The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 781 Ayu's First Battle
Although Ayu said she wasn't curious, on the way there she still asked which ones had the maximum favorability rating.

Your mother, grandmother, and fifth brother all treat you with the utmost care, and the rest of your family members are all above 95. They are devoted to you wholeheartedly.

Ayu: "There are two more. I thought they were family."

[The other one is also considered family; he is Crown Prince Ouyang Changjing of Xifeng Kingdom, and also your maternal uncle.] Tuanzi scrolled through the favorability data panel. [His favorability towards you wasn't particularly high before; it was more out of a sense of responsibility. Just a few days ago, his favorability suddenly surged, eventually reaching its maximum.]

Ouyang Changjing is the crown prince of a country. Regardless of his true character, he is certainly not without guile. It would be impossible for him to develop a full level of affection for someone.

Throughout history, monarchs have been suspicious, even wise rulers. Even if the crown prince is not so suspicious, he still has to be somewhat suspicious.

Ayu guessed, "He is the crown prince. Perhaps he heard something and felt that I would not pose a threat to the Western Wind Kingdom, or perhaps he approves of some of my actions, which is why he has such a favorable impression of me?"

【I don’t know, maybe we’ll have a chance to meet again in the future, you can ask him.】 With their affection level maxed out, this person, while not someone you can completely trust, at least wouldn’t have any intention of harming Ayu.

"What about another one?"

You would never guess who this person is.

Tuanzi kept everyone in suspense.

Ayu guessed, "It can't be the king of Xifeng Kingdom."

Of course not. He has a good impression of you, but it's far from being at the maximum level.

Just as Tuanzi was about to give the answer, a commotion arose outside, and someone came to the carriage where Ayu was.

"Lord Wang, we have caught a spy."

Ayu didn't bother talking to Tuanzi anymore. She lifted the carriage curtain, stepped down in a few strides, and asked as she went, "Have you informed the commander and General Ping'an?"

The man said, "It was General Ping An who instructed me to inform you of this matter, sir."

"Take me to see it."

Two weeks have passed since the army set off. They have long since left Wanning City and bypassed the cities along the way to avoid unnecessary visits. They are heading directly to the city where the Third Prince is located.

They used the military road, and a group of soldiers set off first, led by a trusted subordinate of the Left Commander, while the rest of the troops moved at a slower pace.

The rebel army led by the Third Prince, perhaps believing that Emperor Minghua would not ultimately exterminate them, brazenly stormed into several cities.

Seeing that the generals defending the city did not put up a desperate resistance, they became even more emboldened.

Now, they have colluded with the remnants of the Northern Desert Kingdom, occupying the northernmost part of the North Bay, as well as the coastal city and surrounding islands.

Now, they have even openly sent out several groups of scouts and spies to try and find out the strength of Qin Huai's group.

"His Majesty has few children, and the Empress has no sons. Several princes are all capable of competing for the throne. Even though the Third Prince has been demoted, no one knows who will emerge victorious at the last moment. The soldiers guarding the city along the way dare not kill him, for fear of retaliation in the future."

Before she even reached the military tent, Ayu heard General Hua's voice.

Qin Huai did not respond. Instead, a deputy general said indignantly, "That scoundrel probably thinks we're just putting on an act, how dare he be so arrogant!"

General Hua said, "General Qin and Commander Wang are still young, and anyone could have their own guesses about this. Not to mention them, even outsiders would probably think the same way."

The lieutenant scoffed, "The world is simply ignorant! Commander, you were only ten years old when you first went to the battlefield, and even after your first time killing someone, you were so scared that you wet your pants in the middle of the night—"

"Cough cough cough cough!" General Hua's violent coughing stopped the deputy general from speaking further.

Someone spotted Ayu and went into the tent to report. The tent flap was pulled open, and Qin Huai came out.

Upon seeing Ayu, his previously cold expression softened: "We'll be camping here tonight. You should get some rest. Why did you come all this way?"

General Hua, inside, said, "I was the one who sent her—"

Facing Qin Huai's gaze, he added, "Ahem, I used your name."

General Hua dismissed the people around him and called Ayu and the other woman in, briefly explaining the situation of the spy.

