freenovelworld Chapter 116 Swift and Decisive Measures
Chapter 116 Swift and Decisive Measures
“Fairy, I am a hunter from the mountains… I encountered… Tartars…” The man said, pointing southwest, “They would kill me as soon as they saw me… I fell down the ravine and escaped…”
"Tartars? Rongdi people?" Ma Zheng was shocked: "How is that possible? They couldn't have crossed the mountains to come here."
"I understand. Save your energy." Shen Li said, handing a bottle of medicine to Zhu Zi: "I'm leaving the person to you. This is for external wounds. After the bleeding stops, take him to the city for treatment."
Upon hearing this, Peony took out a silver note and handed it over without saying a word.
“But the matter is urgent, this…” Zhu Zi hesitated.
"I'll handle it. The sky won't fall down." Shen Li stood up and walked towards the top of the valley, heading southwest.
“This is the right place.” Ma Zheng climbed up and easily found the bloodstains, also worried that the hunter might be confused and have misremembered the direction.
"Let's go." Shen Li also smelled the blood.
"Are there only three of us going?" Ma Zheng thought about the knife wound on the hunter's body, and his heart was in his throat as he watched Shen Li stride forward.
There are three people, and two of them are not good at fighting. He doesn't even want to think about what would happen if they encountered each other.
"Just scouting ahead, we won't take any action," Shen Li replied.
“But if we’re discovered, our lives will be in danger, and who knows how many people will be affected?” Ma Zheng said anxiously, “Madam, please let me go alone.”
That way, even if he encounters danger, it will be easier for him to escape on his own.
Even if he couldn't escape, he could just consider it as sacrificing himself for the country. But if he failed to protect this lady, how could he live up to the Duke's appreciation and cultivation?
"I understand Lord Baihu's good intentions, but the current situation endangers the entire Northern Territory. Hesitation will only cause us to miss the best opportunity." Shen Liyu adjusted her tone and said solemnly, "Since you have come with me, just follow my orders."
"Yes." Upon hearing this, Ma Zheng felt ashamed. Compared to Madam Gu's concern for the country and its people, he was really petty.
After Shen Li finished reprimanding him, she felt much quieter and could hear the surrounding sounds clearly again.
She has preferred quiet since childhood because her six senses are much stronger than those of ordinary people. She would feel uncomfortable and suffer hearing loss in noisy environments.
“Miss, why don’t you ask the hunter how many people are ahead? We could be prepared, right?” Peony lowered her voice.
"Since you have questions, why didn't you ask them just now?" Shen Li's tone softened considerably.
“Miss must have her reasons for not asking. I know my place and won’t interrupt,” Peony replied with considerable pride.
Shen Li laughed, and after a long while replied, "If the army could climb the mountain, the Rong and Di tribes would have already used this place as a granary. Why would they have waited until now?"
"Didn't they come over the mountain?" Ma Zheng was also very curious.
"How many out of ten people do you think would survive if they crossed the mountain?" Shen Li countered.
"There's probably not even one. The mountain roads are rugged and remote, and there are many wild beasts, so it's very difficult to supply food." He said, realizing he had figured it out himself.
"That's right, it couldn't be a large army. The most likely scenario is that they came in disguised as merchants. During this season, many Rongdi people come to trade furs, so it's quite possible they hid some."
"But it won't be a small amount. Let's go take a look." Shen Li was quite satisfied with his reaction.
The three of them moved quickly, and by the middle of the night they had crossed three low mountain peaks, and Shen Li could faintly hear the sounds.
“Madam Gu, please be careful. There should be snake dens around here.” Ma Zheng noticed the slight indentation in the soil. “Although they are hibernating, it’s best not to disturb them.”
“Okay, go and catch it,” Shen Li said to him.
"Huh?" Ma Zheng was stunned. That thing was highly poisonous.
“He wouldn’t dare, let’s go.” Shen Li led Shaoyao toward the depression, while Shaoyao deftly took a bag of dry food containing flatbread from her waist.
Before Ma Zheng could even stop her, he saw Shen Li pull a dagger out of her boot and start digging into the dent.
He gasped. Was this really the talented woman raised by the rumored scholarly family? She didn't look delicate at all; her audacity was simply outrageous.
Shen Li could dig out a large clump of soil with each stroke, and soon a patch of emerald green was revealed on the dark ground, the color of which was especially vivid under the moonlight.
Bamboo Leaf Green!
Ma Zheng wanted Shen Li to stop, but she easily lifted the hibernating snake out with one hand. Before either of them could react, the cloth bag containing the snake was already open, and the snake was thrown inside.
"Go ahead and start a small fire to wake it up." Shen Li looked at the dirt in her hands, still with a hint of disgust.
She wouldn't touch these things if she weren't in a hurry; she's going to wash her hands properly by the river later.
"Miss, when should we start the fire?" Peony didn't understand what was going on, but she insisted on doing it and asked questions when she didn't understand.
"No rush, let's climb this hill and take a look." Shen Li pointed to the small hill in front of them.
The three of them quietly climbed up, and when Shaoyao and Ma Zheng saw the scene below, their eyes widened in surprise.
