When Mu Yan witnessed Mu Jin's archery skills, he was extremely surprised. When he learned that Mu Jin had come here to fight alongside them on the battlefield, he kindly advised Mu Weihou to return to Bianliang City.
After all, in their minds, men should be responsible for fighting and killing enemies, while women should be protected by them in the household.
Mu Yan asked with a look of surprise, "When did A Jin's archery skills become so exquisite?"
Mu Jin looked at the fleeing Dongyue soldiers in the distance, a cold smile appearing on her lips: "I have to thank Su Yuntian for this. If it weren't for his cousin, he would have banished me to Hanshan Village."
"To make a living, I was forced to learn the art of archery. After a year of frequent use of the bow, and with Eleven later teaching me martial arts and archery skills, my archery skills have naturally improved."
Mu Yan's lips, which had been slightly upturned due to Mu Jin's exceptional archery skills, instantly darkened like a storm cloud after hearing about the suffering she endured in Hanshan Village.
Yes, Mu Jin has now grown from a pampered noblewoman into a female general who fights on the battlefield. How could they not imagine the hardships she has endured?
The group descended the city wall and gathered around the sand table, their eyes fixed on the terrain outside the East Gate.
The Dongyue army chose a relatively flat and open area as its campsite, clearly taking into account its expertise in plains warfare. The Beiqi Kingdom, which came to attack Nanshu with them, also mainly consisted of mountains and flat grasslands.
This time, the Dongyue army came from afar to attack Nanshu, and they also found a relatively flat area to set up camp.
However, the Southern Shu side possessed a unique geographical advantage—in addition to the lush trees in the valleys making them easy to defend, the Southern Shu defenders could easily detect any slight movement from the enemy.
So now Huang Xin is trying every possible method to lure the soldiers of Southern Shu down the mountain and then seize the opportunity to annihilate them.
Mu Jin suddenly sneered, "Since they're so eager, let's just go along with it and go down the mountain to confront them head-on!"
Before he could finish speaking, everyone present turned their gaze to Mu Jin. "Ah Jin, stop talking nonsense in front of the Emperor!" Marquis Mu Wei stopped Mu Jin from speaking.
"Your Majesty?" Mu Jin looked to the side in confusion, and when she realized that Mu Weihou was referring to Su Yi, she couldn't help but twitch her lips.
Su Yi had only recently ascended the throne in the Southern Shu Kingdom, and he never acted like an emperor in front of Mu Jin. As a result, Mu Jin always had the illusion that Su Yi was still the纨绔 (wan ku, meaning a spoiled, dissolute young master) King Yi of the Eastern Yue Kingdom.
Su Yi smiled and looked at Mu Jin, then turned back to look at Mu Weihou and said, "General Mu, A Jin is now my deputy general, and she should have the right to speak."
"Your Majesty!" Marquis Muwei clasped his hands and reported, "No! Ah Jin has no practical combat experience, and how can a woman be a deputy general in the army?"
“It’s alright!” Su Yi interrupted Mu Weihou’s advice. “As long as A Jin is happy, let her be. Besides, A Jin is not as weak as you think. I believe in her, and I hope that you, as her father, should also believe in her.”
"Does General Mu think I am such a foolish ruler that I would risk the lives of 200,000 soldiers of the Southern Shu Kingdom just to please A Jin?"
Marquis Mu Wei glanced at the somewhat aggrieved Mu Jin, then at Su Yi, who was smiling but whose face was serious and brooked no refusal, and finally sighed.
"In the end, it is because I am a useless father that I have prevented my daughter from living a peaceful life like other daughters of noble families."
"Father~" Seeing that Mu Weihou was blaming himself, Mu Jin quickly went over and said, "You don't need to blame yourself. I am a member of the Mu family. Going to the battlefield to protect the country is my mission as a member of the Mu family. You don't need to treat me like an ordinary young lady from a prominent family."
"Besides, if you say that, I'll think you're sexist. If the older brother can go to the battlefield, why can't Ajin, as Father's daughter, go to the battlefield?"
Mu Weihou's eyes reddened slightly. He said with a mixture of heartache and relief, "Ajin is right. Father was too narrow-minded. What did you mean when you said you would go down the mountain to follow Huang Xin's wish?"
Mu Jin looked at Su Yi with a determined gaze, then turned to Mu Weihou and said, "I plan to lead 10,000 elite soldiers down the mountain tonight to give Dongyue a surprise attack! Because retreating and being afraid will only make the enemy more arrogant and overbearing."
"Ah Jin!" Mu Weihou instinctively wanted to stop him, but the words Mu Jin had just said to him immediately came to mind, so he gritted his teeth and forced himself not to speak.
“Father, please listen to me.” Mu Jin smiled slightly and continued, “There are only Huang Xin’s 20,000-strong vanguard troops at the foot of the mountain, while Su Yuntian and Bei Qi’s main force will not arrive for another two days according to the schedule.”
"Therefore, we must race against time and act before Su Yuntian's army arrives."
“Hmm!” Su Yi agreed with Mu Jin’s analysis and nodded, saying, “I agree with Mu Jin’s opinion. We’ll send troops out tonight.”
“Then I’ll go!” Mu Yan, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke up.
"Your Majesty and Ah Jin have had a long and arduous journey, and we haven't been able to wage war for a long time. In fact, I've been wanting to settle accounts with that scoundrel Huang Xin for a while now. Let me lead the army into battle tonight."
"Since I made this suggestion, I naturally have a place on this battlefield. Without further ado, let me go with my elder brother tonight!"
Upon hearing this, Su Yi said, "I will accompany you both on your journey!"
"No!" The three members of the Mu family said in unison, especially Mu Jin. She knew why Su Yi wanted to go with her; he was probably worried about her going on her first military expedition.
Mu Jin turned to Su Yi and said firmly, "Your Majesty need not worry. As the commander-in-chief, it is not the time for you to personally go into battle. Besides, with my brother accompanying me, we will surely be able to complete the mission successfully."
“That’s right!” Mu Yan echoed, “Since we arrived here from Dongyue and set up camp, we have thoroughly investigated the surrounding terrain with all the soldiers. Even if we encounter any dangerous situation, we can quickly find a hiding place thanks to our familiarity with the terrain, and we will definitely not let that scoundrel Huang Xin take advantage of us or gain any benefit.”
“In that case, it’s settled then. My brother and I will set off promptly at midnight tonight. Before that, let’s go back and get some rest to prepare for our departure.”
Mu Jin's attitude was resolute, clearly indicating that she had made up her mind to participate in this operation. Mu Weihou was still worried about Mu Jin, but seeing that his daughter's mind was made up, he knew that any further persuasion would be futile, so he could only silently nod in agreement.
He raised his head, looked at Mu Yan, and earnestly instructed, "You must take good care of A Jin. If anything happens to her, you don't need to come back to see me!"
Mu Yan looked at Mu Weihou with a determined look in his eyes and said, "I promise I will bring A Jin back to you safe and sound."
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