Zhù Ying was leaving, yet the residence fell into an unusually deep stillness. Zhang Xiangu and the others packed her luggage in silence. Today, even though life in the entire mountain town continued its outward normalcy, everyone understood in their hearts that the present circumstances left little room for sentiment. Zhang Xiangu looked at one item and wanted to pack it, then looked at another and wanted that packed too — and once she had added something, she would remind herself where Zhù Ying was going, then struggle to remove two things, only to turn around and stuff two more items into the bundle.
This went on in repetition. Zhù Ying did not rush her, and simply gathered what she herself had decided she absolutely needed to bring — just one small bundle.
Huajie and Xiao Jiang both brought medicinal herbs, fragrant pouches, and the like. Zhù Ying picked two items at random, tucked them into her small bundle, and said: “No need for too many.”
Xiao Jiang opened her mouth, wanting to reply, “But what if you’re held up at the front for a long time?” — then thought that was an ill omen and quickly shut it again.
Zhù Ying said: “I’ll leave the household in your hands. Zhao Su is clever and resourceful; nothing will go wrong with him here.”
Zhang Xiangu finally finished packing and said: “I know. You just go — we’ll be fine here. No matter how hard things get, nothing will be harder than those early days of ours!”
“I know.”
For once, there were not many words. Zhang Xiangu’s parting murmur came last: “When you pass by, bring some things to those kids too — Hammer and Qingjun have no father or mother and no one looking after them close at hand. I’ve put together a few things for the Lu family girl and the others as well.”
“I will.”
And with that, the conversation came to its end. Zhù Ying did not bother waiting for an auspicious date — she set out when her own preparations were done and the tribal soldiers were ready. Zhang Xiangu and the others, along with Zhao Su and Lin Feng, saw them off for several li before turning back.
Su Zhe sat on horseback, looking left and right with much feeling welling up inside her. During the earlier joint defense against the Yigan family, she had tested her hand lightly and found the experience encouraging. Now traveling alongside Zhù Ying, she felt an even greater steadiness at her back, and her words came more freely: “Grandmaster, the front is at a stalemate — are we going to act as a surprise force?”
Zhù Ying said: “Stop always thinking about surprise this and surprise that — engage with the orthodox, engage with the orthodox!”
“Oh!”
Not long afterward, she circled back to the same thread: “Grandmaster, I’ve asked the soldiers rotating back from the front — they all say the other side isn’t especially hardened. So why have the advances been so limited? Lin Feng has more raw drive; the others have more — more strategic thinking. It shouldn’t be like this.”
“See it for yourself when we get there,” said Zhù Ying.
Not much later, she was at it again: “I’ve been thinking — the other side has actually formed a coalition now. But how did they manage to unite? That’s no easy thing! Unless there’s someone like you on their side — how else could they possibly have done it? As far as I know, the different families and clans, even when they banded together against — against the court — in the old days, that bundle wasn’t tied very tight.”
Zhù Ying said: “You weren’t this keyed up when we were dealing with the north.”
“That was different — heh.”
After traveling a while, they reached a relay station. This small station had a station master and a few relay attendants who maintained the road and served travelers passing through. The moment they spotted the flag bearing Zhù Ying’s insignia, the station master came forward at once: “Grandmaster! We have food and water ready — please come inside and rest.”
They had something of a record hosting “large armies” by now. The station master already scanned the crowd for small officers to liaise with, hoping to keep things in reasonable order.
Zhù Ying swung down from her horse and said: “Not yet — first have the stoves lit and the water boiled, then send a few people to go with mine to gather firewood, fetch water, and find level ground to set up the cook-fires.”
The station master was momentarily taken aback. By the time he registered what had happened, he saw Zhù Ying already striding toward the tribal soldiers’ column with Su Zhe and the others at her side. She dispatched scouts to spread out and keep watch, then organized rest rotations and meal arrangements simultaneously. She gave orders at once: soldiers took their assigned positions; the logistics officer distributed supplies in sequence. Su Zhe and the others followed her example, learning as they watched, directing soldiers to mark out sections and build stone hearths, fetch water, and cook rice.
