Chapter 269

Watching the grain carriages being burned one after another and his own soldiers being killed one after another, the troop's collapse was already apparent; Wu Shaoyi knew he was powerless to turn the tide and had to order a retreat.

He gathered the remnants along the way, only then managing to pick up this few men.

As for the provisions, most were destroyed.

The Xunzhou mobile cavalry operated deep behind enemy lines in Xiazhou, knowing well that they couldn't transport the grain with their few men, so they generally burned it.

When Wu Shaoyi said this, he lowered his head: "This humble general asks for the lord's punishment."

"Careless and negligent, losing provisions—you deserve to die." He Chunhua said coldly, "But now that manpower is insufficient, I'll spare your life for now to observe your future performance."

Wu Shaoyi could only thank him for his magnanimity.

The arrogance of winning against the Xunzhou people last time had vanished by now. Half of the grain allocated by the Royal Court was lost, and the person who had to explain to the front line was He Chunhua.

Fortunately, half was still left.

He Chunhua then asked him: "I remember Baiting Town had bailiffs and a local militia; why didn't they come to help?"

Wu Shaoyi shook his head: "Perhaps they didn't dare to come, or perhaps they went out to catch mountain bandits. I heard that mountain bandits have been rampant these days, killing several officials in Baiting Town, and a large local household was looted, with over thirty people killed completely."

He Lingchuan couldn't help but interject: "Two murder cases in a small town in succession; isn't that suspicious?"

"I did strengthen the guard." Wu Shaoyi said in a low voice, "I heard that the one who killed the officials was also a townsman, who fled after committing the crime; as for those mountain bandits, the locals have all seen them, and they weren't Xunzhou soldiers. So I..."

Having lost a battle and lost provisions, no matter how he explained it, it sounded like sophistry, so he had to shut up.

He Chunhua frowned: "Who was the enemy general? Did you see clearly?"

"Over thirty years old, thin and tall, with strong combat power; even Lu Yao is not as good as him." Wu Shaoyi said, "Last time when we were pursuing the Xunzhou mobile cavalry, I hadn't seen this person, but I heard his subordinates call him General."

"The Xunzhou people really think highly of our grain transport team, sending two generals to the field for two towns." Although they might be miscellaneous generals. He Chunhua sighed long, "It was I who underestimated the enemy."

The grain transport team departing from Dunyu City this time was actually divided into two, one taking the Xinhuang Town route and one taking the Baiting Town route, all because both detours had mountain passes to pass through, and the terrain was easy to attack but difficult to defend. For the sake of safety and stability, He Chunhua decided to split the troops to transport grain, each taking one path, so that even if one side was ambushed, the other side could preserve more than half of the provisions, so the soldiers on the northern front wouldn't go hungry again.

"That is to say, this time the mobile cavalry also split into two routes, intercepting the grain transport team at Baiting Town and Xinhuang." He Lingchuan was secretly shocked, "Was there a traitor who leaked our plan?"

"How is that possible? We only ordered the split into two routes after reaching Panjiagou; before that, only I and Mr. Mo Zhe knew, and after that, the two troops only took two days to reach Baiting Town and Xinhuang respectively." He Chun pointed to his temple, "Even if the traitor is powerful, they couldn't spy on my mind."

Then it was a coincidence?

"There are three roads north, and the official road on the far east is in disrepair, so no one wants to take it, so the other side guarded the remaining two." He Lingchuan thought for a moment, "Although reasonable, it's too risky. Their numbers were already small, and they dared to split into two routes to deal with us."

The Xunzhou mobile cavalry operated deep behind enemy lines, and supplies were a big problem, so numbers were valued for quality, not quantity. The person who came up with this idea was truly bold.

He Chunhua's face was unusually solemn: "And the opponent's methods are completely different from before; could it be that they changed commanders?"

The usual method of intercepting enemy provisions was to strike in dangerous places in the suburbs, but this time the opponent changed to towns, catching him off guard. And they struck the snake by hitting its seven inches, directly picking the leader of the grain transport team to strike, fast, accurate, and ruthless; He Chunhua was also lucky to escape a disaster.

If the opponent was like this, how could Zhao Qinghe and Wu Shaoyi easily win three consecutive victories last time?

"The prisoners we interrogated don't know; they only act according to the general's orders." This was also a means to prevent secrets from leaking. He Chunhua asked his eldest son, "In your view, will they come to intercept our provisions again?"

Seeing him ask this, He Lingchuan knew his father's heart was a bit chaotic; otherwise, why would he ask this most unreliable eldest son? He thought for a moment and said: "No. They took Baiting Town but hit a wall at Xinhuang; they should know that this place is thorny. Besides, their numbers are too small after all, and Baili Qing lost over two hundred people. We are different."

After Wu Shaoyi returned, He Chunhua's army had another seventeen or eighteen hundred people. In terms of numbers, their side increased, while the opponent's decreased. "And we will definitely increase our vigilance behind us; it's impossible for them to repeat their old tricks."

The cost and risk of the opponent's sneak attack were increasing.

He Chunhua pondered for a long time before slowly nodding: "They have intercepted and burned nearly ten thousand shi of grain this time, a considerable merit. If the main general is a smart person, he should know not to be greedy for merit. Otherwise, if they come to intercept again, they might lose everything."

His gaze slowly firmed: "Hmm, it's best if they don't give up, so we still have a chance to win back a round."

