Chapter 42 Invitation
When Yu Wanyin put down the telescope, she was startled to see everyone waiting for her.
She said apologetically, "There's no need to wait for me."
The prefect smiled ingratiatingly, "Could it be that the lady has spotted the troops stationed in Daizhou over there?"
“Yes.” Yu Wanyin nodded and handed the telescope to the attendant beside her.
The prefect said, "The garrison in Daizhou is large, and from a distance it looks like a vast, dark mass. We roughly estimate that there are about 20,000 soldiers in the camp."
“They have a lot of people, while we'd be lucky to have five thousand.”
Yu Wanyin pondered for a moment, "We can see a lot too."
The prefect, having heard some unusual words, looked at Yu Wanyin intently and asked, "Does Madam have any insightful opinions?"
“I don’t have any brilliant ideas either.” Yu Wanyin’s eyebrows curved into a smile. “Since they seem to have a lot of them, let’s set up camp inside or outside the city walls.”
"If we station twice as many troops as them, we'll have more."
The prefect smiled and shook his head, "Madam is joking. It's all empty camps, what use are they?"
Seeing that he denied it, Yu Wanyin didn't continue.
Rong Si had wanted to listen, but he was a little annoyed that he couldn't hear it anymore.
He ignored the urging from those around him and asked, "And then?"
Yu Wanyin paused for a moment, "Then... just put it here to scare them."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers chuckled softly.
They were probably laughing at the lady's naiveté.
To say something so simple.
"Daizhou came here after fighting Yanzhou. Although it can't be called a war of attrition, we are somewhat exhausted and have suffered losses."
“They will weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the enemy in every battle to ensure victory,” Yu Wanyin explained. “Although the expanded barracks are empty, they can still serve as a deterrent. Even if we fight, they will not dare to make any rash moves.”
The prefect shook his head, "That's only a temporary measure."
"Delaying it is better than nothing," Yu Wanyin thought, referring to their earlier concerns that the enemy would invade tomorrow. "At least they won't have to launch a full-scale attack all at once."
Rong Si looked at her, "What if they still raise an army after the appointed time has passed?"
“I think we should clear out the city during this period. Since Long’an is no longer safe, we should retreat to advance.” Yu Wanyin looked at the prefect. “It just so happens that the prefect is now in charge of both Long’an and Jiangling. Let’s move as many people as possible from the city to Jiangling, empty Long’an, and retreat to Jiangling first.”
"If the troops of Daizhou want to launch an attack during this period, one possibility is that they will send out all their troops to take it in one fell swoop. At that time, we will open the city gates wide, use the city as bait, lure the enemy in and try to annihilate them in one fell swoop. The enemy is in the open while we are in the dark. Even if we cannot capture everything, we should still have a good harvest."
"Another method was for them to attack the city in batches, bypassing the main gate where the troops were stationed, and attacking from both sides."
"This shows that they are cautious and will probe our strength first. They won't mobilize all their forces at once. They might leave 10,000 troops behind. Since their strength won't be that much, it will be easier to deal with them and their branches will fall apart."
After Yu Wanyin finished speaking, she found that everyone around her had quieted down.
Everyone was staring at her.
"How can you be sure that the enemy will attack according to your plan?"
Yu Wanyin was unsure, "Then what siege tactics does the general think you would use when facing an enemy much weaker than yourself?"
Of course, these are the two simplest ones.
Yu Wanyin lowered her eyes and backed down, "This is just my personal opinion; the specific decision rests with the Prefect."
Some people strongly resisted, saying, "The lady wants to turn Long'an into a battlefield."
Yu Wanyin understood his unease; this was his home.
The fact that he was unwilling to leave even when the enemy was at the gates shows that Long'an was very important to him. "But Long'an will become a battlefield sooner or later."
Given their current situation of being outnumbered and outgunned.
Within a mere twenty miles, five thousand soldiers faced off against tens of thousands of enemies.
