Deep in the forest, two squads of imperial guards led the way. Yin was on edge, ready to deal with any attackers who might come out at any moment.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot from afar, its tip gleaming with a faint blue light, which enraged Yin.
"Be careful!" Yin said directly.
Qingyan lay down on his horse, and another arrow was stuck in the tree trunk.
"Sisi... are you alright?" Qingyan asked quickly.
Yin shook his head. Fortunately, he saw the hidden arrows behind him. He frowned slightly as he looked at the blue light on the arrowheads and the two sharp arrows stuck in the tree trunks.
"I'm fine, little darling, come here!" Yin beckoned to Qingyan, "Eru, go check around right now, this arrow..."
Erlu bowed and then left.
The shadow guards who had followed had already scattered in all directions, searching for the direction from which the arrow had been shot. They were on tenterhooks; they had to find out who was behind the arrow, otherwise, Lai Qiumi would not be able to rest easy.
"Fourth Brother, let's sit down first and wait for Erlu to find the person before we leave!" Qingyan nudged Yin's arm. The Imperial Guards and the New Army surrounded them, with their backs facing them.
He sat on the rock. It was still early, and Erlu should be back in a short time.
"We'll wait here, as you say!" Yin nodded, and the guards around him sat down, cautiously observing their surroundings. "We still need to get to the campsite soon."
He took a sip of water from his water pouch, and the Mongol leaders probably thought that Yinhe Qingyan's life was in danger.
"Fourth Brother, can't we camp here?" Qingyan asked Yin. "The terrain here is more suitable for camping; it's easy to defend and difficult to attack!"
Behind them was a solid stone cave, and on three sides were flat, dense forests. With only a solid rock behind them, the Mongol guards certainly couldn't climb the stone wall, and the remaining three sides were just enough to save manpower.
Yin pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and began to consider the possibility that Xiao Guai had mentioned.
He looked around; this spot was better than the one he had chosen. It was closer to the grassland, so if anything unexpected happened, he could probably run back to the ball for help.
These are merely wishful thinking on his part. If the Mongol leaders were to encounter danger, they certainly wouldn't protect the couple; they would definitely prioritize their own safety.
"Su Peisheng, have someone inform the leaders to camp here!" Yin decided to abandon his previous idea and temporarily change the campsite for the night.
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards were stunned. The Mongol leaders should have already surveyed the encampment. How could they agree to such a last-minute change?
"Master, isn't this a bad decision?" Su Peisheng quickly advised.
The Mongol leaders were all autocratic, and the princes who had come with them were suppressed. They were not allowed to voice any objections, and even the hunting time was decided by the Mongol leaders. As for the women, although it seemed that the princes and their wives were making decisions, in reality, the Mongol wives were united in making decisions to resist the Qing Dynasty.
“There’s nothing wrong with it!” Qingyan interjected from the side.
The Aisin Gioro family were the masters of the Mongols, so why couldn't the princes speak in a way that surpassed that of the Mongol leader?
She looked at Yin suspiciously. Were the decisions of the Mongol leaders really that important?
"Even Father Emperor has to give these people a wide berth." Yin smiled coldly. After these leaders passed away and the heirs ascended to the throne, Kangxi slowly took power back to the central government.
Ugh!
Qingyan was shocked; she had been wrong.
"The emperor's power may seem immense on the surface, but in some situations, it's not even as strong as that of these Mongol princes," Yin sighed helplessly.
After all, the Qing Dynasty was vast, especially in the border regions, so it was impossible for Emperor Kangxi to know every detail.
"They're local tyrants here!" Qingyan sneered. In the eyes of these people, power is probably the most important thing.
"Fourth Master, can the Mongol leaders change the location of their encampment?" Saito also came over, worried that the Mongol leaders would blame it all on Xiao Guai.
Later, they will definitely shift all the blame onto her. If Kangxi finds out, he may punish Qingyan for the sake of Manchu-Mongol unity.
Saito couldn't accept this outcome. It was clearly Yin who gave the order, so why was Xiaoguai taking the blame?
“It will definitely work. I’ll have Su Peisheng say that this place is more suitable for setting up camp. These people will definitely not act rashly for the sake of their own lives,” Yin said coldly.
Those people claim to be descendants of the golden bloodline, but in reality, they no longer possess the bloodthirstiness of their ancestors. When faced with a powerful enemy, they will only silently hide.
“They’ll do anything to save their lives!” Seto added.
He stood up and quietly instructed the deputy commander of the new army to cordon off the surrounding area as soon as possible to prevent attacks from outsiders and wild animals.
"Ah Hun, aren't those people descendants of the Mongols?" Qingyan was dumbfounded. Wasn't it said that the descendants of the Khorchin were all bloodthirsty men who would go through fire and water to protect their masters?
“Yes, those people have long lost their former bloodthirstiness!” Seto tapped her forehead.
Apart from hunting, we are far inferior to our ancestors in everything else.
"However, their hunting skills are quite good, so their aim should be pretty good when fighting on the battlefield!" Qingyan said with a smirk.
Saito burst into laughter. If the Mongol leaders heard what Xiao Guai had said, they would definitely feel ashamed.
“Kill the enemy? These people are lucky they don’t become traitors!” Seto said coldly.
Back then, when there was movement from Tsarist Russia, several leaders of these Mongol tribes had already tested the waters. If it weren't for the fact that the new army had firearms, they certainly wouldn't have surrendered so quickly.
Traitor?
"You're exaggerating a bit!" Qingyan said, both amused and exasperated. "Those who contact people abroad are the real traitors..."
She was speechless. This brute, Seto, hadn't even understood what she was trying to say.
“That’s right, the matter with Tsarist Russia hasn’t been settled yet. His Majesty is just letting these people off the hook for now!” Saito looked down on these people. They had clearly been in contact with Tsarist Russia and had even received a lot of gifts.
Many of the successors were sent out to run errands by the previous leaders.
"Ah!?" Qingyan was dumbfounded. These people had all betrayed their country?
Tsarist Russia was utterly defeated, and even its firearms were far behind those of the Qing Dynasty. To outsiders, this was all a trap set by the Qing Dynasty.
"Yes, Father Emperor is merely holding back. The mastermind behind the real contact with Tsarist Russia has not yet been uncovered. Right now, the primary goal is to expose this mastermind," Yin said directly.
Qingyan finally understood. Yin had been visiting many Mongol leaders recently, likely obtaining useful information from them. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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