Salted Fish Concubine, Always Getting Pregnant, Fierce General Pampers Her Daily - Chapter 4

Wen Wan sat on the steps, watching the young men cheerfully load the gold and silver treasures onto the carriage.

She glanced again at A Chai, who was listening to his subordinate’s report.

Indeed, all the finest men had been claimed by the state.

This border patrol squad had fewer than a hundred men, yet each was tall, strong, and extraordinarily brave.

Especially A Chai—handsome, skilled, courageous, and strategic, exuding the raw charisma of a hardened warrior.

Wen Wan had a weakness for this type of handsome man, and she couldn’t help but stare greedily, imagining the eight firm abs hidden beneath his fitted attire…

Perhaps her gaze was too direct, because A Chai suddenly turned and met her covetous eyes.

“Boss, I think this girl has taken a liking to you,” Jin Mu, the bodyguard, teased in a hushed voice.

A Chai’s expression hardened. “If you have time for idle talk, go back and search the tomb again. The item should be in the burial chamber.”

Jin Mu scratched his head in frustration. “We’ve scoured the entire tomb and found no trace of the blueprint. Do you really think the Yun Hou Tomb holds it?”

A Chai frowned. “The treasures are all here, meaning the tomb hasn’t been looted. Yet the blueprint has vanished without a trace…”

“Search again! Even if we have to turn the tomb upside down, that item must not fall into the hands of the Northern Desert people.”

Just as Jin Mu was about to speak, the sound of urgent hoofbeats echoed in the distance.

Riding recklessly through the mountains in the dead of night, with poor visibility, could only mean one thing—an emergency.

Sure enough, a blood-soaked young man barely managed to rein in his horse before tumbling off.

“Boss, we’ve got trouble!”

The group escorting the bandits down the mountain had been ambushed. Before they even reached the foothills, they were surrounded by a large Northern Desert force.

“There were only about twenty of us—no match for their numbers. The brothers fought desperately to clear a path for me to report back. I’m the only one left… the rest… all dead.”

The burly man broke down in tears after speaking.

A Chai’s face darkened, his knuckles whitening around his sword. “How many Northern Desert troops are there?”

The bloodied youth gritted his teeth. “A thousand strong!”

Wen Wan gasped.

She quickly counted the men in the ruined temple and felt her stomach drop.

Their side had fewer than a hundred. The enemy had a thousand.

The disparity in strength was overwhelming.

A Chai’s expression remained icy, but he showed no fear, issuing orders with calm precision.

“Everyone, write your last words! Fight your way out, and you live. Fail, and that’s fate!”

“Kill!”

Though Wen Wan had spent the past three years confined to the inner quarters, she had heard of the Northern Desert’s brutality.

One of the general’s concubines had lost her entire family to them. She said the Northern Desert men slaughtered the village’s men on the spot and enslaved the women, using them as breeding tools.

In this era, with primitive medical knowledge, childbirth was a deadly gamble, making population growth crucial for every faction.

As Wen Wan racked her brain for a solution, a cold blade suddenly pressed against her neck.

She looked up into A Chai’s icy gaze.

“Rather than die humiliated, I’ll kill you myself. It’ll spare you unspeakable suffering and preserve the dignity of our Duan Dynasty.”

Wen Wan: “…”

Thanks. How… considerate of you.

Seeing her pitiful, pleading expression, A Chai sighed softly, his tone softening slightly.

“Don’t blame me for being ruthless. If you fall into the hands of the Northern Desert people, you’ll die just the same, and in a far more gruesome manner.”

Wen Wan felt her scalp tingle as she watched him raise his sword to strike. Timidly, she spoke up, “Big brother, I know a thing or two about tactics for fighting against greater numbers. Maybe… I could give it a try?” A thing or two?

Remembering how she’d said the same when locating tombs, only to effortlessly pinpoint the exact position of the Ancient Tomb…

A Chai said gravely, “Speak.”

Wen Wan swallowed hard. “The best strategy against greater numbers is to reverse unfavorable positioning to find a way out. With external support, you can lure the tiger away from the mountain or feint in one direction while attacking another. Without support, divide and conquer, or fight through the gaps…”

As she spoke, she watched A Chai’s expression. Seeing a faint glimmer of approval in his eyes, she finally relaxed slightly.

A Chai raised an eyebrow. “How does a woman from the inner chambers know military strategies from the books?”

Wen Wan gave a dry laugh. “Heh, just a thing or two. That’s not important. Tell me, how many Northern Desert warriors can your men handle?”

A Chai looked somewhat proud. “Our border soldiers can easily take on three enemies each.”

One against three was quite impressive in the era of cold weapons.

Wen Wan nodded, crouched down, and picked up a stick to start calculating.

A Chai watched as she drew chaotic patterns in the dirt. Soon, she stopped and looked up.

“We’re on the mountainside, downwind. We can start with fire attacks, then use treasures as bait to lure the enemy in different directions. Based on the numbers…”

“Choose eight men to split into four teams, each carrying treasures in different directions. Once the enemy is divided, the rest can break through the weakest path.”

After explaining, Wen Wan’s expression turned solemn. “But those eight acting as bait will be in extreme danger… They might not return.”

Were there soldiers in this squad willing to sacrifice themselves?

Indeed there were!

After Wen Wan finished speaking, half the men actually volunteered to be the bait.

Seeing them all vying to face death, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved.

The kind of heroic sacrifice she’d only seen in films suddenly unfolded before her eyes. Being in the moment ignited all the fierceness in her heart.

If before this, Wen Wan had been merely an observer, from this moment on, she was truly living in this unfamiliar time.

Her eyes reddened as she looked at these upright young men.

A Chai selected several soldiers as bait and made preparations according to Wen Wan’s plan.

Once arrangements were done, he returned to Wen Wan and pulled a dagger from his boot, tossing it into her arms.

“Ever killed anyone?”

Wen Wan hugged the dagger and shook her head.

A Chai said expressionlessly, leaving a cold remark, “Then learn.”

Wen Wan examined the dagger.

It was inlaid with precious gems, its blade sharp and gleaming with a dark golden sheen, made of unusual material compared to ordinary daggers.

A Chai watched as Wen Wan waved the dagger in the air, several times nearly grazing her own ear, making his temple throb.

“Be careful. That dagger’s for killing enemies, not yourself.”

“Oh.” Wen Wan sheathed the dagger, then her eyes sparkled. “Big brother, if we break through and survive, does this dagger become mine?”

A Chai smirked. “Want it?”

Wen Wan nodded eagerly.

A Chai let out a mocking laugh, crouched down, and pinched her chin with his rough fingers.

“How about this? Give me a kiss, and I’ll give you this dagger.”

Wen Wan immediately widened her eyes.

Huh?

Such good fortune?

Not only could she take liberties with a handsome guy, but also get a treasure?