The odds of winning are too slim.
The prefect was undecided and turned to Rong Si, "What are your thoughts, Chief?"
Rong Si simply said, "Our assistance is simply a matter of whether you choose to act proactively or passively."
"I can't win by taking the initiative, and I don't have any ability to catch you off guard if I passively wait for the other side to attack."
Rong Si spoke bluntly, "My wife has given you all the solutions. If you don't want to choose, just think of a better one and tell us, and we'll take care of it."
Yu Wanyin looked at him.
The prefect initially intended to tough it out.
But he himself knew that this was quite dangerous.
The prefect pondered for a moment.
He paced back and forth on the city wall, his only fear being that doing so would cause Long'an to fall directly.
However, if we don't do this, the troops from Daizhou will still be captured.
He took a deep breath and, seemingly with utter helplessness, gave the order, "Arrange it as you two have suggested."
The people on the city wall looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then accepted the order and left.
Yu Wanyin stood there, unable to resist asking him in a low voice, "I haven't actually tried it either. What if my judgment is wrong?"
Rong Si supported her waist and pulled her forward slightly. "It won't be any worse than it is now."
"Don't be afraid to do whatever you want, I'll cover for you."
Yu Wanyin vaguely felt that these words sounded familiar.
In the blink of an eye, another voice seemed to appear in my ears.
"This dynasty was already on its last legs, so whatever Yao Yao does is a lifesaver."
Yu Wanyin froze on the spot.
He remained in a daze for a long time.
Just then, a melodious and resonant bugle call sounded from the horizon.
In the devastated city of Long'an, it was like a death warrant.
This caused a stir and uproar.
Most of the residents who remained in the city were registered.
The prefect has their files.
The order was given, and the garrison commander looked at the command: "Turn Long'an into a battlefield..."
The commander found it hard to accept, "Are we just going to listen to this bandit's wife?"
The prefect's advisor hesitated for a moment, but still urged, "After all, it's something the prefect has approved, so go and make the arrangements quickly."
The commander returned the order to him, saying, "I can't do it. Go find someone else."
"She's not even from Long'an, yet she sold Long'an off like that," the commander said, becoming increasingly agitated. "What does she know? She's just a woman who never leaves her home. Does she really understand military affairs?"
"Even if you're somewhat good-looking, you can't beat the enemy with your face alone."
"I'm good-looking too, but what good is it?"
The aide glanced at his face, then sighed, "Look at you, joking again."
He handed the military order back, saying, "Take care of the important business first."
“I won’t do it,” the commander said, pushing aside the military order. “Besides, they’re just a bunch of bandits.”
“Bandits spend their days doing odd jobs, looting, and burning; they are crude, barbaric, and tyrannical. What good insights could they possibly have?”
"If you ask me, we should just use their weapons. Why did they actually start giving orders?"
His advisors kindly advised, "If we could handle this ourselves, we wouldn't need to go up the mountain to ask the bandits for help."
"The prefect relies on you as his only main force in defending the city. If you don't do it, the prefect will truly be left with no way out."
The commander felt a pang of pity upon hearing this.
But a hint of arrogance still lingered on him, "Conspiring with bandits..."
"Alright," the aide urged, "we have no choice but to try anything, so get on with it."
The commander frowned and pretended to hold Joe for a moment.
He still had no choice but to accept the order and go down to the front. "If Long'an really falls because of this, I will never forgive that lady."
He left with those words, took the military order, and went down to assign tasks.
The commander-in-chief assigned a portion of his troops to Jiangling to prepare to receive the people of Long'an based on previously recorded information.
Another group of garrison soldiers went door-to-door to inform residents about the relocation from Jiangling.
The city gates of Long'an to Daizhou remain tightly closed.
More and more people set off on their journeys through the city's streets and alleys. The military guards formed a line, guiding the people on the streets to seek refuge in Jiangling.
