The next morning, Jun Yelan donned his armor, fastened the sword at his waist, and strode step by step onto the reviewing stand.
He looked at the dense mass of soldiers below and declared, "Soldiers, we fight for our country, we fight for our loved ones back home, and we fight for ourselves."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers were invigorated, raising their swords and shouting in unison.
Seeing this, a glint flashed in Jun Yelan's eyes. He dismounted, mounted his horse, and led the soldiers towards the battlefield. At this moment, what he held in his hand was not just his own life, but the lives of millions behind him.
Every decision he made carried a heavy responsibility.
The rhythmic marching of the soldiers behind him kept pace.
Lan Yan, watching from a distance, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. She truly wished for Jun Yelan to win this battle, to end the internal conflict of the Snake Clan, and for there to be no more wars between their two peoples.
She offered a sincere prayer, then proceeded to the field medical station to care for the wounded.
By then, Jun Yelan was already at the battlefield, facing the Crown Prince's forces. He raised his sword and charged forward.
The soldiers on both sides also charged into the fray.
Soon, the entire battlefield was filled with the clash of swords, the screams of pain, and the thick, lingering scent of blood and burning.
Jun Yelan fought valiantly at the front, dispatching any enemy he encountered with a single blow. He looked at the Crown Prince seated on the high platform, his eyes deepening. He drew the bow from his back and loosed an arrow.
The Crown Prince dodged to the side, looked at his bleeding arm, and his eyes ignited with fury. He turned to his attendant and raged, "Kill Jun Yelan for me!"
The attendant replied, "Your Highness, our men cannot get close."
"Then activate the ambush!" The Crown Prince clutched his arm, determined to avenge this insult. He vowed to make Jun Yelan suffer a thousand arrows one day. He angrily slammed the table, urging the attendant to hurry.
The attendant, resigned, went to execute the order, though it was not yet time to reveal their hidden hand. His master, upon encountering Jun Yelan, would lose all reason.
Suddenly, numerous rocks rained down from the mountain behind them.
However, Jun Yelan's troops were on a wide, flat plain, advancing in an orderly fashion.
Seeing this, Jun Yelan revealed his snake tail, smashing the approaching rocks to pieces. He suddenly spotted a fallen soldier on the ground. He coiled his snake tail around the soldier and was inadvertently struck by a falling rock from above.
However, he tilted his body, and the rock grazed his arm.
"General, are you alright!"
"Hurry, go," Jun Yelan said, taking the soldier away to a clear spot ahead, where he led his soldiers to repel the attack.
The Crown Prince, watching from above, clenched his fist in frustration and shouted, "Go! Jun Yelan, we will meet again."
With that, Jun Yelan ordered a retreat, allowing the soldiers to return and rest. He went back to his tent, having learned much of the Crown Prince's strategies today, which would allow him to counter them effectively.
He began to busy himself.
However, the soldiers outside were concerned about his injuries and went to the field medical station to call for someone. "Doctor, our General is injured. Please go and see him quickly."
Lan Yan, who was bandaging a soldier's wound, heard this. After finishing, she picked up her medical kit and said, "I'll go with you."
The soldier nodded. He observed that this man, though slender, had bright eyes. He led the way to the tent. "General, the doctor is here."
"I don't need a doctor. Send him back," Jun Yelan's voice came from inside.
Lan Yan, knowing Jun Yelan to be a stubborn person, called out, "General, your health is vital to everyone. If you are unwell, others will not be at ease. Please allow me to examine you."
There was no response from within the tent, but after a moment, the flap was opened.
Lan Yan, with a smile, touched her veiled face and stepped inside with a light gait. She looked at the bloodstains on Jun Yelan's armor and the marks left by swords, imagining the ferocity of the battle he had just endured.
She was momentarily stunned.
Seeing no movement beside him, Jun Yelan turned his head. He felt a sense of familiarity from this doctor. He said coldly, "Doctor!"
Lan Yan snapped back to reality, opened her medical kit, and carefully rolled up Jun Yelan's sleeve to apply medicine and bandage his wound. As she worked, she said, "General, the battlefield is dangerous. You must protect yourself."
This only made Jun Yelan more curious. Why would a doctor he had just met be so concerned about him? He looked at the person before him, wearing a veil, and asked, "What's wrong with your face?"
Lan Yan forced a laugh and replied, "It's the weather. I've developed some red rash. I was afraid of frightening everyone, so I covered it." She thought this excuse was quite good.
Jun Yelan frowned, clearly not entirely convinced. He was about to question her further when he was interrupted by the deputy general entering to report.
"General, you are truly prescient! Someone did indeed attempt to infiltrate," the deputy general shouted loudly. "I have apprehended them as you instructed, and reinforced the perimeter."
"Not even a fly can get in now."
Lan Yan had finished bandaging the wound and, seeing that Jun Yelan had important matters to attend to, prepared to leave. Beside him, she placed a medicine bottle back into her kit. The bracelet on her wrist subtly showed as her sleeve shifted.
Her gaze remained fixed on the medical kit. She nodded slightly and retreated towards the tent flap.
Jun Yelan, who was listening to the deputy general, noticed the bracelet. He grabbed Lan Yan's hand and directly pulled off her veil. His pupils trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Lan Yan, however, froze. This was bad, she had been discovered! She blinked her eyes and smiled, "Hello, Jun Yelan."
Remembering that they were in a military camp, Jun Yelan asked with concern, "Why are you here?"
"I..." Lan Yan's eyes drifted upwards as she said, "I just came to take a look."
"Go back!" Jun Yelan gently tightened his grip on Lan Yan's hand. If Lan Yan were to be harmed here, he would never forgive himself. Seeing Lan Yan's reluctance, he repeated, "You must leave."
This was not a place for her to be.
Lan Yan did not want to leave; she had finally managed to get in.
She tugged at Jun Yelan's sleeve and said pitifully, "Jun Yelan, can you bear to make a weak woman leave! Look, with the war going on outside, it's safer for me to stay here."
"You agree, don't you! I promise I won't wander around, I'll just stay at the field medical station."
Jun Yelan looked at Lan Yan, his resolve to make her leave weakening. He cautioned, "Then promise me you will absolutely not leave this tent. From today onwards, you will move in with me."
If he wasn't watching her, he would never be at ease.
Lan Yan, seeing that she could stay, smiled and said, "As you command, General." She continued to pack her medical kit.
Jun Yelan smiled helplessly, the amusement in his eyes deepening. He truly had no way with Lan Yan.
They had both forgotten that there was a third person in the tent. The deputy general, realizing Jun Yelan had remembered him, quickly called out, "General, I didn't see anything just now."
He never expected that their General would be attracted to men, and a doctor from the field medical station at that!
"General, I have finished reporting. I'll be leaving now." He walked out with stiff, uncoordinated steps.
The soldiers outside, seeing him in such a state, asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"
The deputy general shook his head and replied, "It cannot be said, it cannot be said!"