Chapter 150
Book 14 Chapter 04 – The Incredible Talented Lady Ji
An endless sea of tents and flags can be seen west of the River Jing.
Xiang Shaolong, Ji Yanran, Wu Tingfang, Zhao Zhi and the Tian sisters are situated on a little hill near the royal tent. They were observing all the excitement happening below them.
It may not be a real battle but the military movements are precise and according to the military law.
Among the seven states, Qin has the heaviest emphasis on military contributions. Every young child would have learnt some form of martial arts and everyone is somewhat familiar with military formations.
Since the terrain is wide gra.s.sland with no cover, a square campsite has been laid out.
Xiao Pan’s tent is situated in the centre of the defending gates and is akin to a military command centre. Within the gates are about twenty tents which belong to the royal family and others like Qin Qing who share a special relations.h.i.+p with the rulers of Qin.
On the two sides of the defending gates are two defending armies of palace guards led by Lord Changping and Lord Changwen respectively. Xiao Pan has direct control over the army to safeguard his own safety.
The other soldiers are based in all four directions and act as defenders. Xiang Shaolong’s cavalry army is based far away and is protecting the entire camp from their location. If necessary, they can act as a vanguard or a distraction to a potential enemy.
Besides the main tents, the other tents are in groups of ten and the s.p.a.ce between them is wide enough for eight horses to travel side by side.
There are some dedicated areas with stables and target boards for hunters to practise their shooting skills, riding skills and even sword skills. These areas are especially crowded like a festive parade.
It is now four hours away from the evening hunt and everyone is enthusiastically a.s.sembled at the main a.s.sembly ground and challenging one another.
The main a.s.sembly ground near the royal tent has become the playground for Ying Ying and her female warriors. Young men keen to woo these stubborn Qin ladies are all gathering around the area for their chance to interact with them. Thus, this area is much livelier than the others.
Sounds of horses braying and people talking filled the air.
The strong wind began to blow and the flags unfurled majestically, adding to the grandeur of the hunting fair.
Ji Yanran has been updated on everything that has happened and smiled: "When Lord Gaoling is about to attack, he will first set fire to the tents furthest away from the royal tents and the river. Since it is now blowing the southeast wind, the fire will spread towards us and we can only escape by crossing the river and hiding at the north sh.o.r.e of River Jing."
Xiang Shaolong and the ladies turned their attention to the two wooden bridges and were shocked. If the two bridges are destroyed, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Even if the two bridges are intact, they cannot support some many people crossing. Those who are unable to cross the bridge will have to swim over. During the chaos, it will be an easy feat for Lu Buwei to carry out his a.s.sa.s.sination.
He recalled that Guan Zhongxie will ‘heroically’ escort Zhu Ji and Xiao Pan across the river to safety while he will ‘die of poisoning’ and Guan Zhongxie will ‘score a huge merit’. Mo Ao’s devious scheme is indeed a brilliant strategy.
Rainfall is scarce and a fire attack is hard to prevent. Moreover, Lord Gaoling is familiar with the tents and in fact, his own tent is located at the southeast part of the campsite. He can easily set fire as Ji Yanran predicted.
In addition, during the night hunt, every hunter would be busy in the west forests and their defences will be lacking. That would be the ideal time to ambush the Crown Prince and Zhu Ji.
If the Lord Changping brothers are killed in battle, it is possible that Lu Buwei can insert his own subordinates to replace them as head of the palace guards.
Xiang Shaolong took a deep breath and remarked: "Yanran is amazing and can predict Lord Gaoling’s ambush like a fortune teller. Therefore, we must pay close attention to the southeast tents. The moment Lord Gaoling’s men or Lu Buwei’s men tried to bring flammable materials to that area, we will know when they will strike."
Ji Yanran was overjoyed at his praise and smiled sweetly back at him.
Hoof beats can be heard as Lord Changwen rode up to him and cried: "Let’s ride our horses to the a.s.sembly ground to join in the fun!"
The ladies turned around to face him and he jealously stared at Ji Yanran and the girls with an intoxicated look on his face. He sighed: "Good evening ladies. Ai! I am so envious of Shaolong’s good fortune."
Wu Tingfang chortled and smiled prettily, asking: "Has Lord Changwen finished his duties?"
Lord Changwen put on a busy expression and reported: "Empress and Crown Prince have settled down and Grand Tutor Qin is chatting with the Empress now. I was ordered to inform you ladies about this."
Xiang Shaolong yawned: "You go ahead and have fun! I wished to catch some sleep in my tent."
Lord Changwen burst out laughing and rode ahead between Xiang Shaolong and Ji Yanran. As he rode past Xiang Shaolong, he grabbed onto his horse’s reins and dragged him down the slope, shouting to the ladies: "We are going to have some fun!"
The ladies saw Xiang Shaolong helplessly being dragged down the hill and giggled with laughter. They then chased them down the slope.
Sou! Three arrows were shot out in succession and all three hit the bull’s eye of a target three hundred feet away. The observers cheered and clapped loudly.
The archer Ying Ying proudly scanned her audience and cried: "Who else is next?"
The various men may be itching to try but with this beauty challenging them, they are afraid to lose face if they failed to better her record. For some time, no one dared to accept her challenge.
Guan Zhongxie laughed: "Our best shooter among the female warriors is invincible. Of course no one dares to accept her challenge."
Ying Ying was delighted at his praise and shot him a lovely glance. The other men were jealous but still did not have the courage to give it a try.
Xiang Shaolong dismounted from his horse and was stunned at Ying Ying’s archery skills. He can hit the bull’s eye with one arrow but definitely not with three arrows in succession. No wonder Ying Ying is so arrogant.
When the female warriors noticed Xiang Shaolong, every one of them had a look of displeasure on their faces but when they saw Ji Yanran, their expressions became envious.
Lu Dan’er stepped out from the crowd and jeered: "Has Commander Xiang recovered from his leg injury? I heard that you are unbeatable in parrying arrows with your sword but I wonder how good are your archery skills?"
Nearly a thousand pair of eyes looked at Xiang Shaolong before s.h.i.+fting over to Ji Yanran.
Ji Yanran naturally knew the level her husband’s archery skill and recognizes that the people of Qin values martial talent. If Xiang Shaolong refuses to partic.i.p.ate because of his injury, he will be