Chapter 35 Battle "You're worrying too much."
As night fell, a gentle breeze stirred up the gravel on the ground, creating a rough, grating sound. Outside the Turkic camp, the campfire leaped and then quickly died down, seemingly accompanied by the faint rustling of gravel.
It crackled and popped, like someone was throwing something into the campfire.
The soldier on night watch instantly snapped to attention, instinctively taking two steps closer, but then hesitated, unwilling to get too close, until he suddenly heard the sound of a weapon cutting through the air behind him. When he came to his senses, he found that his waist and abdomen had been pierced by a sharp blade, and bright red blood was gushing out.
Everything happens in an instant.
Jiang Xu led the charge, like a sharp arrow piercing through the ranks, cleaving a gap in the enemy lines. His warhorse reared up and neighed, and he threw a tinderbox at the grain pile. Instantly, flames shot into the sky, the exploding fire engulfing everything and illuminating the somewhat bewildered faces of the Turkic soldiers.
Behind Jiang Xu, the army was divided into three wings: left, center, and right. The central army, carrying a large banner, was led by Xiao Chijie, who closely followed Jiang Xu. The black banner blended well into the night and was not particularly conspicuous under the blazing firelight. The left and right wings were led by Jing Yin and Jing Yan respectively, with the left serving as the vanguard and the right as the rearguard. The endless stream of soldiers advanced in a regular rhythm, like a giant eagle spreading its wings.
A gentle breeze suddenly stirs up a hurricane.
Jing Yin took the lead, flanking from the left, while Jing Yan followed closely from the right, circling around to the other side of the Turkic camp to form an encirclement. When the two met, Xiao Chijie, who was blocking the entrance, could become a sharp blade and enter the circle to fight alongside Jiang Xu.
Eight years ago, the Turks used the same method to annihilate the former Jingbei Army.
Not far away, several Turkic soldiers heard the commotion and shoving around them. Panicked, they leaped onto their horses and shouted, "Enemy attack!"
The moment he uttered a sound, a whooshing sound suddenly came from somewhere around him. A gust of wind swept past, and the shouting man was shot off his horse. The sound of arrows piercing the air was like a torrential rain, and one after another, several men fell dead.
In the distance, Jiang Xu put away his bow and crossbow, returned the arrow basket to its place, raised his spear, and charged straight into the enemy camp.
Inside the main tent of the Turks.
Ashnarge's face was somber, his green eyes gleaming with a sinister light as he stared intently at the dead bodies in the center of the tent. These men were dressed as ordinary soldiers, yet they had blatantly exposed the Turks' supplies to the local authorities.
All of this was made possible by his two good older brothers.
Beside him, his trusted aide continued to chatter, "Third Prince, the Khan has been seriously ill for several days, and now the Jingbei Army is coming on strong. We must protect ourselves!"
"If this situation were to occur again, I'm afraid..."
"Shut up!" Ashnarge interrupted the man, snorting coldly. "The Jingbei Army is already watching from the other side. My two good brothers are sure that the Jingbei King will keep a close eye on the Turks like a mad dog, so they specially chose this job for me."
"Do you think we can return safely even if the Prince of Jingbei doesn't come?"
"A fool's dream!"
The person was convulsing on the ground, seemingly still muttering something.
Ashnarag approached and took a look. His expression softened, and he asked the scout gently, "Do you have any unfinished information to tell this prince? Don't be afraid! The immortal Tengri will surely take you into his yurt. You are the bravest warrior!"
"Tell me, does your prince have any other information to share?"
The scout's voice was broken and sharp, like a knife cutting through the air: "The Grand Marshal of Youzhou... has sent men who are currently engaged in battle with... the Jingbei Army."
“Great warrior, your people will use the swords of the Han people, in their own way, to eradicate them completely.”
Upon hearing this, the scout wore a half-smile on his face. A moment later, he suddenly stopped breathing. Ashinaerge gently closed his eyes and said coldly, "Find a random place and dump this man there. Don't delay the army from engaging the enemy."
