Chapter 403

It was the ninth month,

and it was already late autumn.

A thousand miles away from Bianjing,

beside a Great Zhou post road,

the autumn rain had just finished falling.

Looking far into the distance, the stretches of official trees planted by postmen or the government-organized commoners gave the autumn scenery a fresh look.

A cold autumn wind blew past,

blowing several yellowing leaves hanging on the treetops on both sides of the road onto the official post road.

As the leaves drifted down,

they startled an unknown bird perched on the post road, causing it to dodge a few steps to the side.

After seeing clearly that it was just leaves, the unknown bird had just lifted one leg when its bird head suddenly looked toward the distance of the post road.

Seeming to sense something,

"Flap, flap."

The bird flapped its wings with all its might, left the road surface, and flew to a nearby tree.

After several fallen leaves continued to drop onto the ground,

the ground began to tremble slightly,

and a troop of elite Great Zhou cavalry, not wearing armor, came riding from the distance.

The bird on the tree seemed to sense something, flapped its wings, and flew toward the forest beside the road.

"Whoosh~"

A sharp feathered arrow shot over like lightning, piercing straight through the bird's head.

"Slap~"

The bird's corpse fell onto the post road.

In the distance,

He Guan, who was drawing his bow and arrow on horseback, regretfully relaxed the tension on the bow and arrow he hadn't yet fired, and turned his head to look helplessly at Xu Zaijing beside him.

Xun Shu, behind Xu Zaijing, smiled, and just as he was about to step out from the crowd, another horse attendant from Northern Liao beside him, A Lan, had already whipped his horse and ridden off.

Upon reaching the spot, A Lan did not dismount; with a single "monkey fishing for the moon" maneuver, he scooped the prey from the ground into his hand.

Holding the prey, he returned to Xu Zaijing's side, and A Lan smiled: "Young Master, what a fat wild chicken."

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded: "Prepare it well!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

Saying this, A Lan went to the side of the road, skillfully drained the blood from the prey, tied it with a rope, and hung it on the belt behind the saddle.

Just as he was preparing to step on the stirrup to mount, A Lan stopped his movements, feeling something was wrong, frowned, and carefully examined the numerous prey behind the saddle, then looked around.

Afterward, A Lan adjusted the position of the wild chicken so it was next to the rabbit, which was also hanging upside down and lifeless.

A Lan examined it again, saw the color arrangement looked much more pleasing, nodded, stepped on the stirrup, mounted the horse, and chased after them.

The sound of horse hooves faded away.

Beside the post road,

in the forest, the vines and wild grass that were beginning to turn yellow swayed gently under the blowing autumn wind, and there seemed to be living creatures moving through them.

In the mountain forest some distance away from the official post road,

several wild deer were either lifting their heads, chewing on grass and wood while watching their surroundings alertly, or lowering their deer heads to tear at shrubs and then quickly lifting them again.

Behind a tree some distance from the wild deer,

Xu Zaijing, who had discovered the deer herd first, made a gesture for silence, had everyone crouch low, and pointed into the distance.

Afterward,

"I'll shoot the one on the far left..."

Xu Zaijing whispered while assigning the prey, and together with He Guan, Brother Qingyun, and several others with excellent archery skills, they gently drew their bows.

"Hoo—"

Brother Qingyun slowly exhaled a breath.

"Not a single one left, what a sin, what a sin."

He Guan muttered to himself.

"Twang, twang, twang."

With several sounds of bowstrings, the feathered arrows shot out.

But at this very moment, the herd of wild deer was suddenly startled and scattered in all directions.

"Who startled them?"

This turn of events caused He Guan to stand up abruptly, and just as he was reaching back to draw an arrow to shoot again, he saw a yellow and black figure dart out from beside the deer herd.

"A leopard!"

Just as He Guan finished speaking, he saw another feathered arrow from his side shoot out like lightning.

"Hit!"

Amidst Brother Qingyun's loud shout, everyone hurriedly ran toward that side.

