The Second Volume: The Country of Women Chapter 27: Assassination

  It was predictable that as soon as this was said, the female generals would be shocked. They all stood still on the spot, and such a dead silence lasted for a long time. One of them finally stuttered: "How...how could this be?"

  Old mother slowly said: "Guo State, one of the eighteen countries in the alliance, privately made peace with Hei Jisi, and Guo's large camp was stationed beside our army. It was called a side response, but secretly borrowed a way for Hei Jisi, resulting in our army being surrounded by 100,000 Hei Jisi soldiers. Although we fought to the death, we were ultimately defeated!"

  This sentence was like water poured into a hot oil pan, and several female generals drank with their eyes wide open: "General, send troops! We swear to avenge our deceased sisters and kill the hybrids of Heiji!" Some people also shouted loudly: "The most hateful is the Eighteen Kingdoms Alliance, let's go and destroy their old nest first!"

  The old mother waved her hand and said, "It's too early to say these things now. The situation is still unclear. We only know that the Guo State has defected, but what attitude the other seventeen states have taken is temporarily unknown."

  Someone angrily said: "The eighteen countries of the alliance are all a bunch of scoundrels, what good birds can they have? I think we should kill them all!"

  "Everyone, I'm just as sad and angry as you are, but that won't solve anything. We're soldiers, and it's our duty to protect our homes and country. If we let emotions get the better of us and escalate this conflict, we'll be playing right into Blackgis' hands. The enemy is strong, and we're weak; if we turn on each other, the Federation will never know peace. My daughter, Country, will eventually be dragged down and destroyed. Dying in battle isn't shameful for a soldier - what's truly shameful is losing our country and our honor. What face will we have to show our people, our emperor, and my daughter when that day comes?"

  The crowd fell silent for a moment, but all had an angry look on their faces.

  The old lady summoned a guard and said: "You go find the person who delivered the message, I have something to ask her."

  Before long, two guards escorted the female soldier who had delivered the message into the room. She had changed her clothes and eaten something, looking a bit more energetic. As soon as she arrived at the door, this person rushed in, knelt on the ground, and cried out: "General, please think of a way to save General Zhang and my sisters..."

  "Old lady's eyes flashed and said: 'What did you say?'"

  The female soldier tearfully said: "General Zhang and tens of thousands of sisters are surrounded by the 100,000-strong Black Armor army on the mountain, with only enough food for one month. Please, General, quickly dispatch troops to rescue them."

  The old mother took a step forward and said: "So they haven't died yet?"

  The female soldier looked puzzled and said: "Who says they're dead?"

  Old mother hastily opened the military report on the table: "Doesn't it say here that our 50,000 Flying Phoenix Army was completely annihilated?"

  "Can I take a look?" The old mother handed the military newspaper to her, and the female soldier looked at it carefully and said: "This is strange. When Hei Jisi came to commit a crime, General Zhang led all the sisters to break through the siege, and she wrote this military newspaper when we had already rushed to a mountain."

  Mom said: "What's going on, tell me in detail."

  The female soldier took a deep breath and said: "General Zhang has always been suspicious of Guo, so he secretly added two classes of dark guards. When Hei Jisi came to attack, we were not completely caught off guard. The general led us to fight while retreating, and we finally settled on an unknown mountain. Now, Hei Jisi's 100,000 troops have surrounded us on the mountain, and the general and sisters are eagerly waiting for General Da Jiangjun to come and rescue us."

  "Then why did the military report say you were all wiped out?"

  The female soldier read the military report again, still unclear. Ma Jing took it over and examined it for a while, hesitating: "This military report is written very sloppily, not to mention the numerous typos, but several places are vague and unclear. I think General Zhang's original intention should be that it was almost a complete defeat."

  The generals were stunned for a moment, and they all said: "It should be like this."

  The old mother let out a sigh of relief, her mood improved, and smiled: "Zhang Hentu, this little rabbit, is clever in commanding troops, but unfortunately he's uneducated and illiterate. Several times the military reports he wrote were incomprehensible and didn't get to the point. This time was even worse, almost wiping out my 50,000 Flying Phoenix Army with a single stroke."

  The generals also put down their worries and burst out laughing.

  The old mother's expression changed, and she asked the female soldier again: "You said you were trapped on the mountain, what is the situation now?"

