miss
Her body was covered in wounds, large and small. The army doctor came to bandage her wounds. He was used to this princess not being concerned about the difference between men and women, and he was also used to seeing her with most of her shoulder exposed.
She was indeed different from ordinary women; her shoulders and neck had prominent, strong muscles, a physique that came from years of martial arts training.
The wound from the arrow was bleeding profusely. The army doctor examined it carefully and found that the arrow had hit an old wound. When she was first wounded there, the arrowhead was poisoned. Although she had been carefully treated, some of the poison had already seeped into the bone. Occasionally, the poison would flare up. Although it was not fatal, she could not avoid the pain in her flesh and blood. She would always be in pain for several days and nights. No one knew how she had endured it all these years.
The old military doctor looked at the princess, who was only a few years older than his own child, and felt a lump in his throat. He could only advise her not to touch her wound for the time being and to rest properly.
Another military report arrived, and without paying any attention, she pulled up her clothes, put on her armor, snatched the silver spear from the adjutant, and stormed out the door.
She had many skilled and capable soldiers under her command, but after these few battles, even someone as clever as Fan Shuang suffered heavy losses, and she knew something was wrong.
These Qiang people are cunning and unpredictable in their military campaigns; she needs to have a good talk with them.
The old military doctor chased after her, calling out "Princess, Princess," but she didn't turn around, so he could only sigh repeatedly.
When the Qiang attacked again, she led her troops to lure them eastward beyond the pass. There was no grassland there, so the two armies fought each other. Unexpectedly, many wolves came from the mountains. They had a clear target and attacked the northwest border army.
Mu Yun blew a whistle, and hundreds of cavalrymen galloped out of the pass, kicking away a wolf that was about to pounce and bite.
Qin Ziyou led the charge in that cavalry unit.
He led a small squad to disperse in all directions, forming an encirclement, and when a rain of flaming arrows fell on the Qiang people, the war was won once again.
When Mu Yun looked at the young general riding high on his horse, being fawned over by the soldiers, he felt no joy of victory whatsoever.
Her deputy, Guo Shunian, stood on horseback not far from Qin Ziyou, waiting for his master to give the final order.
Mu Yun lowered her eyelids and gripped the reins tightly.
She was not a bloodthirsty person. The man in front of her had fought bravely against the enemy several times. She did not know his intentions, but he had made a contribution to defending the border. Even if she wanted to kill him, it would not be wise to kill a meritorious official in front of everyone.
After some thought, she gently shook her head. Guo Shunian understood her meaning and silently put away his bow and arrows.
Qin Ziyou's bravery won the hearts of many soldiers, but he knew that Li Muyun was still wary of him. In the following battles, he was not allowed to participate, let alone be commended for his bravery.
All the soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield received their due rewards, but Qin Ziyou was the only one who didn't even get a cup of celebratory wine.
She continued to use this method to suppress every young man and soldier from Pingdu, turning them into useless individuals and letting them disappear into the Northwest Army camps.
For several nights, Qin Ziyou spent his time alone in the camp sharpening his sword, not asking for any reward for himself. His hard work and dedication even made the soldiers who had witnessed his bravery feel indignant on his behalf, especially those fools in the Southeast Camp, who jumped up like grasshoppers in autumn, wanting to go to Li Muyun's tent to demand justice for him.
They claim they're seeking justice, but it's really just an attempt to elevate this fellow Pingdu native into another figure who can rival Li Muyun.
Qin Ziyou remained silent throughout. After sharpening his sword, he picked up his armor and returned to the Willow Camp.
Even the person involved wasn't willing to go, so there was no point in anyone else going to provoke the princess. The crowd waved and dispersed.
The Qiang enemy dared not attack again, but Li Muyun was still worried. After discussing with his generals and soldiers, he finally decided on a countermeasure.
After a two-day rest, the army resumed its usual training.
Qin Ziyou looked around the training ground but couldn't find Li Muyun, nor Guo Shunian, who had always been by her side. Fan Shuang had been in charge of the morning training for the past two days, but the Princess hadn't appeared—something that had never happened before.
After training, Qin Ziyou deliberately went to the stable, and sure enough, the horse Ta Xue was not there.
He looked at the empty stable, and even the once sunny person seemed to have lost much of his radiance because of all the scheming he had been doing.
Li Muyun did indeed leave quietly with a cavalry unit, but this time, her troops were ambushed by the Qiang enemy as soon as they reached Hulao Mountain.
When news of the princess's ambush arrived, Fan Shuang wanted to lead troops to her aid, but unexpectedly, another group of Qiang people attacked.
When he was exhausted, Qin Ziyou knelt on one knee in front of Fan Shuang and said, "Your subordinate is willing to lead troops to Hulao Mountain to support the princess!"
Fan Shuang had witnessed this man's abilities and knew that the Princess did not trust these Pingdu people. He did not want to entrust the princess's life to him, but if Hulao Pass was lost, he would also be doomed. In this dilemma, Fan Shuang pointed his broadsword at Qin Ziyou's neck: "If you dare to have any thoughts, I will cut off your head with this!"
To guard against Qin Ziyou, Fan Shuang specially sent his most loyal cavalry to Hulao Mountain with Qin Ziyou, while he stayed behind to deal with the Qiang people outside the pass.
Qin Ziyou immediately set off, leading his cavalry to gallop up the mountain. As they went up the mountain path, they saw many dead bodies, some of them Qiang people and some of their own.
When they arrived, Li Muyun and his soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle with the Qiang people.