“The man has been interrogated and readily admitted to being one of the Third Prince’s men,” General Hua said. “He also has a token and tattoos to prove his identity, so he doesn’t seem to be faking it.”

Ayu wondered, "Is it really that easy? Could it be a trap?"

Although she was well-versed in military strategy and tactics, and had received extra tutoring from Tuanzi in the space, there was still a significant gap between theory and practice when it came to leading troops. Moreover, no matter how precocious Ayu was, she was still just a child before reaching adulthood, and her understanding of war was limited.

General Hua thought highly of Qin Huai and A Yu, and thus intended to cultivate them. He then asked Qin Huai, "What are your thoughts?"

Qin Huai said, "The Third Prince is usually arrogant, but he never oversteps the bounds. He understands what is permissible and what is not. That is why he has been regarded as the crown prince for many years. With the potential to be the crown prince, he cannot be a fool. Even if he were desperate, he would not do such a stupid thing."

How stupid would someone have to be to give a spy an obviously identifiable identity?

General Hua smiled and said, "That makes sense."

In fact, General Hua was a rough and unrefined man, not very clever, but he wasn't stupid.

He then looked at Ayu with a smile.

Ayu said, "I understand."

After the two looked at her, she continued, "The Third Prince should not be the mastermind behind this rebellion. This spy is either doing it on purpose to inform someone, or someone wants to act in his name to force the court to respond forcefully."

A prince who has already been abandoned by the royal family is doomed to die if he openly challenges the dignity of the royal family, no matter how great his achievements. What can he do to save his life?
Ayu and Qin Huai exchanged a glance, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

Before the group had finished their discussion, someone came to report that the spy had deliberately released a hidden weapon concealed between his teeth, and that the poisoned weapon had killed him during the struggle.

On his deathbed, he cried out, "Heaven is unjust, and the tyrant is ruthless!"

General Hua was stunned for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

It seems that this battle with the Third Prince cannot end well.

Three days later, Ayu and her party were ambushed. As the army was preparing to pass by a cliff, rocks fell from the cliff and smashed the carriage in front of them to pieces.

After the dust settled, a group of soldiers charged out. As they had expected, these soldiers had been ambushed and thrown into disarray. But when the dust cleared, they were dumbfounded.

Below the cliff, there were only a group of wooden carriages and dilapidated planks; not a single person was in sight.
The tens of thousands of troops following behind stood coldly at a distance, a vast group of people, yet not uttering a single sound.

The deputy general in charge was dumbfounded: "What's going on?"

On this side, Ayu sat on a large chestnut horse, gazing into the distance, wearing armor, exuding an air of quiet authority.

At that moment, she was talking to Tuanzi in her mind.

"Elf, thank you for reminding us, otherwise we would have lost some warriors this time."

You're welcome.

As early as when the army was twenty miles away, Tuanzi told Ayu that a large force was lying in ambush on the cliff.

Ayu told General Hua about this, and before the scouts could report back, General Hua had no doubts and let Ayu try to deal with it.

At that time, the deputy general even asked, "Commander, do you really trust the warlord that much?"

General Hua retorted, "Have you forgotten her other status as a recipient of a salary?"

The lieutenant suddenly realized: "The commander of the Astronomical Bureau is in charge of divination of fortune and misfortune!"

Whether previous astrologers were accurate or not is unknown, but General Hua has complete faith in this year's astrologer.

Meanwhile, Ayu steadily raised her right hand, and in the next instant, gently pressed it down. Her youthful yet undeniable voice rang out: "Kill!"

Tens of thousands of soldiers rushed out in an instant, stirring up billowing dust.

"Come on!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Before the soldiers on the cliff could react, the suppressing troops, who had already quietly climbed up, covered their mouths, swiftly dispatched them with their swords.

Inside and outside the cliff, shouts of battle shook the heavens.

Sorry for the long wait, I typed a bunch of generational names and it got swallowed, never mind.
In short, life is tough; I have to work to support my family, and now, barely surviving, I've managed to squeeze out some energy.
Also, the initial contract for this story stipulated that it would only be 1.5 million words, so it will likely be finished in about 100,000 more words. I didn't want to rush through it, so I didn't just write a rushed ending for the sake of an ending, which is why it's been delayed until now. I apologize for that.