On the rugged mountain road, Na Lanzhen was riding her horse.
The mountain road is difficult to navigate. Although she is a good horse rider, she accidentally got a scratch on the back of her hand yesterday. It has been bandaged now. She is holding the reins with one hand and thinking about whether she will just be a slave after marrying to Nanzhao. A foreign princess must have military power.
When she was about four or five years old, she met Princess Tang Jincheng and saw how miserable a woman who was alone and married far away lived, and she was deeply impressed. She told herself that she would never live like Princess Jincheng.
Relying on Lun Ruozan alone is not enough. He is just a weak son of a high-ranking official. He will return soon after sending her to Nanzhao. Na Lanzhen believed that she had to directly control some of the troops.
Not only were the guards sent to her by her father, she needed more troops. Regardless of whether there was an invasion by the Tang army, this was an opportunity for her to gain experience in the army and try to master some of the military power.
Thinking of this, Na Lanzhen's eyes turned and landed on a tall general in front.
This man's name was Shang Dongzan, and he was the nephew of Dazalu Gong, an important minister of Tubo. He was very brave.
Nalanzhen knew a lot about the Tubo ministers. Among the nine ministers, the one she admired the most was Dazalu Gong, who had a low status but outstanding intelligence. He was a good choice as an ally.
"General Shang Dongzan, how is your uncle doing recently?"
"Princess." Shang Dongzan heard the question and turned around and said, "He is fine. He is just worried about the war in Qinghai and wants to personally lead the troops to repel Ge Shuhan."
Nalanzhen asked: "Did he say anything about me marrying Nanzhao?"
Shang Dong praised: "My uncle said that if Nanzhao can be conquered, Tubo will become stronger."
"I haven't surrendered yet." Nalanzhen said, "Ge Luofeng is a powerful figure. I must have more power to help Tubo control Nanzhao."
Shang Dongzan didn't expect the princess to have such an ambition, and was stunned for a moment.
Nalanzhen wanted this kind of effect to win over the other party. She observed Shang Dongzan's reaction and said: "This time I go south, I hope the general will help me. If I can make Nanzhao surrender, your uncle can also use it." This contribution has made him the Prime Minister."
"As long as the princess tells you, I will definitely do it."
Suddenly, there was a muffled sound of thunder ahead.
"Is it thundering?" Lun Ruozan looked up and saw that the sky was clear in the morning, and it didn't look like it was going to rain.
Nalanzhen said: "The sound seems to be coming from the front. Send someone to check first."
Shang Dongzan immediately obeyed the order and immediately sent his exploration horse forward without Lun Ruozan's instructions.
"drive."
Tan Ma ran all the way along the valley, and suddenly he saw someone blocking him in front of him. As he got closer, he saw several Si tribe women crying there. He immediately asked, "What's going on?"
"The Tang army is attacking!" The speaker was a dark-faced man, who was also dressed as a Si person. He wore a dirty black sheepskin crotch, cut into the shape of a frog, which represented the Si people's admiration for frogs. Tubo said Be very fluent.
There are many Tubo tribes, and often the princes, nobles and troops can speak Tubo language.
"Nonsense! Where did Tang Jun come from?"
"Really, the Tang army used thunder from the sky to open the gate of the village with a rumble, and everyone was so frightened that they ran away."
"Then what?"
"Then I escaped."
"Have you met Tang Jun?"
"No, I just heard everyone shouting 'Tang Jun is coming'."
"Come on, take me to see it."
The Tibetan army continued to move forward with their scouting horses. On the way, they looked up towards the valley and could see some Yi people running to the west.
When we arrived at Dashuzhai, we saw that the gate to the south was closed, and there were many people standing on the tower. One of them was screaming in incomprehensible dialect.
"What is he shouting?"
"It seems that... the village has been defended." The Sibu man listened for a while, then showed a surprised expression and said, "Great, we have defeated the Tang army."
"Open the village gate, I want to go in and take a look."
"The leader said no, because he was afraid that we were pretending to be Tang Jun."
"Fart, I don't look like Tang Jun. When I report it to the general, how dare you not open the door?!"
The Tibetan army was furious when they saw the horse, and they whipped them with whips.
The man from Yibu quickly raised his hand to block it, and when the Tibetan army inspected the horse, they noticed that half of his left hand was broken.
