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墨書 Inktalez
In the tent, Shen Muqing listened intently to Xia Muxin's words. This strange woman was still angry about Yan Zhouwan, and the thought that she would soon be his sister-in-law made him feel overwhelmed. He glanced at Shen Muhan, who wore a smile at the corner of his mouth, and coldly reproached him.
Upon hearing this, Shen Muhan raised an eyebrow, a hint of indulgence flickering in his eyes. After a moment, he replied leisurely, "Discipline? Don't you think that's what makes her attractive? She's unique, isn't she?"
Shen Muqing stared at him as if he were a monster. After a long pause, the corners of his mouth twitched. "Crazy!"
Shen Muhan shrugged nonchalantly. Whether she was crazy or foolish didn't matter as long as Muxin liked her.
When he and Shen Muqing finished their tasks and stepped out of the tent, Xia Muxin had just wrapped up her conversation with Ming Yi. However, she wore an unhappy expression, as if someone owed her a fortune. Pouting, she gazed into the distance while furiously snapping off branches, stripping them of their tender leaves.
Shen Muhan's appearance was undoubtedly a relief for Ming Yi, who silently bowed to him in resignation. It wasn't until Shen Muhan signaled him to leave with a glance that Ming Yi's expression changed, and he quickly departed.
"What's wrong? You look so gloomy," Shen Muhan said as he approached Xia Muxin, gently taking the injured branch from her hands.
"Uncle, I heard that our current situation is very unfavorable. The Five Nations are surrounding us from all sides, blocking all exits. They aren't launching an attack but also aren't sending any reinforcements. Their goal is to starve us out. Even if this war doesn't escalate, we will ultimately be defeated."
Xia Muxin analyzed the situation based on what she had just learned. She suspected this was also why Shen Muhan had brought her here; his movements had likely been detected by the enemy. If he returned directly to Zhushan County, he would surely fall into an ambush along the way. Even if he wasn't the former Regent or a general, he was still feared by other nations. Taking advantage of this opportunity to eliminate him would surely be seen as a significant achievement.
Smart as she was, Shen Muhan knew that nothing could be hidden from her, so there was no need to conceal anything. She nodded calmly.
"Well then... after discussing for so long, have you come up with a strategy?"
"Our troops and supplies are limited here. Moreover, this is Linshan County, a small county that was once abandoned due to war. They have forced Mu Qing into this place, waiting for him to bring about his own demise. The routes leading to Zhushan or the capital have all been blocked by them; the only way left is to come here."
Xia Muxin clenched her teeth in anger.
"Despicable! These people are truly despicable. How long can our supplies last now?"
"Less than two months."
With supplies lasting less than two months and so many injured soldiers, all escape routes blocked, and considering this abandoned small county was almost like a dead city, it could be summed up in four words: lacking food and medicine.
"How many soldiers are currently besieging us?"
"Mu Qing led an army of one hundred thousand into battle, but he brought twenty thousand ahead of time. On the way, they were ambushed by the enemy, and now only fifteen thousand are intact. There are three thousand six hundred injured and fourteen hundred casualties. The remaining eighty thousand will probably not make it."
With five countries combined having over four hundred thousand troops, even if those eighty thousand fought ten to one, they wouldn't be able to defeat the enemy.
Xia Muxin's eyes widened suddenly as she gestured with her hands—fifteen thousand against four hundred thousand...
Oh no...
"Uncle, aren't we just here to die?"
"Are you scared?"
"Isn't it fine with you here?"
"Fool..."
After a long and tiring journey, this meal was quite exceptional. Xia Muxin devoured her food, finishing three large bowls of rice and two bowls of fish soup before tossing her last bowl aside.
"I'm full; you all take your time eating." With that, she yawned, stretched lazily, and added, "I'm exhausted. I'm going to rest first. Uncle, you stay here and discuss strategies with everyone. I want to sleep alone."
With that, she vanished from sight.
"Is this how she should behave?"
At the dining table, the others had not yet left. Rong Li looked at the empty pot, which was scraped clean, and said in surprise.
No matter what, he was now part of the besieged group. In the past, he might not have cared about such matters, but now that his mother was involved, he had to pay attention. Besides, they were somewhat aware of the situation; after all, Qi Nation was also involved. That day in the palace, his father had mentioned it to him and even showed him a rough map. Coming here had been his suggestion after waking up.
