Chapter 4 Huan Zijing, this time it really was the Three Pure Ones' divine intervention that brought him here...
What a bolt from the blue!
Looking at the person kneeling on the ground, Yu Nie's body was as stiff as a stone block. She stiffly turned her head to look at the handsome young captain who had just been a man of great talent and ambition in her heart. Her lips twitched twice, and she almost turned her head backward.
Anyone with a modicum of knowledge knows that there is only one commander in the Northwest.
As for the commander's name, it was already stated on the black iron waist tag that night.
Yu Nie thought of that two-character name and suddenly chuckled to himself.
He time-traveled and mistook the villain for someone else, almost killing the wrong person with a borrowed knife.
That's great, that's great... She's really something.
The good thing about this incident is that, no one was more dangerous than her; she almost took another life.
Heavens above, how could she have known she would make such a huge blunder?
She felt a lingering fear, but then she thought about it again and realized that even if she had killed someone, she had escaped a terrible fate.
After thinking it over, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "This time it really was the Three Pure Ones who showed their power, allowing me to escape by sheer luck."
At the same time, she secretly resolved that she would never be careless when cleaning the main hall again, and would never fail to wipe the ashes under the candlesticks and incense burners.
Knowing that the other party was the infamous treacherous minister Huan Xun, she dared not look him in the eye again, and quietly lowered her eyes, appearing weak and polite.
These kinds of people don't like to show off. It's best to keep a low profile and hide yourself in front of them.
Xie Cheng was first met with a cheerful laugh, followed by his voice: "Guard Xie, I have heard of your name."
The man sitting proudly on horseback spoke with an arrogant and flamboyant tone, his voice clear and melodious at the end, quite different from the tone of voice recorded in historical books.
It's not profound or frightening; on the contrary, it's pleasant and comforting to listen to.
Upon hearing this, Xie Cheng slightly raised his eyes and looked at the horse.
The man dismounted with a graceful and swift movement and helped Xie Cheng up.
He said, "I have long heard of Guard Xie's bravery and skill in battle. Despite being so seriously injured, he still went into battle to fight the enemy. He is truly a hero."
A brief look of doubt flashed in Xie Cheng's eyes, as if he had something to ask.
The person standing before him, holding his hand, exerted a slight force, his expression unchanged: "The commander told me that upon arriving in Huaiyuan, I must find Guard Xie no matter what. I never expected to meet you here."
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie's mind began to swirl.
Isn't he the commander-in-chief?
Why is it that the commander-in-chief told him to come looking for someone?
What exactly happened?
After hearing this, Xie Cheng understood seven or eight parts of the situation. His breathing was unsteady, and he clutched his wounded abdomen with one hand, asking in a low voice, "Then the commander..."
"The commander-in-chief is ill and is recuperating." The man took over the conversation, lowering his voice slightly. "That's why the Rouran spies found out that the commander-in-chief could not take up his post immediately, and that's why they dared to take advantage of the absence of a general at the border and launch an attack on Huaiyuan."
"Thanks to your letter a few days ago, we were able to arrive in time." Halfway through his sentence, the man patted Xie Cheng's arm lightly twice. "You worked hard for many days while infiltrating Rouran, Brother Xie."
The night wind stirred up a nauseating stench of blood, causing the torches held high by the soldiers to flicker, with occasional crackling sounds of sparks.
Yu Nie, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly realized that the captain was actually impersonating Huan Xun.
They instantly understood why Xie Cheng was injured. As expected, it must have been because his undercover work was exposed and he was being chased by the Rouran people, which caused him to be injured like this.
But a doubt arose in her heart: Xie Cheng had Huan Xun's waist token, yet he had never met Huan Xun?
She pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered that, under normal circumstances, when a new general took office, he would tour the border and meet with officials from various places to facilitate mutual recognition.
Since Huan Xun has not yet officially taken office, it is understandable that Xie Cheng said he had never met Huan Xun in person. Besides, the waist token is not necessarily given by the person himself; someone else may be given it on his behalf.
At present, this scenario seems more likely.
Otherwise, although the night was dark, the firelight in the courtyard would have prevented Xie Cheng from mistaking someone for someone else.
"Your words of praise make me feel ashamed. It is my duty to gather intelligence on the enemy, and I am not worthy of the word 'hard work'." After saying this, Xie Cheng looked guilty and said apologetically, "The new commander has not yet arrived in the Northwest. I just saw the armor and naturally assumed that the new commander had arrived. I did not expect it to turn out like this. Please forgive me, brother."
After speaking for a moment, Xie Cheng immediately asked politely, "May I ask how I should address you, brother?"
"
At this moment, Xie Cheng seemed to finally remember to ask the other person's name.
The man clasped his hands in greeting and replied, "I am Huan Zijing, the Western Protector General."
Upon hearing the name Zi Jing, Yu Nie subtly observed the person who was only three or four steps away from her.
He couldn't help but think to himself, "It is indeed a name that lives up to its name, possessing both erudition and a sharp edge."
She said, "How could a handsome and dashing young man be a cold-blooded and ruthless villain?"
Perhaps noticing Xie Cheng's pale face and reopened wounds, Huan Zijing, ever the understanding man, said, "Brother Xie is seriously injured, you should go and rest quickly. We'll discuss the details tomorrow."
Xie Cheng nodded in response, completely unlike his behavior in front of Yu Nie and the others, without uttering any words of rebuttal.
Huan Zijing raised his hand and summoned a personal guard, ordering in a deep voice, "Take good care of General Xie and look after his wounds carefully."
"Yes, sir!"
