Fanyu Changyu returned to the camp. While other officers dealt with cataloging the spoils, she first took the warm cloak and roasted lamb to find Yan Zheng.
Entering the tent, she found Gongsun Yin there as well and asked curiously, “Mr. Gongsun, are you visiting the wounded again?”
She had heard other soldiers in the camp call this handsome and refined man “Mr. Gongsun,” and assuming he was an advisor like Old Man Tao, she followed suit.
Gongsun Yin gave a dry “Yes” in response.
Fanyu Changyu said, “Good timing. I brought back a whole roasted lamb. We can eat lamb meat together later.”
She walked straight to Xie Zheng. The joy of today’s bountiful hunt had overshadowed any lingering awkwardness from the previous night. Spreading the cloak over Xie Zheng, she said with a smile, “I found you something warm to wear at night.”
Not seeing Ning, she held up the other cloak and asked in confusion, “Where’s Ning?”
Xie Zheng, noticing the obvious Chongzhou emblem on the cloak, furrowed his brow. He was about to ask where it came from but had to answer her question first: “She was tired. I had someone take her back to rest.”
Gongsun Yin, looking at the roasted lamb in Fanyu Changyu’s hands, asked uncertainly, “Miss Fan, did you hunt a sheep and roast it already?”
Fanyu Changyu, with her honest big eyes, said, “I snatched it from the rebels at the foot of the mountain.”
Gongsun Yin nearly choked on his saliva, while Xie Zheng’s expression suddenly darkened. He fixed his gaze on Fanyu Changyu and said in a harsh tone, “You went down the mountain?”
Fanyu Changyu nodded, “Yes.”
Xie Zheng snapped, “How reckless! It’s dangerous down there!”
Fanyu Changyu knew Xie Zheng was worried about her safety. Despite his harsh tone, she didn’t get angry and said, “I wanted to see if I could help. The rebels are gathered at the front of the mountain, so there must be fewer people at the back. We don’t lack food up here, but we’re short on salt. It would be good to grab some salt.”
Xie Zheng’s brows furrowed tightly. Realizing Fanyu Changyu had indeed gone down the mountain and engaged with the rebels, his heart was in his throat. Though she stood before him unharmed, he couldn’t help but feel fear in retrospect, and his tone grew even more severe: “The terrain at the back of the mountain is steep and unfavorable for troop movement. The rebels wouldn’t attack from there unless necessary. Today, our main force planned to burn the rebels’ provisions. Going down recklessly to seize food would only alert them and jeopardize our overall strategy. You’re not part of the military and not bound by military law. If you cause a major disaster, who knows how many soldiers’ lives it would cost? In the future, you must not act so rashly.”
Hearing his harsh words, Fanyu Changyu’s smile slowly faded. She stared at Xie Zheng for a while, then put down the roasted lamb and left without a word.
Gongsun Yin, watching the tent flap close, looked back at Xie Zheng and said, “She returned safely, why are you lecturing her so harshly? Do you think she’s one of your soldiers?”
Xie Zheng closed his eyes heavily and said, “The battlefield is no child’s play.”
Gongsun Yin sighed, knowing this was a case of concern leading to confusion.
Xie Zheng then ordered in a low voice, “Call Xie Seven and Xie Five here.”
Xie Seven and Xie Five were the two guards Gongsun Yin had assigned to protect Fanyu Changyu, both having years of battlefield experience with Xie Zheng.
In no time, Xie Seven and Xie Five, who were still handing over the seized provisions to the quartermaster, hurried over.
The two originally had looks of joy on their faces, but seeing Xie Zheng’s grim expression, they realized the problem. They quickly composed themselves, knelt, and bowed their heads, saying, “We know our crime, sir.”
Xie Zheng, thinking of Fanyu Changyu’s angry departure, felt a lump in his throat. With his wound aching at every movement, his mood worsened. When he looked up, his long black eyelashes swept out a somewhat fierce arc. He said, almost laughing in anger, “You know your crime? If you knew, why did you join in her recklessness? I told you to protect her, and you protected her right into the rebels’ den? What about military discipline?”
Xie Five, who had fought alongside Fanyu Changyu at the back of the mountain, moved his lips and said, “Please calm your anger, My Lord. We followed Madam to the back of the mountain, intending to just let her take a look from up there. Fearing we couldn’t persuade her otherwise, we reported to Mr. Gongsun. Who knew we’d encounter rebels disguised as our men sneaking up the mountain? I had planned to help Madam breakthrough, but unexpectedly, Madam turned out to be a formidable woman warrior, bravely killing enemies and capturing all the rebels who had come up the mountain. Madam then interrogated some rebel soldiers, learned about their troop dispositions below, and decided to retaliate, catching them off guard and avenging our fallen brothers. Unfortunately, before Xie Seven could bring back reinforcements, the rebels below showed signs of retreating. Madam worried that something might have happened at the front of the mountain, rashly went to raid the rebel camp to delay them.”
He paused, then continued, “Madam led us to seize five bags of coarse salt and sixty-two bags of grain, with no casualties on our side. I have failed in my duty and am willing to accept punishment. I beg My Lord not to blame Madam.”
Hearing these details, Xie Zheng didn’t speak immediately. His thick black eyelashes lowered, covering any emotion in his eyes.
Seeing this, Gongsun Yin said, “Miss Fan acted according to the situation, not recklessly. Her descent down the mountain did more good than harm. My Lord is overly concerned and confused. Now that you know the whole story, you shouldn’t discourage Miss Fan.”
