Later that night, the battle flags flapped fiercely in the bitter cold wind, and the seemingly thin Military tents were stationed as if they could be overturned at any moment by the storm.
From inside a Southern Yan Kingdom’s Military tent, a melodious flute sound came out, as if it was telling a secret hidden at the bottom of a hundred feet of ice. Then, suddenly, dense cracks started to appear on the ice surface, and the flute sound suddenly stopped.
At that moment, Yan HeQing frowned, taking the jade flute from his lips and held it in his hands. Examining it carefully, cautiously and lovingly as the curtain of the tent was lifted. A middle aged man, dressed in a Military battle robe, walked in with his hands down. With a beard adorning his face, and an awe-inspiring aura, his face also resembled Yan HeQing’s, but this man’s face was also weather-beaten, and his eyes were filled with the vicissitudes of the human world.
Yan HeQing quickly half-covered the jade flute with his sleeve and stood up to respectfully say: “Uncle.”
Looking at Yan HeQing, Xue Yan said in a deep tone of voice: “The recent successive victories in the war have been hard on you, take an early rest and nurture your strength.”
Yan Heqing replied: “Thank you, Uncle.”
Xue Yan patted Yan HeQing on the shoulder, and his eyes fell on the jade flute in his hand. Xue Yan scrowled and his eyes became severe: “HeQing, think about your deceased parents, think of the people and soldiers of the Southern Yan Kingdom. Don’t forget your family and Country’s hatred.”
Yan HeQing looked down, the hand holding the flute gradually clenched: “HeQing understands.”
When Xue Yan looked at Yan HeQing, his gaze had three parts of love, and seven parts of severity.
Just like to every parent, a child is still a child to them. Even if they’re already established, formed a family, and have solved everything on their own.
Xue Yan felt exactly that for Yan HeQing.
Xue Yan remembered a time from when Yan HeQing was still a child. While the other Princes of the Southern Yan Kingdom were squabbling, trying to gain the favor of their parents, the Emperor and Empress, Yan Heqing was the only one among them that, while holding a Military book of war, came to him and asked: “Uncle, this land is divided into fours Kingdoms, eventually, that will lead to a turmoil. Does the Southern Yan Kingdom have the Military power to fight against it?”
At that time, the youth’s eyes were like stars, shining at the Nine Heavens1, and the dawn of life under the vast sky.
Xue Yan had long known that Yan HeQing was extraordinary. He knew that the Southern Yan Kingdom would have a different kind of glory in Yan HeQing’s hands. However, he never expected that the Southern Yan Kingdom would also experience a disaster that nearly destroyed the Country.
The Northern Kingdom’s Southern expedition almost slaughtered the entire Royal Yan Family, and the land was also divided up by the Eastern Wu Kingdom, by robbing the owner while his house was on fire2. Xue Yan, after enduring thousands of hardships, finally managed to rescue Yan HeQing from the Northern Kingdom.
He was once a teenager in the tribulation of losing all his youthfulness and innocence. And hidden in the deep of his eyes, was a hateful rage. That was what Xue Yan wanted to see from Yan HeQing, a will that was strong enough to shake heaven and earth.
But now, that anger seemed to be mixed with other emotions, like a clear spring in the yellow sand, like a narrow boat in the vast sea, like a faint hope in a desperate situation. However, that kind of sentiment can only arouse a deeper despair inside the heart.
That hint of emotions was extremely well hidden by Yan HeQing, leaving Xue Yan having an unknown guess.
Xue Yan looked at the jade flute in Yan HeQing’s hand, a series of questions rolling back and forth on his throat and lips. But in the end, he didn’t ask. He just nodded his head with a wooden face and turned around ready to leave the Military tent, when suddenly, a soldier appeared to report from outside the tent.
“Reporting!!! General Xue, Yan-huangzi, a sneak attack by the Northern Kingdom troops has been spotted in the West!.”
“What?” Xue Yan frowned, “Now? How many soldiers?”
“Answering to General Xue, the snowstorm is too strong to see clearly, but there should be about ten thousand by the sound!”
Xue Yan nodded: “I didn’t expect that they still had such energy. Very well, since they don’t have the strength to oppose us, we’ll wipe them out in one fell swoop. HeQing, you’ll lead the troops to resist the enemy.”
