Chapter 90: Heavenly Sand (V)
After winning the battle, Qin Jixun naturally wanted to reward his soldiers. The patriarchs of the Qin and Wei families generously gave away all the beef, mutton and sorghum wine in their tribes. Outside the felt tent, the sound of soldiers happily moving firewood back and forth could be heard.
Ni Su rested her chin on Xu Hexue's shoulder. She hesitantly raised her hand that was originally placed on his back. The glass lamp illuminated her palm which was wet with blood. She bent her knuckles, and the blood began to slowly turn into fine dust, floating in the air.
There were footsteps approaching outside the felt tent, and Xu Hexue almost immediately let go of Ni Su. Qing Qiong held the incense and candles in one hand and opened the felt curtain with the other, and saw the two of them sitting on the felt carpet facing each other.
Ni Su immediately stood up to take the incense and candles from his arms, but found herself standing in front of him, and he seemed to be taller than her.
Qingqiong was accustomed to this kind of change. He had survived the most difficult period of bone and flesh growth, and now, except for still being afraid of the cold, he had recovered a lot.
"Let me help you clean the candlesticks, Miss Ni."
Qingqiong said.
"You just got better. Go back and sit down. I'll get some moxa leaves later. You can soak your feet in it at night and maybe you'll feel better." Ni Su said, and then she returned to the table with incense and candles . She cleaned the candlesticks wrapped with residual wax one by one, and then placed the candles on them one by one, and lit them with the candlelight in the glass lamp.
"Mr. Ni!"
A burly figure appeared outside the felt tent. Ni Su saw that his hand had already touched the felt curtain. She turned back to look at Xu Hexue's indifferent figure and immediately said, "Commander Wei, don't come in!"
Wei Dechang paused while holding the felt curtain. "Miss Ni, what's going on?"
"He's injured, I'm trying to save him," Ni Su quickly ran to Xu Hexue's side, squatted down, pulled the quilt over and wrapped him tightly, then turned his head to look at the figure reflected on the felt curtain, "Commander Wei, if you have anything to say, please talk to me later."
Wei Dechang didn't know why he couldn't go in while she was treating his injuries, but he still let go of her hand and stood outside the felt tent, "No, I have to tell you now!"
"Mr. Ni," Wei Dechang drank several bowls of wine, his rough voice was tinged with a bit of drunkenness. He hadn't taken off his bloody armor yet, and he stood up straight outside the curtain unconsciously, clasping his fists and leaning forward, "I, Old Wei, am here to apologize to you! Commander Yang and I were really impulsive today. I'm a rough man, and I don't have those twists and turns in my mind, nor am I as thoughtful as you and your brother, but I, Old Wei, promise that I won't do this again in the future!"
Xu Hexue was wrapped in Ni Su's quilt. She had been busy all day, and there was actually no warmth from her in the quilt.
Wei Dechang waited outside for a while, feeling confused, when he heard Xu Hexue's voice from inside: "Commander Wei, there is no need to do this. You have the courage to fight one against a hundred. Otherwise, General Qin will not be able to sneak attack the Shimonu camp and destroy their food supplies."
"I just have this brute force that can be used."
Wei Dechang stood up straight and smiled a little embarrassedly, "Commander Yang was going to come and apologize to you, but I got him drunk at the banquet just now, and he is fast asleep now."
"Drunk?"
Xu Hexue keenly grasped the key.
"Yes, my brother said that Commander Yang has made great contributions recently, and asked me to have a good drink with him. He can't drink as much as I do. He passed out after just two bottles of wine, hahahaha..."
Xu Hexue stared at the shadow on the felt curtain, "Commander Wei, where is General Qin?"
"Well, he..."
Wei Dechang was halfway through his words when he heard some noise. He turned his head and saw Qin Jixun approaching with his hand on the pine-patterned sword. He immediately called out, "Brother!"
Qin Jixun looked him up and down, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to apologize to Master Ni."
Wei Dechang pointed to the felt tent.
Qin Jixun patted his brother on the shoulder and said, "Dechang, we are about to change guards. Go and arrange for the soldiers on the tower to be replaced. Remember, they can drink wine, but they can't drink too much. In times of trouble, we must never let down our guard."
Wei Dechang scratched his head and said, "Then why did you ask me to talk to Commander Yang..."
"You can drink too much. I forgot to ask you to control yourself. This is my fault," Qin Jixun said calmly, "Go now."
Since it involved military affairs, Wei Dechang did not delay. He nodded, turned around and left.
Xu Hexue was quietly listening to their conversation in the felt tent. There was only one person outside the felt curtain. Qin Jixun said from outside, "Mr. Ni, how is your injury? Can I come in?"
