Chapter 134 Divine Weapon If she hadn't spoken, why would I have agreed? ...
Jiang Yu stepped into Baoguang Hall in a fit of anger, but the moment he saw Shen Yujiao, his anger vanished, and in the blink of an eye, only tenderness remained in his eyes.
Shen Yujiao caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. She didn't speak or make a sound, but just sat by the window and silently shed tears. Jiang Yu stood beside her for a while before Shen Yujiao seemed to suddenly notice him. She turned her head slightly to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, leaving him with only a reddened eye and a vulnerable profile.
“Ah Jiao…” Jiang Yu squatted down in front of her, looked up at her, her eyes full of apology: “It was my negligence, I didn’t ask anyone to keep an eye on her.”
"No--"
Shen Yujiao's eyes welled up with tears again, but she forced them back. She met Jiang Yu's gaze, forced a smile, a smile that was both aggrieved and apologetic, and didn't forget to comfort him: "Don't blame her, she's just feeling wronged."
The tenderness she initially showed turned into intense tenderness the moment she finished speaking. Jiang Yu's hands, gripping the armrests of the chair, bulged with veins. He lowered his head and rested his head on the armrests, as if atoning for his sins or begging for her forgiveness.
Shen Yujiao looked at his head bowed to her, raised her hand but hesitated for a few moments, and finally did not touch him. She just patted his shoulder and said, "It's okay, really, don't blame her."
"As a woman myself, I can understand her difficulties."
Because of this, Jiang Yu truly abandoned his plan to confront Liu Shi. He sat with Shen Yujiao in Baoguang Hall for the entire afternoon, refusing to let anyone outside the hall request an audience.
In the evening, Jiang Yu originally wanted to handle some political affairs after Shen Yujiao fell asleep, but as soon as he got up to leave, Shen Yujiao would wake up immediately. Jiang Yu had no choice but to ask someone to put the desk next to the bed and to extinguish the surrounding candles, leaving only the one he used to read the memorials.
In this way, he can stay by Shen Yujiao's side, and Shen Yujiao can see him as soon as she opens her eyes.
It was rare to have a legitimate reason to keep someone by your side and monitor them closely, so Shen Yujiao didn't sleep well all night. She didn't fall into a deep sleep until dawn. When she woke up again, the room was brightly lit. She thought Jiang Yu had left while she was asleep, but when she turned her head, she saw the person resting at the table. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows were furrowed, as if sleeping sitting up made him very uncomfortable.
Seeing this scene, Shen Yujiao paused in her outstretched arm, feeling a mix of emotions. She sat up against the bed railing, looking at Jiang Yu's sleeping face and thinking of Shen Yujiao.
If Ah Jiao were sitting here today, how wonderful that would be!
Tomorrow is the enthronement ceremony, and she really wanted to return A-Jiao to him. Fate played a trick on her, making her sit here in A-Jiao's place, but in her heart, there was only Jiang Chen.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, far away in the Northern Di capital, encountered Jiang Yan, who shouldn't have been there.
"It was you?"
The Northern Barbarians united with various tribes of the grasslands to encircle and annihilate them. Originally, with a musketeer cavalry battalion at their disposal, Jiang Chen was unmatched on the battlefield. However, a tribe on the grasslands was skilled in throwing knives, which was also a long-range combat tactic. For the first time, Jiang Chen's bullets encountered a blade that could rival them.
On windy days and during the sandstorm season, the Northern Di capital city would not only encounter sandstorms, but also wildfires that would spread as the grass grew taller. If it weren't for the fact that the grass was still lush and the soil was still somewhat moist, the Xia army would probably have perished in the sea of fire.
On the day Jiang Chen met Shen Liu, the Xia army had been cut off from its food supply for five days. It was Shen Liu who intervened and managed to bring in dry rations for the Xia army. It was also on that day that Jiang Chen learned about the situation in the capital.
More than anyone else, he wanted to fly back to the capital immediately. He dared not think about what kind of danger Shen Yujiao would step into by using herself as bait. However, Xia Jun had not yet recovered his fighting strength, and the supply of bullets in his hands had been cut off. Even if he wanted to fight with his back against the wall, the result was obvious.
