On the day He Jingyuan returned to Jizhou, Fan Changyu, Tang Peiyi, and other commanders personally went to see him off.
He Jingyuan’s injuries had not yet healed, so he couldn’t ride a horse. A green-canopied carriage waited for him outside the camp.
Before He Jingyuan boarded the carriage, Tang Peiyi bowed solemnly and said, “My lord, please rest easy in Jizhou. I will certainly capture Chongzhou and take Sui Yuanhuai alive, living up to your high expectations!”
He Jingyuan looked at him, nodding with satisfaction as he patted Tang Peiyi’s shoulder. His gaze swept over Fan Changyu and the other commanders who had once followed him, a hint of weariness in his eyes.
Everyone present today was one of his own, so he spoke without much restraint, “Peiyi, I entrust my niece to your care from now on.”
Tang Peiyi hastily replied, “Although Colonel Fan is a woman, she’s a fierce general admired by everyone in the army. It was Colonel Fan who intercepted and killed those three scouts, preventing our plans from being foiled. If Lucheng had been lost, even I would bear unforgivable guilt. In the future, it is I who will rely on Colonel Fan’s support.”
His promotion to commander was partly due to the military achievements of the Right Wing Army, so these words were not merely flattery.
He Jingyuan said, “This girl can be quite stubborn at times. Guide her in matters of the court.”
This time, Tang Peiyi didn’t say much more, simply accepting the responsibility.
He Jingyuan then turned to Fan Changyu. With mixed emotions, she called out, “Uncle.”
He Jingyuan said, “Serve well under General Tang and achieve great things.”
His eyes held complex emotions about many things from the past seventeen years, but those words could no longer be spoken in front of others.
Fan Changyu nodded firmly.
A commander standing beside Fan Changyu, with a circle of light beard on his chin and an overall martial appearance, reddened his eyes at this moment: “My lord.”
He Jingyuan just smiled at him and said, “I’ve kept you by my side for so many years, and your temperament has been tempered enough. Wenchang, go and make a name for yourself on the battlefield under General Tang’s command.”
This man was Zheng Wenchang, who had been transferred from Jizhou not long ago.
Previously, when rebels attempted to take Jizhou and attacked its gateway, Lucheng, He Jingyuan personally went to Lucheng to oversee the battle. He left Zheng Wenchang in charge of affairs in Jizhou, effectively making his eyes there to monitor Li Huai’an.
Now that Li Huai’an had found what he wanted and remained on the Chongzhou battlefield, and He Jingyuan was being transferred back to Jizhou, He Jingyuan feared Fan Changyu might be isolated in the army, so he transferred Zheng Wenchang over as well.
In the past, both Tang Peiyi and Zheng Wenchang were his subordinates, but Tang Peiyi was merely his superior, not as close as Zheng Wenchang, who was his student.
Now that Tang Peiyi held great power, He Jingyuan had to be cautious about many things.
After bidding farewell, He Jingyuan boarded the carriage returning to Jizhou.
As Fan Changyu returned to camp, she glanced at the vast sky, feeling a sense of melancholy.
As this journey progressed, it seemed that those close to her were leaving one by one, but she had to continue.
Just the night before, He Jingyuan had summoned her privately.
He told her to remain calm and first accumulate military merits on the battlefield. After suppressing the rebels and returning to the capital to receive the Emperor’s commendation, the matter of him helping her parents forge identities would be re-examined.
Once Wei Yan was implicated, with the Emperor and the Li family personally investigating, he wouldn’t be able to keep the events of seventeen years ago hidden.
He also told her that Zheng Wenchang was his man, and she could seek help from Zheng Wenchang if she encountered any difficulties.
Fan Changyu was incredibly grateful for He Jingyuan’s thoughtful arrangements.
Since her parents’ passing, apart from Madam Zhao’s family, she had never received such care from an elder.
As a high-ranking officer now, she could participate in discussions in the central military tent, but she hadn’t read many military books. Most of the time, she just listened to Tang Peiyi and others discussing in front of the sand table, occasionally getting so excited that it seemed they might come to blows.
