El amor de un mortal a través de la dinastía Song del Norte

Capítulo 97

Was he Cai Liangao? This was a fleeting thought that crossed Wei Zijun's mind before she fell into a coma.

Seeing her suddenly lose her strength, the man swung his broadsword again, aiming for her right arm. He shouldn't be so perfect. "Khan—" A shrill scream rang out, and a silver arrow flew out instantly, piercing the hand wielding the broadsword. The silver light clanged as it fell to the ground.

Geshu Que Sijin lunged forward and caught Wei Zijun as she fell from her horse.

Seeing Wei Zijun faint, the soldiers saw it as the perfect opportunity to capture her and surged forward recklessly, their broadswords aimed at the person tightly protecting her. That person, only knowing to protect the person in his arms, forgot to retaliate and only thought of running for his life while holding his Khan. His hands tightly clutched the person in his arms, fearing that the blades would slash her body.

His body became his only shield at this moment. Countless silver lights flashed and slashed down, and blood gushed out from his back.

In just a moment, as if a weary person had dozed off, when she regained consciousness, the blood from Geshu Que Sijin's mouth dripped onto her chest.

"Geshu Quesijin—" Wei Zijun shouted, leaping up with him in her arms, snatching a long-handled sword and wielding it with incredible speed. Countless jets of blood shot up and fell, until there was no more life around. She threw down the sword, leaped, and landed on the white horse that was always there waiting for her.

He ran all the way, the wind cooling the tears on his face. The person in his arms was barely breathing, and his true energy was continuously flowing into his body.

"Khan—put me down, this horse is really bumpy." Geshu Que Sijin forced a smile.

“Alright, we won’t ride horses.” Wei Zijun, carrying him, leaped onto the treetop. Their movements were so light and graceful, like nine immortals flying through the air, swaying gently.

"Geshu Quesijin, hold on, we'll be at the camp soon," Wei Zijun whispered, afraid that the person in her arms would fall asleep.

"Khan... Your subject... does not wish to die..."

Wei Zijun sobbed, "Geshu Quesijin won't die, he won't die."

"Khan, don't cry... I'm not afraid of death... I'm afraid... I'll never see... the Khan again..."

Wei Zijun burst into tears, "No, we won't never see each other again."

"Khan... I haven't recited the poem I wrote for you yet... You were drunk that day... so you didn't hear it..."

"Don't sing, I don't want to hear it. Sing it for me when you're better." Wei Zijun burst into tears.

"Khan—if I don't sing now... I'm afraid you won't hear it... Your subject will now... sing... sing for you..."

"Stop chanting, listen to me, save your energy, stop chanting..."

"I know... the Khan doesn't like to hear... my poem... is not good... the Khan will laugh at it..."

Wei Zijun was already sobbing uncontrollably, "No...no jokes...I will remember this for the rest of my life...for the rest of my life..."

"Geshu Quesijin—don't die, don't die. I'm sorry, I've dragged you down with me, don't die, don't die."

Wei Zijun held that body tightly and wept bitterly.

His blood had long since stained her snow-white body. The intertwined red and white was a shocking sight. His poem was never recited to his Khan, but his life exemplified his deep respect and love.

That rough, burly man, yet as innocent as a child.

The night was weary and desolate; even the stars had hidden their light, concealed beneath thick, dark clouds. It seemed raining was imminent.

Even on such a sorrowful night, the person's grief could not be concealed.

"Mr. Zhang, I am very sad. Is it possible to stop the war? Do you have any way to stop the war?" She, who had always stood tall and supported the country, was now as fragile as a piece of glass.

Zhang Shi remained silent. "There is a way. You should go to Dayu."

Wei Zijun glanced at him. "This is not a good idea." "His only target is you. Didn't you realize that?" Zhang Shi's eyes gleamed in the darkness. "Didn't he say that he would stop the war immediately if the Turkic Khan came to Dayu alone?"

"Ha! It's all the same. If he captures me, won't the country fall? He wants to take the Western Turks without bloodshed, but how could the brave herdsmen of the Western Turks agree?" He looked up at the sky. "I certainly won't agree either."

Looking at the large number of corpses being carried back, her heart shattered into pieces: "Li Tianqi, in order to capture me, you did not hesitate to harm so many people. How can you be worthy of being the ruler of a country with such impulsiveness! You just want to take advantage of my weakness of being kind and soft-hearted, thinking that I would not have the heart to do it and want to force me to submit with blood? How could I let you succeed?"

The night was filled with the gentle, persistent rain. Spring rain is always tender and soft, seeping into one's very soul.

The figures inside the tent trembled incessantly as the candlelight flickered.

All the generals watched their Khan with extreme caution.

Their Khan, the Khan who was always gentle and kind, the Khan who always had a gentle smile, had not smiled for several days.

