51 Snowstorm

"You can't stop, if you stop, you won't be able to get up again."

In the depths of winter, a black cavalry galloped across the gray earth, the dust kicked up by their hooves obscuring the sky and lingering for a long time.

After leaving the city, the marching speed increased, and Shen Suqin and Ju Tao could no longer sit in the carriage, so they had to abandon the carriage and ride horses.

Horseback riding in winter is not an easy task; the cold wind feels like a knife cutting your face.

Xiao Pingchuan glanced to the side with some concern and saw that Shen Suqin had half her face buried in her fox fur cloak, her eyes were red from the wind, and her hands were also red from the cold.

He tightened the reins and waved for Xu Youcai to come.

"How much longer until we reach Lianghe?" he asked Xu Youcai.

Xu Youcai rode up alongside, saying, "Less than two hours left, almost there."

"Send the scouts to go first, and have Lianghe prepare to receive them."

"Whom are you picking up? His Highness the Crown Prince."

Xiao Pingchuan looked at him expressionlessly.

Xu Youcai, unusually clever for once, chuckled and said, "Don't worry about picking up Miss Shen. I'll have them prepare hot water and food, and heat the tent until it's scorching hot."

"Go ahead and do it."

"yes."

Shen Suqin was not far from them, but the wind was a bit strong, and she only caught a few snippets of their conversation, but she still managed to hear Xiao Pingchuan's concern.

The horse was jolting, and she lowered her body, also managing to suppress the smile on her lips.

As evening approached, the troops arrived at Lianghe.

Lianghe was relatively prosperous because it was not far from the capital, and there was frequent freight traffic. In addition, there was a river outside the city, and the land was fertile, with abundant grain production, so the people lived a decent life, and the city walls were built exceptionally high.

The Black Flag Army, which was temporarily stationed in Lianghe, did not enter the city, but instead remained discreetly stationed outside the city.

After Xiao Pingchuan and his men rushed into the camp, the deputy general hurriedly came to greet them.

"General."

Xiao Pingchuan sat upright on his horse, his gaze sweeping around. Seeing that the camp was arranged in a fairly orderly manner and the soldiers were behaving themselves, he dismounted and sent his deputy to find Zhao Chengchun.

Zhao Chengchun led the team south this time. Until Xiao Pingchuan made other arrangements, all matters, big and small, in the army were still under Zhao Chengchun's management.

Right now, once Zhao Chengchun has assembled the team, they must set off immediately without any delay.

Because the Shatuo tribes typically don't carry sufficient provisions when invading the south, but rather replenish their supplies while looting. Allowing them another day only strengthens their forces, something Xiao Pingchuan cannot tolerate.

"Go find Zhao Chengchun," Xiao Pingchuan instructed his deputy.

"yes."

Then, Xiao Pingchuan dismounted and reached out to take Shen Suqin's hand, saying, "Second Miss Shen."

Shen Suqin shook her head and dismounted decisively, saying, "General, you don't need to treat me like one of those pampered young ladies who never leave their homes."

Xiao Pingchuan knew, of course, that she was different from those pampered young ladies; he just instinctively wanted to take care of her.

"I'll be careful." Xiao Pingchuan always respected her ideas. "Let's go into the tents to avoid the wind."

"Um."

The makeshift camp was hastily set up, with the tents letting in drafts from all sides, low and cramped.

Soon the main tent was filled with a group of generals, including familiar faces such as Xu Youcai, Shi Ye, and Zhao Chengchun.

When Shen Suqin saw this, she wanted to avoid suspicion, so she stopped at the door and said, "I'll go with Ju Tao to see how we'll spend the night."

Xiao Pingchuan did not agree. Instead, he reached out and blocked her way, saying, "The military supplies will all depend on you in the future. You are not an outsider."

Shen Suqin thought for a while, then followed him into the tent without saying anything more.

This was the first time a woman had ever participated in the Black Flag Army's council meetings.

Everyone stared intently at Shen Suqin, having long been curious about this legendary general's wife who supposedly supplied money and grain to the Black Flag Army.

