CALID Chapter 15

Thin Plum

The Hulan army surrounded the capital of Shu Prefecture like an iron barrel, impenetrable— even the previously frozen Guan River had thawed due to the warming weather and the explosives used to blast it.

In this small city, with its oppressive atmosphere akin to dark clouds looming over the city, the hearts of the people were heavy.

Liangzhou was originally the most advantageous crossing point, but now that it had returned to the hands of Dalian, with the Guan River thawed, engaging in river battles would be almost impossible for the Hulan people. Xia Qingsheng, stationed in Liangzhou, even deployed a navy to prevent the Hulan people from entering the Liangzhou segment of the river.

Now that Yuzhou was in the hands of the Hulan people, as long as they crossed the capital of Shu Prefecture, they could easily receive reinforcements from the other side of the river.

This made the capital of Shu Prefecture a thorn in Danzhi’s side.

Since the arrival of the Hulan army, the sound of gunfire had not ceased, and the cries of battle outside the city were constant. The citizens could only see the tightly closed city gates, black smoke rising into the sky, and wounded soldiers being carried down from the city walls.

When the Tabai army arrived at the capital city, Duan Xu ordered them to bring in large quantities of food, arrows, wood, stones, and tung oil. Now, these supplies came in handy. Wave after wave of attacks from the Danzhi army were met with volleys of arrows, burning rolling logs, and stones, forcing them to retreat. Leveraging the terrain of the capital city, the Tabai army held the gateway firmly, preventing the Hulan people from crossing.

The citizens could hear the thunderous sounds of battle and see the billowing black smoke outside the city walls, but as long as there were no major incidents, they timidly began to prepare for the upcoming New Year.

Indeed, in the mortal world, celebrating the New Year was the foremost important event.

“Miss, should we buy some firecrackers?” Chenying held a jar of stones and scattered lime powder on the ground.

He Simu rubbed her temples and said, “Still want firecrackers? Haven’t you had enough of the sounds of gunfire outside the city?”

She squatted on the ground, watching Chenying scatter the lime powder into an irregular white circle outside the door, then pointed to the circle and asked, “What are you doing with this?”

“Don’t you know, Miss? Aren’t there things you don’t know either?” Chenying proudly puffed out his chest and explained, “During the New Year, you’re supposed to set off firecrackers, hang up door gods, paste ‘Fu’ characters, and draw circles with lime powder at the door to ward off evil spirits and disasters!”

He Simu turned her head, feeling it was absurd. “Why would such things ward off evil spirits?”

“Because evil spirits and monsters are afraid of firecrackers, door gods, red colour, and even lime powder! That’s what the old folks say!” Chenying said confidently.

He Simu fell silent for a moment and said, “I’ve always been curious, who originally came up with such ingenious ideas?”

Just like those condemned prisoners who were paraded through the streets before going to the execution ground, singing songs about being heroes again in eighteen years, it was just a way to bolster their courage.

Unfazed by the sound of gunfire, able to turn door gods into sugar figurines to eat, not even knowing what colour red was considered evil—He Simu took the jar from Chenying and helped him scatter the lime powder in front of the windows and doors.

Recently, Duan Xu had been busy, rarely seen. She occasionally went invisible to check on him, finding him either overseeing battles or discussing military matters, seemingly never resting. This didn’t seem like a good time for making deals, especially since she still couldn’t discern Duan Xu’s intentions.

He Simu muttered to herself, “What could he possibly want?”

Breaking the siege of the capital? Driving away the reinforcements of the Danzhi tribe? Reclaiming lost territory? Returning to the court to become a marshal or prime minister? Each one seems like the right answer.

But each one also feels like it’s not.

Moreover, according to her rules, the ghost realm cannot interfere in human affairs. If these are his wishes, it would be quite tricky.

“Who wants what?” Chenying asked curiously.

He Simu looked up at him and laughed, “Your general brother, what do you think his wish would be?”

Chenying thought for a moment and held up eight fingers, “I think it’s to be able to eat eight pancakes at every meal.”

“…”

As if it wasn’t enough, Chenying added, “All filled with meat.”

“…That doesn’t sound much like Duan Xu’s wish, it sounds more like your wish.”

