The General Says She Won't Marry - Chapter 27 Part 1

Lu Sheng’s voice fell on Lin Aoxue’s ears like a muffled thunderclap exploding in her mind, sending her staggering backward, nearly losing her balance. Fortunately, she managed to grab the doorframe just in time to steady herself.

She turned around abruptly, gripping Lu Sheng’s collar tightly and asking in a cold voice, “Is this true?”

Lu Sheng had previously suspected that Yun Yan and Lin Aoxue shared a deep connection. Later, when Lin Aoxue publicly smashed the mouthy County Commandant Li to defend Yun Yan, his suspicions grew. Then, when Yun Yan was expelled from the military camp, Lin Aoxue’s furious outburst was witnessed by all.

Although he didn’t know the exact reason Yun Yan was forced to leave, he guessed that Lin Aoxue must care deeply for her. He had also heard that it was Lin Aoxue who had gone to Yong’an to bring Yun Yan back. Since Yun Yan didn’t return to Yanyu Tower after leaving the military camp, she had most likely gone back to Yong’an.

So, when the battle report came in, and Lu Sheng learned that the incident took place in Yong’an, he grew anxious, thinking that Lin Aoxue needed to be informed. He wasted no time in delivering the news to her.

Seeing Lin Aoxue’s anxious expression, Lu Sheng nodded solemnly. “Baihu, I wouldn’t dare lie.”

Lin Aoxue released her grip on Lu Sheng, grabbed her sidearm, and left without even changing her clothes. Lu Sheng, nervous and on edge, followed closely behind her as they headed toward the grand general’s tent.

Outside Beichen Long’s tent, a crowd had already gathered. The battle report had arrived suddenly and without warning, leaving Beichen Long both furious and unsettled. Frustrated, he quickly issued orders: Field Marshal Yang Jin and Deputy General Guo Wencheng were each to lead 30,000 troops and set out for Poyan immediately.

Standing among the crowd, Lin Aoxue quickly realized that her name was not among those being assigned to the expedition. She knew that Beichen Long had yet to forgive her and intended to keep her on the sidelines for a while. If she wanted to go to Poyan, she would have to fight for the opportunity herself.

As the army assembled with urgency, time was running out. Lin Aoxue strode forward in swift steps, dropped to one knee before Beichen Long, and called out, “General!”

Beichen Long glanced at her, a flicker of complex emotions passing across his face. But before he could speak, Lin Aoxue took the initiative.

“General! I was reckless in my actions before, but I have reflected on my mistakes. I humbly request to be allowed to join this battle!”

Ever since she had heard that something had happened in Yong’an, Lin Aoxue had been consumed by anxiety, terrified that Yun Yan had indeed gone there after leaving Xingbei Pass. If she wanted a chance to search for Yun Yan’s whereabouts, she had to join the reinforcements heading to Poyan.

War was ruthless—disasters could strike at any moment. The barbarian horde had silently overrun Poyan, and Lin Aoxue’s heart clenched with worry and guilt. Something inside her felt blocked, suffocating. The weight of regret grew within her, compelling her to seek answers.

She bitterly regretted stopping at the city gates that day. She couldn’t help but wonder—if she had mustered the courage to break through the checkpoint and chased after Yun Yan with everything she had, would she be feeling this fear and uncertainty now?

But the past was set in stone. Regret and sorrow were useless. Impulsiveness would accomplish nothing. Lin Aoxue forced herself to calm down, suppressing her unease and thinking of ways to remedy the situation. The first step was securing a place in the campaign.

Beichen Long studied Lin Aoxue. Her eyes burned with determination, shining as brightly as they had when he first met her. He furrowed his brows, hesitating before sighing and asking, “Have you truly reflected on your actions?”

Lin Aoxue tensed, replying earnestly, “Yes, sir. I have thoroughly reflected and recognized my mistakes.”

“Then tell me—what exactly were your mistakes?”

Lin Aoxue clenched her teeth and answered in a steady voice, “I was too impulsive and reckless. I acted selfishly without regard for the bigger picture. Not only did I damage the camaraderie among my fellow soldiers, but I also violated military discipline and disappointed you.”

Her words were sincere, and she carefully analyzed her own faults. As she finished speaking, Beichen Long’s expression softened slightly, but his tone remained stern as he asked, “If we reach Yong’an during this campaign, what will you do?”

Nothing happened at Xingbei Pass without Beichen Long’s knowledge. He still remembered that Lin Aoxue had personally gone to Yong’an to bring Yun Yan back, and Yun Yan had left the camp through the eastern gate. He had even ordered an investigation into Yun Yan’s whereabouts, and reports from Poyan confirmed that she had last been seen heading toward Yong’an.

