Chapter 147: Wei Little-Wan is Not Delicate
The Wei army traveled along the official road for five days. The further northwest they went, the more obvious the chill of late summer and early autumn became.
The supply team had received a decree to “travel by starlight and speed through the night to aid the army.” The entire force dared not slack off. So, even if the men were exhausted and the horses weary, the army would only leave the post road to camp nearby in the wild, rest for one or two hours (shichen), and then continue moving.
So where was the “sleep at Hai, rise at Mao” schedule?
The army couldn’t be delayed by his fatigue.
Wei Wanlan was very sensible and got up on time, but sitting on the supply cart, he was so sleepy his head kept bobbing. Not getting enough sleep made him feel groggy and muddled.
In his confusion, he seemed to hear a familiar, mellow voice gently holding him, whispering in his ear:
“Did you know? The expeditionary army travels at least a few hundred li a day. Little Wan isn’t allowed to stay in bed at all.”
Wei Wanlan’s nose suddenly felt sour. He took a deep breath and whispered to himself:
“Little Wan won’t stay in bed.”
Suddenly, a fierce evening wind blew past!
The gale kicked up dust and sand on the official road. They were already far from the Chang’an Imperial Palace. Wei Wanlan could clearly feel the difference in the climate here; there weren’t many tall trees, the wind was very dry, and it blew frequently, making his small face feel tight.
Wei Wanlan quickly covered his face.
The strong wind forced the convoy to stop.
The wind blew the rain tarps covering the supply carts, making them flap loudly. General Zhang, being experienced, saw the situation and ordered everyone to dismount. Some held onto the crates, others calmed the warhorses. Wei Wanlan got down to help, feeling like the wind was about to blow him away.
A large raindrop smacked onto the tip of his nose.
Wei Wanlan scrunched up his eyes. Then more raindrops fell. This rain was completely unreasonable; it gave only the duration of a gust of wind as a warning. Before anyone could react, they were soaked through.
The raindrops hit him so hard they actually hurt!
Wei Wanlan squinted at the sky, just in time to see a bolt of lightning tearing across the horizon. The electric light illuminated his entire field of vision, followed by thunder that shook the mountain walls.
Boom—
After the thunder, amidst the sound of heavy rain on both sides of the post road, there were rustling noises.
Wei Wanlan felt a vague unease, realizing the terror of marching in extreme weather. The wind was much lighter now, leaving only thunder and heavy rain. Zhang Zhibei patrolled in the rain holding the reins, shouting over the sound of the downpour:
“Where is the Prince of Cheng’en?”
“Here!”
Wei Wanlan was obediently calming a warhorse. The horse’s bridle was held by him, and it stood motionless; his constitution naturally attracted small animals.
The Deputy Transport Officer was momentarily stunned seeing him looking like a drowned cat. Glancing left and right, he saw that only the Prince of Cheng’en wasn’t wearing a straw raincoat. Presumably, in the chaos just now, lacking professional training, he hadn’t remembered to put on rain gear and had only remembered to hold the horse.
The Deputy Transport Officer’s voice didn’t lower, but he clearly approved of the Prince of Cheng’en more:
“The army has encountered heavy rain, and the mountain road ahead is unclear. Should we go or stop? Please give your instructions, Prince!”
Although General Zhang was mainly responsible for command, when encountering major events, he couldn’t make arbitrary decisions and had to report to the Prince of Cheng’en so they could decide together.
At this moment, Wei Wanlan remembered from high school geography that heavy rain could cause landslides and mudslides. Moreover, he had just heard a buzzing sound coming from the mountain pass.
Wei Wanlan: “Move forward. We cannot stay here long. Advance through the rain.”
The Deputy Transport Officer nodded solemnly, and the army continued to move out against the wind and rain.
Wei Wanlan was beaten by the cold rain until there wasn’t a dry spot on his body. It was difficult for horses to travel in the rain, so he couldn’t get on the cart. He had to wade through the water leading the horse just like the soldiers, his paw-like feet sinking deep and shallow into the mud soup, which was very uncomfortable.
Thunder rolled, and the rain crashed in his ears.
“This King is fighting for you. Why must you suffer like this?”
“Not suffering. Little Wan can persist.”
But before the rain stopped, while the army was still walking, Wei Wanlan’s throat began to tickle and feel dry and painful. He coughed a few times and felt his breath was a bit hot.
