Chapter 515 Jiaojiao (Two Updates)
The battle at Lingguan City was over. The attack began when the snow stopped at 7 PM and ended completely at 9 PM, lasting only one hour.
The Gu family army concentrated all its superior forces and, with its absolute advantage in numbers and combat power, utterly routed the 30,000-strong army of the remnants of the previous dynasty.
Prince Yi was wounded by an arrow, and his son-in-law led 5,000 troops to escort him out of Lingguan City from the other side.
Of the remaining 25,000 men, 5,000 died in battle and 20,000 were taken prisoner.
The vast majority of these 20,000 prisoners were able-bodied men from the border regions and other places. They were either followers of the Living Buddha or were coerced and lured by Prince Yi into becoming members of the rebel army.
Of course, there were also some descendants of nobles and gentry from the previous dynasty who held important positions under Prince Yi. Ironically, Prince Yi did not take them with him when he abandoned the city and fled.
Gu Changqing, clad in silver armor and a cloak, rode a tall steed also clad in silver armor, with the Gu family cavalry standing in perfect formation behind him.
The infantrymen were left at the city gate to clean up the battlefield and form patrols to hunt down any remaining remnants of the previous dynasty.
This wasn't the first time Lingguan City had been attacked. The most terrifying time was not long ago when it was captured by the Chen army. On that day, just like today, a huge number of Chen cavalry broke through the gates of Lingguan City and captured the garrison.
They also once rode horses in a grand procession down the long street.
They kidnapped women they saw and seized able-bodied men they encountered, committing arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities.
As war reignited, the city of Lingguan was filled with unease and fear. Every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut. When they heard the sound of horses' hooves again, no one bothered to see who had won. Instead, they hid in their homes in terror.
However, the sound of horses' hooves drew near and then receded into the distance. There were no screams of women, no roars of men, and no commotion of soldiers breaking down doors and looting along the long street.
Finally, a bold young man quietly pushed open a crack in the door and peeked out.
He saw the Zhao Kingdom's banners fluttering in the night and cold wind, and he also saw the Gu family army's banners protecting the Zhao Kingdom's banners.
"It's the Gu family army!"
He shouted loudly.
Upon hearing that it was the Gu family army, the people felt a surge of hope, but they were not bold enough to immediately come to the main street. They simply opened a door a crack and peered out.
Gu Jiajun walked from the west end of the long street to the east end, heading towards the prefect's mansion.
They didn't disturb any of the city's residents, nor did they steal any sheep or chickens from the roadside.
They are strictly disciplined and possess an awe-inspiring righteousness!
Gradually, people came out of their homes. At first, there was only one, but later a large group gathered. They curiously followed the Gu family army towards the prefect's mansion.
At this time, the prefect's residence was completely surrounded by the Gu family army.
General Zhang searched the prefect's residence inside and out, finding dozens of Yi Wang's advisors and annihilating several thousand Chen soldiers who were unable to evacuate the city.
When Gu Changqing led his cavalry to the gate of the prefect's mansion, the common people followed suit.
Suddenly, Zhang, the military officer, escorted a bald monk wearing a cassock out of a nearby house.
The monk was around fifty years old, with a kind face and a plump, easygoing appearance.
Many of the people recognized him, and one woman exclaimed, "It's the Living Buddha! They... they've captured the Living Buddha!"
Upon hearing the people's exclamation, the bald monk, who had been filled with fear, suddenly straightened his back and said fearlessly, "Amitabha, well said, well said. Why are you all committing such a massacre in the city?"
"Go to hell, you benefactor!" Zhang Canjiang kicked the bald monk in the buttocks, sending him sprawling to the ground. "Fake monk! You fraudster!"
The Living Buddha enjoyed a high reputation in Lingguan City, and Zhang Canjiang's actions undoubtedly angered some of the people.
General Zhang did not believe it was the people's fault, after all, the people were innocent. It was all because of this shameless fake monk who colluded with Prince Yi to fool the soldiers and people on the border.
General Zhang wanted to vent all his anger on the fake monk, but Gu Changqing stopped him by raising his hand.
Gu Changqing said calmly, "Stop."
General Zhang bowed and stepped aside, saying, "Yes, General!"
The fake monk was badly hurt, cursing inwardly three times, but dared not show it on his face.
He simply sat cross-legged on the ground, with prayer beads hanging from one hand, and performed a Buddhist salute, saying as if to save all sentient beings: "Amitabha, benefactors have committed too many killings. The Buddha is merciful and hopes that you will not add to your sins."
