Chapter 83 Let her enjoy one more day of freedom
As dusk settled, a fierce battle had just ended, and a thick, almost tangible aura of blood permeated the surroundings.
Qin Shaozong casually grabbed a piece of burlap and wiped the blood-stained blade. After the burlap was wiped, a sharp, glossy white blade was immediately revealed.
"My lord, we have killed a total of five hundred people this time." Feng Feng had climbed his way up from the bottom to become the captain of the Xuanxiao Cavalry. He was meticulous. "I estimate that the number of soldiers in the city and Xie San's men was about 80/20."
Xie San knew how many people they had brought to Xia Valley, and they had also figured out the other side's strength.
Xie Yuanxiu had four hundred soldiers, twice their number. Adding the city guards under Gao You's command, the enemy force reached over a thousand men.
However, not all of these thousands of people were engaged in battle; Xie Yuanxiu would definitely leave some behind to protect them.
"One-quarter of Xie San's soldiers have been removed," Qin Shaozong said calmly.
The battle raged from noon until nightfall, yet the man showed no sign of exhaustion. The torchlight reflected in his eyes, seemingly transforming into the sharp edge of a blade.
"What's the situation at the city gates?" Qin Shaozong then asked.
Feng Feng replied, "The enemy's thousand men are mainly attacking the east gate, which is guarded by Old Qiao. The patrols on the city wall have all been replaced by our own men. Fortunately, they are cavalry and did not bring siege equipment. This time, they cannot break through from the inside and can only challenge us."
The Xuanxiao Cavalry was renowned, but they had never encountered them and always felt that their reputation was undeserved. They didn't believe in such a thing, thinking that only five or six hundred people could open the East Gate, which was guarded by more than a hundred Xuanxiao Cavalry.
They don't even consider that their military patrols don't get any training on a regular basis. Some of the higher-ranking officers are fat and bloated, and they can barely run a few steps. Their knives aren't even good ones.
If one could be defeated by someone like this, then one truly deserves to die.
"Let them bark, just treat it like dogs barking." Qin Shaozong said indifferently.
In any military campaign, one is bound to be insulted. Provocative challenges and insults, including those directed at ancestors and the entire family, are common occurrences. But the time is not yet ripe; those grudges can be remembered for now.
"Have you found Gao You and Xie San?" Qin Shaozong asked again.
Feng Feng lowered his head in shame, "Not yet."
The county's streets and alleys are winding and provide ample hiding places. They are short-handed.
“The enemy’s reinforcements are definitely more than just one cavalry unit. In another two or three days, their reinforcements should arrive.” Qin Shaozong smirked. “Good timing!”
Bai Ri City is located east of Xia Gu. The great river flows eastward, and traveling downstream in a small boat is much faster than coming here.
After roughly pinpointing the lady's location, he immediately sent someone to return to Bai Ri City by boat. Calculating the time, it had been more than eight days.
His reinforcements are arriving soon.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the sky, and the mighty gyrfalcon landed on the wooden frame beside it, its black agate-like eagle eyes darting around.
"Hey, Bai Ye is back!" Feng Feng exclaimed in surprise.
He turned to look around, but the street was shrouded in a gray twilight, and there was no sign of Mo Yanyun: "Old Mo hasn't returned?"
Bai Ye always carried a small bamboo tube on his foot for sending messages. Qin Shaozong unscrewed the wooden lid, only to find...
"Is this mud?" Feng Feng asked, looking at what Qin Shaozong had poured out.
Qin Shaozong kicked aside a dead body blocking his way and walked toward the torches beside him.
As the light grew brighter, it illuminated the mud-like substance in his palm clearly. It was yellowish-brown, indeed mud, but mixed with obvious ash and some fine yellow paper scraps.
"What is this?" Feng Feng didn't understand.
Qin Shaozong picked up a few scraps of yellow paper. "They look a bit like yellow paper."
Yellow paper is used for sacrificial purposes.
"Are there any temples outside Xiagu City?" Qin Shaozong asked.
Feng Feng actually knew, "There's one in the southern suburbs of the city, but it's been abandoned for a long time. My lord, do you suspect that Old Mo followed Madam Dai to the temple?"
"Eight or nine out of ten." Qin Shaozong sprinkled the mud and ash from his hands.
