The sunlight is bright, but the February wind remains chilly. Seventh Chen stands at the entrance of Jiuling Hall, watching the curtain billow.
"What are you looking at?" Fang Jinxiu's voice echoes from behind.
"I'm not watching, I'm listening," Seventh Chen replies, glancing back at Fang Jinxiu.
Listening?
Fang Jinxiu walks over.
"...It's absolutely true. The Jurchen people were brought in by Duke of Chengguo..."
"...So Duke of Chengguo really defected to the Jurchen people?"
"...He fled with guilt, with no refuge in this world, so of course he would defect to the Jurchen people..."
"...It's said he colluded with the Jurchen people long ago. He has been entrenched in the northern lands for so long that he was already bought by the Jurchen people..."
"...Who would've thought Duke of Chengguo would be such a person..."
"...People are never satisfied with greed; his merits and power are so great..."
The wind carries the conversation from outside intermittently.
"Rubbish," Fang Jinxiu says, "What's there to listen to?"
Seventh Chen shrugs.
"Just passing time," he says, looking at Fang Jinxiu, "You're better off in Yangcheng; there's nothing to do here."
Learning that Miss Jun had been captured by Lu Yunqi, Fang Jinxiu hurried back.
"To collect wages," she says.
Seventh Chen laughs, about to speak when the voices outside grow louder.
"...Wait a minute, isn't it terrible? Duke of Chengguo is so powerful, leading the Jurchen people, invincible?"
"...Right, right, will they invade the capital? Let's quickly pack up and flee."
"...Why rush? The emperor hasn't fled yet..."
"...Relax, it won't happen. Without Duke of Chengguo, there's still Uncle Qinghe. Have you forgotten who Duke of Chengguo's soldiers served? Uncle Qinghe!"
"...They've already held them back, forced the Jurchen people back. Just wait and see, in a few days the Jurchen people will be begging for peace and surrender..."
"...Yes, yes, Uncle Qinghe is very capable. If he hadn't been falsely accused and caused a military revolt back then, there would be no Duke of Chengguo..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Jinxiu snorts.
"Rubbish," she reiterates, turning around to go inside.
Is Uncle Qinghe's capability rubbish too? Seventh Chen laughs heartily, about to turn around and go inside when he hears urgent hoofbeats on the street, accompanied by shouts.
"Urgent report, urgent report."
This sound has become familiar to everyone these past two months; it comes from the message soldiers dealing with the northern battle.
Seventh Chen can't resist lifting the curtain to look outside, seeing the bustling crowd parting for a dust-covered posthouse soldier galloping past.
Unknown whether this time brings good news or bad news.
.......
......
The emperor steps into the hall, where several waiting ministers bow in salute.
"What matter is this, so urgent?" the emperor asks, frowning.
The ministers exchange glances, eyes evasive for a moment, then one minister reluctantly steps forward.
"Your Majesty," he says, his voice trembling slightly, "Uncle Qinghe has lost contact."
The emperor is taken aback.
"Lost contact? What do you mean?" he asks.
...
...
February's weather in Qizhou is bitterly cold, especially after a bout of snowfall last night; though the snow is light, the ground is frozen over, appearing bone-chilling under the daylight sun.
Uncle Qinghe, wrapped in a thick wool cloak, has been standing atop the castle for a morning.
"Lord Bo, come inside and rest for a moment," the general beside him urges softly.
"How long has it been?" Uncle Qinghe doesn't reply but asks instead.
"It's been three days," the general quickly responds, "Lord Bo, rest assured, the message has been sent."
Uncle Qinghe's expression relaxes slightly, but his gaze remains deep as he looks ahead.
The view ahead is desolate, all around are ruins and broken walls, the trees on the ground burnt black by fire, while snow is blown away revealing the blood-stained soil.
It's clear a fierce battle took place here.
Further in the distance, a densely packed view of flags can be faintly seen.
Flags aren't terrifying; terrifying is the army beneath the flags.
"How many have come this time?" Uncle Qinghe asks again.
The general's head bows slightly.
"Three thousand came from the west," he replies.
"So now we're surrounded by a hundred thousand troops," Uncle Qinghe nods, saying.
Speaking this figure, he seems unfazed.
The general, still bowing, responds affirmatively.
"Fearful?" Uncle Qinghe looks at him and asks.
The general quickly straightens his posture.
"I am not afraid," he replies loudly.
Uncle Qinghe nods.
"There's nothing to fear; the Jurchen people excel in playing such siege battles," he says, "We have ample provisions and fear nothing."
"Lord Bo has great insight," the general says with admiration.
"Now that we've already broken through to send out the message, we'll face these Jin thieves directly, while our reinforcements can intercept from behind," Uncle Qinghe says.
