Chapter 3641 Murderous Intention
Zhu Feng said: "He doesn't care about fighting, he cares about me."
“…”
Nan Yan was silent for a while.
She seemed to understand this sentence, but also seemed not to understand it - Monk and Zhu Feng had been rivals for decades. They both wanted to kill each other all the time. Things like sowing discord, sitting on the mountain and watching the fight between tigers, and even sending troops for surprise attacks, sneak attacks, and poisoning were just means to fulfill this long-cherished wish.
Therefore, it is completely redundant to say that he is targeting Zhu Feng.
But, the intention is not to fight...
Although she had not yet fully understood the meaning of these words, Nan Yan's heart was already instinctively shrouded in a layer of uneasiness.
She thought for a moment and asked, "So what does the emperor plan to do next?"
Zhu Feng looked around and said, "Rest for a while, then continue chasing."
"Still chasing?"
Nan Yan's uneasiness deepened after hearing this. Zhu Feng, upon hearing her seemingly inappropriate response, simply glanced at her and said, "Why, do you think I'm just joking when I send out this military expedition? Just because we encounter a tampered pond, we turn back? Are you taking military affairs too lightly?"
Nan Yan immediately said: "That's not what I meant. It's just that Monk——"
Before she could finish her words, Ying Shao had already walked back.
He cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have already issued an order that the soldiers are no longer to draw water from this pond. So what's next—"
Zhu Feng said, "Rest here and have the scouts continue searching for that group of people. We'll set off in a quarter of an hour."
Ying Shao opened his eyes wide: "Your Majesty, do you want to continue?"
His expression and attitude were almost exactly the same as Nan Yan's.
When Zhu Feng looked at him again, his gaze was obviously not as patient as when he looked at Nan Yan, but was obviously stained with a bit of anger. He said coldly: "There is no joking in the army. Ying Shao, at your age, are you still alive?"
Ying Shao immediately knelt down: "I dare not. But——"
Zhu Feng said: "It's nothing."
Nan Yan said softly, "Your Majesty, it is wise to listen to both sides. Let Lord Ying finish what he has to say."
Zhu Feng glared at her, and with the imperial concubine's "backing", Ying Shao seemed to be a little bolder. He really continued to speak, saying softly: "Your Majesty, I think it is not appropriate to continue the pursuit."
Zhu Feng had already turned his back and wasn't looking at him anymore.
Nan Yan looked at Ying Shao and said, "Explain clearly why it is inappropriate to continue the pursuit."
Ying Shao said, "There are three reasons. First, the nearest water source is this horse button, and it's been tampered with. The water our army has brought with them is almost gone. If we continue north, we'll have to boil water from the ice and snow on the ground. This will slow our progress, and the enemy must have sufficient water to attack the horse button. The possibility of us catching up with them is very low."
Nan Yan nodded and continued, "What's the second point?"
Ying Shao said, "Secondly, we've been marching for the past few days and are almost deep into the heart of the grasslands, but the eastern and western armies sent by the Emperor haven't yet joined up. Furthermore, it's difficult to discern direction on the grasslands in winter, so the likelihood of them joining us on schedule is slim. If we were to encounter the main force of the Neng Kingdom, our situation would be extremely dangerous."
Nan Yan's eyebrows were twisted into a knot.
She thought for a moment, then asked, "What's the third one?"
Ying Shao didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at Zhu Feng, who was standing with his hands behind his back and his shoulders slightly slumped. Then he lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Third, there's a good chance we'll run into the main force of the Neng Kingdom."
Nan Yan immediately asked, "Why?"
Ying Shao said, "The Neng people, knowing full well that this was a surprise attack, delayed their retreat. They didn't destroy their tracks along the way, essentially directing us to pursue them. They also tampered with Makouzi. They were clearly trying to lure us the entire time. Given this situation, they're very likely to send their main force to engage us."
Nan Yan nodded. These three points were actually what she'd been thinking since she'd seen the tampering with Makouzi, but Ying Shao had been able to articulate them more clearly. She immediately turned to Zhu Feng and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Ying is right."
Zhu Feng still stood with his hands behind his back facing them and said solemnly, "No."
Both of them looked at him puzzledly: "What can't you do?"
Zhu Feng said: "We will not encounter the main force of the Dian Kingdom."
Nan Yan and Ying Shao couldn't help but look at each other.
If all this was Monk's work, then he had successfully lured Zhu Feng out of the Great Wall trench and also successfully lured him to the heart of the grassland. If he didn't send the main force to fight them at this time, then what was the point of all the hard work?
Moreover, a water source was destroyed. The Makouzi Pond was of almost no use to the people living in the Great Wall Moat, but it was crucial to people living on the grassland, especially those who needed water for their horses. Isn't this a loss?
Nan Yan thought for a moment and said, "If it's true as the Emperor said, that we can't encounter the main force of the Neng Kingdom, and are only pursuing the small group that raided the Great Wall, then why should we continue?"
Zhu Feng glanced at her and said nothing.
Nan Yan said, "Just for that group of people, there's no need for the Emperor to personally lead the army and make such a big fuss, right?"
Ying Shao also said: "Your Majesty, your humble servant and the Imperial Concubine are both concerned about your safety."
Zhu Feng looked at them in silence, the faint anger on his face slowly dissipating. After a long while, he seemed to sigh and said, "Continue the pursuit according to the original plan. Ying Shao, you pass the order down and have the scouts immediately track down that group of people. There must be no mistakes."
This time, Ying Shao also hesitated: "Your Majesty..."
Zhu Feng said, "I know what you are worried about, but I have my reasons for doing this."
Nan Yan immediately asked, "What on earth is it?"
Zhu Feng said: "Let's go first. I will tell you when the time comes."
Seeing that he could not be persuaded, Nan Yan and Ying Shao could not really go against the emperor's order, so they could only pass on the order. The group rested for a while by the Mapouzi Pond, boiled ice and snow to water the horses, and everyone drank their fill and filled their water bags. Then they broke camp and set off again, continuing to pursue the enemy northward.
Before leaving, Zhu Feng unfolded the sheepskin map, pulled out a dagger from Ying Shao, and with a cut of the knife tip, he cut out the circle representing the horse button from the map.
He put away the map and ordered, "Pass the order down. For the next three years, no Yan soldiers are allowed to approach this pond to draw water."
Ying Shao said, "Yes."
Nan Yan looked back with a heavy heart.
The pond is still so clear, reflecting the blue sky, like a crystal clear sapphire placed in the snow, but no one could have imagined that beneath such beautiful scenery, there is such a deep murderous intent hidden.
And what will they face next?
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