Having lost both his wife and his army, and perhaps even more than a thousand of his own men, Jiang Chen still retained some rationality. He could only stabilize his army to recover its strength and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
Jiang Yan grew up in the military camp of Weizhou and knew the importance of speed in warfare. Therefore, less than three days after Shen Liu's message was sent out, Jiang Chen saw Jiang Yan, who was exhausted but still had an unrestrained demeanor. He was followed by only a few thousand Weizhou soldiers, but they annihilated the Northern Di cavalry that had surrounded them before dawn.
"Then who else do you think there is?" Jiang Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, spat out a mouthful of bloody foam on the ground, scrutinized Jiang Chen and He Zhiju for a long time, and then sneered: "If my sister hadn't asked for help, do you think I would have come?"
At this critical juncture, Jiang Yan was well aware that once he embarked on this journey from Xiajing to the Northern Di capital, there would be no turning back. Therefore, he wiped out all the spies sent by Jiang Yu before he had even left the city.
He didn't leave himself a way out either. When Chu Rou asked him to help Jiang Chen, he threw the entire Qi clan into the fray. The Qi-affiliated Weizhou army followed him into battle, and Qi Defei and Prince Wu were left as hostages in the capital.
Jiang Yan drew the sword from his waist and threw it on the ground. Jiang Chen looked up and met his impatient gaze: "What are you waiting for? Tomorrow is the coronation ceremony. I rushed here, not just to see you."
"Sixth Brother, I am deeply indebted to you. I owe you a favor." Jiang Chen bent down to pick up the sword and bowed deeply to Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan, standing on his horse, did not avoid the greeting, but he also did not accept the favor: "I have said that I came for my elder sister."
Although he insisted on this statement, Jiang Chen knew perfectly well that with the military force that Jiang Yan had managed to march from the capital to the capital of the Northern Di Kingdom, he could have easily declared himself king halfway there if he wanted to. Yet, Jiang Yan still led his troops to the aid of the trapped Xia army.
"Alright, then I will owe Consort Chu a favor this time."
Jiang Chen mounted his horse and stood side by side with Jiang Yan. He turned his head and looked deeply at Jiang Yan, realizing that he had misunderstood before. Jiang Lin's pure heart was not without reason. These two brothers were both men who looked free and unrestrained on the surface, but had a heart full of justice and passion in their hearts.
"Don't you regret it?"
Before ordering the army to return, Jiang Chen took stock of a small elite squad and asked them this question.
Jiang Yan still had that fearless, roguish air about him. He tightened his wristband and replied nonchalantly, "I think it would be better if you were in that position than if it were them."
Why?
Jiang Chen was genuinely puzzled. The Qi family, in alliance with the Liu family, had spread out such a large operation for Jiang Yan. He didn't believe that the Thai King's faction didn't have ambitions to seize the throne.
As he sat down on his steed, Jiang Yan softened his sharp edge and looked at Jiang Chen with a serious expression: "Because you are different from Father and the rest of them. You will face the question of who holds military power, you will not be afraid of military generals, and you will make good use of the truly capable generals who lead troops into battle. Fifth Brother, am I right?"
Jiang Chen was taken aback upon hearing this, and his expression became serious: "Sixth Brother, is your only request military power?"
Jiang Yan nodded, then shook his head: "I just want... that the Great Xia court will no longer value civil officials over military ones, and that military generals who shed blood on the battlefield will receive the merits they deserve. Today, on behalf of all the generals and soldiers of Great Xia, I ask this question: If you were to ascend the throne tomorrow, would you restore the rightful status of the military generals of Great Xia and give them the respect they deserve?"
"yes."
As the sun rose from the east, dazzling golden rays burst forth between the azure sky and fiery red. The two brothers stood side by side on their horses, exchanging solemn promises under the first rays of dawn that would influence the future of the Great Xia Dynasty.
"That's enough."
He Zhiju had just finished counting his troops and men. He rode up to Jiang Chen's side, nodded to him, and Jiang Chen's gaze fell on his mount. He reached out and tugged at the reins, pulling the man to his left so that he and Jiang Yan could ride side by side.
