Chapter 191

The army moved off swiftly, disappearing into the vast, snowy plains in a flash. In the blink of an eye, another army followed suit in their tracks. This night was not to be a night where people could sleep in peace.

It was late in the night when Huo An saw Zhuge Yue. In Mingxi Valley, only 200 of the 300 people remained, but they maintained the same standard of vigilance and willpower to fight. The entrance to Mingxi Valley was narrow; it was easy to defend but hard to attack. There was sufficient livestock in the valley; there was no need to worry about rations running out. As long as they managed to last three days, Zhao Che would realize that the amount of Yan Bei troops stationed at Yanming Pass had diminished. He would then take the opportunity to strike, forcing Yan Xun to head back. At that time, Zhuge Yue anticipated that he would have the golden opportunity to escape.

With just the slightest look, Huo An understood the intricacies of Yan Xun’s plan. Given the terrain and formation of Zhuge Yue’s army, even if they barged into this place by brute force, they would have to pay a huge price.

“General Zhuge, I am General Chu’s subordinate, the commander of the Xiuli Army, Huo An. I have something important to tell you.”

Zhuge Yue was dressed in a neat outfit and maintained his cold look. Despite the fact that he was a fugitive on the run, he was unfazed. He looked at Huo An plainly in the eye and questioned slowly, “If I remember correctly, the commander of the Xiuli Army should be He Xiao.”

“General He Xiao has died in battle. Presently, I have been tasked to replace him,” Huo An answered emotionlessly, with a calm look on his face.

Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows upon hearing his words but did not probe further. He looked at him plainly, his sharp look piercing right through him. Huo An gathered his emotions and replied calmly, “General Chu has said that your whereabouts have been revealed. Regardless of any pressing issues, please leave immediately. She has prepared a secret passageway for you at Helan Mountains. If you believe her, you can travel towards Tang and escape from Yan Bei. If you have other routes out, please leave quickly. Your Highness has dispatched large armies to surround you. If you don’t leave now, you won’t have the chance to.”

“What happened to General Chu? Why did Commander He Xiao die in the battlefield?”

The look on Huo An’s face changed. He thought for a long while before replying, “General Chu only instructed me to tell you these words. As for other matters, forgive me for not being able to say more.” As he finished his words, he turned around and prepared to leave.

Zhuge Yue called after him, “Stop there.”

Huo An did not stop. Swoosh! A young soldier whipped out his sword and placed it against his neck. Coldly, he hissed, “Didn’t you hear Young Master calling after you?”

Huo An turned around to see a young man of about 18 to 19 years old. The look in his eyes was only possessed by that of a swordsman.

“Yue Jiu, don’t be rash.” Zhuge Yue instructed in a low voice. The young swordsman retreated as he lowered his head. Huo An turned around and looked at Zhuge Yue, who had a calm look in his eyes. Slowly, he said, “General, traitors have surfaced within my department. They have harmed you and General Chu. Your Highness ordered General Chu to kill you, but she refused. She even dispatched troops to stop Your Highness’s troops, falling out with the army. Presently, I have no dignity to go back and face General, or beg for her forgiveness. I only hope that you will listen to General Chu’s words and leave quickly. If not, the 9,000 people of the Southwest Emissary’s Garrison, along with General Chu, will have sacrificed themselves in vain.”

As he finished his words, Huo An whipped out his sword and sliced it across his neck. Zhuge Yue was quick to react, deflecting his sword away. However, he was still too late. A trail of blood smeared across the man’s neck and started to stream out non-stop.

Meng Feng squatted down and took a closer look at Huo An, who lay on the ground. She looked up and said, “Don’t worry. He won’t die.”

Zhuge Yue’s expression was solemn. He looked at the barren, snowy plains and remained silent for a long time. His subordinates were all looking at him. One of them said, “General, we cannot trust this man’s words fully.”

Zhuge Yue nodded and said, “Let’s search for information.”

“Yes!”

As dawn broke, one scout sprinted back and said, “General, we have checked. Some civilians said that General Chu’s army is on their way to Yuegong City at full speed. They passed by here two hours ago. I have checked the horses’ footprints. They were messy, which showed that they were hurried. However, there is no official notice from Yan Bei for the capture of General Chu.”

Zhuge Yue nodded and remained silent, his mind deep in thought.

In a short while, another scout came back and said, “General, we have checked. The Black Eagle Army is led by Cheng Yuan. They have split into five directions and are following behind Miss Chu, in order to capture her. They have over 100,000 people.”

“Master, the counties along Yuegong are providing reinforcements and setting up roadblocks. The conscripts are on vigilant patrolling duties. Yuegong City is preparing for a large-scale mobilization of troops. It does not look good.”

“General, Yan Xun is on his way to Yuegong too.”

The winds raged on; the landscape was desolate. Zhuge Yue was dressed in a grey cloak as he stood upright. He walked over to his warhorse and said in a low but firm voice, “Let’s go to Yuegong.”

“General!” Meng Feng held the reins of Zhuge Yue’s horse. She stood in front of him and replied in a low voice, “You cannot go.”

Zhuge Yue looked up slightly but remained silent. Meng Feng understood the message that the look in his eyes conveyed. Sternly, she advised, “There are many loopholes in this story. Even if it is true, given our current capabilities, we shouldn’t be rash.”

“That’s right, General.” Zhuge Yue’s vice-general was named Chen Ru. He used to be a slave in charge of feeding horses in his household. Due to his outstanding talent, he was stripped of his status as a slave, and groomed as the vice-commander of his entourage.

