Ch. 596..600: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 596-600

Chapter 596: Chapter 596 Finally Ended(5)_1

"You think you can get away so easily? Not so fast." Si Jinhan looked at the fleeing crowd with a cold smirk. He reached out to take the bow and arrow handed over by the soldier beside him, then aimed at Bayal’s back and slowly moved to his left shoulder.

Since the prince and Mr. Situ decided to spare them, Si Jinhan would not take his life either.

The arrow imbued with inner strength flew towards Bayal with unstoppable force.

Bayal, who was in the midst of a hectic escape, heard the sound of the arrow slicing through the air from behind. He wanted to dodge, but it was too late.

"Ah." As the dull thump echoed, Bayal tumbled from his horse.

"General."

"Not good, the general has been shot."

...

Maybe it was because the injury was too painful, or perhaps it was because of the repeated shocks of the day, Bayal fell and darkness enveloped his vision before he passed out.

"National Master."

"Quickly find the National Master."

The soldiers around Bayal were thrown into panic.

From a distance, Billy saw Bayal being shot and falling from his horse. He wanted to help, but he was powerless to do so. He could only watch as Bayal tumbled from his horse.

The chief commander was unconscious from his injury, causing chaos among the soldiers of North Country.

Billy had to command his troops to retreat and had no time to attend to Bayal. Yet Billy was the best shaman in the camp, his inaction stirred resentment among the officers. After all, excluding Timur who had a close master-disciple relationship with Billy, the rest had fought side by side with Bayal, sharing life and death.

To make the charade more convincing, Luo Heng and his men symbolically pursued, killing off a portion of the escaping North Country soldiers.

A series of blows, coupled with psychological fear, was causing the retreating soldiers of North Country to crumble.

After the army crossed the river, they set up defenses at Hedong. Bayal was taken into a tent, and only then did Billy have the opportunity to see him.

"This battle was fought beautifully." Master Hui Zhen danced with joy as he spoke to Lin Ziyin.

Lin Ziyin remained silent with a faint smile.

The battle was not easy, but compared to the Tatars of North Country, the Northern Land achieved victory with the least casualties.

The victorious Northern Land army returned to the city amidst cheers from the people. The generals who had led the troops immediately came to see Chu Suifeng.

"As of today, the taxes of merchants and farmers in the Border City are to be reduced by 10%." Chu Suifeng announced his decision from the city walls while looking at the elated people below.

This was indeed great news; the citizens were so excited they were jumping up and down, rapidly spreading the good news to everyone else. In no time, almost all the residents of the city knew about this joyful announcement.

"Your Highness." Xiao Yang came over, smiling, to pay his respects to Chu Suifeng.

"Post notices instructing all citizens to prepare their lands. Next spring, I will have people teach them how to cultivate rice." Chu Suifeng commanded him.

"Really, Your Highness?" Xiao Yang could not close his mouth from happiness upon hearing this.

"What the prince says is always true." Situ Gong replied laughingly.

"On behalf of the people, I thank Your Highness." Xiao Yang knelt down in gratitude.

Chu Suifeng slightly nodded his head. His gaze landed on Lin Ziyin.

The reduction of taxes and clearing of land for rice cultivation plans were made in consultation with Lin Ziyin. As expected, the announcement was warmly welcomed by the people.

Fighting from morning to dusk, the soldiers and generals were almost dead from exhaustion, and even the laborers among the common people were half dead from exhaustion.

Chapter 597: Chapter 597 Finally Ended(6)_1

"Defend well," Luo Heng ordered his subordinates.

"Yes, General," responded the officers, who had not been deployed to battle, taking over the city’s defense.

Meanwhile, Chu Suifeng and others, worn out, made their way back home.

"Tired?" Chu Suifeng asked softly from inside the horse-drawn carriage, looking at Lin Ziyin beside him. He reached into a hidden compartment of the carriage, took out a box, and pulled out some prepared snacks for her, "Have these to tide you over."