"Where was your hand broken?"
"Thousands of fortresses were built to resist the Tang army."
"Have you ever been a soldier? That's right. Come on, follow me back to report to the general. You ride that horse."
~~
Big tree village, tower.
Xue Bai looked at the retreating figure of the Tibetan army and put down his telescope.
The Tang army was in the village. They got under the wall before dawn. When they were ready, they lit the explosive pack and blew open the wall. They rushed in like divine soldiers descending from heaven and took control of the city.
After causing panic to the Xi troops in Zi Da Di, Xue Bai asked Tian Shengong to chase the fleeing Xi people, and light explosives on the cliff to the west to notify Wang Zhongsi.
The situation calmed down, but the main force of the Tibetan army came again, and the number of people looking at Chenyan was not small.
Although the Tang army succeeded in the surprise attack on Dashuzhai, they took advantage of the opportunity. The actual strength was only about 120 people. After many days of marching and overnight attacks, they were hungry and tired and could never resist the Tibetan army's counterattack.
At the critical moment, Xue Bai had no choice but to ask Luo Zhui to delay and deliver some false news.
After sending the Tubo cavalry away, he took a breath and immediately asked Tian Shengong: "Has Wang Jieshuai replied? When will the reinforcements arrive?"
"The messenger hasn't come back yet." Tian Shengong also knew that the situation was not good, and said: "It seems that there is a fierce battle over there in Zidadi, and reinforcements may not come too soon."
"Let the soldiers be fed first."
There was a look of thought in Xue Bai's eyes. If Wang Zhongsi could successfully cross the river at Zidadi, then in the worst case scenario, Dashuzhai could abandon the village and retreat to the north of the Dadu River.
If so, I am afraid that this Tibetan army will ruin their plan to attack Nanzhao.
After weighing the pros and cons, Xue Bai had a plan.
"Get ready, we will let the Tibetan army enter the stronghold."
"Entering the village?"
Tian Shengong finally had time to pick up a piece of naan and bite it. After hearing Xue Bai's words, he choked and almost lost his breath.
Xue Bai whispered a few more words, and Tian Shengong understood and hurried to make arrangements.
After only a short rest, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty were busy again. They piled all the firewood in the village on both sides of the village gate, carried stones up to the tower, and tied explosives to the tower.
Busy time always passes quickly, and before the arrangements are completed, the sound of horse hooves is already approaching.
Xue Bai picked up his telescope and looked around, and saw the Tubo cavalry filing in from the valley. Among them, a tall general wearing light armor rushed to the wall, sat astride his horse, and shouted majestically to the side. .
"People of Qizhai, listen! I am General Shang Dongzan of Bada. I am here to help you defeat the Tang army. Open the door quickly and let my troops enter the village!"
Shang Dong's praise was as loud as thunder and spread to the tower.
Tian Shengong asked in a low voice: "Mr. Lang, what should I do?"
"Ignore him for now." Xue Bai said, "Continue to prepare."
"Here." Tian Shengong immediately went to urge the soldiers.
Xue Bai continued to observe Shang Dongzan with a telescope. He knew some Tubo customs. Those who are strong and strong are called "Zan". People with this word in their names are often people with extraordinary status, which is equivalent to being called "Zan" in the Tang Dynasty. "Lang".
As time passed, Shang Dongzan shouted a few more words, rode in circles impatiently, and shouted again: "If you don't open the gate of the village, I will regard you as betraying Tubo!"
Xue Bai moved his eyes away from the telescope and scanned the situation in the village. Although it was not fully prepared yet, it should be able to cause considerable damage to the Tibetan army.
It would be best to destroy the morale of the Tibetan army in one fell swoop. If not, at least they could retreat to the Dadu River.
"Open the village gate." Xue Bai ordered.
Tian Shengong immediately became serious and called his subordinates to open the village gate.
Their armor has been removed and their faces have been painted gray with mud. At first glance, they cannot be identified as Tang soldiers. But there were still traces of blood in the village, and I don't know if Shang Dongzan could see the clues.
Amidst the creaking sound, the gate of the village gradually opened in front of the Tibetan army, and a cavalryman drove his horse into the village.
~~
Luo Zhui has been taken to the Tibetan army's team. The team is very long and lined up in the mountain road, with no end or end visible.