While Qin Jixun and Wei Dechang were talking, Qingqiong found a thin and large blanket. Ni Su and he moved the wooden cloth used to hang clothes over and put the blanket on it to serve as a screen.
"General Qin, please come in."
Ni Su stood up straight and raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Qin Jixun lifted the felt curtain and entered. He felt that it was as bright as day. The simple "screen" blocked his view. Ni Su stepped forward and said, "General Qin, he is injured and his face is not covered at this time. It is inconvenient for him to meet you. Please forgive me."
Qin Jixun certainly remembered that Mr. Ni had a facial illness, so he nodded, "It's ok for me to talk to Mr. Ni this way."
Qingqiong moved a chair behind him and left the felt tent with Ni Su.
They didn't walk far. Just a few steps away, Ni Su asked Madam Zhong for two buns and two bowls of hot soup, and then sat down to eat with Qingqiong.
Qing Qiong took a bite of the bun and couldn't help but said, "Miss Ni, why don't you try to persuade him? He always tortures himself like this, but how many people here can remember his good points? Even if they can remember him, they will remember his identity as Master Ni, not..."
Instead of Xu Hexue.
Qing Qiong pursed his lips and said nothing.
"He didn't do these things just to make people remember his good deeds."
There was pepper in the hot soup. After a few sips, Ni Su's body, which had been chilled by the hug, warmed up a lot. "Most people in this world have their own ways to follow. Some people will never forget their ways even if they die."
She was determined to become a doctor, not just to make all the women in the world remember her kindness, so she understood his way.
"I can't stop him,"
Ni Su looked at Qing Qiong who was wrapped tightly in a thick cloak beside him, "I want to help him."
The cold moon hung high in the sky, the sparse stars were dim, and there were clusters of bonfires in the city, burning and jumping. The soldiers gathered together to drink and eat meat, and it was extremely lively.
This was the most proud moment for them since they had been stationed in Yongzhou.
Inside the felt tent, Xu Hexue asked Qin Jixun directly through the felt blanket, "General, did you deliberately ask Commander Wei to get Commander Yang drunk?"
"Mr. Ni is as meticulous as dust,"
Qin Jixun was stunned for a moment, his hands resting on his knees, "To be honest, even if I win today, I still feel uneasy."
Xu Hexue coughed twice, his voice weak, "So, General Qin has sent people to inspect the bird path on Tianju Mountain?"
"good."
Qin Jixun nodded. When Shi Manu was retreating injured, he heard Master Ni say not to chase, and he realized that Master Ni and he might have had the same idea.
"The bird path on Tianju Mountain is repaired every year. When Song Song was alive, no matter how greedy he was, he would not dare to neglect the construction of Tianju Mountain. I really wonder why it went wrong at this time."
Qin Jixun's face became more serious. "Mr. Ni, I suspect there is a ghost in Yongzhou City."
If his guess is true, then it would be a very serious matter for Yongzhou City. This is why he did not tell Wei Dechang about his guess.
Wei Dechang is a straightforward person and easily impulsive. Once this matter is made public, it will cause panic among the people in the city.
The reason why he asked Wei Dechang to get Yang Tianzhe drunk was also to let Duan Rong inspect Tianju Mountain instead of Yang Tianzhe.
"General!"
Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps approaching outside the tent. Qin Jixun recognized it as Duan Rong's voice and immediately said, "Come in."
Duan Rong came in after lifting the curtain. Seeing Mu Shi standing in the way, he was stunned for a moment, then he offered the broken plank in his hands with both hands, "General, I found this wood in the mountain stream at the bottom of Tianju Mountain. It is indeed special!"
Duan Rong was panting, his forehead covered with sweat, "The larger cut by the blade is on the front."
Thanks to the bright candlelight in the tent, Qin Jixun took it and examined it carefully. His expression changed again and again. He immediately handed it to Xu Hexue from under the wooden handle, "Mr. Ni, take a look."
Xu Hexue took it. The piece of broken wood was quite thick, with knife marks on both sides, but the cuts were of different sizes.
"The Hu people's golden knives are very heavy. They climbed Tianju Mountain at night, so they couldn't carry knives with them. Even if they did, it would be twice as difficult to lift them up and destroy the bird path from below. They used daggers to fit their hands better, and the back of the knife was indeed more suitable for the length of the dagger's cutting edge."
The front side is the side where the Yongzhou soldiers on the bird path stepped back and forth, and it is covered with wear and tear and dust. On the other hand, apart from the densely packed knife cuts, the back side is much smoother.