Arriving close by,

there was a wild deer hit by an arrow lying on the ground, struggling in its death throes, its violent movements sending mud flying everywhere.

"Young Master, one arrow, two deer!"

Brother Qingyun stood beside the struggling wild deer and shouted.

He Guan, who was following behind, looked over and saw two wild deer lying on the ground; one had been shot in the neck and was still struggling, but because the feathered arrow was deeply embedded in the head of the second wild deer, it couldn't struggle free at all.

It was unclear whether this second deer had been shot dead instantly or killed by the violent struggling of its companion.

The other side was somewhat similar, though it was two feathered arrows that had hit the wild deer.

One feathered arrow had passed through the wild deer's neck, entered from the mouth of the leopard that was biting the deer's neck, and exited from the back of the leopard's head.

The other arrow had hit the wild deer's hind leg.

Seeing this scene, He Guan helplessly pulled out the feathered arrow that had hit the hind leg; this arrow was his, and he had originally aimed for the deer's head, but as a result of the sudden movement, it had hit here instead.

Brother Qingyun, on the side, checked and said: "Young Master, I'll go ahead and look for the wild deer I shot."

Xu Zaijing, who was drawing his short knife to prepare to process the prey, nodded.

A while later,

"Whoa, a deer penis! Good stuff!"

A Lan, on the side, shouted happily.

"There's a leopard penis here too."

He Guan, who was processing the prey with Xu Zaijing, shouted.

"Rest assured, tonight they'll all be yours!"

Xu Zaijing, his hands covered in blood, shouted with a smile.

"I don't dare eat any more," He Guan, beside him, shook his head and said.

At this moment,

Brother Qingyun dragged a wild deer with an arrow in its abdomen over.

After throwing it on the ground, Brother Qingyun walked to Xu Zaijing's side: "Young Master, I found a pile of fresh beast feces over there, and there was urine beside it; the smell is very strong."

Saying this, Brother Qingyun wrinkled his nose; both he and his young master had been specially trained, and when Brother Qingyun went to sniff it just now, he had suffered.

Xu Zaijing, who was squatting on the ground with his sleeves rolled up, busy gutting the leopard, turned his head and said: "Hmm? Is it its?"

Brother Qingyun looked at the leopard's claws and shook his head: "Looking at the footprints, they are much larger than this leopard's."

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing stopped his movements: "There's a leopard here; logically, there shouldn't be other fierce beasts."

"Young Master, I think it looks like this leopard entered the territory of another fierce beast."

Xu Zaijing nodded.

He Guan, on the side, heard this, his eyes lit up and he said:

"Ah? There are other fierce beasts?"

Saying this, he even stood up and looked around.

Beside the post road,

the horses of Xu Zaijing and the others had all been left here.

"Neigh~"

The little Li horse shook its head anxiously, tearing at its reins, its front hooves, shod with horseshoes, pawing the ground anxiously.

A Lan, who was taking care of the horses on the side, said: "Xun Shu, untie the little Li horse's reins; it's so smart, it doesn't need to be tied."

Xun Shu, who was using a water bag to wash the blood stains off the prey beside the road in front of the little Li horse, said in Northern Liao language: "Understood!"

Saying this, Xun Shu put the prey down on the grass and walked toward the little Li horse.

Just as he walked near the little Li horse,

"Snort~"

"Neigh~~"

The little Li horse snorted, then suddenly lifted its front hooves and stood upright, neighing.

This action startled Xun Shu, who hurriedly took a step back and stretched out his hands in a soothing gesture.

A spirited, uncastrated stallion like the little Li horse had a very violent temper; it was better not to get close when it was neighing like this.

Unexpectedly, this action by Xun Shu made the little Li horse's neighing even louder, and at the same time, it pawed the ground more forcefully with its front hooves.

Xun Shu hurriedly stopped his attempt to pick up the prey.

A Lan, not far away, released the reins of the other horses and said while walking: "Xun Shu, you've been away from the Marquis's mansion for quite a while; the little Li horse doesn't quite recognize you."