The general again responds affirmatively.
As the conversation reached this point, the ground seemed to tremble, and Uncle Qinghe slightly squinted his eyes.
"It seems the Jin thief is going to attack again," he said, flicking his cloak, "Prepare to meet them."
The war drums sounded, and countless soldiers gathered once more.
Looking at the troops within the city, a few generals standing atop the fortress sighed and watched Uncle Qinghe walking down.
"Discernment, discernment, if he really had discernment, how would he have fallen into the Jurchen ambush," a general couldn't help but murmur.
The nearby general quickly shushed him.
"At a time like this, don't say it," he advised softly.
The previous general was still aggrieved.
"At a time like this, it should be spoken of; this non-discussion is why he becomes more and more obstinate and self-opinionated," he said, "He insisted on splitting forces for a combined attack, and what was the result? To be cut off by the Jurchen, besieged to this point."
The nearby general sighed.
"Luckily, we broke through, and reinforcements will arrive soon," he said, showing excitement, "The closest is Suning Pass."
Mentioning Suning Pass, the previous general's expression softened somewhat.
"At least he remembers he's a commander," he said, "Not mad enough to drive away the Qingshan Army, otherwise…."
The few generals turned to look outside the city, where the countless flags seemed to grow more numerous, pressing in the wind like a rolling, dark cloud.
.....
...
Teams of government soldiers busily conveyed the orders to break camp.
Inside the main camp tent, several generals pointed at the sand table, confirming the final details.
"Good, according to the plan sent by Lord Bo, we will proceed west from here…" a general said, "then turn north, crossing the Pingchuan River, to directly attack the Jurchen's east."
All the generals nodded in agreement.
"Good, since Lord Bo is besieged, it concerns the overall situation of the battle, please work together…" the leading general said solemnly.
A bearded general standing at the end of the line suddenly felt someone jab his arm.
He turned and saw it was an orderly.
The orderly didn't look at him, but stuffed something into his hand, then stood aside.
Surprised, the general glanced at the soldier, then lowered his head to feel what was in his palm.
A slip of paper.
What does it mean?
The general furrowed his brows, hesitated for a long time, then brushed his beard and raised his hand, glancing down at it, his expression suddenly horrified, instinctively covering his mouth.
"Old Wen, what are you eating?" a general next to him noticed and quietly asked.
General Wen nervously chuckled.
"Nothing, nothing, just swallowing saliva," he whispered.
The general laughed.
"Scared?" he asked softly.
General Wen quickly shook his head.
"How could I be," he said.
As their conversation reached this point, the general at the front loudly coughed.
"…Has everyone understood?" he asked, looking towards the pair speaking.
The other generals in the tent also looked over, their expressions somewhat indifferent and discontent.
It's already fortunate enough for you, as trusted relations of Duke Chengguo, to be able to command troops.
The two generals blushed deeply.
"Understood," they declared loudly.
"Then each return, break camp, and depart," the general said.
The people in the tent agreed in unison, turning to leave without hesitation. Although General Wen stood at the outermost, he didn't exit first but stepped aside to watch the generals stream out, his expression complex.
"Does Lord Wen have any other matters?" asked the general standing by the sand table.
General Wen looked at him.
"Lord Zong, it was Lord Bo's intention for us to cross the Pingchuan River and then attack the Jurchen from the east, correct?" he asked.
Lord Zong furrowed his brow slightly.
"Did you not hear what I just said?" he asked.
General Wen hesitated for a moment.
"No, I think, perhaps…" he said, finally gritting his teeth, bending forward with his head down, "I accept the command."
With that, he strode out.
Lord Zong, standing by the sand table, looked disdainful but said nothing more, focusing on the sand table with earnestness.
General Wen rode back to his station, where his subordinate generals had been waiting for a long time.
"Well?"
They evidently already knew Uncle Qinghe's army was besieged and that this assembly was to assist.
"Unbelievable that Uncle Qinghe fell for an ambush."
"It's hard to blame him given the Jurchen's might."
"I think we should cross Pingchuan River to support."
"No, I think we should raid the Jurchen's supply depots, as the Duke has said, the Jurchen are actually timid, they gather to appear strong, if their morale shakes, they can easily be dispersed."
"Who knows where their supplies are, we're not trusted enough to be informed, just to follow blindly."
Without waiting for General Wen to speak, they argued endlessly, ultimately reaching no conclusion.
"Where are we going?" they turned to General Wen, asking, "What does Lord Bo plan?"
General Wen looked at everyone, but a vision of the slip of paper he'd swallowed floated before him.
"We," he said slowly, emphasizing each word as if they weighed a thousand pounds, "head east, cross Xingta Mountain, to Songyuan."