Chapter 286 Urgent Report from the Northern Border: War Imminent
Yun Jiaoyue suffered from abdominal pain and fainted, making it unsuitable for her to travel. Zhao Xuan wanted to enter the city, but considering her weak condition, he ultimately did not make it in time.
The night was deep, and I didn't know what time it was, but I could guess that it was already the hour of Xu (7-9 PM).
The city gates of the capital were closed before 7 PM.
They observed that the city gates in the south were usually not closed until after 7 PM.
Hopefully we can make it; if we can't, we'll have to spend the night at the city gate.
They entered the city again the following day.
They were 'lucky'; after walking only a mile, they encountered a caravan with empty horse-drawn carriages heading to Cangwu County at a fork in the road. For ten coins per person, they could be given a ride.
Only the Xiao family knew that they weren't just lucky; it was because he had arranged for Zhuiying to have Zhufeng and the others, who were already in Cangwu County, wait for them in a carriage at the fork in the road.
The group hurried along, and with just over a mile to go, they finally saw the city gate, which was still open.
Before the crowd could even rejoice, they saw two officials pushing open the city gate and about to close it.
They shouted desperately, "Wait! Don't close it yet! We still need to get into the city!"
The officials were too far away to hear and continued closing the city gates. Just as the gates were about to close completely, a cart suddenly got stuck between the two gates.
The bundles and pastries and medicinal herbs wrapped in oil paper on the cart were scattered all over the ground. Hua Murong also sat on the ground, clutching his leg and wailing, "Ouch, ouch, my foot, my foot, I think I twisted my ankle, young brother, can you help me up?"
"You old fool, why aren't you staying in the city at night? What are you doing out here? Aren't you afraid of wild animals eating you?" The officer cursed, but still kindly pulled the man up and put him on the cart. Another officer helped him pick up his things and throw them back onto the cart.
To buy time, Hua Murong made up a story, rubbed his tearless eyes, and slapped his thigh to complain, "I have no choice. My wife is so fierce. If I don't take back his favorite pastries tonight, she'll twist my ears off tomorrow."
“The girls of our Cangwu County are known for their diligence, competence, and gentleness. Where did you marry such a fierce woman? I will definitely avoid that village when I marry in the future.”
"It's just a village to the east or west. It has nothing to do with the village itself; it varies from person to person. It's just that I've had a hard life, young brother. You must keep your eyes open in the future and never follow in my footsteps..."
The two coffins were drawn to his gossip and chatted with him for a while. Finally, a carriage stopped at the city gate.
"Someone's here. You two young men, please take care of your business first. I'm not leaving the city tonight. I'd like to find a doctor to check my foot. Farewell, farewell!" Hua Murong, with his back hunched, disguised himself as a farmer who often worked in the fields. He bowed to the two men and limped away, pushing his cart.
The two officials waved to the caravan's carriages, "The city gates are closed today. Enter the city tomorrow."
Hu Feng and Zhao Jiu handed over the official documents and tokens, and the two dared not delay and quickly let them pass.
The group found an inn to stay in.
It was late at night, so I asked the innkeeper to prepare a simple meal and water for a bath before resting.
I had just fallen asleep when a torrential downpour began, the rain pounding against the window.
I had just lain down when I heard something pecking at the edge of the window.
Xiao Xuance opened the window a crack, stretched out the umbrella, opened the umbrella, and then opened the window again.
A gyrfalcon, soaked to the bone, flew into the house.
He was soaking wet, and when he spread his wings, it was like rain, wetting the ground.
Xiao Xuance quickly opened his umbrella and scooped it up, turning the umbrella upside down to prevent the rainwater from dripping onto the floor.
Yun Zhaoxue saw the pure white gyrfalcon, a species that had become extinct in her previous life. She put on her shoes, got out of bed, picked up a cloth hanging on the shelf, and began to wipe its feathers, but before she could get close...
