"General Zhunjin, give the order."
The snowfields stretched vast and desolate, the snow-capped mountains coiled like silver dragons, and the earth was silent and empty. The sky was a murky gray, with rain and snow falling. Lin Yue's mood was as frigid as the weather.
The Great Chieftain of the Xiongnu, Duoyongjian, was finally going to make his move against her.
Duoyongjian had ordered Lin Yue to turn back and annihilate Zhou Fugui and his White Tiger Battalion. Regardless of victory or defeat in this battle, Lin Yue was doomed.
How could Lin Yue not know this? Yet, knowing it, she was helpless. She knew returning to the Xiongnu royal court meant facing grave danger, but she had to obey the order and exterminate Zhou Fugui, the man she despised with all her heart.
Unless Lin Yue rebelled immediately, but the outcome would still be death. It would also implicate the loyal slave troops under her command. It was better to act now than to return to the royal court and cause trouble.
Disobeying the orders of Duoyongjian, who wielded almost imperial power among the Xiongnu, was tantamount to rebellion, and rebels were to be punished by all.
Upon hearing this, Zhunjin waved his hand and ordered the army to advance. The army of over ten thousand slaves, along with over a thousand monitoring soldiers dispatched by Duoyongjian, slowly moved north. Under the rain and snow, the roads were muddy and treacherous. The retreating army's silhouette appeared somewhat desolate.
The two thousand slave troops had already suffered heavy losses, with more than half of them gone, a truly tragic toll.
"My Lady, Xi Jialuo begs for punishment," the chiliarch Xi Jialuo rode up to Lin Yue, his face full of shame as he confessed.
"What crime have you committed?" Lin Yue asked calmly.
"Before entering the Nether Valley, your subordinate could not bear to act. After they entered the valley, your subordinate should have followed and captured him," Xi Jialuo replied.
At that time, he should have disregarded everything and captured Zhou Fugui before Lin Yue, even killing Zhou Fugui and presenting his head to her, thus avoiding the great trouble she was facing now.
"Even the legendary land of death could not defeat him, so what could you have done?" Lin Yue shook her head. "Chiliarch Xi Jialuo, do not blame yourself. You may withdraw."
Xi Jialuo, with a grateful yet ashamed expression, retreated meekly.
Lin Yue wished to be alone, to quietly ponder how to deal with Duoyongjian's relentless pressure. She rode alone, her horse moving slowly.
Perhaps she should do as that ungrateful wretch did, and raise the banner of rebellion upon returning to the Xiongnu royal court. Even if it meant death, it would be a swift end, saving her from being slowly dissected by Duoyongjian, Lin Yue mused silently.
Death by a dull blade was far more painful and tragic than death by a sharp one, and it was a process that was both agonizing and prolonged.
Raising the banner of rebellion meant death, and not rebelling also meant death. At this moment, Lin Yue's heart was as chaotic as Zhou Fugui's. However, unlike Zhou Fugui, who acted decisively after his mind was in turmoil, Lin Yue was still undecided and hesitant.
This was perhaps a common failing of women. Despite Lin Yue's outward appearance of courage and resolve, she was, at her core, a woman.
No matter what, she had to settle accounts with that ungrateful wretch. Lin Yue thought bitterly to herself. When she captured him, what tortures would she inflict upon him? Would it be dismemberment by chariots, or would she tie him with sandbags and sink him to the bottom of the river?
"Princess..." Zhunjin, after finishing his military duties, rode up to Lin Yue and began to speak.
"Hmm? General Zhunjin, what is it?" Zhunjin's hesitant demeanor surprised Lin Yue, and she asked.
Zhunjin shook his head.
"Are you thinking about that ungrateful person?" Lin Yue asked, seeing his reaction.
"No..." Zhunjin replied. "I want to talk about you."
She still couldn't forget that boy, Zhunjin thought to himself.
"Me?" Lin Yue asked again, surprised. "What about me?"
"Princess..." Zhunjin hesitated. "You hold a high position and wield great power, yet you seem to be treading on thin ice, constantly vigilant and cautious. One misstep, and you will fall into an abyss of ten thousand fathoms, never to recover! Back then... back then... alas, Princess, it would be better to retreat from this turbulent current. This humble general is willing to protect you and flee, to find a place to live in seclusion, far from the world's disputes."
When faced with an impossible choice, escape was indeed a good option, but it also meant disappearing forever, as if she had never existed in this world, and constantly living in danger. Lin Yue was naturally unwilling to do so.
So, Lin Yue said with a bitter smile, "Escape? Where could we escape to? The depths of the grasslands, or the south? General Zhunjin, the world is vast, yet there is no place for us to rest our horses."
"If that is the case, then Zhunjin is willing to follow Princess until death!" Since Lin Yue was unwilling to flee, Zhunjin could only pledge to protect her until his last breath. Zhunjin said resolutely.
"General Zhunjin, Uncle Zhunjin..." Lin Yue was deeply moved and choked back tears. "Lin Yue thanks you."
At this moment, Zhunjin seemed to be the only trustworthy person left by Lin Yue's side.
"Princess, there is no need for such politeness," Zhunjin replied, shaking his head. "The oath of those years still echoes in my ears, and I dare not forget it."