Yan HeQing nodded and stood up, placing the jade flute into the wooden box and putting it away. Then he turned around and accidentally touched the Military book by the table, which then fell on the ground, the front side turned upwards. On the other side, the word “rations” was written on it. This appeared to be a coincidence, however, it was an act of the Heavens.
Yan HeQing reached out and picked up the Military book. Suddenly, his heart felt as if it was being clunched hard. He took two deep breaths, looked at the Military Book with the word “Rations” written in front of it, and raised his eyes asking the General and soldiers: “Where’s the granary located in our barracks?”
“Answering to Huangzi, it’s located in the East.”
Yan HeQing stretched out his hand and slowly closed the Military book. His deep, dark eyes flashed with an inch of ruthlessness and clarity.
…
“General Nie, the enemy hasn’t come out to fight.”
Hearing this report from his subordinates, Nie Er’s face turned blue as he started to scold: “Damn it! Are they all fucking bastards? We’re in front of your barracks, and you’re still not coming out? Wimpy thieves!!”
Although his curses were strong, Nie Er’s heart was feeling uneasy precisely because the enemy, the Southern Yan Kingdom, didn’t come out to meet them. If he didn’t make any moves, he wouldn’t be able to distract the troops attention. After all, the robbery of the rations was an extremely dangerous task!
Nie Er’s adam apple rolled up and down, as he held the horse’s reins tightly. His forehead was dripping with sweat, even on this freezing cold day: “We will make the first move.”
“General Nie?! There are only a thousand of us!” The Soldiers stared at him, their eyes overflowing with incredulity.
Giving up the first step in this specific battle means that there’s no possibility of getting back up and escaping.
However, if they don’t attract their attention, this battle may fail altogether. And then, when the Southern Yan Kingdom attacks the front line barracks in a single stroke, how will the hungry soldiers of the Northern Kingdom fight? Once the gate of the barracks is broken, the Northern Kingdom’s borders would have to surrender, and its territory will only be trampled all over!
Nie Er took a deep breath, the blowing wind was as sharp as a knife, as he screamed: “Attack!”
Right at that moment, Yan HeQing was standing in front of the barracks. He was dressed in a white feathered crown of silver armor, with a heart protection mirror in front of his chest, his long sword was at his hip, calm and steady. He looked at the dust rising from the horse’s hooves coming from the distance, then he turned his head and asked his deputy General, “Has General Xue led his troops to the storage area?”
The deputy General reported3 in a loud voice: “Yes!”
Yan HeQing’s lips slowly hooked up into a cold smile as he turned his horse around and coldy said to his deputy General: “Very well, I’m going to meet them head on. You lead the troops to cut off the back roads.”
The two armies soon confronted each other. However, the Northern Kingdom only had a thousand soldiers, how could they be able to defeat the Southern Yan Kingdom’s troops of tens of thousands of Elite Soldiers?
After a few rounds, Nie Er was overturned by Yan HeQing, who stepped on him the same way Nie Er stepped on Yan HeQing before. Then Yan HeQing didn’t hesitate to cut off Nie Er’s left arm with his sword.
Nie Er covered his wounded cut off arm and howled miserably. His voice was almost distorted due to the heavy pain, and as he laughed, he also started to curse: “Yan HeQing, you hated it right? You really hated the torture I gave you when you when you were brought to the Northern Kingdom? That’s right, you’re able to take revenge now, but don’t ever forget that you did become a dog of the Northern Kingdom. No, you’re still a dog of the Northern Kingdom….”
Before he could finish his speech, Yan HeQing raised his sword and expressionlessly slashed his throat. Nie Er could no longer make a single sound, his throat wound was bleeding with every inhalation he took. The view was extremely horrifying. His body was being stepped on by Yan HeQing, just like if he was a dog, crawling on the ground and twisting his body.
Nie Er struggled to raise his head and look towards the East, it seemed that he wanted to know whether Li Wuding was doing well. However, he wasn’t able to see anything in the distance. The Heavens and the earth were vast, and the only thing he gazed upon was the white freezing snow. Gradually, his eyes darkened, indicating that the shared hatred the Countries had, once again, grown deeper between them.
The first appearence of YHQ’s uncle!! What do y’all think of him?(；゜○゜)ᵒᵐᵍᵎᵎᵎ
Also, the protagonist halo is scary………(fear)‘`( ꒪Д꒪),､
Footnotes
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