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Chapter 340: A show of force

Meanwhile, in the imperial court...

In the days following Chu Lu's permission, the entire court operated with unprecedented efficiency in preparation for the Third Princess's matter. Prime Minister Shen Shi'an, in conjunction with several ministers, quickly finalized all the arrangements.

The letter to the Third Princess needed to be worded in a way that reflected the grandeur of the Celestial Empire while maintaining a sense of familial warmth; the envoy to be sent needed to be eloquent yet dignified; and the gifts to be prepared needed to be presentable yet touching. All these considerations were decided in the shortest possible time.

With the plan set, the action unfolded like lightning. A carefully crafted letter was sent to the desert by express courier, intended to test the Third Princess's attitude first.

Meanwhile, the carefully selected team of envoys had arrived at the Northwest Army's camp with minimal entourage, awaiting good news from Commander-in-Chief General Meng Xiao.

As soon as a reply agreeing to the meeting arrives from the desert, they will immediately step into that snowy land under the escort of Meng Xiao's army.

And today, General Meng has received a reply.

Inside General Meng Xiao's command tent on the northwestern border.

Meng Xiao and the appointed envoy, Lord Wang, were holding a newly delivered reply together, their faces beaming with barely suppressed joy.

The letter was written by the Third Princess herself, with elegant handwriting and sincere words. She was not only pleased that she could eliminate border troubles for her homeland, but also very much welcomed the envoy from her hometown to come and congratulate her.

"General Meng, did you see that! Her Highness the Third Princess is indeed loyal to her homeland!" The royal envoy's voice trembled with excitement. "I knew it! How could Her Highness truly be our enemy!"

Meng Xiao nodded heavily, a long-lost smile appearing on his dark face: "Yes! With Her Highness's letter, the weight on my heart has finally been lifted."

Finally, things are calming down on the northwestern border. Those hundreds of thousands of brothers down there, and the people on the border who have suffered generations of war, can finally breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a few days of peace!

The two looked at each other and saw the barely suppressed smile in each other's eyes.

The envoy carefully tucked the letter into his robes, cupped his hands, and said, "There's no time to lose. I'll go back and pack up now, and set off first thing tomorrow morning. The sooner I get to the desert and see the princess, the sooner I can get things done."

“That’s only right.” Meng Xiao nodded in agreement. “However, Lord Wang, the weather in the desert has been very strange lately. The snowfall is unusually heavy, heavier than ever before. The road may be difficult to travel. I will select a team of the most elite soldiers to escort you.”

Upon hearing this, the envoy bowed deeply and said, "Thank you so much, General Meng!"

"It's my duty, it's what I should do." Meng Xiao waved his hand and laughed heartily. "I wish Lord Wang a smooth journey and a successful trip!"

The next day, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Meng Xiao, accompanied by his officers, escorted the royal envoy and his party to the outside of the camp. The cold wind was sharp as knives, and the flags fluttered in the wind. The convoy, laden with valuable gifts, was ready.

"General, please return. We've already shown you immense kindness by bringing you here," the envoy said to Meng Xiao, pulling his mink cloak tighter around himself.

Meng Xiao's large, bark-like hand landed on his shoulder, his expression solemn: "My lord, you must be extremely careful on your journey. If you encounter any insurmountable obstacles, don't force it; take it slowly. Getting here safely is more important than anything else."

"General, please rest assured," the envoy smiled. "This mission concerns the peace of our two countries for the next hundred years. I will do my best to complete it, even if it costs me my life."

"Good!" Meng Xiao's eyes seemed to blaze with excitement. "I'll be right here, waiting for your good news, sir. I look forward to your early return, bringing back a peaceful and prosperous world where we'll never have to fight again!"

After speaking, the two bowed respectfully once more. The royal envoy nimbly mounted his horse and waved sharply to the ranks behind him: "Go!"

The wheels rolled across the snow, the horses' hooves sank into the snow, the sound carried away by the wind. Meng Xiao stood there for a long time, until the shadows of that group of people completely disappeared into the gray and white sky, before he slowly withdrew his gaze and turned back to camp.

On the way back, a trusted lieutenant looked hesitant and leaned closer to ask in a low voice, "General, is this really a good thing? If the war is over, won't we brothers be useless? How will we earn merit and bring glory to our ancestors in the future?"

Meng Xiao stopped abruptly, turned around abruptly, and his eyes were so fierce they looked like he wanted to devour someone: "What the hell did you say?!"

The man was so frightened by his words that he stood there dumbfounded, not daring to utter a sound.

