The Empress’ Livestream
chapter-497

Chapter 497: Besieging Fengyi County (V)

Jiang Nongqin?

Why did that sound like a woman’s name?

Many soldiers were having doubts. The troops Jiang Nongqin took with her stood even straighter. The muscles on their backs contracted, making them look tightly wound. They could not help but gaze at Jiang Nongqin who stepped forward from the corner.

She did not dress herself in men’s clothing. She just wore clothes that would not restrain her movements. It was a figure dressed in women’s clothing that was different to that of a man.

Clad in leather armor with her hair tied up high at the top of her head, she stepped out of the ranks aloofly with steady footsteps, went down on her knees and half-squatted.

“Present.” Jiang Nongqin looked very feminine. Even if her skin seemed a bit rough from being exposed to the sun and undergoing various ordeals, her facial features could not hide the fact that she was a woman, not to mention that her figure did not look masculine.

Now that she had spoken, her clearly feminine voice which sounded somewhat hoarse, further confirmed that she was a woman.

She’s actually a woman!

Most of the troops widened their eyes. Even if they knew that the female battalion tolerated no nonsense, they never thought that a woman could be on the commander appointment stage.

This isn’t a joke, right?

Fortunately, they remembered the warning given during their training. Even if they were already thunderstruck, they still maintained their discipline and did not whisper.

The scene made Jiang Pengji feel even better. Her voice even sounded livelier.

“You’re appointed as the lieutenant of the female battalion to help the vanguard.”

There were almost 1,500 members in the female battalion, so it could be regarded as a battalion. However, she did not take everyone in the female battalion with her that time. She only took 500 of them with her and all of them were the most outstanding among the female warriors. They could gain combat experience through killing on the battlefield.

Despite being the lieutenant of just 500 troops, Jiang Nongqin could stun everyone with her being a woman who had gone on the commander appointment stage and been appointed as a lieutenant, although it made her look rather bad and no one even knew about the specific tasks of the female battalion. Despite their unwillingness to accept, they could only hold their dissatisfaction in.

The new recruits did not dare to criticize Jiang Nongqin on the inside, let alone question her ability. Being able to be on the commander appointment stage was the best proof.

They were still trembling at the thought of the female soldier who nitpicked the new recruits in the past.

As for the veterans, they were disciplined. Even if they were recalcitrant, they dared not raise their dissatisfaction in such a serious ceremony.

Therefore, Jiang Nongqin was given the title of a lieutenant. The 500 troops of the female battalion were only slightly behind the vanguard during their march.

Marching was a huge burden, but these women were selected by battling among nearly 1,500 people. Each quota was taken from the hands of their comrades. Of course, they did not dare to be negligent and careless and miss the opportunity to train themselves.

They had to go to war sooner or later. The Tsing Yi Army was just a mob who had experienced fatigue and hunger for the entire winter. It sounded like they were huge in number, but their actual combat power was pretty vulnerable. Moreover, they had been dealing with the Red Lotus Group for a long time, so their military strength had been depleted tremendously.

The knowledgeable female troops analyzed the pros and cons of the campaign. They came to the conclusion that they must join the war if they wanted to maximize the accumulation of their experience.

The Tsing Yi Army was just the beginning for them. They would face even more formidable enemies in the future, encounter tougher battlefields and participate in wars with mortality rates that were even higher. As members of the female battalion of Xiangyang District, they had to take this step sooner or later, so it was better to gain some experience from battles that were less dangerous.

When a person was confronted with the danger of death, he would fight to live!

Jiang Pengji looked around her and turned up her nose at the crowd. Her hoarse voice did not lack fierceness, making everyone nervous and their hair stand on end.

“Off we go!”

During early autumn to late winter the year before, Gu Xin had made a huge fortune by conning the people in the North borderline with the worthless glass tea sets. He bought large quantities of sheepskin and medium-sized horses at a cheap price. Jiang Pengji then took the opportunity to mix the huge amounts of grains which she bought from the depot into the grains that Gu Xin brought. Hence, Xiangyang District could be said to have a strong military and sufficient food now.

Even if there were a few unavoidable encounters, they could make it through, battling in a siege war that they were sure to win.

In the previous six months, Xiangyang District had established its own cavalry division with the horses. There were not many members in the cavalry battalion. They numbered only around 600. After all, not everyone was suitable to serve on horseback. To train a cavalry, a huge investment was required.

The cavalry was mainly used to assault, break up and cut into the enemy’s ranks. They had a great role and status in ancient wars.

Considering that the cavalry battalion was still inexperienced and that they did not have a dominant role in the siege war, Jiang Pengji did not drag her favorite babies with her… Raising the cavalry could really make one feel pain in their flesh. Even a wealthy landlord like Jiang Pengji felt her heart ache.

The strong wind gusted, making the flags flap in the wind. Xiangyang District became smaller and smaller slowly behind them and was finally just a dot on the horizon.

Jiang Pengji was steadily riding Dabai, who was so excited that it was dying to gallop. Wei Ci, who was next to her, turned pale from the wind.

Seeing that his lips had lost their color, Jiang Pengji said, “I asked you to guard the city, but you wanted to switch with Huaiyu no matter what. Don’t seek death when you’re not in good health.”

The original plan was to let Feng Jin go to war with her and leave the ill Wei Ci to look after the district in the base camp.

However, Wei Ci took the initiative to volunteer, saying that Feng Jin had to look after his family and that he could go anywhere without a problem because he was single.

Jiang Pengji looked at Feng Jin and then at Wei Ci. She initially thought that the two of them would fight. Instead, Feng Jin glanced at Wei Ci quietly and Wei Ci looked at him expressively. It was not known what their gazes conveyed. The two had reached a consensus.

Jiang Pengji did not say a word.

I don’t really understand scholars like you, with such complex minds.

Anyway, the final result was that Wei Ci won. Feng Jin would stay in Xiangyang District to guard the city.

After that, she heard Qiguan Rang tease Wei Ci for being treacherous and evil-minded.

“Why?”

“There are a lot of jobs to be done in the district headquarters. If Wei Ci is really asked to stay behind, I think he’ll die soon when we return from war.”

In the face of such a heavy workload, could Feng Jin who stayed behind really be able to spare some time and spend time with his wife and daughter?

This was very ambiguous.

Jiang Pengji was speechless.

It was so reasonable that Jiang Pengji actually had no words.

When night fell, the entire army rested on site.

During the march, they were not allowed to whisper, so the troops had held in their thoughts for the whole day.

While eating, they gossiped about Jiang Nongqin, the unprecedented female lieutenant.

“A war isn’t child’s play. How could a woman who isn’t from a military brothel join the battalion?”

With the constant reminder from the district headquarters, everyone knew that the women in the female battalion did not engage in such vulgar labor. None of the troops dared to provoke them.

“Challenge her then. If you win, you may be able to replace her.”

“Bah. You evil-minded thing… If I’m able to win, I’d be a centurion already. Why would I still talk nonsense with you here?”

They really did not dare to question Jiang Nongqin face-to-face. They knew very well about the training in the female battalion. Men might not even be able to endure it, but they persisted. They could earn their respect with this alone.

However, this was still far from making them acknowledge the female soldiers as their comrades.

The soldier sneered. “Centurion? Why don’t you be a corporal first?”

After four days of marching, it would only take them half a day more to reach their target. Jiang Pengji ordered the battalions to have a day off.

At that time, the vanguard found suspicious traces of marching.