When Yang Ling heard the call, he turned around and saw Han Youniang and Ma Lian 'er, each holding an umbrella, striding across the courtyard towards him. Ma Ling 'er was still dressed in a white fur coat and was as pretty as a person from a painting.
Han Youniang was slightly shorter than Ma Lian 'er. She wore a blue checkered skirt and a light pink bikini. Although she was not as stunning as Ma Lian' er, her delicate face and gentle smile made her look as pretty and friendly as a girl next door.
She carried a basket covered with a blue cloth. The umbrella was tilted towards one side of the basket and the other side was covered with snow. Yang Ling hurriedly walked down the stairs. He first nodded to Ma Lian 'er and then went to take the basket from Young-niang's hands. He pulled her to the porch and brushed away the snow on her forehead and shoulders as he asked, "It's snowing heavily. What are you doing here so early in the morning?"
Han Youniang closed the umbrella and blew on her fingers that were slightly red from the cold. Her little nose wrinkled like ripples in spring and she sweetly smiled and said, "I'm bringing food to you. I even cooked two eggs. You're busy with work, you can't go hungry."
Yang Ling said angrily, "You! Do you think I'm afraid of going hungry at the post office?" He pulled Young-niang and turned to Ma Lian 'er and said, "Miss Ma, quickly go inside the house. It's windy in the porch. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Ma Lian 'er joined the army. From a civilian to a soldier, she had to go to the county yamen to register. Ma Lian' er saw that it was snowing heavily today and wanted to go another day. But seeing that Young-niang was about to go out, she followed her out and turned to the post office first.
Ma Lian'er felt a little disappointed when she saw the young couple's affectionate appearance. She took off her hat and tied her hair, which was silkier than black satin, to the back of her head. She tapped the snow on her boots and silently followed them into the house.
Yang Ling hurriedly finished his meal. Just as he put down his chopsticks, the gatekeeper limped in. Seeing the new deputy's wife and the previous deputy's daughter present, he didn't dare to stay any longer. He hurriedly took out the letter he had received yesterday and handed it over. He smiled apologetically and said, "Sir, this letter was delivered last night. The person who came asked me to give it to you."
Yang Ling didn't know who would write to him. He took the letter and tore it open. Only then did he notice a strange fish pattern next to the wax seal on the back. Yang Ling was shocked. A secret letter from the Imperial Bodyguard? The ones he saw yesterday were already opened, so there was nothing to be afraid of. But he wasn't a member of the Imperial Bodyguard. If he were to randomly open a secret letter from the Imperial Bodyguard, it would be best if he didn't cause any trouble.
Since the letter had already been opened, there was no time to think about it. He took out the letter and hoped that it was only a trivial matter. Even if someone found out, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Yang Ling carefully read the contents of the letter and immediately relaxed. There was nothing confidential in the letter. In fact, it was a joyous matter that could be publicized. He hurriedly put the letter away and excitedly said, "So the enemy chief that Sir Min killed last night was a Tatar prince. This time, Sir Min has made a great contribution!"
He excitedly clapped his hands and said, "I'll go and inform Sir Min now. Young-niang, you and Miss Ma stay here for a while. You can go home when the snow is less heavy."
Han Youniang nodded obediently. Yang Ling excitedly walked out. Ma Lian 'er suddenly remembered something and suddenly said, "Brother Yang, I'll go with you. My brother left in a hurry yesterday. I'll go and help him change his citizenship."
Yang Ling naturally wouldn't agree. He immediately called for the post office's horse number to bring another horse and the two of them went straight to the yamen. County Magistrate Min was lying on the kang bed while the doctor changed his dressing. When he heard the news brought by Yang Ling, his mouth first opened so wide that an egg could be stuffed in. After a long while, he asked for the letter and read it twice. Then he started to laugh like an old hen laying eggs.
He originally laughed like this because he was afraid that his laughter would rupture his wound. He didn't expect that his suppressed laughter would cause his body to tremble even more violently.
Seeing him laughing in pain, Yang Ling also thought it was funny. It turned out that being rash had its own advantages. Who would have thought that this boorish fellow would casually take the credit?
Lord Min was still laughing when his smile suddenly froze on his face. He thought for a moment and his expression changed. "This is bad. Bayan Mengke's eldest son is a cripple. I heard that he had always thought highly of the second prince. Now that his son has been killed by me, the Tatar army has retreated so easily. This is really suspicious.
Just now, the army reported that in the wee hours of this morning, our army has set out to find traces of the enemy. If Bayan Mengke personally leads the army to avenge his son, it will be very bad. This news must be reported to General He immediately. Advisor Yang, quickly catch up with General He and tell him this news. "
Hearing this, Yang Ling also knew the situation was urgent. He quickly complied and hurriedly ran out. Ma Lian 'er had her citizenship revoked. She was waiting for him in the front hall. Seeing him hurriedly mounting his horse with an anxious expression on his face, she quickly led her horse and followed him. "Yang Xiong," she asked, "Why are you so flustered?"
Yang Ling said in a loud voice, "This morning the army set out to pursue the Tatars. The day before yesterday County Magistrate Min killed a Tatar prince, I am afraid the Tatars may not have really retreated. If they want to take revenge, I am afraid they are retreating in order to advance and secretly set up an ambush. I am going to catch up with General He and tell him this news." Finished speaking, Yang Ling turned his horse around and went straight to the southern part of the city.
Ma Lian 'er mounted her horse and circled around twice. She remembered that her brother was also in the army. If there was really a Tatars ambush, wouldn't the army be in a state of chaos? She was still worried. Cracking her whip, she also galloped towards the southern part of the city.
