253: Chapter 0253 The Quiet Valley

As soon as the main army left, Lin Xiao immediately discarded his Cheng Gaosheng persona and blended into the night.

After tampering with some of the defensive structures in Gucheng, Lin Xiao headed straight for Huanglong Prefecture.

The frontline camp of the Zhenbei Army was actually only a dozen miles away.

Lin Xiao didn't intentionally hide his presence. Using his lightness skill to soar through the air, he soon spotted the campfires.

Whiz!—

A sharp arrow pierced through the air!

Lin Xiao caught it easily with one hand and, with a leap, landed beside a startled archer.

“Not bad, Li Xu. You dare shoot an arrow at this general?”

The one lying in ambush was indeed the master archer, Li Xu!

“General Lin?!”

Li Xu was overjoyed. “Why are you here? I thought it was an assassin trying to sneak into the camp, so I...”

Lin Xiao waved his hand and smiled. “I'm not blaming you. You did well. This kind of strict vigilance is necessary.”

Having received validation, Li Xu showed a sincere, shy smile.

Lin Xiao made his way to the barracks where Mu Wanying was located.

It was still over an hour before dawn, and the woman was lying in bed resting.

As soon as Lin Xiao approached, Mu Wanying braced herself with one hand, flipped over, and suddenly drew a short blade, swinging it toward Lin Xiao's neck!

Upon seeing the man's mischievous grin, Mu Wanying gave a soft cry and hurriedly withdrew the blade.

Clang!

The blade was dropped to the floor.

“Husband!!”

Mu Wanying didn't care that they were in the barracks and rushed forward to hug the man.

She hadn't seen him for nearly a month. No matter how strong her resolve, her feelings of longing grew with each passing day.

Lin Xiao wrapped his arms around the woman's supple, lean waist and unceremoniously stole a kiss.

“Why is Husband here?”

Mu Wanying's beautiful eyes were hazy. “Weren't you in E Prefecture?”

“It was all to search for herbs to treat the plague. I originally planned to make a round through Sha Prefecture and Yong Province, but I didn't expect Prince Bai and Yan Shifeng to send me such a grand gift!”

Lin Xiao briefly explained the impending great battle.

“Now that Yan Shifeng is dead, Sha Prefecture will fall into chaos as soon as day breaks. We will directly take Gucheng, then seize Suide, and put pressure on Yong Province!”

“Husband killed Yan Shifeng? That's wonderful! That old thief should have died long ago! He was utterly devoid of conscience!”

Mu Wanying felt a wave of relief, but then a thought occurred to her, and she frowned.

“But Gucheng still has forty thousand Prefectural Army troops. We only have ten thousand here to guard the water source.”

“Even with Husband here, taking Gucheng would likely result in significant casualties. That wouldn't be worth it, would it?”

Lin Xiao smiled playfully. “Actually... Gucheng and the two neighboring counties combined only have ten thousand troops left. Moreover, their commander is gone, and they are owed back pay, so they have no fighting spirit at all.”

Hearing that her husband had stolen the military tally and forged military orders, Mu Wanying's bright eyes sparkled with admiration.

“Husband is always like this, able to do things ordinary people wouldn't dare imagine... Ever since I met you, I feel like all the military books I read before were for nothing.”

Of all the generals in the world, whose methods could be as unpredictable as her man's?

Heaven had truly been kind to her; after falling to rock bottom and becoming a bandit, she had actually encountered such a peerless husband in both literary and martial arts.

She had to cherish this hard-won happiness...

At this thought, Mu Wanying became even more moved, the tender affection in her eyes practically overflowing.

“Husband, the siege will have to wait until dawn... I know a deserted valley behind the main camp. It's very quiet.”

Lin Xiao was just worrying that there wasn't enough space here to maneuver; hearing this, he naturally had nothing more to say!

After many days of traveling, he indeed needed a release.

With their extraordinary movement techniques, the two left the camp and arrived at a river valley hundreds of feet below, about a mile away.

Freezing cold?

For experts of the Martial Arts Grandmaster level, that was called 'atmosphere'!

They relied on the rushing sound of the water to mask all their wildness...

When the sky began to turn the color of a fish's belly, the two returned to the camp together.

