Chapter 181: Blood Letter? Just for Wiping Feet
That night, Zhao Yan couldn't sleep all night.

He did not know whether it was because the cold wind from the north was too noisy, or because he had not slept in the barracks for a long time, but he found it difficult to fall asleep listening to the crackling sound of the burning firewood.

Fortunately, after the second half of the night, it unexpectedly started to rain outside. Although the cold spring rain near February was really severe, it still forced him to squint for half an hour with his swollen eyes in the sound of the rain with the Jinwu guards on duty outside the tent.

However, he had not fallen into a good sleep in half an hour. Seeing that it was getting dark, he suddenly heard a horn in the camp, and then he heard some busy sounds in a daze, as if footsteps and shouts were combined into one, forming a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

This made Zhao Yan, who had just been drowsy and squinting, hurriedly climb up from the hard and scratchy wooden board. He looked outside the tent in a panic, but saw only darkness outside the tent, as if the rain had extinguished all the fire, making the figures of the Jinwu Guards that should have been reflected from outside the tent completely invisible at this time.

In an instant, Zhao Yan's heart suddenly became panicked. He didn't even have time to put on his shoes. He walked barefoot on the uneven ground, groped in the dark to find an outer coat, and hid at the entrance of the tent with a sword in hand to listen to the movement outside.

But I could hear a lot of noise outside, but it was not chaotic. When I listened carefully, I could only hear some officers' serious orders amid the sound of heavy raindrops.

Then, there were the sounds of many people walking in armor. The armor plates collided with each other, making a sound like thin ropes. I opened my eyes wide and listened carefully, and it sounded like these people were coming straight here!

Zhao Yan's scalp suddenly felt numb. He tightly grasped the hilt of the sword with one hand, backed away, and tried to climb onto the bed in a hurry to create the appearance that he was still sleeping soundly.

But immediately, he hurriedly threw away the quilt in his hand, tied the belt around his waist, and prepared for a desperate battle.

It's really no wonder that he was so anxious and panicked.

He couldn't sleep the whole night, not because the cold wind was too loud in the north, but also because he was not used to staying in the military camp for a long time.

It was because when he first met Xiao Yan yesterday evening, the other party's domineering temperament made it difficult for him to relax. This huge military camp, with nearly seven or eight thousand people including prisoners of war, was so obedient to him. How could he feel at ease?

As a military supervisor sent by the court, he was implicitly responsible for assisting in military affairs and supervising generals on behalf of the court. Not to mention that before this, the court was unaware that Xiao Yan had such control over Dingbadu.

He thought about it for half a night and realized that this trip from Hebei was definitely not simple, and Xiao Yan must have deliberately concealed it from the court.

But Xiao Yan showed this ability unscrupulously in front of him yesterday, showing that he had absolute authority and control in this military camp. Even the guards representing the emperor had to give way to him...

What does it mean to be so unscrupulous?
Are you planning to rebel?

The more Zhao Yan thought about it, the more scared he became. He didn't dare close his eyes the whole night, fearing that Xiao Yan would order his men to chop off him, the imperial military supervisor who witnessed everything. He had finally thought that he could spend the night in peace, but then this sudden commotion happened. How could he not be scared?
Seeing the footsteps outside getting closer and closer, and a few faint flames approaching along with the sound of armor leaves, Zhao Yan's throat became dry, and subconsciously he just wanted to call Ding Zhaopu and others, most importantly, to summon the more than a hundred Jinwu Guards who were responsible for protecting him.

However, at the end, he suddenly reacted.

If Xiao Yan had made arrangements, even if he summoned all the Jinwu Guards, how could he fight his way out of the Gaoliang River camp with thousands of Tiger Guards? This would be like hitting a rock with an egg!

In a split second, Zhao Yan made a prompt decision and immediately rejected this unreliable method. He then hurriedly hid the sword in his hand under the quilt and began to untie his hastily tied belt in a panic.

Just at this moment, the curtain of his tent was roughly opened, and a dim firelight immediately shone in.

