Chapter 64: Look at Your Husband

"Shen Shi is leading the Shen family army and attacking us?!"

He Tuo's subordinate was greatly shocked, asking incredulously, "We have a garrison of two hundred thousand in Xichang, while the Shen family army and the Xizhou garrison combined amount to at most one hundred thousand. Instead of firmly defending the city, she is actually leading her troops to attack?"

In a military confrontation with such a vast numerical disparity, the wisest course of action for the people of Daqi would be to close the city gates tightly and await reinforcements. And yet...

Shen Shi had actually led her troops straight into an attack.

It was not even dark yet.

She did not even wait for nightfall to launch a surprise raid; she was launching a direct, frontal assault.

Utterly arrogant.

And full of daring.

After a brief moment of shock, He Tuo became increasingly certain that the man captured by his soldiers was indeed Shen Shi's husband.

It was just that this woman was disobedient; instead of coming alone as expected, she had chosen to launch a direct offensive.

Although things were not unfolding quite as he had imagined, this young man must undoubtedly be of immense importance to Shen Shi.

And there was also this young maiden who claimed to be "Shen Ruojin's younger sister."

"Shen Shi has come at the right time. Hear my order: form the battle array and face the enemy!"

He Tuo proclaimed in a loud voice.

"Form the battle array and face the enemy!"

The Xichang soldiers passed the command down the line.

"Bring all the prisoners and commoners to the front of the array." He Tuo said as he grabbed the two of them off the ground by their collars, one in each hand. "Move, the time for you to be of use has arrived."

Pei Jing guessed the Xichang general's intention almost instantly and spoke up once more, "I am not Shen Shi's husband. Using me to threaten her is useless!"

"Brother Pei!" Mu Yunwei shrieked to stop him, whispering to him in extreme anxiety, "Stop talking. The Xichang people are notoriously cruel; they really will kill you. Never mind what he wants to do, let's just focus on staying alive first... We must survive!"

He Tuo was already pondering how to make Shen Shi surrender and then abduct her back to the royal court.

Such an intriguing woman—if she refused to be a warm-bed concubine, making her his primary wife was not entirely out of the question.

He Tuo cared little about what the two of them were whispering to each other. This fellow called Pei Jing had a bit of backbone, true, but he was merely lucky that the two armies were about to clash; otherwise, a few lashes alone would have beaten him into a spineless wretch.

Pei Jing looked at Mu Yunwei as if seeing her for the very first time.

Ever since the marriage swap, he had consistently avoided comparing Mu Yunwei to Shen Ruojin. Even when everyone around him told him he had traded a luminous pearl for a fish eye, he would comfort himself by thinking that at least the heavenly premonitions Mu Yunwei received had genuinely saved his adoptive mother and younger sister.

This time, coming to the Western Frontier to find that young military prodigy only to be captured by Xichang soldiers was purely an accident.

Yet, with two armies at war and the fate of the nation and its people hanging in the balance, Shen Ruojin showed utter disregard for her own life at the front of the array, while Mu Yunwei was saying, 'Never mind what the Xichang people want to do, let's survive first.'

Though people often said, "Every man for himself, and heaven and earth will destroy him," when faced with the great righteousness of home and country, how could one push it all behind them simply because they were human?

The Xichang soldiers marched Pei Jing, Mu Yunwei, and the others forward toward the vanguard.

Seeing the strange look in Pei Jing's eyes, Mu Yunwei realized she had spoken too hastily in her anxiety without thinking things through. Staggering under a push from a Xichang soldier, she didn't even care to cry, but instead scurried to Pei Jing's side and whispered an explanation to him.

"Even if you make it clear to these Xichang soldiers that you aren't Shen Shi's husband, what good will it do? It will only lead to them cutting you down with a single blade. It's better to play along for now until we meet the soldiers of Daqi. Perhaps..."

Mu Yunwei bit her pale lips and spoke in a low voice, "We can still seize an opportunity to do something."

"Yunwei..."

Pei Jing had not expected that a delicate maiden like Mu Yunwei could possess such strategic foresight.

Instantly, he felt a wave of guilt for having just regarded her as someone driven solely by the fear of death.

