<h4>Chapter 354</h4>


    Let''s go, lest the people of the Northern Frontier suffer more bullying and vige massacres, with countless lives lost in vain.


    Don''t go, lest Eldest Brother suffer bullying and the Second Branch of the Fang family go too far in bullying people.


    In the midst of this grave dilemma, Fang Heng found himself unable to eat or sleep well, and spent the New Year with a furrowed brow, unable to rx.


    "Captain, you don''t really need to worry too much about the Northern Frontier," Jiang Seven and Jiang Eight gathered around. "Before you came, life in the Northern Frontier still went on, didn''t it?"


    The brothers met this with unanimous contempt.


    Life in the Northern Frontier certainly went on without Fang Heng, but since he arrived, he had saved so many lives, and killed so many Northern Nomads.


    Aside from his illustrious military merits, the fact that he became captain of the Fifth Company at the age of fourteen meant he must have won some battles to be ashamed of.


    If he were a few years older, he might even have be captain of the Third Battalion.


    The fact that he was conflicted and worried meant that he truly cared about the people of the Northern Frontier.


    "If only we could make the Northern Nomads apprehensive," Jiang One and the others helped brainstorm, "Even if we can''t drive them back, as long as they are apprehensive and afraid, and fewermoners are harmed, that would be enough."


    But how could they make the Northern Nomads apprehensive?


    Recalling the previous time, it was when Jiang Five and the others had hidden in the ox cart, posing as traveling merchants.


    The same method certainly wouldn''t work again. Now when the Northern Nomads saw ox carts withrge merchants, they didn''t dare intercept them easily, for fear that an ambush would emerge.


    But this also showed indirectly that their tactic of impersonating ordinary people had worked, it made the Northern Nomads apprehensive.


    Fang Heng pursed his lips, pondering what kind of suggestions his elder and younger brothers might offer if they were here.


    Eldest Brother had the most steady mind, he would probably have the soldiers carry out a new ambush.


    Fifth Brother had the most ingenious angle, he would probably find bait to make the Northern Nomads thoroughly convinced.


    But what kind of bait could make the enemypletely convinced andpletely undefended as they walked into it?


    Fang Heng''s gaze wandered as he vaguely saw two older women walking over, bamboo baskets hung over their arms containing half-finished clothes and some needle and thread.


    They were survivors from the viges massacred by the Northern Nomads. Unwilling to leave thisnd yet unable to wield long des, they could only follow along to help with the cooking and cutting meat and vegetables, and asionally sew a few pieces of clothing.


    With so many Northern Frontier soldiers, even just the Fifth Company had four or five hundred men, so the older women definitely could not sew clothes fast enough for everyone to wear. At times like these they preferred those they liked, who would then get new clothes.


    Jiang Ba had a baby face and was missing a finger, so the older women were especially fond of him.


    He hade over now because his clothes were half done, worried they might not fit him well, so he specifically came to try them on.


    "That brat Jiang Ba has a mouth smeared with honey, so the older women dote on him so much to always sew clothes for him," Jiang Liu said sourly on the side.


    The others nodded, scheming to borrow the clothes from the bratter to try on themselves.


    Even if they didn''t fit, they had to get a good feel.


    Sitting in the main general''s seat, Fang Heng suddenly felt something drift by that he grabbed tightly.


    Clothes, older women, viges, survivors.


    He suddenly stood up, every thought opened up. "I''ve got it!"


    The Northern Nomads loved to raid viges, loved to ughtermoners of Da Yu who were unable to fight back. Whenever they caught sight of smoke they would be excited, awaiting their spoils of war.


    If the Da Yu soldiers could disguise themselves as traveling merchants, why couldn''t they disguise themselves as a vige?


    As long as the Northern Nomads believed it, as long as the Northern Nomads charged in, it would be the end for them.


    After enough times the Northern Nomads would also be afraid. When they saw a vige they would have to ponder deeply whether these were reallymoners or a group of soldiers lying in ambush to counterattack.


    No one would know.


    As captain of the Fifth Company, Fang Heng had absolute power and prestige. At hismand, even if everyone was puzzled, they still moved into action.


    First they found a sparsely popted vige and persuaded themoners to hide for a few days. Next they had the officers and soldiers take off their uniforms and put on coarse cloth clothes, thenbored in the vige.


    It was trulyboring, and could not exactly be called difficult, because before joining the army they had originally been children of destitute families.


    Digging earth, herding sheep, nting vegetables, sifting manure, carrying water, repairing walls.


    Everyone was busy and lively, strangely feeling as if they had left the cold Northern Frontier and returned to their hometowns to live in peace and joy with their parents.


    The biggest difficulty here was probably the women. Even the smallest vige, women made up half the poption. On the other hand, among the officers and soldiers who could wield des, there were scarcely any who could be picked out to y the role of women.


