Chapter 518 Meeting the Delegation!
During the day, they hid in the mountains, avoiding both outsiders who came up to hunt and gather firewood, as well as poisonous insects, wild beasts, and miasma.
To prevent miasma, before their departure, the medical school, established by the Wan Du Men and the Imperial Physicians, prepared many pills to deal with miasma and detoxify them so they could carry them with them.
Who would have thought that the Wan Du Sect, the most prestigious of all poisons, would be assigned by Shen Lanxi to be a teacher and vice dean at the medical school?
As evening fell, wisps of smoke rose from the mountain hollow, and horns sounded one after another. Those who were out hunting and gathering, as well as those changing shifts, would come down the mountain or change shifts upon hearing the horns.
The five guards who went down the mountain to scout the way returned and reported in hushed tones.
"When the wolf pack hears the horn, they all return to their camp. The last group of hunters and gatherers on the mountain have already come down."
Shen Lanxi watched the mist slowly rising from the mountain and gestured to the guards to take the pills to dispel the miasma.
"You will split into five groups and go down to investigate. No matter what the situation is, you will regroup in the mountains in two hours."
"yes."
The ten guards split into two groups and set off in different directions.
Shen Lanxi's target was directly ahead, and by the time she reached the foot of the mountain, the moon was already hanging in the branches.
Two groups of men were guarding the area directly in front of her, and there was an iron fence in front of her as well, with barbed wire scattered on the ground. As she got closer, she also discovered several hidden sentries and traps.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Chen Lanxi quietly sneaked in. The wolf pack was larger than she had imagined, with ten people on each post, patrolling in a crisscross pattern, making it almost impossible to find a chance to infiltrate.
If the patrol density remains this high, the five squads of bodyguards sent out earlier will most likely return empty-handed.
Shen Lanxi hid in the shadows, waiting for her chance. It was probably around their mealtime, and there were fewer wolf soldiers patrolling. She seized the opportunity and successfully entered the core area.
"Are those people the Wolf Lord brought back going to continue starving?"
"The wolf lord said that as long as they don't starve to death, that's fine. As long as they don't give in, we won't feed them properly."
What is the wolf lord after?
"What else could they be after? They're after those Zhou people who have fair and delicate skin."
Shen Lanxi's eyes lit up, and she quietly followed the two foreign soldiers.
Soon she smelled the stench of cow and horse manure, mixed with a filthy, bloody odor.
The area in front should be where prisoners of war are held and where cattle, sheep, and horses are kept.
"Why is there no movement? Could it be dead?"
"So what if they die? There are so many people, what's the big deal if one or two die?"
"They can't die. Last time, the Wolf Lord said he would send a few people to the leader of the Wu tribe. Several tribes want them, and there won't be enough to go around if there aren't enough people."
"Go and see. If someone dies, we'll have a hard time explaining ourselves!"
The two soldiers opened the cage and chattered amongst themselves. Then one of them said he was going to fetch water, and the other said he was going to find the witch doctor.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, she sneaked inside and saw a group of ragged, abused men.
The men were all dressed in the attire of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although they all looked battered and bruised, their faces were unharmed.
Aside from being somewhat dirty and thin, her outstanding appearance is immediately noticeable.
These are all people she recruited for the cultural exchange mission.
Shen Lanxi was furious. The foreign tribes were going too far. They had spoken so sweetly when they wrote their petition to the court, but she never expected them to resort to trickery, luring the men of Great Zhou here and treating them like dirt. Such humiliation—she would remember the Wolf Clan!
Upon hearing the sound of running footsteps, Shen Lanxi quickly stepped aside.
The wolf soldiers gave each person in the cage some water, and after examining them, the witch doctor didn't dare prescribe any medicine.
"I dare not give medicine without the Wolf Lord's orders. Get them some food and water; that might help!"
The witch doctor quickly left the place of trouble with his medicine chest, leaving two soldiers behind to prepare food while they grumbled and cursed.
Shen Lanxi reappeared and was about to wake someone up to find out the reason when a coughing sound suddenly came from inside.
"I am the person sent by the Regent from the capital to rescue you!" Shen Lanxi said in a low voice.
The person coughing immediately reached out and crawled forward.
"real?"
Shen Lanxi: "If it's fake, what's the point?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then remained silent.
Shen Lanxi: "Tell me quickly, what happened after you arrived in the Southwest?"
The man started coughing again, and Shen Lanxi handed him the water ladle.
After gulping down several mouthfuls of water, the man weakly said, "It was the Prince of Zhennan who brought us here. The Prince of Zhennan has rebellious intentions; he wants to use us to collude with foreign tribes."
Shen Lanxi: "You saw it with your own eyes?"
The man hesitated for a moment before saying, "The one who came forward was a woman from the Prince of Zhennan's side; they all call her the Princess Consort. The Southwest Army listens to her; her will is the Prince of Zhennan's will."
Shen Lanxi's eyes flashed, and she made up her mind.
"Are all forty of you still alive?"
"Thirty of us are locked up here. The other ten have been taken somewhere, and we don't know if they're still alive!"
Shen Lanxi: "Take good care of yourselves. Do whatever they ask you to do."
The man fell silent.
Shen Lanxi: "This is an order from the Regent. You are to take this opportunity to spy on the foreign military, find out whether the Prince of Zhennan is colluding with the foreign tribes, and find out where those ten people were taken."
After a moment, the man replied, "I will obey the Regent's orders."
Hearing a commotion in the distance, Shen Lanxi quickly said, "Someone is coming. Remember my words: after this is done, the Regent will personally come to welcome you back to the Great Zhou!"
"Good!" Many men opened their eyes in the darkness, their eyes burning with desire.
...
Shen Lanxi returned at the agreed time, where five groups of guards were already waiting.
"The foreign patrols were too tight, so we didn't go in."
"We didn't go in either."
"We don't have any either."
Shen Lanxi: "I went in. Thirty envoys from my Great Zhou are being held inside, and ten others are still missing."
The guards felt ashamed.
Shen Lanxi relayed the information she had gleaned about Zhou Ruyuan from them, then said, "The Southwest Army is unreliable. Let's find a place to stay and wait for news from others!"
"yes!"
They returned along the same route, avoiding the ambush and sentries, and returned to the territory of the Great Zhou a day later.
“Your Highness, this is the territory of the Southwest Army; it’s far too unsafe,” the guard said.
Shen Lanxi: "No rush. At present, the Southwest should only know that I have arrived, and they should also expect that I will not arrive so soon."
"The most important thing now is to find out the situation inside the Southwest Army and see if it is as the people in the delegation said."
The guard said, "If the Prince of Zhennan has betrayed us, we urge Your Highness to return to the capital immediately."
Shen Lanxi: "Don't worry, I won't risk my life."
Two secret guards sent out reported that the southwest was recruiting soldiers.
Shen Lanxi immediately had an idea.
"Let's join the army!"
The guards initially refused, but Shen Lanxi's face turned cold.
"If you are unwilling to cooperate, then return to the Great Zhou!"
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