Given Lin Aoxue’s past actions and deep concern for Yun Yan, Beichen Long had no choice but to suspect that her eagerness to join this mission had ulterior motives.

Lin Aoxue stiffened at his words. If he was asking this, then he was willing to give her a chance—it was just a matter of whether she could seize it. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and responded, “I will follow my superior’s orders and will not act on my own.”

Beichen Long remained unmoved, his gaze piercing as he scrutinized her. After a long pause, he finally spoke again, “If you break your word, I will expel you from the army, and you will never be allowed to return to the northern frontier.”

Lin Aoxue was a promising soldier. Beichen Long valued her talent and had hoped to train her well. However, her reckless actions had disappointed him. She had defied authority and assaulted the County Commandant Li—all for a woman from a brothel.

As for her conflict with Beichen Ji, while Beichen Ji was indeed in the wrong, Beichen Long had no interest in meddling in their personal disputes. In fact, he believed Beichen Ji needed a lesson to rein in his arrogance.

Lin Aoxue’s impulsiveness was undeniable, but it also made her vulnerable, easier to control. For that reason, Beichen Long had not punished her harshly. He had hoped that, after Yun Yan left the camp, Lin Aoxue would come to her senses on her own.

And from the looks of it, his approach had worked. His words carried great weight—they were both a warning and a way to establish discipline, cautioning Lin Aoxue not to repeat the same mistakes.

Lin Aoxue understood Beichen Long’s intent. She hid her true emotions well, not letting him see them. What showed in her eyes was only sincere loyalty.

“Yes, I understand,” she replied.

Beichen Long was satisfied with Lin Aoxue’s attitude. He nodded, then leaned forward to pat her shoulder and said, “Go now. Lead your men and follow Yang Jin’s troops. The wounds you sustained last time haven’t fully healed yet, so be careful.”

Giving a blow before offering a reward was a common tactic in managing subordinates, but it didn’t work on Lin Aoxue.

She bowed with a seemingly grateful expression, thanked Beichen Long, then got up to gather her soldiers and report to Yang Jin’s unit. Lu Sheng, one of Lin Aoxue’s men, had spent the past few months recovering from his injuries. Now, it was time for him to prove himself on the battlefield.

***

The army set out quickly, marching at top speed toward Poyan. Lin Aoxue followed within the ranks, putting aside all distractions. Her only focus was reaching Poyan as fast as possible. She reminded herself to follow military discipline and act according to the situation.

The battle had erupted suddenly. Although Poyan’s situation was dire, the forces at Xingbei Pass had just experienced a great victory. Many soldiers had grown complacent, and even when hastily assembled, their effectiveness had noticeably declined.

Though Yang Jin and Guo Wencheng led the troops once again, it took them an entire extra hour to reach Poyan compared to their previous reinforcement mission. By the time they arrived, Poyan had already fallen. The barbarian cavalry had stormed the city, inflicting heavy casualties on Poyan’s soldiers, and the city gates had been lost.

The enemy had fortified the gates, preventing an easy counterattack. When Guo Wencheng’s light cavalry arrived, they did not dare to launch a direct assault. Instead, they attempted several probing attacks, but before they could even approach the city walls, they were driven back by a hail of arrows from the barbarian archers stationed above.

After several attempts, Guo Wencheng’s troops had suffered hundreds of casualties. Though he was desperate to reclaim Poyan, the enemy held the city gates firmly, making them difficult to breach. To avoid unnecessary losses, he refrained from reckless action.

An hour later, Yang Jin arrived with the infantry. With both forces combined, they had sixty thousand troops. However, it was unclear how many Poyan soldiers remained alive inside the city. After brief consideration, Yang Jin made a decisive order to storm the city.

After the autumn harvest, when the barbarians attacked Xingbei Pass and were repelled, Yang Jin had suggested to Beichen Long that their own infantry adopt the enemy’s siege tactics. As a result, every soldier was equipped with a round shield—not as sturdy as the heavy shields used by the barbarians, but lightweight, portable, and ideal for long-distance marches.

As the infantry charged, the barbarians rained arrows down from the walls. The air was filled with the whistling sound of falling arrows. While the shields protected many soldiers from lethal wounds, some still fell under the relentless barrage.

Despite the casualties, those with shields pressed forward, successfully enduring the first wave of arrows. Lin Aoxue and Shang Wu led the charge, rushing ahead of the main force. By the time the second wave of arrows fell, they were already within two hundred paces of the city walls.