A look of panic flashed across Zhao Yan's face subconsciously.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. The person who came clearly saw him unbuckling his belt, but he was silent for a moment, obviously not understanding what Zhao Yan was doing.

Therefore, in this strange atmosphere, both parties were a little at a loss for a moment. However, the person at the entrance of the tent was obviously trying to judge what Zhao Yan was doing, while Zhao Yan was terrified and guessing what the visitor was going to do.

However, Zhao Yan had seen many big scenes before. When he saw that the newcomer did not rush in immediately, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, after a dry cough, he said angrily, "What's the reason for the commotion outside? Also, how can you not report your entry into my bedchamber?"

The bad guy wearing a bamboo hat at the entrance of the tent bowed slightly and said indifferently, "General Zhao, please forgive me."

Seeing that they were definitely not here to kill him, Zhao Yan finally let go of his worries. Then, he sat down on the couch with some fear and coughed dryly, "What happened?"

At this moment, before the bad guy could answer, a sharp and panicked voice suddenly came from outside.

"My dear Prince Consort, something terrible has happened!"

Hearing Ding Zhaopu's anxious voice, Zhao Yan did not react immediately. After all, he was still in fear of surviving a disaster, and after ensuring his own life, he could not let his adrenaline surge.

But when he heard Ding Zhaopu rushing in with a lantern and saying the first sentence, Zhao Yan stood up in shock again.

"My dear Prince Consort, disaster is coming!"

"Youzhou City was broken, Lord Li, Lord Li..." Ding Zhaopu could not hide his sorrow, and when he said this, he couldn't stop crying.

But even if he didn't say it, Zhao Yan already had a bad feeling. He felt his scalp tingling and was afraid to ask.

However, Ding Zhaopu finally cried out, "Mr. Li was killed by the Yan thieves, and his head has been sent to us. General Xiao was furious and has mobilized his troops overnight to fight against the rebellion in the north..."

It was only twelve hours later when Zhao Yan's hands and feet became cold again, as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

The last time this happened was when he first met Xiao Yan half a day ago. He was so intimidated by his aura that he had no desire to resist at all.

But at this moment, he was finally flustered. This was because he came to Hebei this time with the intention of joining forces with Li Zhen to suppress Xiao Yan. Although Li Zhen made a big mistake, at least he was only deprived of his real power and his official position was still there. If he stayed in Hebei, he would have some say. With his cooperation as the military supervisor of the imperial court, he would be able to check and balance Xiao Yan.

But it was only half a day, less than twelve hours.

Zhao Yan looked at Ding Zhaopu who was crying bitterly and the several bad guys at the entrance of the tent whose faces could not be seen because they were wearing masks. His mind went blank.

Li Zhen is dead.

The dignified Li Gong of Bianliang, who was the acting prime minister, the minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the imperial eunuch, the deputy governor of the Xuanyi Army, one of the three highest officials in name, the only top adviser to Zhu Wen, in charge of the finances of Daliang, the emperor's clothing and carriages, and the chief of the six bureaus of food, medicine, clothing, housing, carriages, and chariots, and the extremely favored Li Gong of Bianliang, died...

He sat back on the couch in a daze, but was hit by the long sword that had not yet been sheathed, and he stood up suddenly again.

Whether Ding Zhaopu was acting or not is beyond the point of mentioning, the bad guys at the entrance of the account didn't care so much and finally spoke again.

"General Xiao wants to move his camp north. Supervisor Zhao, please pack up quickly and follow the army north to fight the rebellion."

After saying this, he ignored the two people in the tent and turned back into the drizzle with the torch in hand.

Zhao Yan's Adam's apple moved, and he was stunned and didn't know what to say.

Ding Zhaopu also buried his head and wiped his tears, but he secretly glanced at this prince consort who was always unclear whether he was a military man or a scholar, and just shook his head secretly.

Ding Zhaopu, as Xiao Yan's ally in the palace, had secretly sent all matters of the palace to Hebei through Anle Pavilion in the past few months, so he was a little surprised. After all, he knew a little about Xiao Yan's arrangements in Hebei, and the so-called Yan Army was inextricably linked to this Marshal Xiao.

