagger in his hand to prevent the enemy from getting close to Hu Bugui.

Li Xiaoyao saw the critical situation and knew that he would die if he continued like this. He gritted his teeth and used all his strength, his sword flashed like lightning, and he cut a bloody path through the enemy.

"Prince, Princess, let's go!" Li Xiaoyao shouted, trying his best to force back the approaching enemies to buy a chance for Hu Bugui and Wu Tao to escape.

"Xiaoyao!" Hu Bugui's eyes were red with anger. He knew that this was not the time to hesitate, so he could only grit his teeth and lead Wu Tao out of the encirclement.

Li Xiaoyao was the last one to leave, fighting against a hundred enemies alone. His sword skills became more and more fierce, and every move was deadly. However, no matter how high his martial arts skills were, he could not withstand the enemy's outnumbered strength. He kept getting new wounds on his body, and his clothes were stained red with blood, but he was still fearless and fought to the death to hold the last line of defense.

"Xiaoyao, how are you?" Wu Tao looked back anxiously, only to see that Li Xiaoyao's figure had been overwhelmed by the enemy.

"Don't worry about me! Go!" Li Xiaoyao's voice came from the crowd, a little weak but still firm.

Under the desperate protection of the guards, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao finally broke through the siege and fled towards the city gate. However, the enemy pursued them relentlessly, shooting arrows like raindrops, and guards were shot and fell to the ground from time to time.

"Your Highness, we can't keep running away like this! If we continue like this, we will all be caught up!" Wu Tao said anxiously.

Hu Bugui also knew that he couldn't go on like this, so he forced himself to calm down, observe the surrounding environment, and look for a chance to escape.

Just then, a deafening sound of horse hooves came from the distance.

"It's the general's reinforcements!" a guard shouted in surprise.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked up and saw dust flying in the distance and an army galloping towards them.

"Great! We are saved!" A hopeful smile finally appeared on Wu Tao's face.

However, their hopes were soon dashed.

The enemy general had apparently also noticed the arrival of reinforcements. He sneered and ordered, "Stop them!"

Thousands of enemy soldiers poured in like a tide towards the reinforcements, and a fierce battle ensued between the two sides.

Although the reinforcements were numerous, they arrived in such a hurry that their formation had not yet been fully deployed, and for a moment they were blocked by the enemy.

Hu Bugui and others were trapped in the center of the battlefield, unable to advance or retreat.

"General, we are late!" The general finally fought his way out and came in front of Hu Bugui, his face full of guilt and self-blame.

"Don't blame you. It was my wrong decision that led to today's defeat." Hu Bugui's face was full of bitterness. He knew that he had suffered heavy losses in today's battle.

What made him even more sad was that in order to cover their retreat, Li Xiaoyao was surrounded and his life or death was in danger.

 Chapter 162 The Tragedy of Wrong Decision

The fleeing team headed north, but the scene before them was heartbreaking. The once peaceful and tranquil village was now reduced to ruins, with barren fields and traces of war everywhere. The fleeing people, with their families and children, were pale and thin, with fear and despair in their eyes.

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault for believing the enemy's lies!" Hu Bugui reined in his horse, looked at the tragedy in front of him, and closed his eyes in pain. His handsome face was now filled with fatigue and self-blame, and his originally upright back seemed to have aged a lot in an instant.

Wu Tao's injuries had not yet healed, and the bumpy ride had left her pale and chapped lips. But she held Hu Bugui's hand tightly, using her body temperature to convey strength.

"Bugui, this is not your fault. No one wants to see this happen." Wu Tao comforted him softly, stroking his tense jaw distressedly, "Now is not the time to blame yourself. We have more important things to do."

Hu Bugui opened his eyes, his deep gaze fell on Wu Tao's determined face, and a warm current surged in his heart. He held Wu Tao's hand and nodded gently, "You are right, we can't be defeated by sadness, we must cheer up and avenge the dead soldiers and innocent people!"

As night fell, the fleeing team temporarily rested in a valley. Hu Bugui looked at the flickering campfire, his mind racing. Li Xiaoyao's life or death was uncertain, and the soldiers had suffered heavy casualties. All of this was like a huge rock pressing on his heart, making him breathless.

"Are you thinking about Xiaoyao?" Wu Tao asked softly, handing over a bowl of steaming wild vegetable soup.

Hu Bugui took the bowl of soup and smiled bitterly, "Xiaoyao is a martial arts expert, and good things will happen to him. He will be fine."

"Well, Xiaoyao will be fine." Wu Tao agreed, but she knew that this was just to comfort Hu Bugui. Li Xiaoyao was surrounded and his hope of survival was very slim.

"Tao'er, do you think I'm too naive?" Hu Bugui put down the bowl of soup, looked up at the night sky, and said with a confused tone, "I have always believed that as long as I govern the country with my heart, the people will be able to live and work in peace and the world will be peaceful..."

"You did a great job. You've tried your best." Wu Tao held his hand and gave him the most firm support. "It's just that there are always some people in this world who, for their own selfish desires, are willing to start wars and harm lives."

Hu Bugui was silent. He knew that Wu Tao was right. He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressed the grief and confusion in his heart, and his eyes gradually became firm. He must find out who was behind this conspiracy, and he must make those people pay the price!

The next morning, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao led the remaining troops to continue fleeing northward. However, they did not know that what awaited them ahead would be an even more brutal test...