Proud Feather

Chapter 1 Lonely City
In the third year of Daxiang Yuanxing, the Northern Hu gathered their troops and marched south, sweeping across the area north of the Yellow River. Wherever they went, they destroyed everything in their path. Officials fled in fear, and soon thousands of miles of land fell into the hands of the Hu people.

But when this invincible foreign army was heading west, it was blocked by a city. It took a whole year to conquer it, but it still failed.

"Useless!" Inside the commander's tent, the fourth prince, Borg, who had been ordered to take over the Western Route Army, looked coldly at the generals. "Just a city and a woman, and you're all stopped? Are you still worthy of being called the most powerful warriors on the grassland?"

The Hu generals lowered their heads and dared not answer.

"Speak! Aren't you usually very capable?"

Amidst the scolding, someone finally spoke up: "Fourth Prince, that's not an ordinary woman. She's the princess of Xiang State, the woman who made Li Mingjin suffer."

"So what? We scared the Xiangguo Emperor so much he fled south!" Borg said. "No matter how powerful she is, she's just one person and one city!"

Yes, no matter how powerful this Princess Xiangguo is, without the support of the court, her retreat has been cut off.

"Don't worry, Fourth Prince!" A general stood up. "The reason Shangyuan was able to hold out for so long is because Princess Xiangguo obtained a large amount of food and military equipment from Li Mingjin. Now they've almost used up all of it. If we attack the city again, she won't be able to hold it!"

"Yes, the Uehara defenders have been very stingy recently. They rarely use catapults, and there are even fewer arrows."

"We captured a prisoner last time. He said there was no food in the city. Even their princess had to eat hard biscuits."

How could Borg not know this? He knew the time had come to capture the city, so he was here to boost their morale and strive to take it in one battle!
"In that case, I'll give you one more chance! Are you confident in attacking the city tomorrow?!"

"Have!"

Borg yelled, "Louder!"

All the generals stood up and responded with a roar: "Yes!"
-
When the Hu people issued the military order, the Princess of Xiangguo, Chu Ling, as they called her, was standing on the top of the city wall and looking out.

Borg was right. After a year of defending Uehara Castle, they were completely out of food and supplies. At first, everyone was able to eat rice, but then they had to eat grain cakes, then bean cakes... If this continued, the war horses would probably be killed for their meat, and even cannibalism would occur.

"Princess, lunch is ready." The palace maid came to report.

Chu Ling gathered his thoughts and followed her into the city wall.

"These are all we have. Please use them for now." The palace servant looked guilty as he brought today's lunch, which was just two bean cakes and a bowl of vegetable soup.

The princesses of Daxiang were known for their extravagance and arrogance, starting with Chu Ling's great-aunt, Emperor Taizong's daughter. "Mountains of wealth, hundreds of birds weaving skirts" were commonplace. And this Princess Jiahe, similarly renowned for her excessive pleasures in her early years, was now reduced to a diet of bean cakes, a testament to the dire state of Shangyuan City.

The bean cakes were originally used to feed war horses. They had a rough texture and were difficult to swallow. Chu Ling forced himself to eat one, and then mixed it with the bitter vegetable soup to barely make himself half full, and then put it down.

When the staff came in, they saw this scene and couldn't help but say, "The princess has suffered."

"Mr. Yan." Chu Ling rinsed his mouth and asked him to sit down. "But is there any news about Wei Lin?"

Wei Lin was the commander of Uehara Castle, and it was thanks to him that they were able to hold out for a year.

But with the enemy in their grasp on all sides and no backup, how long could they hold out? The letter to the capital seeking help received no reply, and with food and supplies running low, Wei Lin was forced to venture out in search of survival.

"Not yet." Yan Xi comforted, "Princess, don't worry. The cold weather will affect the marching speed. General Wei may already be on his way back."

Chu Ling nodded, but his heart was still heavy.

Jingcheng hadn't replied yet, and she knew in her heart that her second brother had abandoned her. Indeed, they were enemies, and her second brother wished she would die outside, so why would he send troops to rescue her?
She could only save herself. Now the only remaining Xiang army capable of fighting was the Xining army. If Wei Lin could find Xining King Xiao Zhen and get his help, Shangyuan City would be saved.

The problem was, with the weather so bad and the situation on the front lines changing so rapidly, who knew what the situation would be like along the way? It was possible that Wei Lin would encounter the Northern Hu army first and be cut off halfway, or it was also possible that heavy snow blocked the road and he would freeze to death.

