CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: NIGHT RAID (PART 1)

The Commandery Princess gave an order, and Song Yuan had no choice but to comply.

Song Yuan selected fifty of the best personal soldiers to stay behind, and in a deep voice, he said, "Stay by the Commandery Princess’s side at all times, don’t leave her for a moment. If she so much as loses a hair, I’ll skin you alive!"

The personal soldiers responded in unison.

Song Yuan led one hundred and fifty personal soldiers swiftly into the forest to reinforce the suppression of the bandits.

Jiang Shaohua did not act recklessly and stayed within the military camp. Inside the tent, she picked up a Red Tassel Spear and carefully polished it, her expression focused.

Yin Zhu couldn’t help but speak up, "Let me handle this kind of task!"

"Indeed! Commandery Princess, you should rest. Let me and Yin Zhu polish the spear," Tu Bai chimed in.

Jiang Shaohua didn’t look up, continuing to focus on the weapon: "To maintain a weapon, you have to do it yourself. This way, the person and the weapon become one, and can move as harmoniously as your own arm."

The Commandery Princess must be right!

Yin Zhu immediately changed her tune, "The Commandery Princess makes sense, I am indeed short-sighted."

Tu Bai was more straightforward, scratching his head, "It’s just a spear, where does all this connection come into play?" As soon as he spoke, Yin Zhu shot him a look: "If the Commandery Princess says it’s there, then it’s there."

Tu Bai: "..."

Jiang Shaohua chuckled lightly and continued polishing the spear.

Qin Huma, Meng Sanbao, and fifty others surrounded the tent, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

In the camp now, besides the wounded and the military doctors, there was only Steward Cai, who couldn’t lift a shoulder or carry a hand, to guard the Commandery Princess. Better to be safe than sorry, they had to stay completely alert.

What you fear is what happens.

There was suddenly a disturbance outside the camp.

Qin Hu’s eyes narrowed: "Not good, someone is attacking the camp!"

The camp was hastily built without adequate defenses. Those skilled could climb and leap in.

Meng Sanbao immediately reported loudly: "Commandery Princess, intruders have entered the camp."

Before he finished speaking, the tent flap was lifted, and there stood the Commandery Princess, clad in soft armor and holding a spear.

The Commandery Princess was not tall, with the Red Tassel Spear reaching from the ground to her brow. Yet, her aura was of nine feet, her heroic demeanor awe-inspiring.

"I’ve been expecting them!" Jiang Shaohua’s lips curved into a cruel cold smile: "Today, they will come but not leave!"

With just a few words, the personal soldiers’ blood was set aflame.

The personal soldiers responded with a resounding cry.

However, Meng Sanbao still had some reason left, urgently whispering, "Commandery Princess, it’s best to stay in the tent! Sword and blade have no eyes... if the Commandery Princess gets hurt by mistake, Commander Song will really skin us."

Jiang Shaohua raised an eyebrow with a smile: "The bandits dare to storm into the camp, thinking I’m young and easy to bully. Today, I will personally slay the bandit leader."

The tone was indeed confident.

Qin Hu, holding a long knife on guard, couldn’t help but ask, "How does the Commandery Princess know Zhu Yidao is coming?"

Jiang Shaohua’s eyes flashed, and she replied lightly: "Black Pine Village isn’t big. Its survival through several raids, shows Zhu Yidao’s cunning and deceit. This time, with me personally leading the troops against the bandits, Zhu Yidao, in his heart, must hold despise. Perhaps, he even harbors the idea of personally capturing me as a hostage."

"This person is ruthless, treating the entire bandit den as disposable pawns. Truly has some real skill. Everyone, be careful."

Qin Hu gritted his teeth with anger: "Commandery Princess, just wait, soon I will chop off Zhu Yidao’s head to present to you!"

Meng Sanbao immediately said, "Better count on me!"

The two of them grew up in the Personal Guard Camp since childhood, joining the army in bandit suppression at the age of twelve or thirteen, having seen blood, fearless.

No matter how skillful the Commandery Princess was, in their minds, she remained delicate and precious.

Jiang Shaohua felt a surge of warmth, smiling slightly.

The bandits who had crawled into the camp rushed in. About a dozen, led by an especially tall and strong figure brandishing a thick-backed long knife, his ferocious face marked by a prominent scar.

Indeed, Zhu Yidao had come.

Jiang Shaohua let out a cold laugh and shouted, "Kill!"

At the command, the personal soldiers rushed forward swiftly.

These bandits were desperados, fighting fiercely with nothing to lose. The personal soldiers were all highly skilled and fearless, and in this clash, blood and flesh flew everywhere, with those falling not even having time to scream.

Yin Zhu and Tu Bai, hiding in the tent, turned pale.

"Yin Zhu, I’m a bit scared," Tu Bai shivered, pulling at Yin Zhu’s sleeve.

Yin Zhu was also quite frightened, his gaze fixed closely on the Commandery Princess, occasionally glancing at the fiercely fighting Meng Sanbao.

Not good! Meng Sanbao failed to block Zhu Yidao!

Zhu Yidao, truly the leader of the bandit nest, was highly skilled. Even being hit once on his body, he still charged over.

The Commandery Princess was right before him.

Zhu Yidao was like a beast spotting its prey, a satisfied smile curving his lips. Flashing through his mind was a scene of capturing the Commandery Princess and leaving Li County with dozens of carts of loot, swaggering away...

Being a bandit was nothing compared to being a wealthy master, carefree and at ease. Fighting hard now promised a good life ahead.

Zhu Yidao dashed forward at his life’s fastest speed, mindful of not harming the Commandery Princess fatally for ransom, thus moving the blood-soaked thick-backed knife a foot away, at most chopping off an arm.

A yellow-haired girl, clad in soft armor with a long spear, humph! Pretending! Women should embroider, cook, and serve men, not wield a spear. Now, he would cut off that obstructive arm of hers...

The red tassel danced in the air.

A flash of light.

Suddenly, there was sharp pain in his chest.

Zhu Yidao, eyes wide with disbelief, looked down. There was a silver bright spear shaft with blood gushing out.

Where did the spear head go?

Zhu Yidao let out an earth-shattering scream, but couldn’t fall down. Held by the spear, he let his head droop uselessly.

Jiang Shaohua stood steadily, her right hand unmoved, the spear lifting Zhu Yidao’s body, her voice icy: "Slaughter them all!"

With Zhu Yidao speared to death in one move, the remaining bandits, terrified, lost their courage. The personal soldiers, outnumbering them threefold, all valiant, felled the bandits one by one.

In the tent, Yin Zhu’s eyes were shining brightly, clutching Tu Bai’s hand in excitement: "Tu Bai! Did you see, the Commandery Princess is so amazing, so amazing, so amazing!"

Her mind couldn’t conjure any other adjectives.

Tu Bai, not as bold as Yin Zhu, was pale, his lips shivering: "Yin Zhu, how did the Commandery Princess suddenly become so formidable!"

They had served the Commandery Princess for years, knowing her well. But lately, her temperament and demeanor had changed significantly. Her skills were better than before, her strikes fierce.

That bandit was still hanging on the Commandery Princess’s spear tip, his chest bloodied, his eyes bulging, truly frightening.

Yin Zhu remained excited: "Being formidable is good, no one will dare underestimate the Commandery Princess now."

Tu Bai realized the logic in this and calmed down slowly. His gaze swept over, and he exclaimed, "Yin Zhu! Meng Sanbao is injured!"

Yin Zhu, always watching his own Commandery Princess, was reminded by Tu Bai’s words, and looked over immediately.

Meng Sanbao’s left arm was a bloody mess.