Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Northern Di Invasion
It was getting dark. Although it was winter, the palace was naturally not as impoverished as the border areas. Many lamps were lit early in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the charcoal fire was burning brightly and warmly, just like midsummer.
After the emperor finished reviewing the memorial, he put down his red brush, rubbed his brow, and was about to order someone to serve the meal when the eunuch on duty outside hurried in to report.
Cai Rang stepped forward and scolded him, "Why are you so flustered? Where did you learn the rules?"
The eunuch knelt hurriedly: "Your Majesty, Princess Zhongshun...Princess Zhongshun requests an audience."
It was freezing cold, and she, a woman from the harem, wasn't supposed to stay home to manage the household affairs when she came here? The emperor's headache only intensified. He ordered, "Bring her in."
Cai Rang hurried out and brought in Princess Zhongshun. She was not wearing court robes, but only a simple dress. Her hair was loose and she had no makeup on. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts, as if something serious had happened.
"What happened?" The emperor looked up and saw this scene, and was shocked. He quickly ordered people to help him up and let him sit down.
Princess Zhongshun didn't sit down. She pushed aside the maid who was trying to help her and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and allow me to send some winter clothes to Yue'er!"
"Please sit down first and speak slowly." The emperor was confused by her actions and hurried to comfort her.
The fact of receiving the letter could not be concealed. Princess Zhongshun had already instructed the people who followed her, so when Cai Rang sent people to investigate, Xia Jin took the initiative to step forward and explained the whole story.
That was why Princess Zhongshun sat down crying, and Cai Rang took the opportunity to pour tea to whisper something to the emperor.
It seems that even though he is gifted, he is still a child. He ran over on impulse, and now he can't bear it anymore and knows to send a letter home for help. The emperor's fear of Wu Tianyue has eased a little. His face is gentle and he said, "I also know that the northern border is bitterly cold, but the court will send winter clothes and food soon. The army will not lack these. Moreover, the officers and soldiers of the three armies are one. How can I treat Yue'er alone with such kindness? If so, wouldn't it also go against his original intention of hiding his identity?"
Wasn't it you who made Yue'er hide his identity? Why are you pretending to be kind? Princess Zhongshun's heart suddenly surged with anger, but she quickly suppressed it by wiping away tears: "My original intention was not to eat. Yue'er has been raised in luxury since he was a child. How could he have suffered such hardship?"
As she spoke, she became excited again: "I do not ask the court to make an exception. I use my own body to ask Your Majesty to allow me to send clothes to him, even if it is just one more thick coat."
The emperor felt a little impatient when he saw his sister-in-law in front of him, who was almost losing her composure and not listening to him. How could these women in the harem be so short-sighted? They only cared about jewelry, fancy clothes, and family matters, and had no fear of national laws and military regulations at all.
Princess Zhongshun saw his expression and knew he was going to refuse, so she continued sobbingly, "At worst...at worst, I can give each soldier on the frontier a thick coat, which will be considered as my loyalty to the country."
How much could a princess's personal belongings be? It was just a drop in the bucket for tens of thousands of troops, and he would also have to bear the reputation of taking the money of court officials... The emperor was even more unhappy and was about to refuse sternly, but suddenly he changed his mind and it seemed that it was not impossible.
If he allowed her temporarily, on the one hand, he could prevent her from making trouble everywhere and being criticized by the retired emperor for not being magnanimous and not caring about the mother-son relationship. On the other hand, he could use this as a warning to those officials who were fattened up. A woman in the harem could see the bitter cold at the border and take the initiative to help. How could those who kept saying they were concerned about the country and the people have the nerve to be stingy?
Just as he was about to grant Princess Zhongshun's request, Cai Rang suddenly stepped forward quietly and said, "Your Majesty, Dai Quan has arrived and said... The Supreme Emperor heard of the princess's grief and asked Your Majesty if you could show some sympathy and not let the royal family suffer too much."
Although the emperor knew that Prince Zhongshun and his wife had been on his side all these years and could not have any connection with the retired emperor, he still couldn't help but look cold.
His eyes turned to the ground. The kneeling woman seemed unaware of the turmoil behind the scenes. She just knelt there sobbing, immersed in her own fear.
Princess Zhongshun didn't know what had happened. The emperor suddenly fell silent around the time Cai Rang came up. But she was now a mother who was worried about her son's suffering. How could she have the mood to observe her surroundings? So she didn't dare to show that she noticed something was wrong and continued to cry softly.