In addition, Zong Cheng led his carriages and horses through the streets and alleys to familiarize himself with the terrain and topography.
He had a charcoal pencil tucked behind his ear, and his carriage was filled with his brothers.
However, his clothing was no different from that of ordinary people, so no one noticed anything unusual.
Some people even called out to him as he walked into the city, "Are you still going in? We're leaving now."
Zong Cheng laughed when he heard this, "I'm going home to get my things, I'm leaving in a bit too."
The people nodded in relief and left Long'an.
Zong Cheng stopped, unfolded the map in his hand, took the charcoal pencil from behind his ear, and marked the points in the city.
He raised his hand to signal, and immediately someone jumped down and crouched down behind the carriage.
Not long after Zongcheng left.
The bandits who came to deliver the goods arrived at the location.
They replaced all the weeds and cloth strips piled up in front of the people's doors with gunpowder.
They would just casually leave the provisions out at the door and then move on to the next place.
The prefect escorted Yu Wanyin and the others to the door, where he stood for a while.
Just then, a family drove by in an oxcart. The cart was loaded with too much luggage, and because they were in such a hurry, some of it fell off.
The prefect informed them and then went back to help.
The family was slightly alarmed when they saw the visitors. After declining twice, they eventually accepted the prefect's assistance.
Rong Si told her to go back first, "I'm going to patrol the city."
After he finished speaking, he blew a horse whistle, and soon his horse came running from somewhere.
It came to a steady stop in front of him.
A very spiritual act of acknowledging God.
Yu Wanyin watched curiously for a while.
All I saw was Rong Si mounting his horse and leaving decisively.
In the end, she was left standing alone at the entrance of the mansion.
Unable to stay at home, Yu Wanyin simply followed the prefect to help the passing people seek refuge.
Even as evening approached, the city was still brightly lit.
After they moved away from Long'an, all the roadside lamps were extinguished.
To avoid alerting the enemy, the people outside the city left quietly.
Even so, there were inevitably some people in Long'an City who could not be moved, and the prefect arranged for them to be placed in the underground palace.
A brief response to the possibility of war.
Now, from the city wall, one can have a clearer view of the situation inside and outside the city.
The evening breeze carried a hint of smoke and dust. Yu Wanyin stood on the city wall, and even without binoculars, she could see the sky filled with blood-red light.
It casts layers of halos of light in the distance.
That was the light from a large enough campfire piled up.
No soldiers were seen, only the flames of war.
It's impossible to know when the fire will sweep in and engulf the entire city.
Outside Long'an City, empty camps were arranged in layers, and the prefect and soldiers on the city wall looked at the contrasting scene.
The other side was fighting with real weapons, and the empty camp made people uneasy.
Yu Wanyin spoke up, "Let's light our lights too."
The commander was somewhat surprised, "You want to light lamps even when there's no one around?"
Yu Wanyin affirmed, "Yes."
The commander hesitated for a few more seconds before giving the order, saying, "This lady really is a busybody who loves to watch the show."
"There's already a shortage of supplies, and they're still doing all this fancy stuff."
The lieutenant lit lamps in each tent, asking, "Will this really be effective?"
"It's all just a show, what good is it?" The commander lit a campfire in the camp and made it burn brighter.
Outside the city, the lights of the camps were arranged in layers, illuminating the walls of Long'an as if it were daytime.
The nearby refugees were dispersed.
The crowd, seeing this, began to discuss among themselves, "Has reinforcements really been found?"
"Judging from this, there are quite a few reinforcements, and a lot of troops."
"Could it be that after the imperial court established its capital in Yunjing, it began to send troops to provide support?"
The refugees were overjoyed, as if they had heard some incredibly good news.
The more the men in disguise listened, the darker their faces became.
They exchanged a glance, and one of them stood up and moved into the crowd. "They've only just established their capital, and they're already here to provide support? So fast?"
