Chapter 76 What are you doing here?
When Yan Wuxin went outside carrying her Phoenix Cry Longsword, she was surprised to find that it was her close attendant, Ye You.
Ye You, weary from days of travel, was overjoyed to see Yan Wuxin. He knelt before her with a thud, his eyes reddening, and said, "Master, I've finally caught up with you. You must have traveled day and night, enduring wind and rain, have you managed?"
Yan Wuxin laughed and helped her up. "This is nothing! I haven't even reached the battlefield yet, and you're already worried. I'm perfectly fine. Why did you follow me? Did my mother send you?"
Ye You rubbed his sore eyes. "Yes, Your Excellency instructed me to catch up with you so that I can deliver the item to you."
Ye You took off the heavy bundle from his body and said, "This is the Golden Scale Bright Armor that the Prime Minister ordered to be made at great expense. The workmanship is first-class and the materials are extremely sturdy. It can provide the master with an extra layer of protection on the battlefield."
When Yan Wuxin opened it, he was surprised to find that there were three sets inside.
She couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "When did my mother become so thoughtful? She even prepared armor for my friend!"
Ye You hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "The Prime Minister said that she had no choice but to do it. Firstly, she was afraid that you, Master, were too kind-hearted and would give the armor to someone else. Secondly, she was afraid that people were treacherous and that someone would steal your armor. So she prepared three sets, hoping that your two friends would be reliable."
Yan Wuxin rolled his eyes speechlessly, "I'm much luckier at making friends than my mother."
As she spoke, she pulled open her clothes to show Ye You the gold-threaded soft armor she had just put on. "See? Ruzhen put this on me. Go back and tell my mother to stop worrying about useless things."
In any case, the three of them finally had their equipment and traveled for several more days before finally arriving at the Lingzhou front.
Early that morning, the three men rode through Lingzhou City. As soon as they approached the Lingzhou camp, they heard the hoofbeats of tens of thousands of troops being mobilized, and the whole earth trembled.
Animals are more sensitive to danger than humans. But only brave humans will rise to the challenge and find a glimmer of hope amidst the greatest crises.
Their mounts neighed uneasily, and the three of them spurred their horses forward, pressing into the battlefield.
As they passed through a dense forest, seven or eight soldiers, armed with weapons, rushed out and stopped them, shouting, "Halt! This is a military area; do not approach!"
Lu Jinlan quickly gave her name, "I am Lu Jinlan, I want to see General Song."
A soldier immediately retorted, "Nonsense! Lord Lu is far away in the capital. Don't even think about impersonating him. Get out of here immediately, or you'll be punished according to military law."
Lu Jinlan sighed helplessly. Just as she was about to reach for the token, another person rushed out of the forest and shouted, "Don't be rude!"
The man quickly stepped forward, bowed, and greeted, "Greetings, Lord Lu."
Lu Jinlan recognized her voice immediately. He leaned over his horse and looked closely, only to find it was someone he knew. He exclaimed with delight, "Zuo Suizhi!"
She slapped away Zuo Suizhi's hand that was about to greet her, dismounted, and excitedly embraced her.
Xiang Ruzhen and Yan Wuxin also quickly dismounted, took Zuo Suizhi's hand, and exchanged warm greetings.
During the martial arts competition, everyone was impressed by Zuo Suizhi. Unfortunately, she was fighting against Chu Yishu, so she was unfortunately eliminated.
However, she spent several days at Yan Wuxin's manor with the group of students from other places, and the three of them got along quite well with her.
Yan Wuxin hurriedly asked, "It's been so long since we parted ways in the capital. What are you doing here?"
Zuo Suizhi smiled and said, "My mother is a grain supervisor under General Song. After the border war started, the Song family army recruited new soldiers, and I signed up to join the army immediately. Now I am a small centurion, and I will have to rely on the help of you gentlemen in the future."
Zuo Suizhi then looked at Lu Jinlan and said, "I heard that you are already a fourth-rank cavalry captain. Congratulations, Captain."
Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "Stop teasing me. My official position was purely something my mother-in-law asked for on my behalf so that it would sound good. It's nothing like what you all earned through real battles on the battlefield."
At this moment, the small team led by Zuo Suizhi was all standing to the side, dozens of people gathered around. They were quite shocked to hear what Lu Jinlan said.
Apart from the group led by Yue Chan last time, most of the Song family army soldiers had never come into contact with Lu Jinlan.
Everyone had only heard that General Song's son had married Lu Jinlan, the eldest daughter of a wealthy merchant in Yunzhou.
Lu Jinlan's reputation is quite complex. Some say she's a womanizer, others say she's incredibly loyal and righteous, and still others say she's exceptionally talented. In any case, many stories have spread from the capital to Lingzhou, becoming increasingly varied and contradictory.
Soldiers seem to have an innate aversion to talented scholars, often speaking of them with disdain: "What's the use of being able to compose poems and write essays? Can you defeat the enemy by writing them down?"
From their perspective, they all felt that Song Lincheng had been deceived by Lu Jinlan, a charming and talented woman, and they secretly felt indignant.
