Chapter 100: Heroine
Gu Changxiao couldn’t help but wonder, if he himself had come to the border city, in just two months, could he have made the soldiers of the border city united and willing to resist the Tartars with their lives?
He pondered what Ji Sui had done since impersonating the Li King. First, she rescued the Black Feather Camp in Huai Prefecture. At that time, she was only impersonating the Li King, yet she showed no fear, injured Jiang Nansheng, rescued the Black Feather Camp soldiers, and even extorted a sum of supplies from Jiang Nansheng.
From then on, those three hundred soldiers must have been loyal to her without question!
Then, upon arriving in Yanzhou, the first thing she did was demand pay for all the border soldiers. She besieged Yanzhou City and questioned Li Heng, not only securing the military pay for the Black Feather Camp but also for the Tuntian Soldiers.
Because of this, the entire border soldiers became united from then on, all obeying the Li King’s orders.
As for the Li King forcibly taking the Zheng Family’s concubine, although it was rumored in Yandi that the Li King was lustful and arrogant, among the common people, it was said that the Li King dared to offend the gentry to save a suffering woman.
He believed that once the truth of this matter was revealed, the Li King’s standing in the hearts of the people would undoubtedly rise.
What if he were to handle these matters himself? Gu Changxiao dared not say he would handle them better or more skillfully than Ji Sui.
At most, he could have handled them more smoothly, preventing the Imperial Court from finding any loopholes.
But in doing so, he, as the Prince, would appear aloof and distant from the border soldiers and the common people.
Instead of being like the current Li King, who was so vibrant and unlike an Imperial Prince; he was reckless, a rogue, protective and domineering, bold and fearless…
Gu Changxiao seemed to understand why Hao Duojin and the others respected the Li King so much. If he were a small soldier under Ji Sui, he would also follow her to the death.
“Brothers, faster! We’re less than a hundred miles away.”
The sound of ‘giddy-up’ interrupted Gu Changxiao’s thoughts. Unknowingly, the sky had darkened. Fortunately, the bright moon hung high, so they could travel without torches.
He immediately spurred his horse and galloped swiftly.
At this time, Jinsui had already returned to the border city with three thousand Yan Prefecture soldiers and provisions. When she returned, she saw a completely new city from afar.
The decorations for Cheng Yu and Chen Yunniang’s wedding had been hung up. Many bonfires were lit outside the city wall, with drums and gongs sounding, and singing and dancing.
Dozens of large pots and stoves were set up, stewing fragrant lamb, Dongpo Pork, and braised dishes. The rich aroma was carried by the wind, drifting directly into the vast and boundless borderlands.
The Yan Prefecture Army arrived reluctantly and, upon seeing the situation, were both surprised and angry:
“Li King, you told a monstrous lie to demand provisions from Yanzhou City?”
This was why Jinsui only asked for three thousand Yan Prefecture soldiers. She feared she couldn’t control more if she asked for too many. Look, even a small soldier dared to question the Li King.
Just then, a group of dancers gracefully arrived. This was a dance troupe of thirty women. Although the women were wearing coarse cotton clothes, they were dressed in similar skirts and dresses. Moreover, they all wore half-face veils. Dancing gracefully under the moonlight and bonfire, they possessed a unique charm.
Jinsui recognized at a glance that the lead dancer was Chen Yunniang.
These thirty women were young women selected from the few wives among the families of the Tuntian Soldiers. The reason for their veiled faces was that they had worked in the border city for a long time, and their skin and complexions appeared weathered, making them look much older than their actual age.
Jinsui was deeply moved. She had told Cheng Yu that provisions and gold and silver could be exposed to lure the enemy, but beautiful women were unnecessary.
She could not risk the lives of the common people.
She was not afraid of being a bait herself; it wasn’t that Jinsui wasn’t afraid of death, she was afraid of death too.
But deep in her heart, she harbored a secret thought: perhaps, as long as she didn’t die by suicide, and her death was meaningful, she might return to her previous life after death.
It was this thought that made her so bold and fearless, unafraid of death.
She was not afraid of death, but she could not let others be unafraid of death, especially the women of the border soldiers, who already lived difficult lives.
Like Chen Yunniang, who had only just begun to live like a ‘person’ for a few days. Was rescuing her from the tiger’s den meant to send her into the wolf’s den?
And now, seeing Chen Yunniang leading the women in a simple dance they had improvised, dancing fearlessly under the moonlight, she could only feel moved.
The border soldiers, like her, were willing to sacrifice their lives to resist the Tartars, including these women who were looked down upon by important figures.
Women are no less capable than men!
Just then, the unsuspecting Yan Prefecture Army uttered vulgar words:
“Is the Prince preparing this to welcome us? They’ve prepared prostitutes! I didn’t expect the border soldiers to have such good merchandise…”
Before he could finish speaking, the man was whipped off his horse by Jinsui.
She had this whip made after seeing Miss Yan use hers so skillfully, and it was made of fine steel. With one crack, purple blood marks instantly appeared on the man’s face.
The man clutched his face in shock: “Li King, what are you doing?”
The generals of the Yan Prefecture Army stepped forward: “Li King, we were ordered to fight the Tartars with you, not to feast and play with women.”
“We are not your border soldiers, and we will not be bullied by you!”
“If the Li King treats the Yan Prefecture Army like this, please forgive us for taking our leave!”
He deliberately emphasized the words ‘play with women’ to mock the Li King, implying he couldn’t even play with women.
Jinsui raised her eyes and swept them with a condescending gaze. The coldness in her eyes pierced their skin like needles, making them feel a chill all over.
That single glance reminded them, This King is an Imperial Prince! Even if I have been banished to the border, you are not to look down on me!
The Yan Prefecture Army, who had been clamoring, fell silent. Even the one who had been whipped off his horse and was howling dared not make a sound.
Jinsui snorted coldly and called for Wei Assistant Secretary: “Explain to the Yan Prefecture Army why the border city has done this.”
She was too lazy to explain herself, and she needed to save time to check the formation with Cheng Yu.
“I told you not to use beautiful women, not to use beautiful women! How could you let Sister-in-law take such a risk!”
Jinsui’s true feelings deeply moved Cheng Yu, especially the term ‘Sister-in-law.’ If Yunniang heard it, how happy she would be.
“Reporting to Your Highness, Yunniang is willing, and all these women are willing. They also want to contribute to the border city and alleviate Your Highness’s worries.”
“Furthermore, the city is decorated with lanterns and festoons, and a grand banquet is being held. If there are no women present, the Tartars will easily see through the deception.”
This was a fact, but Jinsui just didn’t want these innocent women to be in danger.
She would rather disguise herself as a woman… Uh, she had been disguised as a man for so long that she was almost forgetting she was a woman?
No, if she disguised herself as a woman, she would definitely be recognized.
She could only grit her teeth and say, “You must protect these women well. Don’t have them dance in the city center; it will be too late to escape then.”
“Right, have the soldiers gather around the bonfire and pretend to be drinking and having fun. When they dance, they should move from one bonfire to another.”
“As soon as the enemy enters the city, the soldiers should immediately cover their retreat.”
Cheng Yu nodded repeatedly and then took Jinsui to see the deployment within the city. Jinsui inspected it and was very satisfied, only regretting:
“If Hei Hu hadn’t been injured, his archery success rate would have been even higher.”
Will my darlings feel that this battle is taking a bit too long? Don’t worry, it will be over in a few more chapters.
