mtl008 Chapter 96 Rebellious Officials of the Former Dynasty 28
Chapter 96 Rebellious Officials of the Former Dynasty 28
As night fell, Ling Yi licked the last crumbs of dry rations from her palm and said in a deep voice, "Mount up!"
She didn't look good at the moment. Her hair was covered in blood and dust from the long journey. Even her brand-new armor had knife marks on it. Her arms were wrapped in white cloth tinged with blood. These were the wounds inflicted by the barbarian archers. Although Ling Yi had dodged the fatal attack, she couldn't escape being injured.
Among the soldiers behind her, few were as good as her.
They looked like refugees, but only their eyes, nourished by blood and the dead, spoke of their ferocity.
They silently mounted their horses at their commander's order. The only sound in the five-hundred-man column was the clanging of armor, as silent as a vengeful ghost.
A campfire was lit in the barbarian's tent. The whole family sat around the campfire to eat, sing, and dance. The girls danced the dances passed down from their elders, and the mischievous children ran around the adults, causing laughter and scolding.
This harmonious scene was suddenly shattered by the sound of horses' hooves.
Ling Yi held a longbow in her hand, aimed at the tribal chief who rarely appeared to be enjoying himself with the people, and released the arrow!
The longbow made a sharp sound as it cut through the air before piercing the man's neck, spurting blood.
The smile on the woman's face beside him suddenly froze. Women and children screamed in terror. The men, skilled in herding horses and robbing, searched for suitable weapons, wanting to defeat these invaders who dared to kill their tribal chief.
But how can a heartless person overcome a willful one?
Lingyi's soldiers had been waiting and gathering their strength for three days.
Today, they will roast a fragrant lamb for their leader in this tribe!
The warhorses trampled through the wooden fence outside the camp and charged into the crowd.
All able-bodied men who could resist became victims of their blades. Women, the elderly, and children were driven to small corners, watching the massacre in terror, their eyes filled with hatred and fear.
But Ling Yi didn't care; they would only be more ruthless when they looted than they were today.
Faced with the victims' counterattack, the aggressor should pay any price.
After all the able-bodied men who could resist had been killed, and the camp was soaked in blood and turned into a muddy mess, Ling Yi rode her horse to the place where the women, the elderly, and the children were imprisoned.
She sat on her horse, looking down at them, and smiled: "He, he, she!"
She pointed to three people and said, "Drag them out."
The two people she was pointing at were two elegantly dressed elderly people, and one was a middle-aged woman in fine clothes whose face was barely covered with blood and mud.
Their clothing stood out from the worn-out clothes of those around them, and they were also slightly separated from others.
The three people, who thought they were hiding well, showed despair in their eyes when Ling Yi called them out.
"What is your identity?" Ling Yi asked, pointing at an old man with her riding whip.
The old man did not answer Ling Yi, but used his last bit of strength to lunge at her, his expression full of ferocity.
puff!
The next moment, his head flew high into the air and landed in the crowd, eliciting screams.
"What is your identity?" Ling Yi looked at the second old man and continued to ask casually.
The old man was still terrified by what had just happened, and when he heard Ling Yi ask him a question, he replied in broken Mandarin, "Your Excellency, I am... a priest."
Ling Yi's smile grew even warmer as she pointed to the corpse on the ground: "And what about him?"
“He is… the clan chief’s uncle.” The priest said with a forced smile, ignoring the hateful look in the eyes of the woman beside him.
"And what about her?" Ling Yi pointed to the woman whose eyes were filled with hatred and continued, "That is... the clan chief's wife."
"You're very obedient." Ling Yi nodded in satisfaction. "I'll give you a chance to live. Organize everyone into family units. I have some questions for you."
She paused, then continued, "Including slaves."
Although slavery had long since become a thing of the past in the Central Plains dynasties, it still existed far too often on this vast grassland.
Some of them were captured Chinese civilians, while others were prisoners of war from defeated tribes.
Unlike the ordinary people in these tribes, they do the most arduous and exhausting work and endure the most hardship, yet they can't even get enough to eat.
Every winter, a large number of these slaves who slept with cattle and sheep would die, and then be replaced in the war the following year.
Compared to the tribal people who harbor deep hatred for Lingyi because of the war, these are the people Lingyi wants to win over.
In the distance, the soldiers who had cleaned up the battlefield were already eating a whole roasted lamb that was slightly burnt by the campfire.
The food that never reached the mouths of the tribespeople became their midnight snack.
When Ling Yi returned, everyone stood up, their eyes filled with inexplicable reverence as they looked at her.
Ling Yi smiled and said, "Please sit down. No drinking today, but the meat is all you can eat!"
She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "After the meal, we'll search the tents!"
"The abduction and humiliation of women are not permitted. Any treasures found shall be confiscated and then distributed on the spot, with 30% given to everyone!"
Cheers suddenly erupted in the quiet camp, the soldiers' voices piercing the sky and the grasslands where they made their living by raiding and herding.
Standing within Tongcheng, Xiao Yao gazed longingly towards the grasslands, his back to her, a picture of loneliness.
Lu An stood behind him, holding a calming medicine: "Master, it's time to take your medicine."
Xiao Yao took the bitter medicine and drank it all in one gulp, then suddenly said, "I wonder how she is."
“Your Highness is blessed with good fortune and will naturally be alright.” Lu An carefully observed his expression and said, “Please rest assured, Your Highness, Her Highness should return to reunite with you in a few days.”
Xiao Yao smiled and said, "I know she's alright. I was just wondering if she could fulfill her wish of bringing back cattle and sheep from the grasslands to accompany her father-in-law's wine."
He never doubted Ling Yi's ability to protect herself; he just didn't know if she, leading troops for the first time, could get used to marching and if she would get sick.
Lu An was speechless for a moment before finally speaking: "Yes."
He had never seen the princess break her promise.
Seeing that the prince's face had become so thin and sunken, he spoke softly, "Your Highness, the officials from Tongcheng sent another invitation this afternoon requesting an audience."
Xiao Yao's expression remained completely calm as he said indifferently, "Am I not sick? Let them wait."
He paused, then asked, "How many of their people are in this mansion?"
"Of the fifty-six servants and maids, thirty-eight have clean backgrounds, and the rest are spies planted by various families." He paused, then added, "Those who are to be sent to your courtyard are all 'skinny horses' purchased from Jiangnan."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yao sneered.