Chapter 122: Come To My Tent Tonight 

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too. 

In the dead of night, fire suddenly rose from the Kingdom of Qi’s camp.

The fire broke out right where the Qi army's granary was located.

"Enemy attack!"

"We are under attack!"

"The granary is on fire!"

"All troops, be on guard!"

Unlike the chaos and shouts rising one after another outside, the main tent of the Qi army’s frontline commander remained calm, though the lamps inside had not been lit.

Kneeling in two rows below the main seat were soldiers clad in black armor.

Yet the command tent was unusually quiet.

Seated at the head was a noble man dressed in dark robes. He was gently tapping the table beside him.

"Are you certain it is her?"

This man was the Qi Emperor’s full-blooded younger brother, the current Prince of Ding'an, and the most trusted prince by the Emperor himself. He was now acting as military inspector within the camp.

Hidden in the dark, the strategist beside him could not see his expression, and simply replied truthfully, “Reporting to Your Highness, the shadow guards have been following them for some time. They have confirmed again that the one leading the raid on our army tonight is indeed the Second Princess.”

The Prince of Ding'an let out a mocking laugh, then asked, “Tell me, how did she, the Supreme Commander of the three armies, dare to leave camp without orders?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, according to the spies, the one originally leading the troops was her Prince Consort. It is said that she was worried about his safety, so she insisted on going with him. The two of them even had a big argument in the camp that day because of it…”

Even without the Prince of Yu’s help from within, the Qi army had not retreated.

This time, the Great Chang had already lost two cities in a row and was now holed up behind closed gates at Zhen’nan Pass.

The two armies had been locked in a stalemate for some time. The Qi army had not intended to force a desperate fight either. So in the past few days, they had only launched occasional attacks to disrupt the enemy, already prepared for a long-term battle.

However, the news that Qi’s envoy had been killed on the way back—slain by none other than the Young Master of Great Chang’s Demonic Sect—had already reached the Qi Emperor’s ears.

Enraged, the Qi Emperor ordered the army to capture the city at the fastest speed, so as to spread the might of the Qi army.

Originally, the chief general had already reported that at this rate, Zhen'nan Pass would fall within three days.

He had already guessed that the other side would surely come up with a countermeasure. As expected, the Great Chang had indeed sent people to set fire to their grain supplies.

This was within his expectations. What was unexpected, however, was that the one who came to burn the grain was actually the enemy's Supreme Commander.

“It really took no effort at all to get what we wanted. I did not expect that this dignified princess would turn out to be someone who indulges in romance.”

As expected, once a woman becomes commander, things are bound to mess up.

Since the Great Chang’s Demonic Sect wanted to seek justice for this person and went so far as to make such a mad move to fiercely slap the Kingdom of Qi in the face, then this time, he would definitely capture this Princess alive and send her to his imperial brother — to show off the might of the Kingdom of Qi.

The more the Prince of Ding'an thought about it, the more excited he became. He immediately rose from the main seat and stepped down to the kneeling black-armored soldiers, raising his voice:

"All soldiers, follow this Prince out of camp to seize the enemy! Whoever can capture the enemy’s Supreme Commander alive shall be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a promotion in rank!"

"This humble general is willing to follow to the death!"

"This humble general is willing to follow to the death!"

……

From the Kingdom of Qi’s frontline camp to Zhen'nan Pass, aside from the official road, there was also a small path. As long as one passed through the forest, it would be the fastest way to return from the Qi camp to Zhen'nan Pass.

The vanguard unit from Great Chang that went to burn the rations numbered only about a hundred. After they were discovered, they charged straight into that patch of forest and fled all the way toward Zhen'nan Pass.

But the pursuers were chasing them closely.

If someone observant were to take a closer look, they would notice that although the Great Chang soldiers in front seemed to be fleeing in a panic, they were in fact deliberately dragging along the pursuing troops. When the pursuers were about to lose sight of them, they would intentionally slow down a little. But when the pursuers were just about to catch up, they would suddenly speed up again.

Riding the three horses at the front were Li Qiubai, Ye Wuyou, and He Changping.

Still not seeing the person she wished to see chasing after them, Ye Wuyou grew a little anxious. When the group paused briefly, she quietly asked Li Qiubai, “Do you think… he might not come after all?”

But Li Qiubai remained calm as she looked toward the depths of the shadowy forest ahead and chuckled lightly.

“Look, is he not here now?”

Just as her words fell, thirty Black Armored Guards descended from midair and landed in formation, blocking their path.

