Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 311 Monocular Telescope

Especially when so many people are risking their lives, fear is bound to arise. However, as he observed, Jiu Que discovered the problem.

The one commanding the 100,000-strong steppe army seemed to be Saki Khan himself. Even from this vast distance, Jiu Que could spot the magnificent golden palanquin amidst the throng of people. Saki Khan was strange indeed; for the past 20 years, everything had been peaceful, relatively speaking. Then suddenly he attacked them, and with such a treacherous tactic. Smallpox was a deadly disease, a sure way to wipe out an entire family; even future historians would record Saki Khan's actions. He was a heroic figure, after all; could he really tolerate such a brutal historical record?
Oh, come to think of it, they probably never imagined this southern campaign would fail. Isn't history just something the victors can dress up as they please? If they truly won, no one would object to any rewriting of it. It's just that this Saki Khan's confidence was a bit too much. They'd been conserving their strength for so many days, just waiting for the enemy to lose patience and strike first.

“Jiu Que, you stay here. I’ll go down and meet them. After I leave, all the mobilization of the Northern Frontier Army will be under your control.”

Indeed, as Sachi suspected, the Northern Frontier Army was not a united force. After all, 20 years ago they were fighting for different masters, but they shared a common identity: they were all from Dajing. Faced with this national crisis, those previous minor squabbles and frictions were utterly insignificant.

Especially given Jiu Que's status and abilities, she is more than capable of commanding the entire Northern Frontier Army. Even those who had no prior relationship with Ying Chongming have received considerable favors from Jiu Que during this period. Whether it was the factories that allowed their families to join or the smallpox scab powder, everyone involved has benefited from Jiu Que's help. Not to mention, she also has the emperor's appointment, which is only natural.

Therefore, the high-ranking generals on the city wall all nodded to Lin Chongshan.

"General Lin, rest assured, we will obey your orders."

Lin Chongshan nodded. Actually, she was more worried that the child might run away on her own when she wasn't paying attention, since the child had always expressed a strong desire to participate in the war. However, perhaps it was because she was getting old, she couldn't bear to see General Ying's only descendant fighting on the battlefield. After all, swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield, and the child hadn't received any systematic training before, or even actually been on the battlefield. Facing such a large-scale battle for the first time, she was genuinely worried that the child would get hurt.

Young people, in particular, are prone to impulsiveness. It wouldn't be good if they acted rashly and tried to charge into battle against the enemy. In all their years of service in the Northern Frontier Army, they've only produced one person like Jiu Que, someone truly favored by the Emperor. Yes, even though this child didn't grow up before their eyes, her actions, even with their limited time together, clearly showed that she genuinely cared for the Northern Frontier Army. Therefore, everyone treated her as their junior.

Seeing that Lin Chongshan wasn't entirely at ease with Ying Jiuque, everyone decided to give him a guarantee.

"General Lin, please rest assured, even if I am killed by the barbarians, I will ensure that Lord Ying remains safe and sound in the city."

"That's right, even with Lord Ying's martial prowess, he can't beat a few of us."

"If Lord Ying wants to defeat us, it will take at least ten years."

"Well... Uncles, aunts, and uncles, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to say this in front of me? I'm listening."

Ying Jiuque was utterly exasperated. She was a mature adult, not a child. How could she ignore Aunt Lin's advice and run off to the battlefield on her own? She wasn't asking for trouble.

However, the elders in front of her clearly did not trust her. One of them even came over and patted her on the shoulder, as if to say, "I understand."

"Lord Ying, please stop pretending. We were all young once, and we all know each other. When I was your age, I always dreamed of going to the battlefield. If I could take the opportunity to cut off a few barbarian heads and make a contribution, I could hold my head high in front of you, sir."

"Uh……"

Although that's what she truly thought, it didn't mean she would actually do it. Oh well, she wouldn't bother telling these self-righteous elders; even if she talked herself hoarse, they wouldn't believe her. The most important thing now was for her elders who had gone to war to return safely.

"General Lin, you must come back safely. There are so many things going on in the Northern Frontier Army, I can't handle them all by myself. And there's Uncle Yuchi, he told me a long time ago that you must come back safely."

Lin Chongshan looked the woman up and down. Although she had always treated Jiu Que as a junior, it was undeniable that the child had grown into a mature woman.

Looking at her, one is indeed reminded of the valiant female general from more than a decade ago, but more so of herself.

The child has grown up and can no longer be treated as an old friend.

"Don't worry, I'll be back safely."

She also wants to use these eyes to watch this child continue to grow and reach a position that none of them can even dream of.

In the end, General Lin couldn't resist a touch of sentimentality, patting Jiu Que's shoulder heavily. His eyes conveyed a resilience honed over decades. This woman, who grew up amidst the winds and sands of the North, had become a towering mountain, capable of providing shelter for the world and for her beloved descendants.

Watching Lin Chongshan's retreating figure, Jiu Que felt a pang of sadness. Time had been far too tight, leaving her little room for romantic feelings. If she had the time, she wanted to grow up slowly under the care of her elders, but now the enemy was at the gates. There was no room for her childish mentality.

Standing by the city wall, Jiu Que gripped the old bricks tightly, momentarily speechless.

They could only watch in silence as General Lin's figure gradually shrank into a black dot.

Silently exhaling a breath of stale air, Jiu Que took out a monocular telescope from his pocket, spun the tube, and accurately located Sachi Khan sitting in a luxurious sedan chair amidst the thousands of troops.

"So this is Sachi Khan... Indeed, he has grown old."

Time waits for no one, and even the most powerful heroes and bravest figures will eventually grow old in the long river of time.

Even though the person in front of me almost destroyed the entire Great Jing Dynasty, those days are gone forever.

It was a pity that Sachi Khan was still too cautious. His position was far too far from the city walls; even the most advanced crossbows couldn't reach him. If he could kill the enemy general before the enemy's massive army was underway, the battle would be half won. Suddenly, Sachi Khan, who looked imposing but frail, seemed to sense someone watching him and abruptly looked up!

(End of this chapter)