My Wife Is The Female Lead In A Scum Alpha Novel - Chapter 75

75

Gu Qingci hadn’t slept for long before Wen Renyi entered the carriage to wake her.

Still groggy, Gu Qingci was somewhat displeased with Wen Renyi for disturbing her.

She had just dreamed of Ruan Zhi and hadn’t even gotten to kiss her.

“What’s going on?” Gu Qingci sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“General Gu, you really are carefree. Not long after leaving the city, some of the Tiger Warriors got into a fight with the Feilong Army.” Wen Renyi told her.

“What were they fighting about? What’s there to fight over?” Gu Qingci asked, waking up a bit more.

“The Tiger Warriors looked down on the Feilong Army and insulted them, deliberately provoking a few Feilong soldiers into throwing the first punch. One of the Tiger Warriors alone beat those Feilong soldiers so badly they couldn’t fight back. You should see how to handle this. They’re not ordinary soldiers—they’re directly under your command.” Wen Renyi said.

“…” Gu Qingci fell silent.

The combat prowess of the Tiger Warriors was undeniable. For the Feilong Army to fight them was asking for humiliation.

Clearly, the Tiger Warriors had done this on purpose, while the Feilong Army soldiers were her own people, having trained together for months.

And now, just after setting out, she had to deal with this kind of conflict.

“Are they still fighting?” Gu Qingci asked.

“The Tiger Warriors have surrounded the area, and no one can intervene. I have to say, bringing the Tiger Warriors along is just asking for trouble.” Wen Renyi said irritably.

“…” Gu Qingci was speechless. She refused to believe that all the Tiger Warriors were traitors.

Their loyalty was to Xu Dace, that loyal and virtuous general. If they continued to pledge allegiance even after learning that Xu Dace had truly colluded with the enemy, then there was clearly something wrong with them, and they couldn’t be kept.

“Fine. Let me see.” Gu Qingci grabbed a crossbow hanging on the carriage wall, stepped onto a high stool inside, and lifted the roof cover to poke her head out.

At a glance, she spotted the circle of fighters—they were causing trouble right under her nose.

Gu Qingci aimed the crossbow at the commotion.

With a whoosh, the arrow shot out, piercing straight through the hair bun of the Tiger Warrior who was beating the others.

The man froze instantly, then immediately grabbed a few Feilong soldiers to use as shields.

Gu Qingci picked up another crossbow and fired another arrow at the exposed gap, nailing the man’s leg wrap to the ground.

The man’s legs trembled, nearly collapsing.

“Who—who did that?!” someone shouted, looking around.

But Gu Qingci had already ducked back into the carriage.

“Help me reload these.” she said, handing the two fired crossbows to Wen Renyi.

“General Gu, you—that was amazing! I bet that guy was scared out of his wits!” Wen Renyi said as she loaded the crossbows for Gu Qingci.

Wen Renyi saw the two arrows shot by Gu Qingci through the carriage window—their precision was the best deterrent.

“Go check it out. Whether they threw the first punch or retaliated, anyone involved in private fights gets twenty lashes each. If anyone dares to object, the next arrow will land right between their eyebrows. If they want to fight, they can sign up for a match during the evening break.” Gu Qingci said to Wen Renyi.

“Alright, I’ll relay the message. Aren’t you going out to see for yourself?” Wen Renyi asked.

“I need to rest and recuperate for now, so I won’t be going out. As for those in the Feilong Army who want to sign up for tonight’s matches, have them come to me. We’ve only trained their physical endurance so far, not their combat skills. They’ll just have to make do with some last-minute cramming.” Gu Qingci replied.

She still disliked trouble, and with the good-natured Wen Renyi willing to handle things for her, Gu Qingci was happy to stay idle for a while.

Wen Renyi came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. Though not particularly strong in combat, he was highly respected in the army. Even the unruly Tiger Guard held more reverence for Wen Renyi than they did for Gu Qingci.

Having him deal with the situation was perfect.

Since Gu Qingci put it that way, Wen Renyi didn’t press further and stepped out of the carriage to mediate the dispute.

Gu Qingci rubbed her temples, forcing herself to stay alert.

She needed to fully step into her role as soon as possible.

Before long, Wen Renyi resolved the conflict, and several members of the Feilong Army who had been punished, along with others who wanted to sign up for the evening matches, came to see Gu Qingci.

“You need to know when to bend and when to stand firm. If you don’t have the skill, don’t provoke trouble. I don’t need you defending me this way.” Gu Qingci said, eyeing the dejected group. Among them was a noble with a title and another named Wu Duo, whom Gu Qingci had recruited from Min Guiyi’s side.

