vrcanaries Chapter 2153 Deliberately Letting It Go
Chapter 2153 Deliberately Letting It Go
Chu Xuan's answer surprised Shen Lian: "Does Your Highness mean not to intercept?"
"No interception."
Chu Xuan said decisively, "Not only will we not intercept them, we will also give them a break."
"Order the sentries along the route to allow any Blackstone Fortress carrier pigeons to pass."
"This..." Shen Lian hesitated, "What if the Scorpion Khan really sends troops to help..."
"That's exactly what I wanted."
Chu Xuan interrupted him, a cold glint in his eyes: "Do you think we besieged Black Stone Fortress just to starve these 40,000 people to death?"
He walked to the other side of the sand table, his finger tracing a line from Black Stone Fortress northwards, finally stopping at the location of the Tang Dynasty's territory:
"His Majesty is currently leading an army of 300,000 to fight a decisive battle against the main force of the Tang army in the Jianghuai region. This battle is crucial to the unification of the Central Plains and must not be lost."
"The Scorpion Clan has always had secret dealings with the Tang Dynasty."
Su Tingmei slowly emerged from the shadows, gently waving her feather fan: "Prince Xuan is absolutely right. By surrounding Black Stone Fortress, we are essentially strangling the Scorpion Clan by the throat."
With Gongsun Yi's 40,000 troops here, the Scorpion Khan dared not act rashly, much less send troops south to support the Tang Dynasty.
"Not bad!"
Chu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back: "Let the Scorpion Khan know the situation here, that his general is besieged by our army, his food supplies are running out, and he is in imminent danger."
"If he's smart, he should stay obediently in the royal court and pray that Gongsun Yi can hold out for a few more days, should he dare to send troops to reinforce him..."
He paused, a cruel smile creeping onto his lips: "Then let's besiege the stronghold and attack the reinforcements, and do it again."
"But this time, the prey will be the Scorpion Khan himself."
The candlelight inside the tent suddenly flickered.
Shen Lian suddenly understood and bowed deeply: "Your Highness's foresight is admirable! I will immediately order all sentries to release the carrier pigeons!"
"Wait a minute," Su Tingmei suddenly said.
Shen Lian stopped.
Su Tingmei walked to the sand table and lightly tapped the trajectory of the carrier pigeon that flew northeast and then turned north with her feather fan:
"The homing pigeon's route is quite peculiar. It first pretended to fly towards Rouran, then turned towards the royal court. Gongsun Yi is trying to prevent us from intercepting it."
He looked up, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "In that case, why don't we lend them a hand?"
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean, sir?"
“Send a troop of light cavalry, disguised as Rouran cavalry, to appear precisely on the path that this carrier pigeon is bound to take, and to prepare to pursue and shoot.”
Su Tingmei gently waved her feather fan: "Then, just in time, it escaped."
"In this way, when this letter finally reaches the Scorpion Khan, he will believe what price Gongsun Yi paid and what dangers he went through to send this letter of appeal for help."
Chu Xuan was taken aback at first, then clapped his hands and laughed: "Brilliant! Brilliant! In this way, the Scorpion Khan will be even more convinced!"
"Shen Lian, do as Mr. Su says!"
"I humbly obey my orders!"
Shen Lian accepted the order and disappeared outside the tent like a ghost.
Silence returned to the tent.
Chu Xuan walked to the sand table, looking at the route the three carrier pigeons were about to fly, and a smile deepened on his lips:
"Gongsun Yi, Gongsun Yi, you thought you were sending a message for help, but you didn't know that what you sent was exactly what I wanted."
Su Tingmei also walked to the sand table and lightly tapped the royal court position with her feather fan: "Next, it's up to the Scorpion Khan to decide what to do."
"To save him or not to save him? Whichever path he chooses, it's all within our calculations."
The candlelight cast the shadows of the two people on the tent wall, like two giant hands manipulating a chessboard.
In the night sky of northern Xinjiang, three carrier pigeons, carrying the last hope of Black Stone Fortress, are flapping their wings and flying toward their respective destinations.
They have no idea that their life or death is already part of someone else's calculations.
The game continues.
The player holding the piece has already seen the killing move ten moves away.
In the darkest hour before dawn, a cavalry squad of twenty men was speeding across the desolate northern frontier.
These people were dressed in tattered sheepskin coats, wore fur-lined hats, had curved knives hanging at their waists, and carried hunting bows on their backs—the typical attire of the Rouran cavalry.
The leader was a burly man with a full beard. His name was Batel, and he was originally a scout captain in the Chu army who was fluent in the Rouran language.
At this moment, he was squinting at the northeastern sky, occasionally lashing his horse's rump with his whip.
"Captain, the Rouran territory is just twenty li ahead."
The deputy beside him lowered his voice: "With our attire, what if we really run into the Rouran..."
"We won't run into each other."
Batel spat: "At this time of year, the Rouran people are grazing their livestock on the southern pastures. Even the dogs aren't coming to this wasteland. Be on your guard, the target is about to appear."
Their mission seemed simple: disguise themselves as Rouran cavalry, happen to spot a carrier pigeon flying out of Blackrock Fortress, assume a pursuit stance, and then just happen to let it escape.
Su Tingmei explained even the smallest details—she had to appear at the point when the carrier pigeon turned towards the royal court, shoot an arrow but not actually hit it, and chase but not actually catch up.
"Captain, they're here!" the lookout suddenly shouted.
On the northeastern horizon, a black dot is rapidly approaching.
Butler squinted.
The black dot was flying very high, almost invisible in the gray-white sky before dawn, but its flight path was indeed as the intelligence had said—first heading northeast, and now slowly turning due north.
"That's it."
A glint of light flashed in Batel's eyes: "Spread out! Encircle in a fan shape! Remember, only hunting bows are allowed, no crossbows! Shoot accurately, but don't hit the target! Pursue fiercely, but don't be fast!"
The twenty riders quickly dispersed, like a fishing net being cast. They deliberately made their hooves pound loudly, stirring up billowing dust on the silent wasteland.
Someone began to shout, in the Rouran language:
"A carrier pigeon! Shoot it down!"
"It flew in from the south! It must be a spy!"
The sound of bowstrings vibrating rang out one after another. More than ten arrows soared into the sky, drawing sparse trails across the gray sky.
These arrows appeared densely packed, but in reality, each one was precisely calculated—the closest one was still three feet away from the carrier pigeon.
The homing pigeons were clearly frightened.
It suddenly rose higher and made a sharp turn in the air, attempting to bypass the suddenly appearing cavalry.
But Batel had already calculated its route, and the second cavalry unit happened to block its path.
"Surround it!" Batel roared, drawing his bow and arrow.
This time, he aimed for a half-foot gap to the left wing of the homing pigeon.
The arrow left the bowstring with a piercing whistling sound, almost grazing the feathers of a carrier pigeon.
The homing pigeon flapped its wings in alarm and turned away again.
This time, it finally found a gap—a tiny opening appeared in the encirclement of the two cavalrymen to the northwest.
"It's going to run! Chase it!" Batel pretended to be furious and led his team in hot pursuit.
The hunt unfolds across the wasteland.
The cavalrymen shouted and fired arrows intermittently, each one narrowly missing its mark. The carrier pigeons flapped their wings frantically, flying higher and higher, gradually widening the distance between them.