Chapter 74, Midnight
Chapter 74
Mugo was breathing rapidly, his chest heaving violently.
Shan Chenjun's words kept echoing in my mind.
He suddenly remembered what the strategist had told him before.
Don't ruin the great cause of the Northern Chi for your own selfish gain.
What is self-interest?
What does his territorial expansion and great achievements have to do with him?!
The Northern Chi tribes could live a good life if they weren't so warlike, so why do they keep fighting?
And we must continue to sacrifice those who will never enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Shan Chenjun withdrew his hand. "But people are different. I want stability."
"A ruler, for example, desires more merit than stability."
"It depends on whether you want family and brothers or fame and glory." Shan Chenjun interrupted him, turned and left. "This is all I can do for you. Whatever path you choose, I will support you."
This choice seems to be in Mugo's hands.
In reality, it had already been in Shan Chenjun's hands for a long time.
Shan Chenjun walked away with his back to him, leaving Mu Ge alone in the same spot.
If Mugo wanted merit, he wouldn't have come to beg her in the first place yesterday.
If she's right.
Mugo should soon hate the Northern Chi King for causing him and his family to suffer such a fate.
Shan Chenjun walked back to the main camp of the Northern Chi tribe and saw Helan Jun training his troops not far away.
It seems the new recruits were being a bit temperamental, which made He Lanjun very angry.
After throwing a tantrum, he sat on a nearby earthen slope and drank some water to calm down.
He Lanjun saw Shan Chenjun returning from afar and waved to her.
Shan Chenjun then stepped forward.
The surrounding soldiers all bowed their heads and saluted her.
Although Shan Shenjun was only a hostage, he was still highly respected in the military camp.
After all, Shan Chenjun and the generals currently serving the Northern Chi King all grew up together.
When they first met, they were just a group of powerless children.
Some of them were playmates sent by the King of Beichi to Shan Chenjun to instill in her the power of Beichi and to make her loyal to Beichi and submit to its power.
He Lanjun was one of them.
They grew closer and became close partners.
Sometimes Shan Chenjun would also give them ideas on how to make Bei Chi better.
They all believed this was a symbol of her submission to the Northern Chi, and over time they came to regard her as one of their own.
These generals now have some influence around the Northern Chi King, largely thanks to Shan Chenjun's advice and strategies in eliminating rivals and rising to high positions.
The King of Beichi has never married or had children.
There is no one to carry on the legacy.
These are the people who are his right-hand men.
The Northern Chi royal family merely viewed Shan Chenjun's ability to navigate complex situations as a way to secure their future survival.
They didn't care, after all, Shan Chenjun had no real power and couldn't mobilize troops.
What can a hostage who is powerless do?
He Lanjun handed her a water pouch. "Have you made the arrangements?"
"Hmm." Shan Chenjun took it. "The Mu clan can't just end like this. We need to give Mu Ge a chance to redeem himself."
He Lanjun had no doubts, "It's just that Mu Lin is too anxious."
Although they are now in a superior-subordinate relationship, they were once brothers who had spent many years together in the military.
He Lanjun, as a marshal, sometimes scolded them, but he also hoped they would be alright.
"They're probably afraid of losing." Shan Chenjun looked at the vast military camp before him. "We'll go back when we win."
He Lanjun looked at her and asked, "What do you want to do if you win?"
“We won,” Shan Chenjun took a deep breath. “If Your Majesty is willing to give me an official position in Bei Chi, I will help Bei Chi prosper.”
He Lanjun sighed, "Life in Beichi is actually not as good as in Shanshan."
“Life is what you make of it,” Shan Chenjun said slowly. “If you want to be strong and powerful, you will spend all your time training soldiers and forging armor. Naturally, agriculture will not prosper, commerce will not flourish, there will be more smoke of war than grass and trees, officials and soldiers will be rich, and the common people will be poor.”
"If we want to build a good infrastructure and focus on agriculture and commerce, then people's lives will be much better."
He Lanjun looked at her for a while, "I have always liked what you told us about your time in Shanshan."
"After the war ends, I want to go back to Shanshan with you."
Shan Chenjun chuckled, "His Majesty will definitely not let you go. You're capable of fighting."
He Lanjun was a little discouraged. "He likes to fight, he likes to expand his territory, and he likes the feeling of having the world under his control."