“No no no, I can only eat three pancakes in one meal. General brother is so powerful, he must be able to eat eight.” Chenying waved his hand, analysing seriously.

“I remember you wanted to follow Duan Xu to fight for the country before?” He Simu reminded him.

Chenying blinked his eyes, evidently recalling his past grandiose speeches. He said, “Yeah, if the Huqi people come, we won’t have pancakes to eat. In order to be able to eat eight pancakes in one meal, the general brother has to drive them away too!”

He Simu looked at him silently for a while, then smiled and patted his head, saying, “You’re indeed a straightforward child.”

“Miss, why do you want to know General Brother’s wish?” Chenying suddenly became interested, as if he had discovered a gold mine. He followed He Simu closely, wherever she scattered lime powder, he followed.

“I want to do some important business with your General Brother, so I need to know him well to know how to make an offer,” He Simu said casually.

Chenying grinned slyly and said, “Miss, are you feeling shy?”

“What?”

“You like General Brother, don’t you! That’s why you want to help him fulfil his wish! I heard what you said to Captain Meng last time, you said you fell in love at first sight with General Brother!” Chenying finally remembered this idiom.

He Simu looked at the excited Chenying speechlessly, then showed a gentle smile, “Yes, yes, yes, now it seems that he and I are truly made for each other.”

Encountering someone who could be bonded with after more than three hundred years, it was indeed heaven-sent, unique.

Chenying couldn’t contain his happiness, bouncing three feet high on the spot, jumping around He Simu, “Sister, you really like General Brother! You should go find him more! He hasn’t come for so long!”

He Simu scattered lime powder on the ground, ignoring Chenying’s words as if they were just a passing breeze.

However, Chenying remained oblivious, holding onto He Simu’s sleeve as he said, “Miss, we still have the suona! Are you really going to play it for General Brother only when it’s time for him to depart?”

He Simu suddenly felt the atmosphere becoming somewhat delicate. She raised her eyes and met Duan Xu’s gaze at the courtyard gate, with the true owner of the yard, Lin Jun, standing beside him.

Duan Xu was dressed casually, with his hair tied up, and a clear smile on his face, as if he were not a military commander but rather an elder brother visiting from next door.

He blinked his black eyes and smiled, revealing his white teeth, “Send me off?”

This person arrived at just the right time.

He Simu never knew how to write the word “awkward”, so she held onto the jar without changing her expression, “General, when did you arrive?”

“Just arrived, probably since ‘made by heaven, designed by earth’ started. Indeed, it seems ‘designed by earth’, you’ve even arranged for me to be sent to the underworld.” Duan Xu teased with a smile.

He Simu straightforwardly replied, “I’m just afraid that my beloved General might feel uncomfortable on the journey.”

“When the siege of the capital is lifted, how about playing a tune for me, Miss?”

“Sorry, this tune can only be heard by those on their way. It’s not auspicious for the living to hear it.”

Duan Xu smiled and then shifted his gaze to the ground beneath He Simu’s feet. Chenying followed his line of sight curiously and immediately exclaimed in surprise.

Sometime earlier, the lime powder on the ground had been scattered into a plum blossom pattern, with three or four thin branches and five or six plum blossoms, sharp as if about to break through the ground.

He Simu’s father was a ghost who was accustomed to refined tastes. He had taught her painting since she was young. Although she didn’t know colours, she was quite good at ink painting.

“Miss, you can also paint!” Chenying exclaimed in admiration.

He Simu clapped the lime powder off her hands and said, “Lime powder isn’t really useful. A beautiful painting might deter a refined evil spirit from stepping over it.”

Pausing for a moment, she asked Lin Jun, “Mr. Lin, do you mind if I dirty your floor tiles?”

Lin Jun quickly waved his hand and said he didn’t mind, marvelling, “Your painting skills are exquisite, as if you’ve been practicing for decades as a master.”

…That’s not wrong; she had been practicing for hundreds of years.

…

He Simu felt that every time Duan Xu came to see her, it seemed to be to find inspiration for his mischievous ideas, and this time was no exception.

