klisemfg Chapter 436 Farewell in the Snowstorm, Everyone Goes Their Separate Ways! (2)
Chapter 436 Farewell in the Snowstorm, Everyone Goes Their Separate Ways! (2)
Three days later, in Yunzhou City.
The first thing Baili Luochen did upon returning to the camp was to summon Lu Ting'en.
Since being rescued by Wen Yanzhao in Tianqi City, Lu Ting'en had already traveled back to Yunzhou City with more than ten followers.
When Wen Yanzhao parted ways with him, he specifically instructed him to return to Yunzhou and await Baili Luochen's decision.
The former Marquis of Yunzhou and the First-Rank Military Commander of Beili was now kneeling in the tent, dressed in coarse linen clothes, with a complicated expression.
"Lu Ting'en, a criminal, pays his respects to the Marquis."
Baili Luochen did not immediately tell him to get up, but instead slowly paced back and forth, saying in a deep voice:
“General Lu, we have been fighting for three months. I have lost more than a thousand men of my Pofeng Army, and I have annexed seven prefectures and thirty-eight counties of your Yunzhou. By all accounts, we should be mortal enemies.”
Lu Ting'en touched the ground with his forehead: "This sinful general knows that he is inferior in skill and has been defeated by the Marquis. He dares not beg for mercy. If the Marquis still has lingering anger in his heart, I, Lu Ting'en, am willing to await the Marquis's judgment. I only ask that the ten thousand or so remaining soldiers in Yunzhou be able to be preserved!"
"Oh?" Baili Luochen raised an eyebrow. "You thought I was going to kill you?"
Lu Ting'en was somewhat bewildered. He knew that Baili Luochen would not kill him, otherwise he would not have sent Wen Yanzhao on a long journey to the Tianqi Palace to rescue him.
Baili Chengfeng then spoke up: "General Lu, if my father and I really wanted to kill you, we wouldn't have let you go outside Snow Moon City that day. The reason I sent you to Tianqi to face Chen Xiao Chongjing was twofold: first, to gamble on the old emperor's magnanimity, and second, to gamble on your own choice."
"Fortunately," Baili Luochen continued, "that child Zhao'er acted in time, preventing you from truly dying at Zhuoqing's hands, otherwise I would have felt guilty."
Lu Ting'en's eyes instantly reddened.
He recalled that day in Tianqi City: Xiao Chongjing's furious gaze, Zhuo Qing's sudden palm strike... and the young master of the Wen family who appeared like a ghost and effortlessly deflected the killing move...
"My lord..." His voice choked with emotion, "I have spent half my life being blindly loyal, only to be told by the emperor that I must die! If it weren't for Young Master Wen's rescue, Lu Ting'en would already be a corpse on the steps of the palace."
Today I willingly hand over all military and civil affairs of Yunzhou, and from this day forward, I will serve you faithfully to the death!
Baili Luochen and Baili Chengfeng exchanged a glance, both father and son with smiles in their eyes.
It seems the plan is indeed going very smoothly, and Lu Ting'en is a loyal and devoted man.
"General Lu, please rise." Baili Luochen personally helped him up. "You will retain the position of Governor of Yunzhou. I will have Feng'er replenish your troop numbers, and you will also be fully responsible for the civil and military affairs of the seven prefectures and thirty-eight counties of Yunzhou... But there is one thing—"
At this point, his gaze suddenly sharpened: "Now that Emperor Tai'an has passed away and a new emperor has not yet been appointed, with Nanjue protecting him, the Western Buddhist Kingdom will probably also be restless!"
We cannot afford to slacken our efforts even slightly. I now require you to transform Yunzhou into an impregnable fortress in the southwest within six months, to defend against the Southern Jue and the various Buddhist kingdoms to the west. Sufficient provisions, weaponry, and manpower must be provided. Can you accomplish this?”
Seeing that Baili Luochen had indeed entrusted him with an important task as Wen Yanzhao had said, Lu Ting'en was both moved and overjoyed. Trembling, he knelt down again with a thud.
"With such trust from Your Excellency, Ting'en... would gladly die for you!"
"Alright! We're all from military backgrounds, and we have to keep our promises!" Baili Luochen helped him up and patted him on the shoulder. "I had Zhao'er save you because I saw that you're a valuable asset. Don't let him down, and don't let yourself down either."
Lu Ting'en nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with determination.
……
Ten miles outside the east gate of Snow Moon City, there is a long pavilion.
Wen Yanzhao led a green horse, carrying only a simple bag.
He always traveled light, even hiding his sword in his storage space.
Baili Dongjun personally escorted him here, followed by two servants carrying a wooden box.
“Cousin, these are gifts for Grandfather and Uncle.” Baili Dongjun opened the box, inside were specialties from Southwest China: Yunnan black tea, snow silver utensils, several rare medicinal herbs from Yaowang Valley, and a tightly sealed jar of wine.
Wen Yanzhao glanced at it and laughed, "Great! Little Baili still thinks about your maternal grandfather and uncle. They'll be very happy to see you!"
At this point, Wen Yanzhao's eyes lit up, and he suddenly asked, "By the way! Xiao Baili, do you still remember Xiao Bai?"
Baili Dongjun was taken aback, his eyes filled with guilt: "Ah...this...Xiaobai, how could I forget it! Alas, it's all my fault. Ever since that incident in Chaisang City, I haven't fed it for a long time! Xiaobai is so big, it can't stand being hungry. After a while, it secretly ran back to Lingnan..."
I'm so sorry... Cousin, you must feed it well when you go back this time, okay? Next time I go back to Lingnan, I must bring it to Snow Moon City!
