Chapter 14: Returning

The two sides were quite a distance apart, but from afar, they could see each other’s expressions, and Fan Xian squinted his eyes to confirm the other side’s departure, and couldn’t help but shake his head as a wave of unquenchable exhaustion surged through his heart. Having been chased by the Xihu pack of wolves for three long days, both sides had reached the peak of their exertion, and since the other party had given up, he certainly didn’t have any disappointment, and all he had was relief.

After waiting for three days, this three-day chase looked more like a child’s game, not very dangerous, and even the two sides did not even pull out their knives, and did not shoot any arrows, but in fact, each other is clear, what this chase represents, and what kind of danger it hides.

Fan Xian and his party went deep into the hinterland of the grassland and left with their hooves dashingly, although they had never really fought, but they had branded a deep black shadow on the hearts of the Western Hu people. Many years ago, one of the biggest border expansion operations in Qing was also carried out under the covert leadership of the Supervisory Academy, and that person called Chen Pingping, until today, is still a legendary symbol equal to the devil in the grasslands, while Fan Xian’s trip to Xihu this time around is considered to be a continuation of the Supervisory Academy’s fine tradition of arrogantly touring the territory after taking over the reigns.

This time for the spirit of the grassland crowd is a heavy blow, the Xihu royal court intends to unify the grassland, and the Qing country to fight against, but can not stay deep into the hinterland of the grassland of a line of people, I think it will let them on their own strength, have a clearer judgment, but also will let the two years of scenery incomparable Xihu tribes in the army in the matter of this thing, more careful and cautious a lot.

Xihu single Yu speed Bida futile chase for three days, was forced to depressed return, seemingly helpless and sad, but fell in Fan Xian’s eyes, but some other meaning. This master of the grassland, retreating so resolutely, so brave to give up, and able to suppress the warlike temperament of the Hu cavalry, is really an alternative in the grassland.

If this person, with the help of Haitang, really united the grasslands, I’m afraid that he would really become a great danger to the heart of the Qing Kingdom.

Fan Xian blinked his eyes, his long eyelashes were covered in dust, and his entire body looked like an earthling. He had played the powerful men of the grasslands for all they were worth, but he wasn’t very happy, instead he looked a bit forlorn and helpless.

“Go.” With a lead of his horse’s reins, he galloped towards the meadow below in the twilight, his warhorse rejoicing beneath him.

Although it looked like the royal court’s pursuers had retreated back, the Black Rider generals still didn’t dare to relax, who knew if those ruthless Western Hu people would create a false impression and then kill them from the side and rear. On the grassland, the Hu people had the help of flying eagles, which completely canceled out the usefulness of that cylinder telescope in Fan Xian’s hand.

Because of this, this line of people who escaped from the grassland, still do not dare to slow down the speed, forcibly support the tired body, urging the body under the oozing sweat of the war horse, toward the east line gallop. Has been to seven days later, a line of people into the red mountain pass, only really at ease.

Red mountain is the grassland east of a particularly strange terrain, completely by the natural pile of earth and stone, after countless years of the north wind, was cut into a piece of isolated peaks, the peaks are all Chu red, looks like the imperial pen in the imperial library of the general shocking, murderous atmosphere.

The road into the pass is below these red mountains, such as sheep’s intestines like a small road, twisting and turning. Fan Xian walking in the front of the team, took Jing Ge handed over the leather bag, drank a mouthful of water, moistened the sore throat, hoarse voice said: “this side of the matter is over, back to the capital must lie down for two months.”

The red mountain came from the rustling sound, seems to be who stepped down the mountain sandstone, Jing Ge can not help but frowned. Fan Xian knew what he was thinking and laughed out loud, only because of his voice, the laughter seemed particularly hard to hear – the Qing conquering army that was ambushed at the mouth of the Red Mountain looked like they were also exhausted to the point of exhaustion, and had actually allowed their own pedestrians to capture such an obvious sound.

