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"Everyone, please step aside and come back to see me when you're dressed."
The first day of May was the day when one hundred thousand troops set out for the Northern Expedition against Beijing.
At dawn, before his father went to the Suzaku Gate to see off the generals, Qingyang, who lived in the palace, came to the Qianyuan Hall first.
In addition to Emperor Xingwu, the Imperial Concubine, Concubine Li, and the Crown Prince's family were all present. At this time, the palace family was the only one to practice for the little princess.
At the age of nine, Qingyang once wore armor that was made smaller from her father's. Now, at the age of seventeen, Qingyang was rewarded by her father with four sets of armor specially made for her. All four sets of armor had dragon-patterned satin leather linings, one set in bright yellow, one in vermilion, one in royal blue, and one in crimson purple.
The armor of the Da Qi military camp is mainly iron armor, and high-ranking generals often wear a full set of iron armor.
Leather armor is made of varying animal skins and has varying degrees of quality in craftsmanship. The satin leather armor worn by Emperor Xingwu when he led an expedition or observed military campaigns was extremely expensive. It was lighter than iron armor and just as good in defense. With a layer of silk applied inside and out and dragon patterns embroidered on the silk, it became a unique symbol of nobility for the emperor. Even a prince like Qin Bing could only wear iron armor when he went to the battlefield, and could not wear satin leather armor that was intended to highlight his noble status.
The little princess was supervising the army on behalf of the emperor. When she arrived at the border, she symbolized the emperor's majesty, so it was reasonable for Emperor Xingwu to reward his daughter with satin armor with python and dragon patterns.
There will be people lining the streets to see him off on the way out of the city today, so Qingyang specially chose the bright yellow suit.
Such a little princess walked in covered in the morning light. Emperor Xingwu smiled, Concubine Li's eyes were red, Qin Hong was stunned, and only Zheng Ge'er, who was standing silently beside his mother and not very noticeable, quickly shifted his gaze between his aunt and the royal grandfather. The more loving and relieved the royal grandfather's smile was, the gloomier Zheng Ge'er felt.
Qingyang bowed to the elders and his elder brother and sister-in-law one by one.
The imperial concubine praised him, "When Lin'er wears this, he really looks like a unicorn ready to gallop across the battlefield. He is so majestic and powerful."
Qing Yang said modestly, "I just rely on this set of armor to keep up appearances. When it comes to defending the battlefield, I still rely on brave soldiers like my second brother."
Imperial Concubine: "The commander is the mastermind, the soldiers are the ones charging into battle. With Lin'er's counsel, your second brother can strike at the right spot."
Qingyang was no longer humble because she was indeed not as good as the soldiers who trained hard every day in the barracks when fighting alone.
Concubine Li had given her daughter a lot of instructions recently. She didn't say anything discouraging this time. She just asked her daughter to discuss things with several commanders more often and not to disappoint her father's expectations.
Lu Wenrong told his sister to take good care of herself and not to overwork herself.
Qin Hong finally spoke, looking at his sister and said, "Brother, trust me. Wait for me and the soldiers to return victoriously."
Qingyang hugged his brother, feeling his brother's thin waist, and said sincerely: "Big brother, you should also take care of your health. It would be best if you can be stronger than you are now when we come back."
Qin Hong smiled and said, "Okay, big brother, try your best to eat more."
There were many people, and after everyone said a few words, the time was up. The second concubine and the Crown Princess stayed for a while, while Emperor Xingwu took the Crown Prince and his son to practice for his daughter and others.
After the grand ceremony, Qingyang rode in front, followed by Prince Yong and Qin Bing. The three royal family members, along with famous and young generals such as Hou Wanzhong, Deng Kun, and Zhang Su, as well as 3,000 personal soldiers of the princess selected from the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Army, marched towards the outside of the city in a mighty procession. One hundred thousand Beijing troops had already lined up outside the city.
