novelSusiti Chapter 63 The White Horse Chases for Three Miles—My Gun Is Still Hot
Chapter 63 The White Horse Chases for Three Miles—My Gun Is Still Hot
The army passed through Jiange on the second day.
The valley road was narrow. A procession of ten thousand men stretched out so far that no one could see the beginning or the end.
A mountain breeze swept in from the valley entrance. The March wind still carried a chill.
The banners were blown so hard they stuck to the poles and couldn't be unfurled.
Liu Shan was riding a horse. The armor was digging into his shoulders.
The Mingguang armor looks good. But it's not easy to wear.
Especially when riding a horse. The shoulder armor is pressing against the neck, making it difficult to turn the head.
But he didn't change it.
The emperor personally leads the expedition. What he wears is watched by tens of thousands of eyes.
Chen Dao rode his horse on the left.
His gaze swept across the mountain walls on both sides.
The sloping valley is flanked by cliffs on both sides, making it ideal for an ambush.
Cao Wei's outposts were still a hundred miles away.
But Chen Dao couldn't change his habits.
At noon, the army rested in an open area in the valley.
Liu Shan dismounted. His legs were a little numb. He had been riding all morning.
We didn't set up the tent. We just sat on a rock by the roadside.
Dong Yun handed over the water pouch. Liu Shan took a sip.
"Zhou Fu".
"As usual. The hidden bag is still there. I boiled water with the cook this morning. Nothing unusual."
Liu Shan nodded. He didn't ask any more questions.
Wei Yan's second military report has arrived. The bamboo tube is intact, with the sealing wax still intact.
"The vanguard has already passed San Pass. Jiang Wei led a thousand cavalry to block the eastern pass. The garrison at San Pass numbered three hundred. Without a fight, they abandoned the pass and fled."
Turn it over.
"From Chencang direction, scouts report: the garrison commander is Hao Zhao, with approximately two thousand troops. The city walls have been fortified; it won't be easy to attack."
Liu Shan carefully put the bamboo tube away.
Chencang. Hao Zhao.
This man is renowned for his city defense. The city walls have been fortified. He has two thousand soldiers. Even a direct assault with three thousand cavalry couldn't break through.
But a surprise attack is not the same as a full-scale assault.
Liu Shan pulled a strip of silk from his sleeve and wrote a line.
"Surround them without attacking. Cut off their water supply. Wait for the central army to arrive."
Seal it. Give it to Chen Dao's men. Use a clandestine method. It should reach Wei Yan in half a day.
-
At 1-3 PM, the army resumed its march.
They had traveled for less than half an hour when news came from the rear.
"Someone is catching up."
Liu Shan did not turn around.
"A few people."
"One rider. Two riders followed behind."
"What flag?"
The messenger paused for a moment.
"No flag. But—"
His voice sounded a little strange.
"Riding a white horse."
Liu Shan's hand stopped on the reins.
White horse.
Throughout the entire Shu Han state, there was only one general riding a white horse.
-
Liu Shan reined in his horse and turned around.
The rear army made way for them.
Three horses came from the rear of the procession. The first one was white, without any other color. A person was riding on it.
Silver armor. No helmet. White hair tied back. Back ramrod straight.
He held the reins in his left hand and a gun in his right.
A bright silver spear. The tassel is newly replaced. It's red. It flutters in the wind.
Zhao Yun.
Zhao Yun at the age of seventy.
I fell seriously ill last winter. The imperial physician said I wouldn't survive until spring.
Liu Shan sent people to search for three months, from Jingzhou to Jiaozhou. They found an old doctor surnamed Wu, who was said to be a disciple of Hua Tuo.
It was sent to Zhao Yun's residence during the first month of the lunar calendar.
There has been no news for a month.
In early February, a message circulated from Zhao Yun's residence: "The old general got out of bed today."
Liu Shan kept quiet. He didn't tell anyone.
On the day of the expedition, Zhao Yun did not appear at the training ground.
Liu Shan thought he still needed to be cared for.
I didn't expect them to catch up.
Three hundred li. From Chengdu to the Xiegu Pass.
Seventy years old. He rode for three hundred li.
-
Zhao Yun reined in his horse ten paces in front of Liu Shan.
He dismounted. His movements were a beat slower than the younger man's, but steady.
He knelt on one knee. A gun was held horizontally in front of him.
"Your subject Zhao Yun requests permission to accompany Your Majesty."
His voice was hoarse, but he had plenty of breath.
Liu Shan remained silent. He stared at him for three breaths.
