Dandere General and his Lord -
Chapter 25.2 - Endless Wars
Translated by Shiny
………
25.2. Endless Wars
Du Luowei was struck by an arrow.
“Ah!” He fell off the horse and his heart was filled with fear as he crawled to his feet and turned around to run towards the city gates. The Quanrong soldiers were immediately thrown into disorder.
Mo Qiao Sheng rolled over and jumped to his feet, chasing after him in hot pursuit with his spear in his hand.
Du Luowei quickly ran to the city gate and bellowed, “Quick, raise the drawbridge!”
There were around 20 soldiers near the city gates who were controlling the drawbridge. They saw Du Luowei running into the city before telling them to raise the drawbridge. Mo Qiao Sheng was extremely fast as he chased after him, slaughtering everyone who crossed his path, leaving a river of blood in his wake.
A’Feng’s horse moved fast as he provided support with his bow and arrow. The soldiers on the city walls tumbled down, one after another, after getting struck by his arrows.
Yu Dunsu led the army and swarmed in, seizing the city gate and killing countless enemy soldiers inside and outside the city.
The enemy general, Lu Duowei saw that the situation wasn’t looking good and abandoned his soldiers, snatching a horse and fleeing towards the northwest, his body heavily wounded.
The Jin Army achieved an overwhelming victory. Their morale was high as they opened the city gates and welcomed their Lord into the city.
Cheng Qianye entered the City Lord’s Mansion and ordered the army to observe three rules. Do not harm the commoners, rape the women, or plunder the property.
Mo Qiao Sheng handed over the military affairs and caught Du Luowei’s horse and walked into the city. The Jin soldiers passed by in twos and threes, and he could faintly hear them talking about him.
“Did you see him? The one dressed in black.”
“He’s that Mo Qiao Sheng. Look at his body covered in blood, I don’t know how many enemy soldiers he must have killed today.”
“Tsk tsk, I heard that My Lord had traded his horse in exchange for him.”
“My Lord is so wise. He has such great insight.”
Mo Qiao Sheng’s heart was suddenly filled with a kind of desire, a longing to see the Lord’s face at once. He urged the horse to move faster towards the City Lord’s Mansion. Once he arrived, he dismounted from the horse and quickly pulled the horse along as he headed for the small hall where Cheng Qianye was. However, he halted in his tracks when he was a small distance away.
My whole body is covered in blood. How can I go near My Lord with this stench? I’ll just take a discreet look at My Lord.
He hid behind a pillar in the winding corridor and stared at the figure sitting at the table inside the room. His Master was reading a scroll by the candlelight, one hand holding onto the paper as he lazily kneaded the back of his neck with the other.
Mo Qiao Sheng looked greedily at the figure shrouded in the soft candlelight, hardly able to shift his gaze away.
Cheng Qianye looked up with a yawn and caught sight of a shining blue light with an edge of gold leaking out from behind a pillar in the corridor.
She laughed and rose to her feet, waving him over. “Xiao Mo, why are you hiding there? Come to me.”
Mo Qiao Sheng emerged from within the shadows. He handed the horse over to the guard standing on duty by the door and knelt on one knee beside Cheng Qianye.
“You have blood all over your face. Did you get hurt?” Cheng Qianye asked Bi Yun to get hot water and held up Mo Qiao Sheng’s face as she used a soft towel to wipe the blood off his face.
Mo Qiao Sheng looked at the face that was well within his reach and felt a strange emotion arise within his heart.
My Lord, look at me. Please look at me. Now, I am no longer that useless person burdened you to carry a bad reputation. I am qualified to belong to you, I am qualified to stay by your side.
He mumbled softly, “My Lord, you, won’t you bestow me with a seal?”1
Cheng Qianye looked at Mo Qiao Sheng, seeing his dedication towards her from the depths of his soul.
This man who is so alarmingly splendid on the battlefield, just because I unknowingly gave him a bit of warmth, is offering himself to me without reservation.
“Okay, I’ll give you a seal. Cheng Qianye pushed back his forehead as though she was instigated by a ghost2 and, dropping a soft kiss on his forehead.
“From now on, you belong to me.”
