The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 45 Cooperation
"You little wench, hurry up! Get me forty miles before dark."

Accompanied by Cao Dang's stern shouts, a group of men on horseback swept northward.

Xiao Yi spurred his horse and galloped away, observing the group as he went.

Including Shi Dechong and Zhang Mantun, there were a total of sixteen people and twenty horses, with four empty horses carrying military supplies such as dry rations and felt.

This trip wasn't to the battlefield; no one carried long weapons, only swords. Among them were four archers.

Cao Dang's sword was longer and much heavier than others, weighing about five or six pounds. In addition, he also carried a crossbow in his saddlebag, which was not the standard issue for the Imperial Guards.

As the head constable, he wore a coarse cloth cloak to keep warm and protect him from the wind, which also made him more recognizable.

Shi Dechong and Zhang Mantun were neither wearing armor nor carrying weapons.

Because of the martial law in Kaifeng, there were not many pedestrians on the official road. The farmland on both sides was barren, and most of the wheat stubble was buried by snow. In the distance, wisps of smoke rose from the villages, but no barking could be heard.

Sometimes Bu Hai would deliberately rein in his horse and slow down, letting the snow kicked up by the horse's hooves fall on Xiao Yi's armor, making a "rustling" sound.

Xiao Yi ignored him, not in a hurry to deal with him.

After running for less than half an hour, Xiao Yi looked back and saw that Shi Dechong's face was pale. He said, "Captain!"

"What's the matter?"

"Ma Taidian, Young Master Shi's wound may have reopened."

"Never mind," Cao Dang said. "Time is running out. If you don't want to trip and fall while walking at night, you'd better hurry up."

Xiao Yi reined in his horse and shouted, "Stop!"

Zhang Mantun and Shi Dehong immediately stopped.

"Uu——"

Cao Dang forcefully pulled on the reins, causing his warhorse to rear up with a loud neigh. He turned and glared at Xiao Yi, his face contorted with rage, and shouted, "What the hell is it now?!"

"He can't hold on any longer!"

Xiao Yi dismounted, rubbed the frost off his face, and walked to Shi Dechong's horse. He saw that Shi Dechong's face was ashen, his lips were purple, his body was trembling slightly, and his robe was soaked with dark red blood, which was dripping onto the snow, a shocking sight.

"He's lost too much blood, he'll die."

"You unlucky woman."

Cao Dang frowned, cursed, but still dismounted, tore off his windproof face covering, and strode over.

Xiao Yi turned to the side, allowing him to see Shi Dechong's injuries with his own eyes.

"Damn it, where did all this blood come from in that hole the size of my anus? Did you get your period?"

"If the person dies before even reaching the destination, we've already ruined half of our mission."

“I know,” Cao Dang said impatiently. “There’s an abandoned River God Temple two or three miles ahead by the roadside. Let’s rest there.”

Xiao Yi shook his head and said, "He can't walk more than two or three miles."

"Dou Da, Dou Er, help this woman into the woods and find a place where there is no wind or snow to sit down."

Cao Dang finally gave the order, his tone harsh, and then glanced at the sky.

Xiao Yi followed his gaze and looked up. The clouds were heavy, and there was likely to be a heavy snowstorm tonight.

Cao Dang then said, "Xu Rang, take two men, change horses, and hurry to the River God Temple. Set up a fire and boil some water."

"Hey! Leopard, Wei Liang, come with me!"

Xu Rang and the other two then changed horses, packed their bags, and galloped away, soon disappearing from the official road.

"This damn weather, let the horses rest, I'll go bandage him up." Cao Dang grabbed a handful of clean snow, walked into the woods, and went straight to Shi Dechong's side, cursing, "Damn it, it's too dark in the woods, Wu Jiu, light a fire."

Fan Si moved faster, quickly lit a torch, and tried to deliver it, but Wu Jiu kicked it and snatched the torch away.

"Give me."

"Yes, squad leader."

Xiao Yi noticed that Wu Jiu glared at Fan Si fiercely, with a hint of warning.

Cao Dang cut open Shi Dechong's clothes and roughly rubbed the snow on the wound, causing Shi Dechong to convulse and scream in pain.

Xiao Yi and Zhang Mantun and the others then went over to watch.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that some people were peeking at Cao Dang getting bandaged, others were tidying up their equipment, and still others were resting. So he quietly slipped his dagger into Zhang Mantun's hand.

Zhang Mantun was watching with concern when his swollen eyes suddenly opened. He gave Xiao Yi a deep look, his gaze becoming resolute.

Xiao Yi's gaze briefly met his, he opened his mouth and silently said "I need to relieve myself," then gestured to Shi Dechong with his eyes.

Zhang Mantun nodded to show that he understood.

"You need to cooperate a bit, or you'll mess things up."

After saying that, Xiao Yi walked towards Cao Dang and asked, "How did it go?"

Cao Dang spat on the ground and said, "Too delicate. The wound has been reopened."

Xiao Yi said, "It's only two or three miles. Let's help him walk there, rest at the River God Temple for the night, and think of a solution tomorrow."

"No need. It'll be too bumpy. Let him rest for a bit, then he can ride a horse over there. We'll find him a cart tomorrow."

"Alright."

Cao Dang got up and walked to the side, wiping his blood-stained hands on the tree trunk.

"Young master, what's wrong? What do you want to say?" Zhang Mantun went over, put his ear to Shi Dechong's mouth to listen, and shouted, "My young master needs to relieve himself."

Cao Dang said, "I understand."

Zhang Mantun retorted angrily, "Do you think my young master would defecate like a stray dog ​​like you?"

"Iron Fang, stop your insolence." Shi Dechong's voice was weak as he pleaded, "Chief Cao, please leave me with a little dignity and let me go somewhere secluded... to relieve myself. Don't worry, I won't run away."

"Dou Da, Dou Er, take him behind the bushes," Cao Dang said. "Wu Jiu, you go and keep an eye on him too."

"Here."

Xiao Yi glanced at Zhang Mantun and Shi Dechong's back as they walked with difficulty. The light in the forest was very dim in the snowy weather, and soon it was so dark that people could not be seen, and only their voices could be heard.

Turning to look westward, the setting sun was sinking rapidly. By the official road, Bu Hai, with Luo Erhu in his arms, shouted to Fan Si from afar, "I heard that you surpassed Captain Wu in archery skills during the last military training. What are you up to?"

"I do not have."

Xiao Yi deliberately walked over and bumped into Bu Hai, the armor making a dull thud.

"What's wrong?" Bu Hai asked with a hostile look, "Are we blocking the deputy captain's way?"

"If you know that, then get out of the way."

Xiao Yi mounted his horse and tugged on the reins.

He appeared to be an unskilled rider, constantly kicking the horse's belly with the tip of his boot, causing the horse to squeeze onto the hindquarters of the horse in front.

Ahead, Cao Dang's horse, already known for its volatile temper, immediately kicked up its hindquarters after being sniffed.

The horse's hoof, as big as a bowl and studded with horseshoes, slammed heavily into Luo Erhu's shin.

"Ow!"

Luo Erhu fell to the ground, clutching his leg and screaming in agony, blood streaming down his leg.

Bu Hai was furious and roared, "You did this on purpose!"

"Fuck your mother's fart."

Xiao Yi showed no mercy and kicked Bu Hai in the face.

"What's wrong with everyone?!"

Cao Dang rushed forward, grabbed Bu Hai's shoulder with one hand, pointed at Xiao Yi with the other, and shouted, "Don't cause me any trouble."

"understood."

"Captain, he deliberately spurred his horse to kick Erhu..."

"Shut up, I."

Cao Dang bent down to check Luo Erhu's injuries.

Xiao Yi pulled the frenzied horse back and said, "I'll go check if Shi Dechong is alright."

Having said that, without waiting for Cao Dang's response, he drove his horse straight into the forest.

The light suddenly dimmed, snow covered the fallen leaves, and the horses' hooves made a crunching sound as they walked on them.

Ahead, Zhang Mantun, Wu Jiu, Dou Da, and Dou Er were surrounding a thicket of bushes.

Xiao Yi observed the situation again and decided to take action.

He took a deep breath, and shouted in surprise.

"who?!"

It was as if they had discovered someone in the woods.

Wu Jiu turned around blankly.

The next moment, Zhang Mantun suddenly pounced, plunging his dagger into Wu Jiu's throat, blood gushing out like a fountain.

Dou Da and Dou Er were shocked. One immediately rushed towards Zhang Mantun, while the other, who had intended to turn around, hesitated for a moment and also rushed towards Zhang Mantun.

"There's an ambush!"

Xiao Yi shouted, spurred his horse forward, drew his sword, and slashed down, striking Dou Er in the neck.

He nimbly dismounted, thrust his knife at Dou Da, who was locked in combat with Zhang Mantun, and without pausing, touched the blood in his left hand, clutched his right arm, and turned to run back.

"Quickly! Someone's kidnapping Shi Dechong!"

He had flesh wounds on his legs, walked unsteadily, and his hands were covered in blood, as if he had been driven back by the enemy.

"Eh-"

The sound of horses' hooves came from behind him; Zhang Mantun had led Shi Dechong away on horseback.

"what happened?!"

In a short while, Cao Dang led the rest of the group into the forest.

Xiao Yi collapsed to the ground, shouting angrily, "There were ambushes! They kidnapped Shi Dechong... I'm injured!"

"Chase!"

Cao Dang drew his sword and ran straight past him, leading his men into the woods in pursuit.

Xiao Yi struggled to get up and looked toward the side of the official road.

Bu Hai was bending down to check Luo Erhu's injuries when he saw this. He stood up and walked towards him with a cold smile on his face.

"Deputy Chief Xiao, the more I think about it, the more something seems off. How could someone be transferred from a proofreader to a…"

"laugh--"

The sword flashed.

A sharp blade slits open the throat.

The questioning look on Bu Hai's face froze instantly, turning into astonishment and anger.

He futilely covered his bleeding neck with his hand, his throat making a "hoarse" sound, his body went limp and he collapsed, the light in his eyes quickly fading.

Luo Erhu lay to one side, turned his head and looked on in horror.

"Help! No, no, please don't kill me! I'm willing to follow Deputy Commander Xiao..."

"puff."

Xiao Yi stabbed him twice, severing his life force.

The pleas for mercy abruptly ceased, while the horse continued to leisurely snort, exhaling heavy white smoke, and idly tossing its head.

Xiao Yi sheathed his sword, picked up a bow, slung his quiver over his shoulder, led a warhorse, and chased after the enemy into the depths of the forest once more.

(End of this chapter)