Chapter 109: Ten Years
Now, in the wet and cold frontline of Jiangbei, those ten years have shrunk to an inch, in which he crossed over by a step.
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The soldier was frightened out of his wits, stunned on the spot and was pushed aside by Chang Geng. Chang Geng’s hair all over his body stood up, his hands and feet were colder than the winter weather in Jiangbei.
Gu Yun was just suffering from chest pain at first, after spitting out this blood, he had felt a bit better, but the coughing would not stop. The front of his clothes was stained with blood. He could not see clearly what was around him, waving his hand around, “Don’t make a ruckus,… cough, don’t… cough…”
Chang Geng suppressed his spirit that was on the edge of collapse and was about to pick him up when suddenly, he heard Gu Yun vaguely crying out to him: “… Chang Geng…”
He took a deep breath and leaned over to listen, “Hm?”
Gu Yun’s nose was full of the scent of blood. This time, even his sense of smell was not working, it seemed only his brain was still clear as if on its last momentum, he speaks in intermittent, “Chang Geng…Yan Wang is coming these days. This matter is not allowed to be spread, especially him…do not let him know…”
Chang Geng’s heart cracked, his eyes red, he told the guard next to him. “Call the military doctor over!”1
The guard ran away.
Yao Zhen was really exhausted both mentally and physically, wanting to cry but had no tears. He simply suspected that the feng shui of Jiangbei camp was not good. One person just fell down, another one followed, even an ancestor who could not afford to fall. At the moment, he could not help but asking Master Liao Ran who came along with Chang Geng. “Are you here to pray for Old Zhong? Praying is not urgent, you should first chant sutras to exorcise evil spirits?”
The master looked at him helplessly and gestured, “The mute cannot recite sutras.”
Chang Geng thought that as he had followed Miss Chen to study medicine all this time, he could be considered as half a doctor. But when it came to a critical moment, he found that towards one patient, he was really helpless. As he saw the blood of this man, his mind had already been blank, the medical books he had learned seemed to have all been given back to Miss Chen, let alone doing any treatment.
All the best military doctors in Jiangbei Camp were gathered in the marshal tents that had just been cleared up before anyone could live in. Everyone who came in and out was very nervous. Chang Geng held Gu Yun in his grip without letting go, he did not feel that he was being an obstruction either, sitting aside quietly, making the military doctors tremble.
Liao Ran was standing at the door with worries, he had heard how Chang Geng was pinned into a hedgehog that year when the capital was in danger. At this time, he was really afraid Chang Geng would suffer an attack in Jiangbei Camp – there was not even one person here who could suppress him.
However, beyond his expectation, Chang Geng was very quiet from the beginning to the end. He didn’t have the slightest sign of turning mad. Gu Yun’s vague sentence ‘do not let him know’ was like a needle, pinning his soul in his body.
Chang Geng suddenly felt that he was asking too much from Gu Yun, and he was carelessly getting more and more greedy. He had never let him have a peace of mind. How did he get all those new and old wounds while he had been kept in the dark about all of them? Chang Geng could imagine many times when Gu Yun was at a place where he could not see, wounded and sick at the same time, while still having to tell the others to block the news, not letting him know.
“Your Highness,” said a military doctor cautiously, “Marshal overworking himself is half the cause of his illness, and… er… in addition, in the past year or two, he has suffered wounds on the front line, injuring his lungs and organs, the congestion has not come out. This time, although it looks dangerous, it is not necessarily a bad thing.”
Chang Geng listened, silently reached out to place a hand on Gu Yun’s pulse and forcefully calmed his nerves. Even after checking blindly for a moment, he still could not come to a conclusion and had to trust these military doctors’ diagnoses. “Mm,” he asked, “what medicine should be used, have the gentlemen concluded yet?”
The military doctor hesitated for a moment and said, “Uh… in this case, it is better not to use too much medicine, he should rest and calm the mind…”
When he finished, even he himself knew that he was speaking needless words, nervously looking at Chang Geng’s hands holding Gu Yun with blue veins showing. He was afraid that Yan Wang would lash out on him, but after waiting for a long time with fear, Chang Geng did not say anything, he only sat there in a daze.
