Chapter 155
When Helian Cheng received news that the Rongdi Prime Minister Bilegge would soon arrive in Jialuo City to personally escort the Crown Prince of Rongyang Khan back to the country, he was burning paper money for Xue Jin'an.
A thick stack of ink-stained papers fell into the charcoal brazier, and the flames licked at them, engulfing them inch by inch. Wherever they passed, only gray residue remained, trembling and scattered beyond the orange-red light and shadow, which was quite pitiful.
Upon receiving the notice and rushing to the pre-battle meeting, the generals felt a lump in their throats.
They all thought that the general had secretly written a eulogy to commemorate the heroic souls who died in battle on this northern desert land, and they were all deeply moved, with tears and snot flying everywhere.
One of the men, overcome with emotion, sobbed as he raised his fist and shouted at Helian Cheng, "General, don't be sad! It's time for us to take back everything we've lost! Your subordinate is willing to go through fire and water for you!"
Completely oblivious to the situation, Helian Cheng slowly typed a question mark: "...?"
Helian Cheng was genuinely taken aback by their appearance. He stared at them for a long time but couldn't discern anything from their ugly, crying faces. Moreover, for some reason, he felt that his inability to understand them was his own fault.
Helian Cheng, being very pragmatic, decided to give up and not bother to find out the cause and effect, since he figured it wasn't what he wanted to hear anyway.
—Actually, it's not surprising that the soldiers were speculating wildly; in fact, it was Helian Cheng who created the space for them to make up stories.
Since entering Rongdi territory, Helian Cheng has developed the habit of sending paper money to Xue Jin'an every day. Although the Seventh Prince's methods are quite cunning and not easily intercepted or deciphered by ordinary people, Helian Cheng remains vigilant and will not write any confidential content in the letters.
After all, he didn't know much about such supernatural methods, nor did he know how many extraordinary people there were in the world.
This communication itself is a kind of signal.
If Xue Jin'an doesn't receive the letter one day, it means the situation on Helian City's side is critical, and it's time for Lu Bingzhu to take action.
Although Xue Jin'an often reads the message but doesn't reply, or simply sends a punctuation mark to express her feelings.
Helian Cheng didn't feel neglected at all, and continued to write every day without fail. Moreover, as his time stationed in Jialuo City lengthened, he received far less military duties than usual, leaving him with much more free time. Helian Cheng spent most of this hard-won free time on Xue Jin'an, resulting in his letters becoming longer and longer.
As a result, it is inevitable that the proportion of personal biases (daily life of Helian Cheng) that are smuggled in is getting higher and higher.
Helian Cheng is like that. He appears ruthless and cold-hearted, but in reality, he is quite lively with those he trusts and is easily moved to tears.
Forced to thoroughly investigate Helian Cheng, Xue Jin'an once again turned to the browser, connected to the Heavenly Dao Network, and asked: "Can't I really block him?"
The world consciousness did not respond.
Helian Cheng unilaterally believed that he and the Seventh Prince had communicated very well and had become closer.
In short, Helian Cheng and Xue Jin'an maintained contact tacitly, but others saw it as something completely different.
They saw that the general diligently wrote letters every day but never sent them. He would burn them immediately after writing them, and after burning them, he would make some ambiguous gestures, such as waving his hands or smiling with his head down, as if he had received a reply from someone.
As this happened more often and more people saw it, more rumors spread. One person told ten, ten told a hundred, and the rumors escalated layer by layer, eventually becoming the completely distorted version we see today.
Helian Cheng intended not to delve into the matter, but people kept bringing it up.
Under Helian Cheng's watchful gaze, as the soldiers' agitated emotions gradually subsided, someone in the crowd said, "The Rongdi and Daqi are separated by national and personal hatred; too many people have sacrificed their lives, their bones piled up like mountains..."
The deep, hoarse voice plunged the entire atmosphere into a heavy abyss. The soldiers, all passionate men, couldn't help but feel their emotions rise and fall with his, hating him and getting angry at him.
Helian Cheng frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he looked over.
