Chapter 56: Cherishing His Wife

Qin Lang left a moment of solitude for the grandfather and granddaughter, stepping outside to fetch Army Doctor Lu and the physicians so they might examine the aging General Shen.

Before long, everyone arrived upon hearing the news.

Shen Ruojin was currently feeding her grandfather some congee.

Army Doctor Lu and the physicians took turns checking the pulse of the old general, repeatedly exclaiming, "This Life-Reviving Pill is truly a miraculous medicine!"

It was only a pity that such a pill was immensely precious, exceedingly rare, and there had been only one in existence.

The physicians stated that General Shen had already survived the most difficult hurdle, and what lay ahead was careful recuperation. As for those legs...

A unanimous look of distress washed over everyone's faces.

A generation of great generals, a hero facing the twilight of his years—though he had managed to hold onto his life with the greatest difficulty, his legs were now ruined, and he would likely never be able to stand again.

Shen Ruojin, however, said, "As long as my grandfather lives, that is all I ask."

"As long as a person is alive, there is hope for everything."

"No matter how severe the leg injury... a way to treat it can always be found later."

The physicians repeatedly agreed. There were plenty of extraordinary people and unusual events in this world, and no shortage of reclusive experts; eventually, some renowned physician or divine doctor skilled in this domain could be invited to try.

These words were mostly meant for comfort.

Yet Shen Ruojin made up her mind: once the Xichang army was repelled and the Western Frontier stabilized, she would take her grandfather in search of medical treatment. As long as his life was preserved, there was hope.

Though Shen Yi was nearing seventy, years of military training had forged a constitution far surpassing ordinary men. After waking up, he conversed with Shen Ruojin for a while. Upon seeing Wei Qingshan and the others arrive, he even inquired about the battle situation and forced himself to muster his spirit to arrange the upcoming combat plans.

The Shen Family Army had always looked to the old general as their leader. After the brave sons of the Shen family perished in battle, Wei Qingshan and General Li, having followed Shen Yi the longest, were also capable of shouldering responsibilities independently.

Yet right now, Wei Qingshan was heavily wounded as well, and General Li Hongzhen had a fatal shortcoming: he was far too meticulous. While he made an excellent deputy commander, serving as the commander-in-chief would likely lead him to lose the big picture over trivial details.

Furthermore, not only did the Shen Family Army currently lack a commander-in-chief, but Yang Wangxiong was also locked up in the dungeon by Shen Ruojin, heavily guarded by her orders. This was tantamount to the Xizhou City Garrison Forces lacking a chief commander as well.

With both sides combined, there were one hundred thousand troops. Such a massive opportunity meant that, to the commanders, the current situation was fraught with extreme danger, yet it could also bring a leap to supreme power in a single bound.

However, ninety-nine percent of it was sheer danger, and the chance of reaching the heavens in a single step required fighting through nine deaths to secure.

Wei Qingshan said, "Presently, the military tally of the Western Frontier rests in the hands of the Tenth Miss, and the Shen Family Army was saved by her as well. Rather than choosing another commander-in-chief..."

Shen Yi interrupted, "No."

The moment that single word "No" was uttered, the room instantly fell silent.

When the old general said no, he naturally had numerous considerations.

The crowd all waited for Shen Yi to state his reasons.

Shen Ruojin remained silent as well, merely gazing at her grandfather.

General Shen said, "For two reasons. First, Shen Ruojin is a woman. Since ancient times, although a female general or two have emerged, they rarely met a peaceful end after laying down their armor."

"I have my selfishness," the grandfather rasped. "Too many members of the Shen family have died for the country. I do not wish for little Shi to fall here as well."

Everyone present fell silent.

Shen Ruojin was silent too.

Seeing that it took too much effort for the old general to speak, Wei Qingshan took over the conversation.

"Second, without the Emperor's mandate, for the Tenth Miss to seize the military tally in the Western Frontier and command troops on her own authority is a grave crime punishable by the extermination of her nine clans. Now, the major war requires her, so the imperial court in the capital may turn a blind eye; but the moment the war ends, it will be time for a reckoning. When that time comes, the Tenth Miss will undoubtedly die..."

Since ancient times, emperors have been ruthless. When you are needed, you are a renowned general and a loyal subject.

When you are no longer needed, what awaits you is: when the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden; when the crafty rabbits are dead, the running dogs are boiled.