This round of arrows was even denser than the last. The soldiers beside Lin Aoxue screamed as they were struck down, the number of casualties more than doubling. Yet, amidst the rain of arrows, Lin Aoxue wielded her silver spear, deflecting incoming projectiles with swift, precise movements. The sound of arrows clanging against her weapon echoed through the chaos.

Surviving the second volley, the remaining infantry charged forward fearlessly. Lin Aoxue, Shang Wu, and other skilled warriors reached the city walls first. The light cavalry followed closely behind, but the barbarians fought fiercely to hold the gates, determined to keep Xingbei Pass’ forces from breaking through.

Inside the city, the surviving Poyan soldiers, hearing the battle cries outside, launched a desperate counterattack. The archers on the city walls refocused their aim on Xingbei Pass’ infantry at the front lines. Lin Aoxue, nimble and quick, dodged arrows with precision, though one narrowly tore through her shoulder armor, nearly wounding her.

She evaded the attack just in time. Gathering her strength, Lin Aoxue used her light footwork technique to scale the city walls at an incredible speed. The barbarians atop the walls abandoned their bows and drew their swords to engage her in close combat.

However, the narrow space on the wall negated their numerical advantage. Lin Aoxue, a warrior of exceptional skill, fought with overwhelming force, cutting down enemy soldiers one after another. Within moments, she had slain more than a dozen foes, clearing a small area around her.

Her sheer prowess threw the barbarians into disarray while filling Yang Jin and Guo Wencheng with excitement. Seeing Lin Aoxue carve her way through the enemy, Yang Jin shouted at the top of his lungs, “Open the gates first!”

Though he didn’t call her name directly, Lin Aoxue knew he was speaking to her.

The remaining Poyan soldiers inside the city lacked the strength to reopen the gates. All they could do was distract some of the barbarians and draw their attention away. The barbarians had only just taken Poyan, making this the moment when their defenses were at their weakest. If Xingbei Pass’ troops could break through now, they had a real chance of reclaiming the city.

The longer they delayed, the worse the situation would become. If too much time passed, Poyan might be lost forever.

Lin Aoxue understood the stakes. The moment Yang Jin’s order rang out, she leaped from the wall and charged toward the gates. Seeing her ferocious advance, the barbarian general issued an urgent command to stop her at all costs—even going so far as to join the battle personally to prevent her from breaking through.

Meanwhile, Shang Wu had also climbed onto the city walls, and Xingbei Pass’ soldiers followed in force. Many were shot down while scaling the walls, but the barbarians could not quench their unyielding determination to reclaim Poyan.

More and more soldiers reached the top, yet the majority—including Lu Sheng—remained on the ground, continuing the assault.

Shang Wu quickly caught up to Lin Aoxue, shielding her from some of the enemy’s attacks. Even after sustaining two slashes and being blocked by a barbarian commander, he still turned his head and shouted, “Lin-xiongdi! It’s up to you!”

This battle had only one outcome—victory or nothing.

Lin Aoxue’s expression was as cold as frost. She did not respond to Shang Wu’s words, but her pace toward the city gate quickened. The barbarian soldiers swarmed in to stop her, but her momentum was unstoppable. No matter their rank, anyone standing in her way became a lifeless corpse under her spear.

She slew over a hundred enemies, her hands soaked in their blood, before finally reaching the city gate. More barbarian soldiers rushed to block her, and even a barbarian general, disregarding the risk of injuring his own men, drew his bow and took aim at her life. But Lin Aoxue paid no heed to the chaos around her.

Dodging a blade swung at her, she swiftly seized the attacker’s wrist. As the barbarian let out a scream, she turned his own weapon against him, slashing his throat. Without discarding the curved blade she had taken, she braced her silver spear against the ground and leaped into the air. Spinning midair, she kicked away several enemies and hurled the curved blade toward the rope securing the gate’s bolt, five paces away.

A barbarian soldier attempted to intercept the blade, but Lin Aoxue’s spear struck him in the chest, piercing straight through. The curved blade spun through the air, slicing through the rope with a sharp snap. With a resounding crash, the city gate fell open, and the Xingbei Pass troops swarmed in. The tide of battle shifted instantly.

Yang Jin and Guo Wencheng led the charge, swiftly crushing the barbarian soldiers who failed to retreat in time. Lu Sheng entered with the army, rallying his men as they searched for Lin Aoxue.

