Chapter 82 Taming the Falcon
The Northern Chi army began its withdrawal seven days later.
After discussion, Shan Chenjun decided to first lead a group of troops to Shanshan, break the siege of Shanshan, and then reunite with He Lanjun and the others.
Yu Wanyin naturally wanted to go with her elder sister.
Rong Si couldn't keep up, so he and Chu Yu each sent tens of thousands of troops to Shan Chenjun to take away.
At least I was able to get them home safely.
With enough manpower, they can send messages back promptly if anything happens on their way home.
The returning troops were stationed outside Wan'an Port. After several rains, the sky cleared and the mountains and rivers affected by the war began to sprout new green shoots amidst the darkness and withered yellow.
The air still carried the lingering damp smell of cooking.
Rong Si watched Yu Wanyin's carriage depart from afar, his mood somber, and remained silent for a long time.
Until their returning procession completely disappeared from sight.
Chu Yu turned around first, spurred his horse into the city, and said, "Rong Si, you need to think about it. We are here to solve Yao Yao's worries."
"If we can't bear to part with her, then let's see who can go back to see her first."
Rong Si ignored Chu Yu's words for a moment.
Until even the sound of Chu Yu's troop of horses gradually disappeared from his ears, leaving only the sound of the wind all around.
On the way home, Yu Wan's lily-of-the-valley hairpin jingled and tinkled for a long time as she spoke.
She stared blankly at the passing shadows of grass and trees outside the car window.
I saw a gyrfalcon circling high in the sky.
Yu Wanyin asked, "Sister, can you train eagles?"
Shan Chenjun casually tossed away the foxtail grass he had been playing with between his fingers. "Yes."
He whistled in another direction, and the sky was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, an eagle took off from the dense forest not far away, flapping its wings and creating a strong gust of air as it swooped down towards them.
The group suddenly tensed up when the eagle appeared.
Everyone quickly went on high alert. Mugo reminded Helan Jun, "Commander, Shen Jun has called your hawk."
He Lanjun frowned. "Could something have happened to them?"
At this moment, Shan Chenjun caught He Lanjun's gyrfalcon and smoothed its feathers, saying, "Boys in the Northern Chi tribe all have to learn to tame eagles when they grow up."
"They definitely won't let me learn it."
“But I can learn it secretly.” Shan Chenjun gestured to Yu Wanyin, “It’s a lot of fun, want to try?”
Yu Wanyin watched as the eagle, with its upright posture and imposing presence, perched on Shan Chenjun's arm, vigilantly watching its surroundings.
It seemed as if anyone who dared to invade would be punished by it.
Yu Wanyin tentatively reached out and touched its feathers.
It did not resist, probably knowing that these were its own people.
Through its feathers, Yu Wanyin could feel the vibrant life force contained beneath its wings.
Shan Chenjun said slowly, "The eagle is a fierce bird of prey."
"The joy of eagle training lies in taming; the king of the sky submits to your grasp."
“If you train it well, you will feel that the world it can fly to is yours, and you can go wherever it can go.”
The strength of a person lies not in their physical power, but in their ability to subdue others.
A strong person can live with any personality, temperament, or strength.
Yu Wanyin smiled and asked, "Is this the eagle you trained?"
“He Lanjun’s.” Shan Chenjun didn’t think these eagles belonged to anyone. “But any eagle that obeys me is one of my eagles.”
“I can call any of their eagles to play with.”
Shan Chenjun looked at her. "Want to see?"
Yu Wanyin shook her head, "I'm not looking anymore, these are all war eagles."
Warplanes can transmit information while evading the flames of war, so it's a bit of a luxury for them to make a trip just to show her.
Shan Chenjun said matter-of-factly, "They should recognize you."
"Once we stop, I'll call them over for you to see."
Shan Chenjun finished grooming the eagle's feathers, then casually slipped a note next to the gyrfalcon's claws, telling it to go back.
The gyrfalcon flew over the mountains and forests and landed back in Helan Jun's group.
He Lanjun quickly stepped forward and took the note next to its paw.
Mugo also stepped forward, asking, "What's wrong?"
He Lanjun's eyelids twitched, and he put the note away. "It's alright, let Shen Jun show our eagle to his sister."
Mugo chuckled, "How can he cherish his sister so much?"
"Perhaps it's because they both had a hard life in the past."
The journey home was not smooth.
Their original plan was to split up and proceed outside Beichi Pass, but unexpectedly, the Beichi capital had already received news of the Beichi army's defeat.
They guarded the pass and suddenly attacked when the enemy approached.
They also tied up He Lanjun's family members as a threat.
Helan Jun was stuck in a stalemate with them outside the pass.
The other party demanded that He Lanjun confess his crimes, or they would execute his entire family.
But Helan Jun knew in his heart that even if he confessed, his entire family would still be executed.
Yu Wanyin sent a portion of her troops to take a detour.
They circled around to the rear of the Northern Chi Kingdom, to the border of Shanshan, and met up with the Shanshan king.
Suddenly, a message arrived from the royal court of Shanshan.
Gu Hong sat on his throne, listening to the report from his attendants, and thought he had misheard. "Who did you say?"
