Chapter 74 Entering Four Hundred Battles, Wearing Golden Armor
Jing Ye raised his head and slowly looked into Yuan Wancheng's eyes: "The reality of being husband and wife."
Yuan Wancheng was stunned, and his heart was filled with shock—it wasn't that he couldn't think of it, but that he never dared to think of it!
"You've got a death wish!" he shouted angrily. Even though Jing Ye was tall, he still had to raise his hand and stand on tiptoe to give Jing Ye a hard knock on the head.
Yuan Wancheng paced back and forth in the tent: "Cut it off right now!" He instructed earnestly, "Forget about her, and after returning to the capital, forget everything..."
“I can’t do it.” Jing Ye interrupted, he had never been able to do it in his entire life. “Actually…” Jing Ye closed his lips and restarted, “His Majesty already knew.”
Yuan Wancheng froze, his body stiffening. Even with his extensive experience in battle and officialdom, he was still bewildered.
Then a chill ran down his spine. He opened his mouth to speak, but heard footsteps approaching, so he quickly swallowed his words and changed his words to: "Now that the enemy's warehouse has been destroyed, we must be on high alert and guard our six supply depots."
He then sat down behind the table.
Jing Ye understood and also discussed military strategy: "That's natural. I will issue the order later to dig deep trenches and build high walls, and not let a single grain of rice enter the enemy camp."
Not long after he finished speaking, someone outside asked with a smile, "Is the Commander-in-Chief here? I have something to discuss with you."
Jing Ye had just entered the central camp and did not recognize the voice, but Yuan Wancheng knew that it was the former governor-general who had been stationed in the northern frontier. He invited him into the tent and said with a smile, "Governor-general, your arrival is just in time. I was just discussing military affairs with General Jing."
The governor greeted him respectfully: "I have come here today to discuss military strategy and work together to defeat the enemy."
Yuan Wancheng clapped his hands, and then the governor and Jing Ye began to work out the sand table. After talking for a while, there was a sudden commotion outside, and the word "spy" could be vaguely heard. All three people in the tent frowned.
Jing Ye quickly lifted the curtain and went out of the tent. The governor and Yuan Wancheng followed. They saw that the generals had subdued a captain on the ground, tied him up and gagged him.
The governor-general, hands clasped behind his back, asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing?"
One of the generals stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the three men: "Reporting to the commanders, we found Di Shu in the leather armor of Zhang Cong, the patrol captain at the camp gate. This man is in charge of the camp's defenses, but he is secretly communicating with the enemy!"
Of the three leaders, Yuan Wancheng was the highest-ranking, so the secret letter found was naturally presented to him. However, Yuan Wancheng did not recognize Di Wen, so after a moment of contemplation, he calmly passed the secret letter to Jing Ye.
Jing Ye was also unfamiliar with the celestial script, but seeing that the four members of the surprise force had been traveling together and that one of them was an interpreter, he immediately called them over: "Read it aloud, what does it say?"
The interpreter picked up the letter, and without even looking at it, began to read it line by line in the Di language. The front side was fine, but when he turned it over, the interpreter suddenly started to stammer, his face growing redder and redder, until he finally stopped reading.
Jing Ye couldn't help but glance at him: "Why do you stutter one minute and then be mute the next?"
The interpreter, who was not yet married, blushed and couldn't bring himself to speak.
Jing Ye urged him again before he said, "This letter does reveal details of daily life in the camp, but in my humble opinion, it... is more like a love letter."
Captain Zhang started with a long, detailed account of what he did every day, but then he became all sentimental, talking about longing and yearning, and asking for hugs and kisses.
The interpreter then turned to the other three cavalry commanders: "Do you still remember the song the Di groom sang during the wedding procession that day?"
Two of them shook their heads, while only one remembered the melodious tune.
The interpreter pointed to the last few lines of the secret letter, somewhat embarrassed: "Perhaps the captain ran out of words; what he copied at the end was the lyrics of that day's Di Qu."
