Chapter 278: Smell and Sentience

About an hour later, the Xia State army, which had been pursuing the enemy, slowly returned. Hong Chengliang had still escaped; that fellow was more slippery than an eel. However, He Chunhua had managed to take down another thirty or forty Xinzhou scouts. After accounting for the losses from the raid on this camp, Hong Chengliang's forces were reduced to just over two hundred men.

After a night of constant movement, either marching at full speed or leading attacks against the enemy, He Chunhua no longer concealed his fatigue. He asked He Lingchuan, "How are the supply wagons?" "Thirty-four wagons were burned, but a good amount of grain was salvaged and is being organized," He Lingchuan replied, having also been busy. "Preliminary estimates suggest a total loss of about 1,500 *shi* over last night and tonight combined." Rock Wolf Lu Xin had also wounded many Xinzhou soldiers, sustaining two arrow wounds and a slash on his right paw in return. Medicine Ape Lingguang was currently bandaging his wounds.

He Chunhua let out a long breath of stale air. "That's acceptable." This meant they still had nearly nine thousand *shi* of supplies, so he wouldn't arrive at the front lines empty-handed. Afterward, he began inquiring about the battle at the main camp.

Wu Shaoyi had received his carrier pigeon message and prepared for battle in advance, which prevented Hong Chengliang from successfully launching another surprise attack. However, the defending soldiers numbered only about four hundred, while the enemy had three hundred cavalry. The Xia State forces had fought an exceptionally tough battle. Xinzhou cavalry began shooting arrows and throwing fire even before reaching the chevaux de frise. Fortunately, Wu Shaoyi had already ordered men to douse the tarpaulins and various equipment with water, making this wave of fire attacks largely ineffective.

The essence of a camp raid lies in the word "raid" itself; without catching the enemy off guard, the effectiveness is greatly diminished. Hong Chengliang then ordered men to use gunpowder for explosions. However, the supply wagons were dispersed and concealed, so the damage caused by the gunpowder was limited. When the first two waves of strong attacks failed, Hong Chengliang saw the situation and understood that the enemy was well-prepared.

Following this, Elder Liang personally engaged Hong Chengliang in combat; otherwise, that fellow would have truly gone on a killing spree, and the Xia State soldiers' casualties would have been much higher. The cost was that Elder Liang sustained injuries to his right shoulder and under his ribs, and the wounds were not light. He specialized in magic, and facing a military commander like Hong Chengliang on the battlefield meant he was inherently at a disadvantage.

Elder Liang's disciples treated his wounds, with He Chunhua standing by. Transcendent Cloud Pavilion had made a great effort in defending the camp that night, so Steward He expressed his gratitude. This was also an opportunity to assess the capabilities of Transcendent Cloud Pavilion disciples, and He Chunhua was quite satisfied. As for the young soldier who neglected his duty by falling asleep on watch with ill intent, he was executed by military law that very night.

At dawn, Zeng Feixiong led his team back. From the sight of his team marching into the camp, chests out and heads held high, He Lingchuan knew they had won. Indeed, Zeng Feixiong swiftly went to report, his first words being, "My lord, Baili Qing has been executed!" Behind him, a soldier presented a severed head, its eyes wide open in death—it was Baili Qing. "Good, good!" He Chunhua's spirits lifted, feeling that a great weight had been lifted from his chest. "Tell me about the battle at the mine pit."

It turned out that the Xinzhou people left at the abandoned mine pit were all wounded soldiers and logistics personnel; the actual defending force numbered only fifty. Zeng Feixiong's team, well-prepared and launching a surprise attack against such a weak opponent, faced no effective resistance. However, Baili Qing had already woken up by then and ordered two of his subordinate generals to lead the remaining forces into the mine shafts. These shafts were narrow and dark, and as long as men were left to cover their retreat, the government troops could barely advance. Their only reliance was on the mine shafts having exits leading to the back mountain.

However, Jiao Tai had already led his men to kill the Xinzhou guards and seize the exit. Seeing Zeng Feixiong signaling from the front of the mountain, he immediately set fire to and blasted the mountain at the mine shaft exit, destroying it completely. Baili Qing and his men were trapped inside the mine shaft, unable to exit from either end. Then, Jiao Tai ordered men to light fires and funnel smoke into the mine shafts. The Xinzhou men, eyes streaming with tears and struggling to breathe from the smoke, had no choice but to exit the mine shaft from the front of the mountain and surrender.

Zeng Feixiong, following He Chunhua's instructions, confiscated all weapons and then ordered the execution of the prisoners, leaving no survivors! The first to be beheaded was Baili Qing. Disposing of the captives' bodies was simple: they were thrown back into the mine shaft, which was then sealed with the remaining gunpowder explosions.

He Chunhua looked at Baili Qing's head and chuckled, "I accept this grand gift from Hong Chengliang." Zeng Feixiong then added, "One of Baili Qing's subordinate generals, named Fu Xin, was still cursing Hong Chengliang loudly just before he was about to be beheaded. Seeing this, I let him go, along with a dozen or so of his soldiers. Out of 136 captives, only sixteen were released." This was equivalent to rounding down the number.

He Chunhua nodded. "Excellent. Let him go back and make trouble for Hong Chengliang." Wasn't Hong Chengliang trying to use his hand to get rid of these burdens? How could he let the other party get what they wanted? Once this General Fu returned, harboring resentment, he would surely oppose Hong Chengliang at every turn, which was far more useful than simply killing him.

