Yan Xun's face was a little ugly. He lowered himself so low to apologize, but she said two words indifferently. He felt embarrassed and said angrily: "Ah Chu, was I too pampering you before? You are not like this usually."
Chu Qiao just wanted to laugh when she heard that. Arrogant? From childhood to adulthood, from past life to this life, she never expected that she would be associated with this word. She sneered, not knowing whether she was mocking Yan Xun or herself. I'm not usually like this. Have you ever been like this? Who has changed?
"The war is imminent, and Yanbei needs people right now. The top priority at this time is how to deal with the army of Daxia, rather than thinking about your personal grudges. Think about it carefully!" After saying that, Yan Xun flicked his cloak and walked out of the tent. Chu Qiao stood there, her eyes growing colder and colder, all the anger she had accumulated over the past few days turning into a pool of ice water.
Is this the time to employ people? Then why were all the veteran generals of the First Army replaced? The officers that Mr. Wu had trained for many years were all exiled back to Yanbei to herd sheep in Huihui Mountain with the herdsmen? Why was Miss Yu left idle? Why was Ajing transferred far away? And I, who was analyzing these irrelevant military intelligence all day long, didn't even know that Zhuge Yue was the general logistics dispatcher of Daxia?
The Yanbei Army has finally become a solid block of steel, but Yan Xun, why don't you even trust me anymore?
Chu Qiao felt an indescribable sadness. The sadness of being excluded made her very depressed. She sat on the chair, feeling cold all over.
Did Zhuge Yue also come with the army? That's really not good news. His military accomplishments were not inferior to Zhao Che's. He was also the last disciple of Mr. Wolong, and a fellow student of Mr. Wu and Miss Yu. He also had the strong financial support of the Zhuge clan. Behind him was the Zhuge clan, and even the attitude of the entire Great Xia clan towards this matter. Could his arrival be a sign of the aristocratic families' involvement in the war?
But it’s also good this way, at least it means he is no longer ostracized by the family. Even though she was at war, news from Zhenhuang City was still able to reach her ears to some extent, and it was not really a secret. Zhuge Yue lost power in his family and was suppressed by the royal family and the Council of Elders because of the Bian Tang incident. He was stripped of his military rank and official position, left idle and under house arrest in the imperial city, with strict orders not to leave the city. Zhuge Muqing even placed him under house arrest in the Zhuge Mansion. For a time, he became a joke and topic of conversation among the upper class of Daxia.
Chu Qiao had tried her best not to think about these things. Self-blame and guilt were completely useless, and she could not make any compensation or return to him. She has always been such a person. As long as she firmly chooses her own path, she will never waver even if the road is full of thorns or even if it is stormy. But sometimes, when she woke up in the middle of the night, she would see his stubborn eyes and hear his hot and hoarse voice, "Don't you feel it? I need you too."
I hope he is just doing logistical work, I hope I don’t meet him, I hope, I hope.
Chu Qiao was already very tired. She had no heart to look at the information that looked like waste paper. She dragged her tired body back to the tent and just wanted to fall asleep. However, when they reached the west camp, the voices of two guards suddenly floated into their ears.
"I think His Highness just wants them dead. Major General Liu from the First Army just said one extra word at the meeting, and then he disappeared on the battlefield for unknown reasons. His area is an internal war zone, and no enemy passed by at all. We guess that he was probably silenced."
"That's right. What's more, they made such a fuss. If it weren't for Lord Chu from the General Staff Department protecting them, they would have died long ago."
An old soldier sighed, "Your Highness's temperament is different from that of the old prince. Now it seems that life was more comfortable when Mr. Wu was in charge, and even Lord Chu was more lenient."
"Yes," someone agreed, "She is pretty, speaks sweetly, is fair and capable, no wonder those people support her so much."
Chu Qiao frowned, coughed lightly, and walked out slowly. Those people were soldiers on night watch. When they heard the voices, they were frightened out of their wits. They stood up quickly and looked at her in confusion.
"Those who talk about His Highness behind his back should be beheaded."
"Sir, sir, we know we are wrong, please show mercy and let us live."
Several people fell to their knees on the ground and begged for mercy.
Chu Qiao looked at them and said slowly, "There can only be one commander in the army, and there can only be one leader in Yanbei. Your Highness is the son of the old prince Yan, and the master of our Yanbei. You should understand who you are loyal to. This is an army, not a charity. If you do something wrong, you will be punished. People will die on the battlefield. These are not surprising. If I hear you criticizing your Highness behind his back again, none of you will escape military punishment!"
Several people knelt on the ground and quickly replied: "Yes, yes, I obey your command."
"After tonight, remember to go to the Military Court. Each of you will receive thirty military sticks. This will teach you a lesson. Just say that I asked you to go."
"Yes, yes."
Chu Qiao turned around without changing her expression, but did not return to her own tent. Instead, she quickly walked towards the camp of the Southwest Town Envoy.
What happened? Why do those people say that? What mission did Cheng Yuan assign them?
You will know everything once you get there.
"Sir?" The young soldier was delighted when he saw Chu Qiao. He ran up to her happily and asked, "How did you find time to come and see us?"
"Where is He Xiao? Ask him to come see me." Chu Qiao said hurriedly.
