Chapter 141 Fear?
At dusk on the fifth day, the caravan set up camp near a forest. The guards skillfully set up simple tents and made fires to cook. Pei Yan sat on a flat stone and looked at the map in the last daylight.
"After the mountain ahead is the border." Mo Yuan handed him a bowl of hot soup, "Your Majesty, it's not too late to turn back now. Send me and Ashina to explore the way first..."
Pei Yan shook his head: "I have made up my mind." He looked up at Ashina who was feeding the horse, "Do you think Murong Chui will accept the proposal of trade?"
Ashina came over and sat down: "Fifty percent sure. Although Murong Chui is proud, he is not stupid. He knows that going to war with Wei is too risky. If we can get food and ironware through trade, why not do it? The key is..." He hesitated, "What conditions can your majesty offer?"
"Open three border trades, reduce taxes for three years, and allow limited trading of ironware and salt." Pei Yan had already thought about it. "In exchange, each tribe must promise not to harass border villages and help fight against horse thieves."
Ashina's eyes lit up: "These conditions are quite generous, especially ironware and salt, which are the most scarce materials on the grassland. My father has always wanted to..."
His words stopped abruptly, his ears twitched slightly, and Mo Yuan also noticed something unusual almost at the same time, and put his hand on the hilt of the sword.
"There is an ambush." Ashina whispered, his body already on alert.
Pei Yan's expression remained unchanged, but his fingers had quietly moved towards the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
The cry of a night owl was heard in the woods - it was too early, night owls would not be active at this time, and then a slight rustling sound was heard in the grass around.
"Protect the young master!" Mo Yuan shouted loudly, and six shadow guards instantly formed a protective circle, surrounding Pei Yan in the center.
The sound of an arrow breaking through the air suddenly rang out!
"Get down!" Ashina pounced on Pei Yan and pressed him to the ground. A sharp arrow flew past Ashina's back and pierced deeply into the tree trunk behind him.
Mo Yuan drew his sword, the sword light was like a stream of light, and he actually chopped down two arrows in mid-air. "Southeast, on the tree!" he shouted, and the two shadow guards immediately rushed in the direction indicated.
A scream was heard and a dark shadow fell from the tree.
More men in black rushed out of the woods, their scimitars flashing coldly in the twilight. Ashina had already drawn his short sword and blocked Pei Yan: "Wuhuan people! There are special patterns on their swords!"
The battle broke out instantly, and Mo Yuan fought three assassins alone. His sword skills were sharp and every move was deadly. Ashina maneuvered with agility, and every attack with his dagger brought up a handful of blood. The shadow guards were well-trained and cooperated with each other in groups of two, and quickly suppressed the assassin's offensive.
Pei Yan was not idle either. He seized an opportunity and threw out the dagger from his sleeve, hitting the throat of an assassin who was about to attack Ashina.
"Leave him alive!" Pei Yan shouted.
Upon hearing this, Mo Yuan changed the momentum of his sword from stabbing to striking, and hit an assassin's wrist heavily with the side of his long sword, causing the scimitar to fall to the ground with a clang. The assassin saw that the situation was not good and turned around to escape, but was pounced on by Ashina and knocked to the ground.
The battle was over quickly. Of the eight assassins, five died, two escaped, and one was captured alive.
"Check the area around the camp to prevent any more ambushes." Mo Yuan ordered the shadow guards, "You two, go chase down the ones who escaped."
"No need." Pei Yan stopped him and said, "It's better to let them go back and report the news. Helian Bo knows that the assassination failed and will not act rashly in the short term."
Ashina dragged the prisoner to the fire and roughly pulled off his mask - a typical Wuhuan face with high cheekbones, small eyes, and a strange symbol tattooed on the chin.
"Did Helian Bo send you here?" Ashina asked in the barbarian language.
The prisoner sneered and suddenly clenched his teeth. Ashina's face changed and he hurriedly pinched his chin, but it was too late - black blood flowed from the corner of the man's mouth, and he died in the blink of an eye.
"Poison hidden between the teeth," Ashina let go of the corpse, his face grim, "This is a common tactic used by the Wuhuan assassins."
Mo Yuan checked the bodies of the other assassins: "They are all Wuhuan people. It seems that Helian Bo really doesn't want the peace talks to succeed."
Pei Yan looked solemn: "He knows we are going to meet Murong Chui."
"Not only that." Ashina stood up and brushed off the dust on his hands. "He knew that His Majesty was coming in person. Otherwise, he would not have sent so many elite warriors."
