Ignoring the bustle in the Wilderness, Ning Que returned to the camp with Cat Girl. He lifted the curtain and walked into the tent. He glanced at the luggage piled in the corner and looked at Mo Shanshan, who was concentrating on writing calligraphy. He asked, "Wasn't my black horse tied outside the tent? Why did it slip out? "
Mo Shanshan put down the brush in her hand and looked back at him. She explained expressionlessly, "You tied it up after it came back in the morning. After you left, I was the only one left in the tent. It kept barking and kicking its hooves. It looked like it wanted to go out to play, so I untied the rope and let it play on its own."
Ning Que looked at her and didn't know what to say. He scratched his head and said, "You let it go when it wanted to go out. Why does this sound wrong? It's a horse, not a human."
"The Big Black Horse is very intelligent. I can understand what it wants to say." After saying this, Mo Shanshan didn't want to explain more about this matter. She turned around and picked up the brush on the inkstone, ready to continue copying.
Cat Girl ran to her excitedly and said, "Senior Sister, you are right. The Big Black Horse is more than intelligent. It's so powerful. Do you know that many people are chasing after it?"
Mo Shanshan slightly raised her black eyebrows and asked, "What happened?"
Cat Girl carefully told the process of the Big Black Horse's appearance and winning the horse race. Then she said, "As for what happened in the end, Senior Brother covered my eyes, so I didn't see it."
Mo Shanshan looked at Ning Que.
Ning Que wondered how he should describe that scene.
He raised his hand to cover his mouth and coughed twice. He pretended not to see Mo Shanshan's gaze and walked out of the tent. Standing on the slightly hard winter Wilderness and looking at the fluttering flag of the Tang army and the heavily guarded camp not far from the west, he began to think about other problems. Where should he start to find the head of the Horse Gang?
…
…
As the representative of the Tang Empire in this negotiation, General Shu Cheng brought his trusted subordinates and traveled thousands of miles from Chang 'an to this place. The safety of the three hundred elite cavalrymen of the Northeast Border Military was in charge of the security. Banners fluttered in the wind and the occasional neighing of horses could be heard. The tents were arranged in an orderly manner and the Tang camp was densely packed.
In the tent in the center of the Tang camp, General Shu Cheng took off his helmet and carelessly stroked his gray hair. He sat behind the table and signaled his subordinates to prepare some food. He drank a lot in the King's tent, but he could not eat his fill.
General Shu held his fork and food as he ate, remaining silent.
The subordinate next to him noticed that the general was deep in thought. He thought that the general was in a bad mood after hearing some gossip about today's horse race. After thinking for a while, he comforted, "General, our cavalry is good at fighting. We are really not good at this kind of pure racing. If we lost, we lost. If that old aunt wants to gossip, no one can stop her."
"That old woman doesn't know shit."
General Shu said mockingly. As a general of the Tang Empire, he had to be careful with his words when he respected Quni Madi as the sister of the Yuelun Kingdom's King. But in this private military tent, he was not in the mood to give that aunt any face.
Seeing that the general was really not upset about this matter, the subordinate thought of another matter. He glanced at the patrolling soldiers outside the tent and asked in a low voice, "General, are you worried about Tuyang City?"
In the summer, the imperial court confirmed that the matter of assisting the Northern Yan expedition would be presided over by the Tang Empire's Eastern Army General Xiahou. But no one would have thought that when the Central Plains began to negotiate with the grassland barbarians, His Majesty had already ordered the Military Ministry to intervene in this matter. Although General Shu Cheng came to the palace on imperial orders, it inevitably angered the border military. When he passed by Tuyang City, General Xiahou used the excuse of patrolling the border and did not even want to see him.
"If I were General Xiahou, I would not be happy either."
General Shu Cheng smiled slightly and put down the chopsticks in his hand. He took the towel and wiped his face casually. He said, "Don't guess blindly. I am indeed thinking about something, but it has nothing to do with the two things you guessed."
