Yun Ya had arrived.

The Prince of Wei immediately stopped speaking and sat up straight. Then the tent entrance darkened, and a familiar figure walked in—it was Yun Ya.

They say a man looks dashing in black, and Yun Ya effortlessly embodied this saying. Today he wore only a simple black robe with a gold-flecked belt that accentuated his elegant figure. The sunlight entered the tent with him, framing his tall silhouette with a dazzling golden edge.

Feng Miaojun looked at him and suddenly felt that “being infatuated with a perfect appearance” might not be such a terrible thing after all.

“Sit!” At the Prince’s command, attendants swiftly brought a chair and placed it to the side, inviting Yun Ya to be seated.

Xu Guangxiang said softly, “State Preceptor.”

Yun Ya sat down gracefully, his gaze sweeping over Xu Guangxiang as he replied, “General Xu, you’re up early.” Then he called sharply to Feng Miaojun, “Aren’t you coming over?”

With his presence, the stifling atmosphere in the tent immediately relaxed. Feng Miaojun moved nimbly to stand behind him, knowing that from now on, he would handle the Prince of Wei.

“You’re certainly concerned about this maid!” The Prince bit into a steamed bun. “When I usually summon you, when have you ever come so promptly?”

Yun Ya smiled slightly: “Finding another one this beautiful isn’t easy.”

As these words were spoken, Xu Guangxiang couldn’t help but clench her hands, while the Prince snorted and returned to the main topic: “I want to attack Xiao Pass, but these people are desperately trying to stop me!”

“For the royal army to take Xiao Pass would be as easy as flipping a palm, but the difficulty lies in the Wufu Snow Mountain behind it.” Yun Ya also sighed, which was rare for him. “You know the situation is not as expected, and advancing into the snow mountain at this time is fraught with danger.”

“Not as expected?” The Prince laughed coldly. “You put it so lightly. Is it merely ‘not as expected’? It’s a complete disaster! Now fifty thousand troops are stranded at Xiao Pass. Who will take responsibility?”

Yun Ya said helplessly: “The person responsible has already been beheaded by you.” This might not have been a military intelligence failure; objective factors played a larger role. But the king’s wrath demanded consequences, so someone had already lost their head for it yesterday.

“Then what should we do? Must the army wait here until the snow melts?” The Prince slammed the table hard. “While we waste time here, the war between Yan and Pu is already nearing its end. I estimate it will be over in half a month at most. By then—”

By then, the Kingdom of Yan would be able to free up resources, and the plan to annex the Kingdom of Jiao would certainly be hindered.

Yun Ya ignored his anger and calmly said: “Forgive my directness, but we’ve already advanced nearly a hundred li more than planned to reach Xiao Pass. Even if we stop here, our supplies are barely sufficient.”

Xu Guangxiang beside him also spoke up: “This place is four hundred and sixty li from Wei’s borders, and the path is through steep mountains. Supplies cannot be transported from Wei anymore. Yet it’s only early spring, and we cannot collect grain from newly conquered territories, while the Kingdom of Jiao has cleared out all nearby granaries. The rear lines have also been unstable lately, with small Jiao forces often raiding our supplies. Two days ago, we lost two thousand shi of provisions.”

Listening to this, Feng Miaojun understood. From Yun Ya and others’ perspective, the Wei army had expanded too quickly and needed to slow down to pacify the already conquered territories and people. After all, the difference in national strength between Wei and Jiao was not yet great enough to swallow Jiao in one swift campaign.

This was a protracted war.

With the army’s rapid advance, the occupied territories remained unstable, and now Jiao’s military and civilians were conducting guerrilla warfare and ambushing Wei’s supply convoys. Jiao was mountainous and had always been plagued by bandits; now Jiao was breaking up its cavalry into mounted patrols to harass the royal army’s rear and cut off supply transportation.

This tactic was undoubtedly highly effective.

A country’s fighting strength depended not only on its wealth, military commanders, and armed forces but also crucially on its organizational capabilities. Sustaining a large army was intricate and complex work; the saying “provisions move before troops” was just the simplest example. The Wei royal army’s advance to this point was already approaching its limit, and the next task was to consolidate steadily, secure the rear, and stabilize the conquered territories before proceeding.

Continuing to advance in isolation would only lead to more pitfalls.

The Prince of Wei, with an ashen face, said: “According to you, we still need to wait?”

Xu Guangxiang glanced at Yun Ya, and seeing him silent, had no choice but to press on: “If we just wait for another month, the winter snow will melt anyway…”

“We cannot wait!” The Prince said sternly. “We must take Xiao Pass today! In three days, I want the army to cross Wufu Snow Mountain!”

His voice was powerful, seeming to resonate for days.

Xu Guangxiang pressed her lips together, but Yun Ya stood up and said decisively: “Then I’ll go back and make some preparations.”

The Prince exhaled heavily and waved his hand toward the exit.

Yun Ya shook out his robes and was about to leave when the Prince suddenly spoke again: “By the way, we’re running low on elixirs. Refine two more batches for me.”

“Alright.” Yun Ya walked out first, with Feng Miaojun following closely behind. She could feel Xu Guangxiang’s gaze lingering on the two of them until they were out of sight.

Back in Yun Ya’s tent, the water kettle was still bubbling. Feng Miaojun went to prepare a cup of ginger tea to warm him, but from outside came the sounds of troops and horses in commotion.

This sound was familiar to Feng Miaojun, who had been with the army for many days: troops mobilizing for an imminent attack.

The Prince of Wei’s order to attack immediately was being implemented, and the entire army was bustling with activity. She sighed, and as she turned around, she discovered that he had silently crept up behind her, less than two fists’ distance away.

With her guilty conscience, she was startled, nearly spilling the tea. Yun Ya quickly reached out, steadying both the teacup and her small hand, his movement incredibly fast.

Her hand was small; his palm could completely envelop it.

Feng Miaojun felt his palm was hotter than the tea water. She quickly withdrew her hand but heard him ask: “What are you sighing about?”

“Crossing a snow mountain in this season is very dangerous, isn’t it?” She had traversed the White Elephant Mountain Range and knew the mercilessness of snow mountains. Though the Wufu Snow Mountain might not be as majestic as the White Elephant Range, it was still not something humans could easily challenge in winter.

“Of course,” Yun Ya answered matter-of-factly. Through his brief explanation, Feng Miaojun finally understood the crux of the problem.

Xiao Pass backed directly onto the Wufu Snow Mountain. The Jiao territory was warm, and for over twenty years, the snow on Wufu Snow Mountain had melted in early spring, during the second month. Except for a few high peaks still capped with white, the rest became passable.

The Wei army had chosen this route based on this information. Little did they know upon arriving that this year’s climate differed greatly from usual, with winter being exceptionally cold and long. Therefore, the Wufu Snow Mountain was still in a state of heavy snow closure!

Yun Ya’s initial opposition to early mobilization was largely based on these geographical considerations.

He feared the worst, and the worst had indeed come to pass.

Feng Miaojun inhaled sharply: “How can we cross with the mountain closed by heavy snow?”