Chapter 509 – Attacking Fengyi County (Seventeen)
Jiang Pengji let out a long sigh. If possible, she really didn’t want to take these little princesses into battle anymore. Even if she had to bring someone, it could only be those soft-hearted and easy to talk to ones. Just look at these two—the audacity they have to stop their own lord from going to war! How audacious! Hmph!
She gazed at the gates of Cheng’an County, her hands clutching the reins feeling a bit itchy. Big White beneath her couldn’t help but snort, also restless.
Wei Ci pretended not to notice his lord’s sentiments, though he felt a bit sorry for her, he still held back.
On the battlefield, swords have no eyes, and even the one who wins every battle like her couldn’t guarantee herself unharmed.
As the years go by, who could assure that the old injuries accumulated wouldn’t become hidden dangers in the future?
Xu Ke was visibly uneasy, caught by Jiang Pengji’s sorrowful gaze making him feel anxious. He forced himself to say, “My lord, you shouldn’t take risks lightly.”
Jiang Pengji scoffed internally; she could guess this was just a flimsy excuse.
“I alone can match hundreds…” she asserted.
Wei Ci chimed in, “If that’s the case, then I’d rather my lord command to send another few hundred soldiers to the battlefield.”
Jiang Pengji: “…”
This Wei Ci holds a grudge, doesn’t he? Clearly, there’s some history between them!
When it comes to her combat power, she could smash Cheng’an County’s gates all by herself, no need for dozens of soldiers to smash it with a huge log.
Seeing those soldiers struggling to ram the door, Jiang Pengji almost wanted to shove them aside to let them witness what true strength looks like, yet Wei Ci and Xu Ke, these two frail scholars, stood to either side, preventing her from doing anything reckless.
The resentment she harbored seemed to penetrate through the livestream screen, leaving the audience in stitches.
Some viewers kindly laughed it off, while others mischievously sent comments mocking her.
【Mian Mian】: Hahaha, Ms. Ci and Xu Ke are doing great! The anchor acting all high and mighty needs some discipline!
【Ginseng Bitter Taste】: Sigh, even through the screen, I can feel the anchor’s resentment shooting up to the clouds. Forcing someone who can’t sit still to stay in the command tent, those strategists are really cruel. It’s like keeping my Husky from going for a walk…
【World and Defeat】: Hahaha, that metaphor is spot on! You’re pretty harsh too; Huskies are so adorable, why treat it like that?
【Durian Cake】: Huskies, nicknamed “Yours Truly.” How fitting it is for the anchor’s image! The two strategists must not let the anchor have her way. Once she’s on the battlefield, who knows if she’ll even come back? One moment of leniency could lead to countless more!
I don’t know what struck the viewers in this livestream, but after the title “Jiang the Skinner,” the fan club also picked up the nickname “Husky.” But thinking about it, that nickname is truly accurate; they both love to roam.
Poor Jiang Pengji can’t make it to the battlefield, while those in battle tirelessly pursue the Green Garment Army.
Due to the Green Garment Army’s rampant brutality, all the common people in Cheng’an County who could escape had fled, and those who remained were the old, weak, ill, and disabled.
A small number couldn’t endure the harsh winter and, one cold morning, were found to be frozen and lifeless.
The surviving townsfolk still had to endure hunger threats and the harsh treatment of the Green Garment Army, their lives filled with hardship.
Unless absolutely necessary, these people wouldn’t easily open their doors. So when Jiang Pengji’s soldiers stormed into Cheng’an County, the streets were filled with tightly shut doors. Some of the houses had collapsed during the earthquakes in the capital, with no repairs made, leaving the entire street desolate.
It wasn’t just here; other areas too. The entire Cheng’an County seemed like a ghost town, sending chills down one’s spine.
Of course, for the soldiers, this situation was the best.
Why?
Because there were military orders in the camp, and every soldier had to memorize them, able to recite them backwards.
Among them was the decree stating, “During city sieges, soldiers must not disturb, loot, or kill innocent people…” with hundreds of such prohibitions. Different violations carry varying degrees of punishment.
Though unique circumstances allowed for unique responses, it also gave room for mischief, creating trouble that’s hard to deal with.
With the streets now quiet, it greatly aided the soldiers, who quickly advanced to the inner city, slaying the drunken Green Garment soldiers left and right. Many were still lost in the pleasures of drunkenness, unable to react even as they met their demise.
The Green Garment Army loved to indulge, having committed many acts of arson, robbery, and pillaging.
If that wasn’t enough, they also forcibly conscripted “military prostitutes,” bringing respectable women into the brothels to serve the Green Garment Army.
This “brothel” was located in the inner city, and when the soldiers broke through, they were immediately stunned by the scenes within.
What lay before them was a row of thatched cottages, where one row contained over twenty huts, each independent, with a naked woman tied inside each one by a thick hemp rope around her neck. In one corner lay dirty plates with flies buzzing above, and most of the women huddled in a corner of the huts, resembling dogs in doghouses.
Jiang Nongqin’s cold, hoarse voice carried a terrifying anger.
“All male soldiers, leave immediately! Those who disobey will be dealt with according to military law!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, dozens of blood-soaked female soldiers swiftly took over the “brothel,” each wielding a long spear with indifferent expressions, clearing out the drunken Green Garment soldiers mercilessly tossing their corpses aside, while also driving away their male comrades.
Jiang Nongqin didn’t distrust her fellow soldiers; she just didn’t trust men.
Some soldiers indeed felt stirred by the bodies of those women, but with the fires of battle still raging and female soldiers watching closely, the female camp officer Jiang Nongqin remained on guard, and thinking of the military prohibitions, everyone shivered, their desires faded.
At that moment, a howl akin to a pig being slaughtered attracted everyone’s attention.
A towering giant emerged from one of the cottages, dozens of Green Garment soldiers’ heads hanging from his waist, tied together in a grotesque display that made everyone’s skin crawl… Even more, they noticed his palm, the size of a fan, seemed to be holding something, and as they craned their necks for a look, they realized it was a soldier who had lost his trousers, exposing his private parts.
Jiang Nongqin’s face turned ashen, the giant casually tossed the soldier out like he was garbage.
The soldier rolled on the ground a few times before stopping, feeling like every bone in his body was shattered.
“This person has committed the grave crime of adultery; according to the law, he shall be executed in front of the whole army,” the giant said coolly.
Jiang Nongqin tightened her grip on the knife at her waist.
If it weren’t for military law, she would’ve chopped that soldier to pieces herself.
“I-I didn’t do it…”
The soldier, dazed and hearing a ringing in his ears, couldn’t help but defend himself a bit.