The subordinate frowned slightly and thought that the two sides had reached an agreement. The next thing to do was to discuss the northern expedition next year with the Central Plains Coalition Army and the specific matters of assisting the Left-Tent palace. Everything would be done naturally. If the general was not upset about losing the horse race and not worried about the anger of Tuyang City, then what was he thinking about?
"I am thinking about the Big Black Horse," General Shu Cheng said with a smile.
The subordinate suddenly understood and thought that he finally understood the general's thoughts. After a moment of thought, he said, "Chanyu seems to be very interested in that fine horse. But since the general likes it, I will think of some ways to inform the steward of the King's tent later. I believe that Chanyu will not be stingy with the horse to show his closeness to the Tang Empire."
General Shu Cheng looked at the subordinate and sighed helplessly. He scolded, "I don't know what is going on in your head. I don't want the Big Black Horse. If Chanyu wants the horse, he will only get into trouble in the end."
Looking at the confused expression on the subordinate's face, the general shook his head and looked at the blue sky outside the tent. He frowned slightly and said, "When I saw the Big Black Horse today, I felt that it was a little familiar. I always felt that I had seen it somewhere before."
General Shu Cheng threw the towel on the table and said with a reminiscing expression, "At that moment, I just remembered that I had seen the Big Black Horse in the driving examination last spring when I represented the Military Ministry to inspect the Academy Entrance Examination of the Academy."
The subordinate was stunned. He thought of the black lightning running in the Wilderness and the violent black storm. He thought that the incredible horse actually came from the Tang Empire?
"You also saw how hot-tempered the Big Black Horse was. During the Academy Entrance Examination last spring, all the candidates who were chosen to ride the Big Black Horse fell off, including the daughter of General Yunhui. I was patrolling above the meadow at that time and thought that no one could tame the horse. Then I saw a lad walk into the stud field. "
General Shu Cheng squinted slightly and recalled the scene at that time. He said slowly, "The Big Black Horse suddenly became very obedient in front of the lad. I thought it was a little strange at that time, but when the lad's name shook Chang 'an City, I realized that the war-horse was actually very intelligent. It actually knew the lad's power before anyone else."
The subordinate asked curiously, "Who is that lad?"
The general withdrew his gaze and looked at him. He said, "Ning Que."
"Ning Que …" The subordinate murmured. Suddenly he looked shocked and said in surprise, "Are you talking about Sir Ning, who shocked Chang 'an with a piece of paper?"
"I don't like to play with words." General Shu sighed and said, "I only know that Ning Que entered the Academy last year and entered the Second floor this year. He has become a core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy. I also know that when Ning Que left Chang 'an City, the stud field in the suburbs specially sent this Big Black Horse to him."
The subordinate asked, "Then … why did this Big Black Horse appear in the palace?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew that he had asked a very stupid question. Such an unparalleled horse would naturally not be too far away from its master. If the horse was in the palace, it would naturally be in the palace.
"Ordinary people don't know that Ning Que is ranked 13th on the Second floor of the Academy. But of course the Military Ministry knows that he used the name of Mr. Thirteen and stayed at the frontier fortress of North of Yan Kingdom. But even I did not expect him to personally come to the palace."
General Shu frowned slightly and said to himself in a low voice, "Even the Academy attaches so much importance to this peace conference. Are the Desolate Men in the north really so troublesome? Or is there another secret about this matter? "
The subordinate thought for a moment and asked puzzledly, "General, since Ning Que has come to the palace, why did he not show himself or come to the camp to meet you?"
General Shu was silent for a moment and said with a smile, "What kind of person is the core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy? He must have his reasons for not showing himself. I probably don't have that much influence. I just feel that this matter is getting more and more interesting."
…
…
Dusk fell. The bonfire was lit and the sheep were hung upside down. As the aroma of wine filled the air, night fell upon the Wilderness.
People from all over the world gathered in the palace tribe. There were also many herdsmen from the surrounding tribes who had specially come to participate in the Ge Mumu Gathering. Under the light of the fire and the aroma of wine, people excitedly discussed the scenes they had seen during the day. They argued about which warriors were the most powerful and whose archery skills were the best. Of course, the one that was most mentioned was the violent black horse. Countless people were guessing who its owner was.
