Chapter 116

CHAPTER 116: Night Reconnaissance of the Enemy Camp “Yue’er, all we can see ahead of us are soldiers from the Sheyu Kingdom. The Northwest Fortress-City won’t be able to hold out much longer. In your opinion, what should we do now?” Mu Yuheng asked Ling Jiayue as he surveyed the situation before them. Ling Jiayue looked at the Northwest Fortress-City, which was surrounded on all sides, and fell silent as well. Indeed, what should they do? The soldiers in the Northwest Fortress-City were waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Yet now that they had arrived as reinforcements, they could only stand by and watch. For the moment, she truly could not think of any good solution. “Let’s establish camp first and get settled. Tonight, we’ll conduct a night reconnaissance of the enemy camp. We’ll see what the situation is before deciding what to do,” Ling Jiayue said. “That sounds good.” Mu Yuheng agreed. Thus, they established camp there instead of immediately rushing to the aid of the Northwest Fortress-City. When the soldiers heard Ling Jiayue make this decision, they appeared obedient on the surface, but began muttering among themselves in private. One general said, “Tell me, isn’t it too unreliable to have a woman lead us into battle? The Northwest Fortress-City is clearly about to fall, yet she isn’t even anxious. What’s worse, the Seventh Prince actually listens to her.” “Exactly. People always say that women bring ruin to the country. If the Northwest Fortress-City is lost, I’m afraid Ling Jiayue will have to offer her own head to appease the Emperor’s anger.” Another general chimed in. As fate would have it, Danyun happened to pass by and overheard the soldiers’ words. Feeling indignant on Ling Jiayue’s behalf, she was about to step forward and argue with them when someone grabbed her. Danyun turned around and saw that it was Ling Jiayue. Just as Danyun was about to speak, Ling Jiayue shook her head, and Danyun swallowed back the words she had been about to say. Ling Jiayue led Danyun to a secluded place, and only then did Danyun speak. “Miss, aren’t you angry that those people are talking about you like that? You were personally appointed by the Emperor as a great general. How can you allow them to slander you so freely? Just give me the word, and I’ll teach them a lesson about respect and hierarchy!” “Calm down. I’m not angry, so what use is there in getting angry? The most important thing right now is to drive back the soldiers of the Sheyu Kingdom as soon as possible. What good would it do for you to argue with them about this? It would be far more important to defeat the soldiers of the Sheyu Kingdom quickly. That is the most urgent matter,” Ling Jiayue said calmly. “Tell Cheese Lord that I’m going to conduct a night reconnaissance of the enemy camp tonight, and ask him to accompany me,” Ling Jiayue instructed Danyun. “Yes, Miss. Then I’ll go with you tonight as well,” Danyun said. “Of course I can’t do without you. You’ll come with me tonight,” Ling Jiayue replied. “Very well, Miss. I’ll go inform Cheese Lord at once.” As Danyun spoke, she headed outside. After assigning Danyun her task, Ling Jiayue slowly made her way back to her quarters. Unexpectedly, the moment she entered, Mu Yuheng was already waiting inside. Seeing him there, Ling Jiayue asked, “Why are you here?” “I came to discuss something with you,” Mu Yuheng told her. “What is it?” Ling Jiayue asked, puzzled. “As for the night reconnaissance of the enemy camp tonight, let me go instead.” Mu Yuheng spoke to her seriously. “Looks like I can’t hide any of my decisions from you.” Ling Jiayue smiled. “And what do you think?” Mu Yuheng asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll go myself tonight. Haven’t you noticed that the soldiers and officers in the military camp obey me only on the surface? In their hearts, they don’t accept me. I need an opportunity like this to make them acknowledge me from the bottom of their hearts. This is the best opportunity,” Ling Jiayue said seriously. Mu Yuheng remained silent, simply watching Ling Jiayue in the hope that she would change her mind. Ling Jiayue gazed back at him in silence, a stubborn determination shining in her eyes and making it clear that she would go no matter what. After a long while, Mu Yuheng finally conceded. With a smile, he said, “You really are impossible. Sometimes, I wish you could be a little weaker. Then I could protect you.” Ling Jiayue smiled. “If I were like that, I wouldn’t be me anymore. Once I’ve made up my mind about something, I will definitely do it.” “That’s true. If you were like that, you wouldn’t be you anymore. Yue’er, if you’ve decided, then go ahead and do it. I’ll send people to protect you properly. Do you remember what I told you before? Whatever you want, I’ll give you.” “Thank you, Mu Yuheng,” Ling Jiayue said sincerely. “Yue’er, there’s no need for thanks between us. Protecting you is something I want to do. I’m also very happy that you’re willing to give me the opportunity to protect you. In the future, could you call me Yuheng?” Mu Yuheng gazed at Ling Jiayue tenderly. “All right, Yuheng.” Ling Jiayue agreed, unable to stop her face from flushing shyly. “Now that you’ve decided to go, let’s first plan the route you’ll take. Otherwise, it won’t be good to stumble around blindly when the time comes.” Mu Yuheng teased her. “That works.” Ling Jiayue agreed. The two of them then began carefully studying the map and planning the route. They discovered that there was a river near the Northwest Fortress-City. Because the river’s flow was relatively weak during spring and summer, the soldiers of the Sheyu Kingdom had stationed themselves there in large numbers. Thus, Ling Jiayue decided to investigate the river first that night. In the meantime, she and Mu Yuheng studied the Sheyu Kingdom’s siege of the Northwest Fortress-City as well as its defenses. To their surprise, they discovered that their views on the matter were remarkably similar. The feeling of mutual appreciation between them grew stronger once more. “Yue’er, just how many secrets and surprises are you still hiding from me?” Mu Yuheng exclaimed. He truly had not expected Ling Jiayue to understand so many things on her own. Ling Jiayue gave him a playful smile. “You’ll have to uncover them yourself, little by little.” “Good. I certainly will,” Mu Yuheng said. By then, dusk had already fallen. Ling Jiayue prepared herself, ready to conduct the night reconnaissance of the enemy camp. She changed into night-operations attire, then selected a group of physically strong soldiers from the military camp and formed a night reconnaissance unit. Ling Jiayue addressed the unit. “As you can see, the Northwest Fortress-City is completely surrounded by the Sheyu Kingdom. A head-on assault would be a losing proposition, so tonight I intend to conduct a night reconnaissance of the enemy camp, find the enemy’s weak point, and drive them back. Are you willing to come with me?” Only after hearing Ling Jiayue’s words did the soldiers realize that she had chosen to establish camp not to avoid the battle, but to plan carefully before taking action and to rescue the besieged soldiers in the Northwest more effectively. Their blood surged with excitement, and they cried out one after another, “We’re willing!” “Excellent! Go back and eat your fill. In two hours, we’ll conduct the night reconnaissance of the enemy camp.” Ling Jiayue spoke with bold confidence. “Yes! We obey the general’s command!” the soldiers shouted in unison. At that moment, Danyun also returned to report to Ling Jiayue: Cheese Lord and the others were ready as well and could set out at any time.