The moonlight was like water, its cold silver radiance spilling across the ground and illuminating the military training grounds outside Linbei City until they looked as bright as day.
Tonight, the training grounds were unusually quiet. Xiao Yuan had already ordered the area cleared, leaving only a few trusted personal guards stationed far away around the perimeter, forbidding anyone from approaching and disturbing them.
In the middle of the vast, open grounds, Xiao Yuan was holding the reins of his newly acquired warhorse, “Treading Moon.”
The night wind brushed past, and under the moonlight, Treading Moon looked exceptionally magnificent and robust. Its coat was completely black, like a piece of fine black jade, with only its four hooves as white as snow. As it paced beneath the night sky, it seemed as though the black jade were treading upon a thin layer of frost.
Xiao Yuan’s military duties were complicated during the day, so he had deliberately chosen the quietest hours of the night to come out. Officially, it was to test Treading Moon’s ability to travel at night and assess its temperament.
But in reality, this Northern Border commander, who held command over a vast army, had specifically brought Su Muchen here to test the horse with him. How much personal motive he had hidden in his heart was probably something only he himself knew.
Xiao Yuan mounted the horse in one fluid motion.
With one hand on the reins and his legs gently pressing against the horse’s belly, Treading Moon immediately let out a clear, ringing neigh. Like a black bolt of lightning splitting through the darkness, it sped along the edge of the training grounds. Its four snow-white hooves flew beneath the moon, and every alternating step seemed to shatter the moonlight scattered across the ground.
Xiao Yuan tested it through two rounds of sudden stops, turns, and jumps.
After confirming that the spirited horse had astonishing strength in its legs, excellent obedience, and no trace of fear at night, he finally gathered up the reins in satisfaction. He let Treading Moon slow its pace and trot back toward Su Muchen.
Su Muchen stood at the edge of the grounds, his eyes following without blinking the figure galloping through the night.
The night wind lifted Xiao Yuan’s dark cloak, its fluttering edges snapping in the breeze.
In the past, Su Muchen had only ever seen Xiao Yuan at Guichen House.
Back then, Xiao Yuan always kept the aura of slaughter and violence around him carefully restrained. He was composed and reserved, like an ancient sword quietly sheathed.
It was only after coming to Dasheng that Su Muchen truly witnessed the sharpness of that blade when it was drawn.
At this moment, Xiao Yuan, riding with his whip raised, had completely shed the oppression and wariness he carried in this foreign land.
Those eyes bathed in moonlight had lost their usual depth and solemnity. Instead, they revealed an indescribable wild confidence and spirited arrogance, as though this vast, boundless Northern Border was something he had been born to conquer.
Su Muchen watched and watched, his breathing unconsciously catching.
For a moment, he simply could not look away.
The horse came to a steady stop several paces in front of him and snorted.
Seated high on the horse’s back, Xiao Yuan looked down at Su Muchen against the bright moonlight. His handsome features were hidden partly in shadow, but there was a faint smile at the corners of his lips.
He leaned down and extended a hand toward Su Muchen beneath the moonlight.
“Come up.”
Su Muchen did not know how to ride. He hesitated slightly as he looked at the tall warhorse, but in the end, he reached out his hand.
Xiao Yuan grasped his slightly cool fingers and exerted strength with his arm.
Su Muchen felt the world spin around him, and before he knew it, he was securely seated on the horse’s back, settled in front of Xiao Yuan.
The moment he sat down, Xiao Yuan’s faintly cool, crisp scent mingled with the fragrance of pinewood and completely enveloped him.
The horse began slowly circling the empty training grounds. Moonlight fell upon their shoulders as they sat close together, as though they had both been draped in a thin veil of silver.
One of Xiao Yuan’s arms reached past Su Muchen’s side as he gently held the reins. His other arm naturally and securely wrapped around Su Muchen’s waist, protecting him between his chest and both arms.
“Don’t tense up. Relax.”
Xiao Yuan’s deep voice sounded beside Su Muchen’s ear. The vibration in his chest traveled clearly through their clothing.
He took Su Muchen’s hand and placed half of the reins into his palm, then began seriously teaching him.
