“I know you wanted to let me sleep well.”
Chu Zhao got up, pinching the chicken leg between two fingers and holding it before Xie Yanlai’s eyes.
“But you should have at least taken away the chicken leg, shouldn’t you?”
Xie Yanlai raised his eyebrows and said: “At the time, you were crying while eating, eating quite deliciously. Seeing how much you liked it, what if taking it away made you unable to sleep?”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help laughing first.
Chu Zhao feigned anger: “Insubordination! A’Le, drag him out and beat him.”
A’Le laughed and said: “I can’t beat him.” Then she suggested, “We could call Uncle Zhong to beat him. I’ve noticed Uncle Zhong always wants to beat him.”
Xie Yanlai scoffed. Chu Zhao laughed heartily.
“Alright.” After she finished laughing, Xie Yanlai said, “Miss Chu has slept well and is in good spirits, yes?”
Chu Zhao nodded.
Xie Yanlai said: “Then please march out. The Xi Liang army has assembled and come again.”
A’Le clenched her hands, her expression tense.
Chu Zhao was calmer. She knew that repelling Xi Liang once wouldn’t end things. Hearing that Father had died, Prince Xiliang would certainly come again.
“General Xie.” She flung the chicken leg away and declared loudly, “Bring this palace’s armor!”
Although General Xie felt these words should have been directed at the maid A’Le, at a time like this he didn’t quibble over such small details and responded yes.
“Your Majesty, please.”
……
……
When Chu Zhao arrived at the central military tent, the assistant generals and military advisors were all present, gathered around the sand table in heated discussion.
“What’s the current situation?” Chu Zhao asked.
Zhong Changrong said: “It’s the vanguard army of Xi Liang’s Chi’na division. They’ve launched a surprise attack on the fortress. We’ve already dispatched troops for support.”
Chu Zhao and Xie Yanlai looked at the sand table.
Other military officers also pointed things out to them.
“Your Majesty, please rest assured. The defenses under the Left General’s command are tightly arranged.”
“Not only will we annihilate this vanguard army, we can also seize the opportunity to divide our forces and attack the main force of the Chi’na division.”
“Let them come but never return, and give them a taste of their own medicine.”
Chu Zhao nodded.
Xie Yanlai suddenly frowned, pointing at a marker on the sand table: “Is the information about the Chi’na division’s main force location confirmed?”
An officer glanced at it and nodded: “It was reported by three routes of scouts from the Left General’s side.”
Xie Yanlai said: “Something’s not right.” He looked at the sand table. “Previously when Prince Xiliang’s army retreated, I was on the left flank. I personally pursued and saw the Chi’na division troops withdraw to rejoin the prince’s army. In just two days, they couldn’t possibly reach here. At most—”
He pointed to a spot on the sand table.
“They’d reach here.”
Zhong Changrong raised his hand and pushed him aside: “What do you know about marching speed, boy—move aside.”
He bent down to look carefully. The more he looked, the more serious his expression became. He slapped the table with a crack and cursed through gritted teeth.
“What is Old Guo doing? It’s not time for him to be old and dim-sighted yet!”
Chu Zhao understood and asked: “Is it a trap?”
Zhong Changrong said: “Although we can’t confirm it yet, the left flank army may not necessarily win this battle.”
Xie Yanlai scoffed from the side: “Deputy General Zhong’s words are too conservative. ‘May not necessarily win’—if two or three can escape alive without being surrounded, that would already be good.”
Zhong Changrong’s face flushed red.
But Xie Yanlai still wasn’t finished and added another sentence: “If General Chu were here, would you dare say such words to him?”
Zhong Changrong’s face immediately turned ashen. He wheezed, wanting to refute but unable to open his mouth—
When Xie Yanlai wanted to anger someone, he really could anger them to death. Chu Zhao quickly said: “Uncle Zhong, don’t talk about this anymore. Quickly think of a way to salvage and remedy the situation.”
Zhong Changrong exhaled forcefully and looked at the sand table, then asked the staff advisors and assistant generals: “How many troops are needed?”
The officers gathered around the sand table: “At least two routes.” They pointed with their hands. “One route to support the left flank vanguard army, one route to flank the Chi’na division from here. This way, we can not only resolve the left flank’s predicament but also achieve an unexpected victory.”
Zhong Changrong looked at them: “Are there enough troops available to deploy?”
The officers looked at each other, their expressions somewhat troubled, unwilling and reluctant to answer.
“Only enough for one route, I suppose,” Chu Zhao said for them, looking at the sand table.
An officer said in a low voice: “Xi Liang’s strategy targets all of us. If the left flank army falls into the trap and we mobilize other defensive forces to rescue them, the Xi Liang troops will take advantage and inevitably break through weak defensive lines—”
“But if we don’t make every effort to rescue them, the left flank army will certainly face a defeat,” another general said quietly.
Actually, victory and defeat were quite common on the battlefield—losing one battle was nothing, but now—