Che Li Ji and Ya Dan, among others, gathered together, facing a grim situation. The enemy was numerous, surrounding them, and their strength had been greatly weakened.
Che Li Ji looked at everyone with determined eyes, his voice filled with resolve: "We cannot sit by and wait for death; we must find a way out!"
Ya Dan nodded, covering his injured arm as he said, "Prince, we can use the terrain to find weak points to break through."
They quietly observed their surroundings and discovered a flaw in the enemy's defenses. Che Li Ji led everyone, charging in that direction.
The battle was exceptionally fierce, and everyone fought with all their might. Che Li Ji wielded his scimitar, bravely slaying enemies, his figure like a god of war.
In the intense slaughter, they gradually tore open the enemy's defensive line. Ya Dan led the remaining tribesmen, following closely behind, cooperating with Che Li Ji.
Finally, they reached the horses. Yueji had already secured several horses, waiting for their arrival.
Che Li Ji leaped onto a horse, looking back at the people behind him, a flicker of determination in his eyes: "We must get out alive and avenge the Qiang King and our fallen tribesmen!"
They galloped their horses, breaking through the enemy's last line of defense, and rode off into the distance.
On the road of escape, Che Li Ji's heart was filled with grief and anger. He swore that he would reclaim the tribe and eliminate the traitor Tuguli.
Che Li Ji and others desperately tried to escape the pursuit, but Tuguli's troops relentlessly chased them. They were exhausted, and the situation became increasingly perilous.
They rode continuously, from starry night until dawn, not daring to rest. Tuguli's pursuers clung to them like maggots, never giving up. Just as they felt despair, a small tribe appeared before their eyes, like a glimmer of light in the darkness.
— — Dividing line — —
It was just dawn, and a thin mist hung in the air. Ma Chao walked out of a tent in the small Qiang tribe. The Qiang woman in the adjacent tent had waited for Ma Chao all night, and when hints failed, she directly asked Ma Chao for a night of intimacy. However, Ma Chao slept soundly and did not enter her tent. The Qiang woman's enthusiasm made Ma Chao quite uncomfortable; he didn't even bother to eat breakfast and prepared to set off. Hearing movement next door, the Qiang woman quickly rushed out. Under her mournful gaze, Ma Chao prepared his luggage, ready to depart. Suddenly, he froze, feeling a slight tremor in the ground. Based on his experience, at least fifty cavalrymen were approaching. Ma Chao immediately shouted, "Prepare for the enemy!"
The Qiang quickly emerged from their tents, scimitars and Steel Forks in hand. Before they could mount their horses, they saw a group of cavalrymen approaching in the distance. Ma Chao yelled at everyone to pile up their daily cargo and moving carts outside the tribal tents, forming a small defensive perimeter. The Qiang, armed, stood behind the perimeter, on guard.
Ma Chao mounted his spear, standing at the front of the formation. The distant riders drew closer. In front were two or three young Qiang, one of whom had an arrow embedded in him. Those behind were in hot pursuit, occasionally firing arrows. Ma Chao shouted: "Riders ahead, do not shoot arrows! Behind me are innocent Qiang people; do not harm the innocent!" The Qiang in front only cared about escaping, shouting as they fled: "Brave warrior, save us! I am Prince Che Li Ji! Those behind are rebels! The Qiang King has been killed! Please help me stop the pursuers!" The pursuers, ignoring everything, directly shot arrows forward. The arrows flew, thudding into the outer wagon formation. The Qiang people huddled behind, trembling, not even daring to raise their heads, fearing being hit by an arrow.
Seeing the pursuers' indiscriminate attack, showing no regard for the lives of the Qiang people, Ma Chao was enraged. He flicked his spearhead, spurred his horse, and charged forward.