“The greatest taboo when riding is being timid and unsettled. A horse can sense your thoughts. Keep your waist straight, but relax your back. Follow the rise and fall of the horse’s movements to absorb the force. Just lean against me.”
Su Muchen obediently leaned back slightly. His spine pressed against Xiao Yuan’s broad, solid chest, and only then did his tense body relax a little.
“Don’t pull the reins too hard. A horse’s mouth is very sensitive. The more forcefully you pull, the more it will fight against you. You need to use finesse.”
Xiao Yuan’s palm covered the back of Su Muchen’s hand, guiding him to feel the tension of the reins.
“If you want it to go faster, don’t immediately reach for the whip. Let your legs hang naturally, lower your heels slightly, and gently press your calves against the horse’s belly to give it a forward cue… Yes, just like that.”
Treading Moon seemed to sense the command and slightly quickened its pace. The movement of the horse’s back beneath them became more noticeable.
At first, Su Muchen did not think much of it. He simply followed Xiao Yuan’s instructions and learned with complete concentration.
Actually, ever since he had met “Xuechen” in the military stables, whenever he came to Linbei City, he would make time to visit Xuechen, feeding it fresh fodder or brushing its coat so that they could become familiar with each other’s scent.
But he had never actually begun learning how to ride.
Because… no one throughout the entire Linbei administrative office had dared to teach him.
Those people seemed worried that if they accidentally caused him to stumble or get hurt while teaching him to ride, or if they got too close and somehow angered Prince Su, they might lose their heads.
Su Muchen genuinely felt that Xiao Yuan was not that frightening… probably.
Now that Xiao Yuan himself was teaching him, Su Muchen was especially attentive.
As he felt the rhythm of the horse beneath him, he quietly pondered to himself.
So, Xiao Yuan’s words at the horse market that afternoon—
“If you are sleepless, would you be willing to share this night with me and become a fellow traveler beneath the moon?”
—really had meant exactly what they said on the surface: come to the training grounds to test the horse named Treading Moon, and teach him how to ride while they were at it.
What a fool he had been to spend half the day with inexplicably burning ears, thinking it had been some kind of cryptic invitation.
It seemed he really had been overthinking things.
Someone like Xiao Yuan, whose mind was filled with military affairs, how could he possibly have that many romantic thoughts?
Just as Su Muchen secretly laughed at himself and his tense thoughts finally relaxed completely, allowing him to concentrate on adjusting his posture, the arm around his waist suddenly tightened slightly.
“What are you thinking about?”
Xiao Yuan’s low, husky voice suddenly came close. His warm breath brushed over Su Muchen’s sensitive ear, sending a faint shiver through him.
Su Muchen turned his head slightly, instinctively touching that ear with one hand, and honestly replied, “I was thinking… about what you said about Treading Moon during the day. I thought it really was just about testing the horse. I thought…”
“Thought what?”
A trace of almost imperceptible amusement entered Xiao Yuan’s voice.
He simply handed all the reins to Su Muchen, then wrapped both arms around his somewhat slender waist and gently rested his chin in the hollow of Su Muchen’s shoulder.
In this position, there was no longer even the slightest gap between them.
He subtly breathed in the clean, comforting scent that belonged to Su Muchen.
Only then did Su Muchen realize just how ambiguous their current position was.
This was no longer anything like teaching him to ride.
Xiao Yuan had practically enclosed his entire body within his embrace.
The tips of Su Muchen’s ears uncontrollably grew hot again, and even his voice became slightly flustered.
“Nothing… nothing. We’ve finished testing the horse, and I’ve memorized the basics of riding. Shouldn’t we head back?”
“Doctor Su, are you in such a hurry to leave?”
Xiao Yuan gave a soft laugh, the resonance in his chest making it deep and alluring.
He tilted his head slightly beneath the moonlight, his thin lips seemingly brushing casually against the strands of Su Muchen’s hair falling beside his neck.
“Testing the horse was real, and teaching you to ride was real too.”
Xiao Yuan’s deep gaze remained fixed upon the open wilderness ahead, but his voice was so gentle that it seemed meant only for the person in his arms.
“But wanting to ride together with you beneath the moon, here where there is no one else… was real too.”
Su Muchen’s heartbeat suddenly skipped.
So he really had not been overthinking Xiao Yuan’s words that afternoon.
