Chapter 16 He Jing returns to Beijing and the situation is settled
"kill!!!"
Within a quarter of an hour, the sound of breaking air was heard, and countless arrows fell with sparks, making the already fierce fire even more intense, and the situation was completely irreversible.
In the chaos, Zhao Haisheng stuck his head out, determined the direction, and swam towards the other ships. Min Shi'an spotted him with his sharp eyes, put down his bow and arrow, and pulled him up.
Luo Sagutu had completely lost his ability to resist and shouted to his adjutant beside him: "Where are the reinforcements?!"
The Northern Witches were savage and powerful. If reinforcements arrived, he would have no problem fighting them with his exceptional combat skills. However, it had taken so long to send the distress signal, how could the reinforcements not have arrived yet?!
Seeing the army approaching from the front and no hope of reinforcements from the rear, Rosagutu's eyes were bloodshot. He raised his hand and shouted to the Northern Witch soldiers behind him: "Retreat!"
Then they fled in a hurry on a small boat.
Upon seeing this, Wen Liu ordered the ships to stop moving forward and only told the archers to continue shooting arrows until they were out of range. Only then did Wen Liu order everyone to put away their bows and return to ship.
If they push forward, they will reach the border of Northern Witch. Although they have suffered heavy losses this time, they were only caught off guard. Don't pursue the desperate enemy.
What's more, Xiao Wangjing has already led his troops to the battle. This is why Rosagutu has not received reinforcements for a long time. He will surely defeat the Northern Witch.
It’s a pity that this place is too far from the coast, and they don’t have enough backup, so they can’t pursue for the time being.
But Min Shian thought of another thing. Since Song Sheng was not there, she didn't need to worry too much. She pretended to be seriously injured. Wen Liu ran among the wounded soldiers to comfort them and soon came to her side.
He bent down and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, what is the matter?"
There were so many people around that she couldn't say much, so she just whispered a reminder: "Be respectful."
Wen Liu understood instantly and nodded, "Don't worry, Your Highness."
After the army returned to the camp, they first treated the wounded and buried the dead, and then returned to their tents to rest.
Wen Liu carefully reviewed the prepared victory report and immediately ordered someone to send it back to the capital.
"Cuihua" died gloriously in battle, but Min Shian did not even rest, and rushed to the capital in the dark without stopping. She wanted to arrive in Beijing before Song Sheng.
After changing three horses on the way, Min Shian arrived at the princess's mansion safely.
After receiving the urgent message from the sea crossing, Xiao Wangjing immediately mobilized his troops and prepared to cooperate with the sea crossing guards to launch an attack at any time, and then solemnly welcomed He Jing back to the court.
But the battle across the sea was exciting, but things were not going smoothly in Beifeng.
The Tatagisk tribe is a tough nut to crack. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiao Wangjing led the troops stationed in the north to march north in one fell swoop. If they don't die, they will be skinned alive.
However, under Rosach's brainwashing, the Tatagisk tribe really believed that Zhao Haisheng's joining was God's will, which greatly boosted their morale and made them more difficult to deal with than usual.
The two sides were in a stalemate, and the army stationed in the north had no surplus food and supplies. If they continued to consume at this rate, they might even be defeated. Xiao Wangjing began to fight guerrilla warfare, trying to find a breakthrough for the enemy.
Just when the morale of the troops stationed in the north was low, thick smoke rose from the sky across the sea, covering half of the Tianshan Mountains.
Xiao Wangjing shouted, "The Crossing Guards have successfully broken through! Brothers, kill!"
General Tatagisk was skeptical and turned around to look, but saw that it was indeed the direction of crossing the sea. He immediately lost his composure and revealed his flaws.
Xiao Wangjing seized the opportunity and led the vanguard to charge in. The troops stationed in the north who followed closely behind were like chickens with their blood pumped up, their faces flushed and they swung their swords at the enemy.
If you are not careful for a moment, the overall situation will be decided.
It was too late for General Tatagisk to regret, and he had to flee with his horses.
Xiao Wangjing chased all the way to Xingjian Pass, with the intention of killing them all, but in fact, the food supply in the rear was running out, so he must not chase them anymore.
He then held himself high and negotiated with his generals condescendingly.
Tatagisk was unaware of the details, and in order to save his life, he ceded part of his tribe's city and promised to return Princess Hejing intact.
After receiving the battle report from the Crossing Sea Guard, Song Sheng decided to go to Beifeng in person to welcome Princess Hejing back to the capital with Xiao Wangjing to show his respect for her.
Of course, there was no need to rush after bringing the princess back. She had already been humiliated in Beiwu and must not endure the hardship of traveling again. So Song Sheng stayed at the Northern Army for a while.
Then he chose an auspicious day and officially set off back to Beijing.
Min Shian, who was in the capital, slept for several days and nights before she recovered a little. Chuntao helped her change clothes while reporting on the recent developments of various families in the capital.
Min Shian forced herself to stay awake. After hearing that the little princess from the Western Regions was still in the capital, she suddenly came to her senses. She roughly calculated the time and said, "About three months?"
"Yes, the little princess stayed in the capital for a long time and did not cause any trouble. She just chased the Third Prince around the city. The Queen Mother did not express her opinion, so the other families just let her do what she wanted." Chun Tao took off Min Shian's bun and responded softly.
Min Shian waved her hand, her eyes already closed. She slept so soundly that her bones seemed to be falling apart. She said, "We'll talk tomorrow."
"Yes." Chuntao responded in a low voice, and then tiptoed out.
A dreamless night.
Before Min Shi'an went out to look for Queen Xie, the third prince Min Shile came to ask for a meeting. After Chuntao asked her opinion, she let the third prince in.
