In the central military tent of Kangcheng.
A scout hurriedly entered from outside and knelt, saluting, “Marquis, today the rebels inside Kangcheng are still stubbornly guarding the city gates and refusing to come out!”
The person seated at the head, dressed entirely in black, wasn’t wearing armor. His figure was tall and slender, with long, pale fingers holding a military treatise. His phoenix eyes were calm and unperturbed as if he had anticipated this situation. He simply said, “Continue the siege until the rebels can’t even fill the battlements with heads.”
The scout quickly accepted the order and left.
Xie Zheng tossed aside the military treatise in his hand and called to his guard, “Bring me my battle armor.”
Gong Sun Yin, who was beside him, asked, “Are you going to challenge them to battle?”
Xie Zheng replied, “The remaining troops in Kangcheng are no longer a threat. Only Sui Yuanqing remains a concern. Now that the morale within the city is crumbling, if I go to challenge them, he won’t be able to refuse.”
Gong Sun Yin understood the pros and cons of this strategy. Sui Yuanqing was the only formidable fighter left in Kangcheng, and Xie Zheng wanted to eliminate him before leaving.
Challenging them to battle after two days of siege was undoubtedly putting Sui Yuanqing on the hot seat. If he accepted the challenge, it would play right into Xie Zheng’s hands, allowing him to eliminate this major threat on the battlefield. If he didn’t accept, the already low morale within the city would likely plummet even further.
At the foot of Kangcheng’s city wall, the Yanzhou army, which had been fiercely attacking, suddenly halted. Before the soldiers on the city wall could catch their breath in relief, they noticed a change in the Yanzhou army’s formation below.
The black ant-like military formation split apart, creating a narrow path wide enough for two people to walk abreast.
Through the yellow dust and smoke, a man on horseback slowly advanced from the rear of the narrow path to the front of the formation. The qilin shoulder armor on his shoulders looked both majestic and fierce under the scorching sun. A black cape draped over his horse’s back, and he held a long halberd with a black handle and gold-lacquered coiled dragon pattern at an angle.
Just the sight of the black armor and horse was enough to make the soldiers on the city wall’s pupils constrict in fear, their legs trembling.
When they saw the iron halberd handle with the dragon pattern near the blade, it further confirmed the identity of the newcomer, and the soldiers on the city wall grew even more anxious.
“The black gold dragon-patterned halberd, it’s Marquis Wu’an!”
“Marquis Wu’an has come in person. Kangcheng surely can’t be defended today!”
Ordinary military commanders would never dare to use weapons with dragon patterns. That black gold dragon-patterned long halberd was personally commissioned by the Emperor, who had ordered hundreds of craftsmen to forge it as a reward for Marquis Wu’an when he recaptured Jinzhou, avenging the shame of losing territory seventeen years ago. The Emperor had been greatly pleased.
When conferring the title of Marquis Wu’an, the Emperor also said, “With such a Marquis Wu, our Great Yin can be at peace.”
In the current court and military, any ambitious military commander aspired to match Marquis Wu’an’s achievements.
But Marquis Wu’an’s numerous military accomplishments were indeed a peak that they could not surpass in their entire lives.
Two rows of war drums were set up on the war chariots below the city wall. When the deep drum sounds echoed across the vast battlefield, the soldiers defending the city wall broke out in goosebumps, almost unable to hold their swords steady.
The soldiers at the battlements with bows and arrows found their hands shaking like chicken claws, unable to aim their arrows properly.
Amidst the drumbeats, the young general on horseback raised his head to look up at the city wall. His phoenix eyes were extremely indifferent, his handsome face as if carved from jade. He raised the halberd in one hand, pointing directly at the city wall, and shouted arrogantly, “Where is Sui Yuanqing? Come out and face your death!”
The messenger on the city wall almost tumbled and crawled as he rushed back to report.
Although Kangcheng had only been besieged for a few days, the city lord’s mansion was already in a state of gloom and despair.