The man's words seemed to be in support of the Great Qi, but in reality, he was trying to sow discord between the Great Qi and the Rongdi. Finally, he said through gritted teeth, "General, don't be sad. I heard that the Rongdi's damn prime minister is coming soon. We'll help you get revenge!"
"Your subordinate is willing to go through fire and water for the general!"
He spoke with great passion and fervor, and many who weren't so bright were stirred by the atmosphere and raised their arms in agreement. The shadows of the leaping firelight danced in their eyes as a continuous, fierce and ruthless force.
For a moment, even Helian Cheng's cold face couldn't suppress the surging, burning passion within him.
Was this person harboring resentment due to listening to slander, or was it driven by selfish motives? Regardless of the reason, this person's actions were in favor of the Rong and Di tribes, which constitutes treason.
A surge of murderous intent flashed in Helian Cheng's eyes for a moment, but he quickly concealed it before anyone could notice.
Helian Cheng knew the principle that "if the water is too clear, there will be no fish, and if a person is too discerning, he will have no followers." He could plant spies in the Rongdi army, and the enemy could also plant spies in their Northwest Army. However, under his strict management and suppression, these people were like quails and never dared to show their faces.
It seems that the appearance of "Long Aotian" made these people feel that the Northwest Army had been divided into factions, which gave them an opportunity to cause trouble.
Helian Cheng didn't rush to arrest the man on the spot. He simply gave his two deputy generals a look, and they would follow this trail to find out what was hidden deep inside.
The two lieutenants exchanged a glance and nodded to indicate that they understood.
Helian Cheng then raised his hand, and the noisy noise stopped abruptly, revealing the disciplined military style of the Northwest Army.
Helian Cheng said, "Bilge can die, but not now."
Bilge's life is more meaningful now than his death.
Helian Cheng's gaze lingered for a moment in the corner, where there was a box made of ice, and inside the box was a very exquisite and simple square box.
If you get close enough, you can smell the rich fragrance emanating from the box—a rotten, decaying smell, a mixture of earthy odor and the afterglow of spring flowers.
On the eve of Bileg's arrival, Helian Cheng studied the "Military General's Holy Codex" for several nights, memorizing the section on foreign relations written by the Seventh Prince.
Then the next day, he really started arguing with Bilge, and for the first time, he didn't lose.
Seeing Bilge's ashen face, Helian Cheng, who was always at a disadvantage in language, straightened his back and laughed twice without any politeness: Serves you right! You've finally met your match!
The two initially maintained a superficial peace upon meeting, but it was Bilge who spoke first, in a sarcastic tone.
He said, "Ever since the Northwest Army has had Commander-in-Chief Xiaolong, the Grand General's tactics have changed quite a bit, and the focus has shifted to the rear... It seems that General Helian is promoting the younger generation and avoiding direct confrontation."
At first glance, Bileg's words seemed harmless, but in reality, they were quite profound. From the very first sentence, he was intentionally trying to sow discord between Long Aotian and Helian Cheng. The last sentence was even more barbed, indirectly mocking Helian Cheng for being old and lacking drive, afraid to even engage in direct combat, resorting instead to low-level tricks. It seemed that Helian Cheng knew he couldn't compare to Long Aotian, so he took a crooked path, and everything he did was a last-ditch effort before his death.
As the saying goes, "the new waves of the Yangtze River push the old waves forward," and Helian Cheng was that old wave that was swept away and killed on the beach.
Despite being mocked so blatantly, Helian Cheng showed no anger whatsoever; in fact, a hint of excitement flickered in his eyes.
—Excitement? ? Bilge stared intently, meeting Helian Cheng's deep, cold eyes, but there was not a trace of joy in them.
Did I see wrong? Bilge averted his gaze, his mood inexplicably becoming heavy.
He wasn't mistaken; Helian Cheng was indeed quite excited because he had guessed the question correctly. He appeared calm on the surface but was very excited inside, thinking that the Seventh Prince was truly extraordinary, having even guessed the words the other party would use.
