Green Mountain
Chapter 310 - 250, Levying Grain

Chapter 310: 250, Levying Grain

In Guyuan City, black ashes danced in the air, as if a black goose feather snow had fallen. Chen Ji crouched low on his saddle, turning his head to avoid the incoming smoke and haze that might get into his eyes.

The Yulin Army chased after him, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not close the distance.

Qi Zhenzhuo, watching Chen Ji ahead, cursed loudly: "Why is he riding so fast, just to show off!"

Li Xuan held the reins tightly, glaring at him: "Keep your mouth shut. Didn’t you just make peace with His Highness? Have you forgotten already?"

Qi Zhenzhuo stiffened his neck and muttered, "I admit he’s a tough guy, but I just can’t stand his attitude. Brother-in-law, by going it alone, isn’t he implying that he thinks we’d slow him down? I don’t believe you can’t see it!"

Li Xuan calmly said, "If you want to be respected, you need to exhibit skills worthy of respect. He rides ahead to clear the path for the Yulin Army, preventing us from falling into an ambush. The most important and dangerous role in the Vanguard Formation is the lead soldier; don’t be ungrateful."

Qi Zhenzhuo disdainfully said, "A third of my Yulin Army are executive officers, does he need to clear the path for us?"

At this moment, Chen Ji ignored the noise behind him, his gaze fixed tightly on both sides of the dirt road.

When the Jing Dynasty spy initiated action as the Yulin Army troops left the Governor’s Mansion, if there was a backup plan, it likely involved ambushing and capturing the Crown Prince during his return journey to coerce the border army, placing them in a dilemma.

If an ambush was to occur, it would surely be in the narrowest part of the inevitable route, Gushi Street!

Now was the moment!

The next second, people suddenly pulled trip ropes across the small alleys at both sides of Gushi Street, and crossbowmen emerged from behind the houses’ ridges, aiming their arrows at Chen Ji!

Qi Zhenzhuo, with his keen eyes, exclaimed, "Watch out!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zaozao leaped powerfully, vaulting high over the trip rope. As Zaozao reached the apex of the jump, Chen Ji used the momentum to spring into the air.

As he left the saddle, he simultaneously drew his sword. The bright long knife, reflecting the distant flames, seemed like a streak of flowing fire slashing towards the incoming arrows.

The continual clinking of metal was incessant. By the time Qi Zhenzhuo looked again, Chen Ji had already gracefully landed on the right rooftop, stepping on the tiles to attack the ambushers.

Li Xuan roared, "Follow me onto the roofs!"

Qi Zhenzhuo grabbed the lance hanging beside his saddle and threw it with force. The lance, a few meters long, stabbed straight into the earthen wall, allowing Yulin soldiers to step on its shaft and climb onto the roof to engage the ambushers.

Qi Zhenzhuo’s fierce laugh rang out, "You bastards, really thought you could push around my Yulin Army!"

Despite its notoriety as the Imperial Guard, the Yulin Army was often disrespected in the capital, disdained by the three main camps. Among these camps, the Yulin Army was merely seen as spoilt children of rich families who had bought their way into executive positions, hardly worth mentioning.

But in terms of the number of executive officers, the Yulin Army had the most.

Qi Zhenzhuo, having dispatched an ambusher on the roof, turned arrogantly to look at Chen Ji on the opposite side, only to see him already defeating four crossbowmen, leaving the rooftop battle to the Yulin soldiers as he continued running forward.

Chen Ji ran faster and faster, soon catching up with the non-stop galloping Zaozao and leaping down.

Qi Zhenzhuo watched as Chen Ji smoothly landed back on his saddle, effortlessly sheathed his sword, and disappeared without turning back at the end of Gushi Street.

He asked Li Xuan nearby, "Brother-in-law, what realm is he?"

Li Xuan, while shielding Qi Zhenzhuo from a secret arrow, replied calmly, "He has just stepped into the Innate Realm, hasn’t even ascended the first stair."

