Shortly after they removed the outposts of the Holo River Khanate and continued their northern expedition, the first confrontation took place less than 200 miles north of Lingyun City. The opponent had less than a thousand people, and it looked like it was a small improvised force.
Facing the 200,000-strong distant army, which was completely vulnerable, Yi Chenjing handed over a thousand light cavalry and the command to Xiao Baishan, while he waited safely in the Chinese army for news of victory.
As expected, the news of victory came less than an hour later. Xiao Baishan used his troops with ease and wiped out the enemy with low casualties of less than a hundred people injured and no one killed.
"The Huoluohe people are good at riding and shooting raids, but are not proficient in large-scale army campaigns. With the same number of troops, their strength is less than half that of our remote army. Although nearly half of our 200,000 soldiers and horses are temporary troops and non-combat troops responsible for transporting baggage.
"It is not impossible to fight against Huoluohe's 300,000 troops, but it actually has a better chance of winning." After clearing the battlefield and continuing to march, Xiao Baishan, Liang Gong and Yi Chenjing kept pace with each other, listening carefully to the young prince general's analysis of the situation.
"The 300,000 troops in the Jolo River just claim that no one knows whether they are more or less. Besides, those kind of barbarians don't even have cultural exchanges with their neighbors except for burning, killing and looting. Naturally, they are no match for our Dayao country."
Liang Gong sneered at Huoluohe's strength. Yi Chenjing did not refute, but said lightly: "Success or failure comes at the same time. In military history, there are many cases where less defeats more. It's better not to take it lightly." There was silence for a while.
The person who had never been mentioned finally appeared in Yi Chenjing's words: "General Xiao, have you arranged for the princess to be in the Chinese army as I told you?"
"Back to the general, the princess..." Xiao Baishan looked troubled and hesitated for a long time before continuing, "The prince insists on walking at the end with the food and baggage. No matter how much the general persuades him, he can't change the prince's mind. Please punish the prince."
.”
"It's her disobedience, so what's your fault? Don't worry about her, just let her follow at the end."
Xiao Baishan and Liang Gong looked at each other. They didn't know what the drama was between the couple who were inseparable some time ago. It had only been a few days and they had become indifferent to each other. However, Bai Qige was the princess after all. There was something wrong that she couldn't explain to the emperor.
, this protection still needs to be protected.
Liang Gong coughed slightly and lowered his voice slightly: "General, food and supplies are the lifeblood of the three armies. I think it's better to let Chen Canjun take care of the situation at the back. In case of a surprise attack, someone will be able to take command on the spot so as not to mess things up."
The chariots and horses transporting grain, grass and baggage followed closely behind the infantry. After leaving Lingyun City, the army kept walking along the main road. Even if the Huoluohe tribe wanted to make a sneak attack, they could not get around to the back and had no way of making a move. Yi Chenjing understood that the drunkard in Liang Palace
The intention was not to drink, but he was very worried about Bai Qige in his heart. But he couldn't say it clearly because of his face. Since Liang Gong gave him the steps, walking down it was his inevitable choice.
"Okay, let Chen An lead a team of troops to patrol the rear. If anything happens, report immediately."
Liang Gong took the order and left. Seeing that there was no one else around, Xiao Baishan, who had a straightforward temperament, pulled up the reins of his horse and walked close to Yi Chenjing: "The princess slept beside the bonfire last night. If she keeps going like this, I'm afraid she will get sick."
I can’t stand it! After all, it’s a woman’s family. Her body is weak, and she will easily get sick if she has too much earth energy contamination. The general will not consider marrying the prince’s concubine..."
Yi Chenjing smiled bitterly and waved his hand: "If you can persuade her to come back to my tent, I will leave the position of general to you."
Xiao Baishan laughed dryly and shrank away in embarrassment.
After marching for more than a month, is there anyone in the army who doesn't know the character of the princess? She looks unattractive, but when she speaks, she is confident and clear. She can make people speechless even if she doesn't make noise, especially
It is the performance of drinking to ward off the cold, which makes many bloody men surrender to the outside world - then what is drinking? It is clearly drinking water!
However, Bai Qige is most praised by the soldiers for her wisdom and character. The ordnance map is a secret and is not known by ordinary soldiers, but Bai Qige's other actions are obvious to all. How to quickly organize marching packages, how to tell the direction in the wilderness, and was injured.
Where should the cloth be tied to most effectively stop bleeding? What gestures and whistles mean when encountering emergencies...
In addition, many details that have never been noticed by the generals have gradually changed under Bai Qige's subtle influence. For example, in the past, rewards and punishments were clearly defined in the army but there was no standard. Bai Qige used actions to tell everyone to scold without scolding, punish without hitting, and punish with actions.
Being strict and repenting is far more effective than harsh punishment.
It is rare to know that a woman can have such courage. Unknowingly, Bai Qige's prestige in the army is increasing day by day. When the identity of the prince and concubine was revealed in Lingyun City, instead of being ostracized by the soldiers, she was even more respected.
"It is our great fortune to have such a wonderful woman as the princess in Dayao." Xiao Baishan couldn't help but sigh.
Yi Chenjing glanced at it casually, feeling bitter and not knowing who to talk to - such a smart and strong woman happened to be his wife. Since ancient times, there can be no room for two tigers in a mountain. The biggest problem for the two of them together is who can control the other. Unfortunately, not yet
At that stage, countless twists and turns occurred one after another, and now he really didn't have the energy to care about it.
Wait until the Northern Expedition is over and have a frank talk after returning to the distant country. At least let her understand that he sincerely wants to go on and be with her.
