Chapter 120 Who is this woman?
Five thousand Western Rong captives, escorted by the Yan army, had set out from Langya Pass. It had been four days since they finally saw the border wall.
Shen Yuexi stood on a high place, brushed away the messy hair that blocked her view, and looked towards the border not far away.
Facing the midday sun, the black city wall lay like a giant snake on the dusty earth, stretching from east to west. Built by the Great Yan Dynasty, it securely protected the people within the borders but abandoned the people outside.
It has not been easy along the way.
Qiu Liming initially suggested that the captain of the Xiliang cavalry lead a thousand men to escort the prisoners to the border, and she would stay in Xiaogang Village and not have to do it herself.
She didn't agree.
Who wouldn't like to stay home? Not having to travel through mountains and rivers, exposed to the wind and sun, and ruining their skin? The problem was that she had rescued these captives, and she couldn't let go halfway. She had to see it through to the end.
Finally, 1,500 soldiers set out with more than 5,000 prisoners, and Chen Yuexi, Qiu Liming, and the captain of the Xiliang cavalry, Yang Cong, went with them.
On the first day, the captives were strong enough to walk over fifty miles. Shen Yuexi was secretly delighted, thinking that at this rate they would reach the border in two days.
On the second day, they could only cover a little over thirty miles. On the third day, their distance was cut in half again. By nightfall, the prisoners were so hungry that they had no strength left. Some of those with weaker constitutions needed assistance to move. Fortunately, under the control of the captain Qiang Lin, and with some food they had obtained along the way, the prisoners, though dizzy with hunger, did not riot.
For the final stretch of the journey, the prisoners supported each other, walking even slower than an old ox pulling a cart. If it weren't for the border just ahead, many would have given up.
A warhorse came galloping from the border and stopped at the foot of the hillside where Shen Yuexi was. The soldier on the horse shouted loudly:
"Madam, General Qiu, the border gates are not open."
"What!" Shen Yuexi and Qiu Liming who was standing beside her both shouted.
This news is not good.
"General Qiu, didn't you say that the border guard has agreed to open the gate and accept prisoners?" Shen Yuexi looked at Qiu Liming nervously.
She was a woman, and a fugitive wanted by the emperor, so she couldn't intervene. Before the captives were sent, Qiu Liming had contacted the border guards and received a reply that they could accept the captives. Only then did they feel relieved to set off.
The captives were now so hungry that their chests were sticking to their backs and they could no longer walk. If the border guards refused to accept them, they would literally starve to death under the city walls.
Qiu Liming said to Shen Yuexi, "Madam, don't worry. I will go to the city to ask now."
He walked quickly down the hillside and mounted his warhorse. Shen Yuexi followed him and said, "I'll go with you too. Maybe I can help."
Qiu Liming was a little embarrassed: "Madam, your status is not suitable for public exposure."
"I covered my face with a headscarf so they couldn't recognize me."
As soon as she said it, Shen Yuexi asked Yang Cong to find a headscarf and wrapped her head tightly, leaving only her eyes exposed. She said to Yang Cong, "Let the prisoners rest where they are, and tell the soldiers to find some firewood to make a fire to keep everyone warm."
Yang Cong said, "Madam, just go with peace of mind."
She had learned Xiao Zhuo's true identity from the captives. Initially, she was surprised, but then she became excited. A village girl like her had never imagined she'd spoken to the renowned Crown Prince of Great Yan. Now, like the other generals, she addressed Shen Yuexi as "Madam."
If Xiao Zhuo had not been deposed by the emperor, she felt that Shen Yuexi should be called the Crown Princess.
Shen Yuexi and Qiu Liming rode to the city walls. Shen Yuexi looked up at the city walls, more than ten meters high. Weathered and worn, they were now rusty and worn. At the foot of the wall was a small gate, not a formal entrance, but merely a means for border troops to enter and exit.
Qiu Liming shouted to the city:
"Sergeant, please tell General Wei that Qiu Liming wants to see you."
Soon a square-faced general appeared on the battlement, leaning on the battlement and looking down, saying, "General Qiu, how are you?"
