Chapter 183

The man froze and knelt on the ground. “I do not dare.”

“So you think that I’m colluding with the enemy to betray my country? Or that my brain has a problem?”

Sweat trickled down the official’s forehead. Nervously, he said, “I am muddle-headed. I do not dare.”

The man looked up without even staring at him. “Since you do not dare, then you know what to do.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” the man stood up and ordered his soldiers, “Retreat, retreat! The troops at the back, retreat first. The others, follow behind in order.”

The man in purple turned around. Before he left, his look met Chu Qiao’s. The young lady was dressed in white and appeared frail. Her eyes were big. She grabbed the reins of her horse and remained silent. The wind brushed past her hair and created a perfect radian pattern, just like a drop of ink which had made contact with water.

The enemy forces, made up of over 3,000 people, retreated right in front of them, sparing the group of 1,000 “refugees”. The battle began by surprise and ended by surprise. Someone finally stepped up and asked softly, “Are they just leaving like that?” Everyone stared on in awe. After a long time, someone replied, “Didn’t you see that General is here? They were scared away by her.”

“He Xiao, reorganize the army first. I’ll be right back.” As Chu Qiao prepared to chase after the enemy, He Xiao was shocked and pulled Chu Qiao’s reins back. Loudly, he exclaimed, “General, please don’t! If you fall into the enemy’s hands, we can never atone for our sins, even if we die.”

“Don’t worry,” Chu Qiao smiled. “Nothing will happen. That person…” Her words suddenly stopped. Which word would she use to describe the relationship between them? Enemies? Opponents? Or…”Is my friend.”

Even if Chu Qiao did not witness this personally, she could probably guess the identity of the opposition. No one, other than Yan Xun, was able to match the force given out by her arrow. Her horse had sprinted for less than half an hour before she saw two people standing under a giant tree. One of the people approached her and laughed and said, “Miss Xing’er is here. Young Master said you would be here. I was just worrying about this.”

The moonlight was pale. The giant tree was like a big umbrella, standing tall against the snowy plains. Although its branches and leaves had wilted, it still remained upright. Zhuge Yue stood under the tree and looked at her without saying a word. The white horse strolled casually around him and neighed happily upon seeing Chu Qiao, as if it had met someone familiar.

Yue Qi droned on as he led the reins of her horse. Chu Qiao jumped off her horse and smiled at Yue Qi, saying, “I didn’t expect to see you all here. Are you all doing well?”

“Miss, who are you asking? Are you asking if I’m doing well? Yes, I am. I can eat and sleep. I married my wife not long ago too,” Yue Qi smiled and answered.

Chu Qiao was slightly distressed but managed a laugh. “Congratulations then.”

“Yue Qi, go to the front and tell Yu Cao to slow down, lest he drops into the crevasse.”

Yue Qi turned around and replied to the man standing under the tree, “Young Master, Yu Cao is a commander from the northwest. Instead of worrying about him, you should worry more about whether I will drop into the crevasse on my way to deliver the message to him.”

Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows upon hearing his words, as anger flashed across his eyes.

Yue Qi raised his hands hurriedly and answered, “Alright, I’ll go now. I’ll take this as a gesture of your concern towards your subordinates.” Finishing his words, he got onto his horse and rode into the distance with a fling of his reins.

Barely two months had passed, but it felt like an eternity to Chu Qiao. Too many things had happened within this timeframe. After the war with Xia had begun, problems had happened in great abundance, especially between Yan Xun and herself. Zhuge Yue’s words had come true, sentence by sentence. She spent great effort to walk towards him as countless emotions started to well up from within her. At that moment, she was unable to comprehend all of them. Their relationship was excessively awkward, causing her to be able to find a topic for conversation. She stood there, dazed, like a wilted tree on the vast plains.

“Did problems surface internally on your side?” Zhuge Yue opened his mouth and asked, seemingly inquiring about top-secret intel.

Chu Qiao froze and looked at him, perplexed. What was he trying to say? Was he trying to probe into the Yan Bei army’s intel?

“Your people led me here,” Zhuge Yue remarked slowly. “I guess that someone wanted to use my hand to eliminate this army. I didn’t expect it to be your troops.”

Despite guessing the intentions behind this episode, Chu Qiao felt angered upon hearing his words. She bit her lower lip and clenched her fists tightly, looking down on the ground and remaining silent.

“Be careful. You met me this time. It might be Zhao Che the next time,” Zhuge Yue uttered as he prepared to leave with his horse.

Chu Qiao was shocked. She took two steps forward and called out, “Zhuge Yue!”

Zhuge Yue turned around and looked at her as he frowned with his head slanted. Chu Qiao thought for a long while before asking, “Will this implicate you?”

Zhuge Yue answered, “As long as you do not write to the Elders’ Clan, nothing will happen.”

Chu Qiao took a deep breath as her eyes sparkled. She looked at him before saying in a low voice, “Thank you.”

Zhuge Yue prepared to leave on his horse. He waved his hand casually and remarked, “If you cannot bear to strike yourself, tell Yan Xun when you get back. Internal conflicts will make this battle hard for your side.”

The snowy ground reflected the moonlight, causing the landscape to appear bright. Zhuge Yue was wearing a purple robe and appeared handsome. His shadow grew longer as he stepped away from her with his horse.

