Chapter 115 Only Thinking of You.
Late at night, Ji Chengning's group finally dispersed.
Ji Chengning politely saw them out, his tone quite apologetic, "I forgot the time for a moment, I hope you won't take offense."
Zhou Qing'an looked at Ji Chengning with such fervor that it was as if he were looking at the Marquis of Yongning reborn. He was filled with the thought that a son should be like this, and he would never blame him. When he left, he was quite reluctant to part with him. "General, you are too kind. For the sake of the country, we are willing to sacrifice ourselves."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Mufang.
General Zhou touched his nose and quickly pulled Zhang Yuhuai away.
Several of them often marched and fought at night, and even Zhang Yuhuai was someone who stayed up late doing accounts, so he was still full of energy when he left the military tent.
When Zhou Mufang noticed that he kept glancing at her, she suddenly slapped Zhang Yuhuai on the shoulder, startling him. He glared at her irritably.
Zhou Mufang wasn't annoyed. She asked with a smile, "Why are you looking at me like that? Just say what you want to say."
Zhang Yuhuai pondered for a few moments, "The general's strategy is beyond our reach," he said carefully, but Zhou Mufang slapped him hard before he spoke frankly, "However, I still don't understand why it has to be Sawulanhe."
After all, this young prince of the Sawu tribe was notoriously treacherous, cunning, and fickle, and he also enjoyed torturing his subordinates. His reputation was generally poor within the barbarian tribes where strength was paramount.
The Great Khan of Sawu was a cunning old fox, but he also had several sons who were adults and involved in politics, especially the eldest prince, Sawuzhen, who was said to have inherited his father's style and was highly respected within the Sawu tribe. He could also procure horses more easily than Sawulanhe.
Zhou Mufang shook her head, "Sawulanhe has an advantage that is hard for others to match."
"oh?"
Zhou Mufang laughed, "It's because I'm impatient."
Nasawulanhe was born to the principal wife of the Sawu Great King. His mother was a princess of the Shuoyeti tribe. When she married into the tribe, she brought not only tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, but also a younger brother named Shuoyetimu. The princess was afraid that her younger brother, who was not yet ten years old, would be harmed by his ambitious older brothers if he stayed in the Shuoyeti tribe after the death of their mother. However, this man was brave and fierce. Since he went to the battlefield at the age of eighteen, he had fought for the Sawu tribe in the east and west, and had made great achievements in battle.
Despite having such a distinguished mother and an uncle who was highly respected in the army and deeply trusted by the Great Khan Sawu, Sawulanh grew up to be an undesirable and spoiled child.
Although he was favored by the Saughul Khan, the Saughul Khan also knew his own limitations. Gold, silver, jewels, slaves, and rare treasures were sent to his son's tent in a continuous stream, but he rarely allowed him to participate in politics.
Even the Queen herself felt that Sawulanhe was unfit for the time being, and she was secretly inclined to support the Third Prince Sawusuha, who was born to her cousin.
Zhou Mufang continued, “Sawulanhe is the youngest and the most favored by his father. However, because he is young and has no achievements, even though his uncle is a fierce general, he has never been able to establish a stable position. On the other hand, the eldest prince, Sawuzhen, who was born to a female slave and has made great military achievements, is more popular. His father’s health is getting worse and worse. If he cannot establish his prestige as soon as possible, he will only be able to watch his elder brother, whom he despises, become king.”
This was something that he, who was of noble birth and had always regarded Sawuzhen as a lowly person, could not accept.
The more unwilling one is to accept defeat, the more anxious one becomes. And the more anxious one is, the more unscrupulous one will be in order to achieve one's goals, while ignoring the unreasonable aspects of the whole situation.
Zhang Yuhuai was taken aback, and then an indescribable feeling rose in his heart.
He was both excited and terrified, and he forced his slightly trembling hands down so that Zhou Mufang wouldn't notice anything amiss.
The excitement stemmed from the fact that the imperial court had sent a valiant general skilled in strategy, while the fear lay in how Ji Chengning, having just arrived in Cangzhou, knew these royal secrets. Had Ji Chengning sent people to investigate before his arrival?
Zhang Yuhuai couldn't help but gasp.
Ji Chengnin's stunningly handsome face, almost bewitchingly so, flashed before my eyes.
Such a young age, such profound thoughts—fortunately, he is a general of our dynasty. How terrible it would be if he were on the opposite side of the court!
Thank goodness.
Zhang Yuhuai thought to himself.
