Chapter 787: Bathed in Clouds and Rain with the Wind

Divine Capital, outside the eastern suburbs of the city, at the foot of Yanshan Mountain.

The snow was white, the grass was deep, the forest was dense, and the air was icy cold. On the vast wasteland outside the city, a team of knights was galloping on horseback.

The sound of hooves was as rapid as thunder, stepping on the snow along the way like flying flowers and splashing jade, carrying a sense of wanton flying.

The two people at the front of the cavalry were young, high-spirited, handsome, and heroic.

One was riding a yellow horse with grass-leaf color, panting and kicking, very magnificent. The saddle and reins were inlaid with gold and silver, exquisite and luxurious.

The other was riding a black horse. Although the saddle was sturdy and simple, it was far from as valuable as the yellow horse.

But the horse was tall and powerful, its whole body was pitch black and shiny, and its four hooves were as white as snow. Compared to that magnificent yellow horse, it was not half as bad, and it was hard to distinguish between them.

This person was dressed in strong clothes, wearing a large red felt cloak, with an ancient and heavy curved sword hanging on the saddle. His figure was upright and his appearance was handsome. It was Jia Cong.

This morning, after the early court session, just as Jia Cong walked out of the Wumen, Prince Nuoyan sent a guard to pass a message, inviting him to hunt outside the city.

Jia Cong knew that this Mongol prince had strong steppe habits and had always been keen on the joy of hunting.

His first encounter with him on Han Zheng Street was when he was returning from hunting outside the city, and his second encounter in the eastern suburbs of the city was also when he was returning to the city from hunting.

Ever since Jia Cong submitted a special memorial to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and was granted the title of Secretary of the Two-State Peace Talks, he had consciously approached Prince Nuoyan.

And Prince Nuoyan also deliberately made friends with him. Perhaps the two had some compatible temperaments.

But in this increasingly close interaction, did Nuoyan have other deep meanings in his heart like himself?

Although Prince Nuoyan did not reveal obvious traces in his words, in the interaction between people, many things do not need to be spoken, and can be clearly perceived.

When the two were drinking together last time, Prince Nuoyan vaguely revealed to him that the Ordos tribe had no intention of contending for hegemony and had the intention of stopping the war, but it was just forced by the situation.

Although Prince Nuoyan's words were vague and he did not frankly reveal his heart, Jia Cong could clearly taste that this was a test from the other side.

As the saying goes, "in war, there is no deception." Jia Cong could not be sure for the time being whether this was the true demand of the Ordos tribe.

But it was obvious that there were differences and disagreements between the Ordos tribe and the Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe regarding the use of troops to go south.

A person has ten fingers of different lengths. The three major Tuman tribes of the remnant Mongols each controlled tens of thousands of tribesmen, and each had tens of thousands of steppe elite cavalry under their command.

In order to survive, they each had their own plans and intentions, which was a very normal thing.

To say that the hundreds of thousands of people of the three major tribes were all as ambitious as Anda Khan, united as one, and united in will.

The nine border towns of Great Zhou had heavy troops waiting, but if that were the case, the war would have been raging long ago, and it would have been difficult to hold.

Just as Jia Cong said in his memorial: "The alliance to break the enemy, the sharpness to cut the enemy, the troops have not moved, but the thousand troops have already won."

Before the great war between the two states, even if it was impossible to defeat them one by one, applying good strategies, inducing them with benefits, guiding them to appease, and dividing their power was something that could be done.

In addition, what was seen and heard in the early court today, the situation in the inner territory of Great Zhou was not optimistic. Salt smugglers were rampant in Jiang Nan, salt tax collection was blocked, and Jiang Nan's tax-paying power was insufficient.

Hebei, Shanxi, and other places were close to the nine border towns, and cold disasters broke out in both places. The hearts of the people were restless. Once out of control, the border towns would be worried about their backs.

The court's disaster relief and peace-keeping for these two places were imminent and could not be delayed.

If the remnant Mongols provoked a war on the nine borders, even if they won the war, the consumption of food, grass, and soldiers would be huge, and the disaster relief would be stretched, and the hidden consequences would be unpredictable.

Jia Cong submitted a memorial to the monarch, obtained his tacit approval, and could seek opportunities to interact with Prince Nuoyan.

But according to his deep and cautious character, his actions and behavior still maintained a scale to avoid causing more gossip.

The two's daily interactions were just drinking and chatting, which was not too eye-catching.

Today, galloping out of the city like this, the Great Zhou officials and the leaders of the remnant Mongol mission, swaggering through the streets and going to hunt together, was already too high-profile and would inevitably lead to storms.

But what was seen and heard in the early court today made Jia Cong feel a few more points of urgency. The country was worrying, which made him put down a few points of concern.

When he submitted a memorial to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao that day, it was not only to clear himself but also to see the opportunity in it and want to do something beneficial.

He was granted a title as a teenager and served as a Hanlin, which was incomparably glorious. Enjoying the glory and favor of the country, doing some practical things within his power was also what he should do.

By the time the group galloped to a large dense forest, Prince Nuoyan raised his hand on his horse, and the followers obeyed orders and stopped their horses immediately.

A follower stepped forward, holding a bow and arrow and a bag of arrows with both hands, and presented them to Jia Cong's horse. Jia Cong reached out and took them.

It was just that although he was skilled in horsemanship and sword technique, he was quite unfamiliar with archery, so the bow and arrow in his hand were mostly just for show.

Prince Nuoyan said, "You all stand guard outside the forest to drive away beasts. I will enter the forest with the Count of Weiyuan to hunt. If there is any change, use the horn as a signal."

