The reward of capturing a Turkic spy and immediately being promoted to a brigade commander made every guard fervent.
When they arrived at the Daoguang Market, they immediately split up and began their search. Perhaps it was because the reward Wu Youyi had promised was too great, but there was only one position for a brigade commander. If the two of them managed to capture the assassin at the same time, who would get the credit? Even if it was spread out, it was still not worth it for each person to fish up an entire team.
Thus, as the search area expanded, the guards began to quietly distance themselves from their companions and search in different directions. Each of them believed that luck would be on their side.
"Halt! Who's there? "
It was already past the curfew time. Two patrolling officials carrying lanterns walked over from afar. Suddenly seeing Yang Fan holding a steel saber in his hand, they couldn't help but nervously reach for the saber at their waist. When they saw clearly that Yang Fan was wearing the attire of an imperial guard, they couldn't help but be startled. Yang Fan waved his token at them, and the two cautiously approached. After identifying Yang Fan's token, they hurriedly bowed and left.
"Strange! What happened today? I encountered three Imperial Army guards on the way here. "
"What's so strange about running into Imperial Army guards? Liu Sier and the other two even ran into people from the internal guards. Something big must have happened. Be careful when patrolling."
The two patrolling officials quietly whispered in each other's ears as they left. Yang Fan's brow furrowed as he stood on the street. Scanning the quiet night, he began to ponder the possible locations of the two Turkic spies.
Once important information such as military deployment and weaponry was grasped by the enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable. Moreover, if the enemy were to grasp this information, it would be very difficult to change it.
Could the entire army be changed? The number of soldiers stationed there was closely related to the strategic intentions of the army, as well as the geography. It wasn't something that could be changed at will.
The weapons of the army were also closely related to their daily training. How could they be changed at will? How much combat power would they be able to display if they were to change?
Fortresses built over many years were built according to the number of troops needed to be stationed, the role they played in the war, and the geographical location of the military. Once the troops and weapons were changed, they would lose most of their functions. And building a new fortress, not to mention the huge expenditure of money and resources, even if one wanted to build one, it would not be done in a day.
The Turks and Tubo armies by the borders were no weaker than the Tang dynasty. Due to the instability of the Tang dynasty, their current power was even greater than that of the Tang dynasty. Under these circumstances, if this intelligence really fell into the hands of the Turks and allowed them to know the Tang dynasty's military deployment in Longyou like the back of their hands, the results could be easily imagined.
Thus, Yang Fan did everything he could to find the two Turkic spies. In particular, once he caught two spies, he would be promoted to the rank of brigade marshal. This temptation was equally significant to Yang Fan.
He stood at the end of the street and thought hard, "Where can these two spies escape to?"
…
In a granary in Cang City, Duoduo walked around Chun Niur with a lantern in her hand. She was so anxious that her face was covered in sweat. She cried, "Madam, how are you? What should we do! "
Chun Niur lay on the ground. Her face was covered in beads of sweat. She rubbed her bulging belly and said in pain, "I can't do it anymore. I'm afraid I'm about to give birth."
Cang City was located in the northeast corner of the Imperial City. It was a large granary of Luoyang. The city was divided into two parts, the granary area and the administrative area. They were currently in an underground granary in the granary area. The granaries here were arranged in an orderly manner. Each granary was in the shape of an inverted trapezoid, with a large mouth and a small bottom. The walls were smooth and hard after being baked. The bottom was covered with wooden planks and was a certain distance from the ground to prevent moisture.
The granary they were in was empty. Because of the frequent wars in the Western Region, coupled with the drought and flood disasters in several places that needed relief, a large amount of grain was transferred, so several granaries were empty. Now it was the end of spring, and the new grain had not been harvested, so these empty granaries were idle, and there was no one to guard them.
It was a coincidence that they were able to escape the pursuit of the inner guards. When the inner guards split up to search for their whereabouts, Duoduo and Chun Niur, who had heard the news of her husband's death, hugged each other and cried bitterly. With great difficulty, they stopped crying and calmed Chun Niur down. Duoduo wiped away her tears and went out to buy some food.
At this moment, Lan Yiqing, the inner guard, was showing his waist token to a neighbor and asking for information about a woman with similar characteristics to Duoduo. Duoduo heard everything clearly from the food stall next door. She saw that the woman was wearing an official's robe and had a sharp blade at her waist. She felt that something was wrong.
Fortunately, she didn't chase after them and continue to investigate. Otherwise, Lan Yiqing would have detected her. When Lan Yiqing asked the question, he didn't think that the person she was looking for was actually in the other shop behind them. Due to a freak combination of factors, Duoduo escaped this calamity.
Duoduo rushed back to tell Chun Niur, and Chun Niur immediately sensed danger. She was the daughter of a large Turkic family, and she had followed Blacktooth Changzhi for several years. Her knowledge and experience were far greater than Duoduo's. She immediately asked Duoduo to pack up and helped her escape from the residence. By the time Lan Yiqing found out where they lived and came to investigate, the two had already escaped.
Both master and servant fled in a panic. Because it was evening, all the shops had begun to close. The two of them felt danger when they saw people, so they fled to the edge of Cang City. This place was already remote, and because the curfew was approaching, there were no pedestrians on the streets. It would be too conspicuous if they tried to escape to another shop. However, if they stayed on the streets, they would definitely be discovered by the night patrol.
