webnovelvip Chapter 378 Han Zhong's Choice: He Chose the Northern Border?
Chapter 378 Han Zhong's Choice: He Chose the Northern Border?
Zhao Qingxue recalled how she had thought her plans were meticulous and flawless in the Li Yang Imperial Palace, believing that as long as she formed an alliance with the Northern Border, she could restrain the Great Qin.
Looking back now, those plans, those schemes, those strategies that he and Zhang Julu discussed late into the night—Qin Mu may have seen them all from the very beginning.
He knew everything, but he didn't say anything. He watched her like she was watching a play, watching her busy herself and how she thought she was clever.
A self-deprecating smile curved her lips.
Jiang Zhaoyue knelt beside Qin Mu's legs, her hands never stopping massaging his legs, but the same emotions surged in her heart.
She recalled her days in Tingxuexuan in the Northern Border, how Xu Longxiang would bring her news from the outside world every time he came, and how she thought she had hidden herself well and that no one knew she was a spy sent by the Northern Border.
But Qin Mu knew from the very beginning that he knew everything.
He knew she was a pawn, knew her purpose in entering the palace, and knew every moment she hesitated, struggled, and wanted to send a message but then held back.
He just didn't say anything, like watching a lost child, waiting for her to find her way on her own.
Her eyes stung a little, not from feeling wronged, but from a sense of relief as if she had survived a disaster.
I'm glad I chose the right path, and glad I'm standing behind him, not on the other side.
Qin Mu turned around, his gaze sweeping over the three women's faces, the smile on his lips deepening. "Let's go, let's go see the Moon Goddess Sect. I can't wait to see the Moon Goddess and Xu Longxiang meet."
He strode out of the private room, his moon-white robe fluttering gently in the morning breeze.
The three women followed behind him. Zhao Qingxue carried the Frost Moon Sword, Yun Luan placed her hand on the hilt, and Jiang Zhaoyue quickly followed.
The sound of four footsteps echoed softly on the wooden stairs, like four leaves blown down by the same gust of wind.
Meanwhile, dust filled the air on the official road.
Two fine horses galloped past one after the other, their hooves pounding the yellow earth and raising clouds of dust.
Xu Longxiang lay prone on horseback, his dark cloak billowing behind him like a flag torn by the wind.
His face was covered in dust, his lips were chapped, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes still shone brightly, like two flames that had been blown by the wind for too long but had not been extinguished.
Fan Li followed behind him, his dark blue scholar's robe covered in dust, the cuffs frayed.
His horse was a full length slower than Xu Longxiang's, but it never fell behind.
His back was still ramrod straight, but his thin face was etched with exhaustion.
From the north to the southwest, it's a journey of thousands of miles.
They changed six horses in total, each one running until it was foaming at the mouth before changing it.
Upon seeing the northern border pass, the people at the post station dared not delay, preparing horses, filling water bags, and packing dry rations in advance.
They didn't dismount or rest; they even ate dry rations on horseback.
Finally, at sunset, Xu Longxiang reined in the horses.
In the distance, a continuous stretch of camps appeared on the horizon.
Banners fluttered in the twilight, and the camps stretched as far as the eye could see.
Smoke rose from the tents, dispersed by the evening breeze, like a thin layer of gray gauze.
The armor gleamed a dark red in the setting sun, and patrolling soldiers moved around the camp like ants.
Xu Longxiang exhaled a long, slow breath, as if a stone that had been pressing on his chest for a long time had finally been removed.
A slight smile played on his lips, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.
We rode at breakneck speed, traveling day and night, and finally made it!
He didn't rush over.
He dismounted, threw the reins to a postman by the roadside, and pulled Fan Li to a grove of trees beside the official road.
His movements were top secret; he couldn't be seen by ordinary people, and even less could Han Zhong's soldiers know that the Crown Prince of the Northern Border had been here.
With so many people around, if word gets out and reaches Qin Mu's ears, everything will be over!
"Mr. Fan," he lowered his voice, "I'll have to trouble you to sneak into the barracks and bring Han Zhong out."