This was not some proper horse test at all.
It was a moonlit rendezvous Xiao Yuan had deliberately arranged for the two of them alone.
It was Xiao Yuan’s way of saying:
I want to be with you. Not for anything else. Just to be with you.
“Riding is not something you master in a single day. There’s no need to rush.”
Xiao Yuan’s large palm gently stroked Su Muchen’s slightly stiff back through his thin spring clothing. His voice was filled with endless patience and affection.
“Your horse, your riding—I’ll teach you myself. However far you want to ride, I’ll accompany you that far.”
Su Muchen’s breathing trembled slightly.
The night wind swept across the open wilderness, yet it could not disperse the warmth gradually rising between them.
He turned his face slightly, originally intending to say something, but when he turned his eyes, he unexpectedly collided with Xiao Yuan’s gaze—deeper than the night itself, dark currents churning within it.
They were simply too close.
Close enough that they could clearly see the slightest tremble of each other’s eyelashes.
Close enough that Su Muchen could fully feel the scorching warmth of Xiao Yuan’s breath.
This time, Xiao Yuan did not give him a chance to turn away or retreat.
The large hand that had been soothing his back slowly moved upward. With the faint roughness left by years of gripping a sword, it gently yet irresistibly supported the back of Su Muchen’s neck.
His thumb lightly rubbed the pulse fluttering beside Su Muchen’s neck, feeling the rhythm quicken from nervousness.
“Muan…”
Xiao Yuan called his name in a low voice, his voice terribly hoarse.
The next moment, Xiao Yuan turned his head and used one hand to gently turn Su Muchen’s face toward him.
With undeniable strength and profound tenderness, he kissed those slightly parted lips.
Unlike the decisive brutality he displayed on the battlefield, Xiao Yuan’s kiss was extremely gentle at first.
His lips moved softly, testing and savoring Su Muchen’s breath little by little.
Su Muchen’s hands instinctively tightened around the reins in front of him, his fingers trembling slightly.
Half-enclosed in that broad embrace, he was forced to tilt his long neck slightly backward. His eyelashes trembled uneasily as he accepted this sudden yet somehow inevitable intimacy.
Cold silver moonlight caused their figures on the horse’s back to overlap perfectly.
Beneath them, Treading Moon quietly slowed its pace, occasionally flicking its tail, as though it too understood that it should not disturb this moment of tranquility.
Feeling the obedience and inexperienced trembling of the person in his arms, the fire in Xiao Yuan’s heart gradually spread like wildfire.
The hand supporting Su Muchen’s face tightened slightly, blocking his retreat. No longer satisfied with merely tasting him, Xiao Yuan took advantage of the moment Su Muchen drew a breath and forcefully deepened the kiss.
Their faint clean fragrance and crisp pinewood scent mingled and intertwined between their lips and teeth.
It was a kiss carrying a hint of possessiveness, yet so tender and lingering that it was almost drowning.
Su Muchen’s mind went completely blank. Even his breath seemed to be stripped away by the other man.
At some point, his hands, which had been tightly clutching the reins, loosened and instead climbed weakly onto Xiao Yuan’s solid forearm, like a drowning person clinging to the only piece of driftwood available.
The vast training grounds were utterly silent.
The only sounds were the night wind brushing through the wild grass and the two of them breathing together, slightly hurriedly.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Yuan finally pulled away reluctantly.
Their foreheads rested lightly against each other, their warm breaths intertwining in the cool night air.
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes, greedily tracing the features of the person in his arms.
Those cool, clear eyes, hazy with moisture from lack of air, were now filled with a dazed look.
Those originally pale-pink lips had been wantonly kissed until they were vividly red and glistening.
The darkness in Xiao Yuan’s eyes churned endlessly like a deep-sea current. He tilted his head and placed another light, feather-soft kiss on Su Muchen’s lips.
His low, husky voice carried satisfied amusement and boundless tenderness.
“This… is the true Treading Moon rendezvous.”
Su Muchen’s thoughts were still immersed in the lingering aftertaste of the kiss, leaving him somewhat dazed.
However, as Treading Moon continued walking slowly across the grass, the movement of the horse caused their bodies, pressed closely together, to inevitably rise and fall and brush against each other.