Helian Cheng reacted and retaliated according to what was written in the sacred book, even following the steps exactly as written. He first showed his forbearance with a frown, then put on a smile to hide his dissatisfaction, but his lips drooped slightly to reveal his displeasure. Finally, he smiled and said, "When master and disciple are of one mind, their strength can break metal."
"It is because of him that I dare to go out on expeditions with peace of mind." Helian Cheng spoke from the heart, but coupled with his forced smile, Bileg did not believe him at all, and thought that he was just trying to save face.
After Helian Cheng finished speaking, he paused, not giving Bileg time to react, and changed the subject to Weng Tianxin, asking Bileg about his plan to spend a lot of money to redeem Weng Tianxin.
Bileg's attention was indeed diverted. There was no way around it; Weng Tianxin was just too important to him, and he couldn't help but want to know about his situation.
"He's so happy he's forgotten all about Shu." He's already so happy he's practically dead; whether he misses Shu or not is no longer important.
Helian Cheng thought of something and said, "He did leave you a gift, which is kept together with the gift he brought to the Rongdi Khan. He will give it to you after he goes to your capital, Xijing."
When Bilge heard about the gift, his heart clenched. He suppressed his bad premonitions and forced himself to continue dealing with Helian Cheng.
However, whether Bileg tried to sow discord between the Great Qi and the Russian Empire, or brought up the fact that the Northwest Army, under the guise of escorting them, was actually invading and now forcibly occupying their territory, he did not get the expected response.
When he mentioned that Princess Irina of the Great Empire had her home raided while she was away on a campaign, and that her years of hard work had been destroyed, forcing her to lead her army to settle on the border, where neighboring countries were eyeing them covetously, Helian Cheng mentioned that the Rongdi were in an awkward position between the two countries. Compared to invading the Great Qi, which was of similar size, it was obviously easier to persuade the Great Empire to join forces to annex the Rongdi.
"In the past, the Rongdi were wolves of the grasslands, and it took a huge price to persuade the empress of the great empire to cooperate in marching south. How much can the Rongdi bear now?" Helian Cheng asked quite bluntly.
It was this bluntness that left Bilge speechless and unable to respond, leaving him choked with embarrassment.
The classic battle in which the Northwest Army, with its 100,000 troops, decisively defeated the Rongdi tribes, added a halo to its commander, "Long Aotian," entirely by trampling on the dignity of the Rongdi.
If they don't lose, all is well; but if they do lose, the whole situation collapses like a landslide, and they can't hold on any longer. Not only does the external deterrent crumble, but internal discord also arises, and their obedience to the Khan is no longer what it used to be.
The Rongdi have no way out. Bileg closed his eyes, suppressing his emotions, while still wearing a smile.
Then he talked about the people who had been relocated from the cities occupied by the Northwest Army. Helian Cheng insisted that they were helping out of kindness. He said that the Rongdi people and Crown Prince Rongyang had begged them for help, and the upright and kind Northwest Army could not bear to see the people suffer, so they helped them to the end.
Bilge laughed in exasperation: What do you mean by helping to the very end? It would be best to help for a hundred years, and then, once all the people in the know are dead, these places will naturally and effortlessly be incorporated into the territory of Daqi, right?
How could someone say something so shameless? Bileg scrutinized Helian Cheng and quickly realized: No, that's not Helian Cheng's style.
Helian Cheng was a commander known for his steadiness. He was deeply involved in the battlefield and had virtually no political acumen. Otherwise, he wouldn't have almost been detained in the capital and unable to return. This kind of language style, full of interconnected traps, was definitely not something Helian Cheng could say.
Helian Cheng blurted out this without a second thought, as if he had memorized it... Wait, this style of being seen through and having everything they do predicted—that's Long Aotian!
Bileg was startled.
His wariness of Long Aotian had increased to a new level, and he had already bypassed Helian City.
In the eyes of others, Helian Cheng is the true ruler of the Northwest Army, and Long Aotian, the newcomer, cannot hold his position for more than ten years. Therefore, the one to be wary of is Helian Cheng. Bileg agrees with the previous statement; Long Aotian is still too young, while Helian Cheng can fight for another ten years. During those ten years, the power transition in the Northwest Army will be stable.
