Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 176 The Mystery Revealed by Wu Tong

"You laid an egg?"

Zhang Min stared at an egg being held in Eji's arms, and wanted to scream again, but Eji jumped up and covered her mouth.

Yun Ce rolled over, glanced at the bored E Ji, then at the equally bored Zhang Min, yawned, and prepared to go back to sleep.

That night, after he fell asleep, Eji secretly took an egg and crawled into the bed. She deliberately placed the egg between the two of them, saying that she wanted to get used to it in advance so that she wouldn't be at a loss for what to do if the egg was laid later.

Yun Ce, who had fought three battles with the ferocious beast during the day, just wanted to sleep. He didn't care about an extra egg in his bed. He had just fallen asleep when Zhang Min's shout woke him up.

Eji would never tell a concubine a secret that only she and Yun Ce knew. Therefore, no matter how much Zhang Min pressed her for answers, she remained silent and simply told Zhang Min to get out.

Zhang Min used to be a very magnanimous woman, but ever since Eji disguised her as a concubine, she has been determined to fight tooth and nail for anything related to Yun Ce.

She went out for a moment, and when she came back, she was holding an egg as big as an ostrich egg. Judging from the color of the shell, it had been washed very clean before she brought it in.

The two women, who were usually very organized, seemed to lose their minds once they entered the bedroom, each hugging an egg and sleeping close to Yun Ce.

"We've received a message from Wu Tong."

Yun Ce, who was drowsy, immediately woke up when he heard Zhang Min say this, and hurriedly asked, "How much food and supplies can you give me?"

Zhang Min snuggled closer to Yun Ce while holding her egg, then said with satisfaction, "The important thing isn't the food and supplies, but that a group of Fire Clan people have come out of Danwang Mountain."

Yun Ce asked, puzzled, "Fire Clan?"

Zhang Min simply threw away the egg in her arms, wrapped her arms around Yun Ce's neck, and said, "Yes, the Fire Clan. The iron tools, swords and knives we use were obtained by trading with the Fire Clan."

Yun Ce frowned and said, "Don't the Han people forge iron?"

Zhang Min sighed and said, "Fight, but the best things are all made by the Fire Clan."

Yun Ce stood up, pulled aside E Ji behind him, pushed aside Zhang Min in front of him, came to the table, lit the oil lamp, and unfolded a silk scroll. The map of the Han Dynasty's territory appeared before him.

Soon, he found Danwang Mountain, which was less than a thousand miles from Jingkou Pass and very close to the East China Sea.

Eji got out of bed and draped a robe over Yun Ce. Zhang Min, on the other hand, had come down earlier. Her hand landed on Yun Ce's well-defined abdominal muscles, pinching and rubbing them.

Eji slapped Zhang Min's improper hand away and said to Yun Ce, "Is there something wrong?"

Yun Ce sighed and said, "This is very likely what Cao Kun asked me to do under the guise of friendship."

Zhang Min laughed and said, "The Fire Clan lives with fire their whole lives and makes a living by mining and blacksmithing for generations. I had heard that this clan was unusually united, but I never expected that a branch of the Fire Clan would come out of Danwang Mountain. I don't know if they were driven out or separated on their own."

Or is this the culmination of someone's persistent poaching efforts?

After Yun Ce confirmed certain things, he lost much of his curiosity. After all, they were just a group of blacksmiths. No matter how good their skills were, could they be better than Gouzi?

No one knows just how powerful Gouzi's iron-smelting ability is, given that he has Shehuo as a friend.

"The six drawbridges in Chang'an City are the masterpiece of the Fire Clan. Back then, when King Huo wanted to build Chang'an City, the Fire Clan sent a thousand craftsmen who spent six years building the six drawbridges. Now, a thousand years later, those six drawbridges are still indestructible."

The reason I am telling you this news is because you need the help of the Fire Clan to build Cloud City.

If we can quietly fall into the hands of this group of Fire Clan members, not to mention building a city, the armor and weapons they forge alone could more than double the fighting strength under your command.

Wu Tong told me this news because she hoped I could go to the vicinity of Danwang Mountain to inquire and see which faction had ultimately captured this fire tribesman.

"Danwang Mountain is located in the Jimi Prefecture of the East Sea. Cao Kun felt that his strength was insufficient, so he thought of dragging me into this mess. Judging from the fact that he started planning this matter at Guiwang Mountain, the departure of this Fire Clan is very likely the work of the Cao family."

Wu Tong didn't say how things would end if things didn't work out.

Zhang Min laughed and said, "He gave my boss a packet of poison, the kind that kills instantly upon contact with blood. Although he didn't say it explicitly, I understand what he meant. If things go in the worst direction, use this packet of poison to kill the Fire Clan."

"What if you fail?" "So what if I fail? Zhao Shu has sold off all the imperial court's forces along the Great Wall. All that's left is me, a concubine of the Yun family. It's already quite an achievement that I can help him go to Danwang Mountain. What more could he ask for?"

Last time I went to Panxinglou, he distanced himself from it completely, as if afraid I'd use it to help his family again. I haven't forgotten that.

After hearing Zhang Min's words, Eji patted Zhang Min's bottom with satisfaction and said to Yun Ce, "Considering that she is so considerate of the family, from now on, she will be the family's concubine."

Zhang Min asked, puzzled, "What is a concubine?"

Eji smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and said, "I am still your concubine."

Zhang Min sneered, "Even if my husband dotes on you for the rest of his life, it's useless. I have internal energy, and my husband has cleaned up all the hidden dangers in my body. You are just an ordinary person, and you will never outlive me. After you are gone, I will be the rightful first wife in this family. At that time, don't blame me for tormenting your son and daughter, and making sure you die with your eyes open."

Seeing that the two were about to tear each other apart again, Yun Ce quickly asked Zhang Min.

"How much supplies and food did Wu Tong promise to provide? Also, wasn't he planning to settle down and cultivate land north of the Great Wall? Why is there no sign of him doing anything about it?"

Zhang Min released Eji's hair, and Eji also released her grip on Zhang Min's chest, returning to the state of the three of them talking.

"Wu Tong was prepared to give gold, not supplies. He said that after the great chaos, supplies in Chang'an were scarce and expensive. He hoped that we could use gold to exchange for food and supplies with the merchants from the north. Moreover, there wasn't much gold, only 1,500 taels. According to the bad habits of the Han government, we would be lucky to get 500 taels."

As for Wu Tong's previous plan to establish military farms in the north, Zhao Shu's actions caused the court to lose most of its control over the north. Now, he wants to bring 100,000 slaves to the north for military farms, but that won't be easy. The mere obstruction from the various prefectures in the north will prevent him from doing anything.

Yun Ce nodded and said to Zhang Min, "In a few days, I will secretly go to Danwang Mountain. You don't need to go. Keep a close watch on Jingkou Pass. That's more important than anything else. This pass is now our family's only way to connect the inside and outside of the Great Wall. We cannot afford to lose it."

Zhang Min laughed and said, "Ever since Qin Shu led five hundred cavalrymen to garrison Jingkou Pass, those spies who had nothing better to do than inquire about the city's defenses have all disappeared."

The feat of five hundred riders slaying two thousand elite Guifang troops ultimately deterred many with ulterior motives from plotting against my Jingkou Pass.

Yun Ce smiled and said, "Qin Shu is a trustworthy person, but the power of Jingkou Pass must be in your hands."

Zhang Min leaned against Yun Ce with seductive eyes, pulled his hand to her chest, and said in a coquettish voice, "E Ji's grip hurts so much."

Having already made his plans, Yun Ce didn't want to fall into the trap of the two fairies, so he gave each of them an egg and said, "Be a good girl and hatch your eggs."

Yun Ce absolutely must not touch the two demons now, even if it is unbearably painful.

Having a son who is like a dragon sounds good, and the son might even be very powerful. However, it's better not to rely on external forces when it comes to having a son. Even if the son is mediocre, annoying, and incompetent, he is still your own flesh and blood.

That alone is enough to negate the countless advantages of the Little Dragon Man's son. To put it bluntly, what I want is the inheritance of my own genes. Even if the genes are flawed, I don't want a weird son who is as powerful as Ultraman.

In this respect, Yun Ce appears extremely selfish.

But isn't this also the sentiment of all men in the world?
At dawn, Eji's egg fell to the ground and hit the sharp corner of the footstool. The egg broke, and the puppy spent half the night licking up all the egg liquid and yolk.

Eji tossed away the empty eggshell, glanced at Zhang Min holding the egg triumphantly, sneered, and left the bedroom.

As for Yun Ce, he went out into the wilderness again at the crack of dawn to clear out the wild beasts that he couldn't kill or drive away.

The matter concerning the Fire Clan can end with the three of them. Since they did not agree to Cao Kun's request to hunt down the Fire Clan, it would be best for the Yun Clan not to have too much involvement with them.

Cao Kun could tolerate Yun Ce not helping him, but he absolutely could not tolerate Yun Ce competing with him.

Such a temperament is rare among the sons of noble families, and Yun Ce, who was also a son of a noble family, knows very well how vindictive those people are.

In winter, the fur of abandoned animals is a valuable commodity, as is dog fur. Wild boar hides can be used to make armor, and bear fur cloaks are a favorite for many.

Therefore, Yun Ce was extremely busy on the wasteland. He was killing in front, while eight carriages and dozens of people followed behind, busy bleeding, skinning, and taking the flesh.

With the chestnut horse moving at lightning speed, apart from the ferocious beasts that Yun Ce was unwilling to kill, any wild animal that appeared in Yun Ce's sight was doomed to die.

If we eliminate as many ferocious beasts as possible, the number of herbivores on the wasteland will explode next year. Although this will disrupt the ecological balance, Yun Ce believes that there are still 20,000 hungry mouths in Yun Clan Manor. Even if there are more herbivores, it won't be enough to feed them.

(End of this chapter)