The General Says She Won't Marry - Chapter 28 Part 1

Lin Aoxue brought Yun Yan back to Yong’an. Although Yun Yan had already known the situation in the town, seeing it again still filled her with unbearable sorrow.

The news of Lin Aoxue returning with a hundred light cavalry soldiers reached Yang Jin’s ears. His tense expression finally eased a little, and after letting out a helpless sigh, he ordered the guards to reassure the frightened doctors and tend to the wounded townspeople.

Yong’an was no longer livable. The two to three hundred survivors were mostly people who had lost their families and homes. It was rare to find a household that had escaped the disaster completely intact.

During the time Lin Aoxue led her troops to rescue the survivors, Yang Jin had ordered the army to collect the bodies of the deceased townspeople. Those who survived wailed until their voices were hoarse, creating a scene of desolation and grief. Even many of the soldiers had reddened eyes.

The soldiers gathered all the dead from Yong’an in one place—over thirteen hundred corpses. These were all ordinary citizens, and the sheer cruelty of the barbarians ignited a deep hatred in everyone’s hearts.

Lin Aoxue clenched the hilt of her spear. She saw the guard who had once blocked their way at the town gates, refusing to let the wounded enter Yong’an. Now, two curved blades were lodged in his body, and though his eyes remained open in death, his hand tightly gripped a piece of torn fabric—Lin Aoxue recognized it as material from a barbarian soldier’s uniform.

Though he had not been well-liked, in the face of duty and loyalty to his homeland, he had displayed rare courage and fearlessness. He had died defending Yong’an, and for that, he was worthy of respect.

Yang Jin’s face was ashen, the devastation before him resembling hell itself. He remained silent for a long time, his eyes red, before finally ordering everyone to step back. To prevent an even worse outbreak of disease from the decaying bodies, he made the painful decision to burn them all.

The surviving townspeople wailed, unwilling to leave their loved ones’ remains behind. Soldiers, maintaining their composure, lifted the grieving people, ignoring the fists and kicks raining down on them, and pulled them aside, covering their ears and eyes.

The fire roared to life. Like every time they cleared a battlefield and bid farewell to fallen comrades, the feeling was one of sorrow and grief. Yet this time, there was an even deeper, indescribable fury. The atrocities committed by the barbarians would have to be repaid in blood. The road to vengeance would be long and brutal, stretching endlessly ahead, filling their hearts with a sense of bleakness.

As soldiers of the northern frontier, they had no choice but to keep returning to battle, spilling their own blood and their enemies’ blood to nourish this land. They could only hope that one day, under the warmth of the sun, beautiful flowers would bloom upon it.

No one left until the fire burned out and the sky turned from blue to gray.

When a light rain began to fall from the sky, Yang Jin suddenly collapsed to his knees. The cold raindrops pelted his shoulders, bending his spine, making him look years older in an instant.

The townspeople’s cries gradually quieted. Yang Jin wiped his face forcefully, his tears mixing with the rain and disappearing without a trace.

Staggering to his feet, he realized that there was no shelter left in Yong’an from the rain. He ordered the guards to escort the remaining townspeople to settle in Poyan. As the group departed, the wind howled mournfully, as if even the clouds above Yong’an were weeping.

Yun Yan walked within the procession, and Lin Aoxue took off her outer armor, holding it over Yun Yan’s head to shield her from the rain. Yun Yan looked up at her and smiled, accepting the gesture without protest, but she still said, “You only just recovered from your injuries, and now you’re getting drenched again. You’ll catch a cold when we return.”

With each autumn rain, the cold deepened. Rain like this seeped into the bones, eroding the body with its chill.

Lin Aoxue kept her face expressionless, allowing the rain to stream down her cheeks as she answered calmly, “It’s fine. When marching with the army, we’ve seen far worse weather than this. A little rain won’t hurt me.”

Yun Yan tilted her head thoughtfully, already planning to make some ginger tea for Lin Aoxue when they returned.

Lu Sheng led a few of Lin Aoxue’s soldiers a little farther away. The mood in the procession was heavy, and everyone was weighed down by sorrow. No one dared to joke or break the silence.

They walked quickly. The townspeople, exhausted from the disaster, struggled to keep up, so the soldiers carried them on their backs. Not long after leaving Yong’an, the rain gradually stopped. After another half an hour of travel, they finally reached Poyan.

