Chapter 77 Fool
A thunderous roar echoed between heaven and earth.
On the other side, everything remained calm and no one noticed.
When the Northern Chi tribe was stationed, the soldiers would go out to buy supplies for the whole day, and then gather outside the camp at the appointed time to count the number of people.
The team leader counted the men and found one was missing. He angrily shouted, "Whose soldier is this?"
His teammates seemed a little anxious, looking in the direction Wu Zhou had left.
Someone quickly stepped forward to explain, "I'm sorry, Commander, he may not be familiar with the mountain roads of the Central Plains and has taken the wrong turn."
Wu Zhou returned from outside very soon.
He quickly returned to his unit, saluted, and apologized.
"Do you know how many people have been waiting for you?!" The soldier cursed a couple more times to vent his anger before setting off again.
Wu Zhou exchanged a glance with the person next to him, knowing that everything was going well for them.
When they returned to camp, it was the very time when the Northern Chi army was preparing for drills.
The campsite was bustling with activity.
At noon, Wu Zhou delivered meals to Chu Yu's tent as usual. Chu Yu also gave him a map showing the locations of hidden arms and ammunition storage sites. The plan was to use their informants hidden in the Northern Chi camp to switch the arms and ammunition within the camp, making it easier for them to clear a path in the future.
Chu Yu gave a brief instruction, "If you have any news in the future, don't send it to me first."
Wu Zhou paused for a moment, "Why?"
Chu Yu stared at the note in his hand, lost in thought for a moment, then said, "Too many people around."
"You cannot expose yourself."
Chu Yu continued, "Your primary task is to coordinate with the outside world; don't worry about me."
Wu Zhou frowned, accepted the order, and left temporarily.
As he passed by Shanze's camp, he casually tossed one of the secret orders on the ground.
It was quickly trampled underfoot by another companion disguised as a Northern Chi warrior, who then picked it up and took it away when no one was looking.
Go to exchange the weapons.
As night fell and the moon shone high in the sky, the soldiers in the camp washed and prepared to rest.
His companion called out to Wu Zhou, "He's asleep."
Wu Zhou agreed and blew out the lamp in the tent.
The camp gradually quieted down, and Wu Zhou lay side by side with a group of Hu soldiers on their beds.
For some reason, Chu Yu's words today made him feel uneasy.
Wu Zhou gazed silently at the camp above his head.
The noise of the campsite subsided, and all that could be heard around me were steady breathing sounds.
Sleepiness gradually crept in.
Suddenly, the sound of soldiers and horses entering the camp rang out from outside!
Wu Zhou suddenly opened his eyes!
He listened intently to the sounds outside for a while, his expression growing increasingly solemn.
There was nothing else to it but that the voice was coming from where Chu Yu was being held!
Wu Zhou sat up abruptly, and almost at the same time, he saw his companion in one of his tents also sit up, looking warily toward the source of the sound!
The surrounding Hu people also noticed something was wrong and got up one after another.
Wu Zhou put on his clothes and said in a low voice, "I'll go take a look."
As Wu Zhou spoke, he ran out of the tent and headed in that direction.
At this moment, the Hu soldiers had already surrounded Chu Yu's camp.
Wu Zhou stepped forward and hid himself behind other tents.
They saw an unfamiliar general following behind the King of Bei Chi, marching menacingly toward Chu Yu's camp!
Chu Yu sat calmly in his tent.
They seemed completely unsurprised by their arrival.
He looked outside at the procession of Hu people with torches everywhere, and at the very front was the King of Beichi.
Their faces were tinged with a blood-red hue by the firelight, and the torchlight in their eyes carried a menacing, murderous intent.
The King of the North stared at him intently. "The Marquis of Chu is not sincere."
As soon as the King of Northern Chi spoke, the unfamiliar young general beside him stepped forward and grabbed Chu Yu by the collar, demanding, "What kind of token did you give my brother?!"
“A troop mobilization token,” Chu Yu said matter-of-factly. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Dan Yi's eyes widened in anger, "Then why was my brother wiped out by the entire army!"
"Ah." Chu Yu's smile was inscrutable. "Perhaps... your brother is just too useless."
"We can't even mobilize troops."
Dan Yi suddenly drew his sword, but was shouted at by the King of Bei Chi, "Dan Yi, stop!"
"Your Majesty, he killed one of our commanders! I should kill him!"
The King of the North said coldly, "Step back!"
Dan Yi's hand trembled as he gripped the hilt of his sword, but he was still dragged away by the Northern Chi King's men.
The King of Beichi slowly stepped forward, pressing down on Chu Yu in the shadows of the firelight, "Not only is the transfer order fake."
