novelden Chapter 159 Returning to Shuomen Pass
Chapter 159 Returning to Shuomen Pass
Ling Huanan was roasting a rabbit for Xue Wen when he heard this. He paused for a moment, then slowly used a dagger to cut the roasted rabbit meat into small pieces, placed them in clean leaves, and handed them to Xue Wen. Only then did he get up and lead his deputy to a secluded spot.
Upon arriving at the destination, Ling Huanan extended his hand to the deputy general with his back to him.
The lieutenant quickly presented the note, gritting his teeth and muttering angrily, "How dare the third sister? The Prince treats her like a sister..."
Ling Huanan remained expressionless and silent for a long time, but the knuckles of her fingers, which were gripping the letter tightly, turned white from the force, as if she wanted to crush the fragile paper. This showed that her heart was not at peace either.
Although he already knew there were spies in the army, he never expected that this spy would be one of the people he trusted most, and that this person would even kill him!
Ling Huanan looked up at the sky.
Night fell, and stars sparsely dotted the dark sky.
"Proceed according to plan. At midnight, kill all the people of the Northern Wilderness! As for the Dingbei Army, detain those who surrender, and kill those who resist!" Ling Huanan's voice was cold and indifferent in the darkness.
"Your subordinate obeys." The lieutenant understood Ling Huanan's meaning and immediately accepted the order. Suddenly remembering something, he excitedly asked, "Your Highness, could you please bring one of the thunder cannons you smuggled from the Ministry of Works?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the lieutenant realized he had made a mistake. How could he say that the prince had "borrowed" it? Didn't the prince have any dignity?
Feeling the deathly gaze from Ling Huanan, the deputy general could only awkwardly chuckle twice: "Haha! Your Highness, what I meant was that you brought it out from the Ministry of Works along the way! Haha!"
"Get out of here!" Ling Huanan felt that his deputy was extremely annoying and pretended to kick her again.
The lieutenant, trembling with fear, covered his backside and backed away, saying, "This subordinate must take his leave..."
After saying that, he ran towards the camp.
Suddenly, a flat, emotionless voice came from behind: "One."
The lieutenant turned around in surprise. The prince meant that a thunderbolt could be used. He hurriedly smiled obsequiously and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
At midnight, with a loud bang, the Northern Wilderness people and the Dingbei Army's garrison, who were preparing to ambush Ling Huanan, were engulfed in flames.
High above, Ling Huanan, dressed in black, sat astride a dark brown warhorse clad in iron armor, watching the two sides clash below.
The sounds of clashing swords and spears, along with the shrill screams of the northerners, filled the air, yet Ling Huanan showed no pity whatsoever.
The battle was over in less than half an hour.
All two thousand men in the Northern Wilderness were executed on the spot, and the centurion leading the Dingbei Army was also beheaded. The rest were all detained and their fates would be decided upon their return to Shuomen Pass.
And so, Ling Huanan passed through the perilous peak unharmed.
Because they were delayed for two days by camping outside Tianxian Peak, they had to speed up their pace and finally returned to Shuomen Pass three days later.
Shuomen Pass, Dingbei Army.
Two women clad in lion-patterned armor were sparring on a military training platform. Both were drenched in sweat, yet they fought with great enthusiasm, exchanging blows back and forth.
One of the women, who was around fifty years old, threw a heavy punch, catching the honest-looking middle-aged woman off guard. Blood quickly trickled from the corner of her mouth.
After finishing her fight, the older woman quickly jumped off the martial arts platform, rubbed her back, and waved her hand with a roguish expression.
"Sigh! Enough fighting, enough fighting, it's pointless. This old general's arms and legs are so weak, and you don't even know how to give way! I suppose the prince should be arriving today, and I'll go to the city gate to wait for her."
After saying that, he ran off in a flash, not at all like an old man.
