Chapter 73 Southern Jiangxi 4 The distance between the two suddenly closed, their breaths mingling. ...
The next morning, before the fog had dissipated, the banners fluttered in the mountain wind, and birds sang in the forest, creating a cacophony of sounds like waves.
Inside the commander's tent.
Chen Fengnian stood in front of a huge map of southern Jiangxi, his finger pointing heavily at the steep mountain marked "Black Cloud Village".
"Please take a look, everyone."
Chen Fengnian's voice was deep and slow: "This place is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The bandits occupy this stronghold, thinking that they can resist stubbornly by taking advantage of the natural defenses. However, our army is the elite force of the imperial court. Most of them have gone to the border to fight against the Turkic barbarians. How can the bravery of our army be stopped by mere mountain passes?"
He pressed his finger down so hard it almost pierced the map, his voice resolute: "Therefore I propose that we should not wait any longer, but immediately concentrate our forces and launch a frontal assault! The bandits have limited manpower and poor equipment. As long as our army spares no expense and attacks day and night, no matter how strong their fortress walls are, how long can they hold out? We must seize the opportunity and wipe them out in one fell swoop."
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement arose.
Chen Fengnian looked satisfied. His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on a figure in the corner. As if asking casually, he said gently, "Qiyu, what do you think?"
As soon as the name was called, everyone in the room turned their attention to the boy in the corner.
Of all the people, only Xiao Qiyu remained silent, his dark phoenix eyes carrying a calm sharpness, a detachment that seemed out of place for his age.
Xiao Qiyu raised his eyes and said in silence, "Black Cloud Stronghold is located in a dangerous area, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we launch a strong attack, it will be exactly what the bandits want. If we fall into the bandits' ambush along the way, our army will suffer heavy casualties on the narrow mountain roads."
"The lessons learned from past failures in suppressing bandits are worth considering."
Chen Fengnian's face froze instantly. He gave a dry laugh and said, "I understand your concerns, but things are different now. This time, the number of troops and equipment used in the anti-bandit campaign is the largest in the past. It is not comparable to the previous small-scale operations."
Xiao Qiyu's gaze remained calm, his voice steady, yet it possessed an undeniable strength: "Lord Chen, while troop strength and equipment are certainly important, the natural defenses of Black Cloud Stronghold have not diminished in the slightest because of our superior numbers. Their formidable terrain, where one man can hold off ten thousand, is their greatest asset. I believe the key to breaking this deadlock lies not in the number of troops, but in whether we can outsmart them."
"Outsmart them?" Chen Fengnian's face darkened completely. "Tell me, how do you plan to outsmart them?"
Chen Fengnian blurted out his thoughts too quickly, then realized his mistake and hesitated before trying to find a way out for Xiao Qiyu: "Of course, if it's just some far-fetched idea, then there's no need to—"
"A direct frontal assault is absolutely not feasible."
Xiao Qiyu suddenly spoke up: "But I have observed for a long time that this place is not monolithic. We can recruit the local militia who are familiar with the mountain roads and win over some of the surrendered bandits who know the strengths and weaknesses of the stronghold. They can lead an elite force to bypass the natural barrier on the front and climb up the hidden path on the cliff behind the mountain to strike at its heart. Meanwhile, we can attack from the front to attract attention and buy them time."
"Recruit local militia? Turn surrendered bandits into rebels?" Chen Fengnian was stunned for a moment, then shook his head helplessly as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Rely on those undisciplined, unruly country bumpkins? And those treacherous, cunning, and untrustworthy surrendered bandits? This is simply child's play."
"If those surrendered bandits were feigning surrender, or if there were bandits and spies mixed in with the local militia, then our actions would be completely under the enemy's control. Wouldn't we be walking into a trap?"
Chen Fengnian's tone became aggressive: "When the army is wiped out and the court holds us accountable, who will bear the enormous responsibility and the lives of these thousands of soldiers?"
Just as Xiao Qiyu was about to speak again, Chen Fengnian said coldly, "There's no need to mention this matter again. Young Master Xiao, please leave. After all, military campaigns are not decisions that a child like you can make."
“Lord Chen.” Xiao Qiyu stood up, about to refute this, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the curtain at the entrance of the tent.
A small, snow-white hand reached into the curtain, quietly lifting a small gap to reveal a pair of bright, moist almond-shaped eyes.
His eyes looked around, as if searching for something, before finally settling on him.
After making eye contact with him, he blinked rapidly a few times, seemingly very eager.
Xiao Qiyu calmed down, put away his imposing manner, and nodded slightly to Chen Fengnian: "It was my oversight. Military matters are of utmost importance and will be decided by Lord Chen. I shall take my leave."
He turned around and walked steadily out of the tent.
A cool breeze outside the tent carried the dampness of the early morning, refreshing and carrying the unique crispness of the mountain vegetation.
Cui Ying stood outside the tent wearing his clothes. Her posture was not as upright as usual. Instead, she was hunched over and looked very unnatural. Because the clothes were too loose, even though she carefully gathered them, her collarbone was still faintly visible. The empty neckline made her neck look even more slender, delicate and fragile.
Xiao Qiyu's gaze fell on her neck, his eyes darkening slightly, and he said coldly, "Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the tent? How dare you wander around dressed like this?"
Ignoring everything else, Cui Ying grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a secluded corner behind the tent. Her cheeks and nose were flushed red by the mountain wind, like a light layer of rouge. She looked up at him and asked urgently, "Where are the clothes I changed out of yesterday?"
