Five Generals of the Border
The journey westward was far longer and more arduous than imagined. The winds here were exceptionally fierce, carrying coarse yellow sand and gravel that swept in from all directions. The world was shrouded in a hazy yellow light, and on the vast Gobi Desert, only the sound of horses' hooves echoed, a stark contrast to the Western Regions of my imagination.
Accompanying her were her master's wife, Murong, as well as women she had trained herself and women from the Sword Forging Manor, totaling over a hundred people. Bringing too many women would easily attract attention. She claimed that these women were there to protect her from harm, while others just thought she was being too arrogant.
Zai Yu and Jiang Liu also accompanied them. Both were skilled in political maneuvering and martial arts, and served as their left and right adjutants.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Lu Yunchu ordered all women to wear masks.
After a long and arduous journey, they finally arrived at the main camp on the border. Several generals who had already received the news came out to greet them, their sneers and whispers carried on the wind, and some soldiers muttered profanities under their breath.
Lu Yunchu pretended not to hear and turned his gaze to the five generals walking towards him.
The leader, tall and imposing, with an undeniable air of arrogance between his brows, was Qi Shen, the Minister of War who had risen from humble beginnings to a high position through military merit. He glanced at Lu Yun Chu and the masked figures behind her, a smirk playing on his lips, his tone dripping with undisguised sarcasm: "Ha, is there no one else in the capital? Sending a woman to lead the army? I think this war is pointless!"
Beside him stood Luo Cheng, a young and handsome man from a noble family, with a gentle demeanor. Because of the relationship between the Luo and Lu families, he stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said politely, "This humble general, Luo Cheng, greets...Madam. Your journey has been arduous." He, too, refused to address himself as "General."
Another general, Su Lang, also from a humble background, was strong and carried a large sword. He stared intently at Lu Yunchu, his eyes filled with hatred. He was a trusted confidant whom Chu Chengchao had personally promoted and was extremely loyal to him. He almost roared as he questioned, "Did you kill A-Chao?! You poisonous woman! How dare you show your face here!"
Luo Cheng stopped Qin Lang and told him to be mindful of his manners.
Standing a little behind, Chi Luofeng was extremely handsome, but his eyes were sharp and his aura was steady. He was a well-known expert in the army and seemed to have connections with the Liang Dynasty. He did not speak, but there seemed to be dislike in his eyes.
The last one was Lin Chen, born into a declining noble family in Liangzhou. He appeared handsome and refined, like a frail scholar, but in reality, he was a valiant general with both wisdom and courage. He frowned slightly and sneered when Lu Yunchu looked over.
Ignoring the complex expressions of the five men, Lu Yunchu declared loudly, "Lu Yunchu is here by imperial decree to lead the western expedition in place of my deceased husband, Chu Chengchao, to subdue the western and northern deserts." Her tone was completely flat, showing no regard for their anger: "At this critical juncture, I hope that you generals will set aside your disputes and focus on external matters to fulfill Chengchao's last wishes."
Seeing this, Luo Cheng immediately stepped forward to smooth things over, his tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable force: "What you say is absolutely right. With the armies of the Western and Northern Deserts pressing in, this is certainly not the time for internal strife. We should prioritize the overall situation."
Upon hearing this, Qi Shen scoffed and glanced sideways at Luo Cheng: "What? You want to rely on a woman to dictate the course of history? You might as well wait to die!"
Chi Luofeng frowned. Although he disliked Lu Yunchu, he had always disliked Qi Shen's personality. So he said coldly, "Qi Shen, with a formidable enemy at hand, stop talking nonsense and causing trouble!"
Lin Chen finally spoke, his voice clear and bright: "General Chiluo is right. External affairs are indeed more important."
However, Su Lang's anger did not subside. He didn't care about the big picture at all, and was only busy cursing: "I only have one question, did you kill A-Chao?!"
Lin Chen's face darkened: "Su Lang! Shut up! With a formidable enemy at hand, how dare you spout such nonsense here!"
"I'm talking nonsense? I think you've been bewitched by this vixen!" Su Lang roared and threw a punch at Lin Chen.
Chi Luofeng stood in front of Lin Chen, and the three of them wrestled together, exchanging blows without holding back.
Suddenly, the three generals started fighting in front of the camp gate.
Luo Cheng sighed and rubbed his forehead, his face full of helplessness. He tried to step forward to break up the fight: "Stop fighting! Stop it! What kind of behavior is this!"
Qi Shen, however, stood by with his arms crossed, watching with great interest, and added fuel to the fire by shouting, "Attack! Attack harder! Let the dignitaries from the capital see the prowess of our border lads!"
Before he finished speaking, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Taking advantage of Lu Yun Chu's attention being drawn to the melee, he suddenly and without warning threw a vicious straight punch, accompanied by the sound of wind, at Lu Yun Chu.
Lu Yunchu shifted his body to the side, dodging the palm strike, and knocked Qi Shen down with an uppercut.
She blew on her hands with a hint of disdain, looking down at this useless, defeated opponent: "Save your strength for the battlefield."
With a flick of her foot, she tripped Chi Luofeng, then grabbed a general by the neck with each hand, causing Su Lang and Lin Chen to collide head-on, both of them spinning around in a dizzying frenzy.
"Anyone who fights again will be dealt with according to military law. Give me the map, or get out."
Before leaving, she expressed her gratitude to Los Angeles.
After the chaotic initial clash at the camp gate, Lu Yun Chu had gained a preliminary understanding of these generals. Luo City was clearly within her grasp; although Lin Chen and Chi Luo Feng harbored resentment towards her, they were clearly more focused on the war itself. The troublesome ones were Qi Shen and Su Lang. Qi Shen was arrogant and harsh, his hostility obvious, requiring vigilance and restraint. As for Su Lang… looking at his furious expression, Lu Yun Chu seemed to see a more volatile Chu Cheng Chao—equally sincere, equally stubborn, equally… easily swayed by emotions. She had come here not only to pacify the Western Regions, but also to cultivate her own power.
