Transmigrated as the Doomed Scumbag Alpha of the Eldest Princess - Chapter 33

“Jiang Si…”

Mowan Ci stood atop the city tower, gazing into the distance at Jiang Si, who sat tall on horseback in full armor. Her heart was full of reluctant sorrow.

She no longer remembered much of the dream from the night before. She only knew that when she woke and saw that Jiang Si was no longer there, her heart skipped a beat.

Her emotions shifted unpredictably, leaving even herself unsettled. But she could not control it.

She simply wanted to see Jiang Si one more time before she left for war.

“Your Highness, the wind is strong up here. Your body has not yet fully recovered…” Zhi Miao looked at Mowan Ci with concern, confused by her behavior.

The Princess seemed like a different person.

That morning, she had urgently asked where Marquis Jia Jing was.

Zhi Miao had heard the departure time from Su Xun, but the troops had set out early amid some commotion. When Mowan Ci asked again, she told her honestly that Jiang Si had already left.

The first time Zhi Miao had ever seen Mowan Ci lose composure had been just moments earlier. She could not fully understand what had changed, only that Jiang Si no longer seemed like before.

Unlike the past few days when her thoughts were always with Mowan Ci, today Jiang Si’s expression from the city tower looked distant and reserved.

Mowan Ci was aware of this too.

What confused her even more was why the scent of amber incense would make her so reluctant to let go of Jiang Si.

Down below, Jiang Si raised her hand toward her in a polite wave. Mowan Ci pressed her lips together and gave her a long, quiet look.

Then she turned and stepped down from the tower.

Only when she heard the sound of hooves did she lift her head again, her eyes scanning the direction the Jingyuan Army had taken in search of Jiang Si’s figure.

Toward Jiang Si, she had always held a sense of caution, mixed with guilt and longing.

But in this moment, all she felt was longing.

Softly, in a voice so low that even Zhi Miao could not hear, she whispered to Jiang Si’s retreating figure.

“Return safely.”

Hundreds of meters away, Jiang Si suddenly turned her head as if sensing something.

She saw Mowan Ci standing once again on the tower, and also saw her turn and leave.

The road to Huaicheng proved far more difficult than Jiang Si had expected.

The southern frontier was nothing like the north. In the north, the Jingyuan Army’s presence alone was enough to intimidate enemies. Even the invading Rong Di tribes would think twice before making a move.

But in Nanliang, chaos reigned. The seventy thousand strong Pingjin Army seemed to do nothing to stop it.

There were refugees everywhere along the road. Whenever Jiang Si saw their suffering, she would stop and set up a temporary station to serve porridge. The Jingyuan Army had enough supplies to support these efforts, and if needed, she could request more from Ling Shang City.

Ye Chan expressed plenty of frustration over this, and though Su Xun was more restrained, he did not completely approve either.

Only Lan Shao seemed satisfied. She even joined in helping to serve the porridge.

Because of this, their progress was delayed by three days, and they served food in four different cities along the way.

By the time they arrived at Huaicheng, it was already evening.

Just before reaching the city gates, the Jingyuan Army paused briefly to rest. They raised their battle flags and prepared to enter.

In a letter, Cheng Pu had mentioned that the city was under joint defense by the Left General under Prince Pingjin’s command. Gaining entry would likely not be as easy as expected.

Though the Jingyuan Army’s numbers were small, every soldier was elite.

Their aura and discipline alone set them far above the average Pingjin troops. Yet the soldiers on the city wall had not looked down even once since they arrived. Jiang Si grew restless, and Ye Chan could no longer hold back.

She rode straight to the gates and shouted loudly.

“Can’t you see that the Marquis Jia Jing is here?”

Only then did the guards finally lower their heads to look.

From atop her horse, Jiang Si could see clearly that many of them had been napping. Even after hearing Ye Chan’s call, they moved slowly, showing no sign of opening the gate.

This scene angered many of her soldiers. Jiang Si still held back.