Jing Ye snatched the secret letter, ordered the interpreter to come closer, and pointed to the many similar characters at the end of the letter, saying, "The general went far away that day and didn't hear the song. This character is pronounced 'Labu' in the Di language, which means sincere love. This is a song of the Di people expressing their feelings and longing for a partner, similar to our 'Guanju' and 'Feng Qiuhuang'. But there are also differences. The Di people feel that this song is sincere, so according to custom, a man can only sing this song to one woman in his life. It is usually heard on the wedding night, during the wedding procession."
Jing Ye remained silent for a moment, then looked at the captain surnamed Zhang and ordered, "Release his mouth."
After the captain regained his voice, he choked back tears as he confessed that he and a Di woman had fallen in love before the battle, and he had even diligently learned the Di language for her. They had agreed to send a letter to each other next year to propose marriage, but then the war broke out. After being out of contact for more than a month, he suddenly saw the beauty among the looted female riders a few days ago. He was both happy and sad. Knowing that there was no longer any possibility, he still couldn't help but write a heartbreaking letter.
After listening, Jing Ye, Yuan Wancheng, and the governor could not determine whether the romantic words on the other side came from Zhang Xiaowei's true feelings or were a pre-arranged pretext to avoid exposure. Regardless of the reasons, leaking camp secrets was a capital offense. Yuan Wancheng personally ordered Zhang Xiaowei to be escorted to the camp gate to inform the entire army. At the same time, patrol personnel were rotated, and no one dared to be careless.
The three then returned to their tent to continue their discussions. The next day, they summoned all the generals again to devise a plan: except for the supply train, which they would defend to the death, they would attack everything else.
In late February, during the Battle of Hulin, a fire and thunder erupted from the ground, killing nearly ten thousand Di soldiers.
In early March, Yujiazhai fought a night battle and won another great victory, killing 5,000 enemies and capturing thousands of horseshoes.
However, on March 18th, in the battle against the Northern Di King, they fell into a feigned defeat trap. The 12,000 Han soldiers who had been chasing after them were all caught in a narrow passage and slaughtered by rolling stones. The surrendered soldiers were all buried alive. Morale was severely damaged. It wasn't until April 7th that the long-awaited rain came, and they won another victory, which restored the morale of the army.
The stalemate and fierce battle exceeded the return date that Wang Yuying had promised the emperor. Fortunately, the emperor did not blame her. Instead, he sent envoys to reward and commend the northern expeditionary army and to send 30,000 reinforcements. The emperor himself presided over this year's imperial examination for military officers in the capital.
The Northern Expeditionary Army regained its morale and won several victories in late April.
On the first day of the fifth month, taking advantage of the collapse of the Di army's morale, the enemy surrounded and retreated the Di army from three sides, annihilating the main force. The Di people were forced to withdraw from the border, and from then on, there were no more Di people in the northern frontier.
According to historical precedent, the Di king should have sought peace and submitted to the Di people at this time, and drafted a new tribute agreement. However, the Di people were still harboring treacherous intentions and remained lurking outside the border, ready to make trouble.
Yuan Wancheng then petitioned the emperor for permission, which was granted. He marched valiantly into the Di territory and pressed his advantage. Our army was unlike the Di cavalry, which were characterized by eight characters; we were characterized by only four—steadfast as a rock.
There were victories and defeats, but the journey progressed gradually. By the time the decisive battle was won at the royal court, it was nearly July.
The snow has melted, and withered grass stalks stand on the pale yellow gravel, yet new clumps of green grass have sprouted close to the ground. In a few days, it will be the most important summer solstice New Year for the Northern Di people.
The Di people also had a bad New Year.
Under the vast expanse of clouds, our army was arrayed in three formations. Jing Ye first gazed into the distance, then couldn't help but glance at Wang Yuying, who was in the same formation beside him—her eyes were bright under her helmet, and she looked spirited and full of fighting spirit.
Jing Ye couldn't help but think back to when she first entered the battlefield. She wasn't used to it and had no appetite. But she gradually got better. In the last two months, she didn't care about her weight and ate heartily. Her energy and spirit were also better... Jing Ye smiled as she thought of this and looked away.
Wang Yuying knew that Jing Ye was secretly observing her, but she didn't dare to meet his gaze. Her face remained stiff, so as not to let him notice the slight unease in her heart that had nothing to do with the war. For the past month or so, she had noticed that her lower abdomen was becoming more and more bulging when she took a bath. She didn't know if it was because she had eaten too much, or... There was another reason that she dared not guess, or rather, she didn't believe it herself, because she had already been sentenced to death.