"Perhaps they are reserve troops. The battle in Yanzhou has been going on for so long, they can't be completely unprepared."
The refugees naturally hoped that Long'an could be held, so that they would no longer have to flee.
They started talking all at once, getting more and more excited as they went on, "Judging from this situation, could we expect to get 50,000 reinforcements?"
The men from Daizhou looked at each other in bewilderment.
He sent two men who quietly got up and delivered the message back.
Yu Wanyin stood on the city wall for a while, watching the lights gradually spread.
The light in front of us was brighter than the firelight in the distance.
The surroundings were as bright as day.
A cool autumn breeze brushed her face, blowing away some of the stray hairs at her temples.
The maidservant accompanying them spoke up, "Madam, it's getting late, we should head back now."
Yu Wanyin agreed and followed her down the city wall.
As Yu Wanyin walked, something occurred to her. "Do you know any places in the city where I can send messages?"
The maid pondered for a moment, "The post station closed early, but there are still some escort agencies that can deliver messages."
"But with war imminent, they might not have any of their people here."
"If Madam wishes, she can go and take a look. After all, escort agencies are all in the martial arts world, risking their lives. Of course, some of them deliver war messages, but it depends on luck whether you can run into one."
Yu Wanyin nodded knowingly.
"Show me the location of the escort agency in the city."
The maid didn't know what Yu Wanyin wanted to do, but the prefect had already given instructions that the requests of these two distinguished guests could be granted as long as they were not excessive.
But besides, it's just asking where the escort agency is.
On the way back to the mansion with Yu Wanyin, the maid took her to see something along the way.
Unfortunately, it was too late, and the escort agency was already closed.
Yu Wanyin thought to herself that trying one's luck was not a good idea.
She never had the upper hand.
But she still wanted to give it a try.
When they returned to the mansion, the prefect and Rong Si had not yet returned.
The prefect's wife was used to it. "He's been coming home very late lately, it's normal for him to be like this."
"Your husband is most likely with him, so don't worry."
Yu Wanyin moved her lips.
Actually, she wasn't too worried about Rong Si.
What are you worried about him for?
Are you worried that he might encounter someone with ill intentions?
There is no one in this world more scheming than him.
A ruthless bandit—only those who encounter him deserve to burn incense.
Yu Wanyin returned to her room to shower.
Before she could go out, she heard the outer door be opened with a "bang".
She was so frightened that she shuddered.
Yu Wanyin turned to look in the direction of the door, and after thinking for a moment, she realized that this was the prefect's residence, and there were guards outside the door.
It could only be Rong Si, and no one else could be involved.
Yu Wanyin gently wrapped her arms around herself, and after a while, she still felt uneasy as she got out of the bathtub.
She quickly dried herself off, tidied herself up, and made sure her clothes were in order before leaving the bathroom.
Even though Yu Wanyin tried her best to be quiet, the sound of the bathroom door opening was still very noticeable in the small room.
It attracted attention effortlessly.
Rong Si looked up upon hearing the sound.
He looked away after just one glance.
He silently stared at the book in his hands.
Even after lowering my eyes, the image of that beautiful woman, fresh from her bath, still lingered in my mind.
Like a lotus flower, she exudes a delicate beauty that seems to drip with moisture.
Yu Wanyin originally intended to casually go to the heater to dry her hair.
As I happened to pass by, I saw Rong Si standing by the table, with a package placed on it and opened.
Rong Si was still flipping through some kind of booklet in his hand.
Yu Wanyin glanced inside and realized the package was full of books. She couldn't help but step forward, "These are..."
"I was patrolling the city today and picked up some books at a bookstore along the way." Rong Si handed her the book in his hand. "Don't you like reading these kinds of books?"
Yu Wanyin looked at the book he handed her, unsure, "For me?"
Rong Si replied matter-of-factly, "You'll find it useful."
This was the first time Yu Wanyin had heard someone say that reading these things was useful.
She took it.
