“Hao Zhou traitor general?” Liu Yi stepped forward with large strides. “Princess, this man is actually a soldier from Haozhou?”

The General beside him also said in a deep voice, “Based on his swordsmanship, it’s clear he’s not just an ordinary rogue.”

The night before Wen Yuesheng set off for the frontier, Yan Ling had told her everything he knew.

This included information on Haozhou’s famous generals.

It wasn’t without reason that Yan Ling was able to infiltrate Haozhou alone and return unharmed.

He had placed spies within Haoshou to gather and deliver intelligence.

This was also the main reason why the alliance between the two countries was established earlier.

On the battlefield, knowing both yourself and your enemy is key to effective strategy.

Among the information Yan Ling had gathered about Haozhou’s generals, he had mentioned the following:

“… Aside from the royal family, Haozhou has several powerful tribes, such as the Nu Lie and Tai Lan tribes, from which many renowned generals hail.”

Yan Ling paused, then added, “The three largest tribes dominate the country, and all five of Haozhou’s famous generals come from these tribes.”

“These tribes are strong and home to many brave warriors. It’s difficult to capture all the details, so I’ll only tell you about the main points.”

“Haozhou people are known for their martial prowess, and the top warriors within these tribes are exceptional. While the five great generals of Haoshou have been famous for years, there are still other formidable warriors beyond them.”

“Among them, one individual stands out. He defeated four of Haozhou’s five generals in a martial contest, and four years ago, he led an army to capture Yuan City.”

Four years ago, during a period of turmoil on the frontier, Yuan City fell for the first time in over a decade of war.

This greatly angered the emperor, who then sent the three generals from the Lu family to the battlefield.

The Lu family generals subsequently spent over three years defending the frontier.

However, this was the first time Wen Yuesheng had heard of this Haozhou general.

Yan Ling’s gaze deepened as he continued, “It’s not just the princess who hasn’t heard of him; even within Haozhou, people only know of the five great generals.”

“Even the Lu family generals haven’t fought against him. The main reason… is that this Haozhou general defected shortly after capturing Yuan City.”

“On the day of his defection, he set fire to the Haozhou camp, killing his own soldiers, and by dawn, he had slaughtered over a hundred Haozhou soldiers guarding the city.”

“Before leaving, he even opened the gates of Yuan City, catching the Lu family off guard when they arrived with their army.”

“Afterward, the Great Hui soldiers quickly entered and recaptured Yuan City.”

“And for three years after that, this person completely vanished from everyone’s sight. The only thing we know is that his tribe sent a thousand elite soldiers to hunt him down, but they returned in defeat.”

Yan Ling looked up and met Wen Yue Sheng’s gaze. “After defecting from Haozhou, this person tried to join the Great Hui army but was rejected by the Lord of Luo City at the time. He hasn’t been seen since.”

“Yan Ling suspects that he is most likely hiding in the frontier, near the border between the two territories.”

“If you encounter him during your campaign, Princess, you might want to make use of him.” He paused, his expression unreadable. “This person’s name is Bor Yan, the third son of the head of the Bor tribe, one of the three largest tribes.”

“According to soldiers who have seen him, Bor Yan is handsome and… seems to have blood ties to Great Hui.”

Having blood ties to Great Hui and being the right age, the person before them must indeed be the Bor Yan, Yan Ling spoke of.

The men who intercepted them, apart from him and the second leader, weren’t particularly skilled.

After Wen Yuesheng crushed Jiang Yan’s head into the dirt, the other generals quickly subdued everyone around them.

Upon learning that the man was a Haozhou traitor general, many of them looked visibly shocked.

Wen Yuesheng spoke coldly, “Tie him up.”

The general quickly ordered that Jiang Yan, whose leg and arm had been broken by Wen Yuesheng, be bound.

Jiang Yan was hauled up, and his eyes glared at Wen Yuesheng.

He had practiced martial arts for many years, but it was the first time he had encountered such a terrifying opponent, and a woman at that.

She had immediately exposed his hidden identity.

He waited for Wen Yue Sheng to question him, but after he was shackled with iron restraints, she didn’t even glance at him. Instead, she ordered the road ahead to be cleared.

During this time, Liu Yi interrogated the others and discovered the location of their hideout.

When they heard they were heading toward it, Jiang Yan’s gang of bandits changed their expressions.

However, Wen Yue Sheng and the others didn’t give them a chance to react. While other generals cleared the road, Wen Yue Sheng, along with Lu Hong Ying and Liu Yi, went directly to their camp.

As they walked, Lu Hong Ying fumed, “We should have just killed these traitors. They’ve been causing harm for so long, who knows how many evil deeds they’ve committed.”

Liu Yi replied, “If the bandit leader is truly a Haozhou traitor, he must not die so easily.”

On the battlefield, even a small piece of information could stir great waves.

If the man truly came from Haoshou, his value for them would be immense.

Lu Hongying understood the importance and said no more.

However, she was stunned when they arrived at the bandits’ hideout.

It wasn’t really a hideout but more like a small village.

Jiang Yan, the second leader, and all the bandits they captured were men, but all the people left behind were women.

When they saw unfamiliar faces, the women were startled.

Only when they saw there were only three people, two of whom were women, did they breathe a sigh of relief.

But they dared not speak casually to them.

After exchanging a few glances, they went to a straw hut and helped out a woman.

