Seizing Grain
“Captain, I’m just…”
“Just suspecting my connection with Danzhi?” Duan Xu interrupted.
“Captain…”
Han Lingqiu, already not one to speak much, found himself caught in Duan Xu’s observation. Unsure how to evade, he looked directly at Duan Xu and said plainly, “Yes.”
Duan Xu burst into laughter, leaning against the wall with crossed arms, showing no signs of anger. “I asked Captain Han to investigate the spy, but unexpectedly, the first one he suspects is me. Are you afraid I’m colluding with the Huqi people and staging a show here?”
Han Lingqiu’s suspicion wasn’t unfounded. There had been precedents in the previous dynasty. Decades ago, when the Huqi people were harassing the Central Plains border, there were generals of the Da Sheng dynasty who colluded with the Huqi people, performing a play that defeated the Huqi. The general not only gained countless military merits but also extorted money and provisions from the court, which he then distributed to the Huqi people.
Later, the general repeated the performance, colluding with the Huqi people again, secretly leaking military information to them, allowing them to seize territory. By the time he intended to reclaim the lost land himself, the Huqi people, now dissatisfied with what he could offer, launched an invasion, ultimately leading to the downfall of the Da Sheng dynasty.
“Captain… I’m not sure, so I wanted General to clarify,” Han Lingqiu bowed.
With a smile, Duan Xu looked at Han Lingqiu for a moment before saying, “Why should I provide you with answers?”
After a pause, he continued, “Captain Han has been keeping a close eye on me all this time. Perhaps you still think we’ve met before? I heard that Captain Han fled from Danzhi to Daliang. Your ties with Danzhi are probably even stronger than mine, right?”
“I don’t remember anything about Danzhi…” Han Lingqiu hastily explained.
“If you don’t remember, why do you still think I’m someone you know, perhaps even a friend from Danzhi?”
Approaching Han Lingqiu, Duan Xu lifted his chin provocatively. “Captain Han, since you can’t provide an answer, why come to me for one? If I were to speak ill of you, saying you came from Danzhi with an unclear background, possibly a spy, how would you refute that?”
Han Lingqiu fell silent. The long scar on his face appeared even more sinister in this silence.
At this tense moment, Duan Xu suddenly laughed inappropriately. “Daring to suspect me shows some courage. Captain Han, let’s consider today’s events as if they never happened. You can rest assured, if Shuozhou falls, I won’t be the only one who survives.”
He stepped back, bowed, then turned and walked away. His round, uplifted eyes contained a glimmer of light, and his blue robe fluttered like the spirit of a young man.
Han Lingqiu’s eyes flickered slightly. He felt like he had seen someone like this before.
This person was too distinctive for him to have misremembered.
Thinking about it, He Simu felt like she had probed a bit into Duan Xu’s background. Though she didn’t know who this kid really was, he certainly wasn’t the real Duan Xu. If she kept probing like this, she might not get answers anytime soon. She’d have to find a good time to confront him and have a proper discussion about the deal they made regarding her senses.
Will there be anyone indifferent to the power of the Ghost King in this world? Although she felt that the glory, wealth, fame, and fortune were extremely boring, if Duan Xu wanted, she could consider giving him some, but she couldn’t agree to everything—such as if he wanted to kick down the current emperor of Daliang and replace him, she wouldn’t agree.
But would Duan Xu want be so ordinary?
During this time, Duan Xu was busy like a spinning top, blocking two attacks from the Danzhi, reinforcing the city walls at every opportunity, and catching the Danzhi army intending to dig tunnels to attack the city, burning them alive in the tunnels. It was as if the enemy army were blind moles popping up from nowhere, and he was the Thousand-Armed Guanyin patting them down.
He Simu couldn’t find a good opportunity, so she could only occasionally wander around him in her ghostly form.
By the Laba Festival, the Tabai Army distributed plenty of porridge to the people and sent many gifts, making it seem like a prosperous and peaceful era within the Shuozhou Mansion.
This festive atmosphere made He Simu feel as if she were watching condemned prisoners blissfully unaware of their impending execution.
When midnight came, Duan Xu finally finished his busy schedule and returned to his bedroom to prepare for rest. He couldn’t see the unexpected guest in the room—He Simu was sitting on his sandalwood chair, leisurely examining this potential trading partner.
Duan Xu, who usually liked to be alone, didn’t call for anyone to help him change clothes; the distinguished Tabai General didn’t even have a decent servant.
In the dim light of the lamp, Duan Xu removed his armour and outerwear, his thin clothes outlining his slender and sturdy figure. He wasn’t the bulky type like Wu Shengliu but leaned more towards the agile physique of Han Lingqiu, like a silent snow leopard.
Watching, He Simu thought, based on Duan Xu’s previous martial arts competitions with Wu Shengliu and his performance on the battlefield, his perception should be very keen, his reactions quicker than ordinary people.
—His perception is top-notch among mortals; it would be nice to experience that.
Before Duan Xu returned, He Simu had already taken a stroll around his room. She noticed a small painting tucked into his books with his name signed on it, and there was also a xiao (a Chinese flute) placed on the shelf.
