Chapter 194 - The Overbearing General’s Pretty Warlord (XIII)
Lou Ying chose a career that was so self-serving and beneficial that Chi Xiaochi was considered hardworking by the soldiers underneath him, even when he spent his days in his tent and carriage.
At the moment, two people are eating strawberries in a moving carriage.
The strawberries are redeemed from the warehouse with Chu Ziling’s goodwill, and as long as they are not taken out, they remain fresh indefinitely, are large and sweet, and require no effort to clean.
Lou Ying, who is cold, had two strawberries and tasted them, but removed the strawberry stems, which were beautifully red, and placed them all over the plate.
Chi Xiaochi was too busy playing Call of Cthulhu, which he hadn’t played in days, to spare his hands.
Seven whole days have passed since that day.
Chi Xiaochi wakes up and doesn’t mention anything about yesterday before the card knocked him out, as if he had forgotten all about it, making Lou Ying wonder if he had used his memory loss card as well.
That is, until Lou Ying accidentally glanced at the display and noticed that his ID in Call of Cthulhu had been secretly changed.
It is no longer ‘a pond reflecting in a building’, but Chi Xiaochi.
…… is so disciplined and proper that Lou Ying wants to knock him on the head.
But in the end, he couldn’t let it go, so he slipped a large strawberry into his mouth to vent his anger.
Shortly afterwards, there was a soft knocking at the carriage window.
Chi Xiaochi takes the strawberries back into storage and reaches out to lift the curtain.
Chu Ziling rode his horse, parallel to the carriage, and bent down and said, “My lord, the general has sent another messenger back to Wangcheng. After we met on the official road, he said that the general had a letter for you by the way.”
”Where is the messenger?”
”He has rushed back to Wangcheng without stopping.” Chu Ziling paused, “Look at the look on the messenger’s face, it must be a happy occasion.”
Shi Tingyun was delighted and took the letter, winking at him playfully: “Thank you.”
Chu Ziling’s glance showed that the gongzi master was sitting in the shadows, blocking the light from the curtain with the back of his hand, and he could be seen with a slight frown, not very happy.
Chu Ziling’s heart jumped, and he showed a trifle of fear when he took the right place: “Master Gongzi, I will leave immediately.”
Having been under the patronage of Shi Tingyun for many years, Chu Ziling has never knelt for more than three hours.
That day, the rain fell all night, the skin on his knee soaked up the water and was soaked white, and the stones on the ground were unusually coarse, causing his knee to ache. To this day, the wound on his knee has not yet healed.
The injury was minor, but most importantly, he had never been subjected to such a blunt insult.
Chu Ziling could not accept this insult in vain.
As Yu Fengmian was intent on targeting him, he showed complete fear and avoidance of Yu Fengmian, both to suit his wishes and to prevent him from finding any other reason to do something more extraordinary to himself.
And if he is hard up for a fight, so much the better.
He is not a nobody in the army, and he comes from a civilian background, so he is on good terms with many of the soldiers.
As long as he shows more weakness himself, he does not need to say anything more and someone will be unjust for him.
If this voice reaches the ears of the Duke, either the Duke will return the protection and cause discontent among the generals underneath, giving rise to mustard, or the Duke will become dissatisfied with Yu Fengmian over time.
Whichever of these consequences resulted, it was none of his business.
He doesn’t talk behind his back, he doesn’t show his displeasure, and he is so thoughtful that no one can fault him.
However, Yu Fengmian only reached out to block the light, ignoring him and leaning back on the soft pillows to read, as if Chu Ziling was not even worthy of his glance.
Shi Tingyun lowered the curtain.
When he returned to his senses, Chu Ziling’s heart was beating wildly.
This is his chance!
From Zhen Nan Guan to Wang Cheng, they were transporting provisions, and their march was slow, taking at least twenty-five days. A good pigeon kept by the general’s residence could arrive in two days if it was fast, or two and a half days if it was slow.
Now is the best time for him to do it!
When he reached the border town, it would be difficult for him to find an opportunity to poison Shi Jinghong.
Shi Jinghong was a great danger to the southern border and had to be killed, and only with his death would Shi Tingyun have a chance to rise to power.
Shi Tingyun’s chance is his chance.
The straight-backed thirteenth prince was looking down, riding his horse while holding a book on warfare in one hand, looking at the cover of the volume, which had been picked up by the breeze.
Chu Ziling had to admit that this man, like Yu Fengmian, was a variable that was not part of his plan.
But he still smiled brightly.
Variables, when used well, are pawns.
Even if there is an additional thirteenth prince, so what?
A young man with no authority and no military power, even if he is a superb martial artist, will be dead if he tries to be aggressive.
After all, on the battlefield, a bow does not recognize whether he is a relative of the Emperor or a commoner.
As he conceived, the curtain of the car was lifted again.
Behind the curtain was Shi Tingyun’s beaming face: “A Ling, fetch a pen and paper.”
Chu Ziling was wise enough not to ask in front of the Gongzi Shi what joy he had: “Yes.”
It was nothing more than a border victory or something like that.
He did not care how many people had died on the southern border side, nor how many casualties there were on the northern army side; he only hoped that the situation on the southern border would not be too bad when his plan advanced to the most critical step.
He took a pen and paper and a small table and brought them into the carriage, and took a small wooden cylinder and waited outside.
Shi Tingyun is always quick to reply to letters, and within half an hour there was the sound of the pen being put down.
”Letterbox.”
Chu Ziling presents it as instructed.
Shi Tingyun waited for the ink to dry, rolled the paper finely, stuffed it into a small letter box, and closed the twisted lid again: “Seal.”
At this point, Shi Tingyun raised his eyes and noticed the thin layer of sweat on Chu Ziling’s forehead: “Forget it, you’re tired from all the trips you’ve made.
Chu Ziling’s heart thumped with joy.
Did it go so well?
He had intended to roll the fire-painted seal around in the toxic clay after he had struck it, even if the mark was blurred, as the pigeons sometimes rested on the road to drink, or in case of rain, it was inevitable that the fire-paint would be smudged.
I never thought Shi Tingyun would give him the job of stamping ……
Before he could finish his thought, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the corner of the carriage, “Stop the clouds.”
Chu Ziling’s heart chills.
Yu Fengmian ……
But Yu Fengmian said, “Don’t be overjoyed, but be calm so that you can set a good example for the soldiers. Come, tell me what is said in this chapter and what you think about it.”
With that, he gave Chu Ziling a quick glance in the face.
Still not on the job?
Chu Ziling took orders and drove off on his horse.
Only when he had gone some distance did he realise that his hands were sweaty and would have wet the wooden tube.
He wiped the surface of the small wooden cylinder a few times with his sleeve, and for the first time failed to hide his joy, a smile growing at the corners of his mouth.
However, even so, Chu Ziling is still taking great care.
He did not unwrap the small wooden tube to see what was written inside.
He remembered clearly that the letter box inside the General’s house was specially made with a small mechanism built into the lid, which opened automatically when it was fully covered, creating a small piece of pointed wood inside.
From the outside, there is nothing to see. However, if it is closed and then opened, a small scuff mark is left on the body of the tube where the lid is joined, which cannot be erased.
Shi Jinghong was very careful and would have been suspicious if he had opened the tube and found another trail behind it.
Chu Ziling doesn’t want to let a thousand miles of dike collapse into a tiny anthill.
He was acquainted with the soldier who kept the seal, so he simply said that he had been ordered to do so by his son and, as he had done countless times before, he was able to obtain Shi Tingyun’s special round seal with ease.
Chu Ziling did not use the square of fire-painted lacquer that the gongzi had used, but one unlocked the auspicious cloud clasp on another small box and took out a brand new square of fire-painted lacquer.
The same special fire-paint from the General’s household, the colour, light and shape of this one piece are no worse than the other.
Chu Ziling lights the torch.
The flames jumped a few times in his eyes and the front section of the fire paint began to melt.
Under his somewhat frenzied gaze, a drop of poisonous juice, full of hemlock, rolled down onto the seal of the small wooden cylinder.
Snap.
The bright red seal falls, a poisonous inscription branded with the words ” Shi Tingyun”, which radiates a somewhat harsh light in the sun.
The stamping was executed with someone at his side, and the proctor kept watch, without the slightest hint of a breach.
Chu Ziling raised his hand, intending to hand the curved round badge back to his own soldier: “With pleasure.”
As they crossed paths, Chu Ziling looked down to collect the fire-painted blocks, and when he mistook his eyes, he lost his hand and the medallion tumbled to the ground, where it became stained with yellow mud.
Chu Ziling was startled and apologised, “Sorry, I’ll go and clean you up.”
Not far away was Qingxi, who naturally took the seal and washed away the hemlock on it, bit by bit.
He had a smile on his lips, as usual.
In the evening the party was stationed.
At the smell of the meal, Chu Ziling, who was hiding in his tent and writing quietly to the Wen official in the southern border, was startled.
It was as if he could smell the aroma of lamb.
…… seems to be a real triumph over Zhen Nan Guan.
As luck would have it, that night Shi Tingyun bought sheep from his own pocket in a nearby village and roasted twenty lambs and fifty adult sheep, which he distributed to all the soldiers.
This was not much meat for each man, but it was all Shi Tingyun could find in a short time, and the soldiers did not care about it, so they all rejoiced.
The great victory of Dingyuan.
The southern borderers who came to attack the city were killed and wounded, 5,000 soldiers, none of whom returned.
”Thanks to the advice of Master Gongzi!” Shi Tingyun stood on a high platform and pointed with joy at Yu Fengmian, who was wearing a power fence on the side of the platform, “The southern borderers used the technique of filling the river with oil, quietly bringing in wooden pontoons and attempting to cross the moat by force. He dug a small hole in the lower side of the city wall and filled it with oil by nightfall.
Chu Ziling imagined that image and his smile froze slightly on his face.
This Yu Fengmian is not visible on the surface, but he has a black heart and a poisonous hand.
The Duke’s celebration of the event also in effect gave Yu Fengmian prestige in the army.
The soldiers, some of whom had never been in battle before, shouted a deafening “yes” at the joyous news.
No part of our land will be allowed!
Chi Xiaochi, standing on the stage, quieted in the midst of the excitement, jumped to the edge of the raised platform and watched the group of young people, no more than 17 or 18 years old, laughing, dancing and paddling loudly around the fire.
The light of the fire in the hall lit up their young faces.
They may, at some point in the future, be reduced to amorphous bones on the scorched earth of war.
Chi Xiaochi May they still dream of a thousand years of family and country at the moment of their death.
He unscrewed the jug at his waist, took a sip, and his eyes turned slightly to see Yan Yuanheng, the thirteenth prince, in a continuous patch of firelight.
Yan Yuanheng looked at him as if in a daze for a long time, before turning his face away slightly unnaturally and stepping away.
There was a flippant whistle from behind.
Yan Yuanheng thought Shi Tingyun was calling for her, so she turned her body slightly and quietly looked sideways, only to find that this was not the case.
Shi Tingyun had already looked in the other direction and threw the jug to a young soldier near him who was empty, then jumped off the high platform and ran towards Yu Fengmian.
…… didn’t even look at him more than once.
Yan Yuanheng’s heart warmed and sank, and out of nowhere the thought drove him to step forward and stand in front of the young man who had taken Shi Tingyun’s jug, gesturing to the black and gold jug, “May I have a sip of your wine.”
The soldier opened his mouth to drink, and when he saw the Thirteenth Prince asking him for wine, he almost poured it on his face.
Flattered, he jumped to his feet and offered his hands, stammering and inviting him to use them.
Yan Yuanheng, clutching a jug of wine, sat down among the soldiers and broke into a lot of questions.
After all, they were all the same age, and the soldiers saw that the thirteenth prince did not have a stinky attitude, and although he spoke in a crepuscular manner, he was not a bookworm and could understand him, so they gradually warmed up to him and even tore him a leg of lamb.
Yan Yuanheng, holding the spout of the jug in his arms, did not take a sip, nor did he mention returning it to the soldiers.
That night.
Chu Ziling added the words “Beware of Yu Fengmian” to the end of his letter and, after confirming that he had made it clear that he had poisoned Shi Jinghong, he took out the small wooden tube he had hidden beforehand, placed the paper in place, fastened the lid and stamped the surface with a forged circular seal, and went to the pigeon coop.
The night watchmen in the tent continued to act as usual, unaffected by the revelry.
Chu Ziling, who had been walking around avoiding people, came to the pigeon’s cage, took out the pigeon with the white mark on its forehead and tied a small wooden tube to its foot.
There were footsteps behind us, “Who’s there?”
Chu Ziling turned back, “Me. Chu Ziling .”
”It’s the young general’s valet.” The captain of the night patrol didn’t know Chu Ziling very well, he had only heard his name and dropped his heart at the sound of his voice, “Out so late, something wrong?”
Chu Ziling did not change his face: “I work for the young general.”
The night patrol leader sighed, “The young general has worked hard”, and led the squad away without further suspicion.
Chu Ziling turned his back on a few people, cocked a cold corner of his mouth and released the pigeon in his hand.
The pigeons flap their wings and go.
In a large military camp, the sound of a dove being released is not very loud, or at least not likely to reach the main tent.
He stroked the jade pendant at his waist, which meant so much to him, until the dove disappeared from his sight, and then lifted his steps in the direction of the main tent.
…… is just a small win.
The real battle at Zhennan Pass began with him, Chu Ziling.
What he could not have imagined, however, was that the two men in the main tent were still not asleep.
Chi Xiaochi asked Lou Ying: “Did he let go?”
Lou Ying flicked one finger against her temple, focusing on another matter, and could only respond curtly, “Hmm.”
Chi Xiaochi then left him alone.
Until Lou Ying’s body went limp and her hands dropped and she breathed a long sigh of relief.
Chi Xiaochi was busy wiping his sweat: “Is it done?”
Lou Ying closed his eyes and gasped slightly, “Don’t worry. That’s the optimal solution to the geomagnetic positioning algorithm.”
Unlike humans, pigeons know their way around by subtle magnetic forces.
Lou Ying was able to guarantee that both pigeons released by Chu Ziling would go where they needed to go, given his interference with the magnetic field.
Chi Xiaochi relaxed when the job was done and patted him on the shoulder, “I’ll go and get you something to eat.”
Sending the first pigeon away had taken so much energy out of Lou Ying that he didn’t even have an appetite for dinner.
Before he went to bed, he told Shu to make a little stew and prepare a few small dishes to keep on hand, making sure they were light.
One hand gently grabbed his sleeve, “No. I don’t really want to eat.”
Chi Xiaochi is busy putting on his shoes: “Not without food. I’ll go and get it for you. What would you like to order? I’ve asked Shu to make a few ……”
He had just got up when an arm was looped around his waist from behind, and for a moment he failed to keep his balance and fell onto the bed.
Lou Ying’s voice is in my ears.
Chi Xiaochi felt the sound of the voice touching his ears, even though there was no substance to it.
”Now?” Lou Ying contained a smile and rested her head against his back, “…… I just want my optimal solution.”
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