However, he had always held the opposite opinion on the latter statement, and this was especially true after today. He used to think that Long Aotian was too young, had become famous at a young age, and had become a god in one battle, with unlimited potential, but there was still a difference in experience. However, after today's battle with him from afar, he realized just how terrifying Long Aotian really was.
An invincible general inspires awe, but is not frightening. With a little manipulation, even the butcher Bai Qi would perish due to the king's suspicion.
Helian Cheng was such a person.
Even when facing this Great Qi War God, Bileg could still point his sword at the capital and say that the future of the Rongdi people was promising.
Faced with a tactical genius, a politically astute man, and a prophetic genius who seemed to have all the gods and Buddhas on his side, Bileg felt that his future was bleak.
No, no, destiny can't just stand on one side. Long Aotian must have other weaknesses! Right, right, his identity—he has no father, no mother, no relatives or friends, he must be a commoner from a military family!
Those powerful and influential families in Daqi would not want to see a commoner rise above them. The reason things haven't gone wrong yet is because Helian Cheng is protecting them. Once Helian Cheng is in trouble, no matter how capable Long Aotian is, he won't be able to protect this position.
He only had two paths to take: either obediently hand over military power or rebel.
Regardless of which option is chosen, the Northwest Army will be no threat.
Bileg's anxiety subsided slightly, and he looked in the direction of the royal court, letting out a sigh.
The Great Qi Dynasty first had Helian Cheng and then Long Aotian, and its lineage has never been broken. But the Rongdi people clearly have the most valiant and skilled cavalry, so why can't they produce a single great general?
And who knows if after taking down one Long Aotian, there might be another Li Aotian or Zhang Aotian? — As it turns out, Bileg was right. In the original story, he finally managed to trap Helian Cheng in a small town, thinking that with a fool like Helian Yong, taking Qizhou would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. Who would have thought that a rebel king, Cui Zui, would suddenly appear out of nowhere.
This rebel king, despite his rebellion, was still an honest man. Instead of fighting and seeking revenge against the Great Qi, he stubbornly defended Qizhou, shattering the Rong and Di people's ambition to seize the Central Plains.
When Bilge died of illness, his face was turned towards the direction of Daqi with resentment. Not two years after his death, Cui Zui was killed, and the Northwest Army changed hands again, becoming the power of the Eighth Prince Xue Liuguang.
Weng Tianxin, who succeeded Bileg as prime minister, admired the Eighth Prince's learning and served as a peace envoy between the Great Qi and the Rongdi tribes. He strongly advocated trade with Qizhou and encouraged intermarriage and integration between the two tribes. Later, due to his differing political views with the new Khan, he was dismissed from his position as prime minister and beheaded.
Now completely unaware, Bileg felt indignant: "The Great Qi truly lives up to its name as the Land of Abundance, it is indeed full of talented people, how unfair!"
Bileg was in a bad mood. He looked down at the thin layer of snow on the ground and couldn't help but sneer, "Everyone says that the Northwest Army is brave and good at fighting, but now I see that it is not as good as it sounds."
Helian Cheng marched his army into Jialuo City in September, but until November, he used the excuse of heavy snow blocking the roads and making it difficult to march to remain stationed there. He neither continued to advance nor retreated to Qizhou, and it seemed that he intended to make Jialuo City his base.
—Yes, not "want," it "already." Bileg already knows that those damned bandits of Daqi are secretly calling Garo City "Luo City"! Absolutely despicable!
The claim that heavy snow blocked the roads is just an excuse.
There was indeed a heavy snowfall in September, and some more snow fell in October, but it was definitely not enough to close the mountains and roads.
Such snow might be treated with caution in the south, but in the north, where the snow is deep enough to bury a person, this little bit of snow, which doesn't even cover a horse's hoof, is not a big deal to people who live on the border year-round.
Helian Cheng's serious attitude was clearly intentional.
Incidentally, those bandits, rebels, and troublemakers wiped out by the Northwest Army were actually part of a plan devised by the Rongdi to prevent Galdan from returning to his country.
