"Your Majesty, rest assured, our Feng Nian Kingdom's forces are strong, and with Your Majesty's personal presence here, how can we not prevail?" Yu Yin Ci spoke with great spirit, as if commanding armies.
"Then I am relieved. By the way, why do I not see the Young General?" Xing Yuan asked, seemingly casually, about the person she cared about most.
"Replying to Your Majesty, the Young General took troops to lay an ambush today. If all goes well, she will surely return before noon tomorrow."
Yu Yin Ci thought of Ning Yue's insights on the battlefield during this period and looked very pleased, feeling she had a worthy successor.
"Is that so!" Xing Yuan's expression visibly drooped. She had thought she would see her sister upon arriving here!
"Since that is the case, I shall take my leave now." Xing Yuan turned and left without any hesitation.
Yu Yin Ci watched Xing Yuan's departing back with some confusion, completely unable to comprehend what had happened.
Soon, she dismissed the thought and continued to focus on the sand table before her, contemplating the next tactical moves.
The army, having traveled day and night, was naturally exhausted. After some reorganization, the entire force returned to their quarters to rest and recuperate.
Meanwhile, Ning Yue and her contingent, after several days of lurking, finally found a suitable opportunity to launch an attack on the enemy.
A detachment, not part of the main force, had weak defenses. Their primary objective was not to kill, but to cut off enemy reinforcements and burn their provisions.
Their plan was thorough: one group would intercept the reinforcement party, while the other would directly attack. Upon success, they would withdraw immediately, showing no inclination to linger.
Naturally, casualties on the battlefield were to be expected. The journey was long, and there were wounded soldiers. By the time Ning Yue returned to the military camp, Xing Yuan had already been there for five days.
Initially, Xing Yuan could maintain her patience, but later, she wandered around the camp with a constant air of displeasure, greatly unnerving the soldiers, who feared they might displease her with some misstep.
She hadn't met the person she was looking for, but she had almost made all the soldiers revere her.
The cause of this was: the Xi Kingdom's forces were once again challenging them under the city walls.
Yu Yin Ci was not inherently warlike. Coupled with their strategies and various considerations, they rarely engaged in direct combat.
Xing Yuan declared that she was already unhappy, and she would gladly accept this readily available tool for venting her anger.
Before anyone could react, Xing Yuan leaped off the city wall. Moments later, she returned carrying the head of the challenging general.
When their ruler was so valiant, it naturally set a good example for the ordinary soldiers, who became filled with patriotic fervor, eager to charge into battle themselves.
Xing Yuan herself also enjoyed the thrill of combat, but she was unsure if this feeling was something she genuinely liked, or if it was the preference of the person she was inhabiting in this world. It was truly a perplexing matter!
Xing Yuan's body had not yet fully recovered, and she was also the ruler of a nation. While occasional appearances to boost morale were acceptable, if she insisted on going down every time, others would naturally try their utmost to stop her.
After some back and forth, Xing Yuan lost interest in dealing with those below and spent her days idly in her tent.
The Prime Minister was indeed clever. She somehow procured a chessboard and spent her days playing chess with Xing Yuan.
Of course, the Prime Minister could not win. What if Her Majesty, in her anger, had her beheaded?
Even if Her Majesty regretted it afterward, she would already be dead.
Playing chess did indeed train Xing Yuan's patience, but she couldn't sustain it for long.
"I don't want to play chess anymore. Prime Minister, do you have any other enjoyable pastimes?" Xing Yuan said lazily.
"Replying to Your Majesty, we came in haste, and this is a military camp. If Your Majesty is truly bored, perhaps you could discuss with General Yu what we should do next," the Prime Minister replied respectfully, head bowed.
"What's the point of that?" Xing Yuan pouted, her face full of displeasure.
"Forget it, I won't ask you. I'm going out to kill someone for fun." Xing Yuan left happily, as if she had found a fun toy.
At that time, the Xi Kingdom had not come to challenge them, but that was not a problem.
Xing Yuan was, after all, an emperor. She could take some people and challenge them.
To avoid attracting attention, Xing Yuan carefully donned a mask.
Once the mask was on, she became cold and ruthless.
Thus, Xing Yuan thrived on the battlefield between the two nations.
Because the enemy did not know her identity, and due to the unspoken customs of warfare, they were unable to gang up on her. Consequently, after being cut down like leeks, they naturally had no choice but to yield.
They began to avoid battle, just as the Feng Nian Kingdom had done before. Although it was humiliating, it was better than losing their lives.
Xing Yuan found it boring again, a hint of savagery flickering in her eyes. These people were so annoying! She wanted to flatten this place.
She gently tugged on the reins, and her horse lowered its head obediently, heading in the direction of the military camp.
She rode at the forefront, followed at a distance by guards disguised as secret guards.
Halfway there, Xing Yuan saw Ning Yue, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Her eyes instantly filled with joy.
Before she could rush forward, Xing Yuan calmed herself, her face regaining a demure smile.
Hmph! This time, it was her sister who had angered her. She wouldn't forgive her so easily. No matter what, she would make her coax her for a while before reluctantly accepting her apology.
Xing Yuan was extremely proud. In Ning Yue's eyes, it was as if Xing Yuan had suddenly become displeased upon seeing her.
Ning Yue realized she was angry, and guilt belatedly surfaced in her heart.
She admitted that this time, her considerations had been somewhat inadequate, driven by impulsiveness, but primarily because the war could no longer be delayed.
Seeing Xing Yuan's apparent unwillingness to speak to her, Ning Yue said softly, "Your Majesty!"
"What?" Xing Yuan glared at her with anger in her eyes.
Ning Yue said gently, "Shall we go back!"
Xing Yuan suddenly pulled on the reins, glaring at her fiercely, deliberately acting contrary: "I'm not going back."