Fan Li clasped his hands and bowed. "Your Highness, please rest assured."
He straightened up, straightened his robes, took off the jade pendant from his waist and stuffed it into his sleeve, then removed the jade crown from his head and put on an ordinary cloth headband.
His demeanor instantly transformed from that of a refined scholar into that of an unassuming accountant.
He nodded to Xu Longxiang, then turned and walked towards the camp, his pace neither hurried nor slow, as if he were taking a stroll, as if he were on his way, or as if he were just passing by.
He suppressed his aura as a first-grade Celestial Phenomenon Realm cultivator to the lowest level, so low that even the stray dogs on the roadside didn't look up at him.
His figure faded into the twilight, like a drop of ink falling into deep water, silently blending into the sprawling camp.
Xu Longxiang stood at the edge of the woods, gazing in the direction where Fan Li had disappeared, his hands behind his back, his fingers slowly clenching.
As dusk deepened, the last vestiges of orange-red on the horizon were being swallowed by the deep blue.
One by one, the lights in the camp came on, like eyes opening up.
He stood there, motionless, like a stone statue forgotten in the wilderness, waiting for the man who would decide his fate to emerge from his tent.
As dusk settled, the lights in the camp lit up one by one.
Fan Li's figure emerged silently from the shadows of the tent, followed by a middle-aged general.
The general was in his forties, with a robust build, a square face, and a short beard.
He wore black iron armor, a long sword at his waist, and walked with steady steps, each step firmly planted on the ground.
His brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of confusion lingered in his eyes. He clearly didn't understand why anyone would dare to invite him out of the heavily guarded military camp.
Han Zhong.
General Zhennan was ordered to lead 50,000 elite troops to attack Han Zhong of the Moon Goddess Cult.
He followed Fan Li through the side gate of the camp, bypassed the patrolling soldiers, and entered the dark forest.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
He saw a man—a man in a dark black python robe, with a white jade belt around his waist, standing with his hands behind his back, his back straight like a drawn sword.
Han Zhong paused for a moment.
His brow furrowed even more, his confusion turning into astonishment, and then into an indescribable complexity.
He recognized that figure from behind; he recognized it all too well.
"General Han, it's been many years." Xu Longxiang turned around, the moonlight shining on his face, making his thin, dusty face exceptionally clear.
A faint smile played on his lips, a smile that was neither too deep nor too shallow, just right.
Han Zhong looked at him and remained silent for a moment.
His face showed no surprise, only some astonishment.
The fact that the Crown Prince of the North appeared on the southwestern border, just as the imperial army was about to launch a campaign against the Moon Goddess Cult, was unusual in itself.
But he didn't ask "What are you doing here?" because he already knew the answer.
"Your Highness," Han Zhong clasped his hands in greeting, his voice deep and steady, "How have you been?"
Xu Longxiang looked at him, offering no pleasantries, no reminiscing, not even bothering with formalities. "General Han, I'll get straight to the point. You cannot wipe out the Moon Goddess Sect!"
Han Zhong slowly loosened his grip on the hilt of the knife, then slowly tightened it again.
His brows furrowed into a deep "川" shape, his gaze fixed on Xu Longxiang's face, as if to confirm whether he was talking nonsense.
"Your Highness, I have been ordered to suppress the rebels. Fifty thousand troops have arrived, provisions are ready, and the arrows are on the bowstring." His voice was deep, as if forced from his chest. "You order me not to suppress them? How can I explain this to the court? How can I explain this to His Majesty?!"
Xu Longxiang did not back down and met his gaze. "General Han, the Northern Border and the Moon Goddess Sect have formed an alliance. The Moon Goddess Sect is holding back the Qin forces in the southwest, while the Northern Border is advancing south from the north. With a pincer attack, the great undertaking can be accomplished!"
Han Zhong's pupils contracted slightly.
He remained silent for a long time, so long that the moonlight moved from the treetops to the trunks, so long that the second lights-out signal came from the distant camp.
