After pacifying the three children, she finally had time to explain the whole story to everyone.
After listening to the Princess's narration, Shi Haoming pointed westward with a furious expression and cursed, "You scoundrels! If it weren't for the Prince back then, your small tribe would have been conquered. Now, you've repaid kindness with enmity, turning against us. How dare you kidnap the Princess and use the Prince's life as a threat! Killing such villains a thousand times over wouldn't satisfy my hatred."
Zhao Jiaqi, sitting in a chair, was silent for a moment before saying, "First, rescue the Prince and the others. Second, capture all the spies from the Axi tribe who are still here by any means necessary. Third, attack the Axi tribe and expand the territory of Yun Kingdom."
Shi Haoming heard this and raised his eyebrows slightly. Knowing the Princess's character, he knew she wouldn't be helping Huangfu Xi conquer territories for no reason. He asked, "Does the Princess mean we'll notify the Emperor about this attack on the Axi tribe?"
Zhao Jiaqi nodded, "Yes, and to buy time, to give the special forces some time to completely rescue the Prince and the others."
Yu Meng, hearing that her father was still being held as a hostage by those people, felt immense anger, her clenched fists never loosening.
After everyone dispersed, the three children stayed behind.
Yu Meng, heartbroken for her father, her eyes welling up with tears, gritted her teeth and said, "Mother, I want to go rescue Father. I want to be a marshal and lead troops to attack A Le and avenge Father."
Looking at her daughter's angry face, she shook her head gently, refusing, "This time, let your master be the commander. You'll be his deputy. Victory and defeat on the battlefield are decided in a single thought, with too many variables and unpredictable factors. Mother doesn't want you to get hurt, only hopes you gain more experience."
Yu Meng didn't see it that way, "I've learned from Master for several years, and I naturally understand the meanings of 'all warfare is based on deception.' But that's all theoretical. Even when we practice against each other, it's just posturing. To actually be on the battlefield, that's where the swords clash and the best learning opportunities lie. Besides, I've already learned all the formations. Without actual combat, no matter how proficient I am, it's just empty talk."
"Mother, in your eyes, I'm still a child. But in the eyes of those soldiers, I am already a young general." Yu Meng paused, tugged at Zhao Jiaqi's sleeve, and whispered, "I've grown up. I can complete tasks independently. If Mother worries I'm not competent enough, you can have Master supervise me."
"If I don't do well, or if my orders are wrong, Master can correct me on the spot. Mother, please?"
Seeing her mother's expression soften, Yu Meng continued to persuade, "Mother, I've been with the Special Commander and those special forces soldiers in the deep mountains for two months. I'm practically a wild person. If you threw me on a mountain now, I wouldn't starve. I've learned all the necessary skills. Truly, you can ask the Special Commander. He even praised me for being diligent."
Faced with her daughter's earnest pleading, Zhao Jiaqi couldn't bear to refuse any longer. As she said, in parents' eyes, children are always children, no matter how old. But in the eyes of others, even the youngest can be adults.
"Then you promise Mother, you must protect yourself. If you encounter something you don't know or are unsure about, you must ask your Master what to do. Don't underestimate yourself. Do you understand what Mother means?"
Yu Meng grinned, nodding happily like a child, and readily agreed, "Mother, I understand. Don't worry, you just stay here and wait for Father to come back and pick you up."
After saying that, she happily ran out of the tent to discuss strategy with her master, Shi Haoming.
Inside the tent, Sen Sen and Yao Yao were not as optimistic as their sister. The two children stayed by her side, one on each side.
Sen Sen: "Mother, don't worry. Father will definitely return safely. Father is such a good person, he'll be fine."
Yao Yao: "Father has good fortune on his side. Mother need not worry."
Zhao Jiaqi stroked the children's heads and smiled faintly, then comforted them, "You two don't need to worry either. Your Father is relatively safe for now. A Le won't hurt your Father. Since you two don't understand military affairs, you are not allowed to wander off. Stay in the camp until your Father returns."
The two nodded in unison. They both knew they weren't as capable in this area as their sister and naturally wouldn't go to help and cause trouble.
In the following days, the decoy in the Binyue Inn continued to pretend to be ill, with Su Ya and the Gan sisters taking meticulous care of him. Meanwhile, Zhao Jiaqi was in the military camp, researching with General Shi and some deputy generals on how to attack the Axi tribe.
At the same time, a group of special soldiers quickly found the place where Fan Zehao was imprisoned and successfully rescued them. However, during their escape, they were discovered by the guards. After a fierce battle, they still sustained some injuries.
Upon their return to Yun Kingdom, they immediately notified Zhao Jiaqi. The arranged troops were mobilized, and supplies were sent to the border within two days.
After receiving a letter from the Princess, Su Ya, in conjunction with the decoys left behind, captured the carriage driver. Following the trail, they also apprehended several spies who had met with the driver.
Suburban Military Camp of Jinzhou City
Zhao Jiaqi, led by Yu Meng, followed Shi Haoming and the Special Commander to a flat area in the woods. The Special Commander took out a dark, unremarkable object and threw it onto the flat ground. Instantly, flames erupted, dust flew, and after a rumbling sound, a large pit appeared on the ground. Thumb-thick branches were scattered all around, and withered leaves slowly drifted down from the sky.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi was first surprised, then burst into laughter, exclaiming with delight, "The bombs have been successfully developed! This is wonderful. This war should be over soon."
The Special Commander also grinned. However, he thought of the casualties during the research phase when someone had been careless with the device and was blasted into the sky. He felt a pang of sadness, as they likely never expected this thing to be so deadly.
"The pharmaceutical workshop is currently working around the clock to produce them. The completed ones have already been sent to the border. We're just waiting for the commander's order to launch a full-scale annihilation."
Yu Meng touched her rapidly beating heart and exclaimed, "Mother, this thing is much more useful than long swords and sabers! One of these can blow away a whole group. With a saber, you'd need several strikes. This is great, I love it."
Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but twitch her mouth a few times. Her daughter's preferences were indeed unusual.
"General Shi, for this expedition, I entrust Meng Meng to you. Let her learn from you about the experience of warfare."
Shi Haoming cupped his hands towards her and replied earnestly, "Princess, rest assured. Your subordinate will personally teach her, and I will absolutely not fail your trust in me."
Zhao Jiaqi lightly supported him, and they exchanged a smile.
Not long after, Huangfu Xi led a large army to the border. Before any fighting had begun, three armies had already assembled on the border of the Axi tribe. Over two hundred thousand troops were amassed there, glaring menacingly at them.