SFS Chapter 108 Smoke of War
Chapter 108 Smoke of War
Le'an led his soldiers to inspect the epidemic prevention work in various districts of Yancheng. When they encountered stubborn and uncooperative people, he would reveal his royal identity and reason with them. The soldiers behind him would bar their teeth and brandish their knives, and for a while everyone became very understanding.
Just as Le'an was preparing to head to her next destination with satisfaction, she suddenly heard someone calling her name.
"Princess of the County".
Le'an turned around, nodded and said, "Don't worry about it. I haven't thanked you for your generous donation of medicinal herbs yet."
"It's just a small amount of money, Your Highness need not worry about it." Mo Qi bowed to Le An. "I've come to bid farewell to Your Highness."
Le An nodded, "Then I won't keep you any longer. I wish Manager Mo a safe journey and that the business prospers."
After saying that, he led his soldiers to continue patrolling the next block. Seeing that Mo Qi was still looking, the attendant leaned closer and whispered, "Master seems to be paying special attention to this county princess?"
"It's just that I haven't seen the royal spirit in a long time, and I never expected to see it in a young woman. It's just a bit of a feeling."
The attendant hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Master, it's time to set off; we've already been delayed for too long."
Mo Qi withdrew his gaze. "Let's go."
Meanwhile, Shen Qing was bored at the post station. The roadblock ahead was still in effect, and he didn't know what the situation was like in Yancheng or whether they had followed his plan.
Even if there are cases, it will take some time to manage them. For safety reasons, the military will also close the official roads for a period of time to prevent the spread of infection.
Time will tell. During the waiting period, Shen Qing resumed her regular training routine.
He realized that he was still too inexperienced. He could deal with some weaklings without any problem, but he couldn't defeat many elite monsters like Zhen E.
People's physical constitutions cannot be compared. Indigenous people may not have external advantages, but they may have natural advantages!
He became arrogant after being a master in Yuguo a few times, and started to underestimate the heroes of the world. If he continues with this mentality, he'll be dead in no time if he encounters a gifted and lucky person.
Shen Qing brandished his knife in the courtyard, and the flowers, plants, trees, and stones suffered a terrible fate. An hour later, Shen Qing, drenched in sweat, finished his stance with a flourish of his knife, not very satisfied with his progress.
Damn it, I've hit a bottleneck!
The system hasn't been very efficient lately. Before he can get a higher-level martial arts technique, he needs to at least master the Vermilion Bird Mad Blade in his hand. Otherwise, he feels very insecure.
Just then, a gasp of surprise came from ahead.
Shen Qing's alarm blared, and he rushed out to check, only to find a guard standing motionless.
"what happened?"
Seeing his expression, Shen Qing was even worried that he had been killed like in a suspense drama, so she nervously patted him.
Fortunately, he was overthinking it. The guard pointed in a direction and said in a trembling voice, "Smoke signal!"
Shen Qing didn't react for a moment, but subconsciously looked in the direction he pointed. Thick smoke billowed straight into the sky. Was it on fire?
No, it's a signal fire!
Is it really that unlucky? An enemy is attacking, and war is about to break out?
The ball was in the air, and he could see it from a distance, so it must not be far. With war in front and plague behind, they were caught in the middle. They were really unlucky!
The border town had watchtowers set up every five miles, and soon one after another they were lit, and soon the smoke signals could be seen in Yancheng as well.
Mu Qi looked seriously toward Yiyang Pass. Which country has invaded?
Is it Yasukuni or Keikoku?
Shen Che was also thinking about this problem. He picked up a twig and drew circles on the ground. Qi Kingdom had no reason to do this. Mobilizing troops was no small matter. They had just returned from Qi Kingdom. It was impossible for them to be completely unaware.
Furthermore, if they were truly from Qi Kingdom, how could they have returned unharmed?
Could it be the Jing Kingdom? Has Emperor Jing gone mad?
Although Jingguo is wealthy and can be said to have good weather compared to other countries, its territory is less than a quarter of Xuanguo's and it has no natural defenses. The fact that no one attacks it amidst the encirclement of six countries is a result of the mutual checks and balances among them.
As for the Northern Desert... Shen Che tapped a circle. Although the territory of the Northern Desert is not far from here, if they were to attack, they would start from the west.
It is worth mentioning that although Beimo has the word "Bei" in its name, it is not the northernmost country. Xuanguo is. Beimo was a regime established by northern desert tribes that invaded the Han Chinese.
"Lord Shaoqing, what should we do next?"
Shen Che stared at the simple map on the ground, pondered for a moment, and realized that the road back to Xuandu was blocked. If he forced his way through, he would inevitably pass through the plague-stricken area, which was too risky.
If we stay put, who knows if Yiyang Pass can be defended? If it falls, the entire mission will be wiped out along with them.
After all, if it were truly the Jing Kingdom, it would probably have allied with other countries; otherwise, how could it dare to do so without any support?
Finally, Shen Che made a decision, pointed southeast, and said, "Let's go to Pingshan Pass!"
This area is a military town guarded by the Marquis of Yongyi. The two families have a history, so it's a good place to lay low for a while.
Shen Qing looked at it and felt quite complicated. "Brother, the place you chose isn't safe either!"
According to his previous analysis, the Marquis of Yongyi and his heir might run into trouble soon, which would mean problems on the southeastern border.
But he couldn't say it. He sighed helplessly and comforted himself, saying that among the three evils, he should choose the lesser one. The disasters of Yancheng and Yiyang Pass were in the present tense, while the disasters of Pingshan Pass were in the future tense.
Although unpredictable events are terrifying, if they are lucky, the epidemic in Yancheng can be resolved as soon as possible, and they can leave without being caught up in the chaos.
Thinking this way, he didn't raise any objections, mainly because he couldn't give any reason to object.
Thus, the mission immediately set off and changed direction, heading towards Pingshan Pass.
The delegation members hurried on their way with nervousness and unease, fearing that the fall of Yiyang Pass would affect them. Shen Qing felt doubly uneasy.
Sometimes knowing too much is a problem, but what's even more troublesome is not knowing enough!
He only knew that something might happen at Pingshan Pass, but he didn't know the specific time or the specific circumstances, so he didn't know how to take precautions.
Well, let's take it one step at a time. As the saying goes, there's always a way out. He can gather intelligence on-site when he gets to Pingshan Pass and maybe he can figure it out.
Damn it! This cheat ability is so useless! He still has to do the detective work and deduction himself!
Just as the delegation was making its way to Pingshan Pass, Mu Qi was also preparing to set off from Yancheng to support Yiyang Pass.
The plague control in Yancheng is progressing smoothly and there are no major issues left. The troops brought by Jiang Se and Que De are sufficient to maintain order.
Another day passed, and Mu Qi met up with the garrison commander Guan He at Yiyang Pass. It was indeed the Jing Kingdom, but fortunately, their offensive was not too fierce.
Mu Qi frowned. Were they joking around?
Since the war was not pressing, they still had time to chat. When the topic of the plague in Yancheng came up, Mu Qi casually mentioned the righteous merchant Mo Qi and asked him if he had successfully delivered the medicinal materials to Yiyang Pass.
"No caravan of this name has entered the city."
How could that be? There's only one road from Yancheng to Yiyang Pass. Could it be that their destination isn't Yiyang Pass at all?