Chapter 232: Missing

"Hu Junxian!"

"Hu Junxian, if you are a man, then come out and speak clearly! Don't hide on the city wall!"

The Yu Lin Army at the city pass shouted, but Hu Junxian remained deaf, ignoring them completely.

One by one, command arrows were sent out from inside the city gate tower. One by one, border army soldiers carrying the command arrows went to transmit orders, completely disregarding the Crown Prince and the Yu Lin Army.

Qi Zhensuo said angrily, "Your Highness, this Hu Junxian doesn't have you in his eyes at all!"

The Crown Prince, wrapped in a pure white fox fur coat, said indifferently, "Qi Zhensuo, don't get angry and lose your composure here. The Yu Lin Army should retreat to their position."

Qi Zhensuo's mouth opened wide. Finally, he cupped his fists and withdrew.

At this moment, footsteps sounded. Vice Commander Zhou led a team of border army infantry past the Yu Lin Army.

Zhou You said coldly, "My Guyuandu Prefecture Commander is at least a positive second-grade court official. He cannot tolerate you bunch of spoiled young masters shouting. Please show some respect. We are border garrison soldiers, not cats and dogs tied to the root of the imperial city."

After speaking, he led the infantry to the front of the city pass. Without turning back, he ascended the city tower along the stairs.

Li Xuan frowned and pondered for a moment. He turned his head and said to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, this Hu Junxian actually spread a huge lie to keep you here. What should we do now?"

The Crown Prince was silent for a moment, then sighed, "It would be good if Mister Qi were here. It's a pity he was transferred to the palace for use by the emperor. This time he wasn't able to come to Guyuan with us."

Li Xuan's face showed shame. With himself and others by the Crown Prince's side, the Crown Prince still regretted that Mister Qi hadn't come. This clearly meant he felt they were useless.

The Crown Prince looked towards Chen Liqin, who was wearing a bright red official robe, "Master Chen, I heard that you had quite a few achievements in Luocheng before. The emperor also praised you... what is your opinion?"

Chen Liqin thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. Allow me to go and negotiate with Commander Hu. I must make him open the city gate and let us out of the city."

The Crown Prince neither affirmed nor denied.

Chen Liqin dismounted and walked towards the city pass, but before he even got close, he was blocked by two border army soldiers who crossed their long halberds and firmly blocked the way: "This is an important military area. Unauthorized personnel are forbidden!"

Chen Liqin frowned and said, "This place is not the Bai Hu Grand Hall, nor is it the Prefecture Office's discussion hall. According to my Ning Dynasty's military law, it is not important military ground. The Crown Prince is here, and I am a Junior Hanlin of the Hanlin Academy, a fourth-grade official. During wartime, I have the right to inquire about military affairs. If you don't understand the law, then stop speaking nonsense!"

A border army soldier, after hearing Chen Liqin's words, hesitated for a moment. He turned his head and looked at his comrade, "What is a Junior Hanlin of the Hanlin Academy?"

Another border army soldier shook his head, "Sounds like a big official, but he shouldn't be bigger than our general's official."

"Oh, since he's not bigger than our Commander's official, then we listen to the general."

Chen Liqin was ridiculed to the point where his face turned green for a while, then purple. The other side didn't even care about military law!

He endured his temper and negotiated with the border army soldiers for the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, yet he couldn't even go up the city tower. He only returned dejected.

The Crown Prince comforted him warmly, "Master Chen, there's no need to be disheartened. The border army is crude and unreasonable. It's not your fault."

Chen Liqin wanted to speak but stopped. Finally, he remained silent.

Just like he had said to the Liang family in Luocheng, he was a capable official in governing a place, but he lacked the quick wit to handle danger. He originally hadn't thought about the position of Junior Hanlin, yet somehow, the court actually arranged for him to assist the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince looked at the swaying firelight on the city tower from afar, caught in a dilemma.

Qi Zhensuo moved closer and said softly, "Crown Prince, I have a way to leave the city."

The Crown Prince said calmly, "Please speak."

Qi Zhensuo thought for a moment, "After the last general arrived in Guyuan, I heard that there are two secret tunnels for entering and exiting the city here. Merchants can use these two secret paths to avoid the city pass and transport some prohibited goods... Perhaps Your Highness can also use a secret path to leave."

The Crown Prince glanced at him, "A country's heir leaving in disarray through a tunnel? Where is the dignity of the heavenly family? My Great Ning Dynasty has never had such a useless heir. Don't mention this again."

Li Xuan, however, said from the side, "Your Highness, in urgent matters, the greater good takes precedence. If you were to encounter any misfortune..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard a voice from not far away, "Cannot leave the city."

The Crown Prince and Li Xuan simultaneously turned their heads to look. They saw Chen Ji urging his horse forward: "Your Highness, you cannot leave the city at this time."

Chen Liqin frowned and said, "What are you joining in for? Retreat!"

Chen Ji cupped his hands to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, look at how busy the border army is. They are not preparing for a temporary play."

The Crown Prince was somewhat thoughtful, "How so?"

Chen Ji pointed at the border army soldiers and said, "The border army lacks military supplies. Ordinary soldiers can only wear rattan armor, and their weapons are incomplete. If according to market price, opening a one-dan hard bow requires eight taels of silver. This kind of bow in the border army is something soldiers must cherish extremely..."

Qi Zhensuo interrupted, "What exactly do you want to say? Be brief!"

