UCTOOT CH93

The military affairs were urgent, so how could there be a woman? What’s more, she was thrown out with her hands tied behind her back like a sack, revealing a large amount of black hair. The behavior was indeed rough. Shi Shu said, “You guys grab girls with their hands tied behind their backs and drag them forcefully?”

Xin Bin said, “I’m a rough person, I don’t know.”

“…”

Shi Shu looked at her face carefully. The woman also raised her head. After looking at each other for a few seconds, Shi Shu raised his eyebrows and smiled with amusement. “Two or three years ago, when we first met, you were being chased by government soldiers. On the night I met your father, I was also being chased. We haven’t made much progress.”

The person in front of him suddenly raised her head, a beautiful oval face. Yuan Xiaoshu was filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. “Benefactor—”

Shi Shu said, “Don’t use that title… it’s hard to explain.” The one at home is hard to explain.

Xiaoshu asked, “Are you alright?”

Shi Shu said, “Thank you for your father’s mercy in not killing me~ It’s just a superficial wound on my back, nothing serious. You guys can let her go. How are you doing in Beimin?”

“I—”

Xin Bin and the others untied Xiaoshu and interrupted the conversation first. “Second Young Master, this woman’s origin is ambiguous. Should we wait for my lord to finish his meeting with the guest and interrogate her together?”

Shi Shu came to his senses. Xiaoshu’s identity was awkward, so it was better to be more careful. “Then take her to the room to eat first. You all rest well. We’ll continue to chat when Xie Wuchi comes. I’m going out for a bit. I’ll tell my brother.”

Shi Shu was about to leave, but Yuan Xiaoshu seemed to have waited for a long time and couldn’t wait any longer. She said anxiously, “Young Master, my father told me to find Commandant Xie and inform them that the granary and the grain route can be destroyed as soon as possible!”

“…”

Shi Shu’s footsteps paused. He turned his face to look at her. “What did you say?”

“Besides checking on your life and health, my father also asked me to deliver a message—the Min army has not set up an ambush and does not know that the news has been leaked. You can retrieve the grain and burn the grain route along the way—”

“This…” Shi Shu’s feelings were complicated. He glanced at Xin Bin. Xin Bin interrupted, “Military affairs are important. Let’s wait for the Commandant to come before we talk about it.”

Xie Wuchi has already acted. There is no need for her to remind him again. Shi Shu couldn’t say more. “Thank you for coming to give me the news.” He was about to leave, but unexpectedly, Yuan Xiaoshu said again, “There is another important matter. My father said that Lord Xie can also send troops to take control of Yunzhou. The Min army’s grain has been exhausted. With the granary lost and the grain route intercepted, they will retreat within a few days.”

“Congratulations to Lord Xie for repelling the Min army, removing Feng Zhongshan, and occupying Yunzhou without losing a single soldier.”

Without losing a single soldier… Shi Shu’s footsteps faltered. He barely raised his head. As expected, Xin Bin couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted, “You stinky girl, are you asking for a beating!”

Shi Shu tried to mediate. “Alright, alright, we’ll talk later. You guys rest first.”

Xiaoshu’s hands and feet were untied. She stopped talking, but pulled out a dagger from her forearm. The hilt was inlaid with gems. She handed it to Shi Shu. “I brought this especially for you.”

Shi Shu took the dagger and said with a smile, “What’s this?”

“It’s a weapon forged by my father. He asked me to thank you for escorting me for forty li back then.” After Xiaoshu finished speaking, she was escorted by Xin Bin and locked up in a room on the side.

Shi Shu casually tossed the dagger, observing it against the sun, finally able to think more clearly. “Without losing a single soldier… killing three birds with one stone. He repelled the Beimin army, uprooted Feng Zhongshan’s power, and occupied Yunzhou… Xie Wuchi, you really are something, a natural political animal.”

Anyway, for Xie Wuchi, he had gotten everything he wanted. The casualties in Yunzhou had nothing to do with him.

Shi Shu clicked his tongue lightly. He put away the dagger and got on the carriage outside the door. On the official road of Lanxian Town, columns of fast horses galloped by, transporting grain to Yunzhou city, with continuous shouting along the way.

Shi Shu leaned against the carriage door frame, his brown eyes turning, watching this scene. The bags of grain were all pasted with grass paper with “Xie” written on them. From time to time, columns of troops would also pass by, with “Xie” written on the waving flags, rushing to the rescue.

The carriages and horses were bustling. The crowd shouted, “Go, go! Don’t block the way! Urgent military business!”

