As the city gates were gradually being opened by the defenders inside, the sound of horse hooves could be heard not far from the city walls. Along with the hooves came two loud, gnashing roars, "Capture the Princess of Chu alive!"
The two voices spoke exactly the same words, causing Dong Jin and others who were originally standing outside the city to immediately turn their heads and look back. They saw two teams of soldiers in different uniforms rushing out from the rolling dust. They were riding war horses, holding long swords, and were running towards the city gate at a very fast speed. At the same time, those people's eyes involuntarily fell on the carriage slowly moving into the city, which made Dong Jin and others frown and become alert.
"Open the city gate quickly!" Dong Jin signaled the Jincheng civil servants who followed him out of the city to leave the city as quickly as possible, while he immediately deployed his troops.
Archers on the tower, already prepared, used the wall as a cover to shoot arrows at the enemy rapidly approaching the city gate...
For a moment, dust flew up at the city gate, arrows rained down, the sounds of soldiers falling, arrows piercing flesh, and screams of pain echoed one after another...
"Archers, provide cover!" A clear male voice suddenly rang out amidst the chaos...
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ning Feng, the first personal guard of King Chen, sitting upright on horseback in the clamor. He pulled the longbow with both hands and shot arrows at the defenders on the city wall with a stern look on his face.
Once the arrow in his hand was fired, it would definitely kill a soldier defending the city. The accuracy of his shooting made everyone's expression freeze. Only the Chen Wang army following Ning Feng's side had their morale boosted, and they all rushed towards the city gate...
"Ning Feng, the Princess of Chu is ours!" Seeing the momentum of Prince Chen's army rising, the people chasing them on the other side suddenly became anxious and kept shouting harsh words at Ning Feng and others.
At the same time, the team instantly split into two groups. One group chased after Yun Qianmeng and others' carriage, while the other group rushed towards Ning Feng and others, blocking Ning Feng's way forward.
"If the Sea King wants to capture the Princess of Chu, he has to get past me first!" Ning Feng narrowed his eyes as he looked at the person blocking his way and immediately recognized that this person was Zhao Chuan, the proud commander of the guards under the Sea King.
Instantly, Ning Feng's heart was filled with alertness. He quickly hung the bow and arrow back on the horse's back, drew the sword from his waist again, and rushed towards Zhao Chuan with one hand tightly holding the reins...
"Hmph, you young brat, you dare to be so insolent in front of me, you're looking for death!" Seeing Ning Feng drawing his sword towards him with a ferocious look, Zhao Chuan was furious, and his deep voice suddenly resounded throughout the vast land outside Jincheng.
By the time everyone could see the two figures clearly, Ning Feng and Zhao Chuan had already fought a round. Apart from the sound of two swords clashing in their ears, no one could see the process of the fight between the two. It was obvious that both of them had put in all their efforts and used all their strength to get the Princess of Chu.
"Hurry and protect the princess into the city!" Seeing that the two teams of pursuers actually started fighting at this time, Dong Jin knew that the opportunity must not be missed, so he personally led a dozen guards to clean up the rear, holding his sword to shoot down the arrows shot from the front. However, seeing the enemy's figure getting closer and closer to the city gate, Dong Jin could not help but shouting.
The heavy, solid city gates opened faster and faster as Dong Jin's voice rang out. Seeing that the gap between the two gates was finally wide enough for the carriage to pass, the secret guards behind the carriage whipped their horses and galloped into the city...
A group of people quickly entered Jincheng. The city gate, which was half-open just now, was immediately closed as everyone entered the city, preventing the pursuers from breaking in. Ning Feng and Zhao Chuan, who were fighting outside the city, stopped their actions when they saw the city gate closed again. They looked at each other coldly, but neither of them had the intention to continue to entangle.
"A good dog is not in the right place. If Guard Zhao hadn't suddenly appeared and blocked our path, I would have captured the Princess of Chu long ago." Ning Feng's sharp gaze swept over the remaining Chen Wang soldiers beside him, and he spoke in a cold voice, feeling annoyed. Perhaps because he had been with Chen Wang for so long, Ning Feng's expression was so solemn that a hint of coldness emanated from it, causing Zhao Chuan to frown.
