Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 180 Horseback Riding Competition
Perhaps because he was too tired, Zhu Wen slept without any dreams and woke up in the afternoon.

Lan Suting had already gotten up and dressed, practicing calligraphy at his desk. Tian Jun, however, had her beautiful legs wrapped around Zhu Wen's waist like a net, sleeping even more soundly than Zhu Wen.

This is also her way of asserting her sovereignty over the men she loves.

"What a lizard." Zhu Wen felt the heat of the beauty's body, lifted the quilt, and lightly slapped Tian Junyue's buttocks, causing the soft flesh to tremble like ripples on water.

Tian Jun let out a muffled whimper.

While she was half asleep, Zhu Wen gently kissed and sucked her earlobe, tracing the lines of her ear with the tip of his tongue.

Because of her face shape, Tian Jun's profile is much more beautiful than her full face. In the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window, Sleeping Beauty's honey-colored skin glows with a subtle rosy light, giving her a goddess-like beauty.

The closer he got to the kiss, the more captivated Zhu Wen became.

Tian Jun was still unconscious, only letting out soft moans in rhythm with Zhu Wen, which disturbed even Lan Suting, who was practicing calligraphy at his desk, causing his cheeks to flush red.

Finally, Tian Jun groggily opened her eyes and noticed Zhu Wen's actions, feeling both shy and delighted.

Zhu Wen embraced her tightly and said, "May your blessings be renewed and your lifespan extended. On this festive occasion, may Heaven bestow its grace and protect both of you ladies, keeping you forever young."

He recalled how he used to dislike saying New Year's greetings when he was a child, which made him disliked by his neighbors. Now, however, when he meets a girl he likes, he can easily utter sweet words.

In Tang Dynasty language, "niangzi" could refer to a wife or be used as a respectful term for any woman. However, after last night's playful banter, Zhu Wen now addressed Tian Jun and Lan Suting as "niangzi," which carries the special meaning of "new bride."

Tian Jun feigned anger and lightly punched him: "You little lecher, taking advantage of me again."

The usually valiant and spirited female general also has a touch of "shy charm" when she acts coquettishly.

Zhu Wen laughed heartily, draped Tian Jun over himself, got up and moved closer to Lan Suting, kissing her on the cheek without saying a word. The girl was immediately overcome with shyness.

Before Lan Suting could react, Zhu Wen carried her back to bed and held her in his arms along with Tian Jun.

Having already promised Zhu Wen that he could have two women by the end of the year, the two women had no choice but to let him take liberties with them.

Although Zhu Wen possessed extraordinary self-control, he couldn't resist taking advantage of the two beauties, not wanting to actually ruin their bodies. Before long, Tian Jun and Lan Suting were both aroused by his teasing, their voices soft and their breaths slightly ragged, their eyes glazed over.

He gently embraced the two beauties for a while to calm them down, then took one in each hand and led them to the market amidst envious glances from those around them.

The celebration of New Year's Day was even more lively than that of Lunar New Year's Eve, with people wearing all sorts of winter clothes. Those with some means wore fur coats or silk-padded garments; the poor, on the other hand, wore their winter clothes with various scraps of yarn and cloth made from spinning and weaving, such as tangled hemp or the fluffy stuff from old clothes.

Last night, Zhu Wen and Tian Jun originally wanted to stay up until midnight to celebrate the New Year, but they were disturbed by the Flower King You Di and missed getting up early because they had to catch up on sleep.

Every household has replaced the old door charms with new peachwood ones, pasted up Spring Festival couplets, and added door gods Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong. The torches lit in the courtyards along the road have long since gone out, and the ashes are covered with bamboo shavings.

Bamboo and wooden poles, their bases buried in the ground, peeked out from behind the courtyard wall, long strips of paper or cloth fluttering from their tops in the cold wind.

The Japanese later adopted this flag, made it in the shape of a carp, and named it the Carp Banner.

On a whim, Lan Suting took a few dozen coins to try his hand at solving riddles. With his quick wit, he soon filled his bamboo basket with a bunch of things.

There are Tusu wine and Jiaobai wine, known for their salty, astringent, bitter, and spicy flavors, and the Five Spicy Dishes, which are a mixture of garlic, shallots, chives, rapeseed, and coriander. In comparison, only the Jiaoya Tang, made from glutinous rice, is edible.

According to the customs of the Tang Dynasty, these are the things to eat during the New Year.

The herbal infusions of Tusu and Jiaobai wines express the wish for longevity, while the Five Spicy Dishes are used to disperse stagnation in the five internal organs and prevent epidemics. As for the maltose, it is mainly for the elderly to test the strength of their teeth and to wish them that their teeth will never fall out.

Seeing Tian Jun's hesitant expression, Zhu Wen laughed and said, "Let's eat the candy, and give the rest to Huo Cun to take back. We should cherish food and not let him waste a single drop. Consider this a reward for his cleverness."

Tian Jun thought to herself, "You're really taking advantage of me and then acting innocent. Huo Cun must have done something terrible in his past life to run into a boss like you!"
……

Several days have passed since the New Year holiday, and Cao Jun is also planning to withdraw from Quzhou and Wuzhou.

The dismissal of soldiers for the New Year led to hundreds of incidents of drunken soldiers plundering civilians. Fortunately, Huang Chao acted fairly, beheading those who committed murder and whipping those who raped and plundered, which won the hearts of the people and did not cause too much public resentment.