But her subordinates were like Ye Chan, quick-tempered and loyal. They charged forward on horseback and lined up behind Ye Chan in perfect formation, shouting in unison.

“Open the gates!”

Their voice echoed powerfully. Perhaps they had finally startled the guards, because a few of them began whispering and then ran off into the city.

Still, time passed and no one returned.

Jiang Si had prepared herself for anything in the southern frontier, but she had not expected Prince Pingjin to treat the Jingyuan Army with such blatant contempt.

Before leaving, Su Xun and the others had investigated the situation thoroughly. This moment had been chosen as the best time to enter the city. But now, even a short delay could turn everything upside down.

An hour passed. The Jingyuan Army began to shift formations, surrounding Jiang Si at the center, preparing for the possibility of conflict.

The ground beneath them began to rumble louder and louder. Lan Shao moved closer to Jiang Si.

Ye Chan and Su Xun had already moved to the front, ready to face any enemies head-on.

This kind of situation was nothing new to Jiang Si. She had experienced similar tension at Weicheng. Back then, Su Xun had also ordered his personal guards to protect her closely.

As the commander of an army, her life was considered more important than others. But that did not mean she should hide behind others.

“Lan Shao, you don’t need to protect me.”

“But this is General Su’s order.”

Though Lan Shao, Ye Chan, and Su Xun had grown up together, in the army, Lan Shao’s rank was still lower than the other two. An order from Su Xun was a direct military command.

Jiang Si was a bit exasperated by Lan Shao’s stubbornness, but then she quickly realized something.

“I hold the highest military rank in the Jingyuan Army. Do my orders not outweigh Su Xun’s?”

“Of course they do. It’s just that…”

Protecting Jiang Si seemed to be something carved into Lan Shao’s very bones. Among the three, her martial skills were the weakest, not even close to the original host’s strength. But she would still do everything she could to defend her.

After the experience in Weicheng, Jiang Si no longer feared the battlefield as much. The Rong Di had been repelled, and Nanliang would be no different.

She tightened her grip on the reins, raised her spear, and rode forward. Lan Shao could only follow close behind.

The Jingyuan Army had never fought Nanliang directly before. Their knowledge came only from paper and planning. Su Xun and Ye Chan were both extremely alert, ready for anything.

But when the Nanliang army finally appeared, a ripple of unease spread through them.

From a distance, it was clear.

The enemy numbers were at least double that of the Jingyuan Army.

Maybe more.

If the city gates remained closed, the Jingyuan Army would be caught in a difficult situation.

Su Xun instinctively turned to look back, planning to ask Jiang Si to retreat further, only to see that she was already riding forward at full speed.

“Marquis…”

“Marquis…”

Both Su Xun and Ye Chan called out in alarm. Jiang Si raised her eyebrows slightly, understanding their concern.

After stopping her horse, she twirled her spear and spoke with firm resolve.

“The Jingyuan Army is facing danger. As the commander, how could I step back now?”

Su Xun and Ye Chan exchanged a glance and said nothing. Behind her, Lan Shao looked quietly at the spear in Jiang Si’s hand.

That spear had sat untouched in the weapon vault of the Marquis of Jiajing’s residence for many years. It was a birthday gift from the former Marquis to Jiang Si. She had trained with it when she first began learning martial arts. Later, for some reason, she discarded it without any hesitation or care.

She had recently come across it again by chance and had someone clean and restore it before bringing it with her.

At first, her movements with the weapon were clumsy. But within a few days, her skill returned. She even handled it more confidently than she had in her youth.

The words she spoke now echoed those she once said when she first vowed to protect her homeland.

“As the heir to the Marquis of Jiajing, I will become the pillar of the nation. I will never retreat.”

Lan Shao silently stepped forward, standing closely beside Jiang Si. She would face the enemy with her, shoulder to shoulder.

Su Xun understood what this meant. Ye Chan was still a step behind. She was about to speak when Su Xun gently stopped her. Confused, she looked at him.

“What are you doing?”

“If the commander wishes to fight, how could we try to hold her back?”