Oh my god! What did I just do?
Cheng Qianye could clearly hear the sound of her heart beating like a drum.
He thinks I’m a man. It’s impossible for him to like me.
But at that moment, within that clear blue lustre, she saw an enchanting, tender pink colour appear suddenly, surrounding the blue. Just like a blooming rose, blossoming within a blue glacier.
It appeared within the blink of an eye, and disappeared just as suddenly, receding like a tide.
Mo Qiao Sheng rose to his feet and drew back a step before presenting a flurried salute and running away.
Once he reached the door, he gave himself a resounding slap and took a few wobbly steps before rushing out.
A’Feng returned to his room. He had a tidy and comfortable room just like Mo Qiao Sheng’s, but what agitated him at the moment was that there was a white, plump creature, like a little dumpling, sitting down by the table with her upper body lying across the table.
“Oh, A’Feng, you’re back.” Xiao Qiu said cheerfully.
“What are you doing here?” A’Feng frowned. “Even though Master ordered you before, now, my injuries have already gotten much better. You don’t need to keep troubling yourself unnecessarily.”
“Big sis made a lot of stuffed buns, it’s really delicious. I brought some for you to eat.” Xiao Qiu lifted up her chubby little hands and unwrapped the package on the table, revealing a few white and tender stuffed buns.
“There’s no need. You can go back.” A’Feng replied indifferently.
Xiao Qiu took a stuffed bun and took a bite. One side of her little mouth was chewing diligently, her cheek bulging out, as spoke with a muffled voice, “Hey, My Lord is so gentle to us. Why is he so strict to Qiao Sheng?”
“Master is strict with Qiao Sheng?” A’Feng frowned.
“Even if Big Sis and I do something wrong, My Lord never punishes us. But he punishes Qiao Sheng very often, saying he’ll give him a big punishment everytime.”
“He punishes Qiao Sheng very often?”
“That’s right. He slapped Qiao Sheng in the face just now. When I went out, I saw Mo Qiao Sheng coming out of My Lord’s room. One side of his face was all swollen and he ran away in a hurry.”
“We won today, but Master hit him?”
“Do you want a bun? Big Sis says people who are hurt should eat more, then you’ll get better quickly.” She pinched a white, stuffed bun between her short fingers, holding it out to him. “Eat and talk.”
“Eat…. One.” A’Feng felt that he couldn’t keep up with the leaping thoughts of this ten year old child.
Cheng Qianye had seized three cities surrounding Bianzhou. Namely, Gaoyang, Qixian and Yongqiu, gaining a firm standing in Bianzhou.
At the same time, Li Wenguang had also seized a number of cities surrounding Nanyang, expanding his sphere of influence.
After Spring passed, Cheng Qianye received a letter from Li Wenguang, inviting her and Han Quanlin to join their forces together and set out on a punitive expedition to Zhengzhou.
Zhengzhou was positioned at a prime geographical location which was especially crucial for Cheng Qianye.
If they could open up a path through Zhengzhou, Bianzhou would be able to have a straight path linking them to Jin Nation’s capital. This way, regardless of the transportation of military supplies, reinforcements, or linking up policies, everything would become much more convenient.
Therefore, Cheng Qianye asked everyone whether they had any objections on leaving Xiao Jin and Helan Zhen behind to take care of the matters in Bianzhou, while she sets off with Zhang Fu and Yu Dunsu on this expedition.
The three feudal lords won their first battle and gathered together at Yanling County, choosing Xu Zhou as their target.
Outside the city of Xu Zhou.
Cheng Qianye, Li Wenguang and Han Quanlin stood on a platform, surveying the distant battlefield.
Li Wenguang’s general, Feng Su, was wearing gold armour and holding a halberd as he galloped across the battlefield, smashing all resistance.
Han Quanlin sighed with feeling and said, “Duke Li has such a valiant general, he’s really like a tiger that has grown wings. It’s no wonder that all the other lords were defeated and only Duke Li was able to capture Nanyang.”
Li Wenguang snorted. “If it wasn’t for that Yuan Yizhi’s short-sightedness, deliberately delaying our army’s grain and grass, with our large number of allies and elite soldiers, we could have already taken Haojing instead of stopping at Nanyang.”
