Shuozhou, the inner courtyard of the Pinglu Cavalry Commandant's Mansion.
The dim morning light filtered through the cracks in the carved wooden windows, casting mottled shadows on the floor.
Zhao Muyun slowly opened his eyes and his consciousness emerged from a deep sleep.
The faint fragrance of Bai Ruolan's hair lingered at the tip of his nose, mixed with the charming scent lingering from last night.
He tilted his head slightly and saw the beauty beside his pillow.
Bai Ruolan was still sleeping soundly, her long black hair spread out on the pillow, making her pretty face look even whiter like jade.
The long eyelashes cast a small shadow under the eyes, and the usually smart and capable eyebrows are now soft and relaxed, like a crabapple blossom just blooming after the rain.
The thin quilt outlines her exquisite curves, and the exposed skin on her shoulders is delicate and has a warm luster.
Zhao Muyun's gaze lingered on her peaceful sleeping face for a moment, and a sense of peace welled up in his heart.
He gently lifted a corner of the quilt and prepared to get up, fearing that he would disturb the tranquility.
Just as he moved his body cautiously, Bai Ruolan moaned unconsciously, turned over, and put one arm around his waist and abdomen, and her warm breath brushed his chest.
This unconscious intimacy made Zhao Muyun smile slightly.
He lay quietly for a while, enjoying this rare tender moment, then gently put her arm back into the quilt and carefully tucked the corners for her.
Seeing that she was still sleeping soundly, he quietly got up and put on his outer robe.
As he walked out, the guard Li Si's deliberately low, anxious voice rang out from outside the door: "Sir! Urgent war reports have arrived from the Gobi Salt Lake!"
Zhao Muyun's eyes suddenly froze, and the tenderness just now disappeared, leaving only the sharpness of a soldier.
He quickly straightened his robes and said in a deep voice, "Got it, let's go to the meeting room!"
The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn. Tang Yanhai, Zhao Wen and others had already been there.
A dusty cavalryman, with Gobi sand still on his armor, knelt on one knee. He was sent by Wu Shangzhi, the commander of the cavalry battalion.
"Report to the Captain!"
The messenger's voice boomed, tinged with fatigue and a hint of nervousness. "Captain Wu ordered this swift report: The ambush at Salt Lake has concluded! Our army set an ambush at Devil's Rock and successfully routed Timur's main force! In this battle, we killed over 700 elite Tartar cavalrymen, and seized countless horses, weapons, and armor. The Tartar centurions Galen and Zuan have been beheaded!"
When Zhao Muyun heard this number, there was not much joy on his face, he just nodded slightly.
Seven hundred kills were a heavy loss, but this was not the result he cared about most.
The messenger paused, his voice lowering. "Ran...Ran, the Tartar leader, Timur...led the remaining 50 or so cavalrymen, and took advantage of the chaos...to break through and escape! Captain Wu led his troops in pursuit, but the Gobi Desert's complex terrain prevented their capture..."
“Run away?!”
Zhao Muyun's voice suddenly rose, like an ice cone piercing the air, and the temperature in the conference room seemed to drop to freezing point in an instant.
He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clink. "Timur actually escaped? What on earth are Han Zhong and Wu Shangzhi doing?! They set up an elaborate ambush, and with the advantage of the terrain, how could they let their commander escape?"
His anger filled the hall.
Timur was a man of both wisdom and courage, and was a fierce general under King Zhelan.
Zhao Muyun mobilized the elite troops of Yinzhou Army and the cavalry battalion to set up an elaborate ambush in order to capture and kill this man.
This escape is tantamount to letting a tiger return to the mountains, which will cause endless troubles!
For Zhao Muyun, who was determined to completely control the situation on the grasslands on the southern foot of the Daqing Mountains and strike a blow to the arrogance of King Zhelan, this was an unacceptable mistake!
"Sir, please calm down!"
The messenger cavalry felt the terrifying pressure from Zhao Muyun, lowered their heads even lower, and cold sweat dripped down.
At this moment, another personal guard hurried in from outside, presenting two documents with both hands: "Sir, the battle report of Yinzhou Commandant Han Zhong and Cavalry Battalion Commandant Wu Shangzhi has been sent in with a joint apology! In addition, Chief Huan Kui has also submitted a battle report!"
Zhao Muyun suppressed his anger and grabbed the joint battle report of Han Zhong and Wu Shangzhi.
It describes the course of the battle in detail, from luring the enemy deep into our territory, to the ambush at Devil's Rock, to Timur's breakout under the desperate cover of his personal guards. The words are filled with regret and self-blame.
At the end of the battle report, the two men spoke sincerely, took the initiative to take responsibility for their poor command and failure to pursue the enemy fully, and requested severe punishment.
"Humph! I'm glad you apologize!"
Zhao Muyun snorted coldly, picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote a reply at the end of the battle report: "The commander is to blame for failing to capture and kill Timur! Han Zhong and Wu Shangzhi are each fined three months' salary as a warning to others! I hope you will learn from your mistakes and make meritorious contributions while serving your sentence!"
A three-month salary deduction was not considered a severe punishment for a powerful prefectural commander and the head of an elite cavalry battalion, but it was enough to show Zhao Muyun's dissatisfaction with the result and his warning.
Putting down the battle reports of Han and Wu, Zhao Muyun picked up Huan Kui's battle report.
In his battle report, Huan Kui reported in detail on luring the enemy deep into our territory, the casualties suffered by the Salt Lake people, and the inventory of the spoils.
But the sentence at the end of the battle report made Zhao Muyun frown slightly: "Bai Shoujing is missing!"
"Bai Shoujing ran away?" Zhao Muyun muttered in a low voice, with a hint of understanding and a barely perceptible sneer in his eyes.
The second in command of the Bai family, who had colluded with the Tartars to kill Zhao Muyun and his group, actually found a chance to escape in the chaos of the battlefield after working as a laborer in the Salt Lake for several months. He was quite capable and lucky.
However, Zhao Muyun didn't care too much about it.
Compared with Timur's escape, Bai Shoujing's disappearance is not worth mentioning.
According to the court's announcement, Bai Shoujing had already sacrificed his life for his country. How could he dare to show his face as a living dead?
What's more, the Bai family has nothing to do with him now. Bai Ruolan has already driven away all of Bai Shoujing's confidants.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