"The Black Flag Army's supplies will soon be entirely handed over to Miss Shen Er. From now on, you will see her as if you were seeing me," Xiao Pingchuan said.

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

It wasn't about military supplies, but rather the form of address: Miss Shen the Second?

Didn't they say the general had already married his wife? Why is he still called Miss Shen the Second?

However, no one dared to ask this question; they all gave vague and ambiguous answers.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Our brothers in the north have already set off from Ningyuan to pursue the Shatuo. We must head north immediately to intercept them from the front..."

Xiao Pingchuan made the arrangements carefully, while Shen Suqin stood half a step behind him. The two of them had a surprisingly consistent aura, both sharp and solemn.

"Shi Ye was reassigned to the scout battalion as usual, serving as Zhao Chengchun's deputy general."

Xiao Pingchuan did not place Shi Ye by his side, feeling that Shi Ye did not need his special care.

This northward journey, ostensibly a military expedition, was actually a flight to safety. If he could not establish a foothold and cultivate power in the northern border, he would still face execution upon returning to the court.

Besides, he had been in the military for several years and had gained some fame based on his military achievements, so he didn't need his help.

"We have half an hour to rest. Go and prepare," Xiao Pingchuan finally instructed.

After everyone else left, only Xiao Pingchuan and Shen Suqin remained in the tent.

“Kui Lang is my quartermaster. After we meet up, I will have him contact you,” Xiao Pingchuan said. “From now on, all supplies in the army will be handled through him. He is quite shrewd and reliable.”

"good."

"The journey to the northern border is long and the weather is freezing. There are restaurants along the way, so walk slowly."

"I know."

"The residence in Ningyuan in the Northern Border is probably abandoned. You can handle it as you see fit. You are in charge of everything and do not need to inform me. The household management records of the General's Mansion have been handed over to you. There is no doubt that you are in charge of the household affairs. I also have a few distant relatives, but you don't need to worry about them."

"Um."

"And Xu Youcai, you know him well, I'll leave him to protect you personally, just tell him if you need anything, he'll come to me if he can't handle it."

"good."

At this point, Xiao Pingchuan had said everything he needed to say and had nothing more to add.

But he didn't leave; instead, he stared intently at her.

The dim candlelight flickered, casting their shadows exceptionally tall, overlapping and blurring them into an indistinct, indistinct shape.

“You…” Shen Suqin said carefully, “Swords have no eyes, please take care of yourself and don’t be reckless.”

Xiao Pingchuan's expression finally relaxed a bit, and he replied, "I know."

As soon as the moon rose above the mountain, the Black Flag Army, in perfect formation, silently broke camp and quietly headed north.

Only Shen Suqin's carriage remained in place, along with Xu Youcai, Ju Tao, two hundred guards, and several cartloads of luggage.

They weren't in a hurry, so they slept until dawn before getting up and leaving in another direction.

In winter, Daliang is covered with frozen soil, and the further north you go, the colder it gets, and the thicker the snow falls.

After crossing the Liang River, the official road gradually became covered with ice and snow, forcing the cart to slow down and move forward little by little.

After traveling for three or four days, we finally entered Liangzhou territory.

Shen Suqin stood on the carriage and looked into the distance. All she could see was flat land with almost no undulations, covered by snow, so she couldn't see anything clearly.

“Madam, we will arrive in Ningyuan in three more days,” Xu Youcai said as he approached.

“Brother Xu, when Liangzhou wasn’t ravaged by war, it must have been a prosperous place, right?” Shen Suqin asked.

"That's true. Don't be fooled by the thick snow cover; the soil underneath is actually very fertile, mostly black soil, and anything you plant will grow. It's a pity that there are hardly any living people left in Liangzhou these days; the land is severely abandoned, and nobody cultivates it."

Shen Suqin listened, her face expressionless.

Are there any counties or prefectures ahead?

"There is a Yongluo County a hundred miles ahead."

"Okay, let's go."

