Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey
Chapter 46: Ignorance

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Ignorance

Qin Zhan raised his arm and shouted, "Willing to die for the Commandery Princess!"

Qin Zhan’s voice was like a great bell, instantly igniting the blood and passion of the trusted aides, who shouted together, "Willing to die for the Commandery Princess!"

The shouts were earth-shattering, and the warhorses raised their heads and neighed vigorously. For a moment, the Martial Arts Training Ground was filled with fighting spirit.

Jiang Shaohua’s eyes sparkled. After waiting for a moment, when the trusted aides had quieted down a bit, she opened her mouth and ordered, "Raise the banner, move out!"

Qin Huma, Meng Sanbao, and other young trusted aides responded loudly, mounted their horses first, and unfurled the banner of the Nanyang Prince Mansion.

This large flag had a red background, embroidered with a majestic scarlet jiao dragon. It was the Jiao Long Banner used by Prince Nanyang while he was alive.

At this moment, the banner unfurled, flapping loudly in the wind, making the dragon appear alive, swimming in the air.

Jiang Shaohua urged her horse forward, lifting her head to see the Jiao Long Banner. The loving face of her grandfather flashed in her mind, making her nose tingle with sudden emotion.

Suppressing the sourness in her heart, she kicked the horse’s belly, and the steed beneath her, full of spirit, trotted forward.

A hundred trusted aides opened the way at the front, with another hundred flanking and surrounding them. Qin Zhan led six hundred elite soldiers of the Personal Guard Camp, followed by Liu Hengchang leading two hundred men of the Third Camp bringing up the rear.

Each person had two horses, making it two thousand fine horses galloping forward. Dust rose, and the ground trembled. From time to time, startled birds flew out from the roadside forest.

Such a spectacle was enough to make one’s blood boil.

Song Yuan trotted closely by the Commandery Princess’s side, glancing at her from time to time. They traveled ten or so miles, and seeing the Commandery Princess’s usual expression, Song Yuan felt slightly relieved.

Fast horses racing to Li County would take three days. Marching on a journey is exhausting; he wondered if the Commandery Princess could endure it.

After marching twenty miles, they had to stop to rest for an hour. The trusted aides needed rest, and the horses too needed to rest, drink water, and eat some beans and fodder.

The hastily prepared military rations overnight were merely flatbread and cold boiled water. Additionally, each person got a piece of pickled vegetable and a fist-sized piece of meat.

This was the military food for ordinary trusted aides. When it came to Jiang Shaohua, the meals were much richer. Mrs. Zhang stayed up all night, leading the cooks in the Prince Mansion to busy themselves, preparing several bundles of food, all hung on Yin Zhu and Tu Bai’s horses.

Yin Zhu struggled to carry the heavy bundles, her delicate face turning bright red.

Meng Sanbao immediately came over to help, carrying the bundle to the Commandery Princess. As the bundle was opened, a fragrant aroma wafted out, and Meng Sanbao quietly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Delicate pastries of various types, each perfect for two bites. The seasoned pork and beef smelled delightful, along with two plates of refreshing pickled side dishes.

After riding for half a day, with their stomachs growling, the fragrance was irresistible.

Jiang Shaohua called Song Yuan, Qin Zhan, and Liu Hengchang over to have lunch together. With a precedent set, and after seeing the Commandery Princess eat heartily, the others weren’t so surprised and focused on filling their stomachs.

Qin Zhan, after eating his fill, wiped his mouth and spoke in a low voice, "Commandery Princess, last night I sent ten people ahead to scout the exact location of the bandit’s camp. Xiao Tian is leading, and Tao Da also went."

Xiao Tian, having grown up in the mountains and forests, was light and nimble, and being a Divine Archer, was the most suitable to lead in exploring the terrain. Tao Da wasn’t as nimble but was exceptionally strong and had thick skin. In case of danger, Tao Da alone could fight seven or eight of the opponents.

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly and whispered, "Rest assured, I’m not blinded by rage. We’ll take action after Xiao Tian’s team figures out the exact location and number of bandits."

