I Became a Sugar Mama to an Ancient General during a Famine! - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: She Dreamed of Zhan Chengyin’s Death

The barbarian army no longer dared to charge forward, but instead continuously retreated to dodge the incoming arrows. He Hong, being remarkably daring, led his men to infiltrate from the side, heading straight for the stables. Opening the stable doors, he untied several horses bound with ropes. For each horse freed, he offered a mouthful of feed and water. The more they could take, the better.

At the front, Qin crossbow’s team continued their provocation, arrows flying without cease. Meanwhile, over a thousand horses from the stables were being released. They followed about a dozen men dressed in black, carrying sacks and mounted on strong, well-fed horses. The horses ran too swiftly to control.

He Hong and his small group of men had successfully led away over a thousand horses. Seeing this feat, Li Yuanzhong and Lin Yijun gave him a thumbs-up. “Boldness comes with skill,” they thought, knowing that if the barbarians had caught them, there would have been no escape.

Yet, they succeeded.

Having secured the warhorses, they didn’t linger in battle but led all thousand-plus horses back to the city. When the soldiers witnessed the herd of warhorses galloping through the city gates, their eyes widened in disbelief. It seemed absurd – the barbarian warhorses had been stolen just like that.

These horses were notably thinner than those raised by the Zhan family army. Their ribs showed clearly, their eyes were bloodshot with a yellow tinge, and their noses were dry and cracked. They were severely dehydrated and malnourished.

As if knowing where to find water, they rushed straight to the river, eagerly drinking mouthful after mouthful. Some, desperate with thirst, knelt on their front legs to drink. Seeing this, Zhan Chengyin ordered Wu Shilang, “Feed them horse feed. Let them join our Zhan family army’s horses.”

“Yes, General!”

The thousand horses spent a full hour drinking before finally being satisfied enough to wander. When they discovered the fine horse feed on the ground – a mixture of bran and wheat flour – they rushed to eat, tears falling as they did so. Their previous life in the barbarian stables had been one of deprivation – no grass to eat, no water to drink. Many horses had perished from thirst. Here, with water and fine feed, it was like heaven. All the horses chose to stay, some even soaking in the river, unwilling to leave.

In the latter half of the night, Chen Kui and Chen Wu returned with three thousand more horses. Their mission had gone even more smoothly – disguised as patrolling barbarian soldiers, they had entered the stables, fed the horses water and feed, then simply opened the gates and returned. The horses had rushed out in swarms, following the scent toward them.

When the barbarians tried to herd the horses back, it proved futile. The starving horses followed only the feed and water. By the time they spotted the Zhan family army, it was too late – Qin crossbows and the Mo dao team had taken position, with Qin crossbows shooting down any pursuers. The remaining enemies dared not return to camp, fearing hidden explosives. The memory of thousands of their comrades being blown up was still fresh; without absolute certainty, they wouldn’t risk it.

That night, they captured a total of four thousand horses. Every participating soldier received a reward of a hundred jin of rice and fifty jin of flour. No one was injured, and the rewards were substantial. Everyone rejoiced.

Zhan Chengyin watched his soldiers celebrating in the camp, eager to carry their rice home to their families. With a smile playing at his lips, he wrote:「Today, we acquired four thousand warhorses without losing a single soldier. A great victory!」

Ye Mumu replied, 「Wow, that’s amazing!」

「goddess, the temple construction is complete. The craftsmen need your portrait to shape your true form.」

「If the goddess has a portrait, please send one over!」

Zhan Chengyin’s hands trembled as he wrote these words. Through their long correspondence, he had learned she was a young woman of twenty, from more than two thousand years in the future. He wondered about her appearance – what did such a warm-hearted, kind, and gentle god look like?

Ye Mumu was arranging ceramics when she saw his message. A portrait? A temple? Was he serious? She wasn’t a deity or Buddha – she was a living person! Wasn’t building a temple for a living person excessive?

「Why not build a Bodhisattva temple?」she suggested.

「What is a Bodhisattva?」

Suddenly, Ye Mumu remembered – Buddhism hadn’t yet been introduced to the country during this period.

「I mean, just create any figure. You don’t need my image. I’m just a living person; it’s not appropriate for people to worship me…」

「No, goddess,」 he insisted. 「You saved the Zhan family army, saved me, saved the entire city’s people. The citizens won’t worship a stranger without reason. You are undoubtedly our Deity. Please send your portrait – the craftsmen are urging us; we cannot delay!」

Zhan Chengyin was determined to build her temple. Fine then! She wouldn’t argue with the ancients! While this villa had no photos of her, her old house did.

「Give me a few days. I’ll go home and get a photo!」

「Please don’t forget, goddess!」

「With today’s four thousand horses, is there enough feed?」

「Yes, I was just about to mention that!」

「No problem. I’ll have two carts delivered tomorrow! They need both fine feed and roughage.」

At midnight, Ye Mumu called the grain store owner about ordering horse feed – several trucks’ worth. The owner was so excited his phone fell from his bed. He promised one truck tomorrow, the rest in three days. She transferred a million yuan as advance payment.

She then called Truck Driver Huang, asking him to collect fresh market vegetables – three trucks’ worth, no limit on variety. He happily agreed, saying he’d recruit help to complete the task tomorrow.

Her final call was about the bulletproof vests. The factory owner, traveling with the shipment, confirmed tomorrow morning delivery. She gave him the address: the warehouse at Xianyuan Mountain’s foot.

After finishing her work, she buried the vase by the stream and returned to her room, falling into sleep.

Her dream was strange -it was of an ancient general, blood-soaked, standing atop a mountain of corpses. His subordinates lay dead beside him, their bodies riddled with wounds. He fought alone, the last man standing.

Holding his sword, he pointed it at the approaching armies. “I, Zhan Chengyin, have lived an honorable life. I will never betray Qi. If you wish to buy my loyalty, you’ll have to step over my corpse!”

Below stood a young emperor in dragon robes, mounted on horseback, radiating arrogance. His voice was cold and effeminate as he sneered, “Stubborn fool. Born in Great Qi, yet dying at twenty-one. You devoted your life to Qi, only to be betrayed by your emperor, sold out by Xu Huai… Yours is a life of pity, sorrow, and tears!”

“Soldiers! Whoever brings me Zhan Chengyin’s head shall receive ten thousand in gold and a marquis title!”

Countless enemies swarmed forward, competing for his head. He was torn apart by a thousand blades, leaving no intact flesh after death. The great general Zhan Chengyin died tragically at Zhen Guan.

His death was so mournful that even heaven seemed to grieve. With a thunderous boom, lightning split the sky, and darkness fell.

Ye Mumu woke with a start, gasping for breath.

He died! She had dreamed of Zhan Chengyin’s death!

Terrified, she immediately retrieved the vase from the stream and sent him a note:

「Are you alright?」

「I dreamed of your death! Please respond quickly!」

「Zhan Chengyin, answer me!」

She waited, but no reply came.

Her dream hadn’t been wrong.

That very night, as Zhan’s army celebrated their captured horses, Chu and Yong made their move. They didn’t follow the predetermined route to meet the barbarians. Instead, they took another path – one without buried explosives.