Meng Xiao's cold gaze swept across everyone's faces. He didn't speak, but slowly raised his hand and pointed to the old scar at the corner of his eye. His voice was as dry and hoarse as the wind and sand of the Northwest: "See this? It was left fifteen years ago."

I was risking my life in this godforsaken place when I was sixteen. Look at this body of mine, can you find a single piece that's whole? I haven't seen my wife in five years! You want to achieve great things, to bring glory to your ancestors? I don't want that!

But what I really want is to go back home, kowtow to my parents, and hold my baby in my arms!

His voice gradually deepened: "Which of our brothers wasn't born of parents? There are hotheads who have just gotten married, and only sons in their families! Who doesn't miss home?"

All you care about is their achievements, but what about their lives? Have you ever thought about that? The brothers who were laughing and joking with you yesterday are being carried back home today.

When you return home in glory, how can you face his mother and wife and say, "Your husband, your son, is not coming back?" He pointed to the distant south and continued, "It's not just us. Do you see over there? Last year, those bastards from the desert sneaked over and slaughtered the entire village overnight!"

I led men to collect the bodies; the ground was littered with arms and legs! The credit you want comes from digging up places like that!

"I'm telling you!" Meng Xiao almost roared, "I'd rather never achieve anything in my life than fucking see any of my brothers die in front of me again, or see any ordinary people lose their families!"

The lieutenant was so ashamed that his face turned bright red, his head almost drooping to his chest: "General... I was wrong."

The other soldiers who had the same idea also felt as if they had been slapped in the face; they all lowered their heads, their eyes red, and their faces burning.

Seeing that they genuinely knew they were wrong, Meng Xiao softened his tone: "It's good that you understand. You may all leave."

Everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon and took their leave.

Meng Xiao returned to the command tent alone. He walked to the sand table, looked at the winding border line, and seemed to see countless bloody battles before his eyes again.

He reached out and gently stroked it, a smile of relief spreading across his weathered face as he murmured, "Finally, peace will return..."

But just a few days later, on a peaceful afternoon, the sound of bugles broke the tranquility of the military camp without warning!
Meng Xiao suddenly stood up, grabbed his sword, and rushed up to the watchtower on the camp wall. He saw a small group of people slowly approaching through the snow outside the camp. There were only about twenty or thirty riders, but their formation was neat and they didn't seem particularly aggressive.

But the emergence of such a group of people at this time is itself highly unusual.

Meng Xiao, experienced and composed, calmly ordered: "Send out a team of scouts to call out and find out who they are! Make them stop immediately!"

"Yes!"

Several of the most agile scouts spurred their horses forward, braving the wind and snow to meet them. They reined in their horses from a distance and shouted at the top of their lungs, "Who's coming from the front? This is a strategic border area. Stop immediately and state your names!"

However, the cavalry ignored them and continued moving forward at their original pace, neither fast nor slow.

The scouts looked at each other, their hearts pounding with fear. They shouted another warning: "Stop immediately! Do you hear me? Stop immediately! If you dare to go any further, we'll treat you as an enemy!"

But all they received in response was deathly silence.

The scouts exchanged glances, understood the situation, stopped shouting, and decisively turned back to report.

"General!" the scout reported, "those men are completely ignoring our commands and show no sign of stopping."

Meng Xiao's face darkened, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, convinced that the newcomers meant no good. He abruptly waved his hand: "All troops on alert! Archers, nock your arrows!"

At the command, the archers drew their bows in unison, the dense array of arrowheads gleaming with a chilling light, ready to riddle the cavalry with arrows at the next order.

But just then, as they drew closer, the group of people finally came into view through the wind and snow.

Meng Xiao's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.

All the soldiers on the camp wall saw who it was. In an instant, everyone was struck dumb, and their hands holding the powerful bows trembled involuntarily.

The leader of that cavalry unit was none other than the king's envoy! Behind him were the elite soldiers who were escorting him to the desert.

They were still riding horses. Each one of them stood ramrod straight.

But from head to toe, it was completely covered in a frighteningly thick layer of frost.

What's even more terrifying is that none of them had their heads on their necks.

They held their heads in their own hands, cradling them against their chests.

Because of the cold weather, the heads did not rot, and their features were lifelike. Each person's face was incredibly distorted, as if the fear before death had solidified into a mask and was placed on their faces.

The whole world was deathly quiet, with only the howling of the wind and snow, like someone crying.

Meng Xiao stood there, stunned.

(End of this chapter)