Chapter 515
Chapter 515 Traces of Fragrance
"The Turks are as rapacious as wolves, insulting and afflicting our Great Hua for years, causing our lands beyond the border and the people of the south to suffer and desolate. This is truly detestable and abhorrent," declared the spirited young Yu Zongcai, who was the deputy vanguard of the Left Army. Gripping the hilt of his war sword at his waist, he gritted his teeth and said, "I am but a humble general, but I am willing to be the vanguard for our army, to plunge deep into the grasslands and decide the outcome in a battle to the death against these nomads."
He was handsome, and his speech was full of righteousness and vigor. Li Tai, the Marshal, gave him a comforting smile, "Hold on, Zongcai. We have been clashing with the nomads for so many years, and there are still battles to be fought. To talk of a battle to the death at this time is a bit premature. But I highly appreciate your resolve."
Yu Zongcai acknowledged joyfully, stealing glances at Xu Zhiqing, the army strategist beside him, his eyes full of admiration clearly visible.
Lin Wanrong noticed and laughed inwardly. This General Yu was, in terms of age and appearance, indeed a match for Miss Xu. However, Xu Zhiqing was a strong-willed woman with high aspirations. The husband she would look for must be someone who could subdue her both mentally and physically. Lin Wanrong wondered if Yu Zongcai was capable of that.
"Brother Zuo, what is that?" Lin Wanrong, surveying the surroundings, saw a thick plume of smoke soaring into the sky in the far east, as if piercing the dark canopy of heaven. He hurriedly pulled Zuo Qiu, the Commander of the Left Wing vanguard, and asked quietly.
Zuo Qiu looked at the smoke, nodded solemnly, and said, "Is this your first time at the frontier? That is the beacon fire of the Great Wall, used to transmit warning signals when foreign enemies invade."
Lin Wanrong had an epiphany. This was the oldest method of signal transmission via beacon fires. How could he have forgotten? Feeling somewhat ashamed, he asked, "Brother Zuo, does the ignition of this beacon mean there is an emergency warning from the front? Is the border pass in a critical situation?"
Zuo Qiu chuckled, "Not necessarily an emergency. The desert is dry, and sometimes even lightning can cause a fire. Different ways of igniting the beacon convey different messages. Besides the beacon towers along the Great Wall, there are also fort towers. A real emergency is only indicated when both are ignited. A single plume of smoke like this signifies that enemy tracks have been found at the front and asks other passes to be vigilant. This identification method was devised by our army Advisor Xu, and it works very well."