In the capital, a small butterfly flapping its wings could only create a small, almost invisible gust of wind. When these thousands of strands of wind gathered together, whether or not it could become an irresistible storm tens of thousands of li away, no one knew. However, at this moment, the subtle changes that had occurred in the capital did not seem to have reached the battlefield tens of thousands of li away.
This was a vast and boundless desert. The desert was littered with starry grass. The vegetation here was not rich, so there were not many cattle and sheep grazing here. At a glance, it was just a tent set up for a battle. These tents were covered with thick linoleum jars to prevent people from freezing at night.
In the innermost part of these tents that were arranged in a unique square formation, there was a tent that was very strange. This tent appeared very luxurious, and there were even thick tassels on top. However, there were no less than ten guards standing guard outside. These people's clothes were slightly different from the Da Jin's, and they seemed to have a strong demeanor of a foreign race.
A young girl dressed in an emerald green dress walked in with a basket in her hand. Upon seeing this, the guard outside let her pass. The young girl kept her head down the entire way. After entering the tent, she silently placed the food basket in her hands on the table and took out plates of food from inside. After everything was arranged, she said in a low voice, "Deputy General Jiang, this servant is Jin 'er. I am the new servant girl to serve you. You should eat something."
The man sitting on the chair in the tent raised his head, revealing a handsome face. His complexion was slightly pale, and there was a green stubble on his chin, but he did not seem to be in a sorry state. Instead, there was a kind of carefree and unrestrained air about him. When he heard the young girl's voice, he was slightly surprised. After a while, he said, "You can speak official language? Are you from the Great Jin's capital?"
The young girl lowered her head and said in a low voice, "This servant is from the Great Jin's capital. I was captured by the people of the Southern Border. Those people wanted to find someone to serve Master, so they sent this servant here."
Jiang Xin Zhi's gaze slowly fell on the young girl. The young girl was not very old, around sixteen or seventeen years old. Her skin could be considered delicate, and her eyes were big and lively. However, there was an obvious burn scar on her left cheek, abruptly destroying the beauty of her face, making her look exceptionally terrifying. It must be because of this face that she was sent here to serve him, the captive. Otherwise, if it was a young girl who was as pretty as a flower, she would have long been eaten up by the soldiers here without leaving any bones behind.
Jiang Xin Zhi narrowed his eyes. "You're from the capital. How did you end up here?"
Jin 'er stared blankly for a moment before replying, "This servant is a maid who follows the Great Jin Dynasty's army and works in the laundry room. A few nights ago, I went out with a few sisters and coincidentally encountered a group of soldiers who captured us and brought us back."
There were no loopholes in his words. There would indeed be a group of women accompanying the army, who would be used for daily necessities such as mending and cleaning. These women usually lived in other places, so Jiang Xin Zhi naturally couldn't see them one by one. As for going out at night and encountering a group of soldiers, it was not impossible.
However, as Jiang Xin Zhi listened to the young girl's words, he felt that something was wrong. He couldn't pinpoint it, so he could only slowly frown. It had been several months since he had been captured and brought here. He didn't know what had happened outside. These people who had captured him treated him with courtesy, enticing him with high positions and generous salaries. Every day, they would give him a muscle-weakening powder, making him unable to exert any strength, but they didn't kill him. He didn't know what these people wanted, but every day, he was thinking of a way to escape.
He said, "Since you were captured and brought here a few days ago, you should know how the war outside is going?"
The people who had captured him had isolated him from the outside world, so he had no way of knowing the specific situation of the war. He also didn't know how the Great Jin Dynasty's army was doing. When he had been captured, Guan Liang Han had also been hit by an arrow. That arrow had been very deep, and presumably, it wouldn't have healed overnight. The army couldn't go a day without a general. The war was in imminent danger.