Everyone knew that it was Marquis Wu’an who had surrounded Kangcheng. Not only were the common soldiers afraid, but even the servants in the city lord’s mansion knew that the fall of the city was only a matter of time.
But fear aside, no one dared to discuss the war. In recent days, several servants who had rashly discussed how Kangcheng would soon fall had been beaten to death.
The messenger who had rushed back from the city gate hurried through the deep courtyards and was finally led to Sui Yuanqing.
He knelt on one knee, his voice trembling as he reported, “Young Master, Marquis Wu’an is challenging you to battle at the city gate, demanding that you come out to fight.”
It was approaching summer, and the sunlight was scorching. The bamboo curtain at the window of the study was half-raised. The entrance was bathed in bright sunlight, but further inside, not a ray of light penetrated, giving it a gloomy atmosphere.
Sui Yuanqing sat on the floor with his hair loose and feet bare. The low table in front of him was cluttered with books, brushes, and ink.
He had previously fallen into Xie Zheng’s hands and suffered greatly. After being rescued, he had spent many days recuperating. Although the wounds on his body had healed, he had lost a lot of weight, and the gloom in his brow had deepened. Hearing the report, he only said darkly, “Don’t go. Just continue to defend the city gates.”
The messenger hesitated, “Young Master, the morale of the soldiers in the city is crumbling, and their spirits are low. If this continues, Kangcheng might fall without a fight. You once defeated Marquis Wu’an on the battlefield of Chongzhou. If you go out to fight, it might at least boost the soldiers’ morale somewhat.”
Sui Yuanqing sneered, “If I went out to fight, I’d be falling right into Xie Zheng’s trap. He’s left Chongzhou untaken and come to Kangcheng personally to capture me. Isn’t it because he’s eager to extricate himself from the court’s power struggles? As long as Chongzhou doesn’t fall, he won’t dare enter Kangcheng’s gates for a single day.”
The messenger had no choice but to withdraw.
Once alone in the study, Sui Yuanqing suddenly let out an angry roar, sweeping the books and scrolling off the low table. The inkstone filled with ink smashed on the ground, splattering black ink across the wooden floor.
Sui Yuanqing supported himself on the low table with both hands, the veins on the back of his sinewy hands bulging, his pale jaw clenched tightly.
There was a time when surpassing Xie Zheng had always been his obsession. After all, for all these years, he had been living in Xie Zheng’s shadow, learning what he had learned, practicing the martial arts he had practiced.
When they first crossed swords on the battlefield of Chongzhou, he thought he had won, and that Xie Zheng would thereafter be his defeated opponent.
Only now did he realize how naive he had been then.
He even had a premonition that he might die at Xie Zheng’s hands.
This premonition was like a fog shrouding his heart, making him grow gloomier with each passing day. These days, he had confined himself to his study.
He needed to stay calm. As long as he could find the point to restrain Xie Zheng and understand the purpose of his sudden attack on the city, he would surely find a way to deal with it.
Sui Yuanqing closed his eyes heavily.
Outside, footsteps approached tremblingly.
When Sui Yuanqing opened his eyes, the young girl was startled, almost dropping the plate of pastries she was holding.
She placed the plate of exquisite-looking pastries on the low table with shaking hands and said in a trembling voice, “It’s me, Cousin.”
The girl, raised in the inner chambers, had a face as small as a palm, with skin as delicate as congealed cream. Her almond-shaped eyes were brimming with tears, timid and reminiscent of the phrase “rain beating on pear blossoms.”
Sui Yuanqing narrowed his eyes. This was a beauty entirely different from the wild cat he had encountered. The wild cat had a fierce temperament and would scratch and bite.
The girl before him was like a delicate flower trembling as it bloomed in the rain and dew, waiting to be plucked.
She was too fragile as if anyone could do anything to her, and she would be powerless to resist. Even if she did resist, it would probably only be with those watery eyes silently shedding tears at her abuser.
