Chapter 88
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This is because they were afraid of hunger.
When locusts ravaged the land and famine spread, food became the most valuable commodity, and the most reassuring rock. General Xue saw the plight of the disaster victims, saw the situation of the soldiers in the northern frontier, and felt bitter and uncomfortable.
Two months ago, when he entered the disaster area with provisions, he saw locusts covering the sky and emaciated bodies of famine victims on the ground. What is h*ll? Without seeing it with one’s own eyes, no one could imagine what h*ll on earth looked like.
When people are extremely hungry, they lose their rationality. They can eat anything—trees, grass, even the soil under their feet mixed with water—but this soil, if eaten too much, will lead to death. When there is nothing left to eat, the last resort is cannibalism.
The horrific scenes were indescribable in words. In the reports General Xue sent to the Emperor, only the words “famine spread” were written.
In the areas where the locust plague broke out the earliest and was most severe, women, children, and thin men were not only hungry themselves, but also constantly feared being eaten by others. They feared that their wives and crying children would become someone else’s food.
Even the most intelligent scholars would be stunned and unable to pick up a pen when faced with such scenes. General Xue wanted to describe the severity of the disaster area one by one, but what could he describe? Everything was severe, and after everything was severe, there was nothing specific enough to write about.
When the urgent report was sent by fast horse to the capital, General Xue was still worried whether the article he wrote could clearly convey the severity of the locust plague in the north, whether the court would take it seriously, and whether it would send a large amount of rice and grain.
It wasn’t until he saw the endless supply of food laid out before him that he finally felt at ease.
One of the things a general was most grateful for was that when fighting on the front lines, the Emperor in the rear trusted him and gave full support. This was difficult to achieve, not as simple as it sounded, but the current Emperor had achieved it.
The old general was very excited. After seeing Xue Yuan, who was leading the way, he laughed heartily, “My son, you’re a bit slow in coming!”
When Xue Yuan’s face was revealed, the soldiers who had long been stationed in the northern frontier exclaimed, “Xue Jiayao!”
“Xue Jiayao has actually returned?!”
Xue Yuan, sitting on his horse, looked down at General Xue and smirked, “General Xue, it’s been a few months since we last met, and you look much older.”
He dismounted and walked to General Xue’s side, saluting respectfully, and said loudly, “I am Xue Yuan, under the command of the Emperor, tasked with delivering grain and fodder. Please review, General.”
General Xue couldn’t help but smile, “Of course.”
He patted Xue Yuan’s shoulder, and his eyes became slightly moist for a moment, “The Emperor actually sent you to deliver grain and fodder. The Emperor really values you.”
Xue Yuan grinned, “Of course.”
General Xue chatted with Xue Yuan and a few other generals for a while, then went to inspect the quantity of food. Even though Xue Yuan led the team, General Xue was fair and impartial. After the inspection was completed, they were all shocked by the total amount of food.
“Can we even finish eating all of this by the new year?”
With so much food and tens of thousands of soldiers delivering it, General Xue thought it was extraordinary. He was about to call Xue Yuan over to ask some questions, but he was informed that Xue Yuan had already taken some generals to inspect himself.
General Xue’s eyes widened, angrily cursing, then stopped pondering. “Unload the food from the carts, and leave everything else aside. Let everyone have a full meal first!”
***
After Xue Yuan finished cleaning up and came out of the room, he smelled the fragrance of food wafting everywhere.
He wiped the water off his face, looked around at the smoke rising everywhere, and leisurely walked around the camp. The newly arrived soldiers had heard of Xue Yuan’s reputation for suppressing bandits, and the soldiers who had previously been stationed in the north knew the famous name of Xue Yuan, so when he went out for a walk, many people in the army knew that Xue Jiayao had returned.
Xue Yuan’s reputation was truly resounding among the soldiers in the northern frontier, and many of them had followed him into battle before. Occasionally, when Xue Yuan passed by them, they would respectfully say, “Young General.”
During the period when Lu Feng was in power, Xue Yuan’s achievements were suppressed by General Xue. Even after the Emperor took power, due to General Xue’s caution and concern, he did not understand the current Emperor’s temperament, so he did not receive any credit for Xue Yuan. When Xue Yuan was stationed at the border, he naturally did not hold the position of a general. But when others called him that way, he would just accept it openly and naturally.
Now, hearing such a familiar title, Xue Yuan immediately thought of Gu Yuanbai, suddenly feeling fortunate that Gu Yuanbai didn’t know about this.
Otherwise, that heartless guy would definitely suspect him of having ulterior motives.
Xue Yuan deliberately ignored his ambitious thoughts of wanting to climb higher, and casually walked into General Xue’s tent. Just as the meal was served, General Xue stopped his discussion with several other generals and asked him to sit down and eat together.
