"You know, no matter what you do, I won't do anything to you." Yan Xun looked at her and said calmly, "If this happens, someone else will naturally pay the price for it."
The light outside was suddenly so dazzling that Chu Qiao's eyes felt a little sore. The fire in the brazier was crackling and the room was warm, but she felt her blood getting colder and colder, and she almost froze into an icicle. Her gaze was somewhat vague, as if she was looking at Yan Xun, but also as if she was looking through him and seeing far away. His eyebrows and eyes were already weathered, and his gaze was no longer clear. He was no longer the handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes by the Chishui Lake, nor was he the down-and-out prince who depended on him for life in Shengjin Palace. Time had created a huge gap between them. She couldn't get across it, and he no longer tried to get across it. However, if you think about it carefully, it has only been less than a year. Today, she finally understood what power is.
"I understand." Chu Qiao nodded calmly and bowed slightly, "I will take my leave."
"Ah Chu," seeing her so lonely, Yan Xun felt a little bit reluctant, as if his heart was grabbed by the sharp claws of a small animal, and it hurt a little, "Don't be like this."
Chu Qiao lowered her head and replied calmly, "Although I am dull, I do not have the virtues of betraying my master, killing him, or being afraid of death. Your Highness should look for such talents. The hope for the revival of Yanbei lies in these people. I have something else to do, so I will take my leave." After that, she turned around and walked out of the tent without even looking at Yan Xun's expression.
The fur curtain moved slightly, and the wind outside suddenly became stronger. Yan Xun sat behind the desk, looking at the door absent-mindedly, as if he was expecting something.
This was the first time Chu Qiao got angry with him. Over the years, no matter what he did or what mistakes he made, she could always remain silent and forgive all his actions. Even though he almost abandoned the entire Yanbei people a while ago, she was not very angry.
Southwest Town Envoy, Southwest Town Envoy, Yan Xun silently repeated the name twice, and the unbearable memories once again echoed in his mind.
"This name is too annoying." The young new king of Yanbei frowned slowly, tapping his fingers on the table unconsciously, and fell into a brief contemplation.
It is windy all year round in Yanbei. Even now that we have left the territory of Yanbei, the weather has not warmed up at all. As soon as I walked out of the big tent, I saw a young man in a dark blue coat standing there quietly not far away. He had a tall and straight figure, but deliberately hunched his back. He looked humble and respectful, but not mean. He had a bearing and background that ordinary people did not have, and he was very calm. Seeing Chu Qiao coming over, he slowly raised his head, narrowed his eyes, smiled at Chu Qiao, and said softly: "Master Chu, you have worked hard."
Chu Qiao didn't even look at him and walked straight to her tent, but she heard him smile faintly and said, "It seems that your trip is not going well!"
Chu Qiao slowly stopped, frowned, turned around, and said in a deep voice: "Cheng Yuan, do you really think I dare not kill you?"
"Why do you say that, sir? You have been with His Highness in the capital for eight years, and have won many battles. Your contributions are unmatched. You took the head of the Third Prince of Daxia from among thousands of horses as easily as taking something out of a bag. Who am I? How can I compete with you, sir?"
Chu Qiao did not say anything. She looked at the handsome man with cold eyes and felt sick in her stomach.
Cheng Yuan looked at her with a smile and continued, "It's just that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. My Lord, don't you think you are too high-profile at the moment? After all, the king of Yanbei is still His Highness!"
Chu Qiao sneered, glanced at the man with contempt, and said indifferently: "General Cheng, you are not qualified to alienate me and Yan Xun. I called you general today to respect his decision, but this does not mean that you can act arrogantly in front of me. You'd better pray that I'm in a better mood recently, otherwise it's hard to guarantee that I won't sneak into your tent one night and stab you. Even if you die, do you think he will break up with me for you? You are too naive and too self-righteous."
Cheng Yuan narrowed his narrow eyes slightly and looked at Chu Qiao quietly, but did not speak. Chu Qiao turned her head away without even looking at him, and disappeared in the vast snow and wind.
When Cheng Yuan walked into Yan Xun's tent, Yan Xun was still sitting in front of the desk, lost in thought, and no one knew what he was thinking about. Cheng Yuan was tactful enough to remain silent. He folded his hands in front of him, lowered his head and stood quietly aside. After a while, a deep voice came from the table. Yan Xun did not turn around, but just said slowly: "Stay away from her."
Cheng Yuan nodded quickly and said, "I will follow your instructions."
"If you anger her, I won't be able to help you."
"yes."
The dinner horn sounded, and a large number of soldiers walked on the snow, their footsteps rustling. Feng Zhi called out a few times outside the door, asking Yan Xun when he would eat, but Yan Xun seemed not to hear him. He just stared at the situation map quietly, his eyes sweeping deeply across the vast territory of Daxia, like a sharp eagle.
After returning to his tent, Cheng Yuan's expression suddenly turned cold. He threw his cloak on the bed, and his eyebrows were almost twisted together. Jiang Teng was his personal bodyguard, and had been with him for several years. He was very loyal. Upon seeing this, he stepped forward and asked, "General, what happened?"
"She must be eliminated."
He almost spat out these words from between his teeth, without saying who it was. Jiang Teng's face suddenly changed, and he quickly said: "General, you should think twice. Not to mention that her own strength should not be underestimated, even if you succeed by chance, His Highness will not let it go."