He saw the Tibetan army entering Dashuzhai and knew that they had fallen into a trap.
Deep in his heart, he actually thought that his wife and children had been taken away by the Tibetan army and were probably dead. Xue Bai's promise to try his best to save them was false, but it would be good to kill and injure these Tibetan troops and avenge them...
A soldier came over and said, "You, come with me, the minister wants to see you."
"I?"
"Yes, why don't you hurry up?!"
Luo Zhui was afraid that his lied news would be exposed, and he felt uneasy, but he had no choice but to follow the other party towards the Chinese army. At this point, if you want to escape, you can no longer escape.
"Minister, the person who reported the news has brought it."
Lun Ruozan was boiling snow water himself and preparing to make tea for the princess. It would be a while before they entered the village, so he had time.
Without raising his head, he asked himself: "Is the Tang army really coming?"
"I haven't seen it, but I heard there is."
"I've heard that there are," Lun Ruo praised, "but I don't see a single Tang army now. It's just your Yi tribe and Yak tribe who are shouting."
Luo Zhui only described the panic of the people in Dashuzhai when they heard the thunder. Whenever he mentioned anything else, he shook his head to show his ignorance.
While talking, he secretly looked at a tent in the valley and wondered why the Tibetan army had to set up a tent for a temporary break.
Suddenly, a woman's voice sounded.
"What are you looking at so furtively?"
Luo Zhui was startled, and turned around to look, only to find a little woman dressed in men's clothing sitting behind Lun Ruozan's guard. She was obviously beautiful, but her expression was extremely serious, which made people a little scared.
"Little man...little man is not looking at anything."
"You still dare to quibble, I can clearly see your eyes dodge."
The little woman stood up, raised her hand and said, "Can you speak Si dialect? Tell me."
Luo Zhui was startled and horrified, but when he raised his head again, he saw a piece of silk wrapped around the little woman's hand.
It was a piece of red Sichuan brocade, smooth, soft and delicate. Last year, he made a deal with a businessman and asked for a pony when he exchanged it for tea. He then cut clothes for Dejimeduo. Sichuan brocade was an extremely luxurious thing for them, and Dejimeduo cherished it very much.
"How did it come?!" Luo Zhui asked immediately.
He thought that his family had been taken away by this Tibetan army, and all kinds of possibilities suddenly came to mind. His eyes widened, and he could no longer think about anything else.
"How dare you! How dare you shout to the princess?!"
The guards immediately pounced on Luo Zhui and held him down.
Nalanzhen observed his reaction, took off the silk bandage on her hand, and threw it aside.
Like a bullfight, Luo Zhui's eyes immediately followed him, and he also jumped forward.
"You are from the Yak tribe." Nalanzhen said, "Your daughter is waiting for you to come home. Her eyes look very similar to yours."
"What did you do to them?!"
"Your son died of illness."
"Ah!" Luo Zhui roared like crazy, "Go to hell! Go to hell!"
At this moment, he almost said something like "You will all die at the hands of Tang Jun", but he restrained himself. He wanted to make them defenseless.
Nalanzhen turned around and ordered "bring the people here". After that, she was not in a hurry and stood there with a cold expression watching Luo Zhui go crazy.
Until the figure of Dejimedo holding his daughter appeared in front of him, Luo Zhui was stunned. His extremely angry and sad mood changed drastically, and he lay on the ground and burst into tears.
"If you want to save them, tell me the truth." Nalanzhen said, "You are from the Yak tribe, why are you pretending to be a Si?"
Luo Zhui was still crying.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Nalanzhen pulled out the sword herself and walked towards Dejimeduo.
"I said!" Luo Zhui shouted quickly, "Tang Jun asked me to do this."
"You betrayed Tubo and surrendered to the Tang army." Lun Ruozan sneered and cursed: "Traitor."
On the contrary, Nalanzhen was very indifferent to this and said calmly: "If it's useful, tell me the details."
She asked very carefully, giving Luo Zhui the same illusion as when he was cross-examined by Xue Bai last night.
"..."
"Only a hundred people crossed the river and captured Dashuzhai?" Na Lanzhen didn't believe it, but she still turned to Lun Ruo and praised: "Go tell Shang Dongzan quickly."
"good."
Nalanzhen continued to ask: "Who is the general of this Tang army?"
