Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard, Baoyu Courtyard.

The main room was lavishly furnished, with embroidered curtains and a canopy bed draped with emerald green insect and bird patterns.

Before the bed sat a peony-patterned bronze incense burner inlaid with blue, and red sachets of incense were placed on the charcoal fire. The aroma was rich, sweet, and mellow, intoxicating to the senses.

On the canopy bed, the curtains were half-drawn, revealing two figures, their clothes disheveled, embracing and rolling around, their fair skin partially covered, occasionally letting out playful laughter and panting.

The young maid Chunyan was carrying a copper basin when she reached the door and was about to knock when she heard a strange noise inside. She immediately stopped.

She asked, "Sister Xiren, the hot water is ready. Shall we use it now?"

Xi Ren's voice came from inside, sounding a little unsteady on her feet, saying, "It's not urgent right now, you can send it over later."

Chunyan pouted. This copper basin of hot water was no small thing; she had made a wasted trip. But she didn't dare say anything and could only carry the basin away.

Inside the room, on the boulevard bed, Baoyu was getting quite excited when he was suddenly touched on the cheek. He cried out in pain and involuntarily stopped his entanglement.

Xiren gently pushed Baoyu away from her, secretly relieved.

For no reason, he felt weak all over. Ever since the woman entered the room, the Second Master had already made love to Caixia once.

The rest are all just empty shells, all pretense and hypocrisy, yet he seems to enjoy it immensely, spending his whole life doing this. When will it ever end?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Xiren heard Baoyu cry out in pain, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. This had probably become a habit over the years, almost an unconscious reaction.

Seeing that Baoyu's left cheek was still bruised with five clearly visible finger marks, she frowned and said, "It's been almost two days, why hasn't the bruise gone away yet?"

"Master, you're too ruthless! You hit him so hard; what if you hurt Second Master? What a disaster that would be!"

Seeing Xiren's gentle and charming expression and her great concern for him, Baoyu felt a surge of pleasure.

Although the entire army launched an attack with high morale, they ultimately failed to strike at the heart of the enemy's stronghold, but they still managed to gain enough advantage from Xiren, developing a great deal of tenderness in her.

She said earnestly, "Sister, there's no need to be sad. You know my temperament. I don't like to follow the crowd and always want to keep my own opinions."

Taking advantage of the situation, Xiren put on her clothes, slightly covering up her exposed skin. Hearing Baoyu's tone again, she felt inexplicably weak and her chest felt heavy.

He said, "Second Master, we will follow you for life. If you can live a smooth and successful life, that will be our greatest blessing."

If Second Master would consider our feelings and understand our good intentions, he would heed my advice. I guarantee he'd have fewer worries in the future, and wouldn't he feel more at ease?

Hearing Xiren's sincerity, and still feeling the heat of their passionate lovemaking, Baoyu grabbed Xiren's hand.

With a beaming smile and sweet words, she said, "Whatever you say, sister, whether it's ten sentences or a hundred, I will definitely listen to you."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xi Ren smiled and said, "There's no need for so many words. Just listen to a few of my words, and if Second Master can change, he will surely live a smooth and comfortable life."

Firstly, the family situation is different now than before. Second Master should no longer speak ill of scholars in public or in private.

After the fifteenth, the Second Master will enter the Imperial Academy to study, and he must not speak ill of the corrupt officials there, lest he cause trouble again.

I know that you have your own insights, but you should also think things through. If your insights are not to the liking of the Master and others, you should be cautious.

Having knowledge is a good thing, but it's better to keep it in your heart than to speak it out and anger the master and others. It won't do the second master any good either.

Second Master has been a clever and insightful person since childhood; he will surely understand what I mean. This matter is extremely important, and I can't go wrong by listening to me.”

Baoyu was originally full of tenderness, but after listening to Xiren's earnest advice, half of his mood was immediately wiped out.

But he also knew that Xiren was sincere, even though she was too naive.

