CALID Chapter 6

Military Order

In the study of the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion in Liangzhou, the charcoal fire warmed the entire room, and the air was filled with wisps of smoke. On the heavy sandalwood desk, there lay a letter, marked with the word “Secret” and stamped with a special red seal from the Ministry of War.

This letter had just been urgently delivered over eight hundred miles and placed on Duan Xu’s desk. He had barely spent an hour before opening it. At this moment, he sat behind the desk, with Meng Wan and Xia Qingsheng standing in front of it. He did not avoid the presence of Meng Wan and Xia Qingsheng, and the letter was spread out on the table for them to see clearly.

Meng Wan’s eyes were heavy with gloom. She clenched her fist and said, “They’re going too far! They want you to go to your death!”

Duan Xu leaned his arms on the desk, intertwining his fingers and then releasing them, a habit of his when he was deep in thought.

After a moment of silence, Duan Xu raised his eyes and said, “Marshal Qin’s idea is not wrong. Now that Liangzhou has been recovered, most of Yuzhou is still in the hands of the Danshi Army. South of Yuzhou is a flat plain, and there are no longer any defenses in Daliang. If the Huqi people take control of Yuzhou, they will directly threaten the southern capital. Therefore, Yuzhou must not be lost. Danshi and Daliang are both aware of this, which is why that area is the most important battlefield, and the situation is deadlocked.”

“Long-distance operations are the most afraid of delays. Yuzhou still has six cities in the hands of the elite troops of Daliang. If we continue to besiege them without success, Danshi will inevitably reinforce them. Losing Liangzhou, they can only reinforce through this route.”

Duan Xu pointed on the map on the table with his index finger, indicating the rear of Yuzhou and the line of the Guan River.

“However, the rear of Yuzhou is heavily guarded by Danshi troops. They will anticipate our desire to cut off the reinforcement route and prepare for a fierce battle here. The Tabai Army has only eighty thousand troops and cannot withstand such losses. To save Yuzhou, we need to…”

Duan Xu’s hand moved to Liangzhou on the map, pointing to the section of the Guan River in Liangzhou. “Cross the Guan River, bypass and occupy the Danshi’s Shuozhou Prefectural City, and cut off the communication route between the Huqi people north and south of the Guan River. By the time spring comes and the Guan River thaws, Danshi will be powerless.”

Meng Wan was impatient and sneered, “That’s right, Marshal Qin’s idea isn’t wrong, it’s just easy to say empty words. Not to mention waiting for the Guan River to thaw in spring, we would just become trapped in Shuozhou. Just talking about crossing the Guan River to attack Danshi, how easy is that? Marshal Qin Huanda has always defended rather than attacked when facing the Danshi army, but now he wants us to attack Danshi?”

“This is such an important matter, why doesn’t he send his personal troops, Su Ying and Shengjie, to do it? They’re his own soldiers! He’s the brother-in-law of Duke Pei, and you’re his thorn in the flesh. He’s clearly trying to send you to your death!” Meng Wan’s eyes turned red as she spoke. She clenched her fist and slammed the table, “Damn it, it’s already at this point, and he still hasn’t forgotten to eliminate dissidents!”

She had spent years in the military camp, although she came from a noble family, she had picked up some rough language.

Duan Xu’s eyes remained unchanged, clear and calm. He even smiled, contrary to his serious expression just now, appearing relaxed.

“After all, Marshal Qin is the Grand Marshal of the world’s military forces, and military orders are hard to disobey. If someone has to die to save Daliang, it’s not a question of who should go or not, right? If Marshal Qin wants me to die, it could also be seen as him valuing me, couldn’t it?”

Meng Wan widened her eyes and looked at Duan Xu, feeling somewhat pitiful and angry. The Meng family and the Duan family had been friends for generations. She had known Duan Xu for many years, but she still couldn’t understand how he could have such a temperament, turning bad things into good things without complaining.