The troops stayed in Poyan to recover. Yang Jin personally oversaw the resettlement of the refugees from Yong’an. They remained there for five days, and as expected, many of the soldiers and refugees who had been caught in the rain fell ill. Fortunately, Yun Yan had anticipated this and had already prepared medicine. She sent Lin Aoxue to report to Yang Jin so that the medicine could be distributed, quickly preventing the illness from spreading.

***

After five days, the situation in Poyan finally stabilized. Yang Jin left thirty thousand troops stationed there, while he led the remaining twenty thousand soldiers back to Xingbei Pass to report their mission and discuss the battle with Beichen Long. They also needed to find out how the barbarian forces had managed to move tens of thousands of troops into Poyan without any warning. It was a question that demanded urgent answers.

Yun Yan left the military camp. Returning to Xingbei Pass, she realized that besides Yanyu Tower, she had nowhere else to go.

Lin Aoxue, however, had to follow the army back. Before departing, she sought out Yun Yan and asked if she was returning to Yanyu Tower. Yun Yan simply shook her head and replied in a gentle voice, “Aoxue, the New Year is approaching. I have to go back to the capital.”

Lin Aoxue was momentarily stunned. She didn’t understand why Yun Yan needed to go to the capital for the New Year. Wasn’t she from the northern frontier? What puzzled her even more was that Yun Yan, the renowned courtesan of Yanyu Tower, had any reason to visit the capital at all.

She recalled that Yun Yan had once told her she had been sent to Yanyu Tower by her own father. Could her return to the capital have something to do with him?

Who exactly was Yun Yan?

Lin Aoxue had always been curious and puzzled about Yun Yan’s identity. An ordinary courtesan would never have such freedom and grace, nor such talent. But everyone had their own secrets, and she wouldn’t make Yun Yan feel uncomfortable by prying.

Still, she found it hard to let go. She had been alone since childhood, and now, she had finally met someone like Yun Yan—someone who knew her secrets and treated her gently. Even though she could not have that warmth all to herself, the thought of parting was unbearable.

“Will you come back to the northern frontier?” Lin Aoxue tightened her grip on her spear, lips pressed firmly together. She tried to sound casual, but in truth, she was extremely nervous.

Yun Yan smiled at her, blinking playfully. She leaned in slightly and softly asked in return, “Do you want me to come back?”

Lin Aoxue stiffened, quickly turning her head away without answering.

Feigning disappointment, Yun Yan took two steps back, dramatically wiping away nonexistent tears. Lowering her head, she murmured, “You don’t even miss me, nor do you want me to return. Then what’s the point of coming back?”

Lin Aoxue’s breath hitched. Since she had turned away, she couldn’t see the mischievous glint in Yun Yan’s eyes. Her grip on her spear tightened, her teeth nearly breaking the skin of her lower lip.

For a long moment, her heart raged with conflicting emotions—arguing, debating, urging. Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out, “I-I do! I want you to come back!” She spoke quickly, without hesitation. But her expression was grim, as if she were heading into battle—like a soldier forced into an impossible fight.

Yun Yan couldn’t hold back her laughter. Lin Aoxue immediately realized she had been tricked again. Mortified, she clenched her fists, her face turning as dark as the soot under a stove.

Seeing Lin Aoxue like this, Yun Yan knew she had pushed her too far. Stifling her laughter, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed Lin Aoxue’s sleeve, and playfully tugged at it. “In the spring next year, I’ll come back and open a pharmacy. What do you think?”

The moment Yun Yan tugged at her sleeve, Lin Aoxue forgot all about her anger and immediately grew flustered again. Hearing Yun Yan’s words, her eyes widened in surprise. “A pharmacy? What about Yanyu Tower? Won’t you return?”

Yun Yan narrowed her eyes at her, pretending to be angry. “What, Beichen Long already paid my ransom, and you still want me to return there?”

Lin Aoxue straightened her back and shook her head repeatedly. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

She was just confused. If leaving Yanyu Tower was this simple, why had Yun Yan stayed there for so long? When she first left for the military camp, it could be explained by the influence of the Northern Frontier Army. Perhaps Yanyu Tower had been pressured by Beichen Long’s authority.

But for Yun Yan to open her own pharmacy—how could it be that easy?

Lin Aoxue couldn’t understand Yun Yan’s ways, nor could she figure out her intentions. Yet Yun Yan only smiled at her, that gentle smile hiding the heavy price she would have to pay for her seemingly willful and selfish decision.

A person trapped in a mire could not simply walk away.

That was why she had to go to the capital—to trade her value for more freedom and rights.

