Aoyama

Chapter 464 Entering the City
Jiang Xiansheng was shot in the thigh with an arrow. Within a dozen breaths, his hair was soaked with sweat, and he leaned weakly against the armored soldier.

Princess Liyang, who had previously feigned using her beauty to please others, stood tall with her head held high, letting the blood stain her silk stockings and soak her embroidered shoes: "How did you guess that these people came to rescue me?"

The mountains and forests were peaceful, and their elite troops, who were surrounded by enemies, were hesitant to act, waiting for Princess Liyang to persuade them to surrender.

Chen Ji said slowly, "Your Highness is a man who values ​​his life. It is already suspicious enough that you did not run behind the armored soldiers after being assassinated, but instead ran into the mountains and forests. You sent Jiang Que and Jiang Guo away precisely for this moment."

Princess Liyang's lips trembled with pain, but her smile remained undiminished: "I underestimated you. You are indeed no ordinary grain merchant. Whose side are you on? You are certainly not on the side of Yuan Xiang or Lu Jin, otherwise I would already be dead."

"Someone from the Marquis of Champion? Possibly."

"Jiang Xianzong's men? That's possible."

Chen Ji said calmly, "Your Highness need not know whose man I am; just know that Your Highness's life and death are in my hands."

Princess Liyang asked curiously, "Since you don't want the official position, how about I give you gold instead?"

Chen Ji calmly replied, "No need."

Princess Liyang felt the coldness of the hairpin beside her neck: "Zhou Sheng, do you know that this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for ordinary people? If you gamble wrong, you will die without a burial place; if you gamble right, you will be promoted to a high position. There is no greater merit in this world than the merit of following the emperor."

Chen Ji calmly said, "Your Highness, why don't you let them withdraw first?"

As he spoke, he plunged the hairpin into Princess Liyang's neck.

This was Hong Zu'er's deadly weapon, incredibly sharp. The hairpin pierced the skin half an inch away from a blood vessel, and drops of blood flowed out from it.

Princess Liyang frowned and said softly, "You don't want this, you don't want that. I don't understand you anymore. What do you really want?"

Chen Ji replied, "I want them all to leave."

Princess Liyang remained silent for a moment, then said loudly, "Take twenty steps back."

Footsteps echoed through the forest, and the archers actually emerged from behind the trees, each taking twenty steps back.

Chen Ji dragged Princess Li Yang to Hong Zu'er's hiding place and stuffed Princess Li Yang into Hong Zu'er's hands: "Take her hostage. If anything goes wrong, we'll all die together."

Hong Zuer gave Chen Ji a deep look: "You believe me?"

Chen Ji turned and walked towards Jiang Xiansheng's hiding place: "If I don't trust you, who else can I trust? We have to advance and retreat together now. I know you're not afraid of death, but I also know you're afraid that dying isn't worth it."

Chen Ji approached Jiang Xiansheng and examined the wound.

It didn't damage the major artery, so it won't kill it.

Jiang Xiansheng said tremblingly, "Save me, and I'll give you a thousand taels of gold..."

But the next moment, Chen Ji suddenly broke off the fletching of the arrow on his thigh and stabbed it into the throat of an armored soldier.

Another armored soldier's expression changed. He was about to slash at Chen Ji with his halberd when he saw Chen Ji pull out a blood-stained broken arrow and stab it into his jaw.

Chen Ji acted so quickly that no one had time to react.

The crossbowmen looked at each other from fifty paces away. Jiang Xiansheng's eyes widened: "What are you doing!"

Chen Ji didn't answer him, but picked up Jiang Xiansheng and left. He and Hong Zu'er retreated side by side towards Baidadan City, watching the crossbowmen warily.

Princess Liyang, being held hostage by Hong Zu'er, walked with a limp. She asked in confusion, "Boy, I really don't understand now, whose side are you on?"

Hong Zu'er suddenly grinned and said, "Don't even mention you, I'm a little confused myself."

Princess Liyang looked down at her blood-soaked embroidered shoes: "At least bandage my wounds, otherwise I won't be able to make it to Baidadan City."

After saying that, she lifted her skirt and revealed her blood-soaked right leg to Chen Ji.

Chen Ji tore off the sleeve from Jiang Xiansheng's left arm and threw it to her: "Tie it yourself."

Princess Liyang sneered, "She's completely unyielding."

Chen Ji and Hong Zu'er retreated after taking Princess Li Yang hostage, but no matter how far they retreated, the crossbowmen maintained a distance of fifty paces.

Chen Ji said in a deep voice, "Let them leave."

Princess Liyang lowered her head and bandaged her wound: "If they really retreat, won't I really have no trump cards left?"

Chen Ji turned his head and looked at her coldly.

Princess Liyang pointed to her thigh: "What, do you want me to stab you again? Come on, after you stab the new wound, I'll bandage it."

Chen Ji ignored her and continued retreating towards Baidadan City.

Princess Liyang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm the most pragmatic person. As long as you can live, you can do whatever you want."

She looked up at Chen Ji: "But only if I live, otherwise you will all die."

Hong Zu'er couldn't help but sneer, "How come such a powerful Princess Liyang was exiled to this place? Why didn't your elite troops rescue you sooner?"

Princess Liyang gritted her teeth and said, "Lu Jin!"

At this moment, Chen Ji and his men took a step back, and the archers followed suit, as if they really intended to follow them to Baidadan City.

Princess Liyang asked with great interest, "What do you plan to do? Just retreat to Baidadan City like this? What if Jiang Xianzong wants to kill us?"

“Don’t worry about it,” Chen Ji took a deep breath. “You’d better start praying right now that Jiang Xianzong isn’t on Yuan Xiang and Lu Jin’s side, and that my wife is safe and sound, or you’ll be the first to die.”