He replied perfunctorily, "I promise my sister that I will no longer care about others' pursuit of fame and fortune. I will only care about my own innocence and will say less in the future."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xiren breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The second matter, Second Master going to study at the Imperial Academy, is a matter of utmost importance to Master."

Second Master, please don't let your studies get involved in family matters like filial piety. That's a dangerous topic, and it could easily give others something to gossip about.

The reason why the master was so angry was because, although he was strict, he actually sided with the second master.

Second Master, if you think about it carefully, it's understandable that you can't always be by your mother's side to fulfill your filial duties while studying at the Imperial Academy.

Just like Third Master going to war, who was away for countless months, he was also unable to fulfill his filial duties to the old lady. It wasn't just Second Master who was like this.

There are a master and mistress in the family, as well as all the young ladies. Their filial piety towards the old lady is enough to fulfill their duty as juniors.

Second Master and Third Master are unable to devote themselves fully to their studies and official duties for the time being, which is understandable. Second Master, please don't bring it up again.

Those with black hearts heard this and, instead of saying that the Second Master didn't want to study, they just used filial piety as an excuse.

They would also falsely accuse the Second Master of having ulterior motives, implying that the Third Master only knew how to be an official and didn't understand the proper etiquette of filial piety within the family, which could cause a great deal of trouble.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Baoyu felt increasingly disgusted upon hearing this. What was the point of reading those books? The old lady never cared about reading.

If I don't fulfill my filial duties to the old lady, how will she know my good qualities? Now that I've moved to the East Courtyard, won't I become even more estranged from her?

Compared to this important matter, what does it matter what about the corrupt officials at the Imperial Academy?

However, even when facing Xiren, he couldn't bring himself to say these thoughts aloud.

He sighed and said, "My insights are ultimately incomprehensible to others, and since no one wants to hear them, I'm too lazy to say anything more."

Therefore, if I neglect my filial duties, then I cannot be blamed.

Xiren felt uncomfortable upon hearing this, but since Baoyu had promised to do so, she decided to let it go for now and deal with it later.

He continued, "I know that Second Master dislikes officialdom and economics, and he dislikes the outdated theories of sages and worthies."

But the world likes it, and Second Master should understand this.

Therefore, we must not say it out loud, so that everyone can save face. Even if Second Master does not like reading, please pretend that you do.

Not to mention distant places, just in this East Road courtyard, there is an excellent example.

I've been paying attention these days. After being enlightened by the Third Miss, Huan-ge'er has also come to understand this principle.

He used to dislike reading even less than the Second Master, but now he pretends to be engrossed in books all day long.

The maids and servants who passed by said that he hid in his room every day, shaking his head and muttering incantations, using classical Chinese phrases, and he could act very convincingly.

Aunt Zhao was quite pleased with this, and she must have whispered in the master's ear many times. Now the master values ​​Third Master Huan more and more, and often goes to his room to watch him read.

Second Master should take heed of this matter and learn from Third Master Huan's cleverness. He should put on a show in front of the Master so that the father and son can get along better.

Things in this world are like water dripping on a stone; if Second Master continues like this, the family will go astray for a long time, and the Master will probably only have Third Master Huan in his heart.

If word gets out that Huan-ge'er, a mere illegitimate son, is more favored than the Second Master's legitimate son, wouldn't the Second Master lose face?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Baoyu patiently listened to Xiren's nagging, barely agreeing to the first few points, but he could no longer bear it when he heard the last one.

She said angrily, "Sister, what you said is wrong. I am an innocent person and I hate people who seek fame and fortune and are hypocritical in everything they do."

Huan'er originally had some integrity, but now she has been defiled and blinded. In order to curry favor with the master, she pretended to be studying hard.

Even if the words of sages and saints have some outdated aspects, they should not be trampled on by others.

Huan'er's shameless act is utterly despicable and I would never stoop to such a thing.

Even if my actions do not meet the master's expectations, it is my fate in this world. Even if I die because of these people, I will do it willingly!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Xiren saw that Baoyu had reverted to his old ways and was saying those useless things again, she couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.

