"Open your dog eyes and see who I am!" Liu Yuan roared at him.
As the distance got farther, Song Wan's mental power and control level gradually decreased.
With Liu Yuan's roar, a small number of soldiers around him whose minds were controlled came to their senses, including the one who held the knife to his neck.
The soldier was so frightened that he let go of his sword and hurriedly explained, "General! It wasn't me!"
Of course Liu Yuan knew it wasn't him, otherwise he would have killed him with a single blow.
Speaking of which, that woman actually has such an evil skill that she can control people's minds openly. He must report it to the emperor immediately.
After Song Wan and others escaped from the pursuers, they headed eastward, intending to go straight to the southwest military camp.
Everyone was still shocked when they thought of the scene they had just seen when they turned around.
If one person sees it wrong, it can be explained as dazzled, but there are seven or eight pairs of eyes, it is impossible that they all see it wrong.
The horse slowed down and Song Qi caught up with Song Wan. "Princess, General, did you see that just now? The Daye soldiers were fighting among themselves!"
Song Wan pretended not to understand. "Really? Maybe you're just dazzled."
Song Qi couldn't have been wrong, not to mention he wasn't the only one who saw this scene. "General, you don't need to drive the horse, you must have seen it, right?"
Gu Yan was anxious to know that all this was the result of Song Wan's immense mental effort, but she couldn't tell them. So she chose to say, "It's the result of the demoralization of the army within Daye."
Song Qi: “…”
What a perfunctory answer! It would have been better to just lie to him and say it was a sign from God.
He intuitively felt that all this was related to the princess. Perhaps it was really like Gu Wu said, their princess was a fairy from heaven who came down to earth to save the fate of Dai Viet. So what if the fairy had some special abilities?
After figuring it out, Song Qi glanced at Song Wan mysteriously, then shut up and rode his horse to join Gu Wu, carrying the unconscious old monk on his back.
Song Wan was puzzled by his gaze. She asked Gu Yan anxiously behind her, "Is he scared silly?"
Gu Yanji could probably guess something, "Maybe he figured it out himself."
Song Wan didn't understand. "What could he possibly figure out?"
"I figured out that Awan is a fairy who has descended to the earth." Gu Yan smiled silently.
"I'm quite satisfied with this understanding." Song Wan raised his chin and said without any modesty.
The prince was lost. Chaos ensued in the city of Sui, and Song Wan led everyone out of the city, taking advantage of the chaos without even using much mental energy.
By the time Liu Yuan finally returned to the city from the mountain with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, Song Wan and others were already dozens of miles away.
In the Daye military camp, the prince and Liu Yuan were not there. There was only a deputy general left, who was unable to take charge of anything. As a result, the two armies confronted each other for a long time without any war.
This gave Song Wan and his group plenty of time.
Ever since Song Wan left with only two guards, General Qin would go up to the city wall every day to take a look, or send someone out of the city quietly to the other side to inquire about the situation.
He somewhat regretted not letting his grandson go with him. No matter how powerful Princess Xiaoyao was, she could not withstand the tens of thousands of soldiers sent by the other party. If Qin Che went with her, at least he could help kill a few more soldiers after being exposed, increasing the chances of escape.
"Grandfather, Daye has never launched an attack. It seems that General Gu and his men have not been captured." Qin Che was dressed in a black robe and armor. He had been training troops on the border for many years. His skin was not as delicate and fair as those young masters in the capital. He had a bit more unruly and rough skin.
"I'm worried about the princess now." General Qin sighed, "I don't know when the princess will be back."
Qin Che thought for a moment and said, "How about letting me lead a small group of people to the city of Su?"
"Take Niu Tiedan with you," General Qin ordered. "Don't alert the enemy before you see the princess."
Qin Che understood and said with a cupped hand, "Grandson will prepare it right away."
He was about to go down the tower when he was suddenly stopped, "Wait! Che'er, come over here and take a look!"
Qin Che held the sword at his waist and turned back, not knowing what was going on. "Grandfather, what's wrong with you?"
General Qin asked him to look at several figures not far away outside the city wall.
"Look, is that the princess?!" General Qin couldn't believe his eyes. You know, Daye's army was stationed only fifty miles away.