"Brother Pei..." Mu Yunwei addressed him with profound affection as well. "Between the two of us, no extra words are needed."

Pei Jing was just about to say something.

The Xichang soldier in charge of guarding the prisoners gave them a rough shove, cursing angrily,

"What is with all the talking?"

"Save it for the road through the Yellow Springs!"

Mu Yunwei, Pei Jing, and several hundred other captives were pushed forward. Seeing the banner bearing the character "Shen" in the distance, the despondency within them lifted significantly, reigniting their hope for survival.

The Shen family army was still here.

The Western Frontier would not fall.

There was still someone looking out for commoners like them whose lives were as worthless as blades of grass.

Ahead of them, the two armies had already formed their battle arrays.

Shen Ruojin had brought only thirty thousand men, light cavalry riding swift horses. In an instant, they had charged thirty li outside the city, catching the Xichang forces completely unprepared.

By the time He Tuo mustered his troops to come out and meet them, the Shen family army—having rested within Xizhou City for three full days—had already been on a fierce killing spree for a while. Their momentum was at its peak, and even though the Xichang army held an absolute numerical advantage, they now shrank back in hesitation.

"Exhilarating!" Li Hongzhen beheaded dozens of Xichang soldiers in succession and laughed heartily, "Where is He Tuo? Didn't he keep clamoring to see our Tenth Lady? Why is he now cowering and not daring to show his face?"

"Li, are you really that eager to become a soul beneath my blade?"

He Tuo's voice came from afar.

The Xichang army quickly retreated to both sides, and General He, accompanied by several officers, rode over at a gallop. Reaching the very front of the formation, they squared off directly against the people of Daqi.

The soldiers of both sides returned to their respective camps, and the slaughter temporarily paused.

"Crap! You're more likely to be the soul beneath *my* blade!"

Li Hongzhen was a rough man, and having clashed with He Tuo several times without gaining the upper hand, he felt intensely aggrieved; seeing the man made him want to hurl curses.

"Li, stay on the sidelines. The one I want to see is Shen Shi. Who has the time to waste breath on a brute like you?"

He Tuo had no inclination to engage in a verbal duel with him; his gaze fell upon Shen Ruojin, and for a moment, he found himself unable to look away.

This meeting was much closer than the last time, when he could only gaze from afar at the city ramparts.

Shen Shi wore a crimson robe over black armor, her long hair bound with a red ribbon. The wind whipped her dark tresses into the air, and even though she wore no makeup, she possessed a breathtaking and peerless beauty.

Sitting tall in the saddle, she gripped a golden halberd, casually twirled it to fling away the bloodstains, and rested it effortlessly behind her back. Raising an eyebrow, she called out, "He Tuo, I have come as promised. Do you dare step forward and fight me?"

He Tuo reined in his horse and laughed heartily, "I told you to come alone, yet you brought an army instead. Shen Shi, is your courage truly this meager?"

He Tuo still remembered how Shen Shi had stood on the city rampart that day, tossing her halberd like a feathered arrow in a pitch-pot game, piercing a cavalryman through and killing him. Had he not dodged quickly enough, he would have been nailed to the spot by her.

Shen Shi should be adept at using the sword; today she had specially changed her weapon to face him, which showed she had put some thought into it.

Shen Ruojin replied, "Cut the crap. I'm not a fool."

Knowing full well that the Xichang people had dug a pit waiting for her, to still go alone—how would that differ from delivering her own head on a platter?

He Tuo was momentarily rendered speechless: "..."

Seeing this, Li Hongzhen felt even more exhilarated. "Who do you think you are? You told her to come alone, so she was just supposed to come alone?"

While they were speaking, the Xichang soldiers pushed the prisoners forward.

He Tuo was deeply displeased at being interrupted by the fellow surnamed Li yet again. Upon seeing Pei Jing, whose clothes were stained with blood, he wore a smile once more. "Shen Shi, don't speak too soon. Let's first take a look at your husband!"

"Very well." Qin琅 stepped out from the crowd, urging his horse to Shen Ruojin's side to ride abreast with her. "Since you've been crying and shouting in your demands to see him, I'll show some boundless mercy and let you take a look."