They quickly ran past him.

At the medicine shed, Shi Shu got off the carriage. Lin Baihe held a medicine basket, his mouth wide open. “My Second Young Master! You’ve only been in bed for a few days, and you’re here?”

“I’m bored, can’t sit still. I came to see if I can help with anything.”

“Oh my, if something happens to you, I, I can’t—”

Shi Shu walked into the medicine shed. The other doctors were cutting medicinal materials. They tidied up and stood at the door, watching the grain carts and military horses passing on the official road. They were all infected and attracted by this momentum.

“Are these our Xie family’s soldiers? So disciplined and orderly. Has Lord Xie’s army finally arrived? Is there any recent news? Is Yunzhou saved?”

“Lord Xie’s action is indeed extraordinary. We shouldn’t be carrying corpses anymore, right?”

Shi Shu sat by the stove for boiling medicine, the cold dagger pressing against his leg. “I don’t know about that.”

Lin Yangchun saw this scene and shook his head. “I’ve never seen such a momentum. They only act when there are signs of winning. Aren’t all these commanders like this? They are all reluctant to pay the price, but they all want to reap the rewards. They only send out troops when the time is right.”

They were just watching the excitement, but Shi Shu didn’t feel good hearing it.

When Lin Yangchun came to Shi Shu’s side, he patted his shoulder. “I’m telling you, if it weren’t for the wound on your back and almost losing your life to get that news, who knows how many more tens of thousands of people would have starved to death or been beaten to death in Yunzhou city!”

Shi Shu’s smile stopped. He lowered his head and put firewood into the stove, saying lazily, “I’m thinking about something, Old Lin.”

Lin Yangchun asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Shi Shu said, “Why is it that after understanding the deeper workings of things, I can no longer be happy? I can’t enjoy the joy of a superficial victory anymore.”

Lin Yangchun said, “Because some things are originally sacrificed with and offered up with tears.”

Shi Shu’s heart skipped a beat. He was speechless. The cold dagger was still pressing against his leg. For some reason, Shi Shu always felt a little uncomfortable. He wanted to convince himself, but something was missing.

But suddenly, Shi Shu didn’t know what he was summoned or inspired by, but he suddenly shivered! He called out the system panel that he hadn’t seen for a long time and checked the [Number of Survivors]—[16 people].

The war in Yunzhou was about to end, and the dust was settling. And this sudden attack by Beimin had caused a large number of casualties among the common people and the generals and soldiers. According to rough statistics, the number of soldiers and generals who died in Taiyin Prefecture reached two hundred thousand, and the number of common people who suffered from the disaster of war was in the millions! In order to prevent the war from spreading to the whole country, the generals and soldiers had to take the initiative to fill in the “meat grinder” of Yunzhou, using their flesh and blood to build a fortress. And the common people were either slaughtered by the Min army, or died of hunger, labor, and illness on the road of exile—among them were many transmigrators who had died due to the force majeure of the war.

Shi Shu flipped through the names, ages, and personal information of the deceased. At the same time, he also noticed that after the victory in Yunzhou, Xie Wuchi’s merit value had increased again.

Shi Shu clicked on [Merit Value]—the transmigrator’s hegemonic radiation value to the current world. —On the contrary, Shi Shu’s value was very small. He had to rely on bloodline politics to have power as Xie Wuchi’s younger brother.

Shi Shu was absent-minded. Lin Yangchun’s voice sounded in his ear. “The fire is out. What are you thinking about! There’s still a large group of people over there.”

“…I know.”

Shi Shu hid the system and added firewood. Not far away, stretchers carried one corpse after another. Because Xie Wuchi’s healthy and complete army had entered the city, the stranded corpses were all transported out of the city gate, and many wounded and sick were sent.

People with broken hands and feet, with gauze wrapped around their heads, smiled when they were pushed over and couldn’t help but shake the hands of the Xie army soldiers who were helping them. “Thank you, thank you, brothers!”

“Is Yunzhou going to win?”

“We finally held on!”

The wounded were numerous and could not be counted, and they were placed everywhere on the ground. It was filled with painful and distorted wails. The area around the medicine shed was filled with sighs. From time to time, a few screams of unbearable pain could be heard.

The sound of “Ah! Ah!” pain was endless, making the listeners sad and the onlookers tearful. The number of people with broken hands and feet was countless. On a hot day, it was filled with a stench.

The medicine shed was in a mess. Shi Shu worked overtime to boil medicine to relieve this pain. He was so tired that he was covered in sweat. Before long, someone suddenly transported tung oil, fuel, tinder, and dry firewood. Lin Yangchun’s eyes lit up in an instant. “My god, it’s finally here!”

