46: Chapter 46 Beautiful women have always had tragic fates (17)

17

The Beirong were gaining momentum, having already captured two cities in succession.

Beichuan was vast but its land was barren, plagued by sandstorms year-round. Beichuan consisted of fifteen cities, and the Prince of Beichuan held more cities than any other vassal king.

The battle that made Pei Ji's notoriety spread far and wide was the Battle of Changning eight years ago.

At that time, Pei Ji was only fifteen years old. As the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Beichuan, he had already followed his father on expeditions for four years. When the former Prince of Beichuan suffered a relapse of an old illness and was in critical condition, the Beirong began to stir. They gathered their army and launched a sudden sneak attack on Changning, a city on the border between the two regions.

After capturing Changning, the Beirong committed every imaginable evil within the city—burning, killing, looting, and raping women.

By the time Pei Ji received the news, the former Prince of Beichuan had only just breathed his last. Without even having time to don his mourning clothes, he put on his armor and headed to the battlefield.

That battle lasted for half a month and ended in a total victory.

After Changning was reclaimed, the first order Pei Ji issued was to behead all Beirong captives and hang their heads outside Changning for several days. The second order was to stack the corpses into walls outside the city gates and burn them, leaving the Beirong with no remains.

During that time, nearly ten thousand heads hung outside the gates of Changning, one next to another, some even overlapping. They were densely packed along the city walls, dripping blood, appearing incredibly gruesome.

From then on, Pei Ji's title as the God of Slaughter spread. Simultaneously, the Beirong never dared to encroach upon Beichuan by even a single step again.

Eight years had passed. Now, hearing that Pei Ji had moved into Yandu of the Liang State and that the various vassal kings of the Central Plains were busy fighting for the throne, the Beirong likely wanted to make a comeback, betting that Pei Ji would not have the time to deal with them.

Early the next morning, Zhao Yan followed the guard delivering the decree and went directly to the training grounds on the outskirts of Yandu.

She arrived quite early without any delay. Since the Prince of Beichuan had not yet arrived, she asked the guard to take her for a walk around the training grounds.

Just as they reached the training area, they heard a mocking voice: "Oh, what's this? Legs gone soft? Aren't you the grand Xuanjia Army? I just asked you to spar with me, and you're this useless? I haven't even made a move, and you can't even stand steady on your own."

"Hahaha..." The surrounding crowd burst into continuous laughter.

The man surrounded in the middle was shirtless, his body covered in various marks, some deep and some shallow—clearly the result of long-term oppression. He glared fiercely at the speaker, struggled to his feet, and ignored them, turning to leave.

"The Xuanjia Army is nothing special. My Beichuan Army is ashamed to be mentioned in the same breath as you!"

"Exactly, a bunch of softies with empty reputations."

The shirtless man clenched his hands into fists, suppressing his rage, yet he remained silent throughout.

Several men wearing coarse cloth clothes rushed in from the side. Each had a sallow complexion and looked as listless as the shirtless man. The leader supported the shirtless man and asked with concern, "Yan Lang, how are you?"

Yan Lang tugged at his sleeve, shook his head, and whispered, "Commander, I'm fine. Don't provoke them."

Commander Wang Meng could no longer endure it and shouted at the Beichuan soldiers, "He hasn't eaten for two days and has been your punching bag for three consecutive days! Where would he get the strength? Where would he get the strength to spar with you!"

"That's because you lost the war. You deserve it."

"Exactly. How can that Situ Ming compare to my Prince of Beichuan? He was simply fragile."

"Shut up! You are not worthy of insulting Great General Situ!" The men who had rushed into the circle of Beichuan soldiers were all filled with righteous indignation, their eyes wide with anger, vowing to seek justice for Great General Situ.

Before they could act, a broadsword flew through the crowd, pointing directly at the soldier who had just insulted Great General Situ.

Seeing that he couldn't dodge in time, the soldier fell to his knees with a thud, barely avoiding the broadsword above his head.