Bai Qige, who was following the last of the army, was not surprised to see Chen An, who had joined the army. The three armies went ahead without using food and grass. From ancient times to the present, food and grass and baggage have been the most important thing during the march. She chose to stay at the end of the army to avoid being with Yi Chenjing.
The first reason for meeting was to take care of the food and fodder, and to guard against the enemy's sneak attack on the vitality of the three armies. As a general with rich experience, Yi Chenjing thought of this and ordered someone to take care of it. It was not surprising.
Of course, Bai Qige didn't know that the real order Chen An received was to protect her at all costs.
Simply rejecting Chen Canjun's "incidentally" suggestion that she return to Yi Chenjing's camp for the night, Bai Qige was still lying undressed in the night, with her helmet on her pillow and a dirty and torn blanket, lying not far from the bonfire.
Say good night to the misty moonlight everywhere.
She no longer had to accompany Yi Chenjing to light the lamp and cook oil to study the military situation. Every night they were separated, Bai Qige went to bed very early, but it was not as stable and deep as before. Without a warm chest to shield the night wind, she could not find any sense of security.
She was confused and didn't know how long she had been sleeping. A sudden bird call woke up Bai Qige. She opened her eyes and looked around. All the soldiers were asleep. The snoring one after another was louder than the bird song. However, Bai Qige's intuition and sensitivity as a special soldier made her wake up.
I immediately realized that there was something strange about that bird song.
People want to sleep, and birds also want to sleep. It is late at night in the vast wilderness, where are the birds chirping in the wind?
Standing up quickly, Bai Qige touched the dagger behind her waist with one hand, pulled off the thin blanket on her body with the other hand, and explored the direction of the birdsong with her hands and feet, her vigilant eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. The sky was very dark, and although the bonfire for warmth had not yet started,
The fire was extinguished but there was not much light. The surrounding scenery was shrouded in the thick night and it was difficult to see clearly. After the brief chirping, there was no sound again. For a while, the specific location where the sound came from could not be found.
The march was no different than usual, and one had to pay extra attention to the slightest disturbance. A careless move could lead to a rout. Bai Qige, who knew that the war could affect his entire body, did not dare to take it lightly and insisted on searching quietly in the darkness far away from the campfire.
After adapting to the darkness around her, she could see her surroundings clearly through the hazy moonlight. Bai Qige pursed her thin lips tightly, stepped into the muddy puddle after the rain, slowed down as much as possible and quietly approached the dense grass on the opposite side, and walked toward one of them.
Walk slowly where there are rustling sounds everywhere.
The night wind blew through the cloth, and the puddles under her feet were cold. The cold that struck inside and outside made Bai Qige tremble non-stop. She also felt much slower than usual. When she was focusing on the grass opposite, she was unaware of the silent approach of a figure in the darkness behind her.
When he couldn't get any closer, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind and held his slender waist tightly in his arms.
"Who?!" As soon as he shouted in a low voice, his mouth was covered, and someone unexpectedly attacked him from behind. Bai Qige lost her focus and lost her center of gravity. Her feet on the slippery muddy water flashed, and her whole body fell backwards.
.
"Shh-" The warm palms firmly supported Bai Qige's back, and a familiar voice sounded softly, "Don't yell, there is someone over there."
Her breathing suddenly stopped, and the face of the person standing with the moonlight behind her was revealed. Without seeing clearly, Bai Qige could already tell who was protecting her from falling.
Biting her lower lip, she quickly stabilized her center of gravity and stood up again, avoiding the warmth of her chest without any hesitation. The moment the rustling of the grass on the opposite side became louder, Bai Qige rushed over with a lunge, pushed aside the grass, and kicked the ghost hard with her flying kick.
On the furtive figure.
"Oh my God -" a wailing cry, a cry for mercy pierced the night, "Grandpa Ghost, have mercy! Lord Hell, have mercy!"
After taking a lot of effort to see who was kneeling on the ground and kowtowing, Bai Qige laughed angrily: "What the hell, Grandpa, Lord Yama, stand up and talk!"
"Emperor, Princess?!" Hearing Bai Qige's voice, the man finally stopped crying and howling and stood up tremblingly, wiping his tears with a sad face, "Why does the Princess make no sound when she walks? I thought there was a ghost coming to catch me!
"
"If you don't sleep in the camp in the middle of the night, why are you here?" Bai Qige knew this man. He was one of the recruits responsible for escorting food and grass. He was only fourteen or five years old, and he was still an ignorant boy. It is unlikely that such a young child would have anything.
The trick is that Bai Qige asked him directly and had no intention of sending him back to the camp for public interrogation.
The young man didn't seem to have recovered from the fright, and he was still crying when he spoke: "I, I... I'm worried..."
"What kind of bird calls are you trying to imitate?" Bai Qige was so angry that she slapped the boy on the head, "They are all sleeping. Do you want to wake someone up or scare someone by imitating bird sounds?"
Her slightly young face turned red: "I'm sorry, Princess, I was whistling, not imitating bird calls. I've had this problem since I was a child, and I can't urinate if I don't whistle -"
"Okay, you don't have a handle on your mouth." A low scolding interrupted the young man's answer. The person behind him waved his hand and yelled impatiently, "Go back to sleep, and don't blow the whistle indiscriminately if there is another situation, otherwise you will never drink water in the future.
.”
The person who walked out from behind Bai Qige obviously frightened the young man. He froze up and shuddered, and his face turned pale for a moment.