She didn't expect that her words would make Baoyu suddenly realize the truth overnight.

He had finally agreed to two of the three things he had mentioned, so his efforts hadn't been in vain.

In the future, we can use words of pressure and admonition; in the long run, it will eventually be beneficial.

She added, "Second Master, agreeing to two things is fine; that should be enough to get by. But there's one more thing that you need to pay more attention to."

With so many people in the family and so much gossip, and Second Uncle having just moved to the East Courtyard and about to get married, we absolutely mustn't cause any more trouble.

The day after tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Although there will be fewer banquets and operas at home because of Third Master's expedition, we will still visit relatives.

At that time, Mrs. Guihua and the new grandmother will also come to pay their respects to the old lady.

Whenever such a large gathering of guests occurs, the Second Master must observe more and speak less, being even more careful and cautious in his speech, lest he cause any more trouble.

The Mongols are causing a great disturbance, and there are rumors that the nine gates will be closed in a few days to prevent refugees from entering and causing trouble in the city.

Right now, Third Master is going on an expedition to fight against the Mongols, and everyone is watching closely. Second Master, please don't discuss this matter in front of others.

Many things, if left unsaid, will not arise as right or wrong; Second Master, you must remember this well.”

As Baoyu listened to Xiren's incessant chatter, the decadent feelings that had arisen from their intimate moment vanished completely.

He was very unhappy, so he gave Xiren a few perfunctory replies and crawled into bed pretending to be asleep to avoid her constant chatter.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Twenty li south of the eastern outskirts of Shenjing lies Wawu Town.

The town, bathed in moonlight, was filled with the heavy stench of blood; indiscriminate slaughter permeated every corner of the town's streets and alleys.

The dying resistance and humble pleas were all in vain and made no difference; they were instantly crushed to pieces by iron hooves and scimitars.

The killers and the victims are like two different species, their wills and emotions are not equal, pity and compassion are worthless, and destruction and trampling are justified.

On a high ground north of the town, hundreds of iron cavalry guards surrounded a young general like stars around the moon.

The general was in his early twenties, clad in armor, with an iron hat on his head. He was burly, with a face full of fierce features, exuding an aura of bravery and strength.

This man was none other than Manhai, the second son of Anda Khan. He was acting on Anda Khan's secret orders to lead 20,000 elite Mongol cavalrymen on a clandestine march along the dense forest trails on the western slopes of Yunzhi Mountain.

Because they discovered several Zhou troops being transferred north along the way, they had to take a roundabout route to avoid revealing their whereabouts, taking half a day longer than the originally planned three-day time limit to reach Wawu Town.

He coldly surveyed the bloody massacre in the town, his gaze devoid of any pity, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

He said, "The town must be completely sealed off, leaving no one alive, not even a chicken or a dog."

In his secret instructions, the father Khan had specifically instructed that a secret report be sent out from the capital city, indicating that the farmers in the town were selling grain and had close ties with the capital.

"If even one survivor escapes, our army's plans will be leaked within a single night, and Father Khan's strategy of surprise attack and harassment will completely fail!"

The lieutenant said, "Second Prince, rest assured. The town is surrounded by two layers of walls, and scouts are stationed along the perimeter for three miles. Not even a bird can fly out."

Man Hai took the map from his guard and examined it carefully under the bright moonlight.

He then took out a brocade pouch from his bosom and carefully checked the secret instructions inside.

He said, "Within twelve miles of this place, there are two other towns called Dazhou Village. According to a secret report from Shenjing, their populations are slightly smaller than those of Wawu Town."

Although the two villages are some distance apart, they have close ties with Wawu Town.

Once daybreak, the news will easily leak out as soon as people move about. Send four thousand-man squads to immediately launch a swift horse raid and wipe out these two villages and towns overnight. Treat them the same as everyone else, leaving no survivors!
The enemy must be wiped out by noon tomorrow. Personnel must be deployed to hide and maintain communication channels.

In this way, once our army arrives at Wawu Town, news can be blocked within a 15-mile radius.