The Rongdi people of today are the same as the Daqi people of two years ago. The Rongdi people do not have the strength to start a war for the time being, so they do not dare to mobilize their main forces to give a thunderous response to Helian Cheng’s provocation, so as to avoid a full-scale war.
All the Rongdi could do was destroy the perfect pretext for the Great Qi's invasion, namely the third prince Galdan.
Once Galdan is defeated, the current predicament will be resolved.
After Galdan was captured, Rongdi Khan was furious that Galdan not only did not commit suicide but also led the enemy army. Many tribal leaders felt that although the Khan's actions were not wrong, they were also rather cold-blooded.
Even tigers don't eat their cubs. The third prince was killed while on a mission to probe the enemy. He should be considered a hero and should be rewarded.
Those tribal leaders said one thing, but when the sword was actually hanging over their heads, their curses were far more vehement than those of the Rongdi Khan. In their mouths, Galdan had become a plague god who would bring disaster to the grasslands.
If Galdan were to be captured alone, he would face the punishment of being burned at the stake.
At this moment, it was Rongdi Khan who calmed down first, or rather, he became clear-headed. He was even quite excited and felt that it was good that Galdan was alive.
Galdan's survival created this situation, making the disorganized tribal leaders feel a sense of crisis. They finally stopped causing trouble and returned to his wise leadership.
He will point his sword at the Northwest Army and seek justice for the Rong and Di tribes!
—The Rongdi Khan was probably the only one who remained steadfast and resolute in advocating war after experiencing an unprecedented defeat.
Unfortunately, although the Rongdi recognized the Khan's rule, the court was not a one-man show. The Rongdi kingdom was a union of various tribes, much like the enfeoffment system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, where the feudal lords supported the Zhou emperor. The Rongdi army was no different.
The feudal lords had too much autonomy. Once the Rong and Di Khans could not control them, it would lead to a situation like the Warring States period, where the feudal lords fought for supremacy, and the emperor would become a figurehead, pitifully holding the Nine Tripods that symbolized power and accumulating huge debts.
The Rong and Di tribes were not just a scattered group, but were even more scattered. The Rong and Di Khan harbored deep resentment, but it was all in vain. Reform was no easy task, and he was ultimately not Qin Shi Huang, lacking the ambition to unify the six kingdoms and conquer the world.
Therefore, his pro-war ideology was ultimately not the mainstream.
Apart from the Khan, the entire Rongdi court agreed to pursue a peaceful ceasefire, and they decided to kill Galdan.
"The Third Prince is the righteous cause and legitimate reason for the Northwest Army. As long as he is gone, the Northwest Army will have no reason to continue its invasion." The tribal chiefs thought so naively.
Bilge, however, was far less optimistic.
Even if Galdan dies, the Northwest Army can continue to cause chaos under the pretext of finding the murderer. Now that they have started their invasion, they will not be so easy to deal with.
However, despite his high status, he was ultimately just a subject, possessing only the empty title of a wise man without any tribe to support him. To put it bluntly, he was in the same situation as "Long Aotian"—the poor could never compete with the powerful and influential.
When Bileg thought about these things, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.
While the upper echelons believed that everything would be alright once Galdan was dealt with, all of Bileg's advice was dismissed as unfounded worry, and everyone found him tedious and annoying.
Up to now, all the assassination attempts against Galdan have failed, and the Rongdi have suffered heavy losses. One of their cavalry units, which was hiding in the mountains waiting for an opportunity, was wiped out by the Northwest Army, who were "hunting".
Only then were they willing to sit down and listen to what Bilge had to say.
Bileg understood this clearly, or rather, the struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor gave him enough confidence, which meant that the internal political environment of the Great Qi was not stable and was divided into two factions.
Aid to foreign powers must begin with securing internal stability; now is not a good time for the Great Qi to wage war against foreign powers.
There may have been some unusual activity before, but after what happened to Princess Irina of the neighboring Russian Empire, they need to think twice.
To understand this, we need to start from when Irina left Daqi.
