Chapter 381: Gathering Grain (2) (2/2)
These letters had been arranged according to the dates they had been written. The one on top was the most recent one that He Sanlang had written, while the one at the bottom was the stack of drawings she had first sent him.
He had started with a letter a month, before increasing it to two. By the time it was November, He Changdi was already writing a letter every three days. The address on the letter was always ‘To my dear wife, Chu Lian’.
The roads had been sealed by the snowstorm in November, so letters hadn’t been sent out in a long time. They had just accumulated here. However, he hadn’t stopped writing letters. Some of them were just a few simple sentences and some of them talked about things that had happened in the camp. While reading them, Chu Lian could imagine how He Sanlang must have sprawled on the desk with furrowed brows in the middle of the night while writing these letters.
In today’s letter, he had informed her that he would have to leave the camp for a period of time. The details of this mission were a military secret, so he couldn’t tell her anything else. However, given how she had sent the snowboat to the camp the other day, she was instantly able to guess what He Changdi had gone out to do.
He had most likely gone to Su City by Lake Qianshan to gather grain using the snowboat!
He Changdi’s letter had specially told her to stay in the northern border camp. Since he wasn’t in Liangzhou anymore and he had taken Mo Chenggui and the other soldiers with him, it wasn’t safe for her to return to the He Estate now. He had already reported this situation to Great General Qian and had gotten permission for Chu Lian to stay in the female camp until he returned.
As for the mountain flower on Mount Ah-ming, the Snow Mountain Mists, he had already sent someone to investigate it, so she didn’t have to worry about it.
Chu Lian suddenly realised that He Sanlang was pretty reliable when he wasn’t having one of his fits of lunacy.
She took a deep breath and put away the letters, returning them to the bag neatly.
Following that, she told Wenlan to bring the sugarcane back with them. Once she was done, Chu Lian finally left He Changdi’s tent and returned to Sima Hui’s female camp.
After General Qian had entrusted He Changdi with this great responsibility, he had brought his trusted subordinates and his sworn brothers from the Right Wing Army out of the camp. Together with the snowboat, they were headed to the nearest city from Liangzhou- Su City.
In the dark of the night, despite the falling snow and howling winds, his heart was on fire.
The tragedy of the northern border troops wouldn’t be repeated again! Not only that, they might even get a chance to defeat the Tuhuns. If they could somehow survive this winter and store up enough grain, the Tuhuns would no longer be a threat to the northern border!
He Changdi’s heart burned with passion. When his thoughts turned to to Chu Lian, who was waiting for him back in camp, confidence and urgency filled up his heart.
High up on the city walls of Su City, the night was brightened by the light of torches and braziers. Elite soldiers stood guard on the city walls, giving the ancient lakeside city a menacing air.
A tall and slender man stood at the highest point of the city’s gate tower, facing the harsh winter winds.
The man was wearing a dark coloured court outfit lined with leopard fur at the collar. His cloak flapped crazily in the wind. He wore a jade crown high on his head. The flickering torch lights were to his back, so his features were shrouded in darkness.
He suddenly burst out into a fit of coughing, causing the man behind him to ask with concern, “Master, why don’t we head back? The wind is too strong here. You haven’t been well these two days.”