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The light autumn rain brought a sense of gloom, and the military camp was muddy and unbearable in smell. Hou Polu had no intention of going outside.
His tent was laid with dry felt, and the air inside was filled with the scent of sweat. He sat there, drenched in sweat, drinking sheep's milk wine, while behind him lay a plump woman with snow-white skin. Her cheeks and neck still bore a lingering flush, and her fish-like body trembled lightly.
The woman had a brand on her arm, clearly taken from the Military Slave Camp. She resembled Caesar to a large extent, but her black pupils detracted from her beauty.
Hou Polu wiped the wine stains from his lips, and suddenly two flames of jealous anger ignited in his vacant eyes. Gripping the sheep's milk wine pouch tightly, he muttered fiercely to himself, "Damn Xu Zhen! Damn Li Family Kid! One day, I Hou Polu will make you taste the bitter fruit of my brewing!"
He was not an impatient man. Although Caesar exuded mature charm and was an exotic Barbarian Woman enough to drive men crazy, Hou Polu had indulged in many women; he simply wanted to humiliate Xu Zhen by ravaging Caesar!
Thinking of this, his jealousy transformed into endless lust. His lower abdomen heated up as he dragged the moaning Caesar "substitute" to the edge of the bed. Looking at the Female Slave's smooth white back with its astonishing curve, his eyes suddenly lit up!
Just as he was about to take action, urgent shouts came from outside the tent: "Report! Urgent report!"
"Dog slave! Get in here!" Hou Polu slapped the Female Slave's peach-like bottom. She burrowed under the covers, while Hou Polu grabbed a green shirt from beside the bed and threw it on. He saw a scout rush in wearing casual clothes; it was one of those he had sent to track Xu Zhen!
The scout bowed deeply, not daring to look directly at the scene inside the tent. Using the simplest words, he reported what he had seen and heard. Hou Polu was suddenly overjoyed and ordered someone to quickly inform Captain Zhang Shenzhi to gather troops while he donned his armor, preparing to take down this small force from the Tuguhun!
He never expected to hit upon such luck; heaven seemed to favor him. Initially intending to gather evidence against Xu Zhen and Li Deqian for their misconduct, he instead discovered that Murong Clan was launching a surprise attack on the mine camp—a tremendous stroke of fortune!
The Tuguhun was not a monolith; various tribes harbored their own agendas. Open conflicts and covert struggles were common occurrences. The Murong Clan, where Murong Xiao belonged, was a descendant of the Xianbei Murong family from Liaodong and one of the founders of the Tuguhun, occupying most of the ruling class's territory. The remaining Qiang and Kangju people were somewhat weaker, while remnants of Western Turkic often stirred trouble after joining.
Murong Xiao, as a descendant of the Royal Family, was naturally fierce and brave. Although merely a Colonel Murong Xiao, he commanded not only regular troops but also gathered many Western Liang bandits who frequently raided Tang's borders and were quite notorious in Liangzhou.
Hou Polu was overjoyed; if he could truly capture Murong Xiao, he would be able to advance further and become a powerful Captain or even more. He originally intended only to gain some merit at the grassroots level; after achieving military success, with just one word from his father Duke Chen Guo, Hou Junji, he could be reassigned back to the Ministry of War and enjoy life in Chang'an!
Zhang Shenzhi appeared to be Duke of En Zhang Liang's adopted son but was essentially just a servant without any real power or martial skills. He had spent years honing his tongue through singing but now felt nervous at the prospect of actually leading troops into battle.
Fortunately, Hou Polu arrived in time. As the saying goes, a tiger from a military family, Hou Junji was among the meritorious officials. He had fought in many battles during his early years and was one of the greatest generals of his time. Influenced by him since childhood, Hou Polu was not weak either. The officers, including the quartermaster, looked up to him. With his troops already prepared, Hou Polu immediately gathered five hundred light cavalry and marched out of the camp.
With a great battle imminent, the commander Li Jing had yet to enter the camp, so everyone maintained discipline. However, the Barbarians were unreasonable, frequently raiding and causing conflicts of various sizes. Over time, these minor skirmishes became tacitly accepted as long as they could win; losing would naturally lead to accountability.
Hou Polu sent five men to monitor Xu Zhen and Li Deqian, receiving very detailed military intelligence. The Murong Clan's cavalry numbered at most three hundred, but they were well-prepared for a surprise attack, making it far too easy to flatten a mining camp.
However, Murong Xiao did not expect the Tang people to be so resolute as to drive all the Miner Slaves out of the camp. Although the unarmed and weak Miner Slaves posed little threat, the soldiers from Chen Wang's unit hid behind them and launched cold arrows, which put pressure on the Murong Clan's cavalry.
Murong Xiao had suffered a setback in his last mission, with only himself remaining from thirty-eight riders. His reputation in the army was already tarnished. After much effort convincing his superiors, he managed to bring back Moya and her kin but lost a crucial Female Assassin named Caesar.
The Tuguhun was ultimately a nomadic tribe lacking resources like wrought iron. Now that autumn had arrived and winter was approaching, they continued to take risks and raid the border. After scouts reported on this mining area, Murong Xiao finally found an opportunity to redeem himself. This time he led three hundred cavalry to clear out the mining area and reclaim resources and slave horses!
However, he did not anticipate that although this was only a shallow sulfur mine, there were still considerable garrison forces present. To prevent a rebellion from the Miner Slaves, they were well-equipped. After an initial period of chaos, Chen Wang's troops managed to withstand the Murong Clan's charge!