Qi Zhenzhuo widened his eyes, "Then why does he seem so formidable?"

Li Xuan thought for a moment, "His Sword Skill is exquisite, hiding his lack of realm."

Qi Zhenzhuo hesitated then asked, "Compared to him, what about me..."

Li Xuan blocked another chilling arrow and yelled angrily, "Focus on fighting, stop talking nonsense!"

When Chen Ji arrived in front of the Governor’s Mansion, the entire building was engulfed in flames. The Chen Family and Yulin Army stood outside, dumbfounded, unsure of what to do.

As beams in the fire cracked crisply and the roof began to collapse.

Chen Ji, pulling on the reins, came to a halt on his horse, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Chen Liqin, Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, Mrs. Liang, Wang Gui, and others before shouting, "How did the fire start?"

No one from the Yulin Army or Chen Liqin answered, only Chen Wenzong replied, "The fire seemed to have started from the military arsenal and adjacent rooms in the Governor’s Mansion. It spread quickly with explosive, roaring sounds. It must have been someone who had buried flaming oil in there before we took over the Governor’s Mansion!"

Chen Ji’s heart sank. If flaming oil had been planted in advance, then the food storage and military arsenal of the border army were likely lost as well, and there was no way to defend against flaming oil fire in this era.

A city without food is doomed.

The Jing Dynasty Heavenly Strategy Army only needed to surround it for a month, and the border army, lacking even the strength to fight, would collapse without assault.

Chen Ji asked, "Has anyone seen who set the fire?"

He looked around, but no one answered.

At this time, the Yulin Army escorted the Crown Prince, and he stared blankly at the Governor’s Mansion, "The White Tiger Festival Hall has been burned, how can we explain this to the border army?"

Li Xuan said gravely, "Your Highness needn’t explain anything. Apart from the border army, no one else could have set such a stealthy fire inside the Governor’s Mansion. It should be the border army giving us an explanation!"

Ashes tumbled through the air, and everyone remained silent, the only sound being the crackling flames from inside the Governor’s Mansion.

The Crown Prince turned to Li Xuan, "Lord Li, what should we do now?"

Li Xuan hesitated: "This..."

He originally wanted to suggest leaving immediately through the secret passage of the City God Temple, but he also knew that the Crown Prince would never agree.

It was a dilemma.

Crown Prince Zhao Wu sighed: "In the 17th year of Anzheng, Prince Zhao Wu perished at Chongli Pass, it seems I am to be the second prince to die for the nation, surely this will make history."

Li Xuan urged his horse forward, anxiously saying: "Your Highness, please follow me!"

However, at that moment, Chen Ji calmly said: "Your Highness, it’s not yet time to talk of sacrificing oneself."

Chen Liqin broke through the crowd: "Chen Ji, do not be disrespectful to His Highness!"

Chen Ji ignored him and continued: "Regardless of whether Guyuan City can be held, the urgent task now is to find all the Jing Dynasty spies and identify the collaborators within the border army. Without removing these people, Guyuan will surely fall."

Crown Prince smiled: "Brother Chen Ji reminds rightly, it was my lapse. Even if we are to die here in Guyuan City, we must take some Jing Dynasty traitors with us."

After speaking, he suddenly loudly said: "Brother Chen Ji, in light of the danger, I appoint you as the Right Guard, together with Lord Li [Li Xuan] leading five hundred Yulin Army soldiers, to find out the whereabouts of the Jing Dynasty traitors within five days. Would you accept?"

Chen Ji dismounted and bowed: "I am willing."

The Crown Prince asked gravely: "What if the traitors’ whereabouts are not found?"

Chen Ji replied calmly: "Bring my head to see you."

The Crown Prince laughed heartily: "Indeed a man of spirit... but there’s no need for beheading. If you can’t find them, I’m afraid we’ll all perish here on the borders of Guyuan."