A soldier reported from the rear, speaking respectfully to him:
“Reporting to the Prince. After the army left the mountain pass, giant boulders rolled down from the mountain. Fortunately, our army evacuated the dangerous area in time. No casualties.”
Wei Wanlan sighed softly.
Most men in the army were straightforward; once they shared hardships, they became good brothers. After the retreat incident, the transport troops’ opinion of the Prince of Cheng’en skyrocketed.
Even General Zhang, who had thought he was there to pad his resume with military merits, now felt he had some skill.
So General Zhang and other soldiers of the expeditionary force, aside from reporting military intelligence, would proactively chat with Wei Wanlan, teaching him precautions for marching and some self-defense techniques.
Wei Wanlan listened with a flushed little face, nodding cooperatively, but in reality, his mind was very foggy.
Getting caught in one rainstorm was enough to make him sick. He had a fever and had been ill for several days. Fortunately, Eunuch An had packed fever-reducing medicine, so he carried on with the army. The further north they went, the colder the weather became. His whole body was burning.
But he didn’t dare delay the itinerary.
On the contrary, having witnessed the destructive power of the severe weather, Wei Wanlan needed to rush to the battlefield even faster.
“Cough, cough cough cough…”
It had been a while since leaving Chang’an, and the illness wasn’t getting better. It was probably due to poor eating, poor sleeping, and excessive exercise.
He wanted some water. He asked a soldier to pass a water skin. Taking a sip, he tasted the bitter leather flavor that almost numbed his tongue. He hadn’t gotten used to it after drinking it for so many days, but he had to force himself to drink. For the sake of his health, he had to take good care of himself.
He wanted to cry a little again.
“The expeditionary army doesn’t have the pastries you love. The water doesn’t taste good either.”
“Little Wan isn’t delicate.”
Actually, even though the logistics convoy he joined had the best conditions among all the military branches, the food wasn’t as exaggerated as when he ate from the big pot at the Northern Government Office, where there were flower buns and shrimp. Wu, unsurprisingly, that was the Regent teasing him again.
Wei Wanlan shivered sickly on the cart, suppressing his illness without making a sound.
But the fever and coughing were too unbearable. When the supply cart rolled over several consecutive rocks, the cart body jolted, and he bounced up and down like a stir-fried bean inside, then his vision went black, and he rolled off the cart.
“Prince? Prince, are you alright?”
“Quickly help His Highness up! See if His Highness is injured!”
His fall caused a commotion.
Wei Wanlan swallowed hard, his throat burning intensely. He almost couldn’t get up from the ground, forcing himself to turn over. His back burned with pain.
He felt that his back might have been cut by a stone; his shoulder blade hurt terribly.
Sure enough, he heard the exclamations of the surrounding soldiers:
“A large patch of blood is seeping from the Prince’s back!”
“Where is the military doctor? Call the military doctor to bandage the Prince’s wound! This border between the Turks and Great Wei is a poor and treacherous land; there isn’t even a decent blade of grass. Damn it, it’s all rock lumps!”
Wei Wanlan froze. While his head was dizzy, he looked around. The sunlight was intense, the earth parched, and no green could be seen.
He thought, this must be the Gobi Desert mentioned in the Supply and Transport Bureau, right?
Reviewing the vast desert, lonely smoke rises; the flat sands are boundless.
If not for transmigrating into a book, who could easily see such a desolate yet magnificent scene?
Wei Wanlan comforted himself. As long as they bypassed this Gobi Desert, they would soon reach the Wei army encampment and see the Regent. He pursed his lips, and his doe eyes suddenly widened.
He quickly twisted his body, politely refusing the military doctor who was about to undo his clothes to apply medicine:
“Many thanks, many thanks, no need to trouble yourself. This Prince carries Golden Sore Medicine. Let’s not delay the journey. When we get there, I’ll just apply some myself.”
Was he joking? He had a birthmark on his back that could prove his identity as the little Emperor.
Even if these soldiers didn’t know such detailed court secrets, Wei Wanlan didn’t want to create complications. The deeper he hid it, the better.
But that was a deep and painful wound…
The military doctor and the soldiers all looked solemn.
Wei Wanlan hurriedly climbed back onto the supply cart, coughing violently again, feeling as if he was about to cough his brains out. A perfectly good little Emperor was practically going to die here. A System prompt sounded in his ear:
【Host participation restored. Mission Three advanced. Congratulations on unlocking the achievement: Tempering the Will.】
Since when could he collect achievements?
