Finest Servant Chapter 603 (Patreon)

Chapter 603 The Scent of the Horse Reveals All

No one could answer this question, at least not Old Hu and Old Gao. As dusk approached, the silhouette of the Great Khan, faded into the distance under the escort of his cavalry, disappearing in the golden twilight.

The surrounding tribesmen gradually dispersed. Warriors with veiled faces had already been encircled by young girls, who sang like nightingales and bestowed countless flower wreaths upon them. A few more bashful beauties glanced nervously towards the Yuezhi tribe, wanting to present flowers but lacking the courage to do so.

After all, the Yuezhi was the tribe chosen by the Great Khan. The most courageous warriors were naturally to be chosen first by the beautiful and wise Great Khan. Only then could it be the others' turn.

"Brother Lin, look! These girls are staring at you without blinking!" Old Gao said lecherously. "All you need to say is that you want someone to warm your bed, and the beauties lying down in these fields tonight would instantly pile up like a mountain, hehe!"

The warriors surrounding General Lin burst into hearty laughter, the atmosphere incredibly relaxed. The sheep snatching event was a traditional competition among the tribesmen, always fiercely contested with a multitude of brave warriors. Yet this year was extraordinary. Nobody had expected that a lone army from the Great Hua would not only take the first prize in this esteemed event but also attract the admiration of so many tribal girls. Could anything be more interesting?

Moreover, even the famous Turkic Right Prince Tursun had been defeated by General Lin. While the tactics may have been somewhat underhanded, battling to the death never really involved fairness. A win was a win, and Tursun had no excuses! All in all, the battle had been a huge gain.

Lin Wanrong shook his head and smirked, "Looking for someone to warm the bed? Old Gao, you should go for it! I've always been known for being disciplined and indifferent to beauty—everybody knows that. However," he looked around regretfully, "finding 'dirt' among these Turkic beauties isn't an easy task either!"

Old Gao nodded emphatically and laughed, "No worries, just turn off the lights, and everyone becomes the same! Open your eyes and wow, so much 'dirt'!"

Old Gao spoke in a manner tinged with vulgarity, willing to accept all comers. This delighted Hu Bugui.

After a few jokes, Lin Wanrong surveyed his surroundings. As the sun set and darkness enveloped the plains, only a few dozen tribes qualified to enter Kyzil. They celebrated their victory by running around the plains, singing to their hearts' content. As for the tribesmen who couldn't enter the capital, they silently packed their tents and belongings, heading back to their own tribes overnight.

For these defeated tribes, the only way to gain respect and recognition from other tribes was to try again next year.

The horses on the plains let out long neighs, as people came and went without rest. However, more were leaving than arriving. The Turkic people who had lost left in disappointment. What remained were around 300 to 400 people from about a dozen tribes, including the Yuezhi. The ground was littered with leftover hay from the horses and traces of encampments, chaotic and disheveled. As human voices faded away, the plains, bustling for an entire day, suddenly grew silent.

Originally, tens of thousands of Turkic Wolf Cavalry had been stationed outside the city. But now, along with Yujia, they had entered the city, leaving the surroundings eerily quiet. The sheep snatching competition was over, so it was expected that the Turkic cavalry would have no need to camp outside any longer.

Lin Wanrong looked around at the thirty-odd brothers encircling him. Compared to the mere ten people they had during the sheep-snatching event, their numbers had swelled several times over. These men were carefully selected scouts who roamed around covertly and spoke a bit of the Turkic language. "Brother Hu, has everyone arrived?" Lin Wanrong inquired.

"All here!" Hu Bugui blinked and grinned, "Thanks to you, General. Our small group of brothers can now enter the city openly."

All tribes with at least three victories could enter Kyzil and partake in the feast hosted by the Great Khan—an accepted practice. The real challenge was determining how to act once inside the city.

