That night, a fire ignited at the borders of Si, Yu, and Yan provinces. The fierce flames, like an insatiable mythical beast, swallowed two merchant ships in one breath.
It was said that the Yanzhou army set the fire.
The cause was the dark night and the fog on the river. The merchant ships accidentally collided with a Yanzhou warship while sailing at night. It just so happened that there was a drunken soldier at the stern of the warship. The collision caused him to carelessly fall into the river, and his enraged comrades set the fire in retaliation.
It was said that this fire left no survivors on the two merchant ships.
It was also said that among the dead was a distant relative of Governor Lei of Yuzhou. This person had just finished visiting relatives in Yuzhou and was planning to return home, but unexpectedly, this journey led straight down to the Palace of the King of Hell.
In short, the matter spread quickly. In just two days, the commoners on both sides of the river knew that the Yanzhou soldiers had accidentally killed a relative of Governor Lei of Yuzhou.
"Bastards, what utter nonsense!" Yuan Xiu, Governor Yuan of Yanzhou, violently smashed the teacup in his hand.
The teacup shattered into pieces on the ground, the shards splashing and bouncing far away.
"Isn't this to be expected? Why must Governor Yuan of Yanzhou be so enraged?" someone in the room said in a calm tone.
Yuan Xiu glanced at the speaker and could not help but sneer, "Your Qingzhou and Xuzhou do not have to face their army directly, so of course you can speak so lightly without feeling the pain. If they succeed this time, I am afraid I, Yuan Xiu, will become a thing of the past."
The man was not annoyed by the mockery, merely stating mildly, "Governor Yuan of Yanzhou, you are mistaken. As the saying goes, the cheekbone and the jaw are mutually dependent; if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If something happens to Yanzhou, do you think Qingzhou and Xuzhou can remain secure?"
Yuan Xiu took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Young Prince of Jiang makes a fair point. Fuming with anger now will not help matters. It would be better to further perfect our countermeasures."
Yes, the Young Prince of Jiang.
The person in front of Yuan Xiu was none other than the Young Prince of Jiang.
The old Prince of Jiang was originally the illegitimate younger brother of the Zhao Emperor. Because the royal bloodline was thin at the time, this illegitimate brother was treated quite well and was granted Xuzhou as his fiefdom. The old Prince of Jiang had two sons, one legitimate and one illegitimate. After he passed away, his title of Prince was initially inherited by his legitimate eldest son.
Back then, Cheng Chanyi, a daughter of the Cheng family, abandoned her engagement with the Huo family and married far away into the Prince of Jiang's estate in Xuzhou. The man she married was precisely the legitimate eldest son of the old Prince of Jiang.
However, as luck would have it, this first-generation Young Prince of Jiang was not destined for a long life. After he passed away, because he had no legitimate son and his illegitimate son was still young, the title of Prince fell to the illegitimate son of the old Prince of Jiang, the former second branch.
Zhao Liqun, this illegitimate son of the second branch, became the new Young Prince of Jiang.
During the era of the old Prince of Jiang, Xuzhou was led by him. The Governor of Xuzhou was the governor in name only, but obeyed the old Prince's commands.
After the old Prince died, Zhao Liqun's legitimate eldest brother proved to be a good-for-nothing who debauched day and night. The Governor of Xuzhou gradually grew alienated from him. Later, with the assistance of Ke Zuo, the Governor seized most of the power and his ambitions grew even larger.
Later still, the long-dormant Zhao Liqun rose to power, becoming the second-generation Young Prince of Jiang.
Zhao Liqun was not a benevolent man. After scheming to kill the Governor of Xuzhou, he seized control of the province, and then used Xuzhou's geographical advantage to conquer Qingzhou.
Today, Qingzhou still had a Governor, but he had been reduced to a mere figurehead, stripped of all real power.
Qingzhou was already Zhao Liqun's Qingzhou.
Upon receiving the news that the Huo and Lei families intended to form a marriage alliance, Zhao Liqun guessed that their next step might be to march east and attack Yanzhou. Later, when he received news that Huo Tingshan was building ships in Luoyang, he knew his guess was correct.
He hurriedly wrote a letter to Yuan Xiu, inviting him to discuss major plans together.
Although Yuan Xiu was simple-minded, impulsive, and prone to anger, Yanzhou was the only neighboring province available for an alliance. Zhao Liqun could not afford to be picky. Moreover, being simple-minded was not necessarily a bad thing; such people were easy to manipulate.
