chapter 45

“Reporting . ”

“Come in . ” Zhao Kuo eased his tensed eyebrows, feigning a neutral expression .

The man who entered was his deputy general, the man who handled the assault .

“General . ” The veteran commander bowed with an embarrassed expression .

Zhao Kuo hurriedly stood up and helped the man up . “In the army, you may be my lieutenant, but you are also my elder . There is no need to bow . ”

The veteran got up and sighed . “The casualties have been counted . Our losses are nearly seven thousand, and the Qin army should have lost about six thousand or so . ”

“General, now that the army’s underside is exposed to the enemy, the situation restless . ”

As he spoke, he looked at Zhao Kuo with a sullen expression . “I’m wondering where the King’s reinforcements are by now . ”

Zhao Kuo’s face remained unperturbed . “By now, they should have reached the foot of the Taihang Mountains . They should arrive in ten days . ”

“Ten days…” The veteran hesitated in thought, sighing, “I’m not sure if the army can hold for ten days . ”

“The army still has enough food for ten days . Once the reinforcements arrive, we can turn defeat into victory . ”

“I hope so . ” The veteran nodded .

But he suddenly seemed to remember something . “Yes, General, as my force was attacking the camp, we encountered a very young general . ”

“Young general?” Zhao Kuo felt it strange . Although the entire Zhao army was committed to attacking, the actual width of the wall section targeted was quite small . The melee did not reach it’s maximum of a field battle, but the chaos could still be imagined in such a limited space . In these circumstances, it’s impossible for the Qin commanders to take the risk of participating .

“Yes, this old man saw it atop the city walls . One person held their line, and his bravery was quite commendable . Although I was far away and could not see his face, I heard from the soldiers’ shouts that he was a person surnamed Gu . ”

“Surnamed Gu?” Zhao Kuo’s face was a bit strange, but a smile soon formed . “When I arrive, I may recognize this person…”

“Indeed, it is quite the rare individual . This is fine as well . This person may be a nameless figure, but if they truly possess this courage, I would hope that General could be conscious of this person . ”

“En . ” Zhao Kuo nodded his head in understanding .

“Then this subordinate will be out . ”

—————————————————————

“rustle, rustle . ”

From Gu Nan’s tent came the light movement of clothes .

By the small window was the basin, it’s water muddled with red from the bloody cloth submerged into it .

The still-bloody arrows were neatly placed by the bedside .

The woman carefully untied Gu Nan’s black armor . The heavy iron chest armor was particularly heavy, but the woman still managed to handle it without much exertion, placing it to the side .

Looking down at the thin robes underneath, the woman’s face turned brighter shades of red . Not only has she never undone someone else’s clothes, but it happened to be such a beautiful girl at that .

Especially after washing her face of bloody, she was almost afraid to look at her .

The soldiers outside call her ‘General Gu . ’ Is this person a general?

The woman thought as she reached out and gently tugged at the neckline of Gu Nan’s robes .

Can a woman become a general?

She thought momentarily about this girl charging forward on a horse across the battlefield, donned in this black armor and pale robes, wielding a long spear . The woman blinked and agreed that this girl might really be that strong .

Slowly pulling the collar loose, she carefully avoiding the wounds . It revealed the white skin underneath, giving a silky feeling upon contact, just as supple as a young girl’s .

The woman’s gaze fell on those wounds, pouting that such violent beasts would dare leave a wound on such an immaculate work of art .

The clothes continued to be pulled down, revealing the delicate clavicle and the white clothes binding down the girl’s chest .

The woman’s face turned a bit redder .

Putting her hand on Gu Nan’s stomach, she felt the near absence of fat and even firm abdominal muscles . The woman’s attention returned to inspecting the wound at the waist, frowning slightly .

The wound was deep and the armor at the waist was the least . The arrow should have damaged the foundational root .

She took out a small bottle of medicine, lightly sprinkling it above the wound . At the same time, her hands began to emit a milk-white glow, closing the large lesion .

Once all the wounds were treated in a similar fashion, everything was bandaged with a clean white cloth . The woman wiped the heavy sweat from her forehead . She had not rested in the slightest during the two hours of work .

Only after she carefully put Gu Nan’s clothes back to their original position did the woman take a long sigh of relief .

Quietly, taking a final look at this female general, the woman took a white cloth and wiped her hands with it as she walked out of the tent .

Outside the entrance, Meng Wu had already allowed Bai Qi to take his place .

Bai Qi didn’t say anything, simply standing outside the door quietly . Naturally, he understood that the woman leaving the tent signaled the conclusion of the operation .

Bai Qi quickly stepped forward . “Many thanks, good Madam for your hard work . But, I merely hope to inquire on the situation of my disciple . ”

“I’m a ‘good Madam’ now, eh? Humph . ” The woman scoffed, agitated . “This is how you treat people after you kidnap them?”

Bai Qi was a bit stunned to realize that it was only a twenty-year-old woman but smiled reluctantly after regaining composure . “The situation was dire before and we, soldiers, are naturally not gentlemanly . So, I apologize for any poor treatment you’ve received . ”

The woman shrugged her shoulders after her irritation cooled down from the apologies given . “The girl inside should be waking up in a couple hours . So, I’ve already treated your person, can I go now?’

There was no immediate response . Bai Qi faintly sighed and said to the woman .

“I am unsure of how to address your honorable self, but I am grateful for saving this one’s disciple . I hope I can trouble you to stay for a few more days . ”

Bai Qi then revealed a rueful smile as he said, “As ‘good Madam’ would know, this is a military camp, and without other females, it’s very inconvenient to continue treatment . ”

“Hmm . ” The woman thought about it for a moment . Returning early didn’t really mean much, and there wasn’t a problem to stay a bit longer . Since the girl is still unrecovered, the duty is still somewhat unfinished .

Ah, there’s no helping it . Who’s going to give me a break?

“Since the General has insisted and displayed his sincerity, I can stay for a few more days . However, regarding payment…”

As the woman spoke, her mouth formed a knowing grin .

This girl is quite interesting . it would be good for her to stay with Nan’er a few days .

Bai Qi smiled brightly . “Of course, this old man will not treat you poorly . ”