"What’s happened?" The Deputy General, who had just relaxed, felt his heart rise again as he walked in the middle of the troop, spurring his horse forwards to investigate the situation. However, upon reaching a narrow area, the soldiers had already packed together tightly, making it impossible for the horses to pass through. He had no choice but to dismount and continue on foot.
"Deputy General Lin, there seem to be torches on the mountain top ahead—" Finally making his way to the front, another Deputy General who walked ahead was already coming back. Encountering this situation in such a place was very bad; they had absolutely no place to hide.
On hearing this, Deputy General Lin’s face imdiately grew more solemn, and he quickened his pace.
"Has soone been sent to report to the General?" Deputy General Lin asked as he walked, indeed spotting the faint light of torches on higher ground ahead.
"Two groups have already been sent, and a small platoon has also been dispatched to explore further," Deputy General Yu imdiately responded. Behind him, nurous torches snaked along the path, and with steep cliffs on the sides of the troop, there was no place to take cover, and retreating was simply not an option.
Deputy General Lin was well aware of the situation, and at this mont, he could only think about moving forward.
"Don’t panic, let’s first see what the situation is," Deputy General Lin advised, guessing the identity of the others by the sparseness of the torchlights.
It’s possible that troops from the Eastern Border were left to et them. In the past, their brothers from the Eastern Border greeted them warmly as they passed this area. Even though General Wen Qun had left, it was possible that arrangents had been made.
Indeed, not a half a mont later, the dispatched soldiers swiftly returned to report that the people were from the Eastern Border. As they spoke, the distance to the torches had already grown much closer, a group of several dozen people, which imdiately alleviated Deputy General Lin’s worries.
"General, it’s people left by General Wen Qun to et us," Deputy General Yu handed over to General Wen Sheng, who by now had made it to the front of the troop. In the darkness, though the faces of these soldiers were unfamiliar, they indeed wore the uniforms of the Eastern Border soldiers.
"Why didn’t they send Deputy General Geng who we’re familiar with?" General Wen Sheng still spoke cautiously. The few dozen people in front of them were all unfamiliar faces; even if they were left by General Wen Qun, they should have sent soone familiar.
Suddenly, the atmosphere grew tense, and soldiers behind Deputy General Lin reached for their weapons. However, Deputy General Lin was not as concerned at this mont—if there indeed was a deceit, the other party would not send only dozens of n to openly appear before them, especially since their main troops from the Northwest Border were still behind them, occupying six districts and counties of the Southeast Border, with "General Wen Sheng" stationed at the largest district and county.
Hence, the only one who knew that the soldiers from the Northwest Border would appear here was General Wen Qun.
Besides, what harm could a few dozen n do?
The leading guard imdiately knelt down.
"No need to hurry, General, our General said he left first because several Aristocratic Families suddenly reneged, fearing a change in Zheng Capital. General Geng stayed to monitor these families’ movents, wary of them sending secret ssages. That’s why I was sent," the soldier spoke very calmly. General Wen Sheng looked at the soldier for a while; he had a keen eye for people and had seen many from General Wen Qun’s side. There was no reason for him not to rember such a calm and composed junior leader.
Yet the other party’s words were flawless. These were secrets unknown to anyone outside the Eastern Border, let alone soone insignificant from within it. General Wen Sheng waved his hand, dismissing those around him.
The soldier on the ground sensed sothing and knelt quietly. General Wen Sheng stepped forward, the group of soldiers forming a circle in the darkness being indistinguishable, only their clear breathing sounds and the silent oppression, as well as General Wen Sheng’s advancing steps, could be heard.
General Wen Sheng stared at the now raised head of the soldier, his gaze as sharp as a knife, seemingly trying to slice through the mask of the man before him. Every step was like a stab cast forth, a skill honed from years on the battlefield,
The standoff lasted for several seconds, but as Wen Sheng approached within less than two ters of the soldier, the latter obviously lost his composure and instantly went limp, imdiately bowing his head deeply.
"General, everything I said is true, I was ordered to be here to rendezvous with your n," said the soldier, continuing to kowtow, seemingly terrified, his raised back trembling uncontrollably.
The next mont, Wen Sheng laughed, the adversary’s discomposure allowing him to lower his guard. How could soone like Wen Qun cultivate such a calm subordinate, whose composure had stemd from being on familiar territory, without any psychological pressure to fear anything?
"Rise," said Wen Qun, removing his cloak, clearly believing the soldier now. He glanced back at his few dozen n, all huddling together, very much in Wen Qun’s manner, leaving no room for further doubt.
"General, the General instructed us to wait for you here, to guide you on a more spacious path," explained the subordinate from the ground. "Our General has been in the Eastern Border for three years, clearing a path from the east that can accommodate troop movents. This mountain road is rugged and narrow, making marching difficult and prone to ambush."
Wen Sheng nodded, he had heard about the whole road situation before.
"Wasn’t it said to be unfinished?"
"It’s not completely finished, but it is nearly done and much wider than this path," the soldier hastily explained.
"Let’s have a look then," Wen Sheng decided in an instant. Deputy General Lin and the others didn’t object at that mont, as the road was indeed difficult for marching, and an ambush could an the annihilation of their forces.
Deputy General Lin and Deputy General Yu imdiately directed the soldiers to turn around, leading the way in front for dozens of people. After walking a few hundred ters, they indeed found a wider and flatter road, far better than the previous one.
Suddenly, everyone was no longer doubtful, and the pace of the troops quickened significantly.
"It looks like, before dawn, we should be out of here, take a brief rest, and continue marching," Wen Sheng was very satisfied, even developing so admiration for Wen Qun for being so ticulous.
"Deputy General Lin, up ahead is the unfinished section, just a few hundred ters left. If we just bypass it from the side, it shouldn’t delay us much," the leading "Eastern Border" soldier suddenly stopped, pointing toward a tall pile of earth ahead.
Deputy General Lin and the others had no reason to doubt, nodding their heads. They glanced at the pitch-dark area ahead, feeling relieved that the exit was near and there were no visible obstacles.
Deputy General Lin imdiately arranged for his n to follow the guidance of the others, slowly walking into the murky darkness. In the mountains, layers of smoke spread around the waist of the mountain, a common occurrence; nobody noticed that the smoke here was denser than usual. Moreover, there was sothing else mingling with the smoke, subtly moving through it.
As the soldiers walked into the mist, the mountain path under their feet was rugged, but having already traversed such steep and uneven paths earlier, they didn’t sense anything amiss, only feeling the ground slippery under their feet.
A soldier cursed the mist, which had risen at an inopportune ti. The next mont, the ground beneath their feet leveled off, and the rugged mountain path abruptly disappeared. The soldiers stepped onto solid ground, sowhat puzzled, but staying steady with the presence of many comrades around them. However, they did not realize that everyone was looking around in confusion because it was pitch dark. Where were their torches?
When had the torches gone out? How had they not noticed?
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