"I’m not hungry yet," Lin Ziyin responded softly.

Although Chu Suifeng had not gone into battle, directing commands from atop the city’s wall was mentally exhausting. Combined with the time he hadn’t had rest since the start of the war, his fatigue was evident.

"Try the beef jerky I made myself, Prince," Lin Ziyin said, concern evident as she gently stuffed a piece into his mouth with a smile.

Suddenly finding his mouth filled, Chu Suifeng was taken off guard. However, he enjoyed this kind of "intrusion".

"It tastes good," he said, slowly chewing. He then took another piece and slipped it into Lin Ziyin’s mouth.

All along the journey, their carriage moved slowly because the streets were filled with townsfolk gradually making their way back. Despite having had busy days, not one of them complained. Instead, they all had smiles on their faces.

These smiles were of genuine contentment and joy.

Lin Ziyin gently let down the curtain, smiling at Chu Suifeng, "The people feel a sense of belonging to the Northern Land. It’s because of this sense of ownership that when Border City is in danger, they would do their utmost to protect it."

Chu Suifeng put his right arm around her waist, "After the Tatars are driven away, I will set up a free academy here."

"Hmm."

A warm atmosphere enveloped the two of them all the way back to their residence, it was only then that they both got down from the carriage.

However, others had returned before them.

"You’re wounded?" Lin Ziyin asked, looking surprised at Si Jinhan sitting in the lounge. However, after she spoke, she blushed.

"It’s just a minor injury." Si Jinhan answered indifferently. His arm was bandaged. Because of the bandage, his sleeve was rolled up.

"Rest well," Chu Suifeng ordered sternly.

"That’s why I came over for a meal," said Si Jinhan, as lethargic as ever.

Chu Suifeng rolled his eyes at him, his expression turning serious, "Lucky you didn’t break a bone, but you’ve lost a fair bit of blood. Master Hui Zhen told me to rest well for a few days."

"Qiaoqiao, ask the kitchen to prepare more blood tonic soup," Lin Ziyin directed.

"Yes, miss," Qiaoqiao had been left at home and had not seen the battle. However, she was a devoted maid and had kept the cooks on task preparing a full table of dishes, just waiting for Lin Ziyin and the others to return for dinner.

There was plenty of blood-enriching ingredients in it.

Looking at the full table of food and smelling the aroma of the dishes, Lin Ziyin finally felt the pangs of hunger.

"Third son, please," Lin Ziyin took the initiative to serve Si Jinhan a bowl of chicken soup since he had injured his arm.

"He just hurt his arm, he didn’t lose his hand." Upon seeing the first bowl of soup being given to Si Jinhan, Chu Suifeng immediately became envious.

Sipping a mouthful of soup before responding, Si Jinhan paused, and then countered nonchalantly, "Prince, I got injured while serving."

Chu Suifeng glared at him, "You can eat and drink. Can’t you pour a bowl of soup?"

Sitting on the side, Lin Ziyin watched Chu Suifeng, who seemed to have changed into a different person, and couldn’t help laughing.

Hearing her, Chu Suifeng immediately pushed his bowl towards her, looking at her eagerly.

Chapter 598: Chapter 598 Finally Ended(7)_1

Lin Ziyin naughtily served him another bowl of chicken soup.

Only then did Chu Suifeng drink a mouthful contentedly, sparing Si Jinhan.

"Indeed, even a hero can’t resist a beautiful woman’s charm." Si Jinhan finished, staring at Lin Ziyin unabashedly.

Chu Suifeng was furious, and nearly overturned the table.

Before he could rage, Si Jinhan started muttering to himself again, "But this phrase doesn’t seem to apply to Miss Lin."

After he finished, he quietly started drinking his chicken soup again.

Chu Suifeng coldly glared at him, but the thick-skinned Si Jinhan didn’t even bother to look up.

Lin Ziyin was torn between laughter and tears. Was Si Jinhan indirectly calling her hideous?