During her previous conversation with Xue Jin'an, Irina revealed her desire to expand outwards, accumulate military merits, and stabilize her position. She chose to launch foreign wars to expand her territory and ease domestic conflicts. After testing the waters in Daqi, she reached a verbal agreement with Xue Jin'an, who completely abandoned his expansion to the east and set his sights on the western continent.
It must be said that the people in the west are far inferior to the Great Qi in terms of martial prowess and military level. In just one year, she has almost crossed half of the continent. She has become the female war goddess of the great empire, and the people's calls for her to be made crown princess are getting louder and louder.
Just then, the Empress fell seriously ill. Her lover seized control of the court under this pretext. Her adopted sister acted as a dutiful son at the Empress's bedside for quite some time. Finally, on her way back to the capital, the father and son could no longer resist and, with great gratitude, obtained the position of Crown Princess.
Unfortunately, this crown princess was not only unloved by the people, but also rejected by the stubborn and corrupt faction.
Seeing that the Empress seemed to be dying, those old fogies jumped out again, clamoring every day to bring back her useless, incompetent father to reclaim the throne. The two sides were pulling at each other like chickens pecking at each other, neither able to convince the other—of course, the main reason for this was that the Empress was just sick, not dead yet, and still mentally sound.
Irina herself never imagined that she would have a day to thank her enemy. If the two sides hadn't been sabotaging each other, the dynasty would probably have changed before she even returned.
The empress did manage to pull through, but her energy and spirit were greatly diminished, and she looked incredibly old. It seems that both men and women, rulers, tend to develop the same problem when they get old: they become envious of their daughters who are growing up and becoming more powerful.
After being harassed several times, Irina figured out the trick and finally retreated to the border as a strategic move.
Of course, on the surface she still acted as if she had been forced into this situation by her close sisters, and it was this stroke of genius that diverted the Empress's attention from her to others.
There's nothing to it but that the minister who was her lover and her adopted sister were jumping around too much, trying to take advantage of her illness to kill her. When the two sides are locked in a fierce confrontation, she, who now holds military power, will be a great eyesore. But once she backs down and softens her stance, turning this conflict into a one-sided beating, the side that jumps the highest will become the more of an eyesore.
The old lover was dismissed, and the younger sister was exiled to the coldest place to dig soil. Even if the empress didn't officially revoke her right to succession, the distance was too great. By the time they received the news of the incident, the new emperor would probably have already ascended the throne.
Their fate was far worse than Irina's; at least Irina wasn't forced to relinquish her military power.
The rumors circulating outside were terrible, as if her future was already doomed. However, Irina was actually in a good mood and kept writing to Xue Jin'an, asking him to analyze her current situation.
Xue Jin'an sent her a copy of "The History of Qin" and circled the chapter about Prince Fusu in the table of contents.
Isn't Irina's current situation exactly the same as Fusu's? Both of them were exiled to the border by their mothers/fathers who were emperors, and at the same time, they both held military power.
Irina held the "History of Qin" as if it were a treasure, feeling that it was her book of prophecy. Because of this, she decided to give Xue Jin'an a mysterious gift.
"I finally managed to get this done, my dear Seventh Prince, you will surely thank me," Irina wrote in the letter. Perhaps because she had been in the West for so long, her speech now had a Western accent.
Irina knew that Long Aotian was Xue Jin'an's man. Her letters were delivered to the Northwest Army camp by falcons. Those falcons were quite intelligent. Apart from its master and "Long Aotian", if anyone tried to take the letter tied to its claws, it would use its claws, beak, and wings all at once, making sure to leave some psychological trauma on the audacious human.
At midnight, just as Xue Jin'an logged onto the Northwest Army website, his orderly, Xiao Jia, rushed in from outside, looking like he was about to burst into tears, saying, "General, you've finally arrived."
A giant eagle, almost half a person's height, followed closely behind him. With wings as big as palm leaves, it swaggered up to Xue Jin'an.
"Chirp!" It used its large wings, which could cover Xue Jin'an, to paw at her.
Xue Jin'an remained seated without moving, grabbed its large wing, and lifted it up like a chicken.
"Hiss—" Although it wasn't the first time Xiao Jia had seen this scene, he still couldn't help but gasp.