Ye Chan was not unaware, but she was easily influenced by others.

Lan Shao had long disliked this trait. Whenever the Marquis of Jiajing did something Ye Chan disagreed with, she would withdraw. Ye Chan often followed others’ opinions, while Su Xun remained firm and never distanced himself.

Over time, their personalities had grown apart. Aside from their loyalty to the Marquis and the Jingyuan Army, their choices were often completely different.

In the end, Ye Chan fell silent and turned her gaze forward, her expression steady and determined.

In a rare moment, Lan Shao walked to her side and said quietly, “Ye Chan, the Marquis of Jiajing is not the same as before. You should start changing the way you act too.”

Ye Chan was taken aback. She glanced at Lan Shao, then looked again toward Jiang Si.

Finally, she lowered her gaze and gave a slight nod.

The soldiers of Nanliang were fierce, very different from the Rong Di. With such a difference in numbers, the Jingyuan Army was clearly at a disadvantage.

As the vanguard, Ye Chan killed many enemies, but her own soldiers were also heavily injured. Jiang Si’s heart was filled with worry. With her limited battlefield experience, she could only try to think of a plan.

While continuing to fight, she drew closer to Su Xun.

“Do Nanliang’s soldiers tend to chase enemies after gaining an advantage?”

Su Xun was unsure, but in their situation, they had no choice but to take the risk.

As the Jingyuan Army began to fall back, they split into three groups. Jiang Si and Lan Shao led one, Su Xun and Ye Chan led the others. After retreating about a mile, they noticed that the Nanliang soldiers were no longer chasing them with force.

Just as expected. The Nanliang army was not known for aggressive pursuit.

“Stop,” Jiang Si commanded, raising her hand. The Jingyuan Army halted. Many soldiers looked confused.

Even Lan Shao turned to glance at her.

They were still too close to the enemy. It was not yet the right moment to counterattack.

But Jiang Si looked completely at ease. She dismounted and sat beneath a tree.

The sound of hooves grew louder, drawing nearer. Within moments, a small group of Nanliang riders arrived.

One rider dismounted.

It was a woman.

Jiang Si lifted her hand in greeting, as if meeting an old friend.

She smiled and called out, “Nangong Yan.”

Nangong Yan paused, confused as she looked at Jiang Si.

What surprised her was not just the unexpected meeting. Nangong Yan was one of the rare kunze on the battlefield. Her face was striking and alluring, and her gaze toward Jiang Si was filled with curiosity.

Lan Shao felt that something was off. She wondered what Jiang Si was planning to do.

Still, she showed no expression. She had always kept her face calm, and even when puzzled, she remained composed.

That calmness worked in Jiang Si’s favor. Nangong Yan assumed the two of them were calmly waiting just for her.

Nangong Yan stared directly at Jiang Si. She had seen many beautiful and commanding women, but none had made her feel this nervous.

Jiang Si smiled again and spoke clearly.

“Nanliang is working with Prince Pingjin. But why not work with me instead?”

Nangong Yan narrowed her eyes slightly, uncertain.

“You are… the Marquis of Jiajing from the northern frontier?”

Jiang Si raised an eyebrow and replied with confidence.

“Yes. I am the Marquis of Jiajing.”

“I’ve heard of your name before, Princess Nangong. Even in the north, your beauty is well known.”

“Instead of joining hands with someone like Mu Shuyang, why not join me? Together, we could take the world.”

Jiang Si walked forward slowly, with a relaxed and graceful posture. But her hands behind her back were already slick with sweat.

The moment she saw Nangong Yan on the battlefield, she remembered exactly who she was.

Nangong Yan, daughter of the regent of Nanliang. In the future, she would join forces with the original Jiang Si in an attempt to seize control of the Yue Kingdom.

The relationship between the two would become extremely close.

Or to be more accurate, Nangong Yan had truly fallen in love with the original Jiang Si.

A complete romantic, driven by emotion.

A word of warning to the Princess.

Your love rival has just appeared.

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