Even if they successfully found the Xining army, there was no guarantee they would be able to bring in reinforcements. With the war so intense, who knew if King Xining would be able to intervene? King Xining was a distinguished general, but he also suffered from the common flaw of renowned generals: he was overly arrogant and domineering, and might not be willing to come to the rescue.

Chu Ling couldn't help but smile at this thought. She was a haughty princess, and he was a haughty prince; they were quite a match. Daxiang was on the verge of destruction, and yet these two notorious villains were the only ones left on the front lines. Who knew what the loyal and good people would think.

If she had known earlier when her father arranged the marriage for her, she would not have refused. Now that they have joined forces, King Xining will get the troops and she will get the money and food. She will not have to be controlled by others and will definitely be able to drive the Northern Hu out of the country!
"Princess, urgent information! There are unusual movements in the enemy camp!" The garrison commander came in to report.

Yan Xi frowned: "General Wei hasn't come back yet..."

Chu Ling was very calm: "Calculating the time, it's almost time."

Their situation was so dire, how could the enemy army, which had been besieging them for a year, not sense it? Didn't the Northern Hu Khan specially transfer the fourth prince, Borg, here to capture Uehara City as quickly as possible?

The enemy will definitely not wait for them to get reinforcements and will definitely launch a large-scale attack on the city before Wei Lin returns.

Now it seems that it is only these two days.

"Princess, how should we respond?" Yan Xi asked in a low voice.

"Deal with it as usual." Chu Ling said calmly, "Wei Lin left behind a military formation before he left. He knew we would have a tough battle."

"Yes."

The entire Uehara Castle was in motion.

The few remaining defense equipment were pulled to the edge of the city wall. The defenders checked the weapons and armor over and over again. The civilians dug fortifications day and night. Even women and children participated, some cooked, and some carried soil.

Chu Ling was also constantly on patrol. Shangyuan bordered the Western Wei. Last year, she had set a trap and nearly captured the Western Wei ruler, Li Mingjin, forcing him to abandon a warehouse overflowing with weapons and provisions. But by now, it was almost completely depleted.

Yan Xi looked at the giant catapult that was pulled out and sighed, "What a great effort Li Mingjin made. I wonder how many skilled craftsmen were mobilized to build this trolley."

Chu Ling nodded. This car required more than a dozen people to operate simultaneously. If used properly, it would definitely deal a heavy blow to the enemy.
-
The enemy moved faster than they had imagined, and the battle began before dawn.

Borg, the fourth prince of the Northern Hu, personally took charge of the command platform, and a large number of vassal troops were driven to attack the city.

Lives were thrown into the battlefield without value, turning into pools of blood and flesh.

Although the defenders of Daxiang were very brave, the balance of victory gradually shifted towards the Northern Hu.

First the catapults were used up, and then the city walls were scaled.

Seeing the vanguard seize a city wall, Borg shouted loudly: "Warriors of the grassland, do you see that flag? A woman. You have been blocked by a woman for a whole year. Now, go cut down that flag and show that woman what a true warrior is!"

His trusted generals also shouted back, "Prince, wait a moment. I will go and tie that woman up and bring her to you on her knees, begging for mercy!"

Another Hu general said, "I heard that Princess Jiahe is quite pretty. Wouldn't it be a pity to kill such a beauty? Why not let her serve our Fourth Prince? She might even become a princess in the future!"

The generals laughed and joked with each other.

"What princess? She's a prisoner, not even worthy of being called a slave!" "That's right! Xiangguo is finished, what kind of princess is she!"

Borg also laughed: "Once you capture her, I'll give her to you as a reward. You can do whatever you want with her. Now you can vent your anger!"

Following the promise of the Fourth Prince, the Hu generals fought like wolves and tigers and finally captured the city wall, while the Xiang army had to resort to street fighting.

Inside the princess's mansion, Chu Ling stood on the observation tower, watching the flames of war blazing everywhere.

Yan Xi came up and reported: "Princess, the South City has been opened and the people are evacuating."

Chu Ling sighed silently: "Whether they can survive or not depends on their own fate."

Yan Xi hesitated for a moment and said, "If you disguise yourself and blend in, you may not be able to escape."

Chu Ling smiled and said, "Mr. Yan, if I was willing to live, I wouldn't have been demoted in the first place."

Yan Xi was silent. Yes, if the princess hadn't been so stubborn, she wouldn't have come to Shangyuan, they wouldn't have met, and she wouldn't have held off the enemy for a whole year.