The two fled along Cang City and found a dangerous wall. There was a triangular vertical wall built diagonally to block it. With no other choice, the woman who was about to give birth climbed up the wall and hid inside Cang City. This way, the two were temporarily safe. However, Chun Niur, who was about to give birth, had affected the fetus and unexpectedly went into premature labor. At this moment, a lot of amniotic fluid was already flowing out from her crotch.
"What should we do? What should we do? "
Duoduo, who had no experience in delivering babies, was so anxious that she ran around in circles.
She found a lantern in the old guard's room above the warehouse, as well as a set of shabby military clothes. Thinking that it was a bit cold in Cang City, she brought it with her to keep her mistress warm. However, as a girl, this was all she could do. Seeing her mistress in unbearable pain, she could only run around in circles helplessly.
Unexpectedly, she found that her mistress was about to give birth. This made her anxious.
Chun Niur was a girl who grew up in a grassland tribe. Not only had she delivered cows and horses, but she had also served as the tribe's midwife's assistant several times out of curiosity. She had also given birth before, and although she had a miscarriage, she had far more experience in this area than Duoduo. She knew that after her long journey and emotional ups and downs, as well as climbing over the wall and shaking her body, she was about to give birth. However, she was not as flustered as Duoduo.
"Duoduo, you … go get some water. We need to boil some hot water for the child to use when it's born. Go, don't worry about me. You can't help me here anyway. Go, and be careful."
"Oh!"
Duoduo wiped away her tears and looked at Chun Niur in bewilderment. Gripping the dagger at her waist, she rushed out.
Chun Niur leaned against the wall and looked at her crotch. The amniotic fluid had already moistened the ground, and the pain in her abdomen was unbearable. However, there were still no signs that the child was about to be born. Clenching her teeth, she tore off a piece of cloth and bit it in her mouth. Using the method that the tribe's midwives had taught other women, she took short and rapid breaths. Enduring the intense pain, she exerted strength in her waist and abdomen, wanting to give birth.
Her tribe had originally been a Sogdian, but ever since the Sui Dynasty, their entire tribe had been assimilated into the Turks and brought under the rule of the Western Turks. During the civil war between the Eastern and Western Turks, their tribe had suffered great losses. In the chaos of war, she had been separated from her people, drifting all the way to the Tang-ruled White Water Stream City.
It was Blacktooth Changzhi who had taken her in, given her a new life, and doted on her. He had allowed her to end her wandering days, and he had given her the generous and warm embrace of a man. Although Blacktooth Changzhi was an old man in his sixties and was much older than her, he was an eagle of the grasslands, a true hero who galloped on the battlefield and shook the Western Regions.
The children of the grasslands worshipped heroes the most. She loved her husband and revered him even more, seeing him as the heavens. If possible, she would not hesitate to sacrifice her own life, as long as she could protect him. Now, her husband had been wronged and had died with hatred in his heart. All she wanted now was to clear her husband's name and avenge him. She also wanted to give birth to her husband's flesh and blood. She could not let anything happen to this child.
But, she could not give birth …
Chun Niur pounded the ground in pain, enduring the tearing pain. Duoduo had not returned yet, and the silent cellar was empty. Only her heavy breathing and the occasional moan could be heard. The light only illuminated the area three feet in front of her, and everything else was hidden in darkness.
She had a feeling that she had been abandoned by the whole world, and she was the only one left here.
No, she wasn't alone. She still had a child, a child that was connected to her by blood. However, she clearly felt that the child was falling hard and should be born soon, but she still couldn't welcome the sudden feeling of relief and hear the child's cries.
The amniotic fluid and blood had already flowed all over the ground. She sat in a pool of blood, sweating and tears in her eyes, struggling bitterly …
Chun Niur struggled to sit up and reached her hand under her skirt. There was no one to help her, so she wanted to give birth to the child herself, so that her child could be safely born into this world. Her husband's death had already made her despair, and her child was now her only hope. She would rather die than let anything happen to her child.
But, when her trembling hand groped around her lower body, she could not help but let out a cry of despair. She felt one of her child's feet, a small foot that had already reached out of the opening of her uterus. The child was not born smoothly, but in this kind of environment, her child was not born smoothly.
She remembered very clearly that the midwives in her clan had said that if the child was born in reverse, the biggest possibility was that both mother and child would die. The most experienced midwives would make their mothers suffer a great deal of pain. They would use every method they could think of to protect one of their mothers with a very small chance of success. However, the midwife was currently isolated and helpless.
The amniotic fluid was almost gone. If this continued, the fetus would definitely die in the womb, and the child would suffocate.
"Duoduo!"
Chun Niur cried out in despair. She was no longer afraid. She no longer worried that her voice would be heard by anyone. As long as she could see her child, even if she had to hold him in her arms, listen to his heartbeat, look at his appearance, and then immediately die, she was willing to do so.
"Duoduo ~! Duoduo ~! Duoduo ~! "
The echo echoed in the empty granary. Duoduo had not returned yet.
Chun Niur's eyes were blurred with tears. She cried in despair, and her fingers suddenly touched the hilt of the knife at her waist …
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