The person who came said, “Lord Xie has sent the fire materials!”

“Let’s go! Where are all those corpses piled up? We can burn them all with one fire!”

“How long have they been there? I’m afraid they’ve rotted long ago, right?”

Lin Yangchun was so excited that he didn’t know what to say. “They’ve rotted long ago. I was afraid that if you didn’t transport them in time, the corpse water would flow into the ground and pollute the rivers. Let’s go, let’s go!”

Shi Shu stood up and followed. They walked a long way through the mountain slope in the forest, on the yellow earth, and reached the natural grand canyon where the corpses were thrown.

There were too many corpses in the city. Fearing that the hot weather would cause a plague in the enclosed space of the city, and that digging pits to fill them would not be enough, they were thrown into the valley. Now, this mountain was piled with corpses.

The soldiers stood on the mountain, winding their way, carrying fire starters and other things. Shi Shu was blown by the fishy wind and couldn’t open his eyes. Before he got close, he heard a series of “Huhu—Ahhhh—” wailing and crying ghost-like sounds, as if they were about to tear the void apart.

“This… this, what is this sound?”

A group of people’s legs were trembling, their minds shaking.

A black whirlwind rose from the canyon. At first glance, it looked like ghosts. On closer inspection, it was mosquitoes. Shi Shu walked to the front and glanced at the tragic scene in the valley. “The wind, the wind is blowing through the canyon, so there is a sound.”

“It’s like, a person crying.”

“It’s really scary. No wonder it’s a mass grave. Let’s get to work.”

A group of people were busy pouring tung oil, dry firewood, and other flammable materials. As they poured, they said, “Brothers, take care… Brothers, you have suffered. Your families will be taken care of by the higher-ups, and your military pay will also be sent home…”

“The siege of Yunzhou has lasted for three months. It’s truly tragic! It is said that a person’s body should be left intact after death, but now the illness is serious, and we can’t even let you have a complete body… Brothers are just following orders… The ones who took your lives and burned your bodies are those bastards from the Min. If you have any resentment or hatred, go find them!”

“Don’t blame us, don’t blame us… Brothers, take care!”

The scenery was desolate. Shi Shu stood on the side and looked down into the valley. He couldn’t see the end of the dark swarm of flies. Crows and beasts circled above, pecking at the rotten flesh. White bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no cock crowing for a thousand li. This was the result of the battle of Yunzhou, an endless number of corpses in the ditch.

The generals and soldiers from Yunzhou city couldn’t help but wipe their tears. “Brothers, you can go in peace!”

“It is said that fallen leaves return to their roots. Isn’t there another saying? The green mountains are everywhere to bury loyal bones.”

“Although I don’t know your names, someone will remember you!”

A mountain of corpses was reflected in Shi Shu’s pupils. A raging fire suddenly rose, and the flames quickly licked over, devouring everything black. The air made a “crackling” sound, mixed with a “sizzling” sound.

The firelight swayed, like a living hell. —The siege of Yunzhou, which had lasted for two or three months, and the hundreds of thousands of people who had died, were all over now under this fire.

It was over. The mass grave, the valley of corpses, hundreds of thousands of casualties, the people were displaced, some were so hungry that they ate human flesh, and some grain was burned to ashes. This was the result of the battle of Yunzhou.

Shi Shu felt as if he had had a nightmare. He walked on the way back. In the smoke, the generals and soldiers were still discussing, “In this battle, Beimin’s vitality has been greatly damaged, and their grain has been exhausted. It is estimated that they will have to rest for a year and a half before they start another war.”

“Just resting for a year and a half, and they’ll come again?”

“Yes, maybe the time will be shorter, and they’ll come right away. After all, the Min army has several princes, like Prince Moyu, Prince Zhou Chi, and Prince Wushan, each with their own power.”

“Damn it, when will it stop?”

“Stop, either one side is beaten to death, or both sides can’t fight anymore, then it will stop. It’s still early!”

“I want to go home…”

Fifteen years old, I went to war. At eighty, I returned.

Shi Shu walked in the forest and looked back one more time. The high temperature of the fire behind him hit him in a heat wave. No, a war is not something that can be started and stopped at will.

The battle of Yunzhou was just the beginning.

Carriages and horses were parked outside the medicine shed. The coachman jumped down from the carriage. “Second Young Master, we’re going back to the city.”

“Let’s go.” Shi Shu got on the carriage. They returned to Lanxian city all the way. The sky was still bright.