Seeing his face flush red and then pale, Zhou Mufang suppressed a laugh. "What's wrong? Were you scared by that brat Ji Chengnin?" He was glared at by Zhang Yuhuai and quickly changed his words, "Scared by General Ji's schemes? I'm telling you, you'll get used to it. That kid has always been cunning. Even though the three of us did the bad things together, he always managed to get away scot-free and was never punished. I'm just a peaceful person..."
Zhou Mufang paused abruptly, and after a moment, smiled as usual, "I wonder what Cheng Ning is doing."
At that moment, Ji Chengnin, who was organizing documents in the military tent, sneezed.
Cangzhou is indeed much colder than Luoyang.
He thought to himself.
I had just explained the deployment to a few people, and while I was highly focused, I didn't feel anything. But now, waves of fatigue are washing over me from my limbs and bones.
Ji Chengning twisted his cracking neck while picking up something. When he came to his senses, he found himself holding a pen, which he had dipped in thick ink.
On the paper, the words "To my cousin" were already written.
The candlelight flickered, and for some reason, it made the tips of Ji Chengnin's ears feel a little hot.
How can you be so spineless?
He cursed himself inwardly, but since things had come to this point, throwing the paper away would only be pretentious, so why act like such a child?
With a flourish of his pen, he wrote in a flourish: I am already in Cangzhou, I wonder how things are in the capital?
After a moment of silence, he wrote again: I am well.
My only thought is of you.
...
Two days later, in the tent of Sawulanhe of the Sawu tribe.
Su Wuabi respectfully reported, "Your Highness, the delivery of the three hundred horses has been completed. The leader of the Central Plains people asked us if we had any more horses. I told them, as you instructed, that we have tens of thousands of warhorses. As long as they have food, they can have as many fine horses as they want."
"You did a great job."
After a few seconds of silence, Su Wu'a hesitated and said, "Your Highness, do we really want to exchange horses with those people from the Central Plains? Two thousand horses are far too many."
Even if we do manage to get 30,000 shi of grain in return, the Great Khan won't be happy if he gives away so many horses to the people of the Central Plains!
Moreover, an ominous thought quickly flashed through Su Wu'a's mind: what if the people they were trading with were from the Cangzhou Army?
However, seeing Sawulanh's enthusiastic and even fanatical face, Suuah remained silent.
He could only console himself that the possibility of this idea was extremely low, so why bother making trouble for himself?
Sawulanhe burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Suwua, when did you become so long-winded?" He raised his eyes, a fierce glint flashing in his dark blue eyes. "The horse is naturally out of the question, but I want the grain too."
He poured himself a glass of wine. "Tell those people from the Central Plains that they will come to you when the food is ready."
Suwua immediately understood Sawulanhe's meaning—the prince was going to forcibly seize it!
Su Wu'a said, "Your Highness, what should we do if those people from the Central Plains say they will only take the grain after they see the horses?"
The other side wasn't stupid either; they would naturally be extremely wary of such a large amount of grain.
Even if they didn't have to produce horses to prove they actually had that many, as long as the group of people from the Central Plains arrived a little later and saw that things weren't going well, they could leave immediately.
Sawulanhe glanced at him. "Idiot!"
Su Wu'a lowered his head hurriedly, "Your subordinate is dull-witted."
"Hmph, you take a few hundred men and two thousand horses. Remember, those men must wear slave clothing, lest they notice something amiss and escape." Sawulanhe's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile. "As for me..."
Of course, we'd lead a group to lie in ambush nearby!
The sheep brought rabbit meat to the wolf in exchange for something. How could the wolf resist accepting both the sheep and the rabbit?
...
Several days later, Su Wu'a received a message from the so-called merchant from the Central Plains, agreeing to deliver the horses that evening.
The time and place were clearly written in the letter, and Suwua was overjoyed. He quickly delivered the letter to Sarenlanhe.
"good."
Sawulanhe laughed loudly, "Men, prepare armor for this prince."
The candlelight flickered wildly in the wind, casting its glow on his face, flashing and blazing with unrestrained arrogance.
At this moment, the night wind howled.
The night wind whistled through the sand dunes, filtering through small, eroded holes, making a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" sound.
The sound was like the wailing of ghosts.
At that moment, a group of people silently marched eastward from the depths of the Gobi Desert.
The army stretched for miles, the firelight flickering and falling on the weary faces of the people.