"Young Master Shen Jun has secretly ordered the king to launch a counterattack and directly attack the heart of the Northern Chi territory."
Upon hearing her daughter's name, Shan Yun gripped the armrest of her chair tightly and looked at them warily. "How can we believe that you are truly delivering a message for Shen Jun?"
Shan Yun always remembers that ten years ago, she and Shen Jun returned to their hometown.
That day, the former king sent someone to deceive her, but unexpectedly, they stole her child and sent it to the enemy country to surrender.
Over the past decade, she has woken up countless times from dreams of Shan Chenjun's disappearance.
She can no longer easily trust anyone, and can no longer live a normal life.
The messenger was speechless for a moment.
Footsteps could be heard outside the hall.
Gu Hong and Shan Yun looked in the direction of the sound and saw a thin figure wearing a black cloak.
Yu Wanyin walked into the hall, naturally lifting the brim of her cloak and handing a jade pendant to a palace attendant beside her.
The palace maid presented the jade pendant.
Yu Wanyin stared at Gu Hong, who was in a high position, for a moment, and recognized that he was indeed a Han Chinese. She then looked at the white-haired woman beside her.
It's only been ten years, and these two are only around forty years old.
However, he looked much older than the average person.
Shan Yun stared blankly at the jade pendant presented by the palace servants.
She picked up the jade pendant, which still had a corner that Shan Chenjun had accidentally chipped off when he was a child.
Back then, Shan Yun always said that Shan Chenjun had chipped the jade pendant like that.
Over the years, however, the jade pendant has been covered with countless damages and cracks, except for that one corner.
That shard of jade, ironically, became the most inconspicuous scar inside.
Shan Yun looked at the person who came down, "How did you obtain..."
Halfway through his sentence, Shan Yun looked at Yu Wanyin's face and was momentarily dazed.
The sound stopped abruptly.
She seemed to see the Han dynasty man her elder sister had married more than a decade ago remarrying.
We returned all of my sister's belongings.
One of them didn't make it back.
Her daughter.
Shan Yun stood up.
After a moment of silence, Yu Wanyin called out to her, "Auntie."
*
Several miles outside the border of Shanshan, the Northern Chi army has been linked together like a chain for decades, completely sealing off this small country.
The garrison troops watched from afar as the small country besieged the city, and slowly paced back and forth.
During a break from their shifts, some people sat down and chatted, "When will we be able to swallow up this little place?"
"No rush. Once Your Majesty has conquered the Central Plains, conquering Shanshan will be nothing to fear."
The vast desert stretches out in the dead of night.
The howling wind relentlessly battered the encampment.
The garrisoned soldiers organized their ranks and took turns resting amidst this familiar sound.
Until that familiar sound was mixed with some unfamiliar vibrations.
Some people frowned as they listened, "What is that sound?"
"It's just rumors," his companion gestured for him to rest. "Or is Shanshan just asking for trouble and going to fight us out?"
They had just lain down.
Unexpectedly, the wind grew stronger and stronger!
Until the yellow sand deep in the desert was stirred up by the fierce sound of breaking through the formation, Gu Hong's figure, who had not fought for ten years, broke through the yellow sand and mist and went straight to the Northern Chi's encirclement!
He appeared outside the Northern Chi camp like a ghostly demon, with tens of thousands of Han soldiers and Shanshan soldiers behind him!
By the time the Northern Chi troops realized what was happening, it was too late; the camp was in complete chaos.
The battle in the Shanshan area came suddenly, and after breaking through the encirclement, they directly attacked the heart of the Northern Chi territory.
At this moment, Bei Chi had no idea that Shanshan would launch a counterattack at this critical juncture, and almost all of their troops were besieging Helan Jun on the other side.
Upon receiving the news, the Northern Chi royal family had no choice but to withdraw some of the troops that were defending the eastern flank against Helan Jun's forces to resist the attack from Shanshan.
It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
As soon as Helan Jun's troops realized that the Northern Chi royal family was withdrawing, they immediately launched an attack!
After Helan Jun sent men to rescue his family, he had no more scruples and launched a counterattack, charging straight at them!
This conflict lasted for months.
Gu Hong infiltrated the Northern Chi tribe and overthrew the Northern Chi royal family.
The Northern Chi tribe annexed many small kingdoms in the Western Regions, and now completely changed its name and reorganized the royal power, naming it Xigan, with the temporary capital being Xidu.
The reconstruction of the western capital took some effort.
However, Su Fang was adept at leading and guiding the team, and no one knew better than them how to rebuild their homes.
It is the autumn harvest season.
Shan Chenjun called Yu Wanyin out early in the morning, "Today is the Autumn Harvest Festival. There are many eagles over there. Go and pick one you like, and I will teach you how to train an eagle."
Yu Wanyin asked curiously, "Is it difficult?"
"It's not difficult, it's very simple."
Shan Chenjun sat to the side, watching the maid help Yu Wanyin with her hair and makeup. "However, I heard that the war in the Central Plains is almost over."
If she was going out to train eagles, Yu Wanyin would not wear too many hair ornaments.
