Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 328: Capture the thief first and capture the king first

The two princes, as expected of Saqi Khan's most outstanding sons, remained incredibly brave even in such dire circumstances, with one of them already severely wounded. The initially panicked steppe army around them gradually regained their composure. This was mainly because they had escaped the eerie and terrifying environment they had just witnessed, and were now standing on the plains, their most familiar terrain, with their warhorses still alive. As long as they had horses and swords, they could fight back!
Especially Muldor, even though he was already injured, still wielded his long sword like a torrent, and many Northern Frontier soldiers died or were wounded at his hands.

A fierce general like him is beyond the capabilities of ordinary soldiers. Li Xu and Wang Yue'e exchanged a glance, then stepped forward in unison, temporarily joining forces to stop Multon. The force they felt when they parried his long sword made their arms go numb, and they realized that this was no match for them, even though he was already injured. If only the Great General (General Lin) were here, they would surely be able to defeat this terrifying opponent.

"Clang clang clang!"

The clanging of weapons clashing together was incessant. Li Xu and Wang Yue'e were shocked, unaware that Murden was no less astonished. Although he had never seen these two young generals before, their fighting style clearly indicated they were trained by the Northern Frontier Army. However, this wasn't the reason for his shock; what astonished him was that the weapons in their hands were far sharper and harder than his own longsword!

This longsword was forged with the combined strength of the entire grassland! It's incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through a hair in an instant! Combined with its weight, it made Multon invincible on the battlefield. In the past, he could have easily cleaved two unknown young generals like these in two with a single stroke!

But now, these two nameless soldiers had actually withstood so many of his blows, and their weapons still looked sharp and undamaged. In truth, Murdon had long known that the weapon-making and smelting methods on the grasslands weren't as advanced as those in the Central Plains. But over the years, the grasslands had continuously improved, not to mention that his weapon was forged with the combined efforts of the entire grasslands. He had clearly investigated before this war; even the Northern Frontier Army, who had gotten lucky and acquired new weapons, didn't possess weapons this sharp and durable!
Speaking of this, Li and Wang couldn't help but feel fortunate to have been born at the right time. Before they joined Lord Ying on the expedition, many of their colleagues gossiped about them privately. They said that since they were accompanying the young master—no, the young lady—onto lead troops into battle, they would suffer all the hardships while Lord Ying would reap all the credit. But in reality, besides constantly traveling, they didn't seem to do much else. Even their weapons were bestowed upon them by Lord Ying, and were superior to those of the small group in the army who received new weapons!
When Lord Ying handed them the weapons, he simply said that these were newly developed weapons by the imperial court, which had just arrived at the Northern Frontier Army and had not yet been put to use.

Heroes have always loved their swords. They were even hesitant to wield such a divine weapon, fearing it might tarnish their reputation. Fortunately, however, it proved truly useful. Both of them were certain that if it weren't for their new weapons, they would have been cut down within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea in front of Murden.

However, now that we have such good weapons and such a favorable situation, if we cannot win this battle and keep both the princes here, we will truly be letting down Lord Ying for his support.

For a time, the two sides were evenly matched. However, in addition to the brave and skilled Murden, the steppe army also had a relatively unknown Namtso.

Prior to this, there was no news of Namtso's extraordinary martial arts skills. Most people only knew him as a prince who admired Central Plains culture and was somewhat weaker than the people of the grasslands. Perhaps this was exactly the result he wanted.

Therefore, in a corner unnoticed by everyone, Namtso silently spurred his horse and charged straight towards the direction heavily guarded by the Northern Frontier Army. Since they were being so firmly protected by so many Northern Frontier soldiers, the person inside must be the commander of this war, or at the very least, an extremely important figure in the Northern Frontier Army. If he could capture the person, he might be able to force these Northern Frontier soldiers to let them leave.

In any case, this is the only glimmer of hope that Namtso Lake has seen in this sudden war.

When the soldiers guarding the outer perimeter were easily unhorsed and their fates unknown, Jiu Que finally reacted, looking down at the man whose eyes were as cold and sharp as icy arrows. That was the little prince of the grasslands! He certainly lived up to his name, appearing somewhat weaker than the average grassland man. However, his martial arts skills far surpassed what they had discerned. It seemed he was extremely adept at disguising himself. Fortunately, another, more dangerous opponent was now tied down.

Cui Zhufeng appeared silently in front of Jiu Que; protecting Jiu Que was her biggest goal for this trip. However, before she could make a move, Jiu Que grabbed her sleeve.

“Senior Cui, let me give it a try. To be honest, I did command this battle, but my sword hasn’t even been drawn yet. If people find out, they’ll laugh their heads off. This little prince is hardly my opponent. Besides, you’re here with me, so I’m not worried about being captured by him.”

Cui Zhufeng disagreed completely, but she could never go against Jiu Que's wishes. However, after much hesitation, he ended up saying more than usual.

"Didn't they say that a son of a wealthy family shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof? I think they don't want you to fight."

"It's okay, it's okay! They all have their own things to do right now, right? Let me give it a try."

That's what they said, but Jiu Que had already excitedly drawn his longsword, ready to strike.

Cui Zhufeng opened her mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent. Fine, she'd never won an argument against Jiu Que. Since Jiu Que wanted to go, let her do it; with her by her side, she wouldn't let her get hurt.

The commotion between them did not escape Namtso's notice, but she did not take it as a sign of disrespect; instead, she charged even more fiercely. This disregard for the advice of those around him, his insistence on fighting on the dangerous battlefield, clearly indicated a pampered and arrogant nobleman. Capturing him would surely force them to release him, wouldn't it? No, no, no, there might be unexpected gains. These people from the Central Plains would certainly not abandon such a nobleman; otherwise, his family would not let them off the hook.

The other side is of high status; they might know what was going on with the explosions earlier, and perhaps we could even steal some. That would not only reverse the tide of battle, but they could also turn around and attack the Northern Frontier Pass! Being attacked by their own weapons, the Northern Frontier army would be thrown into chaos, wouldn't they? We could then take advantage of the confusion…

"Hey! You're daydreaming on the battlefield? Are you underestimating me?"

(End of this chapter)