"Will you still doubt me in the future?" Hua Jing asked in a soft voice.
Helian Zhen picked her up and placed her on the bed. "Would you ever lie to me?"
"I would," Hua Jing replied without hesitation. Helian Zhen looked at her, but she showed no sign of fear. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and said proudly, "I didn't turn that ruby into jewelry not because of the craftsman's skills, but because..."
"That dagger was the first gift you ever gave me."
Helian Zhen was taken aback. His heart skipped a beat at her words. He let out a soft laugh and reached out to pinch her tender cheek. "How dare you lie to me! Let's see how I'll teach you a lesson."
Hua Jing burst into laughter as he pounced on her. They soon got entangled in a playful tussle.
When their passion reached its peak, Helian Zhen whispered in her ear, "There will be more gifts like this in the future. No one else will have them. Only you."
Hua Jing suddenly opened her eyes.
A few days later, after the troops had rested, Helian Zhen launched another attack on the city.
He preferred to launch his attacks at night, catching the Central Plains soldiers off guard.
The fire illuminated half the sky.
A group of soldiers climbed up a hill. The leader glanced at the patrolling soldiers in the city and asked, "Is that where they store the supplies?"
The soldier behind him nodded and lowered his voice. "I've scouted the area myself for a long time. Every time it's mealtime, they always come here to get food. I'm sure this is the right place."
The leader nodded and narrowed his eyes. "Ready your bows and light the arrows!"
Didn't the Central Plains people always say they'd return the favor?
Well, now it was their turn to taste the bitter fruit of having their supplies secretly burned!
With that, a flaming arrow shot towards the city.
As the fire raged, the Central Plains soldiers panicked and ran in all directions. Only then did the leader let out a cold laugh and waved his hand. "Retreat!"
Inside the city, Chen Xuan heard the commotion outside. He got out of bed and asked his adjutant at the door, "What's going on?"
The adjutant excused himself from the conversation and replied, "It's nothing, General. The Xiongnu set fire to our supplies, but luckily, the Crown Prince had most of them secretly transferred. What was left there was just a decoy. There's no significant loss."
Chen Xuan burst into laughter upon hearing this. He shrugged his shoulders, closed the door, and sauntered back to his bed.
Chen Tingfeng was a smart cookie. How could he not have anticipated the Xiongnu's retaliation after burning their supplies?
Outside the city, the battle raged on. Helian Zhen wanted to go after Chen Tingfeng, but he couldn't get close to him no matter how hard he tried.
Every time he tried to launch a sneak attack from behind, an arrow would come out of nowhere, as if the enemy had eyes on the back of their heads.
Helian Zhen was furious. He slit the throat of a Central Plains soldier beside him.
He didn't gain any advantage in this battle.
Inside the tent, Hua Jing sat on the bed, absent-mindedly running her fingers through her hair.
Suddenly, she heard a bird chirping.
She rolled her eyes and walked out of the tent. To her surprise, an arrow shot through her skirt and landed at her feet, burying itself deep in the ground.
"My lady, be careful!"
The Xiongnu soldiers immediately surrounded her.
Hua Jing covered her chest, seemingly shocked by the sudden incident. But she had a fiery temper. After the initial shock, she was enraged. She stomped on the arrow, breaking it in half. Her skirt covered the broken arrowhead, making it impossible to see what was underneath.
Everyone knew her temper well. They didn't dare to stay in front of her any longer. They picked up the broken arrow and retreated.
One soldier couldn't help but look back. He saw her crouching down, as if lamenting the torn skirt. She moved her hand over it and then walked into the tent.
He didn't dare to look any further. He lowered his head and walked away in a hurry.
Inside the tent.
Hua Jing took out the note from the arrow and read it. It said two words: "Act in the next battle."
The neat handwriting clearly wasn't written by that clumsy oaf.
Her heart skipped a beat. She crumpled the note into a ball and burned it on the oil lamp.
Thinking of how Helian Zhen had been so obedient to her these days, a hint of hesitation flashed across her eyes.
After a while, she clenched her skirt tightly and closed her eyes, finally making up her mind.
The battle lasted for most of the night. It wasn't until dawn that both sides called a truce to rest.
Helian Zhen strode back to the tent. On the way, a soldier stopped him and told him about the sneak attack. His expression changed, and he quickened his pace. He lifted the curtain and rushed in.
"Xiaojing'er!"
Hua Jing was just walking out. They bumped into each other.
"Ouch!" Hua Jing's nose hit his armor, and it immediately turned red. Her nose twitched, and tears welled up in her eyes. She was furious. She reached out and slapped him. "It hurts so much! Can't you watch where you're going?"
Helian Zhen carried her inside and looked her up and down nervously. "I heard there was a sneak attack, so I rushed back in a hurry. Are you hurt?"
Hua Jing pouted and looked aggrieved. "Your gift to me, my skirt, is damaged."
Helian Zhen looked down and saw a hole in her skirt.
He let out a sigh of relief. "It's just a skirt. I'll buy you many more when we get back. As long as you're not hurt, that's all that matters."
Hua Jing shook her head and looked at him. "What about you? The battle outside seemed fierce. Are you hurt?"
Mentioning this, Helian Zhen's expression darkened. "I'm not hurt, but I didn't gain any advantage either."
The Chen father and son were indeed skilled in military strategy. He had always relied on brute force in battles. He had always won by overpowering his enemies. But these two were much more skilled in military strategy than the previous opponents. With the same number of troops, he just couldn't break through their defenses. The more he fought, the angrier he became.
He couldn't go on like this.
Thinking of the message he received from the capital, his eyes darkened.
Hua Jing thought for a moment. "Can't we use fire attacks?"
Helian Zhen shook his head. "The city is backed by a mountain, while our position is flat. If we use fire attacks, we might end up hurting ourselves instead."
"Then how about a sneak attack?" Hua Jing tilted her head. "We can go around to the back and set fire first, and then attack from the front. They'll be caught between two fires. It's better than a frontal attack."
Helian Zhen laughed at her naivety. "We tried to sneak around and burn their supplies tonight, but we fell into a trap. It was just a decoy. They even sent people to patrol the hill and filled the loophole."
He let out a sigh. "As long as Chen Tingfeng is alive, it'll be difficult to capture this city."
It was the Crown Prince's fault for being so useless. If he couldn't make good use of such a talented person, he should have killed him earlier.
Now, he had to deal with this difficult opponent himself, which only added to his difficulties.
Helian Zhen's hatred was boiling over. Once he captured the capital, the Crown Prince would be of no use to him. He would cut off his head to avenge his dead brothers.
Hua Jing rubbed his head and comforted him. "I'm not as knowledgeable as you, but I'm strong enough. I'll go to the battlefield with you tomorrow."
Helian Zhen frowned and scolded her. "Stop being silly!"
"I'm not being silly!" Hua Jing withdrew her hand and nestled in his arms. She let out a huff. "Is there any place safer than by your side? I stayed in the tent obediently tonight, and an arrow almost killed me. What if the same thing happens again tomorrow when you're out? You might come back to find my cold body!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Helian Zhen pinched her cheek. "The battlefield is a dangerous place. When the battle starts, how can I spare the time to take care of you? Stop being so stubborn. I'll assign someone to guard the tent tomorrow. No one will be able to sneak in again."
Seeing his determination, Hua Jing pouted and sulked. "You stink! Go take a bath. I don't want you to hold me!"
Helian Zhen picked her up and buried his head in her neck. He kissed her twice. Seeing her disgusted expression, he wasn't angry at all. He smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble my lady to accompany me for a bath and a change of clothes."