Dawn was breaking in Dongning County, Anlan Prefecture. The soldiers on duty atop the city walls yawned, grumbling about their relief not arriving yet.
As they swayed their heads in anticipation, they suddenly felt their eyes playing tricks on them. How else could they explain seeing something flying in the sky?
The soldier blinked, quickly rubbed his eyes, and then looked up again to get a closer look.
"Oh my heavens!"
The soldier's mouth hung open, utterly shocked. What was he seeing? Something was indeed flying in the sky! Not only did it seem quite large, but there were also many of them, densely packed, likely over a hundred.
"Corporal!"
"Hmm? What is it? You punk."
The corporal slowly raised his drooping head, replying listlessly.
"Corporal! Something terrible has happened! Something is flying towards us in the sky!"
"What are you babbling about? Did you doze off on duty last night and your brain is addled?"
The corporal scolded him irritably.
"It's true, there's really something flying towards us! Corporal! Brothers! Look quickly!"
The soldier was so anxious he was almost crying, shouting loudly.
This time, it not only woke the corporal but also all three other men in the squad, who all grumbled angrily.
The corporal frowned, raised his head, and followed the direction the soldier was pointing. Then, he was dumbfounded.
Seeing the corporal's reaction, the other three curiously looked in the same direction and were all equally stunned.
"Mother, mother, what on earth is that thing?"
A soldier muttered, his face full of disbelief.
If the things flying in the sky were people, it would be somewhat understandable, merely powerful cultivators with profound martial arts.
But what did they see? They saw a round, bulbous object above, with a giant-sized vegetable basket hanging below, and people faintly visible on top of it?
Huh? Wait, people?!
The corporal reacted, shouting, "Not good! Xiao Shun! Quick, ring the alarm bell! It's an enemy invasion!"
Xiao Shun understood and immediately ran to the alarm bell, raising his hammer and striking it with all his might.
Not far behind the city gate, the soldiers stationed in the small military camp heard the alarm. Grumbling, they got up, put on their clothes, and hurriedly grabbed their weapons, rushing towards the city walls.
"What's going on?"
The Captain arrived at the city wall, his face displeased, and demanded.
"My Lord Captain, look at the sky, look at the sky! People are riding on strange contraptions and flying this way!"
A soldier explained nervously and fearfully.
"What... what in the devil is this?" The Captain looked at the sky and was completely bewildered.
Just as he was about to order someone to try and shoot down the contraption, arrows suddenly shot from the opposite direction.
"Urgh~"
The Captain's eyes widened as he clutched his neck in disbelief.
So this thing could attack from such a distance? With this thought, the Captain collapsed on the city wall.
And the soldiers beside him were not as lucky; some even had three or four arrows stuck in them.
Chaos erupted on the city wall. No one had anticipated that the people in the hot air balloons could attack them, and with arrows, a weapon they were all too familiar with.
After several volleys of arrows, over a hundred defenders were killed, directly causing the five hundred soldiers guarding the city wall to collapse.
The hot air balloons flew over Dongning County, slowly descending. Then, ropes were lowered, and figures descended one after another, landing on the city wall. Afterward, the city gates were opened, allowing the soldiers who had disembarked from the hot air balloons outside the city to enter.
Dongning County, caught completely off guard and never expecting an attack in such a manner, was breached by this overwhelming assault. And Dongning County would certainly not be the only city to fall to the rebel forces of Prince Liu in this way.
Three days later, Chu Chen led his army to Mengdie County, the stronghold of Prince Liu. As Chu Chen's banner was planted on the city walls, it signaled the final suppression of the rebellion.
All that remained was to mop up the remnants of the rebels who had scattered and turned into bandits. Chu Chen no longer needed to lead this personally; the task was assigned to other generals, while he himself remained in Mengdie County.
In the royal palace bedchamber of Mengdie County.
A soft moan was heard. Li Mengdie, lying on the bed covered by soft bedding, slowly opened her eyes.
"Where is this? Where am I?"
Just as she regained consciousness, confusion filled Li Mengdie's eyes.
"I remember, I was in battle before? How did I end up sleeping here?"
Li Mengdie frowned lightly, trying to recall what had happened.
"War? Chu Chen? No!"
Li Mengdie suddenly sat up and got out of bed. Just as she was about to call for guards, she froze.
She recognized her surroundings; it was her own royal bedchamber in Mengdie County, and this bed was her royal couch.
"The palace? How did I return to the palace? And sleeping in my bed! Didn't I lose the battle and die?"
Li Mengdie was unsure if this was reality or a dream. After a moment's hesitation, she reached out her fair hand and pinched her arm.
"It hurts, I'm not dreaming!"
Feeling the pain in her arm, Li Mengdie finally believed this was the real world and not a dream.
She looked around and seemed to recall something, quickly checking her attire.
She had been wearing armor on the battlefield, and beneath it, tight-fitting clothes suitable for combat. But now, she was wearing her usual loose royal robes.
"My clothes have been changed! Who did it?"
As Li Mengdie pondered, Chu Chen's detestable handsome face suddenly appeared in her mind. Her expression immediately turned grim: "Could that guy have changed my clothes? Does that mean he saw me naked?"
Her expression, which should have been furious, gradually became somewhat ambiguous.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Li Mengdie was startled and instinctively reached for the long sword hanging on the wall, but her hand grasped empty air.
"Your Highness, are you awake?"
Xiao Hong asked softly.
It's my personal maid!
Li Mengdie breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Yes, is that Xiao Hong?"
"Your Highness, it is I, your servant."
Xiao Hong's smile widened as she slowly walked forward, placing a basin of warm water she was holding on the table: "Your Highness, please wash your face first. You returned covered in blood, which truly frightened me."
"We'll talk about that later." Li Mengdie waved her hand, looked at her seriously, and asked, "I remember I wasn't fighting on the battlefield? How did I get back here? And who changed my clothes?"
"The Prime Minister brought you back. I changed your clothes and cleaned you up. If the Prime Minister hadn't said you were alright and that the blood was someone else's, I would have thought Your Highness... you..."
Xiao Hong's eyes reddened, and tears welled up.
"...The war, is it over?"
"Mmm..."