***

When the army prepared to leave, Yun Yan accompanied Lin Aoxue to the outskirts of the temporary camp, watching as she walked back toward the troops. The smile on her face gradually faded.

A carriage slowly approached and came to a steady stop behind Yun Yan. The curtain was lifted, and a respectful voice called from inside.

“Miss Yun.”

Yun Yan took one last look at the distant camp. Even straining her eyes, she could no longer see the figure she had just sent off.

She turned, stepped into the carriage, and sighed softly.

“To the capital.”

***

With the battle situation stabilizing, Lin Aoxue followed Yang Jin’s army back to Xingbei Pass. The high-ranking officials within the pass spent an entire day discussing the attack on Poyan. After Beichen Long sent reinforcements to Poyan that day, he also dispatched another group to investigate the barbarian invasion route, only to discover that all the sentry posts along the way had been completely eradicated.

The barbarians had moved swiftly and silently. It was clear that someone from within the pass had leaked information, allowing them to learn the sentry shift schedules and giving them enough time to act.

Beichen Long was furious. There was a traitor within the army, but this could not be made public. The matter had to be suppressed while they secretly conducted an investigation. As for how long it would take to uncover the truth, he had no certainty at all.

During the battle to reclaim Poyan, Lin Aoxue distinguished herself, slaying hundreds of enemies and breaking through the city gates, earning great merit. In the end, Beichen Long promoted her to the rank of qianhu. She became the first soldier in the history of the northern frontier to rise from squad leader to qianhu within just one year of enlisting.

Xingbei Pass remained on high alert in the following days, but the barbarians did not attack again. As late autumn passed and early winter arrived, the first snowfall blanketed the land in shimmering white, quietly covering the blood that had been shed over the past year.

With the arrival of winter, the northern frontier soldiers finally had a chance to breathe. As in previous years, Beichen Long issued orders to recruit new troops. This year, however, the number of casualties was several times higher than usual, leaving him overwhelmed and restless.

As the year-end approached, an urgent decree arrived from the capital—the emperor demanded that Beichen Long send officers of general rank or higher to the capital to report on the military situation.

The moment he received the imperial edict, Beichen Long turned pale. Reports on the situation at the border were compiled and sent to the capital by the field marshal every month.

It was clear that Yang Jin had already submitted detailed accounts of everything that had happened at Xingbei Pass this year. No matter how many victories Beichen Long had secured, no matter that he had ultimately retaken Poyan, it could not erase the fact that Poyan had been lost in the first place—nor the complete destruction of Yong’an.

The emperor did not concern himself with the process. He only looked at the final results, and he did not tolerate failure.

The pressure on Beichen Long was immense. He had to carefully consider whom to send to the capital this time.

***

The closer it got to the New Year, the more troubled Beichen Long became. Even in the harsh northern borderlands, the arrival of the New Year was always met with joy in every household. Only the military remained as bleak as ever, with the soldiers’ training shouts echoing endlessly across the drill grounds.

As the weather grew colder, the soldiers donned thicker clothing. After finishing her drills, Lin Aoxue rubbed her hands together around the silver spear she carried, glancing in the direction of the capital. It had been over a month since Yun Yan left the north.

She had no idea how Yun Yan was faring in the capital, or whether she could truly return in the spring to open a small pharmacy as she had planned. If she really could settle down and live a peaceful life, Lin Aoxue thought that wouldn’t be so bad.

As for herself, her vengeance remained unfulfilled. Another year had passed in the blink of an eye, and she was another year older.

She usually didn’t dwell on such things, but during times like this—when the holidays approached and others reunited with their families—it was hard not to feel a pang of loneliness. Even in the barracks, some soldiers had visitors who traveled from outside the camp to see them. But she had no one. And sometimes, that emptiness was impossible to ignore.

Returning to her tent, she lit a lamp as usual and opened a book on military strategy. Before she could begin reading, a loud and boisterous voice called from outside.

“Qianhu!”

Lin Aoxue had been promoted to qianhu, and Lu Sheng, thanks to his achievements in the battle for Poyan, had been promoted to platoon leader. Now, he strode into her tent carrying a jug of wine, grinning as he plopped down on the ground in front of her.

“I just went to the market and passed by Fuyun Manor, so I picked up a jug of wine. Since tomorrow’s a rest day, how about a drink, sir?”

Lin Aoxue set down her book and noticed that Lu Sheng had already taken out two bowls. She keenly observed the slight redness in his eyes—he must have been reminded of something while passing through the festive atmosphere of the market.

