Chapter 169

These two months of the Northern Frontier War.

Zhennan Pass can be described as peaceful.

Ever since the natural barrier was destroyed, Nanning seemed to have received an order and stopped fighting a war of attrition. Instead, it gradually retreated to its original position under the pressure of Xu Tingfeng.

Xu Tingfeng did not continue the attack and stopped in a small town on the border.

The town has nice scenery, but as a garrison, most of the original residents have temporarily moved away, leaving only a small number.

Some buildings in the town still retain the style of previous dynasties.

Xu Tingfeng settled down in an old inn.

The owner of the inn did not leave. He was old and experienced, so he was not afraid of the soldiers and even dared to come up and talk to Xu Tingfeng.

"General, we only have small dishes here. I'll give you some."

Xu Tingfeng: "All right, I'll pay you later."

He looked at an old tree outside that had faint signs of being burned and was tied with red ropes.

I originally thought it was for marriage, but when I looked closely, the signs were different. Some were for a smooth career and meeting a noble person, some were not for a happy marriage but for a partner with money and power, and some were for a lucky star to fall from the sky...

He asked, "What is the origin of this ancient tree?"

The innkeeper said with a smile: "Come to think of it, it is related to His Majesty the Present."

Xu Tingfeng: "Your Majesty?"

"Yes, many of us here know about this," the innkeeper fell into reminiscence, "many years ago, your majesty also led troops in Zhennan Pass. At that time, the Nanning soldiers set fire and killed people in the town."

"There was an escort company that failed to escape. Except for one girl, everyone else...seems to have been killed or burned to death by the enemy, I'm not sure. And then guess what, hey, the girl was actually rescued by His Majesty. The hero rescued the beauty, and when His Majesty returned to the capital, the beauty followed him."

"It seems that the prince now was born by this girl?" The innkeeper said enviously, "She rose to fame overnight. If she hadn't met Your Majesty, who knows what she would have fallen to."

"It is said that your majesty and the girl met under this tree, so this tree gradually became a wishing tree for praying to meet a noble person."

Xu Tingfeng nodded: "I see."

The innkeeper was far away from the capital and it was unclear who he was talking about, but Xu Tingfeng knew who he was talking about.

It was Concubine Yi, who gave birth to the fourth prince.

He is the only prince in the court who has no power from his mother's family, and also the most inconspicuous one.

I only had a vague understanding of it before, but I didn't expect to hear it here.

-

Northern Xinjiang.

It was already late October.

The grassland turned yellow and the ground was covered with autumn frost.

In late October, it is very common to snow here. The weather is getting colder and colder, and the cold wind is so strong that it hurts people's faces.

The Seventh Prince went deep into the heart of the grassland, pursuing the remnants of Jirigela for three days without rest and temporarily camped.

It’s a cold autumn night, with a sparse and waning moon.

Midnight.

There were still lights burning in the commander's tent.

Qu Dubian sat on the ground, holding two pieces of paper with wet ink between his fingertips and slowly placing them into the charcoal brazier.

This is the second stage of the mid-term paper on poisoning, which has just been completed.

After burning, the simulator did not give a settlement immediately, because there was still the last stage that had not been submitted. He warmed his hands against the brazier. The poison had just passed tonight, and the toxin had officially entered the late stage in the body. The meridians were still in a stiff state after dilation. He rarely felt a little cold.

Qu Dubian coughed a few times, warmed his hands, and looked at the information sent by Yi Twelve.

After delivering the grain and fodder, Cui Rong entered Shanming Pass with a little kid, and later disappeared in a mountain town.

Shanzhen is Cui Rong's ancestral home. After tracing through the dark web, they only found traces of burning paper money in the cemetery behind the mountain of Cui Rong's hometown, but did not find the person, let alone the body.

Tang Yisu's ancestral home was in a county in the south. He was a graduate of the imperial examination system and had a clean background. Every step he took since he started his official career was steady.

When I was appointed as the Deputy Envoy of Water Transport, I had to travel everywhere due to the nature of the position, so my relationship with my superiors was very average. I didn't have any particularly good friends, nor did I have any particularly bad ones.