At the dining table, General Xue couldn’t express his loyalty to the Emperor, so he could only keep asking Xue Yuan, “How is the Emperor doing now?”
When Xue Yuan heard this, a shadow appeared in his eyes, “I haven’t seen him for over a month. How could I know.”
General Xue didn’t understand why his mood suddenly turned sour, “Then how was the Emperor when you left?”
“His face was as soft as the clouds in the sky,” Xue Yuan paused with his chopsticks, not knowing what he was thinking, “he’s still thin, almost just skin and bones.”
General Xue didn’t understand the first half of the sentence, “What do you mean by ‘his face was as soft as the clouds in the sky’?”
Xue Yuan didn’t hear his voice, he was completely absorbed in his thoughts, his bones tingling with a ticklish sensation, “When it was his birthday, I wasn’t there. In the past, when he got sick, he would feel weak when standing on the white jade tiles by the hot spring pool, and could only be carried by others. Now that I’m gone, who else can carry him?”
“Not necessarily,” he suddenly said with a chilling smile. “I went to Jinghunan for a month, and when I came back, I found that he looked even healthier.”
“With so many people around him, anyone can cover, can’t they?”
General Xue, completely confused, said, “Xue Yuan, I’m asking you about the emperor’s health!”
Xue Yuan came to his senses, glanced at him, and lowered his eyebrows impatiently, “He’s doing fine, no need for your concern.”
“How could I not be concerned!” General Xue angrily exclaimed, “The Emperor cares for me so much, trusts both you and me so much, how could I, without any feelings or loyalty, not care about the Emperor’s well-being?”
Xue Yuan replied, “I’m looking after him.”
General Xue was taken aback, his anger dissipating in an instant, replaced by a cheerful demeanor, “Alright, alright, my son, never forget this loyal heart. As servants, this is how we should be.”
Xue Yuan touched his heart and smirked, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes, “Well, this loyal heart seems to be beating pretty fast.”
***
During these days, the nomadic tribe that had been at odds with the border soldiers was one of the eight tribes of the Khitans, led by a chieftain named Rilian.
The arrival of Xue Yuan with troops and supplies to the northern frontier was significant. When the scouts sent by Rilian’s tribe saw this, they hurried back to the tribe and informed the chieftain about the situation, including the dispatch of troops by Great Heng, the Emperor.
Upon hearing this, Rilian’s face darkened. He furrowed his brows and asked, “How many people did Emperor Great Heng send?”
The scout replied solemnly, “There are at least tens of thousands!”
Rilian gasped, then asked, “Have you seen who’s leading them?”
“They had scouts on the lookout, and we couldn’t get too close,” the scout explained, “although we didn’t see who was leading the troops, it seemed like the main commander was a young man.”
Rilian breathed a sigh of relief and laughed heartily, “It seems like the Great Heng court has run out of capable generals, leaving only youngsters, huh? Hahaha! That old fox Xue Ping is getting old. Does the court think sending a young man will suffice? Don’t worry, with a commander who’s still wet behind the ears like this, for every one they send, I’ll kill one! I’ll scare those greenhorns so much they’ll wet their pants as soon as they see me!”
His subordinates burst into laughter along with him.
After laughing, Rilian’s face turned greedy when he thought of the continuous supply of food mentioned by the scouts. “Our horses haven’t had a decent meal in ages. How much meat have our warriors eaten from cows and sheep over these days? Do you still remember the taste of Great Heng women and their food?”
His subordinates looked fierce, “Chieftain, we’ve been pushed back by Xue Ping several times. Now that a young man has come, perhaps someone who has never set foot on the battlefield or fought against us before, breaking through from him will surely deal a heavy blow to that old fox!”
Rilian’s eyes gleamed with killing intent. “You’re right. This time, we must come back with interest.”
One of his subordinates spoke up, “Not only that, chieftain. The current chief of the Khitans is on his deathbed. If we can accomplish something significant before the chief dies, the next chief of the Khitans might be you.”
Upon hearing this, Rilian’s heart stirred.
Indeed, at this moment, with the current chief on the brink of death, if the news of a young commander sent by the Great Heng court is known to the other chieftains, they will surely launch raids on the Great Heng people to seize credit. Rilian is the first to know this news, and he is closest. Isn’t this the opportunity bestowed upon him by the heavens?
Xue Ping has been on high alert, but now, a big loophole has appeared in his defenses. If Rilian doesn’t take advantage of this opportunity, he will regret it even if he dies.
Kill, they must kill!
They must let these new recruits know the cruelty of the world and show this young general leading them what a nightmare truly is!
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