Mo Sang – CH 168

Chapter 168. Back to Camp

Li Sangrou emerged from the General’s Mansion, turned onto the main street, and after walking a dozen steps, disappeared into the crowd, heading straight out of the West Gate.

Outside the West Gate, boats lined the dock, porters carrying goods in long rows, their steps quick as they unloaded the cargo and carried it through the city gate.

Li Sangrou slowed her pace, observed for a moment, then casually turned into a row of stalls beside the dock, walking and looking around as she headed north.

After passing two or three checkpoints, there was hardly anyone around. Li Sangrou stood beside a large tree, listening intently for a while. Seeing that no one was around, she jumped off the riverbank and entered the reeds along the riverbank, wading through the muddy water and swimming upstream against the current.

The autumn wind blew, causing the reeds to sway and rustle softly against each other.

A flock of wild ducks preening their feathers was startled by Li Sangrou, but they were not particularly afraid. They flapped their wings and moved aside, then continued preening.

Li Sangrou stopped, watching the flock of brightly colored wild ducks. After a moment, she pushed aside the reeds and looked out at the murky, vast Hanshui.

Here, hundreds or thousands of years later, a bustling city that never sleeps would rise. Where she stood, flowers and neon lights would bloom, and couples would be everywhere, heads close together, whispering sweet nothings.

Li Sangrou stood there for a while, then slowly turned around, looked at the desolation around her, sighed softly, and continued forward.

As the sun began to set, a light rain started to fall. Li Sangrou kept her head down and just kept walking.

She walked until it was almost dark. Ahead, on a thick patch of reeds trampled flat, a stalk spotted Li Sangrou and leaped up.

Li Sangrou sat down on the thick, soft reeds, then took the leather bag from Datou and drank some water. She then took some salted mutton, eating while watching the crowd.

“We’ve all eaten. Mazha’s watching from that tree over there.” Xiao Lu squatted down beside Li Sangrou, his voice barely audible.

Li Sangrou nodded, slowly ate a large piece of salted mutton, and stood up.

Xiao Lu walked ahead, listening for any movement. Datou and Chuantiao tore apart the thick, soft reeds, pushed them into the river to cover their tracks, and followed Li Sangrou ashore.

Mazha slid down from a tall tree on the bank, about ten feet off the ground, and jumped to Li Sangrou’s side. He whispered, “We have not seen a soul in the past hour. There’s a village about five or six li to the northeast; judging by the lights, it’s a small village. There are two more villages to the southeast. Beyond that, you cannot see anything. There’s been fog since morning.”

“Have you remembered the directions?” Li Sangrou hummed in agreement, looking at Mazha.

“Yes, I have. Xiao Lu also climbed the tree to check. It should be alright.” Mazha said it should be alright, but his confidence seemed to be wavering.

A light drizzle was falling, and the darkness was so profound that one could not see one’s hand in front of one’s face; there were no stars or moon, and they could not be sure if they were on the right track.

“If only Brother Mao were still here,” Datou muttered.

No matter how dark the night or how difficult the road, Brother Mao had never lost his way.

“Let’s go,” Li Sangrou said, patting Datou.

After passing the small village only five or six li away, the rain intensified. Large raindrops pelted their bodies and faces, almost blinding them.

The one leading the way, Mazha, suddenly slipped and tumbled down the slope. Datou and Xiao Lu quickly followed, sliding down to pull Mazha up.

“The rain is too heavy; we need to find shelter. Let’s turn back, get closer to that village, find a place to take shelter, and wait a bit before continuing,” Li Sangrou decided swiftly.

Rushing now would be much less efficient.

The group turned and entered the threshing ground outside the village, each finding a haystack to squeeze into and take shelter from the rain, hoping to catch a nap.

Li Sangrou told Xiao Lu and the others to rest easy, while she herself drifted in and out of sleep, her eyes half-closed, listening intently to the sounds around her.

The village had long since fallen silent, save for the occasional cry of a baby; raindrops falling into the pond created a chilling croaking sound from the frogs.

A troop of three or four cavalrymen, carrying lanterns high on their shoulders, trotted past in the distance, and soon another troop arrived.

If it were not for this heavy rain, by daybreak, they would have already crossed this area and would not be far from the Shizi’s army.

This rain was unpredictable.

Li Sangrou slowly shifted her position, making herself more comfortable, and closed her eyes, half-asleep.

A small cavalry unit carrying lanterns passed by every half hour. Li Sangrou silently counted the number of times the cavalry passed. After the fifth round, watching the warm red lantern disappear into the distance, Li Sangrou whistled softly.

Although the rain was still heavy, they had to continue.

Before dawn, they needed at least an hour for the rain to wash away their footprints, making them barely visible.

The five crouched low as they left the haystack and returned to the darkness.

The lanterns atop Ezhou City walls, blurred by the rain, appeared as indistinct, dim yellow hues.

Li Sangrou led the way, keeping the dim yellow lights of Ezhou City walls to her right rear, moving forward silently.