When Sui Yuanqing raised his hand to grip her chin, her whole body trembled. She hurriedly picked up a delicate pastry from the plate, trying to feed him, “Mother said… said that Cousin has been exhausting himself these days to defend Kangcheng, so she had the kitchen make some pastries and asked me to bring them over.”
Sui Yuanqing didn’t open his mouth. Looking at the beautiful face before him, he asked casually, “Why is Cousin trembling so much? What are you afraid of?”
The girl shook her head frantically.
Sui Yuanqing released his grip on her chin and picked up the pastry she had tried to feed him. He looked at it, suddenly smiled, and instead held it to the girl’s lips, saying, “I don’t like sweets. Cousin should eat it.”
The girl’s face instantly turned a few shades paler, and she kept shaking her head, “I… I don’t like them either.”
Sui Yuanqing held the pastry, lowering his head with a smile still on his lips, but his expression was extremely gloomy. He asked in a low voice, “Why?”
The girl’s resolve finally crumbled under his pressure. She burst into tears and said, “Cousin, you should flee quickly. Father heard that Marquis Wu’an is personally challenging you at the city gate. Fearing that the Liu family will be executed if the city falls, he had the kitchen make these poisoned pastries, planning to poison you and then cut off your head to present at the city gate and surrender.”
Sui Yuanqing’s mouth twitched, his smile growing wider. He said, “Is that so?”
With that, he directly took a sword from the sword rack and left.
With the Yan army attacking the city, the main forces were stationed at the four main city gates, leaving only a few hundred household troops guarding the city lord’s mansion.
The girl thought Sui Yuanqing had taken the sword to escape the mansion. She walked out of the study with weak limbs, not knowing how to report back, when she heard a chorus of wailing cries from the front hall.
Her heart jumped in shock. She didn’t even bother to pick up the light gauze that had fallen from her arm, but lifted her skirts and ran quickly towards the source of the cries. As soon as she entered the front hall and saw the room full of corpses, she nearly fainted on the spot.
When she saw her parents lying in pools of blood, she collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed. The extreme sorrow and fear left her unable to even cry out, with only tears rolling down her cheeks like broken strings of pearls. It took her a long while to regain her composure before she finally wailed, “Father! Mother!”
She looked at Sui Yuanqing, who stood in the center of the hall with his sword still dripping thick blood as if he were an evil spirit. Her voice choked with sobs as she asked, “Why… why did you kill my parents? With your martial skills, you could have escaped. Couldn’t you have just fled the City Lord’s mansion?”
Sui Yuanqing coldly gazed at the delicate young woman who was crying so hard she could barely breathe, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
This cousin of his, couldn’t tell if she had been raised to be too naive or if she was simply too foolish.
Or perhaps the Liu family knew that the nobility only married well-bred ladies carefully groomed to be matriarchs, so they deliberately raised their daughter to be this weak and easily manipulated to serve as a concubine.
In a sense, the young woman before him had long been a disposable pawn for her family.
Pitifully, she was still crying her heart out for her parents who were ready to trade her away like an object at any moment.
He crouched down in front of her and touched her face with his bloodstained hand, asking in return, “They were going to offer my head to surrender. Why shouldn’t I kill them?”
Liu Wan’er’s snow-white cheeks were now marked with his bloody fingerprints. She opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word. Her long lashes fluttered as tears streamed down, making her appear even more fragile and pitiful.
She was exceptionally beautiful. Perhaps no man in the world could harden his heart against such a beauty.
But for some reason, Sui Yuanqing suddenly recalled the cold and vicious look in Fan Changyu’s eyes when she had stabbed him.
He used to prefer beauties like Liu Wan’er – docile, delicate, like vines that would wither and die without a tree to cling to, so they would desperately cling to him with all their might.
But after seeing so many such beauties, he could hardly remember their faces. They all had the same temperament, the same coquettishness. He might not even notice if one was added or removed from his side.
