Chapter 311

Far from the capital city,

The sound of war drums echoed continuously. The valiant soldiers of the Bai Region fought relentlessly, seeking victory time and again. At the forefront stood a robust young man, known by the title “God of War.” Having taken on the role of deputy general for the first time, he swiftly eradicated those who dared to betray.

This marked the fourth army on the brink of defeat under his command. Each life and drop of blood seemed like a sacrifice. Beside him stood a trainer, responsible for drilling thousands of brave soldiers, as if he had done so countless times before. If it weren’t known that he was merely the teacher of this God of War, everyone might have mistaken this elderly man for the Region’s great general!

The loss of their capable Wang a few months ago had indeed demoralized them. However, the emergence of this new God of War had revived their spirits!

"Deputy General!!"

"We have won!! The enemy has been defeated again!!" The soldiers shouted jubilantly as they saw the rebels’ surrender flag.

With a single swing of the sword of the deputy general, who led the battle, the dirty blood at its tip disappeared completely, as if it had never been stained red before.

“Capture the prisoners,” came the concise command, announcing among the soldiers. The deputy general then rode back to his tent, heading towards the strategy map and battle formations.

Following him was the former great general of the Du Region, who couldn’t help but smile despite his fatigue. It was as if he understood what the deputy general was contemplating.

“This is the fourth battle fought continuously without rest. Are you in such a hurry to return to your wife in the capital?” This straightforward question made Mu Heng pause.

He looked earnestly at his master and nodded without embarrassment.

“Yes, I’m worried about her.”

“Hm? Is there really anything to worry about with your wife? It’s you who should be more concerned. She’ll be fine. If anyone’s going to falter, it certainly won’t be your Furen Mu,” the great general had a keen eyes, seeing things more clearly than Mu Heng’s biased perspective.

From a neutral standpoint, the most formidable woman was indeed Furen Mu. Her background and abilities were more than enough to ensure that the entire Bai Region could do nothing to harm her. But Mu Heng, viewing her as a husband, saw only how delicate his wife seemed.

Her physical strength was limited, and she had the added burden of caring for their child. If she had to face those tedious officials, she might become overly exhausted.

So, when his master spoke this way, Mu Heng couldn’t accept it. He ceased the conversation and scanned the positions of the nearby rebels. His reputation had already spread far and wide, much like when the Wang resided in the Bai Region. People had heard of the terrifying God of War, who single-handedly led troops to defeat four camps in a row, all of which were considered the strongest rebel camps.

Ultimately, who would want to oppose such a demon-like battle leader? Before Mu Heng could decide on the next battle target, an official dispatch reached him, reporting that five camps had surrendered. Only one camp had yet to respond, making the next target clear.

Mu Heng was about to call his troops to assemble when a camp soldier rushed in with urgent news.

“C-Commander, over 1,000 cavalrymen are heading this way.” The soldier looked panicked. Mu Heng raised an eyebrow and asked for more details.

“It seems to be a cavalry from the tribe of the Twilight City. They have around 100 horsemen, with the rest being infantry. There’s also a strange caravan with them, heading directly this way.”

“Hm? Isn’t that the last remaining rebel camp? They’ve come to face me here?” Mu Heng chuckled, sensing something odd about this movement.

“So, what should we do?” The soldier felt a bit scared. After all, the enemy had over 100 cavalrymen. The combat power of cavalry was easily one to ten. They might be at a disadvantage.

“Send someone to negotiate and find out what they really want. If they want to fight, let them fight bravely. But if they want something else, make sure to get all the details,” Mu Heng waved his hand. The fact that they had come all this way meant they likely didn’t seek battle, but sending so many soldiers wasn’t exactly a gesture of good faith either.

This was pressure. They were putting everything on the line to demonstrate their power. If Mu Heng’s side refused, even if a fight broke out and the Bai Region won, they would still lose many good soldiers. Therefore, they had to consider their options carefully. This was a surrender with dignity. Some groups used such opportunities to negotiate and gain some benefits.

The soldiers, following orders, sent a negotiation team. They carried a flag symbolizing peace and waited halfway. When the tribe saw this, they sent their representatives as well. It didn’t take long for the negotiation team to understand the main point and return promptly.

“Deputy General, the tribe genuinely seeks peace. Not only that, but they have also sent many gifts as a tribute to show their allegiance. However, there is one condition,” the soldier’s face showed hesitation, but he finally spoke.

“Speak up,” the former great general shared Mu Heng’s initial suspicion that the tribe wanted to negotiate. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have wasted time bringing their troops all the way here. It would have been more advantageous to wait and defend from their own city instead.

However, the fact that they sent tribute from the beginning was unusual. The presence of over 100 cavalrymen to intimidate and exert psychological pressure showed that their request would be difficult to accept.

Upon hearing the prompt, the soldier representing the negotiation swallowed nervously and explained.

 “They have sent their princess and want the Deputy General to take her as his wife!”