After reading it, he slowly burned the materials.

Perhaps he was used to burning papers, and like his uncle, he didn't like to keep paper copies of materials.

Just as he finished burning, a small tentative question came from outside: "Boss?"

Qu Watanabe: "Not asleep yet, come in."

Ye Lianyang brought in a bowl of ginger soup, which was a must-have for marching when the weather was cold. "Boss, I heard you coughing today. I wonder if you caught a cold. The brothers made some ginger soup for you. Drink it while it's hot."

"Okay, thank you."

After delivering the ginger soup, Ye Lianyang did not leave. He squatted down awkwardly and said, "Your Highness, look, we are about to win a great victory. After the victory, will you return to the capital?"

Qu Watanabe: “Yes.”

Ye Lianyang asked expectantly, "Then... can you take us away? We are one thousand people and are His Highness' personal guards. We don't have to stay in the Northern Frontier."

"After this, there won't be a royal court in the Northern Frontier for decades," Qu Dubian smiled. "If your majesty is not stupid, he will set up a Protectorate in the Northern Frontier. It's a time when we are short of people. If you stay here, your future will be brighter."

Ye Lianyang: "Then let them stay. If they don't want to stay, I will follow you."

Qu Dubian felt that he was like a child who was clinging to his parents. He thought about it and changed his words: "The eagle's home is in the sky, and the fish's home is in the water. You are rooted in the military camp, and all your skills are in the military camp. If you leave this land and go to the capital and get trapped in the imperial city, you will be unhappy."

Ye Lianyang was a little depressed.

Qu Watanabe: "Just do your best, I'll still need your help in the future."

Ye Lianyang looked at him and said, "Boss, are you also trapped in the capital when you say these things?"

Qu Watanabe: "I am a prince, how could I be trapped in the capital."

He finished drinking the ginger soup and patted Ye Lianyang.

"Okay, let's proceed as planned tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Ye Lianyang walked out of the tent with the empty bowl.

The second day.

Rumors began to spread throughout the northern border.

It was said that the second king of the peace faction, Agumudu, was not dead and was gathering the tribes. If they joined Agumudu's tribe, the Great Zhou would surrender and not kill the prisoners of war.

Those who take the initiative to capture Jirigela and Zuoxian King and present them to the Great Zhou will be rewarded generously.

No matter whether it is true or not, as long as the word is out, there is hope of survival, who would want to die?

The remaining tribes that fled after Jirigela and Zuoxian Wang, were ready to fight to the death, but their hope of survival was completely wiped out.

It also crushed Jirigela's hope of winning by fighting to the bitter end.

"This must be the idea of ​​that damn evil devil!!" Jizhigla was annoyed and frightened.

Because among the remaining tribes that followed him, many people had their eyes on him.

Agumudo, who was far away on the other side, also heard the rumors.

He responded quickly and asked the few surviving men under his command to spread the word that Agumudo was indeed forming a new peace-loving tribe.

Upon hearing the news, the remaining soldiers from all over the northern border rushed towards him.

Qu Dubian cursed: "This guy must have been kicked in the head by a horse!"

He did not spread rumors in order to get Agum's cooperation. After all, there were many extreme war advocates in the northern border. If he raised the flag and exposed his position at this time, who would know whether the people he lured over were those who were trying to surrender or those who were being hunted down?

My sister is still with him!

Ye Lianyang didn't quite understand why the boss was so anxious, as if he was worried about Agumuduo, but that didn't stop him from asking: "Boss, are we going to find Agumuduo now? Uh... do you know where he is?"

Qu Dubian blew the eagle whistle.

The carrier eagle that traveled back and forth to deliver messages to him and his sister was already a little bald, but it still stubbornly remained at its post in the sky.

“It knows.”

Qu Dubian selected five hundred light cavalry and set off quickly.

Ye Lianyang: "Boss, are you close to Agumuduo?"

Qu Watanabe: "Not looking for him."

Ye Lianyang: "Ah, who are you looking for?"

In the eyes of the world, Princess Axiang died and Princess Zhiyi was hanged with a battle flag, and both of their souls have returned to the underworld.

Qu Dubian did not answer, but lowered his body and galloped on his horse.

