On one side was the dying breath of a stranger, a middle-aged man.
On the other, the fear within a tree hollow in the endless darkness.
Interspersed with the sounds of countless footsteps from the periphery…
Xia Hou Juan didn’t know if the figures outside the tree hollow were friend or foe.
“There’s no other way, I can only… I can only try.”
She murmured softly, then opened her backpack, taking out some herbs for external wounds. She had always gathered firewood in Rang Mountain… so her backpack was filled with all sorts of salves for abrasions.
And because she was passionate about medicine, Xia Hou Juan often frequented the medical halls. This was to conveniently diagnose and treat difficult illnesses for the sisters in the Nan Shuo Marquis’s estate. Xia Hou Juan understood some medicine.
As for stopping bleeding and treating sword wounds, it wasn’t difficult for her.
What was difficult was… even after stopping the bleeding, the middle-aged man before her was still extremely weak, completely unconscious.
This made Xia Hou Juan’s heart clench.
“He must, he absolutely must wake up immediately…”
“Otherwise, there will be danger to his life!”
She clenched her fists.
At this moment, she recalled the "Compendium of Materia Medica" that her husband had gifted to the medical halls. It mentioned a method…
It was a folk remedy, one she had never practiced before…
But her husband, Lu Yu, had mentioned this treatment method to her one night… even saying that he didn’t know the principle behind it, but its effects were remarkable.
Specifically, it involved first slaughtering a live ox, emptying all its internal organs, and then placing a person who had fallen unconscious from an external injury into the still-warm ox’s belly. After a period of time… they would gradually regain consciousness.
Just as Xia Hou Juan thought…
When Lu Yu was transcribing the "Compendium of Materia Medica," and happened to reach this prescription, Xia Hou Juan was grinding the ink for him.
He didn’t understand the principle either, so he chatted with Xia Hou Juan for a few words.
And this prescription was actually discovered by a Mongolian doctor while treating a horse rider’s fall…
The "History of Yuan" records such a story.
When Genghis Khan led the Mongolian army to sweep across Europe, a general named Guo Bao Yu was shot with an arrow. He managed to extract the arrowhead and stop the bleeding, but he was close to death.
After the army physician had tried every method without success, Genghis Khan ordered a live ox to be slaughtered immediately, and all its internal organs to be removed.
Then… Genghis Khan instructed his subordinates to carefully place Guo Bao Yu into the still-warm ox’s belly.
After a period of time, Guo Bao Yu’s breathing slowly stabilized, and his consciousness gradually returned.
Finally, after a period of careful recuperation, Guo Bao Yu’s body fully recovered.
This is the famous abdominal embalming therapy in Mongolian medicine!
The principle is that the animal’s abdominal wrapping can very well maintain body temperature and accelerate blood circulation… Not only Mongolians, but Native Americans also used this method to treat severely wounded soldiers.
However…
The method was decided, but for Xia Hou Juan… a new problem arose: where to find an ox?
This…
With this thought, Xia Hou Juan’s brow furrowed. She pursed her lips, her eyes slowly gazing towards the direction of the tree hollow, obscured by countless branches.
“It seems I must go out…”
“Although it’s a bit risky, but…”
Xia Hou Juan swallowed. She was still a little scared, but her innate kindness prompted her to stand up instinctively and walk towards the outside of the tree hollow, step by step.
This Rang Mountain… was where she had gathered firewood since childhood!
She had once performed a great service here, which led to her marriage into the Nan Shuo Marquis’s estate… changing her life.
Today, could she… could she risk it again… to save a life?
…
…
At the foot of Rang Mountain, in a manor, within an elegant chamber, a pot of orchid was placed by the window…
Behind the orchid sat a woman with a bulging belly. She wore a goose-yellow long dress, seemingly focused as she played the zither. The thin veil outlined her graceful curves… however, her brows were filled with terror and panic.
In the span of a single piece, she had already hit over a dozen wrong notes.
With a “Zheng” sound, all the strings of the ancient zither snapped… The woman looked up, her gaze somewhat bewildered and dazed.
The air in the room was fragrant, but because of the woman’s action, the atmosphere inexplicably turned cold…
“Miss… Madam Xia Hou Juan still hasn’t returned! It… it’s already been three days!”
The speaker was a maidservant…
She bit her red lips slightly, her face also extremely tense.
She was Cai Zhao Ji’s trusted maid… one of the few who knew about her pregnancy. And besides Cai Zhao Ji, who else could be before her?
At this moment, Cai Zhao Ji’s expression was dejected.
Sister Juan hadn’t returned for three days. She, a woman with a bulging belly… what could she do? What could she do?
Could it be that she had to leave this wooden house and search for her in Rang Mountain?
“Miss…” the maidservant’s voice continued, “I heard that Wei Wei’s Captain of the Guards, Ma Teng, was pursued into Rang Mountain… and then… and then fell off a cliff! Could Madam Xia Hou Juan… could she…”
“No!” Cai Zhao Ji immediately waved her hand… “She will be fine, she will definitely be fine!”
As she said this, she silently closed her eyes, but after only a few breaths, her eyes suddenly opened…
“I can’t wait any longer.”