The confidant, unfazed, responded and expertly set off to clean up the mess.
*
The night was dark, and a bright moon hung quietly in the sky, its light cascading down like flowing water.
As the two armies faced each other, the leader on the Turkic side coldly shouted, "Isn't the Jingbei Army's sneak attack going too far?!"
"Is that so?" Jiang Xu suddenly spoke, his voice devoid of any emotion. He drew his bow and shot an arrow, instantly taking the life of the man.
A strong wind carried gravel, and when Ashnareg arrived a moment later, this was the scene he saw. Then, he met those dark eyes.
As a child, he had heard people in the palace mention the grudges between the former Prince Jingbei and his father, so it was no surprise that he felt a chill when his eyes swept over him with those emotionless gazes.
There are still traitors planted by his two older brothers in the army. These people have not been fully exposed yet. If they were to face Jiang Xu at this moment, their chances of survival would be slim. If the two in the palace have made up their minds, there is no guarantee that they will not set up an ambush on the way back.
"Prince Jingbei, I thought you were a gentleman and intended to host a banquet to discuss things properly." Ashinaerge said meaningfully, "I have brought more than 300,000 elite troops. If you insist on this, we will not give up."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu glanced at the people beside Ashinaerge. The current Turkic king had seven sons. The first three sons and the last four sons were of vastly different ages, so the struggle for the throne was essentially the same as the contest between the first three.
This man was almost always overshadowed by the eldest and second princes, and his reputation in the Turkic royal court was basically associated with being an incompetent fool and a brute.
Jiang Xu had excellent eyesight. With a cold and stern face, he scrutinized each person one by one. Only after confirming that there were no Han Chinese faces did he turn his gaze away. "The Third Prince should know that I have a long-standing feud with the Turks."
Before Ashinaerge could say anything, Jiang Xu suddenly stepped forward, like a gust of wind, and his trusted men followed closely behind. In an instant, the sounds of battle between the two armies echoed through the mountains and fields.
Following Jiang Xu's movements, the warhorse galloped forward, nimbly dodging shot after shot. Its stale breath dispersed into the air, and the hot night was soon permeated with an even stronger stench of blood, until it was completely soaked in.
......
*
Shi Wan was completely unaware that dozens of miles away, the sky was already ablaze with blood and corpses littered the ground.
The ordeal she suffered a few days ago served as a wake-up call, leaving her quite shaken. She fell ill within half a day and has only recently recovered after some time of rest and recuperation.
In early August, the scorching sun baked the ground until it was burning hot. Clouds floated in the sky, stretched into various shapes. The mountains blocked the sun, and the trees provided shade, cutting out patches of coolness.
Shi Wan's camp was located near this shady spot.
She had just finished her breakfast when she saw Hua Hui bringing medicine again. She took the bowl and cup and suddenly asked, "It's been more than half a month since the King left. Has any news come back?"
Hua Hui assumed she was missing the king and shook her head, saying, "There's still no news, Miss. Please rest assured. I inquired about it a few days ago. Military campaigns are already busy, and encountering a difficult enemy is even more exhausting."
"Besides... although the journey isn't far, it's still quite a distance, and it will certainly take time. If you're worried," she suggested, "why not wait until you've recovered and write a letter to express your feelings?"
Shi Wan was now immune to these suggestive words. She nodded, took small sips of her medicine, and after finishing the bowl, she continued, half-jokingly, "I'm afraid I'll have to take this medicine prescribed by the doctor for a while before I fully recover."
Seeing her downcast tone, Hua Hui looked distressed and said, "Please don't say that, young lady. You are a blessed person. The King always remembers you, and the good days are yet to come!"
Shi Wan has always been frail and sickly, and recently, perhaps due to excessive anxiety, her health has deteriorated further. Fortunately, she now takes her medicine on time and goes out for walks from time to time, which has helped her improve her physical condition and allowed her to survive this sudden illness.
