Chapter 75: Breaking the Formation (Part 2)
The flame of the tinder suddenly went out, and the tent became dark and quiet. Xu Hexue's dull facial features did not reveal much expression, like a handful of snow on the mountain that could not be melted.
Ni Su's cheeks puffed up slightly, and he was about to blow on the fire again, but he saw that suddenly, a bright dust on his body exploded, floating in the air, like snowflakes blown by the cold wind.
"how so?"
Ni Su was startled and quickly lifted up his sleeve. His wrist bone was smooth and cold white, with no visible scratches.
"……fine."
Xu Hexue pulled down his sleeves and turned his face slightly.
Yingchen does not only appear when he is injured. They will come out when the moon is shining to cleanse the dust. When his mood fluctuates, they will also move with his joy, anger, sorrow and happiness.
He had lost his flesh and blood body, and it was difficult for him to express his emotions in a human way. Yingchen silently carried his externalized emotions, and sometimes made him have the illusion of being separated from another self. He watched the decline of that self with the calmest and most restrained attitude.
Just like at this moment, he was watching his Yingchen coldly, who exploded like a bunch of fireworks in front of her eyes because of her teasing.
"Let's hurry up, otherwise the dew will dry up when the sun comes out." Ni Su put the tinder back into her arms, picked up the clay pot with one hand, and helped him up with the other.
"Mr. Ni."
Suddenly a voice was heard from outside, and Ni Su and Xu Hexue recognized it as Duan Rong's voice almost at the same time.
"I have sent someone to bring here the two people you asked the general to find."
Duan Rong had just finished speaking when he heard footsteps approaching from inside. He looked up and saw that the person who opened the curtain was Ni Su, who had a man's bun.
"Miss Ni!"
Qingqiong, who was wrapped in a cloak with his head covered, called out to her when he saw her.
The father and son were not far behind Duan Rong. When Ni Su saw them, he smiled and then bowed to Duan Rong in front of him: "Thank you, Captain Duan."
"Why bother thanking me..."
Duan Rong touched the back of his head. When he didn't see Xu Hexue coming out, he asked, "Is Master Ni feeling unwell? Do you want me to call a doctor?"
Ni Su shook her head, "No need, I am a medical worker."
"Are you a medical worker, young lady?"
Duan Rong was a little surprised.
"Yes, I have a family tradition of learning, and I have been influenced by it," Ni Su said. Seeing Qingqiong and Fan Jiang coming over, each holding a clay pot in their hands, she couldn't help but ask, "Did you go to Agate Lake?"
"Yes, sir, how's that? I'll go make him some tea now, shall I?"
Fan Jiang limped closer.
"good."
Ni Su responded.
Duan Rong watched Qing Qiong and Fan Jiang enter the tent. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The young master Ni inside was really particular. Wouldn't ordinary water be enough? He had to choose the dew from the reeds in the Agate Lake... so much so that his people followed the father and son in the Agate Lake and spent several hours.
"Well, the general has some good tea. I'll go get it for Mr. Ni." When Duan Rong saw Ni Su turning around to look at him, he didn't know what to say for a moment. He just said this and turned away.
For three consecutive days, Fan Jiang and Qing Qiong, under the supervision of Duan Rong's soldiers, went to the Agate Lake to collect two full jars of dew to make tea for Xu Hexue.
Xu Hexue had not shown up for three days, and Qin Jixun had not returned to the camp since he was summoned away by Song Jianjun's personal soldiers with a token. Until the early morning of the fourth day, Qin Jixun returned on horseback, exhausted. After getting off the horse, he only listened to Duan Rong's few words and then went into Xu Hexue's tent.
"Mr. Ni seems to be seriously ill. How about I call another famous doctor to treat you?"
Qin Jixun looked at the young man lying on the bed with his face covered by a long scarf. His sleeves were rolled up, and his exposed arms looked sickly pale.
"No medicine can cure a serious problem."
Xu Hexue refused calmly.
"In that case, why should you..." Qin Jixun spoke and swallowed it again.
Xu Hexue looked at him and said, "I have been sharpening my sword for ten years, but I have never tried it. If I were you, would I take this opportunity to try it?"
