Catching Monsters

Chapter 287 Condolences
At dawn, in the tent of the Hu people's camp, Wanyan Shi sat with a gloomy face and angry eyes.

"Xu Dingwu, Xu Dingwu!"

"You really disappoint me!"

At this moment, Qi Xinyi had already brought back the news of Xu Dingwu's betrayal, and Wanyan Shi's face was extremely ugly.

This battle resulted in the loss of 10,000 Hu soldiers and the complete annihilation of a thousand elite cavalry.

Of course, this was not a major blow to the Hu army, which had 200,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of cavalry.

What Wanyan Shi found truly unacceptable was that last night, a group of people, using a secret signal, successfully entered the rear grain storage area and set it on fire.

Although the problem with this group was discovered in time and the situation was quickly extinguished, a full third of the grain was still lost.

This is what Wanyan Shi found hard to accept.

The Hu people's army originally had enough food to support 200,000 soldiers for more than 20 days.

Now, there's only enough to last about thirteen more days.

Many of the Hu generals under his command in the camp also frowned.

They wanted to say a few more words, having already noticed Xu Dingwu's problem, but seeing Wanyan Shi's murderous gaze, none of them dared to say anything more.

Wanyan Shi couldn't help but look at Qi Xinyi and said, "Mr. Qi, since you discovered that Xu Dingwu was problematic, why didn't you kill him in time?"

Qi Xin sat in the tent, wiping the longsword in his hand, and said calmly, "He ordered a charge, how could I possibly stop him?"

"It wasn't until he led a thousand cavalrymen into that dense jungle that I realized something was wrong with him."

Wanyan Shi's lips moved slightly. He wanted to reprimand him, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He took a deep breath and only complained, "At least Mr. Qi should bring his head back. I need to take it back to report to the Khan."

Qi Xin said calmly, "Does the commander not believe I killed him? If you have any complaints about me, you can go and tell the Khan, and let the Khan punish me."

"Of course that's not what I meant." Wanyan Shi forced a smile, but a hint of dissatisfaction was also evident in his eyes.

Although Qi Xinyi was powerful, he was still born a slave.

Wanyan Shi took a deep breath and stopped dwelling on the issue.

He also realized that the introduction of the Hu army into the heart of Zhou territory was probably part of Xu Dingwu's plan.

If the army is allowed to remain here, something terrible is likely to happen!
"Men, order the army to set off immediately and prepare to withdraw from Jianchi Pass," Wanyan Shi said through gritted teeth.

Wanyan Shi could already foresee the consequences of returning...

Having made such a large-scale mobilization to the Zhou Kingdom, only to gain nothing, they returned to the grasslands...

A reprimand from the Khan was inevitable.

He could forget about being the commander-in-chief of his own army.

Even according to the customs of the grasslands, if one loses a battle, one's reputation within the family will drop significantly.

But none of that mattered anymore. Wanyan Shi understood that if he didn't quickly lead this army away, he might not be able to leave later.

Soon, the Hu army swiftly set out and headed north.

The Zhenchi Army had also made preparations long ago. The main force closely followed behind the Hu army, and occasionally sent out a few troops to quickly bypass the Hu army and block their progress.

How could Xu Xiaogang possibly let the Hu army escape so easily?
These were the elite troops that his father had brought into the heart of the Zhou Kingdom at the cost of his life.

At the same time, Xu Xiaogang also sent a letter to the Tianqi Army, ordering the Tianqi Army's cavalry to travel day and night to provide support ahead of schedule.

He then wrote to Marquis Weiwu, ordering his troops to quickly assemble at Jianchi Pass to intercept the enemy, and to ensure that the troops could not escape through Jianchi Pass under any circumstances.

……

Inside the main hall of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Tao Yuelan sat in the seat of honor, while Jiang Yun and Xu Suwen sat on the left.

Inside the hall, Feng Yu, with a look of mourning on his face, announced His Majesty's decision to restore the honor of Duke Zhenguo, Xu Dingwu, and that Xu Dingwu had died on the front lines.

Upon hearing this news, Tao Yuelan's face was filled with astonishment, and she slumped into a chair, her body going limp.

"Mother." Xu Suwen's expression also changed, and she hurriedly ran to Tao Yuelan's side.

Tao Yuelan's face was slightly pale. She took a deep breath before slowly saying, "Eunuch Feng, does that mean my master didn't defect to the enemy, but instead went to the Northern Barbarians as an inside agent on His Majesty's orders?"

"Yes." Feng Yu sighed slightly and said, "Please accept my condolences, Madam. His Majesty did not intend to hide this matter from you all."

"To be honest, even someone as close to His Majesty as myself was not informed by him at the time."

"Even I think the Duke of Zhenguo has defected to the enemy."

After speaking, Feng Yu slowly took out an imperial edict. Upon seeing this, Tao Yuelan, supported by Xu Suwen, knelt down inside the room.

Jiang Yun also quickly knelt down beside him.

Feng Yu took a deep breath and read in a solemn voice: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xu Dingwu, loyal to the Emperor and serving the country, died on the battlefield. He is posthumously granted the title of 'Loyal and Righteous,' posthumously awarded the rank of Grand Commandant, and shall be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness shall be built for his worship..."