Qin Ziyou observed the terrain and ordered a cavalry unit to change direction and head towards another mountain path. When the archers took up a strategic position and aimed at the ambushing Qiang people, Qin Ziyou rode off to fight alongside Li Muyun on the mountain path.
One section of the mountain path was extremely steep. During the battle with the Qiang people, a violent roar came from above, and rocks tumbled down. Mu Yun had no choice but to turn to the side and change direction. Unexpectedly, the ground beneath her feet suddenly cracked open. She almost fell off the mountain wall first, but Qin Ziyou reacted quickly and grabbed one of her hands.
Mu Yun's entire body was falling downwards; if Qin Ziyou hadn't grabbed her, she would have fallen down the mountain long ago.
Because he used too much force, blood began to seep from various parts of the back of Qin Ziyou's hand, and the veins bulged, but he did not let go.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mu Yun inserted the sharp blade into a crevice in the mountain rocks. Qin Ziyou pulled upwards with all his might, and with the help of the blade, Mu Yun finally climbed up the mountain path.
With the help of cavalry, the Qiang people once again fled over the mountains. However, due to their heavy losses this time, Mu Yun did not pursue them further.
The group had fought desperately and were exhausted, so they rested in the forest for a while before going down the mountain.
But the next second, the sharp blade that was originally aimed at the Qiang enemy was pressed against Qin Ziyou's neck. Li Muyun grabbed his collar and pinned him against the rock wall. At this moment, she only had killing intent towards Qin Ziyou: "Boy, since you came to my army, why have I encountered so many unlucky things?"
She was secretly leading her troops to Hulao Mountain, but these Qiang people seemed to have known she was coming and had ambushed her on both sides of the mountain path long ago.
Because of excessive force, the sharp blade cut the skin, and blood flowed down.
Seeing this, Guo Shunian took another deep look at Mu Yun, and then led the group down the mountain.
In the desolate mountain path, only the two of them were there.
One was on the verge of conflict, the other nonchalant.
If Li Muyun had exerted just a little more force, he would have become a victim of her blade. But Qin Ziyou didn't care. His face showed no fear. He released his grip, and the longsword fell to the ground. He even abandoned his last defensive weapon. He simply leaned against the mountain wall in a relaxed manner and chuckled, "Before coming to the Northwest, my father-in-law instructed me to use whatever means necessary to gain a foothold in the Northwest, including killing that princess of the Northwest."
You have two chances to kill me!
“But why should I listen to Li Ling?” He closed his eyes, even the usually energetic man was finally tired. “Your Highness, before I came to the Northwest, I had already learned about you from someone else.”
His smile finally had a hint of sincerity at this moment. He dared not think of her; the thought of her only brought him excruciating pain.
Jingwan... Jingwan...
“You are her great hero, the person she admires most. She told me that when we return to the Northwest together, she will find an opportunity to take me to Pengcheng to see you.”
Qin Ziyou still remembers how he once laughed at Jingwan: "Who is the Princess? How can she be seen whenever she wants?"
"She told me that there was a small table set up in the southeast corner of Wangyue Tower, the tallest building in Pengcheng. Sometimes at dusk, a woman wearing a fishbone hairpin would sit on it and drink wine. That was the Princess."
“After I came to Pengcheng, one day I saw you sitting in Wangyue Tower with your long hair down, and I realized that she had not lied to me.”
Li Muyun stayed in the army every day. For convenience, he learned from the men there to braid his long black hair into a plait and tie it together, looking dashing without a trace of feminine grace.
Sometimes, after washing her hair, she would simply stick a fishbone hairpin in her hair, sit in the Moon Gazing Tower, and let the evening breeze dry her hair.
Seeing the city at peace brings a comforting tranquility to the heart.
Apart from Yuan Cheng, no one knew she had this habit.
Qin Ziyou's story wasn't finished: "Her hometown is Yongye. I had promised to come to the Northwest with her, but unfortunately, the Qin family used tricks to force me to marry Li Ling's daughter. I was considered a member of the Prince of Runan's camp, and from beginning to end, I was manipulated by others. The only thing I did willingly was to come to the Northwest with Yang Qi."
Mu Yun sneered: "Your story is interesting, but you know in your heart that I must kill you!"
Qin Ziyou said, "It is true that I want to make achievements in the Northwest, and it is also true that I want to be granted official titles and ranks, but in the end, all I want is to gain the power to get rid of the Qin and Li families, and then marry her as my wife."
"Actually, I didn't need to fight those battles at Hulao Pass. It was my first time fighting, and I had no experience. I was afraid I would die and never see her again. But hearing the sounds of the Qiang invaders, I remembered what she had told me: 'Two hundred thousand soldiers and civilians in the Northwest protect the peace of the Great Wei; only benevolence and righteousness can repay them in the Central Plains.' I was ashamed of my cowardice. When the arrows came, I knew I couldn't die. Just like she said, only benevolence and righteousness could repay them."
During the battle on the mountain path, the Qiang people slashed Qin Ziyou's left arm. After saying so much, he was exhausted and his life and death were now entirely in Li Muyun's hands.
The knife that had been pressed against his neck slowly loosened, blood still dripping from the tip. Mu Yun asked him, "Who is this 'she' you're talking about?"
He smiled weakly: "Your Highness, rest assured, she was just an ordinary jade miner in the Northwest, and she is no longer in the Northwest."
In the military camp, when Guo Shunian saw Qin Ziyou following behind Li Muyun, his pupils contracted and he looked at Muyun.
Mu Yun offered no explanation and returned to his own tent.
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