Xia Chanyi waved her hand. “Don’t worry. The grain convoy is already on its way and should arrive in a couple of days. See if there’s a suitable place nearby to store it. This shipment is quite large.”
The grain was meant not only for the Jinyang Army of Punan Commandery, but also for the men Shuangjiang, Yun Yu, and the others had brought with them.
Luo Ah-di finally relaxed. “There happens to be a cave nearby. We can store it there. We usually return to the cave to rest at night as well.”
In Shangjing Commandery, Ji Yuzhu reclined against the couch, his expression shifting unpredictably. “Qu Zhao has made a move?”
Qu Lin nodded. “According to our scouts, Qu Zhao has set off westward together with the Jiao Army.”
Rong Hei was puzzled. “West? Where is he planning to go?”
Concern showed on Qu Lin’s face. “Qu Zhao is acting together with the Jiao Army. I’m afraid they may be coming for us.”
Rong Hei snorted coldly. “If they really are coming for us, we can demand an explanation from the Jinyang Army. They promised they would stop Qu Zhao from coming to Shangjing Commandery.”
Qu Lin was helpless. “Qu Zhao may not be heading for Shangjing Commandery. He could also be going to Shouci Commandery.”
Rong Hei stared at him in astonishment. “And they won’t do anything if he goes to Shouci Commandery?”
Qu Lin did not even know how to respond. They had indeed overlooked this point. During the negotiations, the Jinyang Army’s envoy had only said that Qu Zhao would not come to Shangjing Commandery.
If Qu Zhao really headed for Shouci Commandery, they would have no grounds to demand an explanation from the Jinyang Army.
Besides, even if Qu Zhao truly came to Shangjing Commandery and the Jinyang Army refused to intervene, what could Ji’s army do beyond issuing a few condemnations?
Surely they could not start a war with the Jinyang Army over this.
The Jinyang Army might not have many soldiers, but their combat strength was unquestionably formidable. Otherwise, how could they have seized Fengzhou from Qu Zhao?
As the group was speaking, the military officer Sha Yan hurried in. “General, another one of our patrols has been wiped out.”
Ji Yuzhu sat up straight. “Where? Did they find anything?”
Sha Yan quickly replied, “In Xining County. The patrol had thirty men, and not one survived. We found no clues.”
This was already the third patrol killed in the past two days.
Ji Yuzhu frowned. “Could those bandits from before have returned?”
He could hardly be blamed for thinking so. The method of killing was simply too similar to that of the bandits they had encountered previously.
Sha Yan shook his head. “We don’t know.”
He looked at Ji Yuzhu. “General, should we strengthen the patrols?”
After pondering for a moment, Ji Yuzhu said, “Double the number of patrols and double the number of men in each unit. Then send an elite squad into the surrounding forests. Capture those bandits as soon as possible.”
The night was pitch-black. With a faint click, the iron shackle around Chu Qing’s ankle finally sprang open.
His face lit up with wild joy. Every iron shackle on his body had finally been sawed through.
He was free at last?!
“Excellent!” A hoarse voice sounded beside him. “Young General, you’re free!”
The speaker was Li Feng, whom Chu Xiong had assigned to Chu Qing when he first entered the battlefield. He was considerably older than Chu Qing and a veteran of many battles.
Chu Qing suppressed his excitement and kept his voice steady. “Don’t celebrate yet. It isn’t time. You should all hurry and cut through your shackles as well.”
They had only two saw blades, which they took turns using. They could work only at night, and the iron shackles were thick and sturdy. The Ji clan’s people had welded the locks completely shut, so cutting them open was a huge undertaking.
They had managed it only because they had been eating their fill almost every day recently. Otherwise, they would not have had the strength to finish.
Li Feng grinned. “I only have half a foot left to cut through. Everything else is done. There’s no need to hurry.”
Most of the others had nearly finished as well.
Just then, Ye Shang and several others quietly approached with supplies. “Young General Chu, you’ve cut yours open?”
Chu Qing thanked him sincerely. “Thank you.”
Ye Shang was delighted for him. “If you want to thank anyone, thank my lord.”
