Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 808 Fate Unknown
Malian Riverbank.

He Tan looked at the rising smoke and couldn't help but smile wryly.

If the garrison had responded so quickly during the war with the Western Xia, they wouldn't have suffered a defeat, which left He Chun with a lingering grudge and almost cost him his life in the army.

Because of that incident, he made up his mind to come to the Northwest. He Chun also "confronted" the officials in Bianjing, ostensibly to recuperate and return home, but secretly came to Daming Prefecture to help him collect evidence of those officials' embezzlement.

They thought the matter would take at least a year or two to resolve, but they encountered Lady Xie in Daming Prefecture. With Lady Xie's help, they stirred up trouble in Daming Prefecture, which greatly advanced the case.

Afterwards, He Chun mentioned Da Shun City again, telling him to keep a close eye on the situation there and be prepared.

He Tan was clutching his wounded abdomen, lost in thought, when the sound of hooves came from Da Shun City, and a dozen or so cavalrymen appeared before him the next moment.

The general leading the troops wore an eye patch and had a deep scar on his face. He sat on his horse without speaking, but his face looked particularly ferocious.

At that moment, a man supporting himself on an ice sled approached He Tan from the opposite bank, and He Tan nodded to the man.

The Malian River freezes over in winter, but there are still undercurrents in the middle of the river. Some parts of the ice are not completely frozen or the ice layer is very thin. Especially in places where the weather was cold and hot a few days ago and the water flow was fast, you could see flowing ice floes. Going into the river at this time is always extremely dangerous, but He Tan jumped onto the ice bed without hesitation.

He Tan took a support pole from the man and together they steered the ice sled forward.

As the ice rink receded into the distance, the general in charge of the troops waved his hand: "Pursue!"

……

When the Wuya tribe and the rest of the troops from Dashun City arrived, they saw these dozen or so people searching along the river, and soldiers lying on the ice, moving closer to the center.

A man on the shore was soaking wet and shivering, wrapped in a cloak.

Before Wu Mu could speak, the guard of Da Shun City stepped forward and asked, "Where is He Tanren?"

The general, who was missing an eye, stepped forward and said, "When we arrived, He Tan had seized an ice sled from a villager and was sliding forward along the river. The situation on the river was complicated, so we couldn't go down into the river to chase him. We could only follow him from the bank."

As the general spoke, a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes, and his face became even more ferocious: "We chased them all the way here and saw the ice bed fall into the ice hole. He Tan and the civilians fell into the ice together."

The warden of Da Shun City was astonished and pointed to the water: "There?"

The general nodded, and in the middle of the river, a sled was trapped in the ice.

"Haven't seen He Tan? Could he have gone ashore?"

The general pointed around: "When we came here, there were no footprints on the shore."

Umu frowned and couldn't help but interject, "He might swim a little further down the river before coming ashore..." He stopped abruptly as soon as he said this.

In this season, no one can stay in icy water for long, and that is why it is impossible to swim underwater to determine whether He Tan is alive or dead.

Umu hadn't expected that even after summoning the garrison from Dashun City, he still couldn't kill He Tan on the spot.

“He won’t leave a body behind,” the general said. “Seeing that the river was in danger, he still wanted to try it. He clearly planned that even if the ice slab overturned and he drowned in the river, he would make sure we couldn’t retrieve his body. Although He Tan is a military general, he is meticulous. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to work with the Wang family to suppress so many generals in the court.”

The general's expression grew even more somber as he spoke.

The guard of Da Shun City nodded. He Tan's body could be used for many things. Letting He Xing take the body back would further incite the emotions of the He family army.

The general bowed to the warden of Da Shun City and said, "It is my fault for not doing a good job and for disappointing the warden."

The general did not get up.

He was a member of the Cao family. The Cao family had fallen into ruin because of the combined efforts of Wang Bingchen and the He family. So when Cao Jun came to Dashun City to join the army last year, he was taken in by the Dashun City guards.

The prison guards believed that Cao Jun would have a chance to kill He Tan and would never let him go.

Umu paced back and forth on the riverbank, clearly unwilling to give up. He ordered his men to go up onto the ice to check. They approached cautiously, but some still fell into the river and were pulled out with great difficulty.

“He Tan was wearing armor; he couldn’t have survived falling into the water,” someone beside Wu Mu whispered. “When a person dies, they sink to the bottom of the river and drift downstream with the current; they are indeed impossible to retrieve.” Hearing this, Wu Mu turned to look at Cao Jun: “Did you see He Tan fall into the water with your own eyes?”

Cao Jun's gaze turned cold: "It wasn't just me; all the dozen or so people I brought saw it. If you suspect I'm lying, you can interrogate the others."

The guards of Da Shun City reprimanded Cao Jun: "You mustn't be rude. It was our fault for not doing things properly. When we get back, you will all be punished."

Cao Jun wanted to say something, but seeing the prisoner's expression, he had to shut his mouth and stand aside.

The guard and Wumu walked to the riverbank, still ordering the soldiers to continue searching for He Tan's whereabouts, and also to search the downstream and surrounding villages.

Even if He Tan escapes after being injured, he will die without timely treatment.

The guard looked at Wu Mu: "If He Tan cannot be found, what should we do next?"

Umu hesitated: "What do you think the prison guards think?"

The guard said, "We can't ruin our master's plans. We must seize this opportunity to raise an army." Time is of the essence, and there can be no delay, because it's not just the troops from the Northwest who are acting together.

Umu nodded: "That's what I'm thinking too, but I need to go back and tell my father."

“Yes,” the guard said, “He Xing should also be sent back to deliver the message.”

He paused slightly at this point: "I think it's not necessarily impossible to succeed without He Tan's body. He might still be alive, and they would be even more eager to rescue him. As long as their troops move, we can use the pretext of military chaos to send troops south to quell the rebellion."

This is what the employer wants them to do.

After killing He Tan and besieging He's army, if the overall situation is still uncertain, they will have to head to Bianjing to help.

Umu asked, "Are there any other troops besides us?"

“Of course,” the guard said, “the rest of the people are also waiting. As soon as chaos breaks out in the Northwest, everyone will be able to get involved.”

Umu's eyes lit up slightly: "It's worth a try." If that fool from the He family finds the token, things will go much more smoothly.

The guard patted Wumu on the shoulder: "If this succeeds, the land, cattle, and sheep of the other two tribes will all be yours." With the support of the imperial court, the Wuya tribe will grow stronger, and the other tribes will naturally be no match for them.

“It’s the same with imprisonment,” Umu said. “Not only can they get land and wealth, but they can also be promoted.”

The two smiled again, everything understood without a word.

Although the matter was settled, Wu Mu and the guards still did not dare to relax and continued to search for traces left by He Tan in the surrounding area, but they only found some bloodstains on the ice surface and ice bed, and found nothing else. Fortunately, He Xing found the token the next day.

Umu looked at He Xing: "Do you know what to do?"

He Xing nodded, but with some doubt: "If something happens to the He family army, what will happen to our He clan..."

Wu Mu chuckled lightly: "How could you control the He clan if it didn't undergo a complete purge?"

Of course not, He Xing knew this principle.

“In that case,” Umu said, “we should take this opportunity to eliminate everyone who is in your way.”

With the matter settled, He Xing dared not delay and took the token, heading straight for Zhenrong Army.

……

Meanwhile, in a farmer's house near White Leopard City.

The man carried out a basin of bloody water, and the woman in the kitchen dared not ask any questions, continuing to boil the medicine.

The man's face was somber as he glanced worriedly into the room. If anything went wrong, he would be damned.

(End of this chapter)