They had been marching for ten days straight, traveling day and night, resting for only two hours each day. They were exhausted, and especially since it was late at night, no one had any energy left. Their legs felt as heavy as if they could collapse and fall asleep at any moment.
A soldier's eyelids were drooping, his body swayed, and he suddenly stumbled forward.
However, the sweet dream I imagined didn't come true. "Snap!"
The whip lashed through the air and struck his face hard.
In an instant, the whip marks burst open, and blood splattered everywhere!
The soldier covered his face in terror, blood gushing out from between his fingers. "M-Sir!"
"Watch out, all of you!" the man who had just cracked the whip shouted. He was riding a tall horse, fully armored, with a long sword at his waist, looking extremely menacing. He yelled in a barbarian tongue, "The Burial Valley is just ahead. If anything goes wrong, you'll all be wolf food!"
"yes--"
The soldiers answered in low voices.
The convoy stretched for miles, with each vehicle completely covered in sheepskin.
Seeing that everyone looked exhausted and seemed resentful, the man softened his tone, "After passing through the Burial Valley, we'll reach the main camp in a few dozen miles. Brothers, you've had a hard journey. Once we reach the main camp, I will definitely ask for a reward for you all!"
After speaking, he ordered the whole team to continue advancing.
The convoy slowly made its way into the "Buried Man Valley," which is actually a narrow passage formed by the accumulation of rocks. The rocks on both sides are hundreds of meters high and extremely steep, but the inside is quite flat.
If they didn't take this route, they would have to travel dozens of miles further. These soldiers were conscripted from various units, and after days of marching, they were already harboring resentment. If the escort wasn't completed quickly, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The man rode to the back of the procession, while his trusted confidant scouted ahead.
The ten-mile-long passageway felt quite long. Looking up, the sky was covered with dark clouds, with no stars or moon. The towering rocks appeared blurry and menacing in the night, like huge, outstretched hands reaching upwards.
The man suppressed his frustration and continued walking forward.
"Da da da—"
Apart from the sounds of carriages and horses, the only other sound in the valley was the mournful, drawn-out wind.
The man held his breath and concentrated.
The vanguard was almost out of the valley. They lit huge torches and waved them to indicate that there was no danger.
The man felt a sense of relief.
However, the next second, "BOOM!!"
The earth shook violently.
The place where the fire had just been lit has been buried by huge rocks!
Even the ground beneath their feet trembled and shook, and the horse's legs retreated in terror.
Before he could speak, a loud crash came from behind, and dust billowed up, blocking their retreat!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Charge!"
The man shrieked.
In an instant, arrows rained down.
It magnified, magnified, in his bloodshot pupils!
The smells of blood, smoke, and the sulfur and gunpowder from the recent blasting of the mountain were mixed together, so strong that it was almost impossible to breathe.
The soldiers around him quickly fell down.
However, the man's eyes widened in disbelief. How could there be such a powerful cannon? If the cannon fire hadn't blasted the rocks and blocked their way, they wouldn't be in this situation!
The brilliant flames spread out, but instead of bringing warmth, they brought heat enough to scorch a person into a charred corpse.
It was like divine punishment.
Reflected in pairs of eyes that had already turned gray.
The night wind howled, sounding like both weeping and a woman's unrestrained, wild laughter.
"boom--"
"General, the area below is almost completely cleared."
Ji Chengnin put down his bow and arrow and quickly said, "Send someone to tell General Zhou that we have won a great victory and they can begin."
"yes!"
The soldiers on the mountaintop came down like a tide, clearing away the rubble and driving the donkey carts away.
Someone lifted the sheepskin and found a cart full of grain underneath.
Ji Chengning left a thousand men to escort the donkey carts back to the military camp, while he led another thousand men, carrying cannons, to head southeast.
...
Sawulanhe impatiently fiddled with the thin, flat wine flask at his waist. "Why isn't it here yet?"
As if sensing his impatience, dust began to rise, and the sound of horses' hooves quickened, but it wasn't coming from the direction of Changyang Pass, but from the west—how could it be from the west?!
Sawulanhe suddenly stood up.
Instead of the grain carts he had imagined, what arrived were hundreds of soldiers, their bodies charred black, their armor dragging and flags tucked away, fleeing. Some rode horses, while others simply tumbled and crawled over.
Judging from the flags, they are clearly soldiers from the various tribes of Le Rong!
He couldn't sit still any longer and ordered his men to go there.
For a time, his own troops, the men Suwua brought, the army, and this group of fleeing soldiers were all mixed together in utter chaos.