According to Lin Wanrong's earlier plans, the sheep snatching competition was a grand annual event for the Turkic tribes, teeming with dignitaries. The Turkic cavalry were stationed outside to protect the Khan and other nobles. Consequently, the city's defenses were prone to lapses. Lin Wanrong's strategy had been to sow chaos on this festive night, swiftly seize the city walls, and open the gates. Then, with 5,000 cavalrymen, they'd storm the Turkic palace before the tribes realized what was happening. Capturing the palace and high-ranking nobles would effectively neuter Kyzil, causing its inevitable fall.

However, many unforeseen events had occurred. For some reason, Lin Wanrong had had to engage in combat with the Right Prince. Additionally, the Yuezhi people unexpectedly emerged as champions in the sheep snatching competition. They were no longer a nameless, small tribe but the center of everyone's attention, limiting their room for maneuver. Yet, infiltrating Kyzil remained their only viable option.

"Entering the city openly is not necessarily a blessing," Lin Wanrong sighed to himself.

Old Hu understood his dilemma. Whispering in his ear, he chuckled, "Don't worry, General. Xu Zhen is already on his way with the remaining brothers. If all else fails, we can just assault the city. We're prepared to die, weren't we? If we can't defeat the tribes, we'll at least scare them to death—"

Amused by Old Hu's words, Lin Wanrong chuckled, feeling slightly relieved. Hu Bugui then looked around cautiously and lowered his voice: "There's one more thing I haven't told you. While we were snatching sheep, some of our men took the opportunity to collect a lot of tung oil from nearby tribes. It's all loaded on our horses now. Just think, Kyzil will be alive with singing and dancing tonight, welcoming the heroes of the sheep snatching competition. What do you think will happen if a flaming horse suddenly appears in that crowd? It will be utter chaos!"

"Really?!" Lin Wanrong exclaimed joyously, hastily glancing at the warhorse beside him. On either side of the Turkic horse's belly hung several bamboo tubes, each several feet long, covered with cloth bags. They seemed quite heavy.

"Ah," Gao Qiu, listening intently for a while, broke into a broad grin and said, "Well done, Old Hu! You've learned the art of stealing some oil!"

"What do you mean, 'stealing'?" Hu Bugui shot him an irritated look. "I took advantage of the situation to have a look around someone else's tent and helped myself to some oil. Is that stealing? It's called 'siphoning.' Old Gao, you should go back and find a tutor to teach you how to read!"

"Right, right, it's siphoning oil, not stealing it," Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, relieved. "With these dozens of fire horses, even if we can't take over Kyzil, I'll still turn the place upside down!"

Suddenly, Gao Qiu seemed to remember something and anxiously said, "Even if we have the fire horses, there are also ten thousand Turkic cavalrymen who have entered the city. If they blockade the palace entrance, we'll be badly outnumbered. That would be hard to handle!"

Lin Wanrong patted him on the shoulder and shook his head with a smile, "Brother Gao, we're not competing with them in terms of numbers; we're competing in speed! Look, that's the Turkic palace—"

He casually pointed, and both Gao Qiu and Hu Bugui looked in the direction he indicated. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the rugged walls of Kyzil were clearly visible. Not far from the walls, they saw pavilions with their flamboyant colors and golden roofs. Compared to the surrounding low buildings, they looked incredibly grand and dazzling.

"From Kyzil's layout, the palace is not far from the city gate. That's unimaginable in our Great Hua. It seems the Turks really aren't very skilled at fortifications," Lin Wanrong observed.

Hu Bugui nodded in agreement. "In all of Great Hua's history, which capital city didn't have multiple gates, tall palaces, and thick stone walls? This Turkic palace is simple and crudely built; it doesn't even compare to a mansion in the wealthy provinces of Jiangnan."

"And, judging by the scale of those pavilions, the Turkic palace can accommodate at most two thousand people, and that would be pushing it," Lin Wanrong continued, smiling. "So, the Turkic cavalry cannot all be stationed inside. They must have camps elsewhere in the city. And if they have camps, they will be some distance from the palace!"

"But how far is that distance?" Gao Qiu frowned, focusing on the crux of the matter.

"That's simple," General Lin spread his hands and said, "Brother Gao, if you were the Turkic Khan, and you had these ten thousand cavalrymen, how far away would you want them?"