Mu Wanying deliberately circulated her inner power to dissipate the flush on her face, but the myriad charms in her expression couldn't be cleared away so easily.

After being apart for a while, he had become even more formidable...

“Wanying, I won't participate in the siege. I've already tampered with the gates of Gucheng; you should be able to ram them open easily.”

“For now, my whereabouts cannot be exposed because I have more important things to do.”

He didn't care about a small morsel like Gucheng; the big cake that was Qin Province was what he wanted to eat.

If he were exposed here, the deaths of Yan Shifeng and the Sha Prefecture elites would surely be linked to him.

His subsequent plans would be affected.

“Rest assured, Husband. I know what to do.”

Mu Wanying said with full confidence, “If Husband has helped me to this extent and I still can't take Sha Prefecture, then what face would I have to remain by your side?”

“Don't say that. Regardless of how you perform in battle, you are my beloved woman.”

Lin Xiao coaxed her with a few words, making Mu Wanying beam with joy and eyes full of tenderness again.

“By the way, there are two more very important things.”

Lin Xiao took out a bottle containing fifty Cephalosporin pills he had exchanged using his prestige and cultivation.

“These medicines are the divine cure for the plague. I can only entrust them to the person I trust most.”

Lin Xiao then gave detailed instructions on how to use them.

This time, Mu Wanying's expression became exceptionally serious.

Thinking that the medicine inside could save hundreds of innocent people, Mu Wanying felt a heavy responsibility.

“Don't worry, Husband. Once Gucheng is taken, I'll leave this place to General Zhao and personally return to Yangquan to deliver the medicine to Yaner.”

Lin Xiao nodded. Once the medicine was given to Leng Bingyan, she would naturally have a way to get it to Xiao Qingxuan.

Out of selfishness, he still hoped the people of Cang Province could use the medicine first.

“Additionally, have Su Wansha continue collecting equipment of yellow grade or higher for me. Anything will do, pills included. We can buy them at above-market prices.”

Lin Xiao felt it was better to have more prestige reserves for a rainy day.

“Understood!”

Mu Wanying didn't ask further, as this wasn't the first time Lin Xiao had done this.

After bidding farewell to Mu Wanying, Lin Xiao rode a warhorse and headed straight for Gan Province and Qin Province.

If Li Xu hadn't mentioned it, many soldiers of the Zhenbei Army wouldn't have believed that General Lin had briefly returned.

...

The Capital.

After the morning court session, a group of cabinet ministers urgently gathered in the Imperial Study.

“Rebel! Traitor!! Bringing calamity to the country and the people, a crime beyond forgiveness!!”

Emperor Hong slammed a document onto the floor in a rage, his face flushing red and then turning pale with anger.

Just this morning, due to poor communications, the memorials from Feng Yuzhang and Minister Liu Zongfu arrived together.

Only then did Emperor Hong learn that a plague had broken out in E Prefecture and Cang Province, and that it was highly likely Prince Bai had intentionally induced and spread it.

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The fact that Prince Bai has committed such an act against the laws of heaven precisely shows that he is at his wit's end!” the Minister of Revenue said.

“What do you mean? Am I supposed to be happy while watching my subjects suffer?!” Emperor Hong glared at him.

The Minister of Revenue hurriedly shook his head, sweating profusely.

“Your Majesty, I fear Prince Bai's actions have an ulterior motive...” Prime Minister Yang Gengzhong said with a frown.

“What do you mean, Prime Minister Yang?” Emperor Hong asked thoughtfully.

“No matter how cruel Prince Bai is, he should understand that if the plague ravages the land, there would be no point in seizing the north.”

“Therefore... I believe Prince Bai is spreading the plague solely to pin down Lin Xiao's Zhenbei Army.”

Hearing this, the faces of the several cabinet ministers present all changed drastically.

Just then, Zheng Yangwei's ears twitched, a look of gravity appearing in his eyes. He hurriedly walked to Emperor Hong's side and whispered.

“Your Majesty...”

Upon hearing the news, Emperor Hong took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

“Prime Minister Yang was right. Prince Bai's army of two hundred and fifty thousand has already passed through Gan Province and is heading straight for Qin Province!”

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