Duan Xu stood up, his tall and slender figure, his features handsome, his smile living up to the four words “bright eyes and white teeth”, giving off a lively and approachable aura.

He walked to the desk and turned his gaze to Xia Qingsheng, who had been silent all this time. Xia Qingsheng and Meng Wan were both people he had brought from the southern capital. Xia Qingsheng was originally taciturn, and now he frowned in deep thought.

“Qingsheng, what’s wrong with you?”

Xia Qingsheng gritted his teeth, suddenly knelt down and bowed to him, his voice firm and powerful, “It’s my fault that I’ve implicated General. If it weren’t for saving my sister, you wouldn’t have clashed with Master Fan, leading to being accused by Lord Fang and ending up in today’s predicament.”

He raised his eyes to look at Duan Xu, with a tinge of guilt in his eyes but determination in his gaze. He solemnly said, “No matter what decision General makes, I pledge to follow to the death!”

Duan Xu looked at the resolute Xia Qingsheng and then at the angry Meng Wan. He couldn’t help but lower his head and burst into laughter, surprising Xia Qingsheng and Meng Wan.

Duan Xu had always been very fond of smiling. Meng Wan, who had known him for many years, had never seen him frown, yet even so, she couldn’t adapt to his sudden smile.

Duan Xu reached out to help Xia Qingsheng up and then said to them, “What’s with these expressions? Each of you looks as if you’re about to sacrifice yourselves heroically. Are you all so certain that I will lose?”

“I informed you in advance, don’t reveal a word to anyone else. Qingsheng, have Wu Lang come to the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion to find me two hours later. Meng Wan, come with me. We have something to do.”

Duan Xu patted Xia Qingsheng’s shoulder, seemingly trying to comfort him. With a smile on his face, he seemed to really not think it was a big deal. After giving some instructions, he left the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion.

He continued his style from the southern capital even at the border, not bringing any guards. This time, he only walked out of the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion with Meng Wan. After standing on the desolate street with traces of blood for a while, they turned right towards the small courtyard next to the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion.

A girl was sitting on the steps in front of the courtyard, wearing a moon-white jacket and a lotus-pink cloak, with a ring of white fluff visible on her neck. She looked very sweet, with a blush on her fair skin, resembling a peach.

The girl held an intricately patterned sugar figurine in her hand, and the boy in a blue jacket held a similar one, sitting next to her, leaning against her. Around them were a group of seven or eight-year-old children, sitting on the ground, listening attentively to the girl’s storytelling.

As soon as Meng Wan saw He Xiaoxiao, she became furious, “General, during this time, you ordered me to take care of her. I provided her with a house, food, and clothes, and now she’s living like a spoiled princess. How long do you still intend to look after her?”

Duan Xu replied casually, “Didn’t you say she might be from the Pei faction and has ill intentions toward me? She hasn’t asked for my life while demanding food, housing, and clothes. Isn’t that good enough? Let’s not talk about that. How have you been getting along with her these days?”

Suppressing her anger, Meng Wan reported, “She claims to have no relatives. She took care of Xue Chenying because of his father’s kindness. However, I’ve inquired around Liangzhou, and no one has seen her in the city, nor has anyone heard Xue Chenying’s father mention her.”

“These days, I intentionally asked her about the weather changes, and she can predict accurately each time, down to the hour. The wind direction and strength are also correct. But General, I feel this person is untrustworthy.”

Duan Xu didn’t comment on Meng Wan’s opinion, only saying, “I understand.”

As they approached the group at the entrance of the courtyard, they heard He Xiaoxiao’s clear voice.

“Only saw that the evil spirit, beautiful as a flower, with eyes as black as ink, holding a large jar, blood dripping straight down from the jar. Suddenly, she grew fangs and sharp claws, opening her blood-filled mouth…”

He Xiaoxiao raised her delicate hands, pretending to pounce forward with a fierce expression, causing the circle of children around her to scream in fear. She immediately softened her expression and burst into laughter, causing the children who had run away to come back.