The owner of the Big Black Horse did not hear the excited discussions of the people. He did not enjoy the wine and meat. Instead, he stole the clothes of a herdsman from the grassland. Under the cover of the night, he snuck west from the Great River Camp and approached the Tang camp silently. He then turned south and sat down behind a high ground.
After some time, a figure approached from the direction of the Tang camp. From his speed and body shape, it could be seen that this person was extremely cautious and vigilant.
"I've never understood. How can you be so sure that it's one of our people coming by drawing a picture with a wooden stick outside the camp? What if it's just a random drawing by the children on the grassland? "
Ning Que looked at the man and said. Although there was no fire behind the meadow, he could still vaguely make out the man's face and attire under the starry sky. He looked like an honest Tang cavalryman.
The Tang soldier did not answer his question. His eyes were filled with suspicion, as if he did not understand why this fellow would have the leisure to say such nonsense under such circumstances.
Ning Que stretched out his hand, and the Tang soldier stretched out his hand as well. They seemed to be shaking hands, but with a light snap, the two waist tokens were gently put together, exactly the same.
With the help of the starlight, the Tang soldier clearly saw the lines on Ning Que's waist token. His expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly saluted with hands folded in front. He lowered his voice and said respectfully, "I didn't expect His Excellency to come in person."
"You don't know who I am. How do you know that I'm His Excellency?" Ning Que asked with a smile.
The Tang soldier's honest face revealed a simple and honest smile. He said, "It's written clearly on the waist token that His Excellency is a visiting professor of the Administration. Of course, he's my Excellency."
Ning Que glanced at the man and asked in surprise, "The Imperial Center Administration is a government office for cultivation. But I don't see any fluctuation of Psyche Power on you. Have you entered the Seethrough State?"
"If I were a powerhouse in the Seethrough State, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble to follow you to the Wilderness."
The Tang soldier laughed and explained, "Although the Imperial Center Administration is responsible for managing cultivators, not all the staff are cultivators. There are more ordinary people like me."
The reason why Ning Que left the Blue Water Battalion and went deep into the Wilderness was because of the message sent by the Nation Master Li Qingshan through the Imperial Center Administration. The Imperial Center Administration would certainly find a way to leave an informant for him near the palace if they wanted to cooperate with him.
He looked at the man and said, "Let's cut to the chase. Let's get down to business."
The Tang soldier answered with a simple and honest smile, "If His Excellency wants to chat, we can chat. If he wants to get down to business, we can get down to business."
Ning Que was slightly startled. He smiled and thought that the man was indeed a member of the Imperial Center Administration. He probably had too much contact with those arrogant cultivators, so he didn't have the usual respect and awe ordinary people had for cultivators. But his words and actions were so smooth and free. This kind of attitude was really good to use to deal with cultivators.
He asked directly, "Do you know my task this time?"
The Tang soldier answered honestly, "No."
Ning Que nodded and said, "That's good. Because what I want to ask has nothing to do with the task."
This time it was the Tang soldier's turn to be startled. His honest face showed an expression of admiration. He thought that Ning Que was indeed a distinguished visiting professor of the Imperial Center Administration. He could make such a shameless request of using the power of the imperial court for his personal affairs so naturally.
Ning Que continued to ask, "How many people are there in the Tang Battalion?"
"About five hundred people, including cavalrymen and some handymen."
Ning Que looked at the Tang Battalion with fluttering flags and dense tents. He frowned and said, "It seems that there are more people in the camp."
The Tang soldier explained, "One person rides three horses, so we need more space."
"How well do you know the situation in the camp?" Ning Que asked casually. He thought that there were hundreds of cavalrymen in the Tang Battalion, and the man was just an ordinary cavalryman. How could he know everything?