As her sleeve drew closer, a faint scent of lily of the valley wafted from her.
She brushed against the tip of the man's nose.
Rong Si watched her turn the pages of the book, his expression involuntarily deepening.
Strands of her still-damp hair clung to her temples, with wet droplets hanging from the ends.
Some of it clung to her eyelashes.
It trembled with every blink of her eyes.
It wasn't just the water droplets that were trembling.
Rong Si's throat felt dry, and he inexplicably rolled his Adam's apple.
He turned around and casually tossed out a sentence, "You just watch for now."
Yu Wanyin said "Oh".
She walked slowly to the fireplace to dry her hair, flipping through the book in her hand.
Yu Wanyin leaned against the side, the book turning over and releasing a whiff of ink fragrance.
It smells very pleasant.
Rong Si stayed in the bathroom for a long time.
At first, Yu Wanyin didn't pay much attention, but he still hadn't come out by the time her hair dried and she was getting sleepy from reading.
Yu Wanyin was so sleepy that her eyes were red at the corners. She couldn't stay awake any longer and got up to extinguish the lamp in the outer room.
She walked to the bathroom door, hesitating whether to tell him.
Unexpectedly, the door was suddenly flung open.
The warm air from the bathroom, mixed with the fresh scent of herbs and trees, wafted towards me.
The man who came out of the bathhouse was shirtless.
Yu Wanyin suddenly froze at the door.
He was only inches away from that strong, muscular chest and shoulders.
The heat made her body feel hot, and a sense of male aggression washed over her.
Rong Si noticed her panicked reaction. "What's wrong?"
Yu Wanyin looked away. "I'm going to sleep."
His voice was deep and husky, and he quickly elaborated on her meaning, "Do you want me to stay with you?"
Yu Wanyin didn't know how he came up with such a sentence, "No, I just wanted to let you know."
After she finished speaking, she awkwardly returned to the bedside.
Rong Si didn't understand what she was thinking either, and chuckled, "You came all this way just to tell me this?"
This is the act of running up to him and telling him it's time to sleep.
"戎肆" can be interpreted as "invitation".
Almost as soon as she opened her mouth, his body showed signs of awakening.
Who knew she would just say it?
Rong Si's eyes were filled with melancholy as he watched her leave.
However, once awakened, one cannot immediately fall down.
He doesn't have the habit of frequently solving problems on his own; he always feels that whatever needs to be done should be done by the appropriate person.
A casual explanation is too perfunctory and careless.
Therefore, most of the time he prefers to let it dissipate on its own.
Yu Wanyin was completely unaware of Rong Si's situation. She simply lowered the bed curtains around her and huddled inside.
The surroundings quickly quieted down.
Rong Si extinguished all the lamps in the inner room.
Yu Wanyin lay quietly on the bed, still able to hear her own heart pounding wildly.
He was probably unsettled by the sudden appearance of him.
Yu Wanyin rolled over to her side and gently pressed her chest.
After a moment of silence, only the sound of breathing could be heard all around.
However, the breathing sounded a bit louder than yesterday.
It was as if the sound was ringing in her ears.
Yu Wanyin initially thought it was Rong Si's breathing.
But he was clearly not asleep yet, so even he couldn't get that close to her.
Yu Wanyin opened her eyes again after she had closed them.
The sound became a bit clearer.
Not only is it clear, it even seems to be... moving and entwining.
Once I realized this, the scraping and moving sensation became even more pronounced.
Yu Wanyin immediately got goosebumps.
She held her breath, wanting to find out why, and subconsciously pulled back the covers.
The moment the blanket was lifted, a dark shadow that snaked upwards suddenly appeared before her eyes.
It's a snake!
Yu Wanyin's mind went blank, and her breathing immediately became trembling and tearful.
For a moment, she even forgot to call out to anyone.
She ran down the road with her legs feeling weak, and without thinking, climbed onto the nearest man's bed!
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