Zhao Yun's face had thinned. His cheekbones were more prominent. His eye sockets were deeper. But his eyes still shone.
Just like seven years ago at Yong'an Palace.
Liu Shan was seventeen years old that year. He cried uncontrollably. Zhao Yun stood outside the mourning hall, not sleeping a wink all night.
Seven years have passed.
"General Zilong," Liu Shan said.
"The imperial physician said you need at least three more months of rest."
Zhao Yun looked up.
"My gun is not cold yet."
Six characters.
Liu Shan's hand tightened on the reins for a moment, then loosened.
The surrounding soldiers all stopped. A force of ten thousand men. Everyone was looking.
A white horse and a silver spear. The man who charged in and out of Changban Slope seven times. Everyone in the Shu Han army recognized him.
Liu Shan reached out his hand.
"stand up."
Zhao Yun grasped that hand. He stood up.
Liu Shan did not loosen his grip. He held on for two breaths.
"My central army is lacking a commander to hold the line."
Zhao Yun narrowed his eyes.
"Chen Dao is in charge of the Imperial Guard. You are in charge of the entire army."
Zhao Yun did not refuse.
"Your subject obeys."
-
That night, they set up camp.
Central command tent.
Zhao Yun sat opposite Liu Shan. His armor was off, revealing only a thin garment underneath. He was thin, but his frame was still intact.
Liu Shan poured him a bowl of hot soup.
"Are you really alright?"
Zhao Yunduan picked up the bowl and took a sip.
"Old Master Wu's acupuncture skills are ten times better than those of the people in the Imperial Medical Academy."
He paused for a moment.
"I have been bedridden for two months. Every day I hear the bugle call from the drill ground. I can't sleep."
Liu Shan did not respond.
Zhao Yun put the bowl down.
"On the day His Majesty set off on the expedition, I stood at the gate of the palace to watch."
"You saw it?"
"I see it. Armor. Horse. Sword." Zhao Yun's gaze fell on the sword at Liu Shan's waist. "The late emperor's sword."
"Um."
Zhao Yun remained silent for three breaths.
"When I was in Yong'an Palace, the late Emperor held my hand and said something."
Liu Shan waited.
He said, "Zilong, Chan'er is still young. You should keep a close eye on him."
The tent remained quiet for five breaths.
"I have observed this for seven years," Zhao Yun said, looking up. "Today I understand."
Liu Shan tapped his knee with his finger.
"What do you understand?"
Zhao Yun stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the curtain. Torches blazed outside. White Feather Soldiers patrolled the camp. Bugle calls echoed in the distance.
"The late emperor was right."
The curtain fell. Zhao Yun turned around.
"My life is enough to fight for another ten years."
-
Footsteps outside the tent curtain.
Chen came in.
Upon seeing Zhao Yun, he paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"General Zhao."
Zhao Yun nodded. "Uncle has arrived."
The two stared at each other for a moment. Chen Dao's lips twitched. He didn't smile. But there was something in his eyes.
—Chen Dao turned to Liu Shan.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the front!"
Bamboo tube. Not Wei Yan's.
The sealing wax is stamped with the characters "Qishan". It belongs to Zhuge Liang.
Liu Shan pulled it away.
A single line of text on the silk strip.
"Guo Huai, the governor of Yongzhou under Cao Wei, urgently reported to Luoyang. Sima Yi already knew that His Majesty was personally leading the expedition. He immediately mobilized 30,000 troops to advance westward."
Liu Shan placed the silk strip on the table.
Zhao Yun leaned over and took a look.
"They're here."
Liu Shan tapped his finger twice on the edge of the table.
Sima Yi. 30,000. Advance westward.
He knew I had arrived.
it is good.
"Zilong".
"Your subject is here."
"Starting tomorrow, the central army's marching speed will be doubled. They will reach Mei County within three days."
Zhao Yun accepted the order and left the tent.
Only Liu Shan and Chen Dao remained inside the tent.
Chen Dao handed over another piece of silk.
"Zhou Fu. Today's hidden bag check. Still there."
Liu Shan placed the silk strip on top of Sima Yi's military report.
Two layers.
The first floor houses an army of 30,000.
Each layer contains a single aconite root.
They're all coming for him.
The wind outside the tent was picking up. The night wind in the Xiegu Pass was colder than during the day.
Liu Shan lay down. A dagger was pressed under his pillow.
I thought of something before I closed my eyes.
Sima Yi mobilized 30,000 troops. This shows he panicked.
It's good that you're panicking.
[End of Chapter]