The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1711 - 835 The Strongest General! (Part 2)

Chapter 1711: 835 The Strongest General! (Part 2)

The city gate of Quyang City was too robust; ordinary chariots couldn’t break it open. It was Li Shen and Zhao Dengfeng who led a team of cavalry from the Defense Camp around to the South City Gate.

There, because the Nangong Family had just escaped, the city gate was open.

Li Shen, Zhao Dengfeng, and others entered through the South City Gate, crossed half the city to reach the East City Gate. It took more than twenty of them to slowly turn the gate’s winch.

When they opened the gate, intending to welcome all Hei Fengqi comrades into the city, what they saw was a scene of countless cavalry and warhorses sprawling over the open space outside the city gate.

Some had fallen asleep on the spot, others had directly fainted.

Warhorses, being highly alert creatures, usually sleep standing up, yet at present, they were collapsing in droves.

This battle was truly fought with extreme difficulty.

The cavalry of the Reserve Camp all had tears in their eyes. As backup forces, they hadn’t participated in this operation alongside the Vanguard Camp and the Assault Camp. They were enjoying the victory their comrades won with blood, feeling somewhat uncomfortable inside.

If possible, they also wanted to enter the fray and kill the enemy.

They didn’t wish for their comrades to be so exhausted.

"Don’t just stand there, don’t you see the young commander is still busy?" Li Shen said, looking in Gu Jiao’s direction.

Gu Jiao hadn’t taken a break; she was with the medical officers, providing rescue and treatment to the injured cavalry.

On their way, they had encountered Cheng Fugui, Li Jin, Tong Zhong, and others, from whom they learned some combat details about the young commander, who had been leading from the front, dashing ahead of the team.

Wherever it was dangerous, there he rushed.

He had killed the most enemies, yet he was clearly the youngest.

Zhao Dengfeng opened his mouth: "Doesn’t he... feel tired?"

How could he not be tired?

Including the fight at the city gate, she had participated in all three battles today. Not only that, while other cavalry took time to rest, only she was healing and treating others.

Li Shen said with a complex expression: "He is the most overexerted one."

Zhao Dengfeng said in a daze: "...It really is good to be young."

The two commanders of the Reserve Camp consulted Gu Jiao on how to handle the prisoners and the wounded near the canyon.

Gu Jiao paused and said: "Imprison the captives in the Military Camp in the city, bring the wounded over here."

These prisoners had fought for the Nangong Family, and whether they might rise again was uncertain. Gu Jiao considered recruiting them but couldn’t risk involving them in crucial operations yet.

Of course, Gu Jiao could have chosen to execute them.

Executing prisoners was not uncommon throughout history, but Gu Jiao did not do so.

Right Commander of the Reserve Camp, Zhou Ren, asked: "So... what about their wounded?"

Gu Jiao replied: "Let their medical officers treat them."

After hearing this, Zhou Ren and Zhang Shiyong confirmed that Gu Jiao truly did not intend to trouble this group of rebel prisoners.

The young commander was so ruthless in killing rebels that they had assumed he was a bloodthirsty person and had thought that those prisoners had little chance of survival.

The two exchanged glances, both quite surprised.

But they still responded in unison: "Yes!"

The Reserve Camp’s troops were considerable, accounting for nearly one-third of the force, and luckily so. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to accomplish all the post-battle arrangements.

These troops understood combat; they were just not easily deployed unless absolutely necessary.

Zhang Shiyong led a team to transport the prisoners, with Li Shen and Zhao Dengfeng accompanying him.

Zhou Ren led another team to the canyon to transport the wounded.

Additionally, Zhou Ren ordered Wei Renchong to withdraw the logistics troops encamped near the mountain and bring them into the city.

During the handling of these post-battle affairs by the Reserve Camp, two major events occurred.

The first event: Nangong Ze had escaped.

He had literally broken his own bones to escape from the narrow chains and ascend to freedom.

The second event: Chang Wei unexpectedly hadn’t died and still had a breath in him!

It was the cavalry of the Hei Fengqi, carrying corpses, who had carefully discovered it. His aura was very weak; if not for the natural keen hearing of one cavalry, it would have been hard to detect Chang Wei’s faint breathing amidst the noisy scene.

Among the captives were many wounded, generally handled by their own medical officers.

However, Chang Wei’s identity was special, and Zhou Ren wasn’t sure whether to give him the opportunity for treatment.

Therefore, Zhou Ren sent troops to inquire Gu Jiao’s opinion.

Gu Jiao pondered for a moment and said: "Bring him here."

The cavalry was taken aback: "Yes!"

He walked a few steps, scratched his head, and plucked up courage to say to Gu Jiao: "Commander, um, Chang Wei... is highly respected in the army, you... you better... um... well... I just..."

Gu Jiao understood his meaning; he was worried that once Chang Wei survived, he might become a threat.

Gu Jiao nodded: "I know, you go ahead."

It was a kind intention.

Her impression of Chang Wei came from a dream of the three-year civil war, where the Han Family wanted to become the next Xuanyuan Family and initiated a plan to eliminate other noble families, causing internal strife among them, with the Nangong Family and Han Family fighting the fiercest.

Among them, Chang Wei was one of the bravest generals against the Han Family.

When battling the iron cavalry of the Han Family, he used Snow Region Silkworm Silk, almost annihilating the Han cavalry!

In that civil war, she did not face Chang Wei directly because he was too detestable and caused the Han Family immense pain before finally being assassinated by the Dark Soul.

His Snow Region Silkworm Silk also fell into the Han Family’s possession.

This time, she originally planned to make the canyon the main battlefield, but upon hearing Li Jin and Tong Zhong mention that the leading general might be Chang Wei, she immediately changed her battle plan.

She also instructed Cheng Fugui that if the opponent feigned retreat, not to pursue beyond that hill and avoid the section of the official road flanked by lakes.

Because if she were Chang Wei, wanting to use Snow Region Silkworm Silk against Hei Fengqi, that would be the most suitable ambush point.

...

The efficiency of Hei Fengqi’s Defense Camp was very high. As Chang Wei was being dragged over on a cart, the barracks for treating wounded soldiers had already been set up.

Gu Jiao had just completed a surgery and said to the cavalry at the door: "Bring the person in."

Two reserve camp cavalrymen carried the blood-covered Chang Wei into the barracks and placed him on a specially made foldable bamboo bed.

The barracks were hung with Night Light Pearls for illumination.

Additionally, many oil lamps and candles were lit, and Gu Jiao even used a small flashlight from the first aid kit.

Chang Wei’s armor had already been removed by Zhou Ren before coming.

Gu Jiao used scissors to remove his shirt, completely exposing the wound on his left chest.

Gu Jiao raised her gloved, sterilized hand, looked at the unconscious Chang Wei, and said, "I rarely fail when killing people; I wonder if this is fate."

...

Gu Jiao finished the surgery and came out, hearing Hu Master waiting at the door report — Mu Qingchen has returned.

"It looks like Zhao Lei died in battle."

Hu Master lamented, "Young Master Mu didn’t specify the details, why don’t you go and ask him yourself."

Saying that, he remembered something, his brow twitched, "No, no! My lord! You’re so tired! You should sleep first and ask when you wake up —"

Gu Jiao walked away.

Hu Master looked at that slender figure, rubbed his chest, and sighed.

Originally following the young commander to climb the social ladder and achieve success, but how did this change his mindset over time?

Hu Master looked up at the sky puzzledly: "It’s not like he’s my son, why am I so worried?"

Mu Qingchen stood far away, alone by the roadside, leaning against a big tree, vomiting fiercely.

Everything that could be vomited had been expelled.

Now only the feeling of nausea kept assaulting him.

Gu Jiao came up behind him, looked at him calmly: "First time killing, not used to it?"

Mu Qingchen heard Gu Jiao’s voice and suppressed the urge to vomit, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and gasped, "I killed five people."

Zhao Lei did not die by his hand.

He had never killed anyone, couldn’t get over the psychological hurdle, and designed to make Zhao Lei fall off his horse, dying under the hooves of the Nangong Four sons.

But he never anticipated that the Nangong Family’s five thousand soldiers were not easily shaken off.

Mu Qingchen said awkwardly, "You said not to fight hard, but you knew there would be a battle."

Gu Jiao put her hands behind her back and said calmly: "I just asked you to know when to hold back and escape quickly; I didn’t say there wouldn’t be a fight or deaths. How are your casualties?"

Mu Qingchen said quietly: "...About a dozen cavalrymen were injured."

Because he initially refused to kill, the cavalry of the Hei Feng Camp protected him, and one was seriously injured by Nangong Family’s rebel soldiers.

"As long as everyone returned, that’s good." Gu Jiao said sincerely.

Mu Qingchen couldn’t feel what was good; thinking of killing made him shiver.

"Did you feel like this when you first killed someone?" he asked.

"Don’t remember." Gu Jiao said, "Killed too many."

Mu Qingchen was stunned and looked at her.

Gu Jiao didn’t explain; she turned and headed back, saying as she walked: "You better get used to it soon; after this, you won’t have such easy tasks to practice with. Jin Country’s army has broken through Tianshan Pass, and Liang Country’s army will reach Yanmen Pass within three days."

"Mu Qingchen, the real battle begins!"