Chapter 53

◎Ghostly sounds from all directions◎

Snow Wolf Pass has been surrendered.

Four thousand men captured the city from a garrison of twenty thousand.

Amidst the torrential rain, the heavy city gates slowly opened from the inside, and the soldiers of Da Yan outside gripped their weapons tightly. Yet, in the dim light of dawn, only the silhouette of a young man slowly appeared.

The man rode a tall horse, clad in cold, hard armor; his silhouette against the light was tall and elegant.

The crowd parted automatically, making way for him.

The young man spurred his horse forward. The horse moved slowly, but the clear sound of its hooves was particularly distinct in the rainy night before dawn.

With his sword sheathed, Su Lu rode up to Xie Yutang, dismounted, and knelt gracefully on one knee. With an upright posture and respectful demeanor, he said loudly, "Welcome, General, into the city."

The Northern Rong soldiers behind him dropped their weapons, bowed their heads and knelt down: "Welcome, General, into the city."

The resounding cheers signaled the end of this siege battle where a smaller force triumphed over a larger one.

The stormtroopers wiped the blood from their faces, exchanged glances, and a visibly gleeful expression spread across their faces as they belatedly realized the truth—

We won.

They won.

Amid cheers from the soldiers, Xie Yutang dismounted and helped Su Lu to his feet.

She had just confirmed that he was not seriously injured.

Their eyes met, Xie Yutang smiled slightly, patted his shoulder, and walked forward.

Step by step, treading on blood, mud, broken wood, and corpses scattered all over the ground, they stepped onto the battlements.

The crowd gradually quieted down.

Countless eyes were fixed on the female general as she thrust her sword into the crack between the bricks, leaving a unique sword mark on the centuries-old bricks with the dragon pattern on the hilt.

The veteran who understood it was instantly moved to tears.

This is a ritual that the Xie family's Divine Wind Cavalry must perform when breaking through a city.

However, in the past, it was Xie Qing and the old general who wielded the sword.

Now, it is Xie Yutang.

Suddenly, a strange noise came from below the city wall. Yue Hongcai was seen kneeling in the pile of corpses, scooping up blood with his helmet and pouring it on his face, washing away the mud from his face.

"Your humble servant has repented and reformed!"

He roared, "From this day forward, I, Yue Hongcai, will gladly serve the general!"

Blood streamed down his chin, but his eyes shone brightly.

Xie Yutang walked up to him and extended her hand.

Taking advantage of the situation, Yue Hongcai stood up. The silent general did not say a word, nodded, and walked into the city.

The soldiers of Dayan then came to their senses and escorted her into the city.

But Su Lu was nowhere to be seen. Just as Xie Yutang was about to call for help, she suddenly heard a low shout from the battlements. Xie Yutang stopped and looked over, and saw the young man she was looking for take out a military flag from his pocket and reverently cover the sword mark she had left with both hands.

Blood quickly soaked through the fabric. The young man raised his hands, and the black flag with red patterns fluttered in the wind. It was a military flag bearing the imprint of her sword marks.

Xie Yutang was deeply moved.

The young man's action ignited everyone's passion, and she saw this truth in their faces—

From this day forward, the Xie family army flag will no longer be imbued with the glory of her father's generation.

*

"The general is too clever; he actually thought of soaking a horse's tail in kerosene to attract lightning to strike it."

"Horsetail resin is highly flammable. If you tie a torch to the horsetail beforehand and then soak it in kerosene, it will burn even in a downpour."

"But why did the lightning strike the horse's tail? Could it be that our general truly possesses extraordinary powers, capable of manipulating thunder and lightning?"

"The general instructed that the bronze magnetic chain be wound around the top of the torch, and then connected to the horsehair rope soaked in oil via the iron handle. The lightning would then naturally go to the horsehair?"

"But why is the flame in the horse's tail blue-green? Could it be some kind of will-o'-the-wisp?"

"What will-o'-the-wisp? You don't understand. When you grind malachite and bronze into powder and mix it into kerosene, the resulting flame is blue-green."

"What about the ghost soldiers?"

"They're all straw figures, made in advance and placed on the mountain. The straw figures at the front are dressed in armor and armed with weapons. From a distance, they look just like ghost soldiers."

"Ugh, don't even mention it. I was the one who used tree branches to sweep up the dust and fog during marches. I spent the whole night sweeping the floor with my head down, and now my back and waist are killing me!"

"You should be grateful. I was playing the ghost. The general made me wear white clothes and stand on the outer city wall with my hair all over the place. It was raining late at night, and I was freezing."

"Alright."

Xie Qi walked by carrying a stack of documents. "It's been three days and we still haven't had enough. The latest batch of military rations has just arrived. You'd be better off doing something productive with this free time."

The soldiers perked up when they saw it was Xie Qi: "Our great victory this time wouldn't have been possible without the help of the girls from Zuixianlou. Seventh Master, why don't you call the girls over so we can thank them in person..."

Before he could even speak, Xie Qi kicked him in the butt: "Dream on! Get back to work!"

Xie Qi was one of Xie Yutang's secret guards, and also a piece of her scheme that she had planted early on at Snow Wolf Pass.