Shan Chenjun asked at the opportune moment, "Do you like it?"
“I liked them a few years ago.” He Lanjun leaned against the side. “The more I fought, the weaker I became, and I kept thinking about my parents’ advanced age. If I couldn’t go back alive, then there would be no one to take care of them.”
Shan Chenjun's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he said, seemingly unintentionally, "Who isn't?"
"But if the ruler has lofty ambitions, we, as his subjects, can only listen."
“I hope that after this battle, Your Majesty can withdraw as soon as possible,” Helan Jun said, looking at her. “However, I don’t know if we can hold out. The Northern Chi are mostly military officers, good at fighting but not at defending. If you stay, you will surely be of some use when the Northern Chi are rebuilt in the future.”
"Or perhaps in the future, Your Majesty will have a son, a crown prince, just like you."
Shan Chenjun smiled, "Why don't you come to Shanshan with me then? I'll appoint you as a marshal general, and I'll give you whatever you want."
"If your mother falls ill in the future, and the Northern Chi tribes cannot cure her, the Central Plains can."
"I'll open a route between Shanshan and Central China to help your mother get treatment."
He Lanjun also laughed, "It's not impossible."
Shan Chenjun's smile became somewhat inscrutable as he looked at the orderly line not far away.
The bugle sounded.
Another burly man walked out from beside the commander's tent and glanced at them from a distance.
That's Shan Ze.
Besides Helan Jun, the other warrior commander beside the King of Bei Chi was...
Shan Chenjun looked at Shan Ze from afar, smiled, and stood up. "It's time. I can't stay out here any longer. I have to go back."
"Jokes aside."
"For the sake of our relationship, let me remind you, don't be too competitive in everything you do in the future." Shan Chenjun deliberately glanced at Shan Ze. "Someone's jealous of you."
He Lanjun also saw Shan Ze, and his gaze darkened.
Their relationship had never been good, and Shan Ze had often openly or secretly opposed him.
It was Shan Chenjun who helped him.
Otherwise, who knows how many times Shan Ze would have schemed against him in front of the emperor.
Shan Chenjun strolled back to his tent.
Those people don't know.
The generals who were on good terms with her were more patriotic and peaceful, a trait she cultivated in them, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
When their ruler's intentions contradict those of their own, they will feel disappointed and develop rebellious and dissatisfied tendencies.
Not only that.
He Lanjun and Shan Ze did not get along.
It was she who instigated it.
Shan Chenjun wiped the jade pendant at his waist.
Hold it and play with it on your fingertips.
People should not only cultivate a force that benefits themselves.
We also need to cultivate an enemy, so that we can use him to cause trouble when necessary.
This is a system of checks and balances.
Only when they have a common enemy causing trouble from time to time will He Lanjun and his men trust them more.
She was able to stand more steadily then.
She may not have real power.
If you can understand people's hearts, some goals can still be achieved.
Shan Chenjun's thoughts on the letter he sent out were not complicated.
Three days later, she gambled on whether Yao Yao, knowing she was there, would send someone over.
If the fear of a trap doesn't materialize, then it doesn't matter.
She can still think of another way.
But if there is one, then Yao Yao will send someone over.
Once Mugo brings the people in, she will have outside help.
She has been scheming and plotting alone in the Northern Chi army camp until now.
We've waited too long for this day.
*
Inside the camp, the debate raged all day about who should be sent in three days later.
Yu Wanyin sat in the room and muttered, "I want to go."
Rong Si interrupted her gruffly, "No."
Chu Yu, sitting beside Rong Si, glanced at him and asked, "Why are you being so fierce?"
He poured Yu Wanyin a cup of tea. "Don't worry, Yaoyao, I'll go."
“You don’t know my elder sister.”
“We don’t know any of them,” Chu Yu said, not thinking it was a problem. “There’s only one Shanshan man in the Northern Chi army camp. If I wanted to investigate, I should be able to find out easily.”
"Besides, since she wants us to go in, she probably already has a plan."
Rong Si spoke up, "No matter how well you devise a plan, if you're truly trapped in the Northern Chi army camp, you won't be able to get out easily."
His expression was deep and thoughtful. "I'll go."
