While Song Yu and Song Shihuan were engaged in fierce battles with Dayue, Prince Qi arrived, trembling, at the northern desert.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qi."
Gu Mingning stood unwavering in his military armor, letting the wind and sand whip around him.
Prince Qi, however, had already covered his face with both hands, his eyes tightly shut, letting out a strange wail:
"The sand! The sand has gotten into this prince's eyes!"
"Attendants, bring a headscarf for His Highness."
Gu Mingning couldn't help but speak up, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes, his mind filled with treasonous thoughts.
Such an incompetent man, yet born into the royal family.
With the headscarf shielding him, Prince Qi finally felt somewhat more comfortable. Peering through the cloth at his surroundings, all he saw was desolation.
Prince Qi couldn't help but swallow hard. Was it too late for him to return to the capital now?
Gu Mingning led Prince Qi to the pre-prepared princely mansion and had his military advisor brief the prince on the situation in the northern desert.
"How can the northern desert be so impoverished?"
"Still relying on imperial handouts to survive?"
"Then what is this prince supposed to do here?"
Ever since reviewing the desert's accounts, Prince Qi hadn't stopped his torrent of complaints.
Gu Mingning's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "Naturally, to govern the northern desert, in accordance with His Majesty's decree."
He, Gu Mingning, had indeed sent no fewer than ten memorials to the Emperor, lamenting the lack of support in the desert, how he had to both secure the border and constantly guard against administrative issues.
But that didn't mean he had wanted Prince Qi.
"Very well!"
Prince Qi lowered his head in deep thought for a long moment, then suddenly looked up.
"Only a barren place like the northern desert can truly showcase this prince's talents." Prince Qi slammed the table emphatically. "This prince will prove to Father that I, too, am a worthy prince!"
Northern desert, prepare to welcome your ruler!
Watching Prince Qi brimming with lofty ambitions, Gu Mingning felt nothing but a headache.
He could only hope Prince Qi wouldn't stir up any major trouble here in the north.
......
Meanwhile.
In this battle, Daqi experienced Dayue's counterattack for the first time. The engagement was brief, ending with the sounding of gongs to withdraw.
However... Gu Zheng had truly managed to tear the enemy general's mouth apart.
Inside the command tent.
"You can curse me, Gu Zheng, all you want, but cursing the Commandery Princess is unacceptable."
Gu Zheng held a curved bow, his eyes glaring so fiercely they could have been used as a New Year's print to ward off evil spirits.
"Thank you, General, for your unwavering protection." Song Shihuan spoke slowly. Since arriving on the battlefield, her speech had noticeably decelerated.
Every sentence was preceded by careful mental calculation.
Seeing this, Song Yu clasped his hands behind his head. "It's rare to see General Gu throw his longsword to his deputy on the battlefield and shoot an arrow straight into an enemy general's mouth with a curved bow."
That was how Gu Zheng had torn the man's mouth apart.
"When I capture that enemy general alive, I'll cut off his head and hang it on the city wall to vent your anger, Commandery Princess."
Song Shihuan shuddered violently. General Gu in the capital had been far too restrained.
On the battlefield, he was like a different person.
"General Gu, during the engagement with Dayue just now, did you notice anything?"
Song Shihuan steered the conversation back to serious matters. According to intelligence from Yu Fan, they already knew the enemy general Deng Xian was leading a hundred thousand troops.
Another two hundred thousand troops were rushing to reinforce them, led by Prince Rui.
Daqi currently had two hundred thousand troops here. If Prince Rui arrived, their advantage would turn into a disadvantage.
Daqi was surrounded by foreign tribes on all sides, with many troops stationed at various borders. Coupled with having seized the initiative, it was impossible for Daqi to mobilize all its forces here.
"The Dayue soldiers are skilled with shields, and being on the defensive gives them some advantage," Gu Zheng also adopted a serious expression. "But with two hundred thousand against one hundred thousand, the advantage lies with us."
"Therefore," Song Shihuan lifted her gaze to look outside the tent, her eyes seeming to pierce through the air and reach the battlefield, "we must make Dayue bleed further before Prince Rui's reinforcements arrive."
"I have a plan."
As Song Shihuan's voice rang out, Song Yu, who had been idly playing with the jade pendant at his waist, quietly pricked up his ears.
His daughter was too capable, leaving her old father with little to contribute.
It was somewhat awkward.
"Commandery Princess, please speak."
......
That evening, Song Yu ordered the soldiers to slaughter several sheep for a feast.
For no other reason than he felt his only use now was in boosting morale.
As they ate and drank their fill, a deputy general, thoroughly drunk, spoke up.
"General, in the past, battle formations were always decided through our collective discussions. Why is it that in this campaign, you always listen to a young girl like the Commandery Princess?"
Silence—
The entire atmosphere fell still.
But the deputy general continued, "I've long heard of the Commandery Princess's wisdom, but the battlefield is unlike anything else. The slightest misstep means gambling with our brothers' lives."
"Old Li, you've had too much to drink!"
A comrade dared to try and stop him.
Gu Zheng's heart was practically in his throat. "Li Laoba, are you fucking looking for death?"
"We've captured so many cities in a row, all under the Commandery Princess's command. Isn't that proof enough of her strategies?"
Though he heard Gu Zheng's words, the deputy general still felt it was just Gu Zheng protecting Song Shihuan.
Just as Song Yu's temper was about to erupt, a laugh rang out, utterly different from the deep, robust voices of the men in the camp.
It was clear and crisp, instantly reminding them of their own young daughters at home.
"'The Art of War' states: In battle, use the orthodox to engage, use the extraordinary to win."
Song Shihuan sat on the grass like everyone else, yet her bearing was uniquely noble. "The art of war lies in the interplay between the orthodox and the extraordinary. If you don't trust me, tomorrow's battle formation won't need to go through General Gu. I will explain it to you all clearly myself first thing in the morning."
"If we win, I shall play a tune on the zither upon the city wall, and you gentlemen shall toast me with a cup."
"And if we lose?" A young soldier blurted out, only to be kicked by his squad leader. Who wants to think about losing a battle?
The night was pitch black, only the crackling of the campfire breaking the silence.
Then, Song Shihuan suddenly smiled.
"Since my arrival at Yongping County until now, Daqi has not suffered a single defeat."
"The record is there to be checked."
"Therefore, Daqi will not lose."
In that instant, all the Daqi soldiers found themselves believing the words of the young girl before them. They would not be defeated.
......
"Ahuan, that man looked down on you like that. You can tolerate it, but this prince cannot."
Song Yu had his sleeves rolled up, looking ready to go deal with that deputy general.
He admitted his Ahuang was indeed a bit excessively talented, but that didn't mean she could be questioned so casually.
Just as Liuxi was about to fail in restraining Song Yu, Song Shihuan pursed her lips:
"Li Laoba, since the campaign against Dayue began, has killed two hundred enemies, sustained five wounds, and is known in the army as 'Li the Formation-Breaker'."
Song Yu instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, his bluster gone.
"It's fine. After we win tomorrow, he'll have to toast me properly."
Song Shihuan secretly took another sip of fruit wine.
Gu Zheng trusted her completely, hence he dared to use her battle formations.
But the soldiers knew little about her. In their eyes, she was just a girl not yet of age.
"It's understandable." Song Shihuan pleaded leniency for Li Laoba.
"But let there be no next time."
Song Yu had no choice but to agree, his eyes still glinting with a trace of frost.
