amaotonovel Chapter 1114 Guo Xiao is missing
Chapter 1114 Guo Xiao is missing
Xie Shang waited all night, without sleeping a wink.
The news brought by the scouts plunged him into despair: "A fight was found on the west side of the Black Pine Forest, along with bloodstains, the bodies of some assassins, and Guo Xiao's sword."
The scout recognized the tassel on the sword. Guo Xiao was a courageous young man. He had said that the tassel was a blessing from his fiancée. They were originally going to get married, but the Northern Xiao Kingdom suddenly made a move. He followed General Peng to the Northwest without hesitation, waiting to return to get married after defeating the enemy.
He wanted to give his beloved girl a grand and prestigious wedding ceremony.
Xie Shang took the sword handed to him by Lu the Scout and asked in a deep voice, "Which direction do the signs of the struggle extend in?"
“The tracks on the snow were everywhere, but there was a canyon leading west towards Crescent Moon Valley. We heard the sound of hooves on the snowfield; it seemed that General Xiao Lei of the Northern Owl Kingdom had led his men to the Black Pine Forest. I dared not approach and reveal our presence, so I led my men back.” The scout continued, “If Captain Guo had fallen into Xiao Lei’s hands, I fear his life would be in danger. Xiao Lei is currently furious; he captured our Great Zhou soldiers and tortured them to death—their deaths were gruesome…”
After Lu the scout finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.
Xie Shang didn't say much and directly took out a map and spread it out. "Crescent Valley, that's the territory of the Yuezhi tribe, the native inhabitants of the northwest."
The scout replied, "Yes."
The indigenous people of the Northwest have lived here for generations. They have never paid any attention to any imperial court and are just an insignificant little tribe. However, this time they have cooperated with the Northern Owl Kingdom and secretly made way for the Northern Owl Army.
A cold glint flashed in Xie Shang's eyes, "The Yuezhi... I haven't had time to deal with them yet."
Peng Fei said, "Could they be from the Yuezhi? The Yuezhi are Kang Wang's people, aren't they?"
Xie Kang married a daughter of the Yuezhi, so that's what most people think.
Everyone thought that King Kang was a king who could rule the country in the Northwest.
in fact……
Xie Shang was not sure if Guo Xiao had fallen into the hands of the Yuezhi. The Northwest was a vast and sparsely populated region, with the natives living in remote areas. Among them, the Yuezhi clan was the most powerful, and the other clans all obeyed the orders of the Yuezhi clan.
However, for over a hundred years, the Northwest region has been very barren. The people here live peacefully without fighting or vying for anything. Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the indigenous people here have never been considered particularly important.
Apart from the fact that Xie Kang married a Yuezhi woman as his queen, which caused a slight ripple among the Xie clan, the Yuezhi remained invisible at all other times.
If the late emperor were still alive, he wouldn't have focused his energy on the indigenous people of the Northwest. After all, Xie Kang had been a coward for decades and was still just as cowardly.
At this moment, a hidden guard came and said urgently, "Your Majesty, Mr. Ge has sent me to invite Your Majesty back to the military camp."
He asked, "What is it?"
"Mr. Ge said that Her Majesty the Empress sent someone to deliver military supplies, and the girl who delivered the supplies wants to see His Majesty," the hidden guard said.
Xie Shang thought to himself, Jiang Jinyan had been preparing military supplies, while Ruan Ruan had gone to Yuzhou. She was probably going back to Shengjing. Unexpectedly, the imperial military supplies had not been delivered, but hers had.
The fatigue of the past few days vanished when he heard the news about Jiang Fenghua. He was fighting desperately to defend the city not only for the people of Da Zhou, but also for his wife and children.
As an emperor, he bore a heavier responsibility, but he was also just an ordinary man.
Xie Shang could only secretly send people to search for Guo Xiao's whereabouts. He sent someone to Ge Ming last night to let him know that Guo Xiao was safe.
Upon returning to the military camp, Xie Shang met Lin Yu.
He paused, stunned.
Lin Yu spent two months traveling, disguising herself as a merchant and using their previous connections to safely deliver the military supplies to the Northwest military camp.
She was travel-worn, her hair was loose, her back was straight, and there was a determination in her eyes that was not common among women. This woman was not afraid of hardship and delivered military supplies to the army.
She bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have finally completed the task assigned to me by Her Majesty."
Although she was transferred by the Emperor to the palace to protect the Empress, she was actually still a soldier in the Western Suburbs Camp, and her rank was even higher than Guo Xiao's. She was outstanding in ability, beautiful and valiant, and was the dream girl of many soldiers. It was just a pity that Guo Xiao had won her over.
Xie Shang didn't show much joy because of Guo Xiao's disappearance, and only said, "You must have had a hard journey."
Lin Yu worked hard, but she didn't feel bitter at all. She said, "This is a letter from Her Majesty the Empress, which I asked you to deliver to the Emperor."
She specifically specified that it was a "family letter" rather than a secret letter, so that it would seem that the Empress was thinking of the Emperor all the time.
She then boldly added, "I heard from Mr. Ge that Guo Xiao accompanied the Emperor on a mission. Now that the military supplies have been delivered, I must go find Guo Xiao first."
At this moment, everyone fell silent. Peng Fei was injured, and he followed the emperor back to the military camp. All the people who returned alive were present, except for Guo Xiao and the five hundred assassins he had taken with him.
A bad feeling rose in Lin Yu's heart. "Where is Guo Xiao?"
Peng Fei said, "He..."
Xie Shang took out Guo Xiao's sword and handed it to Lin Yu. "He led his men to the Black Pine Forest on a mission and hasn't returned yet. He might have been discovered by the enemy, he might be wounded and hiding, or perhaps..."
Before Xie Shang could finish speaking, Lin Yu quickly composed herself and stared at the sword tassel in front of her. She had learned this from someone, and she was quite embarrassed because she had never learned needlework or embroidery since she was a child.
Everyone thought she would burst into tears, but Lin Yu calmly said, "Guo Xiao will definitely be alright. His mother had his fortune told and said he was a blessed person. His mother also had our birth charts analyzed and said that our birth charts were very compatible and that we would be very happy after we got married. We would have both a son and a daughter. I haven't married him yet and haven't had any children with him, so he will be fine."
No one dared to make a sound; all that could be heard was her trembling voice.
Lin Yu's emotions were very stable, and they couldn't even tell whether she was pretending to be strong. Even if only a corpse was left, she would find it for him.
Lu the scout said, "Guo Xiao may have been taken away by the natives of the Northwest. He may still be alive, so let's not lose heart."
Lu the scout recounted the process of searching for the person.
Lin Yu suddenly looked up, "Yuezhi, why are they arresting Guo Xiao?"
“They are allies with the Northern Owl Kingdom. Guo Xiao’s father is the Vice Minister of War, which can be considered a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Great Zhou.”
Ge Ming's explanation was somewhat far-fetched. Guo Xiao was not a high-ranking official in the Great Zhou army; only the Great Zhou soldiers knew that he was the son of Guo Shilang.
Why didn't they kill Guo Xiao when they killed so many people? Unless someone exposed his identity, he still had some value.
Xie Shang said, "No matter what, the fact that Guo Xiao's body has not been found means that there is still hope that he is alive. I will send people to continue searching for Guo Xiao. At the same time, I have been in the Northwest for so long, and it is time for me to meet my Aunt Kang."
On the surface, he still has a slight "relative relationship" with the Yuezhi, so he should contact his two cousins, Xie Yun and Xie Minmin.