This was Murong Xiao's golden opportunity to prove himself; if he failed again, even being a descendant of the royal family would not save him from disgrace. What he did not expect was that just as both sides were locked in combat, a fresh force of Tang light cavalry surrounded them from the side!
These light cavalry wore standard leather armor and unleashed a wave of arrows that took down a large number of Murong Clan cavalry—over thirty riders fell at first glance!
Hou Polu led the charge at the forefront, wielding his spear with his father's spirit evident in his actions. After the front-line cavalry shot their arrows, the rear light cavalry brandished their gleaming sabers as their iron hooves thundered against the ground. In almost an instant, they crashed into Murong Xiao's formation; the sounds of armor breaking echoed continuously amidst cries of anguish and screams that were unbearable to hear. Blood sprayed high into the air as death enveloped the entire unit, mingled with scents of blood and excrement!
Murong Xiao was furious and charged forward on horseback, swinging his curved blade down fiercely. A personal guard beside Hou Polu was struck down from his horse by Murong Xiao's blow. With a fierce cry, Murong Xiao engaged Hou Polu in battle!
Meanwhile, during the chaos in the mining area, Xu Zhen and her companions halted in their secret passageway because Zhang Jiunian, who had been confident in orchestrating their plans, suddenly discovered that the latter half of their secret passage had been blocked by fallen rocks!
They had excavated this passage six months ago but had refrained from checking it frequently to avoid suspicion. They never expected that loose rocks would seal their way; no wonder it had become increasingly hot along their journey—the flames of their torches were dimming because the passage was blocked!
Zhang Jiunian and his brothers only brought the Obsidian Blade, leaving all other tools behind. It was clearly unwise to go back for them now, and with just their bare hands, they found it impossible to move the massive boulder.
A few of them relied on their strength, attempting to push the boulder with their shoulders, but it remained completely unmoved. They panted heavily, ultimately defeated.
The Xu Zhen initially believed that Zhang Jiunian would succeed, but when things changed unexpectedly, she felt a deep disappointment and asked, "Is there any other way out?"
Zhang Jiunian shook his head, and his brothers sat down dejectedly on the ground. The Black Man, who had previously threatened the Xu Zhen, kicked at the boulder in frustration but soon slumped down in despair.
The Xu Zhen moved closer to the boulder and coldly kicked the Black Man, saying indifferently, "Get away from me; let me take a closer look."
The Black Man was about to get up to retaliate but noticed the seriousness in the Xu Zhen's expression. He turned to Zhang Jiunian for confirmation. After receiving a slight nod from him, the Black Man cursed under his breath and stood up.
The Xu Zhen examined the round stone closely and began to feel suspicious. She called over Li Deqian, and they both scrutinized it carefully while whispering to each other. Zhang Jiunian felt a sense of alertness and brought over a torch. He then heard the Xu Zhen say, "This stone is not naturally formed; it has been carved by human hands... If that's the case..."
Zhang Jiunian's heart jolted as he followed her gaze upward along the secret passage. Indeed, he spotted a small gap above the boulder; it had rolled down from above and collapsed the passage!
"Dig it out for me!"
The Xu Zhen and Li Deqian wisely stepped aside as the Black Man and two others approached. They began to pry off the debris atop the boulder with their bare hands. Before long, they revealed a smooth stone slab underneath.
Although there were gaps and notches between the slab and the boulder, at its widest point, it was only about the size of two fists. The irregular notches made it impossible to squeeze through; however, through the torchlight, they could see that there was a considerable space above the boulder!
"This is highly likely to be the Sealing Stone of a Tomb..." This conclusion was reached after discussion between Li Deqian and the Xu Zhen. The evidence directly suggested that there might be a Tomb above this secret passage!
However, this stone slab was thick; relying solely on human strength would not be enough to break it or widen the gap. Escaping from above would not be an easy task.
The group of Black Men fell into despair again, but the Xu Zhen looked up at the stone slab, stroked her chin in contemplation, and murmured to herself, "Perhaps I can give it a try..."
Zhang Jiunian's attention had been drawn to the Xu Zhen. This young man always exuded an extraordinary calmness and depth. So when he saw the Xu Zhen place her hand on the flying knife belt, Zhang Jiunian quickly illuminated her with the torch.
"Don't be nervous. At this point, I still want to save some energy to escape. I wouldn't be foolish enough to fight you head-on," the Xu Zhen reassured Zhang Jiunian calmly. After a pause, she smiled mysteriously and said to Zhang Jiunian, "I have a way to leave here, but before that, I want to share my thoughts with you."
Zhang Jiunian remained silent as the Xu Zhen continued, "I know you are vassals of Zhang Yungu and that you are not simple characters. You pride yourself on your intelligence and have likely considered your future. You should be very clear that by taking this young master of the Li Guogong family hostage, you have escaped this predicament. But what about afterward? Will you live as outlaws, wandering in the wilderness, unable to find peace?"
The Xu Zhen's words indeed sparked contemplation among them. They had thought that even becoming bandits would be better than being slaves here.
But that's how people are; when better choices are presented before you, you realize that the decision you made earlier was not the best one.
Because what followed was a better option offered by the Xu Zhen.
"I am a genuine Royal Guard Commander and have some connections in the military. Otherwise, the young master of the Li Guogong family wouldn't be traveling with me. I believe Brother Jiunian understands this well. I can help you escape from slavery and join my team. Perhaps it won't be much different from living on the edge of danger as bandits, but at least you'll have a legitimate status. Moreover, with war approaching and relying on your skills and courage, wouldn't it be easy for you to achieve fame on the battlefield?"
Zhang Jiunian and his brothers fell silent.
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