Previously, Qu Yunmie shamelessly claimed that he would recover in five days, but almost ten days had passed and he was still in the healing phase.

This wasn’t because Qu Yunmie was overly arrogant, but rather because he and Xiao Rong had different definitions of what “recovered” meant. Xiao Rong believed that the wound was considered healed only when it had completely closed, while Qu Yunmie thought he was fine as long as he could hold a weapon.

…

At the end of August, the autumn wind turned bleak. All the white bandages of various sizes on Qu Yunmie’s body had been removed, leaving only one remaining above the collarbone. He no longer needed to wear just an outer robe. After dressing properly again, Qu Yunmie felt as if a weight had been lifted off him.

As a commander who was rough in most respects, he was unexpectedly particular about his attire.

…

Although Xiao Rong still didn’t allow Qu Yunmie to return to the battlefield, he didn’t go so far as to insist that Qu Yunmie must wait until fully healed to resume command of the army—that would have taken forever. So in a few more days, once Qu Yunmie’s complexion improved, he could return to the front lines.

The previous battle had been one of revenge. This time, it was an upgraded version of that. While Qu Yunmie recovered, soldiers with assignments stared down the Xianbei on the other side, full of killing intent. Those without tasks trained with pent-up aggression. Everyone waited for the day they could strike back. Among the entire army of several hundred thousand, there was hardly a single deserter.

That applied to the Northern Army only, reinforcements weren’t included.

…

Inside the royal tent, four generals, the Yu brothers, the monk, and Xiao Rong all gathered to discuss the upcoming battle plans.

They hadn’t called in the reinforcements yet because this was just a private meeting. Once they agreed on a plan, they would hold a larger meeting to give the reinforcements the illusion that they were also involved in the planning process.

…

Jian Qiao said, “Based on the current morale, I estimate we can push our front line forward by another ten li in this battle.”

Previously, after days of fighting, they had only pushed forward about six or seven li. Now they could move ten li in a day, which made it seem like they could drive the main Xianbei force back into their city.

If the Xianbei didn’t return to the city, they would end up directly facing the Northern Army. That would significantly increase the danger and the risk of a surprise attack.

Yuan Baifu said, “If they retreat into the city, then we become passive.”

Yu Shaoxie said, “Then we should cut off their troops. Have the central army charge, and let the right and front armies flank from both sides. We must trap the main Xianbei forces outside.”

Yuan Baifu: “…”

He commanded the left army. Wang Xinyong led the rear army. The front and rear armies belonged to Jian Qiao and Gongsun Yuan. Was Yu Shaoxie helping Jian Qiao snatch battle credit from him because they were close?

The same words could mean different things depending on who heard them and how they interpreted them. Whether or not Yu Shaoxie meant it that way, no one could say for sure—but the long-frustrated Yuan Baifu felt that he did.

He even directly asked Yu Shaoxie, “Then what should the left and rear armies do?”

Xiao Rong glanced at Yuan Baifu. Qu Yunmie was right there. Asking Yu Shaoxie like this might make Qu Yunmie think Yu Shaoxie was overstepping.

Still, Yu Shaoxie was also partly to blame. See how quiet he became now? Even someone like Xiao Rong, who had never worked in an office, knew that during meetings, you weren’t supposed to jump in with your own thoughts first. You should wait to hear the leader’s ideas and then respond accordingly.

…

Yu Shaoxie could be steady at times, but also blunt and impulsive. Clearly, this was one of his impulsive moments. He was too focused on reaching a conclusion and failed to notice Yuan Baifu’s subtle attitude.

Yu Shaocheng had been silent all along, but at this moment, he suddenly spoke. “Change the general and the troops become disloyal? Who exactly are they disloyal to—the King or General Gongsun?”

Gongsun Yuan: “…”

He had only spoken up to support Yuan Baifu because he disliked him. In truth, no general wanted his troops to be divided, but Yu Shaocheng had hit the nail on the head. All of them belonged to the Northern Army, all were the King’s soldiers. What instability in morale was there to speak of?

Realizing that saying more would be counterproductive, Gongsun Yuan fell silent.

Xiao Rong watched the undercurrents between these men and suddenly understood something.

These days, he had been so focused on Qu Yunmie’s injuries and that troublesome bunch from the Qingfeng Sect that he hadn’t noticed the unrest within the army. It wasn’t just due to Qu Yunmie’s sudden injury, but also because the command structure that had remained stable for years was now disrupted by a dark horse.