With the bandits executed and the Rouran people having the support of the Beiye government troops, there was no need for them to worry anymore, so Yu Nie immediately went to help.
She stepped forward and took Xie Cheng's right arm. As she was about to leave, she heard someone beside her say, "Thank you for your trouble, young Taoist priest."
Since he was not Huan Xun, she naturally felt no aversion towards him.
He greeted him with a smile, saying, "You're too kind, Captain. Guard Xie is a guest of our temple and a brave general. It's only right that we take care of him."
"It's not politeness, just the truth," a soldier drew his sword from a pillar and respectfully handed it to him as he jogged over. Zi Jing casually took the still-dripping sword, not caring at all, and without even looking at it, sheathed it with a smile and said to her, "Brother Xie's injury will probably keep you at the temple for a few days. I'll need the young Taoist priest to take care of you afterwards."
Although Yu Nie didn't show it on her face, she felt as if a spring breeze had swept over her heart. This person certainly had a silver tongue; with just a few words, he made her feel completely at ease.
Who doesn't love to hear nice words?
Feeling relieved by what was said, Yu Nie smiled slightly: "It's nothing. In fact, I still owe Guard Xie a favor. Captain, you don't need to feel embarrassed."
To prevent him from misunderstanding the last few words, she quickly explained, "What I mean is, the captain doesn't need to wear a hat."
A verbal tic is something that can't be changed overnight.
Even after living here for over ten years, she still can't help but use some modern slang in her daily life.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Nie glanced at Xie Cheng's abdomen out of the corner of his eye. The blood had seeped through the bandages, spreading darkly, making the injury look even more serious.
She exchanged a few hurried pleasantries, then said she would escort him back to his room and turned to leave.
A gentle night breeze stirred, and the plain headband on her head fluttered in the cool wind, lightly brushing against the sturdy, heavy armor on his arms.
Ah Huilangxi also did not stay in place, but followed to take care of them.
Cui Miaochang sheathed her longsword, ignored the others present, and then entered the pharmacy.
In the courtyard, only the Thousand Continents Iron Cavalry under the banner of Xuan Ce Army and a few Rouran people who had not yet surrendered remained in an instant.
The world was silent, and the firelight illuminated Zi Jing's profile, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
He rested his thumb on the hilt of his knife and strolled over to the group of men.
Facing the enemy, he didn't seem to maintain a safe distance either; at a glance, the two sides were no more than two feet apart.
"You all have two choices." He said calmly, with a slight pause in his tone:
"First, become my prisoner."
"Second, offer your lives to your gods on the spot."
Without any aggression or threat, he spoke to them as if it were a friendly conversation: "To die or to live? I'll give you the choice."
The Rouran soldiers looked at each other in shock, the trembling in their hands extending to the tip of their blades, and they were drenched in cold sweat.
The bodies of their companions lay at their feet, the blood splattered on them still wet.
The smell of rust mingled with my breath, assaulting my veins and limbs; the smell of death seeped into my lungs and gnawed at my heart.
“No…we swear we will never be taken prisoner.” A short Rouran soldier shouted at the Xuan Ce Army captain, his trembling legs still shaking. “The Rouran people will never surrender to you Beiye people.”
The others quickly echoed this, gripping their knives even tighter.
Looking at their resolute refusal to submit, Zi Jing sighed. He was used to such scenes, and his expression showed neither indignation at being refused to surrender nor mockery of these people's overestimation of their abilities.
He simply asked, "If you commit suicide, you'll have a complete body. But if you swing a knife now, things might not be so simple."
"How can we trust a man from Beiye like you?!"
Zi Jing chuckled lightly: "The Xuan Ce Army never goes back on its word, as you should know."
The men seemed to have made a great decision. They looked at each other, then without further hesitation, they drew their knives and rose up.
Inside the pharmacy, Cui Miaochang and several others were reapplying medicine and bandaging Xie Cheng's wounds.
Bottles and jars were arranged on the table. Yu Nie was wringing out a towel when he glanced out the window.
She saw the captain, clad in iron armor, smiling broadly as he spoke to the Rouran people, seemingly trying to persuade them to surrender.
Even as the predetermined winner, they are not arrogant.
Unexpectedly, the Rouran warrior suddenly raised his sword and slit his own throat. It was terrifying.
Startled, the towel in her hand fell into the basin, splashing water everywhere.
Xie Cheng lay half-reclined on the headboard, showing no surprise at the scene.
It seemed as if those few Rouran people were destined to die here.
Yu Nie murmured, "They would rather hang themselves than surrender, what's the point?"
Why die when life is good enough?
Perhaps because she had died once, she valued life very much.
Xie Cheng withdrew his gaze, coughed heavily, and said, "These are Tuli's men. Their special operations have an order that all surrendered soldiers and their relatives be executed without mercy."
Upon hearing this rule, she looked incredulous: "In other words, they have no right to surrender."
Xie Cheng did not deny it.
"This special agent is far too ruthless. If he does this, will anyone still be willing to risk their lives for him?" She couldn't understand such a decision. If this were the case, wouldn't those forced to go to the battlefield, if captured, face certain death?
She was not unaware that humanity on the battlefield was not something every army possessed.
But when the truth was revealed, it still made her heart tremble.
Her gaze slowly swept over the corpses lying haphazardly.
This was merely one shadow among many in the darkness before the chaos began, no different from any other.
When true chaos sweeps in, such corpses will pile up into mountains and fill rivers.
Thinking of this, she unconsciously clenched the towel in her hand.
And what can she do?
She was nothing more than a grain of sand that accidentally drifted into this torrent of history.
A note from the author:
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