Cookfire smoke rose quickly; water rushed into the pots and grains of rice tumbled in. Zhù Ying returned to the relay house, where her own share of the meal was also nearly ready.
The station master felt an inexplicable sense of relief settle over him: It really is different — truly different. Everything is going so smoothly. I suppose the fighting will go just as smoothly.
The distance from Zhù County to Gan County was not great. A few relay stations, one night’s rest along the way, and they arrived — the march itself need not be recounted in detail. During the journey, Zhù Ying observed that the tribal soldiers, despite their brief training, still had various shortcomings, and she could not help but correct them. Whether those corrections had been fully absorbed was hard to say; she could only wait until they had settled in at Gan County and then continue their management.
When they reached Gan County, it was Zhù Lian who came out to meet them.
He had grown somewhat thinner, and his face had taken on a slightly sallow cast. When he saw Zhù Ying, he showed a touch of shyness: “Teacher, I — I haven’t done well.”
Zhù Ying said: “What exactly hasn’t been good? Show me as you go. Come now — I’ve brought these people along. See to their placement, and I’ll watch as you do it.”
Zhù Lian was mildly taken aback, then straightened at once: “Yes!”
Su Zhe looked at him with a smiling expression: “We’re in your hands.”
While he bustled about, Zhù Lian also briefed Zhù Ying on the state of the campaign: “It hasn’t gone smoothly — they’ve also had two quarrels.”
Su Zhe said: “But I saw the wounded being rotated back — it didn’t look all that terrible to me.”
Zhù Lian shook his head: “When there’s no great victory, no bold advance like the one that took Gan County, people’s hearts start to chafe. Think about it — the way we used to fight. Now — something just nags at them. In the old days it was Teacher presiding, and everyone deferred. Now it’s Qingjun. Claim she has the same authority as Teacher? You think they’d believe that? When everything rushes forward like a breaking wave, that’s one thing — when it crawls like a tortoise — well, how could there not be friction?”
Zhù Ying said: “What are you dawdling about? Get to work.”
Zhù Lian arranged barracks and meals and such for the newly arrived tribal soldiers. Zhù Ying watched — everything looked satisfactory. She also observed the people of Gan County; at least within the county seat, they appeared relatively calm. Of course, their faces still wore that faint expression common to mountain town residents — the settled look of people who know a war is being fought.
Inside the county yamen, Zhù Lian laid out the situation on the map in greater detail: “We pushed forward several dozen li. It seemed to be going well, but two days ago there was a small setback and the line pulled back. The battle report reached me today — I have not yet sent it on.”
“A defeat?” Su Zhe had never imagined her side could suffer a reversal. Now that she was no longer with the imperial army, how could they suffer a loss?
Zhù Ying asked: “Details?”
“They first slaughtered twenty slaves in front of the battle lines. Wuzhou had not seen anything like this in a very long time. Some of our soldiers were shocked into terror when they suddenly witnessed it; others were so consumed by furious rage that they lost all formation discipline.” So said Zhù Lian.
Zhù Ying said: “Understood. Tomorrow I go to the front.”
Zhù Lian said: “They are just so—” Though he had himself been born into slavery, he had truly never witnessed anything of this kind. He could not quite keep his emotions in check.
Zhù Ying said: “I heard you. Now — settle the local people, and tell me: have there been any civilians who have come over to our side?”
“There have been — not a great many. The other side has many tribal soldiers and it isn’t easy for common folk to make the crossing. Just two days ago someone came over and said that some people couldn’t bear to leave their families and had no choice but to stay.”
Zhù Ying inquired further about grain and provisions. Zhù Lian answered each question in turn. She then asked about Wang Jiu and Jiang Wan. Wang Jiu had gone to the countryside; Jiang Wan was in town, managing some logistical matters, currently occupied. Zhù Lian called out the door: “Is Jiang Wan’s husband here? I saw him helping with copying this morning — tell him to go find Jiang Wan and have her come back.”
Voices carried the message outward — “Jiang Wan’s husband, go fetch your wife!” — and a clerk’s voice floated back in a lilting tone: “Coming! Right away!”
Zhù Lian explained: “That’s Jiang Wan’s husband. Those two are inseparable. With everything so busy, the couple barely sees each other for days on end. May as well take this chance for them to meet.”