Then he politely said, “Thank you, I hope you will do your best.”
Several military doctors felt frightened by his grace, filed out, and each did their utmost. Liao Ran quietly came in and stood gloomily in front of Chang Geng for a while. Finding nothing else he could do, he stretched out his hand and brushed the slightly wrinkled eyebrows of Gu Yun, silently reciting Buddha’s mantras.
Chang Geng sighed, “Don’t do it, Master, he disliked Buddha. Are you going to wake him up by angering him? — Do you have wooden birds with you? Write a letter to Chen Qing Xu.”1
Liao Ran looked up at him.
Chang Geng said expressionlessly, “Ask her how many things she had helped Gu Zi Xi to hide from me.”
“Your Highness, are you alright?” Liao Ran signed.
Chang Geng’s shoulders moved slightly. In an instant, Liao Ran felt that he almost broke down, but Chang Geng did not collapse. He looked down at Gu Yun for a while, and did a thing that frightened the master into crying — he was holding Gu Yun’s hand in spite of himself, and slowly kissed his forehead, the kiss was respectful and pious, almost feeling solemn.
Liao Ran’s mouth was agape as he took in a cold breath.1
Chang Geng’s eyes did not leave Gu Yun, there’s no telling to whom did he whisper the sentence to: “Still good, rest assured.”
The Master was frightened, he thought ‘non-existence is existence, existence exactly is non-existence’, and took small steps to escape, leaving Chang Geng to silently keep watch on Gu Yun.
In the middle of the night, Gu Yun changed from being unconscious to falling into a deep sleep. He seemed to be trapped in a nightmare. Occasionally, he would move restlessly. Chang Geng remembered that Gu Yun could not lie still when he had a high fever that year, but it seemed that if he could feel that someone was accompanying him, he would be able to feel a little more secure, thus he had leaned on the bed and held onto him the whole time.
In the praying hall of General Zhong, the faint fire was still shining. It was a wonder if he knew about this and returned in Gu Yun’s dream, and what would he say to him.
Chang Geng tightened his hands and held Gu Yun in a posture similar to protective. For the first time, he had no dependence on his little yifu, no desire for his loved one. Instead, he seemed to cherish a young and fragile child.
In those days of his unrequited feelings, Chang Geng had imagined countless times that if he had been born ten or twenty years earlier, what would be the scenario between him and Gu Yun?
Now, in the wet and cold frontline of Jiangbei, those ten years have shrunk to an inch, in which he crossed over by a step.
Unfortunately, even if on this side, he crossed over ten years within one night, it could not stop the Westerners discreet scheme.
That night, the messenger and the Pope completed their internal struggle, and ended with a brief victory for the messenger, reaching a consensus on launching a surprise attack on the Great Liang Navy.
The plan was scheduled for this gloomy evening, but before it could come into action, suddenly, news came from the watchtower that the Jiangbei defense line of Great Liang had been tightened and the alert level had been adjusted to the most serious and critical situation.
Master Ja quickly rushed into the main ship that was already full of power and ready to go: “Your Majesty! Gu Yun came too fast. Great Liang’s Navy is obviously not only in its infancy. The opponent had increased their defense, if we fight fire with fire like this, it won’t benefit our economy…”
Before he had finished, the messenger came in with an unsightly expression: “No one is allowed to change my plan!”
The messenger could represent the King and the aristocrats in the presence of the Holy See and the army, he must have strong supporters behind him, a highly trusted and talented young master. He was arrogant and ambitious. A few days ago as he was bluffing, not putting Great Liang army and the commander of the Black Iron Camp in his eyes, both outward and internally, turns out, he already receive this slap to the face not long after.
Not mentioning other things, the messenger’s self-esteem would not find this acceptable.
The Pope was also anxious: “Please repress your personal feelings. War is not a matter of a joke or fighting to see who is better!”
The messenger turned red and argued roughly: “No one jokes about wars, Your Majesty! If the enemy is just bluffing, what can they possibly prove? This is precisely the best time for us to attack!”
