**Chapitre XIV : Le givre (4)**
« Clap ! »
Le clair coup de main résonne dans la grotte, tout le monde est stupéfait.
« C’est toi qui m’as aidé à changer de vêtements ? Alors tu as tout vu ? »
Ni Xin glisse un regard furieux sur Li Qu, serranttight clothing。Ce n’est pas ses propres vêtements, donc c’est certainement ce jeune homme qui a profité de la situation pour changer de vêtements et en profiter !
Li Qu ne ressent qu’une brûlure sur sa joue droite. Son cœur est déjà dans une colère impétueuse.
« Oui, c’est moi qui ai aidé à changer vos vêtements. Alors ? Si je ne vous avais pas changés à temps contre des vêtements trempés par la pluie, vous auriez probablement déjà péri de chaleur ! »
Ni Xin relève les sourcils et se moque : « Ha, je devrais encore vous remercier, Grand Général ? Ne comprenez-vous pas le principe selon lequel les hommes et les femmes ne doivent pas se toucher ? »
Dou Qing ne peut pas supporter cela, il avance et dit : « Vous, petite demoiselle, manquez totalement de raison. Vous portez des vêtements d’homme en vous faisant passer pour un escort. Comment saurions-nous que vous êtes une femme ? Si le Général en chef de ma maison ne vous avait pas changés en vêtements propres, vous n’auriez même pas la force de vous plaindre maintenant. »
« Bon, bon, bon ! Tout est toujours de la faute de votre Général en chef. En résumé, c’est Ni Xin qui est irraisonnable et qui a gâché la réputation du Général en chef. »
Elle mord très fort le mot « réputation ». Ses yeux sont grands ouverts.
« Inconcevable ! Dou Qing, rangez les vêtements séchés, nous partons ! »
Li Qu a aidé de bon cœur mais reçoit à contre-cœur des moqueries. Il n’a plus envie de s’attarder avec Ni Xin et s’en va en claquant ses robes.
« Hmm ! »
Dou Qing regarde Ni Xin et secoue la tête, soupirant longuement.
Le feu de camp vacille, la nuit de pluie est froide, les pétales de poire retombent par points, des larmes claires.
Une nuit sans parole.
Au départ à nouveau, Ni Xin évite délibérément Li Qu sur une certaine distance.
Certains amours sont difficiles à évoquer une fois entrés, certaines haines sont muettes. À l’égard de ce jeune Général, Ni Xin ressent réellement à la fois amour et haine. Avec les sentiments partagés à moitié, elle ne sait vraiment pas comment se confronter.
« Maudit ! »
Ni Xin serre les dents et dit d’une voix haineuse.
Cet homme l’a sauvée, elle devrait être reconnaissante. Pourtant, pourtant, n’a-t-il aucun désir de regarder ?
Une pensée pleine de soucis mais personne à qui en parler, Ni Xin se sent exceptionnellement irritante, elle ajuste les rênes et frappe violemment du fouet.
« Général, le Long Chengfort est devant ! »
Yu Long, montant son cheval aimé, se trouve en tête du groupe et crie excitéement en voyant une forteresse à l’avant.
Li Qu regarde au loin. Il ne voit qu’un fort en pierre grise qui s’élève du flanc de la montagne devant lui, s’étendant jusqu’aux nuages.
« À pleine vitesse ! »
Li Qu agite la main et donne l’ordre.
The Great Wall Fortress was built at the mouth of Kanglang Mountain, originally to defend against Tibetan invasions. Later, generation after generation of Tang Dynasty soldiers guarding the Longyou region paid with their blood, pushing the dynasty’s borders all the way to Shimen Mountain. The Great Wall Fortress thus lost its function as a guard and warning post. (Note 1) However, Longyou was a multi-ethnic gathering area, home not only to the Han people but also to Qiang, Gouxian, and even some Tibetans. Consequently, the Great Wall Fortress still possessed strong military deterrence and escort functions, playing a significant role in maintaining local stability in Lanzhou and Mizhou. (Note 2) Before approaching the fortress, soldiers guarding the fortress shouted loudly: « The Shenqi Army of Chang’an has been ordered to proceed to Liangzhou, passing through the Great Wall Fortress. Please open the city gate! »
A head poked out from the fort’s parapet, replying: « Present your documents for inspection! »
Thereupon, a basket was slowly lowered from the fortress wall.
