Chapter 61 Yangcheng
Yangcheng, military camp.
Inside the tent, Qiqige, still somewhat weak after regaining consciousness, drank the bitter medicine. His face was filled with worry. He carefully looked around the tent to make sure no one else was there, and then asked in a low voice, "Rakar, what did you promise that nobleman of Da'an to save me?"
Rakar put down the warm rice porridge: "From now on, I will serve her."
"how long?"
"..."
He didn't answer, and Qiqige almost dropped the bowl of medicine in his hands: "Serve until...death?"
"Sister, I'm sorry."
Silence fell over the tent. Qiqige suddenly felt dizzy and gasped for breath, only managing to calm down after a while.
"You did it to save me, you did nothing wrong."
"It's my fault as your older sister for holding you back."
“Sister, you’re right… Sister, do you remember who poisoned this?” In fact, Rakar already had a guess in his heart. Having spent some time by Lin Quan’s side, his intuition had become much stronger.
Qiqige reached out and grabbed his sleeve, recalling what had happened that day. Her eyes were filled with regret and guilt, and sparks of emotion flickered in them: "It was the eldest prince. He forced me to eat the poisoned mutton."
"He harbored evil intentions from the very beginning; he's a beast in human form."
"Rakar, you must not let him go."
A horn sounded outside the tent. Rakar, dressed in armor and carrying a long sword, bid farewell to his sister.
A cold wind blew into the tent through the open corner, and Qiqige lowered her head, her body, which had just tried to prop itself up, collapsed in an instant.
An unfamiliar environment, a frail body, and her younger brother who was a burden to her... She couldn't show weakness in front of Rakar; he had already made too many sacrifices for her, and she couldn't hold him back.
As for the reputation of betraying the Xianbei?
So what if they expose my wickedness?
She only has one younger brother.
She needs to recover quickly. She's quick and agile, and if she can win over that princess, perhaps her brother can avoid going to the battlefield and have fewer scars.
The winter winds in the north were biting cold. Despite the harsh winter, the two armies clashed in small-scale battles. The Da'an infantry, being less agile than the cavalry, mostly suffered defeats.
The adjutant was so anxious looking at the battle report that his lips were practically blistered. The only good news was that Rakar's squad was frequently bringing back victories, so at least it wasn't all defeats.
Although General Lin instructed his soldiers to prioritize their own lives and avoid direct confrontation, the sheer number of defeats was still disheartening.
I don't know if General Lin has any other ideas, he keeps telling him not to worry.
How could he not be anxious? His spies had sent word that the grasslands were about to launch a major offensive, and the current skirmishes were merely the grasslands' final probing!
Most of them suffered defeats, which boosted the morale of the grasslands but also dampened the spirits of the Yangcheng army. If this continued, how could the Yangcheng army fight without the will to fight?
More importantly, the eldest princess secretly arrived in Yangcheng several days in advance. Others might not know, but how could he, who was responsible for settling His Highness and his entourage, not know?
To suffer a defeat in front of His Highness is no different from simply saying that a general is incompetent.
Even though General Lin's previous record was reliable, the adjutant still had to worry about whether the tactics were feasible.
Although they were prepared, the grassland's all-out attack came unexpectedly swiftly. Standing on the city wall, they could see a dark shadow pressing down from afar, its momentum fierce and unstoppable.
Yangcheng was on high alert, and Lakar volunteered to lead the vanguard to defend against the Xianbei attack.
When the Xianbei army approached the city, the troops lined up in front of Yangcheng to counterattack. The Xianbei cavalry did not hesitate for a moment and ran over the bodies of the soldiers. War was about to break out.
After holding their anger in for many days, the soldiers of Da'an finally had a chance to vent. They swung their weapons with all their might, beheading one head after another.
The Xianbei cavalry were not to be outdone, and used their superb horsemanship to move freely on the battlefield.
Like a wolf, Lakar kept his eyes fixed on the Xianbei nobleman in command. He recognized him as the prince's subordinate, the one who had told him to hand his sister over to the prince!
Anger burned in his heart, but thankfully his elder sister had woken up. For her sake, he could not risk his life to take the nobleman's head.
His comrade beside him noticed that something was wrong and called out to him, but Rakar shook his head to indicate that he was fine.
The battle raged on until dawn the next day, with neither side able to gain the upper hand, and both sides ceased fighting.
As the Xianbei retreated, just as they were about to reach their camp, a surprise attack was launched by a hidden force that had been lying in wait all night. The attack struck from the flank, catching the Xianbei off guard when they were off guard.
"That damned Lin Quan! How dare he set a trap here!"
Ian's angry rebuke was drowned out by the thunder of the horse's hooves. In the instant his head hit the ground, the last thing he saw was a pair of fierce yet affectionate eyes.
...It's from Da'an, the eldest princess!
They were all deceived by Lin Quan!
The one who truly took his life was not Lin Quan, but the eldest princess.
Lin Quan is nothing more than a pawn laid bare in the open!
With his eyes wide open in death, Yi'en fell straight to the ground. The soldiers of Da'an raised his head high, shouting, "Yi'en is dead! Yi'en is dead—"
The frightened horses fled, and the demoralized Xianbei cavalry gradually gave up. As the sun rose high in the sky, Zhou Chaoyun led the defeated Xianbei army back to the city.
