Dancing on the tip of a knife
Xiao Chang'an naturally didn't recognize Yin Shang, but he could tell from his footwork and the aura he exuded that the man was also a master.
Therefore, he returned the greeting according to the rules of the martial arts world, and said with a light laugh, "Then I will trouble this gentleman."
The commotion had already been reported to Hulü Guang. The three Northern Qiang soldiers whose arms had been broken were pale with pain, but they dared not utter a sound. Xiao Chang'an of the Music Bureau and Yin Shang of the Divine Hound Camp, however, were talking and discussing as if no one else was there, as if the three men did not exist.
Upon hearing the urgent report that the Northern Qiang King's army had clashed with the Music Bureau and the Divine Hound Camp over dancers, Huli Guang immediately came over.
Upon seeing this from afar, he immediately stopped, turned around, and ordered, "Go and drag those three wounded soldiers away, and have the army doctor set their bones." Then, without even touching the ground, he turned and left.
Night Owl received the order, but asked in confusion, "Your Highness, shouldn't we go and suppress our royal army? Or at least make a show of force to teach the Music Bureau and the Divine Hound Camp a lesson, otherwise we'll be completely unable to hold our heads up and be suppressed by these Southern Dynasty people all the way?"
What Night Owl was saying was the usual way to handle this kind of thing: when one's own people make a mistake, on the one hand, one should suppress and reprimand them to show that one's own side has its own rules and military laws and does not need others to discipline them; on the other hand, regardless of whether one is right or wrong, even if one is tough on the outside but weak on the inside, one should still show one's attitude and teach the other party a lesson, so as to prevent the other party from thinking that one is a soft target and pressing one step further and taking advantage of the situation.
Huli Guangneng was second only to Emperor Huli Jin in the Northern Qiang, so he was certainly no pushover. Under normal circumstances, he would not have allowed his subordinates to be disciplined so easily.
Hulü Guang gave a heavy snort and said, "It's alright. Let's put up with them for now. After we cross the Yangtze River, we can repay kindness and avenge wrongs later."
Hulü Guang knew he should step forward, but he had already fought Xiao Chang'an and knew that this man showed him no respect whatsoever, and his skills were far more formidable than he had imagined. If he were to run into him now, he would only be subjected to more ridicule and sarcasm.
Therefore, the best course of action now is to be patient and wait until we cross the Yangtze River and reach the territory of the Northern Qiang. At that time, dealing with this isolated delegation that has ventured deep into enemy territory will be a piece of cake.
Night Owl immediately understood and whispered, "I'll go and send a message to our royal army, telling them that they won't have to endure it any longer."
Meanwhile, A-Qiu kept a close eye on the team's situation day and night, never daring to relax for a moment.
Given the arrogance of the Northern Qiang King's army and Hulü Guang's wolfish ambitions, even if it was only to strike at the Southern Dynasty and redeem himself from the great humiliation he had suffered in Jianzhang City, he would never miss the opportunity to humiliate and attack this delegation.
The only reason they've been willing to listen to advice and guidance these days is because they're still within the Southern Dynasty's territory and are at a disadvantage.
A Qiu even considered secretly poisoning the drinking water to eliminate half of Wang Jun's army. At that point, the disparity in strength between the enemy and himself would prevent this Northern Qiang Guard from causing any more trouble.
However, they feared that if they took such drastic measures, the reactions of Hulü Guang and the Northern Qiang would be unpredictable, and they might turn their anger on the Southern Dynasty.
In the event that, in a fit of anger, the emperor were to send a large army to receive the delegation and launch a severe retaliation, it would only harm them and ruin the dynasty's surrender plan.
In his early years, A Qiu acted as an assassin, traversing the thirteen prefectures of the Southern Dynasty. He was a tyrant in the government offices of the prefectures and counties, with no taboos and killing at will.
Even now, I feel constrained in everything I do, and I've come to realize a truth: in this world, protecting is much harder than destroying.
Destruction is unrestrained; one can do whatever one wants, and the cleanup is someone else's problem.
But guarding requires repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, making precise calculations, and leaving no room for error.
Every step felt like dancing on a knife's edge.
On the first night after crossing the Yangtze River, according to the pre-determined route, the mission will spend the night at the state post station in Zhongzhou.
From the moment they entered the territory of Zhongzhou Prefecture and saw the Northern Qiang King's flag flying over the city walls, the Northern Qiang King's army accompanying the delegation began to stir noticeably.
Before arriving in Zhongzhou City, several disputes had already broken out in the army, all over trivial matters such as drinking water and feeding horses.
The Northern Qiang soldiers provoked the Divine Hound Camp, but the Divine Hound Camp still retaliated without any politeness. They were not at all like the Northern Qiang army had imagined, that they would lose morale once they crossed the Yangtze River and know how to read the situation.
What these Northern Qiang people didn't know was that most of the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp were sons of officials and powerful second-generation families in Jianzhang City. Back then, their arrogance was so great that only the Dongguang Marquis's Mansion, a military family with five generations of members, could keep them in check. They were always the ones being looked down upon by others, and when had it ever been their turn to suffer the humiliation of others?
After witnessing firsthand the duel between Grand Master of Music Aqiu and their commander Pei Yu and deputy commander Pei Ao on the training ground, the morale of this army was somewhat affected.
At least they will no longer treat the women of the Music Bureau as objects to be trampled on at will, as they did before.
After Shangguan Yuqi selected fifty-six officers from the Divine Hound Camp to study "Shao" and "Wu" in the Imperial Music Bureau, the Divine Hound Camp began to regard the Music Bureau as a brother camp, even though it was still predominantly composed of women.
This is why the army Gu Yi dispatched to escort them this time was not the Imperial Guard, but rather the Divine Hound Camp. And the fact that all fifty-six Divine Hound Camp officers selected for the "Shao" and "Wu" competitions were among them was no coincidence.
