Chapter 127 Embracing Xie Wenjun, forgetting even to put on her cloak, ran across the gate...

In the last month of the middle of winter that year, Xie Wenjun arrived at the central army camp in the northern border with an imperial edict.

The camp was set up 30 miles from Yunya and Hudong. The two armies had been facing each other at Yunya and Hudong for more than a month, and Chen Liangyu was still at the front line and had not returned.

The official who came to welcome the princess was Duan Xuchi, the magistrate of Wuzhou.

Xie Wenjun's carriage stopped in front of the main camp, where armored vehicles stood like a forest. The camp was strictly disciplined; vehicles and horses were not allowed to move freely. Grain carts and carts carrying imperial wine had to be led slowly into the camp by horses, and the soldiers leading the carts orderly led them to the supply depot.

Duan Xuchi bowed deeply before the carriage, kneeling to welcome Xie Wenjun alighting, "This humble official, Duan Xuchi, the Prefect of Wuzhou, respectfully welcomes Your Highness the Princess."

The Changning Guard had already formed a line in front of the gate. Yuan Rong lifted the carriage curtain, and a corner of her cloak embroidered with gold-embroidered blue phoenix feathers peeked out first. Xie Wenjun helped Yuan Rong down onto a stool. "Commander Duan, rise."

"Your humble servant thanks Your Highness, Princess."

Xie Wenjun said, "The soldiers fought a bloody battle in Beiyong and made great contributions. On behalf of my imperial brother, I hereby bestow upon them a thousand jars of imperial wine and ten thousand taels of gold to reward the three armies and to show my gratitude to the Emperor."

Duan Xuchi said, "Your Highness, the Commander-in-Chief is still at the front lines dealing with the Yong Army and preparing to reward the troops. Shall we wait for the Commander-in-Chief to return?"

When will Chen Liangyu return?

"The enemy's situation is unpredictable, and I do not yet know when the commander will return to camp."

Xie Wenjun glanced at the desolate grassland stretching for dozens of miles, devoid of any sign of human habitation. The familiar figure she knew was nowhere to be seen. "Then there's no need to wait for her," she thought.

Duan Xuchi replied, "Yes."

Xie Wenjun stood on a high platform outside the central military tent, her figure wrapped in a bright yellow cloak. The embroidered pattern of a blue phoenix raised its head to the sky, its tail feathers extending to the hem of the cloak, fluttering in the cold wind.

Beneath the cloak, the outline of the crimson robe with dragon patterns was faintly visible; a gust of wind would reveal glimpses of the design.

A pool of clear spring water, calm yet harboring hidden thunder.

That's truly a remarkable demeanor.

The imperial wine jars and the wooden crates containing gold were unloaded in public and neatly stacked. Below the high platform were young, resolute faces, weathered by wind and sand.

Xie Wenjun picked up a long-handled wine ladle and personally poured wine for the soldiers in the front row.

Then, one after another, the corks of the jars were removed, and the wine was poured into bowls. Some of it spilled onto the ground of the drill ground, and because of the cold weather, the wine froze into ice crystals on the ground.

Bowls filled with imperial wine were handed to each soldier.

Millions of wine bowls were raised to the sky at the same time.

Xie Wenjun also picked up his wine bowl, saying, "Soldiers, you are the nation's most valuable asset. Your contributions to defending the borders and protecting the country are invaluable. The court will certainly not fail our loyal and brave soldiers!"

The sound was clear and melodious, spreading throughout the camp.

"This wine, I will first offer to all the soldiers!"

Having said that, he drank it all in one gulp.

The soldiers responded in unison, drank the imperial wine, and their voices rose high.

Xie Wenjun handed the reward list to Duan Xuchi and ordered the quartermaster to distribute the rewards according to the list. After inspecting the wounded soldiers in the wounded soldiers' camp and the civilian laborers and cooks in the supply camp, Xie Wenjun did not leave. She sat down in the tent set up for her in the camp next to the central command tent, summoned several key generals who were left in the main camp, inquired about the grain reserves and the condition of the wounded soldiers, and finally asked about the person she had been worrying about day and night.

"What is Chen Liangyu's situation?"