At night, the Yangcheng army underwent a reorganization. After two days of fierce fighting, the soldiers were exhausted. The tension suddenly eased, and they quickly fell asleep in their familiar surroundings.
Even the wails of their comrades failed to wake them; instead, the sounds of their cries slept even more soundly.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch—Dr. Komu, please be gentle!"
The soldier, whose knee had been gouged out, was pressed down on the bed. Xiao Mu poured a bowl of strong liquor down his throat, and the soldier felt a burning pain and unbearable itching in his wound.
"Someone who doesn't feel pain when his flesh is scraped off, how can he be afraid of getting burned by strong liquor? Hold him down, don't let him move!"
Xiao Mu pulled out a gleaming silver blade and carefully cut away the half-eaten, rotten flesh. Then, he took out a clean and dried cloth and tightly wrapped the wound: "If you don't want to die, you'd better bear with it."
Since joining the army, Xiao Mu's skills in treating wounds have become more and more proficient, and his verbal skills have also improved rapidly. He would find something to criticize if he was not satisfied with anyone.
These tough guys, if you don't curse them a few times, they really won't listen to the doctor's advice. If you tell them to rest and recover, within three days, he'll always catch the injured person running around in bed.
He's so angry!
The soldier gritted his teeth and endured the pain, not forgetting to shout one last time: "Who knew this new wine would be so strong once it's in my stomach, and even stronger before it's gone—"
"If you call me again, I'll tell you you won't get to drink anymore."
He wants to issue a medical order prohibiting soldiers from drinking alcohol!
The comrades who were less seriously injured around him gloated, and Xiao Mu pointed at them one by one: "None of you are going to escape."
The soldiers in the tent quickly urged him to rest. Xiao Shi from the next tent brought over clean utensils: "Xiao Mu, don't be angry. It's okay if they don't listen to us. At worst, we can talk to General Lin and let him deal with them. They can't disobey General Lin."
"Dr. Shi, please be gentle with your words!"
The medic was pleased to see them still so lively, and since the casualties weren't too heavy, it could be considered a great victory, making the atmosphere in the camp much more cheerful.
Ian's head hung in the most conspicuous place in the camp. Under the bright moonlight, the head on the high pole had its eyes wide open, leaving behind the last trace of regret, anger and fear in its life.
The noble lords who were once high and mighty and used to beat and scold them at the drop of a hat are now dead. No matter how great their power is, it is no match for a long sword slicing through their throats and separating their heads from their bodies.
Ian is, the eldest prince is, the Khan... is also.
"Brother, let's go back to the tent. It's cold outside."
The howling north wind carried intermittent whispers, rousing Rakar from his reverie.
He stopped wiping his longsword, turned around, and saw his elder sister, draped in a quilt, emerging from her tent. The north wind tousled her hair. Rakar sheathed his sword and hurriedly ran to her, taking her back into the tent.
"Sister, you should say this to yourself too."
In the tent, unlike the rare relaxed atmosphere of the camp, Zhou Chaoyun, dressed in casual clothes that allowed for easy movement, sat at the head of the table, staring intently at the people below with a solemn expression.
The Xianbei strategist...
A speculator who is afraid of death and uses information to save his life.
"The Khan will order the eldest prince to lead a large army to support Ian half a month after Ian sets off..."
The strategist was escorted out of the tent. Lin Quan and his adjutant exchanged glances. The adjutant said worriedly, "Isn't half a month just right...?"
“At this very moment,” Cui Shu stopped fanning himself, opened his slightly narrowed eyes, and looked at the eldest princess with a heavy expression, “perhaps the eldest prince has already arrived in Yangcheng.”
Zhou Chaoyun tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest and asked Lin Quan, "How is their training going?"
Lin Quan cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "We have the strength to fight."
The adjutant was unaware of the conversation between the two, but the others in the tent seemed to agree, as if everyone except him knew the meaning behind His Highness and the General's words.
Could it be... that the general really has some secret weapon?
Outside Yangcheng, in the Xianbei encampment which was in chaos due to Zhou Chaoyun's surprise attack, another group of unexpected guests arrived.
The leader, dressed in finery, stopped his horse and ordered his men to repair the dilapidated and desolate felt tent.
"Your Highness, use this tent as bait to lure the Yangcheng army into exploring. At that time, it will be easy for us to take them down."
The eldest prince glanced at him, scanned him for a moment, and then said with approval, "I didn't expect you to be so smart. It was definitely the right decision for your father to call you here."
"That's because the eldest prince is deeply trusted by the Khan, and the Khan entrusted you with such an important task."
Although he had suspected the strategist was his father's spy and was quite angry about it, the man's words were so pleasant that he could keep him around for a few more days.
The newly appointed strategist coaxed the eldest prince away and then wiped away non-existent sweat upon returning home.
Good heavens! He, the dignified Beggar Clan's Hu Da Hua, actually became the powerful strategist of the Xianbei Khan!
He'll brag about it to his brothers when he gets back!
Young Master Huo is truly a prophet; this eldest prince is just a vain man who loves to hear flattery!
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