Mercenary Princess - Chapter 86
"Forgive my ignorance, but I truly do not know..."
"Oh, right! I almost forgot, you weren't originally from our country! However, although you are not a citizen of Nancha Kingdom, our Nancha Kingdom has always been friendly and does not exclude foreigners, so once you enter our territory, you belong to our country and must become familiar with some of our laws and regulations..."
Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines' Chronicle, Chapter Twenty-One: On the March (Part One)
The northern frontier is sparsely populated and has a harsh climate. Herdsmen live by following water and grass, migrating year-round. Skilled in riding and archery, they are all robust, brave, and cunning. Therefore, although this nomadic people have a total population of no more than 10,000, the Southern Kingdom does not dare to be careless. It has dispatched 60,000 troops and three guards to Rongyue, hoping to wipe out these barbarian bandits who are disturbing the border and disrupting the peace of the Southern Kingdom in one fell swoop.
The carriages rumbled, the horses neighed, and travelers carried bows and arrows at their waists. Parents, wives, and children walked to see them off, the dust obscuring the Xianyang Bridge. They tugged at clothes, stamped their feet, and blocked the road, weeping, their cries reaching the heavens. One would expect that the scene of a farewell to a soldier, even if not as tragic as Du Fu's description, would still be filled with sorrow and grief. The poignant image of these brave warriors departing, unsure if they would ever return, would inevitably cast a shadow of melancholy over the prosperous city of Ziye. But to Rongyue's surprise, the people lining the road beat drums and scattering flowers in celebration. Some even held banners and shouted encouragement, their faces brimming with envy and admiration. Their impassioned demeanor made it seem as if going to war was a glorious and proud thing.
As they exited Chaoyang Gate, the shouts of encouragement from the people gradually faded. A gentle breeze rustled through the dense forest, and warm sunlight shone on the fragrant grass. Holding the reins, riding her brown, long-haired steed, Rongyue couldn't help but look back once more at the 60,000 spirited soldiers stretching across the yellow earth. Her heart grew heavier, feeling an invisible, immense pressure relentlessly closing in on her, making it hard to breathe… She was afraid, truly afraid, afraid she would become the second Zhao Kuo…
She had no firsthand experience in military campaigns, and therefore no real experience whatsoever. All she possessed were some surviving maxims passed down from her ancestors. While theoretical knowledge was sufficient, she feared that in a real battle, her lack of combat experience would lead to the needless sacrifice of these passionate young men. After all, on the unpredictable battlefield, even the slightest mistake could result in utter annihilation…
The lives of over 60,000 people were entrusted to Rong Yue's shoulders alone. This heavy burden made her feel the weight of responsibility and the weight of her mission for the first time in her life. Undoubtedly, she was impulsive and thoughtless at the time, only thinking about becoming a general, without calmly considering whether she was capable of shouldering the position. But then again, even if she had considered it, what difference would it have made? Even if she had considered that she was not up to the task, she would probably have gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, and made the same choice. After all, from her current position, even with the slightest chance, she would not easily give up. She would strive to seize this rare opportunity, and no matter how dangerous or difficult, she would fight for it, seeking victory amidst the peril.
"Little San, what are you thinking about? You look so gloomy, like a bitter gourd!" Turning his horse around, Tuoba Chen quietly approached and playfully pushed Rongyue on her horse.
Flustered, Rongyue gripped the reins tightly to steady her slipping body and snapped, "What are you doing! Talk to me properly, why are you resorting to violence!"
Rongyue's disheveled appearance just now made me chuckle. It reminded me of the scene when she was rejected by the dark horse and thrown into the air at the Yangcheng competition. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Rongyue naturally guessed seven or eight parts of what Tuoba Chen was thinking. Staring angrily at Tuoba Chen, who was grinning so hard he was bent over, Rongyue said in a fit of rage, "I really wish I could fill your mouth with duck feathers!"
Imagining his mouth full of duck feathers, Tuoba Chen felt a tickle in his throat, and his laughter stopped.
