Chapter 116: It seems that he lost the bet.
Absolutely impossible, is it really impossible?
Zhang Jingxian belatedly realized that she had seen her own hands. The goose feather that the yellow warbler was holding fell into her palms. It was very light, but too heavy for a life.
The real touch told her that she was alive. The peasant girl who had died in despair had long since left that rainy day, or rather, she had already come back to life.
However, she had not discovered this fact until now.
Zhang Jingxian looked at her hands and was completely stunned.
-
The weather warmed up again, and the two sides across the Huai River, facing each other, remained deadlocked, with no one daring to act rashly.
On the surface, with 50,000 versus 300,000, the Di people clearly had the upper hand. However, the battle four years prior had cast a pall over the Di generals' perception of Xie Yun; they simply refused to believe that Xie Yun truly had only 50,000 men.
The Di people mistook the flags on the mountain for an ambush, and the sincere "persuasion" of the envoys sent by Xie Yun was seen as a conspiracy.
As a result, the side whose morale gradually declined was the Di people with an army of 300,000.
Xie Yun was very impatient about this, and he sent envoys to the other side again, demanding that war begin as soon as possible.
"The Governor-General has always disliked delay. With a million-strong army at your disposal, there's no need to be afraid. Why not agree to a showdown after crossing the river?"
The envoy was calm and composed. He was a high-ranking guest recruited by Xie Yun. Even though he was in the enemy camp, he could still make a few jokes.
"Spring is ending, summer is beginning, and the Governor wishes to reunite with his wife. Don't you all miss your families? The Huai River may be beautiful, but it's not your hometown after all."
Family and hometown, these simple words immediately disturbed the already restless hearts of the Di people. They didn't care about Xie Yun and his wife, but his confidence meant that they would be away from home forever and would never see their blood-related family again.
The million-strong army mentioned by the messenger was more like a mockery.
"Hmph, a decisive battle sounds easy, but who's going to cross the river? You or us?" the Di leader scoffed. He had already spotted Xie Yun's men, ambushed on the opposite bank. If they crossed the river first, wouldn't the enemy's ambushers rush down from the heights? Wouldn't that be impossible to resist?
"Hahaha, the governor said that he is more anxious to reunite with his wife. Therefore, you can retreat and we can cross the Huai River immediately." The envoy laughed a few times and asked the Di people for their decision.
The Di people's commander was no incompetent man. Several ambush methods flashed through his mind quickly. After discussing with several generals, he asked the envoy to withdraw first, and they would give a definite reply later.
In fact, an army of 300,000 could not be delayed in this foreign land.
Not long after the messenger returned to the camp, the Di leader sent someone to deliver a declaration of war with a seal on it.
Xie Yun glanced at him expressionlessly, his deep black eyes seemed to be burning with ghostly fire, cold and terrifying. Human hearts are too easy to be manipulated, and so are human lives.
It’s just that some people’s lives are the most precious treasure to him, and nothing else is worth worrying about.
He looked up at the counselor beside him and said, "Pass the order, we can begin."
"Finally, I've waited for this moment." Gong Chengyue put down the feather fan in his hand and walked out of the tent leisurely.
Xie Yun was the only one left in the huge tent. He stood up and looked back at the map behind him. Changling, marked with landscape symbols, was particularly conspicuous.
He stretched out his fingers and stroked slowly, as if touching someone's cheek.
Missing Shi Gu, Xie Yun suddenly felt a little regretful. Why did he send her back to Xishan Village? Otherwise, he could have watched over her for a while longer.
"Ah Xian, you are right. I will win this battle. Only then... will I be qualified to do what you call the impossible."
A day later, in accordance with the agreement between the two parties, Xie Yun led his troops across the river.
Zhang Rushan, Zheng Qi and others were sent to the mountain again, where they silently took down the flags that were hung there. At this time, they were standing on a high place and were the ones who could see the situation more clearly.
The Di retreated, with Xie Ju leading the vanguard, who formed into three groups and crossed the river. The dark clouds dispersed and returned, bringing a heavy pressure.