He turned to face Cheng Qianye and said, “If we’re going to talk about the ability to judge a person, Yuxiong3 is inferior to Younger Brother.”
“That young general in the black robe, isn’t he that slave, Mo Qiao Sheng, that I saw at Marquis Weibei’s feast?” Li Wenguang pointed at the battlefield as he asked. “An uncut jade like that, only in the hands of a good judge of talent like Xiandi,4 will he have the ability to shine.”
Cheng Qianye replied modestly, “You flatter me, I don’t deserve such praise.”
Han Quanling narrowed his eyes as he twirled his thin beard with a wizened finger, “It’s no wonder that Marquis Jin Yue wanted to fight over this slave with me, no matter the cost. As it turns out, you took a fancy to his civil and martial arts skills with a glance.”
Cheng Qianye did a mental eyeroll, wondering when this war would be over so she wouldn’t have to keep dealing with this sickening guy anymore.
Three days later, Xu Zhou was defeated and the three lords led their forces into the city, reorganizing their troops and supplies, doing a bit of maintenance.
They selected Xu Zhou’s old governor’s private residence as their temporary headquarters. The house was magnificent, occupying a vast area, and had a huge garden at the back.
The three lords and their attendants occupied several respective courtyards, tending to their own forces privately. During the daytime, they convened in the main hall to discuss business, it was extremely convenient.
That day, Cheng Qianye, Li Wenguang and Han Quanlin discussed military affairs for the entire day.
Li Wenguang and Cheng Qianye had only brought their forces, and there was no wine or pretty slave girls to attend to them.
In the evening, Han Quanlin was filled with boredom and he found an excuse to leave the meeting early and took a walk in the garden to relieve his tedium.
He arrived at a cluster of rockeries and happened to catch sight of Mo Qiao Sheng who was taking a shortcut back to his room after finishing his training.
Mo Qiao Sheng was dressed in black. His arms were muscular and he had a slender waist. He was taking quick, vigorous steps with his long legs, his cheeks still red from the exercise, exuding a strong, youthful energy.
Han Quanlin couldn’t help feeling an unbearable itch to do something evil and ordered his attendants to block Mo Qiao Sheng.
When Mo Qiao Sheng suddenly saw this man, his blood ran cold.
He took two steps backward and discovered that his path of retreat was blocked, leaving him with no choice but to kneel down in salute.
“Tsk tsk.” Han Quanlin took a few steps, walking around Mo Qiao Sheng. “Not seeing you for three season, you’ve become a completely different person.”
“How did Marquis Jin Yue moisturize you to get you looking so lustrous like this?” He pinched Mo Qiao Sheng’s chin, forcing him to lift his head.
Mo Qiao Sheng shook his head and broke away from his grip, clenching both of his fists at his side.
Han Quanlin was furious and raised his hand to slap Mo Qiao Sheng. “How dare you disobey me! A mere slave, after fighting two wars, you think you deserve to be a human?”
His palm was unable to make contact.
His wrist was still suspended in the air and felt like it was being clamped by iron pincers, leaving him unable to move.
That slave who was kneeling on the ground had reached out and grabbed his wrist.
In his impression, from the past till the present, this was a humble slave who could only tremble before him, but now, he was glaring at him with a pair of eyes like a wolf’s.
“You, you let me go. What are you thinking?” Han Quanlin recoiled.
Mo Qiao Sheng slowly released his hand, letting it drop at his side.
Han Quanlin stroked his wrist which was feeling extremely painful. His heart was filled with fury and alarm, and an unbearable feeling of prejudice.
He moved back a step, standing behind his personal guards.
“A slave is just his master’s property. Even if your Master is fond of you, you are merely a belonging that’s just a bit more valuable. As long as the price is high enough, there is no slave that cannot be bought.”
Han Quanlin slowly said. He was pleased to see Mo Qiao Sheng’s eyes reveal a bit of panic.
“I can see that Marquis Jin Yue treats you a lot better than Marquis Weibei did. You must be very reluctant to part from his side, right?”
Mo Qiao Sheng clenched his jaw and looked away.
