Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 458 Sister (6,000 words)
As the last rays of twilight sink behind the eaves, the imperial city sheds its daytime majesty.

A thin veil of silvery-gray floats on the bluestone path; it is the lingering cold glow of moonlight after it has passed through the nine-layered palace gates.

The temperature in Chu was even colder than in Ning.

It's especially bad at night.

Therefore, even in the capital of Chu, you don't see many people at night. Occasionally you can see the lights of some pavilions flickering, which are probably places of pleasure.

The carriage creaked and groaned as it left the capital. A night breeze occasionally blew by, and by lifting the curtain, two women could be seen. One of them was dressed in a red dress, tall and graceful, with an oval face and long, jet-black hair tied up with a ribbon, cascading down to her knees. Her face was bright and beautiful, and her large, watery eyes held an barely suppressed excitement.

This woman, named Chu Menglan, was a princess of the Chu Kingdom.

Having received royal upbringing since childhood, etiquette and manners are ingrained in her bones. However, this is the first time she has left the capital city... No, this time it's not just about leaving the capital city, but about leaving the Chu Kingdom directly. Naturally, she is overjoyed and shows some of the naivety of a young girl.

Beside Chu Menglan stood an even taller woman. She was slender and athletic, with a dignified and elegant demeanor, yet exuding a vibrant spirit. Although only slightly older than Chu Menglan, she appeared more mature and composed. She wore a white dress, but it seemed she wasn't used to dresses; the dress was a little too tight, especially around the waist, where the belt accentuated her perfect curves.

Both are confined to a narrow space, one side is a peach blossom in full bloom, its color reflecting the red sun, while the other side is a chrysanthemum in the cold frost, embracing the bright moon – two different kinds of splendor.

Lin Xue's two long, shapely legs were casually crossed, her back against the carriage, her eyes narrowed as if she were dozing. Such a carefree posture, if seen by some old-fashioned people, would most likely be condemned as improper behavior, or even shameless.

Looking at her senior sister's demeanor, Chu Menglan felt a pang of envy. Though both were women, she could never be as carefree as her senior sister. Her gaze swept over Lin Xue's face, then she glanced furtively back at the imperial city gradually shrouded in darkness, a hint of worry creeping into her heart: "Senior sister, is it really alright for us to sneak out like this?"

"Father has already agreed, so why did we sneak out of the city in the middle of the night?"

As she spoke, Chu Menglan puffed out her cheeks, fearing that she would inevitably be punished by her father upon her return.

Hearing this, Lin Xue's long eyelashes trembled slightly. She then raised her eyes to look at Chu Menglan, whose face was full of worry, and chuckled, "Don't worry, that old man is probably watching us from the city wall."

"Even if something really happens, I'll take the blame. What are you afraid of?"

Chu Menglan stuck out her tongue. Her father was only in his fifties, and he was usually well-maintained; he couldn't really be considered an old man, right? In the entire Chu Kingdom, Lin Xue was probably the only one who dared to directly describe the Chu Emperor as an old man. There was no way around it; that was the confidence that came with his military achievements and a grandmaster-level master.

With a soft sigh, Lin Xue closed her eyes again, her mind a jumble of thoughts. Too much time had passed, and she couldn't remember some things from her childhood very clearly.

Only some blurry shadows remain, occasionally surfacing in my mind.

It was probably a courtyard with a big tree and a swing on it. A little boy sat on the swing, and she pushed him from behind, giggling to herself. The swing wasn't very good; if she wasn't careful, the little boy would be thrown off and fall to the ground like a toad. She would then cry loudly in fright, while the little boy would prop himself up with his little arms and legs, looking disgusted.

A woman with soft features will slowly walk over with a gentle smile, pat her head, and say, "Don't cry, it's okay."

So much time had passed that Lin Xue could no longer recall the boy and woman's appearances, only vaguely sketching two warm outlines in her mind: one named Song Yan, and the other Mei Xue.

Those were her younger brother and mother.

call.