"I know," Cheng Yuan said slowly with a fierce look in his eyes, "but if I leave this evil fetus behind, once she reconciles with His Highness, I will die in her hands sooner or later."
"But Your Highness..."
"Don't worry, I won't take her life for now." Cheng Yuan slowly sat on the chair, playing with a crystal clear jade plaque. The jade plaque was a very common style, and it was not a fine jade carving, but it had Chu Qiao's name engraved on it. It was the kind of jade plaque that promised longevity. "I will clip her wings first, and I'm sure Your Highness will be happy to see it happen."
With a crisp sound, the jade token in Cheng Yuan's hand shattered instantly. He let go of his hand without changing his expression, and the jade token broke into small pieces, which fell to the ground with a crackling sound, like the music of a zither.
"Besides, how can we accomplish great things if we are always restrained by a woman? Your Highness carries my future and hope!" The Xuekui River is a tributary of the Chishui River. It is located in the upper reaches of Yanming Pass and faces the majestic Yanming Pass across the river. Now the river is blocked by heavy snow and the surface of the river has long been frozen solid. It only takes less than a cup of tea to ride a horse from Yan Xun's camp to the pass opposite. However, neither Yan Xun nor Zhao Che acted rashly as they did in the first Northern Expedition. In the five days since they arrived here, except for small scout troops from both sides, no major battle has been launched. They seemed to be carefully testing each other's strength and looking for an appropriate opportunity.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier. The scouts kept shouting all day long, shuttling back and forth on the snow-white river surface, bringing back a little bit of information about the enemy from time to time. The staff stayed up all night, analyzing each piece of useful intelligence. Chu Qiao had been working hard for a few days and had obviously lost a lot of weight, but her military proficiency once again amazed the generals of Yanbei's First Army, Second Army, and Black Hawk Army. Within three days, she had become the commander-in-chief of the general staff.
That afternoon, Huan Huan and Xiao He arrived with another batch of food and fodder, which was marked as having been transported from Huaisong. There was sufficient food and fodder, as well as cabbage and bacon, which were urgently needed in the army. Yan Xun was very happy, and ordered A Jing and others to escort Huai Song with a batch of gold that had just been produced from the rear that day.
With the war approaching, A Jing naturally didn't want to leave. Such a task could be assigned to an ordinary general, but Yan Xun said very solemnly that he couldn't trust others, so he had to go with full of worry.
Before leaving, he went to see Chu Qiao. Along the way, all the people he saw were young and unfamiliar generals. Most of the familiar faces were gone. They were either going to the rear to recruit soldiers or leading the people to rebuild their homes and develop farming and animal husbandry. Ah Jin felt a little uncomfortable. Chu Qiao didn't see him. Ping An, the gatekeeper, told A Jing that she had gone to the scout camp to analyze intelligence and might be back someday.
Ah Jing said what a coincidence, then left dejectedly.
Seeing him leave, Ping An walked into the room and asked Chu Qiao curiously why she didn't go to see General Ajing. Chu Qiao was silent for a long time before she slowly said, "I am doing this for his own good."
On the second day after Ajing left, a battle took place on Xiongxipo, eighty miles away. The scale of the battle was not large, and it was really unfair. Two hundred scouts encountered one hundred Xia army's food and forage soldiers. The two sides met unexpectedly and neither expected to meet the other. However, the sudden encounter in the dark made them stare at each other for a long time. Finally, they had to draw their weapons and fight each other.
Logically speaking, the scouts should have the highest quality in the entire army. They are not only experts in gathering intelligence, but also elite cavalry. They have excellent horsemanship and swordsmanship, and they also have to master long-range archery. However, most of the troops escorting the food and fodder were the old, weak and sick among the soldiers. When two hundred scouts encounter one hundred supply troops, victory should be inevitable, according to common sense.
However, this team of scouts from Yanbei suffered a crushing defeat, with only a dozen or so people escaping death. When Chu Qiao saw them, she was almost stunned, and she was even more terrified when she heard their description. She quickly ran back to the staff headquarters, grabbed a combat staff officer and asked, "Who is the general logistics dispatcher for Yanbei this time?"
How could the official know such a confidential matter? His beard had turned white and he stared at Chu Qiao blankly, unable to speak.
Chu Qiao said angrily: "Speak!"
“It’s an old acquaintance of ours, the fourth son of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Yue.” A deep voice sounded behind her. Chu Qiao turned around immediately, only to see Yan Xun standing at the door, his hood covered with layers of snow. His expression was calm, but there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.
He stared at Chu Qiao sharply, as if trying to find some fluctuation or clue on her face, but he failed. Chu Qiao still looked the same, looking at him with a frown, as if saying: Why are you here?
They have been in a cold war these days.
"Tell me, how long do you want to continue the cold war with me?" Yan Xun sighed, walked forward and took Chu Qiao's hand.
Chu Qiao struggled hard but failed to break free. She frowned and was about to pull away with a scissors hand gesture, but she saw Yan Xun nimbly following her movements with his backhand and still holding her tightly.
"Achu, don't be angry."
Chu Qiao said coldly: "How dare I be angry with Your Highness?"
Yan Xun's face darkened and he scolded, "Stop making trouble."
Chu Qiao immediately raised her eyebrows, "Yan Xun, do you think I'm being childish with you?"