As evening approached, while she was patrolling the camp, she saw Su Lang sitting alone on a sand dune, so she quickly followed him.
"General Su," she called out to him.
Su Lang turned around abruptly, and seeing that it was her, his anger surged up again. He gripped the hilt of his knife tightly: "Witch! You dare to come looking for me again!"
Lu Yunchu did not back down. Instead, he stepped forward and his voice trembled just right: "General Su, I will say it one last time: Chengchao's death has nothing to do with me."
"Bullshit!" Su Lang's spittle almost landed on her face. "You cowardly wretch!"
Lu Yunchu did not argue, but her eyes quickly reddened, and her voice choked: "Yes... I can't believe that my beloved husband is gone!" She turned around abruptly and tore open the clothes on her shoulders and back.
Su Lang gasped, his dark face instantly turning bright red. He hurriedly looked away, his voice lowering, "You...you've gone to such lengths...Quickly...put your clothes on...If A-Chao were here, he certainly wouldn't want you to hurt yourself like this!"
As he spoke, his eyes reddened, and he wiped his face forcefully, his voice tinged with guilt: "Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law! Don't cry! It's Su Lang who's a bastard! He wronged you! Ah Chao always says good things about you, and I... I even felt sorry for him before... Since you care about him, we're family!"
He paused, then added somewhat awkwardly, "It's inconvenient for you women to live in the camp, so please settle in the area next to my tent. That way, I can take care of you more easily!"
Lu Yunchu wiped his eyes and nodded gently: "Thank you, General Su."
Su Lang… She suddenly remembered that Consort Xiao had mentioned that Grand Tutor Su didn't want his daughter to get married, so he secretly found a son-in-law to live with him. Before he could tell his daughter, something happened in the family. This son-in-law was originally named Qin Lang, but later changed his surname to Su. After Su Xike got married, he was heartbroken and joined the army.
It seems they're all pitiful people...
Thinking of Su Xike, she felt a bit more affection for Su Lang.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, she saw Qin Lang scratch his head, his tone a little awkward, as if trying to sound casual: "Sister-in-law... you must be quite familiar with those women in the capital, right?"
Lu Yunchu's heart skipped a beat, but she remained expressionless: "Yes."
Qin Lang paused for a moment, then finally sighed somewhat abruptly, "Alas, speaking of which... His Majesty has recently been selecting concubines in large numbers... Those women, confined to that small world, fighting and vying for power, are truly pitiful..."
She answered calmly, her tone filled with genuine sympathy: "Who can argue with that? I admired Consort Xiao the most in the capital. She was always melancholy, and it's a pity that her only hope, the talented Miss Su Xike, was also sent to the palace... Before I left the capital, I heard that Miss Su wasn't having a good time in the palace either..."
Su Lang has no ties to anyone, only cares about Su Xike, and is capable, so it would be easy for him to turn Su Lang against his will in the future.
Her words were half true and half false. She did indeed like Consort Xiao and had heard that Su Xike was in a bad situation in the palace. But regarding Su Xike, her aunt always said that she was annoying and had not won the Emperor's favor. After entering the palace, she seemed to have become a different person. Although she was born with an elegant and refined appearance, she insisted on wearing heavy makeup, and her words and actions were affected and pretentious. She was full of explicit love words and tried every means to attract Chu Cheng'an's attention. She was also very jealous and often flew into a rage because other concubines were favored. She even said all day long that she would "give birth to eight princes for His Majesty," which frightened Chu Cheng'an so much that he avoided her.
Lu Yunchu desperately wanted to tell Qin Lang so he could rush to the capital and kill Chu Cheng'an, but it would never be possible, and she could only feel indignant.
Qin Lang's fists clenched unconsciously upon hearing that Su Xike was having a hard time. He gritted his teeth, turned and left, leaving behind only a soft sob.
As Lu Yunchu watched Qin Lang's figure disappear into the sandstorm, she recalled the look of disgust and helplessness on her aunt Lu Junhe's face when she mentioned Su Xike before leaving the capital.
"I originally wanted to try to join forces with her, after all, she has the 'Portraits of Sages' in her possession. But that girl, every time she sees me, she just pretends to be stupid and asks repeatedly, 'Your Majesty, what kind of girl does His Majesty like? How can I get to serve him in bed?' She has no shame at all! She even secretly took other people's poems and went to His Majesty to flatter him and win his favor. When she was exposed, she still argued vehemently! It's disgusting!"
The aunt grew angrier as she spoke: "A few days ago, she went completely mad, daring to talk back to me with such vulgar language! I'll make sure His Majesty punishes her severely, throws her into the Cold Palace, and forces her to hand over that worthless map! Honestly... she's clearly talented, and I'm genuinely recruiting talented people, yet she still refuses..."
However, Chu Cheng'an's reaction was unexpected. Instead of severely punishing Su Xike, he only gave her a few mild criticisms and jokingly commented with his aunt: "She has lofty goals, and I guess she knows she can't achieve them, so she's just given up and gone mad. Since she's destined not to achieve her wishes, then she doesn't need to have any more children. That would be better."
Lu Yunchu advised her aunt to treat Su Xike kindly, as she surely had her own plans. She should guide her patiently and avoid appearing calculating, something scholars and gentlemen despise. But her aunt categorically denied it: "Impossible! In my decades in this palace, I've never seen anyone as insane as her! She's truly gone mad! She's repulsive to look at! Such a fine young woman has driven herself to this state, it's truly..."
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