He Zhuo drew his knife and brandished it. The snake probably didn't intend to bite anyone. Seeing the sunlight reflected off the blade, it retreated back into the lake. He Zhuo then picked up Qiu Su and ran towards the horses.
Qiu Su held the hem of her robe with one hand and pulled up her pants with the other to protect her chest, while also trying her best to cover her calves. Seeing He Zhuo running wildly, she frowned and said, "I don't know if he was bitten. He probably wasn't. Don't run. Let me put my clothes back on."
He Zhuo stopped in his tracks, sat down on the ground, and pried open Qiu Su's legs to look at her. Qiu Su was so frightened that she curled up and cried out, "What are you doing? Let me get dressed!"
With a long face, He Zhuo grabbed Qiu Su's hands and carefully examined her from the front to the back and left to right, then wiped the sand off her feet bit by bit. Only after checking everything did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"How could there be a snake?" He Zhuo glanced at Qiu Su's flushed face, her legs that were barely visible under her long robe, and her two taut, almost glowing calves that weren't exactly white. Thinking about the feeling in his hand just now, his face still turned slightly red. Trying his best to calm himself down, He Zhuo casually let go of her hand, rubbed his eyes, sighed, and teased, "I'm going to get a sty."
Qiu Su grabbed his hem and pulled it over his head, and He Zhuo obediently covered it. Qiu Su angrily put on her pants, hastily put on her long gown, and kicked He Zhuo into the grass.
He Zhuo laughed loudly, pulling up his shirt and saying, "I didn't see anything."
"I'll gouge your eyes out!" Qiu Su screamed.
He Zhuo grabbed her foot, which she was kicking again, and held it in his hand, saying, "Su Su is really willing to do this."
Qiu Su was mortified and struggled to break free, but He Zhuo suddenly let go, causing Qiu Su to lose her footing and fall into the grass. He Zhuo clapped his hands, jumped up, and said to Qiu Su, who was lying face down in the grass, "I'll go get your shoes. Don't lie in the grass; there might be snakes."
Qiu Su shivered, and upon hearing He Zhuo's footsteps leave, she ran to Si Qiong's side and mounted her horse. Qiu Su pursed her lips, pulled her wet hair out of her robe, glanced at He Zhuo who was carrying her shoes and walking back with a smile, and rolled her eyes.
He Zhuo handed her the shoes, and Qiu Su, who had been keeping her lips tightly pressed together, put them on. She tied her hair up with a straw and silently raised her chin towards the reins. He Zhuo, suppressing a laugh, untied the reins but held them tightly in his hand. Seeing that she looked unhappy, he rode off on his own horse. After a long silence, he finally burst out laughing.
"Hehe, Susu, I don't blame you for being cowardly this time, you were really scared afterwards." He just laughed at her lying in the grass pretending to be a goat.
Qiu Su gritted her teeth but didn't reply.
"Susu, Black Gorge is not far ahead."
Thinking of the impending war, Qiu Su sighed and hunched over.
"He Zhuo, is Black Gorge Pass a mountain?"
“There’s a gorge in the mountains.” He Zhuo straightened his expression and said, “If they pass through here, our chances of winning are very high. If they take a detour, it’s hard to say. But taking a detour would take too much time. Wu Na always likes to go through this gorge because he is extremely fast. It was difficult to stop him here before.”
Qiu Su's back hunched even more. "Are they really planning to invade this time?"
“Of course it’s true.” He Zhuo laughed. “But maybe they’re just here to check out the situation and see the late summer scenery. Whatever, we’ll deal with whatever comes our way.”
"Anyway," He Zhuowei tilted his head slightly, "I'll take care of everything."
Qiu Su followed He Zhuo all the way to the Black Gorge Pass and only then did she realize how wide the pass was. It was indeed a gorge between two mountains, but wide enough for four or five carriages to travel abreast. It was quite remarkable that such a wide road could withstand the onslaught here. However, the two cliffs weren't too high; perhaps they could set up some traps on them.
Seeing that she kept looking up at the top of the cliff, He Zhuo smiled and explained, "We can use both sides, but it's best to have those thousand elite soldiers face the enemy head-on. Sending some people up will only weaken our own forces."
Qiu Su remained silent, dismounted, and stood at the mouth of the gorge, staring at the wide mountain road before her for a long time. She closed her eyes to sense the wind direction, then squatted down and looked down at the ground. After looking left and right several times, she finally mounted her horse and rode back without a word.
"What's wrong? Did you see something?" He Zhuo chased after him and asked.