“How could you treat the Living Buddha like this! The Living Buddha is a good person! He was sent by Buddha to save us! You will be punished for disrespecting the Living Buddha!” an old woman said indignantly.
General Zhang has a toothache!
Old man, open your eyes and look closely, this bald monk is a fake!
Which master would collude with the rebels and plunge the people on the border into the flames of war?
And he also...
General Zhang almost blurted out what he had just discovered, but Gu Changqing interrupted him in time. Gu Changqing looked down at the Living Buddha sitting on the ground and asked unhurriedly, "You say you are a Living Buddha, then let me ask you, how many chapters are there in the Diamond Sutra?"
“Thirty-two grades!” the Living Buddha said without hesitation.
"What is the thirty-second rank? Do you remember?"
The fake monk sneered inwardly. How could someone pretending to be a living Buddha not even know the Diamond Sutra?
He performed a Buddhist bow and slowly said, “Subhuti! If someone were to give away the seven treasures filling countless asamkhya worlds, and if a virtuous man or woman, having generated the Bodhicitta, were to uphold this sutra, even just four lines of verse, and recite and expound it to others, their merit would surpass that of the former. How should one expound it to others without clinging to appearances, remaining unmoved? Why? Because all conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, and lightning; thus should they be viewed.” After the Buddha finished speaking this sutra, the elder Subhuti, along with all the monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, and all beings in the world—gods, humans, and asuras—hearing what the Buddha said, were greatly delighted, believed, and practiced accordingly.
“Look! He is a living Buddha!” another villager exclaimed.
General Zhang, his temper flaring, couldn't help but retort: "Does knowing a little Buddhist scripture make you a living Buddha? If I can recite a couple of passages from the Four Books and Five Classics, does that make me the new top scholar?"
"Do you know that Shakyamuni once wrote a 'Shorter Shurangama Sutra,' which he wrote before his enlightenment when he was still a member of the royal family? Can you recite a few lines from it?"
The fake monk's expression froze for a moment.
Generally, these kinds of short scriptures are not widely known Buddhist scriptures. He's not a real monk, so how could he possibly have memorized all the Buddhist scriptures?
It's really strange. He's clearly a reckless warrior, so how does he know about Buddhist scriptures?
Does anyone in your family have become a monk?
Or is it someone who can recite all the Buddhist scriptures backwards and forwards and chants them for you every day?
"This humble monk is naturally familiar with the Lesser Shurangama Sutra, but I rarely discuss this sutra when expounding the Dharma, and even if I did, few people would have heard of it. If this benefactor were to accuse me of talking nonsense, who would stand up for me and clear my name?"
Haha, such a trivial skill, it's no match for him!
Gu Changqing added, "You are a living Buddha, so you should have this scripture in your hands."
The fake monk said without changing his expression, "The scriptures... were already burned by your people!"
General Zhang retorted angrily, "You're talking nonsense! When did I burn your things!"
Gu Changqing looked at the fake monk with a calm and composed expression: "So the master acknowledges that this Buddhist scripture exists in the world."
Upon hearing this, the fake monk's expression froze again.
Gu Changqing said calmly, "Master, do you know that there is no such Buddhist scripture in the world?"
The Surangama Sutra does exist.
However, the Lesser Shurangama Sutra was purely a deception by Gu Changqing.
Gu Changqing looked at him calmly and said, "Before Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, he was just an ordinary person. How could he have written Buddhist scriptures? You are revered as a living Buddha, yet you don't even understand such a simple principle?"
"..." The fake monk was speechless.
Who says military leaders are brainless? This kid is too cunning! They actually set a trap for him!
Not all the people were followers of the Living Buddha; there were still quite a few who retained their rationality. Seeing the Living Buddha reveal such a blatant lie, they couldn't help but exclaim, "Could he really be a fake monk?"
The fake monk, blustering but weak-willed, declared, "I am a living Buddha! Not a fake monk!"
"Then you don't even know Buddhist scriptures!" the young man who had just retorted said.
"That was..."
Before the fake monk could be finished, Gu Changqing waved his hand, and several members of the Gu family army, along with several women, came over.
The woman at the head of the group was about the same age as the fake monk. She was adorned with jewels and looked radiant, forming a stark contrast with the impoverished people who had suffered from the ravages of war.
The women behind her were dressed in the same wealthy style as her, only younger.
The fake monk's expression changed drastically when he saw the group of people appear. He tried to tell them to shut up, but it was too late.
"Sir, please save us—they're going to arrest us and take us to the authorities!"