The bird path on Tianju Mountain was not destroyed by the Hu people from bottom to top, but someone had tampered with it beforehand.
There was a lot of noise outside, but Qin Jixun felt cold in his heart. "On Tianju Mountain, half of the defenders are from my Qin family army, and the other half are from the rebels."
"Of course it can't be the men of our Qin Army! But," Duan Rong frowned, full of doubt, "but Commander Yang has been working tirelessly with us to defend the city since he came to Yongzhou City. He has killed quite a few Hu people. Today, he and Commander Wei burned down Shi Manu's camp and killed Nieringu's nephew Saso. In my opinion, even if there is a traitor, it can't be him."
In fact, Qin Jixun also had this question in his mind. If it was Yang Tianzhe, he would never be so dedicated to Yongzhou. "Who were the military officers who were in charge of guarding Tianju Mountain yesterday?"
"The three brothers Liu Yong, Liu Huo, and Liu Zhong were on duty at Tianju Mountain yesterday. The ones in Commander Yang's army were Dong Chengjiao, Hu Da, and Sun Yanli."
"Where are they now? Tell them to come to my tent and I will question them."
Qin Jixun stood up.
Duan Rong took the order, turned around and ran out. Qin Jixun turned to Xu Hexue and said, "Young Master is injured, so take a good rest first."
Qin Jixun had just walked out of the tent when he bumped into Duan Rong running back in a hurry, "General! Dong Chengjiao and Hu Da are no longer at the table!"
In the felt tent, Xu Hexue just supported himself and barely stood up, then he heard Duan Rong's voice. He walked slowly to the felt curtain, "Duan Rong, do they have any mission tonight?"
"Dong Chengjiao is going to deliver the recruited civilians and arrows from the weapons battalion to Tianju Mountain."
The weapons camp of the Yongzhou Army was set up in a private house, which was a place vacated by the Qin family. All the weapon-making craftsmen lived and ate here, and it was surprisingly spacious.
All the craftsmen gathered together in the brightly lit pavilion. Everyone was more or less nervous. Some pushed others. An old man nudged the person next to him with his elbow and said, "Fan Jiang, stand in front!"
These days, Fan Jiang and these people have been working together around the crossbow in front of them. His hands are covered with small wounds. He rubbed his hands nervously, feeling the pain like a needle prick. In the end, he limped to the back of the crossbow. They alone could not pull the bowstring of the crossbow, so he shouted, "Brothers outside, come in and help!"
After hearing this, the soldiers guarding the corridor immediately ran in. They looked at the three-bow crossbow with curiosity and anticipation on their faces.
They helped push the bed crossbow to the railing outside.
"Quick! Let's work together!" The most experienced craftsman raised his hand, and everyone gathered behind the crossbow, with everyone's eyes focused on the iron-feathered arrow resting on the bowstring.
They were looking down from a high place, and their arrows were pointing at an empty alley.
They pulled the crossbow together and almost held their breath at the same time.
"put!"
Fan Jiangfan's dry lips trembled and he made a sound.
Everyone released their strength at the same time, and the three-foot-five-inch-long and five-inch-thick iron-feathered arrow pierced through the wind, brushed against their eardrums, and suddenly shot out.
The soldiers were the first to react, remembering the direction they had just gone, and rushed out.
It was not very clear at night, so Fan Jiang and everyone else were anxiously waiting for the soldiers to return. After about two cups of tea, the soldiers returned the iron feather arrows they had picked up, panting. One soldier wiped the sweat off his face and said with a smile, "One thousand five hundred steps!"
There was silence upstairs for a moment, and then a series of voices suddenly broke out: "It's done!"
Fan Jiang was dumbfounded. The gray-haired old craftsman shook his head, "Fan Jiang! Did you hear that? We've done it! We have 1,500 steps!"
"I heard it,"
Fan Jiang touched the iron feather arrow and said, "I heard it..."
They created a three-bow crossbow with a shooting range of 1,500 steps.
"In this way, we have a little more advantage over those Hu people!" The soldiers were also very happy.
Qin Jixun also distributed some beef and mutton to the weapons battalion. All the craftsmen felt hungry after working so hard until this moment. They went downstairs one by one, talking and laughing. The old craftsman with a white beard saw Fan Jiang still in a daze in front of the bed crossbow, so he shouted in amusement: "Hey, Fan Jiang, I'm talking to you! What are you thinking about?"
Fan Jiang raised his head slowly, and seeing the smile of the white-bearded old man, he couldn't help but smile, "Nothing, Mr. He, I just suddenly felt that I seemed to be of some use."
