Chapter 86

Chapter 86

He knew Princess Qinghe spoke the truth.

Over the past few days, they had relied on the city’s shaman to spread prophecies, undermining enemy morale.

Last night, they had positioned trebuchets on high ground in advance. While Princess Qinghe was in talks with Xue Huaifang, they used fire oil and stones to create the illusion of meteorites as divine punishment, causing chaos among Xue Huaifang’s troops.

The enemy’s morale had already collapsed; a ten-thousand-strong army posed little threat.

All they lacked was a commander.

Lu Yu, born into a prestigious family in Luoyang and serving as a Capital Guard Commander, was different from common-born generals like Pei Zhaoye and Wu Yan, who had nothing to lose. He was cautious and careful, focused on avoiding failure rather than chasing glory.

Could he trust Princess Qinghe?

Was she capable?

If anything happened to Princess Qinghe under his watch, the Emperor’s fury would surely fall upon his family.

Outside the shield formation, the footsteps of infantry drew closer. Large beads of sweat dripped from Lu Yu’s forehead.

Another dense barrage of attacks fell.

Lu Yu shed his armor with one hand and placed his helmet on Li Zhu’s head with the other.

Li Zhu hurriedly steadied the oversized helmet.

“Run—!” Lu Yu pushed her.

Taking advantage of the archers’ reloading pause, the shield soldiers split into two groups. One advanced forward with Lu Yu, while the other escorted Li Zhu to secure horses.

Xue Huaifang and his strategist beside him, their expressions shifted slightly.

Trying to run?

“Archers!” the strategist shouted.

Just as Li Zhu was about to mount the horse, a stray arrow knocked off her helmet.

Her head exposed to the air, the chaotic sounds of battle ringing clearly in her ears, Li Zhu shivered.

She was painfully aware that she was on a battlefield, where a single arrow or spear could end her life.

What had Pei Zhaoye thought during his first battle?

Had he been afraid?

...Well, she was scared out of her wits now, shaking uncontrollably.

The archers’ formation was thrown into disarray by Lu Yu’s charge, and the two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat amid the chaos.

As soldiers searched for horses, she glanced in Xue Huaifang’s direction.

The young man in red robes, protected by layers of soldiers and strategists, cast a gaze both mesmerized and menacing toward her.

Li Zhu asked, “Who has red fabric?”

Several soldiers had just found horses and mounted them, surrounding Li Zhu in the center.

“I have a red headscarf!”

“Give it to me!”

No one knew what the frail-looking Princess Qinghe intended to do.

They watched her duck her head, hurriedly pick up her helmet, and fumble onto the horse, her legs weak. Their hearts sank.

This was it—this might be a one-way trip.

Xue Huaifang thought the same as her. The original plan for both sides was to use this meeting to take out the other side with minimal cost and gain the upper hand.

To prevent her from returning to the city, Xue Huaifang would surely post strong reinforcements at Wenling’s city gates.

He himself was afraid of death, protected by layers of shield soldiers, archers, and cavalry. Lu Yu could only buy her time to escape temporarily, with no chance of piercing their defenses to take Xue Huaifang’s life.

Unable to advance or retreat.

She had only one path remaining.

Li Zhu said, “Go to the battlefield. Find any officer, whether a Company Commander or Platoon Leader. Tell them Princess Qinghe is here and order them to bring their troops to follow me to the Luan River passage in the southeast! Quickly!”

“Yes!”

Under the current military system of Great Yong, the army was structured into divisions, companies, and platoons.

A Colonel led a division, which was divided into companies of five hundred soldiers each, commanded by a Company Commander. Each company was further divided into platoons of fifty soldiers, led by a Platoon Leader.

No matter how chaotic the battlefield was, soldiers never operated solo.

The soldier sent by Li Zhu to the battlefield quickly found a Platoon Leader.

“Captain Liu! Princess Qinghe is personally commanding the forces. Quickly bring your men and follow me!”

The man called Captain Liu was stunned.

“Who did you say is leading the campaign?”

Princess Qinghe?

That Princess Qinghe they had seen during patrols, so frail she looked like a strong breeze could knock her over?

The messenger soldier was just as confused but had no time to explain. He simply said:

“Princess Qinghe has issued urgent orders! Lead your men to take control of the river passage! Do not delay. If you fail this tactical move, you will be court-martialed!”

Hearing this, Captain Liu, surnamed Liu, realized this was serious and immediately called to his subordinates:

“Princess Qinghe is here on the battlefield! Quickly follow me to join me in providing backup!”

“What? Princess Qinghe is leading the campaign?”

“Princess Qinghe herself?”

“Princess Qinghe is here! There must be reinforcements. Let’s go!”