"Young Master Si Jinhan’s work is extraordinary. How about I reward you with ten or so beautiful women to enjoy after we return to Feng City?" Chu Suifeng wouldn’t allow anyone to bully Lin Ziyin and retaliated on the spot, with a cold smile.

"Prince, this could be considered revenge. Forget it, let’s pretend I didn’t say anything, alright?" There was a whiff of grievance in Si Jinhan’s tone.

This guy, making him retract his words seemed to have made him feel wronged.

Lin Ziyin just watched them arguing with a smile. She didn’t take sides, nor did she add fuel to the fire, eating her meal peacefully.

Silencing the verbal battle at the meal, at a camp in the North Country.

After Billy pulled out an arrow from Bayal’s arm, he returned to his own tent, exhausted from the long day, only after eating dinner.

He had been bothered by it all along, and he was in bad spirits. On his way back, the agonizing groans of his soldiers were like a humiliation to him.

"Bring someone in." A moment after his order, a guard entered.

" Summon General Timur." Billy ordered with a gloomy face.

"Yes, National Master."

It didn’t take very long for General Timur to appear before him. "National Master, you summoned me?"

Even though he was his disciple, General Timur referred to Billy as National Master, just like the rest do.

"Choose a dozen or so trustworthy people from your men." Billy said through gritted teeth.

Timur looked at his ferocious expression, he didn’t know what Billy was planning to do. He had already heard about the course of the battle from his subordinates. Frankly, Billy’s obstinacy gave him a headache.

However, Billy had always treated him well. No matter what orders Billy gave, Timur would never refuse.

As the vanguard, Timur naturally had trustworthy men under his command. Finding a dozen men was not a big deal for him. Soon, a group of men was standing before Billy.

"Put these medicines into the Mo River." Billy took out several bags, tossing them to the men in front of him and ordered, "Find a way to release it within the city."

"Yes, National Master." A man who looked like a leader respectfully picked up the bags from the ground.

It would definitely not be easy to infiltrate the city these days.

But, as people who had dealt with Border City for a long time, Timur’s men were not incompetent.

Watching them disappear into the night, a hint of a smile finally appeared in Billy’s gloomy eyes.

Good news arrived three days later, the medicine powder had been thrown into the Mo River within the city.

"Prince, something terrible has happened." Early in the morning, Congyi hurriedly entered the flower hall.

In the flower hall, Chu Suifeng, Lin Ziyin, Master Hui Zhen, and Si Jinhan were having breakfast.

"What happened?" Chu Suifeng asked, putting down his chopsticks.

Lin Ziyin and the others also put down their chopsticks and watched Congyi with puzzled expressions.

"Many people in the city have caught malaria." Congyi replied.

"Amitabha." Master Hui Zhen chanted as he put his hands together, "I will go check it out."

He picked up the bowl in front of him, quickly drinking the rice porridge, then picked up a bun and started eating as he walked out, "Let’s go, let’s take a look."

Malaria was a disease caused by mosquito bites, it usually occurred in the summer. But right now, they were already in early winter, with the first snowfalls imminent. How could there be any mosquitos?

As a former professor at the military academy, Lin Ziyin, though not a doctor herself, knew more about basic medical knowledge than an average person.

So did Chu Suifeng and the others.

"Prince, something seems fishy!" Luo Heng said to Chu Suifeng.

"Let’s go and have a look." Chu Suifeng replied with a slight furrow in his brow. How troublesome it would be if a malaria outbreak occurred among the civilians during wartime!

Lin Ziyin wanted to go and take a look as well, but Chu Suifeng firmly disagreed.

"We still don’t know whether it’s malaria or not. You’re not allowed to go out." The low EQ Prince Chu Suifeng, even when he was concerned about Lin Ziyin, had a commanding tone. "Prepare the residence for prevention. Spread the order. Everyone in the residence must not leave or enter randomly. Those who return from outside must bathe and change their clothes before they can move freely."