The old man with a white beard looked at him and said, "What are you talking about? Of course you are useful. We craftsmen all have our own uses. It doesn't matter how others look down on us. What's important is that we have to respect ourselves in our hearts!"
"You used to do some carpentry work like making boxes and repairing houses, but now you are making this magic weapon to kill the Hu people, right? You work day and night here, working harder than any of us. I can see that you are actually very talented in this area, and you are willing to endure hardships. If you don't mind, you can work with me in the military camp in the future. I have been making these weapons for half my life. As long as you want to learn, I will teach you everything."
Fan Jiang was startled, "Mr. He, I..."
"Why? You don't want to?"
Mr. He lifted his sagging eyelids.
"willing!"
Fan Jiang did not hesitate. He held the heavy iron feather arrow in his arms and said, "Mr. He, I am willing."
At this moment, he thought of his wife Ah Shuang, the tortures she had endured in her lifetime, and his injured leg from the invasion of the Hu people into Yongzhou City. His chest was filled with many emotions, like the ups and downs of the sea. "People like me, although I can't go to the battlefield, it's hard for me to draw a bow and use a sword, but I can make the best crossbows and the sharpest arrows for our soldiers..."
Who says a carpenter can’t have the ambition to serve his country?
Whoever said that he was lame could not ask the Hu people for the blood debt owed to his wife.
"Well said!"
He Lao's eyes were full of smiles, and he patted his shoulder. "Let's go and have a bowl of mutton soup. We will send the good news here to General Qin."
"You go first, I'll clean up here." Fan Jiang pointed at the mess in the room.
"Don't be so diligent. They haven't cleaned up yet."
Mr. He shook his head, turned his back and walked down the stairs.
Fan Jiang was the only one left upstairs. He swept up the debris in the room, then limped to the long table and looked at the drawings for a while. They were the results of days of work he and the craftsmen had done.
He looked again and again, and could not help but lean the broom against the corner of the table. He slowly sat on the ground. The candlelight could not illuminate this corner. He called softly in the shadows, "Ah Shuang?"
He called out several times in a row.
No one answered him.
He sat in silence, crumpling the drawing.
There was a sudden commotion below, and before he could stand up, he heard hurried footsteps getting closer. Under the table, he saw two people walk in first, followed by soldiers behind . One of them commanded, "Hurry up, don't miss the time to leave the city!"
It turned out that he was here to move the Iron Feather Arrows.
Just as Fan Jiang was about to stand up, the soldiers carrying the iron feather arrows quickly left, and the door was hastily closed by a man in a dark green robe. "You're leaving the city this time, and you're not coming back?"
Fan Jiang paused.
"Of course I won't come back. General Yelu Zhen is already close to Rushan Mountain. Now Shi Manu is injured again. Our goal has been achieved. Naturally, I have to go back and report to General Yelu Zhen."
Another man in a black robe lowered his voice, "I have a very clear understanding of the city defense of the Yongzhou Army. When the time comes, it will be easy for you to attack the city."
"What are your plans for those civilians?"
"Of course we killed them all. Are we going to take them to Rushan with us?"
Fan Jiang's legs almost went limp. He clearly heard that the general they were talking about was a Hu man's name.
Yelu Zhen is clearly the Hu general who attacked Yongzhou City sixteen years ago!
They are the ghosts!
Fan Jiang looked up and saw a crossbow on the corner of the table. Without thinking, he took it very lightly. The two men were still talking. He slowly moved under the table and looked up.
The crossbow was aimed at a man with his back to him.
His mind was filled with the face of his wife, A Shuang, her fear and hatred of the Hu people, and the painful memories that tormented her both during her life and after her death.
His eyes were moist and his knuckles were tense.
No,
no.
His fingers suddenly relaxed. He wanted to tell Master Ni and General Qin about this first! We can't let this traitor leave the city!
However, when he raised his eyes, he was suddenly met with a pair of sinister eyes.
"Huda, there's someone behind you."
The man stared at Fan Jiang.
The man named Huda was about to turn back, but Fan Jiang shot an arrow immediately. The man in black clothes couldn't pull him back in time, and Huda was pierced through the chest by the arrow.
Fan Jiang's palms were full of sweat. He shot a few more arrows, but they were all avoided by the defensive man in black. Seeing him draw his knife, Fan Jiang immediately stood up. In panic, he broke open the lattice window and rolled out.
"Someone come!"
He limped downstairs, "Hurry up! There is a traitor in the rebel army who stole the defense of Yongzhou City! Yelu Zhen is close to Rushan!"
Fan Jiang yelled at the top of his lungs, using all his strength:
"Yelü Zhen is already close to Rushan!"
