Chapter 272 - 73: The Invitation

Chapter 272: Chapter 73: The Invitation

"I know you were just trying to let me get a good night’s sleep."

Chu Zhao stood up, pinched the chicken leg between two fingers, and held it up in front of Xie Yanlai.

"But you could have at least taken the chicken leg away, right?"

Xie Yanlai raised an eyebrow. "You were crying and eating at the same time, and you were really enjoying it. Seeing how much you liked it, I was worried you wouldn’t be able to sleep if I took it away."

He couldn’t help but laugh as he said it.

Chu Zhao feigned anger. "Insolent! Ah Le, drag him out and give him a beating."

Ah Le laughed. "I’m not strong enough." Then she suggested, "We could call Uncle Zhong to do it. I think Uncle Zhong is always looking for a reason to hit him."

Xie Yanlai scoffed, and Chu Zhao burst out laughing.

"Alright." Xie Yanlai waited for her laughter to subside before speaking. "Miss Chu, you’ve slept well? Feeling refreshed?"

Chu Zhao nodded.

Xie Yanlai said, "Then it’s time to march. The Western Liang army has gathered and is coming again."

Ah Le clenched her fists, her expression tense.

Chu Zhao, however, was calm. She knew that repelling Western Liang once wouldn’t be the end of it. Upon hearing of her father’s death, the King of Western Liang was certain to attack again.

"General Xie." She tossed the chicken leg aside and declared loudly, "Bring this Empress her armor!"

Although General Xie felt this was an order she should be giving her maid, Ah Le, he didn’t quibble over such minor details at a time like this. He simply acknowledged it with a "Yes."

"This way, My Lady."

...

...

When Chu Zhao arrived at the Central Army’s command tent, the deputy generals and simas were all present, gathered around the sand table in heated discussion.

"What’s the situation?" Chu Zhao asked.

Zhong Changrong reported, "It’s the Chi Na Tribe’s Vanguard Army. They’ve launched a surprise attack on a forward bastion. We’ve already sent troops to reinforce it."

Chu Zhao and Xie Yanlai looked at the sand table.

The other generals pointed out the details for them.

"Rest assured, My Lady. The Left General’s defenses are solid."

"Not only can we encircle and annihilate their vanguard, but we can also take the opportunity to split our forces and attack the main Chi Na Tribe army."

"We’ll make sure they don’t return. Give them a taste of their own medicine."

Chu Zhao nodded.

Xie Yanlai suddenly frowned, pointing to a marker on the sand table. "Is this intelligence on the Chi Na Tribe’s main army’s location confirmed?"

A general glanced over and nodded. "It came from three separate scout parties sent by the Left General."

"Something’s not right," Xie Yanlai said, studying the sand table. "When King Western Liang’s main army retreated earlier, I was on the left flank. I personally pursued them and saw the Chi Na Army fall back to the main Royal Army’s position. In just two days, it’s impossible for them to have reached this location. At most—"

He reached out and tapped a spot on the sand table.

"—they could only be here."

Zhong Changrong shoved his hand away. "What does a brat like you know about marching speeds? Move."

He leaned over for a closer look, his expression growing graver by the second. With a SLAM, he hit the table and cursed through clenched teeth.

"What is Old Guo doing? He’s not so old that his eyes are failing him yet!"

Chu Zhao understood. "Is it a trap?" she asked.

Zhong Changrong said, "While we can’t be certain yet, it’s unlikely the Left Wing Army will win this battle."

Xie Yanlai sneered from the side. "Vice General Zhong, you’re being too conservative. ’Unlikely to win’? They’ll be lucky if two or three of them escape with their lives instead of being completely wiped out."

Zhong Changrong’s face flushed red.

But Xie Yanlai wasn’t finished. He added, "If General Chu were here, would you dare say such a thing to him?"

Zhong Changrong’s face instantly turned ashen. He gasped for air, wanting to retort but unable to find the words—

’When Xie Yanlai wants to provoke someone, he can really be infuriating.’ Chu Zhao quickly interjected, "Uncle Zhong, let’s not talk about this anymore. We need to find a way to salvage the situation."

Zhong Changrong let out a sharp breath. Looking at the sand table, he asked his aides and deputies, "How many troops do we need?"

The generals crowded around the sand table. "At least two prongs," one said, pointing. "One to support the Left Wing Vanguard Army, and another to flank the Chi Na Tribe from here. That way, we not only relieve the Left Wing’s predicament but might also catch them by surprise and turn this into a victory."

Zhong Changrong looked at them. "Do we have enough troops available to deploy?"

The generals exchanged uneasy glances, reluctant to answer.

"We only have enough for one, don’t we," Chu Zhao said for them, her eyes on the sand table.