She exhaled a puff of white breath into the cold air, smiling as she chose not to expose his emotions. Instead, she simply said, “Alright, fill it up!”

Lu Sheng, delighted, poured wine into the bowls. The two of them sat facing each other, drinking in silence at first. As the alcohol warmed them, Lu Sheng began talking about his family.

He spoke of his wife and their two-year-old daughter. His elderly parents were still alive, and every New Year, his family would gather together in joyous celebration.

As he spoke, his eyes reddened, and soon, silent tears trickled down his face, falling into the wine and making it taste bitter.

Once, his family had been happy. But last autumn, when the barbarians invaded, his home was destroyed, and his world was shattered—just like Yong’an Town, which had been wiped out this year.

Lin Aoxue downed her wine in silence, unsure of how to comfort him. She could only let out a long sigh and give a wry smile. “Thirteen years ago, I was just like you.”

No one who hadn’t experienced it themselves could truly understand—how it felt like a blade cutting into the heart. Even as time passed and the wound scabbed over, the pain never truly faded. And every holiday season, it returned twice as sharp.

Lu Sheng fell silent. After a long pause, he shook his head and drained his bowl in one gulp. As the alcohol burned down his throat, he forced a laugh, only for it to turn into muffled sobs.

Men were not supposed to shed tears easily. And to cry so openly—such moments were rare.

Lin Aoxue patted Lu Sheng on the shoulder but said nothing further. Sometimes, letting out emotions was better than keeping them bottled up inside.

That night, Lu Sheng drank himself into a stupor. Lin Aoxue grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back to his quarters, tossing him onto the bed and covering him with a blanket before leaving.

***

Early the next morning, Beichen Long sent a messenger to summon Lin Aoxue.

Since she had drunk a bit the night before and it was a rest day, she had woken up later than usual. Hearing that Beichen Long had summoned her so suddenly, she was confused. She quickly got dressed and followed the messenger to his tent.

Inside, besides Beichen Long, were Field Marshal Yang Jin and Deputy General Guo Wencheng.

When Lin Aoxue arrived, Beichen Long and Yang Jin were in the middle of discussing something. Upon hearing the messenger announce her arrival, Beichen Long gestured for the guards to let her in. After she saluted, Beichen Long spoke.

“Aoxue, you’ve been to the capital before, haven’t you?”

Hearing this, Lin Aoxue was puzzled. Why was Beichen Long suddenly bringing up the capital? Keeping her expression steady, she calmly replied, “Yes. Many years ago, I went to the capital to seek out my relatives but was unsuccessful. I ended up wandering the streets. If I hadn’t encountered my master by chance, I probably wouldn’t have survived that winter.”

Beichen Long nodded. “Yes, past events are often lamentable. But now, you are a qianhu. Even if you return to the capital, you will do so with honor.”

Lin Aoxue was momentarily stunned by his words. She looked up at Beichen Long, puzzled. “What do you mean by this, sir?”

Beichen Long did not beat around the bush. He stepped out from behind the table and patted Lin Aoxue on the shoulder. “The capital has issued an imperial decree instructing me to send someone to report on our military affairs. I plan to send Guo Wencheng, and you will accompany him.”

Lin Aoxue was this year’s most outstanding new soldier in the Northern Frontier Army. She had participated in every battle from start to finish. Beichen Long intended to cultivate her, and this trip to the capital was an opportunity for her to prove herself. In the emperor’s eyes, Lin Aoxue’s presence would showcase the quality of the northern frontier’s officers. Her rank was neither too high nor too low—just the right choice.

After much deliberation, he had finally decided on sending her along with Guo Wencheng.

When Beichen Long finished speaking, Lin Aoxue’s expression showed clear surprise. It took her a while to fully grasp his meaning. She quickly knelt on one knee and saluted him. “I will not disappoint the general’s trust.”

Among the many soldiers in the Northern Frontier Army, few ever had the opportunity to enter the capital, even after a lifetime of war. Lin Aoxue knew this was a rare chance. Entering the capital and presenting herself before the emperor—despite the recent defeat—meant that, in an effort to display his benevolence, the emperor would not be excessively harsh. There would even be generous rewards.

Lin Aoxue was not interested in the rewards. If she had the choice, she would rather not return to the capital at this time. The more familiar a place, the greater the risk of exposing herself and being recognized.

However, she could not refuse Beichen Long’s orders. This was an assignment that many would fight for. If she showed even a hint of reluctance, it would surely arouse suspicion.