The woman at the head of the group called him "Master," completely ripping away the fake monk's pretense of legitimacy.
"Don't listen to her nonsense! I don't know them! I don't know what tricks these people in the court have used to frame this poor monk with a bunch of women! Amitabha, forgive me!"
"father--"
Behind the group of women, a child's voice, tinged with tears, rang out.
There was more than one person who came; a rough count revealed at least seven or eight.
If these women might be played by people hired by Gu Changqing, then these children, who all resemble the "Living Buddha," couldn't possibly be just there to fill in the numbers.
There are many similar people in the world, but these people clearly have a frontier accent. There are only a few children in the frontier, and seven or eight of them look like living Buddhas. Who would believe that they are not his biological children?
The fake monk never expected Gu Jiajun to be so ruthless, not only digging him out of the secret room but also finding his family in the cellar.
This is truly a situation that can't be resolved no matter what.
With witnesses and physical evidence readily available, Gu Changqing left Military Advisor Shao to manage the affairs of Lingguan City and dispatched Lieutenant General Zhang with 10,000 Gu family soldiers to guard Lingguan City.
Subsequently, Gu Changqing led the rest of his men back to Yuegu City.
The Chen army did indeed launch a night attack on Chaoyue Ancient City, but they encountered a mishap on the way and were caught in an avalanche, causing them to arrive an hour later than planned.
Meanwhile, Gu Changqing had already led his troops back. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Chen army decisively withdrew.
The Chen army had already undertaken two forced marches and long treks; if they were to turn back now and attack Lingguan City, it would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.
Gu Changqing was not worried about the situation in Lingguan City. He led his army into Yuegu City.
His first action was to go to the wounded soldiers' camp to find Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao had told him that if things went smoothly, she would go to the governor's mansion to meet him, but he didn't see her. It must be that she had implemented the second plan—bringing the patient back to Yuegu City.
He arrived outside the wounded soldiers' camp and immediately spotted Dr. Song, who was wearing an oil-paper isolation gown, a mask, and gloves.
Doctor Song wouldn't usually be wrapped up so tightly; it seems Gu Jiao and the plague patients have returned.
It's good that you're back.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
However, before he could catch his breath, Doctor Song walked towards him with a puzzled look: "General Gu, didn't Doctor Gu come back with you?"
Gu Changqing was slightly taken aback: "Didn't she come back with those patients?"
Dr. Song shook his head: "She hasn't come back!"
Both men realized at the same time that something was wrong.
Gu Changqing's expression changed, and he summoned six guards. When he learned that Gu Jiao had gone to deal with those Chen Kingdom experts all by herself, his heart sank.
"No," he said thoughtfully. "They're just chasing a few plague patients; they won't send their most powerful experts. As long as it's not the most powerful, Jiaojiao won't be unable to return. Unless—"
Gu Changqing suddenly thought of the assassin beside the prince consort who was capable of defeating three Dragon Shadow Guards, and a chill ran down his spine!
"General, everything is ready. Shall we attack the North the day after tomorrow—"
The Left Commander, who was in charge of guarding Yuegu City, came over with several bamboo slips for marching. He was talking to Gu Changqing when Gu Changqing, as if he hadn't heard him, suddenly walked to the stable, led out his mount, and mounted it without saying a word.
Commander Zuo chased after him and got his nose splashed with snow.
He hastily wiped away the paper, watching Gu Changqing disappear into the distance, and shouted, "General! Where are you going so late! General! General—"
...
The cold wind howled, and the snow fell heavily.
Gu Jiao was frozen into a small ice sculpture in the snow and ice.
She lay there, frozen to the same body as Sirius, slowly losing body temperature and breath.
People remember many things before they die, but Gu Jiao couldn't remember anything; her brain was frozen numb.
She didn't know how much time had passed before her last remaining consciousness froze in the snow.
She closed her eyes.
Gu Changqing's horse galloped swiftly through the night. It was his most beloved mount. When it came to the manor, it was just a small colt. They had been together for many years and had long since developed an unspoken understanding.
The horse sensed its master's anxiety, and its hooves nearly broke off in the snow.
Gu Changqing went to the forest where the camp had been stationed and found the bodies of the former dynasty's experts, which were buried by heavy snow.
He dug through the ice and snow with his bare hands and turned the corpses over one by one.
It's not Jiaojiao.
It's not Jiaojiao.
It's not Jiaojiao either.
Each of them bore the marks of being killed instantly by a red-tasseled spear, showing that Gu Jiao handled them with ease.
If that assassin were here, Gu Jiao wouldn't have succeeded so easily.
