The Slender Waist-Chapter 831 - 584: The Style of a Gentleman

The Dan Prefecture is a place backed against Xinyi County and facing Suo Yue Ridge. The terrain is extremely complex and peculiar. Before Pei Jue even arrived, Wen Xingsu had already prepared defenses in Dan Jun City.

The troops led by Pei Jue advanced rapidly. Instead of entering Dan Prefecture, they detoured to camp at the foot of Suo Yue Ridge.

The Qi Army scouts saw the "Pei" banner and immediately felt tense, hurriedly returning to the camp to report.

"Your Majesty, Pei Jue did not lead his troops into the city to rendezvous with Wen Xingsu, but instead is heading straight for Suo Yue Ridge."

Xiao Cheng: "How many troops?"

The scout replied, "Less than one hundred thousand."

Xiao Cheng: "What kind of soldiers?"

The scout answered, "Mostly light cavalry, with some archers and infantry. No supply wagons are visible."

Xiao Cheng asked a few more questions before waving his hand, "Investigate further and report back."

The scout bowed, "Understood."

A single stone stirred a thousand waves.

The Qi Army officers in the room exchanged glances, each speculating about Pei Jue’s intentions.

Suo Yue Ridge is a narrow mountain range lying between the Yong and Qi armies, extremely difficult to traverse.

Pei Jue has arrived at the front. Instead of comfortably commanding from Dan Prefecture, is he really planning to cross the mountains to initiate a fight?

"They say Pei Jue is a god of war. I highly doubt it..."

"This Suo Yue Ridge is like a snake-shaped pouch. Is he asking to crawl in and meet his doom?"

"I believe he intends to launch a surprise attack on Guyi, feinting in one direction and striking in another."

"Oh? General Xie, what do you mean by that?"

Xie Congguang, who has dealt with Pei Jue before, spoke with the steadiness of experience, far less careless than the younger officers.

He gently stroked his beard, glanced at Xiao Cheng, and smiled, "Pei Jue has fought in countless wars. His experience in attacking cities far exceeds his ability to defend them. In this respect, he is the exact opposite of Wen Xingsu. Wen Xingsu’s defensive setup is meant to hold Dan Prefecture tightly, guarding against our army’s assault. But Pei Jue is different. He intends to attack in lieu of defense..."

After speaking, he sighed, "Everyone, prepare for battle."

"General Xie might be overly cautious. Pei Jue has how many men at his disposal? Knowing our fifty-thousand-strong army is stationed south of Suo Yue Ridge, without sufficient reinforcements, how could he dare launch an attack?"

Xie Congguang replied, "The elite cavalry led by Pei Jue are most adept at flanking assaults—striking fast, retreating swiftly, delivering a bite and escaping unscathed. If we react slowly and let him seize the opportunity, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to strike directly at our Central Army..."

"General Xie, why should you grow others’ morale?"

"General Zhang is young and promising, but don’t underestimate the enemy."

The two exchanged polite words, yet neither conceded to the other’s argument. Moreover, their dispute was of little practical relevance to the ongoing war.

Xiao Cheng interrupted them: "Two generals. You might as well go down and predict the outcome yourselves."

The two were stunned.

Xiao Cheng remained expressionless, "Let’s see who predicts it correctly."

"..."

When the two fell quiet in awkwardness, Xiao Cheng slowly stood, his finger tracing over the map, beginning to strategize troop positions to prevent a sudden attack from Pei Jue.

-

Pei Jue, of course, would not sit idly waiting.

The day after arriving in Dan Prefecture, he sent envoys to the Qi Army camp.

Why?

To declare war.

On the declaration of battle, he clearly spelled out the time and place of the attack, a move that utterly defied everyone’s expectations.

At the end of the letter, he specifically named Xiao Cheng:

"Qi Jun, do you dare to face me in battle?"

Since the beginning of the war, Xiao Cheng had taken every advantage. At this moment, the most logical maneuver would be to swiftly rally his troops for defense and continue leveraging their numerical superiority to quickly reclaim Xinzhou...

The longer the delay, the higher the consumption, and the less profitable the outcome.

Yet, with a single sentence, Pei Jue had ignited Xiao Cheng...

On the battlefield, to fight head-on, with real weapons and bloodshed.

"Do you dare?"

Xiao Cheng, ignoring Xie Congguang’s frantic nods and gestures of disapproval, responded with a slow smile.

"Why not?"

He accepted the declaration, replying indifferently:

"I approve."

The Qi generals were stunned.

It was often said that the battlefield is perilous, but as long as the commander avoids reckless actions, casualty rates remain relatively low. The essence of commanding troops lies in the word "command."

Most generals leading armies adhered to this principle.

But Xiao Cheng, as an emperor, why should he personally step into the fray?

He’s gone mad.

Madness had overtaken them all.

It was all or nothing, life or death—who cared then about such notions as noble conduct?

-

From its onset, this battle drew the attention of people across the realm.

With Xinyi County so close to the battlefield, the civilians hurried to relocate, flocking ship after ship to Andu.

Feng Yun’s workshop in Mingquan was also forced to shut down.

Chai Ying and Nan Kui arrived at Huaxi Wharf that very afternoon.

Disembarking, they used a cart to transport their luggage to Changmen, upon which they met Feng Yun and excitedly began relaying the circumstances in Mingquan.

The battlefield had spiraled out of control, expanding into Mingquan. On the borderlands of the two nations, soldiers were ruthlessly killing with real steel, reckless and bloody. For the civilians living along the borders, there was no safe haven to seek security and livelihood...