The woman who was brought out wore a simple rough cloth outfit, her face was haggard, and she looked frail as if suffering from a serious illness.

She needed help to walk.

But even in such a state, it was still evident that she had a remarkable appearance.

Despite being old and emaciated from illness, she resembled Jiang Yan to some extent.

When she saw Wen Yuesheng and the others, especially Wen Yuesheng’s beauty, she froze for a moment, then asked, “Are you all refugees?”

Her voice was hoarse, and she coughed violently as she spoke.

Refugees?

Liu Yi frowned.

But Wen Yue Sheng coldly asked, “Are you Bor Yan’s mother?”

When the name Bor Yan was mentioned, the woman’s expression changed drastically.

Her cracked lips moved, and she asked, “Are you from Great Hui?”

Seeing no sign of Jiang Yan, she finally realized something and quickly said, “Please, spare my son’s life!”

In her desperation, her chest heaved violently, and her face turned red.

The women around her immediately became wary and gathered around.

Jiang Rui quickly stopped them.

She and Jiang Yan had been hiding from the Bor family’s pursuit for years, living carefully and in hiding.

While Jiang Yan had high martial arts skills and could protect himself, she had been a burden to him.

They had been forced to hide in this bandit camp for her treatment.

She knew that the money Jiang Yan often used likely came from shady sources.

She had tried to persuade him to leave her behind, but he refused.

Now, she was his only family, and he refused to abandon her.

When she saw the women’s appearances and demeanor, she realized that Jiang Yan had likely fallen into their hands.

She had no detailed knowledge of Jiang Yan’s martial arts, but she had once been a good citizen of Great Hui and knew that robbing travelers was a serious crime.

If the government pursued the matter, Jiang Yan could face severe punishment.

Especially when they had mentioned Jiang Yan’s old name.

Jiang Rui closed her eyes, forced herself to calm down, and quietly said, “Please, spare him. We’ve hidden here for a long time, but Jiang Yan has never harmed an innocent person.”

“He… he only did it to help me, to give some hope to us poor women.”

Her words were quickly echoed by the other women around her.

Lu Hong Ying, seeing that these women didn’t seem to be unwilling, became even more puzzled.

When they shared everything they knew to defend Jiang Yan, Lu Hong Ying’s emotions became more complex.

It turned out that all the women here had been ‘taken’ by Jiang Yan.

Before Jiang Yan arrived, the bandits had survived by robbing passing merchant caravans.

But after Jiang Yan arrived, due to Jiang Rui, they also intercepted women traveling to Yuan City.

The women they captured, if willing, stayed in the camp to do chores.

If not, Jiang Yan would send them to the border of the main city.

Over time, some of these women were saved from Haoshou soldiers whom Jiang Yan had killed during the invasion.

The bandits would be killed if they tried to harm any of the women.

Jiang Yan’s actions were brutal and unruly, following his own ideas, but from top to bottom, no one in the camp opposed him.

They didn’t know why Jiang Yan acted the way he did, but they knew that his strong-handed approach kept them from falling into the hands of the enemy, avoiding a horrific fate of humiliation and suffering.

Jiang Yan killed and plundered, not considered a good man, but at least under his rule, they could still live with dignity.

When Lu Hongying heard about the experiences of these women, her expression changed again and again.

She never expected that such things would happen in Yuan City, the farthest from the capital and closest to the Haoxhou forces.

The word “war” sounded distant in the capital, just a matter of fact.

But for everyone here, it became an experience of pain and brutality.

Among these women, the one who had suffered the most was Jiang Rui.

Jiang Rui wasn’t Jiang Yan’s biological mother, but they did share a bloodline—she was the younger sister of Jiang Yan’s biological mother.

Jiang Rui’s family had always lived in Yuan City. Nineteen years ago, when Haoxhou invaded Da Hui, her sister Jiang Fu was abducted by the Haoxhou army.

Less than three years later, Jiang Rui was also captured and taken to Haoxhou.

In Haoxhou, she suffered numerous inhumane treatments, but because of her beauty, she was never killed.

Instead, many years later, she was given to the head of the Bor family, Bor Lieheng.

It was after entering the Bor family that Jiang Rui learned that her sister Jiang Fu had been taken by Bor Lieheng.

Bor Lieheng, the famous general of Haoxhou and the leader of the three major tribes, was Jiang Yan’s biological father.

Jiang Fu was very beautiful, but after being forcibly taken to Haoxhou, she soon perished, leaving behind a son—who was then still named Bor Yan, Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan, due to his Da Hui bloodline, was not valued in the tribe, even though he was the biological son of Bor Lieheng.

Growing up, he was bullied by the brothers around him.

Before meeting Jiang Rui, he always thought his mother was a disgraceful Da Hui woman who, to stay by her father’s side, used degrading methods to climb into his bed.

He deeply loathed his Da Hui bloodline and despised all Da Hui people.

To win his father’s favor, Jiang Yan, with his extraordinary talent, had joined the military at a young age and gradually became the fiercest and most skilled general of the Bor family.

The people who had once oppressed and abused him began to fear him and no longer dared to harm him.

With his body covered in scars, he fought recklessly in Haoxhou, earning fame and leading an army to breach Yuan City for the first time.

… The very Yuan City he didn’t know was his mother’s hometown.

Before Jiang Rui appeared, Jiang Yan, as he gradually gained power, had already started investigating the events of that time.