“You… go to Luoyang city. I heard Princess Wannian and the others have returned. Tell Wannian to come and see me!”
Having said this, Cai Zhao Ji was still uneasy.
“Later, I will write a personal letter. You give it to Yu Di. It’s about Juan’er’s safety. No matter how important this secret is, now… it can’t be hidden anymore.”
As she said this last sentence, Cai Zhao Ji’s eyes turned to her belly.
Yes…
The storm is coming, and the wind is filling the tower. Can she still hide it? How can she hide it?
…
…
The vast Yangtze River flowed east, and the departing boat had already docked.
Zhou Yu personally came to bid Lu Yu farewell…
Lu Yu clasped his hands. “This return to Xuchang city is to handle the matters of Xiliang. On the Jiangdong side, I hope Gong Jin can stabilize the situation!”
Zhou Yu clasped his hands. “As Marquis Nan Shuo said, this is one of the few opportunities I, Zhou Yu, have to escape Jiangdong. However… I wonder when Marquis Nan Shuo will return!”
Lu Yu was startled and smiled faintly. “Rest assured… King Wei has already returned to Xuchang ahead of me, and my disciple Yang Dezuzui also left before me. I expect that by the time I reach Xuchang, all truths will have surfaced! However, this journey, even with haste, will take at least a month…”
Zhou Yu sighed. “Then I’ll say no more. Zhou Yu wishes Marquis Nan Shuo a safe journey. When you return to Chibi again, I will surely persuade Jiangdong to submit a letter of surrender, fulfilling my… unfulfilled duty!”
“Thank you, Gong Jin!”
Lu Yu and Zhou Yu bowed solemnly to each other by the river…
A contingent of the Dragon Riders was already prepared…
Lu Yu, under the protection of Dian Wei, boarded the return ship!
And at this time… Cao Cao, who had rushed to Xuchang city a step earlier, had already reached Jingzhou.
Five days of rapid travel…
Cao Cao and his entourage had run to death hundreds of horses… but they were still some distance from Xuchang city.
Jiangdong was still quite far from the Central Plains.
“King Wei…”
On this day, at night, the exhausted marching troops were resting along the way.
Xu Chu clasped his hands and reported, “Lord Xun has sent another urgent dispatch. Ma Chao and Han Sui’s troops have stopped before Wu Pass. However… Wu Pass is only a few hundred li from Xuchang city. If they force an attack on Wu Pass, it will only be a few days before they reach Xuchang city.”
As he spoke…
Xu Chu’s expression was not good.
Three hundred li a day, this was already the fastest speed for the Tiger Guards to march. Any faster would require them to travel day and night, but the current situation in the Central Plains did not allow them to do so. This would put the Tiger Guards in an extreme state of fatigue!
What if they were plotted against by villains, and King Wei’s safety…
But… the current situation in Xuchang city was not optimistic. To be blunt, because Ma Teng had entered the imperial court, the entire Central Plains was almost undefended against Xiliang.
Lord Xun only had twenty thousand men, yet they had to defend two cities, Luoyang and Xuchang, as well as dozens of checkpoints. Even the most resourceful person couldn’t cook without rice!
However, unlike Xu Chu’s tension.
Cao Cao’s expression was very calm.
He stared intently at the map on the table, silent.
After a long time, Cao Cao’s hand finally rested on the map, and he retorted to Xu Chu, “In the past, when I mobilized all my forces to confront Yuan Shao at Guandu, Liu Bei led thirty thousand men to surprise Xuchang. Zhong Kang, tell me, how does that situation compare to today?”
This…
Xu Chu scratched his head. “Naturally, it was more urgent than today!”
“Hahaha…” Cao Cao immediately laughed, a hearty laugh. “We got through that, so what about today? This time?”
Speaking of this… Cao Cao immediately ordered, “Zhong Kang, immediately send a fast horse, seven hundred li urgently, to tell Lord Xun that I will arrive in Xuchang city in five days!”
“But…” Xu Chu immediately retorted, “Five days? Isn’t that enough?”
Cao Cao’s lips curved slightly. “It’s not enough, but… how would those Xiliang scoundrels know if I, Cao Cao, can make it?”
Mentioning this…
Cao Cao seemed to have thought of something else. “Furthermore, add this message: in five days, Lu Ziyu and I will arrive in Xuchang together!”
Ah… ah…
If Cao Cao could return to Xuchang in five days, that would already be boasting. Lu Yu? He… he hasn’t even set off yet? Twenty days would be good if he could make it back!
Xu Chu scratched his head… still with a face full of doubt.
“Don’t ask, just do it!” Cao Cao’s low voice sounded again…
Xu Chu hurriedly left the tent…
After he left, Xi Zhicai, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
“King Wei seems to have something to rely on!”
“Zhicai indeed has a pair of sharp eyes.” Cao Cao asked with a smile, “Then Zhicai, tell me, from where do my reliance come?”
Xi Zhicai’s eyes rolled… then he tentatively asked, “Could it be… the Imperial Academy?”
Hahaha…
As this was said, Cao Cao burst into laughter, his voice shaking the heavens.
