From cute to empress

Chapter 117 Victory in the first battle

"Report—" A soldier covered in blood stumbled over, "Report, General, the enemy...the enemy..."

"What are you panicking about?" Zhen Youcai shouted harshly. The soldier shuddered with fear, his voice trembling. "I don't know what kind of evil magic the enemy has used. Our soldiers... are a little confused, as if possessed by a demon!"

Startled, I immediately unfolded the map in my hand and examined it carefully by the light of the fire. I saw that the enemy's formation was strange, forming a faint, eerie pattern. Our soldiers, despite being numerous, were running around like headless flies, many even attacking friendly forces.

"Oh no! This is barbarian witchcraft!" I said solemnly. "It seems this barbarian leader wants to disrupt the morale of our army and then defeat them one by one!"

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Zhen Youcai frowned, his eyes full of worry.

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, pointed to several locations on the map, and said in a deep voice, "Pass the order down. Instruct the soldiers of all three armies to cover their mouths and noses with cloth strips to prevent them from inhaling any smoke or dust from the battlefield! Also, tell the soldiers not to linger in the fight. Fight while retreating and lure the enemy to the valley entrance!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" A hint of admiration flashed in Zhen Youcai's eyes, and he immediately turned around to convey the order.

I dismounted, handed the reins to the guard behind me, drew the sword from my waist, and said with a determined look, "Today, I will show this barbarian what it means to be the ruler of a country!"

The drums of war roared again, deafening. Our soldiers, led by Zhen Youcai, charged forward like a tiger descending a mountain. Zhen Youcai's silver armor gleamed in the sunlight, his spear like a silver dragon, crushing the enemy wherever he passed.

"Kill! For Dayan! For His Majesty!" The soldiers roared, their voices shaking the earth. Our army's morale was greatly boosted, and the originally chaotic formation gradually returned to order.

Standing high above, I observed the situation on the battlefield, feeling a sense of relief. It seemed Zhen Youcai's bravery had indeed boosted morale, and the enemy's offensive was gradually being contained.

I turned to look at General Wang and said in a deep voice, "General Wang, it's your turn..." General Wang clasped his fists in acceptance, his eyes gleaming as he quickly disappeared into the night with a team of elite soldiers. I watched them go, silently praying, "General Wang, please don't let me down."

The beating of drums, shouts of killing, the clashing of weapons—all these sounds intertwined, exploding in my ears like thunder. I gripped the sword at my waist tightly, trying not to be affected by the chaos before me.

"Your Majesty, the enemy commander has appeared!" The maid beside him pointed at the figure on the distant platform, with a hint of panic in her tone.

I followed her finger and saw a sturdy man in black armor, holding a mace. Standing on a high platform, his scarlet eyes scanned the battlefield like a hungry wolf stalking its prey. Every time he swung the mace, several of our soldiers fell. His bravery was extraordinary.

"That's the barbarian leader!" I recognized him instantly, my heart sinking. "Pass the order, archers, prepare, target—the enemy leader!"

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of archers quickly gathered, drew their bows and arrows, and aimed at the barbarian leader in the distance.

"put!"

At my command, a hail of arrows shot towards the barbarian leader like locusts. However, the barbarian leader seemed to have eyes behind him, wielding his mace and blocking all the arrows fired at him.

"Damn it!" I cursed inwardly. This barbarian leader really has some skills. It seems that archers alone cannot hurt him at all.

Just then, there was a sudden commotion on the battlefield. I looked closely and saw a new enemy force appearing on the right side of our formation. They were few in number, but each one was brave and skilled in fighting. They wielded sharp blades and plunged into our formation like a sharp knife.

"It's the elite barbarian troops!" I was shocked and immediately realized that this was the enemy's last resort. "Pass the order down, tell General Wang to attack quickly and make sure to intercept the enemy's elite troops midway!"

"Your Majesty, there is no news yet from General Wang..." the maid said with some concern.

"It's too late!" I ordered decisively, "Send the reserve troops forward and hold them back at all costs!"

"Yes!" The maid took the order and left, while I stared intently at the battlefield, my heart pounding with anxiety. "General Wang, where are you?" Time seemed stretched, each breath stretching like a century. The reserves fought desperately, but were unable to halt the advance of the enemy's elite troops. Our formation was about to be torn apart.

"Your Majesty, what...what should we do?" The maid's voice was filled with tears. Even I, who usually remain calm in the face of adversity, could not help but feel a little desperate at this moment.

At that moment, a deafening roar of battle erupted from the distance. My spirits perked up, and I quickly looked up to see an army charging into the enemy camp like a divine force descending from the sky, led by none other than Zhen Youcai, riding a white horse and holding a spear!

"Kill!" Zhen Youcai roared, his spear surging like a dragon out of the sea, instantly knocking several enemy soldiers off their horses. The soldiers behind him were also extremely brave, splitting and encircling the enemy's elite troops with unstoppable force.

"It's General Wang! General Wang is here!" the maid exclaimed in surprise.

I heaved a sigh of relief. General Wang had finally arrived! His appearance was like a shot of adrenaline in the midst of a storm. Our army's morale was boosted, and our previously shaky formation stabilized, and we began our counterattack.

I drew the longsword from my waist and shouted, "Soldiers, follow me and charge! Today, we will let the barbarians know that anyone who trespasses on our territory will be punished, no matter how far away they are!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The deafening shouts of killing resounded through the sky, and our soldiers launched a final charge against the enemy like a tiger descending from the mountain.

Under the leadership of Zhen Youcai and General Wang, our army was unstoppable, and the barbarian army was defeated step by step, and finally defeated. Looking at the devastated battlefield before me, I breathed a sigh of relief.

We won this battle!

After the war, I ordered rewards to the three armies to commend the soldiers who fought bravely, and at the same time provided proper resettlement for the wounded soldiers.

"Your Majesty, look..." At the celebration banquet, Zhen Youcai handed me a glass of wine. There was a hint of fatigue on his handsome face, but he could not hide his joy.

I took the wine glass and was about to speak when I suddenly felt a slight vibration from the ground...

I took the wine glass with a smile and took a sip. A sweet and refreshing aroma filled my mouth. "This battle was won thanks to the bravery of General Zhen and General Wang." I raised my glass and saluted the two generals. "I toast to you both!"

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is all my responsibility." General Wang smiled heartily and drank the wine in the glass in a heroic manner.

Zhen Youcai returned the toast, his gaze fixed on the distance, his brow furrowed slightly. I followed his gaze and saw that the once bustling edge of the battlefield was now remarkably silent. The bodies of the barbarian soldiers, once scattered everywhere, were now completely gone.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a low voice, feeling a little uneasy.

Zhen Youcai retracted his gaze and shook his head solemnly: "Nothing, I just feel a little strange..."

"Strange? What's strange about it?" General Wang asked carelessly, his face flushed from drinking.

Zhen Youcai didn't answer, but turned to a deputy general beside him and ordered: "Take a few people to check over there and make sure to find out where the bodies of those barbarian soldiers have gone."

"Yes!" The deputy general took the order and disappeared into the night.

My heart sank inexplicably. Zhen Youcai's intuition has always been accurate. Since he felt something was strange, there must be something wrong.

As the night deepened, the atmosphere of the celebration banquet gradually became somewhat dull. Zhen Youcai and I stood side by side on the city wall, gazing at the dark night sky in the distance. Neither of us spoke.

"Your Majesty..." Zhen Youcai suddenly spoke in a low voice, "I have something to say, but I'm not sure whether I should say it or not."

"You say." I turned my head and looked at his resolute profile.

"I feel... that we won this battle... too easily..." His voice was very soft, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting my heart hard.