Chapter 117 She's a burden
Inside the central command tent, the candlelight flickered, casting long and short shadows of everyone, creating an eerie and ghostly atmosphere.
The temperature inside the tent wasn't much higher than outside. Although the charcoal fire crackled and popped, it couldn't dispel the chill and anxiety that seeped into everyone's bones.
Pei Yunjing sat upright behind the commander's desk, which was covered with a tiger skin, his face ashen.
Tang Li was placed on a soft chair next to them, holding a hand warmer in her hands, trying to minimize her presence and quietly listening to the group of men discussing matters.
"Your Highness!"
Tie Kui stood before the sand table, slamming his one arm down hard on the table, making the command arrows on it vibrate.
"Our current situation is even worse than the snowstorm outside!"
He pointed to the markings on the sand table that represented granaries and horse farms, his voice hoarse and heavy:
"First, our food supplies are running low. Half of the supplies from the capital were burned by spies, and the rest are still on their way. Our current reserves are only enough for the entire army to drink thin porridge for three days at most!"
"Secondly, there is a severe shortage of medicine. The brothers suffering from frostbite and knife wounds have no medicine to change their wounds and can only endure the pain. Every day, dozens of brothers die from the pain and cold!"
At this point, Tie Kui's eyes reddened, and his voice became choked with emotion.
But then, he took a deep breath and dropped the most devastating bombshell:
"The most terrifying thing is... the warhorse."
“Starting the day before yesterday, the horses in the stable have been falling ill with some strange disease, collapsing in droves! They're foaming at the mouth and convulsing, and the veterinarians can't figure out the cause! If they keep dying like this…”
Tie Kui gritted his teeth and roared in despair:
"Our cavalry is doomed! Are we going to fight the Northern Rong's iron cavalry on foot? That's suicide!"
The tent was deathly silent; all the generals lowered their heads, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Pei Yunjing tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap, tap" sound.
His sensory overload made him more sensitive to this oppressive atmosphere, but he had to remain calm.
"Regarding the warhorses, I will..."
Pei Yunjing was about to start making arrangements.
"Your Highness!" Tie Kui suddenly interrupted him.
The veteran general seemed to have been holding back a lot of anger, and now, under the pretext of reporting military intelligence, he finally couldn't hold back and exploded.
He suddenly turned around, his bloodshot eyes staring straight at Tang Li, who was sitting in the corner.
"I'm a rough man, and there are some things I just have to say!"
Tie Kui pointed at the pear tree, his fingers trembling, his voice filled with grief, indignation, and accusation:
"The situation at the front is critical. The soldiers can't even get a decent meal, and people are dying every day! And what about you?"
"You insisted on bringing a delicate princess! She'll be treated to the finest food and clothing along the way, and we'll even assign special guards to serve her and protect that carriage that's more luxurious than our central military tent!"
"General Tie..." The adjutant next to him tried to pull him away, but he shook him off.
"Don't pull me!"
Tie Kui was going all out. He looked at Pei Yunjing, his voice filled with sorrow:
"Your Highness, look at the brothers outside! How are they feeling when they see that carriage? Everyone is risking their lives, yet they still have to support a nobleman who knows nothing of human suffering!"
"This is a battlefield! Not a boudoir in the capital! What use is bringing a woman here other than disrupting morale?!"
"She's just a burden!"
These last two words, like a thunderclap, exploded within the tent.
"presumptuous!"
Pei Yunjing slammed his hand on the table.
"Crack!"
He snapped the corner of the sturdy rosewood table in half with his bare hand.
He abruptly stood up, his murderous aura sweeping out like a storm, and a terrifying bloodlust instantly filled his phoenix eyes:
"Tie Kui, are you looking for death?"
He didn't care about morale or the overall situation.
All he knew was that this old scoundrel dared to humiliate his woman right in front of him.
"Guards! Drag Tie Kui away—"
Pei Yunjing's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, his killing intent unwavering.
However, at this tense moment, when blood was about to be drawn...
A soft, slightly cool little hand gently covered Pei Yunjing's hand with its prominent veins.
"Your Highness."
Tang Li's voice was not loud, but it was unusually steady, carrying a strange soothing power.
She gently pressed his hand, signaling him not to act impulsively.
Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tang Li slowly stood up.
She took off her expensive but conspicuous white fox fur coat and casually placed it on the chair, revealing the neat dark riding outfit underneath.
She stepped forward and walked up to the furious Tie Kui.
Facing this ruthless and bloodthirsty veteran, Tang Li showed no fear whatsoever.
She clasped her hands together and respectfully performed a junior's greeting, her posture neither humble nor arrogant.
"General Tie is right."
Tie Kui was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this reaction from the delicate princess.
Tang Li straightened up, her gaze clear and open, her voice carrying clearly throughout the tent:
"But I have a few words I'd like to ask the general to hear."
"First, I brought ten cartloads of grain and five boxes of medicine with me with me this time. They were purchased with my dowry and the private treasury of the Prince's Mansion. I have never eaten a single grain of military rations along the way, and I will never eat them again."
"Secondly, the carriage did not contain my fine clothes, but medicine for the prince's treatment and first-aid cotton cloths for the wounded soldiers."
Tang Li looked at Tie Kui's face, which was gradually turning red, and spoke in a calm tone, yet with an undeniable power:
"third……"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the various expressions of the generals in the tent, before finally settling on Tie Kui:
"I may not be a burden."
"Regarding the strange illness of those warhorses..."
Tang Li narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of confidence flashing in them:
"Perhaps I can be of help."
The words had barely left his mouth.
"laugh--"
Someone inside the tent couldn't help but let out a sneer.
Immediately afterwards, the lieutenants looked at each other, their faces revealing undisguised mockery and disbelief.
help?
Even the old veterinarian who had served the army for decades was helpless against the strange disease of the warhorse. What help could she, a woman confined to her boudoir, possibly offer?
Should I embroider a flower for the horse? Or should I play a musical instrument for it?
Tie Kui was so angry he laughed.
He felt that the princess was simply being incredibly arrogant and reckless.
"Your Highness, please don't cause trouble now!"
Tie Kui waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away an unruly fly:
"That's the lives of thousands of warhorses! Not the cats and dogs you keep in your boudoir! You know how to train horses? You probably don't even know that horses can be male or female!"
"Please leave! The stench of blood in this military camp shouldn't offend your eyes!"
A low chuckle rippled through the tent.
Pei Yunjing listened to those harsh sounds, his face so dark it could drip water.
He was about to explode when he saw Tang Li turn her head and wink at him.
There was no resentment in his eyes, only a kind of... eager excitement, like a hunter spotting his prey.
"Since the general doesn't believe me..."
Tang Li turned around, said no more words, and strode towards the tent exit.
"Then let's go check out the horse farm."
"Let's see what it's really like."
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