Fan Changyu went from being completely lost at first to now understanding what they were saying, but the strategy for continuing the attack on Chongzhou was still not settled.
However, one thing was certain: in the next battle, she would be leading the vanguard.
Fan Changyu was assigned a cavalry unit of two hundred men. Although the number was small, it was sufficient as the spearhead of the vanguard.
Surprisingly, the leader of this cavalry unit was someone Fan Changyu had met before.
During the dam construction, when she was forced to dig for soil and stones, there was a man of immense strength among the detained civilians who always got chicken legs at mealtime.
Now, this small cavalry unit leader was that very man.
When he saw Fan Changyu, he didn’t seem particularly surprised, possibly because he already knew he would be assigned under her command.
Only one of his subordinate cavalrymen stared at Fan Changyu in astonishment: “By my mother’s name, isn’t this the lady who kicked down the women’s barracks door on the day the dam was destroyed and the rebels attacked?”
This cavalryman was also among the refugees from that day.
To improve battlefield coordination, Fan Changyu now had to split her time between training infantry and working with the cavalry.
Fortunately, the cavalrymen seemed to hold her in high regard, either having heard of her brave feat of beheading the Prince of Changxin or her exploits during the dam construction.
Fan Changyu also had to deal with the headache of learning about current affairs and world situations from the advisors Xie Wu had found, leaving her no time to closely manage what her subordinates were gossiping about in their spare time.
By the time the rumor of her ability to kick down city gates with one foot had spread throughout the army, Fan Changyu was completely bewildered.
She asked Xie Wu, “When did I ever kick down a city gate?”
Xie Wu replied, “I heard it was when the rebels attacked the Jizhou troops during the dam construction.”
Fan Changyu explained in shock, “I didn’t kick down a city gate, it was the door of the women’s barracks.”
Xie Wu chuckled and said, “Let the rumor spread. It’s all beneficial for the Colonel and has no downsides. It might even intimidate the enemy when we face them on the battlefield.”
Fan Changyu had recently read quite a few military books, and after several advisors had lost half their hair, she had finally grasped the Thirty-Six Stratagems, albeit in a rough manner.
Unfortunately, even after she offered several times the usual pay, none of the advisors were willing to stay and continue teaching her.
At this moment, she understood that what Xie Wu was talking about was a method of psychological warfare, and she couldn’t help but sigh, “So-called military strategy is just about who has the blacker heart, isn’t it?”
Xie Wu smiled sheepishly, “If outsmarting the enemy can save lives, then it’s a good thing.”
Fan Changyu nodded and then said, “Alright, find me a few more advisors.”
Xie Wu’s smile froze on his face.
One shouldn’t underestimate those pedantic scholars who didn’t enter official service but instead became guests in people’s households. They had incredibly efficient networks for sharing information.
He had spent considerable effort to find several truly talented advisors for Fan Changyu. When they heard they would be working under a newly promoted female general, they had reservations, but after hearing of Fan Changyu’s military exploits, they were willing to come and offer their services.
Unfortunately, after teaching for less than half a day, they all wanted to resign, complaining of headaches.
Fan Changyu hadn’t even finished reading military treatises, so how could they teach her?
Moreover, when it came to court politics, she didn’t even know which officials were in the court, let alone which ones belonged to the Wei faction, which to the Li faction, and which were neutral purists. It was exhausting to explain all of this to her.
The advisors felt their prospects were bleak. A military commander with only bravery and no wisdom was unlikely to advance in their career, and it would be a blessing from heaven if they didn’t die confused on the battlefield.
Forced by several large swords, they gloomily finished teaching Fan Changyu “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. They ate half a bowl less at each meal, visibly becoming thinner with worry.
Fan Changyu, feeling both guilty and embarrassed, feared these old scholars teaching her military strategy might die of depression under her command, and finally agreed to let them go.
After returning home, the advisors drowned their sorrows in wine and complained, vowing never to work as advisors for Fan Changyu even if it meant dying in poverty. This reputation quickly spread among the scholarly community.