Before long, Su Muchen keenly noticed something unusual.
He could feel the chest pressed tightly against his back growing hotter at an astonishing rate, so hot that it seemed capable of burning him even through the thin fabric.
Even between their layers of clothing, a certain unmistakable physical reaction belonging to an adult man was clearly being conveyed to him.
Su Muchen’s heart suddenly jolted, and his breathing stopped for an instant.
Xiao Yuan… was he reacting to him?
Even though he knew rationally that for a vigorous adult man, such a reaction after this kind of stimulation was perfectly normal, his body still stiffened involuntarily.
That tension naturally did not escape the man behind him.
“…If you keep rubbing against me like this, how am I supposed to endure it?”
Xiao Yuan’s voice was even hoarser than before, carrying a hint of barely restrained tension. His scorching breath poured over Su Muchen’s sensitive ear.
He realized that he had ultimately overestimated the self-control he had always been so proud of.
The moonlight was like some kind of potent aphrodisiac, while the person he loved was defenselessly nestled in his arms, constantly brushing against and provoking him with every movement of the horse beneath them.
It was undoubtedly the most deadly torment in the world.
“I-I didn’t do it on purpose…”
Su Muchen hurriedly defended himself, but his voice carried a faint tremor he himself did not notice.
The tips of his ears were already so red they seemed as though blood might drip from them. Most dangerously of all, Treading Moon continued leisurely walking, completely unaware.
Every rise and fall made the dangerous spark between them burn a little hotter.
Wrapped in this heat that seemed capable of melting a person, Su Muchen suddenly realized that his own blood was becoming restless as well.
A strange warmth quietly rose from deep within his lower abdomen.
It seemed… he was not quite all right either.
In his panic, he could no longer care about decorum and hurriedly tugged at the reins in his hands.
“T-This… Treading Moon, stop!”
But as a beginner, he had no idea what he was doing in his panic.
In the end, Xiao Yuan covered his hand with his own and gently tightened the reins, bringing Treading Moon to a stop.
The horse had stopped, but the fire in Xiao Yuan’s heart had not.
Looking down at the ear so close to him—white skin flushed a vivid blood-red, trembling helplessly in the night wind—Xiao Yuan’s eyes darkened.
He leaned down and gently took the soft earlobe between his lips.
“Mmh…!”
The sensitive spot was suddenly attacked without warning.
A powerful tingling sensation shot through Su Muchen’s spine like an electric current, making his entire body shudder. A sweet, muffled moan, completely unlike his usual voice, escaped uncontrollably between his lips.
The sticky, soft sound fell into the silent night, and even Su Muchen himself was startled fully awake.
He immediately bit down hard on his lower lip, swallowing the broken gasps in his throat by force. From the tips of his ears all the way down his neck, his skin burned a dazzling crimson.
Xiao Yuan’s personal guards were still hidden in the darkness not far away.
If they had heard him…
Would he ever be able to show his face again?
However, that nearly unconscious murmur was like a spark falling into dry grass, completely igniting the nerves Xiao Yuan had kept taut for so long.
The man’s arm around his waist suddenly tightened.
His deep eyes abruptly darkened like those of a wolf.
Through layer upon layer of clothing, Su Muchen could even clearly feel the wild, frantic beating of the heart in Xiao Yuan’s chest, its rhythm completely thrown into chaos.
For one brief moment, a violent, almost uncontrollable animal instinct screamed wildly in Xiao Yuan’s mind.
He almost wanted to immediately pull the person in his arms off the horse, throw caution to the wind, press him into the night grass of this wilderness, and ruthlessly carry out all those mad, sensual, possessive thoughts filling his mind.
But when he felt the person in his arms trembling slightly from overwhelming embarrassment and a trace of helplessness, that animal instinct, which had nearly broken free of its cage, was finally restrained by the deepest tenderness and care in his heart.
Xiao Yuan closed his eyes, raised his head, and took a deep breath of the cold night air, forcibly pressing down the desire raging through his blood inch by inch.
He lowered his head and buried his face deeply into the hollow of Su Muchen’s neck. His hot breath fell heavily against that delicate skin, accompanied by the rough breathing of a man desperately trying to regain his composure.