Xie Zheng, with his eyes half-closed, finally spoke, “Dismissed.”
The words were directed at the two guards.
After the two guards left, Gongsun Yin looked at Xie Zheng and said, “Although Sui Yuanqing was rescued by the rebels, using him as bait to tie down Prince Changxin’s main force at the front of the mountain allowed the reinforcements from Yan and Ji Provinces to successfully burn the enemy’s provisions. Without supplies, the rebels won’t last long. Miss Fan’s accidental actions helped you complete this grand strategy. You’ve already scared her off with your anger, now think about how to make amends.”
Xie Zheng’s thin lips pressed together slightly, and he remained silent, but his brow clearly showed more self-loathing.
Gongsun Yin shook his head and left the tent, thinking he should play peacemaker and help Xie Zheng reconcile. He asked nearby sentries about Fanyu Changyu’s whereabouts, learned she had gone to the kitchen camp, and leisurely followed.
When he arrived, he found the entire kitchen camp bustling with activity. A group of soldiers had formed a circle, cheering at something.
Gongsun Yin approached and saw that Fanyu Changyu was butchering a pig.
The wild boar brought back from the hunt had been tied up and carried back alive, not killed on the spot.
After several days of continuous gloomy rain, the sun had finally come out today. The sunlight wasn’t too bright, but as it fell on Fanyu Changyu, who was rolling up her sleeves to butcher the pig amidst the crowd, even her hair seemed to emit a hazy golden glow.
Just as Gongsun Yin was thinking how serene and beautiful Fanyu Changyu looked at that moment, he saw her raise her knife and bring it down. The tightly bound wild boar let out a squeal, and blood gushed from its neck.
Gongsun Yin’s face paled slightly, and he quickly averted his eyes, thinking to himself that perhaps only Xie Zheng could handle this young woman.
The watching soldiers cheered loudly.
“Miss Fan’s pig-butchering technique is excellent! One stroke for a clean kill!”
“Look at that big basin of pig’s blood. We can make an extra dish for the soldiers today!”
Fanyu Changyu put down her knife. Hearing these praises, she felt they were affirming her pig-butchering skills and smiled along.
Looking up, she saw Gongsun Yin standing in the crowd, seemingly there specifically to find her. She said a few words to the head cook, then squeezed through the crowd to come over, asking, “Did you come to find me, sir?”
Gongsun Yin, not wanting to appear too obvious, coughed and said, “I came to check on the kitchen camp and happened to see you butchering the pig.”
He paused, then stated his true purpose: “Don’t take your husband’s words to heart. He’s just sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, worried you might encounter some accident down the mountain. The battlefield is full of dangers. Look at his injuries; you can see that every battle is a life-and-death struggle. Fortunately, you returned safely this time. If something had happened to you, with his injuries, he would want to save you but lack the strength to do so.”
Fanyu Changyu sat down on a stone stool and said, “I’m not angry with him. It’s just that after hearing what he said, I realized I might have done the wrong thing with good intentions. As you said, I was lucky to come back unscathed this time. If I hadn’t returned and caused the deaths of other soldiers, I would have truly become a sinner. Those soldiers have wives, children, and elderly mothers waiting for them to return home. Just thinking about it makes my heart heavy.”
Gongsun Yin was surprised to hear such words from Fanyu Changyu. He said, “Although Miss Fan is a woman, your character is no less than a man’s. What you’ve said is precisely the rare wisdom of a great general.”
Seeing Fanyu Changyu’s confusion, he explained, “For a general, every decision affects the life and death of the soldiers under their command. But no battle can be fought without shedding a drop of blood or losing a single life. The tactics devised by generals often involve sacrificing the few to save the many. Victory and defeat are common in warfare. If a general loses a battle and lacks mental fortitude, they might never achieve anything significant again in their life.”
Fanyu Changyu suddenly felt that those who become generals are not only formidable in martial arts but even more admirable in their mental strength.
She looked at Gongsun Yin and said, “Thank you for enlightening me, sir.”
Gongsun Yin, thinking that with Xie Zheng’s sour temperament, he probably wouldn’t humble himself to comfort her, said, “Your husband was afraid you were upset with him, so he asked me to come check on you.”
Fanyu Changyu picked up a small stick and poked at the mud on the ground, saying glumly, “I’m not upset with him. He’s been so severely wounded, he must have experienced life and death on the battlefield. He said those things because he was afraid I might cause trouble and get others killed. I… feel quite ashamed.”
Gongsun Yin raised an eyebrow in surprise and said truthfully, “He’s just worried about your safety.”
Fanyu Changyu’s poking at the ground paused briefly, but she still kept her head down without speaking.
Gongsun Yin, not knowing what the young woman was thinking, said, “I’ve delivered the message to you, Miss Fan. I have some other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”
He was about to leave when he heard people in the kitchen camp discussing loudly, “It’s a shame we caught such a big black bear up here on the mountain. If we were down below with all the ingredients, I could make a whole bear feast!”
Gongsun Yin turned on his heel and went over, asking, “You hunted a bear?”
Hearing his voice, the soldiers in the kitchen camp looked at him. Seeing his white robes and handsome appearance, they guessed his identity and quickly made way for him, calling out, “Military Advisor.”
Gongsun Yin saw that the black bear was enormous. Without a fierce general leading the hunt, it would have been difficult to capture. He praised, “We’ve dealt a great blow to the Chongzhou rebels today, and this bear is truly a good omen. Which general hunted it down?”
A nearby kitchen soldier excitedly said, “Miss Fan hunted it down!”
Gongsun Yin: ???