The news of Princess Qinghe leading the campaign spread across the battlefield, quickly igniting a surge of morale.

Looking back, they indeed saw a figure bearing a standard in the rear of the battlefield, offering support from afar.

The figure at the center stood out starkly from the generals—clearly a woman.

The remaining Pingning garrison, upon hearing that the princess had not returned to the city but was instead leading the army to seize the southeastern river channel, instantly rallied!

Xue Huaifang was nowhere to be found, but Princess Qinghe was personally commanding at the front.

The Pingning garrison felt as if they had been given a dose of courage; even though they were fighting separately and without a main commander, they showed no fear.

A blood-soaked junhou drew his Long Lance, sending a spray of blood flying from its tip, and shouted:

"The omen holds true—'The dragon’s jaw pearl, the fire meteor, moves with the water, Heaven strikes down.' The 'Li' in Chili Army is taken from Princess Qinghe’s name—she is the pearl from the black dragon’s jaw! Heaven strikes down the Xue clan, Heaven aids the princess!"

"Heaven strikes down the Xue clan, Heaven aids the princess!"

The chant thundered, shattering the morale of the Xue soldiers on the battlefield, who fell back repeatedly.

……

Meanwhile, Captain Liu led his men and arrived at the river channel with Li Zhu.

The sounds from the battlefield below drifted up from afar.

The five thousand soldiers guarding the camp by the river channel stood in silence, listening to the cries of "Heaven strikes down the Xue clan, Heaven aids the princess" from below, as if doomsday were near, each fearing for their lives.

Just then.

A scout rushed in to report to the colonel left in charge of the camp, his voice trembling as he spoke:

"Report! Princess Qinghe is leading troops in person and has reached the upstream area ten li away. The messenger she sent holds a corner of a red robe, claiming the young master has been executed! They urge us to surrender, promising mercy to those who yield!"

The tent broke into an uproar among the colonels and military captains.

Some exchanged subtle glances with one another.

A colonel stepped forward: "How many troops does Princess Qinghe have?"

The scout replied: "Colonel Fei, the sandstorm is too thick to see clearly, but there are many Chili Army banners visible among the trees—though it could also be... a trick to feign surrender."

"If the princess is leading the charge herself, there must be ambushes in the woods!"

Colonel Fei turned, his face pained, and said to the crowd:

"Everyone, since the young master is already dead, holding out any longer will only lead to more needless casualties. Perhaps we should—"

"Fei Hai!"

Colonel Xue shouted:

"The Xue family has shown you great kindness! The young master’s fate is unknown, yet you dare undermine morale! What are you all waiting for? Help me execute this traitor on the spot!"

As he spoke, only the other Xue clansmen beside him drew their swords, while the remaining colonels stood motionless.

Their positions were clear; killing intent hung in the air.

Seeing this, Fei Hai laughed:

"The Xue young master was incompetent, letting Princess Qinghe escape, and now he wants to drag everyone down with him? Colonel Xue, go die with your Xue kin yourself."

On a hillside two miles away.

"...Princess Qinghe, we've been fanning these for an hour straight. Should we keep going?"

"Keep fanning! No one stops until there's movement from the enemy camp—are you tired? If you're tired, I'll take over!"

Seeing the princess about to snatch the palm leaf from his hand, the soldier quickly stepped back, protesting that he wouldn't dare let her.

It was no wonder they were skeptical.

When Captain Liu arrived with reinforcements, he had assumed Princess Qinghe would have a large army backing her. Instead, he found that their fifty-man squad was the entire force.

Not only that, but the princess intended to have them surround the five thousand troops stationed by the river.

Sixty of them, surrounding five thousand.

Captain Liu nearly had a heart attack on the spot.

Fortunately, the princess didn’t actually expect them to charge into battle.

She only had them transport hundreds of banners into the hills with their chariots, planting flags everywhere. Then, using the winds from the Luan River, they dug and stirred up dust to create the illusion of a massive army, aiming to deceive the enemy.

But in his view, it all seemed like a complete joke.

The enemy knew exactly how many garrison troops Pingning County had. If they sent scouts to investigate, the ruse would be exposed in an instant.

Yet the princess insisted, "Don’t worry, they won’t send scouts."

Dust devils swirled around them, and Princess Qinghe’s profile remained resolute and unwavering amid the sand-filled winds.

Captain Liu watched her for a moment, and for some reason, his anxious heart calmed somewhat.

What was there to fear? Even the princess, a noble of royal blood, showed no fear!

They were men with nothing to lose—if they failed, they would die alongside the princess; if they succeeded, they would be rewarded with titles and ranks. Heads we win, tails we win!

But if he had glanced down just a little further, he would have noticed a pair of tightly clenched hands shaking like leaves within her sleeves.