The nobility’s competition for such beauties was merely for the most beautiful one, but beauty always fades quickly. In just three to five years, new beauties, as tender as spring onions, would enter their sights again.
Who would still remember what the beauty they had fought over a few years ago looked like?
Just like the courtesans in brothels, when they aged, new ones would take their place.
After seeing too many identical beauties, it was that cat who only knew how to hurt him that he couldn’t forget.
Sui Yuanqing withdrew his hand and looked at the woman prostrate on the ground, her waist and hips shaking with her heart-wrenching sobs. He said, “You’re a good child. You told me the truth, so I won’t kill you.”
He sheathed his sword and walked to the door. He paused, turned his head, and said, “From now on, you’re no longer the daughter of the Liu family. Hide among the common people and live well on your own.”
Liu Wan’er stared blankly at Sui Yuanqing’s retreating figure, then looked at her parents who had died with their eyes wide open. Never in her eighteen years had she encountered such a catastrophe. At this moment, besides crying, her mind was filled only with fear and confusion about the unknown future.
She couldn’t even consider that this man had just killed her parents. Almost instinctively, she clung to the door to stand up and stumbled after him, crying, “Cousin…”
The midday sun was scorching. Sui Yuanqing, who hadn’t left his study for too long, stopped as he passed through the flower gate. He squinted at the round sun hanging in the sky.
The strong light made him lose color vision for a moment, and the whole world seemed to darken.
He smiled lazily as if calmly accepting his fate.
There was another way to live in this world – to live towards death.
The Yanzhou army had been challenging them at the city gate for a long time, but Sui Yuanqing didn’t come out to fight. Instead, they saw a truce flag hung on the city tower.
The Yanzhou army below cursed even more fiercely. The small soldiers of Chongzhou on the city tower looked increasingly numb, their expressions almost lifeless. Compared to the daily torment of the siege, they now hoped that the Yanzhou army would quickly take over Kang City.
After Xie Zheng and Gong Sun Yin returned to the camp, Gong Sun Yin angrily fanned himself with his folding fan. “That cowardly turtle Sui Yuanqing! He dared to challenge you arrogantly on the battlefield at Yixia Gorge, but now he’s just hiding with his tail between his legs! Truly shameless!”
Xie Zheng said, “He’s not provoked into battle because he understands that I’m here to wear him down while waiting for Chongzhou to fall first. But after today, the morale of the rebels in Kang City will be completely gone. If there are any in the army having second thoughts, internal strife will give them a headache first. They certainly won’t take the initiative to attack in the short term.”
Gong Sun Yin’s anger subsided, and he said, “Alright, alright. So you’re going to Chongzhou now, aren’t you?”
He clicked his tongue twice. “You said three days later, but you can’t sit still after just two and a half days?”
Xie Zheng simply said, “This Marquis has some personal matters to attend to. Sui Yuanqing knows I’m here and won’t act rashly. After I leave, just find someone to impersonate me in the tent.”
Gong Sun Yin couldn’t help but ask suspiciously, “Going to see her isn’t your matter? What other personal matters do you have?”
Xie Zheng said, “I ordered a weapon to be made for her.”
He had heard from Xie Wu about how Fan Changyu was almost overwhelmed when fighting Shi Hu last time because she didn’t have a suitable weapon.
Almost as soon as they came down from the mountain, he had ordered someone to find a blacksmith to forge a weapon. He had intended it as a surprise for Fan Changyu, not knowing she would make up her mind to join the army and go to the Chongzhou battlefield.
Calculating the days, that weapon should be ready by now. He could go get it and deliver it to her.
Gong Sun Yin, remembering his previous embarrassment, only heard the beginning before immediately saying, “Alright, alright, you’d better go quickly!”
However, outside the tent, a personal guard came in with a rolled-up letter: “My Lord, the Gyrfalcon has sent a letter back.”
The Gyrfalcon had been taken away by Fan Changyu, so if it suddenly sent a letter back, it must be news from Fan Changyu’s side.
