After taking the medicine, He Simu found this body much easier to control. Fortunately, the doctor diagnosed her with only a mild cold, nothing too serious. The next day, she got out of bed and walked to the courtyard wrapped in a thick woolen cloak.

Although Shuozhou was north of the Guan River, its climate was similar to Liangzhou. The wealthy household’s courtyard was planted with many Chinese scholar trees, maple trees, and plum trees. With gray stone tiles and walls, and plum blossoms about to bloom, it was an elegant residence. Chen Ying came bouncing over to hold her hand, looking at He Simu with concern, “Sister, are you alright?”

“Nothing serious.”

Chen Ying nodded, then frowned, “Sister Xiao Xiao, you talked with General Brother for so long yesterday. You’re not going to hand me over to him, are you?”

He Simu shook her head. She sat down on the corridor bench and said, “Given the current situation, Duan Xu is in great danger. I wouldn’t push you into a fire pit.”

“What does the young lady mean by that?”

He Simu turned to look. A young man in white clothes stood in the courtyard, gazing intently at them.

Perhaps he wasn’t exactly wearing white; light-colored clothes just appeared white to her. His garment was embroidered with intricate patterns of pine, cypress, and mountains. His hair was half-draped over his shoulders. He was tall with resolute features—a handsome young man.

He Simu’s gaze circled his head; his bone structure wasn’t bad, though naturally inferior to Duan Xu’s.

He bowed to He Simu and said, “Greetings, Miss He. I am Lin Jun, a resident of Shuozhou.”

Lin Jun—so he was the owner of this residence, Master Lin.

This young master of the Lin family, a famous Han merchant in Shuozhou, was the unfortunate owner of the carriage she had nearly destroyed. Since Duan Xu had taken control of Shuozhou Prefecture City, the Lin family had been strongly supporting him and providing the Tabai army with substantial supplies. When He Simu, the wind diviner, fell ill, it was Lin Jun who voluntarily offered a place for her to recover.

Who knew how much humiliation the Lin family had suffered under Danzhi’s rule to welcome the Great Liang army so enthusiastically?

He Simu returned his bow, then heard Lin Jun press further, “Miss He just said that General Duan is in great danger. What did you mean by that?”

He Simu stared at Lin Jun for a moment, resting her arm on the armrest as she smiled, “Master Lin is so close to the Tabai army, you should understand better than I do. How many soldiers does Tabai have in total? They need to protect Liangzhou and attack Shuozhou. Even if General Duan had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t create more men.”

“Tabai was able to capture the five cities of Shuozhou by taking the enemy by surprise. But why was Danzhi unprepared? Because Duan Xu was taking a suicidal path. Tabai has only fifty thousand troops in Shuozhou, while Danzhi has two hundred thousand troops waiting to march south. Except for the high and thick walls of the Prefecture City, which is surrounded by mountains on two sides and water on another, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, the other four cities have no natural defenses. Soon, those four cities will return to Danzhi’s hands, and we will all be trapped in Shuozhou Prefecture City.”

“Shuozhou Prefecture City lies on the essential route for Danzhi to reinforce Yuzhou. Danzhi will certainly attack with all their might. Duan Xu may retreat or choose to defend to death. If he chooses the latter, there will be a bloody battle. Assuming Shuozhou returns to Danzhi control soon, Master Lin, what will be your fate?”

After this long speech, He Simu coughed a little. Chen Ying’s face had turned pale with fear. He ran to He Simu’s side to help her breathe, whispering, “Then Sister Xiao Xiao, why… why did you agree to come to Shuozhou? It’s so dangerous…”

Why? Of course, it was for Duan Xu’s invitation and to find food.

He Simu showed no sign of worry, just smiled and tapped Chen Ying’s forehead, saying, “Now you’re afraid. I told you earlier that reading the wind for the Danzhi people would be fine too, but you didn’t believe me.”

Lin Jun’s eyes flickered as he stared at He Simu in silence.

An elderly man who looked like a steward walked quickly into the courtyard, bowing to Lin Jun and He Simu, saying, “Master, Miss He, General Duan has arrived and is waiting in the front hall.”

Lin Jun nodded. He seemed about to turn and leave, but after taking a step, he stopped and looked back at He Simu.

