Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Two days later, the army set off for the southwest.

After a half-month march, the army passed through the Sichuan and Chongqing region, where the rains became more frequent.

The torrential rain continued unabated for two whole days, severely hindering the march.

Considering that the ground fissure in Bashu had occurred less than a year ago, and that the soil on the mountains was loose, with continuous heavy rains likely to trigger landslides, Liu Su ordered the army to select an open area to set up tents and rest.

Xiahou Che accompanied the army to the southwest this time, and in order to avoid attracting attention, he did not reveal to the public that he was the eleventh prince. Instead, he served as a personal guard of the Loyal and Brave General, attending to Liu Su.

Outside the tent, a torrential downpour was taking place. Inside the main tent, several generals were discussing military matters, while Xiahou Che stood silently by the table.

After the generals left one after another, only Liu Su and Xiahou Che remained in the main tent.

Liu Su, holding the military report in his hand, said without looking up, "Eleven, pour me a glass of water."

Xiahou Che acted as if he hadn't heard.

Liu Su called out again, but received no response. He looked up and found Xiahou Che in a daze.

"Eleven, what are you thinking about?" Liu Su tapped on the table.

Xiahou Che then came to his senses, a hint of embarrassment on his face: "It's nothing."

Liu Su looked him up and down: "Ever since we entered the Bashu region, you've been distracted. There are no outsiders here, so if there's anything you need to say, feel free to talk to your teacher. Perhaps I can help."

Xiahou Che couldn't very well say that the woman who brought him out of the Yeting Palace was in Bashu, and he hesitated whether or not to go and see her.

"It's really nothing." Xiahou Che picked up a cup and poured him a glass of water, changing the subject. "I don't know when this rain will stop. If it keeps raining, there may be floods in Shu."

Seeing that he was unwilling to talk, Liu Su did not force him: "In the past few years, there have been disasters of all sizes in various places. Since they have come, let's accept them and not worry unnecessarily."

"Yes."

As soon as Xiahou Che finished speaking, a soldier, soaking wet, ran in and reported, "General, we captured two suspicious men in the woods ahead. They were carrying military crossbows and were injured."

Liu Su frowned: "Bring the person up."

The two men, bound like dumplings, were quickly brought into the main tent. One of them had multiple injuries and was almost on the verge of death.

Along with them were two crossbows, standard issue for the imperial army. These items were strictly controlled by the common people; ordinary citizens were not allowed to manufacture or possess them privately, and if discovered, it was a capital offense.

Who are these two people?

deserter?

Careful work?

Liu Su gave Xiahou Che a wink.

Xiahou Che nodded, stepped forward to examine it carefully, and shook his head, saying, "It's not a soldier."

Soldiers in the army practice martial arts for a long time, so their palms are calloused and their bodies are muscular. Although these two men look strong, they are not soldiers who have been training for a long time.

Liu Su began interrogating the two men.

However, the two were clearly wary and refused to reveal their identities under any circumstances.

Just as Liu Su was preparing to use severe torture, a scout came in again to report: "General, a troop of cavalry has arrived outside. They say they are under the command of Princess Yining and are capturing mountain bandits."

Xiahou Che suddenly raised his head.

Liu Su was also taken aback.

After pondering for a while, he asked someone to bring him a raincoat: "Go out and take a look."

Xiahou Che quickly followed.

Outside the tent, the rain continued unabated. Xiahou Che followed two or three steps behind Liu Su, his steps hurried.

He saw cavalrymen standing in the rain outside the camp in the distance, each wearing a raincoat and a straw hat. He immediately noticed that the leader was a woman dressed in red.

His heart was racing for no reason, and he subconsciously straightened his military uniform.

Upon approaching, Liu Su recognized Yan Zhen, who was riding on horseback, and bowed in a greeting between officials of equal rank: "Princess Yining."

When Liu Su heard that Princess Yining had been appointed as the Pacification Commissioner and sent to Shu to provide disaster relief, he, like most officials in the court, scoffed at her, thinking that she was just putting on a show.

What can a sheltered young woman who rarely leaves her home do when she travels thousands of miles to the disaster area?

However, in the past six months, good news about disaster relief in Sichuan has been coming back to the capital one after another.

Upon arriving in Sichuan, she swiftly dealt with several corrupt officials who had embezzled disaster relief funds, executing those who deserved to die and confiscating their property, bringing those local tyrants to their knees.

He then quickly replanned the reconstruction of several important cities in Sichuan, using work relief to mobilize disaster victims, and cleared broken and mud-bombed official roads, allowing transportation to be restored as quickly as possible.

Four months ago, she also suppressed a small town that had been plagued by an outbreak, preventing the epidemic from spreading significantly.

A few days ago, she wrote to the imperial court, detailing the post-disaster recovery situation and requesting that the Shu region be exempted from taxes for three years, giving the disaster victims in this land time to recuperate.

In previous years, whenever a large-scale disaster such as a ground fissure occurred, the affected people who lost their homes would be forced to migrate to other places, forming a large number of displaced people who posed a great threat and posed a great danger.

However, thanks to the arrival of Princess Yining this year, not only did the Shu region not experience an outflow of disaster victims, but it also quickly recovered its vitality.

Having witnessed the post-disaster recovery efforts as he led his troops, Liu Su no longer dared to underestimate Princess Yining.

Yan Zhen dismounted and bowed, saying, "General Liu, how have you been?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yan Zhen said, "There's a group of refugees who have turned to banditry on the mountain ahead. They usually rob passing civilians and merchants. A few days ago, they even killed thirteen of my soldiers. I've been leading men to surround and suppress this group of bandits for the past two days, but two of them kidnapped children and escaped. I wonder if General Liu has seen these two?"

Liu Su waved his hand, and immediately soldiers escorted the two disheveled men out.

When Yan Zhen saw them, she narrowed her eyes. The next moment, she picked up the crossbow hanging on the saddle and fired two arrows in quick succession with one hand.

One arrow struck him squarely between the eyebrows, and another pierced his heart, killing both men in the blink of an eye.

This swift and decisive action stunned not only Xiahou Che, who witnessed the entire process, but also Liu Su, a seasoned veteran of many battles.

"Thank you for your trouble, General Liu!" Yan Zhen put away his crossbow, turned around and mounted his horse. "I have important matters to attend to in the city, so I'll take my leave!"

Liu Su cupped his hands in greeting: "Until we meet again."

Yan Zhen pulled on the reins, spurred his horse, and rode away in a cloud of dust, without even glancing at Xiahou Che once.

-

Night fell, but the rain showed no signs of letting up.

Yan Zhen didn't return to his residence until it was almost dark.

She was soaking wet when she entered, leaving watery footprints with every step.

Ziying hurriedly stepped forward to take the straw hat and raincoat that the woman had taken off. She noticed with keen insight that the watermarks at the woman's feet had a faint blood-red tinge. She quickly asked, "Master, are you injured?"

Yan Zhen's face turned pale, and he said in a low voice, "Don't make a fuss, it's just a minor injury."

She began to take off her wet outer clothes.

After days of heavy rain, the water volume of a landslide-dammed lake outside the city suddenly increased. Seeing that it might cause flooding if it continued, she hurriedly sent someone to Fuzhou to invite a retired water official with experience in managing landslide-dammed lakes.

Unexpectedly, the old water official was kidnapped by bandits on the way. In a critical situation, she mustered more than 300 elite troops overnight. After two days of planning, she stormed the mountain, wiped out the bandits, and brought the old water official back.

But after three days and two nights without sleep, she and her horse were exhausted. On the way back, the horse stumbled and she was thrown off, her entire back scraped and bleeding from the pebbles.