"Prince, we can spread quicklime in the yard for disinfection. We can also do this throughout the city." Lin Ziyin, a sensible person, knew that Chu Suifeng was being strict for her own good. In such times of trouble, she didn’t want to give Chu Suifeng any cause for worry.

After Chu Suifeng and the others left, Lin Ziyin became thoughtful for a while. Then she watched as Hong Ying and others busied themselves with cleaning the Yiards and rooms. By midday, a group of guards in black armor had entered the yard. They washed the yard with quicklime, not missing even the most tucked away corners.

As time for lunch passed, Chu Suifeng and the others still hadn’t returned.

"Miss, it seems the prince isn’t coming back for lunch. You should eat first." Qiaoqiao came in to persuade her.

"Make the arrangements." Lin Ziyin replied lazily, thinking about the situation outside.

"National Master, an outbreak of malaria has erupted within Border City. Chu Suifeng and his people are running around like headless chickens." In the camp of the North Country, Timur informed Billy of the happenings in Border City as soon as he got the news.

Chapter 599: Chapter 599: Going Back (1)_1

"Good, very good," Billy declared joyfully. "We’ll wait a few more days for the malaria outbreak in Border City. Then, our warriors will attack. I want to see if Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong really do have three heads and six arms."

Upon hearing this, Timur was slightly shocked. Another siege? His mentor was really being a bit too stubborn.

Even though there were some hiccups happening right now within Border City, observing the overall situation of the North Country soldiers, the scene was far from promising. Not to mention the fact that the Chief Commander and himself were both injured. There were too many casualties among the soldiers.

Two significant battles had decimated over a hundred thousand soldiers that came from North Country, leaving only just over fifty thousand that were still fit for battle. And among these, many had also sustained minor injuries. Having already lost half their fighting strength, Timur was already worried about how he was going to explain this to the Monarch when he got back.

"Master, let’s wait a bit more," Timur gently advised. He was confident that under any circumstances, Bayal would not agree to another siege.

Unless something very drastic happened in Border City, something that Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong had no way of resolving, would Bayal consider leading troops to lay siege again.

As expected, upon hearing Billy’s words that very evening, Bayal’s face darkened immediately. "Master, our side has suffered heavy casualties and losses, whereas, in the Northern Land, Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong have personally led the battle and have hardly lost any men. Our military strength is no longer matchable with Border City. Additionally, they have the Eight Trigrams Array weapon and powerful ballistas, Master, how do you plan to deal with this?"

Billy heard the accusation in Bayal’s words but merely brushed it aside. "The people of Border City are stricken with malaria. If Chu Suifeng mishandles the situation, it will be a headache for him. Who can say that the soldiers of Border City will escape the ravages of malaria? Even the heavens are helping us. Bayal, wouldn’t it be too regrettable to give up at this point?"

Bayal didn’t find it regrettable. He had thought of retreating when he was injured. The large-scale deployment of troops this year was a mistake from the beginning. They had underestimated Chu Sufeng’s capabilities.

"With fifty thousand soldiers, you want to confront Border City’s army of a hundred thousand. Master, do you wish to wipe out your entire army?" Bayal’s face darkened considerably. He anticipated disastrous results, yet Billy considered not at all of the consequences and instead urged the soldiers to their death. Bayal would never agree to such a scheme under any circumstances.

"Bayal, as I said, we would only siege the city after malaria breaks out in Border City, not now," Billy explained coldly.

"Regardless, I will not allow our soldiers to march to their deaths in vain," Bayal’s stance was firm, disregarding Billy’s authority.

Billy, furious, stood abruptly. "Bayal, carefully consider the pros and cons, I won’t say anything more."

His attitude was just as obstinate.

Timur watched this whole ordeal with great worry. It was rather shameful that while Chu Suifeng remained undefeated, infighting had started between the North Country’s general and the State Preceptor. No matter how wrong Billy was, he was still his mentor, and Timur had to consider Billy’s feelings.

"Chief Commander, let’s wait and see. It might not necessarily be a bad thing." He advised diplomatically.

