Chapter 86: Keeping the Promise (Part 1) Update
In the outer city of Yanjing of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a large army stretching for more than ten miles has been deployed accordingly and stationed at several inland passes.
Qin Feng and Chi Mu and other generals of this expedition had a final round of negotiations.
Under General Qin's strict orders, all the middle and lower-level generals and deployed soldiers, knowing full well what they had experienced on the grassland, still acted with a heroic and high-spirited demeanor.
It was as if they were a triumphant army that had made great contributions to the country, waiting for the triumphal ceremony arranged by the Emperor of Yanjing himself.
After Qin Feng's report arrived in the capital, the emperor was delighted and sent an order to reward the army and its generals generously. However, Chi Mu's "old illness relapsed" and he was "seriously injured and unable to get up."
Now, with his return to Yanjing imminent, Qin Feng came to check on Chi Mu's "injury" one last time before preparing to take his soldiers to the reception arranged by the emperor.
However, as usual, Qin Feng still failed to meet Chi Mu.
Only his personal deputy general Miao Tailin was on the outside to provide support.
Qin Feng knew what was going on, but he didn't want to go to Chi Mu's camp and get into trouble. He could only ask Miao Tailin as usual, "I wonder if General Chi's injury has improved recently?"
Miao Tailin straightened his body and replied respectfully, "On behalf of General Chi, I express my gratitude to General Qin for his concern! During this expedition, General Chi was trapped in the icy swamps and his old illness was triggered. Our family had thought that the injury had not recurred for many years and had healed, but we did not expect that it had been pent up in the body until now. Once triggered, it has become a raging force! General Chi was only conscious for two hours yesterday. Otherwise, he would not have been unable to meet with General Qin in person!"
Qin Feng looked puzzled when he heard this.
After standing there for a long while, he finally said, "Since General Chi is seriously injured and unwell, I will not bother you any further. Please take good care of General Chi. When we return to Yanjing, I will recommend him for merit."
Miao Tailin clasped his hands solemnly and said, "Thank you, General Qin! When General Chi regains consciousness, I will definitely let you know!"
Qin Feng snorted through his nose and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.
Since you don't want the honor of being welcomed by the emperor, why should I, Qin, force you to do so again and again?
After seeing Qin Feng off, Miao Tailin slipped into the back tent.
Because it was a temporary marching camp, the tent at the back was just a simple camp bed, a simple table, and a few wooden racks for hanging armor and swords.
The "seriously injured" Chi Mu was sitting in front of the desk, holding a pen in one hand and writing something on the desk.
Hearing footsteps entering the room, he asked without even looking up, "Did they go far?"
Miao Tailin: "Yes, General."
"Okay, you go back and ask people to continue blocking them outside the tent." Chi Mu said.
Miao Tailin first agreed, but then he hesitated and dragged his feet, unwilling to walk quickly.
Chi Muer listened to his dragging footsteps and glanced at him again. Miao Tailin, who was half turned away, his eyes still fixed on their general behind him, suddenly brightened.
The look on his face that showed he was expecting Chi Mu to call him shouldn’t be too obvious.
Chi Mu raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at him, then put down his pen and said, "Come back and sit down."
"Ai!"
Upon hearing this, Miao Tailin turned back without any stumble and sat down opposite Chi Mu.
"What do you want to say?" Chi Mu asked him.
Miao Tailin looked as if his gossipy appetite had finally been released. With excited eyes, he asked, "General, ever since you returned to the army, you've been writing and drawing at this desk every day. Even if you had a lot of reports and letters, you should have finished them long ago! So, General, what exactly are you writing? Tell me about it!"
Chi Mu listened to his series of questions and asked: "So, this is what you've been asking for all these days?"
"That's not true! We've been on the march for so long, and I've been following you for so many years. I've never seen you act like those civil officials and scholars, abandoning your swords and arrows and instead spending your days writing essays. Could it be that you're thinking about military books?"
Chi Mu rolled his eyes at him and said, "What military book? How can I be qualified to write one?"
Before Miao Tailin could say anything, Chi Mu continued, "Besides, I'm seriously injured and bedridden right now, so I can't practice swordplay, archery, or horsemanship."
After saying that, he picked up a stack of the pages he was writing on and handed them to Miao Tailin: "Read it yourself."
Miao Tailin excitedly handed it over: "Thank you, General."
At first, he was a little confused. What was written on this stack of papers was not a private letter, nor a report, nor a military strategy or a diary.
Gradually, Miao Tailin finally understood: "This...this is what you, General, heard and saw in Xiguan County!"
Chi Mu nodded.
Miao Tailin was recognized and began to look through the pictures one by one.
It not only recorded in detail all the unusual sights they had seen as a scouting team in Xiguan County, but also included the astonishing white carriages and horses, the wind-driven irrigation systems in the fields, the plows for sowing and harvesting, the flying shuttle looms, and various other so-called engineering machines. Chi Mu had even sketched them one by one based on his observations at the time.
In addition, there are plans for new-style homes and parks in various parts of Yucheng.
…
"No wonder you write so furiously every day, General. It turns out this is why!"
Chi Mu casually sorted out his work from the past few days and said meaningfully, "At the beginning, the agreement between me and the young Marquis of Xiguan was that when the Great Zhou army crossed the border, the army would not immediately discover the clues. This would allow her to temporarily escape from Qin Feng's army, avoid being exposed, and have a chance to breathe."