Xun Shu smiled helplessly, circled to the side, and walked toward A Lan.

As soon as Xun Shu left, the little Li horse was indeed not as anxious.

A Lan walked over and untied the reins that had been tied to the tree for the little Li horse. Just as he was tying the reins to the little Li horse's saddle, another horse not far away began to neigh, kicking its heels while desperately pulling at its own reins.

A Lan was stunned and was about to go over to soothe it when he felt the little Li horse lean toward him, even pushing him to the side.

Before A Lan could understand what was going on, the little Li horse took a few steps and began to neigh toward the wild grass on the side, pawing the ground forcefully with its front hooves from time to time.

A Lan turned his head in surprise and met Xun Shu's eyes, then turned back to look at the little Li horse's behavior.

"A Lan! Back up!"

Xun Shu shouted softly, his eyes filled with anxiety and fear.

"Ah?"

"Big bug, there's a big bug in the grass!!"

Hearing Xun Shu's words, A Lan looked in the direction the little Li horse was facing:

"!!!"

A Lan was so frightened that he took two steps back, sat directly on the ground, and then scooted backward.

In the wild grass a dozen steps away, a pair of beast eyes with extremely small pupils were staring at him!

The tiger, watching covetously, saw A Lan's panicked appearance and wanted to rush forward, but was frightened into stopping by the actions of the tall and sturdy little Li horse in front of A Lan.

A Lan, sitting on the ground, took a few deep breaths, then slowly stood up and walked toward his somewhat panicked mount.

After drawing the long knife from the front of the saddle, A Lan held the knife in his hand and shouted: "Xun Shu, get... get the bow and arrows!"

"Oh!"

"Roar~~~~"

The big bug in the grass bared its terrifying sharp teeth and let out a low, warning roar.

This low roar caused the other horses tied to the trees to begin neighing incessantly, becoming even more chaotic.

Some horses were so frightened they defecated and urinated, with horse manure flying everywhere.

"Whoosh."

The feathered arrow shot by Xun Shu missed by a hair's breadth, sticking into the grass beside the big bug, startling the big bug into jumping to the side.

After jumping,

this big bug, in its prime, landed back on the ground, crouched down, twitched its pink nose, and then looked toward the mountain forest.

"Roar."

The big bug stopped crouching, stood up, let out a roar, glanced at the little Li horse, and then walked slowly toward the mountain forest.

As a result, it hadn't walked more than a few steps.

"Whoosh~ whoosh~"

Two sounds of whistling arrows,

and two sharp feathered arrows stuck into the big bug's body from the side.

"Awoo~~~"

In the excruciating pain of being hit by the arrows, the big bug darted out violently.

This movement caused the several arrows shot in pursuit to miss their mark.

"Quick! Don't let it run away; tonight I want to eat tiger penis!"

A voice came from far away.

Both the people and the big bug had already gone far away.

A Lan came to the side of the little Li horse, which had returned to its usual calm appearance, and touched its head very affectionately.

Xun Shu also helplessly put down the bow and arrows in his hand, walked to A Lan's side, patted his shoulder, and then, in the same posture as A Lan, hugged the little Li horse's thick neck from the other side.

Thinking about it now,

if it hadn't been for the timely warning from this spirited, uncastrated stallion, the little Li horse, and its intimidation of the big bug, Xun Shu might really have been carried off by this big bug.

"Neigh."

The little Li horse neighed again, but it sounded quite proud and disdainful.

Ganquan County City.

On the city wall, the local County Magistrate looked far toward the Beiluo River.

There were stretches of carriages and camps,

and with eight or nine hundred people, including the Bai Gao royal clan and high officials, plus the Great Zhou cavalry 'escorting' them, ordinary post stations simply couldn't support so many people and horses.

Ganquan County City had also received the news in advance and had made supplements before daring to receive so many people and horses.

"It's truly strange; our Great Zhou's military horses and the Bai Gao royal clan all refuse to live in the perfectly good county city and insist on living in tents."