Feng Feng said regretfully, "It's a pity that we are short-handed right now. We can't spare anyone in any place, and it's not easy to open the city gates. Otherwise, we could go directly to invite Madam Dai back."
"They're heading south, they want to go to Yuzhou. Let her enjoy herself outside for a while longer." Qin Shaozong subconsciously reached for the jade ring, but found nothing. The man casually put his hand down.
"Go back and come back in a few days."
The gyrfalcon was released, its wings flapping as it quickly flew south.
*
North District Courtyard.
"Where is Di Ting? Have you made contact with Di Ting yet?" Xie Yuanxiu paced back and forth in the room.
The lamp on the table swayed slightly in the wind, and Xie Yuanxiu's shadow moved back and forth with its owner, occasionally swaying into strange shapes in the wind, like a trapped beast brandishing its claws.
"We've sent more people to search, but there's still no news," the confidant said.
Xie Yuanxiu couldn't help but feel remorse.
If Di Ting had invited him to stay here when he arranged for him to do so, he wouldn't be unable to find him now.
Gao You was also there. This once-glorious prefect hadn't even dared to return to his own residence. His lips trembled. "Third Young Master, when will the reinforcements from outside the city be able to enter?"
He should have kept quiet, because the mere mention of it made Xie Yuanxiu furious: "If it weren't for the fact that Lord Gao's military patrols were all show and no substance, how come my cavalry outside the city couldn't get in?"
The city's military patrols, along with his own men, numbered over a thousand.
Yes, he admitted that there were terrain features in the city that could be used, and the streets and shops could be used as cover. But there was no reason why a thousand men together couldn't take down the Marquis of Wu'an's two hundred-odd men.
This is utterly absurd!
Gao You was speechless, a hint of regret sprouting in his heart like a spring bud.
Xie Yuanxiu gritted his teeth and said, "My several thousand infantrymen are almost here. They have battering rams and ladders, and the city gates will surely fall. So what if the soldiers of Marquis Wu'an are all skilled warriors? With a large army pressing on the city, we can wear them down with sheer numbers."
Gao You didn't reply; he looked out the window.
The night was an endless expanse of black, as if it harbored countless ferocious beasts capable of devouring people.
He kept hearing Xie San Gongzi mention "Di Ting," wondering what kind of extraordinary person this was that the other party was still so eager to see at this critical juncture.
Unfortunately, this "expert" has also disappeared.
Gao You's unease was spreading.
*
As dawn breaks and the sky begins to lighten, a new day arrives as scheduled.
Although she stayed in a dilapidated temple last night, perhaps because the road ahead was gradually becoming clearer, or perhaps because everyone else in the temple had been driven out, Dai Li slept more soundly than expected.
Upon waking up, Dai Li and Qin Yanzhou continued their journey without stopping.
They didn't try to drive Mo Yanyun away anymore; of course, they couldn't.
No one else came last night. Not only did Mo Yanyun not harm the horses, but he also helped kill a bandit who was about to make a move.
It's difficult to shake him off now, mainly because he keeps a close watch on his horse, and there's only one official road, so riding a horse means you can only follow the official road.
The mother and son could only acquiesce to him following behind them.
They walked one after the other, keeping a considerable distance. Even if Mo Yanyun stopped his horse, Dai Li and Qin Yanzhou wouldn't turn around to wait for him.
Therefore, neither the mother nor the son noticed that when Mo Yanyun stopped, a gyrfalcon landed silently.
After another day, they arrived at the second stop on Qin Yanzhou's plan: a small mountain village.
The small village is nestled in the hills, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a stream flowing through it. There are only twenty or thirty households in the village. When Dai Li and her party arrived, it was already dusk. The horses' hooves trod on the golden sunset, startling the birds in the branches.
Strangers rarely visit the village, but now that the sound of horses' hooves has arrived, many villagers peek out. However, upon seeing Mo Yanyun with a sword hanging at his waist, they quickly turn back and slam the windows shut.
Mo Yanyun was not surprised.
The world is becoming increasingly chaotic, and these days ordinary people avoid anyone carrying a knife. It seems that Madam Dai and her young master will have to go through a lot of trouble to find a place to stay tonight.
Just as he was thinking this, Mo Yanyun saw Qin Yanzhou rein in his horse in front of a house.