Xiao Qiyu said "Oh" and then said indifferently, "Throw it away."
"Throw it away?" Cui Ying's eyes widened in surprise.
Xiao Qiyu nodded, his gaze involuntarily drifting to her neck. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly before he looked away. "Why are you keeping it for the New Year? It's so dirty."
Cui Ying grabbed his collar and glared at him angrily, saying, "So you threw away my breast wrap too?"
Xiao Qiyu: "..."
Xiao Qiyu: "What did you say?"
Cui Ying pulled him down with force, then whispered in his ear, "Breast wrap! Breast wrap! Give me back my breast wrap!"
The distance between them suddenly closed, and their breaths mingled.
Xiao Qiyu was already speechless, and when she pulled him forward, his gaze instinctively fell downward—
Below Cui Ying's neck, the already wide collar of her clothes slid slightly to one side with her movements, revealing a small patch of dazzlingly delicate skin, as well as a soft, curved shadow that meandered down from the depths of the neckline.
Xiao Qiyu's breath hitched, and his mind went blank.
Almost instinctively, he reached out and covered Cui Ying's mouth, looking up at her and saying, "Don't shout."
Cui Ying was forced to interrupt, her voice abruptly stopping. She glared at him angrily, completely unaware that her collar was still slipping down.
Xiao Qiyu raised his other hand and pulled up her slipped collar, tightening it around her neck. When his fingertips accidentally brushed against the girl's delicate, jade-like skin, a thin blush spread across his ears at a visible speed, as if wisps of heat were rising from them.
"I didn't throw the clothes away; I washed them and hung them up to dry," he said in a low voice.
It was too dark last night, so he didn't sort the clothes when he washed them and just rubbed them all together.
Xiao Qiyu's eyes were deep and his attitude was extremely firm: "I'll go find it for you. You go back right now and you're not allowed to come out at will."
Cui Ying yanked his hand away and said fiercely, "You better find it for me, or I'll—"
She racked her brains, pointed at him with her index finger, and came up with the most vicious thing she could say: "I'll tell everyone that you wet the bed at night until you were seven!"
Xiao Qiyu's face flushed red and then darkened, so angry that he was speechless. He simply bent down, picked her up, and strode away, personally throwing her back into the tent.
A short while later, Xiao Qiyu brought her the clothes that had been hung out to dry.
The mountain air was damp, and clothes couldn't be dried properly, leaving them sticky and wet.
Xiao Qiyu roasted it over a fire for a long time before handing it to Cui Ying.
The two seemed to have an unspoken understanding. Cui Ying took the clothes that had been baked and, ignoring Xiao Qiyu's presence, began to change.
Xiao Qiyu had already turned around, his back facing her as still as a mountain, and they kept to themselves.
The rustling sound of fabric rubbing against each other echoed inside the tent, and Cui Ying's breathing became slightly rapid due to the effort.
"Is it too tight?" Xiao Qiyu asked a pointless question.
Cui Ying said irritably, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Xiao Qiyu: "..."
The atmosphere quieted down again.
He looked at the calm curtains, the sound of Cui Ying breathing still lingering in his ears.
He suddenly began to daydream uncontrollably.
To think that she's forcibly restrained like this every day... I really don't know how she endures it.
Xiao Qiyu unconsciously frowned, a jumble of chaotic thoughts flooding his mind, making him feel agitated and his jaw tighten slightly.
He forced himself to calm down, trying to do something else to cut off those thoughts, and then said, "You should rest well for the next two days. After these two days, I will escort you back to the capital."
"Okay." Cui Ying responded subconsciously, but the next moment, she suddenly realized, "What do you mean by escorting? Do you mean you're coming back?"
Xiao Qiyu remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"Xiao! Qi! Yu!"
Cui Ying grabbed a coat and draped it over herself, rushing to him in a few strides, her chest heaving, her brows furrowed, and demanded, "Tell me, what did I come all this way for? You're going to send me back and then come back yourself? Then what was the point of my trip?!"
Xiao Qiyu remained calm, only offering a gentle reminder: "Keep your voice down."
Those who didn't know the situation would think he had done something to her.
Cui Ying grew angrier as she spoke. The thought of him returning to this dangerous place ignited a fire within her, burning away all her reason. She strode out of the tent, shouting, "I don't care! I'm going to find Lord Chen right now and have him personally kick you out of the camp! Let's see how you come back then!"
Just as Cui Ying lifted the curtain, a short arrow suddenly shot in from the outside, moving with lightning speed, heading straight for her face.
The cold glint of the arrowhead magnified rapidly in Cui Ying's pupils. Everything happened too fast; she had no time to react.
Just then, Cui Ying was suddenly enveloped by a tremendous force, and the next moment, his cheek slammed heavily into a hard chest, his nose instantly filled with a familiar, crisp scent.
The sharp sound of the arrow piercing the air came to an abrupt end.
Still shaken, Cui Ying slowly and stiffly raised her head and saw Xiao Qiyu's face.
The boy's dark phoenix eyes were sharp as ice, his brows were tightly furrowed, and his gaze was fixed on the arrow that was stopped less than an inch away from his heart.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged, the arrow was clenched tightly in his palm, and hot blood seeped from between his fingers, flowing down continuously.
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Author's note: This kid tricked me again! [doge emoji]
I worked hard all day and this is all I got? My bad. [crying emoji]
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