Below was a fire, groups of people sleeping on furs, and another group drinking together. Because of the distance, it was impossible to hear what they were saying, but it was clear that there were hundreds of people. Judging from their hair and clothing, they were Rongdi people.
Shen Li finally smiled and instructed Ma Zheng, "Go down and dig a hole to start a fire."
"Yes." Ma Zheng didn't ask why anymore; he now inexplicably trusted this Mrs. Gu.
She seemed to know there were people down below, but how could she know when there were no fireworks at such a distance?
And how did she find the hunter who fell down?
Unable to understand, he simply stopped thinking about it and began to do as instructed.
They dug a hole, found some dry grass, lit it, and put the snake on a hot stone. Soon the bag started moving.
"Wait here for me, I'll go ask about the situation." Shen Li took the bag and immediately pointed at Ma Zheng: "Don't try to persuade me, just follow orders."
Ma Zheng then shut up.
Peony, however, was a little anxious. "Ask? Who should I ask? Will they even tell me?"
"Wait for me to come back." Shen Li gave Shaoyao a reassuring look.
After her young mistress had walked away, Peony asked, "Brother Ma, do you think we could fight a hundred of them if a conflict broke out?"
Ma Zheng smiled without any real smile and shrugged.
The Rong and Di people were all strong and robust, and even on the battlefield, they couldn't achieve a one-for-one exchange of casualties. How could the three of them possibly fight a hundred?
To be precise, he could take on a hundred people by himself; such a feat is unimaginable.
"I hope things go well for you, Miss." Peony wasn't sure either.
The two climbed up the small hill again, and watched as Shen Li circled around to a secluded spot before descending the hill.
These people stopped by the stream. Shen Li walked to one side of the stream and washed her hands there.
A short while later, a burly man who had been drinking stumbled to his feet, picked up his wine bag, and left the group, heading in the direction of Shen Li.
Peony found it amazing: "How did you know someone would go by, Miss?"
“People who drink alcohol will inevitably urinate, and they will naturally choose the downstream side of the river to urinate.” Ma Zheng still has some common sense about the wild.
But he wondered how Shen Li knew.
The drunkard had just left the crowd when he stood under a tree to relieve himself. As he pulled up his pants and was about to leave, he suddenly heard what sounded like a woman sobbing in the distance.
The sound was very pleasant. The burly man's heart stirred, and he walked toward the direction of the crying. After walking only a few dozen steps, he saw a woman sitting at the foot of the mountain. Although she had her back to him, he could still tell that she was slender and beautiful.
He licked his lips, sobering up a bit. He had seen many women from the Central Plains, and one with this figure must be exceptional. He had really struck gold today.
He strode forward and pounced on the figure from behind, not caring who she was, he just wanted to have his fun first.
Upon hearing the voice, Shen Li immediately turned her head, then feigned surprise and dodged away, her dark eyes filled with terror: "You...who are you?"
The burly man was stunned when he saw Shen Li's clean face. He had guessed that the girl was nice, but he hadn't expected her to be so beautiful.
This is a huge profit.
"Who...who are you?" the burly man asked in broken Mandarin.
Shen Li didn't say anything, and turned to run into the bushes.
"Come back." The burly man immediately gave chase: "You...you can't escape."
He soon realized who couldn't escape. As soon as he entered the bushes, he felt a blur before his eyes and a hand grabbed his chin. Then, an extremely bitter pill rolled down his throat.
"Wh...what medicine?" He realized he had fallen for a trap.
She is indeed a girl, but not a delicate one; she is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"This medicine will soon enter your bloodstream and travel throughout your body. After that, you will feel as if countless ants are gnawing at your body." Shen Li released him and smiled at him: "Without an antidote, you will turn into a puddle of water in seven days."
"You're asking for it!" The moment the burly man was released, he retaliated, reaching out to grab Shen Li's shoulder.
Shen Li took a few steps back.
"Ah!" The burly man felt a cramp in his hand, the pain made him break out in a cold sweat, and he was breathing heavily, no longer having the strength to attack.
His gaze toward Shen Li was filled with terror: "You... are you a human or a ghost?"
"I am a special envoy of the Great Liang, here on behalf of His Majesty the Great Liang to ask you: do you still want the grain and jewels?" Shen Li's expression suddenly turned serious, and she even took out the gold medal in her hand.
"Da Liang?" The burly man, already drunk, was genuinely intimidated and retorted angrily, "Why shouldn't we want it? Does Da Liang intend to go back on its word?"
"My Great Liang would never stoop to deceiving you steppe barbarians, but why haven't you made your move yet? If you miss this opportunity, none of you will return alive." Shen Li deliberately posed an ambiguous question, and her words carried a threat to lives.
Under fear and temptation, the other party is extremely easy to be led by the rhythm, so the burly man's eyes widened even more: "Didn't you say that we would wait until that damn governor left before entering the city in batches, and wait for that old bastard to bring the provisions and then make our move in the city?"
He was in a lot of pain, but even angrier, so much so that his tone was very harsh.
Shen Li remained expressionless, but her heart sank slightly.
These people were indeed after her maternal grandfather, but she didn't expect them to make their move after entering the city. Wouldn't that be an open attack?
I never imagined that this place had been invaded to this extent by an enemy country. No wonder the northern border fell so quickly in my previous life.