DDT - Chapter 51
Chapter 51: General × Little Emperor (6)
"The General is back!" a soldier shouted excitedly.
"General Chi! It's General Chi, she's back!" Hearing the cry, the soldiers all looked up. When they saw that fiery red figure clad in battle armor, they all jumped for joy and cheered loudly!
"Awooo! General Chi is back! The Zhenbei Army will be victorious!" The soldiers quickly donned their armor and grabbed their weapons.
"The Zhenbei Army will be victorious! General Chi will be victorious!"
"The Zhenbei Army will be victorious! General Chi will be victorious!"
Chi Junluo rode at the very front, followed by the rapidly assembled army. The soldiers shouted their slogans with excitement, their horses' hooves thundering onto the harsh battlefield behind Chi Junluo.
On the Northern Kingdom's side, the army was already exhausted. Dozens of high-intensity attacks over the past few days had nearly depleted the soldiers' energy. It was now noon, and they had already launched a sneak attack that morning. At this moment, everyone should have been having their midday meal and resting. But the Northern Kingdom's general had suddenly issued another order to attack. Grumbling, the soldiers could only put down their bowls, pick up their weapons, and march in formation toward the Great Chang's Zhenbei Army camp not far away.
The Northern Kingdom's general was also quite helpless. He didn't know what kind of shady deal the Northern Emperor had made with Great Chang, but he had been ordered to lead his soldiers in frequent, high-intensity attacks to provoke a major battle as much as possible. In particular, he was to tie down the Zhenbei General of Great Chang, ensuring that General Chi Luo did not disappear from the battlefield.
But the general was miserable. From the very first day, that damned Zhenbei General hadn't shown her face once; he hadn't even seen her shadow. With the Zhenbei General absent, the Northern general couldn't complete his mission, which meant he would likely face execution. Therefore, to save his own skin, he had concealed the news that the Zhenbei Army's great general, Chi Luo, was not on the battlefield.
Although his superiors didn't know, the Northern soldiers did. When they heard that Great Chang's fearsome General Chi Luo was not on the battlefield they were fighting on, these soldiers, who were from the grassland tribes, were filled with fighting spirit. If the most terrifying person wasn't even there, what did they have to fear?
The war drums sounded, and the Northern soldiers charged forward, only to be stunned by the sight of a familiar figure at the forefront of the enemy's formation.
It was Great Chang's Zhenbei General, Chi Luo! They hadn't seen her for four days, and it felt like a lifetime. The Northern soldiers had almost forgotten the existence of this god of death! They had even speculated that General Chi Luo was gravely ill and thus unable to fight. But the person before them—so handsome and elegant, no, so full of killing intent—wasn't this the very same General Chi who had mysteriously vanished for several days?
Chi Junluo carried a longsword on her back and a long spear in her hand. Taking the lead, she led the reinvigorated Zhenbei Army charging toward the Northern forces.
The spear swept out, and blood splashed three feet high.
The instincts of this body, honed by years of slaughter on the battlefield, were deeply ingrained. A swing of the spear, a chop, a thrust, a retraction—the entire sequence was as fluid as flowing water, without a hint of hesitation. At this moment, Chi Junluo became a reaping machine on the battlefield.
As Chi Junluo fought, with every thrust of her spear into an enemy's body, the resistance and the feeling of piercing through brought her a sense of pleasure. Red blood splattered out, so much like that dark night. She had gripped the cold hilt of a knife, stabbing it into a man's body again and again.
Blood splashed three feet high.
A terrifying aura of death seemed to emanate from Chi Junluo's face, as if anyone touched by it would melt into a puddle of corpse water. The Northern soldiers near General Chi were scared out of their wits by the sheer force of her presence. They instinctively retreated in terror, accidentally tripping their own comrades and causing a large number of soldiers to fall.
Chi Junluo rode closer, her eyes devoid of any emotion. Her gaze was icy, and the bloodlust in her eyes seemed ready to devour people whole. Several Northern soldiers who had fallen and couldn't get up, their legs having turned to jelly from fear, quickly raised their hands and begged for mercy in broken Great Chang dialect. Unfortunately for them, what they received was a raised spear.
The Northern general finally realized something was wrong. That god of death was no joke. Even he, a proud general of the Northern Kingdom, would be lucky to survive an encounter with General Chi Luo.
The Northern general hastily ordered a retreat. The terrified Northern soldiers scrambled back toward their own camp in a chaotic, undignified mess.
Still not fully satisfied, Chi Junluo led her soldiers in pursuit for quite a distance before finally halting.
Licking her lips, Chi Junluo suppressed the frightening glint in her eyes, turned her horse around, and with a wave of her hand, began to withdraw from the battlefield.
Though the Zhenbei Army had engaged in a hurry, they had suffered almost no losses. In contrast, the Northern Kingdom's vanguard had been all but annihilated by Chi Junluo.
It was a resounding victory.
The drummers beat a joyous rhythm. Now, the soldiers of Great Chang's Zhenbei Army could finally enjoy a proper midday meal. A late midday meal.
Chi Junluo knew that her brothers-in-arms had worked incredibly hard these past few days, so she decided to give everyone extra rations for dinner.