Master Ja immediately asked, “What if it wasn’t a bluff?”
“There’s no such possibility,” said the messenger, giving him a somber look. “These fragile navies have no fighting power at all. You’re just worried about taking risks-”
Master Ja: “These are illogical excuses!”
“Pay attention to your wording, sir,” said the messenger coldly. Then, with a turn of his eyes, he drew a roll of parchment from his arms. “I’m not here for discussion, gentlemen. I signed the highest call order on behalf of the Holy Land half an hour ago. This is a backup copy. Please see through it carefully.”
Master Ja’s face was red from anger, before he could protest, the main ship ‘sea monster’ suddenly gave a long sigh, it seemed he had already acted without letting anyone voicing their opinions.
“Are you crazy?” Master Ja roared. Instinctively, he pulled out his sword at his waist and said, “Stop!”
The messenger showed no sign of weakness and immediately drew his shining knight saber, “It is our honor to fight to the death for the King and infinite glory! We are not on the frontline to hide in our harbor and pray!”
Master Ja: “What did you say!”
The Pope shouted: “Enough!”
The messenger made a sneer: “Why, what else does your majesty wish to instruct?”
The Pope’s cheeks twitched for a moment as if his nerves were abnormal and finally compromised helplessly on the departed main ship: “If we must follow your absurd plan, at least the battlefield will be directed by my men.”
The messenger could not agree more, if this expedition failed, the Pope was a ready scapegoat. He gave Master Ja a pleased look and laughed, withdrawing his saber and loudly said, “Go at full speed!”
Tonight, a line of Western Dragons under disguise dispersed in the long battle frontline of Liangjiang, quietly bypassing the Jiangbei Camp, ready to land in the glory of God.
In the Northern Frontier, thousands of miles away, the Eighteen Tribes also sent a second group of envoys to contact Great Liang.
Cao Chun Hua himself arrived in Northern Xinjiang. He and Chen Qing Xu had gone deep into the barren land in the north before, they were very familiar with the Heavenly Wolf Tribe, supporting the delicate situation in Northern Xinjiang and accompanied Shen Yi to see the Man envoys outside the Black Iron Camp defense line.
Through the Qian Li Yan, it could be seen that this time, the Northern Man envoy did not come empty-handed. They pulled a convoy behind. From the appearance and rutting impression of the convoy, it seemed that it was specially designed to transport Ziliujin.
A twenty-five to twenty-six year old young man, surrounded by a group of messengers, seemed to be the leader of this group at first glance. However, after a closer look, they saw that the young man was pale, with obvious fear and anxiety, caught in the middle of several horses, appearing as if he was forced to be here against his will.
Shen Yi dared not take the initiative to talk to Chen Qing Xu, he had to asked Cao Chun Hua in a low voice, “Who is that man?”
Cao Chun Hua looked at it through the Qian Li Yan and said, “The second prince of Jia Lai.”
“What?” Shen Yi frowned. “Are you sure, are you not mistaken?”
Cao Chun Hua threw a glamorous eye at him, pointed his fingers to Shen Yi’s chest. “Ah, General Shen, Teacher Shen, I remember two things very well in my life – One is the face, the other is the tone of a person’s voice. You can trust me.”
When he was a child, Shen Yi also taught him how to read books. At that time, he felt that he was a fairly normal girl. Who knew that when he grew up, as he ‘recovered’ his male body, the whole person turned into having this conduct. Shen Yi, as an old age scholar and an unmarried man, he really was not able to endure Cao Niang Zi’s fierce provocation. At the moment, with goose bumps all over, he unconsciously moved closer to the direction of Miss Chen and dodged that finger.
“Xiao Cao.” Miss Chen glared and coldly opened her mouth to warn Cao Chun Hua.
In the entirety of Lin Yuan Pavilion, he could offend anyone but could not afford to offend Doctor Chen. Cao Chun Hua immediately closed his lips and sat properly on the horse’s back, feigning decency as he analyzed to Shen Yi. “General, it seems that the Eighteen Tribes really are sincere this time. To hand over the ‘Wolf King’ truly is a humiliating deed, perhaps they plan to push everything the envoy did in the capital onto this puppet Second Prince to ease things up.”
