Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 501 Female Warrior

In modern times, it's perfectly normal for men to take care of women, such as by applying medicine. Among ordinary friends, this is called gentlemanly conduct or being a "warm-hearted man." Between boyfriends and girlfriends, it's called being considerate. Such actions are considered an essential skill for attracting women.

However, in ancient times when men were superior to women, it was considered quite good for men to even offer a few words of concern, let alone apply medicine to women—Zhang Chang of the Han Dynasty simply drawing his wife's eyebrows became a timeless tale. The status of women in Japan was even lower than in the Ming Dynasty. From the Warring States period onward, women were positioned as appendages or spoils of war, with no status or dignity whatsoever.

Although Shimazu Chiyo always presented herself with a cold and tough attitude, and her position in the Shimazu family was once that of the heir to the head of the family, the inherent disadvantages of being a woman caused her to easily lose in the competition with her younger brother, Shimazu Mitsuhisa. Moreover, without the halo of being the heir to the head of the family, even though she was the eldest daughter of the Shimazu family, she was essentially just an ordinary Japanese samurai. After losing the protection of her family, Liu Ye's strength and power became her last barrier to maintain her dignity and respectability. This was also an important reason why she desperately protected Liu Ye's safety—otherwise, with nowhere else to go, if she returned to the Satsuma Domain, she would likely be used as a bargaining chip by her family to be married off to a daimyo on Kyushu Island. Despite her skills, she would only be able to stay in the small space between her bedroom and the kitchen, praying every day for her husband's safe return.

Watching Liu Ye carefully apply ointment to her wounds, the thick protective shell that had enveloped Shimazu Chiyo's heart gradually crumbled. She was, after all, just a girl not yet twenty. No matter how strong she pretended to be, she still longed for care, for a broad chest to lean on when she was sad, and for someone to shelter her from the storm when she was vulnerable and helpless. This man before her had destroyed her hopes of inheriting the family headship, yet he had opened another door for her, leading her to an army powerful enough to crush any daimyo in Japan. He was intelligent, rational, ambitious, and young, with limitless potential; it seemed the throne was the limit of his path—could he be the man she could entrust her life to?

After Liu Ye finished applying the medicine and re-bandaging the wound, he clapped his hands and said, "Done." When he looked up, he saw a burning light in Shimazu Chiyo's eyes, her gaze filled with emotion, but even more so with anticipation.

He paused for a moment, then asked instinctively, "What's wrong with you?"

Chiyo Shimazu asked directly, "Master, may I become the woman who carries a sword by your side?"

Liu Ye was a little confused. He asked inexplicably, "Haven't you always been one? Who else besides you has a knife around me? The others are all men."

Chiyo Shimazu emphasized each word carefully: "Chiyo wants to be her master's woman, and can go to the battlefield with her master, instead of staying at home every day like other Japanese women—Chiyo only knows swordsmanship, and doesn't want to be that kind of woman!" She deliberately stressed the phrase "her master's woman."

So it turned out she was going to offer herself as a bedmate! Liu Ye was both surprised and delighted. She really was a tomboy; even her words were different from ordinary women—direct, powerful, and aggressive—but he liked it. It was so straightforward, without any affectation or pretense, getting straight to the point.

He didn't know what he had done to suddenly touch this icy girl, but that didn't matter; what mattered was the result. He sorted out his thoughts and gave Shimazu Chiyo the answer she most wanted to hear.

"If you become my woman, you can do whatever you like. I will never keep you as a pet at home like a cat or dog. You will be my Ji Wujiang!"

"General Ji?"

This is a term Liu Ye learned from games like "Nobunaga's Ambition." He explained, "Basically, it means you become my woman, and I give you the status of a wife or concubine, but I can make you a female warrior, even leading troops into battle, as you wish!"

Chiyo Shimazu understood the meaning of the term. A rare smile appeared on her face, like an iceberg melting, youthful and radiant. She took a deep breath, knelt down, unfastened her katana and placed it aside, closed her eyes and said, "Master, come, Chiyo gives herself to you tonight!"

Liu Ye was both amused and exasperated. After all, she was a virgin, and her years of martial arts training had caused her to miss out on a lot of early education; she still had a lot to catch up on. However, he loved to teach, and he was willing to do as much as he could.

He smiled and pulled the other into his arms, whispering, "I promise you that you can go to the battlefield with me in the future, but before that, you have to accompany me to another battlefield—this battlefield is just the two of us, and the fighting is fierce, so don't surrender too early!"

For the first time in over a decade, being held so intimately in a man's arms made Chiyo Shimazu feel somewhat uncomfortable, yet the man's scent and warm, broad chest intoxicated her. Her conflicting emotions caused her fists to clench and unclench repeatedly, her face slowly flushing. She murmured, "What battle? No matter what battle it is, Chiyo will never surrender!"

Liu Ye laughed and picked her up in his arms, carrying her towards the bedroom.

"Don't be so sure of yourself. I'll soon have you routed and surrendered without a fight!"

That night, amidst the boundless beauty of spring, Liu Ye experienced a night that would remain unforgettable for him.

The next day, Yan Guang and the others were surprised to find that the usually self-disciplined general not only got up very late, but also walked slowly like an old man, always holding his back. Just as they were wondering what was going on, they saw Shimazu Chiyo emerge from the general's room looking radiant, and they understood everything. They tacitly congratulated Liu Ye in unison.

"Congratulations, General, on finding such a good wife." Shimazu Chiyo was only good at fighting and killing, and she was skilled at chopping people. She was mostly not good at things like embroidery and cooking, so calling her a good wife was too far off. I could only vaguely say "good".

Liu Ye, while supporting his back, replied with a grin: "From now on, Chiyo will be my woman, and she'll still be my personal bodyguard, but you can't treat her like an ordinary bodyguard!"

Yan Guang and the others suppressed their laughter and replied, "We understand."

Seeing his subordinates glancing at his waist, Liu Ye couldn't help but blush. Last night, he thought that with his extensive battlefield experience and ample ammunition, plus the fact that he hadn't had his wives and concubines with him during the recent campaigns, and that Shimazu Chiyo was a virgin on her first time, he would surely defeat her easily. However, he never expected that while his firepower was still sufficient, the enemy's artillery was too powerful. In the heat of the moment, Shimazu Chiyo's strong and beautiful thighs almost broke his waist. Liu Ye could only grimace as he completed a few attacks before being defeated, and in the end, it was he who had to surrender.