With increased scout patrols, any survivors nearby were killed. The town of Wawu was established as a base, and the forces were to establish a foothold there and launch raids as opportunities arose.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The deputy general received the order and immediately went to mobilize the troops. In just a short while, several troop formations surged through the streets and split up to head southeast of the town.

The massacre in the town lasted for a long time, and the shrill screams gradually became sparse.

Before long, the entire town was deathly silent; not even the sounds of roosters crowing or dogs barking could be heard.

The entire town was littered with corpses and bloodstains, exuding an eerie atmosphere that sent chills down one's spine.

Man Hai closed the map, watching the troops outside the town gradually move towards the town, a smug and cruel smile on his face.

Suddenly, a sharp and loud eagle cry rang out from the sky.

Looking up, Man Hai saw a bird flying through the air under the bright moonlight, and he could even see its gray and white spotted feathers.

Man Hai laughed and said, "It's quite a rare thing to see a gyrfalcon in this place."

Seeing the bird circling over the town, he felt a strange unease and casually took the bow and arrows from the saddle.

He was a fierce general, and his archery skills were naturally excellent. He could draw his bow and shoot arrow in one go, releasing the arrow in just two breaths.

It was dark at the time, and the gyrfalcon was flying quite high, but Man Hai was very confident in his archery skills.

The arrows whistled through the night wind as they shot upwards at high speed.

Just as the gyrfalcon swept past, the arrow was about to strike, the timing was incredibly precise, and Man Hai's archery skills were undoubtedly superb.

The guards around cheered. Even though the people of the grasslands were skilled in riding and archery, shooting down an eagle in the dark required archery skills that surpassed those of ordinary people.

Man Hai looked up at the sky with a smug expression, waiting for the eagle to be hit by the arrow and fall.

However, that gyrfalcon was quite intelligent; it sensed the danger in advance by noticing the sound of something cutting through the air.

Just as it was about to be pierced by the arrow, it quickly folded its wings, lost its balance, tumbled in the night sky, and fell like a meteor.

The arrow barely grazed the bird's body, missing its mark at the last second. Several feathers fell from the sky, and the guards below let out a sigh of regret.

The gyrfalcon quickly rose to a height of about ten feet, then immediately spread its wings again, instantly regained its balance, flapped its wings, and rapidly climbed upwards, flying south at high speed.

Man Hai wanted to draw his bow again, but it was too late. He felt a little strange and said, "What a flat-haired beast."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Two hundred li south of Tongzhou, there is a campsite for six thousand Shenji soldiers.

Candlelight flickered in the general's tent as Jia Cong studied the map, his fingers tracing the mountains and slopes, his eyes thoughtful.

He picked up the cup of weak tea that Ellie had brewed; he had already drunk half of it, and when he picked up the cup again, he found it had gone cold.

Suddenly remembering Ellie's earlier instructions to wait until the tea cooled down before going to sleep, he looked at the tent floor and saw Ellie sleeping soundly, wrapped in a fur robe.

She was fast asleep, her fair cheeks flushed, and her curled eyelashes cast a shadow on her eyelids in the candlelight.

Even though her delicate body was wrapped in a fur robe, her tall and slender curves were still clearly visible in the dim light, making her even more alluring and lovely.

Jia Cong even had a fleeting impulse to steal a kiss on her rosy, snow-white cheeks, but in the end he just smiled and didn't actually do anything absurd.

He rolled up the map on the table again, lay down on the makeshift bed Ellie had made, wrapped himself in a fur robe, and turned to his side.

Seeing Ellie sleeping peacefully and smelling the gentle fragrance of her daughter, he felt a sense of peace and tranquility, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I slept quite soundly, and I don't know how much time passed. In my drowsy state, I seemed to hear a few howls, which sounded unusually sharp and high-pitched.

Jia Cong was not fully awake when he noticed Ellie lifting his fur robe beside him. He immediately sat up and said, "Strange, why is the eagle slave back so quickly?"

Ellie asked, "Yu Zhang, what time is it now?"

