Chapter 89 A Great Victory Return
The rain has finally stopped.
The "divine rain," which lasted only half an hour but changed the entire course of the battle, quietly ended after washing away the sins and smoke.
The wasteland outside Liangzhou City was now a scene of utter devastation.
Within the Northern Yan army's ranks, cries of agony filled the air. Tens of thousands of soldiers were dazed and confused by the swirling poisonous smoke; some went blind, some lost their voices, and many more lost their fighting ability, collapsing in the mud, groaning in pain.
"We've surrendered! We've surrendered!"
"Stop killing us! We surrender!"
Faced with the overwhelming army charging like wolves and tigers, the remaining Northern Yan generals completely lost their will to fight. They threw down their weapons, knelt in the mud, and kowtowed to the regent who seemed like a god of war descended to earth, and to the "goddess" who stood on the hillside and seemed to control the heavens and earth, begging for mercy.
This is not a battle at all.
This is divine retribution! It's a one-sided crushing defeat!
Fighting a powerful force that can command the wind and rain? They'd be crazy to come here to their deaths!
Shen Jin sat astride his warhorse, his black armor gleaming from the rain. He coldly surveyed the kneeling prisoners, and sheathed his longsword with a crisp clang.
"Accept the surrender."
These two simple words declared that this thrilling border battle ended in a resounding victory for Da Gan.
As for the arrogant Prince Xiao Yi and the charlatan Grand Preceptor Wu Ma Ji, they had already sensed the unfavorable situation amidst the chaos of battle and fled north in panic with a few hundred personal guards, abandoning even their main camp.
This is what is meant by "Where there's life, there's hope."
...
On the hillside.
Jiang Mianmian looked at the prisoners kneeling below and stretched out a big yawn.
[Phew...it's finally over.]
[I'm exhausted. This artificial rain was cool, but the aftereffects were really strong; I feel completely drained.]
[But looking at the results... it was worth it! After this battle, I doubt Northern Yan will dare to invade south again for at least ten years, right? My hot pot restaurant can finally open a branch in peace!]
She patted the dirt off her bottom and prepared to go down the mountain to meet up with Shen Jin.
Suddenly, a gaze filled with shock, confusion, and even a hint of self-doubt fixed on her.
Jiang Mianmian turned around and looked.
She saw her own father, the current prime minister Jiang Zhan, standing beside a large rock not far away.
The old man's official robes were already tattered, and his beard was stained with blood and mud, but he didn't care about that at the moment. He was staring wide-eyed and mouth agape, scrutinizing Jiang Mianmian from head to toe with the look of someone looking at an "alien."
In those eyes, there was unfamiliarity, awe, and... a deep sense of confusion.
"father?"
Jiang Mianmian felt uneasy under his gaze. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Jiang Zhan, his hands trembling, pointed to the sky, then to the "launch tube" in Jiang Mianmian's hand that she hadn't had time to put away.
"Mianmian..."
Jiang Zhan's voice trembled, "That rain just now... did you really beg for it?"
"Uh..." Jiang Mianmian touched her nose guiltily, "I guess so? It was the old immortal who gave me face."
"An old immortal?"
Jiang Zhan took a deep breath, feeling his worldview being reshaped. "Was the thunder last time also given by the old immortal? Was this rain also? Then was your lifting of the boulder with one hand before also a divine power bestowed by the old immortal?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Mianmian nodded frantically. "They're all the old gods! Father, you know I used to be too scared to even kill a chicken, it's all thanks to the gods' protection!"
Jiang Zhan fell silent.
He looked at his daughter, who had a radiant smile and whose face was covered in soot but was still full of life.
Is this really his daughter, who was spoiled since childhood, who would pant after walking a few steps, and who would only hide under the covers and cry when she was wronged?
The person who can talk and laugh on the battlefield, smash an enemy general with a hammer, and even "summon the wind and rain" to reverse the situation... is he really a descendant of the Jiang family?
[Oh no, the old man's starting to suspect something.]
Did I overreact? Should I pretend to faint to salvage my image?
Just as Jiang Mianmian was preparing to "tactically faint," Jiang Zhan suddenly looked up to the sky and sighed, tears streaming down his face:
"Our ancestors have shown their power!"
"My Jiang family... has actually produced a true phoenix!"
"What goddess? This is a blessing from heaven! A blessing from heaven for the Jiang family!"
Jiang Zhan trembled with excitement. "I knew it! How could my daughter, Jiang Zhan's daughter, be confined to a small pond? She was just immature before! Now that she's matured, she's a dragon soaring in the sky!"
Jiang Mianmian: [...]
Dad, your ability to fill in the blanks is truly something else.
However… as long as you believe, that's fine. A phoenix is a phoenix, it's better than being burned as a monster.
Jiang Li stood aside, silently watching this scene.
He pulled out the slightly wrinkled diary from his pocket, soaked by the rain, and solemnly wrote a line with a charcoal pencil that was still damp:
"Winter of the third year of Xuanhe. A great victory. My sister can not only unleash thunder, but also bring rain. Father is questioning the meaning of life. But I am not. Because in my heart, my sister is an omnipotent goddess. It's just... a goddess is too powerful, and as her older brother, I feel a lot of pressure. I need to go back and practice more, otherwise how will I protect her in the future?"
...
At the gate of Liangzhou City.
The army returned in triumph.
Shen Jin rode on his horse, holding Jiang Mianmian in his arms.
The people in the city and the soldiers who stayed behind lined the streets to welcome them, with cheers and the sound of gongs and drums deafening.
"Your Majesty the Regent!"
"Long live the Princess Consort!"
"The goddess has appeared! May we achieve a great victory!"
Countless flowers and ribbons were thrown at them. The people, with tears in their eyes, looked at the perfect couple, their hearts filled with gratitude and admiration.
It was they who defended the city in despair. It was they who brought hope in times of crisis.
Shen Jin looked down at the woman in his arms who was secretly yawning and had a look on her face that said, "I want to get off work."
"Are you tired?" he asked softly.
"Mmm." Jiang Mianmian buried her face in the breastplate on his chest and rubbed against it. "It's so noisy... I want to go back to sleep. I want to eat braised pork."
Shen Jin chuckled softly.
Even in this moment of glory under the spotlight, all she could think about was sleeping and braised pork.
But that's precisely what he loves most about her.
Authentic, vibrant, and within reach.
"good."
Shen Jin reined in the reins, waved to the cheering crowd, and then said loudly:
"Issue the order! Slaughter all pigs and sheep throughout the city! Celebrate for three days!"
"Tonight, we're not leaving until we're drunk!"
"roar--!!!"
The soldiers were in a frenzy.
Jiang Mianmian's heart was also boiling with excitement: [Yay! Pork stew! I want blood sausage! I want garlic pork belly!]
And behind that noisy crowd.
Watching his daughter and son-in-law's retreating figures, Jiang Zhan wiped away his tears and turned to Jiang Li, saying:
"Li'er, when we get back, we need to repair the ancestral graves."
Why?
"This ancestral grave is emitting auspicious smoke! It's emitting an enormous amount! It needs to be renovated to be more grand and worthy of your sister's status as a 'goddess'!"
Jiang Li: "..."
He felt that rather than repairing the ancestral graves, it was more practical to think about how to make a better roast duck for his sister when he got back.
The snow in Liangzhou has finally stopped.
This battle, worthy of being recorded in history, ended with a resounding victory.
But this is not the end.
As the name of the "Goddess" spreads far and wide, and as the Regent's prestige reaches its peak, some people in the capital are probably... really starting to get restless.
A resounding victory often means—
An even bigger storm is coming.
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