“By brute force alone, we won’t get anywhere.” Chu Yu looked at Rong Si. “The one who goes in must be someone with a brain.”
Rong Si clicked his tongue lightly, realizing that Chu Yu was subtly mocking him as a brute.
Rong Si wasn't in a hurry. "Having a brain and having a black heart are two different things."
Chu Yu raised his eyes, his gaze dark and menacing.
Yu Wanyin was still lost in her own thoughts.
They completely ignored what the two of them were up to, whether openly or covertly.
She stood up, feeling that the many people in the room were affecting her thinking. "Let me think about it some more."
Yu Wanyin left the main camp and went to her own tent.
Outside the camp, the clanging sounds of soldiers drilling could be heard.
The rhythmic and powerful sounds echoed continuously in my ears.
Yu Wanyin stayed alone for a while.
By going, she can, to some extent, take the initiative into her own hands.
She and her older sister must work together better than anyone else.
Yu Wanyin still couldn't let go of this thought.
She frowned and stood up, about to leave the tent, when a tall shadow blocked her path.
Rong Si just opened her tent flap, stared intently at her, and walked towards her step by step.
The man's military boots pounded the ground, each step steady and powerful.
Yu Wanyin was a little hesitant to look directly into his amber eyes.
He seemed to be able to see through all of my thoughts.
But she couldn't hold back any longer, and Yu Wanyin moved her lips, "I..."
Before Yu Wanyin could finish speaking, a shadow suddenly loomed over her.
Rong Si grabbed the back of her neck, ruthlessly silencing her before she could utter a word.
The scent of morning dew filled his mouth, and his voice was deep and hoarse, "You're not allowed to go."
Yu Wanyin turned her head away, "But... um!"
Before she could say anything to change the subject, Rong Si swallowed her weak voice and gnawed at it.
It evokes a subtle, tingling pain, then takes advantage of her moment of vulnerability to penetrate deeper.
Until he can completely run rampant within this territory.
She had no chance to escape.
He urged her to accept him directly and face his prohibition: "Do you still want to go?"
"I want to..." Yu Wanyin had only uttered half a sentence when he pressed down on her fiercely and aggressively, his force encroaching on her.
Yu Wanyin had no choice but to retreat, her steps faltering.
But he didn't stop, and forcefully penetrated her waist.
Yu Wanyin was unsteady on her feet, but she wouldn't fall.
After a series of clanging and banging noises from the cabinets and jars, she was pinned down on the shelf behind them.
Rong Si held her neck with his arm, pressing her down so that she didn't move an inch.
He left her with no way to retreat, pressing his lips against hers, his voice rough, "Do you know what that barbarian wants to do to you if you go?"
Rong Si traced the outline of her lips, then forcefully ripped open her skirt, "Like this..."
"Rong Si!" Yu Wanyin pressed down on his arm, and when she saw his eyes turn bloodshot again, she felt a chill in her heart.
When he acts without restraint, he truly has no sense of proportion.
It pulled so hard that her waistline started to feel numb and sore.
But she couldn't hold him down at all.
Rong Si ripped off her skirt sash and wrapped it around her own hand. "Going again?"
Someone walked in from outside the tent.
Chu Yu's voice rang out at the same time, "The Hu people are one family and share a wife."
Yu Wanyin trembled when she heard Chu Yu enter.
Rong Si's tall figure completely blocked her view, and he turned his head to look at Chu Yu warily.
"The King of Beichi has two brothers in the heart of Beichi."
Chu Yu looked up at them and said, "If Yao Yao is so disobedient and insists on going..."
His voice was chilling, with a hidden, unpredictable chuckle, "Why don't we try it out first, see if you like being with several husbands at once..."
"No, no, I'm not going." Yu Wanyin hurriedly interrupted them, shrinking into Rong Si's arms.
This was so absurd that she could hardly believe it.
She dared not gamble if she insisted on going.
Are they going to actually do it?
In short, neither of them is an ordinary person.
Rong Si looked at Chu Yu with hostility in his eyes, completely protecting Yu Wanyin.
But it seems that Chu Yu is indeed very good at scaring people.
It's much faster than him solving the problem with force.
Chu Yu smiled, his tone gentle and coaxing, "Isn't that it?"
"Yaoyao is waiting for us here."