She walked through the thick city walls and ascended the barbican, outside of which lay the camp of the Huqi people. This barbican was meticulously constructed, narrow and guarding the main city gate. If the enemy breached the barbican, both the barbican and main city gates could be closed, trapping the enemy inside like turtles in a jar.

To win in war, mortals truly spared no effort and used all their ingenuity. But these city walls were originally built by the Han people of the former dynasty, later used to protect the Huqi people, and now back in the hands of the Han people again.

The shift between offense and defense bred contradictions.

“I remembered a fable from ancient times,” He Simu said as she walked up the steps of the barbican. “In the past, there were two countries, one at the left horn of a snail and the other at the right horn. They fought over such a small piece of land that tens of thousands of corpses piled up.”

Duan Xu, leading her forward, turned around to look at her. His expression was unclear in the darkness. “That ancient person is Zhuangzi. Zhuangzi wrote, ‘There were two countries at the left horn and right horn of the snail, called the Chu and Man clans. They fought over territory, resulting in tens of thousands of corpses. After chasing north for five days, they eventually turned back.’”

He Simu thought that this young general had quite a good memory, somewhat like the rumoured Duan Xu who never forgot anything from his childhood.

They emerged from the dark staircase and ascended the city wall of the barbican. Duan Xu’s voice paused for a moment, and he slowly continued, “We’re just like that. Human life is truly short, insignificant, and pitiful, isn’t it?”

Even when he spoke of such desolate words, Duan Xu always smiled, his eyes shining. He didn’t look the least bit insignificant, let alone pitiful.

“Why are you always so fond of smiling?” He Simu couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s how I am.”

Finally, He Simu stepped onto the city wall. She surveyed the scene of the desolate barbican, filled with the charred traces of war on the battlements. Soldiers were bustling back and forth, tense, while the smell of blood and burning lingered in the air.

It seemed that the previous battles to repel the enemy had been fierce. And outside the city, the sprawling camp of the enemy seemed endless. Two hundred thousand people lurked outside this precarious little city like a crouching black panther, waiting for the right moment to pounce and tear it apart.

Yet, the people inside the city were oblivious, busy preparing for the upcoming New Year.

He Simu rubbed her temples. “There’s a saying that goes, ‘Calm as a lake despite the thunder in the belly, such a person can be a great general.’ It turns out they were referring to you.”

Duan Xu’s eyes curved with a smile. “I’m truly honoured.”

It wouldn’t be long before the Huqi people launched their next wave of attacks, and Duan Xu had to figure out a way to repel them once again.

“Today, I was thinking, lime powder is quite handy, especially since the burning rain is the second punishment in the Cangyan Scripture. Have we had any east winds accompanying the rain recently?” Duan Xu leaned against the battlement, smiling.

Obviously, he had mastered the Cangyan Scripture to an extraordinary degree.

He Simu squinted, half-smiling, half-serious. “I’m not the god of wind and rain. Do you think I can just conjure up any weather you want? Recently, the weather has been clear and dry, with no rain in sight.”

Duan Xu shook his head, sighing. “Too bad.”

“You, a grand general, why do you always think of such underhanded methods?”

“Warfare is the art of deception. Only by combining both cunning and righteousness can one achieve victory. They have two hundred thousand troops from the Danzhi tribe, while I have only fifty thousand. If we were to face them head-on, it would be a dead end.”

As Duan Xu finished speaking, shouts echoed from below the city.

“Duan Shunxi, you cowardly little pretty boy, are you hiding in the city because you’re afraid of your Danzhi tribe grandfather? If you have the guts, come out and fight us! Watch as I smash your head open and make you cry for mercy!”

“Come on, come out and fight!”

The voice was rough and arrogant, dripping with mockery, echoing from the enemy camp below. Some insults and curses even reached the top of the city walls, creating a clamour.

Duan Xu didn’t even bother to look down, casually explaining to He Simu, “They’ve been shouting like this for a while.”

“They’re insulting you, trying to provoke you into coming out to battle them.”

“Are they insulting me? They call me a pretty boy. Isn’t that just another way of saying I’m handsome?” Duan Xu patted his chest, chuckling. “I take it as a compliment.”

He Simu fell silent for a moment, then clapped her hands. “General, your broad-mindedness is truly admirable.”