These men had genuinely wanted to stand up for Gu Qingci, but they had also acted impulsively.

Though she had to reprimand them, it was necessary.

Under Gu Qingci’s scolding, the men straightened up and admitted their mistakes.

Though Gu Qingci was several years younger than them, when it came to flexibility and resilience, she was in a league of her own.

“General Gu, Commander Wen Ren just said you’d teach us combat. I want to learn.” the titled noble said, clenching his fists.

“Alright. I’ll start by drawing diagrams to explain. You all can ponder and practice on your own.” Gu Qingci said.

As long as they had a competitive spirit, there was still room for education.

Gu Qingci then explained the weaknesses of the human body as summarized in later generations, as well as the methods of self-defense—how to counter specific moves from an opponent.

After this explanation, they gained some confidence and prepared to practice along the way, planning to test their skills that evening.

Gu Qingci didn’t expect them to win immediately. The goal was to use this as training for them and to focus the conflicts between the Tiger Guard and the Feilong Army at night, so they wouldn’t delay the journey during the day.

During dinner in the evenings, they could watch a martial arts competition as entertainment.

The Tiger Guard members were arrogant, considering themselves elite warriors selected from hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

They thought defeating the Feilong Army would be effortless.

At first, they won most of the matches. However, gradually, a few in the Feilong Army mastered the techniques and learned to counter effectively, slowly improving their win rate.

By the time Gu Qingci and the others reached the border city of Wu, several of the more talented members of the Feilong Army were winning more often than losing.

Using the Tiger Guard as a whetstone, Gu Qingci had trained several dozen skilled fighters in the Feilong Army.

These fighters would serve as seeds, spreading their knowledge to cultivate even more skilled warriors.

During this time, Gu Qingci remained inside the carriage, only stepping out for meals or necessities.

Each time she emerged, she appeared frail and pale.

Gu Qingci’s complexion was naturally fair, and after being confined for so many days, it became even paler.

During the days of poisoning, Gu Qingci had been too weak to exert herself, forcing her to halt her training. The muscles she had built up softened.

Though she didn’t leave the carriage, Gu Qingci still exercised inside.

In just over twenty days, with daily acupuncture from Ren Yixi during breaks, along with restorative medicine, her appetite normalized, and through effective exercise, about fifty to sixty percent of her strength had returned.

Self-preservation shouldn’t be a problem. Feigning weakness is just for the sake of showing it to any potential spies.

When they arrived at Wu City, the city’s defending general and several deputy generals from the Northwest Army who had served under Xu Dace came out to greet Gu Qingci and the others.

They had already received news that a new Zhenbei General would take over the Northwest Army. They only knew that the person was young and had also achieved top honors in the military examinations.

However, upon seeing the person, the contrast was even greater than they had imagined.

Exquisitely beautiful, pale and delicate, more stunning than noble ladies.

A stark contrast to these rough men who had spent years on the frontier.

This left them somewhat disappointed.

Those belonging to Xu Dace’s faction, upon seeing such a new general, couldn’t help but feel discontent.

“General Gu, I am Zhao Junting, the defending general of Wu City. You’ve finally arrived! Two days ago, the warehouse storing provisions in Wu City was burned down. The troops here now only have enough rations to last five days. General Gu, how many provisions did you bring?”

Defending General Zhao Junting asked excitedly upon seeing Gu Qingci.

Regardless of anything else, as long as Gu Qingci had brought provisions, that would be good.

“Enough for half a month. Given the urgency of the situation, His Majesty ordered me to lead the troops here for support first. Provisions collected from the rear will be sent over immediately. They should arrive within half a month.” Gu Qingci replied after a pause, not hiding anything. The size of the convoy was obvious at a glance.

Upon hearing this, the defending general’s expression fell.

“How long will the Northwest Army’s provisions last?” Gu Qingci asked the deputy generals.

“The warehouse that stored provisions also held the Northwest Army’s supplies. They were burned along with it. We managed to salvage some, but it will only last five or six more days at most.” a deputy general said with a grim face.

Gu Qingci’s expression also darkened. She realized a serious problem.

If the provisions sent by the imperial court are delayed, then these 200,000-plus people will run out of food!

We must find a way to secure some grain.

The provisions are not under her jurisdiction; specialized supply officers are responsible for delivering them.

There are far too many uncertainties in this process.

“Everyone, don’t worry. The court’s supply officers will surely deliver the provisions as quickly as possible. I will also send an urgent message at 800-li speed to expedite the matter. Once we enter the city, I’ll need everyone to provide a detailed account of the situation here.” Gu Qingci said to the crowd, aiming to reassure them first.

