"Your Highness, the few hundred men guarding Galdan have fled into this grassland. The terrain here is treacherous; we need to take more men in!" A soldier beside Prince Zhi said to the prince, who was sitting in a tent. Inside the tent, in the center was Prince Zhi's throne, with two rows of soldiers on either side below him, all of them armored soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner. To Prince Zhi's left stood a very pretty "soldier," behind whom was a large map of the northern desert.
"Hmph, he's just clinging to life. I will definitely take his head and present it to Father Emperor!" Prince Zhi's brows were full of ambition, and the young soldier standing next to him also showed a very excited expression.
"Hehe, Your Highness has achieved great military exploits this time, and I'm sure the Emperor will reward you handsomely," said another confidant of Prince Zhi.
After hearing his words, the group exchanged knowing glances, and then suddenly clasped their hands in unison before Prince Zhi, saying, "We are willing to follow Your Highness!"
Prince Zhi was initially shocked, but then overjoyed. He understood what they meant. However, he couldn't show his joy, so he pretended to say, "Don't worry, I will consult with Father Emperor, and you will all be rewarded according to your merits."
"Your Highness, I don't care how much silver or beautiful women I can get. I just think Your Highness should go and fight for them," the confidant said.
Upon seeing that he spoke so bluntly, Prince Zhi was furious and shouted, "Mo Er, you scoundrel! How dare you utter such nonsense! Have I been too lenient with you? Guards, drag him out and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"
The soldiers outside the tent were ordered to come in and take Morgun away to be executed by military law, but Morgun said, "I don't need them to take me away, I'll go by myself!"
As Moergun stood up and followed the two soldiers out, he heard another man clasp his hands in a fist and say to Prince Zhi, “Your Highness, we are about to besiege Gerdan. Moergun is your most loyal subordinate. Thirty strokes of the cane will probably keep him in bed for days. I beg you to let him atone for his crime with merit.”
Prince Zhi wasn't truly angry to begin with, but upon hearing this, he immediately retorted, "You scoundrel, I never want to hear such words again! Sit down now, and if you don't do your best when we besiege Galdan tomorrow, see how I deal with you!"
"Tomorrow, this humble general will definitely help Your Highness take down that scoundrel Ge'erdan!" Mo'ergun knelt on one knee and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
After discussing the battle plan for a while, everyone dispersed to rest, and there was no need for further discussion.
The tent where Prince Zhi was resting was right behind the military tent. After the rather handsome young soldier followed Prince Zhi into his tent, she suddenly tore off her "beard" from her mouth, revealing her true face.
"Wearing this thing all day is so uncomfortable!" She raised her hand again and took off her military cap, revealing her hair. It wasn't a crescent-shaped haircut at all; it was actually Bao Yue's!
“If you don’t wear it, it will be easy for people to tell that you are not a man.” Prince Zhi took off his armor and looked at Baoyue.
"Your Highness, tomorrow you must make Yue'er kill Ge'erdan with her own hands!" Bao Yue looked at Prince Zhi with utmost respect. During their six months of shared military campaigns, Bao Yue had discovered that Prince Zhi was indeed a military genius. With someone like him as her backer, reclaiming what was rightfully hers wouldn't be difficult at all!
“Very well, once you catch him, I will let you kill him yourself!” said Prince Zhi.
“Hmm. Your Highness, why did you just scold that Mo Ergun! He was one of your trusted confidants, so what if you said a few words?” Bao Yue walked up to Prince Zhi and hooked her arm around his neck.
“How could you say such things in public? What if Father has spies around me! This Moergun is brave but his brain is made of tofu,” Prince Zhi said, frowning.
“Your Highness, then tell me the truth, do you really want to seize that position? Now that the Emperor has deposed the Crown Prince, it is the perfect opportunity for you, the eldest prince, to reclaim that throne!” Bao Yue said, her eyes gleaming.
"Of course I want to, I've wanted to for a long time. Hmph, what ability does the Crown Prince have? He was just born in the Empress's womb and became the Crown Prince the moment he was born. How am I inferior to him!" Prince Zhi was filled with pride at this moment. He felt that by defeating Galdan, he had helped Kangxi win this war that had lasted for almost two years.
“Your Highness! All I want is to reclaim the Khanate of the Korko tribe. Your Highness’s son-in-law is the eldest grandson of Bangu Khan. As long as they support you, it won’t be difficult to get the Emperor’s support as well,” Baoyue said.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise! But Hui-ge'er absolutely cannot be discovered now, and you, you can't appear with me beside Father Emperor this time, understand? I'm afraid he'll recognize you!" Prince Zhi couldn't bring himself to kill Bao-yue after all. After taking the women out of that inn, he had Zhuoma and Jin-yang hide with the child. Bao-yue, disguised as a man, stayed by his side.
"I understand! Your Highness, the thought of being able to avenge my father and mother with my own hands fills me with excitement!" Baoyue was completely immersed in the emotion of being able to take revenge.
As night deepened, Prince Zhi embraced Bao Yue as they fell asleep, their lovemaking continuing as usual, before they both succumbed to exhaustion. However, Prince Zhi suddenly thought of his wife, Lady Jue Luo, and his heart remained conflicted. Bao Yue's presence was always a ticking time bomb; if her existence were discovered, the hope hanging over his head could explode instantly.
However, looking at the beauty in his arms, Prince Zhi really couldn't bear to kill her with his own hands!
However, those who aspire to great things must never be sentimental like women!
Prince Zhi drifted off to sleep amidst this conflicted state of mind.
Meanwhile, in a tent not far away, several soldiers who had just been talking in the Prince of Zhi's military tent, including that Mo Ergun, were whispering among themselves.
“I think we should take the opportunity to kill that woman tomorrow! With her around, the prince will always have something to hold against him,” Morgun said.
“But she is the prince’s darling. If you kill her, the prince will not forgive you!” said the person who pleaded for him.
“The prince is just reluctant to let her go, but he also knows that keeping her around will only cause trouble sooner or later,” Mo Ergun said.
“Alright, as long as she follows us tomorrow, we’ll take the opportunity to kill this woman. Anyway, she’ll be dead, and the prince can’t do anything about it,” said the man named Da Hui.
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