He dismounted and knocked on the door. After a short while, the door opened only a hand's width, and he could vaguely see a woman inside. Her hair was tied in a bun, and she wore hemp cloth, the most ordinary attire.
The distance was quite far, and Mo Yanyun couldn't hear what Qin Yanzhou said, but he saw that in just a few words, the peasant woman, who had been so wary just moments before, now opened the door wide and greeted the two of them with a big smile.
Mo Yanyun was dumbfounded.
Why is that? Do they know each other?
He instinctively wanted to follow, but after taking two steps, he saw the young man glaring at him.
He told the peasant woman, "That's not it."
Mo Yanyun: "..."
"Oh, why not? We're on the same side!" Having a place to sleep was the least of Mo Yanyun's worries; he didn't want to sleep on the streets. Seeing Qin Yanzhou unmoved, he quickly looked at Dai Li, "Madam Dai, please have mercy, for the sake of the..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yanyun, unusually quick-witted, changed the subject, saying, "For Mr. Nalan's sake, please let me have a roof over my head tonight."
Dai Li pondered for a moment.
Qin Shaozong's men were following her, which made her very uneasy.
However, without making enemies in the north, the only way to shake them off is to reach the border of Yuzhou, enter the city, and escape by taking advantage of the crowds. Zhouzhou said that after leaving this small village, they would reach Yuzhou in one more day.
Just one more day!
"Let him sleep inside. Zhouzhou, you stay with him." Dai Li was worried that Mo Yanyun might harm the horses.
If their horses' legs were cut off, and he rode back alone to deliver the message, that would be troublesome.
Qin Yanzhou nodded.
*
Xiagu County.
The beautiful and majestic gyrfalcon flew back again, and Qin Shaozong took out the small bamboo tube from Bai Ye's foot.
Last time it was plaster and scraps of yellow paper; this time, the small bamboo tube contains a small piece of broken tile.
"Broken tiles?" Kuang Ye looked at the object in Qin Shaozong's hand. He had a gentle appearance, but his words were sharp. "Has Madam Dai reached a populated area?"
The sheepskin map was already spread out on the table, and the terrain and landforms around Xia Valley were clearly visible.
South of Xiagu there is a dilapidated temple. Further south, all the way to Nanyang County on the border of Yuzhou, there are no more small towns of any significant size.
The journey from the dilapidated temple to Nanyang County is usually impossible in a day.
They certainly didn't reach Yuzhou, but Old Mo brought back broken tiles, so he must have found a populated area along the way. It could be a village in the mountains, or it could be a hunter living alone in the mountains south of the city.
Qin Shaozong placed the broken tiles aside, had someone bring over two wild rabbits, and personally fed them to Bai Ye.
With a single peck of its sharp beak, a large chunk of flesh was snatched away, torn and swallowed, meat scraps flying everywhere. Before long, the two fat rabbits were inside Bai Ye's belly.
"Let's go back."
After Qin Shaozong released Bai Ye, his gaze remained on the map, but instead of looking south, he looked east.
During the daytime today, the Sizhou soldiers, led by Xie Yuanxiu, gathered their troops and launched another battle to seize the city gates.
Xiagu was just an ordinary prefecture. Its armed forces had been strengthened somewhat after the emergence of warlordism, but the total number of soldiers was still only a little over seven hundred. Yesterday, the military patrol led the charge, and four hundred men were killed in action.
Xie Yuanxiu originally had over four hundred men, but one hundred died in battle yesterday, leaving him with about three hundred. Together with the remnants of the military patrol, they formed an army of over six hundred men.
Seemingly aware that the danger would increase with each passing day, the enemy's attack was particularly fierce today. They did not divide their forces, focusing their fire on the east gate, determined to tear a gap in that corner.
It was a bloody battle all day long.
Qin Shaozong led the charge, his ring-pommel sword chipped and worn down, blood flowing like a river at his feet.
Despite the combined efforts of the 600-strong combined army, they were unable to break through the Xuanxiao cavalry's defensive line. In fact, as the fighting progressed, the most vulnerable local patrols were the first to desert.
This escape was disastrous; the morale of the army collapsed.
Hearing the sounds of fighting inside the city, Ni Chiwen outside felt his blood boil and his whole body brimming with energy. He wished he could scale the walls and wreak havoc inside.
