12dz Chapter 11 Military Intelligence
Chapter 11 Military Intelligence
Tuoba Yu nodded, a smile on his face, but his tone was as cold and sharp as frost, "If someone could find his tracks so easily, he wouldn't be Di Beizun!"
"Your Highness..."
"Alright, what else is there? Speak!"
"Her Majesty the Empress has sent a secret letter urging Your Highness to return to the palace as soon as possible. The marriage alliance needs to be discussed again, and the Great Zhou has been frequently mobilizing troops recently, so we must be on guard. The Crown Prince of the Northern Empire is very likely at the border..."
Blackwater spoke cautiously, afraid of angering his master again.
Tuoba Yu suddenly fell silent. After thinking for a long time, he said, "Tell Mother that I am fine and that she doesn't need to worry about the marriage alliance."
……
The long night continued, and the city of Malan was already dimly lit, while not far outside the city, in a tent of a military camp under the dim starry sky, lights flickered faintly.
Inside the tent, a single lamp flickered dimly.
Under the dim light, a handsome young man sat in front of the bed. On the bed lay a man with his eyes closed and his face pale. He had multiple knife wounds on his chest and shoulders, and the wounds were obviously purplish-black.
The young man held the silver needle in his hand and gently pricked the man's wound. He lowered his head and smelled the blood on the needle. His brows furrowed immediately. He turned his head and looked thoughtfully at the unconscious man on the bed.
"Such potent poison... Hmm, it smells foul... It's snake venom..."
It was still very cold in Malan City, and there were no signs of snake bites on the wound, so it must have been caused by a poisoned weapon.
"Brother, you should be glad you met me, Nanchen 002, otherwise you might have lost your life here."
Sikong Jin curled her lips, thinking that she might as well do him a favor. After thinking it over, she spread out the needle roll and began to apply the needles methodically to expel the poison. She then began to cut away the rotten flesh that had already festered in the man's wound. Her movements were skillful and efficient. When she made the cut, she didn't even blink. This was quite different from her usual unruly manner.
Although Sikong Jin's movements were skillful and swift, it was still a brutal act of cutting flesh, and the unconscious person couldn't help but groan a few times, his face turning deathly pale.
……
"Whoosh—" Just as Sikong Jin put away the silver needles, footsteps sounded, and then the curtain was lifted, and a graceful figure walked in.
"Sir, the hot water and wine are ready."
She was a woman wearing silver soft armor, carrying a basin of water. She was slender and tall, with a straight posture that exuded a sense of heroic spirit and majesty. She had a clean oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and eyes that shone like stars, containing a hint of sharpness and decisiveness. She also had a saber at her waist. Her whole person exuded the aura of a soldier!
She was Mei Ruhua, a renowned and legendary woman in the Sikong family's Four Banners Army (the army originally commanded by Sikong Jin's father, Sikong Qi).
"Oh, Ruhua, you're becoming more and more capable. You have the potential to be a virtuous wife and loving mother..."
Sikong Jin raised her head, a smile on her face.
Mei Ruhua ignored her completely, strode towards the bedside, placed the water on the stool, and frowned as she looked at the man on the bed, whose face was pale and almost convulsing from the pain. "Sir, aren't you going to give him some pain relief powder? Are you sure you won't hurt him to death by doing this?"
Sikong Jin raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. He shrugged innocently and said, "Oh dear, I forgot! It's all your fault for not reminding me sooner! Hmm? Ruhua, what's with that expression? Don't you trust my medical skills? I'm not one of those quack doctors with no manners. In our Great Yong, if I claim to be second, no one dares to claim to be first!"
"I think you're the one who claims to be the most shameless! Fatty has truly inherited your skills!"
Mei Ruhua whispered quietly.
……
"Alright, the wound is cleaned up. Find someone to look after it."
Sikong Jin wiped her hands, stretched, turned her head, and lazily looked at Mei Ruhua, "Has anything happened in the army lately?"
"My lord, according to intelligence reports, enemy traces have been discovered a hundred miles north of the Malan Mountains. All indications suggest that the Liao army stationed in the Western Barbarians has begun to approach our Malan City. We must be vigilant and take precautions."
"North of the Malan Mountains? How many enemy troops are there? Who is their commander?" Sikong Jin raised an eyebrow.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, it is over 20,000 men under the command of General Wu Jing, the commander of the Great Liao. They are heading south directly through the Malan Gorge. My subordinate and Vice General Meng have initially deduced that the enemy is probably planning to break through the northern flank and launch a surprise attack on our Malan City."
Mei Ruhua's eyes were somewhat gloomy.
Sikong Jin's usually quiet eyes narrowed, and she lowered her gaze thoughtfully. "Twenty thousand troops? The Malan Plain lies just ahead of Malan City. If I asked you to pull off this, would you dare?"
"Does Your Excellency mean that they still intend to attack my Malan City with these 20,000 troops?" Mei Ruhua looked at Sikong Jin with suspicion. "As far as I know, Wu Jing's 20,000 troops are the elite of the Great Liao Dynasty, belonging to the First Legion of the Imperial Family, and each of them is highly skilled."
“But that doesn’t make sense. The Liao army stationed on the border between Liao and my Dayong is only about 400 li away from us. Why would Liao need to send troops from their capital to attack us? Besides, there’s not much point in attacking our Malan City.”
Mei Ruhua raised a pointed question.
"Then tell me, what exactly is the Liao Dynasty up to?" Sikong Jin looked up at Mei Ruhua.
"This humble general is unaware! My lord, just in case, this humble general suggests that the garrison at Lingxi Pass, Dongxia Pass, and the three passes in Mobei be withdrawn to Malan City to await orders."
Mei Ruhua had been speaking for a long time without any reaction from Sikong Jin. Feeling anxious, she was about to continue when Sikong Jin suddenly stood up and said with little interest, "Let's wait for them to attack first."
After speaking, he walked towards the door.
"Hey, sir! Where are you going!"
Mei Ruhua chased after her.
"The night is beautiful tonight, I shall go out and enjoy the moonlight!"
A voice drifted on the night breeze, and Vice General Mei Ruhua looked up at the night sky—Bullshit!
There is no moon tonight!
There were hardly any stars, and the sky seemed rather gloomy, with a threatening rain!
Deputy General Mei Ruhua couldn't help but stomp her foot and mutter discontentedly to the figure, "What an incompetent official! Let's see what you do when the Western barbarians attack!"
Sikong Jin, using the lamplight to observe the reflection of plum blossoms on the ground, rubbed her chin with one hand behind her back, frowning as she muttered to herself, "The sudden appearance of royal nobles, the elite troops of the Liao Dynasty, and the Liu family... Hmm... Looks like there's going to be some excitement in the capital... I should be able to find an excuse to go back and take a look, and keep quiet..."