However, Xia Muxin's calm demeanor was too much for him to comprehend. He had always known she was different, but he never expected her resilience to surpass that of ordinary people. It wasn't necessary for her to cry every day in fear, but surely she should show some signs of tension and helplessness.
At that moment, he suddenly realized that he was the one who was most unsettled because Qingyue's words made him want to spit blood.
"Damn it! How can that woman eat so much? I've only had half a bowl!"
Qingyue angrily tipped over the pot, but not a single grain of rice fell out. Her beautiful eyes were wide with disbelief as she exclaimed.
Shen Muqing turned her gaze directly towards Shen Muhan, who calmly wiped his nose and took a few sips of tea.
Wasn't it just a few bowls of rice? Was there really a need to make such a fuss?
“Shen Muhan, my soldiers are now limited to one and a half bowls of food per meal. Is your woman so gluttonous that she’s asking for trouble? If not, you might as well send her away. After all, they are after us; with a little disguise, she could easily slip by unnoticed.”
Shen Muhan was indulging her too much, and it was becoming outrageous. Although he sounded petty saying this, the situation was special. Everyone needed to know that a girl shouldn’t be eating so much at every meal; otherwise, it would only stir up more dissatisfaction.
Moreover, things were already like this. Some soldiers were feeling overwhelmed; just the day before, a few had even thought about escaping but were caught and severely punished.
“I won’t let her take such risks again.”
Shen Muhan shot a cold glance at everyone before turning to leave.
“Uncle, your brother is really cold-blooded.”
Back in the tent, Xia Muxin hadn’t rested; instead, she sat at the head of the bed, propping her chin on her hands and her eyes darting around. When she saw Shen Muhan enter, she began to complain.
“You heard everything. Be good and don’t argue with the small-minded.”
“Uncle, you could have escaped, but you couldn’t bear to see Shen Muqing die, nor could you abandon those more than ten thousand lives full of passion. That’s why you stayed, right?”
Shen Muhan smiled helplessly and pinched Xia Muxin's delicate nose affectionately.
“You little girl, nothing escapes your notice.” After a pause, he added, “That’s one reason. The other is that I want to see if Your Majesty of the Qi Kingdom will truly sacrifice his consort and son.”
"Then what now?"
She had actually thought about this when she first learned of their dire situation, but ultimately dismissed it. Now, she was curious to hear Shen Muhan's perspective.
"It is certain now that he will definitely kill. Otherwise, our journey wouldn't have been so smooth. His goal is to force us here while also pushing his wife and child into a corner."
Upon hearing this, Xia Muxin fell silent.
The most ruthless of all is the imperial family.
"Girl, don't you have a plan as well? Care to share it for reference?"
Her little thoughts could not escape his keen observation; in truth, he was more interested in knowing what her plan was.
Moreover, she had always been quirky, her ideas and actions were not only astonishing but also unheard of and unseen.
Xia Muxin paused for a moment at his words, then let out a few dry laughs. Seeing Shen Muhan waiting for her response, she said:
"My plan is that we will divide our tasks moving forward. You handle your matters, and I’ll arrange mine. But let me make it clear: if I ask you for people, you cannot refuse."
What a joke! Would she just sit around and wait for death? That was not Xia Muxin's style. Besides, who was Shen Muhan? He would never sit idly by; he must have already made plans. Otherwise, with his temperament, he would have sent her away long ago.
"As long as it doesn't involve going back to be a Husband, I will agree to anything you say."
Shen Muhan rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a long time before leaning closer to her and said in a charming voice.
"This is urgent, and you're still not serious."
Xia Muxin shot him a glare, pushing away his approaching lips with one hand. Annoyed, she pulled the blanket over her head and went to sleep.
Shen Muhan, however, lovingly tucked the blanket around her and said softly, "Alright, get some rest. I have things to take care of, so I'll be busy for a while."
From under the blanket, Xia Muxin's muffled voice came out, "Okay, just don't stay up too late."
The next morning, Xia Muxin woke up early. It seemed Shen Muhan hadn't come to sleep last night because there was no trace of his scent in the thin blanket. She felt a pang of disappointment in her heart, worried about his well-being.
After getting dressed, she noticed several soldiers carrying back some injured comrades.
"What happened? Did the enemy attack?"
- End of Chapter -
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