“Miss He, do you think my Lin family is wealthy and prominent, living gloriously even under Danzhi rule? You haven’t seen how my father’s generation and I have endured humiliation while still having to please those Hu Qi nobles. We Han people are merely servants in their eyes, perhaps worth less than dogs.”

He straightened his back, as if propelled by an inner force, and said word by word, “We of the Lin family are human beings. We will not be servants, much less dogs.”

With that, he left, his sleeves sweeping behind him. He Simu held Chen Ying, narrowing her eyes slightly as she watched Lin Jun’s departing figure. He was a master with spirit.

Following the steward’s guidance, she accompanied Lin Jun to the front hall. Duan Xu and Han Ling Qiu were standing there in armor. Lin Jun quickly approached and bowed to them, then turned to Han Ling Qiu with concern, asking, “Commandant Han, how is your health?”

Han Ling Qiu’s left arm was still somewhat immobile. He bowed and said, “I’m recovering. There’s no major issue now.”

“I heard from the doctor that you once used a life-threatening medicine with endless side effects. Do you remember what medicine it was? Perhaps the doctor could help treat you,” Lin Jun said earnestly.

Han Ling Qiu frowned, shaking his head stiffly, “I know my own body. There’s no need for Master Lin to concern himself.”

Lin Jun’s goodwill was rebuffed, leaving him awkwardly wishing Han Ling Qiu good health without saying more. He Simu observed the situation, her gaze moving between everyone before meeting Duan Xu’s eyes. The latter’s eyes curved slightly as he smiled.

Duan Xu opportunely joined the conversation, stating directly that he was heading to the military camp and had come to take He Simu along to discuss important matters.

He Simu didn’t refuse.

Upon reaching the main camp, He Simu elegantly alighted from the carriage. Duan Xu dismounted and walked to her side.

“Would you like to guess what I want to discuss with you?”

“Commandant Han?”

Duan Xu leaned close to her and whispered, “No, you have a runny nose. You’d better wipe it quickly.”

…Being human was truly troublesome.

He Simu frowned and instinctively reached for her nose, but Duan Xu caught her wrist.

“No, no,” he said with rising intonation, taking out a handkerchief from his bosom and handing it to her.

“A meritorious contributor to Tabai can’t attend a meeting with a runny nose.”

This seemed to be the second of Duan Xu’s handkerchiefs she had ruined.

He Simu held the handkerchief to her nose, smiling as she said, “You are the meritorious contributor to Tabai. What am I? Nobody will probably even look at me during the meeting.”

Events proved her right. As they entered the tent, before Duan Xu could introduce her, Wu Sheng Liu jumped up. His bronze-colored armor clanked as the burly man with a full beard shouted, “General, what do you mean by sending Xia Qing Sheng back to Liangzhou?”

A few days had passed since Wu Sheng Liu had last been seen, standing with a stiff neck as if looking down on everyone. Today, though his neck was still stiff, he was increasingly comfortable calling Duan Xu “General.”

Seeing that indeed there was nothing for her to do, He Simu hesitated briefly before drawing her cloak around her and walking to the side. She sat down in what appeared to be the place prepared for her and picked up a cup of tea, ready to drink while watching the show.

“Be careful of your tongue; the tea is very hot.”

Duan Xu tapped He Simu’s table with two fingers, offering a meaningful reminder. Then he turned to face Wu Sheng Liu, still smiling.

“Yes, I sent Lang General Xia back to Liangzhou to command the remaining Tabai forces there and await reinforcements. Does Lang General Wu have any objections?”

He Simu, spectating, raised an eyebrow and wisely put down the steaming cup of tea to avoid injury.

By this time, all the Lang Generals and Commandants except Xia Qing Sheng had assembled in the tent. Each wore gleaming armor that made the tent feel several degrees colder. Besides Meng Wan and Han Ling Qiu, there were several unfamiliar commandants who watched the confrontation between Wu Sheng Liu and Duan Xu with some nervousness.

The discord between Lang General Wu and Duan Xu was nothing new. One was senior in rank, the other high in status; one straightforward, the other always smiling. During battles, they could barely cooperate, but once the fighting ended, arguments would erupt.

That they could still win battles despite such discord was quite remarkable.

“What objections do I have? General, I’ve fought these battles with you, and though we’ve won, I’ve been completely bewildered. You’ve hardly spoken the truth to me!”