Now, when trying to find advisors for Fan Changyu, people would pack up and leave before Xie Wu could even finish speaking.
Xie Wu carefully said, “Colonel, I’m afraid we won’t have enough money to find more advisors…”
Understanding that Xie Wu meant they couldn’t find anyone to be her advisor even for several times the usual pay, Fan Changyu sighed deeply and said, “My godfather is so capable, and he even wanted to take me as his disciple at first. Could it be that the old man’s eyes were failing him?”
Xie Wu said, “Colonel possesses great wisdom, and Mentor Tao must have seen this in you.”
Fan Changyu knew there was a saying about “great wisdom appearing foolish,” but was this saying she looked rather stupid?
She wasn’t sure if Xie Wu’s words were meant to comfort her or to twist the knife further, so she said helplessly, “Alright, you may go now.”
She then immediately wrote a letter home, asking Xie Qi to hire a tutor for Changning.
With the war in Chongzhou, private schools had long since closed, but the sons and daughters of wealthy families could still hire private tutors.
Fan Changyu felt that she couldn’t let Changning follow in her footsteps; she must ensure Changning received a good education from a young age.
A carrier pigeon fluttered its wings and landed on top of the pigeon coop. Through the round holes in the wooden coop, one could vaguely see the pigeons inside peering out curiously.
The servant watching the pigeon coop noticed this newly returned white pigeon and hurried forward to retrieve the message from its carrier tube. After returning the pigeon to the coop, he hurried towards the military tent.
“Young Master, a message has arrived from within Chongzhou city.”
The person writing at the desk, hearing this, put down his brush and extended a long, slender, and fair hand to receive the rolled-up message from the servant.
Unlike the delicate, boneless fingers of a woman, these hands had the sinews of a man, yet they lacked the prominent knuckles of a warrior who had practiced martial arts for years. Instead, they bore a thin layer of calluses from years of wielding a brush.
Li Huai’an unrolled the message and read it, his handsome brow still slightly furrowed. He murmured, “Wei Yan is extremely cunning; he shouldn’t have taken the bait so easily.”
The message was sent by Sui Yuanhuai, who was trapped in Chongzhou city.
When the Li family discovered He Jingyuan’s involvement, Wei Yan feared that if the Emperor interrogated He Jingyuan, he might implicate Wei Yan. Wei Yan attempted to assassinate He Jingyuan but failed.
Now, not only did He Jingyuan have his assassins protecting him, but the Li family also had secret guards watching over him. Wei Yan could no longer make a move.
Sui Yuanhuai proposed to pretend to cooperate with Wei Yan: Wei Yan would help him hold onto Chongzhou, and in return, he would help Wei Yan secure military power in Jizhou.
After all, if Chongzhou fell, Sui Yuanhuai, the “son of a rebel,” would face execution, and the military power of both Jizhou and Chongzhou would fall into the hands of the Li family, which would be extremely unfavorable for Wei Yan.
At present, cooperation between the two parties seems to be the best choice.
However, Wei Yan’s quick agreement to Sui Yuanhuai’s proposal made Li Huai’an hesitant.
Enticing Wei Yan to cooperate with Chongzhou was a strategy he and Sui Yuanhuai had devised to quickly bring down Wei Yan.
Originally, he and his grandfather had planned to use the events from seventeen years ago, but after investigating for so long, the only lead—that letter—had been cut off at Wei Yan. Even if they were to confront him in court one day, Wei Yan would have a hundred ways to exonerate himself.
That’s why they came up with this scheme involving the military power of Chongzhou and Jizhou.
Once Wei Yan agreed to cooperate with Sui Yuanhuai’s side, the evidence they obtained this time would be irrefutable.
Even without the truth from seventeen years ago, they could still use this incident to bring down Wei Yan.
But it was precisely because the plan was progressing too smoothly that Li Huai’an had a feeling that Wei Yan might have already seen through their scheme and was merely playing along with them.