Qin Jixun was speechless.
"General Song is pushing us too hard. My brother Dechang and I are almost unable to cope. I have visited Shen Tongchuan every day in the past few days, but he has not responded."
Maybe Shen Tongchuan had great ambitions in his heart back then, but it is obvious that after all these years of staying in the sandy land of Yongzhou, Shen Tongchuan has nothing left and only wants to live in harmony with the world.
Qin Jixun's expression was a little heavy. "Master Ni, Yang Tianzhe's rebels must have received some news and thought that we would join forces with Su Qile to encircle and suppress them. Now they are staying in Rushan and not moving. I am afraid that Song Jianjun and Su Qile will not be able to do anything with us, so they will use Yang Tianzhe to provoke them to fight to the death and confront us head-on."
At that time, they were in a passive position to face the enemy.
They had to obey Song Song's orders.
After hearing this, Xu Hexue asked, "I want to ask General Qin, what do you think of Yang Tianzhe?"
"This person,"
Qin Jixun thought for a moment, "I don't know much about this man. He was implicated in his father's crime and fled Yongzhou during the chaos. He became an official under the Hu people. I'm not sure what kind of person he is."
"It's not that the general is unsure, it's that you simply don't trust him."
Xu Hexue said, "You don't believe him, but his rebels are indeed poor Qi people from the Thirteen States. They also brought along the elderly, the weak, women and children with them. This is why you don't want to argue with him, but you also suspect that Yang Tianzhe brought these people with him to force Yongzhou to take him in. If you resort to war, you will lose the support of the Qi people in the Thirteen States."
Qin Jixun was surprised. He looked up at the young man. The long scarf almost completely covered his face, revealing only a pair of eyes, cold and deep.
"good."
He nodded.
"For the past sixteen years, the people of Yongzhou City have been strong, so even though the Danqiu thieves wanted to steal our city defenses, they were unable to do so. But if I welcome Yang Tianzhe into the city, the people in the city will be in a state of panic, and my years of hard work may be destroyed because of this person."
"General Qin is going to give up the Thirteen States?"
"When I joined the army, I was determined to recover the thirteen states in the north. Just like you, Master Ni, are sick and weak but still want to try the frosty blade, I, Qin Jixun, will never give up the thirteen states!"
If even a general gave up the ideal of recovering the country, how can the people of Qi in the world have a country and a family?
Xu Hexue suddenly fell silent.
His eyes fell on the armor on Qin Jixun. He had not worn armor for a hundred years and had never held the gun again.
Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps, and then someone shouted outside the tent: "General! Something happened in Commander Wei's army!"
Qin Jixun's eyebrows jumped, and he turned around and opened the curtain: "What's wrong?"
"Last night, Military Supervisor Song forced the Wei army to send a team out of the city to get information about the rebels in Rushan. Unexpectedly, they ran into the rebels head-on, and Yang Tianzhe almost killed them all! Commander Wei is going crazy in the army right now, and wants to organize the troops and send them to encircle and suppress Yang Tianzhe!"
Qin Jixun felt something was wrong when he heard it, "Who was the person who led the troops out last night?"
"It was Commander Wei's eldest son, Wei Zhan. He is dead."
Duan Rong had a complicated expression.
Qin Jixun rushed out of the tent without delay, while Xu Hexue in the tent had heard their conversation clearly. He lowered his eyes and stared at the quilt for a moment, then lifted the quilt and stood up.
"Xu Ziling?"
Ni Su entered the tent and saw that he had changed into an indigo round-necked robe, which was the clothes Qin Jixun had ordered people to prepare for him. He had been in an unstable state these days and had hardly left the tent, so naturally he had not changed this set of clothes.
"Something is happening in the Wei family army. I must go and take a look."
Xu Hexue used reed flower dew for several days and felt much better.
"good."
Ni Su nodded.
Staying temporarily in the military camp, Ni Su did not dress like a woman. She still wore a man's robe and had her hair in a man's bun. She went out with Xu Hexue and asked a soldier to bring the horses.
"Where are you going?"