“Muan…” he murmured.
His normally deep voice was frighteningly hoarse now, yet filled with endless tenderness and restraint.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t take you now.”
His well-defined hand was warm and steady as it moved gently down Su Muchen’s tense back again and again, soothing his helplessness and panic.
He knew that this person, as pure and radiant as the bright moon, was not yet completely prepared, physically or emotionally, to accept all of him.
And he absolutely would not allow himself to make the other man feel even the slightest coercion or fear.
“I’ll wait for you… until the day you’re truly ready.”
Xiao Yuan turned his head and reverently kissed the soft strands of hair that had not yet fully grown out, concealing all that blazing love and possessiveness—hot enough to burn a person to ashes—within the night wind.
He had enough patience.
He was willing to wait.
To wait until his moon willingly and without reservation fell completely into his arms.
The warmth at the side of his neck gradually calmed Su Muchen’s heartbeat, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly as well.
Actually, it was not that he had never thought about where the relationship between them might ultimately lead, nor was he completely unprepared.
It was simply that what had just happened had been far too sudden.
Only after the two of them finally dismounted and his feet touched solid ground did Su Muchen feel that he could breathe more easily.
His gaze unconsciously swept toward Xiao Yuan’s waist and abdomen, only to quickly dart away as though he had been burned.
After hesitating for quite some time, he awkwardly cleared his throat.
“So… you’re like this right now… are you all right?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to bite off his own tongue.
As a doctor, he had seen countless situations in the hospital. A physiological reaction like this was perfectly normal.
But once he remembered that the person involved was Xiao Yuan, his calm, rational perspective as a physician instantly vanished, leaving only an unbearable sense of heat.
Xiao Yuan looked at him, the corners of his eyes still faintly red, and a trace of amusement flashed through his deep gaze.
Even the ears of his usually stern face had acquired a rare hint of warmth.
Perhaps Su Muchen’s embarrassment had rubbed off on him.
He raised a fist to his lips and coughed lightly, lowering his voice.
“…It’s fine. I’ll take a cold shower later and calm down.”
The moment he heard that, the doctor’s professional instincts immediately overpowered his embarrassment.
Su Muchen frowned and objected without thinking.
“A cold shower won’t solve the problem. Besides, although spring has already arrived, the Northern Border is still extremely cold at night. Taking a cold shower can cause the cold to enter the body. And continuously suppressing it isn’t a solution either. If necessary—”
He spoke naturally, explaining the medical reasoning.
But halfway through, he met Xiao Yuan’s deep, teasing gaze, and his voice suddenly caught in his throat.
He could not continue.
Xiao Yuan stepped closer.
He lowered his head slightly, his warm breath once again brushing against Su Muchen’s ear, his tone carrying a wicked teasing edge and undisguised suggestiveness.
“If necessary… then what? Could it be that Doctor Su is feeling sorry for me and intends to personally ‘treat’ me?”
“You—!”
Su Muchen’s entire neck instantly turned red.
He pushed against Xiao Yuan’s chest and retreated two steps, gritting his teeth as he threw out a sentence that contained absolutely no intimidation whatsoever.
“F-Figure it out yourself!”
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back, his hurried footsteps almost resembling a retreat.
Behind him, Xiao Yuan did not immediately follow.
He simply stood where he was, holding the reins in one hand as he watched that slender figure disappear into the night, somewhat flustered.
A deep, delighted laugh escaped his throat.
The night wind swept across the wilderness, dispersing some of the restless heat.
Xiao Yuan slowly raised a hand to his chest.
His heart was beating with astonishing vitality and force because of every smile and every frown of that person.
“Honestly…”
He sighed softly in helplessness, yet his eyes melted into a tenderness more gentle than the stars filling the sky.
He had never imagined that he would fall in love with someone, or that someone would love him.
He had even thought he did not need it.
But now, he no longer thought that way.
In this lifetime, he had fallen completely and utterly.
And he was perfectly content with it.
He never wanted to climb back out.
◆◇◆◇◆
Late that night, inside the command tent of the Western Camp.
Beneath the dim oil lamp, Yan Ye, Commander of the Northern Border Field Camp, Ji Yunchuan, Deputy Commander of the Left, and Zhao Xiao, Central Army Commandant, were gathered around the table.