The borderlands have been repeatedly attacked by the Donghu, and the people there have suffered greatly. The people of Great Qi also resent the Donghu, their formidable enemy. So today, the soldiers of the Beijing Camp are marching to attack the Donghu, and everyone in the capital who can make it has come to see them off. Even if the people don't recognize generals like Prince Yong, Qin Bing, Deng Kun, and Zhang Su, just by looking at their armor, size, and aura, they can tell they're all exceptional martial artists. But it's the man in the front, wearing the most luxurious armor...
There were whispers among the people.
"Is this Princess Qingyang?"
"I think so. I heard that the Emperor sent Princess Qingyang to supervise the army this time."
"This is ridiculous! Even if the princess is talented and can write books, how can a woman be sent to the battlefield? And even for such an important position as the military supervisor?"
"It's quite unusual, but I don't think our emperor would be confused about war. Perhaps the princess has the ability to do so."
Officials were all men, and the common people who came to see her off included men, young and old, both men and women. Some women were not happy to hear the men complaining about the princess's lack of military skills. "Who says the princess doesn't know how to fight? There was even Hua Mulan in the past. What's more, our princess has studied with the princes since she was young. She has learned everything the princes learned. If the princess can get first place in the palace examination, perhaps she will also be able to lead troops in battle!"
The soldiers who heard this couldn't help but turn their heads and saw the woman who spoke raised her thumb high.
These three thousand personal soldiers were all chosen by the little princess. Someone with a bold and outspoken personality echoed loudly, "That's right, our princess is a master of both civil and military affairs!"
Look, the soldiers in iron armor all believed in Princess Qingyang, and the people who already believed in Princess Qingyang became even more proud. Those thin or pot-bellied men and women, old and young, who looked down on women's ability to fight, suddenly stopped talking.
King Yong also did not believe that his niece really knew how to fight, but he would not undermine the relationship between his niece and his elder brother at this time, nor would he ruin the morale of the soldiers in the Northern Expedition. He thought that when his niece really failed on the battlefield, he would take on the heavy responsibility for her, and let her just rest in the tent while he would deploy the troops.
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After leaving the capital, the assembled 100,000 troops marched directly to the northeast. Even if they met civilians on the roadside, they would stay away from them, and not much gossip could reach the ears of the soldiers.
The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and the early morning is still cool. When the sun rises high, the sun is scorching above, and the dust and smoke raised by the footsteps of the soldiers are floating below.
The soldiers who insist on training in normal times are more or less accustomed to it and will not complain about this hardship. Besides, compared with the fighting on the battlefield, what is the trouble of rushing on the road?
Although Prince Yong had lived a life of peace and prosperity for over a decade, at heart he was still the rough-and-tumble man who had grown up in poverty and earned his fortune by following his elder brother's campaigns. He didn't mind the harsh sun on the march, but he couldn't bear to see his niece, who looked like a peony, suffer in vain with a group of men, so he advised her early on, "It's too sunny outside. Lin'er, go sit in the carriage."
Qingyang did combine work and rest when she accompanied her father on the southern tour. She spent most of the time in the carriage while traveling, and only rode horses in the morning and evening when the weather was comfortable or she felt bored sitting. However, the southern tour was to inspect government affairs. As long as she did her job well, the 3,000 personal soldiers accompanying the emperor would not have any gossip. But now she was accompanying the army in the Northern Expedition as a military supervisor. If she could not even endure this little hardship, what would the 100,000 soldiers think of her?
Qingyang rejected Uncle Wang's foolish kindness: "I don't feel tired. If Uncle Wang is tired, go to the carriage and rest. I won't tell my father."
Prince Yong: "...You kid, what nonsense are you talking about? Uncle Wang is so old and sturdy, how could he be tired after just such a short walk?"
Qingyang smiled and said, "Okay, I don't look down on Uncle Wang, so Uncle Wang, don't look down on me anymore."
Prince Yong then realized that his niece was angry and said with a smile, "Uncle Wang, I just feel sorry for you..."
Qingyang: "I know, but I hope that from now on, Uncle Wang will forget about our uncle-nephew relationship and only regard me as the military supervisor appointed by our father. If a military supervisor can't even endure this little hardship, how can we talk about the Northern Expedition? Uncle Wang is not afraid of damaging the prestige of the Great Qi army or bringing shame to our old Qin family, but your niece dares not and disdains to do so."
