The author had previously written this. The school is suddenly rushing things, and I'm swamped. Please forgive me. I also ask readers to give me their suggestions so I can decide what to write in this book.
With that in mind, Qin Shi put his gun on his back and clasped his hands. "Immortal Master is too kind. I am Qin Shi, the 'shi' from 'time.' Just an ordinary mortal. By chance, I came from another world. That place would be equivalent to heaven for you."
This explanation was full of loopholes, yet Li Shimin actually believed it. He even felt an urge to befriend Qin Shi. After all, even a mortal from heaven was a top-tier talent in this world. If he could help me, then my grip on the imperial throne would be even stronger! Li Jiancheng, just you wait!
"Since Brother Qin says so, then I shall no longer crave immortality. This time, the Tujue almost reached Chang'an. Brother Qin appeared out of nowhere and routed the Tujue. Furthermore, the Golden Tent of Khan Jili has long since vanished, blown to smithereens by your heavenly lightning. The Tujue will surely fall into internal strife! Brother Qin is the greatest contributor! However, the rain is getting heavier. Why don't you come into the city with me first?" Li Shimin said, glancing at Qin Shi. Although Qin Shi was younger than him, he still addressed him as Brother Qin, fearing that this visitor from heaven might perceive him, the Prince of Qin, as too arrogant.
Unexpectedly, Qin Shi clasped his hands again, "I was just about to suggest that! However, I ask Prince Qin to wait a moment. I still have something to retrieve."
Li Shimin looked at the badly damaged fighter jet and said nothing, waiting for Qin Shi to get his things.
Qin Shi once again slipped into the cockpit and took out a box from behind the seat, a first-aid kit, a combat pack, and an emergency kit. He slung them all over his back. At this moment, the mysterious orange cat also jumped out and stood on Qin Shi's shoulder, a slightly smaller first-aid kit dangling from its mouth.
These items were stored in the ejection seat, intended to prevent him from falling into enemy territory without means of survival or counterattack.
Looking at the orange cat on his shoulder, Qin Shi wondered why the cat had stopped talking. He decided not to dwell on it. The urgent matter now was to find a place to stay and then slowly consider future plans.
After packing up, Qin Shi looked at the red flag below the aircraft's cabin. His nose suddenly stung. Yes, he hadn't seen the dawn of victory yet!
He carefully collected the flag and placed it in his combat pack.
With tears in his eyes and a salute, Qin Shi turned to Li Shimin and said, "I ask Prince Qin to send people to cover my fighter jet with a shelter. Although it is now a wreck, it can still be of great use!"
The aircraft's outer shell was rust-resistant, but that didn't mean it could be soaked in water indefinitely.
Li Shimin nodded and turned to give orders, "Send a few men to set up a shelter. Remember, if anyone dares to tamper with this divine object, I will report it to His Majesty and have their entire clan exterminated!"
The generals below received the order and dispatched men. Just as Li Shimin was enthusiastically inviting Qin Shi to accompany him, three riders suddenly galloped from a distance. They were covered in blood, as if they had just crawled out of a sea of corpses. Small banners were stuck in their helmets. An urgent dispatch from eight hundred li away!
"Report!!! Princess Pingyang is surrounded by the Tujue in Hebin County! The situation is critical! The Lady's Army has suffered over 3,000 casualties! We request Prince Qin to provide reinforcements!"
What! Li Shimin immediately grabbed the messenger's collar, wanting to ask for specific details. However, the messenger was too exhausted to stand and collapsed. Qin Shi quickly stepped forward to examine him, only to discover that the blood on the three messengers was not their own; they were merely exhausted.
Emerging unscathed from the midst of battle? What a valiant soldier!
After the examination, Qin Shi told Li Shimin, "He's fine, just exhausted."
Li Shimin nodded and was about to speak when the fainted messenger suddenly woke up. "The general told me to tell you that the Tujue have cut off the Lady's Army in three directions, and the rest of the forces are trapped in various small towns! Beware of them besieging and reinforcing!" After saying this, he completely passed out.
"Take him away and treat him well. Li Jing, assemble twenty thousand troops and depart immediately!"
In this urgent situation, Li Shimin could no longer attend to Qin Shi, the man from heaven. He instructed a cavalry officer to escort Qin Shi to Jingyang City to rest. At this moment, his own sister's life was more important. After the battle at Jingyang against the Eastern Tujue, their Khan was killed, and their spirit was broken. It would take at least two to three years for them to recover, so it must be Tuli Khan of the Western Tujue who had besieged Princess Pingyang. Jingyang was more than 130 kilometers away from Hebin County. Even if they marched at full speed, it would take at least a day to arrive, especially considering the time needed for the battlefield cleanup and the insufficient number of horses.