The sound of horses’ hooves rang out from the valley ahead, and the dusty Shi Zi Li Hong Cheng brought the Dingzhou army to meet him from there. Li Hongcheng clipped his horse’s belly and came to Fan Xian’s side, looking at Fan Xian’s wretched appearance, he couldn’t help but shake his head and said, “I told you before, how could a generation of lordly figures like Speed Bidding be provoked into falling for you?”

Fan Xian glanced at him and said, “At least I brought him out for six days, and those six days were enough time to do something.”

“To kill those Northern Qi people in the royal court, you need to be so careful?” Li Hongcheng looked at him disapprovingly, confirmed that the kid was unharmed, before putting his heart down and continued, “You moved against the Western Hu people?”

“No, just moved my feet.”

The teams from both sides met in one place, their voices immediately rose, and within a moment they sailed out of the Red Mountain Pass, which contained a thousand years of wind and sand. In order to cover up the news and prevent anyone from reporting to the Western Hu Royal Court, the Qing elites ambushed at the Red Mountain Pass this way totaled 8,000, all of which were the Great General’s House’s kinship troops, as well as the frontline soldiers from Qingzhou City, without any major mobilization through the Dingzhou side.

“We’ve been waiting here for seven days, and as a result, we haven’t waited for anything, do you guys have to give some explanation for the Supervisory Yuan?” Li Hongcheng pursed his lips that were raw with blisters.

“Exempt.” Fan Xian lightly clamped the horse’s abdomen, all the body is not a sore, glared at him, thought the red mountain pass ambush is just to do a preparation, who can determine the Shan Yu’s jealousy in the end how big, and here from Qingzhou there are a few days of distance, do not hurry back, but also here to argue, is really very risky thing.

What he was concerned about was actually the situation inside Dingzhou city, “Did you make a move?”

“I left before it was done, all those people under your command will be cooperated by the Governor’s Office, I gave military orders, don’t worry about it.” Li Hongcheng looked at him and said, “Although I don’t know the specifics, but there has been intelligence coming in for days, the operation should be going well, the nails that Northern Qi placed in Dingzhou were basically pulled out by those under you.”

Fan Xian nodded and said no more. After this battle, the grassland fell back into chaos, and the most crucial thing is that, one genus of the Supervisory Board entered the grassland, one genus was scattered in the Xilang road, and succeeded in sweeping away the spies buried by the Beiqi people in this vast battlefield, and the ruthless tactics unleashed by Bitter Lotus before his death, and the great situation that the Beiqi young emperor and Haitang spent two years constructing was transformed into a blur because of their own even more ruthless and shameless response.

Four days later, nearly ten thousand people of Qing’s elite troops, finally withdrew from the grasslands and entered Qingzhou City. This batch of team, did not have a battle with Xihu’s cavalry, completely acted as a backdrop for the Procuratorate’s actions, naturally, their morale was not as high as when they left the army, coupled with the fact that they had simmered for too long in the red mountain passes, it looked like the remnants of the defeated soldiers in general.

The spirit of the black cavalry of the Supervisory Yuan was no better, if they didn’t want to gain face for Fan Xian, I’m afraid these people would fall asleep right away.

As soon as they entered Qingzhou City, Fan Xian immediately ordered the Black Riders to rest. Jing Ge led the order and went, but they could not immediately go to bathe and eat, first of all, they have to take care of those several hundred horses specially trained by the Supervisory Academy, the medicinal power in the body of these horses has already begun to return to the reverse, and is about to be unable to support it, if they do not hurry up to treat them, I am afraid that they will gradually die immediately after.

These hundreds of humane horses were the saviors of the black cavalry of the Supervisory Yuan, and all of them were unwilling to see them end up in a miserable situation, but it was clear to everyone that after this thousand-mile stampede, these black horses would never be able to return to their original divine steeds again, so they couldn’t help but feel a bit gloomy inside.

Fan Xian followed the troops from the western camp and greeted the skeptical gazes cast on both sides of the road in Qingzhou City. Those soldiers and merchants guessed the identity of the young man, naturally also guessed that the court must have carried out a big action on the grassland, but looking at the tired and listless appearance of the Dingzhou army, everyone thought that the court’s action on the grassland had failed, so the gazes thrown over to them were a bit strange.

Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng had just entered the Qingzhou military office when Ye Ling’er, who had received the news, hurried back from the city walls. Rushing into the back room, she pushed open the door and said in annoyance, ”You think you’re a god? To actually bring so few people and dare to go deep into the grassland, you are not afraid that the Hu people will swallow you alive!”

Ye Ling’er had her own reasons to be angry. Because Fan Xian went deep into the grassland this time, although he didn’t lose anything, he actually took a big risk, and he didn’t value his life so much, when Ye Ling’er thought of this, she was furious, if Fan Xian died in the grassland, what about Lin Wan’er? If Fan Xian died on the grassland, what would happen to Lin Wan Er?

As Lin Wan’er’s handkerchief, she had every reason to criticize Fan Xian’s reckless actions. Of course, there was another reason for her to be angry, and that was, Fan Xian had come to Qingzhou City, and actually didn’t come to see himself, and hid such a big thing from himself.

Fan Xian froze, through the slightest mist, looking at the Ye family’s eldest lady who had broken through the door, his gaze subconsciously moving from the light armor on her body to that familiar and playful face, his heart slightly touched, knowing that the other party was indeed concerned about his own safety, just ……

“Look at your appearance, but more than the Hu people want to swallow me alive.” He said with a sad face, “Your Highness, Hongcheng and I have no clothes on, you are not in such a hurry, right?”

After entering the Qingzhou military office, covered with wind and sand, body aches and pains, incomparably tired Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng relied on their own power and position, the first time within the Yamen to prepare two large buckets of hot water, at this time is soaking comfortably to the extreme, but unexpectedly there is a woman barged into the room, and the identity of this woman, but also so special.

Ye Ling’er since childhood in Dingzhou army grew up, temperament spicy, compared to the general women are very different, heard Fan Xian words, only to find Fan Xian and Li Hongcheng two are stripped into a bare pig, shrinking in the big barrel, especially these two people, face also hangs deliberately show shyness look, very hateful.

On the contrary, she is not shy, also not very annoyed, just spit a mouthful to the feet, dashingly turn around and go out.

The grassland Zuo Xian Wang was assassinated, something happened in the royal court, it will definitely fall into chaos. Li Hongcheng, as the head of the Qing court’s military in Xiliang Road, had to quickly report this matter to Kyoto, and at the same time return to Dingzhou to sit in the camp and deploy military forces to deal with the latest changes in the situation on the grasslands, so the next day, he left Qingzhou.

However, Fan Xian stayed behind, not because the scenery in Qingzhou was good, not because of Ye Ling’er, but he had to wait for a few people to come back before he would truly feel at ease.

After several days, the Central Plains merchant caravan that Fan Xian had blended in with finally returned to Qingzhou City covered in dust. Counting the time, this caravan’s traveling speed was really extremely fast, the road the caravan took on their return trip was not the same as the road Fan Xian withdrew from, but instead, they missed out on the thrilling chase.

Seeing this caravan return safely, Fan Xian’s mood relaxed a bit, he had been very worried that because of the action of the Supervisory Board, these merchants from the Central Plains would become the target of the Hu people’s retaliation. He didn’t expect that the Hu people, in the midst of their rage, would still be able to hold back from taking action against the merchant caravan. It seemed that Haitang’s indoctrination in the grasslands over the past two years, and Shan Yu’s determination for the future, had influenced many people.

Immediately after that, a lonely shepherd who lost his cattle and sheep and could not survive on the grassland, also entered Qingzhou City. Only no one knew that during these six months, this lone shepherd played the role of a mute servant who was used to hunching over.

Shadow also returned safely, Fan Xian’s heart put down a big half, just Wang XIII Lang that boy has been no news, also do not know exactly how the situation, let him very worried. This trip to the prairie is very big, although the Supervisory Committee is used to dealing with all the enemies by sinister means, but any means need a strong executor.

Nowadays, Fan Xian, who was a powerful expert in his own right, had shadows under him. If it weren’t for these extremely terrifying killing generals, it would have been impossible for him to achieve the established goals of the Inspectorate even if he had lured Haitang and Shan Yu away.

