latelenovela Chapter 173 Are we going into the mountains?
Chapter 173 Are we going into the mountains?
Yan Chuan selected twenty men to follow Qi Xiao, but he didn't expect Qi Xiao's "walk" to be the same as the "walk" of flying over eaves and walking on walls. Yan Chuan and his men were soldiers, not martial arts masters. No matter how good their skills were, they couldn't catch up with Qi Xiao's lightness skills, so they could only run behind him.
Yan Chuan was sweating profusely while chasing Qi Xiao. The soldiers around him were even more confused. They were running out of breath and didn't even have time to whisper what was going on.
After running for an hour, Qi Xiao stopped and stood on the thick branch of a big tree, watching Yan Chuan and his men running and jumping to catch up.
Before Yan Chuan caught up, Qi Xiao nailed a string of copper bells on the trunk of the tree.
Fenglin Mountain is vast, densely forested, and each tree looks similar, making it easy to get lost. Qi Xiao and Bai Xiqiao used to carry copper bells when they hiked through the mountains, nailing them to trees as a marker to avoid getting lost. If they fell into a ravine, a copper bell would be more effective than a broken gong; it could save their lives.
Yan Chuan caught up and gasped for breath under a big tree. The soldiers around him were so tired that they fell to the ground.
Qi Xiao jumped down from the tree, sat next to Yan Chuan, and asked, "Can the road you just ran on be repaired?"
"Ah?" Yan Chuan gasped for breath while thinking about the way he came.
Qi Xiao leaped through the dense forest, and Yan Chuan had no time to think. He just ran as fast as he could to catch up, one foot high, one foot low. He didn't have time to pay attention to where the slopes and pits were, and surprisingly, he didn't fall into any ditches. Aside from the weeds that seemed to be able to bury you alive, the road seemed to be relatively flat.
There are a few uneven places, mountain streams, and steep slopes, but you can get across by borrowing strength or getting a hand from people around you.
When I thought about it, it seemed that I could build a path out of it.
"can."
Qi Xiao looked at Yan Chuan and smiled. He was a straightforward man and was not afraid of him.
"Rest here first. Return the same way you came later. If the cellar over there can be dug and the wheelbarrow can transport the food, come over tomorrow and dig a second cellar here." Qi Xiao pointed to the copper bell on the tree trunk. "That bell is a sign."
"As ordered."
Qi Xiao looked at the people sitting or lying on the ground. It was difficult to travel in the mountains without roads. He didn't mean to make things difficult for them by making them run desperately behind him. It was just that this method was the simplest and most direct. In order not to lose Qi Xiao, they subconsciously looked for the nearest, fastest and easiest way. They were much faster than the exploring team.
Qi Xiao couldn't help laughing: "There is a mountain stream not far away, let's go and have a drink of water."
Everyone passed by on their way here and knew where it was. They nodded and supported each other to find the water source.
Qi Xiao took out the map in his arms. This route was similar to what he had expected, but he didn't know what the situation was like at Baixi Bridge and the other road.
"Your Majesty."
"Ok?"
Yan Chuan asked, "Why is the prince so familiar with Fenglin Mountain? The prince's fiefdom is in Fuzhou. Isn't that right?"
Ten days after Qi Xiao entered the mountains, Fenglin Mountain saw its first snowfall. The fine white flakes began falling silently in the dead of night, and only became apparent when daylight seemed to be breaking. A thin layer of ice and snow accumulated on the ground, and the cold air floating on the ice resembled frost or fog.
The food from Fuzhou arrived two days ago. Taking advantage of the clear weather, they didn't even store it in the camp. Instead, they counted it and sent it straight to the mountains. Besides food and medicinal herbs, they also sent bows and crossbows, swords and axes, cold-weather clothing and bedding, and other items to the mountains.
During this period, Tang Ling almost never left the Dingyuan military camp. Others thought he was very free, but that was not the case.
Qing Lan handed the white pill to Tang Ling and said, "Master, it's so difficult for us to contact the Xingluo Guard in the Dingyuan Army. They are surrounded by Qi Xiao's men. When I arrived just now, Chi Yue was wandering outside the tent again."
Tang Ling soaked the white pill in a special potion and nodded slightly. "It's already a relief to still receive letters now. After entering Fenglin Mountain, we've been completely cut off from all news. We won't have a chance until next spring, when we reach Qi. Chi Yue, don't worry about it. He's definitely aware of the secret communications between the Xingluo Guards, and he must also know that our letters were delivered. At this critical juncture, he'll turn a blind eye to the Chen-Zhou coalition."
"Then why is he always hanging around in front of our tent?"
"...You must be bored."
Tang Ling pushed aside the white pill, and found a letter hidden inside. It was written by Huang Zexian, telling Tang Ling about the situation in Yuanjing City. On the surface, the peace talks between Chen and Zhou were still in stalemate, but in fact, His Majesty had agreed to most of the conditions proposed by Tang Ling. Princess Xihe's marriage was settled, and the wedding would be held when the princess turned fifteen; 100,000 black iron ores would be sent to Da Zhou in five years, and the first batch would be delivered to Zhou in the early spring of next year.
These were all expected. Tang Ling was more concerned about another matter mentioned by Huang Zexian. His Majesty had dispatched troops to Lu Fangjin and Linjiang Prefecture.
Whether to ally with Zhou or Qi is not a choice for Your Majesty.
"Hmph..." Tang Ling snorted softly. The troop deployment was expected, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. It had only been a month since they and Lu Fangjin left the capital, and there was no intention of concealing it. It seemed as if this was a show for Qi, to let Qi's spies know that Chen and Zhou might go to war again. It also seemed like a show for Zhou and Marquis Xun An that if Qi Xiao and Tang Ling's surprise force couldn't win, the battle would return to the Taihua River.
Long before, when Qi Xiao had just entered the Dali Temple, Tang Ling had inquired about the Ministry of Revenue and made a rough estimate of the amount of money the State of Chen could use for military expenses. His conclusion had been disheartening. Even with the Ministry of Revenue in disarray, the State of Chen still had enough silver in its treasury for military pay. So, Your Majesty was determined to fight, and the timing couldn't be better for the State of Chen.
Although Qi Xiao failed to investigate the Ministry of Revenue's case thoroughly, the case of Luo Yu, the Minister of the Supreme Court, resulted in the raiding of more than a dozen gambling houses and shops, as well as the money lent out by the eldest prince. Suddenly, a large amount of "ill-gotten gains" appeared in the national treasury. The military pay that the Dingyuan Army of Yuanzhou Prefecture had been demanding for half a year was not only paid, but an extra 20,000 taels was also given. Tang Ling and Qi Xiao knew best what it was used for. Chen Heng had purchased a lot of military supplies, and it would be best if they could be transported to the mountains day and night, as much as possible.
Unlike Chen, Zhou's treasury was empty, unable to allocate funds for war. This year's spring floods severely damaged four Zhou states, resulting in a total crop failure. Zhou relied entirely on imperial funds for relief, and a war would make it unsustainable. Although he had promised Your Majesty a joint military force, Marquis Xun An could only deploy troops in Qi territory; a military operation was out of the question.
Tang Ling burned the letter and wrote two more letters, sealed them in two new white pills, and gave them to Qing Lan: "Find a chance to send them out as soon as possible. These are the last two."
The two white pills seem to have no difference, but if you look closely, you can see different colors showing through the seams. The slightly pink one is to be sent to Yuanjing City, and the other slightly golden one is to be sent back to Da Zhou.
"Master, are you suggesting that we go into the mountains?"
"Yeah, just these two days."