After an unknown amount of time, the emperor's voice rang out, his tone seeming both helpless and relieved: "Princess, your heart is with your country and you are worried about the bitter cold at the border. You are willing to buy winter clothes for the soldiers in the northern border. If I do not allow it, it would be a waste of your efforts."
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. Princess Zhongshun breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
The emperor waved his hand, signaling the eunuchs to help her out. After they left, he instructed Cai Rang, "Take some money from my private treasury and send it to Prince Zhongshun's palace."
When Cai Rang heard this, he knew that the emperor wanted to spread the news, so he quickly agreed to step down and took his men to the palace to deliver the money in a grand manner.
After the officials in the court learned about this, they cursed Princess Zhongshun in their hearts for being nosy, but they praised her on the surface, saying that the emperor was wise and that a woman in the harem also knew how to worry about state affairs. They wrote letters to the emperor, expressing their willingness to do something for the border.
The emperor initially refused many times, but after seeing the officials' sincerity, he could not bear to refuse, so he approved all of them and awarded plaques to those who donated the most.
For a time, the custom of sending money and supplies to the border areas became popular in Beijing, and the pressure on the national treasury was greatly relieved.
Now all this has not been spread out. Princess Zhongshun came back from the palace and thought of the emperor's high-sounding words today. She knew that with his temper, he would not miss such an opportunity to become famous. However, with the emperor's support, no one would say that he was colluding with the army. So she purchased cloth and cotton with confidence and ordered people to make winter clothes as soon as possible, and tried to ship them to the northern border before the end of December.
After giving the order, he remembered what Xia Jin heard the retired emperor say to Dai Quan in the Yangxin Palace. He cursed him in his heart for meddling in other people's business and trying to sow discord, then picked up his pen and wrote a letter and sent it to Chang Jian.
As usual, he pressed him for a few more questions about his son's situation, but still got nothing, so he had to give up and ordered him to send a letter to the border by express horse.
This winter was exceptionally cold, with even heavier snow than last year, making the roads difficult to travel on. Therefore, it was already mid-December when Wu Tianyue received the letter.
After reading the letter and knowing what had happened in the past few days, although I wanted to tell myself that the emperor would not be suspicious, I also understood that even if he didn't show it, he would definitely be suspicious. I suddenly felt very unhappy. I was suspicious of this and that all day long, but I didn't dare to say it openly. It was truly a cowardly behavior.
"Prince, it's the end of the evening." The shopkeeper's words interrupted Wu Tianyue's thoughts.
Wu Tianyue came back to his senses and realized that his previous thoughts seemed extremely rebellious, but he did not feel any guilt or fear, and even felt relieved.
He suppressed the urge to curse more, glanced at the sky outside the window, and then quickly stood up. Although it was a day off, if he didn't go back, Zhou Dashan would definitely scold him. However, given the situation this year, the Beidi's attacks would definitely be more fierce, so it was normal for Zhou Dashan to practice more.
Thinking of this, he felt a headache again. The generals above did not move at all. Only Zhou Dashan and some experienced veterans were training silently.
While thinking about this, he quickened his pace and returned to the barracks. As expected, he was pulled over and scolded. He was also asked to stay for an extra hour of training at night. Wu Tianyue felt like his body was about to fall apart. Zhou Dashan must have noticed something and forced him to train more than others every day.
When Wu Tianyue felt that he was about to adapt to this terrible training intensity, the first batch of winter clothes sent by Princess Zhongshun arrived. Because the vanguard battalion was the first line of defense when the war broke out, and there were people stationed in the capital secretly making efforts, the clothes were distributed to the vanguard battalion as soon as they arrived.
Holding the thick clothes, Wu Tianyue's eyes were filled with tears. He had been tired, cold and hungry for the past few months. Now he had finally solved one problem and opened up the road. The rest should not be too far away.
Everyone in the camp was happily trying on clothes, but Zhou Dashan was always keeping an eye on Wu Tianyue. There was something wrong with this man. He was called a hunter, but the aura he exuded from time to time was definitely not that of a hunter. Moreover, after he complained that his winter clothes were too thin, a princess inexplicably appeared in the court to show concern for the soldiers on the border and changed her winter clothes at her own expense. How could those pampered nobles suddenly notice the low-level soldiers guarding the country's borders thousands of miles away?