Just like when he was at Shanming Pass, riding his horse against the wind to chase the wheels of the marriage.

-

The former second royal court.

The previous tents here were burned clean, leaving only some debris.

Princess Axiang was buried on the westernmost hillside of the Second Royal Court.

On the lonely tombstone, there are these words engraved: Tomb of Princess A Xiang of the Great Zhou, Zi A Han Li Li.

At this time, the tomb had been half dug.

A team of about thirty soldiers from the Northern Frontier were digging the soil frantically. Even though the temporary resting place for Princess Xiang was chosen rather hastily as a temporary measure due to the rebellion of the royal court, there were still some burial objects.

People in the northern border generally do not dig graves because they fear that the gods will punish them.

But now, the royal court is gone, and the Northern Frontier is about to be destroyed by the Great Zhou. What is the point of talking about the gods? The gods have never blessed them.

So as they fled in all directions, they coveted the cemeteries along the way. When they saw the tomb of the Princess of Da Zhou, they became even more excited. They dug it up and hid there before escaping, hoping to make a fortune from it in the future.

The Zhiyi team has been hiding nearby for several days, guarding the tomb and waiting for the Great Zhou army to arrive.

But now, she was watching this scene in the dark, shaking with anger, really shaking, her head was filled with blood, and her fingertips were cold.

She pulled out a knife, "I want to kill them."

Agumu said: "They are not surrendering, they are fugitives. There are only more than 20 of us, we cannot kill them." He held Zhiyi, "They will not touch the queen's ashes, but only take the burial objects."

Zhiyi pried his hands apart and said, "For us in the Great Zhou, this is intolerable."

Xie Lishan said silently: "I'll accompany you."

Zhiyi nodded, and the two of them rushed out with more than ten guards from the Great Zhou.

Agumu was a step slower, then gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go too!"

The old, weak, sick and disabled people charged forward together.

Zhiyi hit the Northern Frontier soldier on the head with a knife. Although she had never practiced martial arts specifically, she had been influenced by it since she was a child and had some basic skills.

She yelled very fiercely, "Get out! Get out!"

The Northern Frontier soldier covered his head and turned back fiercely, "Where did the Great Zhou people come from?"

The two groups of people clashed instantly, and Xie Lishan protected her: "Let's go! Take Princess Xiang's ashes!"

Zhiyi squeezed in during the chaos, and her eyes couldn't help but tear up when she saw the grave for the first time. The small box containing the ashes was exposed, and the lid was slightly loose.

They wanted to use the urn to hold burial objects. If they hadn't come, Aunt Xiang's ashes would probably have been poured out directly.

Zhiyi hugged the box, turned around and ran.

The girls of the Great Zhou don't want to be buried here.

“Damn it!”

A soldier from the Northern Frontier suddenly cursed and pointed at Zhiyi's back: "I remember now, she is also a princess of the Great Zhou! She is the queen of the New Royal Court who died. No, she is not dead!!"

"Capture her! Exchange her with the people of Da Zhou!"

Zhiyi ran away quickly. She was not afraid at all. She turned around and shouted, "The soldiers of the Great Zhou are right behind you!"

The two northern border men chasing her froze, obviously frightened by the beating, but they quickly reacted and said angrily, "Asshole."

After Xie Lishan dealt with the two people on hand, he looked towards Zhiyi, his eyes turned cold, and he immediately ran over.

Zhiyi stepped on a small hole dug by a rabbit, hugged the box tightly in her arms, and rolled forward twice.

The Northern Frontier man reached out to grab her, but Zhiyi grabbed the poisoned dagger on her waist with her backhand, and the hidden weapon on her wrist was ready to go -

"Sister!"

Zhiyi was stunned.

whoosh——!

The cloud-piercing arrow came through the air.

He shot the Northern Frontier man's head hard.

Qu Dubian drew his bow and shot another arrow, hitting the second man right in the chest!

The people from Northern Frontier who were so ferocious just now turned into corpses and fell at Zhiyi's feet. She still looked a little dazed.

Ye Lianyang quickly resolved the chaos around the tomb, killing those who should be killed and arresting those who should be arrested.