Zhunjin was a Han Chinese, a general of the former Wei Kingdom, which had been destroyed by the Xianbei. He had protected Lin Yue and her brother until now, and he regarded Lin Yue as his own daughter.
Just then, over a thousand Xiongnu soldiers approached. A burly chiliarch rode his horse swiftly to Lin Yue's front, then reined in his steed and arrogantly said to Lin Yue, "Princess Consort, why is the march so slow? If we delay further, when will we return to the royal court to quell the rebellion?"
This chiliarch was named Hailieku, and he had been sent by Duoyongjian with over a thousand cavalry to "assist" Lin Yue.
Normally, Xiongnu people would dismount from afar to show respect, and their retinues were not allowed to follow. But now, Hailieku had brought his men right up to Lin Yue, and the swirling snow and mud almost splashed onto Lin Yue's body. His demeanor was arrogant and utterly disrespectful.
"Chiliarch Hailieku," Lin Yue replied coldly. "They are already exhausted. Do you not know that many of them are ill and injured? How can they move faster?"
"Discard the sick and injured. Why keep them in the army? Aren't diseased livestock also discarded?" Hailieku said dismissively.
"They are not livestock, but people," Lin Yue retorted angrily.
"Just a bunch of lowly slaves, how can they compare to..." Hailieku saw that Lin Yue's guards were all glaring with anger, their hands gripping their sword hilts. He then snorted, "The Great Chieftain ordered us to return to the royal court quickly to quell the rebellion. Otherwise... hmph, Princess Consort, weigh your options carefully."
"Let's go!" Hailieku gave the slave troops a cold glance and then led the thousand-strong Xiongnu cavalry away on horseback.
"Princess..." Zhunjin, seeing Lin Yue staring blankly at Hailieku and his men as they departed, called out softly to her.
.........
"Zhou Fugui and the other rebels have been captured! Zhou Fugui and the other rebels have been captured!"
As Lin Yue's army left Dingxiang Commandery and reached the Clear Water River, the vanguard troops let out a cheer and galloped back to report to Lin Yue.
Upon hearing the news, Lin Yue was not pleased but alarmed. She mounted her horse and rushed to the vanguard, with Zhunjin and a few escorts following closely behind.
Although Lin Yue hated Zhou Fugui for his ingratitude and evasion, which had brought her endless trouble, she couldn't bring herself to feel happy. This was perhaps because Lin Yue had a vague sense of familiarity with Zhou Fugui from their past encounters.
Simultaneously, if Zhou Fugui was captured now, he was undoubtedly doomed. The reason was that among the Xiongnu cavalry accompanying Lin Yue back to the royal court, over a thousand of Duoyongjian's men had already rushed ahead and were moving faster than Lin Yue and her group.
This would ruin Lin Yue's plan.
Was it really him who was captured? As her horse galloped, Lin Yue's long hair fluttered in the strong wind. The wind howled, and trees, snowdrifts, and rocks blurred past. Lin Yue whipped her horse, urging it forward, while thinking silently.
Was it really that boy who was captured? Zhunjin also galloped alongside Lin Yue, his expression stern, and his heart filled with apprehension.
"Speak! Who is Zhou Fugui?"
"Zhou Fugui? General Zhou? There is no one here..."
"Puff!" With a slash of his saber, a Yan army soldier was decapitated.
When Lin Yue and Zhunjin arrived with their troops, Hailieku and his men had already surrounded dozens of captured Yan soldiers, shouting questions and torturing them. Any resistance resulted in swords and spears. In moments, several Yan soldiers were cut down or stabbed to death in the snow. Streams of blood flowed, staining the pristine white snow.
These Yan soldiers were all ragged and emaciated. They had likely suffered greatly. Just as they thought they were finally returning to Xuelin City, they encountered the Xiongnu army and were captured.
"Chiliarch Hailieku..." Lin Yue, riding at full speed, called out anxiously. "Do not kill indiscriminately! If you harm Zhou Fugui, how will you account for yourself to the Great Chieftain?"
Although Lin Yue had already devised countless ways to kill Zhou Fugui in her heart, at this critical moment, she wished he could continue to live.
"What do you mean by accidental injury? How can I account for myself to the Great Chieftain? That Han dog Zhou Fugui should have died long ago. If I kill him now, I will be rewarded, not punished." Hailieku, holding a straight saber, turned to the approaching Lin Yue and sneered.
Lin Yue was momentarily speechless, unable to refute him.
The Xiongnu Great Chieftain, Duoyongjian, had indeed given them the order to kill Zhou Fugui immediately upon sighting him, preferably after torturing him to death. This would be a great meritorious deed.
"Chiliarch Hailieku, capturing this person and presenting him to the Great Chieftain holds far greater merit than killing him. Why not ask for clarification?" Zhunjin, who had followed Lin Yue closely, spoke with a stern expression, immediately extricating Lin Yue from her predicament.
Hailieku considered this. He waved his hand, making his subordinates clear a path, and said to Lin Yue, "Princess Consort, you have seen that Han dog. Go and take a look."
Lin Yue rode forward and approached the dozens of Yan soldiers, whose faces were ashen. She looked at them carefully.
"Are you looking for General Zhou Fugui?" One of the Yan generals asked Lin Yue.