The current state of the battle remains unclear to Gu Qingci, and she has no concrete ideas yet on how to gather provisions.

Gu Qingci couldn’t help but sigh. When it comes to real warfare, too many unexpected problems arise.

Gu Qingci had brought along several seasoned generals and strategists well-versed in warfare—these were her pillars of confidence.

After entering the city and holding a meeting to gather information, Gu Qingci gained a rough understanding of the situation.

Their primary enemy at the moment was the Northern Turkic tribe.

This tribe had produced a brave and resourceful general named Ashina Lie—the very man who had captured Cao Bang’ang.

They were cavalry troops, highly mobile, and frequently harassed the borderlands, plundering the people’s belongings.

It was also they who had set fire to the granary.

After burning the granary, they had quieted down somewhat.

However, any troops sent out from the city to search for provisions were ambushed.

The reason Gu Qingci’s group had entered without harassment was simply that they weren’t a supply convoy—their arrival would only consume resources.

Hearing this, Gu Qingci took a deep breath.

This enemy was not easy to deal with.

Cunning and elusive, they were hard to even encounter.

“Let us rest and regroup. We will set out the morning of the day after tomorrow to borrow grain from a nearby border town.” Gu Qingci said.

Gu Qingci made simple arrangements and, after the meeting, returned to the general’s residence in Wu City.

While others were packing, Gu Qingci didn’t take time to rest. Instead, she changed into servant’s clothing and took advantage of the chaos to slip out for a while.

Ruan Zhi had told Gu Qingci that Wu City had an office of the Jucheng Trading Company. Gu Qingci wanted to contact them to see if there was any way to purchase some grain and, at the same time, send a letter back to Ruan Zhi.

The person in charge of the Jucheng Trading Company was Xia Lingyan.

They had dealt with each other as far back as when they were in Minshan County.

When Xia Lingyan heard the attendant’s report, she hurried out to greet Gu Qingci.

Seeing Gu Qingci, Xia Lingyan felt complicated emotions.

Who would have thought that the person she once bet couldn’t pass the military imperial examination would become the top military scholar? Her official rank had risen faster than a rocket, and she was already the General of Zhenbei!

“Wu City is practically under siege. How is your business here?” Gu Qingci didn’t exchange pleasantries with Xia Lingyan and went straight to the point.

“In the past two days, even the caravans we sent out have been attacked, so we’ve temporarily stopped dispatching them.” Xia Lingyan shook her head.

“…Would one or two people leaving the city be attacked?” Gu Qingci paused and asked again.

“If there are few people, it shouldn’t happen for now.” Xia Lingyan said.

“Help me send a letter back. Also, don’t tell Madam about the situation in Wu City for now. I don’t want her to worry.” Gu Qingci said.

Xia Lingyan agreed to Gu Qingci’s request.

The letter Gu Qingci sent was mainly to reassure Ruan Zhi of her safety.

“The trading company still has a small stockpile of grain. If you need it, Master, we can bring it out for emergencies.” Xia Lingyan said.

“Not for now. We can still hold out for a few more days. Even if we took it out, it would be a drop in the bucket for so many people. You protect yourselves. If anything comes up, send someone to the general’s residence to find me.” Gu Qingci shook her head.

Wu City’s shortage of provisions still required these soldiers to find a way to break through, confront the Turkic cavalry, and see if they could “borrow” some grain. She couldn’t let her own trading company take the risk or use her own resources to subsidize the larger force.

Gu Qingci learned more about the situation on the frontier from Xia Lingyan, including which nearby wealthy households might have grain reserves, before leaving and returning to the general’s residence.

Not long after arriving at the general’s residence, Wen Renyi brought a familiar face to see Gu Qingci—it was Cao Hang, who had previously come to the frontier.

This time, Cao Hang looked disheveled with a scruffy beard, his expression somewhat gloomy. When he saw Gu Qingci, he forced a smile to greet her.

“After General Cao was captured, Cao Hang led his men to break through the encirclement four or five times, suffering heavy losses each time. It’s a miracle he’s still alive and standing here!” Wen Renyi said to Gu Qingci.

“Brute force won’t work—we need to use tactics to counter the cavalry. Later, we’ll split into two teams, and you’ll lead one for me.” Gu Qingci said, patting Cao Hang on the shoulder.

She still trusted Cao Hang and was well aware of his combat prowess.

Gu Qingci had a strategy in mind, but she needed someone to coordinate with her, and Cao Hang happened to be the right fit.

“How about we try again?” Cao Hang asked, looking at Gu Qingci with a glimmer of hope.