Chapter 220: Discovery
Editor: Atlas Studios
Baoshan County and Mingshui County were neighbors, though one belonged to Xingzhou Prefecture and the other to Hanzhong Prefecture.
Although the two counties were neighboring counties, transportation was not convenient. This was because there were continuous mountains and rivers between the two counties. In the past, there was a narrow path for people to travel between the two counties, but that was only a narrow path. The mountains and rocks on both sides were so tall that even a small cart could not pass through. Therefore, all along, everyone had to pass through Xingcheng Pass in Xingzhou Prefecture to enter Hanzhong Prefecture, before finally arriving at Baoshan County.
After the Jin soldiers occupied Hanzhong Prefecture, the Great Zhou soldiers blew up the rocks on the mountain and blocked the path.
However, Zhuang Dawei pointed them to another path.
Even though the roads between Baoshan County and Mingshui County were blocked, Qi Haoran’s ultimate goal was not it, but the entire Hanzhong Prefecture.
Qi Xiuyuan naturally knew his brother’s ambition. He didn’t want his brother to command this battle, but to be the vanguard.
Qi Haoran had once boasted in front of him about how powerful the scout camp he had trained for half a year was. Hence, this was a test for him.
There were no Jin soldiers stationed in Baoshan County. As long as they occupied the county office and controlled the people inside, they could use Baoshan County as a stronghold to expand to the entire Hanzhong Prefecture.
If Qi Xiuyuan wanted to silently send a large number of troops into Hanzhong Prefecture, he could not pass through Baoshan County. Because horses, supplies and rations could not travel on that path, after Qi Haoran and the others occupied Baoshan County, they had to quickly control Qinghe Town, which was twelve miles away from Baoshan County.
Qinghe Town led straight to Xingzhou Prefecture’s Shunzhen County’s Baiqi Town. There were checkpoints between the two countries there and soldiers guarding it. Qi Haoran’s mission was to kill those soldiers so that Qi Xiuyuan could lead his troops straight to Qinghe Town.
Once the troops entered Hanzhong Prefecture, they could simultaneously attack from both inside and outside to take down Hanzhong Prefecture.
For Qi Xiuyuan to dare to attack Hanzhong Prefecture at this time, other than the fact that his troops were strong and all the newly recruited soldiers had been trained, the most important thing was that Hanzhong Prefecture had been a little chaotic recently because of the poor harvesting.
Attacking Hanzhong Prefecture now was beneficial to gaining the hearts of the people. Moreover, there might be a huge disaster next year. This was both a disaster and an opportunity. Taking advantage of this opportunity to recruit more soldiers and military households would only be beneficial to him.
Of course, Qi Xiuyuan would not take this risk himself, so after formulating the plan, he sent a letter to General Yuan and asked him to recover the country’s land together.
This was General Yuan’s lifelong wish. As long as it was possible, he would work hard. Although Qi Xiuyuan did not write down the exact time of his operation, he believed that the elites of the Yuan family army would definitely be prepared at all times. As long as he made a movement here, the Yuan family army would appear to restrain the troops in Cai and Tang Prefecture.
Qi Xiuyuan had considered every problem. Seeing that Rong Xuan couldn’t find any problems, he said with a smile, “Then it’s settled. Only the four of us know about this. Don’t tell the soldiers first. Haoran, go back and prepare now.”
Seeing that everyone had something to do except for him, Fan Zijin hurriedly said, “Eldest Cousin, there’s still me. I’ll follow Haoran.”
“No.” Qi Xiuyuan said coldly, “Follow Rong Xuan obediently and distribute rations with him. Haoran is going to kill people, not go on an outing. You’ll only cause trouble if you go.”
Fan Zijin widened his eyes and looked at Eldest Cousin in disbelief. When had he ever caused trouble?