After walking for about half an hour, they heard the sound of horses’ hooves again in the distance. The five men lay hidden in the bushes, watching the red lantern approach, then moved further away, emerging from the bushes. They continued for another half hour, until, in the distance, wisps of dawn appeared on the horizon.

Li Sangrou squinted in the direction of the dawn light and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Such heavy rain, in this completely unfamiliar, swampy place, and in such darkness, was fraught with danger.

Dawn would be much better.

The group gathered behind a dense thicket of bushes, ate some salted meat, drank some water, and then wound their way along the dense, concealing woods and bushes, taking a very circuitous route towards the south of Ezhou City.

Around noon, the rain stopped, and the patrolling Southern Liang cavalry, which had been encountered every half hour, gradually increased to about once an hour.

As evening approached, Li Sangrou and her group began to turn southeast from the northeast. When darkness fell completely, the group hid behind a large rock, slowly eating salted meat and listening to their surroundings.

More than an hour had passed since their last encounter with the Southern Liang cavalry.

Although it had stopped raining, the sky was still thick with clouds, making it almost impossible to see one’s hand in front of one’s face.

To their south, they could only see the dim, yellowish lights of Ezhou City.

The heavy rain of the previous night had hindered their journey; otherwise, they would at least be able to see the Qi Army camp by now. Fortunately, the rain had stopped.

After resting for a while, the group continued their journey in the darkness.

When dawn broke again, Li Sangrou stood under a large tree, gazing south.

Through the morning mist, the towering city of Ezhou in the distance and the sprawling Qi army camp to its east were now faintly visible.

“Finally here!” Chuantiao plopped down on the ground. “Let me rest for a bit.”

“Rest a bit, everyone; have something to eat,” Li Sangrou said with a smile.

The group shared the remaining salted meat, rested for about half an hour, and then continued southeast.

Around noon, they could clearly see the high palisades surrounding the Qi Army camp. Li Sangrou slowed her pace, proceeding cautiously.

Just as they entered a grove of trees, Li Sangrou suddenly stopped, raising her hands and calling out, “We are lost!”

Xiao Lu and the other three followed suit, raising their hands in fear and trepidation.

“Where are you from? Where did you come from?” Several soldiers stood up from the bushes.

“From Pingjing Pass, we are here to see General Wen, who serves the Commander-in-Chief,” Li Sangrou replied, recognizing the soldiers’ thick northern accents.

“You just said you were lost!” the soldiers questioned.

“I did not know you were from this side or the Southern Liang side just now,” Li Sangrou replied with a smile.

“You guys go first!” Several soldiers stepped aside, gesturing for Li Sangrou and her companions to proceed.

Xiao Lu and his four companions followed behind Li Sangrou, hands raised, walking obediently forward.

Two soldiers followed a dozen paces behind them, while the rest of the soldiers hid back in the bushes.

Li Sangrou and her companions walked obediently for about half an hour, finally reaching the gate of the Qi Army camp.

“What’s your name?” The soldier who had followed them all the way to the gate turned around, ran back a few steps, and called out.

“My surname is Li, Li Sangrou.”

The commander on duty on the watchtower beside the gate exclaimed, leaning on the railing and waving his hand, shouting, “Is that General Sang? It really is! Quickly report to the Commander-in-Chief! Hurry!”

Wen Shunzhi was probably nearby, striding out very quickly.

Stepping out of the camp gate, Wen Shunzhi looked at Li Sangrou, covered in mud and grime even in her hair, and chuckled. He bowed slightly to let her in, saying, “Da Chang said you were coming, but he had no idea how or when you were coming. The Commander-in-Chief was very worried about you.”

“I came from Ezhou City,” Li Sangrou replied with a smile, waving to the commander who had been waving at her from the watchtower, and followed Wen Shunzhi towards the commander’s tent.

Gu Xi and Wen Cheng stood one after the other outside the tent, looking at the mud-covered Li Sangrou, and cupped their hands in a smile, saying, “Looking like this, did you go to the Liang army camp again?”

“The Commander-in-Chief really did come from Ezhou City,” Wen Shunzhi replied with a smile.

“How come you…” Gu Xi’s question was cut off mid-sentence, then he swallowed it back. “Your clothes are soaked. Go wash up first, then get some sleep, and we can talk later. I will have someone make you some ginger soup.

Your tent is right next door. Zhihe had it prepared for you the day Da Chang arrived.”

“Alright. I’ve been traveling for two days and two nights; I am really exhausted.” Li Sangrou smiled and nodded, bowing to Gu Xi and Wen Cheng as she headed towards her small tent.

Ru-Yi brought over all the boiling water Gu Xi used for tea, water from Wen Shunzhi’s tent, and hot water from the dozen or so surrounding tents, barely enough for a tub of hot water.

Li Sangrou was not fussy; a little warm water was fine. She comfortably washed her hair and took a bath in the hot water, then changed into dry clothes.