Zhù Ying smiled: “That’s good.”
Jiang Wan came with her hair pinned up in a warrior’s headdress knot, wearing narrow sleeves and a short skirt — entirely the look of a mountain woman. A young apprentice followed at her heels. Zhù Ying took the opportunity to inquire about Jiang Wan’s students; Jiang Wan’s cheeks flushed slightly as she replied: “All doing well — bright children! This one here I took on after arriving in Gan County. She has already memorized the character-recognition chant and can speak some of the official tongue; right now she’s learning to write and do arithmetic. Running errands and handling tasks — she can already manage all of that.”
Zhù Ying looked at this student — a small girl — and asked with a smile: “Do you still remember me?”
The girl gave a shy nod: “I do — Grandmaster gave me sweets to eat. They were very good.”
Zhù Ying asked after her family, then asked whether there were other students in town beyond this one, and what she heard matched fairly well with what Zhù Lian and the others had told her. Gan County had gradually taken in some students — boys and girls mixed together, with Jiang Wan primarily overseeing the girls.
Only after she had met with Jiang Wan, the students from Zhù County, and the handful of apprentices selected from Gan County could Zhù Ying finally rest.
The next day, accompanied by Zhù Lian, she led her unit to the front and arrived at the main encampment of Zhù Qingjun.
Zhù Qingjun, along with Lu Danqing, Su Sheng, and the others, lined up to receive them. In Lu Danqing’s and Su Sheng’s eyes burned an eager, fervent hope; in Zhù Qingjun’s expression, hope was there too — but beneath it lay a trace of small, private grievance and shame.
Su Zhe caught sight of her companions and was delighted. Once the other side had paid their respects to Zhù Ying, she stepped forward: “It’s been so long!”
Lu Danqing said happily: “You came too?”
Su Sheng, being a younger brother seeing his older sister, put on the predictable air of a little one acting grown-up: “What are you here for?”
Zhù Ying stepped in: “She’s come to relieve Lin Feng. I’m here to rest and stay out of trouble.”
Everyone was mildly surprised and exchanged glances. Zhù Qingjun said: “Please, come sit inside the camp.”
Zhù Ying casually indicated the tribal soldiers she had brought and said: “Good — A’Lian and I will go sit for a while. Hand those people over to all of you. Once they’re settled, come and find us. If there’s anything you need us to do, come back and tell us.”
Lu Danqing said: “You — you haven’t come to… preside, to… oversee the whole situation?”
Zhù Ying pointed at Zhù Qingjun again and said: “The commanding general is right here. Of course we follow her. I’m here too — I follow her orders the same as everyone else.”
“Eh?” Su Sheng asked with simple bewilderment.
“We all listen to her.” Having said that, Zhù Ying clasped her hands behind her back and stepped into the main encampment.
Zhù Lian said to Zhù Qingjun: “Why are you standing there? Finish what you need to do — when you come back, we’ll be waiting for your orders.” With that, he also clasped his hands behind his back, mimicking Zhù Ying’s manner, and walked into the encampment.
Su Zhe wanted to do the same, but remembered she had come leading soldiers, so she could only say: “I’ll be waiting for your orders too.”
Zhù Qingjun drew a deep breath and said: “Your camp is over there. Danqing, Xiao Sheng — go first and keep Grandmaster company.”
By the time Zhù Qingjun returned to the main tent, her emotions had already settled.
She had been carrying a grievance. Lu Danqing, Su Sheng, the departed Lin Feng, the previously arrived Jin Yu, the now-arrived Su Zhe — some had seniority over her, some had less. But without exception, every single one of them had a better background than she did. This difference in birth was not something she felt constituted any great matter in itself — but people like them were raised from childhood with a certain temperament. When things went well, it was manageable; when things went badly, a bad temper occasionally broke through. And this was an army camp — a front line.
She knew her own abilities were not lacking. But advancing three steps and retreating two, spending vast quantities of provisions and suffering no small number of casualties — that was not something she could justify on paper.