The gyrfalcon, which was waiting for its owner to pet it with its head down, noticed a stranger approaching. It quickly turned its head and looked at her warily, its feathers standing on end and raindrops falling as if it wanted to peck at her.
Xiao Xuance pinched the back of its neck, "Little White, she is my wife, and also your mistress. Seeing her is like seeing me."
“My wife personally wipes your body, you should be grateful, even your master doesn’t receive this treatment.”
His tone was sarcastic, and he unconsciously increased the pressure on his hands.
Yun Zhaoxue was worried that he would break Xiaobai's head, so she slapped his hand, "If you keep squeezing it, it will break. It's all wet, wipe it dry."
"Xue'er, let me do it. It's dirty, covered in mud and leaves, and it will get your hands dirty."
Xiao Xuance took the cloth and roughly rubbed it on the gyrfalcon's head and body a couple of times before letting go and removing the bamboo tube from its feet.
Pry it open with force and take out the note inside.
The news came from the Northwest.
The 300,000-strong army of the Great Jing Dynasty assembled at the border from the east, west, and central routes.
Just two days ago, he received news from the capital that the imperial court intended to send another 50,000 Zhenbei Army troops to quell the rebellion in the southeast.
Yun Zhaoxue saw the gyrfalcon covered by a tattered cloth, its feathers sticking to its body, which detracted from its majestic appearance.
I tried to reach out and wipe it for it, and the gyrfalcon didn't resist; it even spread its wings and let me wipe it.
Yun Zhaoxue looked at the man with a solemn expression, "How many troops are left on the Great Zhou border? Can they hold them off?"
She could guess the ending, but she still wanted to know how many people would die tragically, paying the price for the emperor's folly and arrogance.
Xiao Xuance shook his head, "On the surface it's 800,000, but in reality it's less than 500,000. There's serious embezzlement of salaries. If you take away those old, disabled, sick and weak people, it's probably only 450,000."
"The Great Jing has a standing army of three to four hundred thousand in the north. With this additional three hundred thousand, it's almost a two-to-one ratio. According to spies, Wanyan Honglie has built a cavalry force that is clad in iron armor and is impervious to swords and spears."
Yun Zhaoxue continued, "It's not just the disparity in weaponry, but also the fact that the Great Jing are tall and skilled in riding and archery. If troops are not transferred from other places to the border, the Great Zhou has no chance of winning against the Great Jing and will suffer a quick and devastating defeat unless someone can turn the tide."
Xiao Xuance did not possess the ability to foresee the future. Based on his many years of experience leading troops in battle, he believed that the Great Zhou was destined to lose.
Zhao Xuan had previously told him that the capital would be captured next spring, and the emperor, officials, and their families would be taken north as slaves. He had been skeptical before, but now he had no choice but to believe it.
"No matter how powerful one person is, they can't defeat an army of thousands. With treacherous officials in power, the soldiers and civilians on the border have suffered terribly." Xiao Xuance slammed his fist on the table. "Bang!"
While enjoying Yun Zhaoxue's gentle wiping, the gyrfalcon leaped and spread its wings, flying onto the crossbeam.
“Every dynasty has treacherous officials. It’s not terrible to have treacherous officials. What’s terrible is that the ruler is incompetent and foolish. If you can’t stop something, just let it be. These hands are so beautiful. It would be a pity to break them.”
"Sorry, I lost my composure. Did I scare you?"
"It didn't scare me, but it scared Xiaobai." She pointed to the white patch peeking out from the beam.
"It's getting more and more timid, so this is a good opportunity to toughen it up."
...
The rain outside was too heavy, so they let the gyrfalcon sleep on the beam. They put down the mosquito net, blew out the candles, and went to sleep. The sound of the rain outside grew louder and louder, frantically pounding against the windows.
The next morning, the water on the street was already above knee-deep, and pedestrians rolled up their trousers and took off their shoes to walk on the road.
Zhao Jiu and Hu Feng were glad that they had followed the Xiao family into the city last night.
"Oh no, what if Liao and the others are still in the mountains? Will something happen to them?"
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