Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 241 Your husband has been kidnapped (4)

The bright moonlight shines, and the cold wind howls.

Hundreds of tents were set ablaze at the same time, and the towering flames seemed to rise from the ground like a blazing sun, the firelight covering the sky and even obscuring the moonlight.

The originally freezing cold actually felt somewhat hot under the blazing flames.

In the stables, thousands of warhorses were restless due to the raging fire, snorting and pawing at the ground. If it weren't for the thousands of black-armored soldiers surrounding them, they would have broken free of their reins and fled long ago.

Taking a deep breath, Song Yan asked in a low voice, "How many are there in total?"

"Three thousand one hundred and forty-nine warhorses."

“One thousand eight hundred slow horses.”

Even though Song Yan was already mentally prepared, she still couldn't help but feel restless when she heard the number.

The area around the Wugulun tribe is mostly grassland with few forests. Although it can't compare to the real grasslands, it's more than enough for raising horses. Song Yan estimated that a large portion of the warhorses produced by Wugulun would be handed over to the royal court, and not many would actually remain here.

As for nagmas, they were horses used for hauling goods. They were not as noble as warhorses, but they were still a scarce resource.

Lei Yi, who had followed along, was equally excited, his face flushed. Having fought the Jurchens many times, he knew very well that the difference between the Ningguo army and the Xiongnu and Jurchens lay in their cavalry. If they could train an elite cavalry force, they might be able to return victorious. However, thinking about the current situation in the court, this idea immediately vanished. Even if the court could acquire a large number of excellent warhorses, most of them would likely be taken home by the noble children to play with.

call!
Song Yan let out a breath.

"Tell me your thoughts, what's the next step?"

"Reporting to the General, I suggest we immediately take these warhorses back to Ningping. The most important thing right now is to ensure that these warhorses truly belong to us. The commotion here is too great." Lei Yi's throat bobbed. As long as they were still within Jurchen territory, these warhorses could not be considered the Black Armor Army's.

“Aren’t there three tribes? We’ve only taken down one of them, and it was the smallest one. Why don’t we take this opportunity to wipe out the remaining two as well?” Luo Tianyang grumbled. “Maybe we can even get more warhorses.”

This war was really not very satisfying. "Besides, didn't you say you were going to build a mound of Jing? What, you're not going to build it anymore?" Luo Tianyang said sarcastically.

Lei Yi, however, didn't care at all: "Pah, there will be plenty of opportunities to build a Jingguan in the future. Compared to these warhorses, building a Jingguan is nothing."

The two argued back and forth, but neither could convince the other. Although Luo Tianyang was not the kind of person who was good at arguing, he was stubborn and had a tendency to be argumentative.

Song Yan felt a bit of a headache and missed Yang Siyao and Liu Yisheng.

Either of these two, if they were by my side, could help me make the right decision. Song Yan looked at the tribe, where dozens or even hundreds of flames gathered together, dyeing the entire sky crimson. After a few breaths, he shook his head: "Give the order to everyone to pack their things and prepare to evacuate."

"Remove your armor and travel at top speed."

"Also, brothers who can ride horses can ride and see how many brothers they can carry."

Lei Yi was overjoyed.

Luo Tianyang was completely puzzled, not understanding why his brother-in-law wasn't on his side. Then he slapped his forehead, realizing that he hadn't even shown up yet, and his brother-in-law had no idea who he was... Thinking that his disguise had even fooled his brother-in-law, he felt a little smug.

……

Xinhou County.

early morning.

Since the beginning of December, the weather has grown increasingly cold. Liu Yisheng, who was used to the climate of Ningping, was finding it somewhat difficult to adjust. With his lord absent, he, as the advisor, was temporarily acting as the county magistrate. However, it wasn't time to go to the yamen yet, so he still had some time to have breakfast.

Because there were too many things to handle, even though he had delegated some to Yang Siyao, he still often had to work until late at night. So Liu Yisheng also lived in the county government office, but in the study, where he had set up a small bed so he could lie down and rest when he was tired.

When you first arrive, there aren't many formalities.

Of course, Liu Yisheng would never do anything out of line, so he never set foot in the back courtyard of the county government office. He even ate his three meals a day outside by himself.

Yang Siyao and Gu Banxia both said there was no need for such formality, but Liu Yisheng felt that propriety should not be disregarded. Walking the streets, after nearly half a month, Ningping County, which had previously resembled a dead zone, finally began to show signs of life. Seeing a once dilapidated city gradually improve under his care, Liu Yisheng felt a sense of accomplishment. Seemingly casually, Liu Yisheng stopped in front of a steamed bun shop, took out two copper coins from his pocket, exchanged them for two steaming hot buns, and sat down to eat.

He swore he hadn't come for the boss's wife.

The proprietress's looks couldn't compare to many of the other mistresses, but she was still considered quite pretty in this county town, known as the "Steamed Bun Beauty"... but she did have a six-year-old daughter with her. It was said that the steamed bun shop used to be run by her husband, but when the Jurchens invaded the city last time, he died, and the proprietress became a widow.

As if sensing Liu Yisheng's gaze, the proprietress turned her head with some suspicion and saw that it was the county magistrate's clerk. She smiled and said that since the steamed bun shop reopened, this clerk had come to patronize the business almost every day and they were already familiar with each other.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Liu Yisheng averted his gaze, his face flushed. He quickly finished the steamed bun and hurried off to the county government office. On the way, he kept reflecting on his actions, wondering how he could have harbored such thoughts about a widow with a daughter; it was truly inappropriate.

Upon arriving at the back hall of the county government office, a pile of documents lay on the desk, all of which Yang Siyao had processed the previous day. Liu Yisheng glanced at them and found them mostly in good condition; even he himself couldn't have done them any better. If his lord were to become emperor, Yang Siyao would at least be a concubine assisting in managing the harem.

Lost in thought, a black-armored soldier hurriedly approached Liu Yisheng: "Master, people from the Zhang and Huang families have arrived, and the Prefect of Pingyang has also come."

Liu Yisheng slowly exhaled; what was bound to happen had finally happened.

Every place has its own local forces.

Just like the eight great families of Jin in Dingzhou Prefecture, and the Fang, Luo, and Song families in Songzhou Prefecture.

In Pingyang Prefecture, there are also two powerful local families: the Zhang family and the Huang family.

The power of these two families in Pingyang Prefecture is terrifying. Their influence is almost ubiquitous in this area. It is no exaggeration to say that even a prefectural governor would not be able to sit securely without the support of these two families.

As for the Pingyang Sima, he undoubtedly represented Qian Yaozu, the governor of Pingyang.

Liu Yisheng wasn't surprised that Qian Yaozu and the two families would make trouble, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. In Liu Yisheng's opinion, this kind of thing should have happened at least until next spring.

It can only be said that the situation in Pingyang Prefecture is currently very bad.

Liu Yisheng stood up, a cold smile appearing on his face. His lord was right. Xinhou County was not afraid of the Jurchen cavalry, but of their own people stabbing them in the back. He straightened his clothes and said with a cold smile, "Please invite them to the living room."

I'd like to see what tricks they have up their sleeves.

……

at the same time.

Songzhou Prefecture.

Ningping County.

Luo Yuheng finally received a letter from Liaodong.

Half a month ago, this was actually considered very fast. After all, the mountains were blocked by heavy snow and the road was so far, with a chaotic area in between. If it were an official post station, it would be the limit if it could be delivered in half a year.

Upon seeing the contents of the letter, Luo Yuheng was furious like never before. His face was icy cold, almost devoid of any warmth, and his body trembled slightly.

Damn it, my son-in-law, does he really think that he has no one to protect him after leaving the Princess's residence?
"Come here, prepare your horses!"

"Go to Liaodong."

"Mother, who upset you?" A clear voice came from outside the house, belonging to a tall and beautiful woman with bright eyes and white teeth, as beautiful as a peach blossom.

Luo Yuheng glanced at the woman with annoyance: "Who's making me angry?"

"Your husband has been kidnapped!"

(End of this chapter)