“Oh? From the sound of it, is Her Highness waiting here especially for this Prince?”

The Prince of Ding'an stepped out slowly from behind the Black Armored Guards, holding a folding fan in hand. He indeed looked like a refined and charming man.

Before long, the Qi army’s pursuers also caught up. They formed an encirclement, surrounding the Great Chang troops tightly.

Only then did Li Qiubai dismount. She took two steps forward and stood with her hands behind her back at the front of the formation. Looking at the Prince of Ding'an opposite her, she said with a calm smile,

“Yes. I have long heard that the Prince of Ding'an’s Black Armored Guards were handpicked by the Emperor of Qi himself, said to be highly skilled. It is rare to have a chance to face them, so naturally, I wish to see it for myself.”

At the same time, He Changping and Ye Wuyou followed tacitly, holding swords to protect Li Qiubai on both sides.

“Tsk, it seems Her Highness the Princess truly does not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth.”

*have an exaggerated opinion of one's abilities; ignorant; think one knows everything; not knowing one’s limit

The Prince of Ding'an flicked open his folding fan and stepped back two paces, calmly shaking the fan as he said, “Since Her Highness wishes to witness it, then let the soldiers show Her Highness a move or two. Remember, pity the fragrance and cherish the jade*—capture her alive only. Be very careful not to injure the beauty, for after all, she is to be presented to Imperial Brother in the capital.”

*To show pity and tender love for women.

Such words were no different from mockery and humiliation.

At his command, the Black Armored Guards leapt forth.

Yet this expedition from the Great Chang Dynasty had its share of masters as well.

The two sides immediately clashed in fierce combat.

The Prince of Ding'an and Li Qiubai both remained motionless like mountains, standing calmly at the rear of the two armies, facing one another from afar.

Meanwhile, Ye Wuyou and He Changping still stood guard at the Princess’ side, protecting her without taking a single step away.

“Oh, it seems Her Highness came prepared. Since they are all masters, why bother fleeing just now? Could it be that you thought deliberately luring this Prince here would serve some purpose?”

Facing the Prince of Ding’an’s mocking and sarcastic tone, Li Qiubai was not angered, nor was she surprised that this man had already guessed something. She only gave a light laugh and replied, “Your Highness truly jests. How could luring you here be useless?”

The Prince of Ding’an froze for a moment.

He truly had not expected that this person would so openly admit to her intentions.

Though the outcome was not yet decided, it was clear that the Great Chang’s guards were already losing ground under the Prince of Ding’an’s Black Armored Guards’ encirclement.

The surrounding Qi troops had not even made a move yet.

Knowing well that the enemy’s defeat was already certain, he smiled and said, “To tell you the truth, since I dared to leave camp alone tonight to capture you, I naturally made full preparations. I advise you to surrender quietly, so fewer innocents will be hurt.”

“Then let me guess, what preparations His Highness has made, how about that?”

“Sure, then how about I give you a little reward?”

Though phrased as a question, before Li Qiubai could speak, the Prince of Ding’an continued, “If the Her Highness guesses right, I will make sure your dear Prince Consort dies with his body intact.”

At this moment, over twenty Great Chang soldiers had already fallen, while only seven Black Armored Guards were seriously wounded and had temporarily withdrawn.

Seeing how certain he looked of victory, the smile on Li Qiubai’s lips only deepened.

It was exactly because he looked down on others that he had given them a chance to exploit.

“This Princess guesses that His Highness has already issued the military order for the front-line soldiers to attack the city overnight. Am I right?”

The smile on the Prince of Ding’an’s face froze for a moment.

In battle between two armies, the capture of the Supreme Commander was a great taboo in the art of war.

He himself was not the Supreme Commander, so his reckless action could still be excused. But the other side was the Supreme Commander of all three armies, and now was trapped by him in the middle of this formation. Since she had already guessed it, why could she still remain so calm?

At this, he could not help but begin to question—what exactly was this person’s goal tonight?

"That is right. Judging by the hour, our vanguard should have already begun the assault on the city by now. The Princess guessed quite accurately. Since that is the case, I shall grant your Consort a whole corpse.”

The Prince of Ding’an ignored the brief sense of foreboding in his heart and sneered as he continued, “In any case, once this night is over and the rear army arrives to reinforce us, Zhen’nan Pass will surely fall. Your Great Chang, and you, will all become my imperial brother’s prize.”

He Changping: “...”

Why was it that no matter what, it always ended up involving him, the most innocent one?

