The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 676 Xue the Fool?

Early the next morning, the marriage procession left Jiayuguan amidst joyous drumming and music, heading towards Hami. In addition to the original 400-plus princess palace guards and 100 militiamen led by Lu Xiangjin, Suzhou Guard also dispatched 1,000 border soldiers to accompany and escort them, including 200 cavalrymen equipped with 100 new flintlock muskets.

It seems that Duan Yong did heed Jia Huan's warning from the previous night, hence his special request for Suzhou Guard to send troops for escort. Of course, Duan Yong was unaware of Jia Huan's true intentions; his main reason for requesting Suzhou Guard troops was to show off and diminish the prestige of King Baiwa of Hami.

However, what Duan Yong didn't know was that Jia Huan had secretly spread the word, leading Ahemaiti and Baiwa to believe that the marriage alliance with the Great Jin was merely a pretext, and that the real purpose was to annex Hami. Now that the marriage alliance procession had suddenly been reinforced with a thousand more soldiers escorting it, Baiwa and Ahemaiti were even more convinced that the Great Jin was trying to occupy Hami.

The entire marriage procession now numbers two thousand people. Excluding musicians, eunuchs, palace maids, and a host of miscellaneous servants, there are 1,500 armed soldiers.

While 1,500 armed soldiers may not seem like many, considering that the entire population of Hami Kingdom is only over 20,000, a force of 1,500 is not to be underestimated. Moreover, there are 200 cavalrymen and 100 new flintlock muskets. This strength could very well allow them to take Hami City by surprise.

At this moment, King Baiwa of Hami looked at the well-equipped Jin border army and his heart pounded. He whispered to Ahemaiti beside him, "Amahei, you are playing with fire. You might end up inviting trouble."

Ahmaiti said dismissively, "Baiwa, you've really gotten old. Back in the day, you were a warrior of the Western Regions who was on par with my father, Khan. Who would have thought that after being the King of Hami for a few years, you'd become more and more timid."

A flash of anger crossed Baiva's eyes as he sneered, "When I was your age, I was also young and arrogant, looking down on everyone. Let me give you a piece of advice: better safe than sorry, or you might get pecked out of your eyes by a goose."

Ahemaiti said confidently, "You don't need to worry about it. I have a brilliant plan. Once we enter the boundless desert, even the strongest army and the best weapons will be useless."

"May God bless you!" Baiwa said calmly, a barely perceptible glint of ferocity flashing in his eyes. Clearly, those who seize power are not to be trifled with, and they would not be easily manipulated. Although Baiwa is old, he is still a ferocious old wolf.

It is worth mentioning that Baiwa was originally a fierce general under the previous Hami King. Six years ago, he rebelled, killed the previous Hami King, and took the throne for himself. While the Great Jin was busy dealing with the powerful Jurchen enemy in the east, he coerced the Great Jin to recognize his legitimacy and shamelessly asked the Great Jin to send a princess to marry him. As a result, the eldest brother Liu Yi's childhood sweetheart became the first victim.

Hami had always been a Buddhist country, but after Baiwa came to power, he converted to Islam and ordered the destruction of all Buddhist temples in the country, forcing the people to change their faith. A large number of devout Buddhists were killed, while some fled into the interior of China.

Getting back to the main point, after the marriage procession left Jiayuguan, they entered the vast Gobi Desert. At first, there were still roads to be discerned, but after walking for several days, all that remained was endless desert and barren rocky mountains. They could no longer distinguish the roads and could only rely on experienced guides to lead the way.

The further the marriage procession went, the more desolate the landscape became. Since the fourth day of the battle, they had gone without water for several days, and there wasn't a single blade of grass in sight. The more than two thousand people were being fed and cared for daily, and the provisions and drinking water they carried were being consumed at an alarming rate...

This was the seventh day since leaving Jiayuguan. It was noon, and the scorching sun made the ground scorching hot. Several of the animals pulling the carts had already died from exhaustion, so they had no choice but to requisition the cavalry's mounts. However, the road was too difficult to travel, and the cart wheels kept getting stuck in quicksand. Sometimes it took them most of the day to get them out, leaving both men and horses exhausted.

As evening fell, the marriage procession set up camp behind a sheltered sand dune. Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin found Jia Huan and said with grave expressions, "Third Master, we're running low on water. We must find a water source nearby to replenish it, otherwise we may not be able to last two more days."

Jia Huan nodded calmly and said, "I understand. Is there anything else?"

Lu Xiangjin said in a low voice, "Didn't Third Master tell us to keep a close eye on Baiwa and Ahmaiti? I've noticed that they seem to be deliberately slowing down their journey."

Jia Huan countered, "How do you know?"

“Their carriages are breaking down far too frequently, which is abnormal. I suspect they are deliberately sabotaging them to slow down our journey and deplete our water and food supplies,” Lu Xiangjin said in a deep voice.

Jia Huan nodded and said, "Baiwa and Ahmaiti are probably going to make their move in the next couple of days. Be careful and don't fall into their trap. Also, collect all our water and distribute it in fixed quantities per person to conserve water as much as possible."

Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin exchanged a stern look, then bowed and said in unison, "Your subordinates understand."