« General? »
Zhou Qing looked at Li Kua, seeking the opinion of his own school captain. Seeing Li Kua nod, Zhou Qing took out the documents from his satchel, placed them in the basket, and shouted loudly: « It’s ready! Please have this brother inspect it! »
« You wait here first! »
The garrison soldier took the documents from the raised basket and ran into the stone fortress.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the soldier ran out and said: « The garrison commander inside invites you comrades to rest! »
He then waved his hand, and someone lowered the drawbridge.
The iron chain hoist slowly pulled down the massive timber, making a « creaking » sound. With a dull thud, the drawbridge hit the ground.
The soldiers of the Zhuque Team of the Shenqi Army, led by their own school captain, rode their horses across the drawbridge and entered this stone fortress.
Since the Great Wall Fortress was built very solidly from the start, as it was intended to prevent Tibetan invasion from the east, whole blue stone slabs were used. The entire fortress was built square and regular. On the semi-circular wall walk, five hundred people could stand guard simultaneously, and dozens of arrow slits were provided with sufficient arrows, fuel, and rolling logs. Therefore, although it had not seen combat for a long time, whenever a beacon fire was lit, thisfortifié in the mountains could immediately go into defense and firmly guard the mountain pass.
« General Li, welcome, welcome. I have prepared well-warmed wine and fresh meat soup for my brothers. »
The Great Wall Fortress garrison commander, Dian Wu Xi, came out, smiling with a face full of glory.
He was originally a Qiang from the Huangshui region. Because he could not bear the oppression of the Tibetan chieftain, he moved his whole family to Longyou. Possessing immense strength and skilled in horsemanship and archery, he was appointed as the Fire Chief at that time, and step by step rose to the position of Garrison Commander through military merit. It had been twenty years since he took this position.
« Thank you, Dian Wu Garrison Commander, for your warm hospitality! »
Li Guabao folded his hands in a respectful gesture, then returned the salute.
Li Guabao carefully surveyed the man before him. This person had a rugged black hair, a yellowish complexion with a rosy tint, a high-bridged nose, and deep-set eye sockets. Though already approaching fifty, he appeared vigorous and showed no signs of fatigue.
The crowd was warmly welcomed by Duan Wu into the inner room, where they sat around the hearth, roasting their hands.
The stone fortress was divided into upper and lower levels. The upper level served as quarters for the generals and soldiers, while the lower level was used to raise horses, store military equipment, and store grain.
The entire stone fortress was exceptionally spacious; the upper level alone could accommodate two thousand men at once.
« Duan Wu guards the fortress. I see your fortress is quite large; I wonder how many brothers you have stationed here? » Li Guabao took a light sip of baijiu and smiled.
« Hah, don’t hide it from you. The actual establishment of this Longcheng fortress should be two thousand men. Later, because of the Tang Dynasty’s western advance, the Longcheng fortress lost its role as a forward outpost. The military funds in Longyou were tight; adding one more person means one more mouth to feed. Thus, General Guo Chu ordered a reduction of the garrisons at various fortresses. My fortress was consequently reduced to over five hundred men. If we exclude the elderly and weak, those fit for battle probably number fewer than five hundred. »
« Oh? If enemy troops were to attack, wouldn’t that be very dangerous? »
Li Guabao frowned, expressing his concern.
« Hahaha! Say, Li gege, do you know where our Longyou garrisons are stationed now? From Shimen Mountain to Longcheng Fortress is two to three hundred li, with Jinshan Mountain in between. Unless the Tubo people are divine soldiers descending from the heavens, how could they suddenly attack the city overnight? Old brother, you don’t need to worry about this. Even if the Tubo people really attack, look at the continuous mountain ranges everywhere—we have beacon towers everywhere. I just need to light the beacon, and the wolf smoke at Jincheng will be visible. Within three days, a large force can arrive to reinforce. »
Upon hearing this, Duan Wu patted Li Guabao’s shoulder and laughed loudly, as if a young man were telling a huge joke.
