Marrying a Disabled General and be His Wife

Fires shot up from the sky. Not only were the granaries set on fire, but many tents were also ablaze. Some arrows pierced directly into people’s bodies.

It would have been fine if they were ordinary arrows, but they were all shiny rockets, and the pain was several times more intense.

Wave after wave of soldiers burst into Touba Rou’s tent to report.

Tuoba Rou braved the rain of arrows and walked out of the tent with a sullen face.

She deflected the arrow directed towards her face with a sword and stared at the scene in front of her.

The entire guard army was like ants in a hot pot, scrambling away and howling, with no ability to continue fighting. If they fought forcefully, it would only cause more casualties, and the gain would not be worth the loss.

But if this land were given away directly, the entire north would be opened wide, which would be very detrimental to their future southward movement.

Staring at the night illuminated by fire, Touba Rou ordered –

“Attack!”

As soon as this order came out, the guards rushed into chaos.

The sounds of fighting and collisions came and went.

Tuoba Rou stood facing the wind.

Suddenly, an arrow came through the wind, aiming at Tuoba Rou’s eyebrows.

She ducked sideways, and the arrow grazed her ear and pinned to the ground.

“Report—”

Touba Rou said without even looking at anyone: “Speak.”

“They’re coming. They’re coming. Let’s retreat, princess.”

“Retreat?” Touba Rou kicked the guard who suggested a retreat, and said: “Hold on, you will defend this place to me even if you die. I will kill anyone who dares to report retreat again.”

The guard’s face turned pale with fright, and he rolled and crawled away, but their decline was becoming more and more obvious, and withdrawing was indeed the best choice.

Bright red blood oozed from Touba Rou’s palm and dripped onto the scorched earth.

What to do?!

Did you really want to withdraw?

If she withdrew, it would undoubtedly prove that she had lost the first fight with Tan Chuyan.

But if she didn’t withdraw, she would risk the lives of the guards again.

The battle lasted longer and longer; the moon descended, and the earth was illuminated by the rising sun. Touba Rou slowly closed her eyes while gazing at the land dyed red.

If the order could be changed in the morning or evening, then it should be changed in the morning or evening. She couldn’t bet on the lives of so many soldiers.

In the end, kindness triumphed over stubbornness.

Just as Tuoba Rou was about to give the order, a man came on horseback.

The newcomer wasn’t one of the guards but Cui Yuanqing’s confidant, Wu Guangping.

Why was he here with such a serious expression? Could it be that something happened to Cui Yuanqing?

Tuoba Rou pondered about his intentions repeatedly, but Wu Guangping urged urgently: “Retreat! Retreat to the border of Qi Kingdom immediately!”

“What’s wrong?” Touba Rou asked.

Wu Guangping replied, “The Wolf Eagle Cavalry and the Purity Sect attacked the capital of the Jing Kingdom at night.”

Touba Rou was stunned for a moment and retorted, “Impossible! How can the Wolf Eagle Cavalry fight back without food and supplies?”

No matter how significant the Purity Sect was, it was impossible to sustain the entire Wolf Eagle Cavalry. And what did the Wolf Eagle Cavalry have to do with the Purity Sect?

Wu Guangping was in a hurry and couldn’t explain, urged, “We must leave now! No one can escape if they catch up!”

Under Wu Guangping’s urging, Touba Rou had no choice but to lead the troops to retreat first. Still, she couldn’t shake off her confusion about the Wolf Eagle Cavalry and their logistics.

.

Tan Chuyan didn’t make their retreat easy; he personally led a group of elite troops to chase Touba Rou and the others as they retreated.

Upon reaching the border of Qi Kingdom, they stopped worrying about Tan Chuyan because Cui Yuanqing had already made arrangements and dispatched a large army to welcome them.

However, the army hesitated to cross the border, fearing of another army supporting Tan Chuyan waiting for them.

The two armies faced each other across the border.

Tan Chuyan made the first move. He mounted Zhaoye and raised his bow, shooting an arrow softly towards Touba Rou. Touba Rou deflected the arrow with a backward hand.

Tan Chuyan casually handed the bow to the soldiers behind him. With a raised hand, the soldiers behind him shouted loudly –

“Thank you, Princess Changle, for the generous gift of arrows!”

Tuoba Rou was stunned as she picked up the arrow and examined it. A small cross was found at the tail of the arrow.