In a short while, the situation was under control.

Xie Lishan breathed a sigh of relief and put the sword in his hand back into its sheath.

Qu Dubian dismounted from his horse and walked quickly forward.

Zhiyi stood up slowly, holding the urn.

Her messy hair was covered with dust and she looked at the boy who was walking towards her quickly.

They haven't seen each other for three years. In her memory, Xiaoqi is still the slightly immature face of fourteen years old, cute, funny and lazy.

But now, his body was full of sharpness, and there were traces of blood on his cold armor which were left at some unknown time.

She was in the depths of the northern frontier, and she would always feel dazed when she heard the news of Xiao Qi killing the enemy.

Even now, in her eyes, the young general walking quickly towards her overlaps with and yet separates from the carefree child playing with the dog.

When they were still five steps away, Qu Dubian stopped. His eyes fell on the box in Ajie's arms, on which were engraved two small words: Axiang.

He immediately understood what it was.

So he took a deep breath, looked solemn, suddenly lifted the hem of his clothes and performed a half-kneeling ceremony.

"The Seventh Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, General Qu Dubian of the Northern Expedition, receives the Emperor's order and respectfully invites Princess Xiang and Princess Zhiyi to return to their homeland!"

Before he went to war, Zhiyi was conferred the title of Princess by Lao Deng, and was given the same honor as Aunt Axiang.

Ye Lianyang's eyes widened as he looked at the girl, Princess Zhiyi? ?

Isn't the boss's sister still alive?

He quickly reacted, waved his hand, and all five hundred light cavalry dismounted and knelt to greet them:

"Princess Xiang and Princess Zhiyi are respectfully invited to return to their homeland!"

"Princess Xiang and Princess Zhiyi are respectfully invited to return to their homeland!"

The sound was deep and loud, spreading under the vast sky.

Zhiyi lowered her head, stroked the box, and said softly, "Aunt, did you hear that?"

Qu Duanbian then stood up and walked step by step to Zhiyi.

He lowered his head and grabbed Zhiyi's sleeve.

It was as if he had caught his elder sister's wedding dress that he had failed to catch at Shanming Pass more than three years ago.

Only then did he smile.

"Sister, I'll take you home."

Zhiyi handed Ah Xiang's ashes to Xie Lishan, then turned around and hugged her younger brother tightly.

She cried without any manner at all, with snot bubbles coming out of her nose.

"You are the stupidest person in Shunning Palace!"

He had to go through so many arrows and arrows to get to this point. He was so young at the time that he was not even old enough to build a palace. How difficult it must have been.

Qu Dubian didn't say anything. After a while, he said, "This time when I go home, I want to eat Lady Guo's fried golden horns. Sister, when you go to the kitchen to eat secretly next time, you have to call me."

Zhiyi knew that he was teasing her on purpose, so she burst into laughter.

She wiped her tears and said, "Okay, steal the light."

-

Pick up my sister.

Qu Dubian first took them back to his temporary residence on the grassland.

During the war between Great Zhou and Northern Xinjiang, Zhiyi and others were displaced and hid from place to place. They were not starving, but they had to eat a variety of food.

Qu Dubian asked people to prepare food and boil water for these people, and take care of them simply so that at least there would be no blood and mud on their hands when they ate.

After they finished cleaning up, they grabbed the food one by one and gobbled it up.

Qu Duanbian had never seen his sister so greedy before. He found it a bit funny and a bit distressing, so he stuffed pieces of meat into her bowl.

Seeing this, Xie Lishan also picked up two pieces of meat and put them in Zhiyi's bowl.

Qu Dubian looked up at him.

Xie Lishan froze.

Qu Dubian looked away and said nothing else.

After a while, he said to Zhiyi, "Sister, I'll go over there and check out the things you'll need for tomorrow's trip. You can eat slowly."

Zhiyi: "Okay! Go quickly."

Not long after he stood up, Xie Lishan also found an excuse to leave.

The two met behind the tent.

Xie Lishan coughed lightly, "Well, I was just running away on the road. I'm used to it. I didn't mean to offend you."

Qu Watanabe said seriously: "Thank you."