Duan Xuchi said, "Your Highness, before Your Highness arrived at the Northern Border, the Commander-in-Chief had already besieged Yunya for many days. A few days ago, he occupied the right wing of the lake. However, the Yong army was treacherous. After losing the right wing, they suddenly launched a counterattack on Yunya. The Commander-in-Chief wanted to seize Yunya as soon as possible, so he was afraid that he would not be able to return to the camp in the next two days. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Xie Wenjun asked, "Was she injured?"

Duan Xuchi said, "When soldiers go to war, death and injury are inevitable. The commander-in-chief has been on the expedition for more than a month and has clashed with the emperor of Beiyong many times. It is hard to say where he has been injured."

The pearl adorning Xie Wenjun's temple with a gold hairpin swayed slightly.

She came to reward the troops, abandoning her usual disheveled attire. The willow hairpin that bound her hair was replaced with a three-beam crown befitting a prince, and a white jade leather belt was tied around her waist, all to display the emperor's majesty.

The charcoal inside the tent was burning well, and Yuan Rong took off Xie Wenjun's cloak and stretched it out on a wooden frame.

Beneath the crimson robe with dragon patterns was a straight-hemmed palace dress, covered by soft armor.

She knew in her heart that Chen Liangyu was bound to have some injuries, and upon hearing this, her heartstrings tightened for no reason.

Just then, a fast horse galloped to the camp gate, and the messenger on horseback tumbled off the saddle and ran towards the central command tent, shouting as he went.

"Urgent report! The commander-in-chief has been ambushed and is trapped in Chaya Valley!"

Everyone rushed out of the tent, and Duan Xuchi grabbed the messenger, "Nonsense! The commander clearly..."

"Commander Duan!"

Xie Wenjun's expression turned quite sharp. "Now is not the time to investigate." She turned to the messenger and asked, "How many troops does the Yong army have? How many men does the commander-in-chief have?"

The messenger reported, "Bei Yong has deployed its main force, at least 100,000 men, to retake Yunya Military Town. The commander-in-chief has less than 8,000 men by his side."

Duan Xuchi's face was gloomy, and he remained silent, lost in thought.

Xie Wenjun spoke, her voice slightly cold: "Commander Duan, what are you waiting for?"

Duan Xuchi bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Commander-in-Chief has ordered that the camp must not be disturbed under any circumstances..."

"What time is it? You mustn't act rashly," Xie Wenjun immediately said, "Pass on my order..."

Rong Jun was startled and tried to stop him, "Your Highness, please reconsider."

Xie Wenjun's eyes were resolute. "Assemble the troops and rush to their aid!"

She knew that Xie Yuan already suspected her and it was not appropriate for him to interfere in the deployment of troops. Not to mention how many eyes were in the accompanying guards, there should also be many in the army watching Chen Liangyu, and they were now eyeing her as well.

Yongjun had 100,000 troops, while Chen Liangyu had less than 8,000 men by her side.

It was enough to throw her off all reason and composure.

It's just that she inherited both Empress Huixian's talent and her chronically frail health. Her body was simply too weak, making it difficult for her to achieve anything in martial arts or military strategy. Otherwise, she thought she would immediately mount her horse and ride off to join Chen Liangyu on the battlefield.

Duan Xuchi's eyes darted around several times. In his haste, he couldn't calmly analyze the current situation: should he obey Chen Liangyu's order not to act rashly, or should he follow the Princess's decree to rush to the front lines?

After thinking for a short while, he said, "Your humble servant... obeys."

Dust billowed in the north, and warhorses kicked up clouds of leaden smoke as they trod across the snow-covered plains.

Zhai Ji suddenly led 100,000 main forces to counterattack Yunya Military Town. He divided his troops into six routes. Three routes broke up the communication between Chen Liangyu and Jing Ming's Eagle Head Army and Lin Yin's Cloud Banner Army. The other three routes used the terrain of three mountains to lock the valley and forced Chen Liangyu and his 8,000 troops into Chaya Valley.

The heavy crossbow blasted away the obstructive eagle-wing patterned armor at the front, and the helmet fell to the ground, revealing a face that was not Chen Liangyu's.

Zhai Ji said, "Why is it you?"

Lin Yin was stunned by the crossbow bolts that were shot at him. "You must be overjoyed to see me, Second Prince."