Because of his memories from his previous life, Xie Yutang knew that there would be a battle at Snow Wolf Pass. He made arrangements in advance, having Xie Qi, disguised as Master Qi, open a Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the most prosperous part of the city. This Drunken Immortal Pavilion had the most beautiful music, the most graceful dances, and the most intoxicating wine. No high-ranking official or nobleman who entered the city would not miss a visit here. Relying on this, Xie Qi secretly gathered a lot of intelligence and would summarize and report to Xie Yutang every month.

His inside help was indispensable in this siege plan; the sound of the wind was the work of the girls in the building.

The sound of the ocarina is eerie, and the torrential rain makes it difficult to pinpoint the source of the sound. The sound spreads with the wind, creating the illusion that "ghostly sounds come from all directions," making the atmosphere chilling.

Xie Qi waited outside the door. After being informed, he entered and first curtsied, saying, "Xie Qi greets Miss."

Xie Yutang, who was writing with his head down at the table, waved his hand upon hearing this, saying, "No need for formalities."

Xie Qi handed over the documents in his hand: "Everyone has arrived and is waiting outside the door."

Xie Yutang took the book and flipped through it. It listed the heads of grain merchants, salt and iron tycoons, pawnshop and money shop owners, academy principals, clan leaders, and so on. All the well-known gentry in the city were listed. It detailed what kind of business these people did, who they associated with, their likes and dislikes, and their political views.

Xie Yutang raised an eyebrow: "You're quite fast."

Xie Qi dared not take credit: "It is thanks to Prince Su that we were able to organize this. These annotations were also written by the Prince."

Xie Yutang turned to one of the pages and saw that the records here contained detailed annotations in small regular script, specifying how the person was used, what their purpose was, whether they were trustworthy, and whether there was any possibility of winning them over. The writing was restrained yet sharp, and the words were concise, accurate, and to the point.

Xie Yutang stared at that page of text for a while.

Xie Qi was also pondering. As a former member of the Xie family, he had always served General Xie. Later, the Xie family was destroyed, and the once glorious aristocratic families scattered. Only those of them who were hidden in the shadows were preserved and all fell into Xie Yutang's hands.

Unlike her husband, this daughter of a military family always kept some things to herself and never said everything. They couldn't fully understand her thoughts, but they had heard that since being taken to the capital by Emperor Chongde, she had enjoyed the utmost favor and had a reputation for being arrogant and domineering.

At first, Miss supported the Third Prince Lin Tan, but at the beginning of the year, for some reason, her attitude suddenly took a 180-degree turn. Not long after, they heard that she had kidnapped the young master of the Muqing Prince's Mansion and raised him in the mansion. Before they could even finish being shocked, they received a handwritten letter from Miss, in which she granted the authority to dispatch secret guards to that young master Su Lu.

This... is a right that only the head of the Xie family and his wife possess.

They all felt that this matter was extraordinary and were preparing to write to the young lady to advise her not to be blinded by beauty. However, the order from Prince Su Lu arrived first.

His tone was quite gentle, explaining in detail what to do, why to do it, and how to do it. He even pointed out the things that Xie Qi was stuck on, making him suddenly understand.

Not only Xie Qi, but also the other secret guards scattered in various places were in the same situation.

No one who could serve as Xie's secret guards was a fool; after a few rounds, they all came to admire this Prince Su wholeheartedly.

So the question arises: with Su Lu's background and talent, why... Xie Qi understood.

Su Shizi's affection for his young lady, and his young lady's affection for Su Shizi, their hearts are in sync and they hit it off immediately—doesn't all of this make sense?

But now, he feels like he doesn't understand at all.

Miss has been in charge of Snow Wolf Pass for several days now, and Prince Su has been left out in the cold for just as long.

Inspecting city defenses, granaries, and armories; settling surrendered soldiers, reorganizing the army; pacifying the people and restoring livelihoods... everything in the city needs Miss, and everything is inseparable from Miss. Miss is so busy every day that, if you think about it carefully, it seems that she hasn't even seen Prince Su's face once.

If this Prince Su were ugly, that would be one thing, but he had seen him before, and his face was truly... tsk, how to put it, even a man like him would blush if he looked at him a few more times, how could Miss Su possibly resist?

Xie Yutang closed the booklet and placed it on the table: "Let them in."

Xie Qi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly gathered his thoughts and invited the city gentry who were waiting outside in one by one.

This was Xie Yutang's first meeting with the city's gentry after capturing Xuelang Pass. At the same time, these people were also using this opportunity to observe Princess Ning'an. After a conversation, they discovered that she was not as arrogant and domineering as rumored. The female general in the main seat was not old, but she had a calm and composed demeanor. When she looked at you, her eyes seemed to see right through you, which was not what one would expect from a woman who had only been married for three years.

Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve. With the year drawing to a close and the city celebrating a great victory, everyone in the city is making special preparations, and the festive atmosphere is palpable everywhere.

Xie Yutang also had spring money prepared, which was presented in a red brocade pouch, symbolizing "suppressing evil spirits".

