Chapter 889: Galloping to Derive Spring Passion

Emperor Jia Zhao Year 16, the fourteenth of the first lunar month, at sunset.

Twenty miles northwest of the Love Shenjing, in a dense forest hugging the foothills, a large cavalry unit was vaguely hidden.

All the cavalrymen controlled their warhorses, either soothing them or feeding them, trying their best not to let the horses make a sound.

With over a thousand warhorses gathered, apart from the occasional snort, there was surprisingly no other sound to be heard.

Jia Cong saw Yu Xiuzhu moving among the cavalry with his personal guards, restraining the cavalrymen to maintain silence.

Around noon today, Jia Cong led two thousand cavalrymen out of the camp, and after galloping for sixty miles, he slowed the horses' pace.

Because Jiang Xiao had previously encountered the outer scouts of the remnant Mongol elite cavalry a hundred miles from the camp, the entire army needed to be on high alert once they were sixty miles out.

This dense forest was the only place within dozens of miles that could conceal two thousand cavalrymen.

Although firearms possess a sharpness incomparable to cold weapons, to remain invincible, the muskets must be kept outside of a safe firing range.

Without artillery suppression and cover, if breached by several times the number of cavalrymen within the safe range, even the most advanced breech-loading muskets would be powerless to save the situation.

Jia Cong led two thousand musket-wielding cavalrymen, whose mobility was no less than that of the remnant Mongol elite cavalry, but during a high-speed gallop, the accuracy of musket fire would drop to its lowest point.

To unleash the powerful lethality of a musket formation, the musketeers must dismount to reload and fire; this requires weighing various pros and cons to seize the most suitable moment.

……

On the edge of the dense forest, Jia Cong leaned against a large tree, using the telescope sent by Noyan to gaze into the distance.

Ahead lay an endless wilderness, with withered grass, heaven and earth silent, empty of people, exuding a desolate and lonely air.

Ai Li stood by his side in full military attire, with snow-white skin and a jade-like face, looking heroic and spirited.

She wore a polished bright helmet and silver-lacquered mountain-pattern armor, with a fiery red helmet plume fluttering slightly in the wind.

Jia Cong's many personal guards were truly too curious about this soldier who was excessively handsome, followed the commander everywhere, and even shared the same bed.

Yet seeing Ai Li in full battle armor, which was by no means light, she acted as if it weighed nothing, showing not a hint of feminine softness.

With a saber at her waist and riding like the wind, her horsemanship was incomparably superb, making her more heroic than any man.

Although they felt he looked effeminate, his skills were not to be trifled with, being stronger than any of the personal guards; it seemed there was some reason the commander valued him...

Although they felt he and the commander were involved in something improper, no one dared to look down on him.

Moreover, whenever they joked behind his back, Jiang Xiao and Yu Xiuzhu would scold them in low voices.

This became a curious topic of gossip among the personal guards in private, helping them pass the boredom of the march.

Jia Cong naturally sensed it, but he didn't take it to heart at all.

Ai Li was also well aware of it, but she just dismissed it with disdain, continuing to stick close to Jia Cong, acting as if she had nothing to fear.

Her uninhibited arrogance actually made the personal guards feel a strange sense of admiration.

To be so righteous about such an ambiguous, scandalous affair was truly heroic.

……

Jia Cong put down the telescope, seemingly sensing something, and looked back; the personal guards behind him immediately averted their gazes, revealing a strange, tacit understanding.

Jia Cong whispered in Ai Li's ear: "Ai Li, you've harmed me deeply; these personal guards must be convinced that I, their commander, have a penchant for men."

Ai Li couldn't help but burst into laughter: "That's actually a good thing. When we return to the capital after this campaign, your reputation as the romantic Count Weiyuan will surely spread throughout the Love Shenjing.

So I've decided to be even better to you later, even closer than before, to let these bastards open their eyes and make this matter more real.

When these big-mouths return to the capital and spread it, I really want to see what kind of grand spectacle it will be.

By then, no young lady will dare to provoke you, and you won't even be able to take a wife; that would be hilarious."

Seeing Ai Li so jubilant, Jia Cong suppressed the urge to pinch her and laughed and scolded in a low voice: "Truly the most poisonous heart is a woman's; can't you wish me something good?"

Ai Li whispered with a smile: "Don't worry, even if other girls are disgusted by you, I will still pay attention to you and let you know my benefits."

Jia Cong raised the telescope to gaze out, muttering: "It's not enough for you to pay attention to me; if I'm really harmed by you, I'll make you pay your debts by dragging you into the pit with me!"

Ai Li's pretty face flushed, her heart inexplicably sweet, and she pinched Jia Cong.

Jia Cong suddenly thought of something and asked in a low voice: "Hey, how do you want to be better and more intimate with me? Tell me so I can hear it and broaden my horizons."