Shi Shu entered the door. The visiting guests had just been sent away. Jia Wu’s coffin was on its way. The courtyard was quiet. As Shi Shu was looking around, footsteps sounded behind him.

“Xie Wuchi?”

Xie Wuchi came from behind the moon gate in casual clothes. His tied-up hair was not messy at all. He had a calm and waveless appearance, with a pensive look in his eyes. Seeing him, he said, “You’re back? Just in time. We’re about to eat.”

Shi Shu walked in absent-mindedly. “What are we eating?”

“After all, Yuan He saved your life. It’s not appropriate to interrogate his daughter as a captive. We’ll have a meal together, chat, and get to know the situation.”

Shi Shu raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh, okay.”

Xie Wuchi asked, “What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood?”

“Nothing.” Shi Shu strode into the door.

The room was spacious and bright. There were many dishes on the table, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat everywhere. Shi Shu pulled out a chair and sat down. Xiaoshu was on the chair opposite him. With a “ka” sound, another chair was pulled out beside him. Xie Wuchi sat down next to Shi Shu.

Xie Wuchi had changed out of his official robes from the government office. His conversation clearly had the meaning of a private banquet, and the atmosphere was more relaxed. But he did not speak as soon as he sat down. Xiaoshu glanced at him, feeling uncomfortable all over, her face pale. To be fair, Xie Wuchi had a cold face, and often had an emotion of looking at people like looking at dogs. He did have a sense of distance, which was intimidating.

Shi Shu absent-mindedly picked out the seeds from the tomatoes and asked, “Xiaoshu, when you came from the Min area, how far did you walk that night?”

Xiaoshu replied, “I came from the mountains. It was a bit far. There were also wolves. It was very scary.”

Shi Shu said lazily, “A long time ago, you were even afraid of dogs. Now you walk at night, and you’re not afraid of wolves in the mountains.” He had been busy all afternoon. He ate his meal with a hungry stomach and reminisced about old times. “Back then, your father killed someone. Where did you escape with him?”

Xiaoshu was also hungry. Seeing that all the dishes on the table were of Jing style, she said with emotion, “At that time, my father and I fled north all the way, avoiding the pursuing government soldiers along the way. We crossed the border from Taiyin Prefecture to the Min area. After we passed, my father told them the reason, and then we went further north, back to the legendary homeland of the Beilainu.”

Shi Shu’s chopsticks paused. “The tribal prefecture?”

Xie Wuchi’s super memory dictionary returned to its place. He said flatly, “In the mountains, north of the northern border. There are many prefectures in Beimin. The tribal prefecture is the birthplace of Beimin’s earliest noble bloodline. The Beilainu were the first batch of noble children to be captured. They had to return to their homeland.”

Xiaoshu nodded in acknowledgment. “We went back home, but we had been separated from the local noble bloodline for too long and couldn’t recognize each other. My parents built a residence at the foot of the mountain, farmed, and lived like that.”

“Parents?” Shi Shu asked, “You said this afternoon that it was your father and uncle.”

Xiaoshu’s face turned red, and she was flustered. “After leaving Beilainu Street, I realized that my parents were indeed wrong. They were afraid of being found out, so they had long since started calling each other brothers. After that, I also called my mother uncle in front of others.”

Shi Shu coughed, picked up a piece of bitter gourd and put it in his mouth, regretting having brought it up. “…It’s actually nothing.”

Shi Shu really thought this meal would be just a casual chat. He asked a few questions and greeted her. “Eat, eat!”

However, Xie Wuchi, who was beside him, did not move his chopsticks much. He sat in his chair and looked at her with his eyes lowered. His features were dyed with shadows, his gaze as precise as an inspection. After a moment, he said, “And then? Your parents farmed. How did they come to serve the Min king and come to the front lines to fight?”

Seeing his question, Xiaoshu put down her chopsticks and said honestly, “Beimin has always wanted to go south. They heard about my father and recruited him into the prince’s mansion as a martial arts instructor. When the army was raised, they took my parents with them to join the Beimin government soldiers.”

Her answer was very clear, one by one. Shi Shu had no questions. Instead, Xie Wuchi lowered his eyes and suddenly asked, “Who is your husband?”

“…” Shi Shu looked up.

The atmosphere changed slightly. Xiaoshu was so red that she was restless and found it difficult to speak. After a moment, she said, “It’s the ninth son of King Zhou Chi, Zu Lian.”

