Chapter 235
Chapter 235
Piao Kingdom withdrew in haste, but Ji Yan’an had no intention of letting its troops leave easily.
Its soldiers had eaten poorly for days and endured nightly harassment at Ji Yan’an’s orders. They were hungry, exhausted, and utterly unlike the force that had first arrived.
His own men had rested and eaten well.
Now it was their turn to attack.
Battle cries shook the countryside. Dali had roughly eighteen thousand troops. Three thousand remained in the city while the rest pursued the enemy.
Though outnumbered, Dali’s men fought with ever greater courage. The more numerous soldiers of Piao Kingdom grew increasingly frightened.
Only twenty thousand ultimately escaped. The rest remained forever on the battlefield.
After this crushing loss and its internal unrest, Piao Kingdom would not covet Dali again for years.
“We won! We won!”
All Dali celebrated. An excited Fat Chef tossed Jiang Yunsui into the air, and she laughed without fear.
“Hahaha! Those bastards won’t dare underestimate us again.”
Ji Yan’an smiled. “Now we need only warn the Li tribe, and Dali will be secure.”
Li Nan soon received a short letter revealing Ji Yan’an’s true identity.
She fell silent.
“What is it, Chief?”
“Leave Dali alone. Watch Piao Kingdom instead.”
So he belonged to the Ji Family of the Duke Who Guards the Nation.
As far as she knew, only one young, sickly male heir remained. If this was true, his ability was terrifying. He had seized Dali swiftly and toyed with Piao Kingdom.
More importantly, Ji Yan’an was supposed to be in Mobei. If he was truly here, he likely had powerful support.
After long thought, Li Nan inhaled deeply. “Only gather information from Dali. Return everything we intercepted. I’ll write a letter.”
Ji Yan’an read her reply once and knew she was intelligent.
As long as she did not trouble Dali, he cared little if she targeted Piao Kingdom. He would welcome a war between them; Dali would be safer.
“Ji Yan’an, are we returning to Mobei?”
Jiang Yunsui ran in holding a black down jacket. She wore a pale-yellow one with a fur collar.
The embroiderers had followed her description perfectly, making the jackets light, pretty, and adorable, with little animals stitched on the chest.
Wearing a skirt below and fewer layers than before, Jiang Yunsui moved much more freely. Sweat glistened on her forehead and her face was rosy.
“Yours is ready. Try it!”
Ji Yan’an accepted it. “Why did you run so fast?”
With Nanshu’s help, he changed into the black jacket. It made his face look even paler, but suited him.
“Young Master, it looks excellent,” Nanshu said. “Far lighter and thinner than cotton padding.”
Spring was near and this region was warmer than Mobei. Jiang Yunsui already felt hot and unfastened her jacket.
“Is yours warm?”
Ji Yan’an could already feel its merits: warmth and lightness.
“Very good.”
Jiang Yunsui grew smug. “I told you goose down was useful! But one jacket needs down from many geese.”
Nanshu brightened. “If goose down works, perhaps chicken and duck down will too. Poultry is inexpensive. Families could save feathers all year and make winter clothes, reducing deaths from cold.”
He regretted all the feathers discarded in the past.
Without drought or flood, winter was still the hardest season for the poor. Affordable warmth would be invaluable.
Jiang Yunsui had helped Ji Yan’an immeasurably, yet he could give her little. Only by succeeding in rebellion, seizing power, and becoming strong enough could he protect her.
All her down became jackets for those close to her.
“I wanted a down quilt too, but there wasn’t enough. Milk Tea’s shed down would work, but there’s too little.”
Its down was softer and warmer, but scarce.
“I’ll have people collect goose down,” Ji Yan’an said.
Jiang Yunsui happily sipped tea, then returned to her question.
“Are we leaving? You still need to find the Phoenix-Mimic Bird.”
She now knew it lived in Guizhou, nearby.
“Shen Qingzhu will remain. I’ll leave several experts to protect him. They’ll do their best.”
“Then I’ll stay and help. I’m lucky, so I’ll definitely find it.”
She did not want Ji Yan’an to die.
He looked at her. “Lucky?”
At his teasing gaze, her face reddened. “I’m unlucky sometimes, but good luck always comes afterward.”
True. Yet she suffered every mishap, while what she found always benefited him. Ji Yan’an could not help feeling sorry for her.
“I wish your bad luck could be divided among us.”
She was getting the worst of the bargain.
Jiang Yunsui merely gazed at him with clear eyes.
In the end, she stayed.
Ji Yan’an was not returning to Mobei. He was going to Yuzhou, where refugees had already appeared. Seemingly helpless disaster victims could sometimes be the most dangerous people of all.
“Don’t keep running around alone. I’m leaving three carrier pigeons. Write if anything happens.”
Jiang Yunsui stared at him. “Ji Yan’an, I’m so touched. You have so much faith in me.”
Even she did not believe she could write that many characters. They were far too difficult-and brush writing was impossible to control. QAQ