Looking back, the broadsword had embedded itself more than five inches into the tree behind him, showing the immense strength of the person who threw it.

Recovering from the shock, he scrambled up from the ground and cursed loudly, "Who the hell scared me! Step out here!"

"Miss Bai?" The guard who had led her to the training grounds said hesitantly, looking at the empty scabbard on his right side. This speed—he was a bit afraid: Please warn me next time you act, I'm afraid of being accidentally injured.

Following the voice, everyone's gaze fell upon the white-clothed woman in a Veiled hat who had appeared behind them at some unknown time, and the guard beside her.

The guard shrank back: Don't look at me, it really wasn't me!

"How is there a woman in the training grounds?" The Beichuan soldier who had just been scared onto his knees patted off the dust and stood up, his attention drawn to the woman. "Shouldn't women be at home having babies and raising children? Hahaha..."

Laughter erupted from the crowd.

Zhao Yan was not angry. She took a step forward and said calmly, "What's the point of seeking a spar with someone who hasn't eaten for two days and has been your punching bag for three? Even if you win, so what? Why don't I spar with you instead?"

The Beichuan soldiers looked at each other and then roared with laughter. What was going on today? The remnants of the Xuanjia Army, who usually acted like shrinking turtles, dared to resist loudly. Even more bizarre, a delicate little girl dared to challenge the battle-hardened Beichuan Army; it was simply the height of absurdity.

The guard beside Bai Zhaoyan involuntarily took a few steps back. That broadsword had embedded itself five inches into the tree; did they really think he did it? Did he have that much ability? He didn't even know it himself.

"Spar with me? Where are you going to spar with me? How about we find a corner?" After saying this, he let out a lewd laugh.

As soon as he finished speaking, a white shadow flashed before his eyes. Two slaps landed, making him see stars, completely unaware of where he was or what had happened.

The corner of his mouth felt wet. He touched it and found he was bleeding. When he opened his mouth, two teeth fell out.

Zhao Yan said indifferently, "You really can't take a hit. Bleeding already? What a softie." She returned the insults exactly as they had been thrown at the Xuanjia Army.

Bearing distinct handprints on both cheeks, the man stared blankly at the two bloody teeth in his palm. He instantly flew into a rage and made a move to strike her. "You little bitch, who are you calling that? I'll damn well kill you!"

"Only the lowly are so pretentious. I kindly invited you to a match, but you didn't know what's good for you. You only cooperate after getting a beating."

The man was driven mad with rage. He clenched his fist and charged at Zhao Yan. That punch seemed to carry his full strength, causing Yan Lang nearby to frown and step forward to block it.

Unexpectedly, the woman tilted her head slightly, turned, struck his ribs with her elbow, grabbed his arm, and performed a clean shoulder throw.

With a loud thud that kicked up a cloud of dust, the man lay flat on the ground, the pain in his chest making it difficult to breathe.

She raised a foot and stepped on his throat. "You're only this much? You can't even beat a woman."

"You—" The man seemed unwilling to submit and struggled to rise.

Zhao Yan increased the pressure of her foot. The man's face turned bright red as he gasped for air, his strength failing him. He could only lie there at her mercy. At that moment, he clearly felt that in the woman's eyes, his life was no more than that of an ant.

The commotion was so great that it had already attracted many soldiers to watch.

Zhao Yan said loudly, "Old General Situ was a great hero of the Liang State, having fought countless battles with few defeats. He guarded the border, and the border was stable for decades; he guarded Yandu, and he was like an anchor of stability, invincible. Why he was defeated and died, the common people may not know, but don't you? Xiao Chengyuan of Wuzhong broke his word and turned traitor on the battlefield, secretly attacking the Xuanjia Army. Then, five armies surrounded them, leaving the Xuanjia Army attacked from both sides, trapped and suffering a tragic defeat."

