After the Beginning of Summer came Lesser Fullness. As Lesser Fullness passed, the weather grew increasingly hot, and the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching.

Under the leadership of the Marquis of Wu’an, the Fuyu Army recaptured Jiuchuan. Victory reports came one after another. The hundred thousand Wutuo soldiers were routed, with their remnants fleeing westward, only to be annihilated by the Fuyu Army. Thus, He Yan’s army took nearly three months to achieve victory in the desert and reclaim Jiuchuan.

The people of Jiuchuan cheered daily, celebrating their hard-won victory. Within the Fuyu Army, no one dared to underestimate this young female marquis anymore. Through victory, she had proven her valor and strategic brilliance.

He Yan sat indoors, tallying the spoils of war. The final major victory had yielded numerous prisoners and gains. A deputy commander entered from outside and respectfully said, “My Lord, the Jiuchuan City Master wishes for you to stay until after the Dragon Boat Festival before departing.”

The Wutuo soldiers in Jiuchuan had no chance of counterattack now. Originally, she had planned to return to the capital immediately after settling matters here. However, largely out of gratitude to the Fuyu Army soldiers for driving away the Wutuo bandits, the civilians hoped they would stay a while longer.

Especially that female general.

On the battlefield, she was formidable and terrifying, yet with ordinary civilians, she was exceptionally patient and pleasant.

He Yan asked, “How many days until the Dragon Boat Festival?”

“Five days,” the deputy commander replied.

He Yan fell silent for a moment. “Very well, we’ll depart immediately after the Dragon Boat Festival.”

The people who had just experienced warfare needed some hope. Staying might give them strength to better face the future they needed to rebuild.

Besides fighting, this was all she could do for the civilians here.

The room was sparse. When the Wutuo soldiers occupied Jiuchuan, they pillaged and burned the city. Valuable items were either stolen or destroyed and even the room she now occupied had half a wall burned.

He Yan gazed at the map on the table and let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

At last, Jiuchuan had been recaptured.

There was still no news from Yunzi and Jijun, though reports from across Binjiang showed promising developments. The swift victory in Jiuchuan was largely due to her previous experience leading troops to quell the Western Qiang rebellion. The terrain of Moxian was similar to Jiuchuan, and since the Fuyu Army had been stationed in Moxian before, she had been able to achieve victory so smoothly.

She wondered how Yan He and Xiao Jue were faring now.

As she pondered this, someone entered from outside – it was Wang Ba. He pulled a letter from his chest and said, “News has arrived from Jijun.”

After losing several brothers in succession, Wang Ba had become much more composed, no longer displaying his formerly domineering attitude from Liangzhou Guard.

He Yan took the letter and eagerly opened it.

The last letter from Jijun had only indicated that the plague situation was not optimistic. After so much time had passed, she wondered how they were doing now.

The letter was brief, containing only a few sentences. As He Yan read, her expression grew grave.

Seeing her troubled expression, Wang Ba asked, “What’s wrong? Are the Wutuo people difficult to handle?”

He Yan shook her head. “Something’s happened to Yan He.”

The letter was written by Yan He, and though it only briefly mentioned a few points, every sentence made He Yan’s heart tremble. For the past few months, Jijun had been locked in a stalemate with the Wutuo people, but the overall situation was good. The only problem was Yan He himself. The letter stated he had been poisoned by the Wutuo people’s incurable poison. Having heard that Jiuchuan had been recaptured, and since Yunzi and Binjiang were not in the same direction as Jijun, only Jiuchuan was relatively close.

Yan He said his time was likely short, and fearing there would be no one to lead the troops after his death, he requested He Yan’s aid. At the end of the letter, he even managed to joke, saying that when He Yan had previously sought his help in Rundu, he had led troops to assist, and now, this could be considered repaying the debt for relieving Rundu’s siege.