One general said in a low voice, "Western Liang’s scheme is aimed at all of us. The Left Wing Army has fallen into their trap. If we move troops from other defensive positions to rescue them, the Western Liang Soldiers will seize the opportunity, and one of our weakened defense lines will inevitably be breached—"

"But if we don’t do everything we can to save them, the Left Wing Army is doomed to a crushing defeat," another general murmured.

In truth, victory and defeat are common on the battlefield. Losing one battle isn’t the end of the world, but now—

"My father just passed away. A defeat at this time would have a devastating impact on the army’s morale, the people’s confidence, and the imperial court," Chu Zhao said. "One contingent of troops will be enough."

She looked at Uncle Zhong.

"Uncle Zhong, you arrange for the troops to attack the Chi Na Army. I will go reinforce the Left Wing Vanguard."

Zhong Changrong grew anxious. "Miss, how will you go?"

Chu Zhao said, "Uncle Zhong, I actually have a contingent of troops myself."

Zhong Changrong froze, then immediately understood what she meant. His face flushed red, then turned ashen. He clenched his fists, but in the end, said nothing.

...

...

There were no high mountains or dense forests here, only rolling ravines, scarring the land as if it were riddled with a thousand wounds.

A sharp bird call echoed above the ravines.

The call was not pleasant—it was hoarse, harsh, and broken, as if coming from a strangled throat.

After the third or fourth call, a figure leaped out from a ravine like a nimble deer.

"Ding Dachui!" Xiao Man cursed. "What the hell kind of call was that!"

Ding Dachui was overjoyed to see her—’I never thought I’d be happy to see her,’ he mused, but quickly dismissed the thought.

"Miss Xiao Man!" he shouted, running over. He then explained sheepishly, "I can’t do the call. I still haven’t learned how."

Xiao Man said with a cold expression, "If you can’t do it, then don’t. You’re not one of us anymore. Get lost and go be one of your Empress’s Guards."

Ding Dachui replied, "Once a bandit, always a bandit! Miss Xiao Man, I need to see the Boss."

Xiao Man sneered. "And what do you want with the Boss? To pass on an order from your Empress?"

Ding Dachui nodded. "Yes." Unafraid of Xiao Man’s cold glare, he shouted, "Mu Mianhong—a summons from the Empress—"

Xiao Man never knew the bandit had such a loud voice. She yelled in frustration, "Shut your mouth!"

But even if Ding Dachui fell silent, someone was already emerging from the ravine behind him.

A woman in a coarse cloth dress, a long whip coiled at her waist, her face veiled with a cloth, just as before.

"What does the Empress command?" Mu Mianhong asked softly.

Ding Dachui looked at the woman and sighed inwardly. ’The Boss is still the Boss. I could never replace her in the Empress’s eyes—good thing I never betrayed her.’

"Boss." He bowed once in respect, then rose. Following Chu Zhao’s instructions, he bowed a second time. "Miss Chu says the battle is critical, the commander-in-chief has recently fallen, and the family’s troops are not enough. She asks to borrow the Chieftain’s people and horses to ride into battle and kill the enemy."

Xiao Man sneered. "The Empress is so polite. How could we be worthy of being ’borrowed’ from? We’re just bandits."

"Xiao Man," Mu Mianhong said. "It is not the Empress who is borrowing from us."

’That earlier call of "a summons from the Empress" was just to ask for a meeting.’

’I came out in response to the summons, and Ding Dachui performed two bows. The first was his own greeting to his Boss, and the second was a bow on behalf of Miss Chu.’

’Miss Chu said her family’s troops were not enough, so she came to borrow mine.’

’This is a request from Miss Chu. This is a family matter.’

Mu Mianhong said to Ding Dachui, "We are all neighbors in this Border County. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. I, Mu Mianhong, will give it my all."

Ding Dachui said no more. He gave a fist-and-palm salute, turned, and sprinted away.

Xiao Man said anxiously, "Auntie, look at her! She won’t even call you—"

"Call me ’Mother’?" Mu Mianhong said, placing a hand on Xiao Man’s shoulder to soothe her. "If she were to call me Mother at a time like this, it would be a form of coercion."

Her daughter was a good and kind child.

She knew that if her daughter asked, no matter what it was, she would agree without a moment’s hesitation.

But by inviting her as a fellow leader, it allowed Mu Mianhong to act with honor and righteousness.

Mu Mianhong tilted her head back and let out a bird call. Unlike Ding Dachui’s recent attempt, her cry was crisp and sharp. It seemed to stir the very depths of the scarred ravines, and in response, countless "birds" rose from within, a force that blotted out the sky.

When neighbors are in trouble, protect the home, guard the peace, and overcome the crisis together.