"General Guan is seriously injured and can no longer lead the army into battle." Jin 'er said in a low voice, "Currently, the Great Jin Dynasty is retreating step by step, and Tian Jin is pressing forward. They have already forced the Great Jin army to the area around Heiguan Cliff. However, Deputy General Jiang need not worry. This servant heard from the higher-ups that the court has already sent reinforcements. Jinying Wang is rushing over with a hundred thousand Brocade Guards. "
Jiang Xin Zhi's brows were deeply furrowed as he listened, but when he heard the last sentence, he couldn't help but stare blankly. "Jinying Wang?" He slowly frowned. Since even Xiao Shao had been sent over, it could be seen how tense the war situation was. Xiao Shao was a hidden force of the Great Jin Dynasty. It seemed that he had been born to resist some kind of power, and he usually hid in the dark. The Emperor's tolerance toward Xiao Shao might not have been without a reason. Jiang Xin Zhi wasn't a fool. During the days he had fought alongside Guan Liang Han, he could guess a little. However, this hidden force of the Great Jin Dynasty had now openly appeared before everyone's eyes, and was even about to be brought into the battlefield to engage in a fierce battle with Tian Jin. What had happened?
He thought hard, but when he raised his eyes, he saw that Jin 'er was stealthily staring at him without blinking. Meeting his gaze, Jin 'er was like a thief who had been caught red-handed. She blushed slightly and hurriedly lowered her head, no longer looking at him.
Jiang Xin Zhi's keen senses noticed that although this young girl was ugly, wore very ordinary clothes, and even said that she was a servant. However, the way she carried herself was not that of a servant who was used to serving others. On the contrary, there was even a certain natural nobility to her. Some people's nobility didn't need to be feigned, especially those who had been raised in rich and influential families. Their actions and mannerisms had been influenced by their families since they were young, so they naturally exuded the air of nobility. The young girl in front of him didn't seem like a servant, but more like a young lady. Compared to a young lady, she lacked a certain air of arrogance and seemed like a simple and natural ordinary girl. However … for an ordinary girl to appear in the enemy's camp was in itself an abnormal thing.
Jiang Xin Zhi slowly said, "Since you are here to serve me, I will tell you. Before you came here, there were three maids who served me in this tent. In the end, they all died."
Jin 'er was stunned and looked at him in confusion.
Jiang Xin Zhi closely watched her expression and continued to speak unhurriedly, "Because they were all spies sent by these people. They thought of ways to deceive my trust and pry information from my mouth. However, I discovered them and found a way to expose them. Their mission failed and they were dragged out and killed by those people. Their deaths were also very tragic. For example, before you came, I had only finished cleaning up one corpse in this tent. " His voice contained a kind of heavy oppression and also a sharpness like the tip of a sword being unsheathed. Golden light suddenly appeared from the rolling dark clouds and broke through the air. It carried with it a pressure that made people unable to resist, forcing them to speak the truth. He said, "Miss Jin 'er, do you still want to stay by my side?"
Jin 'er was startled by his sudden words, but after a moment, she smiled and said, "This servant is only here to serve Deputy General Jiang. Naturally, I will stay by your side. It's fine. Deputy General Jiang, you should eat something first. "
Jiang Xin Zhi was slightly stunned. When he met Jin 'er's eyes, he discovered that they seemed somewhat familiar. However, they were crystal clear. If it wasn't that her heart was truly empty, then her schemes were too deep. What he had said earlier was not false, but it was also not completely true. Some of the servant girls were spies sent by the local authorities, but some were truly Great Jin people. They were even willing to risk their lives for him in order to rescue him from his cage. Unfortunately, they all died at the hands of these people in the end.
As he spoke, a person walked in from outside the tent. He glanced at Jin 'er but did not ask her to leave, clearly treating her like she was nothing. When the person saw Jiang Xin Zhi's frown, he laughed, "Deputy General Jiang, you don't seem to be in a good mood today. What, do you think it's too stuffy here?"
This person wore a gray robe that covered his entire body, revealing only a smooth and slender chin. His thin lips also looked very beautiful. Judging from the voice, it was a young man. His voice even carried a bit of gorgeous charm, but he did not know why. He said, "Deputy General Jiang, have you still not made up your mind?"
"Sire does not need to waste too much effort on me." Jiang Xin Zhi smiled slightly, "I do not have what sire wants on me."