Wen Yanzhao laughed so hard he almost fell over: "You, you, Xiaobai has been starving since following you, Baili Dongjun. Anyone would run back to their hometown, at least in Lingnan there are bamboo rats for it to eat!"
Baili Dongjun looked extremely embarrassed and stammered, "Oh... I understand, I promise I'll never let it go hungry with me again..."
Seeing Baili Dongjun's expression, Wen Yanzhao changed his tone and asked, "Cousin, are you really not coming back to Lingnan with me? Grandpa often talks about you!"
Baili Dongjun shook his head and sighed, "Snow Moon City cannot do without people. I will definitely go back once the situation stabilizes."
As he spoke, he took out a letter from his pocket: "There's one more thing, cousin. This letter is for Master Gu Chen. Keep it safe. And whatever you do, don't drink that jar of Seven Cups of Starry Night Wine on the way. You must deliver it to Master personally!"
Wen Yanzhao chuckled as he took the letter and casually tucked it into his pocket: "Relax, relax, there's no poison in your wine, I'm not interested. Do you think I'm as addicted to alcohol as your uncle!"
Baili Dongjun nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "Cousin, are those medicinal human figures you've made really going to be used on the battlefield?"
Wen Yanzhao's smile faded as he looked north: "Lord Dong, war is always cruel. The Xiao royal family has cultivated the Northern Li for a century, their foundations are deep. For an ordinary army to successfully launch a northern expedition, it would take at least several years. If we were to use the entire Pofeng Army to attack cities and seize territory, we could very well suffer hundreds of thousands of casualties. But my medicine men—"
He paused for a moment: "Three thousand medicine men are worth one hundred thousand elite soldiers! They feel no pain, they don't get tired, they are not afraid of death, and they will not betray us! Using them to clear the way can save countless brave young men of the Breaking Wind Army from dying. How do you think this cost should be calculated?"
Baili Dongjun remained silent. He knew his cousin was right, but he still felt uneasy.
“Besides,” Wen Yanzhao added, “the materials needed to refine the medicine man are extremely difficult to obtain, and three thousand is the limit. I will not use them on a large scale, but only as a surprise force in key battles. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
“I believe my cousin,” Baili Dongjun finally said, “but… those medicine people were once living, breathing people too.”
Wen Yanzhao's eyes darkened slightly: "That's why I never kill indiscriminately. All the drug victims are death row inmates, serious criminals, or people who voluntarily sacrificed themselves for death. I gave them a second life, and they should pay the price for it. That's fair."
Having said all that, Baili Dongjun said no more.
The two chatted about everyday matters for a while, and finally Wen Yanzhao mounted his horse, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Cousin, take care. When I return from Lingnan, I will go directly to the Qiandong Camp. We will meet again during the Northern Expedition."
"Have a safe journey, cousin."
As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, Wen Yanzhao's figure quickly disappeared at the end of the road.
Baili Dongjun stood still for a long time, his heart surging with emotion.
As the wind and snow intensified, a servant from the City Lord's Pavilion leaned over and whispered a reminder: "City Lord, it's windy outside, you should go back."
“Yes, it’s time to go back.” Baili Dongjun turned around and looked at the majestic Snow Moon City. “There are still many things waiting for me in the city… Sigh, Sikong Changfeng, when will you finally come back… The city affairs are too trivial, I’m really finding it hard to handle…”
……
Seven days later, in Tianqi City.
The national mourning period has ended and the white banners have been removed, but the city has not yet regained its former prosperity, simply because Xiao Ruofeng has dispatched troops from all over Tianqi City to strictly check people entering and leaving.
Tomorrow is the new emperor's enthronement ceremony, and the Ministry of Rites, the Court of State Ceremonial, and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs are extremely busy.
Xiao Ruofeng was sitting alone in the study of the Prince's mansion, with a roll of bright yellow silk open in front of him, on which was the "new edict" he had just written.
The replica of the dragon seal scroll sat on the corner of the table, unopened.
According to the plan, at tomorrow's ceremony, Zhuoxin Society will open the scroll in public and read out the will.
What Xiao Ruofeng had to do was to switch the real scroll before that happened.
There was a knock on the door.
"Enter."
Xiao Ruojin pushed open the door and entered, dressed in a prince's python robe, his expression complex.
He glanced at the scroll on the table and said in a low voice, "Brother, are you really sure?"
“I’ve made up my mind.” Xiao Ruofeng put down his pen. “My brother is more suited for that position than I am. I only ask for one thing—after he ascends the throne, he should immediately appoint me as the Grand General Protector of the Nation and grant me control over all the military forces in the land. The rebellion in the southwest cannot be delayed any longer; I must immediately lead my troops to quell it.”
Xiao Ruojin smiled wryly: "Are you in such a hurry to leave Tianqi?"
“It’s not about leaving,” Xiao Ruofeng said earnestly. “It’s about protecting the land of Beili. Your Majesty, if you want to secure your throne, the rebellion of the Baili tribe in the southwest must be quelled!”
A complex mix of emotions welled up in Xiao Ruojin's heart—guilt, gratitude, and a vague unease. But in the end, he simply nodded: "Okay. I promise you."
Then, the two brothers discussed the details of tomorrow's ceremony until sunset before Xiao Ruojin left the Langya Prince's Mansion.
After he left, Xiao Ruofeng stood alone by the window, gazing in the direction of the palace.
Xiao Ruofeng was also at a loss as to what would become of the Northern Kingdom. With the Southwest in chaos, he had no absolute certainty in facing his former military idol, the Marquis of Zhenxi.
As dusk fell, the lights of the golden cage that was Tianqi City began to illuminate.
……