“Pa!” The pigeon leg that Shi Shu was chewing fell into his bowl, his face showing astonishment. He’s actually the son of a Beimin royal family? Then Xiaoshu’s purpose in coming is starting to be doubtful… Xie Wuchi raised an eyebrow, his sitting posture unmoving. After a moment, he said flatly, “Oh? Then I should call you Little Princess.”

Xiaoshu’s face was flushed, and she was so anxious that she shed tears. “I… I actually don’t want to marry him… I…”

“You…” Xie Wuchi said, “In Beimin, only the female relatives of nobles are allowed to accompany them to war and have their own golden tents. You didn’t come with your parents, but with your husband. You were adopted by your parents, and your essence may be of Jing blood. How could you invade your own country with a foreign enemy?”

Tears gushed from Xiaoshu’s eyes. She said anxiously, “I… I don’t want to, but… I, I came to see Great Jing…”

“You can’t let go? If Great Jing loses, your great revenge will be fulfilled. If Great Jing wins, you will be relieved.”

Xiaoshu was silent. Her features were very complicated. It seemed she knew too much but couldn’t say more. After a moment, she gave Shi Shu a pleading look.

Shi Shu didn’t know what to say either. His feelings were complicated. “I can’t blame you either. They were too inhumane to the Beilainu back then.”

Xie Wuchi stared at her without blinking and returned to the main topic. “Your father specifically asked you to come and give us the news. Are they also like you, unable to forget Great Jing?”

Xiaoshu said, “My mother asked me to come.”

“Yuan Guan.”

Xie Wuchi said this name. A meal turned into an interrogation, although the intention was originally to interrogate. After repeating it, he asked again, “Throwing corpses into Yunzhou city, was that also his idea?”

Xiaoshu did not speak.

Xie Wuchi said again, “Is Yuan Guan like you, unable to forget Great Jing but also hating Great Jing? He has the face of a Jing person, and what he learned is also Chinese characters. His literary attainments are extremely high. It’s a pity that he was limited by his slave status and could not participate in the imperial examinations. He had to write storybooks and spring poems for a living, wasting his time and burying his literary talent.”

Xiaoshu held it in for a long time and said, “He doesn’t hate the people of Great Jing, he only hates the government of Great Jing! My mother said—” The topic suddenly became extremely sharp, and Xiaoshu also had confidence. “He is clear about your ambitions. He can help you!”

Shi Shu felt as if he had been struck by lightning, a chill down his back. Xie Wuchi adjusted his sitting posture in his chair, as if nothing had happened. After a moment, he asked calmly, “How can he help me?”

Xiaoshu blurted out, “You have ambitions. He can help you unify Beimin, instead of fighting like this—”

Xie Wuchi said with a cold smile, “Your tone is not small.”

His words blocked Xiaoshu’s next words. She was a little astonished and didn’t know what she had done wrong. But after looking at him in disbelief for a moment, she couldn’t help it. Her face flushed as she blurted out the words her father had taught her, “You, you came to Yunzhou, didn’t you just want to compete for military merit? Otherwise, why would you sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, watch hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the city die before you act? You are also a wolf in sheep’s clothing, preserving your strength so that you can repel the Min army, kill the enemy to eliminate the external threat, and kill your own to eliminate the internal turmoil…”

Shi Shu suddenly felt very embarrassed. Although he had long been clear about Xie Wuchi’s nature and knew his logic of doing things, he still didn’t know what to say when he heard this.

Shi Shu was a little dazed. When he came to his senses again, the position of the short knife between his legs was too strange. It always made him uncomfortable.

Xie Wuchi said coldly, “To rashly advance troops without finding out about the grain is useless except to increase casualties.”

“But—!”

Xie Wuchi didn’t want to continue this topic. His eyes were cold. “If Miss Xiaoshu continues to pursue this topic, I can’t guarantee that you will be able to go back in one piece.”

“You—” Xiaoshu paused and turned to look at Shi Shu.

Shi Shu said, “Why are you looking at me? Look at him.”

He’s the one who calls the shots at home.

Xiaoshu’s whole face was red. After a long time, she sat down again and said in a hurry, “In short, my mother has a plan to help you destroy Beimin. He just has one condition—”

It was clear that Xiaoshu had laid all her cards on the table, but Xie Wuchi was not moved at all. He didn’t wait for her to finish and interrupted her. “Hmm? Did I agree to make a deal with you?”

Xiaoshu’s face turned pale, and she was stuck in place again. Shi Shu looked at her and then at Xie Wuchi.

Xie Wuchi stood up. “My stomach is upset. I can’t accompany you. Goodbye.”

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