Bayal remained silent.

Billy snorted dismissively at his unresponsiveness and stormed off, seeming annoyed. Timur was forced to run after him and the meeting concluded with both parties in resentment.

The heavens were not really favoring the North Country’s side.

Three days later, a spy from within Border City relayed news. The people of Border City were not suffering from malaria, but it was discovered that someone had poisoned the water. The medicinal monks of Ding’an Temple had found a solution, and the conditions of the patients within Border City had been managed successfully.

Chapter 600: Chapter 600 Going Back (2)_1

However, in Chu Suifeng’s army, the soldiers hadn’t faced any problems because they drank water from the wells near their camps.

Upon hearing this, Bayal was secretly enraged, guessing that the issues with the water sources within Border City, must have been hidden by Billy. The pain from the arrow wound in his arm made his temper even more irritable.

"Issue the order, the army stands its ground and fortifies the defenses at night." After a deep thought, Bayal finally issued an order.

As a general who had been defending the border for many years, Bayal knew exactly what kind of person Chu Suifeng was.

Chu Suifeng seemed to be of a good nature, but deep down, he was a man who would take revenge for every slight and would not suffer any loss. If the armies were to determine victory by strength, Chu Suifeng would definitely not make secret retaliations. But if he was wronged secretly, that man would come up with millions of ways to retaliate.

Billy’s poison was definitely not a fair trick. When Bayal knew the truth, he first thought of the revenge Chu Suifeng would likely take on them.

Even without leaving his tent, Bayal knew that the morale among the soldiers had dropped greatly. If anything else happened at this point, it would be adding insult to injury for him.

The insult came too quickly, astonishing Bayal and making him anxious with thoughts of retreating. By evening, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. At first, the snowflakes were not big, yet by nightfall, the snow had become much heavier.

The first snowfall came later than usual this year but was heavier.

"Heaven helps us." Situ Gong said in the hall, his face filled with a cheerful smile.

"Prince, without us lifting a finger, Bayal’s army will surely suffer," Luo Heng said laughingly, his mood apparently delightful.

Billy dared to poison the water," Chu Suifeng said lazily. His enchanting features under the candlelight appeared incredibly soft.

Lin Ziyin looked at his face from the corner of her eyes, relaxing herself. Billy was cunning enough to poison the civilians. Luckily, Master Hui Zhen and the others were prompt enough to find a solution. Now, the health conditions of the civilians were under control. The consequences were simply unimaginable otherwise.

Xiao Yang and Master Hui Zhen boiled medicine daily at the entrances to South City, East City, and West City, distributing it for free to the civilians.

All the citizens were sincerely grateful for the kindness and generosity of the Prince. Praises were heard everywhere for Chu Suifeng and the medicinal monks of Ding’an Temple.

"Prince, are you planning to give them another big gift?" Situ Gong asked with a smile.

"Not for now." Chu Suifeng replied with a cold laugh, "The ice is not solid enough yet."

"I have issued the order for stronger defense on the city wall," Luo Heng said.

"Prince, Miss." Qiaoqiao came in to report, "The meal is ready."

"Alright." Chu Suifeng waved his hand, and Qiaoqiao retreated to Lin Ziyin’s side.

"This year the grain supply is sufficient, so our soldiers no longer fear of going hungry," Luo Heng sighed, gazing at Lin Ziyin with profound gratitude.

"I have prepared hot pot for everyone tonight. It should warm them up a bit," Lin Ziyin said.

All the men present were accustomed to army life, so they had experienced all sorts of hardships. Even Chu Suifeng had eaten wild grass and vegetables when times were tough. But none of them would turn down a delicious meal.

Because of the malaria issue, they hadn’t had decent meals for several days. The delicious hot pot soon had them singing praises.

"Hmph." Entering the door, Master Hui Zhen saw the jubilant scene of dining. He was instantly unbalanced, "While I was laboring outside, you all had a feast. You didn’t even bother waiting for me."