Le paysage est comme une peinture

Chapitre 31

As the sun rose in the east, the leader finally led more than a hundred fast horses to break through the encirclement. A group of fierce lions chased after them, but were called back by the sound of copper bells.

The valley was littered with corpses lying haphazardly. The purplish-red blood instantly melted and then solidified the thin layer of snow on the sandy ground, turning it into half-yellow and half-purple clumps of sand. Junyu quietly put away the ring, and only then did she realize that although the enemy had suffered eight or nine hundred casualties, there were still over a hundred monks' corpses and more than two hundred corpses of the Cunni on the ground.

Tuosang and two other monks approached; they were none other than the chief steward of the Chiba and the abbot of Danba. Tuosang and the Chiba had never witnessed such a horrific scene in their lives. Seeing the valley littered with corpses, they all solemnly concentrated and silently chanted scriptures and prayed.

Danba Shangren fought a great battle with Junyu at Hanjing Garden. He hated Junyu to the bone because she destroyed the Buddha's tooth. He once disregarded the prohibition and chased her into the capital to kill her to vent his anger. When he saw her at this time, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Chiba has already performed a grand salute: "Today, thanks to the Marshal, our religion has been relieved of a great calamity. The entire religion will forever be grateful for his kindness."

Junyu immediately returned the greeting, looked up and saw Tuosang's gaze. Junyu smiled slightly, and Tuosang nodded.

Xia Ao, along with three other monks, was moving the corpses of many monks together. After working for a while, they used a special kind of ignition, and immediately, flames shot into the sky.

Tuosang led a group of monks in chanting sutras for the deceased, while Junyu stood silently to the side in respect.

Then, Xiao led the three monks to examine some of the attackers' corpses. A short while later, Xiao dragged over an iron rod: "Bokdo, apart from some of the Rahan followers, the vast majority of these attackers are unidentified."

Looking around, Junyu realized that these people were not unknown individuals. After their first encounter last night, she knew that they were all well-trained elite cavalrymen, each one brave and skilled in battle. Judging from their combat style, they were exactly like the soldiers of Zhenmutier's army.

It turned out that yesterday morning, Tuosang led his followers on a journey to Tiema Temple after the New Year to conduct the January preaching and prayer ceremony, as was customary. This ceremony was held alternately at the Holy Palace and Tiema Temple, and this year it was Tiema Temple's turn. Because Tiema Temple had recently been attacked, and given the rampant activities of the Lahan sect, the monks decided to change the usual practice of a ceremonial procession and cavalry escort. "Bokdo" only took seven followers and traveled via a secret passage. This was originally a highly confidential matter, but unexpectedly, by evening they encountered an ambush of over a thousand soldiers in the valley.

Junyu was secretly alarmed. After the Lahan Sect's secret report to the court about "Bogdo" at the beginning of the year failed, it has now sent such a large number of troops to hunt down "Bogdo". Now that the Lahan Sect does not dare to openly attack the Holy Palace, it has chosen the Iron Horse Temple, which is second only to the Holy Palace, as its target. Clearly, Zhenmutier is his powerful backer. Once the Lahan Sect succeeds in overthrowing the sect, not only will Tuosang be in imminent danger, but most of the southwest and northwest regions will likely immediately become Zhenmutier's rear base for marching south.

Junyu glanced at the copper bell in Tuosang's hand, and Chiba continued, "When Bokdo shakes the copper bell, believers from dozens of miles around will come to hear the news..." He looked at the many corpses of monks. This valley was very desolate, with few temples. The more than one hundred people who came were all monks who secretly practiced asceticism in the nearby deep mountains, but they had suffered such a disaster.

Chiba sighed, "It is our religion's fault that we suffer this calamity. It is the will of Heaven, and there is nothing we can do about it."

Junyu suddenly asked, "If the sound of this copper bell is heard, will everyone within a certain range be able to hear it?"

Chiba shook his head: "Only my followers can hear this..."

He looked at Junyu with some surprise and doubt: "Could it be that the Marshal..."

Junyu quickly shook his head: "I just happened to be passing by while inspecting the terrain."

Suddenly meeting Tuosang's peculiar gaze, Junyu sighed inwardly and looked into the distance.

