Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 949 - 947_1

Chapter 949: Chapter 947_1

"Look!" Suddenly someone shouted in surprise, pointing towards the horizon.

Many followed his pointing finger. It turned out that a temple on a distant mountain had collapsed with a thunderous bang, sending a plume of dust and gravel rolling down the mountain.

The locals were terrified retrospectively! Thankfully, they had decided to not stay in their homes and had escaped to this place! Otherwise, they would have ended up crushed under the falling debris!

The townsfolk too were horrified. They looked at the buildings not far off, their roof tiles tumbling off one by one. The timely warning from the soldiers had saved them, or they would have been caught in the havoc, if not dead, severely injured.

The earthquake lasted a long time, almost half an hour, before the ground finally ceased to shake.

In the county town, thanks to the government office’s earlier free reinforcement of the houses of the poor, not many houses collapsed during this earthquake. Even if they had, it wasn’t the entire building but ancillary structures like the kitchen and the hut that had fallen.

As it got dark earlier on winter nights, chilling winds howled through the town. The open spaces were filled with people because nobody wanted to take shelter inside the houses. Everyone had wrapped themselves in thick quilts, feeling lucky to have escaped this disaster in the biting cold.

Despite the cold, they found comfort in having survived the disaster. Almost everyone was laughing and talking as the excitement kept them awake. Except for the children, the adults had no sleep in their eyes as they chatted in groups on the ground.

Joy after a disaster, where had this ever happened before?!

However, the locals of the border areas in Nangong Country weren’t as lucky. Everywhere one looked was a sight of destruction, even the government office had collapsed halfway!

Nangong Country was closer to Wanli Shitang, and the damage they suffered far exceeded what they had imagined.

Gong Qinghua and Gong Zixuan had both received orders from the emperor to lead the soldiers into the disaster zone for rescue operations.

Gong Zixuan returned to the Crown Prince’s mansion and said goodbye to Shangguan Wanru: "The emperor has ordered my brother and me to lead two thousand soldiers to the borders for rescue operations. You should stay home and be careful. Only enter the house after the earthquake has completely stopped."

"I understand. You must be careful too, Crown Prince!"

"I am leaving then!" Gong Zixuan nodded and left quickly. After all, his brother had already left with the soldiers. If he wasn’t worried about Shangguan Wanru and their son, he wouldn’t have returned home.

As Shangguan Wanru watched Gong Zixuan leave hastily and hid outside the house with their son to avoid the aftershocks, she regretted not persisting in believing the warning in Xiao’er’s letter.

She knew Xiao’er wouldn’t have written to her about mere rumours!

Xiao’er must’ve been absolutely certain about the impending earthquake when she observed those abnormal signs!

She was the one who once saved the entire Qinghe County, why didn’t she persist in believing her!

If she and Gong Zixuan had believed Xiao’er and prepared the people for evacuation earlier, they could have saved many lives. Would there still be a question of winning the people’s hearts when the Crown Prince ascended to the throne?

But there is no medicine for regret in this world. Little did Shangguan Wanru know that her fate was beginning to change from this moment.

The soldiers of both Japan and Nangong Country on Wanli Shitang and Zhan’er Island were decimated without a trace, and no one knew where they were swept off to by the sea! The island was void of human presence, but teeming with the dead bodies of many marine animals like fish and shrimp.

Japan also suffered severe damage from this tectonic activity! It can be said that both Nangong Country and Japan were now struggling with their own problems, busy with their rescue operations. They had no energy left to consider deploying troops to occupy Wanli Shitang and Zhan’er Island.

Besides, with the sea currently in turmoil due to the uproar, anyone would be crazy to deploy troops now. It would be wiser to wait until after the storm. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even know how they died.

The next day, the rain started to pour down. With a storm raging outside, the survivors had no choice but to huddle in the shelters. Despite the crowd, there were no complaints.

Meanwhile, ignoring the storm, Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi departed!

Although the earthquake was not officially over and aftershocks were still possible, it posed no significant threat anymore.

They needed to arrange for their soldiers to retake the Wanli Shitang and Zhan’er Island!

This time, their soldiers were to maintain long-lasting peace on the Wanli Shitang and Zhan’er Island!

Braving the storm, the two arrived at the place where the soldiers were stationed.

One hundred thousand soldiers stood upright against the rain and wind in the open space, waiting for Shangguan Xuanyi to manually inspect the troops.

Xiao’er sat in the carriage, watching this magnificent scene and felt immensely moved. In this world, those who were the most adorable were these individuals, who braved the cold, had no fear of life or death, were willing to sacrifice and shed blood, stood their ground, and defended their country!

While others sought shelter under eaves, they endured wind, frost, rain, and snow. While others cooled off in the shade of trees, they stood firm under the scorching sun. While others gathered, they remained on lonely watch duty. They came and went in the wind and rain, with long spears in hand, military attire on their bodies - their flesh and blood as strong as iron walls!

Shangguan Xuanyi, standing in front of a hundred thousand soldiers, remained as steadfast as a pine, unmoved no matter how fierce the storm raged. His clothing did not flutter; with his inner strength, he explained the importance of safeguarding the Wanli Shitang and Zhan’er Island clearly and explicitly to the soldiers present.

"Swear to defend Wanli Shitang! Swear to defend Zhan’er Island, not allowing anyone to invade!"

Despite the severe storm, Xiao’er could clearly hear Shangguan Xuanyi’s firm and resonant speech. The soldiers’ unified response resounded across the heavens.

Now the storm was fierce, and the waves were surging, but hundreds of large ships were already waiting at sea, ready for an oceanic battle!

Whether it was Zhan’er Island or Wanli Shitang, Minze Country was always the farthest from Japan and Nangong Country. Hence, they needed to brave the storm and retake these two places before they could react!

Whoever takes the initiative is the king of that place.

Shangguan Xuanyi finished his speech quickly and joined Xiao’er. He took the straw raincoat from Yang Liu and helped Xiao’er put it on.

Xiao’er shook her head: "No need, with such a large storm, it won’t make a difference. Let’s get on the ship!"

But Shangguan Xuanyi insisted on putting the raincoat on for Xiao’er. Helpless, Xiao’er went along with it. Shangguan Xuanyi then took Xiao’er’s hand and walked towards the ship.

The soldiers didn’t object to Shangguan Xuanyi taking Xiao’er on the ship, instead they were even more excited and motivated! Actually, in such a storm, the vast sea was indistinguishable, and the moment the ship embarked, it would lose direction!

Although their mission this time was not to fight, the power of nature caused more fear than human combat. Sometimes, you would feel defenceless in the face of nature.

Yet strangely, the soldiers felt more assured when they saw Prince Rui and Princess Rui personally board the lead ship.

They initially thought that Prince Rui had returned to the carriage just to give some encouraging words. They didn’t expect him and his wife to actually lead the way!

Who was Prince Rui? He was one who fought Xiyue Country single-handedly with his troop!

Who was Princess Rui? She personally led a ship to sea and rescued Prince Rui from the death zone! Her sailing skills were even better than those of the experienced, old sea captain!

...

Who were Prince Rui and Princess Rui? They were the ones who took Zhan’er Island without losing a single soldier!

Many of their deeds were unspoken, but they knew these two represented the beacon of success! With them by their side, there was no chance for failure!

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