Nan Kui hugged her young daughter, her heart heavy with sorrow.

"So many years of hard work—hopefully, it won’t all go to ruin."

"It will be fine." Feng Yun, knowing the effort Nan Kui had invested in Mingquan, reassured her, "The war will end; everything will pass. Even if it’s destroyed by the fires of conflict, we can always rebuild. What’s there to fear?"

From the war’s start, everyone’s heart had been hanging by a thread.

What was there to be afraid of?

Changmen had accumulated significant assets in Mingquan. Though the people had managed to evacuate, their properties could not be moved.

If all their assets were truly ruined, how much heartbreak would it cause?

But Feng Yun’s resolute gaze calmed Nan Kui slightly.

She nodded slightly, "We have no choice but to accept fate."

Large bundles of goods were unloaded from the cart.

Nan Kui turned back, placed her young daughter on the ground to let her stand, and smiled, "These candies are a new batch from this year. I brought them back for the lady to try..."

Nan Kui’s little daughter raised her small face and happily licked her pink lips before innocently telling Feng Yun: 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Lady... sweet."

Feng Yun chuckled, gently stroking her cheek, "Good girl."

The atmosphere lightened immediately, and everyone began to smile together.

Changmen was still here, and so were their loved ones.

They had grown accustomed to seeing Feng Yun as their pillar, their stabilizing force. As long as Feng Yun said all was fine, they feared nothing anymore.

The group laughed and chatted.

"These, and those, are for the little ones—to let them enjoy to their heart’s content..."

"The items on that cart over there should be sent to the village school. They’re all brush, ink, paper, and inkstones, bought at the beginning of the year but never had the chance to be delivered..."

"That’s too much. This is simply too excessive."

"Heh, what’s the point of leaving it behind to be looted by enemy soldiers? To be frank, if I could, I would’ve brought the entire sugar-making machinery with me to save it too..."

"Hahaha."

This day saw numerous returns to Changmen, a reunion more complete than any in recent years.

Ying Rong smiled and said, "At long last, the sisters are reunited. No matter what, we must celebrate."

In the shadow of war, everyone’s nerves had been stretched taut.

Upon Ying Rong’s suggestion, the other ladies immediately chimed in; even Granny Han smiled warmly as she volunteered to host a few banquet tables herself.

Sharing meals was no trivial matter.

They decided to eat well today, leaving tomorrow to fate.

Wen Hui counted heads and smiled, "I’ll send someone to bring Luo Yue and Shao Xueqing here."

Of the twenty Mei Ji who had once left Andu as part of the surrender, some had died and others had left—with only these few remaining.

Each had found their own paths, and opportunities to gather in Changmen had grown scarce.

Wen Hui’s suggestion gained unanimous support.

Yet the carriage sent to Wei Residence returned only with Luo Yue and three children.

Shao Xueqing hadn’t come.

She had always secluded herself, seemingly unable to escape from the shadows of the past. With no favor from Wei Zheng, she gradually became marginalized in Wei Residence—verbal insults from servants were common occurrences, let alone any mistreatment from the mistress.

Shao Xueqing’s life had turned bleak.

A noblewoman fallen to such depths—who wouldn’t despair?

For years, she had been drowning in regret, endlessly replaying how, if she hadn’t been so eager to leave Changmen, hadn’t been so presumptuous, she might not have ended up in this state...

Luo Yue sighed, "In front of the sisters, I can swear I never bullied her. I let go of the past long ago and truly tried to reconcile, but she refuses to accept it. What can I do?"

"Every time she’s brought up, she blames me, accusing me of taking her things..."

The other women sighed in pity.

Luo Yue heaved another bitter chuckle.

"She’s truly foolish, unable to let go. What could I possibly take? Her husband isn’t even mine. All I’ve gained are a few children, serving as my security in the residence..."

The sisters nodded repeatedly, speaking their thoughts of Shao Xueqing’s plight.

Only Jiang Yin remained quiet, sitting calmly and occasionally smiling without joining in.

She was the only one among them who had fulfilled her vow from years ago.

—To remain unmarried and steadfastly guard Changmen.

The other women began teasing her, asking what kind of ideal husband she was truly waiting for.

In her thirties now, their words grew utterly unrestrained.

Jiang Yin didn’t mind, smiling briefly. "When it’s the right person, it’s ideal. If it’s not the right person, no one will do."

Over the years, as the steward managing Changmen’s affairs, her personality had grown even more composed.

With time still before the banquet, the group gathered in the courtyard, teasing her a little before returning to their own conversations.

After catching up on their families and lives, the conversation inevitably turned to current events.

"How fortunate that Changmen is here—no matter what happens, it provides a sanctuary."

"Changmen is our mother’s home, indeed."

As they talked, they noticed Feng Yun was absent from the villa and asked Huanhuan.

Huanhuan replied, "The lady still has matters to attend to. She asks the sisters to chat amongst themselves; she’ll return before the banquet to join everyone."

The group sighed wistfully at Feng Yun’s endless labors.

"Naturally, given the tense moment, she wouldn’t idle like us."

"Our lady truly is His Majesty’s virtuous consort."

"On the way back, I even heard people say Huaxi is the grain depot of the Yong Army."

"Tomorrow, we sisters should go out to fundraise. We must figure out ways to gather more provisions and money—it’s hard to say how long this war will last. It’s always better to be well-prepared."

"Absolutely."

The women nodded together, starting to plan.