Zhang Zheng gave a 'hey' sound and was about to spur his horse forward to argue with him.

Chen Ji raised his hand to stop Zhang Zheng's action and continued, "Hard bows crack easily, and cow tendon strings are brittle. So, they are not strung during non-war time. When we entered the city in the afternoon, the border army soldiers' bows were all inserted in the back arrow quivers, not strung. And now, the border army soldiers wearing hard bows are all strung with cow tendon strings, without exception. If it were just a performance, the border army would be unwilling to do so."

Li Xuan shook his head, "This doesn't explain anything. The ones performing the play are Hu Junxian and Zhou You. They will only tell the lower soldiers that an enemy has come. How will they tell everyone their rebellious thoughts so that the border army soldiers truly believe that the Jing Dynasty's Tian Ce Army is coming?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then turned and said, "Don't you all feel that the firelight on the city wall is a bit too bright?"

The Crown Prince asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Chen Ji explained, "If it were only torches, it would absolutely not burn out this kind of firelight. Now the city wall is as bright as daylight. This is because there is a large fire burning outside the city... The border army set fire and burned the mountains outside the city to prevent the Jing Dynasty army from coming here to cut trees and make siege weapons. If there were not a real major enemy approaching, why would Commander Hu do this?"

Without waiting for others to speak, Chen Liqin said angrily, "You have no learning or skills, yet you are talking about soldiers here as if you personally saw the border army set fire to the mountains. I told you to retreat. Is the Crown Prince's presence a place where you can speak nonsense casually?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. He turned his horse and retreated.

Chen Liqin again cupped his hands to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, your humble subject has no way to teach his son, and has made you laugh."

The Crown Prince quickly said, "Master Chen, what is necessary about this? Chen Ji is also just trying to offer plans and strategies. There's no need to blame him."

Chen Liqin replied, "Your Highness, the urgent matter is still to be careful of the border army jumping the wall in desperation. If they were to kidnap a country's heir, it might put His Majesty in a dilemma as well."

The Crown Prince lowered his head and did not speak.

Li Xuan softly asked, "Does the Crown Prince also feel that Jing Dynasty officers have really infiltrated our Ning Dynasty's hinterland outside the city?"

The Crown Prince sat on his horse, raised his head, and looked at the majestic city wall from afar: "What Chen Ji said is not entirely without reason. This illegitimate son of the Chen family is observant and not as bad as Master Chen said. When the Liu family rebelled, the Jing Dynasty soldiers were at Chongli Pass. If I remember correctly, the Tian Ce Army was not among them. At that time, court officials were still puzzled about where the Tian Ce Army had gone. Now thinking about it, it is very possible that they really came to Guyuan for a surprise attack."

Li Xuan thought for a moment, "If the Tian Ce Army has really come, Your Highness should all the more leave Guyuan. You are of noble birth. If Guyuan city is broken, I fear you will..."

The Crown Prince asked casually, "But what if we leave at this time and encounter the Jing Dynasty officers outside the city?"

Li Xuan consoled him, "Ziwu Ridge is strange and dangerous. Cavalry cannot pass through at all, and grain and fodder cannot be transported in either. Even if the Tian Ce Army sent officers to infiltrate, it must only be a small group of people coming to intercept grain or spy for intelligence. The Yu Lin Army's formation of five hundred cavalry, even against Jing Dynasty officers, can cut them down from their horses. Your Highness, let's go!"

The Crown Prince was silent for a long time. Finally, he still shook his head, "General Li's good intentions are appreciated. But I am a country's heir. If the Jing Dynasty's Tian Ce Army truly has soldiers under the city, I should also coexist and perish with Guyuan. I absolutely cannot flee before the battle. My Ning Dynasty moved its capital from Jinling to the capital city, which means the Son of Heaven guards the country's gate. A person timid in war does not deserve this Ning Dynasty's beautiful rivers and mountains."

When Li Xuan heard this, he immediately cupped his fists and bowed excitedly, "Your Highness is correct in his teaching. Your Highness's breadth of mind and courage make the last general feel ashamed of his inferiority. You will definitely become a wise ruler of a generation in the future..."

"Don't speak nonsense about uncertain matters," the Crown Prince interrupted warmly, "Commandant Li, there's no need for self-reproach. I understand you are thinking for my safety... Let's go back to the Prefecture Office. We will discuss other matters later."

After speaking, he tightened the fox fur coat on his shoulders, looked deeply at the city tower again, and then turned his horse back.

The Yu Lin Army escorted the Crown Prince and galloped all the way, returning to the Prefecture Office under the cover of night.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Prefecture Office, the Crown Prince dismounted and handed the reins to Li Xuan, "You must settle Master Chen and his family members properly."

Speaking, he turned back and glanced behind him, "Eh, where is Zhang Xia girl?"

Li Xuan was slightly startled. He turned back and looked. Where were Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng's figures behind the Yu Lin Army?

He hesitated, "I think it's because my Yu Lin Army walked too quickly, causing them to fall behind. Your Highness, please enter the mansion to rest first. The last general will now bring people to search!"

Qi Zhensuo said from the side, "Your Highness, the last general just personally saw them take another small road on Shule Street. They actively walked, they didn't fall behind. I guess they were afraid of following us and being plotted against by the border army, so they secretly escaped. Not only Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia left, but also that young man named Chen Ji and his personal maidservant."

The Crown Prince was silent for a moment and showed a smile, "Since that's the case, then let them go."