Jia Cong took out his pocket watch, glanced at it in the dim candlelight, and said, "It's just past the hour of Yin."

Ellie looked slightly surprised and said, "The eagle slave flew away less than three hours ago, how come it's back so quickly!"

Over the years, Jia Cong and Ai Li often heard her talk about training eagles. Back in Liaodong, they had even witnessed the amazing skills of the eagle trainers.

He was always aware of something, and his sleepiness vanished instantly. He sat up and asked, "Could it be that the eagle slave has discovered something?"

The two stood up at the same time, put on their robes, and Ellie tidied her hair and carefully put on a helmet to cover herself.

She then rummaged through the chest and pulled out a leather eagle-shaped cover, quickly putting it on her left wrist before following Jia Cong out of the tent.

Campfires were lit in the camp under the starlight. The soldiers on night patrol walked back and forth. When they saw Jia Cong come out of his tent, they simply patted their chests in salute and then continued their patrol.

Jia Cong saw that Ai Li walked to the back of the camp, where there was an open area without any tents, which appeared to be particularly quiet.

Ellie took out her bone flute and played it. The flute's sound was delicate and mournful, seemingly real yet elusive, with a hint of eeriness.

She raised her arm, adorned with an eagle's hood, to the sky and waved it gently, as if conveying a message to the eagles in the heavens.

Soon, the cry of an eagle came from overhead, and a dark shadow circled in the night sky.

As Ellie played her strange flute, the dark figure flew low, rose high, and swooped down through the air, making all sorts of bizarre gestures.

This unique interaction between humans and eagles was not the first time Jia Cong had witnessed it.
Back when Liaodong was in a standoff with the Jurchen Three Guards, Ellie and her eagle slaves relied on this unique communication to allow Jia Cong to anticipate the enemy's moves to the greatest extent possible.

This strange communication between humans and birds continued for quite some time. Then, with a gust of wind, the eagle servant landed steadily on Ellie's left arm.

-----

Ellie said, "The eagles flew southeast, passed four mountain peaks, and then discovered a large army."

It flew for less than three hours, and based on its habits and speed, the round trip was probably more than three hundred miles.

That is, about 150 or 160 li to the southeast, a large troop movement was discovered.

"Yu Zhang, the imperial army has been moving troops around frequently lately. Could it be that the garrisons in nearby prefectures and counties have been mobilized?"

Jia Cong shook his head and said, "I am the commander of the firearms army and am only under the direct command of the Grand Coordinator for the Expedition against Mongolia. I will receive a copy of the Ministry of War's report on the troop movements of the garrisons in various prefectures."

Moreover, the troops at the three passes to the north are fully mobilized, and there will be no reinforcements or deployments for at least the next ten days. The large-scale troop movements at night are most likely not the Zhou army.

One hundred and fifty li to the southeast is not far from the capital; there's something very fishy about this!

The eagle perched on Ellie's arm suddenly let out two strange cries, and Ellie thoughtfully stroked its feathers.

Suddenly she cried out, clutched the hawk on her arm to her chest, and quickly walked back to the tent, with Jia Cong following closely behind.

Ellie walked to the candlelight, carefully stroked the eagle slave's entire body, and said, "Although the eagle slave was not injured, it came back after suffering a loss. Look here."

Jia Cong and Aili exposed the eagle's belly, revealing a patch of skin with many feathers missing, which was faintly visible and appeared somewhat red upon closer inspection.

Ellie said, "Something brushed against this spot and rubbed off some feathers. Although it wasn't injured, the bird still felt pain."

"The strange cry it made just now was because it was afraid; it was trying to warn me."

Ellie looked distressed and kept stroking the eagle's feathers, seemingly trying to comfort the eagle slave.

……

Jia Cong asked curiously, "The eagles are all flying in the sky, what could possibly brush against them..."

He suddenly realized and blurted out, "Could it be an arrow? Someone shot an arrow at it, but missed and grazed it instead!"