Qin Che took a closer look and was immediately excited, "It really is! It seems there is also General Gu! The princess actually brought General Gu back!"
"Hurry! Open the door!" General Qin strode down the stairs in a hurry.
"We're finally here!" Song Wan said happily, "We can have a good meal now."
"Princess, General Gu." General Qin personally opened the city gate to welcome them. "You are finally back."
Gu Yan hurriedly dismounted first, then habitually extended his hand towards Song Wan.
Song Wan glanced at it, but it was useless. Instead, she jumped off the horse and said, "You are a patient, be careful or I will crush you!"
"General Gu is injured?" General Qin asked worriedly when he heard this.
Gu Yan hurriedly said that it was nothing serious, "General Qin, I'm sorry to have worried you."
General Qin was relieved and said, "As long as you are all okay, that's fine."
"You bunch of bastards! Let this prince go!"
Chen Mian had not stopped cursing and yelling since he woke up in the middle of the journey. Gu Wu tied him up like a silkworm cocoon, leaving only his head exposed, and then fastened him horizontally to the horse's back, letting him yell.
Seeing that he was about to be pushed into the enemy camp, Chen Mian was really panicking, "Gu Yan, hurry up! If you let me go, you will definitely benefit from my participation in the grand ceremony!"
Song Wan walked over and punched him on the head, "What are you dreaming about?"
General Qin then noticed that there was another person tied to the horse behind him. He was a little bit unconvinced when he heard the other party's self-proclaimed title, "Who is this?"
"It's just as you think, General Qin. This person is none other than the Crown Prince of Daye, Chen Mian." Gu Yan stated hastily, "The Emperor of Daye couldn't bear to part with the Crown Prince, so he didn't let him stay at the front lines, but hid him in Suicheng instead."
"That is to say, the one in Daye's military camp is a fake." General Qin suddenly didn't know what to say. He hadn't fought a war for a few years, so why did the old emperor of Daye seem to have been under a spell?
If those Daye soldiers knew that the one leading them to fight was just the fake prince, and that the real prince was always hiding behind them, indulging in sensual pleasures and had no intention of caring about their lives, they would probably be furious.
"Did the general capture this man?" asked General Qin.
"It wasn't me, it was the princess." Gu Yan explained hurriedly, "Jiang Canling and I were injured and recuperating in a temple. When the princess was looking for us, she also captured the Prince of Daye who was hiding in the brothel."
No wonder there were three more monks in the team out of nowhere. I guess they were from that temple.
It was just the word "by the way" that made General Qin at a loss for words. This Princess Xiaoyao was truly a peculiar person.
Song Wan, feeling relieved after the beating, came over and said, "Are you done talking? Now it's time to eat!"
General Qin: "......"
Soon, the news spread throughout the southwest military camp that Princess Xiaoyao not only rescued General Gu but also abducted Prince Daye.
This was the time to boost morale, so General Qin asked his grandson Qin Che to tie up the Prince of Daye and walk him in front of all the officers and soldiers in the camp so that they could see it with their own eyes.
How could such great news be known only to their own people? General Qin kindly called the special envoy and said, "You must personally deliver this letter to Liu Yuan."
"Tell him that unless he withdraws his troops, the prince will be in danger."
"Yes! General!"
"Why retreat?" Song Wan, holding a large chicken drumstick in her hand, followed by Gu Yanji, strode over, one bite at a time, "Unless you surrender."
"This..." General Qin always thought that the best outcome would be to make Daye withdraw without sacrificing a single soldier.
"Otherwise, we will attack them, capture their capital, and pull the old emperor off the throne. From then on, the world will be unified." Song Wan swallowed the remaining meat in one gulp and threw away the bones.
General Qin was frightened by her idea. "Princess, unifying the world is not just talk. Even if we kidnap the Crown Prince of Daye, he may not be the only one to be the crown prince of Daye."
If Emperor Daye had not been so stubborn and favored this son who was nearly forty years old and had no children, the position of crown prince would have been taken by someone else long ago.
"Then capture all those who can become the crown prince." Song Wan said easily.
"This is a matter of great importance. Should we report it to the capital first?" It would be a lie for General Qin to say that he was not tempted. He had fought in wars all his life and had seen too many battlefields where blood flowed like rivers. Whenever the border was to be stable, it always relied on the soldiers to shed their blood and use their bodies to resist the enemy's invasion.