Her clothes, crossbow, and other belongings, which Da Chang and the others had brought along, were now in her small tent. Ru-Yi brought in some hot ginger soup. Li Sangrou drank half a bowl, then told Ru-Yi to wake her before dinner. She lay down on the low bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

In the evening, before Ru-Yi could wake her, Li Sangrou woke up. Hearing the strange conversation of Hei Ma outside, a slight smile appeared on her face. She got up and left her tent.

Next to Li Sangrou’s small tent was Da Chang’s tent.

Two old Yunmeng guards, dressed in black, were busy cooking.

Xiao Lu and Da Chang squatted opposite each other. Xiao Lu held a tattered piece of paper, meticulously listing accounts, while Da Chang used an abacus, his expression serious. Between them lay a pile of silver notes, loose silver, and strings of large coins.

Meng Yanqing squatted between the two, also with a serious expression, watching them reconcile their accounts.

The Boss and his men had managed to earn enough to cover their expenses on this trip and even had a surplus—quite a considerable one at that. He was truly impressed.

Mazha, Chuantiao, and Datou were surrounded by Hei Ma and the old Yunmeng Guards, who were embellishing their account of the perils they had encountered along the way.

Seeing Li Sangrou emerge, everyone stood up.

“Boss!” Hei Ma rushed over. “Ru-Yi said the Commander-in-Chief wants to throw you a welcome feast! Ru-Yi also said…”

Before Hei Ma could finish his sentence, Da Chang grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away.

“Xiao Lu and the others said they slept twice on the road without resting. They had just washed up when Master Wen summoned them and questioned them for over an hour. They just returned from Master Wen’s place a quarter of an hour ago,” Da Chang said in a low voice.

“Hmm, how was your journey?” Li Sangrou looked at Meng Yanqing, who was standing four or five steps away.

“Everything’s going smoothly. Four new relay stations have been added within Pingjing Pass, and locations have been found for those stations from Pingjing Pass here,” Meng Yanqing replied hastily, bowing slightly.

Before Li Sangrou could ask any more questions, Ru-Yi had already come running over: the Commander-in-Chief wanted to speak with her.

Inside the command tent, Gu Xi and Wen Cheng were talking quietly to each other while looking at a map taller than a person. Hearing Ru-Yi’s report, Gu Xi quickly turned to look at Li Sangrou.

“Have you rested well? Da Chang and the others arrived three days ago, saying you were here too. Shouzhen, Zhihe, and I were all very worried about you,” Gu Xi said, looking Li Sangrou up and down.

“An old friend I met in Jiangdu City is now in Ezhou City. Thinking that we will be facing each other with swords in the future, I went to say goodbye,” Li Sangrou said with a cupped-hand salute and a smile to Gu Xi and Wen Cheng.

“Xiao Lu said…”

“Please sit down, please sit down; have a cup of tea!” Gu Xi interrupted Wen Cheng, gesturing for Li Sangrou to sit.

Ru-Yi placed freshly brewed tea and several delicate tea snacks on the low table.

“We crossed the river from Anqing Prefecture, took a roundabout route, and entered Ezhou from Jiangnan with our travel permits.” Li Sangrou took a sip of tea and smiled at Wen Cheng.

Wen Cheng wanted to say something, but instinctively looked at Gu Xi first.

“Ezhou City is like an iron fortress, impossible to surround. I heard you entered Ezhou smoothly with your travel permits. Shouzhen and I think this might be a good method.” Gu Xi did not see Wen Cheng’s glance, only looking at Li Sangrou and smiling.

“We kept our travel permits. Did Xiao Lu give them to you?” Li Sangrou looked at Wen Cheng from Gu Xi.

“He gave them to us. I’ve already asked Lu and the other three about it, but there are quite a few places they did not notice. I will have to ask the head steward.” Wen Cheng stood up and took the travel permits from the long table.

“Let’s eat first. Lady Li has been traveling for two days and two nights; I am afraid she has not even had a sip of hot water.” Gu Xi interrupted Wen Cheng again.

Ru-Yi, with several servants, laid out a table full of dishes.

“This kind of fish is said to be only found here. It tastes very good; you should try it.” Gu Xi pointed to a fish and smiled.

Li Sangrou smiled and agreed, eating two bowls of rice and drinking half a bowl of fish soup in one go, feeling quite content.

Ru-Yi tidied up and brought over tea. Li Sangrou, holding the tea, stood before the map, pointing out details such as road conditions, village population, merchant hawker activity, market activity, prices, accents encountered, checkpoints, brokerage shops, and so on—she was meticulous, even specifying market days and times.

Wen Cheng, holding a mat, listened intently to Li Sangrou’s pointing, memorizing each detail rapidly.

“…Many places are already preparing for the New Year’s opera, rehearsing the folk performances. This year’s harvest is good.” Li Sangrou finished speaking, took two steps back, looked at the map for a moment, then looked away.

At least this year’s folk performances would be lively and joyous.

“You two discuss it. I am going back to rest. If anything comes up, have Ru-Yi call me.” Li Sangrou took another step back.

“Alright, thank you for your hard work.” Gu Xi was deep in thought when he subconsciously replied and waved to Li Sangrou.