The caravan continued onward, and after traveling for most of the day, a number of ragged, emaciated refugees began to appear on the official road. They were all walking south like zombies, heading in the opposite direction from the caravan.

Shen Suqin sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked around for a while before asking Ju Tao, "We probably don't have many branches in Liangzhou, do we?"

"There are only three: Yongluo, Yiyang, and Ningyuan. There are no others."

"How's business?"

"Not good. Apart from Ningyuan, which is still making some money, the other two are barely breaking even."

"Um."

At noon, the convoy stopped at an abandoned post station.

As soon as the carriage stopped, a group of refugees swarmed forward, their eyes gleaming with malice, and surrounded the caravan. If it weren't for the fierce look of the guards, they would have already rushed up to snatch the food.

"Sister Qin, shall we get off the bus?" Ju Tao asked.

"No, let's just leave."

"But... several children are so thin they're unrecognizable."

Shen Suqin thought for a moment, "Then let's just throw them some dry biscuits. People will do anything when they're starving, so we don't need to take any risks."

“Yes, I’ll make the arrangements.”

Ju Tao got off the carriage after receiving his assignment, and told someone to take a bag of dried flatbread from the back of the carriage and place it by the roadside, gesturing for the refugees to go and take it.

At first, everyone was trembling and dared not step forward, but after waiting for a while, seeing that the person seemed to genuinely want to give, they swarmed forward to receive the cakes.

After distributing the pancakes, Shen Suqin and the others had rested enough, and the convoy continued on its way.

After walking about half a mile, Xu Youcai suddenly came to report: "That group of refugees are following behind our cart; they're probably trying to extort money from us."

Shen Suqin sat up straight. "What do you think?"

"Or should we give them some more?"

Shen Suqin: "No, we can't open that door. Get the team moving faster, don't let these people catch up."

The North is teeming with refugees. If you follow ten today, twenty or eighty tomorrow, your food supplies will eventually run out, and that will lead to enmity.

"But......"

“No, but Brother Xu, do as I say.”

Xu Youcai hesitated and then withdrew, saying, "I'll go and inform the brothers."

Sometimes he felt his wife was kind-hearted, and other times he felt she was cold-blooded and unfathomable.

Shen Suqin lowered the carriage curtain, and before she did, she caught a glimpse of a boy among the group of ragged refugees. His eyes were brighter than the stars in the sky, his features were sharp, and his body was frail, as if he might collapse at any moment.

The two exchanged a glance across the crowd before being quickly separated by a curtain.

Further north, the weather got even colder, and even the ground beneath our feet was frozen solid.

Most of the refugees felt they wouldn't gain anything and were afraid of freezing to death, so they gradually dispersed.

The convoy moved silently, and in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, the long convoy moved forward slowly, like ants carrying food.

It's snowing.

The north is dry, and the snow, like grains of salt, is pelted by the raging wind, making exposed faces and hands feel like they are being cut by knives.

Shen Suqin huddled in the carriage, wrapped in a cloak until only her eyes were visible. Her eyelashes were covered in a thick layer of frost from her breath, and her eyelids were heavy, taking a long time to lift.

"This won't do," she said in a muffled voice. "We're all bundled up so tightly and still freezing; the people outside must be having an even harder time."

Ju Tao's teeth chattered loudly: "That's right, I didn't expect the Northern Territory to be so cold."

Shen Suqin sighed: "Go down and check on the situation."

"good."

Not long after, Ju Tao returned. "Sister Qin, we have to think of a way. They don't have winter clothes. They're all dressed in thin clothes, and their faces are turning purple from the cold."

"Call Brother Xu over."

"Brother Xu!" Ju Tao called out loudly, but her voice was carried away by the wind and snow. It took several calls before Xu Youcai heard her.

"What's wrong?" Xu Youcai walked over, leading his horse.

Since the heavy snow began, he stopped riding his horse and instead led it forward.

"Let's stop and wait for the snow to subside before continuing," Shen Suqin said.

"We can't stop, or we won't be able to get up again."