Yu Shaocheng had always served as a guard commander. Yuan Baifu didn’t know him, and neither did Gongsun Yuan or Jian Qiao. Yet now he had suddenly shown his prowess, at a time when the god-like Qu Yunmie had fallen injured. Not only had he saved Qu Yunmie, but he had also recovered the bones of the Qu wife Ishtar.

That single achievement was enough for Yu Shaocheng to dine out for life.

He wasn’t a freeloader. He was young, capable, and brave. When he hadn’t demonstrated his abilities, people didn’t notice him. Once he did, they couldn’t help but pay attention.

He was born to be a general, perhaps even a commander. Ordinary soldiers admired him, but for fellow generals, their feelings were more complicated.

Even someone as loyal as Jian Qiao could feel envy or jealousy—what about everyone else?

Judging by Yu Shaocheng’s demeanor, he likely already realized this. That was why he didn’t act humble toward Gongsun Yuan, and even pointed out his flaw. It was both a deadly strike and a quiet show of loyalty to Qu Yunmie. No matter which army he was in, in his eyes, they all belonged to the King—they were all the Northern Army.

Xiao Rong: “…”

He paused, then wondered if he was overthinking it. Maybe Yu Shaocheng didn’t have all those thoughts—he just wanted to back up his brother.

…

The deployment of the four armies wasn’t up to Yu Shaoxie, so no one argued for long. Soon, everyone turned to look at Qu Yunmie sitting at the head. Meeting their gazes, Qu Yunmie spoke in a low voice. “This is all nonsense. I won’t give them the chance to retreat into the city.”

Everyone: “…”

Of course—Your Majesty was the true master of bold talk.

Yu Shaoxie was confused. “Won’t let them retreat into the city? How is that possible? Once they realize the battle is unfavorable, the Xianbei general will definitely order a retreat. This is the Murong branch of the Xianbei, not the Yuwen branch. They won’t just sit and wait for death.”

Xiao Rong tilted his head and suddenly asked, “Your Majesty, do you have another plan?”

Qu Yunmie curled his lips at him.

Mijing raised his eyes and, seeing this, his eyelid twitched.

…

Qu Yunmie said, “In the first battle, I will not go all out. Once I push the Xianbei army back by five li, I will pretend that my old wound has flared up again and order a rest. The five-li buffer will make them wary but not enough to force them back into the city. They will definitely conduct day-and-night patrols to guard against my next move.”

Yu Shaoxie was a little stunned. He wasn’t used to seeing Qu Yunmie speak at such length—nor used to him taking over the planning entirely.

However, in truth, this had always been how Qu Yunmie commanded: he made the plans and executed them himself. It was just that the Northern Army never had this kind of meeting process before, so no one realized how many thoughts Qu Yunmie actually had.

While the others stared somewhat blankly, Qu Yunmie smiled slightly and continued his plan. “The city’s defenses will be weak. Everyone will focus on the main force of the Northern Army. At that moment, I will take a small unit and quietly infiltrate Shengle. With coordination inside and out, we’ll break the city. The soldiers left behind will also be able to slaughter the Xianbei army to their hearts’ content.”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

What a simple yet brutally direct plan.

Wang Xinyong couldn’t help but ask, “Quietly? How does Your Majesty plan to sneak in quietly?”

Qu Yunmie answered, “By climbing the wall.”

Wang Xinyong: “…”

So concise.

Jian Qiao was stunned. “The city walls of Shengle are four zhang high, with smooth surfaces and no footholds. How will Your Majesty climb up?!”

Qu Yunmie paused, then impatiently said. “I can climb up.”

Jian Qiao: “…”

He felt like he was losing his mind. “Then what about the other soldiers? Is it just Your Majesty climbing up alone?!”

Qu Yunmie frowned. “Out of all these people, can’t I find a few who can climb walls?”

Jian Qiao: “…”

How many could that be?!

Maybe four or five. Sneaking in with just four or five people—it was no different than charging into enemy territory alone!

Your Majesty, you’ve really forgotten the pain once the wound healed. Did you forget what Mr. Xiao said about you?!

He—wait, no.

Jian Qiao suddenly looked at Xiao Rong and realized Xiao Rong hadn’t objected at all. In fact, he had a thoughtful expression on his face.

Jian Qiao’s entire face froze in horror.

Mr. Xiao, how could you even be led astray by His Majesty?!

…

 

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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