Hua Zhu Yu stood on a spot on the steep slope, gaining a clear view of the situation on the battlefield.
As the two armies battled, they seemed like two black clouds meeting on the pure white snow and then mixing together into one. The armored horsemen caused a flurry of snow to arise into the sky as fresh blood stained the white snow.
It is said that a general’s success is the creation a mountain of bones of the dead. However, on the battlefield, the generals would all would be battered in countless wounds. Everytime she battled, Hua Zhu Yu would always feel it difficult to bear. No matter is it is her own armies or the enemies, but when they were wounded, she would always feel grieved.
She had gone to war for many years and had always hidden such feeling since between two countries, peace is impossible; they will always be fighting. Yet now, she suddenly seemed to gain a clear awareness.
When the soldiers of the three tribes saw the reinforcements charge in over from the northwest, they had only been disorderly for a short moment, before regaining their composure and beginning to fight again.
Hua Zhu Yu knew that Concubine Ye’s father, Ye Qiu, and Xiao Yin had never been in harmony, and that the North Kingdom people also knew this as well. However, other than Ye Qiu’s ten thousand imperial soldiers, there are no other reignforments. Therefore, by carrying the large flag with the ‘Ye’ character on it, Xiao Yin’s soldiers can easily pretend to be Ye Qiu’s. She would’ve never thought that the soldiers of the three tribes seemed not to believe it.
Could it be that Tu Er Ha could tell that it was a scheme? Or could it be that the three tribes and Ye Qiu originally had some sort of connects, and so they are sure that Ye Qi wouldn’t sent reinforcements to help Xiao Yin?
“It seems that your trouble will not only be this battle!” Hua Zhu Yu said and looked back at Xiao Yin, who was being escorted over by tens of bodyguards.
Under the support of Hui Xue, Xiao Yin slowly walked to the top of the slope and looked down at the battlefield, frowning.
The current situation was extremely dangerous. If the tribes’ soldiers knew that these reinforcements were only a thousand cavalry using the branches tied on horses to make it seem as though there were more than ten thousand soldiers, and that was the reason behind them not being thrown into chaos, then, the scheme would be useless and the North Kingdom soldiers would be in imminent danger.
Hua Zhu Yu frowned. In the early morning fog, a silk cloth presented a face as grave as frost and the clear and crystalline gleaming reflection in her deep and clear eyes. The snowy white fox fur coat fluttered in the wind like the aphormous floating cloud in the sky.
She looked to her side at Xiao Yin: “Your Highness the Crown Prince, Dan Hong wants to borrow thirty soldiers from the crown prince.”
“Thirty?” Xiao Yin’s eyes narrowed. What can using thirty soldiers do?
“I want those with loud voices.” Hua Zhu Yu lightly said.
“Okay, as you wish!” Xiao Yin agreed in a cold voice. He wanted to see exactly what Hua Zhu Yu wanted to do. He turned around and ordered his bodyguards to find thirty soldiers with loud voices and put them under the orders of Hua Zhu Yu.
Hua Zhu Yu led those thirty soldiers, and followed down the slope, walking forward a couple, before informing the soldiers a couple sentences. Those thirty soldiers went to fulfill their orders.
After a while, in the army of the three tribes, the sound of someone yelling could be heard.
“Run for it! Xiao Yin’s reinforcements are here!”
“We’re surrounded!”
“Ye Qiu is attacking us!”
……
The sound of yelling occurred again and again. The voices were very loud, evidently yelling at the tops of their lungs.
Xiao Yin stared over and could faintly see that someone of the soldiers in the tribe soldiers were the 30 soldiers he had just given to Hua Zhu Yu to borrow, however, the soldiers were not wearing North Kingdom army clothes, rather the armor clothes from the three tribes – probably taken from the corpses of the enemies.
When the enemy soldiers heard those words, they evidently had been influenced greatly. Their mindset to battle was obviously weakened and some even started to escape.
Actually, Tu Er Ha had actually not been certain whether or not Ye Qiu had sent reinforcements, and so, when he heard the cries of his soldiers, his heart was also beating nervously. However, he knew that on the battlefield, the soldiers must not fall into chaos. He immediately yelled: “If anyone retreats, they will be executed with no pardon!”
However, it seemed as though no one had heard his words. The already nervous soldiers, when they heard the cries from the thirty soldiers Hua Zhu Yu sent out, already began to retreat.
Most awful was that at this time, there was the news that another troop was currently heading towards them from the southeast direction.
Where are the reinforcements coming from?
