Usually, new recruits who went to the battlefield for the first time would be scared to tears or faint. Yue Nu was shaking like a sieve while holding the bow, but he remained calm.
He poked his head tremblingly from the edge of the city wall and looked across at the dark barbarian army.
Suddenly, arrows began to fly in like a flood. Someone on the city wall started shouting, "The barbarians have begun to attack! Defend on all fronts!"
All the soldiers around crawled out, lay down at the hole in the high wall, raised their bows and arrows, and shot arrows to the opposite side.
Yue Nu also followed suit, shooting arrows quickly and urgently. The first two arrows missed because he was too nervous, but the next eight arrows each shot down an enemy soldier.
The ten arrows were soon used up. Yue Nu bent down and wanted to borrow one from the soldier next to her. However, the soldier held the ten arrows and didn't even dare to show his head. He shrank behind the city wall with a dull look in his eyes.
Before Yue Nu could finish her words, the soldier in front of her was shot through the skull by an arrow that flew out of nowhere, and hot blood mixed with brain matter splashed all over Yue Nu's face.
Yue Nu's lips trembled and she froze in place for a moment, gripping the bow tighter and tighter in her hand.
He closed the soldier's eyes, then gritted his teeth, took the arrow from his hand, turned and ran to the other side, and continued to shoot hard towards the outside of the city wall.
After he had shot all the arrows, he continued to run to pull arrows from other corpses. He had seen so much blood that he became numb.
Yue Nu didn't know how many arrows he shot throughout the day. When it got dark, the enemy finally stopped attacking.
The people on the city wall were able to take a temporary breather, and the remaining soldiers supported each other as they walked down the city wall.
After getting down from the city wall, each person was given a steamed bun and a bowl of porridge, which they ate ravenously.
Yue Nu was also standing in the shadow nearby eating. She was extremely hungry. She had been lifting the bow all day and now her arms were still trembling with soreness. She could not even carry the porridge for the whole night.
Before they finished their meal, a deputy general came over and asked a few people to leave, including Yue Nu.
These people had performed outstandingly during the day and were selected to form a raiding team. Their mission tonight was to sneak out from the tunnel in the city wall, sneak to the rear of the barbarian camp, and burn down their grain depot.
The stray arrows have been prepared for them, and they just need to ignite them and shoot when the time comes.
The raid mission was urgent and dangerous. Several soldiers had a stern look on their faces, knowing that this mission was likely to be dangerous and that the country's prosperity and survival were on their shoulders, so no one backed down.
"Yes! I guarantee it will be done!"
Only Yue Nu still kept her head down, thinking that it would be a lie to say she was not afraid. What if she really couldn't come back? What if she never saw the general again
The deputy general pointed at Yue Nu and said, "You, raise your head, don't you want to go?"
The people around looked at her, and Yue Nu nervously clutched her sleeves.
"Do you want to disobey military orders? Raise your head!"
Seeing that the deputy general was getting angry, he was about to come over and teach Yue Nu a lesson personally.
Yue Nu gritted her teeth and slowly raised her head.
The other people were extremely surprised. It turned out to be that little errand boy. How did he get to the front line
The deputy general didn't expect it would be him. He stared at him for a long time and finally uttered a word.
"Send him back to the barracks!"
Someone wanted to come and take Yue Nu away.
Yue Nu was a little excited, "Deputy General, I, I can't go back. I can participate in the raid tonight, but I only ask you not to let me go back, okay"
As long as the war is not over, the general cannot rest and recuperate, so he cannot go back.
"Nonsense! The battlefield is not a joke. You are not trained and cannot participate in such a dangerous operation. You must go back!"
Yue Nu gripped the bow on his back. His arm had been grabbed by someone. He shouted, "But Deputy General, my archery skills are better than theirs! I can guarantee that I can hit the enemy's grain depot with one arrow!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the soldier who was holding Yue Nu's arm suddenly let go.
This is the truth.
In the end, Yue Nu followed the assault team out of the city through the secret passage and headed towards the rear camp of the barbarian army.
In the dead of night, a huge fire broke out from behind the barbarian camp, and everyone on the city wall of the Celestial Empire cheered.
The raid seemed to be successful, as the fire took a full hour to be put out.
However, none of the members of the assault team returned.
At this time in the military camp, Zhao Litang finally woke up, and Shen Huan almost cried for joy.
Wu Quan happily rushed into the military camp and reported that the enemy's food and fodder had been burned.
Zhao Litang sat up from his seat after hearing this, his expression very serious, "Who made the decision on this matter, and what are the casualties?"
Wu Quan's smile froze on his face and he stammered, not knowing how to start.
"General, this was a joint decision made by several of us. Ten people were killed or injured, and none of them have returned."
Zhao Litang said nothing, the wound on his shoulder still aching slightly, after a while he said to Wu Quan, "Okay, you go out first.
Wu Quan did not leave, but lowered his head, "General, there is one more thing. One of the assault team is also here."