« Does that mean the Tubo people have never had the idea of attacking Longcheng Fortress? This fortress is the barrier of Lan and Wei states. If Longcheng Fortress falls, Tubo cavalry can rush straight into the plains, burning, killing, and looting. This kind of benefit, would the Tubo people not be moved? As I know, the defense on the southern line of Longyou is not very strict! »
Wu Qing, unable to stand Duan Wu’s act of relying on age to sell age, debated.
Duan Wu’s face showed displeasure, but seeing Li Guabao’s face, he suppressed his anger and said in a gentle tone: « That’s actually quite good. Our main forces are mostly stationed in Huo Prefecture and Shan Prefecture. The southern line indeed has few garrison troops. However, in recent years, only a few hundred Tubo cavalry have crossed the Chi Ridge in autumn and winter to come here for a look, but there has never been a large army! »
**Voici la traduction du texte fourni :
Voici pour un coup d’œil, mais il n’y a jamais eu d’armée nombreuse !：**
* **Corps de style**：Il n’y a jamais eu d’armée nombreuse !/en style semi-littéraire en français moderne fluide, tout en conservant le style de langage des personnages (comme le « vieillesse vantée » de Dian Wuxi et les « débats » de Dou Qing).，en conservant les particularités linguistiques des personnages（comme le « vieil et vendeur » de Dian Wuxi“vieux et vendeur → vieux et vendeur”、de Dian Wuxi“→ débat → de Dian Wuxi“→ débat””etc. → etc.）。
* **cheveux noirs frisés/crépus → *cheveux noirs f***：
* “cheveux noirs frisés/crépus” → *cheveux noirs frisés/crépus*
* “teint jaune rosé” → *teint jaune rosé*
* “vigueur / allure vital” → *vigueur / allure vital*
* “frères / hommes de garnison” → *frères / hommes de garnison*
* “avancée vers l’ouest” → *avancée vers l’ouest*
* “réduction de l’effectif / organisation simplifiée” → *réduction de l’effectif / organisation simplifiée*
* “personnes âgées et faibles → personnes âgées et faibles” → *personnes âgées et faibles*
* “divins soldats descendant du ciel” → *divins soldats descendant du ciel*
* “brise automnale” → *brise automnale*
un bref instant de suspension -> un bref instant de suspension，il a esquissé un sourire，« À la trinche. »：“« Aujourd’hui, pas de politique. »，« Le frère cadet invite son aîné à un banquet. »，accueil et toilette。Non ivre, non retour!！！”
Garde du palais1 : Institution de garde du palais (Tang Dynasty)1：Guardian Post (stitution de garde du palais -> gardiennage)：Tang Dynasty institution stationed at the border, mainly distributed in Longyou Road and the Western Regions, roughly covering present-day Gansu, Inner Mongolia’s Alashan Right Banner, and Xinjiang. Tang Dynasty border garrison troops: large ones called « Army », small ones called « Guardian Post », « City », or « Fort »; all institutions had envoys. Guardian Post was a unique official position of the Tang Dynasty, unheard of in other dynasties. The garrison of Guardian Post ranged from 300 to 7,000 men.
Garde du palais1 : Institution de garde du palais (Tang Dynasty)2：Qiang people (Qiang people (Qiang)：Refers to the Qiang ethnic group residing in the area arou -> Qiang people (Qiang)：Refers to the Qiang ethnic group residing in the area arou)：Refers to the Qiang ethnic group residing in the area around Qinghai’s Huanhe River and the grasslands along the upper reaches of the Wei River. They used sheep as their totem, were skilled in pastoralism, and lived in a dispersed manner. Tuvalu (Touguhun)：Also known as Tu-hun, an ancient northwestern Chinese ethnic group. Originally a branch of the Xianbei Murong tribe from Liaodong. After expanding their territory, they ruled over the Qiang and Di tribes in present-day Qinghai, Gannan, and southwestern Sichuan, and were eventually destroyed by Tubo.