Chapter 117 Five Thousand Carrots
Accompanied by Qiu Liming, Shen Yuexi came to the square where the prisoners were imprisoned in the camp.
She initially didn't want to come, but then she thought carefully, maybe she could take this opportunity to understand the prisoners' thoughts, which would greatly reduce the trouble on the way, so she agreed.
The square was crowded with people and noisy. Many Xirong people did not sit still. They stood and waved their hands, shouting something loudly to the surrounding Dayan soldiers.
Eight watchtowers surrounded the square from eight directions. Fifty Dayan soldiers were stationed on each tower, with crossbows mounted on the railings and pointed at the crowd below, their quivers filled with arrows.
These four hundred people are soldiers under Xiao Zhuo, and they are proficient in the use of crossbows.
Below the watchtower were two rows of Xiliang cavalry, holding large shields and swords to prevent the prisoners from attacking the watchtower.
A captain stood on the watchtower, sword hilt in hand, and threatened impatiently, "I don't want to waste my time on you, these puny soldiers and generals. Anyone who dares to step out of the circle will be shot on the spot."
This sentence had the opposite effect and did not intimidate the captives at all. More Xirong people stood up.
Qiu Liming whispered to Shen Yuexi, "His name is the leader of the thousand cavalrymen left behind by Prince Mei. He is familiar with the Xirong language and volunteered to guard these prisoners. It seems that he had an argument with the prisoners."
Shen Yuexi nodded. It seemed that the position of Qianhu in the Great Yan Army was equivalent to the position of Qianfuchang in the Western Rong, and they also commanded a thousand soldiers.
"General Qiu, what are these Western Rong people shouting? I don't understand." Shen Yuexi was a little curious.
"Haha, these Xirong thugs use their own language to bully us because we can't understand them." Qiu Liming sneered, "They all speak our Dayan language, and they do it on purpose."
Shen Yuexi and his group ascended the watchtower where the captain was. The captain, tired from shouting, fanned himself angrily. Turning back to see Shen Yuexi, he quickly lowered his hand and respectfully clasped his fists in a salute, "This general greets the madam."
Before leaving, Mei Pu specifically instructed that meeting Shen Yuexi should be like meeting the prince himself.
Shen Yuexi raised her hand and said, "No need to be so polite, Captain. I heard that the captive wants to see me."
The captain nodded. "These idiots kept yelling and clamoring to see the lady. I was so annoyed by them that I had to ask the sergeant to go get the lady."
"It's okay, I'm here." Shen Yuexi took a step forward and held the railing.
Qiu Liming stepped forward and said loudly, "Madam is here."
The Xirong people who were shouting in the square suddenly stopped, and thousands of eyes turned to look at Shen Yuexi.
She was too conspicuous in the light of the torch.
In this military camp full of men in helmets and armor, she, dressed in a blue dress and with an outstanding appearance, stands out from the crowd.
Being stared at by so many people, Shen Yuexi became nervous again. Apart from the time she spoke to a group of women from Xiaogang Village, she had no experience in facing so many people.
This person was being watched by five thousand people, not to mention the surrounding Dayan soldiers.
Holding the railing tightly with both hands, she forced herself to remain calm.
What on earth is going on? I was expecting to cook delicious meals for Xiao Zhuo in the kitchen.
Turning around and running away was not an option. She wasn't representing herself now; she was speaking for the Yan army and these Western Rong people. If she showed any weakness, she would be ridiculed.
I remember a teacher in school saying that when you feel nervous in front of a large group of people, just imagine everyone in the audience as carrots. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again.
The same thing kept repeating in my mind: Five thousand radish heads… Five thousand radish heads.
After repeating it several times, she suddenly realized a truth.
Either she's shortsighted, or her imagination is simply too vast. No matter how you look at it, there are five thousand people below. After all, carrot heads don't have eyes. That teacher probably hasn't even faced so many people before. She's truly misleading her students.
Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
Once her nervousness subsided, she felt her body less stiff.
"I'm Shen Yuexi."
She knew that she would never have the aura of Xiao Zhuo that could suppress everything, and there was no need to deliberately act aloof. So she said it in the most ordinary tone.
The prisoners were silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and whispered to each other in a language she could understand.
"This Dayan woman is called Shen Yuexi?"
"How is it possible, at such a young age?"
"At first I thought it was an old lady..."
Shen Yuexi felt as if a thousand bees were buzzing around her ears, making her feel very upset. She had to work hard to stop herself from covering her ears with her hands.
It is true that many people tend to talk a lot.
A Xirong man in the crowd shouted, "Shut up and sit down. Let me ask."
He seemed to have considerable authority among the captives. As soon as he spoke, the crowd suddenly quieted down and sat back down.
Shen Yuexi looked at the Xirong man. He was seven feet tall, with a dark complexion. He was dressed similarly to the Danmuji she had seen before, and he also looked like a captain, though his left leg seemed injured, so he used a wooden stick as a crutch.
"I'm Qianfu Commander Qiang Lin. Are you the one who designed the repeating crossbow?"
The tone is quite disrespectful.
"Your name is Qiang Lin, right?" Shen Yuexi didn't care about his rough tone. She looked at him carefully, then turned to Qiu Liming beside her and whispered, "How many captains are there among the captives?"
"He's the only one," Qiu Liming glanced at the captain standing below. "He was hit in the leg by a crossbow arrow... The Xirong people, like us, value status. His words still carry a lot of weight."
Shen Yuexi understood and turned around to say to Qiang Lin who was standing there:
"Yes, I am Shen Yuexi, the one who designed and manufactured the crossbow."
Qiang Lin is the only captain among the captives. If we can communicate with him, it will be much easier to manage these five thousand people.
She was still worried about the prisoners rioting. If it came to that, there would be no other solution except to shoot them. She had fought with Xiao Zhuo for this, hoping to resolve this matter peacefully.
"The guy standing next to you was bragging that we Xirong were no match for you," Qiang Lin pointed at the captain next to Shen Yuexi and said, "I told him that if it weren't for the repeating crossbows, we would have breached the pass long before the Xiliang cavalry arrived."
After hearing this, Shen Yuexi was silent for a moment.
In her heart, she somewhat agreed with Qiang Lin's statement. Without the crossbows, it would be difficult for 500 people to withstand the attack of 10,000 people.
But if we do that, it would be tantamount to belittling Xiao Zhuo and exaggerating Liannu.
She had been busy with her research and had never been in a relationship or studied psychology. But she instinctively felt that it would be absolutely foolish to belittle her husband in front of outsiders.
Besides, if he lost his crossbow, Xiao Zhuo would naturally find another way to fight. Why would he let 500 people directly fight against an army of 10,000?
Maintaining a calm tone, Shen Yuexi replied:
"My husband, Xiao Zhuo, is invincible in battle and undefeated in attack. Even without the help of the crossbow, you cannot win."
Qiang Lin said, "We've heard of the power of the Great Yan Crown Prince. However, in our first encounter, he had the aid of a repeating crossbow and the reinforcements of the Western Liang cavalry. A future battle will reveal the winner."
Seeing that he attributed Xiao Zhuo's victory to luck, Shen Yuexi did not refute but just smiled slightly.
If Xiao Zhuo was a loser, he would have died on the road to exile long ago. The fact that he had a wife who could create magical weapons, generals like Meng Yue swore to follow him to death, and he even won the help of the Prince of Xiliang, was his charm in itself.
Xiao Zhuo himself is a dragon, and his luck is what he deserves. These Xirong people cannot understand.
"There's another question," Qiang Lin looked directly at Shen Yuexi, "I hope you can tell us."
Shen Yuexi said: "Just ask. If I know, I will tell you naturally."
"Who stopped the Yan army from killing us?"
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