Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 81 What kind of logic is it to send a little girl to the front lines?
Tuoba Yu, riding a tall horse, led the allied forces and marched slowly toward Qu County.

His brows were furrowed as he gazed into the distance.

At only twenty years old, leading troops into battle for the first time, he never dreamed that his first battle would result in the capture of Bianzhou, a city known as the most formidable pass in western Yan.
Fighting without bloodshed!
Such a great achievement should be enough to bring glory to one's ancestors and be remembered in history.
But deep down, he felt absolutely no joy at his initial victory.

Instead, there was only deep fear.
The State of Qi was located in the western frontier, where the climate was harsh and food was scarce.

This battle has brought jubilation and boosted morale across the country!
The soldiers, accustomed to sleeping in the open and braving the elements, were immediately dazzled by the dazzling array of delicacies, wines, silks, and jewels as soon as they stepped into the prosperous city of Bianzhou.

Seeing the border fortress easily captured, they were all eager to fight, as if the five provinces and eight prefectures of Yanxi were already in their grasp.

But only I know the truth.
His initial military orders were merely to put on airs and spout nonsense in front of the Bianzhou city gates.
Who could have imagined that his more than ten thousand soldiers would simply utter a couple of curses and fire a few arrows?
The city gates opened?
That fat bastard from Zhou even boasted that he was the greatest general from Qi in a hundred years.
That's bullshit!
Did they not know that the formidable mountain blocking the path between the states of Qi and Zhou was never the formidable Bianzhou Pass, but rather that person?
An Qing, the "human butcher"!
That young but highly decorated executioner, who was known for massacring entire cities at a time, has yet to make his appearance.

He stationed himself in Bianzhou City, not venturing out an inch, waiting for the other party to show up.

For several days in a row, he barely slept, always feeling that the Great Yan God of Slaughter, who commanded 300,000 iron cavalry, would suddenly besiege the city and tear him apart alive.
If it weren't for the arrival of tens of thousands of troops sent by Qi Jing early this morning, who forcibly seized the defense of Bianzhou City.

The King of Qi issued three military orders in succession, forcing him to send troops; he was determined not to step out of Bianzhou City.
"General Tuoba, isn't our marching speed a bit too slow?"

The man who spoke had a face full of fat, as big as a small mountain. He was none other than Chu Yunlu, the commander-in-chief sent by the Zhou Kingdom.

"It's better to go slowly than to go too fast and end up dying without knowing why."

"If General Chu is in such a hurry, let's switch positions, with Zhou Jun taking the lead."

Chu Yunlu laughed heartily, his fleshy face trembling uncontrollably: "General Tuoba, what are you saying! I, old Chu, only know how to raise horses, how would I know anything about leading troops into battle? This time, I have achieved this merit all thanks to you, brother!"

Tuoba Yu snorted coldly.

That fat bastard. He never leads the charge; all he does is hide in the back and spout sarcastic remarks.
Despite being called a joint force of two countries, in reality, including General Chu, he only brought less than a thousand infantrymen.

If it weren't for the fact that the thousands of warhorses the other side brought were truly tempting and could greatly improve the mobility of his own troops, he wouldn't have bothered with them.

"Report—General, the gyrfalcon sent to scout has been killed by an enemy expert!"

"Uu——!"

Tuoba Yu immediately slowed down his horse and looked around, his back already covered in cold sweat.

An Qing!

It must be An Qing!!!

For ordinary martial artists, it is already difficult to observe the gyrfalcon high in the sky, let alone kill it.

I was right, there must be an ambush set up by An Qing ahead!
He was about to order a retreat when Chu the Fat Man behind him, his previous joking demeanor gone, turned serious and asked, "General Tuoba, do you intend to run away?"

"Fatty Chu, you have a problem with that?!"

Chu Yunlu: "May I ask General Tuoba, how far is it from here to Qu County?"

These words were like a wake-up call; Tuoba Yu instantly calmed down.

"Less than five li."