"Royal sister!"
"A full three months!"
"You're finally willing to see your brother! You have no idea how I've managed to survive all these days!!"
Min Shile was crying with tears and snot, and kept trying to lie on Min Shian, but she dodged him in disgust, so he missed her.
"What's the matter?" Min Shi'an slept soundly and felt better unconsciously, so he asked patiently.
"That little poisonous girl from the Western Regions has been poisoning me, sister! Queen Mother doesn't care either. I can only rely on you, sister!"
As Min Shile spoke, tears started to flow again. Her eyes were red and swollen, and it was obvious that she was really sad.
Min Shian frowned, his patience running out as he asked, "Even the Queen Mother doesn't care, how can you think I would interfere?"
After a pause in crying, Min Shile widened his eyes, staring at her in disbelief, and said in a trembling voice, "Imperial sister! I..."
Chun Tao appeared silently beside Min Shian and reported in a low voice: "Master, the little princess of the Western Regions is outside seeking an audience."
Upon hearing this, Min Shile, who was standing by, felt like an evil spirit was coming to take his life. He ran behind Min Shian without a care in the world and curled up into a ball. This time, his whole body was shaking.
Min Shi'an felt overwhelmed and signaled to Chuntao to take the person away.
No matter how Min Shile wailed, Min Shian remained unmoved and went straight back into the room.
She had been away from the capital for several days and had not yet understood the changes that had taken place in the capital. Although Empress Xie was disappointed with her two younger brothers, she also loved them very much.
Even the Queen Mother hadn't made a clear statement, so Min Shian naturally wouldn't intervene rashly.
After a while, Chuntao came back and reported, "Master, His Royal Highness the Third Prince and the Little Princess have gone out to enjoy themselves."
"Well, there is still no trace of the assassin at the Wenqing meeting?" Min Shian rubbed his temples. After the Third Prince's commotion, his good mood for the day was ruined.
Chun Tao was silent for a moment after hearing this, then she knelt on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Master, please punish me. I haven't found any clues."
After Min Shianxu helped her up, he supported his chin with his right hand and thought. The man in black had good martial arts skills and was able to sneak into her room without being discovered by Song Sheng.
Before this, she had never had such a deep hatred with anyone.
But Song Sheng would not attack her for Song Tinglan at that time, and he couldn't even find any clues about Chuntao.
Who could that be?
She couldn't figure it out for the moment, so she gave up and said, "No problem, keep investigating. If there's no more news, just let it go for now. Just keep an eye on it."
"Go to Xianyang Palace."
Min Shian claimed to the outside world that she was studying behind closed doors and refused to see visitors, but she did not ask Chuntao to hide her actions from Queen Xie, so she went to her mother's palace to pay her respects. Secondly, she also wanted to know her mother's opinion on the matter of the little princess from the Western Regions.
Although his younger brother is useless, Min Shian doesn't want him to have anything to do with foreigners.
"Are you satisfied this time?" Empress Xie sighed helplessly and continued, "You ran away when you were young. I thought you would be more stable when you grow up."
"Who would have thought it would become like this now."
Min Shian chuckled twice and changed the subject, "Mother, what's going on between Min Duanxiang and that princess from the Western Regions?"
Min Duanxiang, whose courtesy name is Shile.
Empress Xie rolled her eyes at her, not wanting to argue with her. She replied, "I was originally wary of her, but I've seen that although Le'er cries all day long, she's clearly enjoying herself."
"I secretly investigated for a long time and confirmed that the girl had no ill intentions, so I gave up."
"It's time for Le'er to discuss marriage."
Min Shian's eyes were full of disapproval, and he said, "It's fine if it's someone else, but isn't it inappropriate to involve the Western Regions?"
"The Western Regions have been under the rule of the Great Jin for a long time, and all military and political power is in the hands of our dynasty. What is there to be afraid of?" Queen Xie looked calm and spoke in a gentle tone. She did not regard the Western Regions as a threat from the bottom of her heart.
"Whatever."
Min Shi'an put the matter aside and chose to tell Empress Xie about what happened during the sea crossing. He mostly ignored Song Sheng and focused on describing the battle of crossing the sea.
When mentioning Princess Hejing, she hesitated for a moment, but then told the truth and continued, "Mother, is there anything wrong with what I asked Princess Wen Liu and Princess Hejing to do?"
Empress Xie gently tapped her forehead with her fingertips and said soothingly, "Hejing has made great sacrifices for the Great Jin. Beiwu broke the agreement first. Taking advantage of their defeat, we can welcome Hejing back to the court. What's wrong with that?"
"According to the time, Song Yanxuan and Xiao Wangjing should be here soon."
"Yes." Min Shian tilted his head and responded lazily.
Princess Hejing's return to Beijing had already caused a great uproar, but Min Shi'an was fast asleep at the time and missed the most lively time.
The people's beating of drums and gongs failed to wake her up.
Now they have gathered in the streets early, hoping to catch a glimpse of Princess Hejing's true appearance. Most of the men are holding their children in their arms, while the women are holding flower baskets, ready to throw flowers to Hejing.
Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, Song Sheng and Xiao Wangjing rode side by side, leading the mighty procession and coming into view first, with Princess Hejing's wedding dress in its lush red décor, stretching ten miles in length, behind them.
They all returned to Jin in perfect condition.
The crowd suddenly became agitated, pushing and shoving each other to throw flowers at the team, and even a woman's handkerchief slipped down Song Sheng's shoulder.
Min Shian was watching silently from the top of the palace wall. Song Sheng seemed to sense something and looked precisely at the red wall, catching Min Shian's eyes.
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