Her head was still numb, so she forgot that Zhai Ji had already ascended the throne as emperor.

Where is Chen Liangyu?

Lin Yin said, "Chen Liangyu is of course at Yunya. How could she have time to lead thousands of people to play with you? I have time, so I came to see you."

Zhai Ji was furious. Yong Jun's crossbows were already aimed at Lin Yin. If he were to strike, Lin Yin would surely die here today.

He hesitated.

When he took the three volumes of Yin and Yang, he made a promise that no matter when the enemy invaded Zhonglin, he would never kill a single person from Bogongling. This was a gentleman's promise, known only to him and Lin Jianshu. Lin Jianshu is dead, and whether he kept this promise or not, no one else will know.

After a long while, the hand that was standing in mid-air finally did not come down.

"If you can't handle it, I won't bully people. Summon Chen Liangyu."

Lin Yin said, "Enough with the nonsense, are we going to fight or not?"

Zhai Ji said, "I gave you a chance to live. Since you didn't leave, you'd better watch yourself on the battlefield, where swords and spears have no eyes!"

The valley entrance was blocked, and archers guarded the steep cliffs on both sides, some hundreds of meters high.

Lin Yin hurriedly said, "Wait! A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. I'd better retreat."

"Not playing anymore?"

"No."

Just as Lin Yin was about to lead his troops out of Chaya Valley, Zhai Ji stopped him, saying, "You can leave, but the rest of you cannot."

“I will take the rest with me. If they live, I will live; if they die, I will die.”

"How capable do you think you are?"

Lin Yin said, "I can kill Chen Liangyu, so what's so special about that ability?"

Zhai Ji frowned and said, "What trick are you trying to pull now?"

He hadn't believed a word Lin Yin said; the girl was roguish and her words were empty and unreliable. But when Lin Yin mentioned killing Chen Liangyu, he was momentarily blinded and listened to her continue.

Lin Yin said, "A title of nobility, worth ten thousand taels of gold—do you keep your word?"

Zhai Ji said, "A ruler's word is his bond."

Lin Yin made a swearing gesture, "Very well, I swear on the soul of the Great Chief that I will not kill Chen Liangyu, and I, Lin Yin, will never again go to the battlefield to set up formations. If I break this oath, may the Great Chief be forever condemned to Yama and never be reincarnated!"

The furrows between Zhai Ji's brows deepened.

Such an oath is utterly malicious. It was a mistake for Lin Jianshu not to take her with him.

Lin Yin said, "Perhaps I am nothing to you. Opportunities to kill Chen Liangyu are rare. If you are not one of her confidants, it is difficult to get close to her. How can you kill her? Think it through. Whether it is the death of Chen Liangyu or the loss of one person on the battlefield who can always break your formation, you are guaranteed to gain something. Whether you believe me or not is up to you."

How Lin Yin led 8,000 soldiers to escape unscathed from the encirclement of the Yong army by the Three Mountains and Valleys became the deepest mystery of this battle.

The extreme cold could soothe the pain, but the arrow Helian Wei had shot through her shoulder blade was still lodged in her bone. Lin Yin often forgot about this; at first, her left hand was only prone to numbness, until her entire arm gradually lost all feeling.

Her left arm was never raised again.

Chaya Valley is not far from Yunya Military Town, with the banners of the north and south forming a clear dividing line. Chen Liangyu looked north and saw the golden banners of the Yong army stretching for ten miles, with the dragon pattern of the Northern Yong army barely discernible on the banners.

The southern border of Beiyong was defended by 400,000 troops. Zhai Ji mobilized 100,000 of his main forces to recapture Yunya, a small military town, which shows the importance of Yunya to Beiyong.

Since that's the case, she has no choice but to claim Yunya.

Yunya Military Town had been without food for many days. Even without entering the city to see for oneself, one could imagine the terrible situation inside. The defending troops on the city walls had clearly gone mad.

Upon seeing the Northern Yong army flag with its golden dragon pattern, his voice trembled with excitement.

"It's the Emperor! The Emperor has come to save us!"

More and more people cheered with all their might.

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

"His Majesty has come to rescue us personally! His Majesty has not abandoned us, has not abandoned Yunya!"

...

Helian Wei gritted his teeth and shouted, "Idiot, didn't you see that the flag is flying upside down?"

