Chapter 127 - 38: The Slacker Princess Refuses to Be Cannon Fodder

Now that Jiang Xiong is leading his troops there, his most trusted ally, Jiang Ling, is actually the leader of the enemy camp. This battle is destined to be a loss.

Jiang Lai thought about it, still feeling a bit of a headache.

It’s too troublesome, just kill Jiang Ling and then commit suicide to end it all; this shouldn’t count as a violation, right?

"Don’t even think about it, during the mission the male protagonist absolutely cannot die, that’s a strict rule, so don’t even consider it."

If Jiang Lai wanted to kill Jiang Ling now, it’d be all too easy.

After all, Jiang Ling is utterly obsessed and infatuated with her, and Jiang Lai is so cunning. If anyone were to die, it surely would be Jiang Ling.

But what can be done now?

Jiang Ling’s trap is already set, just waiting for Jiang Xiong to walk right into it for a total capture.

In the end, Heng Country directly loses two generals, and Jiang Ling will use the Commander’s Seal to lead Chu Country’s army to counterattack Heng Country. The finale will be the same as the original storyline, and sooner or later Jiang Ling will unite all countries.

Little Buding was worried to the point of malfunctioning.

Because no matter how you look at it now, Jiang Lai is doomed.

"Tell me, what to do next?"

"Wait, wait for him to make the first move."

The troops migrated to the border of Chu Country, with their back against a gorge-like large river. As they approached, they heard the deafening turbulent sound of the river plunging from high above, the splatter of cold water creating a unique spectacle.

The night before the battle, Zhao Hu kept rubbing his spear.

He isn’t really suited for such long-distance combat weapons, because the man’s vision is not very good. Once on the battlefield, it’s mostly indiscriminate attacks; the only way to distinguish friend from foe is by the color of the armor.

The domestic armor is generally white and gray, while the Chu rebel’s armor is black bamboo. Zhao Hu had to make sure of this the day before the battle, what color his own side was, and what color the enemy was.

Jiang Lai patted his shoulder and told him.

"The other day, I overheard the Great General say that this internal battle is very important. Those who perform outstandingly will be directly promoted to lead troops, this is a great opportunity not to be missed."

Zhao Hu’s eyes lit up as expected, and he eagerly asked.

"What exactly is considered performing outstandingly?"

"No matter how many small soldiers you kill, it’s not as impressive as killing a general. The generals wear black clothes and military hats with red tail feathers, easy to recognize."

Zhao Hu silently remembered, rubbing his fist, eager for action, continued to polish his weapon while muttering.

"General, General, General..."

In bed at night, Jiang Lai didn’t forget to chant in his ear.

"General, General, kill the general for meritorious service, go back and marry a pretty wife."

"Pretty... wife..."

——

That night, Jiang Lai proactively swapped patrol duties with others, standing outside the main tent listening to the sounds inside. After the people inside finished discussing and left, she secretly tossed a lit incense pill into the tent, waited a moment, then sneaked in, relying on Little Buding’s guidance to quickly find the bed.

Jiang Xiong was already unconscious, yet he still held something in his hand. Upon looking closely at it, Jiang Lai realized it was the incense bag she had given him.

The old guy is quite decent, having served loyally to Your Majesty all his life, protecting his family with diligence; he truly doesn’t deserve to die miserably on the battlefield.

As she said this, Jiang Lai poured something into his mouth, after consuming it, she untied the bandage on his wound and sprinkled some medicinal powder on it.

After handling everything, she wrapped him up again and quietly left, standing outside to continue the night watch.

The next day, the war drums sounded, Jiang Xiong led his troops charging towards the city gates, shouting aloud.

"Take the gates!!"

Morale soared, the small Chu Country seemed like something within grasp before the two mighty generals, especially since these were merely Chu Country’s rebels.

Zhao Hu on the battlefield was like a changed man, becoming exceedingly fierce and brave, fearlessly advancing.

The spear in his hands didn’t hinder his performance; although he couldn’t see the faces of the people opposite him, if the colors didn’t match, he would slash or jab without hesitation.

At this moment, Jiang Xiong, already leading troops and encircling below the city wall, was locked in a fierce battle with the opposing main general. After a round, the opponent was defeated and fled on horseback, Jiang Xiong seized the advantage to pursue, drawing an arrow from the horseback aiming at the main general. As the arrow was about to hit, an arrow flew from the side, knocking his arrow down.

Jiang Xiong turned to see the person riding towards him was Jiang Ling.

He widened his eyes in disbelief, yelling harshly.

"Ling!! What are you doing?!"

Jiang Ling held a longsword, his eyes coldly fixed on Jiang Xiong, the enemy troops passing by him without attacking, seeing this, Jiang Xiong instantly guessed a few things, but he still thought that Jiang Ling had betrayed.

"Ling, Da Heng treated both of us well, why are you... why did you lose your mind!"

Jiang Ling coldly looked at him, a mocking smile hanging from his lips.

"Jiang Xiong, do you remember what happened under this wall twelve years ago?"

Jiang Ling pointed to the gate behind him, with enemy troops behind him waiting silently, evidently awaiting his next order.

Jiang Xiong’s hand holding the bow trembled slightly, clutching his chest, he pointed at Jiang Ling’s face.

"You... who exactly are you?"

"I am your son Jiang Ling, also the Crown Prince of the previous dynasty, Emperor Xiu of Chu, the son of the Chu Emperor and Queen whom you slaughtered; the only surviving child of the former Chu Imperial Family.

Jiang Xiong, it was right here beneath this wall that you killed my father, executed my mother along with my siblings. That day I crawled out of a mountain of corpses and blood, alive only for the sole purpose of avenging them someday."

Jiang Ling laughed heartily, aiming his sword at Jiang Xiong’s chest.

"Jiang Xiong, it’s time you paid the price."

Jiang Xiong looked at him, and after extreme shock and disbelief, all that remained was endless anger and disappointment.

The child he loved like his own, whom he trained, now only wants to kill him.

His heart felt like a piece had been gouged out, making breathing extraordinarily difficult; the scene before him grew hazy. He pointed at Jiang Ling, cursing through gritted teeth.

"You ungrateful thing! All these years I didn’t realize I was keeping a wolf by my side, always looking to devour me... Jiang Ling, do you really think you’ve succeeded now? Do you really think you’re going to overturn the world?!"

Jiang Ling smiled slightly, raised his hand, pulling open a scroll revealing a painting on it.

The scroll appeared pale and smooth, its texture under the sunlight reminiscent of skin.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiong’s eyes bulged instantly, he almost gritted his teeth to pieces, his body went limp and he fell to the ground unexpectedly, kneeling like he had been drained of life, dark red blood seeping from his mouth.

"Lai Lai... my Lai Lai... how could you..."

Seeing him like this, Jiang Ling didn’t feel as gratified as he had imagined.