Yun Lie stared solemnly at the military intelligence report in his hand and asked in a deep voice, "What was the last message sent back?"
Since the second half of this year, Yun Lie has focused on city building and organizational structure, and has handed over almost all the specific affairs of the Linchuan Army to Xiong Xiaoyi. Yun Lie has not paid much attention to minor matters such as routine communication with the secret agents.
"The last message came back in mid-July, saying that the leader who advocated that the Northern Di tribes should abandon nomadism and switch to agriculture had lost his prestige because he was defeated by us in a battle at the beginning of the year, and was overthrown from the throne in June."
Xiong Xiaoyi puffed out his cheeks and exhaled a sigh of frustration. "We have absolutely no idea what the situation is with the Northern Barbarians right now. Normally, they would be short of food and clothing every year during the autumn and winter when they rest their herds. If they didn't target us, they wouldn't be Northern Barbarians. But this year is really strange. It seems like there's not a single sign of them making a move."
For the past two or three years, Linchuan had been relatively peaceful, all because the leader of the Northern Barbarians, who advocated abandoning nomadism, was leading them to try farming. The battle at the beginning of this year was because the Northern Barbarians' attempt at farming had failed, and the various tribes were full of complaints about that leader. In order to regain his reputation, the leader restarted the attack on the Linchuan defense line.
After that defeat, the leader had clearly lost all power.
But now, Xiong Xiaoyi had no clue who was giving orders to the Northern Barbarians or what their intentions were, since all the secret agents had lost contact.
He was worried that his comrades who were acting as spies were already in danger, and he was also worried that the Northern Di people's inaction was a sign of impending doom. He was at a loss for what to do, so he came to Yun Lie to discuss it.
Yun Lie frowned and pondered, then picked up the now-cold teacup in front of him and brought it to his lips.
"Or should I send someone over to investigate?" Xiong Xiaoyi thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "No, they might be setting up a trap. I have to go myself."
Aside from the few spies planted among the Northern Barbarians for many years, only Xiong Xiaoyi and Yun Lie from the Linchuan army have successfully crossed the border and infiltrated the Northern Barbarian territory, returning unharmed and alive.
Yun Lie is no longer just the commander-in-chief of the Linchuan army; he is a vassal king who shoulders the responsibility of the six cities of Linchuan. Naturally, it is not advisable for him to take this risk again.
Given the current situation, it seems that this is truly the only option.
“Take two people with you and let them learn more. That way, if there is a need in the future, we won’t have to rely on just the two of us,” Yun Lie said calmly, without impulsively trying to take the job from Xiong Xiaoyi. “Based on our past experience, it takes about ten days to go back and forth. During these ten days, I will personally be stationed in the defense zone to oversee things, just in case.”
****
After the two had discussed and agreed on what to do next, it was already late afternoon.
Xiong Xiaoyi planned to rush back to the defense zone overnight to make preparations. Yun Lie checked the weather, went back to his room and got his own cloak.
Yun Lie draped the thick cloak over his arm and gave Xiong Xiaoyi a few instructions as he walked.
The two had just walked side by side into the courtyard when they saw Luo Cuiwei hurriedly enter the courtyard, lifting her skirt, heading towards Yun Lie.
"Why did you come back by yourself? Wasn't Tao Yin with you?" Yun Lie greeted her in surprise, only to be unexpectedly embraced by his wife.
The bear next to it stared with eyes as wide as copper bells, its envy almost dripping blood.
“Tao Yin is behind,” Luo Cuiwei said, having walked rather quickly and now feeling a bit hot from the sudden stop. She loosened the ties of her cloak. “Yun Gouzi, I have something to tell you…”
Yun Lie was taking off her cloak, but it was too late when he reached out to cover her mouth.
Xiong Xiaoyi cleared his throat forcefully, his eyes welling up with tears as he tried to suppress his laughter.
Luo Cuiwei then realized that Xiong Xiaoyi was still nearby, and her face immediately turned red as she tried to run away.
But Yun Lie grabbed him around the waist and pulled him close. "What do you want to say?"
He knew his wife wasn't usually so boisterous, so her sudden agitation meant something serious must have happened.
"He...he's watching..." Luo Cuiwei, who could no longer lift her head, struggled a couple of times, her ears turning as red as if they were about to bleed, her voice soft.
She was so excited that she didn't even notice Xiong Xiaoyi, who was so big, standing right next to her.
Yun Lie didn't loosen his grip, but instead coldly glanced at the shameless onlookers: "Aren't you going to get lost?"
For some reason, Xiong Xiaoyi suddenly became incredibly bold. He chuckled, his face clearly saying, "Watch the show before you leave."
Yun Lie had no time to deal with the bear that was courting death, so he lowered his head and asked seriously, "If he doesn't see it, can he talk about it?"
Embarrassed to the point of wanting to disappear into the ground, Luo Cuiwei didn't even hear what he asked. She casually hummed in response and lowered her head, trying to pry open his arms that were wrapped around her waist.
Yun Lie nodded, then tossed the dark cloak from his arm into the air, covering Xiong Xiaoyi's head and face.
“Speak,” Yun Lie said, looking intently down at his wife in his arms, a smug smile on his face, “He can’t see anymore.”
Suddenly enveloped in darkness by the cloak, Xiong Xiaoyi was overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
For some reason, even though he hadn't eaten, he inexplicably felt as if his mouth was stuffed full of something unseen, making him feel incredibly bloated.
----2018/4/4 9:41:39|53686490----
Chapter 68
Luo Cuiwei, blushing with embarrassment, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She reached out and pinched the arm that was wrapped around her. "What I meant was... I told you to let go!"
Although she and Yun Lie had been married for more than half a year, she was still not used to being overly affectionate with him in front of others.
Yun Lie gave an awkward "Oh" and released his arms from around her waist.
After this incident, Luo Cuiwei was too embarrassed to continue exchanging pleasantries with Xiong Xiaoyi. She couldn't bring herself to tell Yun Lie what she had been eager to say. Instead, she lowered her head, smiled faintly, and fled in a panic, lifting her skirt.
Knowing she was embarrassed, Yun Lie didn't try to keep her any longer, and instead kicked Xiong Xiaoyi in the shin.
Just as Yun Lie was about to kick him a second time, Xiong Xiaoyi pulled off the dark cloak covering his head. Seeing that he was still determined to vent his anger, he quickly jumped up and took two steps away.
"I've never seen anyone so lovey-dovey," Xiong Xiaoyi muttered under his breath, half envious and half jealous, casually draping the cloak Yun Lie had given him over his shoulder. "I'm leaving now, I'll wait for you up ahead."
The large bear paw pointed in the direction of the defense zone.
Yun Lie nodded, "I'll come over in two days."
Behind him, Luo Cuiwei, who had already stepped onto the stone steps in front of the main hall, froze on the spot after hearing these two sentences, her blush and sweet smile freezing on her lips.