Chu Qiao stood rooted to the spot as his shadow faded into the distance, before finally disappearing beneath the snowy slope entirely. Her throat felt blocked. Countless words were stuck in her throat, while she was unable to express them. The surge of complicated emotions nearly caused her to lose her rationality. She stood there for a long time and did not move, until He Xiao, who was worried about her, caught up with his troops. Only then did she snap out of her trance.

“General, let’s go back.”

Chu Qiao nodded and answered, “Go back and tell the other comrades to never mention anything about tonight to other people.”

He Xiao nodded and replied, “Yes, General. Rest assured.” As he thought further, he questioned, “Do we just forget about this?”

The look on Chu Qiao’s face turned cold. She sneered and remarked in a low voice, “Of course we can’t.” She got onto her horse neatly. The warhorse neighed loudly, breaking the tranquility of the silent night. The winds raged on, scattering the snowflakes about, making the environment appear even more desolate. Chu Qiao turned around and looked at the vast plains behind her. It was a piece of white, like a vast, endless ocean. The big tree stood there quietly; she did not know how long it had lived on its own, nor did she know how many people had passed by it. The look in her eyes seemed to transcend time.

“Back to the camp!”

The winds were howling; the snowflakes were scattered about. The pitch-black darkness resembled a thick layer of ink. The soldiers from the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison stood in front of the camp’s gates, reporting to its guards. After a while, the gates opened; its gaps appeared as ferocious as a savage beast’s bloodthirsty mouth. He Xiao rode on his horse beside Chu Qiao with his sword hanging by his waist, giving off a pale green reflection which appeared striking under the moonlight.

“General, do we report this to Your Highness now?” He Xiao asked in a low voice.

Chu Qiao shook her head. The wind brushed against the loose strands of hair in front of her forehead, like the touch of a dragonfly. She frowned slightly and looked at the brightly lit camp deeply. Firmly, she whispered, “There’s no need to. Complicating matters will lead to more repercussions. We can execute the plan first.”

He Xiao was hesitant. He frowned and asked, “If we do this, won’t Your Highness be angry?”

“I don’t know,” Chu Qiao answered plainly. “Let’s do this first.” As she finished her sentence, she rode forward on her horse. The soldiers on sentry duty saluted her with synchronized movements. However, she did not notice them, and rode into the central camp with more than 1,000 soldiers from the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison that had escaped death. Her team was like a tornado, sweeping past the grounds of the camp. The sounds of the horses’ hooves were like rumbling thunder as they scattered the snowflakes about yet again.

A lot of soldiers were awakened from their sleep. Thinking that the enemy had attacked their camp, they dressed up quickly and dashed out of their tents with their weapons. As they stepped out, they were hit with the snow that had been scattered about. Seeing the soldiers of the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison approaching the east camp in an intimidating fashion, they were shocked. There was a 40-year-old soldier who was not fully dressed; his belt had been fastened halfway. His wrinkled face twitched as he managed a frown, remarking, “Why are these fellas so fiery? Something is about to happen. We should inform Your Highness immediately.”

“Strike!” Chu Qiao shouted. Over 20 hooks were thrown out as they fastened themselves onto the tent. The soldiers whipped their horses, causing them to give out a long neigh before they sprinted in all directions. The next second, the tent was torn to shreds. Cheng Yuan was not fully dressed, but stood upright in the center of the tent, holding his sword. Upon seeing Chu Qiao, he shouted angrily, “General Chu? What is the meaning of this?”

“General Cheng, you falsified military orders and colluded with the enemy to kill our own people. How vicious!” He Xiao raged, his hands clanking against his sword.

Cheng Yuan frowned and pretended not to know anything, replying, “What are you saying? I don’t understand.”

He Xiao wanted to speak, but Chu Qiao stopped him. She said, “Cut the crap with him.”

“General Chu, I think this is a misunderstanding. We can talk…” Before he had finished his sentence, Chu Qiao took out the sword hanging by her waist and hollered, “Kill him!”

The soldiers from the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison swarmed forward. Cheng Yuan’s personal bodyguards shielded him. They stood in the cold, their faces and lips pale, as they had put on their armor. They raised their swords, but could only manage to stab the horses. Before blood had splattered out, their heads had been severed. Shouts for help broke the silence in the camp. Cheng Yuan hollered, “I need reinforcements! Reinforcements! The Southwest Emissary’s Garrison has rebelled again!”

The nearest section was approaching at full speed. Their footsteps were like floodwaters hammering at everyone’s hearts.

The leader of the third squad of the Second Army, Jiang Chong, approached with his troops. As he dashed into the battlefield, he saw Chu Qiao standing tall amidst the chaos. She shouted, “Warriors of the Second Army, do you intend to oppose me?”

Jiang Chong was stunned. How would he not know who Chu Qiao was? After the battle at Beishuo, Chu Qiao had become a household name. Furthermore, he had the lifelong honor of fighting alongside her in battle. At this instant, seeing her stand in front of the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison, he was stunned. He reorganized his squad before shouting, “General Chu, what’s going on?”

“I’m dealing with traitors. Don’t be rash now. Once this thing ends, I’ll answer to everyone.”

On one side stood the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison, who had been labeled as betrayers. On the other stood Cheng Yuan, who had run away before the battle at Beishuo. Both were sensitive issues within the army. Jiang Chong thought for a moment before ordering, “Cordon off the area. If anyone dares to escape or spread the news, he is to be killed on the spot!”