After thinking it through, he was no longer worried about the opponent coming, but feared they wouldn't come.

He made some arrangements before standing up: "We will rest in Xinhuang for a day and continue on our way tomorrow morning."

Everyone took their orders and left.

The sun rose in the east, but the Xiazhou soldiers were exhausted. He Lingchuan fetched some clear water, wiped the mud and blood from his hands and face, found a tent, and lay down in his clothes.

He had also been busy all night, and listening to the sound of people and horses coming and going outside, he soon fell asleep.

He slept without dreams, and He Lingchuan was a bit disappointed.

After waking up again, the sun was high.

Shan Youjun came to find him: "The prisoner has opened his mouth."

"Confessed after waterboarding?"

"No." Shan Youjun laughed, "This person looks cowardly but is actually tough; every time he couldn't bear the torture, he would only say a little bit. Jiao Tai almost cut off his balls before he yielded."

When He Lingchuan saw the prisoner again, the man's expression was listless, his mouth peeling; he didn't know how much suffering he had endured.

"Give him some water."

The prisoner took it, drank a large bowl of water in a few gulps, and then let out a long breath.

He Lingchuan took out the short staff from his bosom again: "Be proactive; if you confess clearly, you can live."

This prisoner had already been tortured to the point of death and no longer played tricks with him, saying in a low voice: "This is the Punishment Dragon Pillar, an ancient treasure, rumored to be made from copper pillars on the edge of the Dragon Slaughtering Field."

"So high-end?" He Lingchuan played with the short staff. Although it looked like it had been around for a long time, hearing it was an ancient object, the texture felt smoother when he touched it, "What is it used for?"

"Collecting Nightmare Qi." The prisoner said, "War must have deaths and injuries, must have resentful souls. The Frost Leaf State Preceptor of the Beijia Nation let us carry this treasure staff with us to collect Nightmare Qi after the big battle, and then take it back to hand over to them for deliverance."

"Nightmare Qi?" He Lingchuan heard a new term, "Is Nightmare Qi resentment?"

"Not just that, there is also the unwillingness, fear, and anger of people before they die." The prisoner's voice grew a bit louder, "We collect these on the battlefield and take them back for deliverance; it is, it is a great merit!"

"Collect Nightmare Qi and take it back for deliverance? Your State Preceptor has this addiction?" Regarding the four words "Great Love Without Borders," He Lingchuan didn't believe a single word, "Did he tell you all this?"

"This is all true, and it's not just Frost Leaf State Preceptor's invention!" The prisoner sat up straight, "It is the tradition of the Beijia Nation since its founding, lasting for at least five or six hundred years!"

Five or six hundred years?

"Nightmare Qi lingers and doesn't go away, very likely turning into evil spirits. Haven't you heard that resentful souls often haunt ancient battlefields?"

Like the Panlong Desert? He Lingchuan raised his eyebrows.

The prisoner then added: "After the Nightmare Qi of at least two battlefields was collected, the local area ushered in six or seven years of favorable weather! This is what I personally experienced and saw with my own eyes!"

This person believed it wholeheartedly, and he didn't know how Frost Leaf State Preceptor had brainwashed him. He Lingchuan didn't argue with him, his gaze shifting: "This Punishment Dragon Pillar can't be the only one, right?"

"Others also hold them, all designated by the State Preceptor. But I don't know the specific number."

That is to say, the Beijia Nation collects tens of thousands, millions of so-called "Nightmare Qi" at every turn? That represents tens of thousands, millions of dead! If the short staff really contained a collection of resentment, the quantity was too astonishing.

The prisoner explained: "Not everyone can use the Punishment Dragon Pillar; only those with the potential to 'open the heavenly eye' can become acolytes."

"How do you open this 'heavenly eye'?"

"You have to apply a special potion to your eyes, applying it for forty-nine consecutive days, and every day is excruciating pain in both eyes." The prisoner said, "If you don't have the potential, you'll go blind after one application."

No wonder this scoundrel was so surprised when he discovered he could also see Nightmare Qi. He Lingchuan touched his own eyelids; he could open the "heavenly eye" without suffering forty-nine days of torture; he was indeed born with a BUG.

Was it because of the two treasures on him? "Then, how do you perform deliverance after taking the Nightmare Qi back?"

"The State Preceptor opens an altar to perform rituals and pay respects to Heaven!"

He Lingchuan shook the short staff, observing the ever-changing "Nightmare Qi" in the gemstone: "Just these, how long have you been collecting?"

Others couldn't see the existence of Nightmare Qi, so they didn't know what these people had done.

At least, this secret was not known to most people.

"It's been eleven years. Ninety-seven battles or incidents in total." The prisoner swallowed his saliva, "I have never been to fight; I only go to the battlefield after the battle ends."

"Running around every year, you're really busy." This scoundrel ran to seven or eight scenes on average every year, all battlefields covered in dead bodies, "How much Nightmare Qi of the dead is in here?"

"I haven't counted carefully, but how can it be less than a hundred thousand?" The prisoner looked at the short staff, a bit reluctant, "Five years ago, there was a coup in the Mian Nation, and the royal clan was killed in rivers of blood; I collected the Nightmare Qi of tens of thousands of people at once."

He Lingchuan was slightly startled, a bit surprised: "Is the Mian Nation royal family that capable of giving birth?"

(End of chapter)