  The female soldier said: "General Zhang's men have occupied the strategic pass, and that mountain is easy to defend but hard to attack. For now, it's not too bad, but we only have enough food for a month...". The female soldier sadly said: "We don't even have 50,000 people left anymore. When we broke through the siege, Vice General Wang led 3,000 soldiers to cover our retreat, and they all... died for their country. In order to let me break through and send this message, 1,000 of General Zhang's female guards also fell on the battlefield. I...". She couldn't say another word, and collapsed to the ground in tears.

  A general hastily said: "General, let me lead troops to rescue General Zhang!"

  The old mother waved her hand to stop the chatter of the crowd and said seriously: "This matter should be considered from a long-term perspective. If the commander of the Black Army is not a drunkard, he will definitely redeploy his troops and wait for us to enter. If we rush in recklessly, it would be like throwing ourselves into the wolf's den, and the loss will be even greater."

  "What shall we do now?"

  The old mother asked the female soldier who delivered the message: "Guo has defected to the enemy, what about the other seventeen countries?"

  The female soldier said, "It seems that other countries want to surrender but can't make up their minds. They are half-believing and half-doubting. When we were fighting against Heiji, they each closed their doors and refused to send troops to help us or let Heiji's army into the city."

  The women started arguing again: "I told you they're all no good."

  The old mother coughed and said, "This is not their fault. The seventeen countries are small and weak, and none of them have a strong leader. The top priority now is to unite them." The old mother cleared her throat and said, "All generals, listen to the order!"

  The generals immediately fell silent, and the old mother shouted loudly: "Ma Jing, listen to the order!"

  Ma Qiang took a step forward and said: "I will be there"

  "Hurry up and take people to the 17 countries, you must persuade them to defend the city and not let a single soldier of Hei Jisi enter. Tell them that the great army of our country will arrive soon, if they resist the enemy, my flying phoenix army will be their backup; if they surrender to the enemy, then they are our enemies, when my great army arrives, we will not forgive them easily. You must make it clear to them the pros and cons, Hei Jisi's wolfish ambition is no different from inviting a wolf into the house, only by cooperating with the elite troops of our country can there be a way out. How to say it specifically you have to consider yourself, this matter is extremely important and only allows success, not failure!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  "King Qing!"

  A woman in her 40s walked out of the queue and said: "I'm the last one!"

  "Take the tiger tally and mobilize all troops from the two provinces on the border to station at the junction of the 18th country and my daughter's country. In case the 18th country betrays us, you will be my first line of defense. You must ensure that the enemy is blocked outside the borders of my daughter's country."

  "Yes, sir!"

  "Good job!"

  "The end is near!"

  "I entrust all matters of food and supplies to you, once the war begins, you must ensure that our army's bloodlines are unimpeded. I only allow for dead generals in battle, not a single soldier is allowed to die from starvation. If there is even half a difference, military law will show no mercy!"

  "Roger!"

  "Li Wei!"

  "The end is near!"

  "I order you to train new recruits."

  "This..." Li Wei said in confusion: "General, training new recruits has always been handled by specialized personnel."

  "I'm not training ordinary soldiers, the Flying Phoenix Army is elite but too few in number. I want you to select the best from various armies and train them together, supplementing the Flying Phoenix Army with a total of around 30,000 people. Remember, the first principle of joining my Flying Phoenix Army is voluntary enlistment, those who are forcibly recruited will not be accepted."

  "Roger!"

  "Other generals will return to their respective units to reorganize and await deployment. Three days later, they will follow the commander-in-chief to launch a personal campaign."

  The crowd of generals bowed together and made a fist, saying: "Yes, sir!"

  The old mother made arrangements for defense, logistics, and recruitment of new soldiers with a few words, and each general followed them one by one.

  After handling the military affairs, Wang Qing's eyes darted back and forth, cautiously saying: "General, I heard that Mr. Sword God is staying at your mansion, may we have an audience with him?"

  My mother was taken aback and immediately pointed at me saying: "This one is leaving."

  The crowd of generals looked over, their eyes filled with both surprise and unexpectedness. They probably didn't expect the Sword God to be a young man like me, holding half a bowl of noodles in my hand. Seeing countless pairs of eyes staring at me unblinkingly, I couldn't help but awkwardly say: "Everyone, have some more before you go?"

  They were all martial artists, and upon hearing that the Sword God was present, they couldn't help but feel curious. Their state of mind was probably similar to that of writers who make a living by writing meeting a Nobel Prize winner. However, I don't know if they will be disappointed when they see me like this...

