novelzi Chapter 67
Chapter 67
The yellow sand filled the sky, and in the distance, a whirlwind could be seen rising from the ground, growing larger as it swept up more sand.
The wedding procession was forced to stop.
The camels and horses were uneasy, stamping their hooves restlessly, and the accompanying soldiers couldn’t open their eyes against the wind and sand.
The leader of the procession, sitting on horseback, covered his face from the sandstorm and shouted, “We’ve encountered a sandstorm! Retreat!”
The soldiers hurriedly turned the camels and horses around, retreating in the face of the storm.
Qin Sheng removed the red veil from her head and lifted the curtain of the bridal sedan slightly to look outside.
Ever since entering the territory of Liangzhou, she had been paying close attention to the surroundings.
Before her marriage, a loyal servant of the Qin family had received a letter at the market, secretly placed in their vegetable basket.
The letter was from her sister, reassuring her to proceed with the marriage.
It mentioned that someone would come to take her away once she reached Liangzhou.
Her mother and brother would also be secretly escorted out of the capital.
Qin Sheng’s mother had been bedridden after a series of devastating blows.
But after receiving the letter and learning that her eldest daughter was safe and planning their rescue, she cried out of a mix of sorrow and joy, which improved her condition.
It had been over a month from Bianjing to Liangzhou.
Apart from one maidservant from the Qin residence, everyone accompanying her was Li Xin’s people.
She didn’t know where her sister was or whether her mother and brother had safely left the capital.
Sleepless nights were common, her thoughts often turning to the current plight of her father and the Qin family, making her cry into her pillow.
“Mulberry, what’s happening outside?” Qin Sheng, still in the sedan chair, could only see the soldiers suddenly turning their horses around.
Mulberry helped Qin Sheng lower the curtain, her voice scattered by the wind. “A sandstorm is coming. Princess, don’t lift the curtain, the wind and sand are too strong outside.”
Qin Sheng obediently let down the curtain, but for some reason, her heart raced, and her palms began to sweat, as if she sensed that something significant was about to happen.
To make it easier to escape, she had worn another set of clothes underneath her wedding dress.
As the wedding procession retreated into the narrow path between two sand dunes, another wave of sand rose from both sides.
Hundreds of sand bandits, clad in fur and felt, charged down on horseback, raising long knives and shouting battle cries.
“Sand bandits are here!”
One of the soldiers shouted, and the already weary and anxious group panicked further as they tried to avoid the sandstorm.
The leader of the wedding procession, holding a knife on horseback, shouted, “Form a shield wall! Archers, ready!”
The panicked soldiers hurriedly formed a shield wall around the bridal sedan, shooting arrows at the approaching bandits.
However, the strong winds greatly reduced their accuracy.
The bandits, though they appeared to be a ragtag bunch, attacked with great strategy and ferocity, causing the escorting soldiers to fall back continuously.
Seeing they were no match for the bandits, the leader of the procession realized the bandits were after loot and called out to their leader, “We are escorting Princess Sheng to the Northern Rong for a peace marriage to ensure there is no more war for the people of Da Chen.
We are willing to offer three carriages of dowry for safe passage. Please let us through, or else war will ignite south of Liangzhou, and the people will suffer.”
The bandit leader, holding a long curved saber and covering most of his face with a black cloth, sat high on his horse.
Hearing the soldier’s plea, his eyes flashed with murderous intent.
He sneered and coldly commanded, “Kill!”
The bandits, like a pack of wolves, surged forward relentlessly.@@@@
The soldiers couldn’t withstand the attack, and the leader of the procession quickly gathered some men to protect the bridal sedan, shouting, “Quick, escort the princess back to Wucheng!”
Wucheng was their previous rest stop.
However, the bandits pursued them relentlessly.
The soldiers abandoned all the dowry carriages, but the bandits still didn’t relent.
The leader of the procession soon realized that the bandits were not after the loot; they were after the princess!
He rode up to the sedan, “Princess, forgive me. The bandits are too close. I must take you through the lines.”
He lifted the curtain and pulled Qin Sheng onto his horse.
Surrounded by their escorts, they fought their way out.
It was Qin Sheng’s first time on horseback, and the ride was rough.
She clung tightly to the soldier’s armor to avoid being thrown off.
The air was filled with the sound of arrows, and her veil had long been blown away by the wind.
Furthermore, have you not heard the poems and writings composed by the eldest son of the Qin family? Or does Minister Tao wish for me to console the Qingzhou rebels alongside the Qin family?”