Lin Xue slowly exhaled, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her eyelids opening a crack, and a hint of coldness seeping into her eyes. Her younger brother was clearly still alive, so why, years ago, when she had someone investigate, did she receive the news that their mother had died suddenly and her brother had died of grief?
Is someone deliberately trying to prevent her from finding her younger brother?
Who could that person be?
What is his purpose?
Moreover, according to information gathered from some merchant caravans in Ningguo in recent days, his younger brother seems to have suffered a lot of mistreatment at the Duke of Song's mansion, which has caused his personality to become somewhat distorted, to the point that he likes to play with piles of human heads.

Whenever Lin Xue thinks about these things, she feels an unbearable pang of pain and sorrow.

My younger brother is so pitiful.

It's all Song Hongtao's fault.

It's all Yang Miaoqing's fault.

It was all their torment that caused it.

This time, upon entering Ningguo, we will absolutely not let those beasts from the Song family get away with it.

……

Behind the carriage.

Imperial City.

A man stood quietly atop the city wall, silently watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance. Beside him stood an old eunuch, bowing respectfully. The man appeared to be in his fifties, dressed in a long black robe embroidered with a majestic dragon in gold thread.

This dragon robe alone is enough to demonstrate this person's status.

The Emperor of Chu.

The most powerful emperor among the four kingdoms of the Central Plains.

His life was probably much more comfortable than that of Emperor Ninghe.

"Your Majesty, are we just going to let General Lin go like this?" Seeing the Emperor Chu's brows furrow and his expression become serious, the eunuch beside him asked cautiously. He knew very well that his Emperor was extremely unwilling to let General Lin go to Ningguo.

Some time ago, General Lin entered the palace several times, requesting Emperor Chu's permission to go abroad.

But each time, the King of Chu refused with various excuses. How could the most outstanding young general of Chu go to another country in such a muddle? If he were to lead troops to conquer cities and territories, that would be another matter, but if he went abroad for some inexplicable reason, what if he got kidnapped?
Finally, Lin Xue said: "You don't want to watch the Chu Kingdom's grandmaster be taken away by the Ning Kingdom people, do you?"

Finally, they persuaded the King of Chu.

After all, there are only three martial artists at the Grandmaster level in the entire Chu Kingdom, including Hua Lianyue. The departure of each of them is a great loss to the Chu Kingdom.

Recalling the way Lin Xue looked when she first came to the palace to find him, the Emperor Chu's face twitched involuntarily... This woman, with a troubled and tactful expression, uttered the cruelest words in the world: The woman you have your eye on has been run away by my brother.

hiss.

Even the King of Chu didn't know how he managed to suppress his anger back then.

Unfortunately, this woman thought she was being tactful, as if she had already considered everything for him... The Emperor of Chu even began to wonder if she had some misunderstanding about the word "tactful".

Taking a deep breath, the Emperor suppressed his slight irritation: "What else can we do? These past few days, my second, third, and fourth sons have been sacked every night. That girl Lin Xue doesn't dare to lay a hand on me directly, but she has the audacity to lay a hand on my sons, and a great deal of it."

The old eunuch's face stiffened as he recalled the scene of several princes weeping in the imperial study, begging His Majesty to quickly approve General Lin Xue's request. Although there were no visible injuries on their faces, judging from the princes' tearful appearance, they must have been beaten quite badly.

Of course, the Crown Prince is an exception... Regarding his younger brother being beaten, the Crown Prince expressed great envy... oops, great indignation.

His Highness the Crown Prince firmly opposes Lin Xue's departure from the country. Not only is she forbidden from leaving, but he also demands that Lin Xue be severely punished for assaulting the Prince, such as being confined to the Duke's mansion and forbidden from going out.

He probably wanted to provoke Lin Xue so that she would beat him up too. This fetish is truly perverted... The old eunuch shook his head and withdrew his rebellious thoughts.

No matter what, he's still a prince.

General Lin Xue was simply too lawless.