"The helper from your troop deployment camp is Rong Si."
"But what he holds is the real military tally."
Chu Yu sat there, his figure shrouded in shadow, appearing sinister and ghostly.
He suddenly laughed, his eyes gleaming with a defiant light. "Looks like you're a fool too."
"How could they possibly think that we, the people of the Central Plains, are fit to collude with the barbarians!"
The King of the North grabbed him by the throat!
Chu Yu was forced to raise his head, his eyebrows lowered, but his handsome face remained completely expressionless.
The Northern Chi King exerted force with the tendons and bones on the back of his hand and stared at him for a while.
The knuckles of my fingers turned slightly white from exerting force.
The Northern Chi King forced a mocking smile, "Chu Yu, you are a pitiful man, I will not bother with you."
Even as the King of the North Chi Kingdom spoke, he did not loosen his grip; instead, he tightened it even more. "Bearing the stigma of your uncle's treason, these past few years haven't been easy, have they?!"
Chu Yu gritted his teeth, his face turning pale as he was being choked. "My uncle did not commit treason!"
"Yes, your uncle did not treason, the evidence is all fake. Back then, Marquis Jiang was greedy and wanted to use our Northern Chi tribe to annex Youzhou. Your uncle disagreed, so Marquis Jiang joined forces with us to kill them first, and then launched the campaign in your uncle's name."
"After the battle, we'll accuse them of treason and collusion with the enemy and announce it to the world."
"I'll also tell you something else: Rong Si's father never betrayed you."
"He refused to give false testimony in order to protect your uncle, and was beheaded by his own people. After that day, the city gates were breached, which allowed us to capture Yuanchuan."
"Listen to this! You Central Plains people are all a bunch of selfish and foolish idiots!"
The King of Bei Chi smirked as he stared straight at Chu Yu. “You killed so many people to avenge your family and have hated the Rong Zhi family for so many years. I feel extremely satisfied watching you hate those who died unjustly for you.”
"Not only did you hate the wrong person, but you also failed to kill Rong Si despite all your efforts. You're a useless piece of trash!"
"Don't worry, didn't you want to kill Rong Si? In the future, I'll present Rong Si's head to you, so you can die in peace!"
Chu Yu's eyes gradually turned bloodshot as he stared intently at the Northern Chi King before him.
Whether it was from being pinched or from a surge of blood, Chu Yu's temples bulged with veins, and his entire body was filled with a chilling killing intent!
A cold glint flashed within the tent!
The Northern Chi general behind him shouted, "Be careful!"
Immediately afterwards, Chu Yu's poisoned blade slashed the side of the Northern Chi King's neck, before being quickly deflected.
A streak of blood oozed from the neck of the Northern Chi King!
The Northern Chi King had no choice but to immediately let go and touch his own neck.
The Northern Chi soldiers behind them shouted, "Medic! Medic, come quickly!"
"Who searched him! How come they didn't find a knife on him?!"
Chu Yu spoke with a gentle smile but with a sinister tone, "It's alright, I don't like to argue with the dead."
The King of the North gritted his teeth and looked down at him.
Soon, the Northern Chi King's lips curled into a cold smile, "Rest assured, if I die, none of you Han people in the Central Plains will live in peace!"
"Guards, prepare the execution ground!"
From the outside, Wu Zhou couldn't see the situation inside at all.
He instinctively stepped forward, but then realized something and had to stop.
If we go now, it will expose the fact that there are informants in the Northern Chi camp.
After calming down for a moment, Wu Zhou took advantage of the chaos to quickly send a message to his informants in the Northern Chi camp.
Including Mugo.
*
In the dead of night, Rong Si led his troops to the mountains five miles away from the Northern Chi camp.
They continued their journey towards the Northern Chi camp.
The mountain mist slowly spread, covering the entire roadside.
The entire mountain forest was shrouded in a white, desolate, and damp atmosphere.
The carriage rolled over the pebbly stream, swaying heavily with a "thud".
Yu Wanyin was curled up in the military wagon when she suddenly woke up from her dream.
She woke up to find her palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat.
For some reason, her heart was beating extremely fast, as if it could burst out of her heart and leap out of her chest.
It's like being startled awake, but not entirely.
She sat up, lifted the carriage curtain, and asked, "Where are we?"
"Your Majesty, we will arrive at the Northern Chi camp in less than a quarter of an hour."
Yu Wanyin responded and was about to sit back down when a whistle suddenly sounded from the mountains!
Those were the sentry posts patrolling every section of the mountain road leading to the Northern Chi Camp.
Such a whistle usually means that there is unusual activity ahead!