Qiu Liming shouted, "I sent an envoy here last time to request that the Xirong prisoners be resettled, and the general agreed. The prisoners are waiting outside the city. Please open the gates, general."
The square-faced general did not order the soldiers around him to take action, but shouted to the people below:
"General Qiu, I did agree to this, but yesterday General Zhao issued an order prohibiting the use of any food and fodder at the border. If we accept these five thousand prisoners, we will have to use our reserve food and fodder, and I, Wei, dare not disobey."
Shen Yuexi whispered to Qiu Liming, "General Qiu, who is this General Zhao?"
"Zhao Mu, at such a young age, has become the commander-in-chief of the Great Yan border. The entire northern border is under his control."
"Then ask him why he can't use the food and fodder. Is he lying?"
Qiu Liming replied, "I know General Wei's character well. Meng Yue and I both went through the border before. He wouldn't lie."
After saying this, Qiu Liming raised his head and asked, "General Wei, why doesn't General Zhao allow the use of food and fodder?"
The square-faced general said, "General Qiu may not be aware of what's going on inside the Great Wall, so it's okay to tell you. The King of Qi is leading an army of 150,000 men, following imperial orders to attack the Northern Di. The King of Qi's Crown Prince, Xiao Beiheng, is leading an army of 50,000 men west along the border and will arrive soon. Food and fodder along the way will be supplied by the border."
Shen Yuexi shuddered when she heard this.
Xiao Beiheng was coming to Xiliang with an army of 50,000. What was he doing here? To wade into troubled waters? Thinking of the relationship between him and Xiao Zhuo, Shen Yuexi felt uneasy.
I always feel that his coming is not good.
Qiu Liming turned to Shen Yuexi and whispered, "Madam, Zhao Mu has a good relationship with the King of Qi. He must be trying to please the Crown Prince."
Shen Yuexi was unhappy and asked, "Is there so little food and grass stored at the border that they have to be supplied exclusively to Xiao Beiheng?"
She was worried about feeding and drinking thousands of people. But Xiao Beiheng was lucky enough to have 50,000 soldiers and have people to serve him along the way.
"There's been no fighting at the border, so the food and fodder should be sufficient for several years," Qiu Liming replied in a low voice, then raised his head and said, "General Wei, you know the areas outside the border are suffering from the plundering of the Western Rong. If these 5,000 prisoners are brought back inside, it will be considered a great achievement for you, General."
The square-faced general chuckled, "General Qiu, you're joking. You won the battle at Langya Pass, but the credit for that victory cannot be attributed to me. Besides, the Xiliang cavalry's victory over the Xirong has nothing to do with the imperial court. You're well aware of the imperial court's attitude towards the King of Xiliang. Why don't you send these prisoners to the King of Xiliang?"
Shen Yuexi could tell that the implication was that even though you won the battle, it wouldn't count as a military achievement in the eyes of the court. General Wei was here to defend himself against any enemy, and he certainly wouldn't accept these five thousand prisoners.
"If he is really not allowed to enter, can we borrow some food and supplies and return them to him later?" Shen Yuexi made another suggestion.
"I'm afraid that won't work," Qiu Liming said. "The commander at the border doesn't allow the use of food and fodder. If he does, he'll be violating military orders. Madam, you don't know that military orders are as heavy as a mountain."
"How will you know if you don't try?"
Qiu Liming hesitated for a moment and said, "Madam is right. I'll give it a try."
He was about to raise his head to ask again, but General Wei didn't let him speak. He spoke first, "General Qiu, these Western Rong people are not citizens of Dayan. Even if they are all dead, what difference does it make? Back then, you served under the traitor Tai... Xiao Zhuo, and you often killed the surrendered soldiers. How did you become like this now?"
This person actually dared to call her husband a traitor.
Shen Yuexi couldn't help but shout:
"General Wei, these Western Rong people have laid down their weapons and are no longer hostile to Dayan. Don't they deserve to live?"
The square-faced general exclaimed, "Who is this woman?"
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