Anyone would feel relieved hearing this condition. However, the soldiers of the Bai Region knew what kind of person Deputy General Mu was! He had dared to defy the heaven’s decree, refusing to take Noble Consort Wei as a secondary wife, and had firmly declared he didn’t want a second wife in his household. This request, therefore, became a significant issue.

The former great general of the Du Region was slightly stunned. So, their grand procession was to pressure Mu Heng into taking the princess as a secondary wife?

Ah... but on reflection, their demonstration was quite worthwhile. Who in the Bai Region didn’t know that the position of great general was currently vacant? And there were only two contenders for the position, one of whom was Mu Heng, the man hailed as the God of War! This meant that his chances of ascending to the highest rank were very high.

The moment Mu Heng became the great general of the Bai Region, would the position of his secondary wife be insignificant? Absolutely not. Moreover, she would be second only to the honored furen, indicating a highly dignified status. Even a woman of exceptional standing would become a wife to Mu Heng. Thus, the highly esteemed princess would become secondary only to the one holding a rank equivalent to the empress of the land. This dignity was nearly unparalleled!

Furthermore, anyone who entered the Mu household would immediately face no competition. This was because the great general of the Region had only one wife, Furen Mu. As long as he accepted her, they would become sister furens. While the son of Furen Mu would become the leader of the main Mu family, the princess’s son would have the opportunity to become the leader of the powerful secondary Mu branch, wouldn’t he?

It seemed the tribe wasn’t making a simple move.

However, had they asked the principal wife of the Mu household before trying to seize her position?

Mu Heng directly scoffed and refused without any hesitation. This refusal was akin to a declaration of war. As the orders were relayed, the tribe readied themselves for a fight to the death.

Before the trumpet could even finish blowing, Mu Heng walked directly up the camp tower. The soldiers were utterly confused. No one had received any orders from the deputy general. What was this situation?

The enemy was charging forward with 100 cavalrymen, but they did nothing. They simply watched the strong military advance. While it was true that they had more people, doing nothing was tantamount to suicide!

Thousands of soldiers in the camp watched their leader’s strange actions with confusion until they heard the general’s announcement.

“And this is a gift from my Furen Mu to her enemies.”

His stern voice finished just as he released an arrow. The distance of the shot was impressive, and the soldiers naturally admired the skill and strength of their deputy general. But what could a single arrow accomplish?

As they watched the seemingly amusing display, a loud "BOOM" echoed in the air. The tribal cavalry didn’t understand why the opposing side hadn’t sent out soldiers to fight. However, before three seconds had passed, some who realized the danger tried to flee, but it was too late...

Thud!!

“Damn it!! We’ve been poisoned. There’s poison in the air. Cover your noses, you fools! Agh!”

Thud!

“Heeigh!!” Thud!!

Whether man or horse, they all collapsed to the ground. The chaos subsided precisely at the five-second mark, and Mu Heng’s bowstring still hummed.

“W-We’ve defeated the 100 cavalrymen!!” The battle reporter was momentarily stunned but quickly remembered his duty. He shouted loudly, as if intending to ensure the enemy heard the message.

His face was flushed with excitement before he spoke again, uttering a nonsensical statement that would later become legend.

“The 100 cavalrymen have been defeated with a gift from Furen Mu!!”

This was because he vividly remembered the words, “This is a gift from my Furen Mu to her enemies,” spoken earlier by their deputy general. Otherwise, such a statement would not have been made in this situation.

The people of the Bai Region following Mu Heng were more excited than ever before. Now, the remaining enemies, numbering in the thousands but completely without cavalry, were just fodder for them to slaughter.

Of course, even the lowest-ranking soldiers understood the situation. So why wouldn’t the enemy’s leader understand it as well? Just as Mu Heng jumped down from the tower, the enemy’s white flag waved in surrender.

"The enemy has surrendered! We have won again!!" The officer monitoring the enemy’s actions announced. Mu Heng smirked slightly, thinking of his beautiful wife.

While everyone else feared "Furen Mu," who could so easily subdue soldiers, Mu Heng thought his wife was too kind for only providing a potent sedative. Anyone else might have used poison to directly kill the enemy...

"That was a sedative, wasn’t it?" The former great general asked Mu Heng directly, having never seen a battle end so quickly.

"Yes, my wife is still too gentle," Mu Heng gave a rare smile. No one else shared Mu Heng’s sentiment.

A furen who could handle enemies without even joining the battle, and she was considered gentle?... Ha ha ha. By that logic, Angulimala, who cut off people’s fingers, must be extremely compassionate!

"Don’t forget to capture the prisoners as quickly as possible. We need to return to the capital tonight," the sudden order was announced. The soldiers’ faces turned pale.

Some even complained that they had only swung their swords five times but had to capture prisoners five times. The fatigue of this battle came more from seizing enemy resources and capturing prisoners than from actual fighting...