[Marriage first, love later] She is happy after marrying a widower

"Madam, Jiang Zhi and his men have evacuated." A young general ran all the way, and the armor on his body made a slight clinking sound as he ran.

When he ran to the tent where Song Yanzhi and Qin Daozi were, he knelt on one knee with a "thump" and clasped his hands together.

His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, sliding down his cheeks. He was breathing heavily and reporting anxiously and clearly.

At this time, Song Yanzhi and Qin Daozi were standing in front of the tent, looking intently at the post-war scene in the distance.

On the battlefield, soldiers were coming and going, busy cleaning the battlefield. Some were collecting weapons that could still be used, picking up the swords, bows and crossbows scattered on the ground one by one, wiping them clean and stacking them neatly aside.

Some of them worked in groups of two, carrying stretchers and carefully sending their injured companions to the tents at the rear for treatment, whispering words of comfort to the injured from time to time.

Others were cleaning up the enemy's corpses. They frowned slightly, with a hint of reluctance on their faces, but they also knew that this was the cruelty of war and could only complete this heavy task silently.

The ground was in a mess, with broken arrows and spears stuck in the ground. Blood had seeped into the soil and had not yet completely dried, emitting a faint fishy smell.

All of this silently tells of the fierceness and bloodiness of the battle just now, as if a tragic picture is slowly unfolding before our eyes.

"Oh, retreat?"

Song Yanzhi raised her eyebrows slightly, a barely perceptible light flashed in her eyes, and a playful smile instantly appeared on her face. That smile showed both her insight into Jiang Zhi's move and a sense of composure that she was sure of victory.

Then, she slowly turned sideways and cast her gaze towards Qin Daozi beside her. With a questioning and probing look in her eyes, she asked softly, "Military Advisor, do you think Jiang Zhi has really withdrawn?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Daozi lowered his head slightly, habitually stroking his beardless chin with his hand, and narrowed his eyes, as if thinking about something.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice steady and wise: "Of course not, ma'am.

Jiang Zhi, as the most beloved prince of the King of Mobei, has always been arrogant and looked down upon. How could he have ever suffered such humiliation and such a great loss?

He must be holding back a lot of energy at this moment, thinking about getting back at his former self and avenging his previous humiliation, and he will definitely not give up easily.

I think he must be feigning an evacuation this time, hoping to make us let our guard down so he can attack us unexpectedly. We must not fall for his trick."

After hearing this, Song Yanzhi nodded in agreement. She knew Jiang Zhi's character too well. He was a vindictive person, narrow-minded and very concerned about his reputation. How could he let it go after he suffered such a big setback at her hands this time?

The expression on her face instantly became serious, and her originally gentle eyes became extremely sharp, shining like cold stars, revealing an unquestionable majesty.

She said to the young general in a serious tone, "Pass the order down and make sure to conduct a thorough investigation of all the ships that have passed through in the past few days. Don't miss any clues.

In addition, more personnel should be sent to patrol the river, and each section of the river must be properly arranged without any omissions.

The Qingshui River is so long and vast, winding and twisting, like a giant dragon lying on the earth. It is too easy for Jiang Zhi to find a suitable place to cross the river.

We must be more careful.

The reason he was defeated by us twice was entirely because he underestimated me, Song Yanzhi, and thought I was just a weak woman who was powerless and easy to control.

After these two defeats, I'm sure he'll be even more cautious about attacking Qinghe County. From now on, the real battle will begin, and we can't afford to slack off even a little bit."

"Yes, ma'am, I'll pass the message on right away!"

A general next to him clasped his hands, accepted the order, turned around and left quickly. The hurried footsteps were particularly clear in the slightly silent camp.

After a while, he disappeared between the tents to convey Song Yanzhi's orders.

As Song Yanzhi expected, the situation on the Qingshui River became complicated after Jiang Zhi was defeated that day.

From time to time, you can see a lot more ships, and those ships are of various types and shapes.

Some of them look like ordinary merchant ships, with dilapidated hulls and patched sails, sailing slowly on the river, as if they are just ordinary business trips.

Some of them looked like small boats used by fishermen, with simple fishing gear placed on them. A man who looked like a fisherman was sitting at the bow, seemingly concentrating on casting the net, but his eyes kept glancing towards the shore, revealing something unusual.

Others were larger, like cargo ships, yet their concealed appearance made it difficult to discern their cargo. Their intermittent presence on the river, their comings and goings, only heightened the sense of suspicion, as if undercurrents were surging beneath the calm surface.

Song Yanzhi did not dare to slack off at all and strengthened the inspection efforts. The soldiers took shifts day and night, guarding key positions along the river, like loyal guards, vigilantly watching every passing ship.

"Who are you? Stop and be inspected!"

The soldiers on the river bank shouted loudly, holding their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed on the slowly approaching boat.

The people on the boat heard the shouting and quickly responded, "Sir, we are small businessmen. We came from upstream and are going to exchange some goods downstream. Please be kind and let us pass."

"Stop talking nonsense, stop at the shore and be inspected first!" The soldiers didn't buy it and continued to give orders seriously.

On the other side, the same scene was constantly playing out. The soldiers carefully checked every passing ship, not letting go of any suspicious traces. Once they found something wrong, they would immediately take action, detain the suspicious person, and bring him back to the camp for detailed interrogation.

However, Jiang Zhi was no ordinary man. After suffering a series of losses, he kept changing his strategies and racked his brains to try to avoid Song Yanzhi's defense.

He summoned those smart and capable people under his command who were good at disguise, assigned them detailed tasks, and asked them to disguise themselves as people of various identities to explore the surrounding situation and find weak links in the defense, in an attempt to find a perfect opportunity to cross the river and launch an attack again.

"Listen up, everyone. You must be careful this time. Don't let that bitch Song Yanzhi find out again. If anyone ruins this prince's plan, don't blame me for being rude!"

Jiang Zhi's face was gloomy, and he spoke viciously to his men. His eyes were filled with a strong warning, which made everyone feel nervous.

"Yes, Your Highness, we will do our utmost to live up to your trust!"

Everyone responded in unison, then dispersed and quietly took action according to Jiang Zhi's arrangement.