She wore a light robe and loose belt, her skin as smooth as jade. She tilted her head slightly, her right hand touching her left earlobe, as if she had been thinking for a long time. After a long while, she finally spoke, "Let's not waste any more time like this. Let's annihilate them in one fell swoop."

"Khan, I have a plan. We can wear the uniforms of the Dayu army and infiltrate the enemy camp, then launch an attack from within and without," Hu Luju Quechuo suggested.

"The method is good, but the casualties are too heavy. I don't want anyone else to die," Wei Zijun sighed softly.

"Khan, war inevitably leads to death. There is no war without casualties. We know that you are kind-hearted, but death is unavoidable."

“Who said that we didn’t suffer any casualties when the Khan defeated the Tibetans? If the Khan says so, he must have a plan,” Shesheti Tunchu retorted from the side.

The generals were excited upon hearing this. Yes, if the Khan said so, he must have a solution. A buzz of discussion arose, "Khan, what's your solution? Tell us quickly!"

Wei Zijun finally managed a faint smile. "This method is not good; it's a despicable method, namely, using poison."

"Use poison? How?"

"Shuiyuan, put sleeping pills in Yujun's water source, and capture them all when they are all unconscious. Hopefully, Li Tianqi will be among them, hehe—" Thinking of capturing Li Tianqi alive, Wei Zijun finally smiled happily.

"Great idea! Haha, Khan, let's send a few highly skilled men to infiltrate the enemy camp and poison their drinking water." Hu Luju Quechuo said excitedly.

"No, the army's water sources are heavily guarded. Such a large camp would be hard to avoid being discovered. The Yu army's camp is in the open field, with wide-open spaces. Even if a rabbit appears, it will be spotted. Moreover, the Yu army is heavily guarded. Not even a bird in the sky can escape their eyes. Even if the Khan is skilled enough to sneak in, to drug someone without killing them, he would still need to acupuncture a few soldiers. That would be easy to be discovered." Some people have already realized that this method is too reckless.

"Let's put on Da Yu's military uniforms and roll in, openly entering the camp to poison them," someone else suggested.

“Yu Jun’s organizational structure is very strict. He has to report his numbers every day. If he sees someone he doesn’t know, they will become suspicious.” Some people felt this was inappropriate.

"We capture a Yu Jun, then disguise ourselves to look like him?"

"But who knows how to disguise themselves? Does Mr. Zhang know it?"

All the generals turned their gazes toward Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi chuckled and shook his head, finding the buzzing discussion among his generals quite amusing. Glancing at the serene figure, he knew that person must already have a plan in mind. After the generals finished their discussion and the buzzing subsided, Wei Zijun spoke, “Thirsty Crows①, use the Thirsty Crows. The Yu Army has set up Thirsty Crows at the spring in the forest to fetch water. These long bamboo tubes are guarded every sixty paces by a soldier. Our men will dress in Yu Army uniforms, pretend to be changing shifts, capture them, and then replace them with our men. We'll open the tubes, put in sleeping pills, and then close them again.” Wei Zijun smiled elegantly, but the generals all saw it as a sinister smile, yet it was also strangely elegant.

"Khan, what a brilliant plan!" Zhang Shi praised again.

"Hahaha, the Dayu army is finished now. Let's capture their little emperor and have some fun with him too." The generals laughed happily.

"Khan, I shall take care of this matter," Hulujuque said, requesting permission.

"Alright." Wei Zijun laughed, "Add more!" "Hahaha, Khan, you're so wicked!" Hu Luju Quechuo exclaimed excitedly.

All the generals felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this; this grown man acting coquettishly was truly deadly.

Note: "Thirsty Crow" (渴乌) refers to an ancient water-drawing device, existing as early as the Han Dynasty. It consisted of a large bamboo tube joined end-to-end to form a water pipe, sealed with hemp and lacquer to create an airtight seal, allowing it to cross mountains. The end facing the water was submerged five feet underwater. At the other end of the bamboo tube, flammable materials such as pine and birch branches and dry grass were collected and placed on top, then ignited to create a vacuum inside the tube. After cooling slightly, a relative vacuum formed inside, which was then inserted into the water to draw water up. This was because as the temperature inside the tube decreased, the internal air pressure became lower than the external atmospheric pressure. Under sealed conditions, the water, under the influence of external atmospheric pressure, would rise over higher ground and be drawn over. The *Tongdian* records that Tang Dynasty armies used it to draw water across mountains during their camps. Our ancestors were truly ingenious!

Volume Two, Chapter Eighty-Seven: Miscalculation

Two days later, when scouts reported that the Dayu army camp was eerily quiet and deserted, with many soldiers lying unconscious on the ground, the Western Turkic army prepared to march straight towards the Dayu camp.

