260 An Army At the Border
On Little Ah Yu’s birthday, the Wang family was not the only one busy.
Thousands of miles away, the West Wind Kingdom suddenly caused a commotion.
The West Wind Nation was similar to the Great Chang Nation in size. They were both large countries on this continent.
The difference was that before the new Emperor took office, the Great Chang Nation had been in chaos for a long time. The people were struggling everywhere.
Now, it has only been 17 years since he took the throne.
The West Wind Kingdom had a legacy of more than 300 years, and the Imperial Family had always maintained a neutral attitude, causing the nobles to have fewer incidents of strife against the poor. The entire country was simple and calm.
However, no one would underestimate this country. They did not advocate martial strength, but the largest army on the continent was there and held in the hands of the Imperial Court.
Now, that army was gathered at the border of the Great Chang Nation. The soldiers guarding the city were so anxious that their mouths were about to blister.
“What’s going on? Is the West Wind Nation crazy? Why do they suddenly look like they want to fight with us?” The general guarding the city could not figure it out no matter how he thought about it.
This was because both countries were big. If they really fought, the people would be plunged into misery and suffering.
The general’s subordinate was even more confused than him. “I don’t know either. Although I’ve investigated a few times, I didn’t get any good results. The spies in the West Wind Kingdom couldn’t tell me anything.”
“There can’t be something out of nothing, right? Our Great Chang Nation has been trading frequently with them in the past few years. There shouldn’t be a war.”
Even the soldiers guarding the city were not the most elite troops.
“I don’t know.”
The general touched his head and sweated. “Let the soldiers be prepared first. If we really fight with the Imperial Court’s army, I’m afraid we won’t fare well. In addition, send a messenger pigeon to General Hu of the Silver City and ask him to send more people as soon as he receives the letter!”
“Yes!”
After his subordinates left, the general was so worried that his hair was about to turn white.
In another two years, he would be able to retire safely. Now, such a thing had suddenly happened.
Just as the Great Chang Nation was waiting solemnly, the Imperial Court’s troops from the West Wind Nation did not move.
They were actually in a deadlock until the Mid-Autumn Festival. The soldiers did not have any festive atmosphere at all, afraid that the enemy would suddenly attack during the festive period.
At this moment, someone suddenly came to report.
“Report! The West Wind Nation has retreated!”
The General and General Hu who had arrived with reinforcement troops, had question marks written all over their faces.
“What? They suddenly retreated?”
“Did they say anything?”
“Did the scouts see any signs of an ambush?”
The messenger shook his head. “Yes. The scouts didn’t spot anything.”
The two generals looked at each other.
Were… they playing with them?
The messenger hesitated for a moment before saying, “However, the scouts discovered that just two days ago, someone from our side went to the West Wind Nation.”
At that time, they saw two monks, one old and one young, riding a carriage.
The reason why they noticed them was because the horses pulling the carriage were not ordinary horses, but three ferghana horses.
It was rumored that one could travel a thousand miles in a day without changing horses.
If they encountered an emergency, it would only take half a month to travel 8,000 li from their capital, Myriad Forest City, to the West Wind Nation.
If it was an ordinary horse carriage, it could only travel 200 li a day at most. Even with more horses, it would not be enough.
The General hurriedly asked, “Why didn’t you report such an important matter?”
The subordinate looked puzzled. “I reported it a few days ago.”
The General remembered that some time ago, because of the rumors that there was going to be a war, the citizens who had received the news had fled to other countries one after another.
Some of them were from the West Wind Nation, some from the Great Chang Nation, and some from other countries.
The way they traveled was also different. No one stopped them from returning to their respective homes. However, the inspection was more strict than usual to prevent spies from sneaking in.
The General became impatient after hearing this a few times and asked his subordinates not to report such things in the future.
Thinking of this, the General glared. “How can ordinary people be the same as monks riding ferghana horses?! Do you have brains? Don’t you know how to think!”
The messenger: “…”
If I thought that way, I wouldn’t be a messenger.
General Hu asked, “Did you interrogate where those two monks came from and where they were going?”
“Yes. They said that they’re from Wangbei County and are going to the capital of the West Wind Kingdom. They said that they’re going there to beg for alms.”
General Hu: “Since they’re monks from the Great Chang Nation, why did they run to the West Wind Nation to beg for alms?”
The messenger: “…I don’t know.”
The General waved his hand and asked the messenger to go and investigate again.
At this moment, the two monks who made them curious had already entered the West Wind Nation and the Imperial Court’s army.
The leading General’s surname was Ouyang. He had a very good-looking face. When he sat in the General’s tent to supervise military affairs, he did not look like a General. Instead, he looked like a white-faced scholar.
When General Ouyang heard that two monks were looking for him and had even called out his name, Ouyang Pei, he waved his hand and got someone to bring them in.
The two monks were none other than Little Qing Wu and his master from Puji Monastery in Nanhe Town.
After the monks walked in, they smiled at Ouyang Pei behind the table and bowed. “Benefactor Ouyang, how have you been?”
Ouyang Pei looked up and was blinded by the monk’s shiny head.
At first, he thought that the monk looked familiar. When he took a closer look, his eyes widened slightly, and his tightly pursed thin lips seemed to reveal a gap.
His expressionless face seemed to crack.
“Ye Yuncang? What are you doing!” Ouyang Pei suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and strode towards the monk. “Where have you been all these years? Don’t tell me you went to some remote forest to be a monk!”
Ye Yuncang took a step back and smiled. “Benefactor, this poor monk’s Dharma name is Yuan Gou. My earthly name is already a thing of the past. It’s not worth mentioning.”
Ouyang Pei glanced at him. “You’re indeed quite a dog.”
He took a few steps to the side and frowned. Then, he said, “Since you’ve already converted to Buddhism, I think the items I’ve kept for you are useless. You don’t want your fiancée anymore?”
“My future is ruined. I’ve long understood that color is emptiness, and emptiness is color.”
“Very good. You also don’t want money anymore?”
“Money is just a worldly possession. I’ll leave it for the fated person.”
Ouyang Pei sighed. “Looks like you don’t care for the 100-year-old peach blossom brew that I specially collected for you.”
Ye Yuncang’s smile deepened as he bowed slightly to Ouyang Pei. “I can renounce asceticism.”
Ouyang Pei: “…”
Little Qing Wu: ???
I didn’t expect Master to be this kind of person!
After the joke, Ye Yunzheng and Ouyang Pei sat opposite each other. He said, “Buddhism didn’t teach me anything. Instead, I learned a thing or two about divination. Fortunately, I stopped you in time.”
“Do you know why I’m here?”
“What else can you be here for? You’re just looking for someone,” Ye Yuncang said. “This time, I met someone in the Great Chang Nation. It’s exactly the same as Ruan Ruan when she was young.”
Ouyang Pei suddenly stood up. “Are you serious?!”