“Every time I see you, you slip away from my hands.” Han Quanlin bent down and perused that young body without the slightest scruples. “I find this especially hard to accept. I must have a taste of your flavour at least once.”
“If you obey me this once, I will let you off. You can still stay beside the master whom you like so much and live your little life.”
“But if you don’t, I will buy you from him at once.”
Mo Qiao Sheng swallowed thickly and turned his head.
“Do you want to make a bet? You don’t think that your Master will sell you. Gold? Beauty? Horses? Haha, you think he doesn’t want anything.”
Han Quanlin narrowed his eyes and his voice sounded coldly in the dim night, as it spoke out Mo Qiao Sheng’s deepest fears, cutting into the most tender part of his heart “I have a small county called Qixian. As it turns out, it happens to be located between Zhongmu and Bianzhou. This place is far away from Hanyang and I feel it’s useless to keep it and a pity to throw it away.”
“But if I give this place to your Master, he can easily create a channel to Bianzhou from his Jin Nation, and your Master wouldn’t even have to work so hard with us to capture Zhengzhou.”
Han Quanlin drew closer to Mo Qiao Sheng’s ear. “You tell me, if someone said they would trade it for a slave, would Marquis Jin Yue be willing, or not?”
He saw Mo Qiao Sheng’s complexion turn deathly pale, his lips quivering.
Han Quanlin felt pleased with himself and straightened his body, knowing that he had achieved his goal.
“Take off your clothes.”
Mo Qiao Sheng grit his teeth and tightened his fists.
“Hurry up, I only want you once, nothing more.” Han Quanlin exposed a greedy expression.
“Think about Marquis Jin Yue. He’s so good to you, you must hate to part with him.”
Mo Qiao Sheng rigidly followed his orders. His hands touched the bindings of his clothes and his fingers trembled so much, he was unable to continue.
Han Quanlin gave his guards a meaningful glance and a few strong and vigorous guards stepped forward and lifted up Mo Qiao Sheng, dragging him to a lawn behind the rockery.
They tore open his clothes and trussed his hands behind his back, pushing him onto the weeds.
Han Quanling looked at the figure struggling in the grass, his young body dressed in messy rags, and was filled with excitement.
He grabbed Mo Qiao Sheng’s ankle as he attempted to break free. “How many times have you served that little pretty boy, Marquis Jin Yue? Why are you still pretending? Good child, be obedient. Otherwise, you will suffer.”
“Oh! You still have Marquis Weibei’s seal. Hasn’t your Master bestowed you with a new seal?”
A seal.
When Mo Qiao Sheng heard these words, he recalled the feeling of those soft lips pressing against his forehead.
He kicked Han Quanlin away as he rolled over, tumbling down the rocky hill and vanished into the forest. In the end, he concealed himself in a cave he found within the rockery.
He desperately ground the leather bindings that were restraining his hands, continuing even when his wrists started dripping with blood.
“Come out! You roll over here for me! Mo Qiao Sheng!”
“You better not let me find you, or else I will definitely make you see something good!”
“You can run now, but do you think you can keep running for the rest of your life?!”
“You think I’m just scaring you? I swear I will get my hands on you!”
The sinister voice seemed to echo around the vicinity as he shouted fiercely. Mo Qiao Sheng covered his ears, his body tense.
It would be okay. Everything would be fine. Mo Qiao Sheng opened his eyes wide within the darkness. He couldn’t do it, even if he died.
~
1. If you guys will recall, slaves are “bestowed” with a branded seal by their masters, denoting their ownership.↩
2. (鬼使神差 – guǐ shǐ shén chāi) – Idiom. Literal meaning: Doings of ghosts and gods. I’ve seen two interpretations of this. One of them is subconsciously acting on a desire without realizing, as though you’ve lost control of your body. The other is something strange happening as though done by a ghost. In this case, it would be the former.↩
3. (愚兄 – Yuxiong) – Your Unworthy Elder Brother, I.↩
4. (贤弟 – Xiandi) – Worthy Little Brother/Term of respect for a younger brother or younger man.↩
♥
TL Note: Because of course something horrible has to happen to balance out the sweet c:
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