Li Xin had kept a close watch on the Qin family, and when Lady Qin and Qin Jian left the city secretly, he was furious.
He couldn’t let the public know about the surveillance of the Qin family, so when an old conservative minister mentioned them, Li Xin was even more irritable.
In the city of Bianjing, there were still too many hidden nails that hadn’t been pulled out.
The old minister who had just spoken was so frightened that he knelt down and repeatedly kowtowed, “Your Majesty, please calm down, I never meant...”
Li Xin made a gesture, and immediately, some imperial guards entered the hall and dragged the old minister away.
His sharp and gloomy gaze swept over the courtiers below, observing their expressions closely.
This was a warning to the former officials of the Chu Kingdom.
Li Xin didn’t even regard the small Qingzhou as a threat.
He could crush that faction with a flick of his thumb.
However, it was also good to show them the warning bell, to let them know who the master of this dynasty was now.
He said, “Now that foreign invaders are coming, and the former prince has rebelled in Qingzhou, plunging the people into misery. Are those who support him intending to offer their wives and daughters to him as well?”
Although his words were somewhat harsh and undignified, this figure on the dragon throne was originally from a peasant family in Qixian County.
Some courtiers might not say it aloud, but they secretly looked down on him.
It was indeed a fact that the former prince forcefully married a woman from the Qin family.
But when Li Xin rebelled in Qixian County, the Northern Rong had already invaded Hexi Corridor.
Wasn’t he also putting the people in peril?
One of Li Xin’s advisors, Gao Zuo, felt his eyelid twitching when Li Xin brought up this topic.
He changed the subject and said, “Your Majesty, although Qingzhou is small, this rebellion must be suppressed.”
Li Xin asked, “What suggestions do you have?”
Gao Zuo replied, “If the Northern Rong continues to advance south, we must send troops to stop them.
However, we cannot afford to move troops from Bianjing to Qingzhou. The garrison in Meng Prefecture, which is close to Qingzhou, must guard the granary and cannot act rashly.
It would be better to order the prefectures of Xu and Hu to join forces and attack Qingzhou from both sides, putting pressure on them.
With the supply of grain from Meng Prefecture, recapturing Qingzhou would be like taking something out of a bag.”
Li Xin was pleased with this plan and nodded in approval, “This plan is feasible!”
Before the prefectures of Xu and Hu could mobilize to attack Qingzhou as ordered by the court, they heard that Qingzhou had sent troops directly to Meng Prefecture.
Meng Prefecture was the granary of the Huainan region.
In the Battle of Minzhou, the grain and grass were also sent from Meng Prefecture.
If Meng Prefecture was lost, it would affect the situation in Minzhou.
They were afraid that they would not be able to escape blame for this failure.
The commanders of Xu and Hu prefectures immediately summoned their troops to discuss their plan.
The soldiers from Xu Prefecture would head to Meng Prefecture to provide support, while those from Hu Prefecture would take advantage of the empty Qingzhou city and launch an attack.
This plan aimed to eliminate the forces of the former prince and recapture Qingzhou.
As the troops from Xu Prefecture marched towards Meng Prefecture, they were surprised to find the city gates tightly shut with no soldiers stationed outside.
It didn’t seem like a city under attack at all.
Upon inquiry, they learned that a few days ago, a large army had indeed approached, causing panic among the scouts who mistook them for an attack from Qingzhou.
However, this army had only stayed outside the city for a few days before suddenly changing direction towards Hu Prefecture.
Realizing they had been deceived, the commander of Xu Prefecture understood that Qingzhou, despite its weakness, needed to be kept in check.
The false attack on Meng Prefecture was just a ploy to divert attention while they targeted Hu Prefecture.
Unable to leave Meng Prefecture lightly defended, the commander decided to rush to the aid of Hu Prefecture, believing that the army from Hu Prefecture was currently engaged in battle with the forces from Qingzhou.
However, upon reaching Hu Prefecture, they found no signs of a siege.
The soldiers stationed there informed them that the army from Qingzhou had merely passed through on their way back.
Realizing the deception, the commander of Xu Prefecture felt a chill run down his spine despite the scorching sun.
The army from Qingzhou had lured them away while they took advantage of the situation to capture Xu Prefecture.
As they hurried back, they received news of Xu Prefecture’s fall.
The messenger even delivered a letter written by Chu Chengji personally, which, upon reading, caused the commander to fall off his horse in shock.