The Chen Family members, watching from afar, had mixed feelings, with Wang Gui especially tumultuous inside, never expecting this bastard to suddenly become a favored person by the Crown Prince, attaining the rank of a sixth-grade official.

Chen Ji pondered for a moment and asked: "Your Highness, the Governor’s Mansion is no longer safe to stay, should you move to the border army camp? It’s likely that only a few members in the border army are Jing Dynasty spies; there’s no need to worry."

The Crown Prince shook his head: "We will not move to the border army area."

Li Xuan puzzledly asked: "Your Highness?"

The Crown Prince smiled, pointing at Chen Ji: "We will take the approach of Chen Ji and also stay at the Dragon Gate Inn."

...

...

At 1 AM, Xiao Wu was dozing off in front of the counter when a dense flurry of footsteps outside startled him awake.

The next moment, someone lifted the cotton curtain, and dozens of people surged in, causing Xiao Wu to pull out a kitchen knife from behind him and cried out loudly: "Shopkeeper, save me!"

The Crown Prince said amusedly: "There’s no need for alarm, shopkeeper, we are here to stay."

Xiao Wu gazed at the crowded throng behind the Crown Prince, unsure: "You’re not here to settle scores about what just happened? I’m telling you, it was the Shopkeeper who told me to attack you earlier, it had nothing to do with me..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Wu received a slap on the back of his head.

The Shopkeeper walked past him and made a bow to the Crown Prince: "Guest, this inn has a total of sixty-six rooms, currently only one Tian character room and ten Di character rooms and seventeen Ren character rooms are available, I’m afraid there’s not enough space for all your people."

Crown Prince replied: "No matter, we’ll fill however many rooms there are, and the rest can go to other inns to inquire."

The Shopkeeper smiled: "With hundreds of your men, I’m afraid you will need to book several inns completely..."

While they were speaking, more noise came from outside.

The Crown Prince turned to hear, then quietly asked Li Xuan: "What is happening outside?"

Li Xuan hurried out, then quickly returned, whispering into the Crown Prince’s ear: "Zhou You is leading armored soldiers from house to house to collect food, stating that all food must be turned over otherwise they will be treated as traitors to the state."

The Crown Prince frowned: "The border troops must be desperate, otherwise they wouldn’t be collecting food in the middle of the night. But if they take all the food away, how will the people of the city survive?"

As they spoke, several armored soldiers stepped into the inn’s main hall, ignoring the Yulin soldiers, and politely said to the Shopkeeper: "Second Lord, orders from above are to take all the food. I won’t make it difficult for you, here at Dragon Gate Inn I’ll only take eighty percent, but please don’t make it difficult for me either. If it wasn’t urgent, I wouldn’t bother you."

The Shopkeeper silently for a moment, eventually gave Xiao Wu a look: "Go, lead the soldiers to take the food."

Li Xuan suddenly said: "Hold on!"

The armored soldier turned to look: "What is it?"

Li Xuan showed his Imperial Army waist tag and said: "There’s no need to collect this inn’s food; His Highness is staying here, reserve it for His Highness’s use."

The armored soldier looked troubled, not daring to speak.

At that moment, the cotton curtain was lifted again, and Zhou You walked into the hall with a cold sneer: "The waist tag of the Imperial Guard doesn’t work with my border army, Lord Li can keep it, I must take the food away."

Qi Zhenzhuo angrily said: "If you take the food, what will we eat?"

Zhou You calmly replied: "Each district will set up a porridge shelter, you can go there to get porridge. Your Highness, it’s not that I intentionally disrespect you, but General Hu and I must eat and live the same as the border soldiers, whatever thin porridge they drink, we’ll drink, and the same goes for you."

Li Xuan coldly said: "I don’t believe it."

Zhou You sneered: "Officials from the Imperial Capital might not believe that I could eat and live the same as the soldiers, but you can monitor us daily at our border army camp. If I, Zhou You, eat one more grain of rice than others, off goes my head!"