Upon hearing Feng Yu's words, Tao Yuelan and Xu Suwen quickly accepted the imperial decree.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

Being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and further enshrined in the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness was already considered an extremely high honor.

Feng Yu hurriedly stepped forward to help Tao Yuelan up, saying, "Madam Tao, when the old Duke returns to the capital, His Majesty will personally welcome him. You must also take care of your health and absolutely cannot have any mishaps." Jiang Yun had also been in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion for so long, and he couldn't help but sigh slightly. He also knew that comforting Xu Suwen and Tao Yuelan now would be of no use.

A person's life and death cannot be resolved with a few words of comfort.

After comforting the two, Feng Yu turned to Jiang Yun and asked in a low voice, "Jiang Yun, how is Ao Yu being settled?"

“She’s at the Sanqing Temple.” Jiang Yun couldn’t help but whisper when Feng Yu asked, “Eunuch Feng, you need to find a way to get Ao Yu to leave… Although she has amnesia, she has quite a temper. If she stays any longer, she might just tear down our Sanqing Temple one day…”

Upon hearing this, Feng Yu coughed and said in a low voice, "Alright, I'm very busy lately... If she regains her memory, then you can bring this up with me again..."

Jiang Yun was quite troubled about how to deal with Ao Yu's problem.

She has lost her memory now, we can't just ignore her, can we?
She was temporarily placed in the Sanqing Temple, but although Ao Yu had lost her memory...

But as the saying goes, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature; despite her amnesia, her temper remains quite strong...

The entire Duke's mansion was shrouded in an atmosphere of sorrow.

Jiang Yun also stayed by Xu Suwen's side throughout.

Xu Suwen was fine when she was persuading Tao Yuelan, but when she returned to her own courtyard, she was overcome with emotion and recalled the scene where her father had taught her martial arts here.

The words my father taught me often echoed in my ears.

"Suwen, I don't want you to be like those young ladies from noble families, staying at home all day, never stepping out of the house, and crying at the slightest thing."

"Once you've mastered martial arts, if anyone dares to bully you, the thing you should do isn't come back to your father to complain, but beat them down yourself first."

"If you still can't beat him, go home and find your dad. He'll beat you up for you."

The tree in the yard was planted by my father when I was a child.

She slowly walked to the tree and couldn't resist reaching out to touch it.

Jiang Yun silently approached her, took a deep breath, and said, "Suwen..."

"I know what you want to say." Xu Suwen didn't turn around, but stared at the tree in front of her and said slowly, "I'm not as weak as you think."

“My father died on the front lines, fighting against the Northern Hu. It was the responsibility and duty of the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion to die on the battlefield. My father had simply fulfilled his mission in this life.”

"If, if one day, Xiaogang is like this, I will also don my armor and go into battle. This is the mission of our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion."

Then, Xu Suwen took a deep breath and forced a smile.

……

Qin Ziliang had already rushed back to the capital, and upon arriving, he heard about the situation at the front.

Although he wanted to rush to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to offer condolences as soon as possible, the imperial edict required him to go to the Imperial Study immediately to meet Xiao Yuzheng.

Qin Ziliang quickly arrived outside the Imperial Study, waiting for Xiao Yuzheng's summons.

Before long, Xiao Yuzheng heard that Qin Ziliang had returned, so he opened the door of the Imperial Study and went outside himself.

Looking at Qin Ziliang, who was covered in dust and wearing armor, Xiao Yuzheng smiled and said, "General Qin is finally back."

Qin Ziliang immediately knelt on the ground, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, I am guilty! I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng chuckled and said, "What crime has General Qin committed? You led the main force of the Hu people into the heart of our Zhou territory, and now the Hu army is about to be surrounded."

"It won't be long before the entire main force of the Hu people is wiped out."

"This is a great achievement!"

"I know what happened at the front, and I also know how that scoundrel Liu Muyun acted recklessly and caused the death of General Jiang."

Xiao Yuzheng stepped forward, reached out to help Qin Ziliang up, and said with emotion, "General Qin, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Marquis of Anjing! I also grant you a thousand acres of fertile land!"

Being granted a title of nobility or high-ranking official was considered the highest reward a military general could receive.

This is something that must be done; if Qin Ziliang is not appeased, the front lines will become unstable.

After all, Qin Ziliang was the one who led the rebellion.

Qin Ziliang is someone who absolutely cannot be allowed to get into trouble easily. If something happens to him, all the other soldiers in Zhenchi Army who followed the rebellion will worry about their own safety.

Qin Ziliang took a deep breath, nodded, and said, "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty has one more request..."

"The Duke of Zhenguo, that old man."

"Rest assured, I have made all the arrangements."

Xiao Yuzheng patted Qin Ziliang on the shoulder: "I know what you're thinking. Let's head to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion first."

"Yes."

Qin Ziliang quickly led the hundred personal guards who had returned, all of whom were veterans of the Zhenchi Army, into the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion to pay their respects.

Although the body of Duke Xu Dingwu has not yet returned, the mourning hall has already begun to be set up for other dignitaries in the capital to pay their respects.

Three days later, at dawn, the body of Duke Xu Dingwu was finally returned.

(End of this chapter)