The brocade pouch contained Da Yan Tong Bao coins. Xue Lang Pass had changed hands twice in just a few months, and the people in the city still sided with Da Yan. They were forced to use Bei Rong coins for some time. Now, seeing Da Yan Tong Bao coins again, they were all filled with emotion. Several elders even carefully stroked the engravings on the coin surface, their eyes filled with tears.

Not long after the Northern Rong occupied Xuelang Pass, the recovered Da Yan Tong Bao coins had not yet been completely destroyed and were piled up in the city's warehouse. Xie Yutang had already ordered people to clean and organize them and gradually put them into circulation.

"It's not just about the circulation of Da Yan Tong Bao coins, but also the recall of Bei Rong coins. This matter involves people's livelihoods, and we need the cooperation of Manager Zhou Baizhi of Jubao Money Shop."

Bai Zhi was also on that list this week, but when Xie Yutang said this, everyone looked at each other awkwardly, and no one stepped forward.

Xie Yutang raised an eyebrow: "What?"

"Sir, Manager Zhou... he caught a cold and is resting at home. I'm afraid... he won't be able to come."

"This is outrageous!"

Xie Qi was furious and drew his sword from his waist. "This Zhou fellow won't listen to reason, he'll have to suffer the consequences."

The gentry in the hall had never seen real swords and spears before, and they were all so frightened that they dared not breathe. Several old men even looked like they were about to faint. Xie Yutang waved his hand to stop Xie Qi from drawing his sword.

Everyone knew of Xie Qi's anger.

Just yesterday, Zhou Baizhi was having tea and snacks at Yipinlou in the city, strolling through the flower market, and even went to Zuixianlou to have the girls sing a song. Everyone who saw him said he looked radiant and healthy. How could he have caught a cold overnight?

It's probably not that he just caught a cold; he's just making excuses to avoid coming.

Xie Yutang, as the Princess of Ning'an, also holds military power. Not to mention the small Xuelang Pass, she is a powerful figure who can turn the tide of events even in the entire Dayan.

This week, Bai Zhi lost several lives, yet he dared to publicly humiliate Xie Yutang.

The unfortunate soldier in charge of making the appointment knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. The excuse was so crude that even a rough man like him who hadn't read many books could tell. How could Princess Ning'an not understand it?

The soldier was afraid of being punished, and seeing that there were many gentry people today, he originally thought he could get away with it. But he was called out by Xie Yutang in public. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Manager Zhou said that he was unwell and could not go out. He asked me to bring this item as a New Year's gift for you, sir."

The soldier tremblingly pulled a brocade box from his bosom, opened it, and found a single ear of wheat inside.

"Manager Zhou said that the symbolism of wheat ears can be traced back to the eight directions, signifying both a bountiful harvest and the morale of the soldiers. He offered this item to the general, hoping that he would scatter it along the winding grain routes, so that when autumn comes next year, the fields will be covered in golden armor, forever protecting the mountains and rivers."

Xie Qi had a hundred and eight complaints about Bai Zhi this week, but Xie Yutang blocked him, so he couldn't make a scene. He just sneered, "You're certainly sharp-tongued."

Xie Yutang's eyes suddenly narrowed.

These few words of blessing are full of wit and insight.

Back then, General Xie's Divine Wind Cavalry was ambushed and its military rations were sold off, leaving 30,000 troops trapped in an isolated city, running out of ammunition and food.

Almost all those in the know are dead, and this matter is absolutely taboo. In her previous life, she had only managed to find some clues after several secret investigations. Even though Wen Zhong had revealed this matter in court with Cui Hu's letter, Emperor Chongde had already ordered the news to be blocked. This week, Bai Zhi was far away in Xuelang Pass, so there should have been no way he knew.

His gesture of presenting wheat ears as a gift, and his constant references to "soldiers and armor," was it a coincidence or intentional?

Xie Yutang showed no emotion, but raised his hand, and his two hands immediately presented the brocade box.

Xie Yutang stared intently at the box of wheat ears: "Manager Zhou, this gift is truly to my liking. Since you are unwell, you should take good care of yourself. I will visit you again another day."

She referred to herself as "this palace," using the identity of Princess Ning'an. It was much gentler for a princess of the court to meet with gentry than for a ruthless general to come and interrogate them. The people's hearts were slightly relieved, and they secretly cursed Zhou Baizhi for being hypocritical and almost implicated them.

Xie Yutang, however, seemed completely unaffected and continued to interact warmly with everyone as usual.

"Tomorrow, I will hold a grand ceremony in the city, firstly to celebrate the spring and secondly to reward the soldiers for their merits. I hope you will all grace us with your presence."

Everyone said "I dare not" and "I am honored." The gathering passed without incident. When they went out, the cold wind of December blew and they realized that their chests and backs were soaked.

Once the door is closed, Xie Qi can no longer tolerate it.

"Miss, you asked me to bring that Zhou fellow here. I want to see what kind of medicine he's up to!"

Xie Yutang slowly sipped his tea with the lid, about to speak, when a guard outside announced, "My lord, Prince Su has returned."