But there was nothing they could do. After all, Hua Lianyue was Lin Xue's master, Lin Xue was the eldest daughter of the Lin family, and one of the two grandmasters enshrined in the palace had even recognized Lin Xue as his goddaughter. With such a background, as long as Lin Xue didn't rebel, she could probably walk sideways throughout the entire Chu Kingdom.

The old eunuch blinked: "But General Lin Xue is, after all, a native of Ning. If she were to return to Ning, this old servant worries that she might find it hard to leave her homeland. If that were the case, Chu would be losing an excellent general."

The Emperor of Chu laughed heartily and waved his hand casually: "It's alright."

"I have investigated and found that Lin Xue has a life-and-death feud with a powerful family in Ningguo, which extends to the hatred of the entire Ningguo. Moreover, last year, it was Lin Xue who led the army of my Chu Kingdom to capture two cities in Ningguo, forcing Ningguo to sign an agreement and pay tribute every year."

"The Ning Kingdom's court has utterly lost face in front of this girl, Lin Xue."

"Even if Lin Xue wanted to stay in Ningguo, those useless people in the Ningguo court who only knew how to fight among themselves would absolutely not tolerate it."

The King of Chu spoke with considerable pride, showing no doubt whatsoever about his deduction.

Emperor Ninghe was a capable man. Given the situation in the Ning Kingdom's court, he managed to drag things out for twenty years... Even if he were put in Emperor Ninghe's position, he probably wouldn't be able to do a better job than Emperor Ninghe.

If Emperor Ninghe were given fifty or seventy years, perhaps he would still have a chance to revitalize Ning Kingdom. But I've never heard of any emperor who could rule for such a long time. Originally, Emperor Chu planned to send troops this year to completely swallow Ning Kingdom up... But who would have thought that perhaps Ning Kingdom was destined to survive? Even though it had deteriorated to such an extent, a Marquis of Champion had inexplicably appeared.

That's Lin Xue's younger brother, Song Yan.

The Chu Emperor knew far more about Song Yan than Lin Xue did.

According to the information sent back by the spies planted in Ningguo, Song Yan had been unknown for the previous fifteen years, but after marrying into the family of Princess Luo Yuheng's eldest daughter, he suddenly became famous.

First kill the Japanese pirates, then slaughter the Jurchens.

Defend against foreign invaders and punish corruption at home.

With pen he can bring peace to the world; with horsemanship he can subdue the heavens and earth!
No wonder he's Lin Xue's brother; they're both equally outstanding.

In the eyes of the Chu Emperor, this was an extremely dangerous entity, one that might even bring the Ning Kingdom back to life.

This time, the reason he agreed to Lin Xue's request wasn't because of those useless princes—he figured a beating wouldn't hurt, since Lin Xue wouldn't kill them anyway. The Emperor Chu had given Lin Xue an order: to bring Song Yan back from Ning Kingdom at all costs.

That's right, the Chu Emperor took a liking to Song Yan.

This is the reason why he allowed Lin Xue to leave the State of Chu.

The two old dukes were getting older.

Apart from Lin Xue, there are no other outstanding young people in the military.

If he could abduct Song Yan, marry Chu Menglan to Song Yan, and have the Crown Prince marry Lin Xue, he would have two more capable generals, and unifying the Central Plains would be just around the corner.

As for Hua Lian Yue… Emperor Chu did indeed admire her strength, as well as her appearance and figure. However, compared to a general who was skilled in battle, a woman held little appeal.

"When will the delegation depart?" The Chu Emperor asked coldly, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Your Majesty, the day after tomorrow."

"It's too late. Let them set off tomorrow."

"This old servant will give the instructions immediately."

"Also, arrange for a group of people to infiltrate Ningguo; they need to be highly skilled..."

He wanted to win over Song Yan, but he also had to prepare for both possibilities.

Ningguo, Anzhou Prefecture.

"What are you going to do with me?"

Beside a campfire, the stout Xiongnu prince Abalu frowned and spoke in a deep, arrogant voice.