"Come here." Xue Jin'an handed over the big eagle, and Xiao Jia stiffly took it with both hands. The heavy bundle made his arm twitch.
"Hmm, I've gained two ounces." Xiao Jia, who used to be a cook, subconsciously weighed the food in his hand.
"Chirp!" The big eagle seemed to understand his words and chirped somewhat displeased.
It didn't struggle when it was caught, clearly already used to being treated this way, and even consciously stretched out its long, woolen legs to indicate to Xue Jin'an that the letter tube was tied to it.
As soon as Xue Jin'an took the letter down, it chirped impatiently, urging Xiao Jia to hurry up and leave.
Every time it was caught and handed to Xiao Jia, Xiao Jia would take it down and feed it a large piece of meat as a reward before releasing it. It had remembered this and automatically associated Xiao Jia with food.
Xiao Jia left with the eagle. Xue Jin'an unfolded the letter and saw that it said the mysterious gift had been sent to Kyoto and that he should remember to sign for it.
Back when Irina first mentioned the mystery gift, Xue Jin'an checked the courier service and indeed found a package that had been picked up from the Great Empire. He opened it and checked again, and it was still listed as picked up.
At this rate of delivery speed against the wind, it will probably take until next year to reach Beijing.
Faced with the choice between rushing to the courier station or patiently waiting for the package, Xue Jin'an chose to contact Helian Cheng and ask him to bring it back on his way.
As for the fact that we had to ride a horse for a hundred miles along the way, consider it the price Helian Cheng paid for disturbing his sleep.
Yes, Xue Jin'an was prompted by Helian Cheng to go online at this time.
He usually goes to sleep with the Do Not Disturb mode on by this time, but because Helian Cheng is leading troops on an expedition, the Northwest Camp has no leader, and the soldiers left behind are all listless, and the quality of morning training has dropped by more than one degree.
Xue Jin'an had gotten used to training with the channel every day for the past two years, but now that his skill level had suddenly dropped so much, his database was thrown into disarray.
Although he quickly adjusted and was able to block everyone out and do his own thing, these were still his soldiers, and he couldn't completely ignore them. So Xue Jin'an simply found them something to do and let them experience what it was like to fight against the Imperial Guards.
Through three months of intensive training, the Imperial Guards have significantly improved their capabilities. In addition to a marked increase in individual combat skills, teamwork, and coordination, they have also become unparalleled in dirty tactics, developing a unique style.
At first, the proud and rebellious group led by Monk Fang were not convinced by Cui Zui and even looked down on him—how could a guy who looked like a mixed-race bastard lead the army of Daqi?
Later... all I can say is that being a cunning old fox is really great, especially this kind of unexpected and dirty trickery, which sometimes manages to make the high and mighty Northwest Army bleed profusely.
And so, the Imperial Guards were gradually molded into the shape Cui Zui desired.
Xue Jin'an sent this group of idle fellows to fight the Imperial Guards, but unexpectedly, the Northwest Army capsized, and Cui Zui won the competition "honorably" for the first time.
"Tsk." Xue Jin'an frowned slightly, and everyone's skin tightened.
Xue Jin'an was stationed in the Northwest Army and also took over the task of recruiting new soldiers for the Northwest Army this year. There was no need to worry about failing to complete this task. Although the commercial path to wealth planned by Magistrate Du of An County had begun to show results, there were still many poor people in the world. There were many people who were forced to the brink of desperation and wanted to get that "money of indenture".
Xue Jin'an had more to do, and he spent more and more time stationed at the Northwest Army, but he still went back to sleep on time, appearing and disappearing so mysteriously that Xiao Jia couldn't find him. However, in order not to miss important intelligence, Xue Jin'an turned off the "do not disturb" function at night.
Then, just a few days later, he was woken up in the middle of the night by a series of gray messages from Helian City, urging him to get up and see what was going on.
"You'd better actually have something to show for it." Xue Jin'an appeared online with a gloomy face.
As it turned out, the spectacle that excited Helian Cheng to the point of waking him up was indeed very exciting, so exciting that even the dignified prime minister, who had seen countless grand occasions, rolled his eyes and fainted.