Each region had its preferences for making arrows. Dayong Dynasty liked to carve crescents on the tails, Jing Kingdom preferred rings, Qi Kingdom used crosses symbolizing the rack, and Zhao Kingdom didn’t engrave anything.

Her batch of arrows was made in Qi Kingdom, hence the cross engraving.

But why did Tan Chuyan have so many arrows?

Could they have been pulled from the dead bodies shot a few days ago? But that didn’t make sense. If many people were shot to death, how could she be beaten so passively today?

At that moment, the lieutenant who followed Touba Rou approached and whispered, “Princess, when I retreated from the river, I found Dayong Dynasty’s warship covered with scarecrows, their bodies densely covered with arrows.”

Touba Rou suddenly realized, the attack in the first four days was all a pretense, just to obtain arrows from her. But where did the food and grass for the Wolf Eagle Riders come from?

She didn’t want to figure it out now, and the noise from behind Tan Chuyan gave her a headache.

She clenched the arrow in her hand, spurred her horse, and flew away.

Not only did she lose this battle, but she lost it miserably.

But she would reclaim her position sooner or later!

Seeing Tuoba Rou’s figure disappearing little by little, Tan Chuyan raised his hand again, and those behind him shouted, “Farewell to Princess Changle!”

.

Within half a day, Feng Lijing reported Tan Chuyan’s actions. Baili Chengzhi couldn’t help but smile, but Feng Mingyuan was not happy at all.

“Mother,” Baili Chengzhi began but halted, “Jing Kingdom has been recaptured, how can you…”

Feng Mingyuan glanced at him and asked, “Have Tan Chuyan and Feng Chilie returned? If they haven’t, what are you going to do?”

What she had feared finally happened. Even though she had maintained optimism before, when it happened, she couldn’t control her emotions.

At that moment, she wished the matter would be exposed later so she could use Feng Chilie to pressure Cui Yuanqing to death, then use her Feng family’s power to pressure Tan Chuyan to death.

Faced with Tan Chuyan’s choice, Baili Chengzhi considered, if Tan Chuyan and the others were unwilling to continue, he would do it himself.

Establishing Zhao Kingdom was also one of his purposes, leaving a way for this long-planned plan to survive.

Baili Chengzhi said casually, “If they don’t return, they don’t return. I know they won’t be like Cui Yuanqing.”

“You know? How did you know?” Feng Mingyuan rubbed her swollen, painful eyebrows. Patience wore thin: “Leave me be; I need some time alone.”

Baili Chengzhi didn’t understand why Feng Mingyuan suddenly changed, but he didn’t want to touch Feng Mingyuan’s anger; otherwise, he would suffer alone.

Baili Chengzhi resigned decisively.

He left Feng Mingyuan with his front feet, and Feng Mingzhen quietly followed with her back feet.

She stopped in front of Baili Chengzhi: “Your Majesty, please stay.”

Baili Chengzhi raised his eyebrows: “What’s the matter, aunty, is there any more order from my mother?”

“No,” Feng Mingzhen lowered her head and said, “It’s the old servant who wishes to speak with the emperor for a few moments.”

Baili Chengzhi: “Let’s talk here.”

“Your Majesty, could you spare a moment to speak?” Feng Mingzhen glanced around: “What I have to say is very important.”

Baili Chengzhi regarded her for a moment. “Find a private place.”

Feng Mingzhen led Baili Chengzhi to an unattended pavilion.

.

Baili Chengzhi said, “You can speak now.”

“Very well,” Feng Mingzhen said calmly, then knelt down with a thud, bowing her head. “I implore Your Majesty to save your queen mother.”

“Be clear,” Baili Chengzhi’s brows furrowed. “If this is some nonsense while my mother is in good health, I’ll have your tongue cut out and fed to the dogs!”

Feng Mingzhen remained composed. “What I’m about to say isn’t about her health, but about General Feng Chilie.”

Baili Chengzhi gestured for her to continue.

She continued urgently, “Twenty-five years ago, the fire in the Jing Kingdom wasn’t an accident at all! The queen explicitly instructed the eldest princess, Baili Ronghua, to find a way to assassinate Feng Qingrao and her son! If Feng Chilie knew about this, how could he remain silent?”

Baili Chengzhi’s hand, mid-motion, froze instantly, and he swayed uncontrollably. If it weren’t or Shang Mingzhao’s support, he might have collapsed.