Some people lamented, "It's all General Song's fault for not having a daughter. Alas, he has entrusted his future to the wrong person, and the future of our Song family army is worrying."
Some people secretly complained, "If you ask me, it's all Young Master Song's fault for not recognizing talent. Our great general is so brave, why didn't he find a military talent like his mother did, but instead chose a poet?"
Some people envied Chi Ji, saying, "But this Lord Lu is really lucky to have married into such a family. Others at most rise through the ranks, but she rose from nothing and became a fourth-rank military officer right away."
Some people joked helplessly, "It's just that we weren't lucky enough to be born as a scholar in our next life and marry the son of a great general, then we'd have everything!"
...
The above-mentioned views were probably circulating in the army. However, today, everyone saw that Lu Jinlan was heroic and dashing, and his attitude was completely different from the image of a weak scholar that everyone had imagined.
Her words were so frank and open, revealing that she had obtained her official position without any effort, that those who had gossiped about her behind her back felt embarrassed and awkward. For a moment, they no longer found Lu Jinlan annoying.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lu Jinlan said, "We're here to help at the front lines. Could you give me directions? I'll go see General Song first."
Zuo Suizhi said with difficulty, "Today's battle has begun, and both sides have already deployed their forces. A major battle is about to break out. General Song is currently the Grand Marshal of the Border Pacification Army and is supervising the battle from the front lines. He must be busy right now. We are ordered to scout the flanks. Why don't you wait until the battle is over before you go to pay your respects?"
Lu Jinlan thought for a moment, "Then show us the situation on the front lines first, and then we'll talk."
Zuo Suizhi led the three men up to the top. Looking down from there, the soldiers below looked as densely packed as ants.
According to Zuo Sui, the two sides have fought six battles in the past half month, with victories and defeats in each. The last battle was three days ago, and everyone was resting and regrouping in preparation for today's great battle.
The three men observed the formation through binoculars, while Zuo Suizhi explained, "The territory and population of Qu Kingdom are smaller than those of our Hua Kingdom, and they usually don't dare to invade our borders. This time, for some reason, they've acted out of character, deploying over 200,000 troops, practically emptying their coffers. It seems they're determined to fight us to the death."
Lu Jinlan looked over and saw Song Jingxiao holding the command token, sitting upright on the command platform in military uniform, her majesty as imposing as a mountain, with the Song character flag behind her fluttering in the wind.
In the Qu Kingdom's army, the general in command of the chariot was a young man under thirty years old.
She was dressed in black and gold armor, with her hair tied up in a golden crown. Behind her hung a battle flag bearing the character "Xiao," and beside her stood a three-pointed, double-edged halberd, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.
Yan Wuxin asked curiously, "Who is the commander of the Qu Kingdom?"
"Crown Prince Xiao Chengying is the third daughter of the Emperor of Qu Kingdom. She has just been made Crown Prince and is said to be proficient in both literary and military arts. At the beginning of the war, she even personally took to the battlefield and killed two of our generals, so she is indeed quite skilled. However, with the Marshal personally taking to the battlefield, she dared not step forward to fight."
Lu Jinlan then asked, "How does her kung fu compare to Ruzhen's?"
Zuo Suizhi thought for a moment, "It should be about right."
Lu Jinlan nodded, understanding the situation.
Xiang Ruzhen smiled, "What kind of crazy idea are you thinking of now?"
Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "As the saying goes, to catch the thief, first catch the king. I'm thinking, the Qu Kingdom attaches so much importance to the border war, even the crown prince has gone to the front lines. Do you think they'll still be in the mood to continue fighting if this crown prince dies?"
Yan Wuxin praised, "Great! Killing her will be a great achievement for us, and we can return to the capital to collect our reward in the blink of an eye."
Zuo Suizhi repeatedly advised, "That's absolutely impossible. Look, Xiao Chengying's chariot is far back in the midst of the army, surrounded by armored soldiers. There are at least 250,000 troops in front of her. Let alone getting close, even arrows can't reach her."
Lu Jinlan nodded. "Indeed, she has 250,000 troops in front of her, but she doesn't have 250,000 troops behind her, does she?"
Lu Jinlan pointed to a spot on the map, "If we go around from here and cut in from behind, we can probably catch her off guard by running two or three miles."
Zuo Suizhi shook his head repeatedly, "There is a cliff over there that is more than ten feet high. The reason she dared to go there is because she was sure that it was safe enough that no one could get across."
Xiang Ruzhen said, "Only a dozen or so feet? With the three of us having the lightness skills, we can go up."
Yan Wuxin nodded and said, "That's right, and they wouldn't have thought of such a remote location."
Zuo Suizhi initially thought they were just chatting and joking, but seeing the three of them getting more and more serious, he couldn't help but exclaim anxiously, "No! Absolutely not! Even if you can get up there, even if you can rush to Xiao Chengying, you'll still have to face thousands of armored soldiers. The chances of success are extremely slim. Putting aside whether you can succeed, let me ask you, how do you plan to withdraw?"
Lu Jinlan said, "It depends on whether we can succeed. If the assassination is successful, the enemy will be thrown into chaos, and we can charge back from the front."