This matter is truly no one's fault but theirs; it was all the Prime Minister's own choice.
On the first day of the eleventh month, Bileg hurried to Luocheng; on the third day, the group was delayed for a few days, and just as they were about to set off for Xijing, Helian Cheng absorbed the essence of Xue Jin'an's "The Holy Book of Military Generals" and made a great deal of changes to his army by taking the best of its training methods.
For example, Helian City stipulated that everyone had to carry their own luggage on their backs while trekking through mountains and rivers; this was called armed cross-country running. Since the soldiers carried their own luggage, the army's baggage naturally became lighter, and they even had an extra oxcart.
To avoid making the space seem empty, Helian Cheng collected and arranged the gifts from Rongdi Khan, filling the carriage to the brim.
Helian Cheng piled things up casually, but he was particularly careful with an exquisitely carved box. This box even had a matching freezer, which took up quite a lot of space. If you added the saltpeter used to replenish the ice at any time, it would be quite too conspicuous.
Helian Cheng didn't know where to put it for a moment.
"I'll carry this box." Galdan's pupils shrank for a moment when he saw the box, but he quickly regained his composure and even offered his hand.
Bileg subtly surveyed the entire baggage train and noticed some unusual things, such as the half-cartload of saltpeter in the train.
This is very strange. Although saltpeter is both a medicine and a material, it is not a necessary supply for the army. Judging from the traces left on the vehicle, it was at least full of saltpeter, but now only a third of it remains.
What exactly would require so much saltpeter?
Could it be... that the artifact that circulated from Anzhi County, capable of blasting rocks and splitting mountains, was not just a rumor? Bileg's eyes were filled with obscurity.
Looking around, I saw that Galdan and Helian Cheng were both treasuring that box, and alarm bells rang in Bileg's mind.
He chuckled and chimed in, "Why don't you leave this here with me? You all ride horses, but I'm the only one in a carriage. It's definitely more comfortable here, isn't it?"
Helian Cheng and Galdan immediately looked at him with strange eyes.
Bileg felt a sudden jolt in his heart, and the bad premonition grew stronger. He wondered if his probing had been too offensive, and was about to say something to make amends when, to his surprise, Helian Cheng nodded in agreement.
"Then you can take it, but I suggest you don't open it on the way." Helian Cheng looked at his gray hair, and for once felt a little pity for his enemy.
Bileg became increasingly convinced that his guess was correct. "Could there be some rare treasure inside?"
"It depends on the person," Helian Cheng said sincerely. "To me, I'm probably just a potentially useful tool; to you, I'd be a rare treasure; and to the Crown Prince—"
Galdan replied coldly, "Disgusting, worthless stuff."
Galdan's relationship with Weng Tianxin had completely broken down when he discovered that Weng Tianxin wanted to kill him. Those memories of relying on each other and supporting one another had all turned into ulterior motives. The more beautiful they were, the more he gritted his teeth and hated them.
"Oh? It's really that amazing? I'm quite curious." Bileg placed his hand on the lid of the box, but seeing that Helian Cheng and Galdan were just looking at him without trying to dissuade him, he finally withdrew his hand. "Since it's a rare treasure to me, it should be well preserved. Besides, it's His Majesty's gift, and shouldn't be looked at casually."
"Yes, you'll all have a good look at it then, you'll definitely be very satisfied," Helian Cheng said.
Bileg felt that there must be something strange about this box. He planned not to let this dangerous box return to Helian City until it was actually opened. He would even present it to His Majesty in person to prevent any accident from injuring His Majesty.
Galdan watched him think coldly, having already guessed what he was thinking, and slightly curled the corners of his lips.
That thing is indeed a rare treasure to the Prime Minister.
After all, this contains the head of his most beloved descendant, Weng Tianxin.
—I hope that when the Prime Minister sees this, he won't burst into tears of joy. I'm really looking forward to it, haha.
Galdan's gaze, now withdrawn, was tinged with malice, carrying with it a madness that sought to drag others down with him.
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