The reinforcements of Great Yuan, employing some unknown sinister tactics, swiftly tightened their encirclement from the outskirts. Their unpredictable maneuvers and seamless coordination carved a bloody path through the chaos. Watching wave after wave of their comrades fall, the Tartar army panicked.
"Your Highness!! More reinforcements are coming from behind!! What do we do?!"
"Your Highness!! General Nuo Lan has been ambushed!! Only a few thousand remain of his thirty thousand troops!!"
Xiao Zheng burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Hahaha! The Fourth Prince is truly naive, thinking he could strike a deal with wolves!"
Chi Na’s face darkened with fury as he gritted his teeth and lunged at Xiao Zheng again, their blades clashing.
"Beat the drums! Change formations!!"
Lu Chao observed the rapidly shifting battlefield with gleaming eyes—this was the perfect opportunity to test the effectiveness of their various formations. As the drumbeats shifted rhythm, five thousand soldiers raised their iron shields and rearranged their formation.
Chi Na frowned at the sight of the tightly shielded troops in the distance. Who was this commander? He had never heard of such tactics before.
"Your Highness! Scouts report that reinforcements have entered Shuozhou City!"
Chi Na clenched his jaw.
"Retreat!"
A dozen soldiers swiftly formed a protective circle around Chi Na as the Tartar army withdrew.
"Let them go! No pursuit!"
The Northwest Marquis stopped his eager subordinates with a shake of his head.
"Clear the battlefield quickly!"
Covered in blood and gasping for breath, Xiao Zheng collapsed onto the ground, his body aching as if every bone had been jolted out of place. His fingers trembled with exhaustion. In the distance, he caught sight of Lu Chao standing gracefully on a small hill, his robes fluttering in the wind.
"Zheng-ge!! Are you alright?! Damn it, a few persistent ones kept me pinned—I couldn’t even come to help!" Zhang Hu tugged at Xiao Zheng’s battered armor, causing dark red blood to drip from it.
"Shit, Zheng-ge, you’re hurt?!"
Xiao Zheng kicked him lightly.
"I’m fine, just exhausted! Stop shouting."
Zhang Hu finally relaxed.
"Hey, Zheng-ge, where’d you find such a noble friend? He’s incredible! Looks delicate as a maiden, yet he dares to step onto the battlefield—and he’s loaded too!"
Whack! Zhang Hu’s head rang from the slap as Xiao Zheng glared at him with dagger-like eyes. He immediately straightened up and apologized.
"Ow! My bad! I was just trying to compliment Young Master Lu!"
"Three months’ pay docked! Don’t let it happen again."
Xiao Zheng stood up slowly, his voice low.
Zhang Hu whimpered inwardly—only those closest knew where to strike the hardest. His beloved silver!
A northern wind swept through, carrying the nauseating stench of blood. Lu Chao wrinkled his nose and shivered, the adrenaline fading to reveal the gruesome aftermath of battle. He turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.
Zhang Qing, however, was still animatedly boasting about his kills, lamenting that they hadn’t brought enough troops—otherwise, the Tartar army wouldn’t have escaped so easily.
Zhou Qingyuan kicked him.
"Stop bragging! You were the one rolling your eyes when we told you to retreat earlier!"
Zhang Qing flushed.
"Shut up!! Young Master Lu, don’t listen to him!!"
Lu Chao waved them off impatiently.
"Enough. Tally our numbers and tend to the wounded—get them back to Shuozhou City for treatment!"
Just then, an elderly man in armor, his hair streaked with white, dismounted and approached, followed by several burly officers and the lean figure of Xiao Zheng. The man’s face was smeared with blood, obscuring his features, but his eyes remained bright and sharp. Each step left a bloody footprint behind.
"I am Xiao Xuan, the Northwest Marquis. I owe you my deepest gratitude for your timely aid, Lord Lu!"
Lu Chao sidestepped the formal bow and waved his hand.
"You honor me too much, Marquis. This was all Prince Kang’s doing—we merely followed orders. I hold no official rank yet; just call me Lu Chao."
He then introduced Zhou Qingyuan and Zhang Qing.
The Northwest Marquis stroked his beard thoughtfully. These two clearly deferred to Lu Chao, and the drum signals had obeyed his commands. For someone so young to command such respect—this was no ordinary youth. He treated Lu Chao with even greater courtesy.
"Young masters, your courage and skill are truly admirable! Seeing you reminds me of my own nephews. Come! Let us return to Shuozhou City and talk properly!"
