Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 327 Kerosene
"Yes!"

The voices of the Northern Frontier Army were tinged with excitement and surprise. In their entire military careers, they had never seen a battle where the enemy had lost most of their men without losing a single soldier. How could they not be excited and delighted?
Everyone rushed forward, practically beaming with joy. Murdon and Namtso, though worried, tried to escape through the gourd-shaped opening, but there were simply too many people. When facing a life-or-death situation, few people think about differences in status or position. Especially surrounded by terrified companions screaming and desperately fleeing, few can remain calm in such a scene.

Therefore, the two of them were squeezed and pushed about. If they were on a plain, they could have escaped quickly thanks to the superior quality of their warhorses, but they were now at a narrow pass. Getting out would be extremely difficult.

"Don't worry about me, you go out first. There's no one to direct things outside, who knows what kind of chaos they'll cause!"

"Shut up! Now you're acting all high and mighty. If either of us gets out, the army will be in chaos! Your bunch of brutes don't recognize anyone but you. Do you think I can command them if I go out?"

"I'm your older brother! How dare you talk to me like that! Don't even mention me, do you think your men will listen to me?"

"...Let's go outside first and talk about it later."

Just then, they heard the sound they least wanted to hear: the whistling of sharp arrows piercing the air, masked by the surrounding shouts and screams. The sound continued relentlessly, one after another.

Upon hearing the sound, Murdon roared and lunged forward, shielding Namtso with his body.

"Shhhhhh!"

As the arrows fell, one after another, the steppe soldiers were shot off their horses and then trampled by their comrades. Many were reduced to a bloody pulp, their human forms unrecognizable.

Seeing this bloody scene, not a single soldier in the Northern Frontier Army felt fear or regret. Instead, they were excited and their faces turned red, wishing they could rush up and cut down those grassland soldiers one by one.

"Die, die, die!"

Jiu Que overheard a soldier muttering to himself nearby, constantly drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed the conflict between the two nations was long-standing and irreconcilable. But perhaps this was for the best; it was easier and less strenuous.

With a wave of his hand, a group of personal guards appeared out of nowhere, each carrying a box. They quickly climbed to the top of the narrow passage, then took out wine jars from the boxes and bombarded the grassland soldiers below who were crowding together and unable to squeeze out.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Bang bang—"

With a deafening explosion, blinding flames engulfed the steppe soldiers. The wine jars contained kerosene; even a tiny bit of it would ignite their bodies. The stench of burning flesh, screams of agony, and the crackling of burning vegetation filled the air. The steppe soldiers below howled in agony in the inferno. Already crammed together and trapped, they were now under constant attack from above, their bodies ablaze. To keep warm, most steppe soldiers wore furs, which ignited much faster than clothing once a spark touched them. Already disoriented from the earlier explosion, the flames, combined with the burning of their comrades, ignited even more of their companions and horses as they rolled about.

In that short time, how could the word "misery" possibly describe it?
Seeing this, the Northern Frontier Army became even more excited and launched wave after wave of attacks. It was truly rare to see the enemy retreating so repeatedly, without any power to fight back.

Amidst the rising anger and escalating tensions, Li Xu and Wang Yue'e managed to calm down. They exchanged a glance, finding their own thoughts mirroring each other's, which fueled their curiosity. The reason was simple: they didn't recognize the group of personal guards that Lord Ying had summoned earlier. Could this be a backup plan prepared for her by General Yuchi and General Lin? But there was no reason to keep it from them. It wasn't anything shameful; were they really that narrow-minded? But then they thought again, they knew their generals' character well, and neither of them were the type to do something so secretive.

The more they thought about it, the stranger it seemed, but now was not the right time to ask. So the two of them had no choice but to suppress their curiosity and continue giving instructions.

After about half a cup of tea's time, some grassland soldiers finally rushed out. But before they could even rejoice at escaping danger, they were met by the well-disciplined and waiting Great Jing army!
Having removed their leather armor and bearing charred marks on their faces, Murdon and Namtso did not hesitate and led their troops forward. In this situation, if they didn't fight desperately, they would only be waiting to be killed; they didn't believe the Northern Frontier Army would be so kind as to capture them alive.

"Brave warriors! Charge out with me! Rest assured, Father Khan's army is still at the Northern Frontier Pass. Once we join forces with them, these Northern Frontier troops will be no match for us!"

"Kill with me!"

The two groups clashed violently. Although there was a significant difference in physique between the Northern Frontier Army and the Grassland Army, over the years, those who distinguished themselves in the Northern Frontier Army and were assigned to the Nine Palaces were all elites. Moreover, their side was well-rested, their formation impeccable, and they suffered no losses, while the other side had lost nearly half its men, with more than half still trapped inside.

The outcome of the battle was predictable, but perhaps because they were at their wits' end, this scattered grassland army suddenly unleashed an unprecedented ferocity.

If they don't escape, they'll either die or be reborn; they might as well fight now and maybe even gain a chance to survive. Most importantly, the two princes must be safely returned.

They had never fought such a frustrating battle before. So many comrades had already been lost before even engaging the enemy; this style was clearly not that of any general in the Northern Frontier Army. They had to take this news back home so that their families could prepare accordingly.

Li Xu and Wang Yue'e no longer cared about the subtle strangeness. These disheveled grassland soldiers were, in their eyes, shining military achievements! Especially the two largest fish, and the two princes were also in this group. If they could capture them, they might even be granted titles and ranks. Wasn't this the kind of opportunity every scholar and nobleman had been waiting for?

"Brothers, kill them! Charge! Capture them, and we'll get promoted!"

"If we win this battle, we can go home!"

Yes, that's how simple and straightforward everyone's thoughts are. But isn't that what the vast majority of people think? There are still few who fight for their ideals, but those who fight for their country are truly great.

(End of this chapter)