The person in gray slowly approached Jiang Xin Zhi. However, his voice contained a trace of a faintly discernible smile. It was like a gorgeous end string on a zither, with a somewhat itchy curve. However, it inexplicably caused one's heart to tremble, afraid that in the next moment, the resounding sound would snap the zither string. The person in gray said, "Deputy General Jiang, at this time, why do you need to hide anything? I just want to know, who gave you that letter? "
"That letter" referred to the letter that Jiang Ruan had stuffed into his hands three years ago when they had parted. The letter had recorded in detail some of the tactics that Tian Jin would use in the years of war with Tian Jin, as well as some surprise attacks, and even the victories and defeats that would occur in the next few years. This letter had been of great help to Jiang Xin Zhi. In the past three years, he had studied this letter from time to time. Relying on this letter, he would beat the enemy at their own game or lure them into a trap. He had perfectly destroyed the enemy's surprise attacks again and again, and won victory after victory.
However, there was a traitor in the army, and the traitor turned out to be Guan Liang Han's closest subordinate. This news had come too suddenly. More importantly, that subordinate had clearly understood the secret of this letter and had even secretly exchanged information with these people. This time, he had been schemed against by the other party. On one hand, he had been in danger, and on the other hand, an army of a hundred thousand. He had no choice but to concede. Jiang Xin Zhi had no choice but to be captured, and Guan Liang Han had been seriously injured.
And the contents of this letter were indeed enough to make the enemy go crazy. In the previous month, they had thought of all kinds of terrible ways to torture Jiang Xin Zhi, but Jiang Xin Zhi had not relented. Later, they had changed their minds and provided for Jiang Xin Zhi well, promising him a high position and generous salary, but Jiang Xin Zhi still had not relented.
Jiang Xin Zhi was a person who was unmoved by force or persuasion. These people had presumably become very familiar with Jiang Xin Zhi's temperament over the past few months. But they had still chosen this method. There must have been some other purpose, but Jiang Xin Zhi could not think of it for the time being. But there was one thing that he absolutely could not reveal Jiang Ruan's name.
Sometimes, Jiang Xin Zhi himself also doubted how Jiang Ruan knew what might happen in the future. It seemed that ever since Jiang Ruan had been picked up from the rural residence and returned to the capital three years ago, he had had some strange feelings. In front of him, Jiang Ruan was nothing more than a young girl with a somewhat apathetic temperament. Perhaps she was also somewhat intelligent, but with the power of foresight, looking at the contents of the letter and recalling the past, such as the incident at the Bo Chang Reservoir, it was really puzzling. But no matter what, whether Jiang Ruan was a demon or a ghost, she was still his younger sister. He would absolutely not do anything to harm his younger sister. Once these people knew that the letter was written by Jiang Ruan, they would definitely think of ways to capture Jiang Ruan. There were traitors at Guan Liang Han's side, and it was not certain that there were no ambushes in the capital. He had to protect Jiang Ruan.
"I have already said this many times." Jiang Xin Zhi stretched out his index finger to support his head, and with an extremely mischievous appearance, he said, "I just randomly picked it up on the road. Perhaps it is the will of the heavens. If sire must ask, there is no harm in asking the heavens. Perhaps the heavens feel that your Tian Jin's destiny is nearing its end, and thus sent down a decree to help my Great Jin. Since that is the case, seeing that sire has treated me with sincerity these past few days, I will also give sire a word of advice. There is no harm in complying with the will of the heavens, so that everyone can live comfortably, right? "
He was such a calm and introverted person, but now he was speaking nonsense with a deadpan expression, and even putting on a slovenly appearance. However, this appearance not only did not make people feel disgusted, but instead made people feel that it was extremely interesting, and they could not help but want to get closer to him. Jin 'er lowered her head, covering the trace of a smile that had quietly spilled out from the corners of her mouth.
The grey-clothed man was not angry, and instead stood with his hands behind his back. He nodded his head and said, "I agree with sire's words that the will of the heavens belongs to us, but the will of the heavens is not written by the heavens. Even if the heavens gave the Great Jin dynasty a warning, this warning prophecy ultimately still fell into our hands. What kind of will of the heavens is this? "
Jiang Xin Zhi was silent for a long time before he opened his mouth and said, "You are not people of Tian Jin, you are people of the Southern Border."
