Zhao Hanzhang slept in her clothes. In the darkness, clusters of flames appeared—people holding torches were staring at her.
Seeing her look over, those torch-bearers showed expressions of excitement and cruelty, then hurled their torches at her. The torches struck her body, and flames surged upward in an instant, engulfing her completely…
Agonized screams erupted continuously around her. She turned her head to look and saw Fu Tinghan, Zhao Erlang, Ji Yuan, and others all ablaze with roaring flames…
Zhao Hanzhang’s limbs jerked violently, and her eyes snapped open.
She sensed her hands were being restrained and turned to look with lingering fear. Fu Tinghan sat beside her, gripping her hands firmly.
He took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead, leaning close to ask quietly, “Did you have a nightmare? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
“I had a nightmare?” Zhao Hanzhang’s eyes held some confusion, then became resolute. “Yes, that was a nightmare.”
Fu Tinghan finished wiping her sweat and pulled her up to a sitting position, then opened a water pouch and handed it to her.
Zhao Hanzhang reached out to take it and gulped down half the pouch. She wiped her mouth, and from the corner of her eye noticed Fu Tinghan’s hand had a patch of red, seemingly with blood. She quickly grabbed his hand and saw fingernail marks. Her heart filled with guilt. “Did I do this?”
Fu Tinghan smiled faintly at her and tried to pull his hand back. “It’s nothing.”
But Zhao Hanzhang grabbed his hand again. “It’s bleeding—how can it be nothing?”
She rummaged through her small bundle and pulled out a bottle of medicine. “Let me apply some for you.”
Fu Tinghan had been letting her hold his hand, but seeing her actually take out medicine, he firmly refused. “It really is nothing—just some marks. Medicine is precious. Save it for emergencies.”
Zhao Hanzhang insisted on applying the powder to his wounds and wrapping them with a handkerchief. “Now that it’s getting hot, and with so many dead around here, we need to be careful.”
Lying nearby, Beigong Chun couldn’t help but raise his head to glance at the two of them, then let his head drop back to the ground with a deep exhale, filled with infinite melancholy.
Fu Tinghan looked at the handkerchief barely tied in a knot around his hand, clenched his fist, and placed it behind his back. “Tomorrow, let me go with you.”
Zhao Hanzhang shook her head in refusal. “It’s too dangerous. If Shi Le proves stubborn and unwilling, we’ll probably have to fight another battle. With Counselor Ji leading the main army here, making a quick raid and retreat could result in casualties.”
Fu Tinghan replied, “You underestimate me too much. While I may not be as capable as you at fighting on the battlefield, I can certainly manage to escape.”
Seeing Zhao Hanzhang about to object again, he said, “You’ll still need a military advisor to manage the rear. Whether you’re ransoming or seizing people, once you have them, you’ll need someone to command their departure. Otherwise, if you seize a scattered mob that can’t be led away, they’ll just die in the wilderness anyway.”
Zhao Hanzhang fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “Alright!”
Fu Tinghan’s lips curved slightly upward.
The next day before dawn, Zhao Hanzhang had all the cavalry awakened. They prepared wagons and loaded all the confiscated valuables onto them.
Oh, the wagons were also cobbled together from abandoned baggage along the road.
Ji Yuan was quite pleased. He reported to Zhao Hanzhang: “Just from yesterday’s battle alone, we captured over ten thousand horses, and over ten thousand cattle and mules as well.”
Zhao Hanzhang: “Give me a specific number. Ten thousand is ‘over ten thousand,’ but ninety thousand is also ‘over ten thousand.'”
Ji Yuan’s face darkened, and he looked at her with tired, shadowed eyes. “Yuan is incompetent—in just one night, I couldn’t finish counting the spoils of war.”
Hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang immediately said, “It’s my fault for being too impatient. You must forgive me, Counselor. When I return from Shi Le’s camp, I’ll buy you a jar of Hundred-Day Intoxication from Grand Smoothness Hall.”