"Xue Bai." Luo Zhui subconsciously answered the person who impressed him the most, "I don't know what official position he holds in the Tang Army, but everyone is willing to listen to him. He is very capable."
"How capable are you?"
"He's only about twenty years old, but he knows everything."
At this point, Luo Zhui waved his hands in an exaggerated manner, describing Xue Bai's talents, as if he was reading a poem.
"He knows why the snow-capped mountains turn golden when the sun shines on them; he knows why people feel uncomfortable on the plateau; he knows where to cross the Dadu River; as long as it is a plan he makes, Tang Jun will do it and make it happen; yes He attracted the gods and blasted open the wall of Dashuzhai..."
"Snapped!"
Nalanzhen frowned when she heard this, grabbed a knife, and gave Luo Zhui a slap in the face with the scabbard.
"You're lying to me."
"The villain dare not lie to the princess."
Nalanzhen looked serious and couldn't believe Luo Zhui's words of praise for the enemy, and said: "I don't believe it..."
"boom!"
Suddenly there was another thunder, interrupting the conversation here in Zhongjun.
Nalanzhen looked up and saw a scene she couldn't believe - the wall of Dashuzhai collapsed in an instant, hitting the Tibetan soldiers and horses entering the city.
Dust and smoke rose.
What followed was screams and various noisy sounds, which made people's minds buzzing and made it impossible to hear anything clearly.
~~
In fact, Shang Dongzan discovered something unusual not long after entering the city. The air was filled with the smell of blood, and no leader of the Xibe Department came to greet him.
"stop!"
He did not dare to let the soldiers know immediately that he had been tricked, lest they panic. The first thing he did was to take off his bow and arrow, aim at him and sweep away the person who looked most like the Tang Army general.
However, before he could show his bravery, a loud shout was heard.
"Do it!"
Amidst the loud rumbling sound, he raised his head and saw the stones on the wall of the village being hit this way.
Shang Dongzan realized that he was too careless and should have been more cautious, but who would have thought that Tang Jun would be in a Si people's village? In addition, he had to admit that a large part of the reason why he was eager to enter the stronghold was because he wanted to show off in front of Princess Nalanzhen.
Then, that beautiful and cold face appeared in his mind.
"Bang!"
Stones fell.
The beautiful face in Shang Dongzan's mind disappeared.
His head just disappeared.
The fire ignited, and Dashuzhai gradually fell into the sea of fire.
~~
There are really big trees in Dashuzhai, which grow on a high mountain next to the village.
Xue Bai was standing under the tree at this time, watching the situation on the battlefield.
Not many Tibetan soldiers and horses entered the village at the first time. His arrangements caused only about 300 real casualties. But it was very noisy, and its impact on the morale of the Tibetan army should not be underestimated.
Although Xue Bai could also retreat to the Dadu River after causing certain casualties to the Tubo army, but in this case, when the opponent's commander calmed down, in this narrow terrain, the Tibetan army would pursue and intercept the Tang army. At that time, the Tang army's losses would only be greater.
While observing the situation and thinking, the messenger finally came back.
"Xue Lang, Commander Jie has sent reinforcements and they are on the way!"
Xue Bai was overjoyed and immediately shouted: "Drum!"
He wanted to scare the Tibetan army again with the sound of drums and not give them a chance to regain their senses.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom!"
The sound of drums spread, and the more than a hundred Tang troops became as powerful as tens of thousands.
~~
When Nalanzhen heard the sound of the drum, she turned her head in confusion.
It was normal for a sixteen-year-old girl to be frightened by the sudden battlefield.
Shang Dongzan's flag never appeared again after entering the village, and he probably died under the thunder. This general she had just won over was killed by the Tang army in the blink of an eye?
She was so shocked that her hands were shaking.
But after a while, she clenched her fists.
"Who is the Tang general you just mentioned?"
"Xue Bai."
Luo Zhui lowered his head. He no longer planned to answer everything. He had to try to save his wife and daughter.
Nalanzhen repeated "Xue Bai" in a low voice and wrote down the name.
Ahead, the Tubo soldiers were so frightened that they turned around and ran towards them.
Lun Ruozan made arrangements hurriedly, and finally rushed back in person to protect Na Lanzhen.
"Princess, go quickly."
Na Lanzhen subconsciously took a few steps, wanting to leave this cruel battlefield out of instinct, but when she regained her senses, she remembered something.
