Of course, this bottle also had its limitations—it could only be used in close combat and was prone to injuring the user, among other drawbacks. But everything had its pros and cons; used well, it was a valuable tool. For instance, in their current elevated position, it was perfectly suited for deploying such a bottle.
As Xie Zhiyuan contemplated this, he shouted, “Attack! Capture their leader!”
At his command, the men instantly charged down.
Those below were either dead or wounded, and the survivors were still reeling from the shock. How could they possibly stand against Xie Zhiyuan and his men? They were quickly routed.
“Retreat!” Huo Jinye yelled.
The remaining men immediately formed a protective circle around him and fought their way out.
By the time they barely managed to break through the encirclement, only a few men remained by his side.
“Don’t let him escape! Capture him!” Xie Heng, noticing the situation, shouted anxiously.
Xie Zhiyuan had been keeping a close eye on Huo Jinye all along and had no intention of letting him get away.
Just then, a massive object suddenly flew toward Huo Jinye and his men. It was about the size of two tabletops, moving at incredible speed and carrying a fierce gust of wind.
As it drew closer, they could see it was a large wooden gate.
It was Deng Hu. Seeing Huo Jinye and his men under attack and the prison cart left unguarded, he mustered all his brute strength and actually managed to tear the gate off the cart.
Others inside the cart, seeing this, came to assist.
These men were blacksmiths—lacking in many things, but unmatched in raw strength. Working together, they dismantled the entire prison cage.
Seeing Huo Jinye trying to flee, Deng Hu grabbed the wooden gate and hurled it straight at them.
The gate was made of high-quality ironwood, each plank as thick as a man’s arm. The entire structure likely weighed several hundred pounds. Hurled with such force, Huo Jinye and his men dared not confront it head-on and quickly dodged aside.
In that brief moment, Xie Zhiyuan caught up and surrounded them.
With no chance of escape left, Huo Jinye dropped the sword in his hand. “It’s you!” he remembered Xie Zhiyuan—such an extraordinary man. If he hadn’t been in such a hurry to return to Li Kingdom, he would have certainly investigated his background.
Xie Zhiyuan said nothing, merely waving his hand for his men to advance.
The last two guards were killed, and Huo Jinye was captured.
“Who are you?” Xie Heng asked Huo Jinye.
“You don’t know who I am?” Huo Jinye sneered.
Xie Heng, of course, didn’t know, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he began searching Huo Jinye’s person. Three items were found: a token, a diplomatic letter, and a list.
After reading them, Xie Zhiyuan handed the items to Xie Heng. Upon seeing them, Xie Heng’s face suddenly lit up with joy. This was truly a windfall from heaven. He had been lamenting that he hadn’t participated in the Northern Expedition and thus had no chance to earn merit. Who would have thought such a great achievement would fall right into his lap?
The diplomatic letter was written by the emperor of Li Kingdom to the emperor of Jin Kingdom, proposing a marriage alliance to strengthen the bond between the two nations.
And the man they had captured was none other than Huo Jinye, the fourth prince of Li Kingdom.
Xie Heng knew the relationship between Li Kingdom and Yongsheng. Capturing Huo Jinye gave them a significant advantage.
As for the list, it contained the names of individuals within Jin Dynasty who were inclined to defect to Li Dynasty.
“We’ve caught a big fish,” Xie Heng said, looking at Xie Zhiyuan with admiration. Indeed, his uncle was extraordinary no matter where he went.
Xie Zhiyuan was indifferent to his admiration. He, too, had only just learned of Huo Jinye’s identity. What about Lu Yunxi? Had she known all along? Impossible.
The next day, as dawn began to break and Lu Yunxi was still in a drowsy sleep, a sudden tapping sound on the carriage window startled her awake.
Pulling aside the carriage curtain, she saw Xie Zhiyuan standing there.
“How did it go?” she asked urgently.
“It’s done,” Xie Zhiyuan replied.
Lu Yunxi was immediately delighted and got off the carriage.
Behind the caravan, there was now an additional carriage loaded with several large chests and some miscellaneous items, resembling a cargo wagon.