Xie Lishan also became serious: "It's not a matter of thanks, I did everything voluntarily. And if Your Highness hadn't sent me to the Northern Frontier to establish contact, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to help at all."

The two smiled at each other, and the feeling of distance and politeness disappeared a lot.

Qu Dubian took the initiative to bring up what Xie Lishan didn't dare to say for fear of being beaten: "How are you and sister? That boy Agumuduo's eyes are not right."

He wanted to ask on the way here, actually there is a little gossip.

Xie Lishan sighed quietly and couldn't help but complain.

"Your sister is just a piece of wood. But... she seems to like Agumudo a little."

"?" Qu Duan hesitated, "How can you tell?"

Xie Lishan: "A man's intuition."

“…”

Qu Duanbian was speechless for a moment, then patted Xie Lishan on the shoulder and said, "You are also a piece of wood."

Ajie would never eat food given to her by others using their own chopsticks except for her family.

Xie Lishan: “Hmm?”

Qu Watanabe just left.

It’s up to them to deal with Ajie’s emotional issues themselves, and the best way for him to help Xie Lishan is by not putting obstacles in his way.

At night.

Qu Watanabe and Zhiyi finally had time to talk quietly.

The brother and sister hadn't seen each other for more than three years and talked for most of the night.

Qu Dubian told her about the interesting things he experienced when he was fighting bandits and at the border, and Zhiyi told him about the strange things she experienced in the northern border.

Neither of them mentioned the hardships they had experienced in the past three years. They only talked about the funny and embarrassing things, making each other laugh.

It was not until the second half of the night that things started to become a little more serious.

Zhiyi asked: "Xiaoqi, how long will it take for this to end in the Northern Frontier?"

"It will take some time. Jizhigla wants to fight a desperate battle with the remaining troops. Once the news I asked people to spread spreads completely, he will have no chance."

Qu Watanabe: "Who knows? Someone might just tie him up and surrender. The closer we get to the end, the less anxious we can be."

Zhiyi: "Then you won't be able to go back to the city with me tomorrow, and maybe you won't be able to go back to the capital with me either."

Qu Dubian asked someone to go to Zhongyi City to give advance notice, and send horses quickly along the way. Before tomorrow, the news that Princess Zhiyi is still alive and has returned with Princess Axiang will spread.

The news will reach the capital the day after tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

Emperor Chongzhao should issue an order to welcome them back to Beijing.

"It's okay, sis. We were just one in front and one behind."

Madam Guo must miss her elder sister very much.

Zhiyi nodded: "Xiaoqi, what will happen to the Northern Frontier in the future? Will all the captured prisoners be killed?"

Qu Watanabe: "Kill the stubborn ones, kill those who abuse and kill the people and soldiers of the Great Zhou, and suppress the rest."

He knew what his sister was thinking, but Northern Xinjiang was on a different side from them. After years of friction and war, the bloodshed and hatred between the two sides could only be eliminated with time.

It would be the same even if there were peace-loving people in the northern border.

"I don't know where Agumdo will choose to stay."

The entanglement between Agumudo and Jirigela delayed the war between the two countries for a long time. If he returned to the Great Zhou, he could become an official and at least have no worries about food and drink.

Zhiyi: “We’ll know tomorrow.”

The next day.

Qu Dubian sent out a guard team to escort Zhiyi and his party back to the city.

They will pass by Xia Fuyang's current base, and there will be people to pick them up along the way.

Before leaving, Ye Lianyang leaned against his boss, holding a piece of grass in his mouth, watching the show.

Agumuduo had no luggage on him, and Zhiyi understood what he meant at a glance. She said, "Then let's meet again when we have a chance."

"Well," Agumuduo stammered twice, his eyes deep, "Zhiyi, if the person you chose to marry was me, would you choose to stay in Northern Xinjiang now?"

Zhiyi: “No.”

Agumuda took back his last words of persuasion.

"Goodbye then."

No matter how much he advocates peace, he is still a person from Northern Frontier after all. Moreover, Northern Frontier has almost been torn apart by the Great Zhou.

He would not go to the capital to accept the reward of an official position offered by the Great Zhou.