Ellie said, "I can't think of any other reason besides this. The gyrfalcon is good at flying high and is extremely difficult to hit with an arrow. The soldiers of the Central Plains don't have a liking for shooting eagles either."

Yu Zhang, based on this deduction, the eagle slave discovered a large army, which was most likely a Mongol army. Only nomadic peoples on the grasslands would take pride in shooting eagles and hunting eagles.

"Didn't you say the Mongols are currently engaged in a fierce battle with Zhou's army at Yaoshanyi, outside the Three Northern Passes? How come they're in the rear? What's going on?"

Jia Cong looked serious and said, "I don't know the reason either, but it's 150 li to the southeast, which is very close to the capital, Shenjing."

If a large contingent of remnant Mongol troops were to appear anywhere, the consequences would be unimaginable and should not be taken lightly.

If we didn't know, that would be one thing, but now that we've discovered some clues, we can't just sit idly by.

……

Jia Cong spread out the map on the table. He had looked at this map countless times since he was ordered to go on the expedition.

Just before going to sleep, he was studying the map. He knew almost all the terrain on the map by heart.

He traced his finger across the map and said, "This place is 150 li to the southeast, about 30 li from the capital."

This area has a large amount of fertile land, as well as three or four villages and towns. Some of these places are frequent stops for merchants traveling north to the capital.

Last time I returned to Beijing from Nanjing, I passed through that area. I remember there was a town called Wawu, which was only twenty miles away from the capital.

I also stayed there once. The town was quite prosperous and produced rice, grains, and fruits, all of which were of excellent quality.

The food in both the eastern and western prefectures is quite refined. I heard from my eldest sister-in-law that the prefectures also have close ties with farmers in the town, who regularly deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to the household.

That area is close to the capital, with convenient access, making it a strategic location. If the Mongols were to infiltrate, the consequences would be unimaginable!

……

Jia Cong summoned the guards at the gate and invited Jiang Xiaoliu and Yu Xiuzhu, the captains of his personal guards, into the tent.

A short while later, Jiang Xiaoliu hurriedly entered the tent, his eyes looking slumped over, as if he had been woken up from his sleep.

He asked, "My lord, what military assignments are there?"

Jia Cong said, "There is a suspected movement of remnant Mongol troops in the 150th region of the southeast. Select 20 skilled men to lead a team to investigate."

If the enemy situation is indeed as described, there must be scouts patrolling within fifty miles. You must be cautious on this trip and avoid alerting them.

After setting out from the camp, every fifty li of advance, a fast horse would be dispatched to report the situation, and path markers would be left along the way.

"You must report the enemy situation accurately by noon tomorrow. This matter may concern the safety of the capital; there can be no mistakes. Any negligence will be punished according to military law!"

Seeing Jia Cong's stern expression, Jiang Xiaoliu's spirits lifted, and he said, "Lord, please rest assured, the commander will not dare to be careless and will definitely investigate the enemy's situation."

Jia Cong called Jiang Xiaoliu to the map and said, "This area is roughly 150 to 180 li from here."

According to the map, there are several villages and towns there, including Jiafeng Town, Yushan Village, and Wawu Town...

Xiao Liu, you're a local from Shenjing, so you probably know these places. When the Mongol cavalry are mobilized, they always only carry half of their military rations, relying on plundering along the way for the rest.

This is a long-standing custom of nomadic life on the grasslands, so wherever they march, they are far more ferocious and powerful than the disciplined Zhou army, and should not be underestimated.

If there were indeed Mongols in this area, these villages and towns would certainly be their targets, not only to replenish their military supplies but also to facilitate their occupation and rest.

Once you and your men approach within fifty li, you must be extremely cautious. Don't lose your lives before you even return with news. Remember this!

Jia Cong then explained all the details he had carefully considered to Jiang Xiaoliu one by one until Jiang had no more doubts before letting him leave the tent to select elite troops.

He then said to Xiuzhu, "After dawn, immediately summon my generals and the entire army to prepare their gear and be ready to set off at any time..." (End of this chapter)