"Let them in. It's nothing major. Li Jin wouldn't disturb us at a time like this. Don't delay.
Before I finished speaking, I let out a big yawn. "This weather is terrible, I can't sleep either. Don't keep everyone waiting."
The nights in Jiuyuan City could freeze a person into a sculpture. Lu Qingwan had only loosened her outer garment when sleeping, but she was already fully dressed by the time she spoke.
Seeing this, Si Fengwu also put on an outer garment and went to open the door.
Stationed at the front line, Si Fengwu had no special quarters; the two of them lived in the central military tent.
As soon as the door opened, Li Jin and several mid to high-ranking generals filed in. By then, Lu Qingwan was already neatly dressed and standing before the map.
As everyone entered, Si Fengwu immediately asked, "Guihua City is now full of Beiwei people. Who is fighting whom?"
"It's the Imperial Army under Cheng Nanliu fighting against Wanyan Lie's Tiger Cavalry Camp."
The incident was sudden; Li Jin had no time for schadenfreude, only shock.
"The news from Han Chen says that Wanyan Lie discovered a path to the Turks directly northwest of Guihua City. He suggested to the Beiwei Emperor that instead of being annihilated by us, it would be better to defect to the Turks first, living to fight another day.
The Beiwei Emperor actually agreed and had Wanyan Lie quickly lead his escape that very night. Cheng Nanliu cornered them within Guihua City.
Now, both sides are engaged in a fierce battle, not much better than when our brothers charged into Jiuyuan City."
Lu Qingwan was also a little stunned by this bizarre report. She pinched Si Fengwu's face; it felt real. "Am I still half asleep?"
Otherwise, why would she be hearing such a bizarre and dramatic story while preparing for a fierce battle?
Si Fengwu was also amused and exasperated. "Is all this information from Han Chen alone?"
Having been a general for ten years, Si Fengwu had seen all sorts of strange situations. With enemy troops at the city gates, his own people were fighting to the death within the city; this was the first time he had encountered something like this.
Compared to what Li Jin reported, he would rather believe that Han Chen's intelligence was mistaken.
However, to his disappointment, Li Jin said very seriously, "Your Highness, there is no need to doubt the authenticity of the intelligence. As soon as I received it, I had Shen Tangzhou verify it.
Furthermore, the shadow guards of Wufeng Hall and our own scouts have also sent similar intelligence.
It can be confirmed that this intelligence is true, which is why I disturbed all the generals."
Looking around, the strategist Lian Yu, Shen Da who managed all the military affairs of the Xuanjia Army, and Lin Fengmian, who always disagreed with Si Fengwu on matters of war.
Except for Qin Shiguan and Shen Qingzhou, who were still guarding the northern gate of the Southeast Three Kingdoms, all the generals qualified for independent command had been summoned.
Lu Qingwan's lips twitched. "When did General Shen and the strategist arrive?"
If she remembered correctly, Shen Da and Lian Yu were stationed at least a hundred li away. Could it be that as soon as she fell asleep, Li Jin had them rush back?
"We received the news after the second watch and set off immediately. We just arrived."
After Lian Yu finished speaking, Lu Qingwan saw ice crystals on his hair.
Shen Da even had ice crystals on his eyelashes, yet he helped Li Jin explain, "Li Jin merely relayed the intelligence from Guihua City to us; he didn't ask us to return.
It was our own decision to meet Your Highness in Jiuyuan. Li Jin is not to blame, my lord.
Looking further, the less familiar generals also had lips so purple from the cold.
Lu Qingwan shook her head and stood up. "You all discuss amongst yourselves. I'll go make something to eat to warm you all up."
Before the generals could politely decline, she had already left her seat and called out, "Shiyueli, come help."
Then, she walked towards the nearby cookhouse.
Shen Da still felt a bit embarrassed. "Your Highness, in this cold weather, it's not quite appropriate for the Princess Consort to cook for us."
"The Princess Consort is worried that you might fall ill from the cold and delay our war efforts. The soldiers below would also suffer."
As Si Fengwu spoke, he kicked Li Yang. "Go help the Princess Consort get some firewood and heat some water. Don't let her wash the vegetables with cold water."
In this weather, it was tolerable to keep one's hands in ice water, but taking them out of it would instantly coat them in a layer of crystal gloves.
Li Yang, who already enjoyed watching Lu Qingwan prepare food, ran off without a word.
Inside the tent, everyone's attention returned to Li Jin. "Tell us in detail, what exactly happened?
Was defecting to the Turks with the remaining people of Beiwei a plan agreed upon by Wanyan Lie and the Turkic royal court, or was Wanyan Lie acting on his own?
Who has the advantage in the fighting between the two sides? Also, does Guihua City truly have incendiary oil, and what is its spread? Have all these been clarified?"
Li Jin had interrogated Nie Wuming in the first half of the night and received such explosive news in the latter half. This central military tent had instantly become his stage.
Upon hearing the question, he said decisively, "Defecting to the Turks with the people of the Beiwei court was a plan agreed upon by Nie Wuming and the King of Mohe. Currently, Cheng Nanliu has the advantage, but if the Turks intervene, it's uncertain.
As for the incendiary oil, it does exist, scattered throughout Guihua City. I have already sent people to investigate its specific distribution points.
However, the Beiwei Emperor has no courage for mutual destruction.
Nie Wuming's stunt yesterday was to make Your Highness and the Princess Consort hesitate, buying them time to transfer."
Li Jin said a lot, but everyone only heard one sentence: "Nie Wuming and the King of Mohe had agreed."
This made everyone angry and frustrated. "What should we do, Your Highness? Should we attack or not?"
To everyone's surprise, this question was asked by Lin Fengmian.
According to his usual habit, he would quietly wait for Si Fengwu to make a decision.
If Si Fengwu's decision did not align with his judgment, he would then raise objections.
Like this time, proactively asking Si Fengwu a question, and a binary choice between attacking or not attacking, was something that could be counted on one hand.
Several younger generals exchanged knowing glances, while Si Fengwu, playing along, said, "In General Lin's opinion, should we attack Guihua City, or not?"
Lin Fengmian, whose primary objective had always been to preserve the strength of the Xuanjia Army, stated firmly, "We must attack, of course.
However, I believe that before we attack, we must find the road from Guihua City directly to the Turks that Wanyan Lie mentioned, and gain complete control of it. Only then can we commence the attack."
As soon as Lin Fengmian said this, there was a moment of silence in the tent, followed by a neat round of applause.
Shen Da did not spare his praise. "Cutting off the passage for Turkic reinforcements to the Beiwei court would not only prevent the Beiwei royal family from escaping into Turkestan, creating endless trouble, but also block Turkic support to Beiwei, leaving the army with no worries.
Your Highness, what General Lin said is what this subordinate also believes. I implore Your Highness to seriously consider General Lin's opinion."