The Resolute Cannon Fodder Teaching In Ancient Time

Chapter 48: Forty-Eight Treasures

The autumn wind blew against the carriage curtains, causing them to sway incessantly.

The carriage was drafty, and Xu Zhen found herself leaning against Xu Qianchun for comfort, trying to steady herself.

Xu Qianchun felt both joy and worry. Her expression remained as calm as always, but the occasional furrow of her brows betrayed her inner feelings.

The carriage traveled northward, the road becoming increasingly wide and the official path blurrier. They passed several relay stations, changed horses a few times, and traveled through deserts and oases. Half a month later, they finally arrived in Yongzhou.

Their destination was Pingliang, which wasn’t far from the territory of the Hu people. Just a little further and they’d reach the Xiongnu lands, surrounded by a few restless smaller states, such as Xiqin and Beiyan.

As they approached Pingliang, the weather grew colder and much drier. In the distance, they could faintly see soldiers in soft armor squatting on the ground, examining the terrain.

Xu Zhen leaned out the window to look, her face stinging from the cold wind. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them to gaze at the endless grasslands. It was twilight, where the vast desert smoke danced under the setting sun, the winds blowing fiercely, presenting a scene of desolation.

In the northern frontier, there was only sand and withered grass.

The city walls were coated in a layer of gray dust, surrounded by uneven patches of yellow earth. At the city gate stood two gaunt old soldiers, leaning against the wall as they checked the household registrations.

Peering through the city gate, Xu Zhen noticed the street was nearly empty, and even the vendors seemed lethargic.

The two old soldiers checked Xu Zhen’s identification and, upon learning she was a minor official of ninth rank, allowed her to proceed inside to find the Inspector.

Xu Zhen was astonished to learn that the Inspector of Yongzhou was stationed in Beiliang.

Just as she got off the carriage to take a look, the sound of hooves clattering echoed at the city gate, accompanied by a cloud of dust.

A gaunt horse galloped in.

On the back of the horse was a person.

Xu Zhen quickly pulled Xu Qianchun aside to make way for the horse, but then the person on the horse suddenly tumbled down, clutching their chest, covered in blood, and weakly cried out, “Report, report—”

Seeing the situation, the old soldiers at the city gate hurried forward to help the fallen person, shouting, “Come, help here!”

Warhorses whinnied, cries echoed, dust swirled, and the sound of weapons clashed.

In an instant, the atmosphere became chaotic.

Suddenly, a large group of mounted Hu people surged into the city from outside the gate, shouting loudly as they drew nearer. At the same time, numerous soldiers clad in armor jumped down from the city walls, brandishing long whip-like weapons to charge forward.

“Don’t be afraid!!!” A voice from the sandy ground cried out desperately. On the walls, catapults began to launch heavy stones, and warfare erupted in an instant.

This was the first time Xu Zhen witnessed the violent scene of a knife slitting someone's throat, with blood splattering everywhere.

She watched as a battle horse had its foreleg cleaved in two, collapsing to the ground after a pained shriek, and felt as if her own leg had been cut, nearly causing her to faint.