Chapter 58: Receiving the New Year’s Gift
The end of the year was approaching, and every family was bustling with activity. However, far away in the Northwest Fortress, in the bitter cold northwest where the flames of war were spreading, there was no sign of the New Year.
The cold wind was bleak and the night was long. The entire Northwest Army Camp was enveloped in a white world.
The patrolling soldiers stepped numbly on the thick snow that reached their knees.
Other than that, the entire camp was extremely quiet.
The reflected light from the snow illuminated the camp slightly. On the observation platform that was more than ten feet tall, Yu Shaoqing had finished his duty for the day.
According to the rules, there was no need to take turns at the sentry post after becoming a centurion. However, this was an order personally given by General Gui De.
Yu Shaoqing didn’t seem to have any complaints. After explaining the situation to the soldiers who took his place, he returned to his tent expressionlessly.
Just as he reached the door, a courier from the Southern Camp walked over.
The Southern Camp had always looked down on the Northern Camp. Even a small courier often did not take the centurion of the Northern Camp seriously, let alone now that General Gui De was still suppressing Yu Shaoqing. It was already a rare thing for a courier to be willing to come and talk to him.
“You’re Yu Shaoqing?” The courier said arrogantly.
Yu Shaoqing’s rank was higher than his. Logically speaking, he had to obediently call him Centurion. It was already against the rules for him to call his name.
If this were to spread…
So what if word got out?
How could General Gui De let the people who bullied Yu Shaoqing suffer when he’s supporting them?
“What is it?” Yu Shaoqing asked calmly.
The courier curled his lips and glanced at Yu Shaoqing. “There’s something for you. It’s from Lotus Flower Town. Hurry up and go to the Southern Camp.”
Yu Shaoqing’s gaze paused, as if he was in disbelief. However, he did not say anything in the end. He went to the Southern Camp with the courier and brought back his things.
There were two jars of food. In the small jar were pickled vegetables, and in the big jar were meatballs and pancakes.
Since it came from Lotus Flower Town, it was naturally sent from home.
Yu Shaoqing touched the cold jar with both hands, his expression still filled with disbelief.
After Wu San finished patrolling, he came to Yu Shaoqing’s tent as usual. He was not here to freeload today, but to deliver wine to Yu Shaoqing.
Wasn’t it almost the New Year? He asked someone to buy a pot of wine from outside and planned to spend New Year’s Eve with Yu Shaoqing.
However, when he walked in, he saw the jar on the table.
“What is this?” He asked wonderingly.
Yu Shaoqing still had an ice-cold face, but the corners of his eyes seemed to have softened. “Something sent from home.”
Wu San was stunned when he heard that, then he sneered. “Yo, those bastards aren’t greedy for your things anymore? When did they become so kind? You have to be careful. Don’t let them drug you.”
In the past few years in the military camp, Old Yu had not had an easy time. He was a good person and had many military achievements. However, he was too stubborn and had offended many people. The letters he sent to his family could not be sent out. His family must have sent letters to him, but they could not reach him.
Strictly speaking, this was the first thing Old Yu had received something from home.
“Is there a letter?”
“No, my family can’t read.”
So it was when he left.
Wu San could not read, so he did not find it strange. He walked forward and carefully looked at the contents of the jar. He could not help but exclaim, “There’s so much food!”
There were meatballs, pickled vegetables, and pancakes! They were all his and Old Yu’s favorites!
“Your family dotes on you too much!” Wu San said enviously as he took out a heavy pancake.
Was this really a pancake? It was so heavy!
Wu San took a bite like a wolf.
Damn, why was it so hard!
He ate another meatball.
Why did it taste so strange!
In the end, Wu San placed his hopes on the jar of bright red pickled vegetables. He gently tore off a small piece, but after licking it, he rolled his eyes on the spot.
It was late at night in the Capital, but the imperial study was brightly lit.
“What did you say? The 20,000 soldiers of the Northwest Army Camp will be wiped out overnight? No one will be left alive?” The Emperor sat behind his desk, put down the memorial that he had just approved, and looked at Gao Yuan in front of him.
Gao Yuan replied with difficulty, “Yes, none of them survived.”
The Emperor slapped the desk. “Bastard! Who taught you these bewitching words?!”
Gao Yuan took a deep breath and said, “I… I’m not trying to deceive the public. I’ve also made a huge decision to risk my life to advise Your Majesty.”
The Emperor laughed angrily. “Good, good, good. You risked your life to advise me. Then tell me, how did you know about the information that even the soldiers at the border can’t get?”
Before Gao Yuan could answer, the Emperor continued, “You asked me to send the 100,000 army of Tongzhou to reinforce the Northwest Army Camp. Have you thought about it? There are still 150,000 Xiongnu troops stationed outside Tongzhou City! There are hundreds of thousands of people in Tongzhou City! Do you want me to give the entire Tongzhou City to the Xiongnus?!”
Gao Yuan said seriously, “The military report is wrong. There has never been a 150,000-strong Xiongnu army outside Tongzhou City. The army has all gone to the Northwest Army Camp. They have designs on the camp’s rations!”
As soon as the Xiongnu entered winter, supplies were scarce, and food and military supplies were all robbed. The supplies in the Northwest Army Camp were abundant, so it was indeed easy for them to become a fat piece of meat in the eyes of the Xiongnu.
However, if Gao Yuan could think of this, couldn’t the general of the camp think of this? He had long strengthened the defenses and made the entire camp impregnable.
Moreover, they had also probed into military intelligence and learned that the Xiongnu army had set off for Tongzhou City. If nothing went wrong, they would launch an attack on Tongzhou City on New Year’s Eve.
Gao Yuan bowed and said, “Your Majesty, everything I said is true!”
The Emperor snorted coldly. “Then answer me honestly. Where did you get the military intelligence?”
Gao Yuan lowered his eyes, sweat dripping from his forehead. “I… I did not get the intelligence… I… observed the stars at night…”
The Emperor interrupted him angrily. “You’re the Chancellor! You’re working in the Directorate, not the Imperial Astronomer! Observing the stars? I summoned you back to the Capital to help the country, not to be an alarmist and disturb the morale of the army!”
“Your Majesty…”
The Emperor suddenly narrowed his eyes. “Or… are you colluding with the Xiongnu? Did the Xiongnu tell you all this military information? I remember now. Your little grandnephew seems to be half a Xiongnu.”
“Your Majesty!” Gao Yuan’s body trembled as he suddenly raised his head!
The Emperor dusted his wide sleeves and said with a cold expression, “Guards, bring Gao Yuan to the dungeon and wait for his punishment!”
In the cold dungeon, Gao Yuan fell into a dream again. He dreamed that he was standing on the city wall of Tongzhou, looking into the snow-covered distance.
Suddenly, a fast horse galloped over.
There was a person on the horse.
That person was carrying many arrows on his back and seemed to be seriously injured. He was lying on the horse’s back, on his last breath, as if he could fall off at any time.
When he got closer, Gao Yuan could see that he was not carrying so many arrows on his back. Instead, he had been hit by so many arrows that he was almost turned into a porcupine. Ordinary people would have died from such injuries. He did not know what kind of obsession he had to last until now.
He sent the last and most important piece of military intelligence.
But he had not been able to see the Tongzhou that he had saved with his own eyes.
Gao Yuan closed his eyes that were gradually losing their luster. He took off the iron plate on his neck and wiped the blood off.
Centurion, Yu Shaoqing.