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The camp of nearly twenty thousand people was built continuously along the official road to Xiangling. The front line closest to Xiangling was less than five li away, while the rear camp's position was nearly ten li from Xiangling.
Fei Qian and Huang Cheng, with their cavalry, kept some distance from Zhang Lie's team, slowly following behind, awaiting the signal from ahead.
The mountain path along Mount Lüliang wasn't level, but as an official road, it was wide enough for three carriages abreast.
River water flowed from a mountain stream on one side, sometimes gentle, sometimes rapid, churning up mist, making the surrounding air and peaks seem moist.
This river was the Fen River.
That later-era, somewhat famous Fenjiu liquor—was it brewed using this water?
Fei Qian's memory held no specific details. Things and habits from his later life gradually faded, shrinking, yielding more space to current needs.
Like riding a horse.
With saddle and stirrups, Fei Qian now felt relatively at ease on horseback. At least, unlike when he first encountered horses, cautiously walking a circle even if the horse was gentle and didn't gallop, his hands and back drenched in sweat.
Now Fei Qian could even twist left and right on horseback to look around, loosen reins to scratch an itchy back bound by armor, even talk while casually twirling spear patterns.
Though the spear patterns he twirled weren't as powerful as those Huang Cheng—originally a saber wielder—could produce when trying.
The human body is sometimes strange. Fei Qian couldn't recall how he learned to ride a bicycle as a child—just did, and could ride. And these spear patterns seemed like bicycle pedals: after a certain moment, they became a smooth skill.
Fei Qian had also grown accustomed to flowing blood, to rising beacon smoke, to brutal warfare.
Like now.
Fei Qian reined in his horse, stopping. The horse snorted discontentedly, as if asking why not go forward. Fei Qian slightly bent, patted the horse's neck to soothe it, then straightened, looking at the scattered commoners about a hundred paces ahead.
Those left furthest behind were the old and weak.
Those even the White Wave army disregarded, disdained old and weak.
Abandoned far outside the camp, seemingly not even qualified to approach closer, left to fend for themselves—a group of old and weak.
An old farmer trembled as he stood up from the ground, then opened his mouth in confusion. Toothless lips were sunken and dry, like his tattered clothes. His gaze was turbid and dull, staring blankly at Fei Qian's group.
One, two, three…
Slowly, gradually, the abandoned old and weak commoners on this mountain path all stood up.
Fei Qian was momentarily speechless.
These old and weak commoners also stood silently.
On the official road, only the gurgling Fen River on one side and horses shaking heads, snorting, and stamping hooves could be heard.
Fei Qian swung his leg over, dismounted. Huang Cheng, seeing this, also dismounted, following beside Fei Qian.
Fei Qian walked forward a few steps, stood still, looked around, then sighed deeply. He brought his hands together, made a deep bow, and said clearly: "Our rescue comes late. We beg the elders of this township to forgive us!"
The nearby old and weak hurriedly knelt in return. An old man lifted his head, trembling as he asked: "Dare I ask… has Yong'an been recaptured?"
Fei Qian stepped forward, helped the old man up, then said: "Yong'an is retaken. You may return home."
Home?
Home!
A word with the weight of a thousand jin.
The old farmer's originally stiff, lifeless, frozen-earth-like face instantly seemed pierced by this word. Scalding emotions erupted from deepest within. The dark wrinkles on his face suddenly, in a blink, regained vitality and vigor.
"Can… really can… return to Yong'an… go home…"
The old farmer's eager eyes fixed on Fei Qian. At this moment, the longing for home surpassed everything, making him forget any supposed etiquette. He only hoped this before him wasn't another dream in the night, shattering into bubbles upon waking.
"Yong'an is retaken. You may return." Fei Qian nodded, seriously repeating.
Two streams of turbid tears welled from the old farmer's parched-field-like eye corners, flowing down his nose bridge, through those deep wrinkles hiding who-knows-how-many stories, across rough skin weathered by who-knows-how-much hardship, dripping onto the yellow earth, raising fine circles of yellow dust.
Fei Qian smiled slightly, saluted around with cupped hands, and said: "I still need to go suppress White Wave bandits. Came in haste, didn't bring much provisions. You may wait here briefly. Shortly, after breaking the White Wave, I'll certainly send people with some food, then you can…"
While speaking, Fei Qian suddenly seemed to hear some unusual noises ahead, involuntarily stopped speaking, looked into the distance…
At that moment, the White Wave rear camp was in chaos everywhere. Several fires started burning, seemingly igniting something highly flammable. In an instant, thick black smoke billowed skyward.
The White Wave rear camp almost instantly became a boiling pot.
Black smoke rising like several black dragons roared over the White Wave rear camp. Fires burning everywhere made White Wave troops unable to attend to all, utterly chaotic. Shouts and screams spread across the land. Many White Wave soldiers, like wild hornets whose nest was violently poked, buzzed and ran around wildly.
Zhang Lie and the others, wearing the same uniforms, shouted for firefighting while secretly setting fires, claimed to be allies while turning around to stab someone…
The White Wave couldn't distinguish. Everyone running around with blades seemed like allies, yet also like infiltrators. In the end, even attempting to distinguish was futile. Every White Wave soldier felt everyone they saw was an enemy. Often, without even greeting, they struck first upon meeting, lest they be stabbed in the back…
Various shouts, killing sounds carried far…
Fei Qian heard the noises, also saw the distant black smoke ahead, knowing Zhang Lie had launched the attack. He hurriedly rushed back, mounted his horse, then saluted and said: "The White Wave's destruction is imminent. Please quickly make way, allow us to go break them…"