The Long Wind Camp warriors prepared through the night, engaging in a fierce battle with the Western Rong army’s elite vanguard. They barely managed to defend Deer City.
Li Shuang didn’t personally join the battlefield. Instead, she spent the entire night in the military camp, strategizing, gathering intelligence, and discussing countermeasures with other generals. She also dispatched messengers to report the military situation back to the capital.
From the moment she learned of the military intelligence, Li Shuang became incredibly busy. In the camp, doctors tended to the constant flow of wounded soldiers. Her guards took turns protecting her, and even the horses seemed more restless than usual. Suddenly, the incident with the mysterious black-armored man who had acted improperly and Jin’an’s situation became insignificant. In the chaos of war, no one paid attention to what a child was doing, regardless of how special he usually was.
At dawn, after a night of fighting, the frontline soldiers temporarily repelled the Western Rong vanguard, forcing them to retreat ten miles outside Deer City. Li Shuang rode into the city, intending to discuss with the city defender her plan to move the Long Wind Camp inside the walls for better defense.
Deer City’s defender, Li Zhangyi, a portly man, rushed from his quarters to the hall to meet Li Shuang, arriving out of breath and sweating profusely.
Without much pleasantry, Li Shuang got straight to the point. “Defender Li, you’re surely aware of last night’s battle outside the city. With the Western Rong army at our borders, time is of the essence. To facilitate our future defense, I request that you welcome my Long Wind Camp soldiers into the city this afternoon at 5:45.”
Hearing this, Li Zhangyi’s small eyes darted about. As a city defender appointed by the Prime Minister, he was part of a faction often at odds with the General’s party in court. Li Shuang’s assignment to oversee the Long Wind Camp outside the city walls was a result of this political maneuvering.
Despite the imminent threat, the power struggle between the General and the Prime Minister remained intense. Allowing the Long Wind Camp into Deer City would be disadvantageous for both his position and the Prime Minister’s authority.
Unwilling to agree, he smiled obsequiously at Li Shuang. “General, the Western Rong army is strong and brutal. However, our city has ample food stores from this year’s bountiful harvest in Jiangnan. We can easily last the winter. Why not offer them some provisions to send them away?”
Li Shuang’s expression turned cold, her eyes piercing the city defender. “You want to feed these wolves with our Great Jin’s supplies?”
Shuddering under Li Shuang’s gaze, the defender stepped back slightly. Wiping sweat from his brow, he thought to himself that the “Jade-faced Rakshasa” wasn’t just an empty title – her aura was truly intimidating.
Steadying himself, he chuckled nervously. “It’s… it’s just a temporary measure. I saw the Western Rong army from the city walls yesterday. It’s not just the vanguard anymore – their main force has arrived. Their numbers far exceed our combined forces. Perhaps it’s better to appease them for now…”
“Appease them?” Li Shuang scoffed. “Why don’t you ask if the Western Rong army wants your appeasement?”
Li Zhangyi maintained his placating smile. “What do you mean, General? Surely you don’t intend to sacrifice my Deer City soldiers along with your Long Wind Camp?”
“Whether it’s a sacrifice or not isn’t for a civil official like you to decide,” Li Shuang interrupted firmly. “This winter’s grain shortage in the northern frontier is just the beginning. The struggle among the outer tribes will only intensify. Whoever controls the most provisions will dominate the region this winter. The Western Rong’s attack on Deer City is motivated by our abundant food stores. They plan to seize our supplies, strengthen their position, and subjugate other tribes during this harsh winter.”
Li Shuang tapped her finger on the table. “Tell me, how much grain can you spare to support their entire army through winter warfare?”
Li Zhangyi remained silent.
“This first battle is crucial. We must win decisively, dealing them a crushing blow to ensure Deer City’s future safety,” Li Shuang declared, rising to her feet. Her armor clinked as she moved. “At 5:45, open the gates for my Long Wind Camp. I may not interfere during peacetime, but in war, I command this city.”
She left, her high ponytail brushing past Li Zhangyi’s plump face.
Once Li Shuang’s footsteps faded, Li Zhangyi glared at her retreating figure, clenching his fist. “Hmph, little girl,” he muttered.
Winter days in the northern frontier darkened early. By 5 PM, the sky was already half-shrouded in darkness. Li Shuang rode alongside her troops, watching the Long Wind Camp soldiers prepare, packing essential items into bundles on their backs. As dusk settled, they began marching towards Deer City.
All her guards followed behind Li Shuang. Finally having a moment of respite as she watched her troops advance, Li Shuang glanced back and suddenly realized something was amiss. She turned to Qin Lan, who was guarding her side, and asked, “Where’s Jin’an?”
Qin Lan looked surprised and scanned the area. “I… haven’t seen him for a while.” He inquired among the guards, and one reported seeing the boy briefly before nightfall.
Frowning at this response, Li Shuang was about to speak when Luo Teng interjected angrily, “That damn kid’s always causing trouble. I’ll go back and look for him.” He was about to turn his horse when he suddenly paused, squinting towards the Western Rong encampment. “General, there’s movement.”