We must stop and rest for the time being.
The group had to stop on their journey.
Rong Si dismounted and stepped forward to inquire about the strange noise ahead.
Yu Wanyin sat in the carriage for a while, but she really couldn't sit still any longer.
She called for someone to come and help her down from the carriage and walk to the front of the procession.
Seeing this, Zong Cheng stopped her, "Your Majesty, you should go back to the carriage first."
Yu Wanyin shook her head and walked towards where Rong Si was.
The patrolling soldiers rushed down the mountain and told Rong Si, "The Northern Chi camp ahead has set fire to the camp late at night and is gathering its troops. We don't know what's going on and are waiting for a reply from the front."
Rong Si frowned and ordered, "Send back any news immediately."
"yes."
Rong Si turned around, met Yu Wanyin's gaze, and said slowly, "It's alright, you can sit here first."
The informant in the Northern Chi camp has not yet sent a reply.
Not long after, whistles began to sound one after another along the road!
The sharp, piercing sounds echoed through the mountains and forests, making people feel uneasy for a moment.
The sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance; it was the patrolling soldiers returning with a letter.
Yu Wanyin's expression softened slightly, and she was about to breathe a sigh of relief.
The soldier dismounted, but stepped forward with an anxious and serious expression, presenting them with a parchment letter.
Yu Wanyin held her breath slightly upon seeing the material of the letter.
The soldier hesitated, "My lord, this was sent by the Northern Chi..."
He paused for a moment, then shifted his gaze from Rong Si to Yu Wanyin, "A letter to the Empress."
It wasn't a reply from their informant.
It was a letter from the Northern Chi people.
The Northern Chi people not only delivered the letter to their own people before they did, but it was a letter specifically for Yu Wanyin.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers who were resting behind Yu Wanyin all stood up and looked at the letter that had been handed to them.
Rong Si stared at the messenger soldier with his dark pupils for a while, then reached out and took the message.
He hesitated for a moment, but refrained from opening the letter and handed it to Yu Wanyin.
Yu Wanyin took it.
The only sound was the soft rustling of Yu Wanyin opening the letter.
Everyone held their breath as Yu Wanyin opened the letter.
Yu Wanyin opened the parchment letter, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
The evening breeze brushed past my fingertips, taking away the remaining warmth and leaving only a chill.
Rong Si waited for a long time, but Yu Wanyin didn't say anything. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
Yu Wanyin handed over the letter, her mind wandering as she spoke, "He said..."
"Chu Yu will carry out the execution before noon tomorrow. He asked me if I wanted to go to the Northern Chi camp to talk to him."
"If you don't go, then carry out the execution on time."
Rong Si frowned and snatched the letter.
Zong Cheng, standing to the side, finally understood. "You son of a bitch! What do you mean by 'whether to talk'? That's clearly..."
It is a threat.
Yu Wanyin looked in the direction of the Northern Chi camp.
The King of Bei Chi wanted her to go in in exchange for Chu Yu's life.
Rong Si ground his back teeth, tore up the letter, and slammed it into the arms of the soldier who had delivered it. "You want to talk, is that it?!"
"Go back and tell the Hu people! Since they like to talk so much, I'll go and talk to them!"
After Rong Si finished speaking, he shouted, "Let's go!"
Just as the surrounding soldiers were about to form ranks, Yu Wanyin stopped them, saying, "Wait."
"Don't be in such a hurry."
"If I'm not in a hurry, I'll give them a chance to take advantage of me. Do you think I'd really let you go?"
As soon as Rong Si finished speaking, he sensed the unusual atmosphere around him. He looked at Yu Wanyin for a moment and asked, "You wouldn't happen to be thinking of going?"
Yu Wanyin didn't dare to look him in the eye.
In the brief silence, Rong Si walked towards her.
His footsteps echoed on the mountain stone bricks, somewhat muffled, and the overwhelming sense of oppression made Yu Wanyin breathless for a moment.
Rong Si stopped in front of her, looking at her reaction in disbelief. "Do you know that Chu Yu and I spent half the day outside plotting, and he even went into the Northern Chi camp behind my back, all to keep an eye on you and prevent you from getting involved with the Northern Chi people?"
"This has nothing to do with you."
Yu Wanyin looked at him, "How can this have nothing to do with me?"
I will bring him back alive!
Yu Wanyin interrupted him, "It's precisely because you want him to come back alive that the King of Bei Chi has a way to control you!"
"We cannot send in another general who commands troops while we are already in a passive position."
“We are already familiar with the inner workings of the Northern Chi camp. I believe that you can take it down given the current situation.”
"If the King of the North were to use these people to threaten you, would you still launch a direct attack?"
