The Fallen Nation System, Turning the Tide - Chapter 63: Eliminating Disaster

Chapter 63: Eliminating Disaster

It would be best to eliminate the root of the trouble.

Aguhun had no intention of joking, but before he could act, the wounded soldier had already fainted on his own. The medic quickly stepped in to remove the arrow, and soon the soldier woke up from the pain. Fortunately, the arrow was finally extracted, and medicine could now be applied.

While the medic was busy nearby, Aguhun picked up the arrow and walked a few steps outside. Under the clear moonlight, the arrow shaft was soaked in blood, and the grooves on it were fully visible.

Was this the crossbow bolt that could change direction?

Changing the direction of an arrow was not uncommon, but it usually occurred with large bows and skilled archers. No one had ever seen a crossbow bolt curve.

Aguhun examined the crossbow bolt for a long while. “Gedeng, study this crossbow bolt carefully and see if we can replicate it.”

Gedeng took the bolt, his astonished gaze fixed on the shaft. Holding it in his hand, he looked up and asked about the next course of action: “Daghan, the Jin army is hot on our heels. Should we set up an ambush in the valley?”

Aguhun turned to look at the wounded soldiers lying on the ground. To escape the Jin army, they had been forced to abandon their horses and hide in the mountains, losing their cavalry advantage. Facing the Jin army now seemed precarious.

“Tomorrow, the wounded will stay here. The rest will follow me,” Aguhun decided.

Gedeng acknowledged the order and then reported another matter: “Daghan, we’ve discovered that Hushili is secretly contacting the Northern Barbarians, urging the Khan to attack the Jin state. He likely wants to see us and the Jin army destroy each other. Should we report this to the Khan and retreat?”

Aguhun’s expression remained largely unchanged. “The Khan trusts Hushili deeply now and no longer listens to anyone else. Reporting to the Khan won’t achieve anything. It’s better to just kill Hushili and eliminate the root of the trouble.”

“Yes!”

While He Chongguang was pursuing Aguhun, Xu Ge learned of the situation and was greatly alarmed. Stepping outside, he saw that the army had struck camp, leaving the land bare. Only the soldiers guarding the main tent stood tall, along with the captured Western Rong prisoners.

“Where is everyone?”

Xu Ge was panic-stricken, his face pale.

The colonel who had come to deliver the news said, “Your Highness, He Chongguang has led the troops in pursuit, with Supervisor Zhang following closely behind. The others saw Supervisor Zhang and joined in as well. Please issue an order immediately to recall the army!”

Xu Ge replied, “Quickly report this matter to the court.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Keqian was with the infantry. He Chongguang and his men were on horseback, and on foot, they couldn’t catch up. They followed the footprints on the road, but for some reason, there were traces in every direction. After circling around several times without catching up, they had to set up camp temporarily when night fell and rest.

At daybreak, He Chongguang pursued Aguhun as if possessed, and Zhang Keqian did his utmost to keep up with He Chongguang’s pace. News of the battle at Jiayu Pass reached the imperial capital.

Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Aguhun had been defeated and fled. However, the court was in an uproar, with everyone discussing He Chongguang’s unauthorized pursuit and demanding his recall and punishment.

While others gained promotions for winning battles, He Chongguang’s victories seemed to endanger his life. His merits and faults canceled each other out, as if the battle had never happened. Xu Ying didn’t know what to say about him, only admiring his survival instincts. No wonder He Chongguang had remained unscathed when the late emperor purged his meritorious officials.

The hall was still under renovation, with hammering and construction noises everywhere. The court officials were again debating He Chongguang’s actions, creating a cacophony that nearly descended into chaos.

Xu Ying waited for them to finish arguing and, when they requested her judgment, suppressed the urge to yawn, saying, “The war is not yet over. No one in the court is allowed to interfere, lest we miss the opportunity and lose the city. All matters will be settled after the army returns.”

The courtiers reluctantly bowed their heads, and Xu Ying finally felt much more at ease. With the Western Rong repelled and He Chongguang leading troops abroad, he also had the generals she had carefully selected, who were still in their initial stages.

As long as those people matured, He Chongguang would be like a tiger with wings. She believed he would surely come to kill her and successfully take her place.

After the morning court ended, Xu Ying returned to Azure Wave Study and opened the system. Seeing the single coin left in her account, she realized that withdrawing it wouldn’t accomplish much, so she decided to use it to draw a blind box.

She tapped to skip, and the system panel quickly displayed: Apple (Large) *3

“Detected synthesizable fragments. Synthesize?”

“Synthesize.”

After waiting a moment, the system prompted again: “Fruits are special items. A special allocation has been issued. Please purchase them in the current world yourself.”

“Detected that modern varieties of apples have not yet appeared in the current world. They have been converted into cultivated fruit trees and will be delivered to you within seven working days.”

“Apple trees?” Xu Ying was surprised.

The system explained, “Yes. The current apple is called ‘nai’ and has not yet been domesticated. Its taste is not good, so it can only be converted into fruit trees.”

Xu Ying took this lesson to heart and recalled that she indeed hadn’t eaten apples here. Suddenly feeling a bit nostalgic, she couldn’t help but ask, “What variety of apple are you sending? Candy-core? Red Fuji?”

The system said, “Host, please choose the delivery location. The variety depends on the origin.”

Xu Ying thought for a moment. An apple tree suddenly appearing out of thin air beside her would be terrifying, but placing it in a desolate area would make it hard to find.

After pondering briefly, Xu Ying thought of the missing Women’s Army group. Although the system wouldn’t display their location on the front end, it could at least let her know they were alive. So she immediately told the system, “Deliver it to the Women’s Army who disappeared in the Western Rong territory.”