Moreover, she heard that if a woman is pregnant, she will vomit incessantly. Chen Wan vomited continuously for three months, and she lost weight.
But she didn't have any, so... she still ate too much?
Fortunately, it was cold in the Northern Di region, so they wore thick clothes and armor, making their figures completely invisible.
She squinted as she gazed ahead. This wasn't the first time she'd seen Hugu Xumi since the frozen lake. He had changed into summer robes, no longer wearing the fur hat with two black fox fur ear flaps, but instead a silver helmet and silver armor from the neck down. Even his mount had changed to a white steed. His pale blue eyes were half-closed, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression as unfathomable as a deep pool.
The battle flags of both armies fluttered in the wind, making a muffled sound.
When Han Chinese fought each other, they would usually send out a general to fight, and only after the victor was decided would they engage in a melee. The Di people, however, did not follow the rules. As soon as the horn was blown, they would start moving and charging, raising dust like a curtain and causing the earth to tremble.
Wang Yuying frowned and stared intently at the Northern Di King. Even the most beautiful dream will end after a good night's sleep. With unwavering resolve, she drew the sword from her waist and charged into battle.
Swords clashed, spears and shields clashed, iron hooks flew wildly, arrows rained down, rolling stones roared, and men and horses trampled each other.
Even in early summer, the air in the Northern Di region was still cool. The sword in her hand was cold, and the Autumn Moon Bow on her back was also icy cold, but her hands were warm. The blood in her chest was constantly boiling and surging. Even the blood that splashed onto her face from the Di people she had killed was hot. All around her, everything was crimson.
...
Wang Yuying's sword was pulled from the chest of a Di soldier. Warm blood not only splattered onto her cheeks again but also obscured part of her vision. By the time she caught the sound of blood cutting through the air, it was too late.
She quickly dodged to the side, knowing she couldn't completely dodge it, only managing to redirect the arrow from her chest to her arm. She was prepared to be injured, but suddenly a sword flashed across, deflecting the arrow. Wang Yuying thought it was Jing Ye, but turned to look, only to meet Hugu Xumi's heterochromatic eyes. His silver helmet and armor were stained a smoky red. He glanced at her cheek, his expression remaining indifferent.
Wang Yuying quickly went to look at the arrow on the ground that had almost cost her her life. The diamond-shaped arrowhead gleamed with a cold, hard light, and the fletching was made of bird feathers. It was indeed a Di people's eagle-feathered arrow, not one of their Han soldiers.
She glanced at Hugu Xumi again, and as their eyes met, she was about to ask him why he saved her when Hugu Xumi suddenly swung his sword at her. Wang Yuying instinctively blocked the attack.
"Zzz—!"
The black iron clanged together, creating a deafening sound.
The sword blades reflected the two faces clearly like mirrors. They were so close, separated only by two swords, yet they were worlds apart, one in the south and one in the north, with two cold, icy sword blades lying between them.
The two swords were locked together, like two iron mountains clashing, sparks flying from time to time. Both of them seemed to be using tremendous force, and the intense tremors traveled through Wang Yuying's arms and spread throughout her body, her teeth chattering as her ears rang.
The knuckles cracked under the pressure, and the Akhal-Teke horse she was riding staggered backward before Wang Yuying could bear the weight. Although she was not injured, she was pulled away by the longsword and involuntarily took five or six steps back.
As soon as the swords parted, Hugu Xumi turned and walked away without hesitation, never glancing at Wang Yuying again. When she regained control of her horse and looked around for Hugu Xumi, she found that he was already seven or eight zhang away from her, dealing with the Han soldiers surrounding him.
She sensed his lack of interest in fighting, turned her horse around, and turned to attack other Di soldiers.
Hugu Xumi knocked down a Han cavalryman, and then without hesitation slashed at the defeated general who was struggling to get up. Suddenly, a heavy sword rushed in from the side, blocking Hugu's sword with perfect precision, and hung above the defeated general's head, saving him.
Hugu Xumi coldly stared at its master, Jingye, along the hilt of the heavy sword.
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