"We can't withdraw. The Tang army only has a hundred people."
Lun Ruozan had no choice but to stop and said: "It's not that there are many people in the Tang army, but that the morale has been lost. We need to retreat and regroup before fighting again."
Na Lanzhen shook her head and assumed the majestic and wise appearance of her father when handling state affairs...at least it looked somewhat similar.
She pondered: "Didn't you hear just now? The main force of the Tang army is in Zidadi. Now the Yi tribe is in chaos. They may have crossed the river and outflanked us."
"That's why we have to retreat immediately."
"No." Nalanzhen said: "As we retreat to the south, there are long and narrow valleys. Our troops cannot spread out, and our morale is very low. If we are blocked, we will be defeated soon. On the contrary, defeating this More than a hundred Tang troops occupied the advantageous position of Dashuzhai, and the Tang troops were unable to advance or retreat."
Lun Ruozan did not agree with her judgment, but he was really concerned about her safety, so he said softly: "Princess, my duty is to escort you to Nanzhao, not to defeat the Tang army. I must ensure your safety. "
After saying this, he shouted loudly to the soldiers: "Retreat!"
Na Lanzhen deeply regretted that she was not a man and could not truly control the military power.
She has a younger brother named Trisong Detsen, who is eight years old and is the only heir to the Tubo throne. She often felt envious of him, especially since she had made countless efforts in the past few years, but could not change anything. She could only marry outside and became a piece of water thrown away.
With these thoughts in her mind, she galloped forward on her horse, surrounded by her guards.
After walking for more than ten miles, the terrain gradually narrowed, and there were still two miles ahead before we reached a fork in the road.
Nalanzhen looked up at the high mountains and deep valleys, thinking that if she were the commander-in-chief of the Tang Army, she would set up an ambush here...
“Swish swish swish!”
A dense sound of breaking wind suddenly sounded, followed by screams.
Nalanzhen couldn't see the scene in front of her, but she knew what happened. They were indeed ambushed.
At this point, it was beyond imagination. Lun Ruozan had no choice but to order his troops to turn around and attack Dashuzhai again.
Bugles sounded one after another, indicating that the Tang army was pursuing them, forcing the Tibetan soldiers to trample on each other, leaving a large number of casualties.
"Princess!"
Lun Ruozan was so anxious that he was sweating profusely, and at the same time he was extremely embarrassed. He could no longer face his clumsy command and just wanted to escort Nalanzhen away and end this nightmare as soon as possible.
However, when the Tibetan army returned to Dashuzhai, the Tang army was waiting in front.
~~
"Commander Jie has personally led reinforcements from the north bank of the Dadu River and is crossing the river; Wang Tianyun, Li Sheng and other troops have already gone around to the south to intercept the Tibetan army."
"good."
Xue Bai used his telescope to scan the Dadu River and found that although Wang Zhongsi's flag was already crossing the river, it actually did not bring many troops.
In a hurry, too many soldiers could not be ferried.
Although the Tibetan army was in chaos, it still had a large number of people. Even if they stood still and were killed by the Tang army, they might not be able to kill them all in two days and two nights.
Just as he was thinking about it, Wang Zhongsi had arrived. He walked to Xue Bai vigorously and scanned the battlefield situation.
"Open the gap and let the Tibetan army break through."
"I don't know what it means to be handsome?" Xue Bai asked.
Wang Zhongsi said: "There are many Tibetan soldiers, and there will be reinforcements in the future. Our army is alone and deep, and the soldiers are hungry and tired. We have the upper hand at this time, but if the war becomes stalemate, it will not be a good thing for our army, so we can surround three towers and let them go." Breakout.”
Xue Bai asked, "Aren't you afraid that Commander Ji will have them rush to Nanzhao to report the news?"
"Ordinary soldiers, defeated and fled the battlefield, traveled across mountains and rivers to report news to other countries?" Wang Zhongsi pointed to the banner of the central army of the Tibetan army and said: "Capture the king first and get rid of their commander, and others I will never go to Nanzhao again."
Xue Bairuo had some realization, but was still thinking.
Wang Zhongsi smiled rarely, pointed to the mountains on both sides of Dashuzhai, and said: "We will occupy the high ground first, and then let go of the blockade. The Tibetan army will naturally rush through Dashuzhai and flee along the river."