"According to the date, the reply from the capital should have arrived by now." Gu Yan had just finished speaking when Qin Che entered the tent with a eunuch who came from the capital to deliver the imperial edict.
"Grandfather, an imperial decree has arrived from the capital!"
The letter was written by Gu Yan when he was in a hurry to leave the Northwest. In addition to informing him of the war situation in the Northwest, he also wrote down Song Wan's thoughts on it.
Everyone knelt on the ground to receive the order, and Song Wan, who was standing aside and chewing pig's trotter, seemed very awkward.
The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was Zhang Fuzheng's confidant, and had some understanding of Princess Xiaoyao. In addition, before he left the capital, the emperor had specifically instructed that Princess Xiaoyao did not need to kneel when receiving the imperial edict.
To sum up, the contents of the imperial edict are that the emperor agrees to attack Daye, and military supplies and food are being transferred from all directions to the southwest, so that the soldiers in the southwest will never have any worries. In addition, the imperial edict also specially authorizes Princess Xiaoyao to command the battlefield together with General Qin and General Gu.
Moreover, Princess Xiaoyao and the other two generals also have the power to command and give orders to the Southwestern Army.
"Princess, two generals, please accept the order." The eunuch who delivered the order closed the imperial edict and said.
"Your humble servants will obey your orders." General Qin and Gu Yan said hurriedly at the same time.
While listening to the imperial edict, Song Wan had finished chewing her pig's trotter. She wiped her mouth and hands, walked over and asked, "Are you okay, Ayu?"
General Qin, who had received the imperial edict, was shocked when he heard him calling the emperor by his name.
Then, seeing Gu Yanji's unsurprising attitude, he couldn't help but wonder, is it possible that the princess behaves in the same way in the capital?
The eunuch who delivered the decree smiled and said, "Your Majesty is fine, but he misses you, Princess."
These are the words the emperor asked him to convey.
"You actually still have time to think about me." Song Wan tutted her tongue a few times, "It seems you haven't approved enough memorials."
The eunuch delivering the imperial edict dared not respond and could only say, "The Emperor works diligently every day. With the Prime Minister, Prince Gu, and Lord Li here, the princess can rest assured."
"Of course I'm confident in Ayu, but when you go back, remember to make sure he eats well so he can gain weight and become stronger," Song Wan instructed the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict. "Only if he's well fed can he approve more memorials."
The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict said he would definitely convey the message.
Finally, General Qin asked his deputy general to take the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict to the rear to rest, and then send someone to send him back to Beijing after he had rested.
At the same time, orders to attack Daye were issued to each camp.
They had the crown prince of Daye in their hands, so even though there were 200,000 against 400,000, the morale of the soldiers did not weaken in the slightest.
Poor Liu Yuan had just rushed back to the military camp, and the soldier pretending to be him and the Crown Prince had not yet changed his clothes when the news of the enemy's surprise attack broke in.
"General! Dai Viet has taken the initiative to send troops!"
"What did you say?" Liu Yuan was only halfway through putting on his armor. "What do you mean Dai Viet sent troops? Didn't they send people to negotiate?"
Since the prince was captured by the enemy, Liu Yuan rushed back to the military camp and brought all the 300,000 troops stationed in Chongcheng here in order to boost his momentum so that he could find an opportunity to rescue the prince while the enemy was forcing him to negotiate.
Now he was told that Dai Viet had actually given up negotiations and sent troops to attack.
Liu Yuan's mind was in a mess at the moment and he didn't know what to do. He cursed Dai Yue inwardly for not playing by the rules. Since they had captured the hostages, shouldn't the first thing they did be to send someone to negotiate terms?
The army of 200,000 was mighty and full of high morale.
There were only fifty miles between the two armies, so Liu Yuan had no choice but to go ahead. He didn't believe that he would lose with 400,000 troops against 200,000.
The drums of war were beating and the smoke of war was billowing.
The two armies engaged in battle, bows were drawn and arrows were shot, weapons clashed.
Song Wan and Gu Yanji led 10,000 troops as the vanguard, rushed to the front, and disrupted the enemy's formation with unstoppable force.