Thinking of this, Zhou Dashan felt relieved again. He had a relationship with the imperial court, which meant he was not a spy from the Northern Di. Also, he was a man with good skills and the ability to resist a tripod. He could talk about military tactics very well. It was obvious that he would be a good candidate for a general. It would be a shame to the country if he was not trained well. How could he be sent deep into the enemy camp as a spy?
Regardless of his status, he is my soldier under Zhou Dashan, so just use him as usual. After figuring this out, Zhou Dashan lowered his guard and began to train Wu Tianyue seriously.
Wu Tianyue keenly noticed that Zhou Dashan was obviously not so guarded against him, and instantly guessed that he knew that his identity was not ordinary. He couldn't help but feel a little confused. This man was brave, resourceful, and had good insight. Although he was too upright and easily offended people, he was promoted based on military merit in the army. Even if someone was trying to make trouble for him, he would not have been a small sergeant after more than ten or twenty years in the army. However, it didn't take long for him to understand why.
Just when the entire military camp was filled with joy due to the arrival of gifts from officials in the court, the Northern Di arrived.
Perhaps because many parts of the country were affected by disasters, the Northern Di's offensive this time was indeed very large. The vanguard battalion, led by Captain Wang Lu, was given the task of launching a surprise attack on the Di people's food and forage strongholds.
Wu Tianyue and the other soldiers left the camp and headed towards the enemy camp along the frozen river.
"Keep in formation." Wang Lu's voice sounded very thin in the wind and snow. "We are still thirty miles away from the Di people's stronghold. Keep your spirits up."
Wu Tianyue looked at the rolling hillsides on both sides and felt something was wrong. After thinking about it, he decided to walk forward to Zhou Dashan on the thick snow and against the cold wind.
He also seemed to have noticed something was wrong, frowning. Wu Tianyue lowered his voice and said, "Captain, I think there's something wrong with this route. Although the river is hidden, the slopes are steep and dense. If the Di people set an ambush upstream..."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Dashan looked at Wu Tianyue in shock. He was indeed a man of extraordinary status. A new recruit on his first mission could detect these things. His future was bound to be limitless. Then his tone was much softer than usual: "You are right. I will go talk to Captain Wang."
After saying this, he walked through the crowd to the middle of the team where they were surrounded by cavalry.
The wind and snow were so strong that Wu Tianyue couldn't hear what the two were saying. He could only see them arguing. Then he heard Wang Lu shouting angrily, "You are just a sergeant, and you dare to question my decision? Back off!"
Zhou Dashan seemed to want to say something else, but the sergeant who was traveling with him hurried over to pull him back: "Don't be impulsive, military orders are as heavy as a mountain."
The team was not affected and continued to move forward. Only a few sergeants who were on good terms with Zhou Dashan instructed the soldiers in the team to be vigilant.
After walking for more than ten miles, the sky gradually darkened, the wind and snow became stronger, and Wu Tianyue's ominous premonition became stronger and stronger.
Suddenly, a scout came galloping up ahead, his face pale as he said, "Report! Captain, a large number of Di footprints have been discovered upstream, and there are signs of something unusual on both sides of the river."
Wang Lu's heart skipped a beat and his brows furrowed. "How many footprints?"
"At least... at least a thousand people!"
It was said that there were a thousand people coming out of the vanguard camp this time, but there were only eight hundred at most, plus there were new recruits. If the Di army had more than a thousand people, it meant that they were likely to have fallen into a trap and might have been surrounded.
The soldiers around were in an uproar, and those who were farther away and couldn't hear clearly became frightened when they saw the chaos ahead. Wu Tianyue and the others also held their weapons tightly, formed up in the square array they had practiced every day, and covered each other.
"Quiet!" Wang Lu now knew that Zhou Dashan was right. He felt fear, anger, and jealousy, but he still pretended to be calm. "This could be a common Di mobilization. There's no need to panic. Speed up and get out of the river before dark."
Seeing that he was so stupid and conceited, Wu Tianyue could no longer bear it and strode forward. Just as he was about to speak, the earth-shaking sound of war drums and horns suddenly rang out on both sides of the river bank, and countless torches lit up in an instant, illuminating the dim river channel.
Northern Di ambush!
Wang Lu no longer cared about maintaining his dignity and shouted in panic, "Form a formation! Form a formation!"