"As close as possible, of course!" Gao Qiu answered reflexively, then paused to think. "But wait, ten thousand men is no small force, and they're armed to the teeth. If they're too close, who can guarantee that there wouldn't be anyone among them who might want to rebel?"

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "That's the eternal dilemma for Emperors. They crave military power but fear rebellion from the troops, so they always maintain a proper distance. And don't forget, these ten thousand elite soldiers are from Tursun's tribe!"

A realization struck Hu Bugui and Gao Qiu simultaneously, and they both gasped.

"So what I'm saying is, as long as we act swiftly and manage to open the city gates before charging into the royal palace, our odds against the Turkic people are at least fifty-fifty!" He waved his hand decisively, a cold murderous intent filling his eyes. "Once we seize the Turkic royal palace, that would mean our success."

Hu Bugui felt his blood boil with excitement and clapped his hands eagerly. "Excellent! I will open the city gates tonight!"

"What's the rush, Brother Hu?" Lin Wanrong chuckled. "We haven't even entered the city yet, and we're not clear on the specific situation inside. Discussing these matters now is premature. Let's go in first and adapt to the circumstances."

Realizing he had indeed been a bit hasty, Old Hu chuckled awkwardly.

As night slowly fell, the plain was dimly lit in the evening mist, and one could just barely make out the wolf banners fluttering atop the distant city walls. Tribes who had already claimed victory were impatiently waiting below, ready to enter Kyzil. All the warriors kept their face masks on, as proof of their honor. They would only remove them at the royal banquet, to enjoy the cheers of the people.

The city gates slowly creaked open. After briefly questioning them, the Turkic soldiers guarding the gate allowed the warriors to pass, who proudly waved their tribal flags.

Kyzil was deep within the Alxa grasslands, and had never been attacked before. It was understandable that the Turkic people were lax in their defenses, given their confidence in their own strength.

"Shall we go in now?" Hu Bugui whispered.

Lin Wanrong glanced at the sky and slightly shook his head. "If we go in now, we'd only draw attention to ourselves. Let's wait a bit longer."

Gao Qiu chuckled, "Brother Lin, I've been wondering for a while now, how did you figure out what Yujia was up to on horseback?"

At this question, Old Hu also turned his head, evidently also unclear about the reasoning behind it.

General Lin chuckled, "The logic is actually quite simple. Horses, like humans, have noses, eyes, mouths, and legs—they all possess sensory organs. If the dark-colored horse is reluctant to lift its hoof, there must be a problem somewhere. So, I first inspected its legs, and then its facial features. The legs were fine, and its ears and eyes are the most evident; it would be hard for Yujia to tamper with them. What remains are its nose and mouth."

"Good point!" Hu Bugui nodded, then asked curiously, "So how did you determine that she tampered with the horse's nose and not its mouth?"

"I owe this realization to Tursun," Lin Wanrong nodded with a smile. "When his subordinate was feeding the horse grass, I paid close attention. The little horse had a bit in its mouth but kept leaning forward, which indicates that its mouth is fine, or at least not the source of a serious problem. Thus, the most likely place for tampering that is also hard to detect would be the horse's nose. Yujia sprinkled a powder made from flowers and herbs on the horse's nose. I detected a faint fragrance, but for the horse, this scent might be quite unpleasant. That's why even your whip couldn't make it move. I found a solution by pouring water on its nose to dissolve the powder and dilute the scent, restoring it to a normal horse! Then, I discreetly applied some aphrodisiac to her horse and smeared a bit on the hindquarters of my own horse. So, she ended up chasing me. Haha, it's that simple!"

"To recognize a horse by its scent? Brother Lin, what an impressive nose you have!" Gao Qiu raised a finger in admiration, his face full of envy.

Hu Bugui shook his head in awe. All these points seemed simple, something almost anyone could do, but to keenly observe and think critically is not something everyone is capable of. Those who criticize General Lin as a mere talker, believing that everything he has is earned through his gift of gab, are merely seeing him through shallow eyes.

"Damn!" Still lost in thought, Hu Bugui was interrupted by General Lin's sudden exclamation, "Now I know why Yujia wanted to ride my horse!"