The County Magistrate on the city wall shook his head in confusion.

"Perhaps it's so as not to disturb the people!"

A staff member on the side said.

"That's true! By the way, they were blocked for a day by the autumn rain; is the grain and forage still enough?"

"My lord, it's enough!"

Just as he finished speaking,

the sound of horse hooves coming from the distance attracted the County Magistrate's attention.

"My lord, look quickly, what they are dragging behind the cavalry, how does it look like a big bug!"

"Hiss! It really is!"

"They're coming toward us."

"Let's go, let's go down and take a look."

At the gate of the county city,

Xu Zaijing and the others dismounted,

and looking at the local County Magistrate walking out from the city gate tunnel, they looked somewhat surprised.

"So it is Fifth Young Master in person."

The County Magistrate said while bowing, while curiously looking behind the little Li horse.

Xu Zaijing dismounted and bowed: "Magistrate Nan, greetings! Today, my comrades and I were hunting outside and shot a big bug."

"While tracking it by its traces, we found a set of remains in the big bug's lair."

As Xu Zaijing spoke, Brother Qingyun, behind him, brought over something wrapped in cloth.

"When the time comes, please find the relatives of the deceased and let them be laid to rest."

A staff member on the side hurriedly stepped forward to take the item.

"Fifth Young Master is righteous; this official will certainly search carefully."

"Sorry to trouble you, Magistrate!"

"Fifth Young Master speaks too solemnly; it is this official's duty."

After finishing, Xu Zaijing mounted his horse, bowed, and left the place.

Under the city gate, the County Magistrate looked at Xu Zaijing's departing back, not knowing what he was thinking.

"My lord?"

The staff member asked.

The County Magistrate came back to his senses, looked at the bundle, and said: "Hand it over to the yamen coroner; after examination, issue a public notice."

Just as he was about to return to the city,

a burst of horse hooves sounded,

"My lord, stay your steps!"

Brother Qingyun reined in his mount, dismounted, and said: "My lord, if you find the aggrieved family, and if their life is difficult, please give them this silver money to facilitate the burial."

"We did this in passing and require no reward."

"If you are truly asked, just say it was done by the Great Zhou cavalry."

The County Magistrate hurriedly bowed: "This official understands!"

After Brother Qingyun returned the salute, he rode away again.

Outside the camp by the river,

He Guan watched the camp cooks skin and butcher the big bug,

and Brother Qingyun, beside him, said: "Brother He, this big bug has eaten people; do you still want to eat this tiger penis?"

He Guan looked at the cavalry comrades around him and said: "Eat! It eats people, I eat it; an eye for an eye!"

"Besides, we are all soldiers who have fought on the battlefield; we may have killed more people than it has, so there's nothing to be taboo about!"

"Shall I share some with you when the time comes?"

Brother Qingyun shook his head and said: "Forget it, you and the other brothers eat it!"

"You don't know quality."

He Guan waved his hand and said.

In the camp,

Xu Zaijing was drinking wine and eating stewed chicken with Zhang Fangyan, the eldest son of the Duke of Ying.

Xu Zaijing raised his cup to Zhang Fangyan's cup and said:

"Brother Zhang, you told me before that heavy cavalry like the Hengsai Army are extremely valuable, so how did Bai Gao use Iron Harriers to charge our military formation outside Keyi Gate?"

"According to what you said, cavalry shouldn't be used like that!"

Zhang Fangyan drank the wine in his cup in one gulp and said: "Fifth Young Master, their Bai Gao Iron Harrier heavy cavalry charging the formation is different from ordinary battles; the goal is not to crush your father's military formation..."

Xu Zaijing patted his forehead and said somewhat annoyedly: "That's right, that's right, they were trying to pin down the Great Zhou army to make it easier for their ambush troops to surround them."

Zhang Fangyan smiled and continued:

"Speaking of the role of cavalry, the role of some actions is actually similar to what your mount did to the big bug today!"

"Brother Zhang, what role is that?"

"Intimidation!"

(End of chapter)