Pass
With these words, everyone in the camp was taken aback. Meng Wan spoke, “It’s still cold weather now. What’s the use of blowing up the passes? In just a few days after blowing them up, the river will freeze again.”
“The climate around the passes is usually mild, and the river doesn’t freeze in winter. It’s only frozen this year due to an exceptionally severe cold spell. But I don’t think this cold spell will last much longer,” He Simu calculated with her fingers, saying, “Ten days later, the temperature will rise sharply, the cold will retreat, and the weather will be warm. If you blow up the passes a few days before that, the river water probably won’t freeze again so quickly. After that, even if the weather fluctuates, the coldest the river might get is thin ice, it will no longer be possible to cross the ice.”
Duan Xu smiled. “I think that’s a good idea.”
Wu Shengliu looked at He Simu, then at Duan Xu, asking, “So, after blowing up the passes, are we withdrawing to Liangzhou?”
Up to now, the entire Tabai army didn’t know what orders General Qin had given to Duan Xu. Wu Shengliu guessed it was probably to delay the Danzhi reinforcements’ arrival. If they could slow them down by about half a month by holding firm and blowing up the passes, it would already be quite good. After all, the entire Tabai army only consisted of eighty thousand soldiers, and with only fifty thousand deployed to Shuozhou to protect the rear in Liangzhou, they couldn’t ask for more.
Duan Xu looked up, finally dropping a bombshell in a nonchalant tone, “General Qin’s orders are for Tabai to hold Shuozhou City at all costs. We must not let the Dan reinforcements pass, we must not take even one step back.”
With this statement, the room fell silent, with only the crackling of charcoal in the brazier, oddly cheerful in its timing.
He Simu leisurely took a sip of tea.
“How is that possible? We only have fifty thousand troops!”
“The reinforcements from Danzhi are the Huolan Army, led by the formidable general Awolqi.”
Before the officers’ murmurs could escalate, Wu Shengliu’s thunderous voice overwhelmed them, “Not one step back? Is this some kind of joke? If we don’t return to Liangzhou, we’ll all die here! Did General Qin really say that, or is it your ambition outweighing reality?”
The amusement in Duan Xu’s eyes slowly faded, replaced by a shallow layer of seriousness.
There hadn’t been major battles along the banks of the river for many years, just occasional skirmishes. The soldiers of Daliang had grown soft, even lacking in valour. Decades had passed, and this generation of soldiers no longer remembered the fear of the impending invasion by the Huqi.
Duan Xu rose from his seat, walking step by step towards Wu Shengliu as he spoke, “Wu Commander, your words are strange. I am your general, and have you forgotten…”
He stopped in front of Wu Shengliu, bending down, “Death is the true face of war. Even the victors need to pave their path with bones, with countless casualties.”
“What lies beneath our feet is not just Danzhi’s Shuozhou, but the Shuozhou of the Great Sheng Dynasty. Our ancestors were buried here decades ago, defeated by Danzhi, allowing their iron hooves to trample freely across the seventeen provinces and even invade Liangzhou to pillage and slaughter. It’s only through our relentless struggle and sacrifice that we can reclaim this land. In the face of our homeland, we should be willing to die a thousand deaths.”
The room was silent. Wu Shengliu looked up at Duan Xu, his fists clenched tightly, resonating with a crackling sound.
He remembered the bodies in the streets and alleys of Liangzhou, his blood boiling. He understood the logic Duan Xu presented, but with their meagre forces against the Danzhi army, they were like ants before a chariot wheel. Did he have to bury his aspirations of leading an army here?
Duan Xu chuckled again. He tilted his chin slightly, with a playful expression in his eyes.
“Commander Wu, there’s no need for this. We will win.”
Wu Shengliu seemed shaken but remained defiant.
“Do you think just saying we’ll win makes it so?”
“Commander Wu, although I may be a bit arbitrary, but up to now, I haven’t lost yet, have I?”
Wu Shengliu stared at Duan Xu for a while, then slammed the table and stood up, leaving a crack in the wood. Pointing at Duan Xu, he said, “I’ll believe you one more time, damn it! Who’s afraid of death? I’m destined to be a general! If the Danzhi people can’t roll back to their homes, I won’t spare your Duan family even if I become a ghost!”
Duan Xu’s gaze was intense. He pushed Wu Shengliu’s hand back gently, saying, “Rest assured, Commander. Even if you become a ghost, I won’t let you go either.”
