Chapter 90
Xie Chengnan caught up with Zhan Xian on the second night. Fortunately, Lin Yi's message came quickly enough, and he rode at full speed for a day and a night, finally catching up with her within the Tongguan Pass. When he tightened the reins and forced her horse to stop, a small group had already followed behind Zhan Xian.
"Lord Yong'an, please step aside."
The autumn wind carried a chill, but Zhan Xian's gaze was even colder than the night breeze. "Did Gu Shu'an send you to stop me?"
Xie Chengnan had traveled a long way, his clothes and brows covered in dust, and he looked somewhat tired, but his figure on horseback was still as straight as a green pine and bamboo. He reined in his horse and brought it to a steady stop on the road that Zhan Xian would have to take to continue westward: "His Highness the Crown Prince has given a death order, commanding me to intercept you here until he arrives with his army."
The word "must" was emphasized, and the horse impatiently raised its front hoof and then put it down again. "You are going alone to your death, which will be of no help to the war. The Zhan Xian I know is not such a stupid person."
Zhan Xian turned slightly to the side: "You see, I am not alone. They are all patriots with lofty ideals, and their journey to Liangzhou has made them a brave and elite force."
"Ten years ago, Zhan Qihong led 200,000 troops to fight against the Xili army, but only a handful of them returned. I believe you know this better than I do."
Upon hearing him mention the past, Zhan Xian suddenly tightened her grip on the reins.
“He knew you wouldn’t listen, so he gave me this.” Xie Chengnan held something up high in his hand. “This dragon talisman is used by the current crown prince. Seeing the talisman is like seeing the man himself. Since you are willing to serve the country, you should follow the right person.”
Xie Chengnan scoffed, "With your current hastily assembled, fledgling force, the iron hooves of the Xili army will undoubtedly crush you. Do you want to continue following her and fight like an egg against a rock, or do you want to wait here with me for the central army? I can guarantee that you will all be included in my court's regular army. This expedition will be well-supplied with provisions, and rewards and punishments will be well-regulated. Those who are close to the army will receive a salary of ten taels of silver and be exempt from corvée labor and taxes."
The few stragglers who had volunteered for the westward expedition following behind Zhan Xian were all moved, exchanging glances with each other.
"this……"
"Brother, how do we know if you're telling the truth or not?"
"Exactly, you're just talking without any proof, aren't you trying to fool us?"
"Just wait here for one day, two days at most, and the central army will surely arrive here. Then the truth of what I said will be clear." Seeing that the man was still hesitant, Xie Chengnan tossed the half of the dragon talisman into the air.
The burly man leading Zhan Xian reached out and intercepted it. Upon examining it, his expression immediately changed. "This...it really is a Dragon Talisman!"
The dragon talisman and dragon pattern are reserved for the emperor's exclusive use. As the crown prince, Gu Shu'an can only use half of it. Only after ascending the throne will he be granted a complete dragon talisman. Unauthorized use or forgery of the dragon talisman is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. It is unlikely that anyone in Anguo would dare to do such a thing.
"Is it believable now?" Xie Chengnan asked.
The man dismounted, returned the dragon talisman to Xie Chengnan, and clasped his hands in a traditional martial arts salute. "My name is Huo Xiao, from Tongguan. I have practiced martial arts for a few years. Hearing that my An Kingdom will soon go to war with Xili, I thought I would do my part."
Xie Chengnan sat on his horse, looking him up and down. He saw that the strong man was indeed burly, with his head slightly higher than the horse's back, and his coarse linen clothes could not hide the solid muscles in his shoulders and arms.
"Although I am willing to join the army, I have already made an agreement with this young lady Zhan. I will give you an answer after we have discussed it further."
Xie Chengnan's gaze narrowed slightly. Although this man had a rough appearance, he was very courteous in his dealings with others.
From the moment Huo Xiao dismounted, Xie Chengnan knew that he had already completed more than 80% of the task that Gu Shuan had entrusted to him.
He said "Whatever," then dismounted and leaned against the horse's back, tossing and turning half of the dragon-shaped military tally in his hand as if it were an ordinary pebble.
The other stragglers were puzzled, wondering who this person was who dared to show such disrespect for imperial items.
While Xie Chengnan was trying to entice the scattered soldiers, Zhan Xian remained silent. Now that they had decided whether to stay or leave, they were all a little embarrassed. "Miss Zhan, look... what he said isn't wrong. Why don't you come with us and wait for the main army to arrive?"
Zhan Xian glanced at Xie Chengnan from a distance. The latter noticed her gaze and gave her a knowing smile.
"Never mind," she thought. Xie Chengnan was right; even if she forced these people to stay, they wouldn't amount to anything. This mission was already somewhat driven by spite; what she wanted to do could only be truly realized within the military.
The central army of 200,000 troops set out from Mingzhou, and by the halfway point, it had grown to nearly 300,000. The sheer size of the force meant their marching speed couldn't match Xie Chengnan's rapid pace. Even so, after a day of bumpy travel, Lin Yi's inner thighs were chafed raw. She lifted her outer robe, looking at the specks of blood seeping onto her snow-white inner garment, and steeled herself, leaving them untreated. They had only traveled for one day; there were still at least ten more days' journey ahead, and upon reaching the border of Xili, they would face direct combat. Conditions would only worsen, and she couldn't allow herself to continue being so pampered.
