The cold wind was like a knife, whipping up snowflakes that lashed Li Ru's cheeks.
Each rough tug of the rope made him roll more miserably in the snow, his bare chest numb from the cold, and his body cut open by sharp icicles.
The biting cold truthfully told Li Ru that he was still alive.
"Hurry up, you Han dog!" the Wuhuan cavalryman dragging him shouted impatiently, his whip whistling as it lashed his back, the old wound burning painfully.
Li Ru struggled to lift his head and look at the imposing figure on horseback ahead—the Wuhuan leader Qiuliju's clan territory, Wugulu, the true controller of this thousand-man force.
"leader!"
Li Ru shouted in a hoarse voice, "The Han dogs' right flank is empty. All their provisions are stored in the old fortress of Juyang. Their garrison is less than three hundred men, all of whom are old and weak..."
"I know the location and plans of their main force; they're going to encircle you..."
Li Ru's voice traveled through the wind and snow and reached Wugu Lu's ears.
He suddenly pulled on the reins and turned to look at Li Ru.
"stop."
With a shout, the cavalryman dragging Li Ru immediately reined in his horse, and Li Ru fell heavily onto the snow. The cold snow spray choked his nose, causing him to cough violently.
Li Ru looked up and saw that Wugu Lu's tall figure had jumped off his horse, his boots crunching on the snow as he walked towards him step by step.
A huge shadow fell over him, and Wugu Lu squatted down, his rough fingers suddenly gripping Li Ru's chin with a force that almost crushed his bones.
"Han dog, your tongue is very nimble."
Wugu Lu's voice was icy: "You just said that the old fortress of Juyang has less than three hundred defenders?"
Li Ru was forced to look up, but his gaze did not waver in the slightest: "The leader can send someone to investigate. The main force of the Han dogs is lying in ambush at Jilu Village. Juyang is just an empty shell..."
"Why do you do this?" Wugu Lu asked coldly.
Li Ru gasped for breath: "I said, my whole family was slaughtered by corrupt officials of the Han state, and I want them all to die..."
The wind and snow intensified, causing Wugu Lu's wolf-skin cloak to flutter wildly. His eagle eyes were fixed on Li Ru, as if trying to see through his heart.
"Untie him."
Wugu Lu suddenly stood up and ordered one of his guards, "Give him another robe, lest he freeze to death. Send someone to check on the Juyang direction tomorrow!"
Upon receiving the order, Wugu Lu no longer glanced at Li Ru, mounted his horse, and led his personal guards toward the brightly lit Wuhuan camp.
Li Ru was roughly untied, and a tattered sheepskin robe reeking of mutton and sweat was thrown at him.
Li Ru struggled to wrap himself up tightly, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. Two Wuhuan soldiers dragged him up like a dead dog and staggered toward the noisy camp.
As the sun set, the group finally arrived at the Wuhuan people's camp.
Li Ru was imprisoned alone in a dilapidated tent near the stable, which reeked of livestock. Outside the tent, two Wuhuan warriors stood like stone statues, their sharp eyes occasionally piercing through the gaps in the tent flap.
The tent was dimly lit, with only a cheap mutton oil lamp emitting a faint light and a pungent smell of smoke.
Li Ru curled up on the cold blanket, his mind replaying that crucial question: how much of the intelligence from Juyang Old Fortress did Wugu Lu actually believe?
Time crawled slowly through the pain and anxiety. Outside the tent came the rough shouts of the Wuhuan people, the neighing of horses, and the suppressed sobs of women.
It wasn't until late at night that the tent flap was suddenly ripped open.
A gust of cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, rushed in, causing the flame of the mutton oil lamp to flicker violently. A tall figure blocked the doorway; it was Batu, the captain of Wugulu's personal guard.
"Get up, you Han dog!" Batu stepped forward and kicked Li Ru.
Li Ru struggled to sit up, leaning against the cold tent wall, and silently watched him.
Batu did not speak immediately, but looked Li Ru up and down with his eyes, as if he were re-examining this lowly prisoner.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his tone complex: "Juyang is indeed empty. There are only a few dozen old soldiers inside, and a lot of grain!"
"What about the main force of the Han army?" Li Ru asked, panting.
"Hmph, they're all in Chicken Deer Fortress!"
Batu snorted, a hint of lingering fear in his voice: "Those bastards really set an ambush. Of the three horses we sent out to scout, only one returned. If it weren't for..."
He stopped abruptly, then gave Li Ru a deep look and said in a deep voice, "Why am I telling you all this? Lord Wugu Lu wants to see you. Come with me!"
Li Ru nodded silently, struggling to stand up, but his legs trembled uncontrollably due to frostbite and weakness, making it impossible for him to walk normally.
Batu frowned, stepped forward, grabbed his arm like a chick, lifted him up, and half-dragged, half-carried him out.
The wind and snow continued, but the largest cowhide tent in the center of the camp was brightly lit and warm.
The tent was filled with the aroma of roasted mutton. Wugu Lu sat cross-legged on the thick fur of the main seat, slicing a piece of mutton leg with a knife.
Several trusted generals sat beside him, eating large chunks of meat and drinking large bowls of wine in a lively atmosphere.
Li Ru was pushed into the tent by Batu. He stood unsteadily in the center. The warm current rushed towards him, but instead of helping, it made his frozen body sting and his face turn even paler.
The noise inside the tent instantly subsided, and all eyes were focused on him, on this "mad dog" who had personally shot and killed a Han army officer and then provided crucial intelligence.
Wugu Lu put down the knife, picked up a cloth and wiped his greasy fingers and mouth, his hawk-like gaze slowly landing on Li Ru.
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