Upon receiving the information last night, Qin Zhan immediately borrowed Xiao Tian from the Second Camp, dispatching only the most skilled elite to scout. He feared the young Commandery Princess would rashly wage a war against the bandits in a fit of hot-blooded fervor, and if anything went wrong, they wouldn’t have the face to meet the Prince even in the afterlife.

Seeing the Commandery Princess calm and clear-headed now, he could finally breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Liu Hengchang whispered, "Commandery Princess, Li County is mountainous and rife with bandits. There might be more than one bandit’s camp. Should we take advantage of this opportunity to wipe them all out?"

In recent years, Nanyang County had been relatively peaceful. While Prince Nanyang was alive, he dispatched troops several times to suppress bandits. With the Prince’s death, those bandits lost their fear and began stirring several bandit uprisings this past year. Li County had the worst bandit troubles.

Jiang Shaohua also had this plan in mind.

Since they’ve come, they least were to clean out the bandit lairs in Li County.

Jiang Shaohua looked at Liu Hengchang, "General Liu, how many camp-destroying tools have you brought?"

Liu Hengchang replied, "Two Cloud Ladders, three Siege Carriages, and two Catapults. These tools are large and cumbersome, difficult to transport. The military craftsmen have disassembled and are separately transporting them, to be reassembled outside the bandit’s camp."

"The main force moves ahead, but with the transportation of heavy military supplies being slow, it’s inevitable to lag two or three days behind."

Meaning that upon reaching the bandit camp, they couldn’t rush to attack immediately but must wait two days.

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly, "I don’t understand these matters; General Liu should arrange everything."

Liu Hengchang’s eyebrows moved subtly, casting a deep glance at the Commandery Princess, "For the Commandery Princess to trust me so much, I am incredibly grateful."

Encountering a wise lord is every military general’s dream. At this moment, Liu Hengchang’s heart was almost filled with regret.

The Commandery Princess had everything going for her, except for being a woman.

Jiang Shaohua noticed the subtle change in Liu Hengchang’s expression, but said nothing.

Prejudice rooted in people’s hearts was like a towering mountain. Overcoming it was not a matter of a day or a night.

She had both the time and the determination.

Thus, they traveled for a day, stopping at the post house by nightfall. This post house was not large, with ten guest rooms at the back for government officials to rest.

Today the Commandery Princess arrived, and the Posthouse Minister, tremblingly anxious, welcomed the noble. Upon catching a glimpse of the fierce-looking, killing aura on the faces behind the Commandery Princess, the Posthouse Minister’s legs went weak, and his voice quivered, "Your humble servant welcomes the Commandery Princess."

Jiang Shaohua calmly instructed, "Have the kitchen make meat soup. Ensure that everyone gets a bowl of hot soup."

A thousand people’s meal could never be done solely by the two cooks at the post house. However, making meat soup was much simpler. Fire up four large pots together, and in an hour they’ll have it ready.

The Posthouse Minister wiped the sweat from his forehead, agreeing wholeheartedly.

...

Li County, the backyard of the county government.

A steward with two black, thin, goat-like streaks of a mustache bent low, speaking to the leisure tea-sipping County Magistrate Cai, "My lord, three people died from the Prince Mansion, and once the news reaches there, the Commandery Princess will surely be extremely angry. Shouldn’t you personally go to the Prince Mansion to apologize instead of just writing a letter, isn’t that too careless and negligent..."

Before he finished speaking, County Magistrate Cai waved his hand, "A ten-year-old girl, what could she understand? Writing a perfunctory letter is enough."

At forty-two this year, County Magistrate Cai, coming from a scholar background, unfortunately had no powerful support in the court, lingered in the position of County Magistrate for years, long relinquishing any ambition. He spent his days drinking and tasting tea, lazy and neglectful of his duties.

The steward had advised since yesterday, almost persuading himself hoarse, "My lord, even if you don’t care about the Commandery Princess, don’t you fear Chief Historian Chen’s wrath and blame?"