A girl with braided hair tremblingly said, “Sister, are ghosts really so scary? Is there nothing that scares ghosts?”

“Of course there is! Chenying and I almost got eaten! In the future, if you encounter strange people, especially those with black eyes without whites, you must run away quickly.” He Xiaoxiao patted her chest, appearing to be still frightened, “I’m most afraid of ghosts. I couldn’t sleep well for several nights and had nightmares all night long! I heard that people eaten by ghosts will have bad luck for several lifetimes, and may never get to eat sweets in their lives!”

The group of children immediately showed genuine fear in their eyes.

“Are there things that even ghosts are afraid of?” a chubby boy, perhaps worried that he couldn’t run fast, asked.

“Yes, I heard my dad say that they’re afraid of magical instruments and spells, as well as…” He Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, “their leader, the Ghost King.”

The boy in the blue shirt beside her exclaimed, “Ghost King? Ghosts have kings too? Like the emperor?”

“More or less. I also heard my dad say that only the Ghost King can reproduce bloodlines with humans. The offspring are born as evil spirits and are much stronger than ordinary evil spirits. They usually inherit the position of Ghost King…”

While He Xiaoxiao was spreading knowledge of the ghost world to the group of children—actually her own stories—she looked up and saw Duan Xu standing outside the circle of children, smiling at her.

He was still dressed casually, wearing a round-collared robe with square victory patterns, tied with a coronet, with a gray headband hanging down. The sunlight today was extremely good, and he stood in the radiant light, with a clean and penetrating gaze that seemed to see through everything, reflecting her appearance.

He Xiaoxiao remembered that Feng Yi had told her that Duan Xu had just turned nineteen this year, truly the most beautiful youth.

He Xiaoxiao showed a happy smile, stood up, and bowed to Duan Xu, “General.”

Duan Xu returned the gesture, saying, “Miss He is knowledgeable and broad-minded. I admire you.”

He Xiaoxiao was very modest, saying, “It’s just hearsay.”

She dispersed Xue Chenying and the children, then turned to Duan Xu, stood in front of him, and looked directly into his eyes, saying, “General, is there something you need?”

“I heard that Miss He has extraordinary skills and can predict the weather,” Duan Xu said directly.

“It’s just that I have good eyesight since birth, able to discern the wind and clouds, it’s just a trivial skill.”

“I wonder if Miss is willing to serve as the meteorologist for my Tabai Army?”

Military matters rely on the right timing, location, and people, and the meteorologist role calculates the timing of weather changes in the army.

He Xiaoxiao was somewhat surprised. With Meng Wan’s suspicion in the middle, shouldn’t this young general be wary of her? Why suddenly such trust, entrusting such an important task to her.

She temporarily put on a surprised look and said, “If I can be by the general’s side and contribute to Daliang, I would naturally not refuse. What does the general need me to do?”

Ignoring Meng Wan’s anxious gaze beside him, Duan Xu said, “Do you know which night in these few days the east wind will blow? The stronger, the better, preferably accompanied by snowfall.”

Night-time, east wind, snowfall.

He Simu was momentarily taken aback, showing a hint of sorrowful expression as if she guessed what Duan Xu was about to do. However, that sorrow vanished in an instant, replaced by her original joyful expression.

“The terrain here is low and the houses are densely packed, providing plenty of wind cover. General, if you don’t mind, could you take me to the city wall to observe the wind?”

Meng Wan finally couldn’t contain her anger. She had been puzzled by why Duan Xu sought help from such a mysterious person. Now, she was burning with fury.

“The city wall involves military deployment and is a crucial area. Who are you to think you can just go there?”

“What am I? Am I not the meteorologist for the Tabai Army, Captain Meng?” He Simu flashed an innocent smile.

“You!”

Duan Xu stopped Meng Wan from advancing. After looking at He Simu for a moment, he smiled and nodded, “Alright, I’ll take you to the city wall.”