0137 The Golden Winged Envoy (Part Two)
The next morning, Zhan Yaoguang was woken up by someone howling.
The young man was still young, and his voice was clear and high-pitched. He stood on another hilltop and called out to him in a drawn-out tone, just like singing a folk song.
Annoyed to no end, Zhan Yaoguang finally got up, but ignored him and went to wash up by herself.
All that was left was Ah Guang twitching his ears, then dashing out of the room and barking loudly at Zhan Yinyuan towards the ten-mile-long green mountains.
After a long, drawn-out argument between a child and a dog, Zhan Yaoguang finally finished washing up and slowly pushed open the door to come out.
Zhan Yinyuan saw him coming down from the stilted house from afar, his eyes lit up, and he rushed down the slope to stop him.
The young man spoke in a hoarse voice, "Thirteenth Brother, Sister Yuheng wants to see you."
Zhan Yaoguang nodded casually, lazily draped her hand over his shoulder, her eyes hazy and her tone indistinct, looking like she hadn't fully woken up.
"Next time, just come upstairs and call me. Don't stand on the hilltop and howl. Otherwise, you'll shout until your throat is hoarse and my ears are deafened."
Zhan Yinyuan stared at him, then suddenly snorted and said, "The last time I came upstairs to call you, you said I was too strong and would break your door, so you sent me to the mountains outside and threatened that if I dared to knock on the door again, you would cut the rope in the building so I could never come down again!"
"..."
Zhan Yaoguang went to find Zhan Yuheng by waterway. The sunlight shone through the water, making it ripple like silk. The boat drifted with the waves. When it passed a certain spot, the fresh scent of mugwort suddenly wafted into the cabin.
He peeked out and saw that there were people from his tribe on a nearby boat, carrying mugwort cakes. They were eating them while sitting on the boat, enjoying the fragrant aroma and looking extremely content.
The boy then reached out and took back the two, giving one to Zhan Yinyuan.
But when he took two bites of the one he kept for himself, he discovered that it didn't contain any sesame candy.
He glanced at Zhan Yinyuan discreetly and saw the other man eating it in small bites. With each bite, the syrup inside the green rice ball would ooze out, and the aroma was so enticing that it made one feel dizzy.
He gritted his teeth, feeling extremely resentful, and decided to cheat and exchange with Zhan Yinyuan.
The young man's cheeks puffed out in anger, and he refused to be manipulated. He lowered his head and finished the steaming hot wormwood cake in a few bites. Taking advantage of the moment when the boat was about to dock, he crawled out of the cabin and onto the land. As he ran towards Zhan Yuheng's tower, he shouted in a muffled voice, "Sister Yuheng, save me! Thirteenth Brother is bullying me again!"
Zhan Yaoguang followed him, and the two went upstairs one after the other. When they opened the door, they found that there were seven people sitting inside.
Zhan Yuheng, seated in the main seat, noticed Zhan Yaoguang's arrival, accompanied by a young boy about half his height. He first turned his gaze to Zhan Yinyuan and spoke gently:
"Little Fifteen, your elder sisters and brothers still have things to discuss. You go out and find someone else to play with. At most, after noon, we will let your thirteenth brother go find you."
Zhan Yinyuan said "Oh," turned around, and slowly moved towards the door. Just as he stepped out, he suddenly turned back, pulled at Zhan Yaoguang who was leaning against the door, made a face, and then ran away in a flash.
Zhan Yaoguang chuckled, closed the door behind him, and then walked inside, taking the seat that had been vacated below Zhan Yuheng.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhan Yuheng simply stood up, opened the window, letting in a large expanse of lush, verdant spring light. Using the light from the window, she took out a simple topographical map drawn on sheepskin and spread it on the ground.
"Thirteenth Brother, Seventeenth Sister, and Aqing have just returned from the Central Plains and are unaware of the current battle situation. Let me give you a brief account first—"
Zhan Yaoguang listened intently, and her brows gradually relaxed.
As he had guessed, it was not far off.
The Gan people, confident in their remote southern location and the natural barriers of high mountains and deep valleys, found it difficult for the Dali army, skilled in plains warfare, to gain an advantage. Furthermore, the newly established Dali dynasty sought stability and peace, and was unlikely to be willing to allocate troops to deal with such a small southern tribe.
They would be quite content if they could simply cause a few minor disturbances at the border and obtain some fine silks, cloth, grains, and vegetables.
But they never expected that Emperor Chongde of the Dali era would be so ruthless, not only sending troops to conquer them, but also ordering the Vice Minister of Rites to persuade their old enemy to surrender.
Although the Gan people are the second largest ethnic group among the eight ethnic groups and twenty-four branches in the region, second only to the Wu people of western Hunan, they were reduced to nothing more than mud and sand under the crushing force of the Dali army. Moreover, Dali received help from the Wu people, and the Gan people were quickly defeated and retreated. Now, some have surrendered and others have been defeated, and they are no longer a force to be reckoned with.
"Now that the situation has been initially stabilized, however—" Zhan Yuheng's tone shifted, his expression unusually grave, "the Gan tribe chief has a young son named Shi Yunkai. Seeing that his elder brother was about to surrender, he was resentful and actually led six hundred men to Bamian Mountain overnight..."
“There is a Swallow Cave on Mount Bamian,” Zhan Yaoguang said in a slightly cold voice, “that was the old lair of bandits. Although there are no bandits there now, if Shi Yunkai is allowed to stay there day and night, it is not impossible for a second band of bandits to grow up.”
Zhan Yuheng nodded: "This is also what those Han people want. That Vice Minister Shu has come to see Grandma several times, and his words implied that he hoped we would continue to cooperate and try to wipe out Shi Yunkai's group as well."
Upon hearing the name "Minister Shu," Zhan Yaoguang's expression faltered, and he was slightly taken aback. After a long while, he blinked, a slight smile playing on his lips, and asked Zhan Yuheng, "What kind of person is this 'Minister Shu'?"
Why are you asking this?
Zhan Yaoguang's words were not what they seemed, and he replied perfunctorily, "I went back to Chang'an this time, and I heard about his reputation there..."
—In reality, she had fallen in love with his daughter.
Thinking of the girl he admired, the boy's ears twitched slightly and turned bright red. He pretended to raise his hand casually and guiltily touched his burning earlobe.
Fortunately, Zhan Yuheng did not notice. After thinking for a moment, he replied softly, "In the fancy words of the Dali people, he should be described as 'graceful and dignified, with the demeanor of a gentleman'... However, I heard that he has a wife and a concubine at home, which is really not the behavior of a decent young man."
After saying so much, everyone was a little thirsty. The youngest and most lively Seventeenth Sister stood up and poured vine tea for her older sisters and brothers.
When it came to Zhan Yaoguang's turn, the boy waved his finger and said, "I'll just drink water."
Seventeen-year-old nodded and muttered in a low voice, "Thirteenth brother still hates bitterness so much."
After everyone had drunk their tea, Zhan Qing cleared his throat and said, "Since Shi Yunkai is relying on the natural barrier and hiding in Bamian Mountain, what method should we use to deal with him?"
The room fell silent.
Zhan Yuheng glanced around at everyone, and finally looked at Zhan Yaoguang, who was also silent.
"Thirteen Lang, you've got an idea, haven't you?"
The boy rubbed his chin with his knuckles, then smiled, his eyes crinkling: "If you really want to hear it, I do have something to say—"
"A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant's bite. The same principle applies to the Eight-Sided Mountain that he thought was impregnable. As long as it is breached from within, it can be dismantled piece by piece."
"so……"
"To coordinate from within and without, we lure the snake out of its hole."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