She understood the reason. But she could not say it aloud. And the very fact of Zhù Ying coming in person, whatever the true cause, would look, from the outside, like an expression of “distrust.” You could believe in her loyalty while doubting her ability, couldn’t you?
She was also young — and this was her first time commanding so many children of prominent tribal families in battle. Zhù Qingjun had her own pride, and it was very hard for her to accept this kind of predicament, and even harder to want to complain about it.
But Zhù Ying had come — and with a single “you are the commanding general, we follow you,” she had at least patched over the surface.
“Now that you’re here, Grandmaster, we feel steadier inside,” she said as she entered the tent, catching Jin Yu in the middle of saying exactly this.
Zhù Ying noticed Zhù Qingjun; Zhù Qingjun noticed Zhù Ying. Zhù Ying had not taken the commanding seat — she had dragged over a camp stool and sat off to one side of it.
Zhù Qingjun at once invited her to take the main seat. Zhù Ying said: “You are the commanding general — that seat rightly belongs to you. I came here to hide from someone. The new prefect next door is trying to force a meeting, and I want nothing to do with him. Let him cool his heels a while, and we’ll talk later. You come — you come.”
Zhù Qingjun insisted three times over.
Zhù Ying said: “You are the commanding general. We were just saying — how can it be that we feel steadier now that I’ve arrived? Clearly it’s the other way around: when I see all of you, I feel steadier.
In the past — whether in the north or the far west — I was the backup. Now I am the weak point. Before, with me behind you, you could charge ahead without a care, unconcerned with what lay behind. Now, with me at the rear, you will never dare to open a gap that leaves me — leaves Wuzhou — directly exposed to the enemy. You cannot open that gap, and so you are trapped, confined to a cage of your own making. Your strength has been clipped, and naturally advance and retreat have both become difficult.
Today it happens that I fled someone and ended up here at your side. I will not be a weak point — give your orders.”
The emotions that Zhù Qingjun had managed to calm surged up once more. Zhù Ying had spoken aloud every thought that had been locked inside her — and in doing so, had taken responsibility onto her own shoulders.
Zhù Qingjun said: “Please preside over the central command! We strike out!”
“Good.”
Zhù Ying would hold the center while the others launched the offensive. That was settled in a single sentence, but the specifics required more careful planning: how many soldiers Zhù Ying had in hand, who would remain with her as protection, how many separate strike columns would go out, how many soldiers in each, which directions they would move, roughly when they would set out, what each column’s objective was, whether to disengage on a favorable outcome or to pursue relentlessly, and so on.
In the end, it was decided that Su Zhe and Jin Yu would stay while the other three moved out. Neither was willing — but Zhù Qingjun said: “We rotate. Danqing and Xiao Sheng have fought through this engagement, and their forces need rest — you two step up. So you hold the rear for now.”
That was acceptable.
Zhù Qingjun reminded Zhù Ying: “The enemy is fierce! They are fond of killing in front of the battle line!”
Zhù Ying said: “I know.”
They divided their forces. Zhù Qingjun had wanted to leave a larger number of soldiers for Zhù Ying’s protection — both for Zhù Ying’s safety and because taking too many on the march risked stragglers and delays, which could cause its own problems.
Zhù Ying said: “Take as many as you need to function. Don’t worry about me here.”
Zhù Qingjun and the others split into three strike columns and set off to raid the enemy’s supply lines. Scattered granaries were not a concern — they would raid in scattered formation as well. If nothing else, they could move at a faster pace.
On this side, Zhù Ying ordered her own great banner lowered and raised Zhù Qingjun’s flag in its place over the camp. Whatever days could be bought by the ruse, she would buy them.
And so it went for several days. The opposing coalition received word that the supply lines had been cut. The Jima family chieftain found it deeply strange: “This is not something they could have done — too swift. Unless it was Zhù Qingjun herself — but then who is in that camp opposite us?!”
The Sangli family chieftain said: “How about we test them? If she’s not there, we smash straight through! I swear I’ll take every last one of them as slaves!”
His words were viciously spoken. His family’s slaves had been running away without stop, and on top of that, the fighting had been happening on his territory. The consumption of provisions had been particularly severe for him, and it gnawed at him terribly.
“Good! Pick twenty slaves, and beat the war drums!”