Qiu Su looked unwell. "We can't dig traps on the ground."
He Zhuo smiled happily, "Stones are indeed difficult to dig up."
Qiu Su pursed her lips, spurred her horse, and galloped off towards the camp.
The fact that you can't dig traps doesn't mean you can't set them. In fact, there are still some places where you can take advantage of them, but we don't know how many tricks they've used before.
Author's Note: The baby and his dad are coming soon.
50
50. First encounter...
Qiu Su was a little agitated and wouldn't go to sleep even though she was huddled in the tent. He Zhuo held Xiao Qiu by the door, not saying a word, just watching Qiu Su sigh and scribble occasionally under the oil lamp while looking at a topographical map.
Night had fallen, and Xiao Qiu was too tired to pay attention to the two of them anymore. She curled up outside He Zhuo's tent and fell asleep. He Zhuo, seeing Qiu Su looking troubled, was in a good mood. Lying on his side, he thought to himself, "When will I be able to move from the doorway to the bed?" Thinking this, he blushed. It wasn't that his thoughts were romantic; it was just that the thought of holding her and sleeping together made his heart race uncontrollably. It was as if he had finally managed to get his hands on the flower he had admired and longed for since childhood, and he felt somewhat overwhelmed.
"He Zhuo." Qiu Su glanced at He Zhuo, who was lying on his side facing her, seemingly asleep but actually with his eyes slightly closed, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Come here."
He Zhuo squinted and didn't move. Qiu Su didn't stand on ceremony and grabbed the inkstone on the table, pretending to throw it at him. He Zhuo grinned, got up, and quickly went over to sit down next to her. He looked at her messy drawings and said with a smile, "Let's rest first. It won't make a difference if we wait a little longer."
Qiu Su pouted and didn't move. He Zhuo half-forcefully pushed her to lie down, propped his elbows on the table, and smiled as he rested his chin on his hand, saying, "Close your eyes and rest for a while, and maybe your mind will clear up sometime. I'll tell you about the tactics that General Qin mentioned."
Qiu Su was indeed anxious, and her temples were throbbing. Realizing that sitting there like an idiot was pointless, she obediently hugged the blanket to her chest, curled up into a ball, and closed her eyes.
He Zhuo felt a pang of sympathy seeing her still in that position. He wanted to tell her to lie down, but he pursed his lips and didn't say anything. This was a habit she developed after coming from the capital; it was as if she was protecting herself at all times, while also keeping others out of her embrace.
"General Qin only fought once at the Black Gorge Pass. Before that, our garrison was in the southern border region, and we were only later dispatched to the northern border region. Of the two encounters with Wu, only one of them resulted in a real battle. Their cavalry is good because of their horses; they are fast and can maintain their formation in the chaos of battle. Of course, although our horses are not as good as theirs, a thousand elite soldiers should not be underestimated."
"When was the last time you fought? Was it at Black Canyon Pass?"
"When I first came here, I wasn't involved; I only heard about it from them. It wasn't a great victory, but I don't know why Una suddenly withdrew when the battle was evenly matched. Perhaps it was just a test. Their military campaigns are never conventional."
Qiu Su opened her eyes, rolled over onto her stomach on the bed, and asked curiously, "What method did you use that time?"
"The front row used long spears and crossbows to break up the formation. The rear row used heavy axes to cut down on the horses' legs and up on the cavalry."
Qiu Su remained silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "I never imagined that one day I would have to stain my hands with blood."
He Zhuo smiled wryly, "There are too many things that can't be expected, but Su Su doesn't need to worry. The Major General can come up with a plan, and I, the military commander, will be there to guide you."
Qiu Su sat up abruptly, her eyes sparkling, and looked at He Zhuo, saying, "Cavalry is all about speed, isn't it?"
“Yes.” He Zhuo smiled.
"They must have been moving at their fastest speed when they broke through the Black Gorge, because they were worried about being ambushed."
"It's not a good place to ambush from the top of the gorge, but we can't rule out the possibility of an accident. Besides, the stone path on the ground can't be used to make any traps. If we did, the movement would be too obvious and the enemy would know. Under normal circumstances, it would definitely be the fastest way."
"Judging by the distance, the gorge entrance should be about half a mile away. It would be a real shame not to set up an ambush."
He Zhuo looked at Qiu Suxiao and waited quietly for her to continue.
Qiu Su grinned and chuckled to herself for a while, then stopped laughing, sighed, and shook her head, saying, "It's really going to get bloody."