"Hurry, hurry, hurry..."

"Be careful..."

"Don't block the wounded..."

"Make way! Make way—"

A cacophony of voices converged, as soldiers poured into the city gates, clogging the roads. An array of scents permeated the air: the acrid tang of gunpowder, the stench of burning, the coppery reek of blood... The shouts of the living, the groans of the wounded, and the desperate cries of injured warhorses painted a grim tableau of war.

A squad of guards in bright yellow armor descended from the city walls, joining the effort to clear the roads and manage the flow of people. On one side of the road, Lou Shuwan hurried onto the city wall, peering out from the battlements. She saw retreating soldiers stretching back into the mountains.

"Tell the grain convoys to turn around and exit from the southwest gate. This way is impassable for now."

"Going southwest will require a long detour..." an accompanying official said.

"Then take a detour."

"Yes."

The official acknowledged the order and departed, dissolving into the chaotic crowd. Lou Shuwan also began to descend, accompanied by trusted guards, with Shi Jin close behind. As she made her way down, Lou Shuwan swiftly issued two further commands: first, to contain the retreating soldiers within designated areas for rest and reorganization, preventing them from spreading throughout the city; second, to request that Yu Yulin's forces, stationed outside the city, intercept the pursuing enemy troops.

After the partition of Jin, many powerful families, led by Liao Yiren, defected to the Jurchens. Upon their allegiance, their first act was to raise their armies and attack those who refused to surrender, such as Yu Yulin and Lou Shuwan. The Jin king's forces, originally numbering over a million, were immediately embroiled in internal strife. Behind the Han soldiers on the front lines, Zong Han and Xi Yin led their armies in an overwhelming advance toward Weisheng.

Weisheng had five defensive lines built on advantageous terrain north of the city, but four had already fallen. Yu Yulin fought battles abroad, while Lou Shuwan maintained order and managed internal affairs in Weisheng, relocating civilians and supplies. Each day brought news of defeats and the deaths of soldiers and civilians. The bodies of the severely wounded piled up like mountains, and the stench of blood was palpable even within the towering Tianji Palace.

"...There's a section of the Zi River to the west where the bridge collapsed last year. During the spring floods, carts have difficulty crossing. Send Li Hu's pontoon bridge team to build temporary bridges. This convoy of grain must be delivered within three days, and they must return to transport the second batch... Also, notify He Yi..."

The group was passing along a street, flanked by the stream of retreating soldiers. The woman in black paused mid-sentence, then hurried forward, causing the column of soldiers to briefly falter. Some recognized her, and a wave of fear washed over them. The woman approached a line of stretchers, scrutinizing the blood-covered faces upon them.

The man on the stretcher lay with his eyes closed, his breath shallow. Whether he was unconscious or simply weakened, his lips were slightly parted, trembling in pain. Lou Shuwan pulled back the bloodstained white cloth covering him, her gaze faltering as she saw the condition of his legs below the knees. Then, she covered him again.

"...His legs are gone. He might still live, Lord Lou..."

Shi Jin leaned closer, quietly alerting her to the disturbances caused by the slowing of the group. Lou Shuwan nodded and stepped back. The relentless flow of people surged forward, pushing the man on the stretcher out of sight. A trusted aide asked, "My Lady, should I inquire where he's being taken?"

Lou Shuwan hesitated, nodding instinctively, then shaking her head. "No... Forget it... I just recognized him..."

She recognized him, but they weren't close. Perhaps it didn't matter.

The middle-aged man on the stretcher was named Zeng Yuhuai, the pedantic scholar who had confessed his feelings for her last year in that courtyard full of lantern flowers before the war with the Jurchens. He had gone to the battlefield. Lou Shuwan hadn't paid him any attention, assuming he was working as a scribe in some army. Sometimes she thought that perhaps the stubborn scholar had died somewhere, and she wouldn't even know. That was war.

She hadn't expected Zeng Yuhuai to survive the chaos of war until today, and she had never imagined that she would see him again in such a fleeting moment. On the stretcher, Zeng Yuhuai's legs had been severed at the knees, and then he was swallowed by the surging tide of people.

Just like countless others who had been swallowed by the great tide of war...

She clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and swallowed the suffocating feeling that engulfed her. Then, she walked forward.