Seeing the western gate breached, the barbarian commander realized that Poyan was lost. Knowing their occupation had failed, he immediately ordered a retreat through the northern gate. Meanwhile, Yang Jin and Guo Wencheng pushed forward, rescuing the remaining Poyan defenders.

After opening the gate, Lin Aoxue turned back to find Shang Wu. He had suffered multiple additional wounds while fiercely resisting the enemy. Though he was a formidable warrior, exhaustion took its toll. After decapitating a barbarian general, he failed to notice an ambush from behind.

Before Shang Wu could catch his breath, Lin Aoxue was already at his side. With a swift movement, her silver spear brushed past his ear and plunged into the forehead of the ambusher behind him. The barbarian’s blade clattered to the ground as he collapsed, lifeless.

Shang Wu was momentarily stunned. Touching the blood on his forehead, he grinned sheepishly.

“I let my guard down.”

Lin Aoxue shot him a glance, then immediately skewered another enemy with her spear. Speaking quickly, she ordered, “Tend to your wounds first. I’ll cover you.”

Shang Wu took a deep breath—he was truly at his limit. His body bore six deep gashes, and if he didn’t stop the bleeding, he risked death. Without hesitation, he nodded in gratitude. 

“Thanks,” he said simply before focusing on bandaging his injuries. With Lin Aoxue watching his back, he felt completely at ease.

Since Yang Jin had already led the troops into the city, and the barbarian commander had ordered a retreat, the remaining enemy resistance was minimal. Lin Aoxue kept guard over Shang Wu while assessing the battlefield. Soon, she regrouped with Lu Sheng and other squad and platoon leaders.

Out of the hundred soldiers under her command, she had lost nearly twenty—whether dead or missing was still unclear.

The barbarian forces had planned their retreat routes in advance, so by the time the Xingbei Pass army had secured the city, most of the enemy had already withdrawn. Less than a thousand were successfully intercepted.

Despite their victory, the battle had been costly. Of the 60,000 soldiers Yang Jin and Guo Wencheng had brought from Xingbei Pass, more than 30% had perished. Even so, the mission to reclaim Poyan was a success.

***

After the enemy withdrew, Yang Jin did not order a pursuit. Instead, he immediately fortified Poyan, assessed casualties, and prioritized medical treatment to minimize further losses.

The wounded soldiers urgently needed medical attention. Yang Jin ordered that all doctors in Poyan be gathered. Fortunately, after the barbarian invasion, the common citizens had remained hidden indoors. Now that Poyan was reclaimed, civilian casualties were minimal.

Lin Aoxue volunteered to search for doctors. Splitting up with several other uninjured officers, she scoured every medical clinic in the city, gathering doctors to tend to the wounded.

As she searched, she also kept an eye out for any news of Yun Yan. She and Lu Sheng combed through every clinic in the city, but they found no trace of her. She even stopped passersby, asking if they had seen a beautiful woman about her height, but no one had.

Lin Aoxue knew that Yun Yan was likely not in Poyan, but she refused to give up until she had searched every alleyway. Only when she found nothing did she finally return to her unit, restless and uneasy, her thoughts lingering on Yun Yan’s safety.

She wanted to rush to Yong’an immediately—but without Yang Jin’s orders, she could not act on her own. She understood Beichen Long’s words well: No matter how capable she was, if she disobeyed orders and acted recklessly, she would be discarded without hesitation.

Fortunately, one of Yang Jin’s tasks in retaking Poyan was to dispatch troops to investigate Yong’an.

Yong’an was a small town just beyond Poyan City, only an hour’s ride away. Though it was not strategically significant, it still belonged to Beichen. If it had been attacked, Beichen Long could not ignore it.

After the fierce battle, Yang Jin and Guo Wencheng had less than 50,000 combat-ready soldiers, including Poyan City’s original garrison. After careful deliberation, Yang Jin decided to leave 30,000 troops to defend the city and take 20,000 to reinforce Yong’an.

Though the battle reports indicated that only 5,000 barbarian troops had attacked Yong’an Town, Yang Jin remained cautious. Bringing 20,000 soldiers ensured not only a successful reinforcement but also protection against any ambush from the retreating enemy forces.

As Yang Jin prepared his troops, Lin Aoxue immediately volunteered to join. Yang Jin knew she was deeply concerned about someone in Yong’an, and her combat prowess was undeniable. Keeping her close would also guarantee the survival of key officers in case of an emergency.

Thus, Lin Aoxue was granted her request to accompany the mission. Meanwhile, due to his severe injuries, Shang Wu remained behind in Poyan to recover.