Lu Chao didn’t refuse. The group marched into the city in high spirits.
At the sight of the mountains of provisions, the Northwest Marquis’ eyes welled with tears. He bowed deeply to Lu Chao and the others.
"On behalf of the hundred thousand soldiers and civilians at the border, I thank you for saving our lives!"
Lu Chao quickly helped him up, seizing the chance to bolster Prince Kang’s reputation.
"Prince Kang was deeply troubled upon hearing of the northwest’s plight. He fretted day and night over the safety of the border troops. With His Majesty’s health failing, the court has neglected the northwest. But the Marquis has devoted his life to Great Yuan—Prince Kang couldn’t stand by and watch. However, please keep the provisions a secret. We wouldn’t want ill-intentioned parties to twist his goodwill."
The Northwest Marquis’ heart sank. With the Crown Prince gone, the succession struggle was inevitable. The Second Prince and Prince Kang, though brothers, were at odds. Now that the Emperor lay unconscious and the Second Prince ruled as regent, Prince Kang’s aid was likely a bid for military support.
Still, Prince Kang had acted openly and honorably. Xiao Xuan would remember this favor.
Perhaps the room was too stuffy, or perhaps the lingering scent of blood was too thick—Lu Chao suddenly found it hard to breathe. His face paled, his vision darkened, and with a thud, he collapsed.
Zhou Qingyuan stumbled forward in alarm, but a figure darted past him like the wind—Xiao Zheng, still covered in grime, scooped Lu Chao into his arms. He instinctively reached to check Lu Chao’s forehead but recoiled at the sight of his own filthy, bloodstained hand.
The Northwest Marquis was equally startled.
"What’s wrong with Young Master Lu?! Quick—fetch Doctor Li!"
Zhou Qingyuan pressed a hand to Lu Chao’s feverish brow and sighed.
"He’s always been frail. These past few days, we’ve been traveling nonstop with little rest—he must have caught a chill. I have some medicine. Please arrange a place for him to recover."
Brother Chao is brilliant at everything… just a bit fragile.
The Northwest Marquis immediately ordered a room prepared.
The next morning, Lu Chao awoke to the sound of thunderous snoring. He turned his head to see Zhou Qingyuan sprawled across two merged beds, sleeping like a log.
Lu Chao sighed. If only Liu Yao hadn’t been sent to the capital, he would’ve brought him along. His throat burned with dryness, and he coughed lightly.
The door creaked open, and a young man in blue robes tiptoed inside.
Their eyes met—Lu Chao grinned. Xiao Zheng, now washed and refreshed, looked dashing as ever, though the once-carefree vigor in his eyes had been replaced by quiet steadiness.
Xiao Zheng saw him smile and inexplicably found himself smiling as well.
"Ahem, why is it you?"
"I happened to pass by after my morning exercise."
Xiao Zheng poured him a cup of hot tea. Lu Chao wanted to sit up and drink it, but his entire body ached as if he’d been run over by a cart. Without hesitation, he demanded,
"Bro! Give me a hand and help me up!"
Xiao Zheng paused for a moment before reaching out to pull Lu Chao up. His dark hair slipped through Xiao Zheng’s fingers, and through the thin inner robe, he could still feel the warmth of his skin.
Lu Chao took the hot tea, the warmth sliding down his throat and soothing the dryness, drawing a contented sigh from him.
He looked up at Xiao Zheng, whose face was slightly flushed, and asked in confusion, "You’re not catching what I have, are you? Why’s your face red too?"
Xiao Zheng cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
"No, it’s probably just the charcoal burning well in your room—it’s quite warm. By the way, should I send a maid to look after you? Your friend here seems a bit… unreliable."
The two of them glanced at Zhou Qingyuan, who was sleeping like a log, and exchanged a look.
Lu Chao had to admit, even if someone carried him away right now, Zhou Qingyuan probably wouldn’t wake up.
"Uh, no need. I’ll just have a soldier fetch tea and boil some medicine for me."
Xiao Zheng wanted to ask how he had set up the ambush at Thousand-Foot Valley the day before, how he had thought to have the people of Mingxiang County follow behind to deliver provisions to Shuozhou, and how he had managed his battlefield formations. But the words lingered on his tongue before he swallowed them back.
"Then rest well for now. I’ll come see you another day."
Lu Chao opened his mouth to speak, but after glancing at Zhou Qingyuan still sprawled by the bed, he closed it again.
