Flames soared skyward, and the acrid smell of burning wood mingled with black smoke drifted towards Luchen on the northern wind.
Li Shuang strained her eyes, barely making out figures moving amidst the flames as a distant clamor reached her ears. Her officers joined her on the city wall. Luo Teng, watching anxiously, broke into a sweat despite the winter chill. “Damn it! Is this inferno part of the Western Rong’s plan, the black-armored man’s doing, or have they descended into internal chaos?”
“Such an extensive fire doesn’t seem premeditated,” another officer analyzed. “Yet even that formidable warrior couldn’t have started such a massive blaze single-handedly.”
Qin Lan interjected, “Let’s not speculate. We’ll await the scouts’ report.”
As the others pondered, Li Shuang’s eyes suddenly gleamed with inspiration. “Sound the war drums. Blow the horns.”
The officers were startled. “General, are we launching an attack?”
“No,” Li Shuang replied, her gaze fixed on the blazing Western Rong camp. “This fire, even if planned, has likely spiraled beyond their control. The Western Rong, having lost two generals, is already leaderless and demoralized. Tonight’s chaos, with their vast numbers, will breed confusion. By sounding our drums, we’ll intimidate them further, if not force a retreat.”
Qin Lan’s eyes brightened. “An excellent strategy.”
“But…” Luchen’s original defender, a small man with a goatee, hesitated. “What if they attack when they hear our drums?”
“Let them come,” Li Shuang declared. “Without leaders, in disarray, and with their camp ablaze, I’d like to see them try to take Luchen.”
The goateed man fell silent, awed by Li Shuang’s commanding presence. After a brief pause, Li Shuang’s sharp gaze swept over her officers. “Why are you all still standing here?” Her cold tone jolted them into action, and they hurried to carry out her orders.
Only Qin Lan remained by Li Shuang’s side, gazing at the growing inferno. He observed her silently, noticing a change in her demeanor.
“General…” Qin Lan called softly.
Li Shuang responded with a familiar, gentle “Hmm?” reminiscent of their conversations back at the manor.
“Are you worried about the man in black armor?”
Li Shuang started, her fingers tightening on the rough stone wall. “What?” She turned to Qin Lan, surprised by his insight into her thoughts.
Qin Lan’s eyes darkened slightly.
Li Shuang quickly composed herself. “Oh, well… He’s saved me twice. Though his actions and background are mysterious, and his behavior sometimes inappropriate, I…” She paused. “I truly don’t want him to die in the Western Rong camp amidst the chaos.”
Qin Lan’s lips tightened as he lowered his head, concealing his expression.
Luchen’s war drums thundered, and horns blared, their sound like the roar of a slumbering dragon. It pierced the cold night, tearing through the northern wind towards the blood-red sky.
As Li Shuang had predicted, the Western Rong army, like ants scattered on the sand, began to waver upon hearing the drums and horns.
That night, amidst the flames, biting wind, and bone-chilling drumbeats, the Western Rong forces gradually retreated.
“They’re withdrawing!” a soldier on the wall cried out.
“They’re retreating!” The soldiers’ jubilant shouts filled the air.
This outcome, however, was exactly as Li Shuang had anticipated. Only when the last shadows of the Western Rong army disappeared into the night did she allow a satisfied smile to grace her lips?
Luchen’s first engagement against the Western Rong ended in victory.
Subduing the enemy without fighting was the ultimate skill, and although this victory had come with some luck, it would undoubtedly establish Da Jin’s might in this northern frontier.
This harsh winter had barely begun, yet the Changfeng Camp had already secured Luchen’s safety for the bulk of the season. After all, no other tribe or nation in these northern lands could muster a force greater than the Western Rong’s.
This setback for the Western Rong would serve as a stark warning to other potential invaders.
Luchen, under Da Jin’s control, was resource-rich, well-provisioned, and populated by friendly citizens. But it was far from an easy target.
As Li Shuang turned to leave the wall, the clanking of her silver armor mingling with the soldiers’ cheers, she suddenly heard a faint “plop.”
Glancing sideways, she noticed a small wet spot on the ground, gleaming in the moonlight and distant firelight.
Crouching down, she lightly touched it with her finger. Blood.
Looking up, she saw only the eaves of the wall above her, bathed in pale moonlight. But the blood was still warm, indicating someone had just passed overhead.
With suspicion forming, Li Shuang leaped onto the roof in one fluid motion. However, she found no one there, not even a trace of blood.
Frowning, she rubbed the blood between her fingers before jumping back down.
Qin Lan, waiting below, asked, “Did you find anything, General?”
Li Shuang shook her head, knowing that if the black-armored man had indeed been there, his superior agility made detection and pursuit nearly impossible.
She descended from the wall and headed towards her main tent. As she approached, she noticed her officers gathered outside, exchanging uneasy glances.
“Why are you all standing out here?” she asked, pushing aside the tent flap. Immediately, she froze in the doorway.
Qin Lan, following close behind, nearly collided with her. Stepping back, he peered inside and found himself equally stunned.
Inside the tent stood a Western Rong military banner, from which hung a blood-soaked male head. The head’s eyes were tightly shut, blood still dripping from its severed neck.
Behind the gruesome display, written on the banner in what appeared to be blood or ink, were the words: “The head of the Western Rong general is my gift to you. I hope it makes you happy.”
Below, in the smaller script: “The rest will die if they move.”
No wonder the officers looked so uncomfortable!
Li Shuang, gripping the tent flap, accidentally tore it off in her shock. “Where are the guards on duty?” she demanded, her face darkening. “Is everyone here blind? How did such a large banner and bloody head get in here unnoticed?”
The officers collectively lowered their heads in silence.
Li Shuang’s icy gaze swept over them before returning to the banner. Though accustomed to violence, she had never imagined someone would present an enemy’s head to her as a gift.
She wasn’t afraid, just…
Convinced that whoever sent this gift must be utterly insane!