He Lingchuan's heart stirred, and he interjected, "What about Dong Rui?" Dong Rui couldn't have died so silently, could he? "He immediately jumped onto a strange bird and flew away close to the ground," Zeng Feixiong said, looking embarrassed. "It happened right after we finished firing the first wave of arrows. The trees provided cover, so we couldn't shoot him down." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. As expected. Dong Rui's talent for escaping was always maxed out.

Zeng Feixiong then took out a storage ring and returned it to He Lingchuan. "Thank you, Young Master. With those explosives, we saved a lot of effort." After he left, He Lingchuan also wanted to return to his tent but was called back by his father.

"Chuan'er, where's that comb?" "Huh?" He didn't understand for a moment. "Which comb?" "The comb you got from Hong Chengliang's home in Bailu Town," He Chunhua asked him. "More precisely, it seems his neighbor took it."

"Oh, it's here." Hong Chengliang had been extremely cautious, emptying his home before leaving Bailu Town. Unfortunately, human schemes are no match for heaven's will; the old woman next door had long casually taken a comb, and He Lingchuan had then acquired it from her, with hair still wrapped around it. Without much thought, he took out the comb and handed it over. He Chunhua didn't take it. "Can you determine if the hair belongs to a man or a woman?" "...I'll try," He Lingchuan thought for a moment and whistled. A few moments later, Rock Wolf Lu Xin emerged from a dark corner and gave him a stiff wag of his tail.

He Lingchuan held the comb closer. "Sniff the hair on this and tell me if its owner is male or female." The rock wolf opened its mouth in a wide yawn. "Twenty *jin* of beef." He Lingchuan looked embarrassed. "Such a simple task as sniffing, and you're charging so much? It's only been a few months; how did the simple tundra wolf turn into this?" "Or, you do it?" "Alright, alright," He Lingchuan conceded. "Consider it a debt. I'll buy you prime beef when I return to Dunyu."

The old woman had guaranteed she hadn't used the comb. Moreover, the strands of hair had a slightly brown tint, making it unlikely to belong to the old woman. The rock wolf's wet snout came closer and sniffed hard. Its sense of smell was several times more acute than that of ordinary canines; it could even construct a three-dimensional image in its mind just from scent molecules. "A woman, early thirties, poor health, takes medicine year-round," the rock wolf said with a look of disdain. "The strong medicinal smell is practically drowning my nose."

Only then did He Chunhua gladly take the wooden comb, praising his son, "Well done!" He Lingchuan asked him, "Dad, what do you need this comb for?" "Better safe than sorry," He Chunhua shrugged. "Didn't Hong Chengliang's neighbor say that he and his wife were harmonious?" "Yes, Hong Chengliang meticulously cared for his ailing wife, serving her medicinal soups daily. It's said he even gave her full-body massages every few days to prevent muscle atrophy. The old woman said she never heard them argue." Living in such dilapidated houses with thin walls meant that any sound could be heard by neighbors just by pressing an ear to a corner.

"Good, good," He Chunhua nodded. "By the way, how are your injuries?" "No problem, I'll take care of them now." He Lingchuan also returned; he had the Medicine Ape, which could easily handle minor injuries. Unbeknownst to him, after he left, He Chunhua issued an order to refuse all visitors and instructed his personal guards to secure the tent entrance. He himself used black cloth to block all light-leaking gaps in the tent.

What Steward He did inside the tent was known to no one. It wasn't until a good hour and a half later that the eastern sky began to lighten. The night of bloodshed finally passed, and He Chunhua stepped out of his tent, taking a deep breath facing the rising sun in the east.

He then called two men and gave them low-voiced instructions. These two received their orders and galloped off with more than thirty cavalry.

Only when it was fully light did He Chunhua give orders to the main force: "Break camp, let's go!" No rest; the supply convoy had to reach the front lines as quickly as possible. Last night's offensive and defensive battle had finally been won, boosting the team's morale, so they had no objection to departing immediately. Xinhuang Town was too poor, and ordinary soldiers, bound by military orders, couldn't leave the camp, so staying there was not much different from being in the wilderness.

He Lingchuan, however, requested leave to temporarily depart from the team. He traveled west with about a dozen of his subordinates for dozens of *li* until he found the site of the previous fierce battle and properly buried Maotao. "When the Ghost Festival arrives, no matter where I am, I'll burn money and paper effigies for you," He Lingchuan said, facing the newly erected tombstone. "I'll find a master craftsman to make you some paper girls with long legs and slender waists, guaranteed to be just your type." This was Maotao's wish in life, and it could be fulfilled even after his death.

The rest of the supply convoy's journey was smooth and uneventful. When passing through the steep mountain pass, He Chunhua sent out scouts in advance, and the team was on maximum alert. However, nothing happened until everyone had passed through safely. He Chunhua had long concluded that Hong Chengliang's forces were severely weakened and wouldn't attack again, so he finally felt at ease after traversing this naturally treacherous path. Beyond that point, it was all plains.

Assessing the battles of the past two days, he and Hong Chengliang had likely experienced mutual gains and losses. However, Hong Chengliang originally had over six hundred men, and now only just over two hundred remained, a loss of more than half. All in all, Hong Chengliang had suffered greater losses. It was last night's mutual raids that ultimately determined the outcome; otherwise, the supply convoy would not have passed through today's dangerous pass so easily.

The march across the plains was swift. Two days later, the supply convoy finally arrived at the northern front lines! Zhao Pan, the border defense general, had received news and was already waiting by the roadside. He Lingchuan saw a throng of soldiers; the welcome ceremony was quite grand.