"...Notify... notify He Yi that I don't have time to go to the Wenshu Pavilion. I need all the books loaded onto carts tonight. The artifacts can be moved to the Tianji Palace later. If the books aren't out of the city tonight, I'll deal with him by military law..."

The procession continued, and later, they traveled by carriage. By the time she returned to the Tianji Palace, teams of carts were passing through the side gates into the palace. Some carts were loaded with the rare and exotic artifacts collected from Jin over the years, while others carried flammable materials like oil and wood. Palace officials came to report that some ministers were requesting an audience. Lou Shuwan listened to their names but ignored them.

She and Shi Jin climbed the walls of the Tianji Palace. The setting sun was sinking in the sky, and the chaos within and outside the city was laid out before them. Oil and artifacts were being brought into the palace, while the amputee Zeng Yuhuai was already gone. Many people within the city wanted to escape, but some were still turning the soil and planting crops in the newly reclaimed land outside the city, hoping that the indiscriminate flames of war would leave some alive.

Beneath the city walls, a group of people was approaching, arguing loudly. They were the elderly officials who had requested an audience earlier. These venerable figures ascended the wall and, standing before Lou Shuwan, began to emphasize the importance and value of the rare artifacts.

"...I am bringing them into the palace solely to protect them. These artifacts were merely collected by Tiger King in the past. I haven't taken a single treasure from your homes. Gentlemen, there's no need to worry..."

Lou Shuwan responded with formulaic words, but the others weren't buying it. Some openly accused Lou Shuwan of lying, while others pleaded with her, extolling the treasures' value and urging her to allocate some transport capacity to move them away. Lou Shuwan simply looked at them quietly.

"Gentlemen, you are all venerable and highly respected, with vast knowledge. Are you familiar with the story of King Goujian of Yue and King Helu of Wu?"

She was exhausted, leaning against the city wall, her eyes clear.

"Sima Qian's *Records of the Grand Historian*, chapter 'King Goujian of Yue,' states: 'In the first year, King Helu of Wu, hearing of the death of Yun Chang, raised an army to attack Yue. King Goujian of Yue sent soldiers to challenge, who three times reached the Wu ranks, cried out, and committed suicide. The Wu army watched, and Yue then attacked the Wu army, defeating them at Zuili.' Need I explain the meaning?"

As she spoke of the story, the expressions of the crowd shifted slightly. Everyone present naturally understood the meaning of the story. It was the first battle after Goujian ascended the throne. King Helu of Wu heard of the death of King Yun Chang of Yue and raised an army to attack Goujian. Goujian selected a group of death-defying soldiers who, before the battle, stepped forward and drew their swords, committing suicide in front of the Wu soldiers. The Wu soldiers, seeing the Yue people's disregard for their own lives, lost their morale and were utterly defeated. King Helu of Wu was also mortally wounded in this battle.

The setting sun was crimson, and the massive sunset seemed to be burning the entire sky. On the city walls, the black-clad woman, leaning against the wall with one hand, was both thin and determined. The evening wind stirred her sleeves and skirt, but the body beneath those clothes seemed as firm as steel, standing tall and unyielding.

She looked at the ministers, and they all fell silent.

"If Zong Han comes, I won't leave him even a single tile... Some of you can tell him that."

The crowd exchanged glances, startled. They then began to express their determination to resist the Jurchens.

Below the city walls, artifacts and flammable materials were being transported into the palace, while weapons and grain were being transported out of the palace and the city.

The negotiations on the city walls naturally ended unhappily. After hearing Lou Shuwan's attitude, only a few felt displeased. Inside the palace, Lou Shuwan returned to her room and asked the eunuch about Zhan Wu's whereabouts. Upon learning that he was not in the city, she didn't inquire further. "Where is General Zhu Biao's Black Flag Army?"

"According to the latest news, they reached Daming Prefecture last night."

"..." Lou Shuwan was silent for a long time, until the room was almost filled with a faint humming sound. Then, she nodded. "...Oh."

The sunset swept across the sky, and everything would eventually be devoured by the tide.

In the fifth month of that year, when the army led by Zong Han broke through the gates of Weisheng, the entire city burned for three days, reduced to ashes. Just as Lou Shuwan had said, not a single tile was left for the Jurchens.