Ai Li's face turned pink; not knowing what she thought of, her earlobes turned red, and she tilted her head and said: "You want to know? I won't tell you..."

The personal guards behind them saw them whispering, not knowing what they were talking about.

Not only were they laughing softly, but they were also getting handsy, which gave them all goosebumps; they really couldn't bear to watch anymore.

……

The two chatted for a while, and Ai Li asked: "Yuzhang, the road ahead is clear, and there are no traces of remnant Mongol scouts, so why are we hiding and not moving?"

Jia Cong said: "The terrain ahead is all plains, with no cover at all, and our two-thousand-man cavalry unit is quite conspicuous.

Once the entire army forms a formation and rushes, they will detect our movements within ten miles by listening to the ground.

This terrain is favorable for cavalry charges but unfavorable for musket formations, because the speed of reloading and firing is still inferior to the speed of a cavalry charge.

The enemy has no fewer than fifteen thousand cavalrymen, outnumbering us several times over; even if two thousand muskets can resist and suppress them, we will still suffer heavy casualties.

Although the cavalry is equipped with a base number of ceramic grenades, once our army's movements are revealed, it will attract several times the number of remnant Mongol cavalry to charge our formation.

Without artillery suppression, it will surely be very difficult to defeat several times the number of elite cavalry."

……

Ai Li said: "I have seen the newly developed breech-loading guns; their range and power are very impressive. Isn't that enough to suppress the cavalry?"

Jia Cong said: "The power of the breech-loading guns is indeed impressive, but they are newly developed firearms, and the number manufactured is far from enough; there are only eight hundred finished guns.

This is not enough to form overwhelming firepower; the range and power of the breech-loading guns have improved a lot, but compared to the speed of a galloping charge, the rate of fire is still somewhat inferior.

When more sophisticated firearms are manufactured in the future, the rate of fire will surely improve greatly, and even without artillery suppression, they will be enough to counter short-range cavalry charges.

By then, no matter how large the elite cavalry force, they will have no other fate than to become living targets..."

……

Since Jia Cong set out on the expedition, Ai Li had seen the test firing of the breech-loading guns; the fast reloading speed and extremely strong firing power had all left her very amazed.

She really couldn't imagine that there were firearms in the world with greater power and rate of fire than the new breech-loading guns...

Jia Cong said: "I had the two-thousand-man cavalry unit hide their movements and rest for a while, just to wait for Lin Zhen to lead the infantry to the location I designated.

Their artillery carriages are very heavy, and their marching speed is slower than the infantry; it is estimated that they won't reach thirty miles west of the Love Shenjing until after dark.

As long as he sets up the artillery position on that gentle slope and makes the arrangements as required, we will have no more worries.

By then, based on the scouts' reconnaissance, we can launch a corresponding attack at any time..."

……

Love Shenjing, Dali Temple official office, criminal prison dungeon.

The criminal prison of the Three Judicial Offices had much less terror, blood, and cruelty compared to the cells of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Investigation Office, but it still exuded a gloomy atmosphere.

The dungeon was built in two levels, very spacious and sturdy, with heavy doors and extremely strict security; once a major criminal fell into it, there was absolutely no way to escape alive.

Yang Hongbin and Wei Guanyao walked along the long corridor, the oil lamps on the walls on both sides casting dim yellow light, stretching their shadows vaguely.

Yang Hongbin walked to a cell, reached out to open the small window on the door, and Wei Guanyao leaned in to check inside.

They saw Duan Chunjiang slumped on a pile of straw, not only were his hands and feet tied tightly, but his mouth was also gagged, and even his ears were plugged.

Yang Hongbin said: "My lord, Duan Chunjiang is meticulous; he infiltrated the Love Shenjing as a spy and was able to steal military stockpile secrets and commit such a major act.

This person must have a resilient mind; we need to find a breakthrough from elsewhere, block all his escape routes, and then interrogate him; it should be more effective.

But we cannot delay past sunset tomorrow; although I had people send word to his shop that the stock of green-tipped rice in the city is insufficient and he needs to leave the city to procure some.

He just happened to encounter the closure of the nine gates of the Love Shenjing, so he was delayed outside the city for a day; if the time drags on too long, his accomplices will surely notice."

……

Wei Guanyao nodded slightly upon hearing this and asked: "You secretly arrested Duan Chunjiang and Hui Niang this time, but didn't touch Chen Ruichang; do you already have a plan?"

Yang Hongbin said: "This subordinate indeed has a plan; although Chen Ruichang is the main culprit, he is, after all, the legitimate grandson of a Duke and an officer of the Five Military Governor's Office.

And although Duke of Qi Chen Yi is away on an expedition, Chen Yi's eldest grandson, the third-rank General Weizhen Chen Ruiwen, is still in charge of the Duke's mansion.

This person's official rank is not low, his reputation as an official is quite good, and he is on good terms with various nobles; he is not a person easy to deal with."