Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 317 Dilemma
Unfortunately, Saqi Khan had already fainted; otherwise, witnessing the rout of his steppe army, which he had been preparing for for many years, would have made him wish he were dead.

Seeing the main force of the nearly 6-strong grassland army fleeing in disarray, Lin Chongshan, who had already returned to the city, mustered his strength and immediately appointed his five most trusted and outstanding subordinates to lead troops to collect the remnants of the army.

"Remember, never pursue a defeated enemy, but make sure to leave no one alive among the remaining soldiers, lest they harm the people."

"Your subordinate obeys the order. Please rest assured, General Lin."

The five lieutenants came from different factions within the Northern Frontier Army. Lin Chongshan wasn't too biased in this regard, though two of them were his subordinates. After all, going to annihilate the remnants of the defeated army was an obvious merit, and as long as they weren't pursued too aggressively, there would be virtually no danger. Who wouldn't want such a lucrative assignment?
Leaving aside the Northern Frontier Army who rushed out in high spirits, Lin Chongshan forced himself to ride back to his tent, where he was met by a worried Jiu Que.

Others might not have seen it clearly, but Jiu Que, with his monocular telescope, could see it perfectly. Aunt Lin had been tricked before, and her ability to move around now was entirely due to her stubbornness. Offline, Uncle Yuchi had contracted smallpox and could only stay in his tent to recuperate. If Aunt Lin were to also fall ill, it would inevitably shake the morale of the army. Even though they currently held the upper hand, in war, no one could absolutely guarantee that they would always be on the winning side.

Moreover, they still have a tough battle to fight. Sachi is temporarily out of the picture, but he still has two fierce sons. Those two are no ordinary men; if they discover the fatigue within the Northern Frontier Army, they will surely stir up trouble.

Jiu Que strode forward, easily supporting General Lin as they walked intimately into the tent.

"Aunt Lin, this is the first time I've seen you fight. You're amazing! You took down the enemy leader amidst thousands of troops. That old bastard Sachi lost an arm and was shot in the stomach. He probably won't live much longer. Serves him right! Who told him to plot against our Great Jing? But you have no idea how anxious I've been waiting here. I really wanted to rush down and kill a few of those grassland barbarians to avenge our people who have been harmed..."

The two walked affectionately into the tent. The generals who were about to approach exchanged glances, a sudden sense of foreboding creeping into their hearts. But they maintained their cheerful facades and walked into the tent with smiles. Once inside, they were shocked to see Lin Chongshan slumped uncontrollably in a chair, and their expressions changed drastically.

"General Lin!"

Lin Chongshan was pale and slumped in her chair, her eyes barely open. An ominous black aura began to spread from her left hand upwards, now reaching her elbow. She had actually treated it on the battlefield. At this moment, Jiu Que was roughly wrapping strips of cloth torn from his own body around her arm.

Jiu Que's strength was greater than Lin Chongshan's, and the ever-spreading blackness was gradually weakening, though it was still slowly moving upstream.

"Quickly, go and fetch Physician Xie!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, one of them nodded repeatedly. Instead of sneaking around, he went to Physician Xie's tent openly, looking quite dashing, and even a little amusing.

"I always thought my niece was still a child. She's already a teenager, and she screams at the sight of a little blood. We soldiers, how can we go to the battlefield without getting our hands dirty with blood? Even if it's not our own blood, it's always someone else's. If we came back completely clean, we'd be ridiculed, which would mean we didn't contribute at all. Physician Xie, you should come with me to take a look. I'm really afraid my niece will faint from fright." Xie Mingchen's pupils contracted slightly, then he stood up with a light laugh, his tone relaxed.

"I will go immediately. Although Lady Ying has a smooth official career and now holds a high position, she is still just a teenage girl. It is only natural that she would be afraid of blood. After all, one cannot see such bloody scenes on the battlefield in the capital."

"That's right, Physician Xie is indeed very clever. No wonder he has already risen to the position of Vice Director of the Imperial Medical Academy at such a young age..."

The two arrived at Lin Chongshan's tent, chatting and laughing. But their expressions changed instantly after they lifted the curtain and went inside.

Without hesitation, Xie Mingchen grabbed his medicine box and rushed to Lin Chongshan's side. In that short distance, he had already discerned that General Lin had been poisoned. He took out a Snow Ginseng Pill, a panacea, from his medicine box and placed it in Lin Chongshan's mouth before carefully inquiring about where and what kind of poison she had been poisoned by.

Ying Jiuque wasn't entirely clear on the specifics. She only noticed, with the help of her monoculars, that Aunt Lin's behavior resembled poisoning. As for the poison needle, it was so thin that even Lin Chongshan, on the battlefield, would have difficulty spotting it, let alone Ying Jiuque standing on the city wall.

Fortunately, probably due to the power of the pill, Lin Chongshan managed to stay conscious and describe his physical condition and feelings in detail. Xie Mingchen moved with lightning speed, already taking out a gleaming knife and cutting Lin Chongshan's finger. He then used a strange-looking object to hold the blood-stained poison needle and carefully pulled it out.

With a clang, the sound of the poisoned needle landing in the silver plate drew everyone's attention. When they saw the needle, as thin as a cow's hair, everyone couldn't help but gasp. Who would care about something so delicate on a chaotic battlefield? That Sachi Khan was truly shameless! He was clearly the king of the steppes, yet he still resorted to such despicable means!

No wonder this is a barbarian land, producing such shameless people!
Fortunately, Xie Mingchen's medical skills were truly outstanding. After his treatment, Lin Chongshan's complexion improved significantly, but he was still extremely weak.

"How is General Lin? Is his life in danger?"

Faced with Jiu Que's anxious question, Xie Mingchen shook his head slightly, but his expression remained worried.

"It should be fine. The Snow Ginseng Pill I made can cure all poisons. It's just that the silver needle stayed in General Lin's body for too long, and some of the poison inevitably remained in her flesh and blood. She must be given a medicinal bath and acupuncture, and drink medicine continuously, at least six times a day, for more than ten days to completely remove the poison. But if she wants to recover to her previous physical condition, she will need at least half a year to recuperate."

Half a year? In the current situation, we can't even wait half a day! If we can't defeat the army led by Murden Namtso in one fell swoop, the grasslands will surely make a comeback in the future, and all our sacrifices during this period will have been in vain!
Lin Chongshan was the only general besides General Yuchi who could control his troops, and the only one whose ability to lead troops was no less than General Yuchi's. If they were to face the two princes directly, the commander would at least have to fight them to a standstill. But at this moment, looking throughout the army, he couldn't find a suitable candidate.

(End of this chapter)