Chapter 105
The Xili army is elusive and has not committed too many troops since the start of the battle, instead relying more on their ingenious and unorthodox skills.
However, a comprehensive comparison of the locations where the Li army appeared these times suggests that they were intentionally led into the depths of the desert.
"A scout thirty miles ahead reports that a Xili army has been spotted, moving slowly and seemingly consisting mostly of wounded soldiers," the lieutenant reported to Gu Shuan.
After hearing this, Gu Shuan frowned and remained silent, then asked, "What does General Xie think?"
"Use their plan against them."
Gu Shuan readily agreed.
Only the deputy general, unable to fathom their cryptic message, asked in bewilderment, "Commander, the Xili army has been wounded, while our morale has recently soared. Now is the perfect opportunity to press our advantage and pursue them!"
Gu Shuan shook her head almost imperceptibly. The commander-in-chief was somewhat troubled. These trusted generals he had personally promoted were indeed loyal and brave, but they all seemed to lack a bit of common sense…
Xie Chengnan, though he's always causing trouble and constantly going against him, is usually on the same wavelength as him.
"Commander..."
Seeing that Gu Shuan was exhausted from explaining, Xie Chengnan didn't mind putting on a show of power for him. He chuckled, "Deputy General Xiao, why don't you wait a little longer? In less than three quarters of an hour, the scouts will report again. And those wounded Xili soldiers on the horses will then be turned into a pile of straw men... Do you believe it, Deputy General Xiao?"
His tone was even more languid and nonchalant than usual, with a hint of teasing as if he were watching a good show, as if he were not discussing military matters in a tent, but rather betting with a friend on which of the top courtesans from Wanmu Spring would be the next to appear.
Gu Shuan looked away and went straight to look at the map.
Deputy General Xiao was just a little straightforward, not really brainless. Upon hearing this, he realized what was going on: "General, you mean—this is a trap set by the Xili army to lure the enemy!"
"Not bad." Xie Chengnan seemed to be in a good mood. In the past, he would have been too lazy to explain such a simple thing, but today he not only explained it, but also didn't hesitate to offer a few words of flattery.
"There has been no fighting these past two days, so why did the wounded soldiers from Xili suddenly appear? If it was the same group from the day before yesterday, then they were moving too slowly, unless there is a trap... To be able to think of this so quickly, it seems that Vice General Xiao is not only brave and invincible on the battlefield, but also quick-witted. Having such a vice general by our side is a blessing for the commander-in-chief and a good thing for Anguo."
Gu Shuan's hand trembled as he gripped the map, and he couldn't help but use too much force, leaving a crooked mark. His simple-minded deputy, however, began to exchange humble words with Xie Chengnan as if they had found a kindred spirit.
Gu Shuan began to doubt again whether it was really the right thing to do to gather these clowns together to lead troops and defeat the enemy...
"Alright, you can go now."
The deputy general received the commander's order and quickly withdrew.
Gu Shuan looked at Xie Chengnan's noticeably upturned lips and eyebrows and asked, "Are you in a good mood?"
"Of course." Xie Chengnan's smile deepened. Just when Gu Shuan thought he was about to say something good, he heard him sigh softly, "But you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Gu Shuan secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.
Then Xie Chengnan stopped laughing and pretended to be heartbroken, saying, "After all, our commander didn't have a family in Mingzhou City, and now that we're in this vast desert, people still ignore you, unlike me—tsk tsk."
"..." He was being incredibly silly! Gu Shuan remained expressionless, but in her heart, she desperately wanted to go back to the previous moment and suffocate herself for asking Xie Chengnan how he was feeling.
"Alright, let's get down to business." Xie Chengnan composed himself, his expression turning serious. "Those old, weak horses aren't carrying people; scouts will find them in less than half an hour. What's your plan?"
"According to you, we should pretend to be lured and turn the tables on them."
"An ambush?"
Gu Shuan nodded: "Send another team to locate the Li army's stronghold and encircle them from both sides."
An hour later, Xie Chengnan led his troops ahead to meet up with the scouts in order to avoid being exposed.
They had traveled less than half a mile when they were overtaken by a man on horseback.
The burlap covering reduced the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves, but its effectiveness was ultimately limited.
As the rider charged towards them, Xie Chengnan narrowed his eyes, his hand quickly reaching for the goose-feather saber at his waist. He loosened his grip slightly when he saw that the rider was wearing Anguo military uniform, and completely let go when he saw the person's features, but couldn't help frowning.
Why are you here?
Jiang Ji chuckled, "I've already spoken to Doctor Qiu, and she asked me to give this to you."
It was a purse with extremely rough and crooked stitches, but the material used to sew it was the finest brocade. It was her favorite piece of clothing, and the only floral garment she brought on this trip. Along the way, with wind and dust everywhere, Lin Yi packed this garment into her pack but couldn't bear to wear it. Every day, she was covered in dust and dirt, just like the soldiers crawling and rolling on the front lines.
"Dr. Qiu said it contains herbs that can repel insects. Carrying it with you won't make you immune to all poisons, but it can also—"
Xie Chengnan clenched the purse in his palm and interrupted, "I'm asking why you came?"
"I……"
"If it's just delivering something—now that it's delivered, go back immediately."