But Li Shimin couldn't wait. Qin Shi had just found a small thatched hut in the city to put down his belongings when he heard the sound of horses' hooves. It turned out that the cavalry officer had returned, and with him was Li Shimin. He had briefly explained military matters in the city before rushing out. As he passed by the small thatched hut, he remembered that he had forgotten to bid farewell to the "divine person," so he quickly asked the cavalry officer to lead the way. As soon as they reached the hut, Li Shimin began to curse, "Hou Junji, you dog! You found a thatched hut for Qin Shi?!"
"Alright, stop cursing. He acted out of urgency. This thatched hut is fine. Didn't you see these commoners also live in thatched huts? It's not a big deal. Do you have to go save Princess Pingyang now?"
"My sister is in danger, and I must save her." In front of Qin Shi, Li Shimin did not put on airs and did not refer to himself as "this prince."
Qin Shi thought for a moment. The current situation did not allow for proper contemplation. It would be better to go with Li Shimin, offering him support, and also to see the princess who was uniquely buried with military honors in the historical records. Li Shimin had handsome features with sword-like eyebrows and a refined demeanor, so Princess Pingyang was likely no less. However, he had heard that she was already married to Chai Shao, and Li Yuan was willing to let her go out to fight.
"Prince Qin, please wait a moment. I will accompany you!"
After saying that, he turned and went into the thatched hut. Li Shimin and Hou Junji exchanged glances, unsure of what to say, so they could only wait patiently.
Three minutes later, Qin Shi emerged fully armed. He was equipped with standard Chinese field army gear, except for a marching quilt. He wore three hand grenades on his waist, with two pistols tucked into his lower and upper legs, and a dagger. His helmet and goggles were already on, and six pistol magazines were attached to his bullet belt. A cat stood on his shoulder, holding a medical bag. In his left hand, he carried a sniper rifle, and his right hand rested on his waist, ready to draw his pistol at any moment.
Li Shimin and Hou Junji were stunned by his appearance and quickly asked, "Brother Qin, what are these miscellaneous items on your body? And your clothing is also very peculiar."
"These are all good tools for killing. Let's hurry. The Tujue forces surrounding the princess should not know about the situation here yet. Take good care of the rest of my belongings," he said, mounting his horse. As a soldier, he didn't learn horsemanship, but he had ridden a few times before enlisting. Although his horsemanship wasn't excellent, he at least knew the basics of turning and stopping.
The heavy rain was still falling, but Qin Shi's clothes were waterproof, as he was from the air force, and the treatment was slightly different.
Li Shimin led five thousand cavalrymen, each with two horses. He ordered Li Jing to guard the city and to depart immediately with any usable Tujue horses, enough to equip a thousand men to come to the rescue.
Jingyang was far from Hebin, with many rivers along the way. Fortunately, the bridge-building technology of the Tang Dynasty was also good, so there were no problems along the route. They rested for half an hour, which was one hour, and then continued their journey.
Qin Shi also assembled the sniper rifle from the box. This was the latest domestically produced high-precision sniper rifle. He had been a sniper in the special forces and later became a pilot, so his marksmanship had not declined. The superiors had also taken care of him, replacing the military supply box in the aircraft with a sniper rifle. He never expected it to be useful one day. The only pity was that he only had three spare magazines, each with seven rounds of 12.7mm ammunition.
At this point, they had been marching for 11 consecutive hours. Don't ask him how he knew; his military mechanical watch was still ticking. Hebin County was within sight, but they had not encountered any Tujue cavalry along the way. They could only wait for the scouts to return.
The rain outside had not increased, nor had it decreased. At this moment, he and Li Shimin were in a large tent. The tent flap was opened, and Li Shimin, who had been observing the terrain outside, returned.
As soon as he sat down, he saw Qin Shi fiddling with a long fire poker and asked in confusion, "Brother Qin, what kind of weapon is this? Why does it look so much like a fire poker?"
Qin Shi paused his gun-cleaning and said with a dark expression, "This thing is called a sniper rifle. It can take a person's head from a thousand miles away as easily as picking something from a pocket. Understand?"
Li Shimin fell silent, half believing and half disbelieving. He disbelieved that such a divine artifact could exist in this world, but he believed that Qin Shi was indeed the divine person who had appeared out of nowhere.
Qin Shi smiled, "It's fine, you'll know soon enough. Have the location of the Tujue camp been identified?"
"It has been identified, twenty miles west of Tongzhou City. However, our army cannot enter. After they divided the Lady's Army, they are now pursuing them everywhere. If we enter, we will surely be discovered, and then the 30,000 Tujue cavalry will undoubtedly move out and devour this reinforcement! Damn it, half of the Lady's Army are infantry! How can they escape the Tujue cavalry?"
Qin Shi thought for a moment and asked, "If I took a dozen or so men, could we directly charge into the Tujue camp?"
Li Shimin was stunned by this.