  Wang Qing lost his composure for a moment, then smiled and said: "If you're willing to grant me the honor, I wonder if you could teach me a few moves?"

  "This... I was afraid of being famous, pigs are afraid of getting stronger. I had expected this situation to happen, but I didn't think it would be so soon. What do you want me to say to her? The great Sword God can't even fight? If she were the kind of sister who practiced Taekwondo for two days and wanted to try out her skills on someone else, that's fine, at most I'd let her kick me a couple of times. But this one is a general from an elite unit, with a minimum rank of Sword Saint Swordsman. If she just gives me a casual punch, I'll be qualified to be disabled for life."

  Fortunately, Ma Jing got along with me quite well and came out to mediate: "Sword God Mr. is now empty of position, General Wang wants to ask for advice if he has to wait until next time." She explained the situation and finally mentioned the bitter plum, some of the generals whispered: "So, he's become our Shifu?"

  Wang Qing said with a sigh: "Since it's like this, then we can only try next time."

  After the generals left, Mom furrowed her brow and walked around the house twice. I asked her: "How do you plan to save those people?"

  "Let's take it one step at a time, aside from the Guo State, the attitude of the 17 states is very important. Of course, with or without their support, I must rescue these people. 50,000 people, a quarter of the Fei Feng army, equivalent to an eighth of the Nu Wa state's defense power. Whether from a big picture perspective or a moral one, this expedition is a done deal."

  I said: "Well, it's like playing cards, half of our family's assets have already been bet, no matter how the other side shouts, we must accompany them, otherwise we will be out!"

  "This metaphor is quite apt..." The old lady suddenly glared and said: "You rascal, you haven't been involved in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling these years, have you?"

  I chuckled and said, "Unfair, I learned the last two items only after arriving in Women's Country."

  My mother and I chatted for a few words, and the depression was slightly reduced, but there was always a hint of worry between her eyebrows that couldn't be dispelled. The 50,000 Flying Phoenix Army was trapped on the mountain, and the daughter country's initiative was completely lost. This great general's burden on her shoulders was not light.

  Mom thought for a moment, took out paper and pen, and started writing a letter. I asked: "What are you writing?"

  "I plead guilty, this defeat is due to my poor decision-making, I will resign as Grand General and beg for the Empress's pardon."

  "I was surprised and said: 'Aren't you going on an expedition in three days?'"

  "Rest assured, the Empress will not agree to it," said the old lady. "I'm just going through the motions to shut up those historians. Such a huge mistake can't go unpunished, and I won't let the Empress lose face."

  "What if the Empress Dowager really agrees?"

  "My mother smiled wryly and said: 'Then I'll be at ease.'"

  The old mother didn't sleep all night, staying in the war room with several staff members discussing maps all night until noon the next day. From her expression, there was no result either. After lunch, the queen's edict finally arrived. The queen scolded Zhao Fanghua severely in the edict, saying that as a general, she didn't even have the awareness of victory and defeat being normal in war, and instead threw a tantrum and resigned after losing. She asked who would take care of her and the people if she did so. In short, anyone could see that this was not scolding, but rather comforting and reassuring words. Only at the end of the edict did it say that she would be fined three months' salary, which was also a way to shut others up. This duet between the monarch and her subject was perfectly harmonious.

  It was Cao Da Gu who came to announce the imperial decree. After finishing reading it, she privately pulled her mother's hand and said: "The emperor punishing General's salary is just for others to see, she hopes that the general will not mind."

  "Mom sighed and said: 'I naturally understand.'"

  "His Majesty didn't sleep all night yesterday, first because he was worried about the soldiers trapped on the front line, and second because of General Da's physical condition. He said that General Da might be suffering a hundred times more than him. Those soldiers are my subjects as their emperor, but they are General Da's siblings. I can afford to not sleep for one night, but General Da might have to go several nights without sleep. These were the Emperor's exact words. He wants me to tell you that this time, everything regarding life and death on the battlefield will be decided by you, General. If there's anything difficult or any requests, feel free to bring them up."

  Old Mother's eyes turned red and she said: "Please trouble Big Sister to report to the Emperor, Zhao Fanghua is ashamed and has nowhere to hide, only death can repay."