The 10,000 vanguard soldiers, led by Song Qi and Gu Wu, killed the enemy while spreading the news that their crown prince had been captured.
"Your Prince Daye has no intention of going to the battlefield himself and has been hiding in Chongcheng!"
"He pushed you out here to die! But he himself indulged in sensual pleasures in the rear!"
"If you don't believe me, just lift the curtain and open your eyes to see who is sitting there!"
The morale of the Daye army was largely dispersed by these powerful voices.
There was actually someone who tried to provoke the prince who was sitting in the rear. Behind the curtain on the throne, the person sitting behind it was not their prince at all, but a trembling soldier.
Song Wan rushed into the enemy's encirclement on horseback, and with a swing of his whip, he rolled Liu Yuan under the horse's hooves. His ribs were instantly broken, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
She used her mental power to drive away a group of enemy soldiers who wanted to approach, reined in her horse, turned around, and dragged away Liu Yuan's head.
The first battle lasted only two hours before the commanding general was beheaded by the enemy. For a moment, the morale of the army collapsed even more, and many cowardly soldiers took the opportunity to escape.
The 10,000 vanguard soldiers led by Song Wan and Gu Yanji tore a large hole in the 400,000-strong army, and the subsequent 200,000-strong army took over and killed the enemy soldiers with minimal losses.
In the end, the enemy soldiers were either killed, surrendered, or escaped, and Dai Viet captured three cities in a row.
The army rested in Wucheng. Many wealthy businessmen in the city fled with their property before the arrival of the Dai Viet soldiers, leaving only poor people in the entire city.
Gu Yan urgently ordered that no one was allowed to attack ordinary people, but they could search the mansions of the wealthy businessmen who had escaped.
The wealthy businessmen only had time to take away gold, silver and treasures, but they could not take away all the food in the cellar warehouse. The soldiers swarmed forward, some carrying several bags of rice, some carrying several chickens, ducks and geese, and some even did not let go of the fish in the lake and fished them all out.
They walked on the street, making a lot of noise.
The people of Daye closed their doors one after another. Even though Gu Yanji repeatedly emphasized and posted notices not to harm or rob the people, they still did not dare to come out.
There were a few brave ones who stood on the second floor, with only their heads sticking out to look outside.
They collected these foods to take back as snacks for everyone. After all these years of fighting, they had never eaten such good rice.
At this moment, a house's door was not closed tightly, and a little girl with pigtails ran out and played hopscotch in the middle of the street.
Those who were hiding on the second floor and peeking took a deep breath, and all thought in their hearts that this girl might not survive.
When the little girl's mother saw this, she wanted to run out and bring her back, but her husband stopped her by covering her mouth tightly.
No one expected that someone would block the road, and it was a very thin little girl.
The leading Dai Viet soldier wiped his face, which was still stained with blood and dust, with his sleeve, forced out a smile that he thought was gentle, and walked up to the little girl carrying two fish and a cloth bag of rice, placing these two things next to the square where she was jumping.
The little girl looked up, confused, and asked, "Uncle Hei?"
The soldier laughed and nodded. "Yes, this is the fish Uncle Hei gave you. Go back and ask your mother to cook it for you."
"Thank you, Uncle Hei." The little girl had never seen such a fat and lively fish. She was scared but couldn't help but approach it out of curiosity and poked its back with her little hands.
The soldier scratched his head and smiled, thinking that if his wife at home gave birth to a daughter, she would probably be this old.
Everyone spontaneously walked around the little girl, without even stepping on the charcoal grids on the ground, and just left with their spoils.
The Dai Viet army actually did not harm the civilians. The door that had been closed for many days was opened from the inside. Everyone stuck their heads out to look at the departing Dai Viet army and talked to each other.
The little girl's mother quickly brought her back and said, "You scared me to death, do you know that?"
The little girl had no idea what was going on. She opened her big, innocent eyes and only knew that her mother seemed angry. So she struggled to lift the big fish she had dragged all the way and said, "Mom, Uncle Hei, give it to me. I'll eat it!"
In this life-and-death battle between the two countries, Dai Viet promised not to harm the people every time it captured a city. As long as they did not cause trouble, they could continue to live a peaceful life.
The news of the prince's capture quickly spread to all the cities in Daye.