Wu Sheng Liu grew angry just thinking about it. Originally, Duan Xu had said they would attack Yuzhou, but shortly after beginning the attack, he suddenly changed course to cross the river and attack Shuozhou. The attack on the Prefecture City was even more dramatic—before the battle, Wu had argued with Duan Xu, certain that with the terrain and enemy numbers, they were doomed. Who could have known that countless red birds would appear from nowhere, frightening the Hu Qi people into abandoning the city?

Duan Xu never discussed these plans and strategies with him beforehand, clearly showing a lack of respect!

At this moment, Wu Sheng Liu didn’t realize how greatly he was misjudging Duan Xu. It wasn’t that Duan Xu didn’t respect him; even if faced with the highest authority, Duan Xu wouldn’t change his nature of commanding troops independently.

Duan Xu smiled, waving for Wu Sheng Liu to sit down. He sat behind the table, composed as he said, “Lang General Wu wears his emotions openly and has spent years at the border, making him well-known to the enemy. If I had told you about the deception, I feared it would be exposed. Moreover, Lang General is aware of the disparity in forces between us and the enemy. As the saying goes, ‘In desperate situations, one will fight.’ If we hadn’t faced the enemy with a do-or-die spirit, what use would any backup plan have been?”

“As for those red birds, they were merely pigeons covered in red dye. I had Meng Wan search all the messenger stations in the area to acquire over a thousand carrier pigeons, all painted with red flame patterns to be released during battle. The Hu Qi people firmly believe in the Azure God and revere the Azure Sutra as the supreme classic. The Azure Sutra mentions that when the Azure God punishes believers, red birds with flaming patterns descend from heaven, and those they touch can never find salvation.”

As Wu Sheng Liu listened to Duan Xu’s explanation, his expression softened.

Duan Xu smiled and said slowly, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you need not fear a hundred battles. It has always been so.”

He Simu’s finger traced the rim of her teacup absentmindedly, her fingertip turning red from the heat without her withdrawing it.

From her understanding of the Hu Qi people, they only allowed members of their own tribe to worship the Azure God, and only the priests had the right to read from the Azure Sutra. The Hu Qi phrase Duan Xu had spoken on the battlefield was from the scripture, exactly matching the original text of the Azure Sutra.

—The Azure God brings calamity, burning all living things to ashes.

How could he be so familiar with the Azure Sutra?

Her gaze moved to the Powangjian at his waist. She thought to herself that this sword made by her uncle was very picky about its taste, choosing such a mysterious owner.

Could it be that after a hundred years, it had grown bored and developed a taste for solving mysteries?

Wu Sheng Liu and the others didn’t know what the Azure Sutra and the Azure God were, only vaguely understanding that it was something like the Jade Emperor or supreme deity for the Hu Qi people. He finally grunted and sat down, folding his arms as he said, “General Duan is knowledgeable and experienced; a rough man like me can’t compare. Now that Danzhi’s Awuerqi is leading an army that will arrive in a few days, I assume the General must have a perfect strategy. Would you care to share it with us?”

“Awuerqi…” Duan Xu interlaced his fingers, rubbing them together.

Everyone’s attention focused on Duan Xu. By now, they were accustomed to him thinking for a moment before producing various strange solutions.

This time, after a brief period of thought, Duan Xu said, “To be honest, I don’t have a perfect strategy.”

Wu Sheng Liu was about to jump up again: “No strategy? They have two hundred thousand troops!”

Everyone knew the four cities of Shuozhou couldn’t be held. If they didn’t retreat through the official road connecting those four cities back to Liangzhou, once Danzhi’s army took those cities, the Prefecture City would become an isolated island under attack from both sides.

“Does Miss Xiaoxiao have any insights?” Duan Xu suddenly called on her.

All eyes in the tent turned to He Simu, who had been casually blowing on her tea. Her blowing action halted.

He Simu raised her eyes, looking around at everyone staring at her, and gracefully placed her teacup down with a smile.

Duan Xu introduced her at the opportune moment: “This is our Tabai wind diviner, Miss He, from Liangzhou. For our attack on Shuozhou, she helped us predict the timing.”

He Simu smiled, turning to look at Duan Xu, and said, “Does the General truly wish to stop Danzhi’s reinforcements?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, why don’t you blow up the Guan River?”