Yu Wanyin frowned. "I don't understand others, but I understand you."
"Tell me, if you break through and the King of Northern Chi holds a knife to their throats, what will you do?"
Putting aside others, Rong Si would want to bring even one prisoner of war out of three thousand back alive.
He can't fight a direct attack that threatens lives.
"This choice cannot be made by you, it must be made by me."
"I'll go and stop them first, then you can break in."
Rong Si and she remained locked in a stalemate for a long time.
In the deep darkness of night, a thin mist hung over the mountains, completely obscuring the road ahead.
Every breath I took carried a damp, cool, and unknown feeling.
Rong Si turned around and refused, his voice low, "Just leave it to me."
Yu Wanyin said directly, "Let me go."
"Chu Yu went in on my behalf to contact my elder sister. I have to go."
Rong Si's aura grew heavier and heavier, and he took a few steps away before stopping.
He exuded a silent, oppressive aura.
A moment later, he quickly walked back.
Yu Wanyin saw him approaching again and refrained from giving in, but unexpectedly Rong Si, with red eyes, picked her up without saying a word and carried her towards the carriage behind them!
Yu Wanyin's heart pounded in her chest as he carried her back in a few steps and shoved her into the carriage with a thud.
The carriage swayed slightly.
“I’ll have someone keep an eye on you until I get back.” Rong Si stood up and was about to leave.
Yu Wanyin's voice came from behind, "My sister asked us to help force Helan Jun to rebel. She originally wanted you to come, but now I'll try it too. If I enter the camp and it's fruitless within an hour, I'll wait for you to come in and find me."
Rong Si stood there for a long time.
At some point, he turned back again!
Before Yu Wanyin could react, the man's aura swept over her, completely enveloping her.
Rong Si grabbed her chin and bit her lips frantically, "Yu Wanyin, you really want to torture me to death."
He was heavy and ruthless.
The veins on his arms, which were braced against her side, bulged and snaked along her arms, exuding a fierce sense of power.
A slight pain escaped Yu Wanyin's lips as she leaned back against the bed.
All I could hear was the sound of his armor rubbing against her clothes.
Yu Wanyin looked at the bloodshot eyes of him and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She offered him a comforting gesture, though it seemed to carry a strange undertone.
Rong Si's breath caught in his throat for a moment.
He clenched his fists and gripped the bedsheet tightly.
After a long time, he had no choice but to let her go.
The man's breathing was rapid and his voice was frighteningly hoarse. "One hour."
"I'll wait an hour."
Yu Wanyin confirmed, "Okay."
Rong Si touched her face and looked at her for a long time.
His hardened face was a mixture of ferocity and unease.
All she could hear was the sound of his chaotic, undulating breathing.
Rong Si suppressed the violent and bloodthirsty intent that was rising in his heart, "Fine, go."
He lowered his voice and pressed his forehead against hers, "Don't be afraid."
"No matter what the outcome, I'll cover for you."
Rong Si rose from the carriage and commanded in a deep voice, "Let's go to the Northern Chi camp!"
The carriage set off, traveling swiftly through the mountains.
Rong Si took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve and swallowed several pills in one go to suppress his restless and agitated emotions.
A note fell out from under her sleeve.
That was a note that the informant had sent to him from Chu Yu.
It says on it:
"After capturing Shan Ze, the King of Bei Chi will surely be enraged and will immediately go to the Bei Chi camp to prepare for war."
"The priority is to severely damage the military camp and force Helan Jun to rebel. Ignore any messages sent from the Northern Chi camp and wait for news of the attack from our informants."
"War will inevitably result in casualties; my personal life is of little importance. Do not make any rash plans, and do not involve Yao Yao. — Remember this!"
Rong Si lowered his eyes, tore up the note, and threw it down.
The paper was trampled and torn by horses' hooves, mixing with the mud on the ground.
The Northern Chi camp was still brightly lit late into the night.
The military doctor who rushed over quickly took the Northern Chi King away to examine his injuries.
To determine if the poison is lethal.
Fortunately, it was stopped in time; it was only a superficial wound, and the poison had not penetrated deeper.
The military doctor hurriedly used antidote to detoxify the Northern Chi King.
King Bei Chi sat quietly in the main hall. "Who captured Chu Yu's group and searched them?"
Shan Yi and Shan Xun exchanged a glance.
They rushed back after hearing that their brother had an accident, but they didn't know the specifics.
He Lanjun, who was standing to the side, raised an eyebrow slightly. "Chu Yu and the others were brought in by my men. Before they could be searched, just as they entered the camp and were about to be searched, Shan Ze rushed out and stopped them."