After clearing away the clutter on top, a large chest was revealed underneath. When opened, it contained a person—bound hand and foot, blindfolded, with ears and mouth gagged, looking utterly disheveled. Judging by his clothing and facial features, it was unmistakably Huo Jinye.
As if sensing the chest had been opened, he struggled, seemingly wanting to say something.
With a thump, the chest lid was shut again.
“Excellent,” Lu Yunxi praised, seeing that Huo Jinye had indeed been captured. This would save many soldiers of the Yongsheng Dynasty from death!
Xie Zhiyuan smiled. The outcome was beyond his expectations, but he was glad to be of help to Lu Tianguang.
Just then, over a dozen people approached, among them Deng Hu.
“These are all blacksmiths who were either captured or hired from various places…” Xie Zhiyuan explained to Lu Yunxi.
According to Xie Zhiyuan, these blacksmiths were the finest from their respective cities. Huo Jinye had sought them out with hefty sums, offering to hire them. Those willing to follow him had their families compensated with silver, while those unwilling had their families nearly slaughtered by Huo Jinye.
Huo Jinye’s methods were indeed ruthless!
“Thank you, miss, for saving our lives.” Knowing Lu Yunxi had rescued them, the group knelt in gratitude. Deng Hu was particularly thankful, suspecting that Lu Yunxi might have intervened because of him—otherwise, how could such a coincidence have occurred?
His assumption wasn’t entirely wrong. If Lu Yunxi hadn’t visited his shop the day before, she might not have guessed Huo Jinye’s identity so quickly and could have missed the opportunity entirely.
In that case, these blacksmiths would have likely been enslaved in the Kingdom of Li until their deaths.
Lu Yunxi quickly urged them to rise and asked about their plans.
Those with surviving families naturally wished to return and reunite with them. Those without families also wanted to go back, bury their loved ones, and settle any remaining affairs.
Then, as they contemplated their shattered lives and the prospect of facing the world alone, many of the burly men shed tears. Men do not weep easily, but only when grief overwhelms them.
Lu Yunxi considered recruiting them on the spot but felt it would be taking advantage of their plight, akin to demanding repayment for a favor.
“Miss, I have no family and nowhere to go. Where are you headed? Could I…” a dark-skinned man ventured. In these turbulent times, nowhere felt safe. By now, his home might have already been looted. Xie Zhiyuan and his companions clearly seemed capable, and he thought following them might offer some security.
But as a lowly commoner, he feared even offering to polish their shoes would be rejected, so his voice trailed off hesitantly.
Lu Yunxi was more than willing and asked for his name.
“This humble one is called Shi Hong,” he replied with a simple, honest smile.
Others listened, their minds turning with similar thoughts.
Deng Hu opened his mouth to speak. He, too, longed to repay Lu Yunxi, but he needed to check on his home first.
“If any of you find yourselves with nowhere to go in the future, you can come to Lingcheng to find me,” Lu Yunxi said.
“Lingcheng?” someone recognized the name—a place known for its poverty.
Lu Yunxi had silver distributed to each blacksmith for travel expenses, and they departed with profuse thanks.
She wondered if any of them would actually come to Lingcheng, watching their retreating figures.
With the matter resolved, they continued their journey.
The morning light was faint, and by the roadside in late spring, grass grew tall and orioles flew among the blossoms. Lu Yunxi leaned against the carriage window, gazing at the spring scenery outside, her heart at ease.
Just then, someone blocked her view.
Xie Zhiyuan rode alongside the carriage, moving slowly.
“If you wanted those blacksmiths, why didn’t you ask them to stay?” he asked.
It seemed nothing could escape his notice. Lu Yunxi replied lazily, “Forced fruit is never sweet.”
“The court has issued a conscription order. They have a duty to comply,” Xie Zhiyuan said. Craftsmen like them were, after all, considered among the lowest social classes.
Lu Yunxi shot him a glare. “They are people too, and talented ones at that.” How could there be any future without valuing talent?
Xie Zhiyuan looked somewhat surprised. Did she truly value those craftsmen so highly? Throughout history, it had always been scholars who were considered talented—literati who could govern the country, warriors who could pacify the realm. These were the ones revered and remembered in the annals of history.