"Ashan, the Di people broke the agreement and want to ambush those who cross the river!" Zheng Qi saw the changes and was shocked and speechless, with the muscles on his face trembling.
He started to shout, but Zhang Rushan remained calm. "Get up, relax. The governor and Mr. Gongcheng must have thought of this a long time ago."
"But..." Zheng Qi's voice was trembling. Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed another small black cloud coming from behind and intersecting the vast tide representing the Di people. "That's the flag of the Northern Palace Army."
He murmured, and suddenly, endless laughter and drumbeats rang out, the excitement in them shaking the heavens and the earth.
"The aliens are retreating, their leader has been killed!"
"Pursue the victory and kill them!"
"Kill all the aliens!"
There were 300,000 troops, including the Di people and other ethnic groups. It was impossible to convey the orders thoroughly. Most people did not know what was happening in front. When the Di people kept retreating, the morale of the army became chaotic.
Excited laughter and drumbeats came from a group that was obviously Zhou people. They did not look elite, and some were old, some were weak, and there were even wounded soldiers.
What does this mean? The Zhou army was completely defeated, and the general was so confident of victory that he dared to send a group of old, weak, and sick people to fight.
At this point, the Di people's rear was in great disarray, and many fled.
The Di people were facing the main force of the Northern Army in front of them. While shouting that the Di people had fallen into a trap, they crossed the Huai River with high morale, and soon the sound of fighting broke out.
Zheng Qi stared in amazement at the red color that symbolized blood appearing in the collision between the two sides. In just a moment, Zhang Rushan suddenly pulled him.
He immediately came to his senses, raised the flag in his hand high, and made the sound of charging together with the others around him.
At this moment, the entire mountain peak was shaking at their voices. Not far away, the wind and sand were blown up again, and the sound of horses' hooves was heard again. An army of over ten thousand people quickly joined the team crossing the river.
There are reinforcements besides the ambush!
"We've fallen into a trap!" The Di people's commander stood on a high city wall with a pale face. He only had time to say one sentence before a long arrow with a cold glow pierced his throat.
...He died, and along with him, 100,000 Di people who had lost their morale were killed, and 200,000 people fled in all directions.
Xie Yun walked up to the city wall, picked up the body of the foreigner with his sword, then cut off his head and ordered his men to burn and bury it together with the body of the Di people.
The fire soared into the sky, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which seemed to drift away into the distance along with the wind and water, silently telling the people on the land.
The Di people were defeated, just like four years ago.
The firelight illuminated Xie Yun's well-defined profile. He slowly raised his lips, as if smiling, but he didn't look that happy.
General Yu walked towards him, his heart full of awe. Only one person in history had been able to defeat an army of 300,000 with less than 50,000 soldiers!
"General, after this battle, the Di people will never dare to attack again!" General Yu was very excited. They not only defended the dynasty and the country, but also prevented the tragic situation of the Han people being treated like pigs and dogs for decades.
This is a battle of orthodoxy, which means the continuation of civilization.
Xie Yun heard his voice, raised his eyelids, and looked over quietly, looking to the left, right, and back of General Yu. His eyes were dark, but there was a burning fire rolling in them.
There was only Yu Ling and his followers, but not her.
There was no peasant girl he had been waiting for for so long.
The firelight suddenly dimmed, and the blood-red sunset cast its afterglow. Xie Yun's eyes moved, and all his outward emotions were restrained. He had no choice but to continue gambling.
"It's too early to say this now. Two hundred thousand aliens must be cleaned out."
His expression was very indifferent, with an inorganic coldness enveloping him, making him completely unlike a human. No wonder the Di people's commander and generals were so wary of him.
General Yu also subconsciously felt a sense of panic in his heart. He always felt that his appearance was not what the governor wanted.
"The Di people have lost their fighting spirit and are much easier to deal with than before," General Yu paused, recounting what happened in Changling, and then said, "This time, it's all thanks to my wife."
He cleverly mentioned Zhang Jingxian, a woman who had grown a lot compared to before.