"Will that stratagem you mentioned earlier work?" Yuan Xiu frowned after calming down.
Zhao Liqun smiled instead. "Before, I was not very confident, but since Mister Kong arrived, I will not say it is an absolute certainty, but we have at least a seventy or eighty percent chance of success."
Yuan Xiu's brows did not relax. "You previously only mentioned that this Mister Kong hails from Chang'an. Who exactly is he in Chang'an?"
Zhao Liqun did not answer his question directly, but said, "You should know of Ke Zuo. Several years ago, he was in Xuzhou, then served the Governor of Qingzhou as his lord. Later, he went to Jizhou, then defected to Bingzhou, and now he serves as a strategist under Huo Tingshan."
Yuan Xiu naturally knew of Ke Zuo. The man possessed genuine talent and practical knowledge, but it was said that his tongue was as sharp as a sword and he was extremely difficult to get along with. That was why he had moved from one lord to another, mockingly called a slave of five surnames by others.
"What is the connection between this Mister Kong and Ke Quanshui?" Yuan Xiu was puzzled.
Zhao Liqun said, "Mister Kong is Ke Zuo's senior martial brother."
Yuan Xiu muttered to himself a few times before exclaiming in shock, "Could this Mister Kong be Kong Ce?"
Initially, he had only heard that a strategist surnamed Kong from Chang'an had joined Zhao Liqun's ranks, but he could not investigate his background. Now hearing that this person was Kong Ce, he was shocked, but at the same time, his heart instantly settled.
That Grand Marshal Ji in Chang'an was able to break out of the siege, monopolize power, and even later seize Yizhou for himself—all of this absolutely could not have been achieved without this Mister Kong's strategizing.
If one were to say Kong Ce was the second-best strategist under Grand Marshal Ji, then no one would dare claim to be the first.
"How were you able to enlist Kong Ce?" Yuan Xiu asked curiously.
Xuzhou and Chang'an were far apart. With such a long journey, why would the other party be willing to come, and why would Grand Marshal Ji be willing to let him go?
Zhao Liqun said mildly, "Governor Yuan of Yanzhou, do not forget that my surname is also Zhao. Speaking of which, I am still the current Emperor's cousin. Grand Marshal Ji is fiercely loyal to the imperial family and does his utmost to support the Chu imperial house. What is so surprising about him sending someone to help me deal with rebels?"
Yuan Xiu suddenly understood.
Zhao Liqun curled his lips into a smile. "The western side of Jingzhou has been broken through by the imperial coalition forces. The coalition will then head straight for Chenyuan Pass to pin down the hundred thousand troops Huo Tingshan has amassed there. This time it will be a naval battle. It is said that Huo Tingshan has no more than a hundred ships, and the main force is Yuzhou. A Youzhou army on the water—how is that any different from a tiger with its teeth pulled and claws removed? An inescapable net was laid down several years ago. As long as Huo Tingshan dares to engage in naval warfare, do we need to fear he will not fall into the trap? When the time comes, we will make sure he never returns! Once he is dead, forces from Yongzhou, Jingzhou, and ourselves will attack Luoyang together from three sides. With the Youzhou army's morale in chaos, do we need to worry about not being able to slaughter them until not a single piece of armor remains?"
"Good, good, good! This time, we will definitely make sure Huo Tingshan's soul perishes in Yanzhou!" Yuan Xiu said happily.
The flames of war had already been ignited.
Governor Lei of Yuzhou issued a declaration of war against Yanzhou on the grounds that his relative had been murdered. The day after the declaration was issued, the allied forces of You and Yu provinces were set to depart.
It just so happened that the sky was clear and bright that day, with a gentle and pleasant breeze. It was a rare, fine day.
"In-law, Jiang Hongbin and Mei Xi have followed me for many years, and both are excellent helmsmen. I will have them accompany you. If you need anything, just give them your orders." Lei Chengshuang brought over two military officers.
Both of these men were capable generals under his command. For this expedition against Yanzhou, the Yuzhou naval forces would be the main force, with Youzhou acting in a supporting role.
Lei Chengshuang knew well that the number of ships between the two sides was somewhat unbalanced, and fearing Huo Tingshan might find his hospitality lacking, he dispatched his most capable officers to escort him.
Huo Tingshan accepted the gesture with a smile.
Pei Ying saw them off as they boarded the ship. Looking at the fully armored Huo Tingshan, she brushed a tiny speck of dirt off his waist guard. "May the general return in triumph."