  Cao Da Gu turned to me and said: "The Emperor is also very concerned about Mr. Sword God, repeatedly asking me to convey his respects to the gentleman. Yun Qin Wang said that her side has basically settled down, and tomorrow she will send the gentleman back. I hope the gentleman can come and go quickly, and the entire country of Nü Guo is grateful."

  I said: "You let His Majesty rest assured, I will definitely rush back like a wild dog from Tujue."

  Cao Da Gu: “......That's good.”

  After sending her away, my mother had even less time to sleep. The general's mansion was bustling with messengers and commanders coming and going, all sorts of matters related to the expedition needed my mother's attention. Overnight, my mother aged a lot, two tufts of hair at her temples turned white as if frosted. I felt heartache for her, sneaking in a suggestion that she take a rest, but my mother grasped my hand with a guilty expression: "Yangyang, you're leaving tomorrow, Mom should have spent more time with you, unfortunately we don't have much time left. You go back and live well, as for my affairs... just don't tell your father."

  Before I could say anything else, someone came to report military information again, and Mother had to perk up her spirits to deal with it.

  Just then, a great commotion arose at the gate of the general's mansion, and the sound of guards shouting and weapons clashing could be faintly heard, as if someone was forcibly breaking into the general's mansion. In an instant, Zhao Huwei arrived with a team of guards, and the old lady, holding a military report in her hand, didn't even lift her head and said, "What's going on?"

  Zhao Huwei knelt on one knee and said concisely: "General, there's an assassin!"

  The old woman raised her head and looked at her with a normal tone: "Oh? What a big nerve, daring to think of killing me in broad daylight. How many people do they have?"

  "More than 10, but I'm not sure of the exact number."

  "Can you get it alive?"

  Zhao Huwei's face turned pale as he said, "Reporting to the general, I'm afraid it won't be easy. The assassin's martial arts skills are extremely high, and they're all desperate men. We've already heavily injured two of them, but both bit their tongues and took their own lives."

  "Then let's just forget about it," said the old mother calmly. "Anyway, it's not hard to guess who wants me dead."

  "Yes!" Zhao Huwei responded with a single word, and her mother looked at her again, asking: "Can you hold on?"

  Zhao Huwei said loudly: "I can"

  "Good." Mom began reading the military newspaper again.

  Zhao Huwei said: "For safety's sake, General, please temporarily withdraw..."

  "Since I can hold my own, why should I back down? Let those Blacksmiths' people laugh at me?"

  "Right!" Zhao Huwei's face turned bright red as she stood up, drew her sword and stood beside her mother. The guards in the General's residence didn't panic when something happened, some people kept running to the front to support, and a team of guards surrounded the courtyard where we were, with swords drawn and bows strung, waiting quietly for the development of the situation ahead.

  At this time, the noise in front grew louder, and the sound of clashing steel came wave after wave. From time to time, someone would let out a muffled groan and then fall silent. Apart from that, no one else shouted loudly again. The martial arts skills of the other side were obviously extremely strong. Several times, the fighting sounds had gradually approached our location, but they were all suppressed back. Although we couldn't see the scene of slaughter, this shocking and thrilling experience was even more intense than witnessing it in person.

  I've seen thugs fight in groups before, but this is my first time experiencing it myself. I couldn't help but feel three parts scared and seven parts tense, my hands involuntarily trembling slightly. If General Wang and the others saw me like this now, they'd probably laugh their teeth off. They've probably never even heard of a swordsman like me? But this isn't my fault, thugs scatter as soon as someone's intestines spill out, but right now every second counts and people are dying!

  Gradually, the killing sounds subsided, and after an unknown period of time, they finally returned to silence. A small team leader covered in blood ran up to us, knelt down on the ground, and reported: "Reporting to General, all 14 assassins have been eliminated." She had a gash on her forehead that was still bleeding profusely, but her face showed determination. This woman from the daughter country was indeed more ruthless than men when she got angry.

  "Where's our man?"

  The squad leader said gloomily: "Dead 132 injured... countless wounded."

  Old lady's expression changed: "1 to 10? It seems these people are all tough characters."

  The young captain said: "According to my observation, there are no less than 5 people who are at the early stage of swordsmanship, and I didn't have time to look closely at the others, but they shouldn't be much different."

  The old lady snorted and said: "Once a swordsman was sent to assassinate me, it can be considered a loss of blood. Let's go, take me to see."

  I want to ask if I can get 100 moon tickets by three o'clock today?