Upon hearing this, Li Qiubai only smiled with deep meaning.

“Oh? Is that so? Is His Highness certain that your rear army can actually make it here?”

After the Great Chang had lost two cities in succession, those two cities had been taken over by the Kingdom of Qi, temporarily used to house tens of thousands of the wounded, as well as the soldiers who had shown signs of fatigue after days of campaign.

Each of the two cities housed a hundred thousand men, most of whom were old, weak, or wounded soldiers.

Now, the Qi army left at the front line only had around three hundred thousand main troops remaining.

Their tiger-like and wolf-like soldiers—whichever way one looked at them—did not seem like opponents those cowardly turtles of Great Chang, who only knew to cower behind Zhen’nan Pass, could possibly handle.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3614052
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. And check out other stories too. 

Thinking this, the Prince of Ding’an felt even more confident. He kept feeling like this person was trying to deliberately delay for time.

He no longer wanted to engage in empty words with Li Qiubai. For fear that his own doubts might cause him to lose composure and disrupt his troops, he simply gave a direct order to the several hundred military men outside of the Black Armored Guards: “All soldiers, hear the order! Take them all down! Do not let a single one escape! Whoever captures the enemy Supreme Commander alive shall be rewarded with one thousand taels of gold and a promotion in rank and title!”

Driven by profit, the enemy soldiers swarmed forward, determined to use this battle to rise above others.  

Unfortunately, they had not yet broken into the protective circle around the enemy Princess. The human wall formed by their comrades behind them was torn open by swords and knives.  

A group of black-clad masked men appeared silently. Their blades moved fast and ruthless, cutting at the vital points of the enemy soldiers.  

Their actions were like killers slaughtering.  

These unexpected guests forcefully cut a path through the enemy soldiers.  

A path from the deep forest straight to the protective circle around the princess.  

Both sides doubted who this new group was. Suddenly, a sorrowful young girl’s voice cried out.  

"Our Princess is only worth a thousand taels of gold? You are really looking down on us!"  

Then, a woman in red appeared in everyone’s view.  

There were always people guarding her closely on both sides.  

She calmly rode her horse, fearless, stepping over the bodies on the road, breaking into the battlefield.  

Only a few familiar people recognized her as Young Master Meng.  

Now, the silk ribbon in front of the girl was gone.  

When she met the Princess’ gaze, she even smiled at her.  

Finally, things were better.  

Li Qiubai’s heart tightened. She stood still, staring at Young Master Meng with an infatuated look.

Her beloved person in red, wild and bold, slowly overlapped in Li Qiubai’s mind with the red-clad girl she had met in the desert when they were children.

"Did I come just in time and save your life again?"

At this moment, Young Master Meng had already been placed inside the Princess’ protective circle by He Changping.

Not far behind her stood Lin Xingyang, looking helpless. He led the ambush soldiers that had been prepared earlier, shrugging as if to say, “It is not that we are unwilling to help, but someone is stopping us.”

Seeing Young Master Meng’s sly smile, the Princess could not help but curve her lips.

“Yes, then how should this benefactor be repaid?”

Young Master Meng blinked in confusion. She did not expect the Princess to cooperate with her in such a situation.

The group of Blood Flame Sect masters she brought had already spread out to clean the battlefield.

Even the fleeing Prince of Ding’an had people specially chasing after him.

Then she dismounted and leaned close to the Princess’ ear, whispering, “Ahem… They all say that a life-saving grace must be repaid with one's body*…”

*以身相许 (yǐshēn-xiāngxǔ) - can mean 1. pledge to marry. 2. have sex of her own will 

Around them, sword flashes and fierce shouts continued without pause.

Beside them, gentle words stirred the heart just like the first meeting.

“All right.”

It was a pity that the current situation truly did not allow the Princess and the Young Master to have a good reminiscing.

The Princess only leaned close to the Young Master’s ear and lightly blew a breath into her ear.

“Come to my tent tonight.”

With that said, she had already stepped back and walked toward the Lin father and son who stood to the side, quietly awaiting orders.

“Pass down the order. We may begin.”

“Next, it is our turn to fight back.”

The Young Master just squatted beside her own elder brother like that, foolishly watching the Princess issue commands at the front of the army with an imposing manner.

That serious and proper look on her face was truly like a different person compared to the seductive expression she had shown earlier when inviting her into the tent tonight.

Author's Note:

Judging by the looks of it, there are about two chapters left before the main text ends. Babies, if you are still not actively leaving comments, then what are you waiting for?!