"Madam, wait for my return at the main camp," Huo Tingshan said, grasping her hand and wiping away that dark smudge, which resembled a bloodstain, from her pale fingertips.
The fleet set sail.
Hundreds of ships raced against the current. Yellow and black military banners fluttered in the wind, intertwining as the sails on the masts billowed like crescent moons. The river surged, its waves crashing against the sides of the ships like furious tides striking rocks, making the brand-new vessels gleam even brighter.
High mountains stood alongside the river. If one were to look down from the peaks, the ships on the water would appear as numerous as tiny ants, densely covering the entire expanse of the great river.
A day later, the allied fleet of Youzhou and Yuzhou arrived at Wangchangba.
The name Wangchangba was given by a demoted scholar from the previous dynasty.
At that time, the scholar had been demoted from Luoyang to this place. With nothing to do, he climbed high to gaze into the distance. Suddenly, he remembered a border-defending general courtesy-named Changba, whose outstanding merits had threatened the throne, arousing the emperor's suspicion. The general had been recalled from the border by sixteen urgent edicts and ultimately murdered by the emperor's schemes.
Thinking of his own experiences, the scholar was overcome with sorrow. Thus, he named the river bend ahead, which looked like two crescent moons interlocking in reverse to form an S shape, Wangchangba, meaning Gazing at Changba.
Towering mountains flanked Wangchangba on both sides, their peaks obstructing the view and narrowing the line of sight.
As they passed the first crescent moon, Lei Chengshuang cautiously ordered the fleet to slow down and dispatched specialized scout boats to investigate ahead.
As a result of this reconnaissance, they indeed discovered an ambush waiting behind the bend, with quite a few ships anchored there.
The scout boats quickly returned and reported the situation to Lei Chengshuang. Governor Lei of Yuzhou, who possessed abundant experience in naval warfare, swept his gaze over his own ships and swiftly issued the order for a forceful assault.
It was inappropriate to retreat before the first battle even began. Moreover, with their numerous ships, why should they fear a few measly boats?
The war drums thundered, their booming echoes resounding throughout heaven and earth.
The enemy had a considerable number of vessels, but their side had even more. They engaged in fierce combat right from the start, with arrows flying in relentless, rain-like volleys.
People screamed as they fell into the water. The soldiers who went overboard were excellent swimmers; as long as they had not been hit in a vital spot, they swam desperately back toward their own camp.
However, this was no small stream or river. The turbulent waters surged fiercely. Those with bad luck were slammed by massive waves that left them dizzy and disoriented, perhaps even knocking them unconscious.
This was Huo Tingshan's first time assisting others in a naval battle. He watched as they initially fired regular arrows, which were later upgraded to flaming arrows. The scene was exceptionally intense. Men constantly fell into the water, and a small patch of the river reflected the fiery red of the flames.
It was already late afternoon when they arrived at Wangchangba. Winter days grew dark early, and by the time they secured the first crescent bend, night had fallen.
Overall, the first battle was a victory, and the morale of the Youzhou and Yuzhou allied forces soared.
"Although reconnaissance shows there are not many enemy troops at the bend ahead, the terrain here is treacherous. It is not advisable to advance further in the dark. Let us spend the night here," Lei Chengshuang said as their two ships sailed side by side.
"Agreed," Huo Tingshan replied.
Dark clouds shifted in the sky, completely obscuring the full moon. Tonight, both the bright moon and the myriad stars were entirely hidden behind the cloud cover.
Lei Chengshuang arranged for night watches to keep an eye on any movements on the distant river.
As the night deepened, it became much quieter compared to the daytime. The sound of war drums vanished, and the shouts faded away, leaving only the occasional chirping of insects and the splashing of fish flicking their tails in the water.
The night was peaceful, the perfect time for a comfortable rest.
Time passed, quarter by quarter. In the latter half of the night, many barely noticeable dark shadows appeared on the riverbank. These figures were dressed entirely in black. Aside from the knives in their hands and hollow reed stalks, they carried no burdens at all.
They entered the water swiftly and silently, submerging themselves. Except for the slender stalks protruding above the river's surface, everything remained exactly as it had been.
Sleeping into the late night, Huo Tingshan was awakened by a strange noise.
There were several rhythmic thumps, neither light nor heavy, somewhat like a giant fish bumping against the bottom of the hull.
Youzhou had few rivers, so Huo Tingshan rarely traveled by boat, and he had even less experience navigating such massive rivers for extended periods. Therefore, he was not sure if the thumping sound was actually caused by a school of fish striking the ship.
