From cute to empress

The soldier's intermittent words exploded in my ears like thunder. Monsters? How could this be possible? I tried to remain calm, took a deep breath, and asked, "What do those monsters look like?"

A look of horror crossed the soldier's face, as if he were recalling some horrific scene. He trembled and said, "Those monsters... were several feet tall, with green faces and fangs, and were invulnerable to swords and spears..."

My heart sank. This was clearly the legendary demon army! How could this happen? How could the enemy nation be colluding with the demons? Was all this premeditated?

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Deputy General Ma asked anxiously, "Should we continue to move forward?"

I looked around and saw that the soldiers, who had once been so motivated, were now frightened and demoralized. Yes, facing such a powerful enemy, do we still have a chance of victory?

"Your Majesty," Military Advisor Guo, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up, "I do have an idea..."

My eyes lit up, as if I had grasped a life-saving straw, and I hurriedly asked, "What's the military advisor's plan?"

Military Advisor Guo pointed to a valley on the map and said, "This place is called Juelong Valley. The terrain is narrow and easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we..."

Military Advisor Guo lowered his voice and whispered in my ear. My eyes became brighter and brighter, as if I saw the dawn of victory.

"Your Majesty, this plan is too risky..." Deputy General Ma looked hesitant, "What if..."

"There's no chance of that happening!" I interrupted him firmly. "We have no way out!"

I dismounted, gazed resolutely into the distance, and said in a deep voice, "Pass the order down, all troops..."

I dismounted, gazed resolutely into the distance, and said in a deep voice, "Pass the order down! The entire army retreats to Juelong Valley! No one is allowed to fight without my order!"

Although the soldiers were afraid, they still resolutely carried out my orders. We fought and retreated, and finally arrived at Juelong Valley before sunset.

"Your Majesty, are we really going to attack the enemy camp at night?" It was late at night and Zhen Youcai stood in front of me with a serious expression.

I nodded, a determined light flashing in my eyes. "Yes, this is our only chance. Don't worry, I've already discussed it with Military Advisor Guo. We..."

I told Zhen Youcai the battle plan in detail. After listening to it, his frown finally relaxed and a raging fire of war ignited in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will complete the mission!"

I patted his shoulder and said solemnly: "Be careful!"

The night was as dark as ink, pitch dark. Zhen Youcai and I each led an elite squad and quietly infiltrated the enemy camp.

"kill!"

Following Zhen Youcai's order, we rushed into the enemy camp like a tiger descending from the mountain.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The enemy troops suddenly fell into chaos and fled in all directions.

"Don't fight too long and burn the food supplies!" I loudly reminded the soldiers around me.

We followed the plan and headed straight for the enemy's granary. A raging fire shot up into the sky, illuminating half the night sky red.

"Damn! Who is it?!"

A deafening roar came from a distance, and my heart trembled, knowing that the enemy's main general was coming.

"Come on!"

I made a prompt decision and led my soldiers to fight and retreat.

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!"

A tall figure stood in front of me. In the light of the fire, I recognized the person. It was the enemy commander - "Barbarian Batur! You are here!" I clenched the sword in my hand, but there was no fear in my heart.

"Niu Mengmeng!" Batur roared with his eyes wide open and gnashing teeth, "You despicable villain, how dare you sneak attack our army's food supplies!"

"All's fair in war, don't you understand this principle?" I sneered, not losing the upper hand at all. "If you know what's good for you, quickly get your men to lay down their weapons, and I'll consider sparing your lives!"

"Dream on!" Batur roared and rushed towards me waving the mace in his hand.

I dodged his attack by moving sideways and thrust my sword at his chest. Batur reacted quickly and raised his mace to block my attack.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" Zhen Youcai's voice came from the side.

I turned around and saw several enemy soldiers besieging Zhen Youcai. Although Zhen Youcai was outnumbered, he was not at a disadvantage. The spear in his hand was like a silver dragon, flying up and down, forcing the enemy soldiers to retreat step by step.

"Youcai, there's no need to fight, break out!" I shouted.

Zhen Youcai understood, made a feint, forced back the besieging soldiers, and then rushed towards me.

Zhen Youcai and I stood back to back, resisting wave after wave of enemy attacks. Although the enemy was outnumbered, their morale was low due to the destruction of their food supplies. Our soldiers, on the other hand, fought bravely and gradually turned the tide.

"Kill--"

With deafening shouts and cries of killing, our reinforcements finally arrived.

"Your Majesty, we are here!" Military Advisor Guo rode a warhorse and led the army from a distance.

"Kill!" I cheered up, raised the sword in my hand, and led the soldiers to launch the final general attack.

The enemy was attacked from both sides and immediately fell into chaos. They abandoned their armor and weapons and fled in all directions. Batur saw that the situation was hopeless and had no choice but to flee with his remaining troops.

I looked at the devastated battlefield and breathed a sigh of relief. Although we suffered heavy losses in this battle, we ultimately won.

"Your Majesty, we won!" Zhen Youcai walked to my side with a joyful smile on his face.

I nodded, looking at his tired but determined face, and a warm feeling surged in my heart.

"Let's go back to camp!"

As the sun sets, our figures appear particularly slender.

The setting sun cast its afterglow across the ravaged battlefield, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and burning, making me sick. Fatigue washed over me like a tide, and I could barely stand. If Zhen Youcai hadn't been there, silently supporting me with his hands, I would have collapsed to the ground.

"Your Majesty, are you okay?" The anxious voice of Lieutenant General Ma sounded in his ears. He was covered in dust, and there were bloodstains on his armor. It was obvious that he had experienced a fierce battle.

I shook my head, took a deep breath, and tried to calm my chaotic breathing. "I'm fine. What about the casualties of the soldiers?"

"Your Majesty, we..." Lieutenant General Ma hesitated to speak, his eyes flickering.

My heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding came over me. "Speak!"

"We suffered heavy losses. There are less than three thousand people who can break out..." Lieutenant General Ma lowered his head and spoke in a low voice.

Less than three thousand men... I closed my eyes, and the scene of the soldiers bravely fighting the enemy emerged in my mind, and my heart ached. In this battle, although we repelled Batur's surprise attack, we also paid a huge price.

"Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to find a safe place to rest as soon as possible, and at the same time contact the nearby defenders and request support." Military Advisor Guo said in a deep voice, his face very solemn.

I nodded and looked around. This wilderness was indefensible and simply not a place to stay for long. "Pass the order, all troops, retreat south. Target: Black Wind Pass!"

The terrain of Heifengkou is dangerous, easy to defend but difficult to attack, and it was the retreat route we chose in advance.

"Your Majesty, I will arrange it right away." Deputy General Ma took the order and left.

I turned to look at Zhen Youcai. Although he was exhausted, his eyes were still firm. "Youcai, we..."

He held my hand, and the warmth of his palm gave me strength. "I know what you want to say. Don't worry, we will definitely overcome all difficulties."

Yes, we still have a lot to do, this war is far from over, and true victory is still a long way off... I looked into the distance, where it seemed that a bigger storm was brewing.

"Report—" A soldier hurried over and knelt on the ground, "Enemy traces have been found ahead!"

My heart sank. Had he caught up so quickly? It seemed the real test had only just begun...