Qingqiong ran over and asked.
"Go to Commander Wei's military camp. Qingqiong, you guys stay here, we will be back soon." Ni Su said to him. When she turned around, she saw Xu Hexue had already climbed onto the horse and stretched out a hand to her.
Under the sunlight, Ni Su held his cold and pale hand and was pulled onto the horse's back. Then the horse neighed and galloped out of the camp along with Duan Rong and others.
The sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly.
Ni Su wrapped his hood tightly and hid in Xu Hexue's arms to avoid the wind and sand. The camps of Wei's army and Qin's army were not far apart. When the group arrived at Wei's army, they saw corpses covered with white cloth lying on the ground.
"Commander Wei, Yang Tianzhe has evil ambitions and is murderous. If you go to Rushan today, you must make him pay with his life for your good son!"
Song Song stood high above and gave orders in a deep voice.
Wei Dechang knelt down and prepared to accept the order, but he heard a loud shout: "Dechang!"
When he turned around, he saw Qin Jixun riding a horse into the camp, galloping towards him with his horse's hooves trampling the dust.
"Brother..."
Wei Dechang watched him dismount and walked over quickly.
"General Song, there may be something fishy about this matter. We must not rashly send troops to attack Yang Tianzhe at this time!" Qin Jixun leaned over and clasped his fists towards Song Song who was sitting above.
"Strange?"
Song Song sneered, "So the ones who died were not the soldiers of your Qin Army, nor the son of General Qin. You don't hate them at all, and you are still thinking about recruiting Yang Tianzhe as your disciple. You should also ask the soldiers of the Wei Army and the people of Yongzhou City whether they are willing to open the city gates and welcome a traitor into the city!"
"No!"
"Traitors must be killed!"
"We, the Wei Army, swear to kill Yang Tianzhe!"
"Swear to kill Yang Tianzhe!"
The soldiers in the Wei army shouted in unison, shaking the sky.
Song Song stood up, took a few steps forward, and pursed his lips, "Did you hear that, General Qin? If you continue to interfere, I will report you to the emperor for delaying military operations! Do you want to bring disaster to your entire family?"
Qin Jixun had no expression on his face, but he looked at the people around him: "Dechang, are you really going?"
"Brother, Yang Tianzhe killed my son Azhan!"
Wei Dechang's knuckles turned white as he gripped the knife handle.
"How do you determine that Yang Tianzhe killed Azhan?"
"There is someone to bear witness!"
Wei Dechang's personal soldiers shouted, and then someone led out a wounded soldier. The man was carried out, wrapped in a fine cloth soaked in blood.
"He escaped and came back, and told us that they met Yang Tianzhe on the dark side of Ru Mountain. When Yang Tianzhe saw that they were Qi troops, he immediately ordered them to be surrounded and killed..."
Wei Dechang took a few steps forward, squatted down, and stretched out his hand almost tremblingly. After pausing for a moment, he lifted a corner of the white cloth. His son Wei Zhan had a pale face and was lying silently underneath.
"Brother... my son was stabbed 21 times and died."
Wei Dechang's voice trembled.
Qin Jixun couldn't bear to look at Wei Zhan under the white cloth. He closed his eyes and said, "Everyone is dead, and he is the only one who escaped back. What do you believe if he tells you something?"
"What does General Qin mean by this? Can't the soldiers of our Wei Army believe it?!" someone said angrily.
Song Song sat on the top, looking coldly at the noisy scene below, "Qin Jixun, if Wei Zhan was your son, and if these corpses were the soldiers of your Qin family army, what would you do?"
"If it was Yang Tianzhe who did this, I will kill him!"
Qin Jixun raised his head and stared at Song Song. "But what if it wasn't Yang Tianzhe? Military Supervisor Song doesn't have to put pressure on me. I, Qin Jixun, have done nothing wrong. If my relatives are implicated, I am sorry for them, but I have never been sorry for the Great Qi! If we rashly send troops to encircle and suppress Yang Tianzhe today , how will the people of Qi in the thirteen states in the north view their homeland in the future? I don't pity Yang Tianzhe, I want to ask Military Supervisor Song! Do you dare to give an order on behalf of the emperor to abandon the people of Qi in the thirteen states!"