“The horse selection outside today was quite a spectacle. I almost couldn’t keep the brothers below from losing control.”
Ji Yunchuan was a genuine field commander.
Watching his men go hungry and cold every day while doing hard labor, he spoke with undisguised bitterness and exhaustion.
Zhao Xiao was even less able to restrain himself.
He slammed his fist heavily onto the table and gritted his teeth.
“The horse market was right under our noses! General, are we even still soldiers of Dasheng? Even the leftover fodder has to wait until they finish choosing before it gets sent over. Isn’t that just rubbing our faces in the dirt?”
Yan Ye ignored Zhao Xiao’s anger.
He had originally been a Zhonglang General of the Imperial Guard, and now served as commander of the capital troops.
He knew that the Emperor had sent these eight thousand men here to restrain Xiao Yuan, and he also knew that Prince Su would never easily trust them.
During the several months since they arrived, he had secretly investigated Xiao Yuan, determining whether he had committed any violation of military discipline or shown any intention of rebellion.
So far, everything Xiao Yuan had done had been entirely reasonable.
The First Military City of the Northern Border was originally the frontline against the Northern Di. The imperial court had deliberately refused to rebuild it because the city had previously suffered severe damage.
Now it was Xiao Yuan who had rebuilt it.
The one resisting the Northern Di invasion was Prince Su.
The one controlling the epidemic was also Prince Su.
There was nothing to fault.
There was no handle to seize.
If anything, the problem lay with the imperial court.
Knowing full well the difficulties facing the Northern Border, it had nevertheless attempted to suppress Xiao Yuan by cutting off supplies.
And the ones who suffered were the soldiers beneath them.
Everything they ate and wore now had been obtained through Xiao Yuan’s efforts to arrange and redistribute supplies.
Yet he had always firmly believed that the person sitting upon the Dragon Throne must have his own reasons.
And all he needed to do was obey orders.
Tonight, he knew exactly why the two men before him had come looking for him.
News of today’s horse market had already reached his ears.
The market had been deliberately arranged not far from the Western Camp’s stationed area.
He could not help but give a cold laugh inwardly.
Was this meant to make sure they saw it clearly enough?
He had only just managed to suppress the rumor that the capital troops were “abandoned pawns.”
And now there was another horse market.
He still needed to determine what Prince Su and his Chief Administrator intended.
For now, however, he had something more urgent to deal with.
As a commanding officer, he knew very well that if the Western Camp truly mutinied because of this resentment, they would be completely surrounded and crushed by the Northern Border Army stationed outside within less than half an hour.
Whether they turned toward Prince Su,
or betrayed Prince Su,
neither outcome was what the person in the capital wanted.
He had to suppress this fire.
But there was another matter that concerned him even more.
His rough fingers slowly turned over the battle report for the Northern Border Army for this month, a copy transcribed from an unknown source.
Yan Ye lowered his eyes and stared at the densely packed figures on the page.
A chill beyond description arose in his heart.
For the past several months, he had been secretly searching for Prince Su’s mistakes.
But all he had found were the imperial court’s mistakes.
Yan Ye closed his eyes briefly, forcing that profound sense of absurdity and wavering deep into his heart without allowing a trace of it to show.
As Commander of the Northern Border Field Camp, he absolutely could not utter a single word that might shake military morale or criticize the imperial government.
When he opened his eyes again, the gaze that had always contained nothing but imperial orders had returned to its usual calm.
“Zhao Xiao, when you were by the trench today, did you clearly see who the people choosing the horses were?”
Yan Ye suddenly spoke, his voice frighteningly steady.
Zhao Xiao frowned and carefully recalled.
“His Highness, Chief Administrator Xia, General Pei… the deputy commanders and commandants from the various Northern Border camps… and that Doctor Su and the guest official.”
“Are they all people who will be going onto the battlefield next? Even people who will be fighting at the very front?”
Yan Ye’s voice was cold.
The command tent instantly fell silent.
Even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.
Ji Yunchuan and Zhao Xiao could not answer.
Those people truly were all fighting on the frontlines.
Even the legendary Doctor Su and Mr. Liuchu were contributing to the Northern Border from behind the scenes.