But it was too late. The soldiers were already feeling uneasy because of the quarrel between him and Zhou Dashan. Now the enemy had arrived and they had no time to react. Moreover, the river was narrow and there was no time or place for so many soldiers to deploy a defensive formation.
Sure enough, before Wang Lu finished speaking, a rain of arrows poured down from both sides, and the soldiers who were closer fell one after another.
"Raise your shields! Break out to the left!" Zhou Dashan was experienced and reacted immediately, commanding the soldiers in the squad.
Wu Tianyue was tall and strong. He wielded his heavy sword to shoot down the arrows and block the fatal attacks for his companions around him.
In order to avoid the overwhelming arrows, Wang Lu abandoned his horse and mixed into the crowd. Seeing Wu Tianyue waving his weapon like the wind and forming a safe space around him, he hurriedly ran over there.
As the commander, he did not command the men, but instead used his soldiers to block the arrows. The morale of the army was already unstable. In addition, the river was narrow and the formation could not be deployed, so there was no space for people to pass. So when he ran over, he instantly broke up the formation that everyone had worked so hard to form.
Fortunately, arrows were precious. After this wave of arrows, the enemy's offensive stopped. Wu Tianyue looked at Wang Lu, who was trembling and squeezing through the crowd to hide beside him. He was so angry that he was about to scold him when the Northern Di cavalry rushed down from upstream.
Because Wu Tianyue could protect people, Zhou Dashan was experienced, and everyone in the army practiced every day, the other soldiers gathered here like headless flies. The leading General Di could tell at a glance that this place was different from the side, and saw Zhou Dashan commanding everyone calmly, and rushed towards him with a long sword in hand.
"Captain, be careful!" Wu Tianyue was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He blocked the fatal blow with his heavy sword.
General Di looked at the sparks flying when the weapons collided in shock. This man was actually stronger than himself.
Wu Tianyue exerted force with his wrist, raised the heavy sword, swung away Di Jiang's long sword, and killed him with a few moves.
This action temporarily stabilized the soldiers who wanted to escape, and Zhou Dashan also seized the opportunity to reorganize the team: "Follow my orders! Everyone, move closer to Zhao Yi."
Someone came out to take charge of the situation, and Wang Lu was right next to them and did not say anything to stop them. The surviving soldiers hurriedly gathered around, and everyone moved with difficulty to the high ground on the right.
But the Di soldiers pursued him relentlessly, and when they saw Wu Tianyue kill the young general with just a few moves, they ordered their men to shoot arrows again.
Zhou Dashan was protecting everyone outside when an arrow flew through the air and shot straight at his back.
"Sergeant!" Wu Tianyue flew to rescue, but he was still a step too late. The arrow pierced through the armor and went straight into Zhou Dashan's right chest.
Wu Tianyue supported him, took out some hemostatic powder from his pocket and sprinkled it on him. Regardless of his words to ignore him and lead the troops to break through, he ordered the two soldiers next to him: "Protect the sergeant!"
Then he stood up and observed the terrain. The cavalry from upstream were swarming down, and there were ambushes blocking the way downstream. The only way to break through was the hillsides on both sides, which were steep but not impossible to climb.
Seeing that Wang Lu was still hiding behind the soldiers, completely oblivious to his position as a captain, he stepped forward, casting off his gentle and easygoing facade and commanding them in a stern voice: "Teams one and two, seize the steep slope on the left! Team three, cover the wounded, and team four, follow me and cover the rear."
Perhaps it was because he was too brave in killing General Di just now, or perhaps it was because no one could come up with a better plan at the moment, the soldiers in the chaos subconsciously followed his orders.
Wu Tianyue led his men to guard the rear. No one was able to resist him wherever his heavy sword went. His advantage of immense strength was fully utilized in close combat. Every time he swung his sword, he could cut off a horse's leg. The Di cavalry was very afraid of him and gradually cleared a space for them.
At this time, the soldiers who broke through the steep slope also sent a victory report. Wu Tianyue ordered: "The whole army will take turns to cover and retreat!"
Under his command, the remaining soldiers of the vanguard battalion climbed the steep slope in an orderly manner. Wu Tianyue then led the rearguard troops to launch a fierce counterattack, repeatedly repelling the approaching enemy and then quickly retreating.
As night fell, the wind and snow became stronger, slowing down the retreat a lot, but it also hindered the enemy's pursuit. In addition, Wu Tianyue was so brave that after he led his men in a bloody battle for a long time, the Di people finally sounded the retreat.