The middle-aged woman on the martial arts stage watched the direction her opponent had left in, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb in a hateful gesture, spat out a mouthful of blood, and her face was full of a ferocious smile as she muttered to herself:
"Ling Huanan, I'm afraid she won't be coming back!"
At normal speed, it should have arrived the day before yesterday, but two days have passed and there is still no news. It seems that the Northern Wilderness side has succeeded!
Before she could finish her thought, one of her junior officers rushed in to report: "General, General, something terrible has happened! The Prince... the Prince has returned!"
"What did you say?" The middle-aged woman's eyes widened as she grabbed the young soldier's collar and asked fiercely.
The young man was startled by the look on the prince's face and stammered, "Your Highness... Your Highness is back. He's... he's just outside the city. General Lu has already come out of the city to greet him."
Upon hearing this, the woman suddenly released her grip, broke out in a cold sweat, and muttered to herself in disbelief, "How...how could this be?"
She immediately realized that Ling Huanan was definitely unaware that she was the one who did it.
After all, he didn't show himself when he sent out to kill Ling Huanan's thousand men. He could just find a scapegoat. Given Ling Huanan's trust in him, he wouldn't have any doubts!
After thinking for a moment, she glanced sideways at the terrified young officer beside her and scolded, "Didn't you say the Prince was back? What are you all standing there for? Why aren't you coming with me to greet him?"
After saying that, he strode towards the city gate.
The city gate.
The older woman, General Lu, excitedly patted Vice General Ling Huanan on the shoulder:
"Haha! Good heavens, you're finally back! You must have had a good time eating in the capital, look how much fatter you've gotten! Don't let your kung fu skills slip!"
"Sister Lu, your strength is much greater than before!" The lieutenant, who wasn't wearing armor, winced in pain when she slapped him.
"Haha! That's natural." General Lu said, glancing around frequently. Not seeing Ling Huanan, he felt a pang of anxiety: "Second brother, where is the Prince?"
Upon hearing this, the lieutenant pointed to the carriage slowly approaching from behind and said matter-of-factly, "It's over there!"
"What did you say? The prince rides in a carriage? How is that possible! Two years ago, my daughter came to visit me in a carriage, and the prince complained that it was for those useless young men... Haha..." General Lu was dumbfounded and thought the other party was joking.
General Lu's voice was booming and loud enough for all the guards around him to hear. They all wished they could quicken their pace, and even the deputy general couldn't help but stand a few steps further away.
Just then, the carriage that had just pulled up came to a screeching halt, and the curtain was suddenly lifted by a slender finger, revealing Ling Huanan's cold, lifeless face.
General Lu's laughter abruptly stopped. He opened his mouth wide and stammered, "Your...Your Highness."
"Hmph!" Ling Huanan glanced at her coldly, snorted, and then lowered the curtain.
"Pfft... Hahaha..." A pleasant male laugh came from inside the carriage. At first, it was just a low chuckle, but then he seemed to be unable to hold back and burst into loud laughter.
"Second brother, what... what is this?" General Lu looked bewildered. Wasn't this prince supposed to be averse to men?
The lieutenant, having figured out Ling Huanan's temperament, deliberately raised his voice and announced, "The people in the carriage are indeed our Prince and our Lord!"
The sound was so loud it seemed the entire military camp wanted to know.
General Lu rubbed his ears, which were still numb from the shock, and asked in a low voice:
"Prince Rui? Wasn't it said that the Prince disliked him? Why was he brought to the border? Tsk tsk! It seems the rumors were wrong... But it's understandable, after all, he gave birth to a son for the Prince..."
"Big sister, please stop talking!" The deputy general hurriedly interrupted General Lu. Although she lowered her voice, it was still audible. Didn't she see that the prince's carriage had stopped again?
Sure enough, Ling Huanan's flat, monotone voice came from the carriage again, but this time he didn't lift the curtain:
"General Lu seems to have a lot of free time! In that case, let's head straight to the training ground. I haven't practiced in a long time either, so I'll reluctantly spar with you for a couple of moves today!"
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