Chapter 197 Military Camp 2
The cart creaked and groaned as it rolled over the official road, while a heater inside kept out the cold wind.
Xie Zhenting's burly figure occupied most of the space. He was resting with his eyes closed. He didn't want to ride a horse on the way back. Wouldn't it be more pleasant to sit slowly in the carriage with his daughter?
The car fell silent for a moment. Xie Zhenting suddenly opened his eyes and looked at his daughter, who was quietly drinking tea across from him.
"Ning girl, last night... that old bastard Zhuge Wu came to your tent in the middle of the night?"
"I heard... his eyes were as red as a rabbit's when he came out? That old fox, who's been scheming his whole life, it's the first time he's ever cried. What does he want with you? Could it be that he feels I, Old Xie, have mistreated him and is complaining to you?"
Xie Sangning paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the celadon teacup.
She calmly brought the teacup to her lips, took a small sip, and then looked up with a slightly helpless smile on her face.
"Father, you are overthinking it. Mr. Zhuge is a man of deep feelings. He is grateful for the hardships the army has faced over the years and came to thank his daughter. When he talked about the difficulties the soldiers on the border have endured and thought of his comrades who have frozen and starved to death, he couldn't help but feel emotional."
"snort!"
Xie Zhenting snorted, not delving into the matter, but said gruffly, "You should thank me! If it weren't for you, girl, trying every means to squeeze food out of those corrupt officials and find ways to get food and medicine all these years, it would be a miracle if any of these bastards survived! I doubt even a tenth would live! It's good that old bastard Zhuge Wu cried a little, let him know who's been holding him back all these years!"
Xie Sangning smiled slightly, revealing a faint curve, but did not reply. She simply lowered her head and took another sip of tea.
Zhuge Wucai didn't just come to express his gratitude.
Last night, this old strategist, known for his profound wisdom and ability to keep his emotions hidden, entered Xie Sangning's tent with a complex expression.
Unlike Xie Zhenting, who only listened to his daughter in everything, he sensed something different under Xie Sangning's arrangements.
He didn't exchange pleasantries, nor did he sit down; he simply stood in the tent, his eyes fixed on Xie Sangning, his voice terribly hoarse:
"Young Miss... if I may be so bold as to ask, is your elaborate mobilization of the army back to the capital truly just to ask His Majesty for military pay and to fight for the soldiers' status?"
Xie Sangning put down her pen, raised her head, and met his gaze.
The light inside the tent danced in her eyes, reflecting a bottomless, icy pool.
She did not answer directly, but slowly asked, "Mr. Zhuge, do you think a king who treats the soldiers guarding the border like weeds, withholds their food and pay, lets them fend for themselves, or even... secretly suppresses them, fearing that they will become too powerful... is such a king still worthy of soldiers' loyalty to the death, to protect this vast land for him?"
Zhuge Wu's body trembled violently! His pupils suddenly contracted!
Xie Sangning's words were almost treasonous!
His Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke with difficulty, "Young Miss... please be careful what you say! His Majesty may be in trouble... it's beyond our control..."
"Difficulties?"
"Is it the difficulty of withholding rations and causing tens of thousands of soldiers to freeze and starve to death? Or is it the difficulty of distrusting loyal and virtuous officials and secretly supporting the remnants of the Western Rong to harass the border and intend to wear down my Xie family army?"
boom--!
It was like a thunderclap exploding in Zhuge Wu's ears!
His face turned deathly pale instantly, and he staggered, almost unable to stand!
Support the remnants of the Western Rong? Or weaken the Xie family army?
This is absolutely... outrageous!
But... considering the strangeness of the border wars over the years, the delays in the imperial court's provisions and salaries, and those seemingly coincidental accidents...
A terrible thought creeped into my mind!
Xie Sangning chuckled lightly. "Can't stand it already?"
At least Xie Sangning managed to keep quiet when she learned of this news back then.
"That's far from enough. Do you know that the current ruler is illegitimate and doesn't possess the Tiger Tally?"
"All these years, you have been protecting the stolen empire of a usurper! My father served the beast who killed the late emperor, murdered his father and brothers! Our soldiers sacrificed themselves for the country and the people, only to have their efforts benefit a bunch of bastards. Do you hate them?"
Upon hearing this, the old strategist, who had spent his life planning and priding himself on his composure, felt a metallic taste rise in his throat and his vision go black!
He suddenly clutched his chest and hunched over!
After a long while, he raised his bloodshot eyes, which were now completely devoid of any doubt. He had no doubt about the credibility of Xie Sangning's words; she had no reason to lie to him.
"Young Miss... what do you need me to do?"
Xie Sangning looked into his eyes and knew that the time was right.
