Chapter 52
The army marched to a treacherous place ten miles from their designated encampment and was ordered to halt. Below lay a bottomless, steep cliff. The night dew was heavy, and the cold air, mixed with moisture, made the terrain appear even more menacing and terrifying, making it difficult to pass.
The soldiers, exhausted from days of travel, collapsed on the spot upon receiving orders, soon snoring. Not far away, the oil lamp in the commander's tent flickered in the night wind, casting blurry shadows on the tent wall, conveying a sense of impending doom.
Inside the tent, Pei Qie tucked his hands into the shadows, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the largest tent next to him.
After a moment, he gathered his thoughts and looked ahead. The two men were talking quietly around a huge map spread out on the ground, their postures seemingly focused and harmonious.
He was preoccupied with his thoughts. He glanced again at the heavily guarded and unusually quiet tent next to him, and then looked back at the two people in front of him who seemed to be "working together." Doubts began to grow in his heart like vines, becoming more and more entangled.
However, he was naturally lazy and not one to pry into things. Although he already knew that the "elder brother" he once revered as a god was actually the emperor, and that the emperor who had played the role for many years was his blood-related elder brother, this upside-down truth did not stir up much emotion in him. Instead, he felt fortunate to have two more older brothers.
Over time, he belatedly realized that there seemed to be a deep-seated rift between his two "brothers." He occasionally tried to mediate, but found himself completely invisible. Neither of them seemed to notice his existence or thoughts as their "younger brother." Helpless, he could only continue to be an unnoticed figure.
He sighed silently. Just then, the low murmur of conversation inside the tent gradually rose and turned into a clear argument.
"The army has marched a long way, and the soldiers are exhausted. This place is strategically important, allowing the entire army to rest for two days. Backed by cliffs, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it extremely difficult for the enemy to launch a surprise attack from here. In the next two days, we should send out more scouts to carefully survey the surrounding terrain before making any further advances." Xi Yu's voice came through, calm and composed, as if he had temporarily set aside his past grievances with Pei Yun and was now fully focused on planning the battle.
"Rest? When will we be able to achieve complete victory?" Pei Yun's voice was cold and hard as he retorted, "Chen Jian, the deputy general of Beijiang, is arrogant and greedy for merit. Seeing that our army is exhausted, he will surely think there is an opportunity to take advantage of us and will definitely come to raid our camp, trying to seize the first merit. Our army should take advantage of this excellent terrain to set up an ambush in advance, wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"
As he spoke, he was about to wave his hand to give orders for deployment, but Xi Yu stepped forward to stop him: "Your Majesty, the soldiers have been traveling for days and are already extremely exhausted. If we mobilize such a large force to set up an ambush, and the enemy does not come, wouldn't that be a waste of manpower and a blow to morale?"
Pei Yun stared at him coldly for a moment before summoning the messenger.
A strange light flashed in Xi Yu's eyes, and she stopped arguing.
Just then, Xi Xiaoqing's clear voice came from outside the tent, piercing the silence of the night: "Senior brother, it's late and the dew is heavy. Shouldn't you go back to your tent to rest?"
Upon hearing this, Xi Yu's expression softened slightly, and she was about to respond when Pei Yun let out a series of cold sneers: "Military camps are important places, and men and women are separated. Separate tents are an ironclad rule. Since you are in the army, you must abide by military regulations and not do anything that will cause controversy!"
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten?" Xi Xiao's voice carried a hint of surprise. Then, the tent flap was gently lifted, and she slowly walked into the tent, looking calmly at Pei Yun. "You have already bestowed a marriage decree upon me and my senior brother. Since we are engaged, living in the same tent is for our safety. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Pei Yun gritted his teeth, glaring at her angrily, and practically forced out the words through clenched teeth: "When did I ever bestow a marriage upon you?!"
"It was at the young marquis's wedding banquet." Xi Xiao remained calm and curtsied slightly, speaking respectfully: "His Majesty, mindful of my minor contribution to the matter of reducing the power of the princes, bestowed a special decree to grant my senior brother and me our wish. His Majesty is busy with affairs of state and may have forgotten, but I am deeply grateful and will always remember it in my heart."
Xi Yu listened from the side, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but turn up slightly, revealing a smile that was both shy and pleasant. He turned to Pei Yun, whose face was ashen, and cupped his hands, saying, "If Your Majesty has no other important matters, this humble subject will take his leave."
After saying that, the two left hand in hand quite naturally, leaving Pei Yun, who was furious, and Pei Qie, who was dumbfounded and at a loss, in the tent.
Soon after, a series of noises and commands came from outside the tent, and the commotion grew louder and louder.
Inside another tent, however, the scene was quite different. Xi Yu was sitting by the couch, holding a dry, soft cloth, gently wiping Xi Xiao's wet hair.
The tent was warm and peaceful. He was about to lower his head and speak a few gentle words to her when a soldier's loud, even somewhat urgent, voice came from outside the tent: "Young Master Xi, His Majesty requests your immediate presence in the military tent to discuss the ambush plan!"
Xi Yu didn't stop moving or raise his head, replying in a calm and even voice, "Since His Majesty has given the order, all matters can be handled by General Pei."
There was a moment of silence outside the tent before the footsteps faded into the distance.
However, not long after, another soldier ran to the tent and shouted, "Young Master Xi, General Pei has completed the deployment according to His Majesty's orders. His Majesty requests that you go and verify whether the deployment is appropriate!"
Xi Xiao had already spread her half-dry black hair on the pillow. Hearing this, she couldn't help but roll her eyes and push him away in annoyance: "Of all the 'good jobs' you had to take on! Can't a person have a moment's peace?"
