The Shadow Witch didn't provoke them any further, only telling them to dispose of the corpse first and not to make any rash moves.
One of the soldiers grew anxious: "If we're not attacking the city, what are we doing here? That Princess Consort of Ling has used some kind of sorcery to take lives in an instant. There's no way to escape. If we stay here, are we just going to wait for someone else to attack us?"
"You know she's capable, so why send another raid? It's just suicide, isn't it? Don't forget, you've lost your siege engines and artillery. Are you going to rely on your flesh and blood to block her attacks?"
The Shadow Witch's words made sense, and the others fell silent.
To reassure them, Shadow Witch added, "Don't worry, our goal this time is to capture Zhong Muyu. Everything is still under my control."
After the soldiers withdrew, Su Zhirou, who had been sitting silently in the back, also came out.
"Why bother capturing her? Why not just kill her?"
Su Zhirou was very dissatisfied with Wu Zhao and the Shadow Witch's decision. If they had just killed Zhong Muyu, they wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble; there were many other ways.
The Shadow Witch remained unfazed: "We can't kill her; she's very useful."
"What use is she anyway?"
"You don't need to know this. In short, she can't die. Although you became my apprentice because of your talent, you must remember that if you dare to kill Zhong Muyu without authorization, you will also pay the price."
The Shadow Witch's eyes were chilling, making Su Zhirou tremble.
It's like this again. Is she destined to never get revenge?
The Shadow Witch saw her resentment and advised her, "You've managed to save your life, so you should cherish it. Don't take on challenges lightly."
"Zhirou understands."
Su Zhirou lowered her head unwillingly. Cherish her life? Ever since Wu Zhao saved her life, she had been preparing for revenge, even if it cost her her life.
...
Early in the morning, Zhong Muyu dressed smartly and went to find Cao Lin. After obtaining the list of personnel, she took dozens of guns and had them taken to the square.
The square was located in a secluded corner, so there was no need to worry about it affecting ordinary residents. Cao Lin prepared protective measures according to her requirements. By the time she arrived, dozens of people had already gathered at the scene.
Most people were skeptical of the matter, so it was quite impressive that Cao Lin was able to find these few dozen people.
Seeing so many guns, Cao Lin was astonished: "So many! Your Highness, where did you get them?"
"You don't need to worry about that. But I only have this many, so I'll teach a batch first. If there are more people who want to learn later, you'll have to find craftsmen to study with on your own."
Of course, it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to research something exactly the same.
The weapons in the space were the most advanced equipment at the time; there was no way you could even think about those homemade hunting rifles—they simply didn't exist.
Cao Lin had already had a target erected in the distance. After Zhong Muyu explained the structure and usage to them, he personally demonstrated it.
With a bang, it happened so fast that even the naked eye couldn't see it.
A bystander went over to take a look and exclaimed, "Beat the bullseye!"
"Wow!"
"Your Highness is truly amazing! You can hit the bullseye with this, so you must be incredibly skilled at archery too!"
A gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd. Zhong Muyu said, "I'm not sure about the bow and arrow. Now it's your turn. Remember to keep your gun steady, don't miss, and don't hit anyone. This isn't a bow and arrow; it's very lethal."
After giving them instructions, the first team lined up and began practicing. Zhong Muyu stood to the side, and Cao Lin called out:
"start!"
Bang bang bang!
After all, they were all people who had experienced the battlefield and knew how to use crossbows. They were quite good at using them. Zhong Muyu nodded. With them, he could save some effort in the future.
After several days of training, everyone's marksmanship had improved significantly. However, perhaps because they were afraid of being attacked again, the enemy did not launch another surprise attack.
News came back from the border that the battle was still ongoing and the situation was not optimistic. According to the report, winter came earlier for the Xi Rong, and in order to cope with the food shortage, they planned to invade the land south of the border.
But this area is Lu Ziyuan's fiefdom, so he must fight desperately no matter what. For now, he doesn't need any support, but it seems that Yuanjing has already sent people to provide assistance.
Zhong Muyu rubbed his forehead: "At this distance, the battle will probably be over by the time reinforcements arrive."
Early Spring, however, was not so optimistic: "This servant is really worried. Chengfeng and the others are also on the battlefield, and I wonder how they are doing. They haven't even sent a message that they are safe."
"The fact that no messages are being sent means everything is safe. Don't overthink it. Just guard the city and don't let them have any worries."
"But I just can't rest easy. Why are those Xirong people so barbaric? Their land is already big enough, yet they are still so greedy, eyeing our Yuanqi land!"
Seeing Zaochun's indignant expression, Zhong Muyu picked up a map and spread it out on the table.
"Your Highness, what are you going to do?"
"Let me show you the situation in different countries."
Yuan Qi's map included all the surrounding countries that had records, and it was quite detailed. Of course, they hadn't been to the more distant places, so they didn't draw them.
Zhong Muyu pointed to the Xirong area: "Their land is about the same size as Yuanqi's, but you don't even know what kind of place it is."
High altitude, mountains, desert... not even a single tree in sight. Such land is completely unsuitable for cultivation, and the harsh climate makes survival difficult. Therefore, their yearning for Yuanqi's land is understandable.
Zaochun looked closely and understood: "But even so, we cannot commit acts of aggression! Think about the Lianguan massacre seventy years ago; they were completely inhuman!"
"Of course, after all, they are a people who grew up wildly in the cold wind. In short, everyone has their own destiny."
Zhong Muyu sighed. Since arriving here, she had learned most of the history of this world. Logically speaking, even with the harsh climate, the Xirong people should be quite wealthy due to animal husbandry and itinerant trade. However, they were inherently warlike and greedy, which was an unsolvable problem.
Putting away the map, Zhong Muyu rubbed her eyes. She hadn't slept well for the past few days due to the intense stress.
In early spring, she asked with concern, "Your Highness must be tired too? Would you like to take a nap?"
"Okay, take a nap. We still have to train the soldiers around 2 a.m."
Zhong Muyu stretched, still habitually referring to the current time. Fortunately, Zaochun understood, and she even gave Zaochun a watch.
Lying in bed, I drifted off to sleep, and all I could see was a pure white mist.
Zhong Muyu was surprised. She wanted to rest and hadn't intended to enter a dream. Who had made her enter a dream this time?
In that instant, Zhong Muyu thought of the mysterious man in white.
However, she walked for a long time in her dream but never met the man in white.
Suddenly, a pond appeared in front of them, its surface shimmering like a dream.
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