Ma Chao swung his long spear, batting away the incoming arrows. As he got closer, he realized that Che Li Ji and a few others were being pursued. He saw that they were disheveled and their faces were blackened by smoke and fire, completely lacking their former heroic bearing. Without time to speak, he let them pass to hide in the camp. Ma Chao then roused his spirits and charged into the pursuers' formation. As the second volley of arrows came, Ma Chao parried them left and right. His reddish-brown horse, charging through the arrow rain, had already plunged into the midst of the pursuers. The pursuers shouted and surrounded Ma Chao. Ma Chao was not surprised in the slightest. He released his Thousand Army Breaker spear, and two of the approaching pursuers were impaled like gourds, falling from their horses. As his spear left his hand, Ma Chao drew the Qiang King's precious saber, hacking left and right, killing two more men. His warhorse continued to charge forward. Reaching his spear, Ma Chao effortlessly picked it up again. With the precious saber in his left hand for slashing and the spear in his right for thrusting, no pursuer could block him. He pierced through the enemy formation, then turned back and continued his charge. After piercing through the enemy formation once more from back to front, he reined in his horse and stood with his spear held horizontally. More than half of the pursuers were dead or wounded, and the remaining ones were terrified, halting their advance. Ma Chao saw that the pursuers had lost all morale. Concerned about Che Li Ji's injuries, he hung his spear, took out his bow and arrows. The bow was drawn like a full moon, and the arrows shot like meteors. Swish, swish, swish, three pursuers fell from their horses. Ma Chao shouted: "Dare to take another step, and these three will be your fate!" The remaining men were terrified and fled in disarray.
Seeing that the pursuers had lost heart and fled, Ma Chao, concerned about Che Li Ji's condition, did not give chase. Amidst the cheers of many Qiang people, he rode his horse back to the camp. Entering the camp, he saw that Che Li Ji and Ya Dan had already had their wounds bandaged. He asked Che Li Ji about his situation after they separated and how he had fallen into such a predicament. Che Li Ji recounted his experiences after returning.
It turned out that Che Li Ji and Ya Dan were besieged and in a desperate situation, fighting fiercely, when Yueji arrived with the previously dispersed tribesmen and horses. The cavalry's charge against the infantry was like a divine army descending from heaven, tearing open the encirclement, rescuing Che Li Ji and Ya Dan, and helping them mount their horses to break out of the camp.
Tuguli saw that Che Li Ji was about to break out and quickly sent more troops, also arranging cavalry to intercept them. A bloody battle left Che Li Ji exhausted, and it was only with great difficulty that he managed to break out. The cavalry behind them pursued relentlessly. In utter desperation, half of Che Li Ji's guards split off, staying behind to block the pursuers and buy Che Li Ji time to escape. Tuguli also fiercely increased his troops. Except for the forces guarding the Qiang leaders, most of his men were dispatched to pursue and kill Che Li Ji. Even the troops left to block them did not hold out for long. In utter desperation, Ya Dan suggested dividing their forces to disrupt the pursuers' route and increase their chances of survival. Che Li Ji looked back at the more than fifty remaining guards and attendants, all wounded. Most of these guards and attendants were sons and nephews of various chiefs and leaders who had wanted to be close to him, the young Qiang King, and thus followed him. He never imagined that in this desperate situation today, they would still stay by his side. His heart was filled with emotion. To prevent his brothers from dying in vain, and to spread the news of Tuguli's usurpation, regicide, and the house arrest of the various tribal leaders, he finally adopted Ya Dan's suggestion: every five people formed a small team and fled in all directions. The two accompanying Che Li Ji, Yueji, and Ya Dan also died on the way, staying behind to block the pursuers.
At this point, Che Li Ji was utterly heartbroken, his eyes bloodshot, and he cried out in sorrow: "Actually, my brothers didn't have to die. Tuguli is a beast in human skin; he just wanted to kill me. My brothers all died for me. If they hadn't cared about me, Tuguli wouldn't have dared to kill them. That damned Tuguli! My father king trusted him completely and cared for him greatly, but he turned around and, for power, committed fratricide and usurped the throne. Ah, I hate him so much, boo hoo..." Ma Chao looked at Che Li Ji's disheveled appearance, with multiple wounds on his body and a face blackened by smoke from breaking out of the fire. He thought of Che Li Ji's spirited appearance that day, and now this despondent state was truly heartbreaking.