Victory at Kanhou Mountain.
They captured over twenty superior Ferghana horses, more than ten sets of heavy Tiefutu armor, and fine iron horse armor.
The supplies found on the mountain were too numerous to count.
It was just that the miners in the mass graves could never be brought back to life.
Jiang Xingyan asked the villagers from the foot of the mountain to come up and identify the bodies.
But everyone said, “Let them be buried on the mountain!”
“Let them stand tall on high ground, watching Beiluo’s downfall.”
“When General Huo destroys Beiluo, we will surely come up the mountain to pay our respects and tell them the good news!”
Jiang Xingyan looked at the sincere faces of the common people, his heart filled with infinite sorrow and emotion.
“Everyone,” he declared, “I, Huo, swear to fulfill this mission without fail!”
The Huo army conscientiously pulled the corpses of several Beiluo soldiers from the pits, including the two scouts who had recently been killed.
Che Honglu carried over the headless body of his friend, his silver beard trembling. “When they opened the pit,” he said, “they threw my friend’s head inside.”
“They stated plainly that they intended to use the Prefect’s head to suppress the souls of the common people who would follow.”
“Now, at least my friend’s body and head can rest together. May he lead all the common people on the path to the River of Forgetfulness, and beat those Beiluo scoundrels until their souls are shattered!”
His eyes reddened.
So did the eyes of everyone behind him.
“Bury them!”
Yellow earth was shoveled into the grave. There were no cries of mourning, only silent tears.
Xin Zhui raised his arm and shouted, “We swear to destroy Beiluo!”
Everyone roared in unison, their voices straining, “We swear to destroy Beiluo!”
Xiao Zhenhuai, standing at the back of the crowd, raised a hand to his chest.
This feeling of grief and powerful surge of emotion had once again awakened his body and heart.
Jiang Xingyan had initially intended to leave the task of cleaning up the mess to Che Honglu again.
Unexpectedly, the man knelt and refused, weeping with remorse. “This old man was indecisive and nearly allowed a great disaster to happen. How am I worthy of such an important task?”
“Yesterday, I already sent a memorial to the capital, resigning from my post and begging for punishment, dispatched by urgent courier.”
“I expect to receive His Majesty’s decree condemning my crimes tomorrow.”
“This old man only wishes to be torn apart by a thousand cuts to atone for his sins.”
“I beg General Huo to select another capable and righteous person for this heavy responsibility.”
Jiang Xingyan, who was eager to return home, had no choice but to stay one more day.
He helped Xiao Zhenhuai redeploy the city’s defenses and set up security perimeters around the mine.
The reason for such a massive security failure was the overconfidence of the guards at both Kanhou mountains.
They thought that relying on the natural barrier of the river meant they could rest easy, leading to lax defenses.
This gave the Beiluo scoundrels an opportunity to exploit.
Publicly, they signed a five-year peace treaty, while secretly building a suspension bridge for a surprise attack on the mine.
That it was discovered within just half a year was a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.
Jiang Xingyan reset the lookout posts, striving to use the fewest soldiers to observe the largest possible area.
He also took a page from Beiluo’s book regarding the tactic of inviting the enemy into a trap.
In areas with dense trees or numerous large rocks, they dug pit traps with sharpened bamboo stakes at the bottom, or set animal traps, waiting for the prey to bring about their own doom.
Each sentry post was equipped with a large horn.
Once blown, the sound could faintly be heard even in Qingzhou City at the foot of the mountain.
Even if you were sleeping like a log, it would jolt you awake!
In short, with Jiang Xingyan’s meticulous arrangements, it would be impossible for anyone—not just Beiluo, but even Huo Ci himself—to ascend the mountain completely undetected.
‘Learning from one’s mistakes’ was the most fundamental principle Jiang Xingyan had learned from the business world since childhood.
She had no intention of stumbling over the same obstacle twice.
Xiao Zhenhuai silently observed this ‘Huo Ci,’ who saved resources wherever possible and maximized the use of every person. It was truly the mark of a shrewd merchant.
During this time, he had already sent people to thoroughly investigate Jiang Xingyan’s identity and background.
Now, all that remained was to return to the capital and meet her in person, to see for himself what this remarkable woman looked like.
He had never looked forward to anything quite so much.
They were busy until the next day when Emperor Xiao Ao’s imperial decree arrived.
It stated: «Che Honglu is penalized by continuing to serve as the Governor of Qingzhou Prefecture, and shall also concurrently hold the post of Prefect of Qingzhou.»
«He is not permitted to retire and enjoy a life of leisure.»
«With so many matters at hand, you must shoulder the responsibility for all of them!»
«The imperial examinations will be held this autumn. Select two talented individuals then, and you are responsible for imparting your experience to them, teaching them hands-on.»
«If you dare die from fear of your crimes before this is done, I will have your entire clan executed!»
Che Honglu knelt prostrate on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.
Jiang Xingyan let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Anyone sitting in Governor Che’s position could have done no better to protect a whole city of people.
He simply couldn’t get past the guilt in his own heart.
After all, he had provided the supplies that sustained the Beiluo scoundrels.
He had even sent people up the mountain to them.
Although they were death row convicts, they still helped the enemy with their mining.
This was undeniably aiding the enemy!
The brilliance of Xiao Ao’s decree lay in punishing Che Honglu by making him continue his work.
This way, in his heart, doing good for the people would feel like atonement. He would no longer talk constantly of resigning or seek death.
Jiang Xingyan was completely reassured.
Finally, the day to return home arrived.
Xiao Zhenhuai and his party still had to travel further west. The two men bid each farewell and went their separate ways.
Jiang Xingyan’s figure faded into the distance on a cloud of dust, gradually disappearing from sight.
“Second Highness, stop looking. We should get going too!” Su Mo said.
Xiao Zhenhuai shot Su Mo an annoyed glance, then turned and boarded his carriage.
Jiang Xingyan, we will meet again in the capital.