knife

Chapter 174 Dragonflame Valley

Li Dachui was somewhat disappointed.

Last night, Gao Qunshu made it clear to him that he would not leave Tiele and follow him back to the Anxi Protectorate.

He was actually quite envious of Gao Qunshu.

However, everyone has their own aspirations, and we cannot force them to.

During their conversation, Gao Qunshu didn't have a high opinion of what the Anxi Protectorate could do.

Li Dachui understood.

Based on current strength on paper, he is far inferior to the Yuan people, and even to Linghu Ye.

Gao Qunshu's desires went beyond simply surviving.

He wanted revenge.

His parents and elder brother served under the Beiting Protectorate, guarding the borders of the Great Qin for decades. In the end, they all met a tragic end, their heads separated from their bodies. Apart from him, no one else in his family survived.

Therefore, he took it upon himself to overthrow the Li family of the Qin state.

Now, he has become one of the most trusted advisors of Tiele, the second prince of the Yuan Dynasty.

If Tiele can successfully ascend the throne, he will become a key minister of the court, and Tiele wants to conquer the Central Plains.

This coincides with Gao Qunshu's ideals.

If it were me, I'd probably choose Tiele too!
What a pity.

Li Dachui sighed.

"Governor Li, the entrance to Dragonflame Valley is just ahead." Gao Qunshu pointed his whip forward, and on the horizon at the edge of his vision, the Yuan Kingdom's flag could be seen fluttering.

Li Dachui was a little puzzled. He didn't see any surrounding mountains. Where was this so-called Dragon Flame Valley?
“Governor Li, Dragon Flame Valley is a very peculiar place. At the end of this river, the terrain suddenly sinks down, so Dragon Flame Valley is not on the ground, but underground.”

"Spanning several miles north to south and over a hundred miles east to west, nature is truly amazing!" Li Dachui spurred his horse forward. "Let's go, let's go see your home!"

After a short while, Li Dachui and his group arrived at the entrance, a simple wooden military camp. Dozens of Yuan soldiers were lazily sitting or lying in the sun, basking in the sunlight. When they saw the group coming, they only glanced at them. Then a bearded officer walked over.

Gao Qunshu stood out from the crowd.

"Isn't this Chief Clerk Gao?" The bearded man quickened his pace noticeably upon seeing Gao Qunshu, a smile spreading across his face, and his tone suddenly became warm.

"Zaxi, it's been three months since I last saw you, and you seem to have gained weight again. If you keep going like this, Marco won't be able to carry you anymore!" Gao Qunshu rudely tapped the bearded man's belly with his riding whip and said, "You won't have a chance to go on the next expedition looking like this."

The bearded Zaxi wasn't angry at all, and laughed, "Chief Clerk Gao, I heard we suffered a great loss at Qingtongxia? Then we must have a fierce battle with the Qin people!"

"You think you can fight like this? Are you looking for death? The enemy is the fierce Xiao Changche!"

“I’m too old to go. Actually, it’s quite nice to stay here!” Zaxi chuckled. “Chief Clerk Gao, I received a letter from home a few days ago. I have a grandson!”

"Really? Congratulations!" Gao Qunshu smiled and took out a few gold coins from his pocket. "It was a little something I had to make in a hurry. Here, make a little trinket for your grandson!"

"I won't stand on ceremony for Chief Clerk Gao's reward!" The bearded Zaxi laughed as he collected the gold coins, his gaze falling on Li Dachui and his group: "Who are these people?"

"They are physicians from Changchun Valley, preparing to provide free medical services in Flame Valley!" Gao Qunshu said with a smile.

"So it's the gentlemen from Changchun Valley!" Upon hearing this, Zaxi was first surprised, then stepped forward and bowed deeply to Li Dachui and the others.

"What are you doing?" Li Dachui quickly helped the bearded Zaxi up.

“Three years ago, my son contracted a strange illness. His abdomen swelled up like a drum, and we tried everything to cure him, but nothing worked. He was getting worse every day. Fortunately, a gentleman from Changchun Valley passed by our house and stayed for half a month. That's how my son survived. If it weren't for the gentleman from Changchun Valley, I would have no son, let alone a grandson!”

"It's only right that Changchun Valley practices medicine and helps the needy!" Li Dachui returned the greeting with a smile. "This time, our Valley Master came to treat His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Yuan Dynasty, so we disciples also came to the Yuan Kingdom to provide free medical care. As for Longyan Valley, it was Her Highness the Princess who sent us to take a look!" "I see!" Zaxi said, "Gentlemen, please make yourselves at home. Open the door, open the door! The immortals of Changchun Valley are going to Longyan Valley!"

With Tashi's roar, the two wooden gates were slowly pushed open, revealing a long ramp in front of everyone.

Standing at the top of the slope, Li Dachui looked down.

Unlike the desolation above, Dragonflame Valley is dotted with clusters of greenery and houses scattered like stars in the sky.

Surrounded by ravines and cliffs, this is the only road leading to the outside world.

No wonder Gao Qunshu said that Dragon Flame Valley is a natural open-air prison.

Along the way, Gao Qunshu also gave Li Dachui a detailed introduction to the current situation of Dragon Flame Valley.

Because of Princess Chang Le's protection, Dragon Flame Valley has become a small society of its own.

They exchanged heavy taxes for the basic conditions necessary to survive and continue in the Yuan Dynasty.

As long as they pay their taxes on time, the Yuan Kingdom doesn't care what they do in Dragonflame Valley. After all, they only have so many people, and even if they wanted to do something, they couldn't.

Moreover, with Princess Chang Le as their guarantor, these people would inevitably have some reservations even if they wanted to do something.

Within Dragonflame Valley, the military law and governance that existed during the time of the Northern Protectorate still apply.

The highest-ranking civil official who fled here was a fifth-rank military clerk, while the highest-ranking military official was a guerrilla general. These two made up the highest-ranking civil and military officials of Dragonflame Valley.

Since then, every five years, everyone in the valley gathers together to vote and elect a new leader.

The former military clerk and guerrilla general were elected for three consecutive terms before passing away one after the other. The current military clerk and guerrilla general are their successors.

However, being trapped in Dragonflame Valley, apart from some basic military training, there was no risk of war. So gradually, the power of the Registrar in charge of civil affairs grew, while the Guerrilla General became an assistant.

After all, the biggest burden for the people of Dragonflame Valley now, besides surviving, is the annual tax they pay to the Yuan Kingdom. Since they have no money, they can only pay the Yuan Kingdom with grain, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, and other supplies.

They slowly made their way down the slope, which became narrower and narrower until it became dangerous to even ride horses. So they dismounted and led their horses along.

"Can Protector Li guess why we haven't fixed this road after all these years?" Gao Qunshu asked with a smile.

"I can roughly guess!" Li Dachui glanced at the somewhat treacherous road: "When you first entered the valley, you were worried that the Yuan people might turn against you and attack you one day. Dragon Flame Valley is a deadly place, but it is also easy to defend and difficult to attack. Under such terrain, the Yuan cavalry can not play any role at all. By guarding the entrance, we can make the Yuan people pay an unbearable price."

Gao Qunshu gave a thumbs up, "Li Duhu is indeed a military genius. He saw through our intentions at a glance. However, so many years have passed, and such worries are no longer there. I have always suggested that we repair this road, but now it seems unnecessary."

“We’ll all be living much better lives away from here!” Li Dachui said. “It will definitely be much better than here. At least we’ll be free to go wherever we want, instead of living in this open-air prison.”

“There aren’t many of the older generation left in the valley!” Gao Qunshu sighed. “They could have lived longer, but when they first came here, everything had to be started from scratch. To ensure everyone’s survival, they worked day and night, and many of them died from exhaustion. Over the years, people who had fled to the Yuan Kingdom have occasionally come to Dragon Flame Valley for help, and we have also tried to rescue some Qin people who were captured by the Yuan people within the Yuan Kingdom’s territory, so the population has been increasing. Now there are nearly 20,000 people in the entire valley.”

"I imagine you put in a lot of effort here!"

“Over the years, many people have left here to make a living elsewhere, and I am the one who has done the best among them.” Gao Qunshu said with a bitter smile, “But in everyone’s eyes, we are outcasts, traitors. No matter how much we have done for everyone, people no longer recognize or accept us. Protector Li, but I don’t think I have done anything wrong. What do you think?”

"It's not a matter of right or wrong!" Li Dachui nodded. "As long as you have a clear conscience, that's all that matters. There's no such thing as having it all in this world. You people don't forget your roots. Even after you've become successful, you still help Dragon Flame Valley from time to time. I believe that over the years, Dragon Flame Valley has actually benefited a lot from you. They may not say it, but they remember it in their hearts and are grateful."

"I don't ask for their gratitude, I'll be satisfied as long as they don't curse me behind my back!" Gao Qunshu laughed. "Governor Li, don't be fooled by our friendly conversation now. Who knows, in the future, we might both be plotting to kill each other! I always have a feeling that you will definitely become a stumbling block for the Second Prince in the future."

Li Dachui laughed heartily and patted Gao Qunshu on the shoulder: "Let's talk about the future later. We should cherish our friendship now, shouldn't we? Tiele is still a wounded, powerless prince, in worse shape than me! I'm now a rising star outside the Great Qin Pass, the Deputy Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate. We're allies now, aren't we? Since we're allies, we should naturally work together. If we really have to part ways, we won't have any regrets, right?"

“The Protector-General is a magnanimous man!” Gao Qunshu nodded.

After half an hour of winding and turning, they finally arrived at the bottom of the valley. A wooden gate stood symbolically on the road, with the three characters "Dragon Flame Valley" written in a powerful and vigorous style. Under the gate, a dozen or so people were waiting for them.

(End of this chapter)