As Chu Yu spoke, he glanced at Rong Si, then immediately changed his tone, coldly saying, "Come out."
Rong Si didn't respond, but turned to look at Yu Wanyin, who was stunned.
He loosened the ribbons wrapped around her hands and, not satisfied, kissed her eyebrows and eyes again.
Yu Wanyin pursed her lips and only breathed a sigh of relief after they had all left her room.
She sat restlessly at a table and chair.
Going to the Northern Chi tribe was indeed dangerous.
Besides, it was her guess that someone would meet her.
What if there isn't one?
What if something goes wrong on the way to the rendezvous point?
That was actually the camp of the Northern Chi tribe, not their own. Most of the soldiers inside were still loyal to the Northern Chi.
Yu Wanyin thought that no matter which of the two of them went, without backup, they would be in great danger as powerful lords.
Many people believe that to catch a thief, you must first catch the king, and catching the king means beheading him.
She's different; at least they won't kill her.
However, it seems they won't let her go now.
Yu Wanyin picked up the teacup on the table, unsure of what to do.
Inside the adjacent tent.
Chu Yu first poured Rong Si a cup of tea.
Rong Si spoke first, "Three days later, I will lead the troops there. You will stay in the camp and guard Yao Yao."
Chu Yu asked succinctly, "Reason?"
“I’m better at fighting than you, and I’m also better at faking battles than you.” Rong Si looked at him. “The people around you are all so serious that they probably have never done anything to bluff. We’re better at being shameless than you.”
Chu Yu nodded, "That's true."
Rong Si kicked him.
Chu Yu remained calm and composed, gently brushing the dust off the hem of his clothes. "You can't even listen to what you say yourself."
Rong Si continued, "If the general on the other side can really join us, I can accept it too."
"If not, I can still accept the challenge."
Chu Yu asked, "Are you comfortable leaving Yao Yao and me alone together?"
"I'm not afraid, I'll take her far away."
Rong Si raised an eyebrow slightly. "The main reason I'm keeping you here is so you can intimidate her and make her give up the idea of going to the Northern Chi army camp. If you can really get her away from such a dangerous place, then I'll accept it."
"I'm not going to argue with you right now."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to hold her back. Don't let her quiet demeanor fool you; she's incredibly stubborn at heart."
stubborn.
Chu Yu lowered his eyes.
This was yet another state that Yu Wanyin had never shown in front of him.
Chu Yu both disliked and envied him.
How could a boor like Rong Si possibly see so many of her emotions and states?
Chu Yu genuinely wanted Rong Si dead, but he also genuinely envied him.
Seeing that Chu Yu did not reply, Rong Si stood up and said, "It's settled then. I will lead the troops over there."
"Your men just came back. When will they arrive in two days?"
Chu Yu took a sip of tea. "Two days from now, at noon."
"Hmm." Rong Si picked up the letter that had been sent by the Northern Chi army camp and looked at it for a while.
The letter did not specify the time, only the day; the rest of the information would have to be found out by themselves.
But since the intention was to lure them there, the reconnaissance would inevitably uncover the time when they were lying in ambush.
He and Chu Yu had a clear division of labor, with Chu Yu handling the task of secretly gathering information.
They cannot order their subordinates to do the same thing twice.
They can fight.
Rong Si left the camp to mobilize troops, but Chu Yu remained seated in his tent, quietly gazing at one spot.
His deep black eyes held a treacherous and unpredictable glint.
The remaining two days.
Rong Si prepared many fake blood items and bluffing smoke bombs.
It was indeed something only bandits could obtain.
Yu Wanyin went to Yu Heyue's camp.
As soon as Yu Heyue saw her come in, she immediately stood up.
This was a reaction that Yu Wanyin hadn't shown at home before.
Yu Wanyin guessed that this was probably a conditioned reflex that Yu Heyue had developed in the Hu people's camp.
"Please sit down," Yu Wanyin simply gestured.
Yu Heyue sat down hesitantly.
Yu Wanyin took out a piece of paper, "I feel much better now."
“It’s better than being in the Northern Chi camp,” Yu Heyue said softly.
At least I don't have to live in fear anymore.
Yu Wanyin handed her paper and pen, "Help me write down everything you know about the power dynamics within the Northern Chi army camp."