After speaking, he smiled and greeted Jia Cong, and he entered the forest first. Jia Cong followed closely on horseback.

The two entered the forest and arrived at a wind-sheltered snow mound, each tethering their horses to the tree trunks.

Prince Nuoyan was full of smiles and high spirits. Entering the forest to hunt made him feel like a fish in water.

The two each drew their bows and arrows, walked a few steps forward, and suddenly heard the sound of wind in the treetops, as if several black shadows had swept past.

Prince Nuoyan twisted his waist, turned around quickly, drew his bow and arrow, and his movements were swift and smooth, revealing an indescribable beauty and appearing heroic.

Jia Cong only heard the slight vibration of the bowstring, and the arrow shot into the air like a meteor, without a hair's breadth.

In an instant, he heard the sound of birds flapping their wings, and a colorful pheasant fell from the high treetops, its neck pierced by an arrow feather.

Jia Cong felt slightly surprised in his heart. He was a person who had practiced martial arts since childhood, and his ears and eyes were different from ordinary people. Just now, he only heard the birds flying past his head.

Prince Nuoyan was able to shoot the pheasant's thin neck in an instant, and his archery was very superb.

Jia Cong laughed, "Nuoyan has good archery. It is said that steppe people are good at riding and shooting, which is indeed true."

Prince Nuoyan laughed, "Steppe people grow up on horseback since childhood and live by grazing and hunting. These are our skills for survival, just practice makes perfect."

He pointed to the distance and said, "Jia Cong, look at the place thirty steps away. There is a snow nest, and you can see fresh moss next to it. You can see wild rabbits appearing."

Just as Prince Nuoyan's voice fell, Jia Cong saw the snow there wriggling, and a gray wild rabbit poked its head out.

He pulled out an arrow feather, learned from Prince Nuoyan, quickly drew his bow and arrow, and aimed at the wild rabbit in the distance.

Prince Nuoyan saw his posture of drawing the bow was unfamiliar, so he knew he was not good at archery.

But the bow and arrow given to Jia Cong by the follower was a one-stone bow. Even among Mongol warriors, it required a refined, strong, and brave person to have enough strength to pull it open.

Jia Cong looked rough in his archery, but his arm strength was very strong. The one-stone bow was pulled into a full moon lightly, appearing effortless.

This made Prince Nuoyan's eyes light up. Although he was skilled in archery, he only used a seven-dou bow and could not pull a one-stone strong bow to the full.

By the time Jia Cong thought he had aimed, he released the string and shot the arrow. The arrow flew into the snow, two steps away from the wild rabbit.

Jia Cong laughed at himself, "I have practiced martial arts and swords since childhood, but I have never practiced archery properly. It is truly showing off in front of an expert and making people laugh."

Prince Nuoyan saw his archery was loose, but he was calm and didn't care at all, making fun of himself, and there was a heroic spirit hidden in it.

He laughed, "Every inch has its strengths, and every foot has its weaknesses. Everyone's strengths are different, so how can one be capable of everything?"

"Although you are not good at archery, you have your own strengths: strategizing, winning thousands of troops, filling words and writing, and being on the gold list. Ordinary people can't do these."

"Moreover, your arm strength is strong and different from ordinary people, not inferior to the most skilled archers on the steppe."

"The Han books say: 'The subtlety of application lies in the heart.' Archery is the same. As long as you understand the tricks, you can shoot with a target."

Prince Nuoyan took an arrow from the quiver and laughed, "Why don't you try shooting another arrow?"

Jia Cong took the arrow feather with a smile and drew his bow again. Prince Nuoyan walked to his side and looked at the prey in the distance along Jia Cong's arrow feather.

He stretched out his left hand to raise Jia Cong's right elbow that was drawing the string, so that his right hand was close to his jaw, and stretched out his right hand to press his left hand holding the bow down a bit.

He said, "Take the eye as the line, the object is above, raise the arrow by an inch; the object is below, press the arrow down by two points. Also pay attention to the wind direction and the speed of the prey."

"The subtlety of application lies in the heart. As long as you ponder more, you will soon be able to do it with ease."

Because Prince Nuoyan was pointing out Jia Cong's archery, he stood close to his side, looking at the prey in the distance along Jia Cong's arrow feather.

Jia Cong smelled a wisp of sweet fragrance from him. He could clearly identify it; it was the scent of Xinchun Firm's soap, mixed with a wisp of the fragrance of green grass.

He heard Prince Nuoyan's clear voice in his ear: "It's okay."

Jia Cong's fingers drawing the string released instantly. The arrow shot out like lightning, and the wild rabbit in the distance seemed to have noticed it and was about to jump out to escape.

But the one-stone bow in Jia Cong's hand was very powerful. The arrow went like a meteor, almost instantly hitting the wild rabbit, stirring up a snow mist on the snow ground.

Prince Nuoyan laughed, "You are really smart, understanding everything at once, and your arm strength is strong. As long as you practice diligently, you will definitely be a famous archer."

Jia Cong laughed, "That's because your guidance is good, and my luck seems to be not bad."

The two turned around in the forest again, hunted a few more wild chickens and rabbits, found a stream in the forest, washed and skinned the prey, and roasted them with fire.

Although Nuoyan was the prince of the Ordos tribe, Mongols live by water and survive by hunting, so everyone is familiar with wild skills, and he did it very skillfully.

Before long, by the water near the stream, a bonfire was lit, and the cleaned game was roasted in the hot flames, gradually emitting a rich fragrance.

Prince Nuoyan laughed, "I am a steppe person, but I can also read Han books and understand literature. You are a Central Plains person, but you can also gallop on horseback and bend your bow to hunt." ===== CHAPTER 788 =====