Shen Yi tapped his finger gently on the horse’s bridle: “Wait a minute, don’t be too excited so soon. I always think that for the Barbarians to give in like this, it was too easy.”
He had dealt with the Northern Man many times, he knew how much of a bastard they could be.
For most of these cattle raising bunch, they would not shed tears before seeing the coffin. At this time, the Black Iron Camp had only threatened a little, they had not even reached the frontline of the Man, let alone doing anything. Shen Yi always felt that logically, the Eighteen Tribes should still struggle for a while longer.
Cao Chun Hua looked at the suspected large quantities of Ziliujin, licked his lips and asked, “What should we do? Do we let them in?”
Shen Yi said cautiously, “All Baihong arrow archers, take aim. Forbid the Barbarians to approach, summon the Ziliujin inspectors to come and open them one by one for inspection.”
Cao Chun Hua’s expression changed, he looked back at Shen Yi. The two men both remembered the Trojan horse that was the Giant Kite in Yanhui Town that day.
If it was someone else, at least a fierce tiger would not eat their young, but normal logic could not be used to deduce Jia Lai Ying Huo. He truly could commit such a thing as using his son’s own life to trick the enemy into opening the gate.
At Shen Yi’s command, the Black Iron Camp immediately drew up its swords and arrows. The killing intent on the northern ground greatly increased, surrounding the envoys.
The Second Prince trembled on his horse’s back, seemingly about to fall off, a team of trained Ziliujin inspector ran out, opening the chests and checking in front of the Man envoys.
Several carts of Ziliujin, which made people drool, were thus exposed to Shen Yi and others.
The Ziliujin inspector dared not be careless. He inspected the purity of Ziliujin in each cart one by one, and put the characteristic pole into the sealed carriage to check the volume.
Several long poles stained with Ziliujin were presented to Shen Yi. The scale on them was almost full. The inspector quickly reported, “General, purity is of no problem, reaching the proper level for tribute.”
Shen Yi made an ‘Mm’ sound, still did not put aside his doubt, then looked up at the Second Prince. On his forehead, there was an angry purple mark, appeared as if it was created by a whip. The prince’s face was wet with tears and snot, opening his mouth as if wanting to cry out but could not make a sound.
Chen Qing Xu whispered, “General Shen, you see, there is a purple mark on his forehead. I have heard about it in the Eighteen Tribes. It is a witchcraft poison for extinguishing one’s ability to speak. His entire body is stiff now, which is equivalent to being fixed on the horse. He would not even be able to let out a cough. In a few moments, when the purple mark darkens, he will fall to the ground and die. Even if doing an autopsy, he can only be found to have been overly frightened and died of fear and palpitations.”
Without blushing or shying away, Shen Yi shouted, “Wait, stop them!”
The Eagle in the sky gave a sharp cry: “Stop!”
The horse of the Second Prince stopped suddenly, his whole body leaned forward as if his center of gravity was unstable. His hard boots hit the top corner of the nearby oil tank, making a lingering noise of an echo.
One corner of the tank is empty!
Shen Yi’s pupils suddenly shrank: “Fall back!”
As he finished, a man in the group of envoys rushed to an oil tanker and was shot dead by an Eagle with quick eyes. The whole Black Iron Camp silently fell back at the fastest speed, Shen Yi pulled Chen Qing Xu’s horse rein, urging it to move back.
A cluster of sparks erupted into the sky.
It turned out that there was a small teenager hiding under the tank, waving a torch in his hand, lighting a hidden lead under it then looked up at the sky and smiled.
At the next moment, the first Ziliujin cart exploded, the young man turned into the dust in the air.
From that point, a huge impact burst, several dozen feet of purple flame shot up to the sky, the surrounding air boiled instantly, invisible heat waves rolled in, the cold black armor of the Black Iron Camp soldier following behind were burnt red, and the golden boxes exploded like a chain reaction.