He probably didn't care much about Song Yan.

Some were even somewhat unconvinced.

He admitted that Song Yan's methods were indeed insidious and ruthless, but he looked down on such methods. He believed that if he and Song Yan were to fight each other in a real battle, he would definitely not lose.

The people of Ningguo are truly despicable and shameless.

As for his own life, Abalu wasn't particularly worried. Throughout history, those who died on the battlefield were mostly soldiers; those of true status and position, even if captured, were treated with courtesy. On one hand, they were all members of the elite circle, and they would always give each other some respect. On the other hand, it was because someone like him had far greater value alive than dead; for example, Song Yan could use him to exchange for warhorses, cattle, and sheep with the Xiongnu.

This has always been the case, both in ancient and modern times, and across the world.

Song Yan smiled but didn't answer immediately. Instead, he found a clean branch, sharpened it with a dagger, skewered a piece of dried meat on it, and placed it over the campfire before asking, "From Yongchang County to Dehua, you must have killed quite a few people along the way, right?"

"It seems you've slaughtered several cities."

Abal raised his fat head with a smug look, and said with a smile, "Six cities, five county towns, and one prefecture city."

"Why massacre the city?" Song Yan sighed.

“I do it willingly.” Abal scoffed, showing no remorse whatsoever. It was simply a matter of “I wanted to do it, so I did it,” nothing more. “They’re just mere Han Chinese, cowardly sheep. The weak have no right to live in this world. Do you intend to kill me to avenge them?”

Song Yan's eyes gradually turned cold.

A bone-chilling cold permeated my entire body. Although the campfire was still burning, there was a faint illusion that frost was about to form all around.

Abal's fat body shuddered, clearly sensing something. He shrank his neck, his throat bobbing involuntarily, and stole a glance at Song Yan: "You, you really want to kill me? You... don't forget, I am the eldest prince of the Xiongnu."

“You’re a smart person; you should know the value of my life.”

“You killed me, my father Khan will not let you get away with this.”

As if recalling the scene of the city being burned to the ground, Abal finally chickened out.

Although his words still sounded threatening, he had lost his previous assertiveness.

Song Yan smiled and said, "How could that be? Don't worry, I won't kill you easily."

Upon hearing this, Abalu breathed a sigh of relief, and a flush rose on his pale face. He was genuinely worried that a madman like Song Yan, who didn't understand the rules, might recklessly kill him, which would be a great injustice.

Just as Abal was about to speak, he saw a figure flash before his eyes. In the next instant, Song Yan had disappeared without a trace. At the same time, a large hand slowly reached out from behind Abal and reached towards the back of Abal's neck. The five fingers were spread out, like the claws of some wild beast, and silently gripped Abal's neck.

Abal's body stiffened, and he instinctively wanted to turn around.

However, it was too late.

With a loud bang, Abal's head was instantly slammed to the ground by an irresistible force.

Abal's head was covered with blisters from the burns, densely packed like ripe grapes.

With his head pressed to the ground, the swollen blisters couldn't withstand the impact and immediately started making a series of crackling sounds.

Large swathes of bubbles were simply squeezed and burst.

In an instant, Abalu's head was covered in a layer of mucus.

This was clearly an unpleasant experience; amidst the piercing screams, Song Yan's cold voice echoed in Abalu's ear:

"Wouldn't killing you directly be too easy on you?"

“You slaughtered five counties in Ningguo, so I will slaughter ten of your Xiongnu tribes.”

“You slaughtered a prefecture, and I will raze the Xiongnu royal court to the ground.”

"Don't rush, your good days are just beginning."

The ghostly voice made Abalu's scalp tingle.

An indescribable fear instantly swept through my entire body.

Behind him, Song Yan took out a bottle of saline solution. Abalu's injuries looked extremely serious; without immediate treatment, he would die. As the Marquis of Ningguo, Song Yan couldn't just stand by and watch a foreign friend die on his territory…

Unscrew the lid.

The cool, salty water was poured directly onto Abal's newly opened wound on his head.

The next instant, Song Yan felt the obese body beneath him suddenly stiffen, and then a shrill scream echoed through the sky.

That night, many soldiers probably didn't get a good night's sleep.

The next morning.

After breakfast, the troops continued north.

The Xiongnu prince Abalu was dragged along by a warhorse with his wrists bound by ropes.

As dusk fell, we finally arrived at Beiling County.

Zhang Han is in charge of guarding Beiling County.

It's clear that while Zhang Han's approach to troop deployment is conventional and lacks in ingenuity, his execution is strong and his insight is sharp. Although he hasn't been in Beiling for long, the city's defenses have been completely replaced, and the city walls have been reinforced and heightened, making them effective in defensive battles.

That's not all; the city walls are already piled high with rolling stones and logs.

The barricades and horse traps outside the city have been mostly set up.

Zhang Han even temporarily recruited tens of thousands of laborers in Beiling County to help with logistics, and also recruited several thousand able-bodied men who have been training for the past few days. If the black-armored soldiers and garrison troops on the city walls suffer heavy casualties, these young men can step in at any time. Even if the Third Prince Agsang leads a large army and has an absolute numerical advantage, taking Beiling will not be an easy task.

Song Yan was quite satisfied with Zhang Han; it was truly remarkable that he had achieved so much in such a short time.

Song Yan was unaware that Zhang Han's admiration for him had exceeded all limits.

Good heavens, his defenses haven't even been fully completed yet, and the Marquis has already annihilated the entire 60,000-strong Xiongnu army?

Those were 60,000 elite Xiongnu troops.

too crazy.

so amazing.

As expected of our own Marquis.

Seeing his son's sycophantic behavior, Zhang Zhen couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling that his stupid son was making him lose all face.

Song Yan didn't waste too much time. He summoned Zhang Zhen and his son Zhang Han, as well as some generals from the army, and went to the Beiling County government office.

The map was laid out.

“Zhang Han, you are in charge of Beiling, you know Agsang’s situation best. Where is he now?” Song Yan asked in a deep voice.

“Here…” Zhang Han did not hesitate and pointed to a location on the map: “Shaping County.”

“According to my spies, Agsang is clearing out villages and towns near Shaping County. Once the surrounding villages and towns are cleared out, Agsang will lead his troops to surround the county town.”

"Agesang currently commands over 70,000 soldiers."

"Seventy thousand?" Song Yan raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat surprised. The soldiers that Abaluo brought out were secretly brought from the Xiongnu tribes. Could it be that Agsang used the same method?
“That’s right, at least 70,000.” Zhang Han nodded vigorously, very certain of the number: “If we take Shaping, this number may exceed 80,000.”

"Where did he get so many people?" Zhang Zhen couldn't help but ask.

"Of these 70,000-plus people, 43,000 were Xiongnu cavalry and infantry, the elite under Agsang's command." Zhang Han pursed his lips, his tone somewhat gloomy: "The remaining 30,000-plus were Han Chinese who surrendered and were incorporated into the Han-slave army by Agsang."

call.

Song Yan let out a heavy sigh.

As expected, the prediction was correct.

This Agsang is an extremely difficult fellow.

I wonder how this so-called Han slave army differs from the Han Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty? And how is it different from the puppet army of the Japanese invaders?
“Agesang is extremely skilled at coercion and enticement. Every time he takes over a village, a town, or a county, he will control everyone. He will select young men from among them and use their parents, wives, and children to coerce them.”

"Surrender or die."

“Those who refuse to surrender will have their parents and sons killed by Agsang in front of the men, their wives raped, and finally their heads chopped off.”

“Agesang will guarantee that those who are willing to surrender will not only live, but will also be free from any harassment.”

"Moreover, whether it was murder or rape, Agsang would order surrendered young men to carry it out."

This is the pledge of allegiance!

(End of this chapter)