The maid braided her hair in the style of the Western Regions, with strings of small lily of the valley flowers hanging from it.
Yu Wanyin got up and went out with Shan Chenjun, saying, "It's good that it's over."
Shan Chenjun looked at her calmly, "It's just over, okay?"
"Don't you want your husband to come back?"
Yu Wanyin choked up; she wasn't very good at talking about things related to her husband. "We'll talk about it later."
"We'll see," Shan Chenjun called their horses over. "Then your husband will have to come back soon."
“I took you out once, and several people from my father’s household came to inquire about you.”
Yu Wanyin lowered her eyes and fed her horse first.
Shan Chenjun climbed up and said, "There are many people at the fair today, and I'm sure many more will come to ask you questions."
“If your husband had come back any later, Yaoyao might have found someone better.”
In the main hall nearby, Shan Yun heard Shan Chenjun calling Yu Wanyin to leave again, and couldn't help but run out.
The two maids behind her each took a cloak to block the wind. "You asked Yao Yao to go out with you again."
Shan Chenjun smiled and said, "The weather is nice today, let's take her out for some fresh air."
“It’s good to go out,” Shan Yun said, not that she wouldn’t let them go out, “but be careful and don’t go to any dangerous places.”
"Be careful yourself, and keep a close eye on Yao Yao. If she gets hurt, I'll hold you accountable."
Shan Chenjun raised an eyebrow and patted his horse's saddle. "Why don't you sit here, Yaoyao?"
"I don't want to." Yu Wanyin fed her horse and then mounted it.
She once rode on Shan Chenjun's horse.
As soon as she sat down, her older sister touched and hugged her, taking full advantage of her.
I think I was like that when I was a child too.
The two of them rode their horses toward the palace gate, and Shan Chenjun said jokingly, "Yaoyao has grown up. She doesn't even say that she can do anything to you anymore."
Yu Wanyin interrupted her with etiquette, saying, "You are now the crown prince, and you must be meticulous in your etiquette and ceremony to win people's respect. I'm doing this for your sake."
The palace gates swung open as they approached, and palace servants behind them curtsied, saying, "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness and Princess."
Shan Chenjun smiled but remained silent.
With a younger sister who is so close to you, who could resist the urge to get physical?
The rituals for the Autumn Harvest Festival have already been laid out.
The grasslands and plains were filled with people participating in the celebration and harvest festival.
The Fenghui is a folk activity.
The royal family usually doesn't participate, much like some folk festivals in the Central Plains.
Previously, some of his ministers had suggested to Gu Hong that he share the joy with the people.
Gu Hong refused, saying, "In our place, talking about sharing joy with the people is a joke."
"They can only enjoy themselves when we're not around."
Gu Hong is a very down-to-earth king.
Yu Wanyin sometimes felt that he didn't even seem like a high-ranking person in power, but rather someone close to her like an uncle or elder.
Perhaps it was because Shanshan was such a small place in the past that it didn't need such a grand structure to manage, or perhaps it was just Gu Hong's nature.
Yu Wanyin and Shan Chenjun walked along.
The outskirts of the capital were filled with venues for the annual harvest fair, and people could be seen coming and going everywhere.
Shan Chenjun keenly noticed something and clicked his tongue, "My father has infiltrated again."
Yu Wanyin asked, "What has infiltrated again?"
After she finished speaking, she saw Shan Chenjun point her in a direction.
Among a group of people huddled around a stove, roasting under the scorching sun, they spotted Gu Hong sitting nearby, listening to the people telling stories.
Gu Hong listened with great interest.
Gu Hong was the new emperor, and he rarely appeared among the common people, so few people knew his identity.
Even if they knew, they wouldn't believe that a monarch could casually stroll among the common people.
After a while, Gu Hong had his fun, so he left the crowd and went to the other side.
Gu Hong saw them from afar, greeted them, and then they each went off to wander around in their own places.
Some commoners saw Gu Hong greeting Shan Chenjun and couldn't help but ask, "That looks like His Highness and the Princess. Are you acquainted with them?"
Gu Hong waved his hand, looking at the two people over there with satisfaction, "We're not familiar with each other, they're just more approachable."
"Now, both His Highness and the Princess are exceptionally intelligent, understanding, approachable, and outstanding..."
Gu Hong was about to continue speaking when he was stopped by an attendant, who said, "Your Majesty, the person has left."
Gu Hong turned his head and realized that the spot where the people had been standing was now empty.
"How rude." Gu Hong put his hands behind his back and walked away with a smile.
Under the morning sun over the desert, Yu Wanyin and Shan Chenjun passed through the grassland festival, with eagles circling overhead.
A streak of light and shadow appeared as the clouds stretched across the horizon.
A cool autumn breeze swept across the grassland, rustling softly in the air.
The whistles and howls echoed across the vast plains.
Yu Wanyin blew a whistle.
The eagle responded, flapping its wings and circling down from beyond the horizon, passing by the rolling clouds behind it.
Piercing through clouds and mist.
Yu Wanyin looked in the direction the eagle landed.
But then she suddenly saw Rong Si's tall figure sitting on horseback, watching her for a long time in the east where the sun was rising.
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