Uncle Liu quietly wiped the corners of his eyes. Once he had composed himself, he handed them the bamboo tubes. “Eat quickly. You’ll need your strength to keep working.”
Ye Shang hesitated for a moment before saying, “The time isn’t right yet. I hope you can endure a little longer.”
This was no longer merely a matter of rescuing people. It now concerned his lord’s greater ambitions.
Therefore, apart from Uncle Liu, no one—including Chu Qing—knew about the tunnel they were digging.
When Ye Shang had asked Uncle Liu to keep it secret, the older man had agreed without much resistance.
He had originally been a soldier himself and understood that one careless mistake could ruin everything.
Although he did not know who Ye Shang’s master was, he understood perfectly that the other party was playing a game—a grand game involving the entire city of Wenxia, and perhaps even the whole of Chongzhou. In such a situation, one could never be too cautious.
Chu Qing immediately understood what Ye Shang meant. “Don’t worry. We’ve endured this long already, so waiting a little longer is nothing. Besides, we have food and drink now. Our situation is far more comfortable than it was before.”
Without a foolproof plan, he did not want to leave either. If they escaped, the Ji army might very well vent its fury on the civilians in the city.
For now, all they had to endure was the Ji army’s verbal humiliation during the day. With hope filling their hearts, those insults no longer affected them. Instead, they only fueled their determination.
Still, Chu Qing could not help asking, “Do you have some kind of plan?”
Ye Shang shook his head. “The time has not yet come. Be patient and wait. I’ll inform you in advance when it’s time to act.”
Chu Qing hesitated before voicing the concern in his heart. “Will your operation endanger the civilians in the city?”
Ye Shang smiled faintly. “My lord loves the people as dearly as his own children. He would never gamble with the lives of the civilians. You needn’t worry about that.”
He understood what Chu Qing meant.
Chu Qing was worried that their plan might plunge the people of the city into an irredeemable disaster.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. At last, Qu Zhao’s army entered Chongzhou.
The Grand Chanyu thanked Jiao Tai once again. “We’ll travel the rest of the way on our own. Please convey my gratitude to your Great Chanyu.”
Jiao Tai smiled as he looked toward the Ji army in the distance. “There’s no need to hurry. Why don’t you speak with them first?”
A cold glint flashed across the Grand Chanyu’s face, though his expression remained calm. “Heh. There’s no need.”
The corners of Jiao Tai’s lips lifted. He did not press the matter any further and led his men back, but he did not leave. Instead, they stopped a mile or two away to watch.
Ji Yuzhu frowned, but he had no choice. He mounted his horse and rode toward the Ji army.
Ji Yuzhu’s expression was grim. “Why have you brought your army into Chongzhou?”
Though this area belonged to Shouci Commandery, it was not far from Shangjing Commandery. That was why he had hurried over with his troops. If a fight truly broke out, the forces of both commanderies combined would certainly be enough to defeat Qu Zhao.
Beside Ji Yuzhu on horseback sat a middle-aged man—none other than Bi Tu, the military commander stationed in Shouci Commandery. He, too, had not expected Qu Zhao’s target to be Shouci Commandery.
Meng Su stretched his lips into a smile and glanced at Jiao Tai in the distance. “Why don’t we set up camp first, then discuss the matter?”
Ji Yuzhu’s eyes flickered when he saw where Meng Su was looking. “Very well.”
He was not afraid that Qu Zhao would dare play any tricks. This was Chongzhou, the territory of the Ji clan.
Seeing Qu Zhao and the Ji clan chatting amiably, Jiao Tai could not help frowning.
His deputy was equally baffled. “General, what are they trying to do?”
Jiao Tai shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s keep watching.”
They watched until the next day, when Qu Zhao’s army broke camp and prepared to leave. Just as Jiao Tai was debating whether to follow them, Ji Yuzhu rode over.
“General Jiao, beyond this point lies the territory of Chongzhou. Please stop here.”
Jiao Tai was not angered either. “If Qu Zhao can leave, why can’t my Jiao army?”
