Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 367 - 365 (Additional Update)

Chapter 367: Chapter 365 (Additional Update)

After the heavy rain, the dense forest isn’t as beautiful as you might expect. The chaotic view of weather-beaten trees is the most honest depiction, and even the air is noticeably chillier than usual.

The wagon wheels turn on the wet ground, leaving two deep long tracks, which are then rolled over by the next wagon. This cycle, combined with footprints, creates a confusion of muddy traces.

The heavy rain from the previous night has softened the soil, making the path increasingly difficult to traverse.

"This path has turned into a muddy soup! It’s too rough to travel!" someone complained.

"Indeed. We have a few more days’ journey ahead of us, and Mother Nature barely holds off! Part of the food is drenched; what if it spoils!"

"Try to move as quickly as possible. We are in the forest closest to Xiyue Country. The longer we linger, the more potential accidents might occur." Zhao Youwei cautioned his soldiers upon hearing their complaints.

Just as he finished speaking, the wheel of the front wagon gets lodged by a stone, forcing it to stop.

The following wagons had to halt as well.

"What’s the matter?" Zhao Youwei, stationed in the middle of the team, rode forward to inquire.

"A stone lodged the wheel; I will excavate it right away," a guardsman squatting by the wheel replied after taking a glance.

The soldiers pushing the wagon promptly pull it backwards after hearing this.

Two soldiers begin to dig out the mud near the stone using their side knives...

Zhao Youwei nodded after hearing this: "Let’s rest here for a while, drink some water..."

Suddenly, people begin to drop down from the surrounding trees, descending like leaves in the autumn wind, relentlessly attacking the soldiers carrying food supplies with ruthless strokes!

"Let’s give our all, brothers! We cannot let the men from Xiyue steal this food! Our soldiers in the northwest have been gnawing on grass roots and tree bark for a long time. They are desperately waiting for this shipment of food. Kill these villains mercilessly! Spare not a single life!" Zhao Youwei roared as he drew his sword and stabbed an enemy.

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

Suddenly, blades flash and blood squirts.

...

The food transport soldiers, already worn out from their journey, are no match for the Xiyue soldiers who had been lying in wait to rob the food. They quickly began to lose the battle.

Just as they were slipping into despair, reinforcements arrived.

A man carrying two chickens and three wild rabbits on his back made his appearance!

Upon seeing this, he released an arrow, hitting a Xiyue soldier in the shoulder who was about to strike one of his teammates.

Then, he shouted: "Brothers, our grain is here, and the Xiyue Mad Dogs are here to rob it. Come over quickly!"

After speaking, he took out a whistle and continued to blow it.

From deep within the forest, about a dozen plainly dressed soldiers carrying game on their backs rode out on their horses.

The leading soldier laughed: "Ha ha, I was just thinking about hunting some game in this forest to bring back and maybe kill a few Xiyue dogs on the side to vent! Turned out that I didn’t need to search, but got everything without extra effort!"

"Charge! Charge! Charge! The supplies are here, let’s have dog meat soup tonight!"

"We’ve been eating bark and grass roots for days! My mouth is full of bitterness, tonight I want to eat dog meat!"

"To avenge General Li, our fallen comrades, and the civilians of the border town. Kill――!"

The cavalry drew their side knives, shouted, and charged forward on their horses.

The forceful clanging of swords clashed endlessly.

...

The appearance of the cavalry boosted the morale of the food transport soldiers. Their previously exhausted bodies, now energised as if injected with adrenaline, swung their big swords with more strength than usual.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

...

Then, dozens of villagers appeared, helping to fight the Xiyue raiders with their hoes.

Xiyue guardsmen had previously stolen their crops, now they are digging up roots to survive. Seeing the people of Xiyue is like seeing the murderers of their fathers! They lifted their hoes and swung them down at the Xiyue soldiers.

The dozen or so cavalrymen are exceptionally skilled, and half of the thousands of Xiyue men were wiped out in an instant.

Seeing things go south, the leader of the Xiyue forces quickly ordered: "Retreat!"

"Not a single dog should escape!"

"Yes!"

"Think you can run!? I haven’t killed enough yet!"

"Yes! The people are too few, there’s not enough to vent my anger!"

...

The soldiers pursued relentlessly.

"You all guard the grains, we are going after them!" The cavalry leader led the charge.

Yes, their mission was to protect the food and ensure its safe arrival at the military camp.

If they lost these supplies, they might lose their lives as well!

The soldiers quickly retreated from the frontlines and hurried back, almost forgetting their mission due to Xiyue’s provocation!

As for the Xiyue guardsmen who had fled, they were easily taken down by the rushing cavalrymen.

In the end, only the heavily wounded Xiyue leader managed to escape by jumping into a river.

"Let’s go, we need to deliver the grains first!" The leading cavalryman waited for a while, and not seeing anyone climbing up from the riverbank, he said.

...

The Xiyue leader who had led the attempted food robbery managed to return with his life barely intact to report the failure.

General Dalu observed the seriously injured subordinate who was kneeling on the ground: "You failed?"

"General Hui, we were about to succeed when suddenly over ten disguised cavalrymen jumped out... Each one could fight a hundred men. Their blades were ruthless, and they... they took the lives of our men... I fought to the death to come back and report." Despite his severe injuries, he did not forget to emphasize the strength of the enemy, since his task failed and he is the only one who escaped. This is a serious offense.

"How did their cavalry appear there? Could our plan have been discerned?" The sudden appearance of a band of elite soldiers seemed too coincidental. General Dalu sensed trouble upon hearing this.

"It probably hadn’t. I saw numerous game on each of their backs. They probably... were starved in the camp and came out to hunt for food. Cough, cough, I overheard them saying..." The leader struggled to relay what he had heard.

General Dalu pondered, also feeling that their nearly flawless plot couldn’t have been discovered.

The batch of rouge and powder had been transported from the Imperial City of Minze Country to the border town without any unusual inspections. How could it possibly have been detected!

"Leave! Next failure, bring your head to me!" Dalu waved him away after hearing his report.

After he stepped out, Dalu summoned another man to discuss whether it was a coincidence or they had been tricked.

This man was the military strategist Chu Luo of Xiyue.

"Since we robbed all their grains, it is not strange that they have gone out hunting due to hunger. If the plan was exposed, Ge’er would have definitely noticed. He sent a message a few days ago..." Chu Luo pondered for a while before speaking. The plan he devised was seamless; how could it be discerned so quickly?

Dalu, hearing this, also felt that he was overthinking, yet there was still a lingering sense of unease.