The Northern Qi people at the royal court would be dealt with by Shadow, while the Zuo Xian Wang, who was bound to die, needed another strong person. Fan Xian had always had a headache here, and there were only about a dozen supreme experts under the sky. It wasn’t until much later that he tentatively sent an invitation to Wang Xuelang through the Moon Embracing Tower channel.

After the Great Eastern Mountain incident, Wang XIII Lang had been serving the seriously injured and dying Four Gu Swords at the Dongyi City Sword Lodge, only that the Four Gu Swords had been marvelously dragging on, so XIII Lang never appeared in front of people’s eyes again. Although Fan Xian and Wang Thirteen Lang had made an agreement three years ago, he didn’t know if that agreement was still valid now, so this invitation was just a test.

And Wang X3 Lang didn’t reply a single word to this invitation, he very directly left Dong Yi City and came to Kyoto, Qing Kingdom, to find Fan Xian.

Fan Xian, Shadow, and Wang Xii Lang, the three great masters were deep in the grasslands, each in their own way. If one were to look at the execution power represented by the top experts, the Supervisory Court today was even more terrifying than when Chen Pingping was in charge.

It was also because of Wang Xii Lang’s arrival that Fan Xian had made up his mind to enter the grasslands. Because this person’s identity was too special, Fan Xian didn’t want the palace to have too many suspicions about him, so he deliberately concealed his identity along the way, and just took him into the merchant caravan and then separated.

He still hadn’t figured out why Wang Thirteen Lang was willing to continue the agreement of that year when the Four Gu Swords had been beaten into a crippled idiot by the Emperor’s old man. He couldn’t think about this in time, he only hoped that Wang XIII Lang would return safely after assassinating King Zuo Xian of Xihu.

A few days later, Fan Xian finally waited for the news he had been waiting for. To be precise, it was everyone who knew of Wang XIII Lang’s return. Because unlike Shadow’s quiet return, the return of this Thirteenth Disciple of the Sword Lodge had startled the entire Qingzhou City.

That day the blazing sun was high in the sky, shining down on Qingzhou City, sunning the bitter autumn winds to the point that they were completely temperless, and the bricks at the city gates all seemed to be smoking, while a bloody man just walked into the gates of Qingzhou City.

The soldiers of Qingzhou City looked at the bloody man with vigilance and surrounded him with lances in their hands, enveloped in fear by the coldness and murderous intent emanating from the bloody man’s body.

This person was wearing a Hu people’s leather goblin, if the leather goblin that had been slashed with more than thirty cuts was still considered a leather goblin. Countless amounts of blood seeped out from those holes in the leather goblin, solidifying, spreading, and pasting his entire body.

I don’t know how long this bloody man had been walking on the grassland, those bloodied wounds had already begun to fester, flies and mosquitoes were fluttering around him, looking strangely miserable.

The Qingzhou defenders didn’t know who this person was, but only knew that to be so heavily injured and still be able to walk out from the grassland, must not be an ordinary person.

The man opened his eyes, his lips covered in blood blisters, and spoke to the soldiers surrounding him, “Tell Fan Xian that I did what I promised him.”

Fan Xian, who had received the news, sprinted over to him and held him up, looking at the wounds on his body and filled with chills. This time the action on the grassland, he was responsible for luring out Shan Yu and Haitang, Haitang was ultimately impossible to kill himself, and the shadow acted quietly, the risk taken was not too big, the real most difficult part was Wang X3 Lang assassinating the Left Virtuous King.

Fan Xian did not know how Wang Thirteen Lang killed the powerful Zuo Xian Wang in the continuous Hu camp, but he only knew that what the other party had promised himself had been perfectly accomplished.

He carried the fainted Wang XIII Lang and returned to the military office, and with a silent face, he began to treat this fierce warrior’s injuries. Ye Ling’er passed the needle and knife behind him, her face full of shock and curiosity, thinking to herself, who exactly is this Procuratorate official who had been cut thirty-something times? How could he still survive like this?