Jia Huan waved his hand and said, "Go ahead and tell the brothers to be on their guard."

Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin turned and walked away. Tie Niu, who was standing next to them, scratched his head and asked curiously in a low voice, "How did Third Master know that Baiwa was going to make a move in the next couple of days?"

Jia Huan smiled and countered, "Brother Tie Niu, if you were Baiwa, knowing that the marriage alliance was just a pretext and they actually wanted to kill you, what would you do?"

Tie Niu was honest, not stupid, and immediately replied, "Of course, it's best to strike first."

Jia Huan nodded and said, "That's right, it's best to strike first. We've been traveling for seven days now, and we're still three or four days away from Hami. Baiwa is naturally worried that we'll strike first, so he's going to make his move. The next two days are the best time."

Tie Niu suddenly realized, "I see. Then why don't we make the first move?"

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "We can't make the first move. Duan Yong doesn't trust me to begin with. If we make the first move, it would be disobeying the emperor's orders and deliberately provoking war to sabotage the marriage alliance. That's a capital offense."

Tie Niu's heart tightened and he said, "So we have to wait for Baiwa to make the first move before we retaliate and kill Baiwa. That way, we'll be acting in self-defense. In that case, Miss Lin won't have to go through with the marriage alliance, and Third Master will not only be innocent but will even be credited!" Jia Huan nodded and said, "Only if Baiwa makes the first move will Duan Yong support me. Only then can we retaliate legitimately and even take Hami in one fell swoop."

Tie Niu said admiringly, "Third Master's plan is brilliant!"

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "It's just a last resort. Actually, we are in a very passive position right now. Baiwa dared to risk coming to pick up the bride in person, so he must have made preparations. Before he makes his move, we have no idea how he will do it."

Tie Niu asked sternly, "Then what should we do?"

Jia Huan calmly uttered four words: "Let's wait and see!"

As soon as Jia Huan finished speaking, he saw Ahemaiti leading two attendants, walking straight towards them.

The sun was setting, casting a long shadow of Ahmaiti; his shadow arrived before he did. Jia Huan stood up calmly and smiled, "Your Excellency, has the Prince's illness improved considerably?"

King Baiwa of Hami had previously feigned illness to avoid coming to Jiayuguan, and naturally he couldn't "recover" so quickly now, so he continued to pretend to be sick and travel by carriage along the way, which is why Jia Huan asked this question.

Ahemaiti sighed and said, "The prince's illness has not improved and remains the same. He is probably tired from the journey and has just rested. He has ordered me to pay my respects to the princess on his behalf."

Jia Huan gave a soft "Oh" and said, "I see. I wish Your Highness a speedy recovery. There's no need for formalities. Your Highness has had a long journey and has just rested."

Ahemaiti was a little disappointed. He bowed with his hand on his chest and said, "Then I will come to pay my respects to Your Highness the Princess again tomorrow morning. By the way, we are almost out of water. Could Envoy Jia arrange for us to borrow some water?"

Jia Huan sneered inwardly. This man was probably just pretending to ask for water to test their true intentions. So he said apologetically, "Your Excellency, it's not that I'm stingy, but we're really running out of water. If we lend it to you, even Her Highness the Princess won't have any water to drink."

Ahemaiti feigned disappointment and said, "In that case, so be it. Fortunately, there is a water source about a day's journey from here. Let's hang in there and travel for another day tomorrow, and we should arrive soon."

Jia Huan was overjoyed and said, "That's wonderful! I was just worried that we were about to run out of water."

A strange light flashed in Ahemaiti's eyes. He patted his chest and bowed, saying, "Please give my regards to Duan Zhongshi. I'll take my leave now."

After Ahmaiti finished speaking, he prepared to return to his camp. Just then, several black dots appeared on the western desert horizon and rushed towards him at high speed, with someone shouting for help.

The militiamen on guard around the camp stood up and looked warily in the direction from which the black dot had run.

"Help! Help!"

As the black dot drew closer, the piercing cries for help became clearer, and Jia Huan found them somewhat familiar.

A moment later, the black dots had caught up and were finally visible. In the lead was a camel carrying a man dressed as a merchant. Behind it, three horses were chasing after them menacingly. The riders were all masked, and the scimitars in their hands gleamed coldly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Camels are known as the ships of the desert for their stamina, but they are not as fast as horses. The man on the camel was about to be caught, and he screamed in terror, "Help! They are desert bandits!"

Mu Ye and Jin Bao exchanged a glance, secretly thinking, "Why does this voice sound a bit like Grandpa Xue?"

At this moment, Jia Huan shouted, "Brother Tie Niu, save him!"

Tie Niu immediately leaped onto his horse and charged out like an arrow, simultaneously drawing his bow and nocking an arrow.

--collapse!

With a twang of the bowstring, the arrow flew like a shooting star, striking a desert bandit squarely in the chest. The bandit was about to swing his knife to kill the merchant on the camel when a sharp pain shot through his chest, and he was thrown from his horse by a tremendous force, dying instantly.

Seeing their companion shot dead, the arrow piercing his back, while the burly man who shot the arrow rode on horseback like an iron tower, exuding awe-inspiring power, the other two desert bandits felt a chill run down their spines and turned their horses to flee in panic.

(End of this chapter)