Ji Yuan’s expression improved and he even smiled. “As long as my lord returns safely, that’s enough. I don’t care about any Hundred-Day or Thousand-Day Intoxication.”
Fu An, who was packing nearby, muttered to himself: If you don’t care, why look so obviously happy? That wine will be paid for by my young master anyway.
Beigong Chun had also assembled his troops. He clasped his fists and said, “General, the Xiliang Army is ready.”
“Good.” Zhao Hanzhang immediately turned, pulled her spear from the ground, and mounted. “We move out!”
Ting He hurriedly bowed to Ji Yuan and chased after Zhao Hanzhang.
Fu An also quickly grabbed his bundle and followed. Ji Yuan sighed and could only stand there watching them depart.
Fu Tinghan was already waiting on horseback, perhaps afraid Zhao Hanzhang might leave without him.
Zhao Hanzhang leaped onto her horse, glanced back at the personal guards following Fu Tinghan, and nodded slightly. When they returned, they should indeed station some people around Fu Tinghan for greater safety.
“Move out!”
Zhao Hanzhang took the lead. Fu Tinghan and Beigong Chun followed one step behind her. The Xiliang Army and Zhao family army followed behind them respectively, their banners unfurling high.
Nearby stragglers and civilians who had been gathered all raised their heads to watch these two banners. A sense of security they themselves hadn’t noticed arose in their hearts.
Marching at night was difficult, especially when they had seized so many Jin people—they certainly wouldn’t march in darkness.
So their distance from Shi Le wasn’t very far.
But as dawn broke on their side, it naturally also broke where Shi Le’s forces were temporarily encamped.
They needed to make a decision soon—leave, or turn back to continue targeting Zhao Hanzhang.
Liu Yuan had dispatched two armies to coordinate with Shi Le, but this offensive was still primarily Shi Le’s responsibility.
So everyone looked to Shi Le.
Wang Zhang had suffered defeat and fled in disgrace yesterday, losing great face. Therefore, he was unwilling to leave just like this and proposed continuing the southern offensive. “That Zhao Hanzhang is merely a woman—how can she compare to the general? Moreover, Luoyang is currently vulnerable. As long as we take down Zhao Hanzhang, we can march straight to Luoyang. Then the achievement of capturing the city and the emperor will be yours, General.”
To say he wasn’t tempted would be impossible. But Shi Le had encountered Zhao Hanzhang twice without gaining any advantage, which made him hesitant.
Zhang Bin, the strategist at Shi Le’s side, spoke up: “General, though Zhao Hanzhang is a woman, she possesses courage and wisdom equal to any man. She must not be underestimated.”
He continued, “Yesterday she rescued nearly one hundred thousand stragglers. With slight reorganization, those one hundred thousand can be used by her. At this moment, in these desolate wilds, what benefit is there in contending with her? The general shouldn’t have burned Prince Donghai’s coffin in front of them yesterday…”
Wang Zhang sneered and interrupted, “The general did so to proclaim to the world that Prince Donghai deserved death. This act was carrying out heaven’s will, restoring clarity to the realm. Even if the general were to take the Jin emperor’s place, it would be perfectly justified…”
“Silence!” Both Zhang Bin and Shi Le shouted at him simultaneously. Shi Le even drew his great blade and held it to Wang Zhang’s throat. “Are you trying to sow discord between me and His Majesty?”
Wang Zhang’s face paled slightly. He quickly explained, “I wouldn’t dare! I absolutely didn’t mean that.”
While they were arguing, dust could be seen rising in the distance. Zhao Hanzhang, sensing unease, urged her horse forward, galloping ahead with just a dozen riders. Beigong Chun controlled his horse’s speed, leading the army behind.
