abcnovels
Chapter 323 - 323: Take It Back
Chapter 323 - 323: Take It Back
Chapter 323: Take It Back
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Before the smug thoughts could finish running through their minds, the stealthy Xiongnu soldiers fell into traps one after another. In order not to attract the attention of the Great Xia army, they specially held back their screams. Immediately, their faces turned red and their veins bulged. General Mengel, who was leading the army, looked around nervously and was relieved to see that they did not alarm the Great Xia army.
As expected, this group of pampered people in the pass had long relaxed because of their previous victory. If they were not resting now, they were definitely celebrating.
Heh, did they really think that their Xiongnu had retreated and Great Xia had won?
After pulling them out of the pit, they continued forward in the dark. Then, they encountered tripping ropes, hidden crossbows, and bows one after another. From swallowing their anger at the beginning to being exasperated later on, they gritted their teeth and chose to change their route.
There were two paths outside Great Xia’s city. The other was a sand field, but because there was no cover, everything on the way could be seen clearly, so it was not taken into consideration by Xiongnu. Now that he thought about it, it seemed like the Great Xia army had expected that they would choose flat ground, so they specially set up a trap early.
Hmph, the solution was dead, but people were alive. Couldn’t they change places?
At the thought of this, the Xiongnu soldiers silently moved to the sand field under the cover of the night.
What they did not know was that at this moment, on the seemingly empty roof of the city, Rong Yan was leading a group of soldiers who were crouching and watching Xiongnu’s every move from the spyhole.
The deputy generals were filled with righteous indignation. “Damn it, these barbarians are simply shameless to the extreme! They’re using sneak attacks repeatedly! These bastards!”
Although they were angry, no one ran down the city tower impulsively. Everyone focused on watching the movements of the Xiongnu soldiers. When they stepped into a certain range, they subconsciously held their breaths.
The Xiongnu people lived in the sand field all year round and were very sensitive to the ground under their feet. The moment they walked into the sand field, they knew that this was just ordinary barren soil. Hence, when everyone suddenly felt their feet sink, they did not react to what had happened.
At this moment, shouts suddenly came from behind the Xiongnu soldiers and arrows kept falling. Everyone panicked and fell into the quicksand that should not have appeared here.
“T-this is impossible! What exactly is going on?”
On the city tower, the deputy generals also looked at Rong Yan, only to see him smile gently. “An old friend taught me.”
The deputy generals looked at the captured Xiongnu soldiers and felt that the Third Prince’s old friend was really a talent.
Strictly speaking, there was a difference between man-made quicksand and real quicksand. However, Xiongnu was in a panic and could not react for a moment or break free. In a battle, whoever took the initiative first would win 30%.
Relying on this advantage, half of the night raiders were captured, and the remaining half were either dead or fleeing.
Rong Yan still said the same thing. Don’t chase after a desperate enemy. There will be plenty of opportunities to catch them all in the future. There’s no hurry.
After arranging for the captives to be taken in, he let the soldiers continue to take turns to rest. He returned to his residence and took out a locked wooden box.
The box was filled with letters. He took out one and read it carefully—
“… Basically, let’s do this with the simple version of quicksand. Although it’s not as powerful as the naturally formed ones, it’s still enough to scare people for a while. Wouldn’t they be at the mercy of others if their legs were bound? Also, I saw this when I was reading the gourmet records of the western regions of the country. In order to pick spices, people will wear such special shoes to walk in the sand field. This way, even if they unfortunately encounter real quicksand, they won’t sink immediately. As long as they have enough time to save themselves, the quicksand might not be so terrifying. Also, bring along a piece of rope. Not only can it be useful at such a time, but it can also provide first aid when one is injured. I heard this from Doctor Gongsun. It can’t be explained in words. I drew a picture for you…”
Rong Yan seemed to be able to hear the crisp female voice nagging beside his ear. It was not easy to communicate with letters at the border, especially when he fought with the Xiongnu. It was already very rare for him to receive Xiaoxiao’s letter once a month.
“Others say romantic things, but this girl…”
Yun Er, who was tidying up at the side, secretly looked at Master’s expression and gritted his teeth.
If she’s not romantic, why are you smiling so gently?
He had just made the bed when he heard Rong Yan mutter softly, “It’s almost time for you to turn 15, right? You can get engaged after you turn 15…”
Yun Er:… Master, my ears are quite good. Do you want to consider reciting it in your heart?
However, after silently complaining, he couldn’t help but laugh. It was good to have someone who cared about Master and missed him.
“I heard that the food that’s going to be sent to the border this time was received from near Xijiang County.”
Rong Yan put the letter away and hummed softly. He sounded quite calm, but the smile on his lips was too wide.
Unfortunately, there were too few opportunities to laugh easily here because there were too many things to worry about, such as the captives who had just been captured.
“Your Highness, the Xiongnu is causing trouble again!”
It was usual for Xiaoxiao to send letters these few days, so Rong Yan was originally in a good mood. However, his expression instantly darkened when he saw the Xiongnu people being watched shouting, “Great Xia is abusing captives”.
“Captives?”
The Xiongnu knew that this thin young man was the most powerful person in Great Xia’s army, so they turned their attention to him. “That’s right. How can you treat captives like this? Look at what these are!” With that, they waved the food in their hands.
They did not know if it was intentional, but a bowl of soup happened to be spilled on Rong Yan’s clothes.
Rong Yan looked down. The conditions were harsh, and the chef could not even bear to add oil when cooking, so there were only some water stains left after shaking these dishes.
Yun Er wanted to wipe him clean, but he was interrupted by Rong Yan with a wave of his hand. He walked step by step to the person who threw the food just now and kicked him to the ground. While he was exclaiming, Rong Yan picked up the food mixed with sand on the ground and stuffed it into the Xiongnu’s mouth.
After stuffing the food into his mouth, Rong Yan covered the Xiongnu’s mouth with all his might and slapped his chest with his other hand, forcing him to swallow everything in his mouth before letting go.
The Xiongnu regained his freedom and wanted to vomit from this rough treatment. Before he could vomit, he saw the handsome young master standing at the side with his arms crossed. He said to the soldiers beside him, “After he vomited, stuff it back.”
This tone instantly made Xiongnu mellow down. From the looks of it, this person did not seem to be joking.
Rong Yan looked around and said, “They don’t look hungry. Their next meal will be halved. If they don’t eat again, there’s no need to prepare anything in the future. After all, we have the final say in the number of captives.”
He looked like a refined young master, but why did he act like a living King of Hell?
If not for the fact that he still needed to use them to exchange for the Great Xia soldiers, would he really kill them?