Xie Yun listened slowly, the desire of his body and mind seemed to devour him whole. He lowered his eyes and hummed lightly.
"Let's go."
General Yu responded respectfully, but he only took a step forward when Xie Yun stopped and asked him a question in a low voice.
"If I win this battle, will she be happy when she finds out? Will she... come looking for me?"
She would be happy, she could leave Changling without worry. But she probably wouldn't take the initiative to look for him.
General Yu did not answer, and he didn't know how to answer. He was not aware of what had happened between Xie Yun and Zhang Jingxian.
A few days later, a letter received from Changling confirmed Xie Yun's suspicions. In the letter, a loyal soldier wrote in an extremely anxious tone that after learning of the victory in the first battle, his wife had quietly left Changling.
She only carried a bow and arrow and rode a horse. No one followed her, and no one knew where she went.
Xie and Gongcheng Yue both guessed that she went back to Xishan Village alone, because she left a note in Huangying's birdcage, saying that she went where she should go and not to worry about her.
As for the little yellow bird, someone saw it flying south, which happened to be the direction of Wuling County.
At that time, all the Northern Army had crossed the Huai River and were pursuing the remnants of the Di people to the north. Xie Yun read the note over and over again, chuckling softly, "Ah Xian's handwriting is getting more and more beautiful."
His laughter contained a deadly sadness and grief.
It seems that he lost the bet.
After the danger was over, she left his world again without looking back, without stopping.
Then, he only had his life left, and he used it to beg for her forgiveness, but after he branded her for the last time, he could no longer see her.
From then on, the peasant girl's every frown, smile, and gesture had nothing to do with him.
Xie Yun sat in the dark for a long time. After a while, he lit a candle and calmly wrote a very long letter, starting from the first time he met the peasant girl and ending with the arrangements after his death.
"Ah Xian, although I can't hear you speak to me in person, I know you will forgive me... and fall in love with me, right?"
Xie Yun gave this letter to his only friend Gong Chengyue, asking him to send it to Xishan Village after his death.
Gong Chengyue only then began to believe what he had said, and cursed him in embarrassment, "What on earth are you trying to do, you bastard?"
"I'm sick, and God wants me to die, that's all." Xie Yun said in a flat tone. If God wanted to take him away, he could only follow him. However, he felt a little sweet in his heart.
He was willing and enjoyed it.
-
Zhang Jingxian herself couldn't understand why she made such a decision.
Now she looked gray and wore coarse linen clothes, with holes scratched by thorns on the arms and hem. She looked worse than when she was in Xishan Village.
She had been in the mountains for several days, hiding and spying on the huge and orderly army below the mountain.
Occasionally, the foal ran into the valley, and she would use the cover of grass and trees to secretly look at the unignorable figure in front of her.
He was incredibly tall, and his appearance had a ghostly, almost ghostly beauty. In other words, he was so beautiful that he didn't seem human.
That day, she vaguely sensed something was wrong with him, but she didn't want to dwell on the panic, so an idea came to her mind: to figure out everything that confused her herself.
Therefore, when the news of the great victory reached Changling and everyone was celebrating, she silently left a note, repeatedly instructing Huang Ying to fly back to Xishan Village and ride her pony north.
She carried with her a simple map, which she had found in Xie Yun's study, and it was barely sufficient.
Relying on this and asking around, she managed to catch up with Xie Yun and saw him.
He is not dead, he is alive and well, and is looked up to by everyone.
Zhang Jingxian breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to leave with Xiaoju. However, after accidentally noticing his dead look, she was inexplicably compelled to stay.
I still haven't figured out what he meant!
The war with the Di people had lasted for a month, and most of the 300,000-strong army had been wiped out.
This was the fifth day she had been secretly following Xie Yun. Thanks to the shelter of the forest, no one had noticed her tracks. Hiding behind a tree, Zhang Jingxian took a casual glance and was surprised to find her cousin, who had shot and killed several Di people.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, she showed up to meet her cousin, carrying a bow and arrow similar to his, and smiled at him ingratiatingly.