Yu Heyue paused, then picked up paper and pen. "I've been in the Mu family's military camp the whole time, so I don't know much."
"It's alright, write down as much as you know."
Yu Heyue pondered for a moment, then wrote as she spoke, “What I’ve heard are that the Northern Chi King has several top generals and commanders. One is Helan Jun, and the other is Shan Ze.”
"Helan Jun is divided into three branches. One of them is the Mu clan, and the other two are in other territories, which I am not very clear about."
"The two branches under Shan Ze are mainly managed by his younger brothers."
"The relationship between these two head coaches is very bad. I always hear them criticizing Shan Ze on Mu's side, saying that he would set traps for He Lan's head coach and trip him up."
"Shan Ze's treacherous schemes will also bring disaster to the Mu clan."
"However, the King of the North Chi Kingdom does not like a general to be too powerful. Moreover, Shan Ze is happy to expand the territory for the king. Shan Ze and the King of the North Chi Kingdom are the same kind of people, so the king sometimes actually prefers Shan Ze."
“When she was biased, Mu would also be disrespectful to the emperor in private and had many complaints.”
"Besides that, the Helan clan and the Mu clan also have a hostage who frequently helps them."
Mugo called him Young Master Shen Jun.
Yu Wanyin's heart stirred slightly as she listened, and she gently tightened her fingers as she watched Yu Heyue write the four characters "Chen Jun Gongzi".
“They all like Shen Jun very much. Whenever Shan Ze tries to trip them up, it is usually Shen Jun who helps them find a solution.”
Yu Wanyin's voice was so soft it was almost ethereal, "Have you seen her?"
“I’ve never met her,” Yu Heyue shook her head. “I rarely get to go out and meet people.”
Half an hour later.
Yu Wanyin walked out of Yu Heyue's tent, holding the list of Northern Chi power relationships written by Yu Heyue.
She was still staring blankly at the young man's name.
Yu Wanyin took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.
She relayed this information to Rong Sichuyu, gave them instructions on the expedition, and then had to return to her camp.
Yu Wanyin lay on her bed, examining the jade pendant.
It's probably a fake...
No wonder they look so alike.
Yu Wanyin ran her fingers over the totem on it.
Is it really in the hands of Young Master Shen Jun?
The refined and elegant young master...
Yu Wanyin did not have dinner and stayed in the room all night.
Rong Si held the food for half the night but still couldn't feed her.
After it cooled down, he had to eat it himself first.
Chu Yu glanced at him and said, "You've eaten quite a lot, Lord Rong."
Rong Si said, "Do you think she would eat if you fed her?"
Chu Yu said calmly, "She used to eat whatever I fed her."
Since they were probably going to enter the enemy camp tomorrow, Rong Si surprisingly softened his stance and became more agreeable, saying, "Then you should have fed him earlier."
Chu Yu remained silent.
Yu Wanyin rarely refused him.
But is not refusing what she wants?
Why not reject him?
Chu Yu originally thought that he and Rong Si were no different in her heart.
But the more I look at it, the more I realize there's a difference.
“But she’s asleep,” Rong Si reminded him. “You should send someone to make her a new one tomorrow, because I have to get up early to go to war tomorrow morning.”
"Make sure she eats properly. She doesn't want to eat when she's preoccupied."
"Um."
Chu Yu casually said, "Then you should eat more and go to bed early, so as not to delay your departure for the expedition tomorrow morning."
"It won't delay anything." Rong Si packed up and returned to his tent.
I turned off the lamps and went to rest early in the morning.
Chu Yu sat by the campfire in the camp for a long time.
Wu Zhou walked past him and went to Zong Cheng's side. "You guys go back and rest tonight. We're going to set off tomorrow morning, so it'll be our turn to be on duty."
Zong Cheng did not refuse, and after conveying the duty roster to Wu Zhou, he returned to his tent to rest.
As night deepened, the quiet, cold wind stirred up the last embers of the campfire.
The flickering flames rose up like tiny stars, slowly falling into the swirling ashes.
At midnight, a group of soldiers quietly gathered outside the camp.
Chu Yu led the formation, glanced back at the neatly arranged military camp in the darkness, then looked away and raised his hand in a gesture.
The vast army departed from outside the camp.
The enemy's information to Wu Zhou was not revealed at noon the following day.
It is midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).
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