Chen Ru said in a low voice, “I also feel that there’s something amiss. If this is a secret operation, why would we be able to get hold of the news easily, at such a coincidental time?”

Yue Jiu frowned and added, ” Master, I also feel that there’s something amiss.”

“General, these occurrences are too coincidental. If it’s true, how did Huo An manage to find us? Doesn’t this mean that Chu Qiao has been following us all along? We need to be wary. I feel that we should proceed along with our original plans. Retreating immediately is the best solution.”

“You’re all correct,” Zhuge Yue nodded and said slowly. The others rejoiced at the fact that he had finally listened to them. However, swiftly, he frowned and looked towards them as he said, “But, what if his words are true? What should we do?”

Everyone was dumbfounded and thought to themselves: Yes, if it was true, looking at Yan Xun’s actions, wouldn’t Chu Qiao surely die? What was to be done if this thing happened?

Zhuge Yue did not wait for anyone to reply as he jumped on his horse’s back himself. Everyone surged forward to stop him, in shock. Meng Feng advised again, “General, I think that this information is 80 to 90 percent false. Yan Xun is deliberately setting up a trap for you…”

“It’s 80 to 90 percent false. But what about the other 10 to 20 percent?”

Meng Feng was rendered speechless. “Is it worth risking your life for this 10 to 20 percent?” he asked.

Zhuge Yue remained silent and shook his head quietly. He whispered, “We cannot fully confirm this…” He did not carry on speaking, nor was he sure about anything else. The man’s expression suddenly became a little uncertain. He looked up, gazing at the snow in the distance. He smiled and gave a cold laugh as he said, “Furthermore, it won’t be so easy for Yan Xun to take my life.”

“Yue Jiu,” Zhuge Yue ordered coldly, a determined viciousness flashing across his eyes, “inform Yue Da that we can start to use our pawns in Yan Bei already.”

Pawns? A look of hesitation flashed across Yue Jiu’s eyes, but in an instant, he snapped out of his trance. He obliged, and departed on his horse. The sound of his horse’s hoofs faded into the distance.

Zhuge Yue sat on his horse’s back and squinted his eyes. His expression was unfazed, but an undercurrent flashed across his eyes. He weighed his options and considered the worst case scenario. Suddenly, he seemingly saw a human figure standing on the vast, snowy plains, waving to him from afar. If this was true, would it be…would it be that he had a glimmer of hope? She was willing to fall out with Yan Xun over him. Would this prove that he held a place in her heart? Zhuge Yue thought to himself and shook his head as he laughed. His weakness was being exploited by someone else again.

The horses galloped towards Yuegong City. The sun rose, but was blocked off by the dark clouds. The earth was shrouded in darkness. Yuegong, the city of rations in Yan Bei, welcomed another record in the history books that day.

That day, the entire Yan Bei was blanketed in snow. The winds were like a lunatic, howling as it traveled through the plains. The snow was three feet deep, and landed on people’s faces like small stones. The warhorses’ stomachs and eyes were covered by leather, but they still looked around in panic. The warriors wore their cloaks and hats. The wind blew at their eyes, causing them to be unable to be opened. They could only struggle their way through the snowy plains.

When Chu Qiao reached Moli River, she ordered the entire army to stop in its tracks. Sun Cai rushed forward to take a look, but only saw a cold back shadow. The young female general stood on a snowy slope facing away from the wind and looked at the seas far away. The birds flying were startled as the snow and fog raged on.

As he walked downwards, Sun Cai pushed some troops aside in anger and shouted at Chu Qiao, “General Chu, what are you doing? Your Highness is in danger, yet you have the mood to stop here and admire the scenery?”

Chu Qiao’s gaze flashed across his eyes coldly. The lady was still young, but everyone who knew her and stood in front of her seemed to neglect her age, trembling and quivering with fear. Despite the cold weather, beads of sweat trickled down Sun Cai’s forehead. As he sensed that something was amiss, Chu Qiao had ordered, “Tie him up.”

In a split second, the warriors of the Xiuli army surged forward and tied Sun Cai up. The young official shouted as he struggled, “What are you doing? General Chu, are you rebelling?”

Chu Qiao stared at him coldly; her look pierced through him. Through his surprise and anger on the outside, she was able to sense his panic and fear inside effortlessly. Her heart started to turn cold.

“He Xiao, take out all the explosives you have. Blow a hole through the river and leave 300 people to defend this place. Before tomorrow morning, if anyone dashes through from the opposite side, you do not need to come back and see me anymore.”

“Yes!” He Xiao obliged.

Chu Qiao got onto her horse’s back and ordered her subordinates, “Let’s go.”

“General Chu! Do you know what you are doing?”

Chu Qiao turned around slowly and looked at Sun Cai coldly. Calmly, she retorted, “Of course I know.”

“You’re preventing our people from rescuing Your Highness! This is committing treason!”

Chu Qiao laughed in a mocking tone. “General Sun, are you too naive or am I such a stupid person in your eyes? You claimed that you were the only one that escaped out of Yuegong City. Why are there troops chasing us from five directions now? I took the main route back to Shangshen and left one day in advance. It took me this amount of time to get here. How did the Black Eagle Army get here so swiftly then? You said that Zhuge Yue led 50,000 troops to disrupt the supply of rations in Yuegong without being detected, surrounding Your Highness. Tell me then, as the new year is approaching, instead of staying put in his headquarters, what is he doing outside here?”