"Brother."
Zhang Rushan was so surprised when he saw her that he almost stopped breathing. He knew that she had been following him on the hill for a few days. He gritted his teeth and endured it without scolding her. Instead, he bravely and carefully brought her back to the army.
Because of Zhang Rushan's identity, everyone gave him preferential treatment, whether he wanted it or not, and never doubted him.
Zhang Jingxian sneaked in and changed into the clothes of a new soldier.
When she recognized Zheng Qi and others again, they didn't recognize her at first because she had painted several lines on her face. Of course, their faces changed after they knew it was her.
"This is A-Lin, A-Shan's younger brother. We're from the same village. I didn't expect to meet him in the army."
"Yes, it happened later. We only met in the past two days."
"Don't tell the governor about this little thing. He's so busy with all sorts of things that he can't afford to be distracted by this."
Zhang Jingxian transformed herself into her cousin Zhang Rulin. Although she was pretty, she was strong and good at riding and shooting, so others quickly accepted her identity.
With the protection and care of her cousin and others, Zhang Jingxian lived a pretty good life in this army that continued to march north.
After sneaking into the military camp, Zhang Jingxian became bolder. Several times, she approached Xie Yun and looked at him silently.
Probably due to the fatigue of the march, he was getting thinner day by day, and his bones were becoming sharper, just like the long sword he was wearing, which could hurt others and himself if he was not careful.
She could tell he wasn't happy.
Was it because of herself? Zhang Jingxian didn't dare to think too deeply. She always told herself that she would leave after the war was completely over.
However, on this day, when the emperor in Jiankang City issued an edict to confer him the title of Duke of Changling County, he laughed, and laughed from the bottom of his heart.
"I don't want the position of Duke of a County. You go back and report to His Majesty that I want another kind of reward." Xie Yun said bluntly to the envoy from Jiankang City. He wanted the Star-Picking Tower that was built more than four years ago.
The messenger was stunned and speechless. This was tantamount to disobeying the imperial order.
"You don't answer. Does that mean His Majesty is unwilling to give it to you? Fine, then I'll go get it myself."
Xie Yun decided to lead 5,000 troops to Jiankang, and Gongcheng Yue accompanied him. Xie Ju and General Yu stayed behind in the army and continued to move north to recover the lost territories occupied by the Di people for a hundred years.
Upon hearing this, the messenger trembled and fell to the ground. He subconsciously smelled the scent of an impending storm.
Even though the elite Northern Army only numbered 5,000, no one dared to stand in their way under the overwhelming influence of Envoy Xie. The only consolation was that Prime Minister Xie was in Jiankang, where he should be able to restrain his nephew from overstepping his bounds.
Zhang Jingxian also felt something was wrong, so she persuaded her cousin to join the group of 5,000 people.
Still, Xie Yun didn't notice her.
He seemed to care about nothing, like a dead tree in the mountains, a dying beast, his body was still there, but his soul had disappeared.
Zhang Jingxian pursed her lips and walked towards him uncontrollably many times. However, there seemed to be an obstacle blocking her way, and a voice whispered in her ear.
Wait a little longer, wait a little longer, maybe when he returns to Jiankang, he will be able to recover as usual and become the high and mighty Lord Xie.
The journey to Jiankang was a bit hurried. Sometimes Zhang Jingxian didn't even have time to drink water. Her cousin Zhang Rushan felt sorry for her and hesitated to speak. He wanted her to reveal her identity and sit comfortably in the carriage.
She shook her head. Stubbornness was the basic nature of her as a peasant girl and could not be changed.
Finally, after many days of traveling, Zhang Jingxian, among the 5,000 people, saw the towering gate of Jiankang City again.
Obviously, they couldn't just enter the city like that, so the Northern Army set up camp outside the city.
That day, Prime Minister Xie went out of the city to meet his nephew.
"Uncle, I want to pick the Star Terrace."
Xie Yun spoke, saying only one sentence.
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The author has something to say: Muah, the main text is expected to be completed tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
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