Mo Yuan's eyes flashed with worry: "How did the news leak out? Our trip is extremely secret..."
The three of them looked at each other and saw the same question in each other's eyes - is there a traitor?
"Let's leave here first." Pei Yan broke the silence. "No matter how the news leaks out, this place is no longer safe. We must travel overnight and reach Black Rock Canyon ahead of time."
After a simple packing, the caravan was back on the road, galloping northward in the moonlight. The night wind was so fierce that it hurt people's cheeks, but no one complained. Everyone understood that every next step could lead to stepping into the death trap set by Helian Bo.
Ashina rode his horse closer to Pei Yan: "Your Majesty, I have an idea."
"explain."
"Helian Bobo is so eager to stop the peace talks, which shows that he is afraid that the peace talks will succeed."
Ashina analyzed: "What does this mean? It means that other tribes do not want to fight, or at least not as determined as he is. This is our biggest advantage."
Pei Yan nodded: "So we must meet Murong Chui and the other leaders as soon as possible."
"There is one more thing." Ashina hesitated, "I suspect... my father may have been deceived by Helian Bo. The Tuoba tribe has never been willing to cooperate with the Wuhuan, but this time they agreed to the alliance. There must be a special reason."
Mo Yuan said coldly, "Perhaps your father is the mastermind, and Helian Bo is just the executor."
Ashina shook his head: "Only those who don't understand the relationship between the various tribes on the grassland would think so. Wuhuan and Tuoba are sworn enemies. They would never join forces unless there were special circumstances."
Pei Yan thought for a moment: "What do you think is the special situation?"
"I don't know." Ashina said frankly, "But after meeting Murong Chui, maybe I can find the answer. The grassland fox is always well-informed."
The sound of horse hooves was particularly clear in the silent night. The moon was obscured by clouds, the stars were dim, and the road ahead was pitch black. But Pei Yan knew that they had to keep moving forward - not only for the peace of the Wei border, but also for the people to live and work in peace.
Ashina suddenly pointed to the distance and said, "Look, fire!"
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, they saw a row of torches on the distant ridge, like a fire dragon, moving slowly.
"It's a Xianbei patrol," Ashina said with certainty, "We have arrived at Murong Chui's territory."
Mo Yuan frowned: "How did they know we would arrive tonight?"
"They don't know." Ashina smiled and said, "This is a routine patrol of the Xianbei. Murong Chui is cautious by nature, and there are people patrolling the border area day and night."
Pei Yan reined in his horse: "Send a signal, tell them we are here."
Ashina took out a bone flute from his arms and played a strange melody. A moment later, the torches in the distance changed direction and came towards them.
"Next," Ashina put away the bone flute, his expression serious, "Your Majesty will face Murong Chui. Please remember, no matter what happens, do not show fear. The people of the grassland respect courage above all else."
Mo Yuan laughed beside him, "Fear? You don't really think we didn't make any preparations? Or have you completely forgotten how we, the Wei Dynasty, drove you back to this wild land?"
Ashina looked at Mo Yuan in shock.
The torches were getting closer and closer, illuminating the newcomers - dozens of Xianbei cavalrymen, wearing leather armor, with scimitars on their waists, and with rough faces. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a thin face and narrow eyes, just like a fox.
"Ashina boy," the man said in a hoarse voice in the barbarian language, "who did you bring to my territory?"
Ashina performed a grassland salute and said, "Uncle Murong, it's been a long time since we last met. This is the Emperor of Wei, who has come in person to discuss important matters with you."
Murong Chui's eyes widened slightly, and his gaze fell on Pei Yan. After a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed: "What courage! The Emperor of Wei personally went deep into the enemy camp. Aren't you afraid that I will hang your head on the flagpole?"
Pei Yan smiled calmly and answered in fluent barbarian language: "If Chief Murong wants my head, he can send troops to the capital to get it. Since I came here in person, I must be well prepared, and naturally I come with sincerity and friendship."
Murong Chui's laughter stopped abruptly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes - he did not expect that the Emperor of Wei could not only speak the barbarian language, but also be so calm and composed in his territory. He knew the methods of this young emperor, and he looked up and down at Pei Yan with suspicion.
"Interesting." Murong Chui narrowed his eyes, "Come with me, Your Majesty. Let us see how sincere you are."
He turned his horse around, and the Xianbei cavalry lined up on both sides to form a passage. Pei Yan rode forward without hesitation, followed closely by Mo Yuan and Ashina.
The light of the torches swayed in the wind, stretching the shadows of the people very long, just like the game that was about to unfold.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