    Jiang Ba took the lead, Jiang Wu reluctantly agreed, then they found a few younger soldiers and forcibly made them up to look like young women.


    Old women were yed by older women doing the cooking. Although afraid, when they recalled their loved ones'' terrible deaths, they still gritted their teeth and agreed.


    In just half a month, the "Vige of Life" was built.


    Any outsider who barged in wouldn''t be able to notice anything amiss without close scrutiny. They were all veteran soldiers ying their parts.


    One could only see them joking and quarreling, carrying water and living life, trails of cooking smoke filling the air amidstints and scoldings, no different from any ordinary vige in the Northern Frontier.


    To attract the Northern Nomads over, the "women" led by Jiang Wu and Jiang Ba would go to the riverbanks to chop ice to wash clothes or catch fish, and fires burned ceaselessly, as vigorously as possible.


    Around seven or eight days after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the vige finally attracted the Northern Nomads'' attention.


    Now they had to go against expectations. Everyone extinguished fires, expressions tense, moving carefully,pletely ying the part ofmoners intimidated by the Northern Nomads.


    "With their vignce, observing for two or three days with no mistakes should be enough, they will mostly take action then," Fang Heng disguised as the eldest son threw firewood on the ground and instructed in a lowered voice, "Everyone stay alert, absolutely no mistakes allowed at the critical moment."


    "Rest assured, Captain," Jiang Wu disguised as the mother nodded, asionally smudging soot on his face, "I''ll notify everyone right away."


    Fang Heng slightly dipped his head. Just as he was about to turn around, from the corner of his eyes he spotted a tall horse standing at the vige entrance.


    He immediately turned back and bent down, bowing respectfully, "Mother, rest assured, your son will be careful outside, absolutely not letting the Northern Nomads discover our vige."


    Jiang Wu could only smile benevolently, "Good child, stay safe."


    The two turned around, truly containing some vor of motherly love.


    The Northern Nomad at the vige entrance nodded, determining there were no masters in this vige, nor anyone who could resist. Finally at ease, he left.


    The third day.


    Crouching to listen, Jiang Yi disguised as the father excitedly jumped up when he heard the loud approach of many footsteps. "They''re here, they''re here!"


    He had never been so eager for a Northern Nomad invasion.


    Everyone who had been working themselves tired, shifting from missing loved ones to recalling battles nced at where des were hidden, and worked even harder.


    When the Northern Nomads arrived, what they saw was thriving prosperity.


    Women taking care of children, men farming the fields, elderly basking in the sun, youths chasing each other yfully.


    This was the current condition of every vige in the Northern Frontier, and was also what countless people could not even dream of returning to anymore.


    Moreover in the Northern Nomads'' eyes these were fat sheep to be ughtered, these were the women and granaries, the battlefield to massacre as they pleased.


    Someone raised their arm, seemingly shouting "charge!"


    Over a hundred burly men on horseback burst in, the first de hacking towards the heads of the adult men.


    If this wasn''t the Vige of Life, if these weren''t veteran soldiers in disguise, then this head would have flown into the air before falling at their feet, buried together with the body until decayed.


    Fortunately this was the Vige of Life.


    The Northern Nomad swinging the de did not hack off the head. Theboring man drew out a long de with agile movements, avoiding harm before stabbing the horse''s belly.


    As the horse whinnied and reared up. the arrogant Northern Nomad was thrown to the ground, weed by the long des aimed precisely at their throats.


    The once peaceful little vige descended into ughter, only this time those being massacred were no longer themoners of Da Yu.


    Rather it was thepletely undefended Northern Nomads!


    Kill! Charge! How much blood must be spilled to make the enemy apprehensive?


    Chop! sh! How many heads must roll to make the enemy tremble?


    When the sun finally set in the west, the vige regained its tranquility. Everyone''s feet were stained no longer with muck but pools of crimson blood, and Northern Nomads who could no longer close their eyes.


    Fang Heng sheathed his long de, gazed towards Fengjing and spoke inly, "Next."


    From New Years to the fifteenth, from the fifteenth to February.


    Disguised as vigers four times, they massacred over eight hundred Northern Nomads and seized over six hundred warhorses.


    What glorious battle achievements, what resounding battle merits!


    Not only was themanding officer deeply appreciative, even the Northern Nomads shivered in fright. Their previously most leisurely vige massacres were now given a wide berth.


    Fang Heng felt relieved in his heart, and was finally able to take leave to visit rtives. With six personal guards in tow, he set off in grandeur toward Fengjing.


    They rode on horseback, their youthful vigor unable to conceal their heroic spirit, their tragic nobility unable to cover up their surging excitement.


    They bid farewell to the warriors, waved to friends, and nodded to elders.


    Under the gaze of countless people, they slowly turned around.


    When they had set off they were still naive, juvenile boys.


    When they return they will already be iron-blooded frontier men.


    "We have arrived, Fengjing!"