Chapter 1347 - 1282: Escape
Yuan Li spurred his horse to rush to Xinping City. Even before entering, he sensed something was amiss; there were many scattered soldiers outside the city, lining up to be collected.
He pulled his horse around for a look and instructed his personal guard, "Go ask around."
Before the guard could go, someone quickly spotted them. A team of soldiers ran over, pointed their guns, and suspiciously asked, "Who are you?"
Yuan Li said, "We are Han people, merchants from Luoyang."
"Merchants? Just a few of you? Where’s your goods?"
Yuan Li replied, "We are scouts; our caravan is behind us. It’s a large caravan. We are unaware of what’s happening here — why are there so many people?"
The soldier did not answer him, instead asking for his pass.
Yuan Li showed him a backup pass.
As the head of a covert department, he had various passes.
The soldier examined it carefully, noting he was a merchant traveling between regions. His expression improved slightly, and with a wave of his hand, those behind him lowered their guns.
"There’s no problem. We welcome merchants here. Please enter the city."
Yuan Li dismounted and pulled a money pouch from his bosom, sliding it discreetly into the soldier’s hand. He whispered, "Please share a little information. Our caravan is large, carrying heavy but not particularly valuable goods. If there’s been fighting..."
"No need to worry; the battle is over. Our Xinping City won and won’t have further conflict. If you have goods, just bring them here. Our General is pleased; he might even buy all your stock."
Xinping City’s rapid rise to prosperity is partly thanks to Zhao Hanzhang’s support. Wu Sheng’s caravan, no matter where they go, always visits Xinping City twice a year, attracting nearby herders and farmers for trade.
The soldiers didn’t understand the economy but knew intuitively that the more merchants came, the better life in Xinping City would be. Hence, they warmly welcomed each merchant, especially Han merchants.
Thus, Yuan Li entered Xinping City.
After meeting with covert operatives in the city, he learned that Tuoba Yilu led an army to apprehend Tuoba Liuxiu, but was defeated in their first clash.
The operative whispered, "We followed the army; Tuoba Yilu was behind the central army. Even after the army broke into chaos, the father and son never met."
Yuan Li: "...Tuoba Yilu simply lost like that?"
How fighting could seem like child’s play.
The operative also thought, "Tuoba Yilu did not send any vanguard army to scout the way; he directly pressed his army forward. When crossing the river halfway, he was ambushed, yet after forcing across, he merely rested briefly before moving forward again, without establishing camp or coordinating reinforcements. He seemed very confident in defeating Tuoba Liuxiu."
Yuan Li: If he wasn’t confident, he wouldn’t have dispatched troops.
Yuan Li asked, "What about Tuoba Yilu?"
"He fled. Tuoba Liuxiu deployed many to guard the pass, cutting off the road from Xinping City to Ping City. He should still be near Xinping City. We’ve dispatched people everywhere to search, but no news yet."
Yuan Li said, "Scatter everyone out, find him. We must not let him return to Ping City. What about Tuoba Pusuge?"
"He is stationed at the Bingzhou border. When Tuoba Yilu recalled troops from Bingzhou, he was left at the border."
Yuan Li sneered, "Trying to take advantage of the situation requires seeing if the father and son have that ability. What Your Majesty said is correct; Dai Country should support Tuoba Liuxiu, neither Tuoba Yilu nor Tuoba Pusuge is suitable."
As for Tuoba Biyan, he’s a mere drunkard, not even within Zhao Hanzhang’s consideration.
Yuan Li continued to ask, "What about Wei Xiong?"
The operative replied, "After the first ambush, Wei Xiong guarded the left wing. During the second ambush, he directly led his troops away from the main group; the left-wing army was entirely taken by him. Until now, there’s been no news. Tuoba Liuxiu fears trickery and continuously sends people to search and pursue."
Yuan Li was satisfied, "Ignore the left wing; the immediate task is to find Tuoba Yilu. If he escapes, he will quickly rally troops again."
This time, Tuoba Yilu only brought Ping City’s forces. Besides Ping City, he has armies stationed at Bingzhou’s border, Shengle City, and elsewhere, especially along Bingzhou’s line, where he placed ten thousand troops.
Once he escapes, he can quickly rally again.
Tuoba Liuxiu evidently knew this, instructing all subordinate generals to convey orders everywhere. Anyone who could find Tuoba Yilu would receive a reward of one hundred taels, one hundred cattle, and a thousand sheep.
This reward announcement, along with Tuoba Yilu’s image, sped across the grasslands and villages beneath Xinping City.
Going down with them were the search squads.
In a remote village, a dilapidated thatched hut stood at the edge, with half the low wall collapsed, and the remaining part barely holding its ground.
The yard was filled with drying wild grasses and roots. A peasant woman took the newly received image and folded it double, fetched a piece of clothing and opened the frayed fabric at the back, trying to fit the paper inside.
She knew the paper couldn’t be washed or soaked in rain, but she lacked any material for mending, and this paper was something she had snatched up just yesterday.
Once sewn in, she wouldn’t wash it and wouldn’t wear it in the rain; thus, she could wear it for a long time. Her current, fairly intact clothing could then be washed once, worn less, and deteriorate slower, allowing winter wear.
The peasant woman took needle and thread to sew carefully but had only sewn halfway when the door creaked. Looking up, she saw a disheveled, bearded middle-aged man at the entrance.
Frightened, she shrank back and stood to ask, "Who are you looking for?"
The man hurriedly replied, "Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid; I am a merchant passing by. I lost my family due to bandits, seeking a bowl of water."
Hearing this, the woman put down her clothing and approached him cautiously, seeing he carried no weapon. His outer clothes were dirty and stained with blood; she reluctantly believed him and invited him inside, pouring water while asking, "Where did you encounter bandits?"
The man drained the bowl in one go, asked for more, and casually replied, "About twenty or thirty miles from here, there are horse thieves."
Her hands trembled slightly as she poured another bowl, covertly examined him, then fetched a basin of water, "There’s blood on you, guests should wash your hands and face first. Are you injured? I have some herbs at home, perhaps they could stop the bleeding."
He immediately agreed.
Indeed, he was injured. Though it’s not serious, the weather is currently hot, causing concern for worsening. Medicine would be very welcome.
He rolled up his sleeves, washed his face and hands, then casually handed the cloth to the woman.
Upon seeing his face, the woman lowered her eyes, accepted the cloth, wrung it dry, and hung it on the rack, leading him to the yard to view the herbs, "These are herbs I myself gathered. See if there’s anything useful?"
For common herbs used for external injuries, Tuoba Yilu naturally knew them, so he selected from the sieve disdainfully, "Only these few herbs?"
"It’s not easy to gather these. Precious herbs belong to the Great King; if we dare gather them, it’s akin to stealing from him, a punishable crime. Only these worthless ones could be collected."
Tuoba Yilu then fell silent, picked out two kinds of herbs, and asked the woman to grind them, preparing to apply them to his injury.