"What I need you to do, sir, is not battlefield slaughter," she said slowly. "I need you, sir, to use your position as a strategist and your unparalleled prestige in the army to... stabilize this massive army that is about to converge on the capital!"
She stood up, walked up to Zhuge Wu, and stared intently at him.
"With the army returning to the capital, there are countless things to consider: where to station troops, coordination... The slightest misstep could cause panic and alert the enemy. Pei Yan's spies are undoubtedly everywhere. I need you, sir, to use your wisdom and your familiarity with military affairs to ensure that this army is stationed reasonably and quietly. Make Pei Yan believe that this is just a routine troop rotation, a military remonstrance demanding supplies, and not... a knife at the gates of the city!"
Zhuge Wu took a deep breath: "Don't worry, young lady! I've been in the army for decades, and I still have some skills! I'll make sure this army disappears without a trace, like weary birds returning to their nests!"
"Finally," Xie Sangning looked into Zhuge Wu's eyes and said, word by word, "this matter is known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me. Before I take action, it must not be revealed to any third party, including... my father and brother."
Zhuge Wushen's expression hardened instantly; he understood the gravity of the situation. Xie Zhenting and Xie Sangyu were both passionate men; if they knew the truth, they would likely immediately draw their swords and storm the palace, destroying everything in their path!
He solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I guarantee it with my life!"
——
My thoughts drifted back to last night's intimate conversation.
Xie Sangning put down her teacup and looked out the window at the scenery rushing past.
Her father was still resting with his eyes closed, seemingly unaware of her momentary lapse in concentration.
Very good, this hidden blade is now in my hand.
Our morale is high; the enemy is in the open, while we are in the shadows.
Pei Yan... how much longer can you sit firmly on your dragon throne?
The carriage had just come to a stop in front of the imposing vermilion gates of the general's mansion when a commotion came from outside the curtains.
Xie Zhenting's thick eyebrows instantly furrowed into a knot, and a fierce aura surged in his eyes.
He abruptly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, his sharp gaze sweeping over the dark mass of people in front of the mansion gate, his face instantly turning so gloomy it could drip water.
"Ning girl, stay in the car, don't get out!"
He absolutely could not let his daughter get into danger in such a chaotic situation.
"Yes, Father." Xie Sangning's voice came from behind the curtain, calm and obedient, without a trace of emotion.
Xie Zhenting's burly body leaped off the carriage like an iron tower. He exuded the aura of a battle-hardened general, instantly silencing the noisy crowd at the entrance!
"Shut up, all of you!"
Xie Zhenting's roar was like a thunderclap, making the eardrums of several nearby onlookers ring and causing them to instinctively take a few steps back.
"What are you doing blocking my doorstep?"
His gaze instantly locked onto the two people making the most noise in the crowd—it turned out to be his father-in-law, Lin Zhijie, and Lin Wantang!
"Xie Zhenting! What are you yelling about?! Where is your good daughter?! Tell her to get out here!!"
"I'm asking you! That so-called miracle doctor she sent over a few days ago, who pretended to be all high and mighty! He examined everyone in my Lin family and prescribed medicine! And what was the result?"
He suddenly pointed to his eldest daughter, Lin Wantang, who was pale-faced, supported by two maids, coughing incessantly, and with traces of blood even seeping from the corners of her mouth:
"As a result, my whole family! Only Tang'er and I are okay, the rest of us have all contracted this damned disease! High fever that won't go down, coughing up blood non-stop! Our bodies are covered in sores! We're on the verge of death! Even the imperial physicians are helpless! They say... they say it's a highly contagious epidemic!"
Lin Zhijie was filled with grief and indignation, and tears streamed down his face:
"Why?! Why is it only my Lin family?! Everyone else who hired that miracle doctor is fine! Is it Xie Sangning? Is she holding a grudge against our Lin family for not supporting her all these years? Is she deliberately letting a wolf into the house and using such despicable means to retaliate against our Lin family?! To make our Lin family line end?!"
Lin Wantang burst into a heart-wrenching cough at just the right moment, her body swaying precariously. Amidst her coughing and panting, a blood-stained handkerchief was "accidentally" dropped to the ground, the glaring scarlet instantly burning the eyes of all the onlookers!
"Oh my god! He's coughing up blood!"
"An epidemic?! It's contagious?!"
"Back off! Get away from the Lin family!"
A greater commotion erupted from the crowd in an instant, as if fleeing a plague. A large open space was cleared up around the Lin family father and daughter, and everyone's face was filled with fear.
Xie Zhenting was furious upon hearing this, his forehead veins bulging. Although he was straightforward, he absolutely could not believe that his daughter would do such a heinous thing!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
