"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"
"But! But! But!"
"Chimoni Niangniang! Chimoni Niangniang!"
Prince Bian and Lin Yue attacked Lai Dai City and returned triumphantly, with full spoils. Therefore, men, women, old, and young from all the brave tribes poured out of their tents to welcome the victorious army. Amidst singing and dancing, it was like a grand festival.
The people of the grasslands are soldiers in times of war and herders in times of peace. This time, the army returned from attacking Lai Dai City with full spoils. Moreover, all the tribal people heard that Princess Consort Lin Yue would distribute the spoils according to merit. Therefore, all the tribal people were extremely happy, especially the lowest-ranking tribesmen, who constituted the majority. They were naturally extremely grateful to Lin Yue.
Lin Yue smiled and nodded in greeting, thanking the tribespeople for their warm welcome, and then headed straight for Duo Yongjian's military tent.
After Prince Bian and Lin Yue returned from their expedition, they had to first report to the Great Chieftain about the attack on Lai Dai City.
"Is the Great Chieftain in the tent?" Lin Yue asked after arriving outside Duo Yongjian's tent with Prince Bian and the young shaman Qin Dunni.
"The Great Chieftain is drinking. Prince, Princess Consort, please come in!" the guard outside the tent replied respectfully.
Lin Yue nodded and entered the tent.
It's not surprising that the Great Chieftain is drinking. It would be strange if he wasn't drinking any day, Lin Yue thought to herself.
Duo Yongjian in the tent was already drunk and entangled with several scantily clad female slaves. The scene was extremely unsightly, but Lin Yue and the others were accustomed to such things.
"My son... you're back?" Duo Yongjian greeted them drunkenly as Prince Bian and Lin Yue entered the tent.
Prince Bian and Lin Yue responded and then sat down beside Duo Yongjian.
"My son, I heard of your great victory. What were the specific circumstances?" Duo Yongjian then asked Prince Bian.
Prince Bian stammered and couldn't answer for a long time. Duo Yongjian turned his helpless gaze to Lin Yue.
"The Prince was clad in armor and led the charge, a fact evident to all," Lin Yue said clearly and coherently, explaining the detailed process of attacking Lai Dai City to Duo Yongjian.
Duo Yongjian was overjoyed after listening and praised Prince Bian and Lin Yue repeatedly. He especially laughed heartily and praised the proper handling of the surrendered soldiers from Lai Dai City.
With this, Lai Dai City was firmly in Duo Yongjian's grasp, which played a crucial role in Duo Yongjian's next move southward and his ambition to conquer the Central Plains.
At the same time, Lin Yue did not claim credit, constantly saying it was Prince Bian's merit and that Prince Bian led the army to victory. In fact, Duo Yongjian knew better than anyone what "clad in armor and leading the charge" meant. Prince Bian was so weak that he couldn't ride a horse or draw a bow. How could he be clad in armor and lead the charge? This was all Lin Yue's embellishment of Prince Bian.
At this moment, Duo Yongjian somewhat regretted giving Lin Yue to Prince Bian. Such a docile, beautiful woman who could also lead troops in battle was truly rare in the world.
"Great Chieftain..." Lin Yue then said to Duo Yongjian, "When the army entered the city, we discovered many people colluding with the Tie Fu tribe, with sheepskin letters as proof, including the High Priest."
"Wretched slave, how dare you betray us?" Duo Yongjian, already drunk, did not think carefully. Upon hearing this, he was enraged. "Leave this matter to you."
It was common for tribes to wage war against each other, and for some people to collude with the enemy. Duo Yongjian had always cruelly executed such individuals upon discovery.
...
"Centurion Cen Can, thank you." As Lin Yue exited Duo Yongjian's golden tent, she saw Cen Can standing outside the tent. She then smiled charmingly and thanked him, "Centurion Cen Can, your contribution to the battle of Lai Dai City was monumental!"
On the surface, Cen Can led his部 to follow Prince Bian and Lin Yue in attacking Lai Dai City. In reality, he was monitoring and supervising the battle. If Lin Yue and the others had any intentions of wrongdoing, Cen Can would have carried out the Great Chieftain's orders. How could Lin Yue not know this?
Cen Can was the deputy commander of the Great Chieftain's personal guards.
"It is the Princess Consort's excellent leadership that deserves the credit. I dare not claim any merit," Cen Can said with a respectful bow.
"As a mere woman, how can I claim to lead troops effectively?" Lin Yue gently patted Cen Can's waist and smiled, "I will be hosting a victory banquet in my tent later. I wonder if General would honor me with his presence?"
"I..." Cen Can wanted to refuse, but he dared not offend the Princess Consort. Secondly, no one could resist Lin Yue's allure, and Cen Can was no exception. After a moment of hesitation, Cen Can replied in a low voice, "How dare I disobey the Princess Consort's command?"
"Then I will await you in my tent," Lin Yue said with a charming smile.
In the wolf pack, Lin Yue had to rely on her wisdom and her beauty to survive.
...
"Bitch, you framed me! Great Chieftain, are you blind? She is eradicating your wings one by one!" Duo Yongjian's High Priest, Mo Qi, wearing strange clothes, raised his hands to the sky and wailed mournfully.
