Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey
Chapter 50: Night Raid (Part 2)

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Night Raid (Part 2)

Yin Zhutu Bai was also startled awake, rushing out of the military tent without even bothering to put on shoes.

The Commandery Princess was nowhere to be seen.

Yin Zhu was so anxious that he broke into a sweat: "Where is the Commandery Princess?"

"Don’t worry for now," Tu Bai was equally worried, tightly grabbing Yin Zhu’s hand, saying: "The camp is filled with personal soldiers and Commander Song and the others, the Commandery Princess will be fine. It’s us who are only average in skills; following her would only cause trouble."

"Let’s wait in the military tent, maybe the Commandery Princess will return soon."

At this moment, facing the mountain forest, the camp was ablaze with fire, and the crackling sounds were endless. The cries of the people, the sounds of killing enemies, and the clashing of weapons were interwoven into a chaotic battle.

Despite being worried sick, Yin Zhu understood the gravity of the situation, obediently responding and returning with Tu Bai to the tent to wait.

By this time, Jiang Shaohua had already quickly reached the area near the burning tent.

Song Yuan led Qin Zhanmeng, Sanbao, and others following closely behind.

The bandits had launched a night attack and set fires. The camp’s trees, freshly felled with branches and dew, were difficult to ignite. However, a few tents caught fire after being struck by fire arrows. Whether anyone was hurt was not yet known. Personal soldiers were busy fetching water to extinguish the fires, while others wielding swords and spears rushed to kill the arsonist bandits.

"Commandery Princess, this place is too dangerous," Song Yuan said gravely in a low voice, "We don’t know how many bandits are attacking at night, and stray arrows recognize no one. The Commandery Princess should return to the tent!"

Proverb: A son worth a thousand pieces of gold should not sit beneath a crumbling wall.

Of course, Jiang Shaohua understood this reasoning.

However, this was her first real experience leading troops. To retreat at this moment might ensure safety, but the respect she commanded from her personal soldiers would only remain because she was the Commandery Princess.

What she needed to do was far more than that.

"Uncle, there’s no need to persuade me," Jiang Shaohua said with a fierce brow and cold voice, "Tonight, I will kill bandits myself."

Song Yuan wanted to stop her, but Jiang Shaohua had already darted forward, a gleam of her long knife piercing into a bandit’s chest.

The bandit’s chest burst into a spray of blood, he shrieked miserably, and fell dead on the spot.

Personal soldiers: "..."

Qin Hu felt a chill down his back.

Sanbao felt his own chest.

The Commandery Princess didn’t look back to see the reaction of her personal soldiers. She raised her long knife again. With each strike, a bandit would surely die, either decapitated or a knife plunged into the chest, each stroke lethal. Her ferocity exuded a brutally splendid beauty.

The personal soldiers, stirred to fervor by the Commandery Princess’s ferocity, shouted "Kill all the bandits" and rushed forward with their weapons.

Qin Zhan and Liu Hengchang also quickly led people over.

The night-raiding bandits were like fat chops entering a pot, soon becoming the dish on the plate. In just over half an hour, they were exterminated completely.

The fire was extinguished, and the bandits’ corpses lay all over the ground.

Qin Zhan personally counted them. Whenever he found a faint breath, he delivered a final blow, then reported: "Commandery Princess, there were a total of thirty-six bandits, all killed."

Jiang Shaohua said coldly: "Hang these corpses outside the camp. When the bandits come to collect the bodies, kill one for each that comes, two if two come."

The crowd: "..."

The young, extraordinarily beautiful Commandery Princess demonstrated an unexpectedly ruthless hand, her heart as cold and hard as iron.

Such a master is one to be revered with an added layer of awe.

Qin Zhan softly replied in the affirmative, instructing the personal soldiers to carry the corpses.

The personal soldiers in the camp also had losses, three died in the fire, two fell under the bandits’ knives, and six or seven others were injured. One was severely injured, his right leg chopped off, the white bone exposed.

The siblings Sun Guangbai and Sun Zelan each carried a medical kit to tend to the wounded personal soldiers. The personal soldiers were tough, none of them cried out in pain.

The personal soldier who lost his right leg had already fainted from pain and made no sound.

Jiang Shaohua’s gaze darkened for a moment, then she turned to Liu Hengchang: "General Liu, the Cloud Ladder and Siege Carriage haven’t arrived yet. If we attack the mountain tomorrow to suppress the bandits, how confident is General Liu of success?"

The bandit’s night raid and arson had thoroughly ignited Jiang Shaohua’s fury.

Liu Hengchang remained calm: "The Commandery Princess should calm down. The Black Pine Village has evaded several sieges, surviving to this day, showing its cunning."

"In terms of combat power, they’re not much of a threat. However, the bandits won’t stay put to be killed. If pushed, they’ll scatter into the mountains and forests. Even if we have a lot of people, we can’t capture all the bandits. Once we leave, the bandits will regroup to wreak havoc again."

"The Commandery Princess’s previous strategy was excellent: hang the bandits’ bodies outside the camp. The bandits value loyalty and won’t let the bodies expose to the elements. We’ll wait for the bandits to deliver themselves."

"There’s no rush to attack the bandit’s camp. Wait until the Siege Carriage, Cloud Ladder, and Catapult arrive, then go for the assault. That way, we’ll reduce our casualties."

Jiang Shaohua slowly exhaled: "General Liu makes a good point. I was not thinking clearly just now."

Song Yuan continued the conversation: "The Commandery Princess became irrationally angry due to the casualties in the Personal Guard Camp. In war, there’s no such thing as no death, and the wounded receive generous compensation, their families and children supported by the Prince Mansion. The Commandery Princess shouldn’t dwell on it."

"That’s right," Qin Zhan said, "We don’t worry about food or drink in everyday life. We have substantial military pay and train all day, all for this moment."

Jiang Shaohua silently looked up, seeing before her faces loyal, fierce, and fearless.

Her eyes grew hot, the words caught in her throat.

After a long while, she finally said: "Leave enough men for night patrols to prevent another raid. The rest, return to the tents to rest."

The crowd replied affirmatively.

It was now the fourth period of the night.

Jiang Shaohua entered the military tent. Yin Zhutu Bai, who had been waiting a long time, immediately gathered around. The two were startled by the bloodstains on Jiang Shaohua’s clothes: "Commandery Princess!"

"No need to worry, I’m not hurt. This is all the bandits’ blood."

The scent of blood was unsettling to Jiang Shaohua, so she changed into clean clothes, instructing Tu Bai to burn the bloodstained clothes.

This was her first time really killing people.

She remembered clearly, she killed a total of five bandits. Two were pierced through the chest, two were beheaded, and another was cut in half, his guts spilled across the ground. He moaned and crawled a bit before dying...

Thinking of that scene, her stomach churned violently.

Seeing the Commandery Princess looking unwell, Yin Zhu quickly brought over a spittoon.

Jiang Shaohua emptied her stomach completely, even able to drink the warm water Tu Bai offered.

Yin Zhutu Bai were both sweating with worry: "Such matters of killing should be left to Commander Song and the others. The Commandery Princess, being so precious, shouldn’t act herself."

"Indeed, fighting and killing are matters for men."

Jiang Shaohua raised her head, her face unnaturally pale, but her eyes shining brilliantly: "You don’t need to persuade me, I know what I’m doing."

If she was to be the true Nanyang County Princess, she couldn’t be delicate and self-pitying. Fighting and killing, things men can do, Jiang Shaohua can do just as well, even better!