"Qin Jixun!"
Song Song's face turned almost ashen.
The prefect Shen Tongchuan, who had been sitting quietly beside Song Song, was like an old monk in meditation. The dispute here seemed to have nothing to do with him, but the leisurely look on his face suddenly stopped after hearing Qin Jixun's words.
His fingers paused as he tapped the chair.
Song Song said angrily, "I'm talking to you about Yang Tianzhe, but you're trying to implicate me in the entire Northern Territory! Yang Tianzhe is a traitor, and everyone who follows him is a traitor! You're defending a traitor, are you really not afraid of death?"
The military camp was dead silent for a moment, except for the constant blowing of sand.
Qin Jixun's eyes swept past him, and also past the prefect Shen Tongchuan who was sitting beside him without raising his head. He smiled almost desolately: "When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. My brother Dechang will go, whether he wins or loses, the military supervisor will not let my brother and me go."
After more than ten years of forbearance and seeking perfection, he was almost exhausted by this endless coercion.
"Commander Wei, I, Song Song, am absolutely not such a person. You are doing this to quell the invaders for the country. If you win this battle," Song Song raised his hands, "I will report it to the emperor and ask for credit for you!"
"Shen Zhizhou will do the same."
As he spoke, Song Song looked at Shen Tongchuan who was standing beside him, "Is that right, Prefect Shen?"
Shen Tongchuan looked up slowly, as if he had just woken up from a dream. He said "Ah", met Qin Jixun's eyes, and quickly looked away, "General Song is right."
Qin Jixun could no longer control the current situation. Although the Wei family army respected him as a general, they always followed the lead of Wei Dechang. At this time, the two brothers were not on the same page, and Song Song had given the order, so he had almost no way to turn around.
Seeing that Wei Dechang was about to organize his troops, Ni Su asked the people around him quietly, "How is it?"
Xu Hexue released the tiny soul fire behind the crowd: "They were not killed by Yang Tianzhe."
"Wait for me here."
Xu Hexue whispered instructions, then walked forward, bent over, lifted the white cloth, and checked the dead body underneath.
"Who are you?"
A soldier from the Wei family army shouted.
Xu Hexue ignored him, but said to Wei Dechang who was about to pass by him, "Commander Wei, Yang Tianzhe came to seek refuge with his homeland. What benefit would it bring him if he killed your people?"
Wei Dechang stopped and recognized him as Qin Jixun's aide.
"It must be the news released by Su Qile that made Yang Tianzhe think that we want to join forces to encircle and suppress him. He wants to fight to the death with us!"
"oh."
Xu Hexue responded calmly, "If that's the case, then if I were Commander Wei, I would definitely not kill Yang Tianzhe at this time."
After these words were spoken, not only Wei Dechang, but even Song Song and Shen Tongchuan on the stage could not help but cast their eyes on this mysterious young man.
"Isn't Su Qile hateful? Isn't he the culprit who killed your son Wei Zhan?" Xu Hexue supported his body with one hand on his knee. Seeing that he seemed to have difficulty getting up, Ni Su stepped forward to hold his arm and helped him stand up.
"And what are you going to do now, Commander Wei?"
Xu Hexue seemed to sneer, "Kill Yang Tianzhe and lift the siege of Suchile?"
Wei Dechang's face changed.
"Who is talking nonsense here and disturbing the morale of the army?"
On the high platform, Song Song shouted, "The two countries have signed an alliance, how can you slander it here?"
Xu Hexue raised his head.
The breeze blew his snow-white scarf. Ni Su looked at him, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him. She could only see his tall and thin back.
Strip away the gentleman's gentleness and reveal his sharp bones.
Ni Su heard him sneer:
"The covenant is just a piece of paper. The Danqiu Hu people don't bother to take it to heart, but you never forget it. Song Song, you know whether these people died at the hands of Yang Tianzhe or in the calculations of you and Su Qile."
"If the Great Qi does not restrain people like you who are content with their own interests, the country will be in danger."