"Hey, mistress, can you watch your mouth? Your mouth is full of duck feathers... Ugh, how could you even think of that? It's disgusting!" Rubbing his arms with disgust, Tuoba Chen felt something was wrong with him and his whole body.
Serves him right! Rongyue glanced at him coolly and was about to turn away when she suddenly met Tuoba Jie's ambiguous smile.
"You two have such a wonderful relationship, it's truly enviable!" Tuoba Jie said calmly, raising his phoenix eyes at Rongyue, his words carrying a hidden meaning.
"In my opinion, it's jealousy!" He pulled on the reins, turned his horse around again, and went around Rongyue's mount from behind, forcibly pushing Tuoba Jie's tall horse aside and rudely placing it between Tuoba Jie and Rongyue, separating the two of them.
Ignoring Rongyue's angry glare, Tuoba Chen grinned and leaned forward, saying, "Hey, Little San, why are you riding the horse so wobbly? You only learned to ride a horse a few days ago, and your skills aren't even up to par yet. You're trying to run before you can even crawl. Do you think that's going to work? Stop showing off. Why don't you ride with me for a while? After a few days, when your horsemanship is passable, then you can show off!"
A general riding a horse with a prince? Is this appropriate?! She rolled her eyes at him, spurred her horse on, and galloped away, leaving Tuoba Chen a few steps behind.
"Hey, Xiao San, don't run so fast! Don't fall!" Tuoba Chen hurriedly caught up with Rong Yue on horseback...
The overlooked Tuoba Jie watched the two walking side by side ahead, chatting and laughing, his hands hanging at his sides without him noticing...
After traveling for more than half a month, enduring wind and rain and sleeping in the open, Rongyue felt as if she had returned to her days in the training camp. She gritted her teeth and didn't find it too unbearable. But Tuoba Chen was different. This pampered prince was going on a military expedition for the first time—like a young woman getting married! During the march, perhaps to maintain his image as a prince, he didn't show too many complaints. But once they set up camp to rest, Tuoba Chen would cling to Rongyue's tent, pestering her to complain incessantly about aches and pains.
"Ouch, little sister, come and massage me, my shoulder is killing me!" Tuoba Chen said hesitantly, pointing to his shoulder with a distressed expression.
After downing a pot of coarse tea, Rongyue weakly wiped her mouth, walked to the bedside, and sprawled out on the cold, hard wooden board. "I just finished training the troops, I'm so tired I feel like dying. I don't have time to serve you, old man! Go wherever you're cool, don't bother me, I'm exhausted. Ah-ha—" She lazily yawned, her eyes half-closed, drifting off to sleep. After spending more than half a month together, she gradually opened up to Tuoba Chen, that shameless, always playful fellow, and began to truly treat him as a friend. She spoke to him without restraint, completely forgetting his princely status. Whether it was something she should or shouldn't say, she said whatever came to mind. Tuoba Chen, however, was delighted by this. Even though Rongyue often uttered extremely disrespectful remarks, he didn't mind, and would even feel a good sense of satisfaction for a while. One is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit. Even if others overhear, they can't say anything, right?
Moving closer, Tuoba Chen propped his head up with one hand and leaned down next to Rong Yue: "Seriously speaking, the mistress is getting closer and closer to the Northern Frontier. How are you going to fight this battle?"
Her sleepiness vanished instantly. Opening her eyes, Rongyue cast an expectant gaze at Tuoba Chen beside her: "Do you perhaps have some good suggestions?"
Pointing to his own nose, Ba Chen laughed with surprise: "What good advice could I possibly have! You know, I know absolutely nothing about military strategy! Besides, you're a great general, full of tactical knowledge, do you really need me to give you pointers?"
He hesitated before speaking, "But I really want to hear your opinion..."
Tuoba Chen flicked Rongyue's cheek and deliberately put on a stern face: "Little San, are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?"
