Three meters.
Two meters.
One meter...
When the Northern Di soldiers stepped into the area one meter from the border, screams instantly filled the ground.
Cavalry were thrown from their startled horses, infantry writhed in pain from their feet.
The soldiers behind, unable to stop their momentum, uncontrollably tumbled forward. In just a few breaths, the pre-buried "ghost arrows" took effect.
Small in size, easy to scatter quickly and hard to detect, ghost arrows were chosen by Great Qi as the key to breaking the Northern Di's morale.
In battle between two armies, the first drumbeat fuels courage, the second weakens it, and the third exhausts it.
Seeing their comrades screaming ahead, the Northern Di soldiers couldn't help but hesitate and wonder: what had Great Qi done to this one-meter strip of land?
Lang Qing finally realized what was happening and immediately moved to seize the Prince of Qi.
This "Nightingale" must have deceived them, conspiring with Great Qi from within!
At this critical moment, Great Qi's pre-positioned covert agents sprang into action. Archers provided covering fire with their arrows, and together they rescued the Prince of Qi to the other side of the border.
"You actually conspired to trick the Northern Di! I, Lang Qing, vow not to be human if I don't kill you today!"
As a Northern Di general known to devour raw flesh, Lang Qing felt he had suffered a profound humiliation.
But now, fear had begun to creep into the hearts of the Northern Di soldiers, while the Great Qi troops stood with fierce determination in their eyes, weapons in hand, eager to engage the Northern Di in a fierce and satisfying battle.
Since the campaign against Great Yue began, they had dreamed of the day they could utterly destroy the Northern Di!
To let the northern frontiers never again be harassed by the Northern Di.
"Soldiers, for this battle, we have a reason for certain victory."
Song Shihuan's voice rang out. "If we win, Great Qi's territory will expand northward for a thousand miles. You will be heroes whose achievements benefit the present and whose legacy benefits future generations!"
"For me, kill! Fight for a life of peace and happiness for the people of the northern frontiers!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Lang Qing thought the Great Qi people were insane.
Bewitched by the words of a mere girl.
The light in these Great Qi soldiers' eyes was familiar to Lang Qing—it was the unconscious craving of a predator looking at its prey.
For the first time, Lang Qing felt threatened.
The two armies instantly clashed, soldiers falling one after another.
The Northern Di's national strength was inherently weaker than Great Qi's. It was only because the Northern Di were skilled in horseback archery, adept at fighting from the saddle, agile and hard to catch, that they had secured a place north of Great Qi.
But now...
Lang Qing discovered in despair that Great Qi had deliberately lured them across the border. On the other side of the line were countless tangled threads on the ground, easily tripping their horses and forcing them to fight on foot.
When they began to retreat, the Great Qi soldiers would cross the border line, able to advance or retreat, attack or defend at will.
The first battle between Great Qi and the Northern Di ended with the Northern Di's defeat. Lang Qing led the remnants of his forces in a rout, and Great Qi successfully pushed the border approximately thirty kilometers north.
Song Shihuan and the others headed towards the command tent.
"Ouch, ouch—"
A familiar cry of pain sounded. Song Shihuan paused mid-step, then forcefully changed direction. "I just remembered I have something else to attend to..."
Half an incense stick's time later, only Gu Mingning remained outside the tent.
Gu Mingning resigned himself with a bitter smile and entered the tent.
"Your Highness, Prince of Qi."
"General Gu, my foot... is it going to be crippled?"
The Prince of Qi now bore no resemblance to his previously imposing self. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, his face pale with pain, sweat beading continuously on his forehead.
Gu Mingning glanced at the Prince's utterly mangled sole and felt a tremor in his heart. "Your Highness, have you been walking normally all this time?"
"Of course. Otherwise, if they saw my foot was injured, your plan would have failed."
So he had secretly pulled out the ghost arrow and used dirt to staunch the bleeding.
Enduring the pain for an entire day.
Gu Mingning's long-accumulated resentment towards the Prince of Qi instantly dissipated. Forget it, he thought, he is, after all, a prince of Great Qi.
"Medic, how is His Highness's foot?"
The medic's expression was clearly grave. "The ghost arrow was unclean. Fortunately, His Highness pulled it out promptly himself. However, due to the crude subsequent treatment, I dare not guarantee the foot can be saved. If he passes the next month without complication, it can be preserved."
Otherwise, if anything goes wrong during that time, the foot must be... sacrificed.
The Prince of Qi felt like crying but held back, looking at Gu Mingning. "Can I see the Crown Prince?"
...
A quarter of an hour later, Song Yu stood before the Prince of Qi, his face as sour as if he'd been owed a hundred taels of silver.
"Elder Brother, wu wu wu wu."
As soon as the Prince of Qi spoke, Song Yu took several steps back, eyeing him warily.
What is this fool up to now?
"Elder Brother, my foot is going to be crippled." With only the two of them in the tent, the Prince of Qi cried without restraint. "Elder Brother, I know you're good to me. You went to great lengths, even planning to destroy the Northern Di, just to rescue me... so I... I couldn't hold you back."
"I treated you so poorly before, yet you were still willing to save me... I really was a scoundrel before. I was too stupid to tell friend from foe."
Looking at the Prince of Qi, a mess of snot and tears, Song Yu twitched the corner of his mouth:
"Quite stupid indeed."
He never intended to save this idiot.
Song Yu prepared to tell the Prince this harsh truth, to let him understand the dangers of the world.
But after a moment's thought, what came out of Song Yu's mouth changed: "You are Father Emperor's son. How could I not save you?"
The Prince of Qi cried even louder.
"I've heard all about how you bravely patrolled the border for the people of the northern frontiers. The Northern Di soldiers also seemed quite fond of you. In the future, when we conquer the Northern Di, you will be the most suitable person to garrison there. I believe you can govern the Northern Di well, correct?"
The Prince of Qi nodded vigorously.
He could never repay his elder brother's kindness in saving him.
Song Yu was satisfied. In the future, he could just dump this fool in the Northern Di territory, and the Northern Di problem would be solved.
After all, the Northern Di people weren't that clever either; they'd be a good match for this idiot.
"Your foot..."
Song Yu glanced at the Prince's foot and said leisurely, "Who knows if it isn't a blessing in disguise?"
Given the "Nightingale" identity, the old man (the Emperor) probably wanted to kill the Prince of Qi.
This foot injury would be enough to appease the old man's anger, preserve the dignity of the Great Qi royal family, and spare the Prince of Qi's life.
The Prince of Qi didn't quite understand Song Yu's words, but Song Yu had already left the tent.
"Rest well. If you have time, read more books."
Outside the tent, Song Shihuan wore an indescribable expression.
"Father, does the Prince of Qi think we launched the campaign to rescue him?"
Song Yu paused. "His face is quite large, and his heart is too."
But this misunderstanding was wonderful; it would save him a lot of effort.
Song Shihuan finally couldn't hold back a laugh.
If the Prince of Qi truly reformed in the future and guarded this Northern Di territory well, his descendants would also live comfortably.
Perhaps this was another case of "fools have fortune"?
