Chapter 149 Eating Meat

Traveling at night guided only by starlight and moonlight was not a wise choice for people of this era. Yet, relying on his intimate knowledge of the terrain, Xidongzan had no alternative. His heart was unsettled—a vague, indescribable feeling akin to what future generations would call a woman's sixth sense.

In their hurried escape, they had taken nothing—not even their warhorses, which were seized from the local garrison. They carried no extras: no water skins, no food supplies, no flint or tinder.

There was no time to spare. They had ridden from dawn till dusk, and only when their horses began to wheeze and falter did the three of them finally pause to catch their breath.

Having left the Peacock River behind, they now entered mountainous terrain. Once they crossed the mountain pass ahead, they would enter the Xiangxiong region, and Bazaduo City lay barely a day's ride away—though only if they pressed their horses to full speed without rest.

This was precisely their situation. Xidongzan dismounted and leaned heavily against a large tree, gasping for air, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. His subordinates looked at him in puzzlement. They were already far from the Peacock River Valley; what danger could there be? If caution was warranted, it should be for their rear—perhaps the Tang forces might catch up, though that seemed unlikely.

“Noble sir, why not rest for the night and ride on at dawn?” one of his men tentatively suggested.

Xidongzan remained motionless, as if frozen by a spell, staring into the distance. The only sound in the darkness was the whistling wind sweeping down from the mountaintop. Just as his men grew increasingly perplexed, he suddenly moved.

To their astonishment, he dropped to the ground, pressing his ear almost against the soil. Such behavior was typical of scouts, yet they had never seen him do this before.

“Horse hooves—no fewer than thirty riders,” he said after listening intently.

Rising, Xidongzan led his horse into the forest. To avoid making noise, he tore off his clothing to bind the horse’s muzzle and gently stroked its mane to calm it.

No sooner had they concealed themselves than sounds emerged from beyond the ridge. First came a line of bright torches. The men froze. Cavalry from Xiangxiong should have been allies—could something have happened in Bazaduo City that warranted this urgent nighttime arrival? Xidongzan’s heart pounded wildly. He peered out cautiously. The riders approached swiftly, but beneath the bright torchlight, they were not his men.

He quickly withdrew behind the tree, listening to the relentless pounding of hooves—each beat striking his heart with piercing clarity in the still night.

“...Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one,” he counted.

The hoofbeats faded until they were gone. After a brief pause, he cautiously looked again and caught sight of the trailing riders—his doubts vanished.

Tang cavalry.

Their appearance on the road from Xiangxiong to Niboluo sent a chill through him and set his heart aflame. It was certain the Tang forces had crossed into Xiangxiong, though whether they had already seized Bazaduo City remained unknown.

Under such circumstances, there was no question of spending the night there. The three mounted and rode on without reserve. Nearing the mountain pass, they encountered Tang soldiers again—this time all mounted infantry. Each bore two or even three horses. Though numbering only about a hundred, their vigor and spirit evoked the shadow haunting Xidongzan’s mind.

If a small cavalry detachment might be scouts, the presence of these infantry left no room for luck. The Tang offensive in Xiangxiong was underway, extending even into Niboluo. The two regions were clearly linked. What could he do to stem this tide?

Xidongzan finally understood the meaning behind the sneer of that young Tang soldier before his flight. It was a cruel mockery of his failure to hold Dabolü, the looming loss of Niboluo, and now the imminent fall of Xiangxiong.

The Tang advance exceeded all his expectations. Where would their campaign end? A bone-deep chill gripped him—had the heavens truly forsaken Tibet?

Meanwhile, Liu Ji slept soundly that night. Not only was he comforted by the beautiful woman beside him, but also because the Niboluo forces had been utterly demoralized, lacking the will to mount a counterattack. The Tibetans they relied upon were now overwhelmed.

Yet this pleasant mood was shattered at dawn. The first to awaken was the girl in his arms, Aier Silaiya. Her beautiful eyes opened wide at the unexpected intruder, and after a moment’s shock, she let out a piercing scream.

The shrill cry roused Liu Ji. Rubbing his eyes impatiently, he roughly pushed the girl’s head back into his embrace to preserve their privacy, muttering curses.

“Yang Huzi, you shameless bastard! You barge in anywhere you please? Are all the guards outside dead or what?”

Yang Yu was still dazed, never having imagined such a scene inside Liu Ji’s tent. Such a thing was unthinkable in the army.

Under Liu Ji’s harsh words, Yang Yu sulked and retorted, “Stop yelling! Who can stop me? Damn it, I rode all night while you cuddled the girl. Comparing people like that makes a man furious.”

“Had your fill? Now get out.”

After expelling the lecherous intruder, Liu Ji sprang up, reassured the girl, donned a garment, and lifted the tent flap. Outside, a squad of riders were washing their horses in the river. Old Kang Si guarding the entrance was nowhere to be seen—most likely gone to meet them. No wonder Yang Huzi had slipped in so easily.

Yang Yu had waited outside all along. Seeing Liu Ji emerge, he ran up and punched him, his face full of envy.

“Fine-looking girl you’ve got there. From the looks of her, she must be from a wealthy family. Where did you snatch her from?”

“She was given to me by her mother. You can envy all you want, but that won’t get you anywhere. Guess it’s just because I’m so lovable,” Liu Ji joked half-heartedly, steering the conversation away.

“Sent by the Deputy Commander?”

“Of course. The route was guided by Chou Boli, and your men are close behind. They should arrive in about three hours. The Deputy Commander wants you and Li to decide on operations here together. I’m tagging along for the feast—don’t you dare play favorites.”

Yang Yu smiled ingratiatingly, making Liu Ji’s skin crawl.

“Where are the others? Have they already marched into Xiangxiong?”

“Yeah, my father sent me here, and the main army will set out in two days. By now, they should have taken Bazaduo City.”

“That’s excellent. We need to push harder. See that fortress ahead? That’s our target. You’ll get all the meat you want there.”

Yang Yu glanced in the indicated direction and drew in a breath. As a veteran, he knew smaller castles were often the hardest to capture. Even to throw bodies at it, you needed capable men.

“What can these folks do? Counting on them to take a castle is wishful thinking.”

Liu Ji knew he referred to the mountaineers in their camp but did not contradict him. Instead, he said, “True enough. That’s why we’re counting on you. Don’t rush—the meat will come. Everything will come.”

Yang Yu nodded vaguely, resigned to his fate. If a band of mountaineers could cause such a stir, he believed this mission would not be in vain.

Their old master had truly made a wise choice.