Xue Bai said: "You can't walk along both sides of the river, or there are cliffs near the river not far away, so the location of Dashuzhai is important."
"There is no way out, so drive them into the Dadu River."
"And a boat?"
Wang Zhongsi said: "Let's leave some hope for them. They have many troops and cannot be forced to a dead end."
"Besieging three towers and one is not only useful when sieging a city, it can also be taught."
Soon, the Tang army took action according to Wang Zhongsi's order.
Xue Bai led his men up the steep slope on the east side, ready to fire arrows and charge at any time, hoping to cause a large number of casualties to the breakout Tibetan army.
Zhao Yuliang held his heavy matchlock gun, set it up, loaded it, and prepared to light it.
Xue Bai looked at it without saying anything. Almost all the components of this matchlock gun were handmade bit by bit. It could not be made in batches, and it was not very easy to use. The more significance lies in experimentation, accumulating experience in use, and looking for improvements. method. I didn't expect that Zhao Yuliang could use such a troublesome thing so well.
The surrounding Tang soldiers laughed at Zhao Yuliang and said, "I have shot ten arrows after all this hard work. What's the use of holding this thing all the way?"
Zhao Yuliang said: "But I can't shoot arrows."
His colleagues all shook their heads and scolded him for his lack of ambition. But having said that, what else can I do? I don’t know how to shoot arrows anyway, so having something to kill the enemy is better than nothing.
"coming."
~~
"Breakout!"
Lun Ruozan kept giving orders, and finally, he protected Nalanzhen and fought his way out of the siege.
Unfortunately, the Tibetan army had lost the opportunity to defend Dashuzhai and could only rush through the ruins of Dashuzhai and rush to the Dadu River.
Around the canyon, some soldiers ran towards the east and west.
Suddenly, arrows rained down from his head, leaving corpses on the ground.
"Kill!"
The Tang army made a great noise and killed generals from both sides. The Tibetan army couldn't help but be in chaos, crowding each other and pushing many people into the Dadu River. The ruthless river water immediately swept over them and rushed them downstream.
The screams were endless.
In just this short time, the number of people who died in the raging river was more than ten times higher than the casualties in the two hours of fierce battle.
Lun Ruozan was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He actually stopped caring about Shuai Qi and hugged Na Lanzhen himself before leaving.
"Go quickly and protect the princess."
"Snatch the boat."
A guard raised his shield to block them, broke away from the commander's flag, and headed straight to the Dadu River.
However, the few ferries parked there were like traps left by the Tang army to attract the death of the Tibetan army. The Tibetan army killed each other to seize the boats.
"There's no paddle!" someone shouted.
"puff."
The man fell in despair in the boat.
"Kill them all!"
Lun Ruozan arrived, became ruthless, and ordered to kill all the surrounding Tibetan troops, and finally took Na Lanzhen onto a small boat full of blood.
"No paddle!"
"Push the boat!"
Guards kept falling down, and blood flowed out, dyeing the Dadu River red.
After paying countless lives, the boat finally moved.
Lun Ruozan watched the river water begin to push the boat, feeling extremely complicated. Fortunately, he tried his best to protect his princess.
There is a hellish situation all around, and only the boat carries hope of escape.
He felt heartbroken when he saw Nalanzhen's face was pale, her little lips were all pale, and she was standing pitifully in a pool of blood.
"Princess, don't be afraid, I will protect you, sit down..."
"boom."
Suddenly there was a muffled sound.
Lun Ruozan felt a pain on his back and groaned in pain, but he didn't understand what happened. He was still thinking that maybe instead of going to Nanzhao, he could take Princess Nalanzhen away.
However, the sparkle in his eyes gradually faded, and he could only sit down weakly and use his last strength to look at Nalanzhen.
"Nalanzhen, I...I have been since I was a child..."
The last picture before his eyes was Na Lanzhen's beautiful face, her head coming over to look at him.
Lun Ruozan felt satisfied for a while and finally became silent.
Nalanzhen looked at Lun Ruozan, a little confused, and finally asked the guards to turn over Lun Ruozan's body.
She squatted down and inspected the wound on it, with a look of shock in her eyes. She looked towards the river bank and murmured in a tone of reluctance.
"Is it really that powerful?"
(End of chapter)