Though he still had the spirit to jest, He Yan knew the situation must be dire. After all, Lin Shuanghe had gone to Jijun with Yan He – if it were an ordinary poison, how could Lin Shuanghe fail to cure it? Yan He’s letter mentioned his time was short…

She abruptly stood up.

Wang Ba asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Send orders down: we can’t wait until after the Dragon Boat Festival. Prepare military equipment today, we march for Jijun tomorrow.”

…

In summer, the vegetation flourished. After a night of rain, the soil exuded a damp earthy scent.

By the river, a man in hemp clothing was crushing herbs, carefully mixing several types.

A passing soldier kindly advised, “Doctor Lin, you’ve been busy here all night, please take a rest.”

Lin Shuanghe looked up, revealing an unshaven face. His expression was haggard, and his eyes were bloodshot from working through the night, appearing quite frightening at first glance.

He raised his head, seemingly squinting at the sunlight. After a while, he shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, “No.”

The patrolling soldier found it strange – this Doctor Lin had been working day and night with herbs for some time now. By all accounts, the plague had been contained, so there was no need for such exhaustive effort, yet he remained frantically busy for unknown reasons.

However, since Lin Shuanghe wouldn’t listen, there was nothing he could do. He just shook his head and left.

Lin Shuanghe looked down at the herbs in the earthen pot.

Almost two months had passed.

He hadn’t developed an antidote, and worse still, the poison in Yan He’s body was spreading deeper. He had started coughing blood. The herbs Lin Shuanghe had gathered could only temporarily prevent Yan He from appearing too haggard, keeping the Yan family soldiers from discovering the truth. The poison from the wound had already spread to his internal organs, and Lin Shuanghe knew very well that Yan He’s time was running out.

He worked tirelessly day and night trying to find a solution, but there was none. No matter how hard he tried, the poison in Yan He showed no improvement.

He had to acknowledge his powerlessness.

Perhaps in the past in Shuojing, though he was known as the “Miracle Doctor,” he had mainly treated women’s ailments, mostly complicated cases but not life-threatening ones. In life, the greatest matter is that of life and death. As long as there is life, there is hope. But now, he had to watch helplessly as his friend drew closer to death day by day, and he, as a doctor, was powerless.

Lin Shuanghe lowered his head as he ground the herbs, muttering, “Must be faster, even faster…”

The herbs in the pot splashed juice as the iron pestle crushed them, some spattering on his face with a bitter fragrance. As he ground them, an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and sorrow swept over him. He stopped his movements, his eyes suddenly turning red.

He had never desired so desperately for his medical skills to improve just a little more, just enough to save Yan He, rather than doing these ineffective things as he was now.

But the people around them still didn’t know that their commander was paying with his life with every battle.

Lin Shuanghe stood up, washed his hands by the river, paused for a moment, and then walked toward Yan He’s tent.

A suppressed low cough sounded, and as Lin Shuanghe lifted the tent flap, he saw Yan He wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.

“You!” he cried out.

“Lower your voice,” Yan He shook his head at him. “Don’t let others see.”

Lin Shuanghe let the tent flap fall, stepped forward quickly, and grabbed Yan He’s wrist to check his pulse. Yan He quietly allowed him to do so. After a moment, Lin Shuanghe released his hand and looked at him with trembling lips.

Yan He asked, “How much longer do I have?”

Lin Shuanghe didn’t answer.

“Well then, it seems it will be these few days,” Yan He smiled, his smile containing some reluctance yet also acceptance. “Counting the time since I sent the letter to He Yan, she should arrive in a few days. The timing works out well, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to see her one last time.”

“…No,” Lin Shuanghe instinctively spoke, “I can still make an antidote, wait for me, I definitely can. Besides, those Wutuo people must have an antidote… If we just find them, we’ll get the antidote!”

