Chu Lian quickly agreed to Sima Hui’s request and told her to hurry quickly to the frontlines. It wouldn’t be good if she wasted too much time here.
The originally quiet camp was now in complete chaos. Bugle horns sounded loudly, one after another. Everyone started preparing for battle. The sounds of hoofbeats and the soldiers’ bugle calls blended into a mess of noise.
Even though Chu Lian was staying put in her tent, she could still feel the tension in the air outside.
Wenqing and Wenlan had similar expressions of anxiety.
“Third Young Madam, what should we do?” Wenlan asked with a frown.
Chu Lian’s almond-shaped eyes were fixed on the tent flap, which had lifted a little from the winds outside. “We’ll stay in this camp. They’re still preparing for battle out on the frontlines. There’s nowhere safer in the whole of Liangzhou City than the back of the main camp now. Furthermore, General Sima Hui left some soldiers behind to guard us.”
Wenqing nodded upon hearing this. The two maidservants could only try their best to keep their anxiety under control for now. However, just in case, Wenqing went out to call the Li siblings over. The few of them discussed how they should guard Chu Lian’s tent.
Chu Lian no longer had the mood to continue reading her book. The Tuhuns had clearly chosen to stall and wait out the winter and it had seemed like there would still be another month before they would take any action. They were hidden in the snowy mountains and they had enough provisions. Furthermore, the Tuhuns’ bodies were much hardier and more resistant to the cold, unlike those of the people of the Great Wu Dynasty.
Why had they chosen to mount an attack so suddenly?
Chu Lian’s eyes narrowed. She thought of the current situation that the border troops were in. There was only one possibility for this situation.
There was an informant in their ranks!
The only ones who knew about the snowboat were Great General Qian’s trusted subordinates. Even Sima Hui hadn’t known what He Changdi had been sent out to do.
Then the only suspects were General Qian’s most trusted officers…
Shivers went down Chu Lian’s back when her thoughts led up to that conclusion. The border troops were already in a dangerous situation, but now there were informants amongst them. If Great General Qian failed to handle this situation properly, then the army would probably fall apart even before He Changdi returned with the supplies!
When Wenqing noticed that Chu Lian’s face had been drained of all colour, she suffered a fright, “Third Young Madam, what happened to you?!”
Chu Lian waved her hand, “It’s nothing, I’ll be fine after a short rest.”
After more careful thought, she felt that she couldn’t stand by without doing anything. She ordered Wenqing to fetch her brush and ink; she was going to write a letter.
Fifteen minutes later, the letter was done. Chu Lian quickly sealed it in an envelope and summoned Li Xing, who had been guarding the tent outside. She told him to take a snowboat and head straight to Su City immediately. He was to send the letter directly to He Changdi, as soon as possible.
Although Li Xing didn’t know what was contained inside the letter, he didn’t dare to tarry even a moment longer. His mission was to obey Chu Lian’s orders, so no matter how strange the order, he wouldn’t have any complaints.
When it came to dusk, more than half of the soldiers in the border camp were gone. The cold winds played with the flags hoisted up in the camp, making them flutter and snap.
Even in Sima Hui’s female barracks, only a single group of soldiers was left behind to look after the camp.
As the final trace of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, light snow started falling from the skies, covering the tents.
Chu Lian didn’t know what was wrong with her today. There was an uneasy feeling burdening her heart. Although it was already dark outside, she didn’t feel any hint of sleepiness at all. Not only that, she had started to order Wenqing and Wenlan to pack things up, as if that would help her forget her worries.
Wenqing and Wenlan knew that their mistress was feeling uneasy, so they didn’t complain. They followed her orders obediently.
They had already prepared themselves. If the border troops failed to defend the border, they would take Third Young Madam with them and escape. If the time came, they would need to have all of their supplies ready. Getting ordered to pack things up at this time was in line with their plans.
Suddenly, there was a burst of noise from outside the camp. The three ladies strained their ears to listen, and they heard a female voice speaking, “Honoured Lady, this subordinate has something to report.”
Chu Lian let out a sigh of relief. She recognised that voice, it was one of the female soldiers who usually guarded her tent.
“Enter.”
The tent flap was lifted and the female soldier entered the tent. The inside of the tent was illuminated with faint lamplight, making their surroundings rather dim. The female soldier’s head was lowered and her features were hidden by shadows.
She panted as she spoke urgently, “Honoured Lady, this subordinate just received news that Manager Qin’s tent has been attacked!”
Chu Lian’s expression immediately changed. Manager Qin had been attacked!
That was where they were storing all of their supplies!
In her worry, she didn’t think further and ordered, “Wenqing, take Li Yue with you and go over there immediately.”
Wenqing sounded off her acknowledgement. She picked up a weapon and her cloak before quickly following the female soldier out.
Chu Lian stared at the fluttering tent flap in a daze. Suddenly, her whole body stiffened.
Her mind replayed the moment that the female soldier had turned to leave the tent.
No wonder she had felt that something wasn’t right. Her shoes!
That female soldier had been wearing leather boots with flexible soles!
Due to the harsh climate of the north and their duties on the battlefield, the female soldiers wore out their boots very quickly. For Great General Qian’s soldiers, as well as Sima Hui’s female soldiers, all of them wore warm boots with thick soles. The front of the boots was even covered with steel, so that they could damage their enemies on the battlefield even more.
Although those thick boots were durable and very practical, they were heavier than the normal type of boots. Furthermore, they were covered in steel at the front, so all the soldiers made light thunks as they walked.
As for the female soldier who had just come in, her feet hadn’t made any sound on the ground and she had been wearing light boots more suited for trekking.
Chu Lian grabbed hold of Wenlan’s hand with a grave expression. “Wenlan, we’ve been tricked! Hurry, pack up our things, we have to escape right now!”