What was worse was that right now, the hundred thousand soldiers of Great Qi faced the two hundred thousand troops of Xichang—there had never been any chance of victory to begin with.

The path Shen Ruojin had taken when she came here was one of certain death.

"Would I be innocent if I left now?"

Seeing that everyone's gazes were fixed on her, as if every single person was about to urge her to leave in the next moment.

She spoke up first.

"Yang Wangxiong is still locked up by me in the dungeon. After causing a massive ruckus at the Protectorate Office yesterday, we have forged a mortal feud. Once he gets out, he will undoubtedly fight me to the bitter end."

Therefore, leaving was useless either.

Having sorted out the current situation,

Shen Ruojin said to her grandfather, "They say that everyone bears responsibility for the rise and fall of the realm. With a great war imminent, why distinguish between men and women? It is not that I insist on being the commander-in-chief; as long as we can defend the territory and repel the enemy, I am willing to serve as a foot soldier before the old general!"

"Tenth Miss, well said!"

Li Hongzhen could not help but cheer for her.

Qin Lang's gaze had remained fixed on Shen Ruojin, starlight gathering within his peach-blossom eyes.

"My good husband,"

The old general called out to him, still wishing for him to persuade little Shi.

Qin Lang gave a slight nod toward the grandfather, saying with a solemn expression, "My wife's words are entirely correct."

The old general instantly fell speechless: "..."

Rumors had it that the young prince of the Prince of Northern Suppression's Manor was dissolute, unrestrained, and acted outside the bounds of convention. How was it that when it came to little Shi... he was so utterly obedient?

Could he harbor some ulterior motive?

Seeing that her grandfather remained silent, fearing that excessive worry might make him worse and anger him further, Shen Ruojin spoke up once again.

"Grandfather must get well quickly. With a commander experienced in a hundred battles like you presiding over the three armies, our chances of victory will be even greater."

"Speaking of being experienced in a hundred battles..."

The old general suddenly recalled a candidate for the commander-in-chief.

Shen Yi said, "I have a junior martial brother named Jiang Pingwei. In his youth, we guarded the Western Frontier together for over a decade. Whether in martial arts or military strategy, he is in no way inferior to me. It's just that back then, he was hot-headed and arrogant; after a fierce dispute with the military commissioner, he retired into seclusion in the mountains. He is right here in the Western Frontier, but his temperament is stubborn. He cannot be easily summoned."

Jiang Pingwei was several decades younger than the old general, currently around fifty years old. Having lived in seclusion in the mountains for many years, he had never laid down his practice of martial arts or his study of military strategy. Two years ago, he had even written a book on military tactics.

However, three years ago, when Jiang Pingwei heard of the Shen family's tragedy and rushed over to help, he constantly urged Shen Yi to retire into seclusion with him, cursing the Emperor as muddle-headed, incompetent, and unworthy of having them risk their lives to assist.

It would likely be very difficult to invite him out of retirement.

Shen Ruojin said, "No matter how difficult the invitation, we must pay a personal visit to know whether he can be persuaded."

Shen Yi nodded, just about to tell little Shi to go invite him in person.

Then he heard Wei Qingshan say, "If we dispatch a few ordinary soldiers, Senior Jiang will likely feel that we do not regard him with enough importance. With the war in Xizhou City about to begin, none of us can spare the time to leave."

Shen Ruojin could spare it even less.

She knew her grandfather certainly wanted her to go.

Yet in such a critical moment, she could not leave her grandfather behind all by herself here.

If she transferred the Western Frontier military tally to the hands of other generals, new complications would inevitably arise...

Right at this moment,

Qin Lang volunteered, "I will go."

He said, "My wife must look after Grandfather and concurrently manage all affairs of Xizhou City; she truly cannot spare the time to leave. I will go invite that Senior Jiang."

Upon hearing this, the various generals cast their gazes toward this new husband.

Earlier at the city gates during their initial meeting, he had been covered in blood and grime; they had only felt his bearing was extraordinary, unable to make out his facial features clearly.

Now that he had washed up, he possessed a dragon-like bearing and a phoenix-like demeanor—truly noble beyond compare.

The crucial point was... this husband not only knew how to cherish his wife,

whatever the Tenth Miss did, he raised no objections and even offered his utmost support.