“Her Highness wishes to assess the situation of the battle first,” Zhou Min looked up at the distant sky, her eyes filled with unknown worries. She was unsure whether her plan would work, whether she could stop the Third Imperial Brother or, to put it another way, whether the Third Imperial Brother was already deep in a dire situation.
What she needed to do now was to race against fate as she always had. Looking back, it seemed she had always been doing this, fighting with the resentment and persistence of the women from her previous life, trying to seize an opportunity in the face of predetermined destiny.
“Since the Princess has made up her mind, this general will do everything in his power to protect her,” General Yuan declared resolutely.
Zhou Min gave him a slight smile, that sorrowful smile that was especially heart-wrenching.
A feeling stirred in General Yuan’s heart, and he glanced at her with a complex expression, following her closely. It seemed that she was different from the person spoken of in the rumours, and he was glad that he was never one to judge others solely based on hearsay. This princess bore the image of someone he admired, the person who had led their group of soldiers several times to protect Yancheng and the borders of the Zhou Kingdom.
Riding on horseback was faster than by carriage. It was only supposed to take an hour, but Zhou Min and General Yuan reached the military camp in half that time. Without saying it out loud, Zhou Min felt it; her wound had reopened.
Fortunately, the body she inhabited was that of a person skilled in horsemanship. Although the burst wound had left her exhausted and weak, at this moment, her greater concern was for the Third Imperial Brother.
Upon their arrival at the camp, the guarding soldiers, despite recognizing Zhou Min’s extraordinary bearing, dutifully stopped them to inquire. But upon seeing the familiar face of General Yuan, they stepped back, “General Yuan, how have you returned so soon?”
With a dark and anxious expression, General Yuan rode forward and exclaimed loudly, “This is the Princess of the Zhou Kingdom. Where is the Marshal?”
The soldiers, initially shocked by General Yuan’s introduction, became confused by his urgent inquiry for the Marshal but nonetheless respectfully answered, “Greetings to the Princess!” After saluting the princess, they turned their heads and said, “The Marshal left half an hour ago with five thousand light cavalry.”
“What?!” General Yuan exclaimed in shock. “Where did he go? To the Huan Mountain Gorge?”
“How does General Yuan know?” The speaker was a strategist emerging from the commander’s tent, surname Xu!
General Yuan’s brow furrowed as he glanced at Zhou Min, who also had a troubled expression. He was initially sceptical of Zhou Min’s words, but the words of Strategist Xu made him even more convinced.
After all, he had only known of an urgent report in the army but was unaware of the actual situation. The Huan Mountain Gorge was mentioned by Zhou Min, who told him it was the place where the Emperor of the Qi Kingdom planned an ambush, but unexpectedly…
Already suffering from severe injuries and now overwhelmed with urgency, Zhou Min nearly fell from her horse. The news of the princess’s sudden arrival spread rapidly through the camp, and the remaining officers gathered at the entrance as Strategist Xu arrived.
Tightening the reins, Zhou Min knew very well that she could not afford to fall now, and soon news of the Marshal being trapped would spread. At this moment, what she needed to do was to stabilise the soldiers’ morale.
Zhou Min was the first to dismount, handing the reins to a soldier beside her, and looked at the gathering vice generals who remained in the command tent, “All officers of vice general rank and above, follow me inside. I have urgent military matters to discuss with you.”
After speaking, Zhou Min did not wait for the group of high-ranking officers and hurried off. General Yuan understood her intentions best, quickly dismounted, and followed her. Seeing her pale and almost translucent face still proudly upright, his heart couldn’t help but beat violently.
“No one may enter the Marshal’s tent!” Zhou Min said without a glance, heading straight inside. The guards here, being far from the main gate, could not leave their posts at will, so they were not aware of Zhou Min’s identity. As they were about to stop her, General Yuan, who had quickly caught up, immediately waved his hand, “This is the Princess!”
As the two guards were stunned, Zhou Min had already led everyone inside. Although they were somewhat doubtful of Zhou Min’s identity, seeing the group of vice generals and strategists behind her, they knew her identity was authentic.
But before Zhou Min could say anything, a scout burst into the camp, his expression extremely anxious, “Report, the Marshal has fallen into an ambush at Huan Mountain Gorge and is now surrounded by the Qi Kingdom’s army, trapped in the valley. Please dispatch soldiers for rescue immediately!”
With the urgent report echoing through the tent, the expressions of everyone changed drastically, like a colour palette, eventually turning to shock.
“What did you say? How is the Marshal?” General Yuan roared, grabbing the scout by the collar.
“How did you protect the Marshal, allowing him to be trapped in a dire situation with no way out!” another general accused.
“Enough, this is not the time to blame each other. We need to figure out how to bring the Marshal back,” Zhou Min pressed her temples, her heart filled with worry. Could it be that she was still too late?
“Bring the map of the army’s movements. Let’s find a way together!” Zhou Min, already exhausted and with her injury worsened from horseback riding, knew that she could not relax for a moment. She was well aware that Huan Mountain Gorge was the place where Zhou Zijun, in his previous life, had met his end.
The officers immediately gathered around Zhou Min, spreading out the map on the table in front of her. General Yuan, standing closest to her, watched her struggling to concentrate on the military affairs at hand, seeing her dark circles and pale face, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of distress.
“General Li, you and Vice General Jiang will be in charge of all matters within the camp during this time. Remember to stabilise the soldiers’ morale in the Marshal’s absence. No one in the camp may recklessly discuss this matter. Anyone who disturbs the morale will be dealt with by military law,” Zhou Min said after discussing the rescue plan with everyone in the hall, having recognized all the officers around her.
“Yes, Princess,” said a burly middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and large eyes on the right.
This translation captures the essence of the dialogue and narrative, preserving the original tone and context. The names Shangguan Qi, Zhou Min, and Yan Tianjue appear to be character names, with Zhou Min being the main character in this passage. The text describes a tense situation in a military setting, where Zhou Min is determined to make strategic decisions to rescue an imperilled Marshal.
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