Zhiyi: “Maybe.”

She joined the motorcade and patted Xie Lishan on the shoulder, "Let's go."

Xie Lishan gradually relaxed and smiled politely at Agumu.

Zhiyi waved to Qu Duanbian, "Xiao Qi, we'll leave first."

Qu Watanabe: "Well, be careful on the road."

Xie Lishan bowed to him, "Your Highness, please be careful too."

The team slowly left. Qu Du watched the whole scene from the side, deep in thought.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xie Lishan will probably become his brother-in-law.

"Agumuduo, since you have chosen to stay, come and put an end to this war," Qu Dubian said, "We don't want to kill more people, and I think you don't want more people to die in the northern border either."

"If it can end peacefully, let's end it peacefully, okay?"

Agumudo became silent for a long time.

"I know."

-

The two princesses returned to Zhongyi City.

Upon hearing the news, Ah Hanli left the place where Xu Jin was being treated and came here ahead of time.

On the day they returned to the city, a strange creature that could not be seen in human form was kneeling at the city gate, and Ah Han was standing next to the strange creature.

Feng Bing was tortured by Ah Hanli to the point of losing consciousness.

His eyes were still fine. When Ah Xiang was welcomed into the city, Ah Han grabbed his head and said coldly, "If you didn't want to vent your mother's anger, you wouldn't even be qualified to kneel here."

Princess Xiang...

Feng Bing slowly remembered that he had fallen into this state because of Princess A Xiang's letter.

A strong hatred suddenly surged in his heart. Why did he have to kneel here and be tortured like this, while the dead princess could return to the city in glory? ?

His thoughts were no longer clear, and surging malice, regret, and fear filled his body.

Feng Bing began to struggle subconsciously.

Ah Hanli waited until Zhiyi and Ah Xiang walked through the clean road and entered the city before he raised the last guillotine and directly chopped off Feng Bing's head.

Blood spattered on the road and was covered in dust.

Feng Bing did not die immediately.

He stared at both sides of the city wall, preparing to welcome the torches lit by the princess to ward off evil spirits. The last moment in his memory froze on the moment he burned Ah Xiang's last letter.

It took two or three seconds for the look to lose its luster.

He died with his eyes wide open.

-

Three days later.

Emperor Chongzhao ordered Princess Axiang and Princess Zhiyi to be brought back to the capital.

A Hanli was granted the title of Prince of a County and brought his mother's spirit tablet back to the capital to receive the title. After the Zhennan Pass War ended, he was allowed to go to Xianghe County, buried A Xiang in Xianghe, and reunited with Concubine Zhou.

On the way back to Beijing, Zhiyi took out a letter from her arms.

It was Xiao Qi who gave it to her before they parted at the grassland station, asking her to return and give it to Empress Xuan.

She thought it was a letter of missing Xiaoqi written to Empress Xuan, but unexpectedly Xiaoqi said that Empress Xuan should not open it after receiving it, and should read it when the time comes.

Zhiyi stroked the letter and frowned slightly.

It was as if Xiaoqi knew what would happen next, which was why she told her this.

She put the letter away again.

-

Agumud's calls for surrender became louder and louder, and fewer and fewer people in the northern border followed Zuo Xian Wang and Jirigela to flee.

Many people secretly left the escape team and went to join Agumuduo, surrendering to the Great Zhou and expressing their submission.

Although he said he had surrendered, he was actually still secretly paying attention to the battle situation deep in the grasslands of Northern Xinjiang.

If we fail to capture the King of the Northern Frontier Royal Court, it won't be considered a true victory.

November 11th.

Zuo Xian Wang met Jizhigla and escaped again with the stubborn remnants.

November 15th.

Xia Fuyang led his troops to meet up with Qu Dubian.

The two teams pursued the enemy soldiers to the northern border.

Late at night, it snowed heavily.

The two men separated to capture the enemy.

Qu Dubian exhaled a breath of cold air, glanced at the dark sky, and clenched the cold weapon in his hand.

Snowflakes streaked across people's faces, bringing a numb pain.

Tonight he will have his last bout of the poison.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Jizhigla who was fleeing in front of him, then rode his horse to chase after him.