However, when marching abroad, especially on a waterway, Huo Tingshan was far more cautious than usual.
The man got out of bed nimbly, quickly dressed himself, and went out to check the situation. Yet, no sooner had he stepped out of his room than the thumping noises suddenly became dense and ferocious, as if countless schools of fish were madly attacking the bottom planks of the ship.
It was excessively frequent and far too loud. Even without much sailing experience, Huo Tingshan knew this was definitely not normal.
"Night raid! It is a night raid!" shouted the Youzhou soldiers on watch.
Huo Tingshan's expression remained cold and unruffled, unsurprised. But the very next moment, a loud crash erupted, and the entire ship jolted violently.
The ship Huo Tingshan was on was no small boat. Its sheer size could rival the Beauty pleasure barge from before. Yet, despite its massive scale, the tower ship still suffered such a tremendous impact.
The hull began to tilt, and Huo Tingshan heard someone yell, "Heavens, why did that ship over there ram into us?"
"Could it be that they could not see clearly in the dark and accidentally hit our own allies?"
"Oh no, the ship is sinking!"
Huo Tingshan steadied himself and strode out quickly, running into Li Qiongqi in the side corridor, who had also come out upon hearing the commotion.
"Great General, for some unknown reason, the ships in the rear suddenly rammed into us. I suspect Yuzhou harbors malicious intentions..." Li Qiongqi's expression was grave.
They were amidst the Yuzhou army's fleet, and more than half of the surrounding ships belonged to Yuzhou, managed by Jiang Hongbin and Mei Xi, who had been dispatched earlier by Governor Lei of Yuzhou.
For a ship to suddenly ram straight into them in the dead of night without any hidden treachery, he would not believe it even if someone were to twist his head off.
However, there was no time to say more. The bottom of the ship had been chiseled open, and the hull had been rammed. The entire tower ship was tilting rapidly and would sink in less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Tonight, there were neither stars nor a bright moon. The surrounding warships lit up with clusters of fire. Some men held torches for illumination, while others ignited fireballs to shoot arrows in the ensuing chaos.
The shifting light and shadows made everyone seem like demons and monsters.
"Enemy attack!"
"The Yanzhou army has boarded the ship! Fire the arrows, quickly fire the arrows!"
Splash. The ship tilted severely, and unsteady soldiers continually tumbled into the water.
"Quickly set up the connecting bridge! The Great General is still on board!" Chen Yuan was on the adjacent ship. Having just urged the rescue efforts, he noticed an anomaly on the water's surface by the light of the fires.
After over a month of training, the Youzhou soldiers on board were no longer landlubbers; they could tread water on their own if they fell in.
Although the great river was fierce and its waves surging, it was absolutely impossible for a falling soldier to thrash just once or twice before disappearing completely. Especially since this was not an isolated incident. Looking around, Chen Yuan realized that many Youzhou soldiers had failed to resurface.
"Give me a torch," he demanded, snatching one from a nearby soldier and tossing it onto the river's surface.
Just now, a Youzhou soldier had disappeared there.
The torch fell, illuminating a small patch of the river's surface right before it hit the water. Chen Yuan saw the crimson spreading across the water.
The torch was extinguished.
Chen Yuan's expression was incredibly grim. "There's an ambush underwater! Hurry and set up the connecting bridge!"
"Lord Chen, it's... it's too late! The Great General's ship is tilting severely; it's about to sink..."
As if fulfilling the soldier's words, the warship in front of them let out a mournful wail, like a dying whale. Its stern plunged into the water, its bow reared high into the air, and it began to sink at a terrifying speed.
The night was too dark. The soldiers on that ship didn't have the time or the presence of mind to light torches. Chen Yuan looked around but couldn't find Huo Tingshan anywhere.
"There's an ambush underwater! Quickly, shoot arrows into the water!" someone suddenly shouted.
Chen Yuan abruptly raised his eyes and looked toward the source of the voice. It came from a Yuzhou warship. "Stop them! We can't let them shoot arrows into the water. Guo Dajiang, I'll leave dealing with the Yuzhou ships to you. I'm going to find the Great General."
The Great General had most likely fallen into the water. There were already ambushing troops beneath the surface; if a rain of arrows came from above, being attacked from both front and back would be disastrous.
Guo Dajiang, who was on the same ship with him, accepted the order.
Chen Yuan first removed some of his heavy armor, leaving only the easily detachable chest plate on his upper body, and then had his men lower a small boat from the ship.