Tu Er Ha really couldn’t understand.
Hua Zhu Yu and Xiao Yin could clearly see from the high slope. That troop of soldiers was actually Zhang Yi’s troops that had obviously come back from He Qiang Tribe’s old lair, and had rushed to arrive here in the morning. However, after going to two battles yesterday and then traveling 500 li, the troop was already tired, but despite that, their might was still enough to scare the enemies.
Under the lead of Da Qi, the North Kingdom soldiers stirred up, killing more and becoming more courageous, causing the already retreating enemies to suffer severe casualties.
When the soldiers of the three tribes saw that they had been surrounded by enemies, and that twenty thousand soldiers trampled each other in a hurry to escape, there was only ten thousand left. Under Tu Er Ha’s lead, they escaped in a great panic.
Even though in the end, the patriarchs of the tribes had not died and the enemy soldiers had not been annihilated, however, they had won this battle.
On the second day, according to a spy’s report, Tu Er Ha only found out his old lair had been destroyed when he returned to the He Qiang Tribe. Not only that his son had taken along his wife to escape to Ke Er Ku Tribe yet had died suddenly while they were there. It was also because of this that the He Qiang Tribe and the Ke Er Ku began to start a war with another.
This was also why Hua Zhu Yu didn’t let Zhang Yi wound Bu Tu (Tu Er Ha’s son) yet heavily wound his wide. She had heard from Hui Xue that Ke Er Ku and He Qiang’s alliance was due to a marriage. Ke Er Ku Tribe’s patriarch’s daughter had been married to He Qiang Tribe’s patriarch, Tu Er Ha,’s son, Bu Tu. Yet, the two had never been in harmony, since Ke Er Ku Tribe’s patriarch’s daughter has already had someone she loved – someone in her own tribe. And so, if the woundless Bu Tu and his heavily wounded wife went to the Ke Er Ku Tribe, there would definitely be people that wouldn’t forgive him.
The third day, the Duo Sen Tribe led their soldiers and left the He Qiang Tribe. The three tribes’ alliance had been completely obliterated, and so they were now no longer a threat to the North Kingdom.
The fourth day, Xiao Yin surrounded the three tribes and captured them all.
From then on, the whole frigid North was under the regime of the North Kingdom. There was no more disputes between tribes.
The vicious blizzard which reversed spring into summer had stopped together with the end of the fight to capture the tribes. The snow had begun to melt and everyone on the grassland, greenness could been seen poking out.
Xiao Yin won the war and unified the tribes causing the emperor to be extremely pleased. Not only did he gift Xiao Yin with many presents, he also ordered the arrangement of a magnificent celebration to be held at Mu Da Convention.
Mu Da Convention was an extremely important holiday in the North Kingdom. Not only was there multiple competitions such as racing horses, archery and wrestling, there were also many performances from multiple minority tribes. The North Kingdom had already localized to Chinese, and many tribes had already changed their surnames into Chinese surnames, however, in this Mu Da Convention, they could discard the Chinese language, Chinese names, Chinese clothes and wear the clothes of their tribe, doing whatever they pleased.
Ever since Hua Zhu Yu returned to taizi residence, she lived in the side manor, not going unless necessary. All the celebration, some Mu Da Convention were are no concern to her.
However, in the morning, Xiao Yin had sent Hui Xue to bring her hu clothing, saying that she was to wear it when the day of the Mu Da Convention arrived.
Hua Zhu Yu had not though that Xiao Yin would let her participate in the convention. She had been shut indoors for may days and under the mindset that experiencing new things was also good, she wore the hu clothing with the help of Hui Xue.
hu clothing
The hu clothing of North Kingdom nobility was extremely ornate. On the top golden and light green thread embroidered into layers and layers of flowers and leaves, colorful collar, in front of the chest there were symmetrical golden patterns, the opening of the clothing showed the pink pleated skirt on the inside, on her waist was a moon-white gilded wide belt.
The headwear was similarly ornate, it was a blooming lotus bud crown with jade embellished on the top. Hui Xue first separated Hua Zhu Yu’s hair and braided it into two silky braids, and then coiling it into a beautiful hairstyle before then putting on the flower crown.
crown
Xiao Yin seemed to know that she wasn’t willing to meet people using her real appearance. The crown that he sent had pearly muslin in front. After wearing the crown, it covered half of Hua Zhu Yu’s face, only revealing her sharp chin.
After finishing putting on the clothes, Hui Xue stared at Hua Zhu Yu. After a long time of silence, she finally said: “Dan Hong, you really are too pretty!”