************

In the southwest, in April, the late spring weather began to clear up. On the Chengdu Plain, spring plowing had long since ended.

Zhuo Yongqing, serving as a liaison officer between the Fifth Army and the General Staff Department, was temporarily residing in Chen Village.

In February, he had become engaged to He Xiu, a crippled girl from Jiading. Although it was an engagement, the entire process was somewhat confusing to him. The male side was handled entirely by his elder brothers, such as Hou Wu and Qu Qing. On the female side, He Ying, the elder sister who initially had strong objections to him, became a staunch supporter of the marriage—perhaps considering that her introverted and lame younger sister couldn't find a better husband.

Although most of the arrangements were made by others, Zhuo Yongqing had given the engagement careful consideration. Mr. Ning personally presided over the engagement ceremony, which was a great honor.

However, after the engagement, Zhuo Yongqing was treated as a laborer by his elder sister, who ordered him to help with spring plowing and planting, no longer being polite. Despite this, the elder sister wasn't lazy either. When Zhuo Yongqing went to the fields to plant rice seedlings, she also went to the fields to plant rice seedlings. Her pace of farming was even faster than Zhuo Yongqing's, which was quite a surprise. And the younger sister, He Xiu, would often watch them in the fields, bringing them food and water. Although such labor was busy, it often allowed Zhuo Yongqing to feel inner peace.

However, the atmosphere within Chen Village wasn't relaxed.

The expansion of the Chinese Army's management system was in preparation for the Fifth Army's expedition. Hundreds of miles away, north of the Yellow River, or near Xuzhou, major battles had already broken out. Although the members of the General Staff Department couldn't go north, the daily news from all over the world always stirred up their desire to fight the enemy.

The death of the King of Jin was chilling, and the resolute will shown by Zhu Biao's troops, Wang Juyun's troops, and Yu Yulin's troops in their battles was encouraging. The news of Shulie Su's defeat was like a festival in the entire General Staff Department, but then, people also worried about the urgency of the situation.

In March, many people in the General Staff Department were privately giving Mr. Ning or a group of senior staff members their opinions, pointing out the unsolvable situation in Daming Prefecture and hoping that Zhu Biao could make a slight turn on the front line and not face the impossible situation head-on. Zhuo Yongqing occasionally participated in such discussions, and he could see the bitterness and hesitation in everyone's eyes.

Mr. Ning didn't comment on these opinions. If Mr. Ning had an opinion in the past, he would explain it to the members of the General Staff Department and make a decision. But on this matter alone, his gaze was serious, but he never spoke. In the end, these instructions and suggestions thousands of miles away were never sent.

On the third day of April, the Chinese Army—now called the Seventeenth Army—led by Zhu Biao in the north sent an urgent message of their battlefield decision to Chen Village. On the night of March 26, the Seventeenth Army's General Staff Department made the decision and deployment to rescue Wang Shan's Guangwu Army. By the time the news arrived, the entire battle might have already ended.

On the evening of the eighth day of April, Zhuo Yongqing came to report to Ning Yi. The two sat on stone benches in the yard, and seven-year-old Ning Ke brought them tea and then played in the yard. When the report was halfway through, someone brought urgent intelligence. Ning Yi opened the intelligence and looked at it in silence.

The attentive little Ning Ke sensed that something was wrong. She walked over and carefully looked at her father, who was staring at the intelligence with his head down. The yard was quiet for a while, and Ning Ke said, "Dad, are you crying?"

Ning Yi reached out and hugged his daughter on his lap. After a moment of silence, he looked up. "No, I'm not."

When Ning Yi first came to this world, he was always kind and gentle, but in reality, he was steady and reserved, with a hint of coldness inside. After he took charge of the overall situation of the Chinese Army, at least in the eyes of Zhuo Yongqing and others, "Mr. Ning" seemed steady and calm in everything, and his spirit and his person were as tough as steel. Only at this moment did he see the other person's movement when he stood up, which was slightly trembled.

There were no tears in his eyes, as his daughter said, but he lowered his head and slowly and solemnly folded the intelligence in half, and then folded it again. Zhuo Yongqing had already stood up unconsciously.

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