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Chapter 94: The Preaching at Tiema Temple and the Mysterious Treasure (2)

By this time, the sun had risen higher and higher, illuminating the golden fur of the group of Jinni beasts still waiting in the valley, making them shine brightly.

Junyu had commanded thousands of troops in battle many times, but this was the first time he had commanded this group of incredibly fierce Junni. After a battle, they were just like brave warriors. As long as they were commanded properly, they could attack or defend, making them a very powerful army.

Junyu couldn't help but reach out and touch the golden fur of the lead lion-like creature. The lion stuck out its tongue and looked at her with gentle eyes.

This was the first time Xia Ao had seen such a docile look in the eyes of the Junni. Even the late Master Muli of the Wisdom Temple could only command the two guardian Junni. Only the successive "Bokdo" could command a whole flock of Junni.

Xia Ao had long admired Jun Yu for her help. Seeing that she could not only command this group of Jun Ni who only obeyed the orders of the previous "Bokdo", but also lead this group of Jun Ni to fight like an army, he revered her as a god and prostrated himself on the ground, saying: "Tiema Temple is not far from Xining Prefecture. I beg the Marshal to come and attend the Bokdo's sermon conference."

Chiba had long harbored this intention and immediately said, "Marshal has a deep connection with our sect, and we sincerely invite Marshal to participate."

Junyu was about to politely decline when she suddenly saw a fleeting look of deep expectation in Tuosang's eyes. The words of refusal were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back and nodded involuntarily.

The sermon gathering at Tiema Temple was so lively.

Twenty miles away from Tiema Temple, the waiting honor guard and escorting cavalry immediately came to greet them. The accompanying Buddhist music played, and along the way, believers dismounted and removed their hats to stand respectfully by the roadside to welcome them.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Tiema Temple, thousands of monks who had come from all directions removed their hats, bowed, and knelt in worship.

The sun shone coldly on the snow-covered Tiema Temple. In the open space of Tiema Temple, the preaching platform stood tall and majestic. Tiema Temple was the second largest temple after the Holy Palace. At this moment, twenty to thirty thousand monks and officials of all ranks, led by the resident minister, had already gathered below the preaching platform.

Despite experiencing two consecutive calamities, the believers and unsuspecting monks were not greatly troubled. They were either cheerful, devout and solemn, or eloquent and argumentative, creating a festive atmosphere.

Qin Xiaolou was already offering gifts to "Bokdo," and Bokdo was also returning the gifts. Then, monks and officials of all ranks took turns stepping forward to offer New Year's gifts to Bokdo. "Bokdo" also took turns touching the heads of each person to bestow blessings.

When those sacred hands touched his head, Junyu felt a sudden, violent heartbeat, unsure whether it was his own or that of the hands' owner.

She closed her eyes, and her heart suddenly became solemn. The sunlight gradually took on a warm quality, and the heartfelt prayers for peace and the blessings of concern contained in those hands were transmitted into the deepest part of her heart without any barriers.

On the viewing platform, the children had finished their dance, and two eloquent monks were engaged in a debate, which then concluded. Next, "Bokto" would lead the congregation to the main hall for a sermon. Qin Xiaolou had no interest in the sermon; after exchanging greetings, he led his officials away.

On the stage, Tuosang was turning the prayer wheel, preaching to the monks from several major monasteries.

Below the stage, Junyu sat quietly in the same posture as the monks, eyes focused on his nose and mind, devout and attentive.

She was there.

She is at the ends of the earth.

Slowly, Tuosang felt the intense despair and pain that had been suppressed in his heart for so long spread like waves, almost uncontrollably, as if it would burst out of his chest and make him shout loudly.

He slowly turned the prayer wheel, and no one knew how much effort he was putting into his hands—please teach me, Buddha, who has been liberated from countless eons of reincarnation.

Yet the preaching room remained serene, and the congregation below continued to look up in devout reverence. The soul that wanted to scream and flee was once again imprisoned back in its cell, with only the buzzing echo of its own prayers reverberating in its ears.

After the sermon concluded, Chiba, Xia'ao, and the abbot of Tiema Temple personally saw him off. Junyu bowed in farewell and rode away at full speed.