But he didn't expect that even the great Lord Li would be beheaded if he said so. He was so shocked when he saw the head in the wooden box just now.

But what else can we do?
Since he had already helped Xiao Yan get here, could he still regret it? Of course, he had some evidence of Xiao Yan's evil intentions, but Xiao Yan probably had more of his leverage.

Not to mention whether this so-called evidence could pose any threat to Xiao Yan, it was self-evident who Zhu Wen would trust more, between a powerful warrior and a eunuch. Perhaps even if Zhu Wen really knew what evil intentions Xiao Yan had, he would kill the eunuch immediately.

The emperor of Daliang always treated eunuchs and attendants like this. Ding Zhaopu lowered his head and gritted his teeth. Since this pirate ship has come this far, I am afraid it will have to go all the way to the end before it sinks...

While he was thinking this, Zhao Yan finally came to his senses. He paced back and forth twice, extremely upset, and shouted in a deep voice: "Why are you crying!"

While Ding Zhaopu cursed inwardly, he just wiped away the tears on his face and slowly stopped crying.

Zhao Yan looked at the pitiful appearance of the eunuch and finally realized that in the current situation, this eunuch was his only ally. As for the other officials, they had no experience in anything except writing. So he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Eunuch Ding, have you really seen Li Zhen's head?"

"My dear Prince Consort, I can't be wrong. How could I not recognize Mr. Li? I dare not admit my mistake..."

Ding Zhaopu thought that the prince consort seemed to have some plan, so he sniffed and asked carefully: "Prince consort, what should we do now?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yan bit his nails, moved closer, and whispered, "Eunuch Ding, what do you think about my family secretly escaping back to the Central Plains?"

Ding Zhaopu was horrified and tried to dissuade him, "You can't do that, Prince Consort. Lord Li has died for his country, and the government and the public must be in an uproar. As a military supervisor, how can you escape from the battlefield..."

"It's not desertion!" Zhao Yan was immediately angry, and then he carefully looked outside the tent, and even lowered himself to explain in a low voice: "Don't you think there's something strange about Xiao Yan? Ding Badu has always been said to be undisciplined, but he is so respectful to him, doesn't it make people suspicious?"

Ding Zhaopu just shook his head and whispered: "That's right, the prince consort must not go back secretly. Marshal Xiao is the commander of the Eastern Route Camp, in charge of Hebei, and also has the duty of patrolling on behalf of the emperor. He can do as he pleases. Isn't the prince consort afraid of being punished by Marshal Xiao?"

Zhao Yan was shocked.

He forgot that he was just a military inspector with the power to supervise the generals, but Xiao Yan was not an ordinary general. He was the local emperor of Hebei for the time being, in charge of both military and political affairs. If he, a military inspector, deserted the battlefield, he might be caught and punished by military law.

At that time, the imperial court did not know that Zhao Yan wanted to return to Bianliang to file a complaint. Even if Xiao Yan really dared to beat him with a stick and put him in jail, or even behead him, it would be reasonable and would only displease Zhu Wen.

He opened and closed his mouth, and sat back on the bed in frustration, shaking his head in frustration: "Li Zhen is dead, he is dead... What can I do if I stay here..."

Ding Zhaopu turned his eyes away obscurely, took a step forward, and whispered: "If the prince consort has anything he wants to do, why not tell me? I am just a eunuch who will pass on the order, and I will return to report to His Majesty in the next two days. General Xiao... Xiao Yan will not stop me..."

Zhao Yan's eyes lit up, and then he looked at Ding Zhaopu. Suddenly he found that this eunuch was really pleasing to the eye.

But at the end, he hesitated a little.

Seeing that he didn't trust him, Ding Zhaopu didn't get angry. He just bowed respectfully and whispered, "Please wait a moment, Prince Consort. I'll go find Wei Changshi and the others (the officials mentioned above)."

Seeing this, Zhao Yan dared not delay any longer. The noise outside was getting louder and louder, and he did not dare to alert the enemy. He grabbed Ding Zhaopu and whispered, "No need! Eunuch Ding is still trustworthy. This way..."

He looked around and saw only darkness, with only a glimmer of light coming from the small lantern in Ding Zhaopu's hand. He gritted his teeth and bit his fingers hard. After Yin Hong's blood seeped out of them, he tore a piece of his skirt and wrote with his blood.

Ding Zhaopu just waited with his eyes narrowed, without urging anyone.

However, Zhao Yan was particularly afraid that someone would suddenly break in, so he looked a little panicked, kept looking outside, and wrote quickly and hurriedly, even his face turned a little pale, before he wrote a letter in blood at an extremely fast speed.

Then, he signed his name and stamped his seal, unable to conceal his flustered mood. He gasped as he handed it to Ding Zhaopu and said solemnly, "Eunuch Ding, when you return to Bianliang, you must give it to His Majesty on my behalf. As long as His Majesty knows the corrupt situation in Hebei and the potential harm here, I...I will have no regrets even if I die..."

Ding Zhaopu also put it carefully into his arms.

Zhao Yan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but then he was afraid that he would delay too long, so he changed his clothes hurriedly, and soon after Ding Zhaopu left, he hurried out of the tent.

Only at this moment did he understand why there was such chaos in the camp.

However, it was seen that all the soldiers in the camp had finished cooking and were all donning their armor. Under the leadership of the officers, they were just waiting silently in the barracks.

It was still drizzling, and the captives serving as auxiliary soldiers were busy taking care of the horses, adding more horse feed to these sturdy mounts, brushing them carefully, and then putting on saddles and bridles.

It was obvious that a real battle was about to begin. Even the mounts, which were endless as far as the eye could see, began to become restless, some neighing in a low voice, and some paddling their hooves restlessly.

Zhao Yan's face was tense, but he felt relieved when he saw that his Jinwu Guards were still around his tent.

But immediately, he was worried again.

But at the end of my sight, in the hazy rain and fog, I saw several riders approaching with swords drawn.

At this moment, after seeing these riders, they saw large groups of soldiers coming out of the tent almost at the same time, lining up according to their respective command organizations. Some messengers had already mounted their horses and were running back and forth in the camp, conveying military orders.

At the same time, thousands of eyes were only looking at the knight who was riding in the front.

Zhao Yan seemed to feel guilty and didn't dare to look any further. He just lowered his head.

However, at this time, he was also secretly shocked that these five or six thousand Dingbadu Tiger Guards did not complain at all even though they had to cook in the middle of the night and march before dawn.

At this moment, with Xiao Yan's appearance, the high morale could no longer be suppressed. The sharp blades of countless lances and horse lances were shining coldly in the rain, just like this morale, which was unstoppable.

Is this really the unruly Ding Badu that the court knows about...

Is this really what Han Yanhui meant by morale being useless...

He didn't dare to think too much, for fear of losing his composure, so he just lowered his head.

At this time, he could see Xiao Yan sitting on a horse from the corner of his eye, and he seemed to be wiping his boots with some cloth, and then casually threw it to the person next to him. But the light was too dim, and he couldn't see it clearly even with his squinting eyes. Before he could really focus on what the cloth was, someone had already brought his mount to him.

"General Zhao, mount your horse."

Zhao Yan was a little confused for a moment. He didn't know why he was afraid to follow Xiao Yan into battle, so he just said, "I, I haven't had breakfast yet..."

"Come here, go get some cakes for General Zhao. General Zhao, please don't blame me. The conditions in the camp have always been like this. Please make do with it."

"All right……"

Zhao Yan had no choice but to mount his horse. Fortunately, the more than a hundred Jinwu Guards were always protecting him.

Then, because of his status, he moved a little closer to Xiao Yan.

His face tensed, and he was about to greet him, but he saw that the latter ignored him and drew the Tang sword from his waist.

"Send the order, the army leaves the camp."

"Cross the river and defeat the enemy!"

(End of this chapter)