As dawn broke and the sun shone golden on the mountains, the shadows of the three men riding side by side stretched long. Jiang Chen stood in the middle, raising his whip high, and addressed the 30,000-strong army of the Great Xia Dynasty:
"Gentlemen, I have witnessed your bravery and loyalty during this expedition to the northern frontier. In this campaign, we annihilated over 20,000 Northern Di cavalry and recovered more than ten cities. You are not only warriors of our Great Xia, but also war gods who protect the people of our Great Xia. However—"
He cracked his whip in the air—"While we were away on campaign, a turmoil broke out in the capital! His Majesty suddenly passed away, and the King of Zhao seized military power in the capital by taking control of his father. This man has no respect for the emperor or the law, and to avoid the condemnation of historians, he has pushed for the succession of the King of Huan."
"I was personally appointed Crown Prince by the late Emperor, the legitimate heir of the Empress, and I have offered sacrifices to Heaven and the ancestral temples in the presence of all civil and military officials. Before the expedition, the late Emperor summoned the cabinet ministers and Grand Tutor Chu and other veterans of three reigns, and in your presence, he personally drafted the edict establishing the heir. I am unworthy, but having been entrusted by my imperial father, I cannot stand by and watch treacherous people seize power and usurp the throne!"
"Today, regardless of the situation in the capital, I am still the Crown Prince appointed by the late Emperor. In the past, there were virtuous ministers and generals who purged the court of corrupt officials. Now I am determined to serve the emperor and defeat the treacherous ministers. You are all brave sons and daughters of our Great Xia. Today, I would like to ask all the generals and soldiers: are there any who dare to follow me back to the capital?"
As his words fell, all the soldiers raised their weapons, pointing them towards the whip in Jiang Chen's hand. Whether they were from the Northern Frontier Camp, the Eastern Palace's personal guards, or the soldiers Jiang Yan had brought from Weizhou, they all responded with fervent enthusiasm—
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The deafening battle cries of 30,000 warriors echoed across the grassland. Jiang Chen raised his arms and shouted "Good!" before turning back to look at the Northern Di capital city that had trapped them for half a month.
"Once we diligently govern the king and rectify the administration, this Northern Barbarian capital will surely be returned to the territory of the Great Xia!"
These words truly resonated with the hearts of all the soldiers. They had pursued the enemy all the way from the northern border of the Great Xia Dynasty to the capital of the Northern Di Kingdom, but not only had they failed to wipe them out, they had also been trapped in this desolate grassland for so long. Everyone was filled with resentment, and the Crown Prince's words ignited that fire in their hearts.
The day the Xia army once again set foot on the territory of the Northern Barbarians will be the day the Northern Barbarian capital is destroyed.
Seeing the morale of the troops soaring, Jiang Chen wasted no more time. At his command, the soldiers marched in a mighty procession toward Xiajing.
As the main army marched behind, Jiang Chen, along with He Zhiju and Jiang Yan, led a detachment on a forced march, rushing to the front against the wind. Although their bodies were already exhausted, Jiang Chen could clearly feel the surging blood and qi in their hearts.
Jiang Jin! Jiang Yu!
Although Jiang Yu's dignity was preserved in front of the soldiers, Jiang Chen did not feel that he was innocent. With the determination to execute the two men himself, Jiang Chen spurred his horse, and the rest of the men followed suit when they saw him speed up.
Although the Northern Di capital is far from Xia Jing, if they rush back at full speed, they can arrive in Xia Jing before sunrise tomorrow. They are racing against time, and no one dares to slack off in the slightest.
"Your Highness, look!"
After crossing the hilltop, Jiang Chen saw a large, dark mass of soldiers approaching them in the distance. When he saw the leader of the group, his pupils dilated sharply—
"It's the grassland allied forces! Soldiers, be on alert!"
A sharp throwing knife pierced the air and struck. Jiang Chen instinctively raised his sword to block it, but he still clearly heard the crisp sound of it shattering.
That was the breastplate that Shen Yujiao had sewn into his armor by hand before he left.
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Author's Note: 1. Regarding the rapid advance: The Northern Di capital, Xia Jing, and the Northern Frontier of Great Xia form a triangular geographical shape. The Northern Frontier is the furthest away, while the Northern Di capital has already invaded to the border of Great Xia, so it is closer to Xia Jing.
2. Regarding flashbacks: The two stories do not occur completely simultaneously, but the time interval between them is not too long. The transition from Shen Yujiao's entry into the palace should be a good starting point.
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