The group trekked all night before arriving at the Northern Frontier camp at dawn, but only less than four hundred of the elite soldiers they had taken out returned, and most of them were injured.
Seeing that Zhou Dashan was in good condition, Wu Tianyue, together with the remaining soldiers and the soldiers who were still able to move, quickly carried the wounded to the wounded camp. Hearing that Captain Han had rushed over after hearing the news, he did not care about his own injuries and hurried to find him to report the military situation.
I had just found the spot when I saw Wang Lu and Captain Han chatting and laughing in the camp. One of them boasted, "...The Di people were well prepared, ambushing at least 3,000 men. I had no choice but to order my men to burn some of their equipment and escape lightly. Fortunately, I succeeded, killed several Di generals, and led the remaining troops back along the trail."
This person is so shameless that he steals the credit in front of others!
Wu Tianyue quickly stepped forward to argue with him, but was stopped by Lieutenant Li, who came with him and was a good friend of Zhou Dashan. He asked, "What are you going to do?"
"This guy was so scared on the battlefield that he was running around everywhere, causing countless soldiers to die tragically." Wu Tianyue's face was full of anger, "Now he wants to take credit for it!"
"How else do you think he became a captain? And why is Dashan still only a sergeant?" He's still too young, Sergeant Li chuckled. "He and Captain Han are cousins. Both are sciones of prominent families in the Northern Frontier, so they're naturally different from us."
"What's the difference?" Wu Tianyue said unconvincedly, "On the battlefield, we fight with real swords and guns. How can we tolerate such a scoundrel taking lives?"
Before he could finish his words, Li Daniu came over with a wounded leg and said, "Sergeant Zhou is calling you."
Zhou Dashan knew that Wang Lu would be the first to go find Han Duwei, so when he found out that Wu Tianyue was not there, he immediately realized that with Wu Tianyue's temper, if he knew about this, he might cause some trouble, so he hurriedly asked Li Daniu to go find someone.
As soon as Wu Tianyue entered the tent, he heard Zhou Dashan say in a cold voice, "Are you going to kill us?"
"I just saved your life today." Wu Tianyue was confused by this and said angrily, "I don't ask for your gratitude, but at least speak in a more sensible way."
"Although the Han and Wang families can't completely dominate the Northern Frontier, they are much more noble than the rest of us. Furthermore, their only credit this time is the few Di generals they killed. If we investigate further, the Vanguard Battalion will suffer. If he wants the credit, let him take it. If you continue to cause trouble, you will only cost the lives of the remaining hundreds of brothers." Zhou Dashan realized that his old habit had come back, and his words were too ruthless. He sighed, "You have a distinguished background, so you can leave at any time. But thousands of us will still have to live under their control."
Wu Tianyue opened his mouth to refute, but then he thought of the scenes he had seen in recent days. The lower-class soldiers indeed had a hard life. He didn't know what to say, so he lowered his head and turned to leave the tent.
Seeing his downcast expression, Li Daniu thought he had been scolded, so he hurriedly pulled him to bandage his wounds and consoled him, "Captain Zhou may be a bit slow in speech, but he still cares deeply about you. He asked about your condition as soon as he woke up."
Wu Tianyue did not reply. He did not blame Zhou Dashan. It was just that even the ground for the soldiers to go up was occupied, and everyone was used to it. This made him feel powerless. If he did not have such a good background, would he be the next Zhou Dashan?
Thinking of this, Wu Tianyue perked up again. Isn't it just a good family background? Who doesn't have it?
Wang Lu can use his power to oppress others, and I can deal with him too. Although this is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution, once the capable people at the bottom are promoted, some of them will pay more attention to the new lower-level soldiers because of their previous experiences. From generation to generation, new traditions will always replace these corrupt ideas.
Wu Tianyue has always been very proactive. After bandaging his wound, he asked for help patrolling the camp.
Zhou Dashan knew what his next idea was when he looked excited, but patrolling the camp would not hinder the soldiers, and Zhao Yi's status was definitely not low. With his help, even if he could not eliminate the Han and Wang families, it would at least allow the soldiers to breathe a little, so he quickly agreed and asked someone to help him arrange it.
Wu Tianyue also knew what he was planning, but if a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. Zhou Dashan just wanted to use him to make the lives of these soldiers better, so he did not care. After getting the approval, he returned to the camp to prepare.
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