It seems that the villain is targeting me.

"Lord Butcher said that when your daughter was still in Highgarden, she led only fifty light cavalrymen to drive away an army of nearly ten thousand people from the Garan people.

He escaped in time before Fang could react, and his men were almost unharmed except for one who was slightly injured."

"Brave and resourceful! He also knows how to seize opportunities in battle. Even a cavalry commander can do that."

"——Thinking back to her self-introduction that day, she is indeed a brave child." Lawrence couldn't help but sigh.

Duke Tudor pondered for a moment. "...In terms of strategy, Eric and Gwyneth are actually on par. As for martial arts, Eric is stronger than his sister, but his swordsmanship is far inferior to hers."

"In that case, you should be even more relieved," the emperor asked. "What are you worried about, General?"

“…After all, this is not traditional.”

Lawrence I burst into laughter, his deep voice almost piercing the sky, and even the soldiers under the city wall could hear the emperor's laughter.

It took a long time for Lawrence to stop laughing.

"Why would I bother with that?" He shook his head. "I heard that King Jialan's daughter is also very skilled in archery and horsemanship. She usually assists her father in leading the troops in battle. She's a famous female knight in their country."

"He, Jia Lan, is just a self-proclaimed wild king. Even he has such a magnanimous attitude. How can I, as the emperor of the empire, not tolerate a little girl?"

At the end, Lawrence comforted his old friend: "Your children are so outstanding. As a father, you should be happy."

The Duke of Tudor made no reply.

His eyes fell on the royal flag fluttering in the wind among the troops.

The bright red flag fluttered violently in the wind. Banur seemed to see his soldiers charging forward bravely, blood splattering and staining the ground beneath their feet red.

Chapter 30 Recycling Book Title

Gwyneth gently pulled the reins in her hand, and her mount neighed slightly and tilted its head slightly uneasily.

Gwen patted the side of its neck, somewhat absentmindedly soothing it.

"Gwen? Are you nervous?" her brother Eric whispered.

The two siblings grew up together, so Eric could easily see the anxiety hidden in his sister's eyes.

"...It's okay," Gwyneth shook her head, "I just didn't expect...that there would be a day like this when I would ride a warhorse."

"Well," Eric also seemed quite emotional, "you are getting married in the blink of an eye. It really feels like a dream. I never thought that we would have the opportunity to fight side by side together."

Eric loosened the reins and adjusted the saddle, and the tall black horse snorted loudly.

"Don't be too nervous, Gwen," he said. "This battle isn't in the Highgarden we're familiar with, but Father has fought for many years and has dealt with all kinds of battles and terrains. He always finds the best time to attack. We just need to strictly follow his orders."

Eric smiled at his sister. "Don't be burdened. Just do what you do best—lead an elite cavalry guerrilla force to assist on the front lines."

Gwyneth's originally depressed mood was slightly cheered up by her brother's encouragement.

She responded briskly: "Okay!"

At this moment, the brother and sister saw from afar that the eldest prince Charles led a team of elite knights with majestic demeanor passing by the front of the army.

Naturally, even if the emperor's son had never fought in a war, it was impossible for him to be a soldier.

Charles was leading a team of knights that the emperor secretly ordered to protect him. They were also the generals and personal guards of the eldest prince. When they went into battle, they would desperately protect their commander.

Everyone in this team is a veteran. Even if they are placed on a national scale, they are the elite among the elite. Moreover, they cooperate with each other very well and are particularly brave when killing the enemy.

It can be said that as long as the commander does not order them to jump off the cliff, even if the command is like a pig, they can still achieve some results.

These knights, like the eldest prince, wore armor made of snow steel, with griffins printed on their shields. These were all made by Lao Yezhu from his own small treasury. They were his most precious treasures, and he would be heartbroken for half the night if one was missing.

Prince Charles walked at the front of the team with no expression on his face.

He seemed to turn his head in the direction of the Tudor brothers and sisters, but it seemed that he did not move his eyes at all, and he was still staring straight ahead with an expressionless face.

In short, he walked past the army without even looking at the Tudor brothers and sisters.

