"Are you talking about the collateral father and daughter who just ca to seek refuge from Yong’an Prefecture?" Yun Chuxiong was a bit surprised to hear his son suddenly ask about this.
"Why, do you know them?"
Yun Tiansheng paused and shook his head, "I ran into them when I ca back to the mansion, can’t say exactly, just had an extra glance. How did Father arrange it?"
He asked another question.
"I checked the family tree and inquired about the situation of this father and daughter. They are a branch from your great-grandfather’s generation, still within the five degrees of kinship. They ca from afar to seek refuge, it’s only humane to help them. This is sothing a big family has to go through."
"It’s not my first ti handling such matters, so you need not worry. The father of that kin can’t stay in the Yun Mansion, so he will be given a business to manage, and as for your distant cousin..."
At this point, Yun Chuxiong’s casual expression suddenly paused, his eyes becoming serious as he looked at his son and continued:
"That girl appears to be well-educated, wise, pleasant to look at, a good appearance. I’m thinking of arranging her to stay in the mansion, and later, perhaps she could be matched with a Yun family son in matrimony, solidifying family ties."
Yun Chuxiong seed to have a good impression of the young girl nad Nu’er. His words were purposeful, and toward the end, his expression carried a solemn heaviness,
"Nowadays, all Yun family sons who are of age have mostly joined the army. You know, this military mobilization is vast, destined to fight to the death against demons, and many may not return."
"That’s why before setting off, your father and uncles consider arranging so sons to marry quickly, leaving descendants."
Saying this, Yun Chuxiong paused, seriously looking at his son, probing: "Tiansheng, now you are in your twenties, indeed not young... have you considered this?"
Yun Tiansheng’s mouth moved unnaturally, then quickly raised his hand, "Father, please stop, with the war eminent, there’s no need to discuss these matters."
Speaking, he got up, "The military cannot afford delays, I’ll return to the mountain first."
Having said that, he left.
"Hey, hey, you rarely co back, have a al before you go..." Yun Chuxiong wanted to keep his son, but saw his third son fire off quickly, disappearing from the study room, leaving him to sigh and curse, "Stubborn boy, grown wings now, his father can’t control him anymore."
Though it was a curse, his heart was prideful. Yet this ti Yunding Mountain’s massive troop mobilization, grand in scale, it’s going to be a fierce battle, sons traveling miles away, mothers worrying; naturally, he’s concerned for his son and the Yun family sons. All he can do now is provide "logistical support," trying hard to scrape together "provisions" from various families in Jingguan City.
Thinking about this, he suddenly felt sitting in the study wasting ti, better to walk around the city more and, thinking thus, he got up and left.
......
Ti passes swiftly, three days later, Jingguan City still maintains its surface calm.
This morning, Minister of the Ministry of Rites Jiang Yi traveled through the winds over Qingshan, returning from Ninth Mountain, full of bewildernt.
In recent days, he was recuperating at the Yun Family’s retreat in Yunding Mountain, Chen Yuan didn’t treat him poorly, sent the best doctors, and healing dicine, his injuries steadily healing. Yet he never forgot his mission, the Emperor dispatched him to reward the Mountain-cutting Army to soothe Chen Yuan’s heart, but those sent encountered crushing resistance, leaving him alone and losing most of the reward materials. These days he couldn’t focus on healing, constantly wanting to gauge Chen Yuan’s attitude.
But these few days, he sought out Marquis Chen, and the latter always dodged by claiming busyness, simply refusing to see him. Helplessly, he seeks alternative insights, listening for rumors in Yunding Mountain, discovering that the news of the Emperor rewarding the Mountain-cutting Army, and particularly issuing an edict granting Chen Yuan the title of Marquis Zhen Nan, hasn’t spread; many are unaware, no feedback received.
This leaves him utterly stuck.
The Emperor’s edict failed to achieve the expected effect, and as the Imperial Envoy, he botched the mission, unable to escape responsibility, shad to face the Emperor upon returning to the capital, vexed in heart.
He just visited Ninth Mountain Colonel Hall again, knowing that Marquis Chen is deliberately avoiding him, but he, now a powerless envoy, having failed the mission, cannot return to the capital, hoping for a shift in the situation from the other party’s side.
This ti, Marquis Chen again sends soone to deal with him, yet unlike before, this ti Chen entrusts a ssage through them.
"Let the ssage fly a bit longer!"
Just this sentence, baffling Jiang Yi, sensing deep implications.
What ssage?
He thinks deeply but can’t ascertain it, his mind like a cat’s paw clawing, could only sigh,
"This Marquis Chen, truly inscrutable."
Hence, he could only wait.
At similarly this date, over twenty thousand miles away from Jingguan City, at Central Pass, war flas rage.
Nearby Guanzhong Pass, stands a prefecture city, rich in ancient Qin aesthetics, its architecture distinct, grand and open, imbued with Northwestern ruggedness and valor.
This city is nad Baoqing Prefecture, it was a resting stop when Chen Yuan and Gongsun Yang entered Guanzhong.
This day, autumn winds howl, gusts whip the parapets of this prefecture city. On the walls, valiant soldiers line up like mist, the crisp clang of armor leaves colliding forging a symphonic sheet, tens of thousands of troops set in formation, airtight, gifting a dazzling glare, striking the soul.
Tens of thousands of soldiers arrayed on the walls, the montum engulfs the sky, rigorously preparing for battle, the walls glow with the big formation, armor light shining towards the sun, eyes pinned firmly at the horizon’s end in the Southwest.
On the walls, drums sound vigorously, echoing between Heaven and Earth, winds whip up yellow sand, enveloping the flags on the parapet in a cacophony of flapping.
Suddenly,
"They’re coming!" a rasping shrill voice erupts from the watchtower.
Breaths on the walls montarily paused, then grew heavy again. Armored soldiers’ neck veins bulged, fiercely gripping their weapons. So half drew waist knives, shimring blade light flashed, then "swish" back in sheath, leaving behind a dull clatter; so clenched teeth tightly, cheeks bulging high, Adam’s apple rolling, yet unable to swallow even a drop of saliva.
Manifestly visible, on the flat Southwestern horizon, a black line rises slowly, then expands in a crushing wave. Banner obscuring the sun, hooves pounding the earth’s roar, reverberating a dozen miles away, indeed rumbling the ground with tremors, from it, dust billows up, straight to the clouds, that expanse of ebony armor light like dark clouds bearing down, rushing towards Baoqing Prefecture.
"Prepare for battle!" The Main General’s roar pierces through the void, carrying tallic stone resonance, dispersing over Baoqing Prefecture. A gleaming cold hue rises abruptly from the walls, the air filled with a killing breath, densely thick, only heartbeats remain akin to war drums, sending painful shocks through eardrums.
Reviews
All reviews (0)