Before leaving, Wei Zijun instructed Hu Luju Quechuo, "Send a small team in to scout ahead first, and only proceed with the full force once you've confirmed there's no trickery." Hu Luju Quechuo accepted the order and left.

The early summer breeze is gentle and soothing, and the green of the trees gradually deepens into maturity. Summer is lonely; the more bustling the season, the lonelier it is.

Sitting quietly in the sunlight, waiting for news, her faint figure was like a white plum blossom exuding its unique fragrance. With her eyes closed and head tilted back in the chair, her graceful chin and slender, beautiful neck formed a beautiful arc.

He has no Adam's apple! That was Zhang Shi's first thought when he saw that view.

"Khan, are you waiting for good news?" Zhang Shi asked with a smile.

Wei Zijun opened her eyes, and a clear lake surface rippled. "I hope it's good news."

"What beautiful eyes," Zhang Shi thought to himself. "It seems the Khan isn't just waiting for good news; he has something on his mind?"

"Things that are on one's mind are true concerns; I simply don't understand." His gaze swept lightly into the distance.

"What is it that you do not understand, Khan?"

"I don't know...why? I don't know...why did everything I did?" Fu lowered his head, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, like a wounded child, full of sorrow.

Zhang Shi chuckled, "Even the Khan has moments of confusion?" He sat down in the chair opposite her. "Actually, the reason I don't know is because I'm not doing what I like. What does the Khan like? What does he want to do?"

"Do what you want?" A moment of dazedness crossed her eyes. "I hope the people of the world can live in peace and prosperity. I don't want war anymore. Why war? To plunder? To satisfy selfish desires? I don't know... It's so tiring... I just want some peace and quiet." She longed to go home, hoping someone would wait for her. But where was her home?

A hint of pity appeared on Zhang Shi's face. "Why doesn't the Khan return to Dayu? Your home and your parents are there."

Parents? These were all too unfamiliar to her. She didn't even know what her parents looked like. Perhaps she would feel closer to the soldiers here.

Should I go back to Dayu? I really miss Dayu. The scenery there must be beautiful. I think of the lotus flowers at the General's Mansion, Deer Ridge Valley, my master, Dieyun, Liu Yunde, and everyone in Dayu.

But where are Dieyun and the others? The people guarding Dayu have reported back many times but haven't seen them, and they have no news of them. Wei Zijun thinks that Dieyun must be angry and went back to Luling Valley and never want to come out again, and Liu Yunde doesn't want to go back to that sad place. After all, they went through a lot together at Juyun Tower.

A gust of wind swept by, lifting a stray strand of black hair from her forehead, and an indescribable melancholy washed over her.

Without thinking, Zhang Shi leaned forward, reached out, and brushed a strand of black hair from Wei Zijun's forehead.

Wei Zijun was slightly taken aback by his action. Then, she smiled, avoided his gaze, and glanced at his hand that was still in front of his forehead. She noticed a small feather at the bottom of his wide sleeve and gently removed it for him.

Twirling the feather, about to make a joke, something suddenly flashed through his mind. He looked down at the feather in his hand; it was a snow-white, tiny feather. But there weren't any birds in the entire military camp. This must be a pigeon feather.

Wei Zijun twirled the feather and carefully looked at Zhang Shi's face. There was a slight ripple on the otherwise calm face.

Wei Zijun suddenly stood up, “Geshufa—quickly light the beacon fires and retreat immediately.”

"Yes," Geshufa replied and hurriedly went to make arrangements.

Beacon fires, clusters of flames, and straight plumes of smoke rise into the sky.

However, it was too late. The 100,000-strong Western Turkic army had already entered the enemy camp before the beacon fire was lit. When they went to capture the unconscious Dayu soldiers on the ground, the soldiers sprang to their feet, and suddenly a dark mass of Dayu soldiers appeared around the camp. The Western Turkic soldiers, who were completely unprepared, were all captured.

When the battle report arrived, Wei Zijun let out a long sigh. She had ultimately trusted others too easily; her mistake had led to the capture of 100,000 troops deep within enemy territory. The regret in her heart felt like insects gnawing at her. This, she thought, was likely the bargaining chip he had prepared to blackmail her.

He sat there quietly, rubbing his forehead in deep thought. Even into the evening, Wei Zijun didn't eat. Gazing at that slender figure, He Lu felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"Have some porridge, I had someone specially make it." He Lu placed the bowl in front of her.

"I have no appetite." Wei Zijun reached out and brushed him away.

"Drink it!" He Luqiang forcefully stretched it out again.

Wei Zijun raised an eyebrow. "Who is He Khan?"

He Lu glanced at her and slammed the bowl down on the table.

Wei Zijun pushed the bowl away, straightened the paper on the table, flicked her sleeve to grind the ink, dipped the brush in the sheep's hair, thought for a moment, and then wrote heavily.

A poem about pagodas gradually appeared on the paper.