Li Shuang immediately tensed, focusing her senses. She heard a faint rumbling in the ground, a sound her years of warfare experience told her could only mean one thing – the Western Rong’s main force was on the move.
“Quicken the pace!” Li Shuang shouted. “Enter Deer City! Man, the walls! Prepare to repel the Western Rong!”
The Long Wind Camp soldiers sprang into action. Li Shuang, no longer concerned about Jin’an, spurred her horse towards Deer City. However, upon reaching the city gates, she found them tightly shut, with her soldiers attempting to communicate with the guards on the walls.
Reining in her horse at the foot of the wall, Li Shuang glared at the guards above, her voice sharp with command. “This is General Li Shuang of the Northern Garrison. Open the gates immediately!”
The city guards exchanged glances, and finally, one reluctantly called out, “General, the City Defender ordered us to hold the gates. We’re not to open them today.”
Enraged, Li Shuang shouted, “Absurd! With the enemy at our doorstep, is Li Zhangyi committing treason? By following his foolish order, do you all wish to be executed for betrayal after this battle?”
Her words sent a shock through the city guards. As they hesitated, a rotund figure pushed through them onto the wall – Li Zhangyi himself.
“General Li, your words are too harsh. I cannot bear such accusations,” he said, gesturing towards the horizon. “Look behind you. The Western Rong army approaches rapidly. If I open the gates now and accidentally let the enemy in, endangering our citizens, wouldn’t that be a dereliction of my duty?”
The thundering hoofbeats drew nearer. Although Li Zhangyi’s actions were despicable, he had already wasted the best opportunity to enter the city. Entering now risked the Western Rong army breaching the gates before all of the Long Wind Camp soldiers were inside. If the city fell then, the situation would be even more dire.
Gritting her teeth, Li Shuang turned her horse once more to face the vast plain and the oncoming Western Rong army, which surged forward like a tidal wave. Just as she prepared for a desperate last stand, a startled cry came from Li Zhangyi on the wall: “Ah! How dare you! Who are you?”
Li Shuang looked up.
On the high city wall, a figure had appeared beside Li Zhangyi, gripping his throat. The intruder held a cold iron blade, snatched from a nearby guard, against the defender’s neck. He pressed hard enough to draw blood.
Black mask, crimson eyes – it was him! The impudent man from before!
Unlike their previous encounters, this time he wasn’t bare-chested…
“Open the gates,” he commanded coldly into Li Zhangyi’s ear. Though quiet, his voice carried like a battle horn, resonating through the air.
This man…
Li Zhangyi remained silent, but the masked figure showed no mercy, pressing the blade deeper into his flesh. Finally, overcome by pain and fear, the defender screamed, “Open them! Open the gates! Didn’t you hear me?”
“Do not open them!” Li Shuang shouted from below.
Her command startled even the masked man holding Li Zhangyi hostage. Without explaining, Li Shuang coldly gazed at the approaching dust cloud of the Western Rong army, drawing her sword.
“Long Wind Camp soldiers, discard your packs at the city gate. We’ll retrieve them after defeating the enemy and entering Deer City.”
At her order, the soldiers complied, quickly forming ranks before the city gates. Li Shuang glanced back up at the wall. “Li Zhangyi, I’ll accept your excuse for not letting us in earlier. But if you fail to defend this city with your life, it won’t just be me – even the Emperor will demand your head.”
Her words struck fear into Li Zhangyi. Disregarding the blade still at his throat, he hastily ordered, “Archers! Archers! Provide cover fire for our Long Wind Camp allies!”
Li Shuang raised her sword, the enemy’s hoofbeats now deafeningly close. With a battle cry of “Charge!” she led her troops forward.
As the Long Wind Camp soldiers engaged the enemy head-on, Li Shuang didn’t notice the masked figure on the wall vanish like a ghost, joining the fray on the battlefield below.
The two armies clashed as arrows rained down from the city walls. Soon, the dark northern wilderness was filled with firelight, the scent of iron, and blood.
Although battle-hardened, the Long Wind Camp soldiers were vastly outnumbered. Before long, the Western Rong army’s onslaught scattered their formation. Li Shuang found herself deep in enemy lines, her blade rising and falling, her face splattered with blood. Yet the enemies seemed endless, more and more surrounding her.
The Western Rong soldiers, hardened by their nomadic lifestyle, fought with savage ferocity. Li Shuang’s guards, including Qin Lan and Luo Teng, had been separated from her in the chaos. Alone against the encircling foes, even her superior martial skills were reaching their limit. Her arms grew heavy as she continued to fight.
As she parried a Western Rong soldier’s broadsword, a spear thrust towards her side from an angle she couldn’t dodge. Just as it seemed the spear would find its mark, a great sword swept down, cleaving the iron spear in two. The spear-wielder was thrown back as if struck by an invisible force.
Li Shuang felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace.