Big Moon Ballad

Chapter 2674 First Battle
“Yes,” the old man said tremblingly, “starting from Yanggao County, the Western Rong people in the northern counties stopped leaving.”

"It's said there are extremely powerful cultivators in that city, and those wolves are incredibly bold."

Ying Baoyue and Meng Shi exchanged a glance, realizing they had met a tough opponent.

"Thank you, sir."

Ying Baoyue left the tea money and looked at Meng Shi, "Let's go."

“Alright,” Meng Shi nodded. “Old man, the court will send new prefects and magistrates later. Please do your best to appease the people.”

"I understand," the old man said, flattered. "And who exactly are you...?"

He had worked as a clerk in the government office for many years and considered himself to have seen many people and to be good at judging character.

When he met Meng Shi, he immediately recognized that the other party was a native of Northern Wei and of extraordinary status.

News came from the south that the Queen was personally leading a large army to the north to reclaim lost territory, and the old man had a bold guess in his mind.

The woman drinking tea at the table is probably their young queen.

But what he couldn't figure out was the girl standing by the bed.

The girl's aura was extremely ordinary; when she didn't speak, she seemed to blend into the air like a drop of water. But once she opened her mouth, she had an indescribable special quality.

Despite looking younger than Meng Shi, Meng Shi seemed to regard this girl as her master in their conversation.

The person who could have the Queen of Northern Wei serving at her side was a woman...

The old man's dim eyes widened. "You could be...?"

"This old man has no eyes to recognize a great man!"

The old man was so frightened that he was about to kneel down, but his withered hands were held up by someone.

“You don’t need to guess who I am,” Ying Baoyue smiled slightly and reached out to help him up. “After we leave, I hope there will be no more fighting here.”

With a gentle breeze, the two women disappeared from the spot.

……

……

“Baoyue, you’re back.”

Gui Chen and Ji Jiashu were standing in the command post, which had been converted from the prefect's study, examining a map and discussing something when they saw the two of them enter.

"How's the information gathering going?"

“Just as I expected,” Ying Baoyue looked at the line she had drawn on the map. Yanggao County, which she had mentioned in her conversation with the old man, was right across that line. “Sure enough, the Western Rong people aren’t running away anymore.”

"Your line is incredibly accurate," Gui Chen exclaimed, marveling at Ying Baoyue's precise prediction. "How many soldiers could possibly be hidden in a mere county? How dare they put up a fight?"

These days he's gotten used to the Western Rong people fleeing at the mere sight of them coming to their rescue.

“There’s someone backing us up,” Mu You said, walking in from outside in armor, his expression grim. “The scouts from the right wing who went to Yanggao County to explore haven’t returned.”

He was killed after being discovered by the enemy.

The atmosphere inside the room suddenly became tense.

This is the first time in so many days that a Qin scout has been killed, and so silently.

“The scouts you sent out must be well-trained and not so easy to kill,” Ying Baoyue’s gaze darkened. “There are high-level cultivators in that city.”

“But I can’t sense any aura!” Ji Jiashu frowned.

He had already reached the Heavenly Realm; unless there was a divine being present, it was impossible for him not to sense the other party's aura.

There were no other Heavenly Realm cultivators within a hundred miles; he only sensed the auras of a few Divine Dance Realm cultivators.

"Not an ordinary high-level cultivator."

Combining the information she had gleaned from the old man, Ying Baoyue narrowed her eyes. "There should be an elder from the Zen temple there." Only the Zen temple's concealment techniques could prevent them from detecting her presence.

"An elder of the Zen monastery?"

When he mentions the elders of the Zen monastery, he thinks of someone.

Ji Jiashu frowned. "Speaking of which, how come Chunyu Ye, who had so many soldiers with him, seems to have vanished into thin air?"

After the battle in Southern Chu, Chunyu Ye led his cavalry north and then disappeared without a trace.

How could so many cavalrymen and Zen disciples just disappear like that?
During the march, they never saw any trace of Chunyu Ye, and the local people along the way also said they had never seen such an army.

This person is the one who has mastered the art of secrecy in Zen monasteries to its fullest extent.

“Chunyu Ye has probably completely mastered how to use the underground cave of the Zen Temple,” Ying Baoyue recalled those emerald eyes, her mind heavy with worry. “He hasn’t disappeared; he’s just hiding in the shadows.”

With Yun Zhongjun and Bai Quanshen trapped, Chunyu Ye, who should have become the person in charge of the Zen Temple, also disappeared without a trace.

This matter is not simple.

If Li Ji really manages to trap the White Dog God and the Cloud Lord, it will also be an opportunity for Chunyu Ye.

For the first time in his life, he will break free from his biological father's control and have the opportunity to completely "seize power".

There is currently no one in the Zen monastery with a higher level of attainment than him. If he wanted, he could even become the new master of the Zen monastery.

Even Ying Baoyue couldn't figure out Chunyu Ye's thoughts. What exactly did he want?

"The Zen Master...and Chunyu Ye..."

The thought that such a force was lurking in the shadows, watching them all the time sent chills down Ji Jiashu's spine.

"Then what should we do next?"

“Since we’re not going to run, we have no choice but to launch a full-scale attack,” Ying Baoyue said, staring at the line on the map. “Let the Western Rong people north of this line see what happens if they dare to stop us.”

"Which army should we send?" Meng Shi looked into Ying Baoyue's eyes, eager to try. "It's just a county town, we won't need our main force, right?"

Inside the room, all the dozen or so generals except Meng Shi turned to look at Ying Baoyue.

This was the first formal battle of the Northern Expedition, and it was of great significance.

Ying Baoyue's central army is the main force of this allied army, so there is no need for it to appear at this time. Therefore, this battle should be divided among the left and right armies.

Ying Baoyue's gaze swept from the bright-eyed young generals in the room and landed on Mu You.

"Victory is assured in the first battle."

“Your Majesty, give the young people a chance,” Mu You noticed her thoughts and smiled, “I am willing to provide support, so I will not compete with them for this prize.”

Ying Baoyue pondered for a moment. She was worried that this battle might be a trap, but the other armies were all there, so they could provide timely assistance if anything unexpected happened.

“Yanggao is the territory of Northern Wei,” Ying Baoyue’s gaze returned to Meng Shi and Gui Chen, “I grant you permission to go and recover the lost territory.”

"Meng Shi, you will lead 5,000 Northern Wei cavalry, and Gui Chen will draw 5,000 men from the left wing to serve as the vanguard in attacking Yanggao County."

"The right wing army will send 5,000 men as reinforcements in case of emergency."

"My subordinates have the order!"

Meng Shi's eyes shone brightly, while Gui Chen was extremely nervous.

"These 15,000 men will depart at 5 PM tonight. You have three hours to reach Yanggao and begin the siege at dawn."

"The army will set off at dawn, following closely behind."

“Gui Chen, Meng Shi,” Ying Baoyue said, looking at the two of them, “I hope that by the time the army arrives, you will have already opened the city gates for us.”

(End of this chapter)