Prince Yong: “…”
Qin Bing laughed heartily, gloating as he said, "After all, Uncle Wang underestimated my sister. Otherwise, why didn't you persuade me to go to the car and rest?"
Yong Wang waved his whip at him and said, "I'll beat you so hard that you'll have to lie down in the car and rest!"
Qin Bing: "Why are you hitting me? I just want to tell Uncle Wang that my sister can endure hardships even better than I can. Last year, during the nine-month southern tour, she never complained of being tired once. In June and July, when Fuzhou and Ganzhou were hot and stuffy like a furnace, she still rode on horseback and followed the officials around to inspect government affairs. So don't worry about it anymore. Princess Lin'er of our Qin family is not like those princesses of the previous dynasties who were afraid of hardship and fatigue."
Uncle Wang from the Qin family had to shut up after being repeatedly scolded by his niece and nephew.
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We looked for shade to rest during the hottest hour of noon, and then continued on our journey. In the second half of the afternoon, we crossed the Yellow River and arrived at the north bank. After walking another ten miles, we started setting up camp on the first day.
This time, Qingyang brought Li Yu and two senior palace maids, Fu Liu and Jin Su, to serve him closely. He had dinner alone, cleaned up briefly, and then rested.
He went to bed early and woke up before dawn the next day. He changed his clothes and washed up, put on the vermilion armor, and sent a few personal soldiers to call people.
The tents of Qin Bing and Prince Yong were the closest, and the uncle and nephew arrived one after the other. Qin Bing was tying his armor belt as he walked, while Prince Yong, who was still sleepy, simply came in wearing a dark undershirt. When they came in and saw the little princess in a neat suit of armor except for the helmet, both the uncle and nephew were stunned.
Armor must be worn in war, but this time they were on a very safe march. A set of ordinary armor weighed twenty to thirty pounds, and heavy armor weighed more than fifty pounds. In order not to delay the army's journey, the soldiers put the armor on the car first, and then took a set away to put on when they arrived at the destination. They wore armor yesterday because they were still near the capital and wanted to show the military power to the people.
The armor of Prince Yong and others was managed by their own personal soldiers, and they usually wore black uniforms like the soldiers. So when Qin Bing came to see the military supervisor's sister, he wore the right clothes, but his loose hair did not show military etiquette. Prince Yong, on the other hand, had a lot of problems.
Qingyang said directly: "Everyone, step back and come see me after you are dressed."
Qin Bing looked at his sister's frosty face and left tactfully. Seeing his nephew's cooperation, King Yong recalled the sharp words his niece had said yesterday, moved his lips, and finally followed his nephew out.
When they came out, the uncle and nephew saw Zhang Su, Hou Wanzhong, Cheng Zhixu, Meng Changhe, Deng Kun and Fu Kui walking towards them one after another. The first four put on their armor directly, only Deng Kun and Fu Kui were in black battle suits. After all, they were outsiders, so their hair was tied neatly.
Deng Kun was surprised and asked, "The princess also called us princes? What did she say?"
He thought that Qin Bing and Prince Yong had received instructions from the little princess and had returned after completing their task.
Qin Bing looked at his uncle, who had disheveled hair and was wearing a middle-aged coat. Prince Yong glared at his nephew and replied to Deng Kun, "We haven't gone yet. We just found a place to pee."
Deng Kun's face changed and his heart ached.
His father Deng Chong was also a casual person, but before he left, he repeatedly told him and his brother not to take off their pants outside the tent when they went out to fight. Deng Chong guessed that his father's malaria was probably related to this casualness.
If his father were still alive and had not aged due to malaria, Deng Kun would have laughed at him, but his father was gone. That was a lesson his father had paid for with his life, and Deng Kun only felt uncomfortable.
He didn't ask any more questions, and King Yong asked a few people to go see his niece first, and he hurried to change his clothes.
【Author’s words】
Here they come, 100 little red envelopes!
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