Xi Yu smiled helplessly, thinking to himself that since that time they had argued, the two of them had become much more familiar with each other. He reached out and gently pinched her cheek, coaxing her softly, "I'll call Yunwu in. If you're tired, you can rest first. You don't need to wait for me."
After Xi Yu got up and left, the world outside the tent seemed to be suddenly muted. Not only did no one come to disturb them, but even the footsteps of the night patrol soldiers and the noisy voices in the distance seemed to be deliberately lowered, and the surroundings fell into an unusual silence.
Beneath the cliff, the night was as dark as ink, and a cold wind howled. A scout dressed in black stealthily approached Sun Wei like a ghost, and urgently reported in a low voice: "General, our reconnaissance has confirmed that the Yuan Chu army is indeed camped here. However... the camp is unusually quiet right now; we fear it might be a trap!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wei impatiently flicked his forehead and scolded in a low voice, "Fool! In the dead of night, with the army exhausted, do you expect us to beat drums and play music instead of resting?"
Feng Wu, a slightly overweight middle-aged general who had been accompanied by them since the beginning of the journey, could no longer contain himself and leaned closer to offer his worried advice: "Young Master, the Crown Prince has not yet officially appointed you as commander-in-chief. Is it appropriate for us to advance so rashly...?"
"What do you know?!" Sun Wei interrupted him abruptly, his face contorted with displeasure, his eyes gleaming with greed for military merit. "How can I convince the Crown Prince to willingly give me the position of commander-in-chief without first achieving outstanding merit? Don't forget, that brat Ge An is also eyeing this position!" He glanced sideways at Feng Wu, his tone domineering. "Uncle Feng, your uncle sent you here to assist me, not to make decisions for me."
Upon hearing this, Feng Wu's throat bobbed, but he ultimately swallowed back his unfinished words. He sighed inwardly, hoping that the Yuan Chu army camp was indeed as unprepared as Sun Wei had predicted, otherwise... the consequences would be unimaginable.
Seeing that no one objected, Sun Wei's confidence grew. He lowered his voice and ordered, "All of you, sneak up there quietly and, while that Yuan Chu traitor is still dreaming of meeting the King of Hell, slit their throats cleanly and efficiently!"
At the command, the carefully selected elite troops behind him immediately threw out grappling hooks and, like mice in the dark, silently crept towards the Yuan Chu camp on the hillside. Feng Wu stood there, his brows furrowed, alarm bells ringing in his heart, and a faint thought of retreat creeping into his mind.
Just then, a sudden gust of wind arose, whipping up sand and stones from the ground, and the last sliver of pale moonlight was completely swallowed by thick clouds. On the cliff face, several figures were struggling to climb using thick ropes, their movements appearing hurried in the darkness.
Suddenly!
"Whoosh—!"
Dozens of torches, like flames rising from hell, suddenly ignited at the top of the cliff, their blinding light illuminating the cliff as bright as day.
Before Sun Wei could even see what was happening, a dirty, smelly hood fell from the sky and suddenly covered his head. Then, a tremendous force roughly lifted him up and delivered a blow to the head, making him see stars and instantly rendering him unable to resist.
The guards following behind him, who had not yet climbed the cliff, did not even have time to cry out before their ropes were severed by sharp blades. With a few short screams, they plummeted straight into the bottomless dark abyss, their bodies shattered to pieces.
Feng Wu, who was below the cliff, witnessed this sudden and shocking change. His face turned ashen, and he dared not linger. He immediately turned around and fled in panic under the cover of darkness, disappearing into the vast night.
On the mountaintop, the Yuan Chu soldiers swiftly dragged Sun Wei, who was bound like a dumpling, to an open area. Pei Qie stepped forward, ripped off the filthy hood, revealing Sun Wei's terrified and horrified face. He sneered and kicked him hard without any politeness: "With your rotten brain, you dare to try and launch a sneak attack as a commander? You're not even as good as me!"
Sun Wei was both shocked and furious. He struggled to open his mouth and was about to curse when a dark, tattered cloth that smelled of an indescribable stench was suddenly stuffed into his mouth. The indescribable smell went straight to the top of his head, making his brain ache and his stomach churn. He was choked so badly that his face turned red, his eyes bulged, and he almost suffocated.
A soldier with a roguish grin clapped his hands and winked at his companion: "Hey, Lao Zhang, look what you've done! How could you stuff our tattered underwear into General Sun's mouth? That's so rude! He's supposed to be a pillar of Beijiang!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers burst into laughter, and all sorts of vulgar and offensive jokes rained down on them, with the language becoming increasingly explicit and obscene.
Sun Wei had never suffered such a humiliation before. He was so angry that he trembled all over, his blood rushing to his head. He tried desperately to vomit out the filth, but the more he tried, the stronger the nausea became. Overwhelmed by extreme shock, anger, shame, and intense physical discomfort, he suddenly felt a heat in his lower body and lost control of his bladder!
This scene was spotted by sharp-eyed soldiers nearby. The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even more frenzied and exaggerated laughter. Some even laughed so hard they were pounding the ground, tears streaming down their faces: "Hahaha! Look! Our General Sun! He's so scared he peed his pants because of a pair of tattered underwear!!!"
Sun Wei felt all the blood rush to his head, his eyes instantly turning bloodshot, filled with shame and rage! He wished he could get up immediately and take these people down with him, but under the extreme emotional impact, his mind went blank, and finally, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted from anger.
In the instant before his consciousness completely plunged into darkness, those harsh and sharp mocking voices continued to pierce his ears like demonic chants.
"Tsk... she's already dizzy? She's even more easily teased than a woman!"
"You think you have the guts to launch a sneak attack?"
"He's the head coach? What kind of mentality is that?"
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