However, Ning Feng's words, 'A good dog shouldn't be on the road,' truly infuriated Zhao Chuan. He raised his thick eyebrows, stared at Ning Feng with wide eyes, and angrily said, "Prince Chen's ambition is well known to the world. He wants both the kingdom and the beauty. Unfortunately, the beauty is already married to someone else. He's robbing her by force this time. What's the difference between him and a local thug? The king of a country is a sage. How can he be held responsible by such petty thieves?"
"Zhao Chuan, you are going too far! What is there to praise about the King of the Sea? He took advantage of his birthday to cause trouble and forcibly detained the prince and the legitimate sons and daughters of the nobles in the capital. How is this different from those of the bandits? What's more, our emperor is a prince and grandson of the emperor, and he is ambitious. What's wrong with letting him inherit the throne? Humph, what is your plan of chasing after the Princess of Chu this time? Don't you think others don't know?" Ning Feng was naturally not someone to be trifled with. Zhao Chuan's verbal humiliation of Jiang Muchen made Ning Feng immediately retort, not giving Zhao Chuan any face at all.
"Ning Feng, the outcome is still unknown. You are just a youngster, yet you are so arrogant. I want to see what will happen to you when the Sea King becomes the emperor in the future!" Zhao Chuan glanced at the Jincheng Tower, which was nearby. He saw that the tower was full of soldiers, and countless bows and arrows were aimed at them on the city wall. Zhao Chuan's heart sank. After saying this, he turned his horse's head and led the remaining Sea King's army to evacuate.
Ning Feng also noticed the vigilance on the city wall. He estimated the remaining Chen Wang Army and looked at the direction Zhao Chuan left. Ning Feng's mind moved slightly. He winked at the Chen Wang Army beside him, and saw dozens of Chen Wang Army following Zhao Chuan and others.
Ning Feng took the remaining Chen Wang Army and quickly left the place before Dong Jin gave the order to shoot.
"General, why didn't you order them to be shot while Zhao Chuan and Ning Feng were fighting?" Looking at the two groups of people leaving the city wall one after another, the deputy general standing next to Dong Jin spoke anxiously.
"Don't be reckless!" Dong Jin, who was standing quietly on the city wall, suddenly spoke up, his voice carrying the calmness and profound thoughts of a veteran. "The fact that King Chen of the Sea was able to find out the whereabouts of the Princess of Chu from King Chu proves they are well prepared. What's more, King Chen of the Sea's troops are now spread across the land of Western Chu. Zhao Chuan and Ning Feng are probably just scouting for the opportunity. If they can capture the Princess, that would be a great opportunity. If not, the army hidden in the dark will probably move out. If we shoot them now, King Chen's army and King Chen's army will immediately move out, which will not help us buy time and will instead plunge Jincheng into war prematurely."
The last sentence was filled with a hint of sigh, but was full of love for the people. Dong Jin's face was calm, but there was an imperceptible worry in his eyes.
"General..." The deputy general nodded after listening to Dong Jin's analysis, but there was a hint of hesitation in his words. Seeing that Dong Jin was patiently waiting for him to speak, he boldly whispered, "All of this was caused by the Princess of Chu. Why did you open the city gates to let her in? From what I've seen, Zhao Chuan and Ning Feng didn't intend to harm the Princess of Chu. Even if she was caught, they wouldn't..."
"What nonsense!" Unexpectedly, before he could finish his words, Dong Jin shouted at him.
The deputy general only felt an extremely stern gaze in front of him, and then Dong Jin's serious reprimand rang in his ears, "You have followed this general for many years. I promoted you to deputy general because I saw in your hard work for the people, and secondly, because you have a very thorough understanding of the changes in the current situation. But I didn't expect that you would become confused today! Now the ambitions of the Sea King and the Chen King have long been revealed, and only the King of Chu is determined to fight with the two kings in order to stabilize the country of Western Chu. Although we can't help the King of Chu, we can't just care about ourselves when the King of Chu's princess is in trouble, and ignore the life and death of the princess! Once the King of Chu's energy is distracted and threatened by the Sea King and the Chen King, I am afraid that the King of Chu's army will be defeated. By then, the Sea King and the Chen King will be in power. Do you think the people of this world will still be in trouble? Are there good days ahead? Do you think our little Jincheng can hold out? If the King of Chu didn't have a 500,000-man army stationed in the north, why do you think the King of the Sea and the King of Chen haven't launched a major war in the north? Don't just look at the present. How could the King of Chu sit idly by and watch the Princess of Chu fall into trouble? We can only hold on for a while, and then there will be a turning point. Moreover, the Princess of Chu was able to adapt to the situation and choose Jincheng in times of crisis, which shows that she is not a short-sighted woman. She must have considered and compared many things before finally choosing to flee to our Jincheng. Now that Zhao Chu and Ning Feng have left, I'm afraid they will bring reinforcements soon. The most important thing for us now is to be fully prepared for the battle, so that we can protect all the people in the city."