*Stop shaking, damn hands!* she scolded herself.

At such a critical moment, she couldn’t afford to show fear and demoralize the troops!

Just as the soldiers were reaching their limit, someone suddenly noticed something unusual.

"Princess!" the man exclaimed excitedly. "They're breaking formation! Their camp is in disarray!"

Everyone perked up at once.

Striding forward, they saw clearly that the distant camp was engulfed in shouts and clashes, with soldiers scattering like ants in confusion.

When the enemy fell into chaos, it had to mean some were switching sides!

As long as some defected to their side, those five thousand troops would be unable to reinforce Xue Huaifang. They would no longer be able to flood Pingning, and the siege would be broken!

Li Zhu stared fixedly for what felt like ages.

It wasn’t until someone beside her caught her arm that she realized she had almost buckled at the knees and tumbled down the slope!

Amid the jubilant celebration, Captain Liu quickly composed himself and said:

"Don't worry, Princess! We will go ahead to scout the situation. If the enemy surrenders, we will immediately order them to disarm their weapons and send word down to the mountain!"

Li Zhu nodded emphatically.

Captain Liu led fifty cavalry away, the remaining ten soldiers still guarding Li Zhu.

Now, as they looked at Princess Qinghe, all traces of their earlier doubts had vanished, replaced with deep reverence.

Previously, upon hearing that the Chili Army and General Pei couldn’t return in time, they had already lost hope.

Who would have thought of such a turnaround!

"Princess, rest assured—the Xue clan's troops have low fighting spirit to begin with. If they hear that everyone on the mountain has surrendered, they will surely lay down their arms. Once Commandant Lu leads the charge, how could we fail to kill Xue Huaifang?"

Li Zhu could do nothing but nod.

She was afraid that if she spoke, tears would fall before she could get half a sentence out.

During the two hours she spent waiting there, she had already imagined over a dozen different ways she might die—her heart felt as if it were frying in a wok of oil.

Generals aren't meant for ordinary people.

Everyone has their strengths—she would never force Pei Zhaoye to read more books again.

The soldiers, however, mistook her silence for calm and composed, and praised her:

"We were blind! Before, we only knew Princess as frail, but we never imagined she would be a military genius! From now on, no matter who it is, with Princess commanding the troops, Pingning Commandery will surely be as secure as an impregnable fortress..."

What "from now on"? There is no "from now on"!

Once Pei Zhaoye returns, she absolutely, absolutely will not set foot on the battlefield again to suffer like this!

Just as Li Zhu sat under a tree, waiting for Lu Yu to mop up the battlefield and bring her Xue Huaifang’s head, the guards around her suddenly grew alert.

"Hooves! I hear horses!"

"Someone’s coming! Princess, get up quickly!"

Li Zhu scrambled to her feet, her face filled with despair.

"This is bad—they’re coming from the Xue clan's main camp. They’re probably Xue clansmen loyal to Xue Huaifang."

"Princess, we can’t stay here any longer. We must hurry down the mountain!"

"Going down the mountain is no good either! The situation below is still unclear, and Commandant Lu is too overwhelmed to help. It’s better to flee into the mountains, find a hiding spot, and wait for Commandant Lu to free up and rescue the Princess!"

After a brief discussion, the ten soldiers agreed—every point was valid.

Setting aside her emotions, Li Zhu rubbed her face and mustered her courage:

"Alright! We’ll abandon the horses and head into the mountains. We’ll hide for a day or half a day—Commandant Lu will surely come to rescue us..."

"Princess, watch out!"

An arrow flew toward them, and Li Zhu was pushed down to avoid it.

Without another word, the soldiers shielded Li Zhu and dashed deep into the dense forest.

Just hold on a little longer.

Li Zhu panted heavily, even outpacing the soldiers beside her.

Just hold on a little longer.

Xue Yun is dead, and Xue Huaifang is dead too.

Once the rebels are wiped out, if the Tan family doesn’t want to rebel like the Xue family, they’ll have no choice but to obey the imperial orders.

Soon, she can return to Luoyang, see her father again, and work with him to eliminate Tan Jing and consolidate military power. The eleven northern provinces will no longer be just a distant dream for the people of Nan Yong...

"—Princess Qinghe is right ahead! Capture Princess Qinghe alive, and the young master will reward you handsomely!"

Bowstrings were drawn full behind them.

Li Zhu, running at the front, suddenly slipped.

"Princess!!!"

A sense of weightlessness and the pain of branches whipping against her struck abruptly, and the soldiers’ shouts grew distant.

As the world spun and she hit the ground again, Li Zhu’s eyes welled with tears from the pain. Her first thought was—

She had to get up quickly.

No matter what, Pei Zhaoye must never find out.