The shouting and screaming were getting closer and closer, and Chu Ling couldn't help but think back to his past half life.

When she was fifteen, she never imagined that the rest of her life would be like this.

When her elder brother died unjustly, she argued for his justice, but was accused of being arrogant and wanton, and greedy for pleasure, and was punished to go to Sanqing Temple to reflect on her mistakes.

He refused the marriage proposal and bribed the powerful officials, and was accused of playing power games and rebelling against his superiors. He was demoted to his fiefdom and was not allowed to return to the capital without imperial decree.

When her father passed away, she couldn't even return to Beijing to attend the funeral, until the Northern Hu invaded...

"I wonder what's happening with the Xining Army. Has Wei Lin found them?... With King Xining's abilities, he should be able to hold on..."

She was originally talking to herself, but an unfamiliar response came from below: "Prince Xining can't hold on. Judging by the time, he should have been killed by your emperor!"

Chu Ling frowned and looked at the enemy general striding up the stairs.

She threw all the Iron Guards into battle and even dismissed the palace servants. The enemy reached her without much effort.

"Fourth Prince?" Chu Ling looked at the young and heroic Hu general. "He is indeed a young talent."

At this moment, Borg was not at all arrogant and frivolous as he was when he was provoked. Instead, he was calm and composed, showing great bearing.

He was also sizing up Chu Ling, with surprise and admiration in his eyes: "You are Princess Jiahe."

Chu Ling nodded and asked, "What did the Fourth Prince mean by that? What happened to King Xining?"

"Don't you know?" Borg pulled out a document from his bosom. "Your royal brother has already asked for peace with us, willing to cede a thousand miles of territory. My father asked for Xiao Zhen's head, and he agreed. The imperial envoy who announced the decree arrived at the Xining Army camp a few days ago."

Chu Ling looked at this servile letter of peace, and many things suddenly became clear to him.

No wonder she couldn't wait for a reply, because her second brother didn't want to fight at all!

No wonder Wei Lin didn’t reply for a long time. If he was unlucky, he might have run into him.

Cede territory! Negotiate peace!
What are the people who were displaced in the north? What is the year they held out for?
He actually used the commander's head as a stepping stone for peace talks. Her second brother was even more despicable than she thought!

Chu Ling's blood boiled and he put his hand on his chest.

"Princess!" Yan Xi looked at her worriedly.

Chu Ling waved his hand and swallowed the taste of iron embroidery in his mouth.

Borg looked at her admiringly. "Even at this moment, the princess has remained calm. She truly deserves to be the last conscience of the Daxiang clan. I don't want to kill someone like you. If you're willing to return with me, I will guarantee your life in front of my father."

"Thank you, Fourth Prince." Chu Ling said, "You are a good person, but unfortunately, I will let you down."

This was a bit strange, and Borg frowned.

The next moment, the guards outside shouted, "Prince, go!"

Borg turned around in surprise and saw a huge black shadow flying from a distance, approaching at an extremely fast speed.

"Stone bullet..."

It was too late. After only two words, the stone bullet fell down and smashed the viewing tower to pieces.

Li Mingjin's catapult was finally useful.

……

It was unknown how long it had been before Chu Ling woke up from the pain and found himself being tied up and attacked from behind.

The battle was extremely difficult. The person carrying her took a lot of effort and finally shook off the pursuers and galloped away on horseback.

Everything in front of her eyes was dark. At first she thought it was dark, but when she touched her eyes she found that they were covered in blood. She was afraid that she was disabled.

She called out, "Wei Lin, is that you?"

After a while, the person carrying her responded softly.

She smiled. "It's great that you're still alive. I heard that King Xining was killed by my second brother, and I was worried that you would be unlucky too... I probably won't make it. When I die, find a place to bury me, escape, recuperate, and accumulate strength... My second brother has asked for peace. If we want to drive the Hu people out of the country, we need to rely on the rebel army. You are a talented general, don't bury me here..."

Chu Ling kept on talking until she was put down and held in a pair of arms.

The weather was getting colder, and drops of water fell gently, washing away the blood stains in my eyes, and a vague shadow appeared in my vision.

She tried to open her eyes wide, trying to see the other person clearly: "So you are not Wei Lin...that's all, kind stranger, thank you."

Now that things had come to this, the regrets were already made. Even with a heart full of resentment, she was powerless to do anything. If only her eldest brother hadn't died, if only her father were still alive, if only she had realized her second brother's incompetence sooner... Unfortunately, there was no turning back.

"Father, brother..." she murmured, falling completely into darkness.

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