However, he did not expect that this Tang cavalryman was a spy placed in the Northeast Border Military by the Imperial Center Administration. What he did every day was to observe any movement in the Tang Battalion. So when he heard Ning Que's question, he nodded without hesitation and answered, "I have a basic grasp of it."
Ning Que glanced at him and thought that he was really lucky. He asked, "Is there any special situation in the camp in the last five days? For example, are there any injured cavalrymen … or even generals? "
The Tang soldier thought for a while and shook his head. "No."
Ning Que said after a moment of silence, "Is there anything worth paying attention to in the logistics of food and medicine?"
The Tang soldier was about to answer no when he suddenly thought of something. He frowned and thought carefully for a while. Then he said, "There is indeed something. The consumption of food in a tent seems to be a lot more than usual. This is not surprising. But there is also some problem with the storage of medicine in the camp."
Before Ning Que could continue to ask, he added, "The military medicine is the focus of the department, so I think there is something wrong. The medicine that is consumed for no reason are not only the medicine for hemostasis and muscle regeneration, but also some powder to calm the mind. But these medicines should not be used these days."
Hearing this, Ning Que's eyes gradually brightened. He knew that his guess seemed to be in the right direction. He looked at the brightly lit Tang Battalion and asked, "Where is that tent? Can you find out who is in it? "
"This time, the three hundred cavalrymen who escorted General Shu into the Wilderness are all from Tuyang City. That tent belongs to a deputy general of the Northern Army in the east. It is heavily guarded, and ordinary cavalrymen like me can't even get close."
Ning Que frowned slightly. His eyes slowly swept across the continuous tents, as if he wanted to see the military tent. He said, "Since it is so heavily guarded, is there any way to sneak in and take a look?"
The Tang soldier did not even think about it. He shook his head and said, "Unless you break in."
Then he looked at Ning Que and added very seriously, "Sir, although you are a respected Foreign Official and have a strong state, I am afraid there will be some problems if you break in. Even if you can break in, many people in the camp will die. How will you explain it to the imperial court afterwards?"
…
…
Since there was no way to sneak in, the only way was to break in. However, although he was now a student of the Academy, he still regarded himself as a member of the imperial army. He would never take the initiative to fight against his fellow soldiers, so he had to think of another way.
Taking advantage of the quiet night and the sparse stars, the guy who was placed in the Northern Army by the Imperial Center Administration sneaked back to the Tang Battalion. Only Ning Que was left behind on the meadow.
The sparse yellow grass on the cold ground looked like the beard of a malnourished old man. Ning Que lay on the sparse grass and looked at the stars in the night sky above his head. No one knew what he was thinking.
A shadow suddenly covered the starry sky above his head, as if the dark night had come.
Ning Que looked at the black horse's face close to him. He looked at its thick lips that seemed to be trying to please him. He could not help but scold it with a smile, "The whole palace wants to catch you, and you still dare to come back to see me."
The Big Black Horse gently arched his shoulder. It looked extremely docile and even a little quiet, as if it was telling him that as long as he was not angry, it did not matter what others said to it.
Ning Que stood up and patted off the sand and grass on his back. He gently punched the Big Black Horse's neck and shook his head. He lectured, "People are afraid of being famous, while pigs are afraid of being fat. People are afraid of trouble when they are famous, and pigs are easy to be killed for meat when they are fat. Why do you have to be in the limelight? Aren't you afraid that you will be snatched away when you are too famous?"
The Big Black Horse shook its head and opened its mouth. Its white teeth looked a little creepy under the starlight, as if it was sneering. It was indescribably cold, arrogant, and stupid.
Ning Que stared at its eyes and sneered, "Do you mean that even if you are snatched away, you will be treated like a treasure and will not be ordered around like an invincible horse like me?"
The Big Black Horse gently kicked its hooves and silently dug the floating soil on the Wilderness. It cautiously used silence to represent its admission.
Ning Que sneered and pointed at the middle of its two strong hind legs. He said, "I don't know why the Southern Army didn't castrate you, nor did they castrate you in the field. I also don't know how you escaped the fate of being a eunuch. But you should know very well that I have no intention of castrating you."
