Chapter 341
Chapter 341
“I’m going too.”
Jiang Yunsui had hidden inside a carriage, only to be discovered and dragged out.
She hunched her shoulders and muttered, stubbornly insisting that she wanted to come along.
Ji Yan’an tapped her forehead. “We’re going to war, not going out to play.”
Jiang Yunsui planted both hands on her hips. “I’m not going to play either.”
“I won’t hold anyone back.”
“And I’m not a little child anymore. You can’t always pick me up by the collar. It makes me lose face.”
She cared about her dignity now.
“Go back.”
Jiang Yunsui turned and boldly jumped down from the carriage. “Fine, I’ll go back. Then I’ll secretly follow you, and no one will ever notice me.”
She was already so grown up. Ji Yan’an could no longer control her.
Ji Yan’an: “…”
“Come back.”
A smile immediately appeared on Jiang Yunsui’s face. She went to his side and began pounding his shoulders for him.
“Oh, you know what I can do. My luck is excellent.”
Whenever she encountered misfortune, it was because some treasure was nearby or because it helped her evade danger.
In the end, Jiang Yunsui successfully pestered her way into joining the army.
The Imperial Court’s forces under General Song were already marching toward them.
Ji Yan’an rode Snow-Treader, while Jiang Yunsui ambled beside him on Little White. Occasionally, she rode to the back of the column to find the others.
Song Jin asked, “You’re really bringing her? Swords and arrows show no mercy on the battlefield.”
Ji Yan’an said, “I’d be even more worried if she secretly followed us on her own.”
“She’s becoming more and more disobedient.”
Song Jin gave him a half smile. “Aren’t you the one who spoiled her?”
Ji Yan’an said, “When have I ever spoiled her?”
“You say that as though you haven’t.”
Come to think of it, everyone in the residence and even the army spoiled her.
That had only made her increasingly lawless.
“Are you secretly saying bad things about me?”
Jiang Yunsui cut in, her beautiful little face puffed up with anger.
The two men answered in unison, “No.”
She huffed twice and decided not to argue with two grown men.
After seven days of travel, the army reached the entrance to a ravine.
Ji Yan’an studied the map. “The Imperial Court’s army is ahead. This is Eagle Beak Ravine, an ideal place for an ambush.”
“Old General Song excels at using terrain to trap and destroy the enemy. He has probably set an ambush here.”
But Eagle Beak Ravine was also the only route forward.
Jiang Yunsui raised her chin. “Finding out whether they’ve set an ambush over there couldn’t be easier.”
“See? I told you I’d be useful.”
The girl looked extraordinarily proud.
She whistled, and several eagles circled overhead.
When she raised her arm, a gyrfalcon immediately descended and landed on it, carefully keeping its talons from scratching her.
The young girl wore vivid red clothes that snapped in the wind, her hair tied in a high ponytail. Her features were sweet, gentle, and beautiful, yet her expression shone with a pride and high spirits that many young men did not possess.
“Pearl, go see whether anyone is hiding in ambush on those cliffs and how many there are…”
After receiving her order, the gyrfalcon spread its wings and flew away.
Two other eagles followed.
Milk Tea landed in a large tree to rest.
Milk Tea was enormous, nearly as tall as a person even while simply standing.
It was much larger than its parents. Its brilliant golden feathers were beautiful, making it look exceptionally valuable.
Jiang Yunsui went to claim credit.
She never hid what she had done. People needed to know.
Doing good without leaving her name behind? Impossible.
She still wanted praise.
“Ji Yan’an, I’m amazing, right?”
Ji Yan’an nodded. “Settle down. Stop circling me.”
Little White kept turning in circles beside him, making Snow-Treader restless too.
He was beginning to lose control of his mount.
Jiang Yunsui pouted. “When Pearl and the others bring back the news, you’ll have to apologize. I won’t hold anyone back. I’m very useful.”
Ji Yan’an sighed softly and tapped her nose with one finger. The motion was natural and carried a hint of intimacy.
“I never said you’d hold us back.”
“It’s only that the battlefield…”
“I know. Swords and arrows show no mercy on the battlefield.”
Jiang Yunsui shook her head. “But that’s only true for all of you.”
“Believe it or not, even if countless arrows flew toward me right now, I could stand here and not a single one would hit me.”
She was that confident. She glanced sideways at Ji Yan’an and gave a proud little huff.
“Swords and arrows show no mercy? That’s only true for you.”
Ji Yan’an and the others: “…”
Damn it. They truly could not argue with that.
Pearl and the other eagles soon returned. Jiang Yunsui and Ji Yan’an raised their arms at the same time.
Pearl landed on her arm, while another black eagle settled neatly on Ji Yan’an’s.
They looked exceptionally impressive.
“Coo, coo, coo…”
Jiang Yunsui listened carefully as the birds reported the military situation, then translated for Ji Yan’an.
“There really is an ambush over there.”
“They’ve piled many rocks near the cliffs, and there are people with bows. There are so many that the birds can’t count them…”
Asking several birds to count was far too difficult for them.
The birds were intelligent, but not intelligent enough to count large numbers.
Ji Yan’an committed all this to memory.
“I understand.”
Now that they had reliable intelligence, they needed to discuss tactics.
Old General Song already held the advantage of terrain. They had to eliminate the ambushers on the cliffs first.
If those men shot arrows and hurled rocks from above, even the finest shields would not prevent heavy casualties.
“Send a group of our most skilled people ahead. Have them scale the cliffs and eliminate the ambushers.”
They possessed grappling hooks that could catch on rocks or trees and create points of support.
With those hooks, they could reach the cliff tops much more quickly.
Ji Yan’an’s army had many people skilled enough to make the climb.
He had trained his forces continuously over the past few years.
He had even selected the finest people from every unit for special training.
By now, at least five thousand of them possessed qinggong and exceptional individual combat ability.
He selected these men and had them prepare their equipment.
“We move tonight.”
Darkness would provide their finest cover.
The Ji Family Army rested and cooked where they were.
Meals were simple while marching.
Even so, the food was several levels better than what they had eaten in the past.
Holding her rice bowl, Jiang Yunsui moved closer to Ji Yan’an.
“Are you going too?”
Ji Yan’an nodded. “I am.”
Jiang Yunsui pressed her lips together. “Then you must wear your armor properly.”
The armor Ji Yan’an wore beneath his clothes was made from the King Serpent’s scales.
It was light and hard.
“Take this too.”
“Grandmother and I went to ask for this protective talisman together.”
Jiang Yunsui handed him a triangular talisman.
“Keep it with you.”
“Did you bring the Nine Lives Pills?”
“And make sure you have antidotes and medicine to stop bleeding…”
Ji Yan’an quietly listened until she finished, then nodded in response.
“I brought everything. Don’t worry.”
Jiang Yunsui pressed her lips together. “Then… come back safely.”
This was not Ji Yan’an’s first time facing a battlefield.
But it was the first time he would personally enter the fighting.
Before, he had always commanded from the rear, where the danger was far less.
Ji Yan’an met Jiang Yunsui’s worried gaze, and his heart softened.
“Don’t worry. I’ll come back safely.”