"I know I was wrong. Thank you for your advice, General. I will stand with Jincheng through thick and thin, and live and die together!" The deputy general blushed, and immediately realized the gap between himself and Dong Jin in knowledge, and immediately clasped his fists and signed a military order.
Dong Jin retracted his gaze and nodded calmly. "I suspect the King of Chu must have sent numerous escorts to escort the Princess, but she didn't utilize them during her escape. Perhaps she was worried that exposing her strength to the enemy would provoke an even more frantic pursuit from the Sea King and the King of Chen. Furthermore, the strong always look down on the weak. I'm sure the Princess of Chu exploited this to escape the clutches of the two kings and reach Jincheng."
"How could the Princess of Chu be so courageous and thoughtful?" The deputy general couldn't help but feel curious and looked up at Dong Jin.
A faint smile appeared in Dong Jin's eyes, and he said calmly, "The old prince's vision has never been wrong. Besides, isn't everything that happened today enough to explain everything?"
"General, the Princess of Chu sent a maid to deliver a message!" As he was speaking, a soldier guarding the city ran up to the city wall and came to Dong Jin to report.
"Let's go." Dong Jin nodded slightly, leaving the deputy to continue watching the situation below the city, while he led the defenders to quickly walk down the city wall.
"Qiao Ying greets the general!" At the foot of the city wall, a woman in a black tight dress saw Dong Jin coming down the city wall and immediately stepped forward to salute.
"Miss Qiao, you are so polite. I wonder what important matter the princess has sent you on?" Dong Jin saw that Qiao Ying had an upright figure and her face did not have the arrogance and arrogance of the nobles in the capital. He couldn't help but have a better impression of Yun Qianmeng.
"General, you are too polite! The princess sent me here to thank you for your kindness. However, the princess's escape to Jincheng has already caused trouble for you, so you can no longer be bothered with food, clothing, housing and transportation. The princess ordered someone to prepare the inn last night, and we have just checked in. Secondly, the princess wants to meet you and discuss the affairs of Jincheng in person. Please come with me." After saying this, Qiao Ying slightly turned her body to make way for the people behind her.
"Of course. Please lead the way, young lady." Dong Jin nodded, made a 'please' gesture to Qiao Ying, and followed Qiao Ying towards the inn.
The thrill of entering the city just now made everyone nervous. Now that they were temporarily safe, Yun Qianmeng did not even bother to rest for a moment. She immediately ordered Qiao Ying to invite Dong Jin and summon Dong Jin to the private room of the inn.
Seeing Dong Jin and Qiao Ying enter the main room, Yun Qianmeng led Mu Chun and Yingxia forward and bowed, saying, "Yun Qianmeng greets Uncle!"
Although Dong Jin's official rank was lower than Chu Feiyang's or Chu Nanshan's, he was Chu Nanshan's brother and had been through thick and thin together, so he was naturally Chu Nanshan's elder. Furthermore, if Dong Jin hadn't let them into the city, they would have already fallen into the hands of King Chen or King Hai.
Therefore, this bow is reasonable.
However, for Dong Jin, even though Yun Qianmeng was in trouble, she was still the Princess of Chu. How could he allow the Prince and Princess to pay a visit to him, a mere general defending the city?
Dong Jin quickly stepped forward, immediately extending his hands to support Yun Qianmeng, and respectfully said, "Your humble servant dares not bow before the princess. Please stand up quickly, princess, and don't embarrass me."