"Old thief, how dare you insult the Princess Consort? Guards, seize him!" Qin Dunni, gloating, instructed his subordinates as he watched Mo Qi.
If Mo Qi died, then with Lin Yue's assistance, Qin Dunni could become Duo Yongjian's High Priest. Upon becoming the High Priest, he would enjoy a life of luxury and prestige, far better than a mere shaman. The difference between them was like that of heaven and earth.
Two subordinates lunged forward like wolves and tigers, pinning Mo Qi to the ground.
"By order of the Princess Consort, the old thief Mo Qi colluded with the enemy and is to be executed immediately," Qin Dunni then said coldly.
One subordinate grabbed Mo Qi's hair, stretching his neck long. Another subordinate drew a long saber, stepped on Mo Qi's back, and with a sinister grin, swung the saber towards his neck.
"Clang!" With a loud clang, the subordinate slashed down fiercely, but missed, hitting the ground and splashing sparks. Mo Qi's head, neck, and body had vanished. Only an empty black robe remained on the ground, and a black smoke inexplicably rose from the ground, rushing out of the tent.
"Secret Art of Corpse Liberation?" Qin Dunni exclaimed in shock upon seeing this.
According to ancient legends, there was an extremely venomous sorcery called the Secret Art of Corpse Liberation, which involved shedding one's physical body, transforming into a vengeful spirit, and taking the life of one's enemy, thus perishing together.
"This is bad, the Princess Consort is in danger!" Qin Dunni then exclaimed in panic, and in a daze, led his men towards Lin Yue's tent.
...
"General, please have a drink!" In Lin Yue's tent, Lin Yue raised a cup of fine wine and said to Cen Can, "This wine is called 'Purple Crimson Flower Essence,' a tribute wine from the Han imperial court. The clear part is wine, the turbid part is sweet wine; the clear part represents wisdom, the turbid part represents foolishness. I had to go through great lengths to transport it from the Central Plains."
"Wine from the Central Plains?" After taking a sip, Cen Can found it indeed sweet and delicious, far more so than the wine of the grasslands.
After drinking a cup, Cen Can smiled and said, "The fine wine is indeed delicious, but I feel it's not as potent as the wine of the grasslands."
"Heh heh..." Lin Yue chuckled and said, "Han wine is sweet and delicious, while grassland wine is fierce as a knife. Each has its own merits."
"Oh..." Cen Can nodded and said, "Is the Princess Consort reminiscing about her days in the Central Plains?"
Lin Yue was an orphan of the former Wei Dynasty. Many people knew this, and Cen Can also knew some of it.
"Has the General been to the Central Plains?" Lin Yue asked Cen Can in return.
"This humble general has not been..." Cen Can shook his head and said, "However, I have heard people say that the Central Plains are vast and rich in resources, with gold and silver everywhere, and beauties in every corner."
As Cen Can spoke, he licked his lips, his envy evident.
"Gold and silver everywhere, and beauties in every corner?" Lin Yue smiled slightly and said, "The Central Plains are indeed a land of splendor, vast and rich in resources. Lai Dai City is a relatively prosperous town in the grasslands, but compared to a great city in the Central Plains, it is like heaven and earth, like a small village."
"Does the Princess Consort have aspirations to conquer the Central Plains?" Cen Can asked.
"Doesn't the Great Chieftain have the same ambition?" Lin Yue retorted.
"The Great Chieftain?" At this point, Cen Can had drunk quite a lot of wine. Although this fine wine from the Central Plains was not high in alcohol content, one could still get drunk after drinking too much. When drunk, one's courage naturally increased. Cen Can said boldly, "The Great Chieftain has the ambition to conquer the Central Plains, but..."
"But what?" Lin Yue asked with a smile and then said softly, "The people of the grasslands are like the fierce wine of the grasslands, brave and formidable, incomparable to the people of the Han Central Plains. But why do we have to kill each other in this harsh land? We fight and kill each other, and gain very little."
"Cen Can understands," Cen Can said as he rose and bowed.
Although Lin Yue was a woman, compared to Duo Yongjian, whether it was in terms of vision, treatment of subordinates, or strategy, she was far superior to Duo Yongjian. Especially in recent years, Duo Yongjian's excessive drinking, indulgence, capriciousness, and incompetence had long caused dissatisfaction among many people, including Cen Can.
Lin Yue's words had two meanings: first, to unify the grasslands, and second, to march south and conquer the Central Plains. Cen Can did not believe the latter, did not believe Lin Yue could truly achieve it, but he was still shocked by her ambition.
At this moment, a gust of wind suddenly arose outside the tent, causing the tent to rustle loudly. The torches in the tent flickered, and then a black mist rushed into the tent. The black mist instantly filled the tent, faintly accompanied by sounds of ghostly wailing, and lunged directly at Lin Yue.
Cen Can was greatly alarmed, drew his saber, and slashed at the black mist. But how could the formless black mist be blocked by ordinary weapons? Cen Can's slash hit nothing. Instead, he felt a wave of dizziness, and his saber clanged to the ground.
The black mist lunged at Lin Yue. At this critical moment, a red light suddenly appeared, enveloping Lin Yue. The black mist collided with the red light but could not penetrate it, and gradually dissipated.
"Chimoni Niangniang!" Cen Can and the arriving Qin Dunni and others were stunned and knelt down together.