Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 733 - 0686: From Today Onwards, You’re the Second-in-Command (1)

Chapter 733: Chapter 0686: From Today Onwards, You’re the Second-in-Command (1)

"Five hundred taels of gold." Mu Yuanxiu smiled.

Li Yuzhu: "..." My goodness, so much money?

Mu Yuanxiu looked at the large group of horses behind them, "And ten horses are ours, totaling forty-three horses. I gave ten to Xiao Rui, and the other twenty-three to the brothers in the village. Everyone contributed to last night’s operation."

"Alright, you’re amazing! Let me know next time you’re planning something!" She had been worried the whole time.

Seeing her stern face, Mu Yuanxiu did not argue and obediently responded, "Understood, my lady."

Everyone joyfully entered the village.

Mu Yuanxiu wanted to give a portion of the gold to Xiao Shan, but Xiao Shan modestly refused.

His reasoning was that with the twenty-three horses from Mu Yuanxiu, plus Lang Feihua’s Ferghana Horse and a white tiger skin, they had already gained quite a bit.

However, Mu Yuanxiu still gave them a hundred gold pieces.

Xiao Shan declined twice, but Mu Yuanxiu insisted, so Xiao Shan had to accept.

"Brother Mu, from now on, as long as this village exists, Brother Mu can come and stay anytime. You are the second in command, and that courtyard you live in, I’ll have it prepared and only for you." Having benefited, Xiao Shan said confidently, patting his chest.

Mu Yuanxiu had been waiting for this assurance, "Great, then I won’t be polite. Thank you, Brother Xiao."

With money and more horses.

Xiao Shan’s confidence grew, and he took out money to give to his men, instructing them to buy food from nearby villages.

The nearest village was also ten miles away. Fortunately, with horses, it didn’t take much time to go and return.

That day’s lunch was a satisfying feast for everyone.

.

Sky Wolf Village was bustling with activity.

Baili Mansion and the Comfort Envoy’s Office in Liangzhou City were also joyous because the Beiyang commander was captured, and Beiyang’s military intelligence and letters were seized. Even if Beiyang attacked again, defeat was inevitable.

Outside the North City Gate, Beiyang’s troops had been stationed a hundred miles away, not moving forward at all.

The commander was missing; they searched all night but found nothing.

Because the camp caught fire, most of the horses’ forage was burned, and the horses, frightened by the fire, ran off, losing over five thousand!

As the horses fled, they trampled and damaged most of the tents.

Tonight, thirty percent of the troops would have to camp out in the open.

In the freezing and snowy night, surviving outdoors would be a miracle.

The Beiyang Vice Marshal was dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.

At noon, they received some arrows tied with letters.

The letter stated that Lang Feihua had been captured by Zhao Country and was now detained in the Comfort Envoy’s prison in Liangzhou City. If they wanted him alive, they had to retreat two hundred miles!

The letter included a piece of cloth.

And that piece of cloth was from Lang Feihua’s outer garment.

The letter also bore Lang Feihua’s palm print.

Everyone was terrified.

The Vice Marshal and some subordinates discussed it and had no choice but to retreat two hundred miles.

Lang Feihua was the prized student of the Prime Minister Bei and a relative of Empress Dowager Hui.

If something happened to him, none of them would survive!

While retreating, the Vice Marshal wrote a letter and ordered it to be urgently sent to the Beiyang court.

Beiyang’s capital was about nine hundred miles from Liangzhou City. In such windy and snowy conditions, travel was slow. Even at full speed on horseback, it would take three days to receive a reply.

While waiting for a reply, the Vice Marshal and all the soldiers dared not act without authorization.

The crisis in Liangzhou City was temporarily defused.

On the third afternoon after Mu Yuanxiu and Li Yuzhu left Sky Wolf Village, the Beiyang soldiers outside Liangzhou City finally received a reply from Empress Dowager Hui of Beiyang.

The next day, the Beiyang army, following Empress Dowager Hui’s instructions, agreed to negotiate with Baili Huang.

Beiyang demanded that Baili Huang hand over Lang Feihua in exchange for them retreating to Beiyang.

Baili Huang knew the Beiyang people were cunning and would certainly play tricks, so he didn’t fall for it.

In recent days, while Liangzhou City’s troops rested, Beiyang’s troops were suffering, their horses had nothing to eat, and were becoming restless, with occasional escapes.

While Beiyang’s soldiers were searching for more horses, Baili Huang launched a sudden attack, catching Beiyang’s troops off guard.

The Beiyang forces were disastrously defeated, failing to recover their commander Lang Feihua, and were routed by Baili Huang, forced to flee Liangzhou City.

The crisis in Liangzhou City was lifted.

.

The further south they went, the warmer it became.

The route was dotted with blooming mountain flowers.

Mu Yuanxiu’s mule cart led the way, followed by Zhou Zhaodi’s carriage. The ten horses were tied one after another and attached to Zhou Zhaodi’s carriage.

In the spring, as water and grass grew lush, the horses ate along the way, visibly gaining weight from day to day.

Similarly, Big Flower, who also ate wild game every day, became noticeably plumper.

The journey back enjoyed more sunny weather, making the traveling speed much faster than their way there.

In just two and a half months, Li Yuzhu and the others returned to Zhen An Prefecture.

They returned to Taohua River Village on an afternoon in early April.

The midday sun shone warmly.

Chai Eying, along with the little treasure Li Yu, played in front of the gate of Li Mansion.

The one-year-and-two-month-old little fellow already knew how to walk.

Having shed his bulky winter clothes, wearing only light cotton clothing, Li Yu walked joyfully. He held a feather duster in his hand, chasing a few yellow butterflies on the lawn.

Chai Eying chased after him, "Xiao Yu, slow down."

"Horse, horse, mother!" Li Yu pointed to the road ahead.

In the distance, a line of carts and horses approached.

Chai Eying recognized them as the mule cart and carriage of Li Yuzhu and Mu Yuanxiu.

Chai Eying, smiling, picked up her son, "Let’s go, let’s greet Aunt and Uncle."

"Greet, greet." Li Yu, not yet able to speak well, parroted Chai Eying’s words, waving his feather duster.

Guoguo leaned out of the carriage window, waving and shouting to Chai Eying from afar, "Mother! We’re back."

"Guoguo, you’re back? Yuyu, quickly call sister." Chai Eying, holding her little son, walked up to the mule cart.

Guoguo joyfully jumped out of the cart, hugged Chai Eying’s leg, and then went to hold her brother’s hand.

Li Yu smiled sweetly, calling "sister," which delighted Guoguo immensely.

"You can call me sister now? Wow, Xiao Yu, you’ve grown so much taller!" Guoguo said joyfully.

Li Yu laughed heartily at Guoguo’s teasing.

Under Chai Eying’s instruction, the little fellow called out to Mu Yuanxiu and Li Yuzhu, "Aun-t, Un-cle."

He could only say it one word at a time, making Guoguo laugh even more.

Li Yu, not knowing what she was laughing at, also laughed along.

"Come down, Xiao Yu, sister will take you to play." Guoguo tugged Xiao Yu’s hand.

Having just learned to walk, Li Yu now disliked being held. Guoguo pulled his hand, and he pushed Chai Eying, wanting to get down.

Chai Eying had to put him on the ground.

Li Yu immediately dashed forward.