Don’t add random settings!
Wei Wanlan reasonably suspected that this System popped up on purpose to annoy him.
While he was coughing, a figure ahead rode a horse towards him, holding the reins. It was Deputy Transport Officer Zhang Zhibei.
“We have reached Turkic territory, Your Highness.” General Zhang unfolded a map to report, his face more solemn than usual. “According to intelligence, amidst the chaotic fighting among the Turkic tribes, Ashina Shali has moved the royal court four hundred li away to Qikou and is leading his elite troops in battle.”
Actually, Wei Wanlan didn’t understand much of it.
Zhang Zhibei’s expression was grim, but he answered patiently, “The royal court moving far beyond the Great Wall increases the difficulty for Great Wei to annihilate the Turks.”
Because they had to fight further away. Wei Wanlan nodded.
Zhang Zhibei added, “The An Tang tribe has been rescued and has become our army’s guide and support, but An Tang’s forces were severely damaged by Ashina Shali. The role they can play is truly limited.”
Wei Wanlan lowered his eyes and exhaled a hot breath. He hadn’t fully counted on An Tang anyway.
He asked hoarsely and directly, “Then… how can we deliver the military equipment to the Regent?”
Zhang Zhibei: “The Regent uses troops in unpredictable ways. The battlefield situation changes instantly. Perhaps the intelligence we received a moment ago said he was nearby, but in the next moment, the Prince might have tracked the Turkic Khan to another place.”
An image of Su Jingzhi galloping on a horse appeared before his eyes.
He had never seen Su Jingzhi galloping on the battlefield, only a rough imagination. His heart skipped a beat. “Let’s find the stationed camp. Whether we see him or not, let’s hand over these things first.” Saying this, he continued to cough repeatedly.
Zhang Zhibei: “Yes sir!”
At this moment, a hawk landed on General Zhang’s shoulder. Wei Wanlan had seen this kind of hawk; it was specifically for delivering urgent military intelligence.
Zhang Zhibei untied the wax pill attached to the hawk’s leg and handed it to Wei Wanlan. Both sighed after reading it: “Ashina Shali ran far away again. He is circling with the Prince on the grasslands. His subordinate, Ha Shi Man, is raiding and plundering small tribes.”
Wei Wanlan shook his head secretly. He never expected that delivering military equipment would feel like chasing someone to feed them. He used to think Su Jingzhi was majestic and steady, but Su Jingzhi on the battlefield was a bit like the Chang’an knight-errant he had been in his youth, seemingly coming and going without a trace.
Just as Wei Wanlan was coughing and holding his head, deciding to continue chasing the Wei army camp, a stray arrow suddenly flew across the Gobi Desert!
That arrow was meant to pierce Wei Wanlan’s throat.
It just so happened that he was hugging his head, extremely luckily avoiding the arrow.
But when Wei Wanlan saw the arrow, his pupils shrank in terror. It was hard to imagine that if he had been hit, Su Jingzhi, whose life was linked to his, might have died right there.
Wei Wanlan trembled, “E-Enemy attack?” Could he bump into enemy forces even while being in a logistics unit?
Zhang Zhibei unsheathed his long saber. The supply troops were mostly infantry, and horses were used for carrying loads, so there were few of them. In an instant, they were surrounded by Turkic cavalry arriving swiftly from the distance.
This team of Turkic cavalry numbered about five hundred, not too many, but each was covered in blood, with wealth and goods tied to their saddles and horses.
The leading warlord held a heavy hammer larger than a watermelon. His two braided queues were thick, and his voice was booming:
“Fat sheep on Great Wei’s supply line! Your Regent is being walked like a dog on the grasslands. The main force cannot rescue you. Hahaha, this is a gift from the gods! We’re going to be rich!”
“Ha Shi Man!” Zhang Zhibei thought of the military report just now, quickly looked left and right, and assumed a defensive posture. “Protect the supplies! Protect the Prince!”
Wei Wanlan’s shock settled slightly, but his head was still splitting with pain. Sitting on the supply cart, coughing, he said faintly:
“Cough, cough, don’t panic.”
Actually, sitting on the cart for so many days, he had been quite bored. Whenever he had nothing to do, he would open this broken System to look for emergency countermeasures…
Recommended Reads
![Those Years When the Son of Destiny Was Severely Scammed [Quick Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/QUICK-TRANSMIGRATION1-214x300.jpg)