She summoned Vice General Wei Long and carefully discussed the details of the night's operation with him. Vice General Wei was long accustomed to his general's swift and decisive style. The general had disappeared for four days to rescue His Majesty the Emperor. During those four days, many soldiers of the Zhenbei Army had been injured, and many had died. If the general didn't make the Northern Kingdom pay for it, she probably wouldn't rest.
The vice general also reported that some soldiers had been secretly spreading rumors in the camp recently. It was certain there was a spy in their midst. Chi Junluo nodded, acknowledging the information. She told Vice General Wei to secretly select 200 trustworthy soldiers, have them prepare in advance, and follow her instructions once darkness fell.
Having received his orders, Vice General Wei turned and took his leave.
In the finest room of the largest inn in Feng City, Yi Han ordered a bathtub and water from the innkeeper. He then bolted the door and, for extra security, barricaded it with a table and chairs. After checking the windows, he finally felt safe enough to remove his clothes and begin bathing. After four days on the run, Yi Han was covered in dust and grime. He couldn't have been happier for the chance to wash himself clean.
After giving Vice General Wei his instructions, Chi Junluo rode toward Feng City. As expected of someone from a general's manor, General Chi Luo's bathing habits were different from those of ordinary soldiers. Not far west of the camp, there was a small lake in the woods where the soldiers usually bathed. Their general, however, was more particular and always went to Feng City behind the camp to wash. She was a regular at the largest inn in the city, the Feng City Inn.
Upon arriving at the Feng City Inn, the owner greeted her with a cheerful smile. He had a stable hand take her horse to the stables and then showed General Chi to another one of the best rooms. Soon, hot water was brought up. Following the original owner's habit, Chi Junluo barricaded the door, then undressed and stepped into the tub. The warm water allowed her a rare moment of relaxation. Since arriving in this world, she had been constantly busy, always on the move, and had even killed two groups of people. It had been quite intense.
And then there was this damned chest binding. It was so tight. Being able to finally remove the restraint was simply wonderful.
Meanwhile, the young emperor, Yi Han, had already finished his bath. After drying himself off, he wrapped the cloth strips layer by layer around his chest, then changed into the clean clothes the innkeeper had provided. Once again, he looked every bit the dashing young gentleman.
Yi Han moved the table and chairs back to their original positions and began to wander around the room, feeling a bit bored.
In the adjacent room, Chi Junluo bathed while pondering how to arrange the young emperor's identity and how she could conveniently collect the Power of the Heavenly Dao from him.
In any case, the young emperor had to stay by her side. That way, she could act as the situation required.
Not wanting to soak for too long, Chi Junluo stood up. Water droplets slid down her delicate skin, leaving beautiful trails. After drying herself, she wrapped her chest binding, put on her general's armor, and the awe-inspiring General Chi was freshly minted.
Chi Junluo thought for a moment, then walked over to the adjacent room. The door to the young emperor's room was still tightly shut. She reached out and knocked.
The moment she lowered her hand, Yi Han's clear voice came from within. "Come in."
When Chi Junluo entered, she saw the young emperor, Yi Han, sitting upright at the table, looking at a book in his hands with a serious expression.
Chi Junluo knelt and paid her respects to Yi Han. "This subject pays her respects to Your Majesty."
"You may rise. Does General Chi seek me for an urgent matter?"
Chi Junluo did not stand. Instead, she remained kneeling and said with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, Feng City is not a place to stay for long. With the Fourth Prince's cunning, he will soon send people to find this place. Therefore, this subject boldly proposes that Your Majesty be willing to reside with me in the Zhenbei Army camp."
Seeing Yi Han put down his book with an unreadable expression, Chi Junluo continued, "This subject speaks boldly, but while Your Majesty is in Feng City, I cannot guarantee your complete safety. However, within the Zhenbei Army camp, that is a guarantee I can make."
Yi Han considered the feasibility of the matter. "Then how will you arrange my identity, General Chi?" He raised an eyebrow, looking down at the kneeling Chi Junluo.
Chi Junluo knelt on the floor, hesitating. "This… I hope Your Majesty…"
Seeing the general's stammering appearance, Yi Han found it inexplicably amusing and couldn't help but feel a little cheerful. "General Chi, speak freely. I am not an unreasonable person."
"Then this subject makes a bold request. I hope Your Majesty will accept the identity of my younger cousin."
After speaking, Chi Junluo lowered her head and awaited the verdict.
Things went very smoothly, for a voice tinged with amusement came from above her. "Cousin, please rise. I must ask you to take your younger brother to see the Zhenbei Army camp."
Chi Junluo breathed a small sigh of relief. This young emperor wasn't so foolish after all.
At the young emperor's behest, Chi Junluo stood up. From now on, in front of outsiders, they were cousins, true cousins.
And it had to be said, standing side by side, both as handsome and unparalleled young gentlemen, they really did look the part.
After bidding farewell to the innkeeper, the two mounted their horses. With Chi Junluo leading the way, they headed for the Zhenbei Army camp.
In truth, Chi Junluo had her own selfish motive. She wanted the young emperor to learn martial arts in the camp, so that one day, after she was gone, he would have a skill to protect himself.
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