Eric frowned slightly. He didn't like this brother-in-law of royal blood. This young man inherited the integrity and old-fashionedness of the Duke of Tudor, and he looked down on Charles's dissolute behavior with other women before his marriage.

What's more, Charles' fiancée is Eric's most cherished family member, the sister he has watched grow up.

If it weren't for his status, he would definitely go to the boy's house with his fists raised and beat him up.

This bastard, Eric thought to himself, if Gwen really married him, who knows how much suffering she would have to endure in the future.

Eric snorted coldly and didn't intend to pay attention to the eldest prince - he had followed his father into battle since he was in his teens. In Eric's view, this young man-like guy was purely here to gild himself on the battlefield, and he looked down on him.

But when Eric turned his head, he inadvertently discovered that his sister seemed to glance at Prince Charles's back as he left.

He remembered that the bastard was actually Gwyneth's fiancé—the other party was so cold.

Mo, maybe my sister is still sad in her heart?

Eric panicked.

Eric fumbled and tried to comfort his 'sad' sister: "Well, Gwen, the army will be setting off in a few hours. Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. It's normal that he didn't come..."

Gwyneth's hands, which were pulling at the rope, stiffened slightly.

Her eyes were a little evasive, not daring to look directly into her brother's worried gaze, so she could only look at her mount's flapping ears.

Gwen nodded guiltily.

"Yes, brother, you're right. Military law and discipline are very serious and cannot be violated casually," Gwyneth said seriously. "It's really outrageous to take horses everywhere. The cavalry camp will be in chaos. It's definitely not allowed. Yes, it can't be allowed."

Gwyneth turned her head and glanced at her eldest brother: "Oh, by the way, I suddenly remembered something. Can you help me watch the horse?"

Before Eric could react, his dear sister threw the reins in his hand.

He stared in amazement as Gwyneth swiftly rolled off the horse. The slightly loosened hair drew a majestic arc in the air, and the ends trembled slightly.

Eric looked a little pitiful as he led the two horses like a stupid stable boy.

He subconsciously stretched out his hand towards his sister, as if he would shout out in anger in the next second: "Gwen, don't go! This scumbag is not worth it—"

"

But Eric was soon surprised to find that his sister did not turn in the direction the eldest prince left.

Why did she run in the completely opposite direction?

She's still jumping!

Jumped twice!

"Could it be," Eric muttered to himself to comfort himself, "Could it be that something really happened?"

Come to think of it, I seemed to see someone heading in that direction just now.

The man looked somewhat familiar, probably a half-human. He saw the other person's wings faintly covered by the cloak.

.

-------

.

Xiao Niao walked towards the direction where the logistics corps was stationed.

She had just visited the main tent where the generals gathered and participated in a discussion on military matters.

The messenger responsible for conveying the order had already gone ahead and returned to the legion to start allocating manpower, and Xiao Niao was also preparing to go there later to prevent them from making any mistakes.

For the bird, now is the most critical moment.

In her opinion, the biggest threat to the mission is the Jialan people who often harass the border - if she wins this war and resolves the hidden dangers on the border, she can at least complete more than two-thirds of the mission progress.

This is the accumulation of her hard work over the years. Xiao Niao doesn't trust anyone else to do it for her, so she will supervise it herself.

At this moment, Xiao Niao faintly heard the sound of someone running behind her, and the sound was getting closer and closer, as if it was running towards her.

"Lord Butcher," the guard responsible for protecting the bird reminded her, "that man seems to be looking for you."

Xiao Niao turned around and looked at Gwyneth with some surprise. She had come behind her without her noticing.

The two hadn't seen each other for some time. Ever since Gwyneth confirmed that she was going to the front line to fight, she had been following her father to the military camp. After that, only the group of officers came to hand over the work to Xiao Niao.

The girl behind him was staring at him intently. She was wearing a smart riding outfit, and her bright eyes held a strong aggression that made Xiaoniao stunned for a moment.

Those sparkling eyes were imprinted in Xiao Niao's mind for a long time. The meaning of that picture was so profound that everything that happened later seemed to have begun to emerge at this moment.

"Your Highness?" Xiao Niao subconsciously trembled his wings, and his feathers tightened inward.