……

Baidadan City is a major military town located in the southernmost part of Fengsheng Prefecture in Xijing Road.

When war broke out, this place became one of the most important hubs for the Jing Dynasty's southward advance, where 60% of the grain, fodder, and supplies, as well as cavalry from all over the country, were gathered.

Therefore, Jingchao's exchange of Baidadan City for Yuan City was originally intended as a peace treaty. However, only those who understood military strategy could see that Jingchao actually harbored malicious intentions.

There are no natural barriers between Baidadan City and Chongli Pass. If an army were to cut off the city, even if the Ning Dynasty captured it, the Jing Dynasty could easily take it back.

At that time, all the Ning Dynasty soldiers in the city will be trapped and die.

Evening, outside Baidadan City.

Zhang Baishi and Jiang Que led the mule caravan to the Zhongyong Gate of Baidadan City.

A long queue formed outside Zhongyong Gate.

There were soldiers from the military garrison entering the city, but there were also many grain convoys and merchant caravans that had just arrived, just like them.

Zhang Xia mingled in the mule caravan, glancing up at Jiang Que ahead and then at Jiang Guo bringing up the rear. The two of them stayed one in front and one behind to prevent them from escaping.

Xiaoman looked at Asheng: "Have you ever had any dealings with Jiang Xianzong before?"

Ah Sheng had a blister on the corner of her mouth: "I've dealt with him before. Master Hong said that this man is skilled in military strategy and has managed Baidadan City so well that it is impregnable. In the early years, Master Hong and his men could still sneak into the city, but after he came, it became as difficult as climbing to heaven... But Jingchao has never given him an important position."

Xiaoman asked in bewilderment, "Why?"

Ah Sheng thought for a moment: "Master Hong said that Jiang Xianzong didn't like fighting or killing. In the twentieth year of Jianing, he led the Tiger Legion to launch a surprise attack on Jizhen, causing heavy casualties among the border troops. But at that time, Jingchao did not have any plans to launch a large-scale southward invasion, so the supervising officer ordered the massacre of the city and the burning of the grain before retreating. However, Jiang Xianzong disobeyed the order, neither massacring the city nor burning the grain, but simply had the supervising officer bound and brought back to Jingchao. Later, Jingchao stripped him of his command of the Tiger Legion and demoted him to Baidadan City."

Xiaoman's eyes lit up: "If that's the case, then he must hope for peace talks between the two dynasties, so he wouldn't harm the envoy."

Ah Sheng shook her head, saying worriedly, "Not necessarily."

"How to say?"

Ah Sheng looked at Xiao Man: "Because the terms of the peace talks were to hand over Baidadan City to my Ning Dynasty. Jiang Xianzong has managed this place for twelve years. How could he be willing to do that? Without Baidadan City, the gates of Xijing Road will be wide open. What will he do then? Actually, I don't understand either. This is all what Master Hong said."

They arrived at the city walls.

Xiaoman and the little monk gripped the reins tightly, silently reciting their respective origins.

However, the city gate was completely different from what they had imagined, with only two or three guards and no barricades.

Zhang Baishi walked to the city gate, where the city guard merely checked his travel permit, stamped it, and recorded it.

Zhang Baishi was still waiting for the city guard to inspect the goods on the mule's back, but the city gate guard had already waved him through: "Hurry up and don't block the way. Don't let the mule dung in the city. If I see any mule dung on the road, I'll make you pick it up and eat it."

Zhang Baishi quickly smiled apologetically, "No, no, that won't happen."

As they led the mules through the city gate, the little monk was still relieved: "They didn't search us! I was afraid I'd misremembered their origins."

But Zhang Xia's expression turned solemn: "This is not a good thing. It means that the people of Dadan City are united and have reached a tacit agreement to allow the night raiders to enter the city... to assassinate the envoy."

As they were speaking, the urgent sound of the evening drum came from the drum tower of Baidadan City.

Jiang Que, who was at the head of the mule caravan, glanced at the sky and instructed Zhang Baishi, "Go to the Xijing Daojie Hall now and test Jiang Xianzong's intentions."

After saying that, he took out a waist token from his sleeve: "When you get outside the Jietang Hall, tell him that an envoy from the capital has come to see Emperor Jiang Xianzong. When you see Emperor Jiang Xianzong, tell him that the envoy is five miles outside the city."

Zhang Baishi was startled. Taking the waist token to the Jiedushi Hall was a perilous situation: "General, curfew is about to begin. We should go to an inn or a temple to stay overnight. They will register us and send us to the government office before the evening drum sounds. Otherwise, the garrison of Baidadan City will issue a city-wide warrant for our arrest tonight."

Jiang Que glanced at him sideways: "What does it have to do with me?"

Zhang Baishi took a deep breath: "I know the general is anxious, but everything has its rules, how can I..."

Jiang Que said sternly, "Don't delay! Your loved ones are still in Lord Jiang's hands. Go now!"

Zhang Bai hesitated, but Zhang Xia walked to the two of them, took the waist token from Jiang Que's hand, and said with a determined expression, "I'll go."

Xiaoman ran over and said urgently, "How can that be?"

Zhang Xia glanced at her: "What's meant to be will be. Qing Gui is still in their hands. I can't wait until tomorrow."

Jiang Que sneered, "Good that you know. Do as I say, and your husband will live."

Zhang Xia walked into the city, and Xiao Man stamped her feet anxiously behind her.

Just now.

The little monk glanced at Xiaoman, then suddenly called out to Zhang Xia, "Wait for me, I'll go with you."

……

Happy National Day everyone.

(End of this chapter)