Zuo Sui asked worriedly, "What if we fail?"
Lu Jinlan smiled, "Of course there's a way to get them back. Do you think I'd let them go to their deaths?"
The three of them acted immediately and set off towards the cliff.
Zuo Suizhi pressed on, urging, "If it were possible to do it that way, the Marshal would have done it long ago."
Lu Jinlan laughed and said, "That's hard to say. Even if she wanted to do that, where would she find three of us who are skilled and fearless?"
Zuo Suizhi frowned. "But what if something happens to you?"
Lu Jinlan thought to herself: I'm the protagonist, can I die?
She told Zuo Suizhi, "Don't worry, you can lead the horses back for us in a bit and wait for our good news."
They traveled for seven or eight miles along the mountain road before finally reaching the enemy's rear.
The three dismounted, carried their weapons, and climbed the cliff one after another.
Halfway up the mountain, they heard the war drums thundering, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens.
Yan Wuxin felt a cold sweat break out on his back and said softly, "The two armies have begun to clash."
Xiang Ruzhen said, "During the battle, everyone's eyes are focused on the front, which is perfect for us to flank them."
Yan Wuxin asked again, "Jinlan, you just said that even if you don't succeed, there's still a way to come back. What is that way?"
Lu Jinlan said, "The solution is for me to provide cover while you two return the way you came."
The two were taken aback, stopped what they were doing, and asked, "And what about you?"
Lu Jinlan smiled, "Of course I'll be back later. Do you think I'd die there? You all have to believe I'm a lucky star sent from heaven, so don't worry about me."
Before long, the three of them climbed the cliff. Xiao Chengying's chariot was not far away, surrounded by about three thousand men, all with their backs to them. Zuo Suizhi was right; charging straight at them would indeed be difficult to succeed.
Lu Jinlan thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "I have a plan. We need to split our forces into three groups."
Yan Wuxin was stunned. "There are only three of us. Do we have to split into three groups?"
Lu Jinlan said, "If there were four people, we would divide our forces into three groups, but unfortunately there is no fourth person here."
She picked up a pebble and drew a simple diagram on it. "Come closer, and I'll explain in detail."
*
Meanwhile, Chu Yishu, Sun Lewen, Wu Qiongmeng, and other classmates were keeping a close eye on the command flag in the Song family army.
They were temporarily appointed as commanders of a thousand women, each leading a force of a thousand, ready to charge.
Although everyone practiced military strategy and tactics every day in the academy and trained in horsemanship and archery, they still broke out in a cold sweat the first time they were on the battlefield.
Chu Yishu carefully adjusted her armor while sitting on her horse and said in a low voice, "I know I'm usually a bit arrogant and difficult to get along with. If I've done anything wrong, I apologize to you two sisters. But we've lived in the same dormitory for more than half a year. If a fight breaks out later, don't forget to look out for each other."
Sun Lewen laughed and said, "I don't hate anyone to the point of wishing them dead. Don't worry, after today's battle, we'll be comrades-in-arms, even brothers in arms. All those trivial matters from the past will be wiped clean."
Wu Qiongmeng reminded him, "The flag officer is pointing at our unit. Let's go, let's charge into the enemy lines."
The battlefield is truly cruel. Even though we don't know each other, we have to fight to the death the moment we meet.
Chu Yishu gripped the spear tightly, daring not to be careless or show any mercy. The pungent smell of blood assaulted her nostrils, making her want to vomit. But she could only grit her teeth and continue fighting.
Everyone was fighting desperately, including the enemy. Chu Yishu's warhorse had its leg cut off by a dying enemy soldier, and she fell off the horse. When she turned around, the ground was littered with lifeless corpses.
Sun Lewen quickly led his men to surround the enemy and stop them from launching further attacks.
Chu Yishu quickly got up, mounted an empty warhorse, and continued fighting. At this moment, she could clearly feel that life and death hung in the balance.
Chu Yishu and Sun Lewen stood back to back, having just finished slaying a wave of enemy soldiers, when another wave of enemy soldiers charged up.
In the midst of the battle, Chu Yishu suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "I'm so envious!"
Sun Lewen silently chopped off two heads, then yelled, "What are you envious of?"
"There's no need to be envious. Jinlan, Wuxin, Ruzhen, and Yanyu are probably drinking and listening to music in the capital right now, and maybe they're even holding men in their arms."
Sun Lewen gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry about it for now. Once we win this battle, I'll give you two men."
Chu Yishu was both amused and exasperated. "If we can get back to the capital safely, I'll give you four!"
Everyone longs for victory, but the sheer number of enemy troops, so vast and overwhelming, inspires despair, as if they will never be defeated. To survive until nightfall and call it a day would be considered incredibly lucky.
Just as everyone was exhausted and in despair, the enemy army suddenly fell into chaos. As everyone was still wondering what was happening, they suddenly saw Yue Chan leading the marshal's personal guards charging towards the enemy, shouting, "Follow me into battle! Reinforce Lu Jinlan!"
Chu Yishu couldn't help but doubt her ears. "Who did she say she was meeting?"
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