“You’re still as stupid as ever. Even if you’ve never fought in battle, you should have some sense,” Yan He said disdainfully. “Those Wutuo people saw the arrow hit me with their own eyes. They finally managed to eliminate me, how could they possibly hand over the antidote? Want to bet? Even if I captured their commander now and offered to trade their commander’s life, they still wouldn’t give up the antidote. There’s only one possibility – if I were willing to surrender and be used by them, perhaps I could keep my life by luck, but we Yan family men don’t do such things.”

“A mere Commander of Guiding Virtue…” Yan He smiled. “Even if they lose this battle, it’s worth it for them.”

“And you,” Yan He frowned at him, “if you could make an antidote, would you have waited until now? Forget it, you’re just a doctor, not the King of Hell – how could you decide matters of life and death? There’s no need to think too highly of yourself. Keep your worthless life and wait for the Marquis of Wu’an to come save you.”

Lin Shuanghe’s expression was pained.

Though he and Yan He had always bickered and despised each other, they were still childhood classmates who had grown up together. Though he detested Yan He’s arrogance and love of fighting, and Yan He looked down on his lack of learning and skill, after so many years, they could still be considered “friends.”

“You don’t need to look so grief-stricken,” Yan He looked at his expression as if disgusted. “Aren’t you doctors used to seeing life and death? How come you’re not as accepting as I am? What are you suffering for? In a few decades, won’t you be coming down to keep me company anyway? I’ll just go first and spar with that female classmate who dressed as a man.”

Even at this time, he was still thinking about competing. Lin Shuanghe couldn’t help but laugh, but after laughing, he felt even more sorrowful. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Have you thought about what will happen to Sister-in-law and Mu Xia?”

Yan He’s previously carefree expression suddenly froze.

He thought of that woman who always smiled gently, her earnest expectations before he left. She was so considerate – when she learned of his fate… she would probably cry, would probably be very sad.

Yan He suddenly became sorrowful too, his chest feeling as if stuffed with damp cotton, suffocatingly heavy.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly, “Before I left, I promised Cheng Xiu I would try my best to return to see Mu Xia’s first glimpse of the world.”

“But now, it seems I must break that promise.”

He lowered his head with a self-mocking smile: “Cheng Xiu hates people who don’t keep their word the most. If I don’t return, she will probably be angry. Lin Shuanghe, if you see her later, please tell her I didn’t mean to.”

“I’m not a good-tempered person. On the surface, everyone respects me, but I know that actually, no one likes me, just like you, Xiao Huaijin, and He Yan. I’m not good at being a friend, but as a husband, I did fairly well. I had originally wanted to keep improving, to become Shuojing’s best father, but…”

His voice was very low: “There’s no chance now.”

Lin Shuanghe wanted to speak, but though his mouth opened, he didn’t know what to say.

“I used to think, that if Cheng Xiu gave birth to a daughter, we’d call her Mu Xia, and if it was a son, we’d call him Liang Jiang. But now thinking about it, even if it’s a son, we could still call him Mu Xia.”

“I had wanted to watch her grow up with my own eyes. When she got a bit older, I would teach her that good generals don’t fear death to preserve their lives and that heroes don’t compromise their principles to seek survival. Now I can’t do that, but I think there’s no better way to teach her this. When she grows up and learns that her father died on the battlefield, she’ll understand without me having to teach her.”

When speaking of the unborn Mu Xia, his eyes finally softened, becoming tender and affectionate.

Lin Shuanghe closed his eyes briefly.

These words, like final instructions, pierced his heart like countless sharp needles.

“You don’t need to grieve for me, nor feel pain for me. A general dying on the battlefield is the best destination. Though I have regrets, I don’t have remorse,” Yan He stood up, walked out of the tent, and looked toward the distant city towers.

“Everyone who goes to the battlefield has prepared to die here.”

“A few more days,” he said. “Continue, look forward.”

…

When He Yan arrived in Jijun, she saw a Lin Shuanghe completely different from before.

That elegant gentleman who always wore white robes and carried a folding fan, maintaining his grace at all times, was now haggard beyond recognition. His clothes were stained with blood and mud, his face seemingly unwashed for days, unshaven, so dejected that He Yan almost didn’t recognize him.