The man was startled and said, "Commander He has led his brothers out of the camp."
"Out of camp? What are they doing?"
"The scout camp has been in a tight spot lately, so we were seconded and assigned to the scout camp."
Chu Qiao frowned and said in a deep voice, "Who gave the order?"
The soldier's expression suddenly became somewhat disdainful, and he snorted coldly, "It's still that General Cheng who is eager to make achievements."
"So where did they go tonight?"
"I heard he went to Xiongxipo."
really! Chu Qiao's eyes suddenly became as sharp as a sword. Cheng Yuan, if you dare to act rashly, I guarantee that you will not see the sunrise tomorrow morning.
Chu Qiao pulled a horse out from the Southwest Town Envoy's military camp, jumped on it, and said in a deep voice: "Take the rest of the brothers and follow me."
The cold wind blew like a sharp knife, and the horses' hooves stepped on the snow as they shuttled through the darkness. At this moment, Xiongxipo, eighty miles away, was already in a state of panic and noise.
"Raid the camp!"
The guards held their torches high, rushed between the horses, and shouted, "Attack! All troops attack!"
"Who? Who is coming?" He Xiao's eyes were red. It was called a camp, but in fact it was just a cavalry formation of a thousand people. They had just received an order to rest here, so why were their whereabouts discovered by the enemy so quickly?
"I don't know, General." The guard shouted, "The enemy is coming from the northwest of our army. It's hard to tell who's the enemy and who's ours. What should we do?"
This sentence has a profound meaning, northwest? Then it would be impossible to tell whether the people coming from the opposite side are the army of Daxia or the local army of Yanbei. Given the current embarrassing identity of the Southwest Town Government, both possibilities are very likely, and the latter possibility seems to be even greater. This is really a wonderful irony. He Xiao frowned and said slowly and solemnly: "The entire army should withdraw its forces. Don't engage the enemy for the time being. We need to see the other party's identity."
"Sir, Commander Gu has already led the vanguard soldiers to charge forward!"
He Xiaoteng rushed up the high slope and saw flames everywhere. Shouts and alarms filled the whole place. The soldiers in the front army were fighting on their own. If it weren't for the fact that the Southwest Town Government had experienced many twists and turns and had extremely strong combat effectiveness, they might have been rushed into by the enemy at this moment.
There is still a chance, there is still a chance. He Xiao frowned and thought carefully, then asked, "Where are General Cheng's troops?"
"Left an hour ago."
"Fuck it!" He Xiao cursed, "Prepare the horse for me, quickly!"
However, at this moment, a sharp arrow suddenly broke through the air, and with a loud sound, it whistled towards He Xiao's face like a bloodthirsty beast!
There was no way to avoid it, no way to retreat, it was fast, too fast. The strong murderous aura was like a flood that covered the sky, raging and sweeping across. The silver light flashed, and all the torches in the venue seemed to dim in an instant, leaving only the brilliance and light of that arrow. The dark night was filled with turbulent noise, like a hideous blood feast.
He Xiao's pupils dilated and his eyes became sharp. He felt as if the skin on his forehead was pricked. He himself was also a master of archery and had such strong physical strength that it was hard to find an opponent in the world. However, facing this arrow, he felt like a child of seven or eight years old, without the slightest ability to fight back. It was like a strong farmer facing a swordsman with superb swordsmanship. No matter how clumsily he waved his fists, he could only hit the air in vain, while the opponent only needed one exquisite sword flower to stab him to death in the field where his ancestors had worked so hard.
It was too fast. Before the body could make any movement, the arrow was already within reach. He could hear his subordinates' exclamations, and feel the wide eyes of those around him as they screamed, but he was speechless. In his last moments before death, he wondered who on earth could have archery skills that could rival those of an adult? It's not unfair to die at the hands of such a person.
bite! A sharp whistle resounded throughout the venue, followed by a deathly silence.
Chu Qiao rode over, jumped onto the high slope, stood in front of He Xiao, and stood with a bow. Under her horse was a bow with two crossed arrows, and sawdust scattered around like two flowers blooming.
"Sir!" All the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Envoy cheered in unison, "Sir, here you are!"
Unexpectedly, the enemy also stopped attacking. Both sides tacitly withdrew their troops slowly and then stood in clear separation, with torches flickering and the whole place brightly lit.
Chu Qiao frowned. She was too familiar with that arrow. Her heart began to beat fast and her brows were furrowed. She felt worried and scared, but also a little happy. If it's true, if it's true, then tonight, maybe I can still... get away with it...
The crowd on the opposite side gradually dispersed, and a man on a white horse slowly walked out from behind the soldiers. The young man on the horse was wearing a sable fur coat and brocade clothes, and did not look like a soldier at all. His eyes were like cold spring water, lazily moving over Chu Qiao and the others one by one, his face showing the same arrogance and indifference that never changed. Finally, he said calmly, "They are just a group of refugees. Withdraw."
"Sir!" An officer stepped out and said quickly, "How could these be refugees? They are very powerful and are definitely an elite force in Yanbei."
Hearing this, the man raised his eyebrows slightly, lowered his chin slightly, looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Do you have any objection to my judgment?"