"Sigh—" With a heavy sigh, Rongyue closed her eyes again, trying to shut out all the troubles in front of her.
"What's wrong, Xiao San? Is something bothering you? Is the guards being unruly? Or have the soldiers broken military regulations again? Or perhaps..."
“Chen,” Rongyue said, her eyes still closed and her expression unchanged, but a hint of unease crept into her voice: “Have you ever heard of the idiom ‘armchair strategist’?”
"Armchair strategist?" Tuoba Chen pondered these four words in secret, while also trying to figure out what Rongyue was thinking at this moment.
"Zhao She was a great general of the Zhao state, who made many great contributions to the state. However, Zhao She's son, Zhao Kuo, was not like his father..." As Rong Yue recounted the story, Tuoba Chen's expression gradually darkened. When Rong Yue spoke of Zhao Kuo being killed by a hail of arrows and the annihilation of the entire 400,000-strong army, Tuoba Chen's face became even more solemn.
"Bu San, do you mean to say that you, like Zhao Kuo, are only good at theoretical discussions but lack practical experience?"
"Although I have a wealth of military strategies, I have never put them into practice, which makes me no different from Zhao Kuo, who only talked about war on paper."
After a moment of silence, Tuoba Chen suddenly leaned over Rong Yue and pressed his hands on either side of her: "Third Sister, what have you taken my sons of Nansha Kingdom for? Playthings for your experiments? Third Sister, for your own selfish reasons, you actually... Sigh, what can I say about you! Third Sister, put your hand on your conscience, 60,000 lives, how can you bear it!"
Biting her lower lip, Rongyue lowered her eyes and pondered for a while before retorting with a lack of confidence: "Actually, it's not that bad... Aren't there still three guards? They've followed the general in his many campaigns over the years, so they must have some experience in fighting the enemy, right?"
"Little San, I... I don't even know what to say to you! Do you know that in the Southern Kingdom, to prevent the leakage of battle secrets, all the decisions about how to fight, when to attack, when to defend, when to retreat, what formation to use for attack, what formation to use for defense, what route to take for retreat, and so on, are all made by the Grand General from beginning to end. The Martial Guards, on the other hand, only carry out orders according to instructions and manage their subordinates, without participating in any discussions about the enemy. Little San, do you even understand?!"
Rongyue was stunned: "So, the outcome of this battle rests entirely on my shoulders?"
Taking a deep breath, Tuoba Chen nodded weakly.
"How could this be... As the governor of the capital, one should be open to diverse opinions. To act behind closed doors... this is simply unreasonable..."
Volume Two: The Resolute Heroines' Chronicle, Chapter Twenty-Two: On the March (Part Two)
With a sigh, Tuoba Chen got out of bed and left the military tent without looking back, leaving Rongyue alone, staring blankly and muttering to herself...
The next morning, Tuoba Chen was awakened by the constant roaring sounds coming from outside. Thinking that something serious had happened in the army, Tuoba Chen did not have time to dress and wash up. He hurriedly threw on some clothes and riding boots and rushed outside.
At that moment, his first thought was whether something had happened to his mistress. Suddenly, he remembered the conversation from last night, and his heart skipped a beat. Unexpectedly, images of ministers committing suicide out of fear of punishment flashed through his mind... His heart pounded wildly, and Tuoba Chen quickened his pace, his robes fluttering and his black hair dancing wildly, as he rushed towards the source of the sound like lightning...
"Stop, stop, stop! What's going on? You sang it wrong again! This line should be sung like this, cough cough, listen carefully! 'Hate runs wild, the long sword points, how many loyal brothers and sisters are buried in foreign lands...'"
"Reporting to the general, when you sang this line earlier, it didn't sound like this..."
"Hey, what kind of nonsense are you spouting! Are you teaching this space technique, or am I, the general, teaching it? Fine, since you say this line is wrong, then you sing it! I want to hear how you put it!"
"No, no, General, it's not that you sang it wrong, but rather that... the tunes you sang were different the two times..."