Looking at the courteous Duan Xu, Wu Shengliu suddenly remembered. He had heard that this noble young man was originally supposed to be groomed to become prime minister, which was much higher than being a general. Thinking of this, he felt a twinge of pity.
But Duan Xu remained oblivious, just turning to salute the others in the tent.
“For Shuozhou City, I entrust it to all of you.”
The captains in the tent returned the salute, most of them older than Duan Xu but still shaken by the conversation between Duan Xu and Wu Shengliu, their faces showing a mix of sadness and determination.
As they left the tent, He Simu walked beside Duan Xu, looking at Wu Shengliu’s retreating figure and joked, “I think Wu Shengliu dislikes you so much probably because you’re too good-looking.”
People in the military usually didn’t like clean and handsome men; they glorified roughness and ferocity, especially someone as outstandingly handsome as Duan Xu.
Duan Xu raised an eyebrow. As they stepped out of the tent, the sunlight was bright and the wind was strong. His hairband fluttered, and the silver hairpin in his tied hair shimmered in the sunlight, just like his eyes, which were now curved into a smile.
“Thank you for the compliment, I’m truly honoured,” he said, seeming genuinely happy.
“In fact, Wu Commander does trust you,” He Simu said.
From Liangzhou to Shuozhou, every battle was hard-fought. Duan Xu had always kept Wu Shengliu close, winning battle after battle, which gradually gained Wu Shengliu’s respect. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have obeyed Duan Xu’s command to attack Shuozhou City.
The captains in the camp, even the soldiers of Tabai, had probably developed some recognition of Duan Xu through each battle.
But making Wu Shengliu bow down before Duan Xu, who was almost a decade younger, was still too difficult for him.
“Do you have confidence in winning?”
This was an extreme disparity, with two hundred thousand troops against thirty thousand.
“If I were absolutely confident in winning, I wouldn’t be a good gambler.”
Duan Xu blinked as he watched He Simu being escorted onto the carriage. As the carriage began to move, He Simu lifted the curtain and found Duan Xu still standing outside. Their eyes met, and he waved to her with a smile.
He seemed cheerful and gentle.
Cheerful and gentle, yet a reckless gambler.
He Simu sighed as she let the curtain fall.
As He Simu’s carriage departed, heading towards the Lin residence in the city, Han Lingqiu watched it go before turning his gaze to Duan Xu.
In fact, Duan Xu was only slightly younger than him; their ages were quite similar. This nobleman from the southern capital carried himself differently from the rough men in the military, but he wasn’t haughty either. He always wore a smile on his face, even if there were hidden depths beneath it.
Han Lingqiu always felt a sense of familiarity with this person, especially when Duan Xu smiled, that familiarity became particularly apparent.
“General!” This time, Han Lingqiu finally called out to Duan Xu, who turned to look at him, indicating for him to continue.
Han Lingqiu paused for a moment, then asked, “General, have we met before? About… five or six years ago?”
Duan Xu’s eyes flickered, and he placed his hands behind his back, smiling. “Why do you ask? If we’ve met before, wouldn’t you remember it yourself?”
Han Lingqiu hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and replied, “General, to be honest, I suffered a severe injury five or six years ago, leaving this scar on my face, and I don’t remember anything before the injury healed.”
Even his name, Han Lingqiu, was given to him by the family that took him in. He had only a vague impression of what happened before he got injured, as if someone had told him to go south, to Daliang, and never come back.
In fact, he was injured while fighting with the Danzhi army. After hearing that sentence, the only thing he remembered, he escaped from Danzhi after he recovered and fled to Daliang.
Losing this memory hadn’t had much impact on his life. He seemed accustomed to living alone and hadn’t thought about recovering it. But when he first saw Duan Xu, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.
As if an old friend had returned.
Duan Xu seemed quite surprised, then showed a look of regret. He shook his head and said, “I didn’t expect Captain Han to have such an injury. Unfortunately, I was still in Daizhou five or six years ago and don’t remember meeting you.”
Han Lingqiu looked a little disappointed. He saluted and Duan Xu patted him on the shoulder as a reassurance before turning back towards the tent.
As Duan Xu turned away, a hidden smile lingered in his eyes, his expression ambiguous.