After digging up the last corpse, Gu Changqing knelt in the snow, his fingers stiff and panting.
If Gu Yan were here... if Gu Yan were here... he would definitely be able to sense where Jiao Jiao went...
Gu Changqing was not Gu Yan after all. He was unable to sense Gu Jiao's movements. He just had a strange intuition that Gu Jiao left this forest with some kind of mission.
She probably anticipated that she wouldn't be able to return so soon, or even at all, so her backup plan was to send the patients to Yuegu City and hand them over to Doctor Song for management.
She...she took the initiative to go find that assassin.
Why did she go to see him?
Why?
...
The snowstorm was so severe that even the horses refused to move forward.
The soldier had to dismount and try to catch up with the group, but after only two steps, he felt something trip him up and stumbled forward.
He landed on a hard, small snowdrift. The snowdrift was a bit hard, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He casually pressed down on the other side of the snowdrift and stood up.
But just like that, you press it.
He was stunned.
What does it mean if the feel isn't right?
A chill ran down his spine. He cautiously looked to his side and saw a round head.
He cried out and fell backward, tumbling head over heels in the snow. As he sat up, he met a pair of unseeing, lifeless eyes.
He was so terrified he forgot about the horse and ran forward in a panic, yelling, "Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!"
"What's all the noise about?" a corporal grabbed him. "You want to attract our pursuers, don't you!"
He didn't dare turn around, only pointing tremblingly behind him with his finger: "No...no...Brother Zhang...there...there's a ghost over there!"
Safety along the way is very important. If there really are ghosts, they may not be real ghosts, but people lurking in the shadows!
The sergeant, known as Brother Zhang, walked towards the small, protruding snowdrift, his back to the wind and snow.
As he got closer, he realized that it was a person who had frozen to death.
He was worried for nothing, thinking there were assassins lying in ambush!
The corporal was about to turn around and catch up with the group when he suddenly felt that the face looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
He bent down again and looked at the other person's face carefully.
He finally remembered where he had seen him before.
"My lord! My lord!"
The silver-foxed man was sitting in a carriage pulled by eight horses when a soldier's anxious voice suddenly came from outside.
He glanced at his unconscious uncle beside him, took his long, slender right hand out of his hand warmer, lifted the curtain, and asked, "What is it?"
A soldier reported, "It seems someone... has seen Sirius!"
A moment later, the silver-foxed man and several trusted subordinates appeared beside the small snowdrift where the person had just tripped.
His trusted men dug through the snow, revealing the entire corpse of Sirius.
He knelt beside another corpse, his head touching the ground, his cheek slightly turned to the right.
This movement prevented him from putting all his weight on the other person, but it was still heavy enough.
Everyone was stunned.
Tianlang is the top expert under the master. Didn't he escort Princess Ning'an to escape?
How could someone die here?
Who died with him?
The silver-foxed man frowned, his incredulous gaze fixed on the corpse of the Heavenly Wolf.
The trusted subordinates understood why their lord had such an expression. Tianlang was a death warrior that their lord had bought from a nobleman of Yan Kingdom at great expense, and he was far from being an ordinary death warrior.
Even the Dragon Shadow Guards of the Zhao Kingdom's royal family couldn't last ten moves against Tianlang. In Yan Kingdom, Zhao Kingdom, and Chen Kingdom, no one could even harm Tianlang!
A layer of frost settled on the handsome face of the silver-foxed man. He coldly said to his subordinate, "Let's see who the other one who died is."
"yes!"
A trusted subordinate knelt down and brushed the snow off the man's face.
It was a young and innocent face, with a red birthmark on the left cheek.
The silver-foxed man immediately recognized the birthmark.
"It was him?"
He was surprised.
The silver-foxed man had fought with Gu Jiao on the ice of the lake, and Gu Jiao had even injured him with her red-tasseled spear.
Prior to that incident, Gu Jiao and another man in black had broken into the prefectural governor's mansion in Lingguan City at night, using gunpowder to carve a bloody path and rescue the old Marquis of Ding'an of Zhao Kingdom.
"My lord! He's still breathing!" his trusted subordinate exclaimed in utter shock.
He originally intended to separate Tianlang from the small corpse, but as soon as his hand touched Gu Jiao's face, he sensed something was wrong, and he checked her breathing.
The aura was faint, yet undeniably present!
"My lord, Prince Yi has woken up and sent me to inquire what happened here," a guard beside Prince Yi said.
The silver-foxed man looked thoughtfully at the unconscious Gu Jiao: "Tianlang is dead. We just caught the murderer."
The silver-foxed man returned to the carriage.
He also brought an unconscious soldier in armor onto the carriage.
Prince Yi clutched his wounded shoulder, wincing in pain, and asked, "Who is he?"
"The murderer who killed Sirius."
Prince Yi looked Gu Jiao up and down, scrutinizing her figure and her armor, which bore no special insignia whatsoever. He asked, "What? Him? A mere soldier?"
“They are soldiers from the Zhao Kingdom,” the silver-foxed man said.
The Prince of Yi had just suffered a defeat, and his expression darkened at the mention of the Zhao Kingdom. He said in a deep voice, "The Gu family army?"
The silver-foxed man casually tossed Gu Jiao onto the carriage carpet and lightly kicked her foot away: "Judging from the armor, it doesn't look like it."
The Gu family's army wore silver armor, and this kid's armor was somewhat similar to that of the Tang family's archers, except that it lacked the Tang family archers' insignia.
Prince Yi looked at Gu Jiao strangely: "You're saying he killed Tianlang? How is that possible? He looks so young?"
The silver-foxed man smiled and said, "Uncle, do you still remember the boy I mentioned to you who had connections with the Yan Kingdom?"
Prince Yi frowned and asked, "Is he the person you're talking about?"
"Sir! His luggage has been found, it's here!"
Outside the carriage, the silver-foxed man's trusted subordinate handed over a heavy little basket and a red-tasseled spear.
The silver-foxed man accepted it despite the snow.
The moment the curtain was lifted, a sudden gust of wind and snow rushed in, and Prince Yi shivered from the cold, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
The silver-foxed man tied the curtain up and first rummaged through the small basket on his back.
Seeing that there was only some dry food and a tattered little medicine box inside, the silver-foxed man was somewhat disappointed.
I thought I might find some treasure.
The silver-foxed man casually placed the small basket beside Gu Jiao, lovingly stroking the red-tasseled spear in his hand, and said to Prince Yi, "Uncle, this is the weapon of Xuan Yuanli, the divine general of Yan."
"So ugly?" Prince Yi's eyes stung from the sight of the big red flower on the red-tasseled spear and the little braid.
The silver-foxed man chuckled faintly, seemingly unconcerned about the weapon's ugliness: "I inquired with the Chen Kingdom a few days ago. It turns out that Xuan Yuanli's red-tasseled spear was given to the Chen Kingdom's ruler by the Yan Kingdom's king as a birthday gift. Later, when Chen and Zhao went to war, the spear was seized by the Marquis of Xuanping of Zhao. During the peace talks between the two countries, Chen wanted it back, but the Marquis of Xuanping refused."
Prince Yi pondered for a moment and agreed wholeheartedly: "Yes, that person is capable of doing such a thing."
He's a shameless bastard.
Prince Yi paused for a moment, then asked, "So, is he a member of the Xuanyuan family or the Marquis of Xuanping's household?"
The silver-foxed man shook his head: "It's unclear for now. He not only obtained this spear, but he also possesses gunpowder. He must have an inextricable connection with the Yan Kingdom."
"So it's someone from the Xuanyuan family." Prince Yi made this judgment in his mind, then his expression changed drastically. "We've captured someone from the Xuanyuan family! If the Xuanyuan family finds out, they'll crush us into mincemeat with their 100,000 iron cavalry!"
The silver-foxed man smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry. If he were truly an important figure in the Xuanyuan family, the Yan Kingdom would have sent reinforcements long ago."
Prince Yi thought it made sense, and then, as if remembering something, he added, "Then...why didn't you kill him? He killed Tianlang, won't you avenge Tianlang?"
The silver-foxed man stroked the red-tasseled spear in his hand and said, "Tianlang is dead. Even if I avenge Tianlang, he can't come back to life. But the fact that he was able to kill Tianlang means he's even more powerful than Tianlang. Uncle, if he's willing to submit to us, wouldn't we have a second Tianlang?"
Prince Yi hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What if he doesn't submit?"
The silver-foxed man curled his lips into a carefree smile: "He's a soldier from Zhao Kingdom, and he saved the life of the old Marquis of Ding'an. If we use him to threaten the Gu family army, what do you think they'll do, Uncle?"
Prince Yi stared intently at the boy lying on his side on the ground. For some reason, he felt uneasy: "I think it would be better if we killed him."
The silver-foxed man laughed and said, "Uncle, don't be afraid. He's frozen like this, he's no threat."
The last day of the month saw the ticket clearance sale.
(End of this chapter)
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