Unfortunately, without siege ladders and battering rams, these thousand cavalrymen could only stand helplessly outside the city, scratching their heads as they looked at the tightly closed city gate.
"The sounds of fighting seem to have stopped," Li Huai-ren said in a low voice.
It did stop, but the city gates remained unmoved, and the outcome was obvious.
The second attack on Sizhou ended in failure.
Ni Chiwen frowned and asked Li Huai Ren, "How many soldiers did the Third Young Master lead into the city back then?"
“Four hundred.” Li Huai-ren hesitated. “We fought once yesterday and again today. I’m afraid we’ve wiped out everyone.”
Ni Chiwen scratched his hair in frustration. "That's terrible. We can only wait for the infantry to arrive. But if we drag this out any longer, we might not be able to guarantee that the reinforcements from the north won't arrive either."
Li Huai-ren was optimistic about this, saying, "It's not that bad. Marquis Wu'an has only been in Xia Valley for less than four days. Even if he sends someone back to Bai Ri City on the same day he arrives in Xia Valley, it will still take time to travel by boat, and it will also take time to assemble troops after returning to the army, not to mention the journey itself. Don't worry, the next ten days will be a safe period."
"In five days, we will send scouts to the eastern road to investigate and find out the whereabouts of the enemy's reinforcements."
*
The night was incredibly dark, the heavy darkness spreading across the entire sky, covering both the bright moon and the stars.
From a high altitude, in this pitch-black night, a faintly visible fire dragon appears on the ground.
This long-rushing fire dragon came from the east, winding its way along the official road day and night at an extremely fast speed, passing through several counties in succession.
After a long and arduous journey, this renowned cavalry finally came into view of their target city in the distance.
"Extinguish the torches!" At this command, all the torches were extinguished.
The cavalry vanished into the darkness like ghosts, with most remaining in place, except for a small detachment that continued forward, making its way to the city walls.
Bai Jianping, who was on duty in the east city, suddenly heard a few bird calls. He was extremely sensitive to the calls of birds and beasts and could even discern the emotions in them. Now, upon hearing this familiar bird whistle, he immediately shuddered.
As sleepiness vanished, I was suddenly filled with intense excitement.
He looked down at the city walls and, with considerable effort, spotted a few cavalrymen in the darkness. Bai Jianping responded with a bird whistle, signaling them to wait, and then immediately returned to report the good news of reinforcements arriving to Qin Shaozong.
"...My lord, your subordinates request to fight!" Bai Jianping and Feng Feng and the others were all eager to fight.
"Feng Feng, you guard the city. Bai Jianping, come with me." Qin Shaozong ordered, and then he led ten soldiers carrying heavy sacks out of the city.
A section of the east gate quietly opened, and Qin Shaozong and his entourage filed out to join the main army.
"Distribute the linen cloths and relay my orders: wrap the horses' hooves in cloth, rest in place for two hours, set off at dawn, and do not speak after setting off." The orders were relayed like wildfire.
The ten sacks were filled with strips of linen, which were quickly distributed and wrapped around the horses' hooves.
Xuanxiao's cavalry had been traveling under the stars and moon and were indeed exhausted. Now that they had received the order to rest, the soldiers fell asleep as soon as they heard the word, and soon the surrounding area was filled with snoring.
Qin Shaozong's red dragon was also brought along. Under the cover of darkness, the majestic red horse neighed and snorted, overjoyed to be reunited with its master.
Qin Shaozong patted the horse's head.
Everyone else had rested, but Qin Shaozong sat under a tree with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, trying to relax. He didn't sleep; he was mentally calculating the time remaining until the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).
At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), just before dawn, when the night is at its darkest, it is the perfect time for a surprise attack.
The enemy would never have imagined that his cavalry could reach Xia Valley tonight. They were completely unprepared, no different from lambs to the slaughter.
Time flowed by slowly, and before we knew it, it was the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).
The bird whistle sounded, and the Xuanxiao Cavalry awoke at the sound. After a short rest, these elite soldiers, whose physiques far surpassed those of ordinary soldiers, were full of energy.
Qin Shaozong mounted his horse and glanced south before setting off.
Let her enjoy her freedom for one more day.
Author's Note: I'm here! [Sprinkling flowers]
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