He drew his bow and fired several arrows, attempting to shoot down the tallest flag, but due to prolonged hunger, he lacked the strength and failed to achieve his goal.

As if to prove his words, the soldiers in the front row of the "reinforcements" suddenly lifted their camouflage, and a large banner with eagle and cloud patterns was suddenly unfurled, with the character "Chen" on the banner standing out conspicuously.

"It's the Lin Army, those are Chen Liangyu's men!"

Upon hearing this, some people on the city wall went mad in an instant. The commander suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, ripped off his armor, revealing his chest covered in scratches, and pointed to the festering wounds for everyone to see.

"See this? What is this? It's meat, meat... the freshest meat ever!"

Sobs and wild laughter echoed above the Cloud Cliff City Wall.

Helian Wei's face contorted in pain, and with a swift stroke, he killed the man. He shouted for battle, but it was too late.

The troop disguised as reinforcements from Beiyong suddenly split to the sides, revealing infantry pushing strange armored carts behind them. Helian Wei only had time to see a row of cold arrows much larger than ordinary arrowheads, and he blocked one with his sword, but then he felt a heat on his cheek, touched warm, sticky liquid, and saw his adjutant fall backward.

A second volley of arrows followed immediately.

At this point, the main force of the real Northern Yong reinforcements arrived, carrying the Yinglong-patterned military flag. However, the garrison on the city wall no longer believed that it was the army personally led by Zhai Ji.

Chen Liangyu re-estimated the number of troops led by Zhai Ji, which was probably more than 100,000.

Bu Ping'er has arrived from Dingbei City to take Lin Yin's place and stay by Chen Liangyu's side.

Chen Liangyu said, "Send another messenger with my military tally to order Duan Xuchi to assemble the Wuzhou garrison and come to our aid immediately."

Bu Ping'er said, "This humble general has already sent a messenger to Wuzhou to report the military situation."

"Send another one."

Chen Liangyu said, "Duan Xuchi has read a lot of books, but his brain has become rusty. I gave him a strict order before, forbidding him from making any moves in the camp without permission. We need to send someone to tell him to quickly mobilize troops."

The troops from Wuzhou arrived at Yunya territory well in advance. Chen Liangyu was moved that Duan Xuchi was finally less rigid and more clever, but she learned that it was Xie Wenjun who gave the order.

"Has the eldest princess already arrived at the northern border?"

Duan Xuchi said, "We've arrived. Her Highness the Princess asked if the Commander-in-Chief was injured."

"How did you answer?"

"I say that it is inevitable for those who go to war to suffer some injuries."

Chen Liangyu smiled and said, "Yes, it's inevitable."

Duan Xuchi felt a little uneasy at her laughter. "General, did I say something wrong?"

"That's right, very well said, that's how it should be said."

"That's good."

Chen Liangyu asked, "Did she ask anything else?"

"The princess also asked when the general would return."

Chen Liangyu said firmly, "Tonight. Tonight I will go back to see her."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight?"

Bu Ping'er and Jingming exclaimed in almost unison.

Jingming said, "The Northern Yong army of 100,000 is assembled here. Are you going back to camp tonight to see the Princess? Miss, forgive my bluntness, but you shouldn't..."

Lust can cloud judgment.

Bu Ping'er said, "This humble general agrees with what General Jing said."

Chen Liangyu said, "What are you two thinking? What I mean is that Zhai Ji will withdraw his troops tonight. Only after I capture Yunya can I go to see His Highness."

Bu Ping'er and Jing Ming stared at each other, dumbfounded.

On the one hand, the main force of the Yong army had been deployed, and the two armies were locked in fierce fighting with no clear victor. It would be too hasty for Zhai Ji to withdraw his troops tonight. On the other hand, Chen Liangyu's judgment in this matter was exceptionally accurate. Even though they thought it was impossible, they tacitly refrained from raising any objections.

The outcome of the battle will be revealed as night falls.

After Lin Yin left Chaya Valley, Zhai Ji did not allow her to lead the eight thousand men to Yunya to meet up with Chen Liangyu. Instead, he sent troops to force her to the west, forcing her to retreat further and further away from Yunya.

The grain transport route in Shanhu County has been cut off.

