Nightfall

The wind never stopped in the Wilderness in winter. It might not be strong, but it pierced deep into your very bones, robbing you of any trace of warmth. Mo Shanshan though wore a thin white dress with a jade blue sash around her waist that was the color of a deep lake. It was a strong contrast to her usual slow gaze.

Her dark brows rose slightly as she asked Ning Que, “You’ve killed their General. Are you not worried that his people might hate you and not do their best in the battle or even surrender to the Horse Gang?”

“The Military planted their trusted General here which was not in the interest of the soldiers. The dead General did not have a good relationship with these cavalries, especially the Yan Kingdom calvary. I am a citizen of Tang and I understand this well.”

Ning Que used his fingers to check if the three podaos were held firmly by the string. He lowered his head and answered, “I killed the Yan General and stopped those officials. The two hundred men might be angry, but they are not sad. This anger comes more from fear and unrest.”

Mo Shanshan looked at the bamboo hat which covered most of his face. “They fear you.. fear would make one want to stay far away from you. This might a reason for them to surrender to the Horse Gang.”

“Even the weakest soldier would find surrendering to the Horse Gang a tough decision to make. They would think about it over and over, but thinking requires a relaxed emotional state.”

Ning Que raised his head. He looked at the Horse Gang who have been prowling in the outskirts but have yet to attack. He continued, “The situation right now is too tense. They might get shot by an arrow anytime.” The Yan soldiers had neither the time nor the conditions to think. They were like a herd of wild horses who had lost their leader. Where a single horse go, they will follow blindly. What I want, is for them to follow blindly.”

Mo Shanshan looked at his side profile. “Were you in the army before?”

Ning Que nodded.

Mo Shanshan fiddled with her hair. After a moment of silence, she said, “I have indeed learned a lot in the time we spent together.”

Ning Que looked at her and smiled. “You’re too kind. There is nothing good you can learn from me. If possible, I hope that you will never have the opportunity to learn these things.”

…

…

The two hundred Yan riders did not really grieve the loss of their high and mighty General who bossed them around and the officials who only knew how to pander to him. They were only slightly angry. However, just as Ning Que predicted, the loss of their leader led to anger and quickly turned into the feeling of loss and quiet compliance.

Every army who could fight had their own unique aura. However, the Yan army did not. If this was a Tang army, they would not be so docile and follow the lead of someone else after their General had been murdered.

Ning Que was very glad that the Yan Kingdom did not have any backbone.

He did not command them directly, but instead, passed his orders through Mo Shanshan from the horse carriage. Zhuo Zhihua and four other disciples from Black Ink Garden took over the positions of officers temporarily. They took charge of the order in camp, sending of sentries as well as managed theft prevention. Their orders were quickly carried out and there were no complaints from the Yan riders or anyone else. The order and atmosphere were better than before.

The grain team continued their way up north, followed by more than six hundred members of the Horse Gang. According to the orders from the horse carriage, their speed was carefully monitored and changed constantly. They speeded up and then slowed down. This was no doubt a sort of torture to the riders and the civilians driving the carts. However, they managed to do it and hindered the progress of the Horse Gang.

The most dangerous part of the day was twilight. It was spent in silence as the team moved onwards. The team dragged on in a long line as they entered a rare low-lying land in the Wilderness. The skies darkened and light gradually faded.

This low-lying area had two meadows that rose upwards on both sides of it. In the darkness, one’s eyes could not see the end of the path. It was similar to the valleys of the south, but just that the terrain was not as tough nor steep.

The ten Yan riders leading the way were surprised when they heard the whistle from behind as it signaled that they had decided to pitch their tents right there.

Anyone with military knowledge would not set up camp in such a low-lying area with high meadows on both sides of it. If the Horse Gang took the opportunity to race downwards at the grain team, who had stretched out in a long line, their weak defenses would be broken. It was highly dangerous.

Following that, a new order was passed down from the horse carriage. The orders were that the grain carts were to be gathered together in formation. They were to remove the carriages and to use them as shields. However, there were no orders for them to dig traps. Nor did they set up tripping lines for horses at the two ends of their formation. It gave the impression that the person in the carriage had long given up on defense and was waiting for the Horse Gang to attack.

Twilight came and the bright red of the sky rushed at them before dying, enveloping the team in darkness. One could barely make out the people rushing to place their shields and the rising smoke columns.

Suddenly, the smoke died out, as if they had been frozen still by the cold air. Everyone who had been busying around turned to look at the meadow on their left. Their bodies stiffened and all were silent.