The road was covered in yellow sand, the land vast and empty. Junyu led her horse. The sun was setting, and even the blue sky and white clouds overhead could not conceal the desolate chill of the Northwest. She sat down beside a bare, nameless, withered tree. In the distance, the mountain song of herdsmen on their way home drifted over: "The mountain has trees—the trees have branches—my heart is pleased with you—you do not know—I sing these two lines repeatedly, the final 'I' drawn out, infinitely mournful and lingering."

She sat quietly for a long time, then stood up. Less than twenty li further on was Yushu Town. There, the Northwest Army's garrison was located. There, she was the commander-in-chief of the Northwest Army.

A gust of wind blew up sand and gravel, and my eyes felt like they were about to rain.

Chapter 95: Mysterious Treasure and Plague in the Army (3)

The March wind carried a chill and fine sand, and the sky over Northwest China was still bleak, without a trace of spring.

A fast horse galloped into the garrison camp of Xining Prefecture and headed straight for the commander's tent.

Despite the cold wind, the messenger's forehead was covered in sweat. Upon entering the camp, he immediately reported: "Marshal, we've just received news that the imperial funds allocated this time were robbed in Hanyin..."

Junyu couldn't help but exclaim, "What?"

"The army escorting the silver was originally going to detour through Sichuan to Xining, but it was robbed in Hanyin. The entire escorting army was wiped out. It is rumored that it was the work of bandits and outlaws from Sichuan and Shaanxi..."

Lin Baoshan could no longer sit still and suddenly stood up: "The army's food supplies are not enough to last a month, and the pay has been stolen. What are we supposed to eat?"

Geng Ke, Zhang Yuan, and the others all looked alarmed and stared at Jun Yu.

Geng Ke had just replaced Bai Ruhui from Phoenix City to continue commanding the "Emei Vanguard." He had never encountered a situation of insufficient military pay while in Phoenix City, so his gaze towards Junyu was filled with surprise.

Junyu pondered for a moment: "Now, all the soldiers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their pay. However, since the pay has been hijacked, even if the court immediately allocates more, it will not arrive until three months later. At this point, we can only discuss countermeasures slowly. Generals, please do not spread this news widely, so as not to shake the morale of the army. Those who violate this rule will be severely punished according to military law."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, a sense of unease spreading through them.

Since the latter half of last year, local government offices in the surrounding areas have been refusing to provide the Northwest Army with provisions and pay under various pretexts. Although the imperial court has repeatedly issued orders, its reach is limited, and the local government offices always find various plausible reasons to delay or evade. Now, the Northwest Army's entire pay depends on the imperial court's allocation. This batch of pay has now been robbed en route. Not only will the officers and soldiers who won the great victory at Yushu Town receive no reward, but even feeding the soldiers is becoming a problem. Moreover, it is already mid-March, and with summer approaching, the soldiers will soon need to take off their thick cotton-padded clothes. Without food or pay, where will they buy lighter clothing?

Moreover, that batch of military funds had another important use: purchasing horses from ethnic minorities on the border. After the great victory at Yushu, the total strength of the Northwest Army stationed in various places had gradually increased to more than 100,000 men, but there were less than 50,000 warhorses, meaning that almost two soldiers shared one warhorse. Meanwhile, the Zhenmutier tribe roamed the vast Mongolian grasslands, and each time they went out to war, each cavalryman had at least three to five warhorses available for rotation.

Even the great victory at Yushu Town was achieved by the Northwest Infantry taking advantage of a surprise attack by encircling Zhenmutier in the middle of the night. However, the Northwest Army has never won a large-scale cavalry battle, and in recent years, they have always been wary of Zhenmutier's cavalry formations.

To reverse this situation, Junyu, upon arriving at the Northwest Army, immediately dispatched Lu Ling and others to initiate tea-horse trade on the border, hoping to raise some funds to purchase horses. However, due to the Northwest Army's past practices of using inferior goods in border trade, such as passing off silver mixed with copper or lead, they were deeply resented by the ethnic minorities. Gradually, they also learned to use inferior or substandard horses to fill the gaps, or simply refused to trade with them.

In recent months, due to limited financial resources and difficult negotiations, Lu Ling has only been able to purchase a few hundred fine horses. These mere few hundred warhorses are nothing more than a drop in the ocean for the Northwest army.