Qi Changyi would come to the palace every day and stay in the emperor's bedroom for half a day.
The emperor's condition has not improved at all, but fortunately with the company of the little guy, the emperor is in a good mood every day.
"Father, do you know what happened later?"
Qi Changyi blinked her big watery eyes and looked at the emperor.
The emperor frowned in embarrassment, "Father can't guess it, Yi'er tell me."
Qi Changyi curled his eyes and said, "Later, they beat the bad guys away and lived happily together. Isn't that great?"
The emperor also smiled lovingly, stroked Qi Changyi's hair, and nodded, "Good, very good."
After he finished speaking, he started coughing again, and the old eunuch beside him quickly handed him some medicine.
"Father, are you feeling very uncomfortable? Yi'er won't bother you anymore. Let's have a good rest. I'll come to see you tomorrow."
The emperor lay back on the bed with a pale face, and Qi Changyi walked out of the bedroom with his head lowered.
After the people left, the old eunuch whispered, "Your Majesty, are you really going to do that? But when I look at His Royal Highness the Prince, I really..."
"Yier is fine, and besides, Pei Aiqing is here."
The old eunuch nodded without saying anything more.
As soon as Qi Changyi walked out of the bedroom door, someone walked towards him and naturally took his hand.
"What's wrong?" Pei Zheng pinched his droopy little face, his fingertips felt slippery.
Qi Changyi didn't say anything, but just looked up at him, with the corners of his eyes drooping pitifully.
Pei Zheng stopped and pulled the man behind a red pillar. "Are you worried?"
Qi Changyi pouted and nodded, "Brother Pei, father's health is getting worse and worse. I, I can't help him..."
Pei Zheng touched the corner of his lips, "You have helped a lot. You make him happy every day, which is the biggest help, do you know?"
"But"
"Okay, stop blaming yourself."
Pei Zheng hugged the person in his arms and rubbed him, his hand sliding down her slender waist.
There had been no further action, just hugs, kisses and rubs at most. Pei Zheng didn't want to force him, especially at this moment. If he did something beastly, it would feel like taking advantage of someone's misfortune.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard behind him. Qi Changyi's ears blushed and he stood up straight. He turned around and wanted to look back, but Pei Zheng pinched his chin and turned him back.
Pei Zheng didn't seem to be embarrassed at all about being caught. He just smiled with a dark and deep look in his eyes.
"Meet you, Your Highness."
The person who came was the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire, Qi Hanlian, who had just returned to the imperial capital.
Although he is the crown prince, he has never been as valued as the fourth prince and was sent to the south of the Yangtze River by the emperor. Now he has returned to the imperial capital after the emperor became seriously ill. He is here to visit the emperor, but he happens to run into the two people behind the pillar.
Qi Hanlian only had the title of crown prince, and he acted very pretentiously, but Pei Zheng never took him seriously and even failed to show courtesy when they met.
Qi Hanlian also smiled at Pei Zheng, "Oh, Lord Pei is here too. Did you go to see my father just now? How was it? Did my father mention to Lord Pei that the crown prince is back?"
Pei Zheng rubbed his fingers gently twice, with no intention of letting go of Qi Changyi's chin. When he spoke, his voice sounded beside Qi Changyi's ears, low and mellow.
"Of course, the Emperor has always been concerned about His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Pei Zheng lied without changing his expression or heartbeat, but Qi Changyi looked at Pei Zheng strangely, because his father clearly did not say that.
Qi Hanlian believed it to be true. He couldn't hide the smug look in his eyes and his tone became light.
"I wonder what Lord Pei is doing here?" He looked at the person in Pei Zheng's arms. As soon as he returned to the palace, he heard the rumors circulating in the palace, but now he pretended not to recognize Qi Changyi.
"Who is this?"
Pei Zheng looked down at the nervous man and didn't answer. He just smiled and said, "Your Highness, why don't you go in quickly? I'm afraid the Emperor is going to rest."
When Qi Hanlian saw that the bedroom door was about to be closed, he hurried over. When passing by the two of them, he did not forget to deliberately look at Qi Changyi.
Pei Zheng calmly turned his body to the side, completely blocking the little guy.
After Qi Hanlian walked away, Qi Changyi secretly poked his little head out from Pei Zheng's arms and glanced at him.
Qi Changyi had not had much contact with his brother, the Crown Prince, but today he felt that he did not like this person very much.
"Luckily, we were almost seen."
Qi Changyi patted his chest, looking relieved. He thought he had kept the affair between him and Pei Zheng very well hidden, and no one had noticed until now. Pei Zheng grabbed his hand and placed it on his chest, "What? Are you afraid of being seen? Do you think I'm embarrassing?"
He said this in a low and gentle tone, and narrowed the corners of his eyes slightly.
Qi Changyi thought Pei Zheng had misunderstood what he said, and hurriedly explained, "No, Brother Pei, that's not what I meant.
Pei Zheng let go of his hand and lowered his eyes, "Okay, I understand."