There were deliberate footsteps outside the tent, and Lin Yi hurriedly tied her belt. After a while, the young man's voice, though low, was still clear and melodious, as he spoke at the tent entrance, "Madam, are you asleep?"
As Lin walked, she tidied her slightly disheveled hair again. "Not yet."
The other party did not presumptuously enter the tent, but waited patiently and silently for the other party to come out.
Lin Yi lifted the tent flap and saw Jiang Ji's young and vibrant smiling face.
“Madam, the Marquis said that you have never ridden a horse before and your body may not be able to handle it, so he specifically asked me to bring some ointment to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.”
The boy's eyes shone brightly in the torchlight, reminding Lin Yi of Erhei's large, black, grape-like eyes. Judging by the days, Erhei should have already gone to find Wang Chunsheng's hometown.
"Thank you." Lin Yi took the medicine bottle and thanked him softly.
Jiang Ji scratched his head sheepishly, "Madam, please don't thank me. It was all the Marquis's orders."
The sky was already quite dark, with only a few stars scattered about, but they were brighter than those in Mingzhou City.
Each tent in the camp was lit by a torch, so visibility was not obstructed.
Unable to sleep after being suddenly moved to a different place, Lin Yi was just thinking of finding something to do to pass the time when this person appeared in front of him.
"Are you going to rest?" Lin Yi asked.
"I'm not sleepy. The Marquis instructed me to keep watch over you tonight." He then forced a genuine smile, without the slightest hint of resentment.
It was the Marquis's order again... Along the way, Jiang Ji took good care of her. At such a young age, she was able to sit in the position of personal guard, so she must have real skills. However, he was willing to be instructed by others, and instead of going to the prestigious central army, he stayed at the end of the rear guard with her, the military doctor.
Lin Yixin felt curious. Was the child too naive, or was Xie Chengnan skilled at managing his subordinates, making them so willing to do things for him?
"If you're not going to sleep, why don't you talk to me?"
Jiang nodded emphatically: "Madam, what would you like to talk about? I will tell you everything I know!"
Lin found his serious expression amusing, but after thinking for a moment, she decided not to correct his form of address and asked him, "Why do you listen to Xie Chengnan so much?"
“Because the Marquis has been kind to me. Once, during an operation, a group of reckless bandits swung a long meteor hammer at my face. If the Marquis hadn’t pulled me back in time, I would have lost my head.” Jiang Ji shrank his neck with lingering fear. “Besides, the Marquis is a good person. Although he is of high status, he has no airs at all. He eats, drinks, and plays with us. The Marquis is also good to me.”
Lin nodded, his mind completely focused on the operation Xie Chengnan had just described. Were all their operations this dangerous? Then this task absolutely couldn't be left to Xie Chengnan again. After this battle, he'd confront Gu Shuan. Shadow, cloaked figure—whoever wanted to be one could be one, but his Xie Chengnan wouldn't do it!
Lin nodded. "Did he give any other instructions?"
"The Marquis also said that the lady cannot ride a horse, so he asked me to take you with her."
Lin nodded; she had known this before the march.
As the army set off, she realized she couldn't ride a horse. She hesitated, wondering if hiring a groom would violate military regulations, when Gu Shu'an rode up and circled her from a high vantage point. Behind him stood a young man in black armor leading the horse. The young man's figure hadn't fully developed, and his face looked especially youthful, a few years younger than Xie Chengnan.
"It's her." Gu Shuan's voice was cold and unreadable. She glanced down at Lin Yi and said, "You'd better learn to ride a horse quickly, or you'll hold me back."
His Highness the Crown Prince arrived on horseback with quite a entourage, attracting the attention of many people around. Just as Lin Yi was feeling uneasy, the young man, Jiang Ji, led the horse to her, smiled, and said, "Greetings, Madam. The Marquis knows you can't ride a horse, so he instructed me to carry you along the way."
...
Lin Yi wanted to ask if there was anything else she didn't know, but then Jiang Ji continued, "The Marquis also said that riding with the lady was a last resort. He must not put his hands down or look around carelessly. The lady is an elder, and he must be extremely respectful and deferential to her."
Lin Yi: "..."
Jiang Ji's eyes shone brightly. These words, which left Lin Yi speechless, came out of his mouth as if he were reciting some kind of vow, with utmost seriousness and conviction.
Seeing that this naive child was about to say something even more shocking, Lin Yi quickly suggested, "Let's change the subject!"
Jiang nodded several times, paused for a moment, and said softly, "Madam, please don't take what they said during the day to heart." As he said this, his eyebrows and eyes lowered along with his voice.
“They’re just bored, not because of you, Madam… You’re exceptionally good, just as good as the Marquis, really.”
He was referring to the gossip he overheard during the day while riding with Lin Yishi on horseback, from the passing soldiers.
The comments were nothing more than things like, "Why bring a woman on the march?", "Another burden", and "Going through connections". Some who recognized Qiu Qingye's face said even more hurtful things, such as, "She's already a married woman, yet she still chases after His Highness the Crown Prince", "She's been chasing him for over ten years and still hasn't given up. She won't let him go even when he's about to go to war", and "I wonder what methods she used to follow him here"... Lin had already thought of these things, so naturally he didn't take them to heart.
She remained unmoved, but someone else was even angrier than she was. Jiang Ji interrupted them sharply and warned that if even half a word of this were to be spread, whoever said it would be punished for the crime of slandering the army and being disrespectful.
However, they were right about one thing. Lin Yi bit her lip; her inability to ride a horse had indeed been a burden to others.
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