These people never talked about the affairs of Tian Jin, and the soldiers were usually stationed here. Their attire was also not that of the soldiers of Tian Jin at war. At first, Jiang Xin Zhi thought that they were a group of secret troops cultivated by Tian Jin, but later he discovered that this was not the case. Instead, it made him think of the rumored Southern Border Country. When the late Emperor was still alive, the Southern Border invaded the Central Plains and almost occupied the entire Central Plains for themselves. Afterwards, the late Emperor personally led the army and conquered the Southern Border Country. The Southern Border Country was destroyed, and the remaining Southern Border survivors were banished to the desolate borders of the Great Jin dynasty to settle down.
Since Jiang Xin Zhi was born, he had lived in the capital and had never had the opportunity to see the Southern Border survivors. Now that he saw them, he had a faint suspicion in his heart.
The grey-clothed man heard this and smiled lightly. His bright and clean chin slightly raised, drawing a strange arc, "Yes, we are people of the Southern Border. So what? The people of this world will eventually become people of the Southern Border. This world will eventually belong to us. "
Jiang Xin Zhi shook his head, "If you want to dream, I won't hinder you. However, I have already answered your question. Now, if you have nothing else to do, you can go out. I want to rest. "
The grey-clothed man was not angry at Jiang Xin Zhi's words. He only smiled faintly and turned to leave the tent. On the contrary, it was Jin 'er who nervously watched the grey-clothed man leave.
…
After the grey-clothed man left Jiang Xin Zhi's tent, he walked to another tent in the opposite direction. This tent did not look gorgeous. From a distance, it was not even as bright as Jiang Xin Zhi's tent. The entire tent was snow white. When he walked closer, he discovered that the tent was actually sewn with large pieces of snow fox skin. The top was snow white without a trace of impurities. It looked like the peak of a thousand-year snow mountain. From a distance, it contained a kind of cold and strange beauty.
There were no guards outside the tent. The grey-clothed man paused at the entrance before walking in.
There was a purple crystal curtain hanging in the middle of the tent. The top quality crystals were sparkling and translucent. They flickered with a bright snow white brilliance, almost dazzling the eyes of those who looked at them. The candlelight in the tent, under the reflection of the sparkling stones, was even more beautiful. Once one stepped in, it was as if they had walked into a magnificent and magnificent paradise.
Behind the curtain, a figure could faintly be seen. It seemed to be dressed in a beautiful red robe. It sat upright in front of the seven stringed zither, not strumming it. The grey-clothed man walked in front of the curtain and slowly bowed. His actions revealed a kind of extreme respect.
"Saintess." The grey-clothed man said.
"How did it go?" After a while, a sweet and charming female voice came from behind the curtain. This voice was very pleasant to listen to, like the first drop of blood that had melted into a ten thousand year old glacier the moment the spring sun shone in. It carried with it a thousand years of laziness and charm, and also a kind of naivety that did not understand the affairs of the world. Just listening to it made one feel as if they were about to drown in it. It made one almost unable to resist the urge to lift the sparkling curtain and see how beautiful the person inside was.
"Yuan Chuan is incompetent. Please punish me, Saintess." The grey-clothed man said. In front of this woman, the grey-clothed man lowered his noble chin, as if he was a devout believer, prostrating at the feet of his faith. Loyal and humble, he said, "He still did not say who the owner of that letter was."
"It's fine." The person behind the curtain said lazily, almost like a beauty who had just woken up from a deep slumber and had just stretched, revealing the coquettishness of a cat. "If he confessed so easily, he would not be the War God of the Great Jin Dynasty."
"Saintess, what should we do now? Or kill Jiang Xin Zhi? "The grey-clothed man asked.
"No, I want to keep him alive. The War God of the Great Jin Dynasty, such an important bargaining chip, is my gift to him." The woman's voice suddenly leapt with a hint of irrepressible joy. Her originally sweet and clear voice was suddenly enshrouded in a layer of sweet mist, making it hard for one to see her true appearance.
The grey-clothed man was slightly taken aback. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he did not say anything. He only respectfully lowered his head, humble and obedient as always.
"When he sees this gift I have given him, he will definitely be very happy." The voice from behind the curtain continued. It was as if the laziness from before had been completely awakened at this moment. It sounded like a child who was ignorant of the ways of the world, innocent and pure, welcoming the person he liked.
"Yuan Chuan, he is coming." The woman seemed to be smiling.
"I have waited for him for so long. I can finally see him again." She said.
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