"The doctor said that you are worrying too much, and that you should stop thinking about it." Hua Hui saw that she was staring at the bowl and said, "The king is a lucky man, so don't worry and hurt yourself."
After drinking her medicine, Shi Wan forced a smile, which was considered a way of getting by.
Actually, she was just a little worried about Jiang Xu, far from worrying to the point of harming her health.
But this tiny bit of worry, like a sudden thunderclap, disturbed her peace day after day.
She was actually worried about Jiang Xu, this executioner?
Clearly, he only wanted to keep her by his side, even if it was just a brief, condescending smile. But that was not his true nature. If he were truly kind and gentle, how could he have reached his current position?
Shi Wan looked at Hua Hui and said, "When His Majesty took me to the Qixi Festival celebration last time, I remember... he was wearing an indigo-blue brocade round-necked robe?"
Hua Lan, who happened to be there to add ice to the ice chest, was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly said, "Miss has a good memory, there is indeed one."
Seeing this, Hua Hui hurriedly added, "I heard that His Majesty specially went to a tailor shop ten miles away and had an embroiderer make him a suit."
Seeing the subtle undercurrent between them, Shi Wan smiled and said, "I do miss His Majesty. He's been gone for over ten days without any news, and I can't go to the front lines to find him..."
"My body is so sickly that I can't even take care of myself. If I go, I'll only be a burden to the king. So I was thinking of something that could ease my longing."
The two maids exchanged glances, then asked in confusion, "Does Miss mean for us to...?"
"If the tailor shop still takes on this job, I would like to take out the king's clothes and, using some different fabrics, make two new ones for him. It would be a token of my appreciation."
"Otherwise, by the time he gets back, it'll probably be cold by then..."
Shi Wan blushed slightly, "If I recover a bit and am fortunate enough to visit the King, wearing this men's clothing will make things a little easier."
The two men had no suspicions and assumed that Shi Wan was lovesick. They quickly agreed, and Hua Lan went ahead to speak to the guards outside so that they could pass on the message to the owner of the embroidery shop.
Seeing that Hua Hui was also in a hurry to leave, Shi Wan quickly called out to her, "Let Hua Lan go, you come here."
Hua Hui was immediately flattered and stepped forward, "Is there anything else you need, Miss?"
Unexpectedly, Shi Wan took her hand, took out a small box of ointment, opened it, and revealed a pale green color with a cool sheen. At a glance, even a layman would know that this ointment was quite valuable.
Hua Hui was startled, but by the time she came to her senses, Shi Wan was already applying medicine to her wrist.
"This is absolutely unacceptable! Miss, I...!"
“There’s nothing wrong with it.” Shi Wan interrupted her with a smile. “Medicine is for people. You and I are from the same place, so we’re practically from the same hometown. Although I don’t usually say it, I’m naturally closer to you in my heart.”
She smiled radiantly, her watery eyes slightly curved, her beauty beyond compare. Hua Hui dared not look any longer and quickly lowered her head. After a moment, she murmured, "...Miss is kind-hearted, this servant will remember it."
The young maid blushed slightly and became shy, saying, "You're really... too kind of me."
Seeing that the time was right, Shi Wan straightened her sleeves and personally placed the ointment in her palm. "From now on, you will bring me medicine in the next few days. Bring the ointment with you. I will drink the medicine, and you will obediently apply the ointment."
“I know that it must be heartbreaking for a girl to have scars on her body.”
Seeing that Hua Hui seemed to have tears in her eyes, he pretended to be casual and said, "Alright, go and check on Hua Lan. I'm a little worried about her."
"Remember......"
"It has to be men's clothing material."
"I want to personally make some new clothes for Your Majesty to wear during the changing seasons."
---------------------t--
Author's Note: Making clothes for the king (×)
I took the opportunity to make myself some clothes ([dog head with rose in hand])
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