“Brother Lin…” she dismounted and stepped forward to inquire.

“You’re here,” a spark of life finally appeared in Lin Shuanghe’s dim eyes as he stammered, “Come see Yan He.”

Yan He had died on the battlefield.

He had been poisoned with an incurable toxin, and though he knew that intense activity would make the poison spread faster and deeper, he refused to stop because of the war. Like a candle already burned to its last inch, he burned desperately until he was completely consumed.

Before his death, he had just won a battle.

The young general lay in the tent, the grime cleaned from his face, his hair tied high as in his youth, his silver spear placed beside him. One could still glimpse his former spirited appearance, but when He Yan approached, he would never again raise his eyebrows arrogantly and challenge her to compete.

“He knew his time was short. Before leaving, he asked me to give these to you.” Lin Shuanghe handed a box to He Yan. When she opened it, she found it full of prepared documents. Yan He had already counted and recorded all of Jijun’s battle situations and military horses, writing everything down so that when He Yan arrived, she wouldn’t be at a loss.

He had been very thorough, presumably still thinking of this war even in his final moments.

“How is the situation in Jijun?” He Yan asked.

Lin Shuanghe shook his head, his voice low, “After Yan He’s passing, the Yan family army’s morale was severely shaken. The Wutuo people seized this opportunity to attack twice in succession. Without Yan He, the Yan family army scattered like loose sand, completely routed.”

He Yan said, “It’s not the Yan family army’s fault. Jijun’s position was originally easy to defend but difficult to attack. They held the advantageous terrain – for Yan He to attack the city was already extremely difficult, especially when they used such despicable methods.”

“So now…”

“I need to meet with the Yan family army’s deputy commander immediately to discuss further plans,” He Yan answered.

Lin Shuanghe nodded silently.

He Yan turned to leave but suddenly remembered something, stopped, and looked back at Lin Shuanghe.

“Brother Lin,” her voice was calm, her gaze seeming to have the power to comfort hearts, “Not saving Yan He wasn’t your fault.”

Those words finally gave Lin Shuanghe an outlet for the self-blame and guilt he had carried these past days.

“No,” his voice trembled, showing vulnerability before He Yan for the first time, “I couldn’t find the antidote…”

After Yan He’s death, his subordinates finally learned that he had been severely poisoned. They blamed Lin Shuanghe who, as the so-called divine doctor, couldn’t find an antidote and couldn’t save their general. Countless accusations and angry curses filled his ears constantly, and Lin Shuanghe would even wake from nightmares.

The woman in crimson armor looked at him and spoke gently, “You’re a doctor, not an immortal. You can only treat illness and save people, not decide matters of life and death. Yan He was struck by the Wutuo people’s poison arrow – if you want to avenge him, we must win this war.”

“You must pull yourself together, Doctor Lin,” she changed her form of address, “I need your help.”

“Jijun needs you.”

…

In the tent, Yan He’s deputy commander Chen Cheng blurted out, “What did you say? Surrender?”

“It’s a false surrender,” He Yan said. “Since the Wutuo people know that General Yan is gone and the Yan family army is without leadership, they will surely press their advantage these days. Rather than being constantly restricted by them, we might as well feign surrender. Once our people are inside the city, with the Fuyu Army and Yan family army providing backup, we can seize the opportunity to break through the city gates in the chaos.”

“When the General was here, we always faced the Wutuo people head-on. The Yan family’s men never surrender, even if it’s fake!” Chen Cheng rejected it outright.

He Yan didn’t anger, only looked at him calmly, “You’ve been here long enough to know Jijun’s terrain well. If we don’t break through the city gates and just camp outside the city, we’re only wearing ourselves down. Yes, Yan He led you in confrontation, won many times, and killed many Wutuo people, but in the end? What happened in the end? Jijun city is still occupied by the Wutuo people. If we can’t enter the city, we can’t win this war!”