These are all things that A-Qiu discovered after paying attention for so many days.
These quarrels, disputes, and even shoving were all stopped by the respective leaders of both sides. As for the higher-ups, Xiao Chang'an, Yin Shang, and even Hulü Guang, they simply pretended not to know or hear anything.
Ah Qiu knew that both sides were patiently holding back, trying to prevent the situation from escalating.
However, all these contradictions will eventually erupt at the right opportunity. This is the place that the Northern Qiang King's army and Hulü Guang must seek revenge for after repeatedly encountering setbacks in their trip to the Southern Dynasty.
Therefore, on this first night after crossing the Yangtze River, A Qiu was extra careful.
She also secretly instructed her roommates on several occasions that they should never go out at night unless absolutely necessary.
The dancers kept in touch, and everyone was extremely careful. Even after going to bed, they dared not remove the poisoned pearl hairpins from their hair.
Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu's beds were closest to A Qiu's, and they also felt the tense atmosphere that was different from usual that night.
Cui Luzhu whispered, "When I went to the kitchen to fetch water today, I heard those Northern Qiang people talking in a secret language, and their eyes kept glancing in our direction. What should I do? I'm a little scared. These people are not good people."
Ah Qiu comforted her, saying, "It's alright, the big brothers from the Divine Mastiff Camp will protect us. There are more of us than them, they won't dare to do anything."
He was also troubled: these Northern Qiang people seemed to have learned their lesson and were planning their next move. They were speaking in a foreign language, so they must be discussing and scheming something. If something happened tonight, it probably wouldn't be a mere squabble between a few individuals, but a mutiny of the entire army.
Zhang Exu also said, "That's the strange thing. Our Divine Hound Camp has more people than them, so they've been relatively well-behaved along the way. Why are they so restless now?"
A Qiu thought to himself, "That's because we've already reached the border of the Northern Qiang Kingdom. As long as the two armies start fighting, Hulü Guang, as the Prince of Ning of the Northern Qiang, can mobilize the local prefectures and counties to come and arrest us all under the pretext of rebellion. At that time, he can kill us, torture us, or accuse us of any crime as he pleases."
Previously, the situation was reversed within the Southern Dynasty's territory. The Northern Qiang army, along with Hulü Guang, had previously exercised restraint, simply because they were wise to avoid immediate losses. Although if anything happened to this royal army within the Southern Dynasty's territory, Hulü Jin's million-strong cavalry would undoubtedly crush the Southern Dynasty's gates immediately, by then they would already be dead, and what use would it be for someone to avenge them?
She thought this to herself, but could only comfort them aloud, saying, "The Grand Tutor sent us here to surrender, not to die. It would be meaningless for us to die here. Therefore, we should trust that he has his own plans."
Even so, she felt a chill in her heart. Because those who govern a country often cannot foresee how a decree will ultimately be implemented.
Gu Yi ordered his two prime ministers to take the Map of Mountains and Rivers, the Ancestral Dragon Sword, and the national musical pieces "Shao" and "Wu" to the Northern Qiang to accept their surrender. This was perfectly in accordance with national etiquette and was entirely appropriate. He also took the opportunity to recall Hulü Guang back to Zhongdu, preventing him from remaining in the Southern Dynasty to sow discord and cause trouble. No matter how you look at it, it was an extremely clever plan.
How could he have imagined that this journey would sow the seeds of such a great disaster for A Qiu and the others?
Zhang Exu couldn't help but sigh, "I just don't know what the Grand Tutor was thinking, letting this ferocious Northern Qiang army follow us all the way. And that cunning Northern Qiang prince, sigh."
A Qiu remained silent for a moment before replying, "Perhaps it was for our safety that they had Huli Guang escort us."
Cui Luzhu and Zhang Exu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they exclaimed, "Let him escort us? Is it safe?"
Aqiu said in a deep voice, "Judging from the situation we have encountered along the way, if we did not have this Northern Qiang King's army among us, and were not flying the banner of Hulü Guang, we would probably have been plundered by the rebel armies of the prefectures and counties along the way."
The Northern Qiang claimed to have assembled a million-strong army to march south, but this force was a mix of troops from various tribes of the Five Barbarians. Even the Northern Qiang themselves were divided among five leaders, each subordinate to the Great Khan. They viewed conquest as an opportunity for plunder and riches, and acts of looting and violence were commonplace. Even among themselves, people would fight each other over who could get gold, silk, and women first.
Now, north of the Yangtze River, all the cities that originally belonged to Dayan have fallen into their hands, including Zhongzhou. But it seems that the Northern Qiang people haven't gained much advantage.
In Zhongzhou, most of the city was dilapidated, with many empty houses, presumably because the people had received the news early on and moved away.
Judging from this, if they continued northwards, this delegation, which possessed gold, silver, jade, and many beautiful women, would likely not have been able to escape wave after wave of barbarian troops without the protection of Hulü Guang.
Aqiu added, "As Hulü Guang himself said, he is already one of the most reasonable people among the Hu people. If he wanted to, he could still maintain military discipline. If it were someone else, they would only be more unscrupulous and start killing indiscriminately."
In these past few days, she could see that Hulü Guang's greatest advantage was that he still enjoyed extremely high prestige within the Northern Qiang army. Once he gave a word, even if it went against the very nature of the Northern Qiang army, they would obey it instead of first rebelling and jeering against their own officers.
This is also why everyone was able to reach this place peacefully.
Cui Luzhu shuddered and said, "I feel a chill run down my spine whenever I see his eyes. No matter how kind he looks, I am still afraid. Although he looks good on the outside, I know that he is completely different from Xiao Xiao, Lord Gongyi, and Commandant Yin."
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