Her words were powerful and resonant, bringing tears to the eyes of the Xuanjia Army remnants. When the Great General was still around, the army had twelve divisions totaling over 300,000 men, and the Xuanjia Army was the elite of the elite, numbering nearly 20,000. The mere mention of the Xuanjia Army's name would strike terror into the enemy. And now? There were barely 5,000 men left, scattered across several major camps of Beichuan. In this South Camp, there were about a thousand of them, barely hanging on.

They never expected that today, someone would stand here to justify them and the Great General!

"No matter who controls the Liang State, no one can deny Old General Situ's ability or erase his achievements."

Her eyes swept over the Beichuan Army as she spoke again, "I acknowledge that the Beichuan Army has never wavered in resisting the Beirong, always charging forward. The Beirong barbarians are bloodthirsty and cruel, taking pleasure in killing our Central Plains people. The Beichuan generals have worked together to resist the Beirong for twenty years, bringing peace to the northern border of the Liang State. In this regard, your Beichuan Army is excellent, and I sincerely admire you."

"Whether Beichuan Army or Xuanjia Army, you are all good sons of the Liang State. Must you fight to the death? Don't forget, over two years ago, you were all soldiers of the Liang State. You are compatriots!"

Zhao Yan closed her eyes and said, "Forced by circumstances, you served different masters. Having been defeated, they are at your mercy, but that is no reason to humiliate them like this. Denying them food? Forcing them to be your punching bags, humiliating them, and humiliating their beliefs? If the Beichuan Army cannot tolerate these fellow prisoners of war, you might as well kill them and be done with it. Killing is but a nod of the head. Ask them, are they afraid of death?"

"We are not afraid! Our Xuanjia Army is never afraid of death! We only regret not dying on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide!" Led by Commander Wang Meng, the crowd in coarse clothes shouted in response.

Many in the Beichuan Army felt remorse, especially at the phrase, "Over two years ago, you were all soldiers of the Liang State. You are compatriots!" The crowd fell silent, but a few individuals remained extremely defiant. One drew his sword and swung it at Zhao Yan's head.

Zhao Yan released the man under her foot and kicked toward the nearby tree. She pulled out the broadsword embedded in the tree and swung it back. The man remained in his posture of raising his sword, the blade only three inches from her head, but his massive body crashed to the ground, blood gushing from his neck.

His limbs twitched once, and then he was gone.

Everyone looked at each other in shock. Her move was so swift that before they could react, the man was dead.

"I didn't expect the Bai Clan to have such skills. Miss Bai has truly opened my eyes, killing my Captain in a single move." Pei Ji arrived late, and his expression was not pleasant.

"The Prince may not know, it wasn't that I wanted to kill him, but that he wanted to kill me. I was merely defending myself."

"Oh? What happened?" Pei Ji's face was grim.

The nearby Xuanjia Army remnants all knelt to plead: "What this lady said is true. We hope the Prince will investigate."

"And you are?" Why were there people in rags in his Beichuan Army?

"Your subordinates were former members of the Xuanjia Army. We were incorporated into the Beichuan Army at that time," Commander Wang Meng reported.

"Why are you in rags and in this state?" Pei Ji's voice was cold.

"The Commandants said that we are prisoners of war and do not deserve the Beichuan Army's supplies and equipment. We don't need to eat our fill or wear warm clothes; we only need to serve as punching bags for the Beichuan Army to vent their anger."

The man who had been stepped on by Zhao Yan and hadn't yet caught his breath was instantly hauled before the Prince of Beichuan, Pei Ji.

"You, tell me what happened here just now. Tell it exactly as it was. If there is any exaggeration or attempt to deceive me, I will have you killed on the spot."

The man no longer looked arrogant. Shaking, he recounted the entire event.

"Drag him away. One hundred military strokes. It doesn't matter if he dies."

"Prince, Prince, have mercy—" The voice faded away.

"Where is General Guo?" Pei Ji asked sharply.

"Subordinate... Subordinate is here!" A middle-aged man in armor knelt, trembling.