The two of them were said to be from overseas, and were not even people of Dasheng.
Yan Ye did not defend anyone.
He merely placed everything he had witnessed over the past several months on the table.
He pushed the military report toward the two men and struck the paper heavily with his knuckles, producing a dull sound.
“Look carefully. Over the past several months, the Northern Di’s small cavalry units have harassed us thirty-three times. The Northern Border Army has been responsible for all outer patrols. Three hundred and seventy-two have died in battle, and one hundred and fifty have been seriously wounded.”
Yan Ye paused and swept his gaze over the two men.
“And our Western Camp has eight thousand men. Deaths: two. Serious injuries: none.”
Of those two deaths, one had even died after contracting the epidemic through his own carelessness.
Ji Yunchuan’s entire body shook, his pupils suddenly contracting.
If Prince Su had called the Western Camp to choose warhorses today as well…
That would mean that the next ones to be sent to the very front would be them.
Only then did he suddenly realize that ever since they had arrived here, it had been the Northern Border Army conducting the patrols outside.
The Northern Border Army was the one dying.
The Northern Border Army was the one getting wounded.
What about them?
Every day, they carried stones and dug trenches.
Supplies were already scarce.
If eight thousand capital troops went out on patrol every day, under the Northern Di’s constant surveillance, they were unfamiliar with the terrain. They would absolutely be the first group slaughtered.
For the past several months, the morale throughout the Western Camp had already been poisoned by the rumor that they were “abandoned pawns,” leaving everyone consumed by resentment.
But at this moment, a thought that was horrifying yet impossible to refute suddenly exploded in Ji Yunchuan’s mind.
These past several months…
More than three hundred Northern Border soldiers had died.
Not a single person from the Western Camp had.
Could it be…
That Prince Su had not been unwilling to use them?
Could it be that Prince Su had simply not allowed them to go and throw their lives away?
Zhao Xiao also saw the figures on the military report clearly.
His face alternated between ashen and pale green. His lips moved, but he could not produce a single word of rebuttal.
“It could just be a coincidence.”
He gritted his teeth, staring fixedly at the tabletop, his voice weak.
“Or… or maybe they just lack people to rebuild the city and think we’re only fit for hard labor.”
He had always been deeply dissatisfied.
Why should they, soldiers who had come from the capital, receive treatment and standards that were even lower than those of the Northern Border Army?
And why were they made to do hard labor every day, leaving him not even the slightest opportunity to distinguish himself or earn merit?
Suddenly, what he had seen and heard today flashed through his mind.
Everyone was saying that Doctor Su and Mr. Liuchu had effortlessly tamed the spirited horse and the wild horse.
He had seen it too.
It seemed that everyone under Prince Su possessed extraordinary abilities.
Originally, he had believed that as someone who had come through the capital’s military examination, he would surely be able to make full use of his abilities after coming to the frontline.
Many people in the army had thought the same.
But now, he began to doubt himself.
The command tent was deathly silent.
No one answered him.
Zhao Xiao himself fell silent as well.
Though he was stubbornly refusing to admit it, the slight trembling of his fist had already betrayed the doubts beginning to shake his heart.
Yan Ye ignored Zhao Xiao’s self-deception.
He gave a low, firm order.
“Pass down the order. No one is to discuss what happened today.”
His cold, imposing gaze fixed upon the two men.
“Especially—”
“No one is to allow the men below to call themselves abandoned pawns again. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to military law.”
Ji Yunchuan and Zhao Xiao’s hearts tightened.
They clasped their fists.
“Understood.”
Beneath the dim yellow oil lamp, the military report still lay quietly spread across the table.
Yan Ye’s gaze rested on the numbers.
He remained silent for a long time.
Wax tears slowly dripped from the candle.
Finally, he slowly closed his eyes and waved his hand.
“Dismissed.”
“Yes!”
Ji Yunchuan and Zhao Xiao immediately lowered their heads and left the command tent to pass down the order.
Yan Ye’s brows remained tightly furrowed as he stared at the night outside the tent.
Even the bright full moon could not illuminate his thoughts at this moment.
In those eyes that had always held nothing but the Emperor’s commands, an extremely complicated emotion appeared for the first time.