Chapter 201

"Changxi City has fallen, the news that her father and younger brother have been captured has already been sent by wings to Huangzhong Tun; I don't believe she can still stay idle." Kong Qi Kong Dun shouted in a domineering voice from the marching ranks, "Damn, even if we don't rescue them, we must first seize the position of the Countess of Xiliudi. Her father and brothers are dead, Xiliudi belongs to her, you bitch—we in the Northern Border will never find a more vicious woman than her!"

"The scholar said he didn't release any crows at all, right?" Geluofu asked doubtfully.

"The scholar said, the scholar speaks," he gave a disdainful look, "But now, among the living scholars, how many can still be trusted? It's perfectly normal for him to secretly send out one or two messenger crows. When the castle fell, there was chaos, we were short-handed—who had the leisure to worry about whether the scholar was sleeping or had opened the crow cage? When I caught him, he was still hiding under the quilt, trembling, pretending to be that foolish, treating me as an idiot, you didn't see that, hah, it's really funny! Damn!"

Beirun Tahu

"Maybe it's true, maybe it's false, but having sent it doesn't matter; the Wolf Girl… Your Highness has already ordered him to send out two more crows, delivering this news in earnest, who still cares about truth or falsehood…"

"Hey, what's the point of talking about these crows?" Sir Cuibeke leaned in to them, "The Count of Xiliudi and a bunch of viscounts have had half their lands and taxes confiscated—who are these supposed to go to? Hey, when Your Highness was speaking, I was dozing off and didn't hear clearly!"

"How could the crows be meaningless? Forget it, forget it! The lands of Xiliudi are none of your business anyway! These things are for the lords who participated in the Battle of Apple Grove." Kong Qi Kong Dun's voice sounded somewhat excited.

"The Battle of Apple Grove? Wasn't it the Battle of Straw Hut?" Geluofu said with a smile.

"Everyone thinks the Battle of Apple Grove sounds better, and don't you think, compared to the Battle of Straw Hut, it sounds more like a major battle?"

Sir Creibek

"Damn, on that paper in her hand. The Wolf Girl… Your Highness says she will organize a tax‑paying merchants' guild to manage these lands and taxes, half of the output and income will be distributed to all military personnel, the remaining half will be permanently allocated proportionally to the lords and their heirs, right, and also includes the three lads temporarily added on Heart Island, though they only get half of what that idiot Beiluntuoha gets."

"Idiot? Looking at how the Wolf Girl favors him, it's already a certainty that he will become the heir of Howood Fortress; I reckon that idiot Beiluntuoha is now wondering whether Beilunhuowude sounds better than Beiluntuoha."

Viscount Trenitis

Viscount Stokes

"Hey, I'm wondering whether Lord Mandel and the merchant guilds of White Harbor will be interested in Xiliudi's lands."

"Pah!" Kong Qi Kong Dun cursed, "A perfectly good piece of land you can see and touch has turned into symbols on paper—damn, I don't want you White Harbor folks meddling with the soil!"

Your Highness

"You think I can't handle it? The queen wanted to give me Mingyan Gate, but I refused. I can't be bothered to go that far."

"Are you afraid the heirs of the Viscount of Mingyan Gate will flay you alive?"

"There are still many battles to come; I don't need to cling to Mingyan Gate. Damn, half of my retinue is already dead, and I don't know whether the Wolf Girl will give compensation…"

The troop's noise was too loud, Mei Yi withdrew her attention from the conversation behind.

Kong Qi Kong Dun appears rough and bold, his actions crude, but his mind is meticulous; he is certainly not as lacking in scheming as his outward appearance suggests.

Mingyan Gate lies far from Mingyan Bay; even if he had troops, with his current strength he could not hold a foothold at the intact Mingyan Gate. If he really went there now out of greed, he might indeed be flayed by the heirs of the Viscount of Mingyan Gate; his current choice of the "paper" benefits is the best possible.

People like Kong Qi Kong Dun, who have real authority and a retinue, all face this difficulty, let alone ordinary soldiers. Before Mei Yi fully controls the Northern Border, they can only choose paper wealth rather than risk taking the fief.

Changxi City

The sky remained overcast, gray clouds continually blanketing the heavens; even at noon, everywhere was equally gloomy, the whole scene looking most unpleasant.

Stream Flow Land

She set out from Lin Dong City with two hundred cavalry and six hundred warhorses, racing all the way; in just a day and night she reached the outskirts of Changxi City. After the ambush outside Changxi City and the Straw Hut battle, her cavalry was reduced to a hundred, but after taking in the defecting southerners, the force expanded again to over two hundred.

These newly added southern cavalrymen had crude weapons and lacked armor entirely; some could barely ride a horse. But once they left Changxi City, they were fully equipped: everyone donned armor, received fine gear, and on horseback each looked like a proper knight.

Besides these two hundred cavalry, she can also rely on the six hundred cavalry of White Harbor and the three hundred Xiliudi cavalry conscripted into the army at Changxi City; among them are the heirs of Viscount Pairin Red, Viscount Treneeth, and the nephew of Viscount Stokes, etc. They are soldiers, but theoretically they are also hostages captured by Mei Yi from Xiliudi this time.

Thatched Hut Battle

The newly added cavalry lacked fine warhorses, their mounts inferior to those she had brought from Lin Dong City, so now they can only move slowly across Xiliudi, awaiting the hooked Lady Dustin.

Lady Dustin…

On this point, she and Kong Qi Kong Dun shared the same view: regarding the fall of Changxi City, Lady Dustin could under no circumstances remain quietly in Wild Grave Village.

The capture of her father and brothers would indeed make her anxious; this is her motivation to act, but we cannot overlook the function of those three letters of appointment as a catalyst: if she still wants to keep her position in Wild Grave Village, she must have the support of the Streamlands, and she must also quickly resolve the current turmoil in the Streamlands; otherwise, no one will submit under a widow—Bolton couldn't give him much support.

She surely could not tolerate Aidelasi Weir becoming the master of Changxi City, right?

This is the best part: if she really received the message sent by the scholar she ordered, then she would think that at most only two hundred cavalry now occupy Changxi City.

Two hundred is a number that is neither too many nor too few. If it were more, she might hesitate and hold back; if it were fewer, she would not believe it and doubt the message's authenticity.

Mei Yi has already prepared to fight another battle in Wild Grave Village; if that lady also marches with the army, she will certainly not let her off as she did Jaime Lannister!

She really did take Changxi City with just two hundred cavalry, didn't she?