The system began processing, and Xu Ying clenched her hands.

After a while, the system finally had a result: “No valid location found within Western Rong territory. Please re-enter the command.”

Xu Ying’s hands and feet turned cold. “What does this mean? Is it saying… they’re already dead?”

“The system did not find the host’s designated individuals in Western Rong and cannot locate them. There are two possibilities for this situation: First, the host’s designated individuals may have lost vital signs. Second, they may not be in Western Rong.”

Xu Ying’s heart sank. If they weren’t in Western Rong, where could they be? Most likely, they had already met with misfortune.

Without caring where the apple trees would be planted, Xu Ying stood up abruptly. “Someone! Summon the Imperial Secretariat Drafter to draft an edict immediately.”

While everyone thought Xu Ying was preparing to settle scores after the fact, she issued an edict to He Chongguang, transferring full command of the army to him. Xu Ge was to cooperate with He Chongguang in campaigning against the Western Rong, demanding the return of the Women’s Armywhether alive or as corpses.

Liu Xu looked at the edict and silently signed it.

The subordinate officials below were shocked: “Sir, how can this be allowed? Once issued, how can we punish He Chongguang for pursuing without authorization? What about order?”

“His Majesty has already decided. How can we stop it?” Liu Xu set down his brush and closed the edict.

The official immediately fell silent. If they didn’t sign, His Majesty would still issue the decree and would most likely establish a separate Chancellery, turning illegality into legality.

“But this will only fuel He Chongguang’s ambition. What if he rebels?” the official couldn’t help but worry.

Liu Xu said calmly, “Isn’t Qing Wang still here? His Majesty has given He Chongguang full trust. If he betrays his sovereign, he will certainly not succeed. The day He Chongguang raises his army will be the day Qing Wang suppresses the rebellion and earns merit.”

Speaking of this, Liu Xu couldn’t help but marvelhow did Xu Ying become like this? Could it be natural talent?

Having shifted from defense to conquest, the various princes who had long resided in Youzhou thought it was finally time to return to their fiefs. They once again submitted memorials requesting permission to leave.

But Xu Ying was reluctant to let them go. She went before them, weeping and lamenting, “All the ministers look down on me for being young and a woman. They treat matters large and small with indifference and a perfunctory attitude. Only since my uncles came to Youzhou have they dared not underestimate me. I beg my uncles to stay a while longerif only to visit the young masters at the Imperial Academy more often.”

The princes felt their scalps crawl. In the entire court, who would dare bully or defy her? Wasn’t this already an era where her word was law?

They demurred, “Our princesses await us at home, and we must also tour the regions on Your Majesty’s behalf to stabilize them. Now that the court is secure, we can no longer violate ancestral teachings by lingering in the imperial capital.”

No matter how pitifully Xu Ying pleaded, the princes firmly waved her off, mounted their horses, and galloped away as if chased by ghosts, never looking back.

Xu Ying rubbed her face. “Am I really that frightening?”

A major incident occurred among the Western RongHushili was assassinated. That is, Yanjie, the Northern Barbarian Yabgu, was stabbed but fortunately survived.

The Western Rong Khan was furious and discovered the assassin was sent by Aguhun. Fearing the Khan might misunderstand, the assassin who attempted to kill Hushili shouted, “Great Khan, this Hushili is a Northern Barbarianhe cannot be trusted! Daghan is the most loyal! Hushili seeks to entangle us with the Jin state, giving the Northern Barbarians an opportunity. I beg the Khan to order a retreat.”

Seeing the situation turning against him, Yanjie realized Aguhun had uncovered his identity and intentions. He had to die.

Acting decisively, Yanjie quickly responded, whispering to the Western Rong Khan, “Great Khan, ever since you took the woman Aguhun loved as your Khatun, he has long held a grudge against you. Now he disobeys your commands and provokes youotherwise, why would he repeatedly fail to breach Jin territory, and even send assassins after those close to you?”

“Aguhun wants to kill you and reclaim his beloved. Otherwise, why has he never married or had children all these years? Clearly, he still covets the Khatun.”

Hearing this, the bound assassin thrashed like a fish, twisting forward a few steps, cursing Yanjie and shouting, “Great Khan, you must not believe him! Daghan’s loyalty to you is witnessed by the heavens! Hushili is sowing discord, trying to make you make the wrong decisiondo not listen to him!”

Yanjie said calmly, “I beg the Khan to set aside past affections and order Aguhun to commit suicide. If Aguhun sincerely submits to you, he will obey your command. If he refuses, it proves his disloyaltyhe must not be spared!”

The Western Rong Khan was convinced. With Aguhun’s abilities, how could he be toyed with by the Jin army? Clearly, Aguhun was not fully committedoutwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. He had time to return and assassinate Hushili, but no time to attack the Jin state?

“Send my blade to Aguhun. He will understand my meaning. If he flees, all Western Rong forces shall pursue him with full strength. Aguhun is no longer the Daghan of our Western Rong,” the Western Rong Khan commanded.

“Khan, what are you doing?” Khatun asked upon hearing the news, rushing to the scene.

When she learned the Khan intended to send his blade to Aguhun, forcing him to commit suicide, Khatun nearly fainted.

Author’s Note:

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2023-05-21 20:55:30 and 2023-05-22 21:08:41~

Special thanks to the angel Qingping for throwing a landmine~

Gratitude to the angels who provided nutrient solutions: Qingqing (20 bottles), Shaoshu (4 bottles), and Chidao de Zhong, 64100022, Shu Duo Jue Wu, Wen Shui Zhu Qingwa, Aoman (1 bottle each).

Thank you all for your support. I will continue to work hard!