Reborn to Become A Queen: The Real Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 236: He’s the Attacker!

After dawn, Vermilion Bird and his men returned from an overnight manhunt for the masked man, empty-handed.

Mu Yan understood; it was dark last night, and the man was injured yet still managed to conceal his form and escape, clearly well-prepared.

"He only took a few people with him, where could he have escaped to?"

Mu Yan knitted his brows when Zhan Lan suddenly said, "The more dangerous a place is, the safer it becomes—Black Wind Mountain’s hot springs!"

As Zhan Lan led people outside, she explained to Mu Yan, "It must be Ye Xiuhan!"

No one dared to delay, and they all hurried towards Black Wind Mountain.

Reaching the hot springs, Mu Yan and Zhan Lan entered a cave and saw an uncleaned fire pit and some bloodstains.

"He got away!" remarked Zhan Lan disappointedly.

Mu Yan looked at her with profound eyes, asking, "How did you know he would come here, and why do you know his name?"

Zhan Lan coughed and said, "I accidentally stumbled upon this place last time and encountered him."

"He’s Beiyue’s Deputy General; I’ve seen his portrait," explained Zhan Lan.

Mu Yan looked at Zhan Lan skeptically; he believed Zhan Lan and the man were adversaries, but he didn’t quite trust Zhan Lan’s words.

Just a Deputy General from Beiyue, where would any portrait come from?

Nevertheless, he did not expose Zhan Lan but said instead, "If you see this man again in the future, you must be extra cautious!"

Zhan Lan nodded, "Okay!"

...

Within Beiyue’s military camp, the arrow-wounded Ye Xiuhan returned with his men in black.

His face was pale, his eyes were dim, and he bit on a wooden stick while a physician was removing the barbed arrow from his back.

"General Ye, bear with it!"

"Okay!"

With a muffled grunt, the barb with flesh attached was pulled out from Ye Xiuhan’s body.

Drenched in sweat, his muscular back was also covered in perspiration.

He opened his arms, allowing the physician to dress his wound with gauze.

He then endured the pain to put on his clothes.

A man dressed in lavish clothing walked in from outside the tent. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Seeing Ye Xiuhan’s deathly pale face, he asked anxiously, "How is it?"

Ye Xiuhan rubbed his fingers and said, "Failed, Mu Yan was by Zhan Lan’s side."

Since their return to Luoshui City, they had received a secret missive from a spy infiltrated within Nanjin’s army.

There was a stunning female general named Zhan Lan in the military who had also starred as a key figure in defeating the Western Rong army.

The Second Prince, driven by lust, coveted Zhan Lan’s beauty and secretly tasked Ye Xiuhan to capture Zhan Lan.

Unexpectedly, the mediocre Huang Gun was replaced by Mu Yan.

Thus, their plan had failed.

The Second Prince reprimanded, "Ye Xiuhan, I recommended you to be a Deputy General because I saw your poor mother and sister at home. Haven’t I spent these years at the frontier trying to leave a good impression for the Emperor? Capturing the enemy’s female general would be a meritorious deed, right? How could you bungle this mission!"

Ye Xiuhan suppressed the disdain in his heart; it was clear the Second Prince had his eyes on Zhan Lan’s beauty, yet he spoke as if he had such noble intentions.

Had he not been curious about this female general’s strength, he might have gone against the Second Prince’s wishes.

"Your Highness, I understand. When the opportunity next arises, I shall make another move!" Ye Xiuhan stated, concealing his rage.

"Hurry, capture her and bring her directly to my tent, so that I, the Prince, may interrogate her thoroughly!"

The second Prince flung his sleeves and departed. Ye Xiuhan, caressing his arm which was gradually regaining strength, remembered the hidden weapon launched from the dagger in Zhan Lan’s hand.

Fortunately, the poisoned needle did not hit his heart; otherwise, he would have been paralyzed on the spot, easily captured.

Moreover, her shooting and archery skills are exceptional. In such darkness, it was a tremendous feat for Zhan Lan to hit him while he was on the run.

And that Mu Yan, just as the rumors say, is a difficult adversary. They exchanged several dozen moves, but he still did not let Ye Xiuhan get any closer to Zhan Lan.

It is evident he cares greatly for Zhan Lan.

But whose side is Zhan Lan truly on? Is she with Mu Yan or her foster father Zhan Beicang?

Ye Xiuhan was certain of one thing: the woman’s identity is exceedingly complex, and she will be a formidable opponent for Beiyue in the future!

...

Inside the tent at Heifeng Pass, several Deputy Generals and Xie Yu, acting as the stand-in Main General, were seated. They were aware of the events that transpired the previous night.

Xie Yu spoke with a steady voice, analyzing, "Logically speaking, since the New Year has just passed and it’s still the end of winter, if Beiyue starts a war now, they likely won’t be able to keep up with the supply of provisions."

Zhan Lan looked up towards the distance. Under layers of snow, a hint of new greenery was indeed showing, but it wasn’t enough to sustain a war in a time of scarce resources. Even Nanjin would not initiate conflict during this interlude between harvests.

Historically, wars are often waged in the fall.

Firstly, the weather is suitable – not too cold, not too hot – making it easier for troops to march and fight.

Secondly, after the autumn harvest, soldiers are more content, and military supplies are plentiful, easing the burden on logistics.

Thirdly, marching in autumn sometimes allows reaping enemy crops, feeding off the enemy land and significantly alleviating logistical pressure while disrupting the enemy’s economy.

However, if the initiator of war is after resources, they can wage war at any time.

If their goal is to annihilate a nation and reduce the opposing population, they might opt for winter. War would render people homeless, and the cold would kill a significant portion, fulfilling their objective.

Yet, neither Beiyue nor Nanjin currently possess the strength to fully conquer the other, making a winter campaign less likely.

In Zhan Lan’s mind, the memory of Beiyue’s surrender in her previous life arose due to Ye Xiuhan’s death in battle.

In this life, Beiyue’s Main General is Chen Liang, who, in a couple of years, along with General Bai Qi, would be seriously injured in the final battle, after which she and Ye Xiuhan would become the Main Generals of their respective factions.

Since they were not initiating a war, then just why did Ye Xiuhan suddenly launch a surprise attack last night?

Zhan Lan’s thoughts were tumultuous; she had to wait for news from the spies in the Beiyue military camp.

Months ago, when she received the imperial edict to come to Heifeng Pass, she had already placed three informants from the Dark Night Organization within the Beiyue military camp.

Perhaps, she would soon understand why Ye Xiuhan had stealthily attacked them.

In the blink of an eye, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year arrived – the day Mu Yan left.

As Mu Yan’s carriage slowly took to the main road, Vermilion Bird asked from outside the carriage, "Master, are you not going to bid farewell to General Zhan?"

Mu Yan sat inside the carriage, his gaze fixed in the direction of Heifeng Pass.

He had already informed Zhan Lan last night that he was forced to leave, and he expressed his desire to leave Vermilion Bird behind to protect her.

But Zhan Lan had refused.

Mu Yan was somewhat despondent, as he was truly concerned about Zhan Lan’s safety.

His gaze remained fixed on Heifeng Pass, and furthermore, Zhan Lan had not tried to detain him, nor had she come to see him off.

Mu Yan, hand resting on his forehead and pinching the bridge of his nose, said, "Vermilion Bird, I get a headache just looking at you right now."

Vermilion Bird, tousled by the wind: "..." Master, just because the gift can’t be given, it’s not the fault of the gift itself!