Unfortunately, the old emperor was unwilling to abolish the crown prince and appoint someone else as his successor. This led to the generals defending the city not daring to lead their troops to resist, for fear that the other side would threaten the crown prince's life.
It took nearly five months to fight from the southwest to Daye Yongcheng, and they were only one step away from Daye Capital.
During this period, Song Wan finally ate sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes secretly planted by the Daye royal family in various cities were temporarily used as military rations.
The Dai Viet Army celebrated the New Year in Yongcheng. They had hot roasted sweet potatoes, spicy fried pork with chili peppers, and dumplings stuffed with cabbage and eggs. Each person had two dumplings, and they felt like they were celebrating the New Year.
This New Year may be the last New Year for some of them, and those two cabbage dumplings may be the last two they eat in their lives, but no one regrets or is afraid.
They grinned, clinked their glasses, and drank tea instead of wine, as if they were celebrating their victory in advance.
Once they defeat Daye tomorrow, they may no longer have to guard the border without a return date, and they can go home often to visit their wives, children and elderly mothers.
If the emperor approves, perhaps they can bring their families to the border, and when there is no war, they can go home and live a normal life.
Song Wan squatted in the corner and used a stick to dig out several black pieces from the pile of sparks.
"Is this the roasted sweet potato? But it's black on the outside, are you sure it's edible?" Guan Zhen touched the fuzz growing on his head, which was a bit prickly, so he looked up at his senior brother's, which seemed to be growing faster than his.
"Of course you can eat it. It will smell so good that you'll die of it soon!" Song Wan used a wooden stick to knock off the black ash on the surface of the sweet potato.
"Awan, let me do it." Seeing that she wanted to pick it up with her bare hands, Gu Yan hurriedly stopped her.
"I want the biggest one!" Song Wan pointed to the sweet potato that was obviously two or three times bigger than the ones next to it.
Gu Yan smiled anxiously and said yes. He wrapped the black sweet potato with the wide hem of his clothes, and then under her guidance, he peeled off the outer layer, revealing the orange sweet potato flesh inside, which immediately smelled fragrant.
Song Wan was drooling because of this familiar taste, which she hadn't tasted for many years.
She took out the wooden spoon she had prepared earlier in the morning, dug a big mouthful, and stuffed it into her mouth regardless of the heat. "Delicious! Delicious!"
"Is it really that delicious?" Song Qi couldn't help himself and quickly picked up a piece, peeled off the outer skin and ate only the inside.
Guan Zhenren's hands were also small, so he barely took a small one and threw it back and forth between his left and right hands. He cried out, "It's so hot!"
Song Wan ate her own food and didn't forget to feed Gu Yanji a few mouthfuls. When she heard the little monk's call, she turned around and said, "Little bald head, you've been eating and drinking my food all the way. When are you going to pay for the food?"
In the dark night, Guan Zhen's face turned red, like the hair growing out of his head, he had nowhere to hide. "When Master comes back, Guan Zhen will not deny his debt!"
"Your master ran away on his own." Song Wan told the truth, "He doesn't want you anymore."
That Master Xuanyi was originally heading westward with the following army, but he got lost along the way, perhaps on purpose, and could not be found.
Just leave this little bald head.
"No." Guan Zhen's eyes were red, a little aggrieved and scared, "Master will never abandon me!"
Song Yu, who was standing by, exchanged the peeled sweet potato with the one in Guan Zhen's hand, then turned his head to meet Song Wan's gaze.
"Brother, what do you want to say?" Song Wan was still fierce to him.
Song Yu pursed his lips and looked at a face that was becoming increasingly familiar. Suddenly, some images seemed to flash through his mind, but they disappeared in a flash and he didn't catch anything.
"younger sister?"
Song Wan pursed her lips and said, "You're not calling me donor anymore?"
Song Yu: "..."
He didn't know why he called her 'sister'.
After finishing the oversized sweet potato in a few bites, Song Wan felt relaxed from head to toe. "Don't worry, little bald head. Even if your master really doesn't want you anymore, I can still support you."
Guan Zhen's cheeks puffed up, and he turned his head away, "Hmph!"
After leaving the temple, changing out of his robes, and growing his hair back, Guanzhen gradually forgot his days as a monk.
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