“What do you know?” Chen Cheng’s expression was agitated, “You don’t understand General Yan at all. You’re in league with that Lin Shuanghe, all reputation, and no substance, only causing trouble!”

Yan He’s death was a devastating blow to everyone in the Yan family army. They resented Lin Shuanghe for not revealing the truth earlier, but they also knew nothing of Yan He’s careful considerations.

He Yan’s expression turned cold.

A Fuyu Army deputy commander beside her spoke up in rebuke: “What do you mean ‘all reputation’? Commander He just led troops to recapture Jiuchuan and won a victory. What right do you have to look down on her!”

The Yan family army hadn’t seen He Yan’s abilities on the battlefield, but their Fuyu Army had seen them. If He Yan was all show, then Great Wei wouldn’t have many “truly capable” military commanders.

“I’m not discussing this with you,” He Yan said coldly, “I’m giving you orders. If you won’t listen, you know the consequences of defying military orders.” She swiftly drew the sword at her waist, its blade cold as frost. “You’re welcome to try.”

“You…” Chen Cheng gritted his teeth, “You command the Fuyu Army, not the Yan family army. The Yan family army’s only master was General Yan. What right do you have to command us?”

“By right of your general giving me the military tally, by right of your general personally naming me to lead you into battle!” She raised her hand, showing the military tally before everyone’s eyes.

“Now,” the woman’s gaze was clear and steady, “do you have any other objections?”

With the military tally in hand, she could now command the Yan family army. Even if Chen Cheng had ten thousand objections, he could say nothing more at this moment.

He gritted his teeth: “No.”

“I know you’re not convinced,” He Yan said, “So I will personally lead the vanguard troops in the false surrender.”

Chen Cheng was stunned.

The first troops to enter the city would undoubtedly be in the most danger, like sheep entering a tiger’s den. With all of Great Wei’s troops outside the city, surrounded by Wutuo people, if the Wutuo people suddenly changed their minds and attacked…

This group would be sent to their deaths.

“You… are sure?” Chen Cheng asked suspiciously.

He Yan gave him a look, and for some reason, this look made Chen Cheng’s face flush with heat. The woman’s voice was calm and plain, “Leading from the front is what every commander should do, not just your General Yan.”

“Also,” she said, “Doctor Lin was acting under your general’s orders. If you want to push all blame onto a doctor while disregarding the Wutuo people who truly caused your general’s death, showing such poor judgment between right and wrong, then I have nothing more to say. However,” her voice carried a hint of mockery, “if your general saw this scene, he would probably be very disappointed in the army he built with his own hands.”

“I…” Chen Cheng was about to speak, but the woman had already ignored him and left the tent.

As soon as He Yan left the tent, she froze – Lin Shuanghe stood outside, staring at her. It seemed he had heard everything she said inside.

It didn’t matter that he heard; this was exactly what she thought.

“Thank you,” after a moment of silence, Lin Shuanghe spoke first. He smiled bitterly, “But speaking up for me like this has only made them dislike you as well.”

“I was only speaking the truth,” He Yan looked into the distance. “You followed Yan He here, controlling the plague, treating wounded soldiers – you too had your head on the line. However,” she smiled, “don’t hold their resentment against them. They’re just too heartbroken, thinking irrationally for now. Given time, they’ll understand.”

“I don’t resent them.” Lin Shuanghe took a deep breath and changed the subject: “I just heard you say you plan to feign surrender?”

“The Fuyu Army’s camp isn’t close to here. Those Wutuo people probably haven’t noticed our arrival yet and are confident in their position. Only by surrendering now will they believe us and open the city gates. Only when the gates are open will we have a chance to capture all the Wutuo people.”

“Is the vanguard force that enters the city first in great danger?”

The wind blew, gently lifting the woman’s tied-up long hair.

Her voice was firm, and composed without a trace of hesitation.

“The battlefield is always dangerous,” she said. “I’m not afraid of danger.”