"Your Highness," he began, his voice lower than before, "His Majesty's prestige is at its zenith. He has annexed Li Yang, married the Empress, and the hearts of the people are with him. Although I am a military general, I know the general trend of the times. At this time, I cannot rebel."
Xu Longxiang wasn't angry; instead, his voice became even softer, as soft as a petal falling onto water. "General Han, back at Yanmen Pass, your father and my father fought side-by-side, drank blood wine, and swore a solemn oath. The Han family and the Xu family are bound together by life and death. These words were spoken by your father to my father, and they are also spoken by you to me. Have you forgotten?"
Han Zhong's fingers gripped the knife handle tightly, his knuckles turning white.
His lips parted slightly, then closed, then parted again, then closed again.
The words rolled around in his throat countless times before finally being squeezed out. "I haven't forgotten."
Xu Longxiang stepped forward, and the moonlight cast his shadow on Han Zhong, enveloping him in darkness.
"Do you remember when you were training in the Northern Army, one night you had a high fever and were unconscious? I braved the heavy snow, riding thirty miles to the town to fetch a doctor for you. The snow was so heavy that night that you couldn't see the road. My horse fell off, so I ran on foot. When I got to the town, my boots were full of snow water, and my toes were frozen black. The doctor said that if I had arrived half an hour later, you wouldn't have survived!"
Han Zhong's eyes reddened.
Of course he remembers.
He was twenty years old that year, and while training in the Northern Army, he caught a cold and had a persistent high fever.
Xu Longxiang rode his horse to fetch a doctor, but on the way back, the horse fell off. He carried the doctor on his back and walked back to the military camp, his boots worn out and his toes frostbitten and blackened. It took several months to recover.
He remembered this kindness for twenty years.
"Your Highness," his voice was hoarse, trembling slightly, "what do you want me to do?"
Xu Longxiang looked him into the eyes and said, slowly and deliberately, "I don't need you to rebel. I just need you to turn a blind eye. I'll have the main force of the Moon Goddess Sect withdraw ahead of time. Once you get there, raid a few empty camps, capture a few henchmen, and go back to report."
Han Zhong fell silent.
He lowered his head, looking at his hands that had held swords for half his life.
Those hands were trembling slightly, like two withered leaves being blown by the wind.
He knew he shouldn't agree; it was a crime of deceiving the emperor, punishable by the extermination of his entire family!
But he couldn't refuse.
He owes Xu Longxiang a life, and his father owes the Xu family a blood oath. The bond between the Han family and the Xu family started from the previous generation, and it's not something he can sever just like that.
He raised his head, a resolute glint in his eyes. "Your Highness, I can agree to your request. But I have one condition."
Xu Longxiang looked at him. "You speak."
"This is the only time." Han Zhong's voice was deep, each word sounding as if it had been carved from stone. "After this, the Han family and the Xu family will be even."
Xu Longxiang was silent for a moment.
The moonlight shone on his face, making his deep brown eyes appear exceptionally clear.
His lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded.
"Okay. We're even."
Han Zhong let out a long breath, a heavy and sluggish one, as if a stone he had carried for twenty years had finally been unloaded, but instead of becoming lighter, it became even heavier.
He clasped his hands and bowed. "We will find a way to get the main force of the Moon Goddess Cult to withdraw. Your Highness, please rest assured."
Xu Longxiang nodded, his smile deepening. "General Han is a man of great principle; I will remember him forever."
Han Zhong straightened up, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the camp.
His steps were heavy, each one feeling like he was stepping on a knife's edge.
The moonlight cast his shadow on the ground, long and dark, like a tree bent over by the wind.
Fan Li emerged from the shadows and stood beside Xu Longxiang.
His gaze lingered on the receding figure, his brow furrowed slightly. "Your Highness, is he trustworthy?"
Xu Longxiang gazed in the direction Han Zhong had disappeared, the smile on his lips slowly fading. "He promised, and he will definitely keep his word. The Han family keeps their word."
He turned and walked out of the woods. "Let's go see the Moon Goddess."