Yes, during the Battle of Guandu, when Liu Bei’s thirty thousand men unexpectedly attacked Xuchang, that time… was ten times, a hundred times more terrifying than the current situation…
But… the students of the Imperial Academy worked together, and they resolved it, didn’t they?
Now… the Imperial Academy is still here!
And Yu’er has no shortage of teachers in the Imperial Academy.
– Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao!
– Cheng Yu, Cheng Zhongde!
– Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi!
And also Ju Shou from Guangping!
And these people are all his, Cao Cao’s, reliance…
Xuchang city has never had only one Lord Xun…
Yu’er’s Imperial Academy is a place where dragons and crouching tigers hide!
…
…
In Xuchang city, within the Directorate of Schools, the atmosphere was somber.
Guo Jia, Ju Shou, Xu Shu, and Cheng Yu were all present.
A school official explained the movements of the Xiliang army. When it came to the Xiliang army stationing troops at the foot of Wu Pass, the four of them remained calm… showing no hint of panic.
But when it came to another piece of information, that a large number of Xiliang spies had infiltrated Xuchang city…
This…
“Everyone, let’s discuss. With King Wei and Marquis Nan Shuo both absent from Xuchang, what is the purpose of these spies infiltrating?”
Cheng Yu, being the most senior, spoke first.
Guo Jia pondered for a moment, not speaking first, but letting Ju Shou and Xu Shu speak.
Xu Shu slowly stood up. “Ultimately, the Xiliang army is still wary. They fear King Wei and also Marquis Nan Shuo, hence they sent spies to gather information, ensuring that neither King Wei nor Marquis Nan Shuo are present!”
Ju Shou agreed. “Yuan Zhi is correct. It’s unexpected that even with Marquis Nan Shuo absent, he can still make people in Xiliang fearful. And this undoubtedly buys us some time.”
Xu Shu nodded. “Lord Xun said that King Wei has already reached Jingzhou!”
Ju Shou and Xu Shu’s words were more like stating facts, but Guo Jia’s eyes narrowed.
“No!”
“If the Xiliang army truly feared King Wei and Marquis Nan Shuo, they would not have chosen to advance westward!”
“To rashly station troops at Wu Pass, while there are indeed factors of fear, there must be another reason!”
Guo Jia felt that the Xiliang army’s actions were too strange.
They had already advanced westward, so there was no turning back once the arrow was loosed from the bow. How could they stop? Fear… this point didn’t add up!
Then…
Could it be that there were differing opinions within the Xiliang army, and someone was deliberately obstructing their westward advance, thus buying time for the Great Wei?
Guo Jia’s eyes narrowed even further.
Of course…
This question seemed unimportant.
What was important was how to respond.
“The urgent matter is not to guess the opponent’s intentions. The Xiliang army’s intention is obvious, which is Xuchang. How should we repel the enemy?”
This time, Cheng Yu spoke.
Upon this topic being raised, Xu Shu, Ju Shou, and Guo Jia all had something to say…
Who would have thought, but at this moment…
With a “creak,” the door of this secret chamber within the Directorate of Schools was pushed open.
And led by a school official, a young gentleman strode in.
This gentleman was not tall, nor robust in build, but his face was extremely delicate and handsome.
It was none other than the Imperial Academy student – Cao Chong!
“May I offer a word to you masters, Chong’er?”
“Chong’er heard that King Wei’s latest dispatch has already been sent to the Ministry of Personnel… Chong’er has an idea that can repel the Xiliang troops!”
Hmm…
As Cao Chong spoke, the entire chamber fell silent. All eyes turned to him.
Indeed…
In the eyes of many, in the current situation of the Great Wei, Cao Chong, as Lu Yu’s most valued disciple, was the most likely candidate to be the future ruler of the Great Wei.
Although he was not old, his words carried significant weight.
“Chong’er, please speak…” Cheng Yu gestured.
Cao Chong stood straight, clasped his hands, and said, “Then Cao Chong will offer his humble opinion…”
…
…
Tonight, within the Directorate of Schools, the wind whispered ominously.
It was already past midnight, but the window of the Ministry of Personnel was open. Xun Yu sat alone at his desk. Due to excessive fatigue, his eyes involuntarily closed, but his ears twitched from time to time, as if listening to the sound of the wind.
“Dong…”
With a forceful push of the door.
Xu Huang rushed in.
“Lord Xun, the situation is already critical, how can you still be sleeping?”
The speaker was Xu Huang…
He was a general left behind in Xuchang city. Facing the fierce advance of the Xiliang army, he had to deploy defenses in dozens of important locations, which was not easy.
“Shhh…” Unexpectedly, at this moment, Xun Yu raised an index finger, closed his eyes, and said, “I wasn’t sleeping, I was listening to the wind!”
“Wind?” Xu Huang was almost frantic.
“The wind begins from the smallest of ripples, and the ear can only hear the wind within thirty paces, but the heart can sense the wind a hundred li away!”
A hundred li away?
Xu Huang was startled. He felt utterly bewildered.
Is this what scholars are like?
At such a critical juncture, they were still spouting literary phrases!
It was possible that, at any moment, Xiliang assassins would strike!
…
…