Chapter 105: An Old Friend Visits

Chapter 105: An Old Friend Visits

When Xiao Ce spoke, Yan Jia did not dare to say anything.

He ordered everyone to advance at full speed.

Zhang Yunqing had traveled this path once before, so naturally he walked at the front.

Xiao Ce certainly was not gambling with his life; he valued his life very much.

After all, since he had crossed over, he hadn’t had many days to truly enjoy life.

He was still thinking that after defeating the Turks, he would relax and enjoy ancient life in the Northern Desert.

Before he crossed over, he was also an outdoor enthusiast.

He knew many outdoor experts and had learned a lot of outdoor knowledge from them.

Just now, relying on that outdoor knowledge, he saw that the water level had not receded long ago, and he had also tested the current; the water was still dropping.

This meant heaven was truly helping him!

No one spoke along the way. This path was actually a huge underground river cave formed after the water receded.

They didn’t even dare to eat during the journey.

They ran like this, not daring to stop even when night fell.

Originally a journey of one day and one night, they finally crossed this long path after spending eighteen hours.

Fortunately, Xiao Ce’s gamble paid off.

As they emerged from the canyon, they saw not endless desert,

but a vast, boundless grassland!

Ignoring his total exhaustion, Xiao Ce laughed heartily!

“I told you, heaven would help me! Everyone, this time we will surely achieve a great victory!”

After speaking, they found a remote spot and lit a campfire.

Yan Jia was still worried it might attract the Turks’ attention.

Zhang Yunqing waved his hand and said, “The Turks have many horse herders. It’s very common for them to light campfires on the grasslands when they let their horses out!”

Xiao Ce said, “If the Turks dare to come, it will save us the trouble of looking for them!”

As he spoke, they took out leather water bottles, drank some strong liquor to warm themselves, and chewed on dried beef for sustenance.

They rested there for a full day. The next day, both men and horses were greatly refreshed.

After waking up, Xiao Ce instinctively went back to look at that underground passage; it was now submerged by rushing water.

Listening to the roaring sound of the river like a dragon’s cry, Xiao Ce’s forehead broke out in fine beads of sweat.

Luckily heaven helped. If the water had suddenly risen while they were crossing, they probably would have died.

Xiao Ce also said to himself quietly, “A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall! I must not gamble with my life like this in the future!”

Zhang Yunqing came over at this point: “Prince, it’s all thanks to your great fortune leading us across. If it were just us, we probably couldn’t have made it.”

Xiao Ce smiled wryly and waved his hand: “Don’t flatter me… it was simply good luck…”

Zhang Yunqing shook his head: “Prince, no! If we had delayed even one hour yesterday, we probably wouldn’t have made it in time. It was thanks to your decisive action. The water rose less than an hour after we came out yesterday. And this time it rose unusually fast.”

“How do you know?” Xiao Ce asked curiously.

Zhang Yunqing looked embarrassed: “Prince, I couldn’t sleep last night, so I went to keep watch.”

Xiao Ce nodded with lingering fear: “We can’t take such risks again. Alright, tell me, where are we now? And where are we going to attack?”

Saying this, Xiao Ce led Zhang Yunqing to the side, to their resting camp.

Zhang Yunqing pulled out a simple leather map from his chest.

“Prince, we are here now. The closest place is the Helu Tribe. The Helu Tribe is the second-ranked tribe in the Turkic Kingdom. Compared to the Ashina Tribe, they are more brutal and bloodthirsty!”

“In terms of combat power alone, the Helu Tribe is the strongest tribe in the entire Turkic Kingdom. However, they are not good at management, so they have always been suppressed by the Ashina Tribe.”

“Moreover, the Helu Tribe holds the greatest number of Northern Desert people as captives. Just the Helu Tribe alone has over a hundred thousand Northern Desert commoners as their slaves!”

Although Xiao Ce had heard before that there were nearly three hundred thousand slaves in the Four Northern Desert Prefectures,

he never expected that a single Helu Tribe had: “Over a hundred thousand slaves? Don’t they know how to resist? How many people are in the Helu Tribe altogether?”

Zhang Yunqing bowed and replied: “Your report, Prince, the Helu Tribe has a total of just over fifty thousand people. Prince, those slaves in the Northern Desert were oppressed by Noble Clans for years! They simply did not dare to resist! Now, after being captured by the Turks, they fear the Turks even more! In Turkic lands, a ten-year-old Turk child can oversee a thousand slaves!”

Xiao Ce found this somewhat hard to understand, but then a fragment of history not from this place appeared in his mind, making it seem not so incomprehensible!

After all, he had seen what Xiao Jiu was like before, and he wasn’t even among those enslaved to the core.

Looking at the leather map, Xiao Ce pointed at the Helu Tribe’s location!

“Then we go here. Everyone, rest a bit more! We set off when night falls! Leave the horses we brought here! Xiao Jiu, you stay here and watch the horses! We travel light!”

Xiao Jiu made a bitter face: “Prince, I also want to go to battle and kill Turks!”

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Jiu: “These horses are our way back! You’ll get your chance to kill Turks. Your job here is very important!”

Xiao Jiu’s expression was unnatural, but he nodded.

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei: “Da Lei, you go change into Turk clothing and scout the Helu Tribe! Check the situation!”

Da Lei bowed and nodded, about to lead his tall horse.

He was quickly stopped by Zhang Yunqing: “Mr. Da Lei, ride mine. Your tall horse clearly isn’t a Turk’s horse!”

Da Lei nodded this time, not standing on ceremony, and rode Zhang Yunqing’s horse into the vast grassland.

Xiao Ce said to everyone: “Everyone, sharpen your blades well! Don’t let your knife be dull when it’s time to chop off Turk heads!”

The group nodded solemnly, their voices trembling with excitement: “As you command, Prince!”

…

Meanwhile, at the Mobei-Tujue Border, thirty miles outside Yanbei City.

The Turkic cavalry army was fully assembled.

They were not attacking yet, simply waiting for the follow-up supplies of food and equipment!

Inside a Central Command Tent.

A group of Turkic leaders were eating big chunks of meat and drinking heavily. They had no worries at all about this attack.

For them, their iron cavalry entering the Northern Desert was as easy as poking tofu with chopsticks.

At that moment, a Messenger Soldier hurried in, bowed to Ashina, and said:

“Khan, there is a person from the Xiao Kingdom outside asking to see you!”

Ashina, who had been drinking, suddenly put down his wine bowl and looked at the messenger, puzzled: “Xiao Kingdom person? Who?”

The messenger said: “Khan, he didn’t say. But he only said he is your old friend!”

The leaders of the various Turkic tribes beside him laughed: “Haha, Ashina, it seems those spineless Xiao Kingdom people are coming to beg for mercy again.”

“Yes, they must be coming to yield again!”

“Ashina, you said it! No peace talks this time! If you agree, we won’t!”

“That’s right! Ashina, you made a big fuss getting us to come with you. If you talk peace, we won’t!”

Ashina frowned slightly and murmured to himself: “This Khan’s old friend? Weren’t all this Khan’s old friends in the Northern Desert killed by that useless fool Xiao Ce?”