Xie Zheng raised his hand to receive it, quickly scanning through it. His previously gentle expression instantly darkened. He threw the letter into the charcoal basin used for burning important documents and said coldly, “Prepare the horses!”
Gong Sun Yin felt as if a cat’s paw was scratching his heart. He hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”
But Xie Zheng didn’t answer him at all, directly lifting the tent flap and striding away.
Gong Sun Yin caught sight of the letter in the charcoal basin that hadn’t completely burned, blown out by the wind. Unable to resist his curiosity, he picked it up and looked at it.
Although the letter had been mostly burned by the charcoal fire, the words “Li Huai’an harbors ill intentions towards your wife” were still clearly visible at the end.
Gong Sun Yin couldn’t help but laugh, unable to resist gloating, “Ah, Xie Jiuheng, your retribution has come too quickly!”
Far away in Chongzhou, Fan Changyu had just finished running dozens of li around the mountain with the training army. The soldiers below her had collapsed like boiled noodles. When some soldiers discovered a river ahead, the small soldiers covered in sweat quickly scrambled up, clamoring to go to the riverside to wash.
The weather was getting hotter, and Fan Changyu had also sweated quite a bit. But as a woman, she still had many inconveniences at such times and naturally couldn’t go into the water to wash with them. She just stood in the shade of a tree and drank a few mouthfuls of water.
Previously, she had felt that Mentor Tao directly helping her obtain the rank of Squad Leader was quite ostentatious. But after the military tents were allocated, she learned that at least a Squad Leader rank was needed to have an independent military tent. She then realized Mentor Tao’s thoughtfulness.
She went to thank Mentor Tao, but he said that if they had made her a Section Leader, with only nine people, minus Xie Wu, there would only be eight left. She could manage that with her eyes closed.
It would be a waste of time to learn such things when she already knew that one plus one equals two, so they had her start as a Squad Leader.
She needed to learn how to manage more and more people. Now it was dozens, later it would be hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands.
With so many people, she couldn’t personally manage and teach each one, so she needed to promote people who could be useful to her.
This involved more complex matters – winning people’s hearts.
Xie Zheng had said before that Fan Changyu wasn’t good at this. She was used to being straightforward, and it was indeed difficult for her to suddenly consider so many twists and turns.
However, on the battlefield, the low-ranking soldiers first sought to survive, then to seek prospects and wealth – those external things.
The hearts of people here were relatively less complicated.
Fan Changyu was now like a toddler who had just learned to walk, stumbling along this path.
Her previous martial arts match with Captain Guo had been a blessing in disguise, establishing her authority in the army. At least among the hundred men under Captain Guo, no one dared to look down on her anymore.
The Corporals and Sergeants under her command also showed her great respect.
Xie Wu had told her that among these people, some might become her trusted aides in the future, or perhaps none of them could be used.
She had to figure out for herself who could be used and how to use them; and for those who couldn’t be used, since they were already under her command, how to deal with them…
Now, Fan Changyu trained with the troops during the day, and when she had free time, she would go to Mentor Tao to study military books. At night, when she wasn’t pondering the parts of the military books she didn’t understand, she was thinking about how to use people.
But perhaps because she was too tired, she often fell into a deep sleep after just two breaths of thought.
During this moment of leisure, Fan Changyu was staring at a few of her subordinates who hadn’t gone to the riverside, once again pondering on how to select trusted aides, when she suddenly sneezed several times without warning.
Xie Wu, who was guarding Fan Changyu nearby, hurriedly asked, “Squad Leader, have you caught a cold?”
Fan Changyu waved her hand and said, “There’s an old saying that sneezing means ‘first thought, second curse, third mention.’ Maybe Ning Niang is thinking of me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she sneezed again.
Fan Changyu was stunned for a moment.
Xie Wu, thinking of the letter he had asked Xie Qi to send back, suddenly felt guilty.