"What's going on!" Sawulanhe shouted angrily.
In the dim firelight, a tear rolled down the leader's dark blue eyes, mingling with the soot on his face.
"We were transporting grain to the Tilan army when we were attacked by the Cangzhou army in Chitu City. Please, sir, save us and send us back!"
Sawulanhe was startled. "You mean the Cangzhou army has been mobilized? How many are there?"
"Your Excellency, the incident happened suddenly, and we didn't see clearly. It was a dark mass, perhaps nearly ten thousand people!"
The people brought by Sawulanhe gasped.
The blindfolded warhorses seemed to sense the danger and pounded the ground anxiously.
Sawulanhe was in a state of panic, but looking at the hopeful eyes of the crowd, he couldn't show any weakness. He shouted angrily, "What are you afraid of!" The next second, his voice lost its previous momentum. "You mean the Cangzhou army attacked you near Chitu City?"
"Yes, sir, it is absolutely true!"
"good!"
Sawulanhe considered the situation in his mind. Although it was good to get 30,000 shi of grain for free, if he clashed with the Cangzhou army, he would lose both the grain and the troops. So he said, "Listen to my order, come back to the camp with me." A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. "If you utter a single falsehood, I will use you as a sacrifice for my flag!"
After speaking, he gave the order, "Quickly, quickly, pass down the order: head northwest!"
The man said, "Sir, my brothers are injured, and some of them don't even have horses. I wonder if we could ask you for help..."
A ferocious look appeared on Sawulanhe's face. Before he could finish speaking, he interrupted him sharply, "If you don't have a horse, get to the back and don't delay my march!"
The man nodded obsequiously, "Yes, yes."
They signaled to their men to retreat.
Sawulanhe didn't care about anything else and whipped his horse to leave.
Dust flew everywhere.
He cursed the Le Rong tribes in his heart, calling them all useless, and Ti Lan Wangyue even more useless. If it weren't for them, he would have made a great contribution today. Borrowing these two thousand horses once is easy, but borrowing them again will be difficult!
Saulanhebben wanted to speed up the march, but the troops were too disorganized. Not only did he have to drive the horses, but a string of scattered Lerong people followed behind him.
He looked disdainful.
The so-called brave and skilled Le Rong people were nothing special.
He cracked his whip and strode ahead.
He was trying his best to avoid the direction of Chitu City and headed towards the camp of the Sawu tribe. After an unknown amount of time, a burst of fire suddenly appeared in front of him.
He assumed they were Sawu tribesmen coming to greet him, and arrogantly cracked his whip, only to find that Sawulanhe's pupils suddenly contracted—it was the Cangzhou army?!
The firelight flickered wildly in the night wind, casting a dim, will-o'-the-wisp light on people's faces.
In a flash, he suddenly saw the face clearly.
That face, which even in his midnight dreams was enough to send chills down his spine and make him feel utterly terrified, because the next second, the owner of that face would draw his bow and shoot an arrow, "Whoosh—"
An arrow pierced through the tassel on his hat!
The immense force ripped off his helmet armor with a loud crash. The armor fell to the ground and was trampled by the panicked horse, causing it to whimper and rear up on its hind legs.
In the blink of an eye, the team appeared before him silently, swiftly, and ruthlessly, like a ghostly army from the underworld.
The subordinate's cries of agony lasted only half a second before his head was severed by a sword, and blood gushed out wildly!
Sawulanhe tried to retreat, but then heard Suu'a's scream behind him. He turned around in disbelief and saw the remnants of the army who claimed to be Lerong people wielding long swords and wantonly reaping the lives of his soldiers.
That was all Sawulanh remembered about tonight. A moment later, he felt a sharp pain in his head, his vision went black, and he fell off his horse.
Blood and dust mingled and flowed freely across the sand, like a river of blood appearing out of nowhere.
Swift, silent, strictly enforced, and extremely ruthless.
A strong, fishy smell wafted in the night air.
After an unknown amount of time, Ji Chengnin gave the order, "Withdraw the troops!"
"yes--"
The crowd's voices were extremely hoarse, yet they carried an indescribable excitement.
-----------------------
Author's note: Many thanks to Hanzhang for the 1,100 moonstones.
Quickly switch to a different image hosting service.
Thank you to Moonstone for being a big eater, Linwan, Yunwu, and Anzhi Baby.
*kissing emoji* [cat emoji][cat emoji][cat emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