After a moment of silence, he asked again, “Did you already know that man was the Fourth Prince of Li Kingdom?”
“No,” Lu Yunxi denied immediately. This was something she couldn’t admit, as it would be impossible to explain.
Xie Zhiyuan remained silent for a long while, seemingly unwilling to press further. Now it was Lu Yunxi’s turn to grow curious, and she studied him closely.
When it came to capturing Huo Jinye alive, he had handled it exceptionally well. She had only provided the plan, but he had filled in the gaps and executed it flawlessly. He was truly a capable subordinate!
With such a subordinate, as a leader, shouldn’t she have a heart-to-heart with him, ask about his aspirations, and then start painting a grand vision to keep him by her side?
Of course, she was only entertaining the thought. After all, he was the male lead in the book. She feared her vision might not be grand or compelling enough to compete with the female lead’s charm.
“You’re blocking my view,” Lu Yunxi said, thinking of this. She had been enjoying the scenery just fine until he positioned himself there.
Xie Zhiyuan moved back slightly, then suddenly asked, “Are you going to Lingcheng?”
He knew again. Lu Yunxi felt she had been terribly mistaken earlier—having a clever subordinate was not a good thing at all!
“Isn’t Lingcheng on our way back to the capital?” Lu Yunxi retorted.
But the way she had spoken to those blacksmiths clearly implied more than just passing through. Xie Zhiyuan knew she wasn’t telling the truth, but he didn’t press further. If she wanted to tell him, she would.
Urging his horse forward, he rode ahead.
Lu Yunxi could finally enjoy the blue sky and white clouds in peace.
The further south they traveled, the more refugees they encountered, and the more bandits and defeated soldiers they came across.
Lu Yunxi and her companions saw a mother clutching her child, sitting slumped by the roadside, her face gaunt and the child wailing from hunger. They saw parents’ corpses lying by the road, their child with a straw marker in their hair, selling themselves to bury their parents. They saw villages reduced to ruins after marauding soldiers passed through, corpses beneath collapsed walls and rubble being picked at by crows and wild dogs.
Lu Popo kept murmuring “Amitabha Buddha.” She had never been a believer before, but now she truly wished for the Buddha’s presence, hoping he could protect these suffering people.
Chen Shi couldn’t bear to look either and wanted to help, but there was little she could do. With so many refugees and their limited supplies, how many could they truly assist?
Liu Shi turned her face away, her eyes filled with worry. Given the relationship between her natal family and the Lu family, as well as the circumstances at the time, she had ultimately refrained from asking Lu Yunxiao to bring her family along. But she had sent a message to them, hoping they were safe and that they would reunite someday.
Lu Yunxiao and the others were filled with indignation. How innocent the common people were!
At the same time, the Lu family members could not help but feel lingering fear. If their son/husband/father had not succeeded, their fate would have been no better than that of these refugees.
As the saying goes, better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos.
Over the following period, they encountered several groups of rogue soldiers and bandits. However, thanks to Xie Zhiyuan and the others, no harm came to them.
The closer they got to the south, the closer they were to the battlefield. Xie Zhiyuan grew more cautious, sending scouts ahead to ensure there were no large groups of defeated soldiers before daring to proceed.
Ten days later, Xie Zhiyuan said, “We probably cannot go to Lingcheng anymore. We need to change our route.”
By then, it was already late in the day, and everyone was resting in the woods. After hearing the scout’s report, Xie Zhiyuan discussed the next steps with the Lu family.
“Are we still heading to Lingcheng?” At that moment, a man approached from the woods and inquired.
The man was named Zhang Yuan, a salt merchant. A few days earlier, he had encountered bandits on the road and was rescued when Lu Yunxi and the others happened to pass by. Seeing the strength of the Lu family’s merchant convoy and that they were heading in the same direction, he proposed traveling together.
In such turbulent times, Zhang Yuan still ventured out to trade salt—truly a man who valued money over his life.
He was very familiar with the situation in the northern cities, and the men he brought with him were no weaklings. Lu Yunxi agreed to let him join them.
Of course, she had other plans in mind, though she kept them to herself.
Author’s Note: