Her guards

Chapter 268 Discusses (Fei Mozheng's Plot)

"Are there troops ahead?"

Wei Cui, mounted on his horse with his cloak and hood covering his body and face, lifted his hood upon hearing the scout's report.

Before he could ask any further questions, Wei Xu beside him shouted, "The Nanyang army is catching up?! They didn't manage to shake them off?"

As the shouts rang out, he couldn't help but squeeze closer to Wei Cui.

"General, you shouldn't have left the army. You brought too few troops; it's too dangerous."

These words caused a slight stir among the people around them.

"It can't be the Nanyang army," Wei Cui said in a deep voice. "With our main force blocking their way, they simply can't get through!"

After saying that, he looked at Wei Xu with a kind expression.

"Ah Xu, if you're scared, shall I have someone send you back to the army?"

Wei Xu shivered and came to his senses.

This is not okay.

Regardless of whether Wei Cui actually sent him back or took him away to be abandoned, even if he did return to the army, it wouldn't be safe for him.

It's safest to stick with Wei Cui.

"General," he said hurriedly, "I'm not afraid, I'm just worried about you, General, because of my father's death..."

She started crying as she spoke.

"Don't cry, don't be afraid," Wei Cui quickly comforted him. "Your father died fighting as a vanguard, and I will not let him die in vain. I will definitely protect our Wei family."

His gaze swept over the people around him.

“Longxi City has fallen, and our clansmen have tragically perished. You are the only remaining bloodline of the Wei clan, which is why I am leading you away from the army, traveling light, and quickly heading to Wucheng. Once we arrive in Wucheng, we will be backed by the Western Rong and have several passes in front of us to block the imperial army. It will be easy to defend and difficult to attack. In this way, we can rebuild the Wei clan.”

As he spoke, the people around him nodded in agreement.

Wei Xu looked even more ashamed and spurred his horse forward.

"General, let me lead the vanguard for the Wei clan this time!" he shouted, drawing his long sword. "I'll go and meet the troops at the front!"

Wei Cui smiled and stopped him: "Ah Xu, wait a minute, let's find out the details first."

After saying that, he looked at the scout.

"How many people are there? What kind of military flag do they use?"

The scout said, "There are about two thousand soldiers, flying the Yunyang army flag, and the commander's flag is red."

Zhu?
Wei Cui frowned.

The Yunyang Army had been entrenched outside Longxi for over a decade, and all the generals with names and surnames, including Wei Cui, were known to them, as were those with the surname Zhu...

“It’s that Yongwu Earl’s heir, Zhu Yunxiao!” Wei Xu shouted. “When my father went to Qin’an City to fetch the bride, that Yongwu Earl’s heir even came to see Miss Yang off.”

Zhu Yunxiao!
"It's him!" Wei Cui realized, and Wei Xu's voice continued to ring in his ears.

"...My father said back then that it was inappropriate for someone who was not related to us to come and escort the bride on behalf of the Duke of Ding'an. This guy had an ambiguous relationship with Miss Yang when he was in the capital..."

"...My father said that if he came to Longxi City, he would definitely give him a hard time."

"...but the kid didn't even dare to come."

At this point, Wei Xu brandished his long sword once more.

"That young master from the capital dares to come to Longxi? I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!"

Wei Cui stopped him again.

"No rush," he smiled slightly. "Talk to him first."

Talk? Talk about what? Wei Xu was puzzled. Could talking really make Zhu Yunxiao let them pass?

……

.......
Behind the rolling hills, the soldiers stood still as stones, their formation already in place.

This is a defensive formation.

Zhu Yunxiao sat in the center of the formation, looking at the map.

“Leaving a large army to block the Nanyang army means he wants to go to…” He pointed to Wucheng on the map, “From here, we can directly enter Wucheng, thus turning it into a rear base. With the Western Rong behind us, and controlling the troops in Wucheng, Gangu, and other places, we will have a double barrier…”

The lieutenant, standing nearby, looked tense yet couldn't hide his excitement: "Captain, the scouts report they only have a little over a thousand men. We have the advantage..."

How ridiculous! Having the advantage in manpower isn't the key. The opponent is Wei Cui! Zhu Yunxiao thought to himself, "That's the old fox that even Zhao Tan of the previous dynasty couldn't kill, and who still holds Longxi in his hands during this chaotic era."

Zhu Yunxiao closed the map, unable to describe the feeling in his heart.

Luckily, he actually ran into Wei Cui. If he could catch Wei Cui, his trip to Longxi would not have been in vain.

Unfortunately, he is now all alone, with no one to lead the way and no reinforcements to help him.

If we really fight, I'm afraid we'll have to go all out, suffer heavy losses, and might even lose our lives...

Even if reinforcements arrive in the end, it will only benefit others.

"Let's observe further," Zhu Yunxiao said in a deep voice, looking ahead. "Let's see if this is a trap to lure the enemy, and whether there's a large army hidden behind us."

"Caution is warranted," the lieutenant nodded. "What if it's not Wei Cui? What if he's impersonating Wei Cui to lure the enemy?"

He accepted the order and left.

……

……

Night seemed to envelop the earth in the blink of an eye.

Separated by two hills, neither side seemed to know of the other's existence, remaining silent.

"Captain, the scouts have searched the surrounding area; it seems there are no reinforcements," the lieutenant said in a low voice, glancing at Zhu Yunxiao. "Should we send an advance party to test the waters under cover of darkness..."

Zhu Yunxiao shook his head, looking at the hills ahead: "We're not familiar with this area, and night fighting is disadvantageous for us. We can't take the initiative. If they attack..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp whooshing sound rang out in the night, as if stars were falling from the night sky—it was a rocket attacking.

"Captain, watch out!" the lieutenant shouted, shielding Zhu Yunxiao.

The once quiet troops instantly became restless, but fortunately their formation was well-maintained, and shields and armor formed a forest in an instant.

However, after a few arrows, there was no further movement.

"Captain—"

A soldier came running from the front, holding an arrow in his hand.

"There was a message on the arrow."

A letter? The torches were lit, and Zhu Yunxiao frowned as he looked over, seeing a soldier holding an arrow in his hand.

A letter was tied to the arrow shaft, and a bamboo tube trailed behind the arrow's fletching...

what?

The lieutenant gestured to Zhu Yunxiao: "Captain, be careful. We don't know what tricks they have up their sleeves. Burn it."

Both sides in a conflict employ a variety of tactics, and verbal abuse, provocation, and humiliation via letters or face-to-face communication are common.

Zhu Yunxiao smiled and said, "How could mere words possibly disrupt the morale of my army?"

However, he did not take it himself, but gestured to Bingwei instead.

"Open."

Two soldiers stepped forward, one opening the letter and the other opening the bamboo tube.

Zhu Yunxiao's gaze first fell on the letter. The guards were spread out, and under the torchlight, there was only one line of text.

I want to talk to you about someone you know.

Zhu Yunxiao frowned, wondering what he meant.

“Captain, there are two paintings,” another guard shouted.

A painting? Zhu Yunxiao looked over and saw the soldier pull out two sheets of paper, unfolding them in his left and right hands respectively. In the torchlight, a boy and a girl were quietly looking at him...

The lieutenant leaned closer to take a look and exclaimed, "Oh, this must be that young prince Mo."

Previously, when Prince Mo started his rebellion, they were ordered to quell it. Prince Mo led the charge, acted arrogantly, and even came to the front lines to provoke them.

So he had seen what the little prince looked like.

"As expected, Wei Cui colluded with Prince Mo." He sneered, "Otherwise, why would there be a portrait of Prince Mo?"

And it looks even smaller than it does now.

"Is this an accusation of self-incrimination?"

The lieutenant then looked at another portrait.

"But who is this woman?"

He examined it closely, and it looked...

He suddenly exclaimed "Oh!"

"Those features are just like that of Prince Mo; could it be a man dressed as a woman—"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Yunxiao stepped forward, snatched the portrait of the girl, and rolled it up.

What's wrong? The lieutenant was taken aback, looking at Zhu Yunxiao's strange expression under the torchlight.

"It's nothing," Zhu Yunxiao said slowly, "I was just thinking about some things."

……

……

In the deep darkness of night, amidst the silence, a rustling sound could be heard moving across the ground, like snakes and insects.

Lights suddenly appeared in the wilderness, and the rustling footsteps stopped abruptly.

Surrounded by four guards, Zhu Yunxiao looked ahead and saw a torch burning, with an old man sitting alone beside it.

The firelight illuminated his kind face.

"Truly, the student has surpassed the master." Wei Cui glanced at Zhu Yunxiao and praised with a smile, "If it were your father, Zhu Dacheng, he wouldn't dare to come to see me alone."

So this is Wei Cui. Zhu Yunxiao thought to himself, even if such an old man walked on the streets of the capital, he wouldn't give him a second glance.

"General, you flatter me," he said calmly. "I didn't dare to, and I even brought guards with me."

"Since Prince Zhu dared to come, he must have thought of something." Wei Cui stopped the small talk and spoke directly, then sighed deeply, "I've only figured some things out in the last few days, for example—"

He looked at Zhu Yunxiao.

"Does Prince Zhu know this young Prince Mo?"

Zhu Yunxiao remained silent.

“I was wondering why. Although I gave Prince Mo Xiaocheng the city, and it was my order for the three powerful clans there to submit to him, the Yunyang army that went there to suppress them suffered defeat after defeat. Deng Shan has only been in power for a little over ten years, how could his army have become so lax and neglectful?” Wei Cui continued, looking at Zhu Yunxiao with a smile. “It wasn’t until I learned about the real and fake Miss Yang that I understood that Prince Zhu’s repeated defeats were not because he was bad at fighting, but because he was not following orders.”

Zhu Yunxiao remained silent.

“Prince Zhu must be very puzzled, right?” Wei Cui continued, “The three clans of Wucheng Gangu are so stupid that they suddenly believe in a young prince named Mo and worship him as their lord? I, Wei Cui, am so stupid that I turn a blind eye and do nothing about it, as if Longxi is not under my control at all.”

Zhu Yunxiao looked at him and said, "What exactly does the General want to say? I advise the General to surrender to His Majesty, and perhaps you can save your life."

“Prince Zhu, I know you came to Longxi to make a name for yourself.” Wei Cui waved his hand, “but you can’t achieve that. Don’t even think about it.”

After saying that, he looked at Zhu Yunxiao and smiled slightly.

"However, I am willing to point you to another achievement. If you achieve this, you will surely have a bright future in front of Deng Shan."

Zhu Yunxiao unfolded a drawing from his sleeve: "Are you referring to the achievements of this young man?"

In the firelight, the boy on the drawing stood quietly.

　Tomorrow, from Mo Zhengwei's perspective.

　　(End of this chapter)