He Simu had no intention of getting involved in their plan to blow up the passes. The military encampment was quite a distance from the Lin residence where she stayed. She spent her time in her room, taking care of her body, chatting with Feng Yi occasionally, and reading the Ghost Register to keep up with the world while she rested.
Shao Yinyin’s name had disappeared from the Ghost Register on schedule, indicating that she had vanished without a trace, transcending the cycle of reincarnation, leaving no trace in this world.
Guan Huai indeed behaved obediently.
This old man has always been a turncoat, following whichever way the wind blows. When she quelled the rebellion back then, he was the first to switch sides and submit. He’s always been good at reading the signs and avoiding trouble.
He Simu leaned back in his chair, casually flipping through the ghost register, observing the tragedies of the world.
After the massacre in Liangzhou Prefecture, there were many wandering souls. Those who died tragically are prone to becoming wandering souls, but if their attachments aren’t deep enough, they’re mostly consumed by other wandering souls and cannot ultimately become evil spirits.
However, for those with deep attachments, like Guan Huai, it’s different. He spent his whole life exhausting his family fortune seeking immortality, medicine, and longevity, longing to live as long as the heavens. Even though he lived to be over a hundred, he still died. But even death couldn’t sever his attachments. He devoured hundreds of wandering souls and transformed into an evil spirit.
Even as an evil spirit, he became the longest-lived one in the ghost realm, enduring for three thousand years. His attachments were indeed profound.
He Simu closed the ghost register. Leaning on her chin, she muttered, “I envy you in a way.”
Knowing so clearly what you want, clinging to those desires for a lifetime, forsaking reincarnation for thousands of years for them.
Unlike her, who became an evil spirit without any clear intention as soon as she was born.
A subtle disturbance arose in the air, causing the white threads to curl. He Simu frowned, walked to the window, and pushed it open. She saw numerous bright lights rising above the low houses in the southern outskirts of the city, floating and disappearing into the night, illuminating the sky and earth like a blazing fire.
Someone died?
To the south of the city lies the Guan River. Could the young general’s explosion of the river cause so many deaths?
He Simu waved her sleeve, settling her body on the bed. After her soul left her body, the Ghost King Lantern at her waist flickered, and in an instant, she stood on the bank of the Guan River.
Her red boots with white soles stepped on the soft soil by the river. Instantly, she felt the vibration from the land. The frozen surface of the Guan River exploded with booming sounds and flashes of light. Ice particles scattered in all directions, passing through her ethereal soul and falling to the ground. The whole world shook in panic. On the ice, indistinguishable soldiers screamed and moaned as they fell into the icy river with the breaking ice.
The Guan River, dark and silent, seemed like a giant beast endlessly devouring everything, followed by thousands of bright lanterns, burning soul fires rising from its mouth.
Another grand spectacle of death, adding many more names of wandering souls to the ghost register.
Why would the Huqi people cross the river at this time, coinciding with Duan Xu’s explosion of the Guan River?
He Simu turned around and instantly saw Duan Xu amidst the dark forest and chaotic rocks, with Captain Han and Meng Wan standing behind him, along with many soldiers from the Great Liang hidden among the trees. Those soldiers formed an arrow formation, shooting any Huqi people who managed to climb ashore, killing them at the riverbank.
His eyes sparkled with a shallow smile, his tall and handsome figure blending into the forest, like a pine or cypress growing among the trees.
He Simu walked step by step to Duan Xu’s side, standing in front of him on the edge of this abyss, the brink of hell.
“The Huqi people from Yuzhou are planning to launch a surprise attack on the prefectural city from Guan River. You ambushed them here and also completed the plan to blow up the Guan River. Killing two birds with one stone, young general. Did you know in advance that the Huqi people would launch a surprise attack?” He Simu said with a smile.
Duan Xu could neither see her ethereal soul form nor hear her voice.
Of course, he couldn’t see the world she saw, couldn’t see the delicate white wind, couldn’t see the brilliant soul flames illuminating the space between heaven and earth.
He Simu approached Duan Xu, slightly tiptoed to meet his eyes.
His eyes were bright and slightly upturned, the colour of his pupils pure black, like a black mirror. In the mirror, there was no her, no soul flame lanterns, only the explosion of fire and the blurry figures of enemies.
“What does death look like through the eyes of the living?” He Simu examined his eyes, as if trying to see the other side of death through them.
Duan Xu blinked quietly, then he suddenly smiled gently and said, “Little He.”
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