At this time, there were only some old and weak soldiers left in the camp outside the city. Yang Ling asked and found out that the army had left two hours ago. His heart was burning with anxiety. He immediately chased along the muddy road that had been trampled by the army's horses and carriages. But the road outside the city could not compare to the smooth road inside the city. Yang Ling had just learned how to ride a horse. He nervously held the reins and panted. He was even more tired than the horse he was riding.
After galloping for more than a li, he heard the sound of hooves behind him. Turning his head, he saw Ma Lian 'er also galloping over. She had taken off her fur coat at some point, revealing a dark green dress and a fox-skin vest. Her figure was unspeakably moving. Her movements as she galloped on the horse were even more graceful.
When the horse reached her, Yang Ling hurriedly said, "Miss Lian 'er, why are you here? That's good, your horsemanship is good. Hurry and stop the army to prevent any accidents. "
Ma Lian 'er's brow furrowed slightly. She said, "Why would the army listen to a woman like me when they stop? Did you bring that secret letter? "
Yang Ling slapped his forehead and said, "Oh no, I forgot to give it to Official Min."
Hearing this, Ma Lian 'er snorted coldly. She suddenly pressed a hand against the back of the horse. Straightening her back, she actually jumped onto the horse's back. The horse was still galloping. This horsemanship was really good. Ma Lian 'er said to Yang Ling, "Let go of the reins, I'll ride."
Yang Ling threw away the reins in a daze. He didn't know how she was going to control the horse. He saw the two horses move together. Ma Lian 'er jumped up and lightly landed in front of Yang Ling. She pushed the bottom of her shoe back and ordered, "Give me the stirrups."
Yang Ling's feet left the stirrups. He felt his body was unstable. Hastily he wrapped his arms around Ma Lian 'er's slender waist. Ma Lian 'er's waist was suddenly hugged by the man. Although she was prepared, her back stiffened and her stomach tightened.
She took a deep breath and pretended as if nothing had happened. She picked up the reins and said, "Hold on tight. I'm going to take you, the Deputy Prefect, to see General He!"
Ma Lian 'er grew up outside the Great Wall. Her horsemanship was very good. These two people's bodies were very light. Added together, they were not even as heavy as an armoured soldier. The two of them rode on two horses. Not only did it not affect the horse's speed, with her superb horsemanship, it ran even faster and steadier.
By this time General He's army had entered Crouching Tiger Mountain. The scouts sent last night brought back intelligence this morning: the Tartars have already swept away the carriages, horses, cattle, and sheep of two and a half li and five li pu, and sent people to transport them back to the Great Wall. But the enemy still had not retreated. After suffering a setback at the Chicken Crowing Post, they retreated to Yumu village. They split up a small force to loot the nearby villages.
General He couldn't contain his joy when he received the accurate intelligence. In any case, there was only one road to the Chicken Crowing Post, so he didn't have to worry about being outflanked. Therefore, he mobilized five armies to travel swiftly through the snow. He wanted to launch a surprise attack on the Tartars.
In Imperial Messenger Ye's words, the heavy snow was endless. The Tartars would not expect our army to suddenly arrive. In the past, Li Ji entered Caizhou in the middle of a snowy night and performed a meritorious deed. This time, by launching a surprise attack and annihilating the enemy, he could leave his name in the annals of history and catch up to the ancients.
The army was six li away from the city and entered the Gourd Valley. On both sides of this valley were continuous high mountains. In the middle was a gourd-shaped valley. Although General He was eager to perform a meritorious deed, he was not a rookie general after all. He wasn't blinded by utilitarianism. He immediately ordered the army to stop advancing and sent scouts to scout ahead.
Imperial Messenger Ye saw that General He couldn't stop the army, so he followed. His horsewhip pointed to the distant valley in front of them and said, "Daren, the mountains on both sides of the valley are not urgent. The distance between the two sides and the top of the mountain extends for several hundred zhang. There is no cover on the mountain, so there's no way to hide the soldiers. If the Tartars set up an ambush on the mountain peak, with such a distance, their bows, arrows, sabers, and spears will pose no threat to our army at all. With this several hundred zhang gentle slope, even rolling logs and stones will not be of much use.
There's no need to worry. "Eunuch Liu stuck his head out of the sedan chair and looked around. He said," Hmm, although I don't know much about military affairs, I can see that this mountain is bare and has no cover. Indeed, there's no place to hide people. With the mountains on both sides, it's impossible for the Tartars to outflank us. Besides, the Tartars have fewer men and horses than us, how can they surround us with fewer men? We can move forward without any worries. "
General He smiled and said, "Ha, ha, the two supervisors are right. I'm just worried that this valley is too narrow. Our army can only line up like a long snake, with no coordination between the front and the back. If the Tartars set up an ambush in front of us, the troops behind us won't be able to come to our aid. We won't be able to make use of our advantage in numbers and will inevitably suffer heavy casualties. It won't be too late to wait for the scouts to ascertain the enemy's situation first."
Less than an hour later, the four scouts came back one after another. They didn't see any enemy in front of them, nor did they see any horses or carriages trampling on the snow in the valley. It must be known that although the snow was heavy right now, if there was a large group of people moving, it would be impossible to hide all their tracks. General He was relieved to hear this. He immediately passed down the order for the reserve troops to speed up and quickly pass through the valley, heading straight for Elm Village.
The five thousand soldiers obeyed the order and continued forward. The troops moved in a grandiose manner, resembling a long dragon in the snowy mountains. City Head He led the vanguard troops through the middle and back sections of Gourd Cave. They were just about to exit the valley when suddenly, at the mouth of the valley ahead, there was a thundering sound of war drums and countless flags were raised. At the same time, there was the sound of clappers on both sides of the mountain slopes. In an instant, countless figures appeared out of thin air on the snow-covered mountain slopes. Arrows flew in all directions and eagle feathers filled the sky.
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