However, the imperial court had already collected the summer and autumn taxes, and no new grain had been harvested. The army's consumption of food throughout the winter had led to signs of rice being expensive and money being cheap in the two prefectures, which were originally lands of fish and rice.

The fact that they had been managing the two states all winter was now being abandoned, a situation that was hard for many soldiers who considered this foreign land their home.

They often took care of prostitutes or widows both inside and outside the city, but had to part with them reluctantly.

There was no other way. Not to mention that after the snow melted, the government troops would have to launch a large-scale pursuit, and the two prefectures could not support tens of thousands of troops for long. Once food was scarce, the people would be taxed again or military discipline could not be maintained, and the hard-won popular support would immediately turn into resentment and curses.

On the eve of the withdrawal, Luoyandu chieftain Zhu Wen, the chief strategist of the Grass Army, and his general Tian Jun were to have a horse-riding martial arts contest in the army camp.

The curious soldiers secretly opened betting odds on the outcome of the game between the two.

Tian Jun sat high on his horse, spear in hand, his bearing imposing, his dark blue armor gleaming in the sunlight.

"I'm determined to win this time." Her eyes were unusually resolute. Since she met Zhu Wen, Tian Jun had never won a single duel with him.

“Is that so? I won’t let you have your way,” Zhu Wen replied loudly.

He already knew about the soldiers' gambling scheme. If he sent someone to bet on himself to lose, and then let Tian Jun win, he could make a fortune.

But Zhu Wen had long ago vowed never to gamble again, and he would not break his vow.

Every battle should be fought with full force, even if the opponent is your lover.

This is the respect that Tian Jun deserves.

Tian Jun spurred his horse and brandished his spear, letting out a long roar. The spear unleashed a burst of blue light, sweeping towards Zhu Wen in an overwhelming manner.

Zhu Wen raised his sword to meet the attack; the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword shone with a brilliant red light, as radiant as the sun shining brightly in the sky.

Faced with Tian Jun's fierce and unparalleled offensive, Zhu Wen defended flawlessly.

Zhu Wen first defeated Tian Jun using the spear-seizing technique taught to him by Meng Kai. But now Tian Jun is well-versed in Zhu Wen's fighting style, and Zhu Wen can no longer find an opportunity to seize the spear.

Tian Jun's mounted combat skills were superior to Zhu Wen's, and his serpent spear was longer than his dragon sparrow sword. Therefore, Zhu Wen chose to play it safe and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.

When the swords and spears clashed, Zhu Wen's blade would often slide along the spear shaft, waiting for an opportunity to strike Tian Jun's palm, forcing Tian Jun to change her move.

This tactic is quite effective, as it can both suppress the spear's attack and turn defense into offense.

Tian Jun charged at the enemy on horseback for dozens of rounds, but could not find a way to break the deadlock. He was already showing obvious signs of fatigue, with beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

Seeing her panting, Zhu Wen knew that he had the advantage in resilience and that his chance to counterattack had arrived, so he rode forward.

The two horses missed each other again.

With a bang, the spear was knocked away by Zhu Wen and embedded deeply into the soil inside the camp.

Zhu Wen was feeling smug when suddenly his vision blurred and he felt a heavy weight in his arms.

Tian Jun jumped directly off her horse.

Although the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade was not as long as the Serpent Spear, it was still a long weapon. Before he could defend himself, Tian Jun had already pressed his waist knife against Zhu Wen's neck.

"How was it?" Tian Jun asked smugly, sitting in Zhu Wen's lap.

Clearly, the spear being knocked away was merely a deliberate act by Tian Jun to exploit a weakness.

Even a fool should not be underestimated; Zhu Wen couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle.

However, as long as one is human, there will be oversights.

Moreover, although Zhu Wen did not like to give in to women, he would subconsciously not be ruthless enough towards Tian Jun, who was his little lover, and Tian Jun took advantage of this.

"Jun-mei, you won brilliantly," Zhu Wen praised.

Tian Jun grew increasingly smug, turning the tables and pulling Zhu Wen into her arms with one hand. She loudly proclaimed to the soldiers, "Liang Yu will be my man, Tian Si Niang's man! Don't try to take him from me!"

Her eyes burned with passion, and she possessed an unapproachable majesty.

Even if Tian Jun loses this battle, Zhu Wen will publicly announce his relationship with her.

Tian Jun was determined to win, just for the moment when she could solemnly and personally swear an oath!
Zhu Wen had to admit that Tian Jun was now quite charismatic.

Among the crowd, Duan Hongyan, dressed in a crimson battle robe, was the first to applaud.

"The four-legged snake has really impressed people today." Duan Hongyan smiled broadly: "Junior brother, congratulations! To have such a beauty fall for you is truly a great blessing."

She seemed genuinely pleased with what others were doing, showing no sign of jealousy whatsoever.

Zhu Wen breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a slight sense of loss.

However, there's no reason why a pretty girl should like him.

Duan Hongyan's intelligence is very similar to Xingxiang's, and there seem to be many mysteries surrounding her.

For example, her mysterious poison skills are not something a hunter's daughter should possess.

Everyone has their own secrets that they don't want to tell others, and Zhu Wen didn't want to deliberately pry into them.

(End of this chapter)