However, Yun Qianmeng insisted on completing the formalities, then slowly stood up and gently asked Dong Jin to sit down, then she looked at Dong Jin.
Although Dong Jin is a few years younger than Chu Nanshan, he looks much more haggard than Chu Nanshan because he has been guarding the north for many years and has been worrying all day long. However, his bright eyes tell the world his tenacious perseverance.
Faced with such a loyal and patriotic general, Yun Qianmeng stopped beating around the bush and spoke directly to Jincheng's current predicament. "General Dong, Qianmeng was pursued by the sudden appearance of pursuers and had no choice but to choose Jincheng. This was because General Dong was an old subordinate of my grandfather's, and Qianmeng trusted him. Secondly, after nearly four months of war, Jincheng was still able to hold its ground, proving General Dong's mastery of military strategy and a blessing to the people of Jincheng. Qianmeng knows that my arrival in Jincheng has brought great trouble and disaster to the people and the general, but Qianmeng had no way to escape. If I had simply barged into other towns without city walls and sufficient garrisons, I'm afraid the situation would have been even worse. I beg General Dong to forgive me."
Yun Qianmeng immediately explained the situation and frankly acknowledged the danger her arrival would bring to Jincheng. She didn't use her status as Princess Chu to pressure Dong Jin, but rather treated him as an elder and sincerely asked him to accept her apology.
Yun Qianmeng's sincere words and expression made Dong Jin nod repeatedly, but he didn't dare to accept Yun Qianmeng's apology. "Princess, you are serious. Defending the country is the duty of soldiers. Princess is a citizen of Western Chu. No matter which city you come to, we welcome you. How could we blame you for other things? Besides, now that King Chen and King Hai have rebelled, bandits are rampant everywhere. As long as the people of Western Chu come, I will open the city gates to welcome them, let alone Princess. Princess, there is no need to blame yourself."
When Yun Qianmeng saw that Dong Jin spoke honestly with a bit of stubbornness of a military commander, she knew that this man was very similar to Chu Nanshan in character, both of them cared about the people. This made Yun Qianmeng finally let go of her worried heart.
Silently sorting out the difficulties she was about to face, Yun Qianmeng spoke out her opinion, "According to our observations, the people pursuing us this time are the men of King Chen and King Hai. If things go as expected, these two will definitely gather the nearby King Chen and King Hai armies to besiege Jincheng. General Dong, I'm afraid we're in for a tough battle this time. I'd like to trouble you to count all the state garrisons in Jincheng. You'll also need to count all the food and fodder in the city and estimate how long it can hold out. King Chen and King Hai are coming with such force this time, we must be fully prepared to hold out until reinforcements arrive."
Listening to Yun Qianmeng's words, Dong Jin gained a deeper understanding of the young Princess of Chu. Rumors abounded of her intelligence, but meeting her today revealed that she was not only intelligent but also possessed a rare calmness and analytical ability, a rare quality for a woman. No wonder the old prince had taken a liking to the young Princess of Chu at first sight. A woman like her would not only not be a burden to the King of Chu, but would actually be a tremendous help.
"I understand. Please be careful, Princess. I will go down and prepare everything right away. But this inn is very simple, and I am afraid it will be unfair to Princess." Dong Jin was always worried that Yun Qianmeng would be wronged in terms of food and accommodation, and he couldn't help but say worriedly.
"This is already a great place to live. What could be more important than peace and tranquility in this world today?" Yun Qianmeng spoke in a friendly manner, without a trace of grievance or complaint between her brows.
Seeing this, Dong Jin couldn't help but nodded to Yun Qianmeng in his heart. He then left dozens of guards outside the inn to protect Yun Qianmeng, and immediately returned to the yamen with his confidants to prepare for the battle.
"Qiao Ying." After watching Dong Jin leave, Yun Qianmeng called out to Qiao Ying who was guarding outside the door.
"What are your instructions, Princess?" Qiao Ying quickly stepped into the private room and stood respectfully in front of Yun Qianmeng, waiting for her instructions.
Yun Qianmeng sat silently at the table, tapping her fingers lightly on the surface. Her elegant brows knitted slightly. After a long moment of contemplation, she spoke and ordered, "Fei Yang assigned the secret guards to me, but so much has happened along the way. Go and count the number of secret guards immediately to see how many we have left and be prepared for battle."