Chu Yunlu: "It's less than five miles away. The terrain here is flat and offers a panoramic view."

But with a large army lying in ambush, how could there be no movement at all? Even if An Qing could truly conjure tens of thousands of Yan soldiers out of thin air, if we turn and flee now, once the army begins to retreat, it will be difficult to turn back. If the enemy pursues us, wouldn't we be wiped out in an instant?

The army continued its slow advance.

As the other side said, a march of this scale is not an easy task, whether it is to change direction or to halt.

In this situation, exposing one's back to the enemy will only result in being slaughtered.

As they talked, they could faintly hear sounds of commotion ahead. The two looked into the distance, and Qu County was already faintly visible, but they still could not see any enemy troops.

Tuoba Yu stroked his chin. "General Chu is quite right. Judging from the current situation, it seems more like the enemy has sent high-ranking martial artists to put up a stubborn resistance at the city gates."

Chu Yunlu suddenly realized!
"I see, no wonder you are General Tuoba!"
In my humble opinion, Qu County is a tiny place with no natural defenses. How many soldiers could there be? A thousand, or eight hundred?

Even if there's a master among them, we're both sixth-rank experts, why should we be afraid of him?

After saying that, he leaned closer and whispered in his ear:
"Brother Tuoba, it doesn't sound good to say that we led an army of ten thousand men and were scared away by a mere high-ranking warrior."

Only now did Tuoba Yu realize that the fat man beside him, whom he had never paid any attention to, was clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing!

Chu Yunlu.
With such vision and intellect, regardless of the outcome of this attack on the Yan state, we must be wary of this traitor in the future!

"Order the vanguard to slow down and wait to regroup!"
Brothers, listen to my command!
Accelerate! Take Qu County in one fell swoop!

drive!!!"
-
The city gates of Qu County were wide open, and Magistrate Meng Qi led the defending troops out on horseback.

Inside the city gate, heads craned their necks to gaze into the distance, whispering amongst themselves.

"What did the magistrate just say? 'Save the Emperor'?"

"What rescue? Has the emperor arrived?"

"Nonsense! I've never heard of a young emperor who struggles even to get into bed, let alone mount a horse!"

"Yes, Your Highness! Seventh Princess, Princess Ruoxi!!!"

On the city wall, an archer shouted.

He gripped the longbow tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white, and his hand even trembled slightly.

Seeing the silver lightning bolt rush straight in and behead the enemy, he wanted nothing more than to clap and cheer!
Unexpectedly, the next moment, the surging enemy army engulfed the silver-clad figure like a tidal wave.

The sword light soared into the sky, flashing with dazzling golden light, and destroyed everything in its path, tearing up large swaths of flesh and blood.

However, whenever one group falls, even more people gather around.
That prince appeared imposing and impervious to any attack, yet his movements were becoming increasingly clumsy.
Not to mention, behind her, an endless line of pursuers was rapidly approaching!
"Your Highness is single-handedly holding off the enemy!"

The enemy was not within firing range. At this moment, he didn't know what he could do, and could only vent his excitement in this way.

Below, the crowd fell silent instantly.

The city gates closed, but an unprecedented uproar erupted inside the city!

"Your Highness, are you fighting the enemy all by yourself?"

"Hahahaha, what a load of bull! The merchants have all fled, and apart from the county magistrate, all the officials have run away! Even the general is nowhere to be seen, yet the princess is here to guard the nation's borders?"

"Do you believe it? I certainly don't! Hahaha."

At the city gate, more and more farmers and vendors gathered.

They held hoes and pickaxes, their eyes gleaming with an unprecedented determination.

"What...what are you trying to do?!"

"The people of Qu County may not be very knowledgeable, but they do understand a principle."
With a formidable enemy at hand, how could we, the people of Great Yan, send young girls to the front lines!

"That's right! We've never seen royalty guarding the country's gates before. Open the city gates and let us see for ourselves!"

(End of this chapter)