Gwyneth calmed her breathing silently, and when she spoke again, her voice was calm again.

Gwen looked at the guard beside the bird and said, "I have something to say to your master. Please step aside for a moment."

The guard recognized the general's insignia on Gwen and looked at the bird hesitantly: "Sir, this..."

Xiao Niao looked at Gwyneth with some helplessness, wondering what this girl was suddenly thinking of doing.

Maybe Tongzi was right, Xiaoniao reflected secretly, I seem to have indulged her a little too much.

Xiao Niao paused briefly, turned his head and said to the guard: "Well, it's okay, you go back first, I'll be there soon."

The guard was still a little worried: "What if there is an assassin..."

She glanced at Gwyneth, who looked calm.

Xiao Niao shook his head and chuckled softly, "If a blind assassin really comes looking for us, we'll have to ask the gods to protect him."

The guards were confused by what he heard, but they still obeyed Xiaoniao's order and retreated.

Everyone around them had left, and now, only the two of them were left.

Chapter 31 My Only Wish

"Well, Your Highness," Xiao Niao gave Gwyneth a slightly reproachful look, "You'd better really have something to ask me."

Gwen suddenly felt a little nervous. She put one hand behind her back and secretly pinched her knuckles with her index finger.

"I'm sorry," Gwyneth said awkwardly, "I heard... you recommended me to His Majesty."

Xiao Niao didn't say yes or no, she tilted her head and asked back: "And I heard that you

I had already asked Lawrence for my services and volunteered to go to the battle."

Well, Gwyneth thought, I'm a fool for trying to get words out of this guy.

Gwen's gaze shifted slightly, and she looked at a place farther away, where countless soldiers were preparing for the expedition.

The knights were helping each other put on their armor, the squires were bending down to tighten the bolts on the plate armor, and people were riding horses everywhere and hurriedly running towards the tents, holding the intelligence sent by the scouts in their hands.

Gwyneth's gaze returned to the bird, and she asked a slightly odd question.

"Are you...looking forward to this war?" Gwen asked softly.

Xiao Niao lowered his head and thought for a moment, wondering what he was thinking of.

"Why do you say that?" She looked at Gwen.

"Because you look so eager," Gwyneth answered honestly, "like you've been waiting for something for a long time."

This kid's intuition is pretty accurate, Xiaoniao thought.

But Xiao Niao shook his head, denying Gwen's words: "I don't like war."

"Whenever war breaks out, productivity will stagnate, farming will be delayed, and there will be a shortage of strong labor for a long time," Xiao Niao said. "War always kills many people, and this war will be no exception."

Yes, those knights who are wearing armor, those infantrymen who are sweating under their leather armor, and those members of the baggage train who are busy running around, many of them will never be able to return after this expedition.

In many families, newborn babies will never see their fathers again. In some people's homes, the chairs will remain empty forever. In the desolate mountains outside the city, there will be many nameless cenotaphs.

"But this battle must be fought," Xiao Niao said, looking at a group of spearmen not far away. "We are fighting now so that our children in the future won't have to fight."

Xiao Niao suddenly felt a little melancholy. She thought of those half-human children in the downtown area who were abandoned by their parents shortly after birth.

Gwyneth also pursed her lips in silence. She thought of her mother and her young brothers and sisters.

Xiao Niao raised his head and looked at Gwyneth quietly for a while.

"Gwyneth," Xiaoniao suddenly said, "Why did you go ahead with that engagement?"

Gwyneth didn't expect the Prime Minister to ask such a straightforward question.

She was extremely surprised and felt her heart beating wildly.

It was really confusing. She hadn't felt anything when her father mentioned this matter, but now that this person had pointed out this issue that everyone seemed to be avoiding, Gwen felt aggrieved for no reason.

But Xiao Niao did not understand the girl's inner thoughts at that moment.

Seeing that Gwyneth remained silent for a long time without answering, she continued talking to herself.

"You accepted this marriage because you didn't want to make things difficult for your father," Xiao Niao said. "You would rather sacrifice your own happiness to protect your family from the attacks of those with ulterior motives."