Wang Zhang watched Zhao Hanzhang in the distance growing larger and clearer. Realizing they couldn’t kill these people today, he felt some regret but quickly showed an evil smile. He said to Shi Le, “Zhang Bin is right, General. Why not drive these Jin people forward as vanguard, using them as shields? Zhao Hanzhang and her forces attacked from afar—they must be exhausted. We could take this opportunity to capture her.”
Shi Le glanced at him and said, “If even you can think of it, do you think Zhao Hanzhang can’t? Look at the gap between her and the army behind her—they’ll catch up in moments. We don’t know how many troops she’s brought. Attacking rashly would be suicide.”
Shi Le further suspected Wang Zhang was trying to lead him into error to give Wang Mi an opportunity to claim glory.
Oh, forgot to mention—Wang Zhang was Wang Mi’s younger brother. The two brothers shared the same cruel disposition.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Zhao Hanzhang arrived with her people. She didn’t approach too closely, stopping on the opposite riverbank.
Armies always encamped near water sources, and Shi Le was no exception. They were stationed beside a river, though the water was currently quite shallow.
The riverbed was dry, with only some water in the middle channel, barely reaching ankle height.
Zhao Hanzhang’s smiling face, initially directed at Shi Le, flickered when she saw the shallow water. Her smile dimmed slightly.
But she quickly cast aside these distracting thoughts and once again flashed a brilliant smile at Shi Le across the river. “General Shi, you’re looking well! After just one night apart, you seem even more valiant and youthful.”
Shi Le narrowed his eyes, suspecting she was mocking him.
She wasn’t—Zhao Hanzhang sincerely meant the praise. Most importantly, she wanted to ease the relationship with Shi Le.
After all, yesterday she had nearly killed him, and he had nearly killed her.
Shi Le asked, “What brings Zhao Hanzhang all this way in pursuit?”
Zhao Hanzhang pointed at the Jin civilians they had encircled. “I’ve come to ransom people.”
Shi Le’s eyes narrowed. “Ransom people?”
“Yes.” Zhao Hanzhang sighed deeply. “I’m a woman with a soft heart. Among these people you’ve captured, who knows how many are someone’s parents, wives, children, or husbands? I truly couldn’t bear their separation, so when they begged me, I came to ransom them.”
Shi Le’s gaze passed over her to the two armies gradually arriving.
Noticing this, Zhao Hanzhang also turned to look at Beigong Chun leading the arriving forces. She smiled and turned back, settling properly on her horse, her smile deepening. “My soldiers have fought life-and-death battles following me. I can’t bear to sacrifice them needlessly. So if I can ransom people with money, I won’t make them fight.”
The implication: if Shi Le didn’t agree to the exchange, she would lead both armies against him in battle.
Shi Le felt he had already witnessed considerable shamelessness among the Han people. Today proved he had seen too little.
Zhao Hanzhang adopted an earnest manner. “General Shi, why rush? We’ve just completed one transaction. You kept faith, as did I. With this first time, can the second be far behind?”
Without waiting for Shi Le to respond, she said with a smile, “See—the second opportunity has already arrived.”
Zhao Hanzhang clapped her hands. Immediately, personal guards brought forward two chests and opened the first one, revealing bolts of exquisite silks and brocades. These items attracted the barbarian soldiers’ attention even more than jewels.
These were beautiful things that could only be produced in the Central Plains—techniques their barbarian people could never master no matter how they tried.
Zhao Hanzhang casually picked up a bolt of brocade. “Shu brocade—vivid colors, clear patterns, exquisite craftsmanship. This bolt in my hand is the finest among them. General Shi, how about I trade this Shu brocade for one person?”
“You dare ask for twenty or thirty people for one pearl, yet you offer just one bolt of brocade for one person?” Shi Le mocked. “Who does General Zhao want to exchange for?”
Zhao Hanzhang’s finger pointed directly at Wang Yan. “I’ll exchange for our court’s Minister of Works!”
Shi Le wasn’t foolish—releasing Wang Yan would be like releasing a tiger back to the mountains. He immediately refused: “No exchange!”
—