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Chapter 96: Plague and Treasure

As evening approached, Junyu was discussing matters with Lu Ling, Zhang Yuan, and others when Lu Ling suddenly rushed back to the camp, looking travel-worn.

Lu Ling, unaware of the theft of the military pay, reported with a beaming smile, "I have secured a deal for 1,500 horses. These are all top-quality steeds, perfectly capable of being trained into the most elite warhorses..."

He was reporting with great joy when he suddenly saw the helpless looks on Junyu and Geng Ke's faces, so he immediately stopped and asked, "What about that batch of military pay?"

Geng Ke shook his head and briefly explained the situation to him.

Lu Ling lowered his head and pondered for a while, then raised his head and said, "There is still a surplus of more than 20,000 taels from the tea-horse trade some time ago. What should we do with this batch of horses?"

Junyu said without hesitation, "Let's put the horse issue aside for now and buy all the grain immediately to solve the army's food problem first."

But how many days can an army sustain itself with a mere 20,000 taels of silver?

Geng Ke said, "Now, there's a lot of discussion in the army, with many people asking about the food and supplies problem. What should we do?"

Junyu was silent for a moment: "Such a major event as the theft of military funds cannot be hidden for long. Rather than letting the soldiers speculate wildly, it is better to be open and honest with them. Zhang Yuan, what do you think?"

Zhang Yuan nodded: "The Marshal is absolutely right. The reason for the rise of slander is precisely the lack of information and the unfounded speculation. If it is kept secret, I fear that rumors will spread even more in the army and the morale will waver. Now, the Northwest Army is facing great difficulties and needs the concerted efforts of all officers and soldiers."

Junyu found the reasoning very reasonable and immediately arranged for Zhang Yuan to prepare for the relevant follow-up work.

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The theft of the Northwest Army's pay shocked the imperial court.

The army escorting the military supplies originally planned to detour through Sichuan to avoid a surprise attack by Zhenmutier's cavalry, but instead they were surrounded by a combined force of nearly a hundred bandits from Sichuan and Shaanxi, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.

At the morning court session that day, the emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation, giving Minister of War Zhang Qi an explanation within a month.

The court's finances were already very strained. Now, with such a huge sum of military funds stolen, how could they possibly raise the funds in such a short time? The officials were alarmed and discussed the matter extensively, and all sorts of rumors spread like wildfire.

Prime Minister Zhu returned to his residence with a gloomy expression.

Zhu Sihuai was already waiting at the door of the study. As soon as Prime Minister Zhu entered, Zhu Sihuai immediately closed the door.

"Sihuai, what is the current situation in the Northwest Army?"

"News has come from the Lahan sect that they besieged 'Bokdo' in a valley on the eve of last year's Lunar New Year. Just as they were about to succeed, they were rescued by the Junyu-commanded Chenni army, and their attempt failed. Previously, when they besieged Tiema Temple, they were also rescued by Junyu's army." "Flying General Fengcheng" was originally renowned throughout the north, and his fame grew even more after the great victory at Yushu Town. Although Zhenmutier had gathered tens of thousands of elite cavalry, the tribes were terrified by the reputation of "Flying General Fengcheng," and none were willing to easily engage him. Furthermore, after the Chenni battle, rumors circulated in the army that the Northwest Army's commander was a god descended from heaven. Most of the soldiers, upon hearing that they were fighting against "Flying General Fengcheng's" forces, immediately retreated without a fight. Zhenmutier is currently still active in the Tianshan Mountains and the outer grasslands…"

"Is there anything unusual?" Bokdo asked.

Zhu Sihuai shook his head: "He and Junyu have never had any private dealings, and we can't find any clues."

"What are the opinions of other believers?"

"Junyu has won a series of great victories and has repeatedly lent a helping hand to those believers, enjoying extraordinary respect in their religion. Under such circumstances, without any evidence, who would dare to rashly identify her as a woman?"

Chapter 97: Military Funds Robbed (1)

"By the way, how's Lin Baoshan doing?"

"This warrior, because of several great victories, Junyu always let him take the credit, and he is actually grateful to Junyu. Moreover, he is all alone and cannot do anything destructive..."