"I don't know why Shan Ze didn't conduct another body search."
He Lanjun didn't say what came next, but everyone could guess what was going on.
Everyone looked at the Shan brothers.
Dan Yi immediately raised his voice, "You're not trying to say that my brother conspired with them to murder the emperor!"
"But my brother has already fallen into their trap and is dead!"
“Your Majesty is wise, I did not say that,” Helan Jun said, looking at them. “However, while the person did not return, their body was also not found.”
Dan Yi rolled up his sleeves, "If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll tear this to shreds..."
An attendant dragged Shan Yi away, saying, "To use force in front of the emperor is a great disrespect!"
"It was clearly him..."
The deep voice of the King of the North Chi rang out, "Shut up!"
Dan Yi could only remain silent.
Shan Xun glanced at Helan Jun, took two steps forward, and bowed to the King of Bei Chi, saying, "Your Majesty, my brother could never be so foolish."
"The talent has just died, and he is already being slandered and accused of colluding with the enemy."
He Lanjun followed up, "We are not to be wronged like this either. We beg Your Majesty to investigate whose fault it is."
The King of the North paid him little attention and said, "All of you, leave."
An attendant immediately said, "His Majesty is unwell; how can you be allowed to shout and make such a fuss here?"
"The rest will be investigated one by one later."
After the attendant finished speaking, he drove the Shan brothers and Helan Jun away from the camp.
After they left, the attendant whispered to the King of Beichi, "Your Majesty, who do you think has the bigger problem?"
"Shan Ze certainly made a big mistake, but he is already dead, so he has been punished."
The King of Bei Chi said quietly, "As for Helan's side... send someone to keep an eye on them."
"yes."
As soon as Helan Jun came out, he sensed someone following him. He turned around, but the camp was just another routine patrol. Helan Jun felt uneasy and walked forward silently.
But at a turn, he quickly slipped away.
The soldiers who were tracking the man suddenly lost sight of him and began searching around.
In a secluded corner of the camp, Shan Chenjun heard the noise outside and knew something was wrong.
She listened quietly for a while, while the sounds of soldiers and horses outside grew increasingly chaotic.
Shan Chenjun paced around the room for a moment, then immediately pulled a dagger from under his pillow.
Suddenly her tent door was opened.
Shan Chenjun looked over warily and found it was He Lanjun.
Shan Chenjun wasn't on guard and simply tucked the dagger into his waistband. "How did you get in?"
“The men who have been guarding outside your tent these past two days are under my command.” He Lanjun entered with an air of authority, looking rather gloomy. “There are many things going on outside today, so I arranged for them to patrol. How could they dare to say anything?”
What's going on outside?
"Chu Yu plotted to kill Shan Ze and lose 50,000 of Shan Ze's troops," He Lanjun said succinctly. "He also injured the emperor, who became suspicious and suspected that someone had betrayed him."
"They probably suspect me."
"You've become suspicious of me?" Shan Chenjun's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he still said in surprise, "How could that be? You are so loyal to the Emperor."
Helan Jun sat down to the side with a cold smile, "My loyalty is something even the Emperor can see!"
"When they were stealing our war merits, the emperor turned a blind eye, but now that they're investigating treason, they've thought of me?!"
He Lanjun slammed his hand on the table. "There's no commander as useless as me!"
"Could it be that he feels I'm the reason he lost his most beloved general?!"
Shan Chenjun stepped forward and said, "You're not going to have developed hysteria from hearing too many rumors lately, are you?"
"Those rumors circulating outside are all baseless. His Majesty cares about you and would never want to harm you."
Upon hearing the word "take action," Helan Jun immediately thought of what he had been hearing in the camp recently: that the emperor harbored resentment towards him and wanted to eliminate him in the future.
"I don't think so. Shan Ze is gone. His Majesty has always been prejudiced against me. He feels that without restraint, he fears that I might become too powerful in the future."
Shan Chenjun did not try to persuade him further.
She quietly gave him time to think things over.
Then, quite naturally, she put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Never mind."
"If Your Majesty is truly so heartless and ungrateful, you should also think more about yourself."
Even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about your elderly parents.
He Lanjun sat in the unlit room.
His eyebrows and eyes darkened, completely submerged in shadow.
It was past midnight in the camp.
The entire camp remained awake all night.
An hour later, as dawn was approaching, a visiting card was sent to the Northern Chi camp.
The King of the North sat on the high platform of his royal throne in his tent, resting his head on his hand with his eyes closed.
The soldier who came to deliver the visiting card said respectfully, "Your Majesty, outside the camp, the Yu clan of the Central Plains requests an audience."
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