Hundreds of Horse Gang members appeared on the meadows mere feet away from them. This was the closest they have got to them over the past few days. The Horse Gang stood still in the distance. In the light of the dying sun, they looked like a dense forest burning ferociously, giving one a strong sense of oppression.

Ning Que rose his bamboo hat up by a few inches. He looked at the Horse Gang standing on the meadow and scrunched up his eyebrows. He noticed that the Horse Gang were more orderly and quiet today. There wasn’t a single one of them who had charged up silently in challenge or to scare them.

He noticed that the team fronting the Horse Gang riders had ten more riders than before.

He was sure that he had never seen the masked riders before. That meant that the ten additional riders arrived today. The startling change in the Horse Gang was also due to these riders.

“Even if they were not the representative of those backing the Horse Gang, these ten riders must be in charge.” Ning Que looked at the Horse Gang who pointed at their camp with their riding crops. He looked at their mask and said in a low voice, “We have to get rid of those ten if we have the chance. We might be able to get out of this then.”

Mo Shanshan stood by him and looked at them. “You’ve once said that their goal is not the grains. Killing them would be useless.”

“The Horse Gang are simply thieves. They do not take orders from anyone. They are more afraid of death than anyone else. I believe that no matter the Palace or the Yan Kingdom, they must have each bought out different sections of the Horse Gang.”

Ning Que looked at her and said, “That is to say, the Horse Gang before us do not belong to a singular entity. They are not a team. They only listen to the leader of the ten riders who arrived today. If we get rid of them, they will retreat.”

He added on seriously, “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. You are the strongest of the entire team. You must not show your hand until the very end. Otherwise, it’d be a waste.”

Mo Shanshan’s hooded lids and long lashes cast a shadow on her snow white skin. She was extremely beautiful and adorable. However, her silence also made one antsy.

Ning Que did not bother with her but removed the heavy bag off the back of the big black horse. He then made his way into the horse carriage behind. He said seriously, “The things in the bag are very important to me. Please guard them well.”

Mo Shanshan looked up and said, “Your secret?”

“Indeed.” Ning Que replied.

“You seem to have lots of secrets.”

“You too,” Ning Que replied.

Mo Shanshan squinted slightly and asked, “Why were you never worried that they might ambush us at night?”

Ning Que looked at her eyes and the light creases at the side. He could not help but think of the leaves of a certain plant. Perhaps the willow tree?

“The reason is simple. That is because it is difficult to find the gold hidden by merchants in the dark. If they search for it in daylight, they might get caught by the army. Ambushing us in the dark might also affect their shooting abilities, which is one of their best skills. They cannot accept this. It is unusual that they have followed us for so many days.”

Mo Shanshan’s eyebrows rose. “Since this is unusual, why would they not also do an unusual night ambush?”

Ning Que discovered that it was indeed easy to lose to the girl in white. He paused for a moment before replying, “This is wisdom exchanged with fresh blood and death of their elders. They will not turn their backs against it.”

“Perhaps we should say that they do not wish to turn their backs against it. Because it has been drilled into their bones and their subconscious.” Ning Que looked at her. “It’s like how you write your talisman. You do not need to think how to write, and your hands would make a decision before your mind does. It will move on its own.”

Mo Shanshan looked at him silently before asking, “You’ve studied talismans?”

Ning Que smiled warmly, “A little.”

Perhaps it was the nearing battle, or the beautiful twilight, or the impending night. Mo Shanshan looked much more affable to him right now even though her eyes were proud and slightly cold and wooden. He thought to himself, that she had reason to, given her current position in the world.

Similarly, Mo Shanshan felt that the young Tang lad looked much more affable now.

…

…

Ning Que spent the night with a few other riders from the Yan army. He ordered for them to sleep perched on a horse. They were not allowed to shed their armor. Similarly, he had donned on a light armor of the Yan army.

“The relief troop is on their way. We will gain victory if we make it to noon.”

He looked at the slightly lost and numb cavalry of Yan seriously by the bonfire.

There was finally a change in the expressions of the Yan army as hope glimmered in their eyes.

Ning Que did not know if the relief troop will come. But he knew that come dawn tomorrow, the Horse Gang would definitely attack. If things did not go well, he would not hesitate to ride away on his big black horse.

He must not forget his package and Cat Girl, as well as Zhuo Zhihua… and Mo Shansahn. It seemed that he had too many things and people to bring along.