It wasn't just Chen Yuan; all the surrounding Youzhou warships lowered small boats to search for people.
Centering around the sinking ship, the surroundings devolved into utter chaos. Some people screamed as they were hit by arrows, some fell into the water, some had their throats silently slit, and others rowed desperately toward the location of the sunken ship.
"The Great General is dead!" someone suddenly shouted at the top of their lungs.
The person shouting had a booming voice that momentarily drowned out the surrounding clamor. For a split second, everything around them went dead silent, as if only the crashing sound of the river waves remained.
"Insolent brat, stop your nonsense!" Xiong Mao on another ship roared, his eyes nearly splitting from anger.
Fires broke out, only to be quickly extinguished by the turbulent river water.
The night was as thick as splashed ink. Aside from the area of the incident in the river, everything around was pitch black.
On the weed-choked riverbank a mile downstream, a broad, heavily callused hand reached out from underwater. Like a fierce tiger extending its claws, the five fingers curled to grab a handful of waterweeds, and then, using sheer arm strength, pulled the person out of the water.
The man climbed ashore from the water. Water dripped steadily from his body, expanding into a small patch of blood-red.
After coming ashore, Huo Tingshan turned his head to look beside him. The person who had saved his life in the water had also climbed up.
Li Qiongqi wiped his face and cursed, "That damn Governor Lei of Yuzhou actually went back on his word and stabbed us in the back. He almost made me capsize in a miserable ditch."
Jingzhou was located in the heart of the Jianghan Plain. Crisscrossed by rivers, it was known as the "Land of Rivers and Lakes."
Li Qiongqi's ancestral home was Jingzhou, and he had originally served Cong of Jingzhou before defecting to Huo Tingshan. He was mischievous in his youth and especially loved playing in the water, making him a much better swimmer than most.
When the towering warship sank and they fell into the water, the underwater ambushers swarmed toward Huo Tingshan.
The heavy armor dragged a person down. Taking off the armor meant getting slashed, but keeping it on meant waiting to be pulled into the river and drowned. Had it not been for Li Qiongqi's support in the water, Huo Tingshan alone truly wouldn't have been able to handle so many attackers.
"Let's first see how many people can catch up." Huo Tingshan took off his outer robe, used his remaining ring-pommel sword to cut strips of cloth, and simply bandaged the wounds on his arm, shoulder blade, and waist.
The underwater ambushers had all come for Huo Tingshan. Compared to him, Li Qiongqi, who was not the primary target and was familiar with the water, was not as severely injured.
"Probably not many," Li Qiongqi said melancholically.
Their towering warship was a large vessel with a total of three decks, carrying five hundred soldiers at the time.
The night was pitch black, the wind was howling, the river was turbulent, and there were ambushers underwater. Coupled with the fact that the Youzhou soldiers were truly poor swimmers, Li Qiongqi guessed they would be lucky to find even a tenth of them.
However, despite saying there wouldn't be many, Li Qiongqi still carefully searched along the shore.
Surprisingly, with this search, he did manage to find a few, one after another.
Not many, temporarily only eleven were found.
The shipwreck had occurred in the latter half of the night, close to the hour of Yin. After all this, the sky was about to brighten. Although search efforts would indeed be easier after daybreak, it would simultaneously increase the risk of them being discovered.
"Great General, let's go back," Li Qiongqi suggested.
Huo Tingshan asked, "Go back where?"
Li Qiongqi said resentfully, "Our main camp, of course. The Yuzhou army can no longer be trusted."
Back at the Sunken Ape Pass, Huo Tingshan had let him go twice. By his count, he owed the man two lives, not to mention that he later joined the Youzhou army and served him as his lord.
Even if it meant laying down his life to save Huo Tingshan, Li Qiongqi would have no complaints. However, if the other man wanted to return to the Yuzhou fleet, he was firmly against it.
The sinking of the towering warship was partly due to its bottom being pierced, but the main reason was the subsequent collision. A large Yuzhou ship had rammed them from behind, smashing a huge hole directly into the rear half of their vessel. That was what caused their ship to sink so rapidly.
Returning to the Yuzhou fleet now would be nothing short of walking right into a trap!
"We are not returning to the Yuzhou army," Huo Tingshan said in a deep voice.
Li Qiongqi was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard the other man continue, "Nor are we returning to the main camp. Just assume I am dead, and let's see how things play out."