Rong Xuan chuckled and said to him, “Haoran and the others are going on an urgent march. Even trained soldiers might not be able to withstand this intensity. Forget about following them. Preparing the rations is the most important task at the moment. By the way, we’ll make a requisition of the grains your men brought back to West Camp from Lin’an Prefecture first. After we occupy Hanzhong Prefecture, we’ll return them to the 5th Division.”
This time, it was Qi Haoran’s turn to jump up. “How will that do? That’s our 5th Division’s rations. We’re going to run out of rations if you do this.”
Qi Xiuyuan flicked his forehead with a finger and said, “Don’t think I don’t know how much military rations your 5th Division collected this year. Among the five camps, you have the most. How much did you retain privately?”
Qi Haoran shouted, “I’ve already submitted one-third more than them. Big Brother, you can’t ask for all the military rations, right? Back then, when we were repairing the water conservancy facilities, I borrowed a lot of grains from the Sun and Zhao families and haven’t returned it to them.”
Qi Xiuyuan coughed lightly and put his arm around his brother’s shoulder. “I know that you’re having a difficult time now, but isn’t this a special situation? If we want the soldiers to fight for us at the frontline, we have to feed them.”
Qi Haoran said unhappily, “Aren’t all those military rations that I gave you in the storeroom? We spent a lot of money to buy those things that Zijin brought back from Jiangnan.”
“That’s reserved for next year. As soon as we use it, we’ll be discovered. Isn’t the current operation a secret? His Majesty doesn’t want there to be another war at the border. Do you want us to be summoned back by His Majesty before we make it beyond the pass?”
Qi Haoran’s shoulders slumped and he could only agree. However, he was silently grumbling about the Emperor. He was clearly going to help the Emperor recover his territory, but the latter was seemingly stopping him with all his might. He did not know what the Emperor was thinking.
Qi Haoran went back to prepare and made plans to transfer away the scout team that he had trained with Mu Yangling for half a year. He did not say what they were going to do specifically and only encouraged them. Then, he instructed the kitchen to prepare good food and wine for them.
The next morning, Qi Haoran quietly led his men into the mountains.
Mu Yangling lay in the forest and watched Qi Haoran bring the scouts up the mountain. She couldn’t help but frown. Although she and he often brought people to train in the forest, they had never been so prepared.
From the way those men were fully armed, it was obvious that they were going on a mission.
Mu Yangling lay in the forest and watched them disappear into the forest. She recalled that it seemed to be a pathway to Four Tray Village.
After making sure that they had gone far away, Mu Yangling heaved a sigh of relief. She stood up and patted away the grass. Then, she picked up the bow and arrow on the ground and was about to turn around when her body suddenly stiffened. As she turned around stiffly, she saw Qi Haoran looking at her coldly.
With a stiff smile, Mu Yangling waved her right hand like a fortune cat. “What a coincidence.”
Qi Haoran snorted and said, “You should’ve breathed more lightly.”
Mu Yangling knew that he was telling the truth. The moment she saw Qi Haoran just now, her thoughts fluctuated. She had already fused with the environment, but she accidentally leaked her aura. It was only for a moment, but she did not expect Qi Haoran to sense it.
While Mu Yangling was vexed at her own negligence, she was also happy for Qi Haoran’s growth. It was all thanks to her teachings that he could be so brilliant.
“You’re going to Hanzhong Prefecture?”
Initially, Qi Haoran didn’t want to say it, but he still nodded and glared at her threateningly. “Don’t tell anyone about this.”
However, Mu Yangling didn’t feel intimidated at all and merely looked at him with a smile. “Then be careful. You have to come back alive. Don’t lose half your life like last time.”
Qi Haoran also became serious and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come back alive. Your father will also come back alive.”
Mu Yangling widened her eyes. “My father is participating too?”
Qi Haoran smiled. “Isn’t it obvious? How stupid.” He waved his hand and said, “Alright, I’m leaving. When I’m not around, help me pay more attention to the situation in the 5th Division. Also, you have to take care of the corn. Don’t let it be stolen.”