Xie Chengnan was usually very casual. Although he wasn't as easy to talk to as Lin Yi, he always treated his subordinates with the same nonchalant attitude. Even when he was scolding someone, he would tease and joke more than reprimand them severely. Jiang Ji rarely saw him with such a stern face.
“General,” Jiang Ji gripped the reins tightly, “you said last time that if I want to join the army, I should come with you once I’ve thought it through.”
"This time I want to go with the general."
Xie Chengnan opened his mouth, about to refute him that military campaigns were not child's play and could not be done as he pleased.
Jiang Ji immediately retorted, "I didn't act on my own. I asked the commander-in-chief for permission, and he gave me permission!"
Xie Chengnan's gaze was icy, making Jiang Ji realize that the young marquis's anger this time was different from before. Realizing this, the young man had some concerns but did not back down: "I know this trip is dangerous, but I am not a child anymore. I don't need to hide behind anyone, and I don't want to live in the rear... I can protect the general."
Xie Chengnan gave him a deep look, turned his horse around, and continued westward.
Jiang Ji followed suit, taking it as tacit approval, and was secretly pleased with himself.
The sandstorm came without warning. Perhaps there was some warning, but the wind picked up and the northerly gale picked up suddenly. By the time they realized what they were about to face, there was no way to avoid it. In this vast desert, there was simply no shelter.
The yellow sand, like a roaring beast, raged and surged forward like a thousand horses galloping, instantly blotting out the sky and crashing down on them!
Xie Chengnan only managed to shout "Dismount!" before being smashed into the yellow sand!
The roar was instantly swallowed up. For a long time, all he could feel was the deafening roar of the sandstorm, the monstrous howls, and the painful neighing of the warhorses being devoured by this monster.
The neighing sound was faint and indistinct, as if it were far away. But perhaps his ears were filled with sand, making it hard to hear clearly.
The sand was everywhere, seeping into my head, face, nose, mouth... even my hands and feet were tightly bound, carrying a strong earthy smell.
Much later, Xie Chengnan realized that what was binding him so tightly might have been a person.
Jiang Ji...
He wanted to ask if it was him, but when he opened his mouth, even more sand poured in.
He struggled to open his eyes, but they were tightly covered by yellow sand. All he could see was darkness and a rough, painful chafing that burned his eye sockets and eyelids. It was as if sand and gravel were wedged into a clam, instinctively stirring up moisture, a few drops of which quickly dissolved into the dry sand.
Xie Chengnan thought he was going to die here.
They will be buried here forever, accompanied by darkness and suffocation.
"Commander! We can't go any further! We've encountered a sandstorm to the northwest!"
"Halt immediately! All troops take cover!"
At the command, the An army moved swiftly, each finding heavy objects to weigh down their sides, and lying prone on the ground with their backs to the direction from which the storm was coming.
Gu Shuan identified the direction again; it was the route Xie Chengnan and his ambush team were bound to take.
It was very cold... like ice pellets, like snowflakes, an omnipresent, all-pervasive cold that seeped into the very bones. In that cold, there was an untimely fragrance, indistinct amidst the earthy smell, yet it lingered and drew one's breath in.
He woke up in this coldness. In the instant he woke up, he even forgot who he was or where he was.
As he gradually regained consciousness, he finally remembered that he had encountered a sandstorm on his march.
The feeling of being bound seemed to loosen. Xie Chengnan moved his fingers and, unsurprisingly, felt the sand enveloping him.
Covered by yellow sand, he lost track of time, feeling only an endless expanse of it. Apart from his fingers, he had no other strength to move.
The scent of grass and trees at the tip of my nose seemed a little clearer.
Xie Chengnan finally remembered that it was Lin Yi's purse.
He couldn't remember how he managed to hold the purse tightly in his hand when he was so desperate that he couldn't even crouch down with his head in his hands. But he did remember that when the sandstorm came crashing down on him, it was because the purse was held to the tip of his nose that some of the sand and dust was blocked from entering his mouth and nose. The brocade fabric separated him from the fine sand, and a small amount of air was able to be inhaled into his lungs through his mouth and nose.
After a long while, he finally had the strength to press his purse closer with trembling fingers.
The scent of herbs was the same as the one I had smelled on her before, a faint and comforting fragrance.
It wasn't the dryness of sand or the stench of death, but the freshness of plants and trees.
He had to live, he had to live to see her.
"I can't... I can't die here..."
He didn't know if he had murmured aloud. From the moment he became aware of anything until now, he hadn't heard a sound. The world was eerily quiet.
But so what? He still had to go see her.
Power gradually gathered within this body.
I don't know how long they struggled or how much they accumulated.
He finally managed to turn over, with difficulty, heavily, and slowly.
Yellow sand flowed between his fingers, his face, and his neck.
He was finally able to breathe deeply, a breath that was long forgotten, mixed with a few grains of sand.
After a long while, Xie Chengnan finally sat up. Sand grains fell softly on him, but he still couldn't hear a sound. There was no sound of sand, no sound of wind, and no sound of human voices.
The moon hung high in the sky, and before we knew it, it was already night.
Xie Chengnan thought that he probably couldn't hear him anymore.
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