While being besieged underwater, Huo Tingshan had considered that all of this was a trap set by Lei Chengshuang. The other party had actually secretly allied with Yanzhou long ago, and the so-called marriage alliance with Youzhou was merely a ruse to deceive him and lure him into the trap.
A legitimate daughter from a deceased wife—in the grand scheme of things, if one were to gauge her importance, she truly wasn't that important.
If one was ruthless enough, she could be easily discarded.
But openly betraying an ally would severely damage one's reputation if word got out, and would inevitably invite the scorn of the whole world. The Lei family was no ordinary clan; their ancestors had held the highest offices of state for four generations, and they valued their reputation immensely.
If Lei Chengshuang dared to do such a thing, wouldn't he be trampling his ancestors' honor into the dirt?
If it wasn't Lei Chengshuang's original intention, then some schemer was playing tricks. Pulling this stunt was not only to kill him but also to make Youzhou and Yuzhou completely turn against each other after his death.
With the situation unclear, it was unwise to act rashly.
Li Qiongqi also figured it out, his eyes lighting up slightly. "That works too. We've basically moved from the light into the shadows now. If it really was Governor Lei of Yuzhou's doing, he will definitely hurry to converge with Yanzhou and attack Sizhou together."
Huo Tingshan gave a sound of agreement. In the dark night, the man turned his head to look in the direction of the Youzhou army's main camp, his expression unreadable.
He wondered if she would be heartbroken upon hearing the news of his death.
"Are you certain Huo Tingshan is dead?" Yuan Xiu was overjoyed.
"We have yet to find his body," the reporting soldier said. Seeing his superior frown, the soldier hurriedly continued, "The warship he was aboard sank very quickly. The water was swarming with our men; however many Youzhou soldiers fell in, we finished them off. Moreover, one of the men said that after Huo Tingshan fell into the water, he engaged him in combat. Pincer-attacking him from the front and back with another soldier, they managed to slash him twice. The river was turbulent, and given the darkness of the surroundings, it seemed he was later swept away by an undercurrent..."
Yuan Xiu's brow gradually relaxed.
Suffering at least two blade wounds and being caught in an undercurrent would be fatal enough for any native of Youzhou.
But what if?
Zhao Liqun took in his expression completely. "Let us set aside this 'what if.' Even if Huo Tingshan was lucky enough to survive, he must be gravely injured. What could he possibly accomplish in that state? Right now, we must seize the opportunity to shake their military morale. Mr. Kong advised that we quickly spread the word that Yuzhou has secretly allied with us, that last night's ambush was orchestrated entirely by the Yuzhou army, and that Huo Tingshan is dead, with his corpse in our possession."
Yuan Xiu laughed heartily. "Excellent. There are a hundred thousand Youzhou troops stationed at the Chenyuan Pass, and tens of thousands more ahead of the Wangchang Dam. The enmity for the murder of a father is absolutely irreconcilable. We are in for quite a good show this time."
"Mother, the sunlight is beautiful today. How about we take a stroll around the area?" Meng Ling'er suggested after they had finished their morning meal.
Pei Ying nodded. "That sounds lovely."
This entire area belonged to the Youzhou military camp, so wandering nearby posed no danger.
She didn't know if it was due to the chill of the autumn night, the absence of the large human furnace beside her from the night before, or some other reason entirely, but she had experienced a rather embarrassingly restless sleep.
Going out for a walk today would do her good.
Autumn brought the withering of flowers, yet the vast expanse of dried yellow possessed a unique beauty of its own. Pei Ying and her daughter strolled around, and along the way, she plucked some pretty grass vines. On a whim, she joined her daughter in weaving a small grass basket.
When enough time had passed, the mother and daughter made their way back to the camp.
A swift horse darted into the camp from the outside like a sharp blade. Seeing the deathly pale face of the soldier, who even stumbled as he dismounted, Pei Ying's brow twitched with a sense of foreboding.
"My Lady, terrible news! Yuzhou warships launched a night raid against the vessel the Great General was on, ramming it until it sank. The Great General and everyone aboard fell into the water, and their whereabouts are unknown. The forces from Yan... Yanzhou are claiming they have recovered the Great General's body," the guard reported.
With a soft thud, the small grass basket slipped from her hands and hit the ground.
Meng Ling'er was stricken with horror. She instinctively turned to the person beside her, seeking a pillar of strength, only to freeze. She hastily pulled out her handkerchief. "Mother, please do not cry..."
Only then did Pei Ying belatedly realize that her face was already streaming with tears.