"Now, the army has already marched eastward through the West Gate, and our agreement has been reached. Of course, we have no obligation to keep this secret any longer. What we saw at the West Gate was too astonishing to shock the people with words. Therefore, I have not only recorded it in detail, but also created illustrations to illustrate it."
Miao Tailin obviously understood everything.
But he quickly thought of another question: "General, are you going to submit this record to His Majesty?"
Chi Mu's eyes turned slightly, and he said firmly: "Of course not."
·
Seven days after the army returned to the capital, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Liu Ziling, was ordered by the emperor to leave the palace to visit General Chi Mu, who was unable to attend the welcoming banquet due to injury.
Liu Ziling stayed in the Chi Mansion for only half an hour, showing the courtesy of the royal family to treat meritorious soldiers. He visited Chi Mu who was still recuperating in bed. He did not pay any attention to anyone in the Chi Mansion and returned to the palace to report.
That night, the lights in the study of Prince Liu Ziling were kept on all night.
Liu Ziling flipped through the manuscripts in his hands that shocked everything he knew. His cousin, who had been covered in dust for many years and whom he had long forgotten, was foolish and naughty, and had been sealed off by the emperor in Xiguan to fend for himself, finally came into his sight again.
Liu Ziling frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes.
"Zi Ye... has really impressed me."
·
At Xiguan Houfu, Liu Ziye reviewed Ahuan and Abi's teaching plan for the new academic year.
She was about to take Xiying and other personal guards with her to the training ground where Jin Jie was currently. After that, there was also an arms factory that was being planned and constructed, and the initial deployment also required her to verify each matter one by one on site.
However, when a team of vehicles were ready to go and Liu Ziye walked to the gate of Xiguan Houfu and was about to get on her own car, the system in her mind, which had been silent for a long time, issued a warning again.
"Ding—A crisis trigger has been detected that is detrimental to the host's mission! Crisis Level: Level 3. Host, please handle the crisis appropriately!"
Liu Ziye paused.
The upgraded system can now clearly tell her the level of each crisis in terms of crisis warning.
There are five levels of crises, with level one being the highest level of crisis.
Then the third level in front of us is a medium-level crisis.
Just as she was wondering if there was another crisis that was worthy of the system issuing a separate alarm, the mansion's steward Liu Bing hurried out from the courtyard. Following closely behind him was Ah Huan, who was supposed to be giving a lecture, and two or three members of the Hou Mansion's private guards.
Liu Ziye's eyes moved slightly, but he calmed down instead.
The two private guards took the lead and knelt on one knee to apologize: "Young Marquis! We failed in our duty and failed to investigate. We allowed Chao Zhao, who was under guard at the mansion, to escape!"
As expected, Liu Ziye understood.
The system had issued a crisis warning when Chao Zhao was about to be released from the palace. She hadn't been able to take someone's life, but she also knew it would be difficult to lock someone up for life without any accidents.
Level 3 crisis.
Not too big, not too small.
But what exactly could there be about Chao Zhao, the personal guard who once betrayed the original owner, that would cause such a crisis?
The two private guards were still apologizing, "I have already notified the other private guards of the Marquis' Mansion, as well as the steward Liu Bing, to search for Chao Zhao inside and outside the mansion! He has been restricted in his movements for a long time and has limited physical strength. It's impossible for him to have run that far! I will do my best to recapture this fugitive. Please punish me, young Marquis!"
Liu Ziye had already gotten into her own car with a sedan.
The car door was still open. Liu Ziye glanced at the private guard and the steward Liu Bing who were kneeling on the ground, as well as Ah Huan who could hardly hide his anxiety.
She said, "There's no need to chase after them. As for the missing prisoner, verify the entire process and submit a letter to Jin Jie. If anyone other than the private guards of the mansion is involved, hand them over to Butler Liu, and each of you will receive punishment according to the rules."
After saying these words, the car door closed with a "swish".
Isn't it just a moderate crisis?
The current self is no longer the same as she was four years ago. She wants to see what it will be like!
On Junguan Street in Xiguan County, Chaozhao stepped out of the Xiguanhou Gate for the first time after four years.
For the past four years, he had been trapped in the Xiguan Marquis Mansion. Although he had never been short of food and daily necessities, he had not seen the sun for too long.
Taking advantage of the night, his guards were not paying attention and he escaped from his own yard. As soon as he was free, he felt his heart almost bursting out of his throat, which made him feel both refreshed and nauseous.
However, he never dreamed that when the daybreak came, what he would see would be a scene that would almost pierce his pupils.
He was horrified by the roads, houses, and strange-looking buildings that he had never seen before and had no idea what they were used for.
When a car spewing white steam, with its four wheels rolling forward on their own, passed in front of him, he, who had been frightened all night and had been exposed to too much stimulation from the morning sun, let out a cry of "Ah--" and hid in a house on the street with a "Public Toilet" sign hanging on it, where people could enter and exit freely.
After living cautiously in the cubicle of this public toilet for two days, Chaozhao confirmed that the Xiguan Hou Mansion had not launched a large-scale manhunt for him throughout the city.
Another midnight, he finally mustered up the courage to sneak out of the cubicle.
Escape, he must escape from Xiguan County.
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