"Yes, I understand." Qiao Ying saw that Yun Qianmeng had thought it through and immediately turned and left the private room. However, before leaving, he secretly arranged for dozens of people to protect Yun Qianmeng.
"Yingxia." After giving Qiao Ying her instructions, Yun Qianmeng called Yingxia over and instructed her, "There's no one to serve Concubine Yuande. You should go and serve her for the next few days. Jincheng has suffered because of us, and we can't cause any more trouble for General Dong. Concubine Yuande is too cunning and difficult to serve. We're afraid she might try to escape during this chaos. I'll have to trouble you."
Although Concubine Yuande had secret guards around her, they could never get close to her. However, Yingxia knew a little bit about medicine, and with her watching over Concubine Yuande, even if she tried to poison her, she would have a plan to deal with it.
"I know, don't worry, Princess." Seeing the solemn expression on Yun Qianmeng's face, Yingxia knew that she had a heavy responsibility on her shoulders. She immediately bowed to Yun Qianmeng, turned around and walked out of the room without saying a word, and walked towards Concubine Yuande's room.
Mu Chun brought over a cup of boiled water and placed the warm teacup in Yun Qianmeng's hands, carefully observing Yun Qianmeng's expression.
Seeing that Yun Qianmeng's eyes were bright, but her face was already tired, her complexion was pale, and her eyes were slightly blue, Mu Chun said distressedly: "Princess, you have been tired all night, you should rest for a while."
Yun Qianmeng lifted the teacup with both hands, brought the rim of the bowl to her lips, and drank some hot water in small sips. Then she placed the teacup on the table, gently stroking her belly with both hands, and nodded to Mu Chun. "Help me get on the bed and rest for a while. If anything happens, come and report immediately."
"Yes." Mu Chun stretched out his hand and helped Yun Qianmeng walk to the bed. After helping Yun Qianmeng lie down, he quietly left the inner room and stood guard in the outer room.
However, less than an hour after Yun Qianmeng lay down, Qiao Ying hurried in and was talking quietly with Mu Chun in the outer room. The intermittent sound that came into the inner room was accompanied by rapid breathing, as if something big had happened.
Yun Qianmeng was preoccupied and had been a very light sleeper to begin with. When she heard the noise, she supported herself on the bed with her hands and sat up. She grabbed the coat beside the bed and put it on. She said softly, "Is Qiao Ying outside? Come in if you have anything to say."
Yun Qianmeng had barely finished speaking when Qiao Ying gently pushed open the door and walked in. Her expression was solemn. After bowing to Yun Qianmeng, she immediately spoke, "Princess, as you anticipated, the Sea King and the Chen King have gathered their troops and are besieging Jincheng. General Dong estimated that the Chen King's army numbers 150,000, while the Sea King's is even larger, likely exceeding 200,000. Currently, the Chen King is in the inner circle, while the Sea King is in the outer, completely surrounding Jincheng. However, Jincheng is safe for the time being. The Sea King's army and the Chen King's army are facing off, and there seem to be signs of war brewing."
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng's brows suddenly furrowed, and his expression was solemn. He put on his shoes and walked to the luggage beside him. He took out a sheepskin map from it, spread the map on the table, and carefully observed the surrounding terrain.
"Although Feiyang has stationed 500,000 troops in the north, we are at the junction of the north and the south. It will take at least half a month to reach the real north. During this period of time, we can only save ourselves, otherwise we will be captured." Yun Qianmeng pointed to the northernmost location on the map all the way to Jincheng and spoke seriously.
"What does the princess plan to do? General Dong originally wanted to send someone to escort the princess away, but the front and back gates of Jincheng are surrounded by the two armies. Even the side gates and the mountain roads near Jincheng are blocked by troops from the two armies. I'm afraid Jincheng has become an isolated city now." What made Qiao Ying even more worried was that the target of both armies was the princess. If the city gates were broken, even if the princess was hiding in the city, she would be captured alive by the two kings.
How to defend Jincheng for half a month has now become their biggest concern.
At this moment, Yun Qianmeng lowered her head and remained silent. Her bright eyes were fixed on the map, carefully examining all the mountain routes on it, her brows furrowed tightly...
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