"But my kindness does not mean that everyone else is. With your bad temper, do you really think that you can keep your precious eggs if you fall into the hands of Chanyu or the princess?"
A cold winter wind blew over the meadow.
Fear suddenly appeared in the Big Black Horse's black eyes. It was unknown whether it was because of the cold or something else, but it quickly clamped its hind legs together. However, because of its huge and powerful buttocks, it could not completely clamp them together.
…
…
Ning Que used the dark night to complete another spy contact in his life. He sorted out the situation of the Tang Army and took the time to educate the Big Black Horse. He did so many things. There were countless bonfires on the meadow. In the tents of the palace, it was as if it was daytime, but the people only did one thing, and that was to drink.
The Wilderness was like heaven in spring, but it was as miserable and unbearable as the underworld in midwinter. The cold wind howled and snowflakes fell at any time. It was extremely cold, so the people who lived here liked to drink to warm themselves up, especially hard liquor.
The people of the Central Plains and the grassland barbarians beside the bonfire had been constantly fighting over trade and war for a thousand years. The invasion of the borders not long ago and the counterattack by the Central Plains allied forces after that had caused many casualties on both sides. How could the hatred formed by blood naturally disappear just because the higher-ups had reached an agreement?
With complicated emotions, the people of the palace tribe began to compete in drinking with the people of the Central Plains. The alcohol entered their stomachs and did not dispel their hatred. Instead, it magnified their emotions. As a result, the drinking competition became a competition, and the competition became a brawl. The soldiers of the palace and the Divine Hall, who were in charge of maintaining order, had to rush to another place after quelling a fight. The scene was extremely chaotic.
There were a few tents set up at the edge of the meadow. They were very close to the Tang Army, but not within the range of the Tang Army. They were not affected by the chaos around the bonfires and were still exceptionally quiet, just like the people who lived there.
The girls from the Great River Kingdom saw many new and interesting things at the Ge Mumu gathering. They were quiet and composed, so they returned to the campsite in the evening. Mo Shanshan sat quietly in her tent for an entire day. White paper was spread out on the table, and she hung her wrist over it, copying something. It was as if she did not know the meaning of boredom.
At this moment, the tent flap was lifted. Zhuo Zhihua walked in with a young girl. She looked at Mo Shanshan and said gently, "Hill Master, a guest has come to visit."
Mo Shanshan slowly stopped writing. She put the brush into a jar of clear water and turned around.
The young girl was wearing the uniform of the Revelation Institute of the Divine Hall, but there was an unconcealable pride in her eyes. She had been looking around since she entered the tent, trying her best to look calm. But when she saw the young girl in white beside the table turn around, she still felt a little nervous.
Because this was the first time she had seen the legendary Calligraphy Addict.
Mo Shanshan looked at her indifferently and said, "Who are you?"
The Calligraphy Addict was used to speaking in such a direct tone. She did not like to talk nonsense. She was used to looking indifferent because she felt that it was very difficult to make an expression. She was used to looking disrespectful because …
Her eyes were not very good.
But just like Ning Que, who did not know that someone had an eye disease, the female student of the Revelation Institute also felt that she had been severely underestimated and even humiliated. Her nervousness became a little irritated, but she still did not dare to be rude.
Again, this was the first time she had seen the legendary Calligraphy Addict. The Calligraphy Addict was proud and rude. To the students of the Revelation Institute who had always been with another Addict, it was easy to understand and accept.
The female student of the Revelation Institute bowed respectfully and said, "Princess Chen Jia invites Senior Sister Mo for a chat tomorrow."
Mo Shanshan looked at her quietly and thought of her old friend whom she had not seen for a long time. She thought of her old friend who was as calm as an orchid in the horse carriage above the meadow. After a moment of silence, she said, "I understand."
…
…
(Tonight, please do not talk to me about quality. It will be changed in the future. Tonight, please talk to me about dreams and about the honor of my father's generation. I do not believe that honor is my life. But the honor of my family seems to be taking my life.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com and vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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