Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 300 The Eggless Ones (Thanks to Yong Su for being the Alliance Leader)
The night is deep.

The chill intensified.

Even with a campfire burning in front of them, the chill that emanated from their backs was still unbearable for them.

Their stomachs were growling with hunger, and luckily they'd managed to hunt a rabbit. They didn't even bother to roast it properly; it was barely browned on the outside before someone immediately reached out... In this situation, if one person reached out, most others would be tempted to join in. The poor rabbit was instantly torn to pieces; the inside was dripping with blood, but who cared about that at a time like this? Food was stuffed into their mouths.

They ate raw meat and drank blood.

Such things are mostly instincts imprinted on the soul, so there's not much to resist.

Wanyan Zongmin also managed to grab some and handed it to Nahetuya, who was standing not far away. His gaze towards Nahetuya was noticeably intense. In Wanyan Zongmin's eyes, she was an extremely beautiful woman. Unlike the gentleness of Han women, Nahetuya's wildness was what truly captivated him.

Unfortunately, this was a woman from the Great Khanate.

Wanyan Zongmin was not actually a member of the Wanyan family. He was originally just an ordinary member of the Wuji tribe. However, compared to other Jurchens, he was more intelligent and had considerable fighting ability. He made significant contributions when Wanyan Guangzhi was vying for the throne of the Jurchen Khan.

After Wanyan Guangzhi came to power, he was given the surname Wanyan.

He did not hold military power, unlike a great general like Wanyan Guanghan, but he was responsible for Wanyan Guangzhi's personal protection, making him a high-ranking guard. However, Wanyan Guangzhi valued Nahetuya very much, which is why he left Wanyan Zongmin and his personal guards behind to protect Nahetuya.

Unlike Wanyan Guanghan, who was a crude and uncouth man, Wanyan Zongmin's personality was somewhat similar to that of Wanyan Guangzhi. Although he looked down on the Han people, he was very fond of their culture. In Wanyan Zongmin's eyes, the Han people were a flock of sheep, and the Jurchens were a bunch of stupid pigs.

Feinting to the east while attacking the west, secretly crossing the Chencang pass, going against the grain... In the Central Plains, this should be the simplest strategy, yet countless out of 100,000 troops fled, and apart from him, not a single one managed to bypass the cavalry. Thinking this, Wanyan Zongmin felt a sense of superiority, as if his intelligence was on a higher level.

Nakhtoya looked at the blood-stained rabbit meat and finally shook her head: "Where are we going next?"

Wanyan Zongmin didn't insist. He picked up a piece of rabbit meat, tore off a piece, and his lips were stained crimson with rabbit blood. He chewed it haphazardly and swallowed it in one gulp. He raised his sleeve to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Heading south."

"Go to Anchegu and join up with the Great Khan."

"Based on my speculation, those Han cavalrymen traveled hundreds of miles through the snow before entering the heart of the Haixi Grassland. Their purpose could not possibly have been merely to create chaos. Even if the camp riots and routs resulted in the deaths of many innocent troops, the death toll would probably only be around ten thousand, definitely not more than twenty thousand. Killing these twenty thousand people would not have much significance for those Han people."

"Therefore, I conclude that they will continue to pursue and kill the fleeing troops in order to expand their gains."

"Perhaps they will also plunder the tribe's property."

“All of this will take time. Even if we walk, which is a slow pace, we should still have a chance to reach Anchegu before they retreat.”

“Those damned Han dogs only dared to launch a sneak attack because the Great Khan was away from the tribe. As long as we join forces with the Great Khan and march north with 150,000 troops, we will surely be able to intercept those few thousand cavalry. At that time, those Han dogs will witness the true power of our Jurchen iron cavalry.”

Wanyan Zongmin's voice seemed somewhat hoarse, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with intense hatred.

He witnessed a black-armored warrior appear outside his tent, and then with a loud bang, the entire tent was torn to pieces.

His parents, younger brother, and younger sister are probably dead.

This blood feud must be avenged eventually.

“If Your Highness is tired, you may rest for now. We will set off again in an hour,” Wanyan Zongmin said again. Nearly two hours of fleeing had taken a heavy toll on their strength. Especially in this snowy terrain, even the robust Jurchens were finding it difficult to endure.

"No need to worry, we are absolutely safe here. Those Han people would never expect that we would actually run behind them."

Nakhtoya simply nodded upon hearing this, without saying anything more. She silently walked to a large tree nearby, squatted down, leaned against the trunk, and slowly closed her eyes.

Wanyan Zongmin then arranged for his other guards to either rest or stand guard. After everything was arranged, Wanyan Zongmin found a place and closed his eyes, but he did not sleep; instead, he continued to plan the next leg of the journey. However, Wanyan Zongmin was unaware that the Han cavalry, whom he estimated might not retreat for several days, had already embarked on their journey back to the city.

Squeak, squeak!

Heavy infantry are not fast, especially with the help of naval infantry and carts. Of course, in any case, their speed is still much faster than walking.

"Reporting, General."

Just then, a scout rode back on horseback: "Reporting to the general, we have found human footprints ahead."

Human footprints?

Song Yan was taken aback. If they were hoofprints, that would be normal, since they had ridden warhorses along this road. But what about human footprints? The four thousand black-armored soldiers almost never dismounted, so how could they have left footprints?

In an instant, Song Yan's expression changed slightly, and some extremely bad thoughts surfaced in his mind.

He pondered, his mind racing. The footprints here couldn't have been left by the black-armored warriors, so there was only one possibility… Jurchen barbarians who had escaped from the royal court. But why would these people head this way? Could it be that they scattered and fled in panic after being charged by the heavy cavalry, ending up here in their haste?
impossible.

Even if they were in a panic and didn't know where to go, they wouldn't have fled behind the cavalry. You have to understand that there were four thousand cavalrymen. Although it doesn't sound like many, it was a real large force.

Could it be that they wanted to do the opposite and deliberately detour behind the cavalry to escape? Thinking this, Song Yan quickly shook his head. That was impossible; no one would be that stupid.

Putting aside the difficulty of getting around to the back under the noses of four thousand cavalry, there is just one reason that is hard to explain... They are Han Chinese, and they can't wander around in this freezing place forever. They will eventually have to return to Ningguo. Once they return to Ningguo, won't they meet on the road?

Unless something extremely important forced these people to do this. Song Yan quickly pondered what could possibly be driving them to such a risk... Could it be that their destination was the Anchegu tribe?

Although the southwestern route doesn't appear to be the shortest path to Anchegu tribe according to the map, these people are, after all, from the Central Plains and unfamiliar with the Jurchen territory. Perhaps there are hidden paths they're unaware of. If these people could use these hidden paths to reach Anchegu tribe ahead of time and inform Wanyan Guangzhi of everything that's happening at the royal court…

This was just Song Yan's speculation, but for some reason he felt it was very likely. If Wanyan Guangzhi knew the news in advance and set up troops along the southwest route to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out... In an instant, Song Yan's expression changed again, and he felt his scalp tingle.

The reason this went so smoothly was due to the impenetrable protection of the heavily armored soldiers and the destructive power of the thunderbolts, which instantly shattered the enemy's fighting spirit.

But Wanyan Guangzhi was not that brute, Wanyan Guanghan.

Once an ambush is planned, Wanyan Guangzhi will certainly make thorough preparations.

Moreover, the soldiers around Wanyan Guangzhi were all elite, far superior to those left behind in the royal court. Even a thunderbolt could not cause those men to immediately riot and flee.

If they were ambushed and surrounded... just thinking about that scene made Song Yan break out in a cold sweat.

"How many of them are there?"

"Judging from the footprints, there should be dozens of people."

Song Yan took a deep breath and ripped off his helmet: "Ma Han, lead a hundred cavalrymen with me, remove your heavy armor, follow the footprints on the ground, and chase after them as fast as you can."

……

at the same time.

Aventurine.

Ministry of Industry Shangshu Mansion.

This is the residence of Song Hongtao's younger brother, Song Jincheng.

Recently, Song Jincheng has also been having a difficult time. Originally, Song Jincheng was the Minister of Personnel.

Of the six ministries, the Ministry of Rites was nominally the head.

In reality, the most powerful department was the Ministry of Personnel, as it controlled the promotion of officials throughout the country and wielded immense power.

However, because his sister-in-law Yang Miaoqing deliberately humiliated Princess Luo Yuheng, Emperor Ninghe used this as an excuse to strip two of his sons of their official positions, and even he, the Minister of Personnel, was reprimanded.

Later, he found another opportunity to change his position from Minister of Personnel to Minister of Works.

Although they were both ministers and their official ranks remained the same, their actual status plummeted.

The Ministry of Works is the least influential of the six ministries. How much of a future can it have with a bunch of craftsmen all day? In the end, it was my sister-in-law who went too far. Even if Luo Yuheng lost her title of Princess, she is still Emperor Ninghe's younger sister. No matter how much Emperor Ninghe and this sister are at odds, she is not someone you can humiliate at will.

Although he harbored resentment, the thought that Yang Miaoqing was already dead made him sigh helplessly. He couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. After all, although Yang Miaoqing had a bad temper, she was good-looking and had a great figure. Most importantly, the identity of his sister-in-law... was exciting.

Shaking his head, Song Jincheng stopped thinking about these things and turned his gaze to the side, where a person was lying quietly on the bed.

It's Song Zhe.

He was still unconscious and had not woken up.

His handsome, baby-faced features were pale, devoid of any color.

That arrow was so poisonous! It pierced two hawthorns... they were shredded into pieces, not a single one was left, and in the end, they had to be removed.

(End of this chapter)