Pei Ji kicked him over and said with a cold, hard expression, "Why did I risk falling out with the four kings to incorporate the Xuanjia Army into the Beichuan Army? Was I just bored? Or did I have too much money to burn, to raise a group of punching bags for you to play with?"

"Have you forgotten the humiliation of attacking Yandu, where the Xuanjia Army guarded the gates and my Beichuan Army could not break through for a long time? And here you are, acting all high and mighty with me!"

"Prince... I thought your intention was to seek revenge for them holding the gates back then, and let us humiliate them?" General Guo, clutching his chest while kneeling, looked up in confusion and asked.

Pei Ji suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Who on earth promoted such a stupid general?

With his temperament, if he really disliked the Xuanjia Army remnants, he wouldn't have bothered to incorporate them at all. He would have just sent them to their deaths; they might have even preferred it.

In his life, there weren't many people he admired, but Situ Ming was definitely one of them—he maintained strict discipline, was loyal to the country, cared for the people, and lived with nothing to be ashamed of before Heaven above and nothing to feel guilty about before men below.

And regarding the Xuanjia Army personally trained by Situ Ming, he naturally valued their talent.

"You, don't be a general anymore. Take fifty military strokes. If you're still breathing afterward, go clean the camp's latrines for me. All the latrines are under your management. Go now."

General Guo had a bitter face but dared not plead for mercy.

"Wait—"

Before General Guo could feel relieved, Pei Ji added, "Take off that armor."

After the man left, Pei Ji pointed at the armor and said, "Now, the position of General of the South Camp is vacant. Today, I will call the troops and set out with the entire army for the Beichuan border, because the Beirong have invaded our Central Plains and captured two cities in Beichuan."

"The Beirong are barbaric and lawless. Once they gain power, they use their sharp claws to unleash the calamities of war upon our Central Plains. The Beirong have wild ambitions; they have invaded our Central Plains before, raping women, slaughtering civilians, staining the rivers with blood, and leaving bones exposed in the wilderness."

"Now, they are returning to bully the people of our Central Plains again. My Beichuan will never allow it! Those who are willing to fight back to Beichuan with me, protect our Central Plains' fertile soil, and drive out the Beirong, stand forward—"

The soldiers stepped forward in unison, none wavering. Even the remnants of the Xuanjia Army stepped forward.

"Good. This armor and the rank of General will be reserved for the warrior who kills the most enemies on the battlefield."

Since the general position was temporarily vacant, a Commandant below him looked at the Prince of Beichuan with some difficulty: "Prince, which army division should the Xuanjia Army remnants be assigned to?"

Now, these Xuanjia Army remnants were like a hot potato. All of them had bullied the other side, and now they suddenly heard it was the general's misunderstanding. But the bullying had already happened... Now, they had to train together and fight the Beirong together; it was truly a bit embarrassing.

Several Commandants looked at each other and remained silent.

"If the Xuanjia Army remnants are willing, I am prepared to temporarily take charge of the Xuanjia Army during the northern expedition against the Beirong. Does the Prince think I am qualified?"

"Miss Bai is a member of the Bai Clan, so of course you are."

"Are you all willing to follow my orders?"

What had just happened made the Xuanjia Army remnants feel favorable toward this white-clothed lady they had never met before. Her move earlier had decided the outcome in one stroke, showing her unfathomable martial strength. Hearing that even the Prince of Beichuan, Pei Ji, treated her with such courtesy and that she was a descendant of the Bai Clan, they respected her even more.

None were unwilling. They all knelt on one knee, cupped their fists, and said, "We are willing to follow your lead, Miss."

Zhao Yan said loudly, "This northern expedition against the Beirong is not just helping Beichuan resist the enemy, but also defending our Central Plains' territory and protecting our people from being bullied. If anyone is unwilling to go, I will not force you; you can stay in the camp and wait for our triumphal return. If you are willing to go, I hope the soldiers of the Xuanjia Army can temporarily set aside old grievances and work together to drive the Beirong out of our Central Plains."