If this supply route is cut off, it means that more than half of the food and provisions for the 400,000-strong army of Beiyong cannot be delivered in time, and even the 100,000 main force he personally led will not have enough time to replenish their food and provisions.

With 100,000 main force soldiers running out of food, Zhai Ji dared not even imagine how far the morale of the army in the southern border would collapse.

At that time, it is possible that more than just Yunya and Hudong Grassland will be lost.

Zhai Ji smirked, "Who intercepted the grain route?"

Chen Liangyu's troops were all in Yunya and Hudong. According to Chen Liangyu's military habits, she would not go to great lengths to send a strong force deep into the heart of Beiyong to cut off a supply route that she was not confident of cutting off.

"Your Majesty, they are from the Ximano tribe."

Zhai Ji's eyes narrowed sharply. "No wonder."

The people of Shanhu County are a small grassland tribe, and they naturally fear the most powerful Ximano tribe on the grassland. This fear is like the bloodline suppression between cats and mice.

He knew that Zhong Lin had once married a princess to Xi Qing to win over the Ximano tribe, but Xi Qing's younger brother had died at Chen Liangyu's hands, so there was real hatred between them. Therefore, Zhai Ji speculated that Ximano would not get involved in the war between Bei Yong and Zhong Lin, and even if they had to get involved, they would not help Chen Liangyu.

In retrospect, he was so wrong.

Zhai Ji asked, "How many people are there in Ximano?"

"Ten thousand cavalry."

The nomadic people of the grasslands were known as bandits, their swords flashing with beastly, inhuman, savage, and bloodthirsty nature. Ten thousand cavalrymen—almost the entirety of their tribe's fiercest forces—were far more formidable than Chen Liangyu's well-trained Eagle Head Army cavalry.

All routes from Hudong to Yunya were blocked by Chen Liangyu's heavy troops.

Zhai Ji stood on a slightly higher mound. The road surface, hardened by snow, was slippery and difficult to traverse. After many days of attack, swollen, white, and unrecognizable corpses of soldiers could be seen everywhere.

A powerful enemy lies ahead, while supply lines are cut off from behind.

He had to admit that Yunya Military Town was lost.

After midnight, a hazy mist rose again from the cloud-covered cliffs.

The bugle of the Yong army sounded suddenly, and the soldiers removed their armor. All heavy armor and weapons were buried or burned on the spot. Zhai Ji personally led the Longxiang Army to cover the rear and protect the main army as it retreated towards Chaya Valley.

The bugle call to retreat pierced the sky and reached the cliffs.

Helian Wei looked towards the direction of Beiyongdu City with a desolate gaze, then walked to the edge of the city wall, drew his sword, and committed suicide, falling several meters down the wall.

Few survivors remained in the city; it was a scene of utter devastation. Most of the surviving defenders of Beiyong were exhausted and powerless to fight any longer, and surrendered without resistance.

The flags on the cliffs of Yunya City have been changed.

A large sword cut the Cloud Cliff Flag in half and planted a military flag with eagle and cloud patterns on it.

After giving his instructions, Chen Liangyu left through the west gate. Helian Wei's corpse still lay beneath the city wall, his eyes still open, gazing north. Scattered soldiers were grabbing his foot, about to drag him to the mass grave to bury him.

Such a death is heroic, but not dignified.

Chen Liangyu paused for a moment, took off the blood-stained cloak from Helian Wei's body, and covered his face with it.

The wasteland was covered by snow, forming an endless silver blanket. The shimmering snow made the cold night seem less dark.

The sound of horses' hooves trudging through the snow came from afar, growing clearer with each passing moment.

In the snow and mist, the silhouette of the jade lion horse almost blended into the white, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

Chen Liangyu's dismounting was still nimble, but her legs visibly went weak when she landed; after days of bloody battles, she was exhausted.

She traversed dozens of miles of frozen land and walked through the snow to reach us.

Xie Wenjun forgot to put on her cloak, her skirt trailing on the ground, as she ran past the gate towards her.

Even though the medicine hadn't worked, and she knew there were eyes watching her from the shadows, she still couldn't help but hug Xie Wenjun tightly the moment she ran towards her.

Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!

Chen Liangyu: I haven't taken a bath in a month or two. After a bath, I can still have children.