Feng Yi said in the Southern Capital that Duan Xu’s proficiency in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting was also well-known. It seemed unlikely to be false; Duan Xu wouldn’t be colour-blind or tone-deaf.
He Simu carefully assessed Duan Xu’s five senses. However, there were very few ordinary people in this world who could withstand the bond with her—encountering a Duan Xu like this in three hundred years, even if he was truly colour-blind or tone-deaf, she couldn’t exchange him for someone else.
In her contemplation, the Duan Xu in front of her had already begun to undress in his room. His light inner clothes slipped down to his elbows, revealing fair skin, smooth muscle lines—and crisscrossing scars, making his skin look like cracked white porcelain.
These scars were in dangerous positions but had light colours, seeming like old injuries.
Thinking about it, Duan Xu was only nineteen years old now. How old could those old injuries be? Six or seven years?
What was this young general doing when he was a child?
As his clothes fell to his waist, He Simu suddenly noticed a scar on his waist, as if something had been branded and then flattened again. Just as she wanted to examine it closely, Duan Xu suddenly picked up the fallen clothes, covering the scar once more.
He raised his eyes and looked around the empty room, frowned, and muttered softly, “Strange.”
He Simu stood less than three feet away from him, waiting for him to continue undressing.
Her old man was very good at dissecting bodies, and she had seen countless naked bodies with him when she was young, so she was used to it.
But Duan Xu slowly put the clothes back on, checking the doors and windows, with a puzzled expression on his face. It was quite obvious that he felt someone was watching him.
In fact, no one was watching, but there was a ghost watching.
Seeing that Duan Xu was not going to take a bath and had dressed himself securely, He Simu passed through the wall and left his bedroom. She thought to herself that perhaps the reason he liked to be alone was because he felt too keenly; having someone around made him nervous.
Anyway, as her bonded partner, he was qualified enough.
On the evening of the Laba Festival, Duan Xu did not sleep well. Before going to bed, he always had a strange feeling, as if there was an overpowering force around him making it hard for him to breathe. Due to his keen intuition over the years, he spent the entire night in a state of tension, unable to relax.
This kind of tension, he hadn’t felt since he was fourteen.
So the next day, Duan Xu wasn’t feeling very well, with dark circles under his eyes as he appeared in the camp. Wu Shengliu burst into laughter as soon as he saw Duan Xu, striding over with his head held high, saying, “General, you’re still young after all, and even when facing major events, you might be afraid to sleep. Rest assured, today, I, Wu Shengliu, will lead the charge, and there will be no mistakes.”
Wu Shengliu, who was usually suppressed by Duan Xu, finally found an opportunity to show off in front of him, turning the “Can this work?” from the other day into “there will be no mistakes” today.
This second day of the Laba Festival was the day they had decided to go raiding for provisions through a hidden mountain path.
Duan Xu looked at Wu Shengliu with tired eyes. Although his sleepless night had nothing to do with today’s raid, he still followed Wu Shengliu’s lead and laughed, “You’re right, after all, this is a matter of life and death. Without the fear, where’s the bravery?”
Just as Wu Shengliu was about to continue boasting after taking advantage, Duan Xu’s hand landed on his shoulder, and he said with some seriousness, “So, Wu Commander, you need to stay in the city.”
“What do you mean by that? Don’t you trust me, Wu Shengliu?” Wu Shengliu was annoyed.
“If I can’t come back, you will be in charge of the overall situation in the city. As a Tabai soldier, I trust you. I have already written to General Qin about the situation in the city. If the situation in Yuzhou improves, he will find a way to send reinforcements to save Tabai.”
Wu Shengliu was stunned. He looked at Duan Xu, then at Meng Wan, and said somewhat awkwardly, “Then… why don’t you stay in the city and let us go for the provisions?”
Duan Xu was silent for a moment. He patted Wu Shengliu’s shoulder and said with a smile, “If we can’t raid the provisions and I’m still in the city, will General Qin still come to save Tabai?”
“As fellow soldiers of Daliang, why wouldn’t General Qin save us?” Wu Shengliu couldn’t understand.
“He will naturally save your Tabai, but he won’t save my Tabai. Wu Shengliu, listen to me, don’t be rash and try to become an official in the capital. The current political struggle is really intense. If you go, it’s like jumping into a frying pan.”
Duan Xu turned to get his helmet. Wu Shengliu couldn’t see his expression, but he heard his sigh, “In this frying pan, our own people are more eager for your death than the enemies on the north bank.”
His tone seemed like he was joking, but it was hard to tell if he was serious.
Wu Shengliu was stunned, feeling once again that he had been overwhelmed by this young lad’s momentum. But the words from this lad’s mouth were too profound and melancholic, leaving him speechless for a moment.
He saw Duan Xu point to Han Lingqiu and his eight hundred men, calmly walking out of the tent. Suddenly, he thought, this was still a teenager who wasn’t even twenty years old, almost ten years younger than himself. Why the hell did he have a feeling of being protected by this kid?
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