Shuangjiang hunched slightly, pulling the reins as her war horse dashed left, barely dodging the opponent's lethal strike.
She tilted her head to avoid a broadsword slashing toward her face while swinging her own blade horizontally forward.
Clang.
A sharp clash rang out, accompanied by a scream.
The deputy attacking Shuangjiang’s midsection was knocked off his horse along with his weapon, skidding backward several zhang before stopping.
His entire chest, armor and all, caved in, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth, his eyes dull and dazed.
Having broken the triple assault from above, middle, and below and killed one man, Shuangjiang squeezed her horse’s flanks and leaned forward slightly. The war horse matched her with a sharp, drifting turn.
The maneuver was so fast that dust swelled into the air.
Before the deputy could turn around, Shuangjiang charged at him, swinging her blade once. A head flew high, blood spraying.
The other deputy only now wheeled his horse around to see his two usual partners had been cut down.
Fear and hatred seized him, and he turned his mount straight toward Qu Zhao’s main army.
Shuangjiang, charging at him, froze for a moment—was he fleeing?
But she didn’t slow. With a fierce shout, she spurred her horse onward, slicing through the dust cloud with a single stroke.
A metallic clang was swallowed by the pounding hooves, unnoticed by anyone except Shuangjiang.
The deputy took the blow but felt no pain.
His horse galloped ahead. Seeing Qu Zhao’s army growing closer, his face relaxed into relief. He was saved!
Except—why did his body feel so out of control? Why had his vision shifted?
Thud.
The deputy’s shoulder and head tumbled to the ground, while his body, still mounted, ran another ten zhang before crashing down.
A collective gasp rose from Qu Zhao’s ranks.
Qu Bai paled.
Shuangjiang had already stopped, flicking blood from her blade. The sword, custom-made two months ago by the weaponsmith, weighed sixty-six jin. Forged and reforged, it was razor-sharp.
She named it Eternal Life.
Lifting her gaze toward Qu Zhao’s army, she barked out the classic battle cry of the Jinyang Army: “Who else dares come forth and die?”
Dead silence. This time, it lingered even longer.
Qu Bai, white-faced, gritted his teeth. “Retreat! Set up camp first!”
A quiet relief spread through Qu Zhao’s ranks, especially among the front-line commanders, who dreaded being sent to fight. The Jinyang Army generals were too strong; they knew they stood no chance.
Watching the retreating Qu Zhao forces, Jiang Jin felt no surprise.
The army had rushed to aid, only to find the city already taken. They’d tried to raise morale through duels but ended up boosting the enemy’s instead. Qu Zhao’s troops were now exhausted and demoralized; a rest was inevitable.
Disappointed, Shuangjiang quickly retreated into the city.
Soon, Jiang Jin convened a military meeting in the county office.
Zhou Sui speculated, “With over forty thousand troops, Qu Zhao will probably attack from multiple gates to stretch our forces thin.”
Jiang Jin studied the map of Shanguan County. “True—but he’s miscalculated. Our forces aren’t weak now.”
Jiang Jin commanded around eight thousand troops: four thousand in Shanguan County, two thousand under Ge Feng, about a thousand in Chunrong County. Another thousand or so patrolled the three counties, guarding the mines, brick kilns, and cement workshops.
There were five hundred eight-crossbows, three hundred of them in Shanguan County.
Crossbows numbered about fifteen hundred, with a thousand placed in Shanguan County.
So even if Qu Zhao struck all four gates at once, Jiang Jin wasn’t afraid.
Yao Ji raised an eyebrow. “Does our lord intend to destroy them all?”
Jiang Jin was resolute. “Naturally. If we swallow these forty thousand Qu Zhao troops, and Ze’a County bleeds them a bit more, they’ll lack the strength to attack either of us. A three-way balance can form.”
She had started too late; time was what she needed most.
She planned to finish this battle decisively, because before winter arrived, she had to complete all defensive works and recruitment to expand her forces.
Even if Qu Bai didn’t want to fight this time, Jiang Jin wouldn’t give him a choice—she had ways to make him.
Xia Chanyi’s eyes lit up. “Is our lord worried they’ll return to attack Ze’a County?”
Jiang Jin nodded. “Yes. In Fengzhou right now, I need Ze’a County to tie down Qu Zhao’s forces. The best outcome is a three-way stalemate.”
A lively neighbor isn’t a good one. Qu Zhao was too energetic now, so it was time to cut off one of its legs, leaving it unable to jump or bounce.
A half-dead Qu Zhao was the kind of Qu Zhao she needed.
A noble family that could help restrain Qu Zhao was the kind she needed.
Conditions weren’t fully there yet, so she had to create them herself.
While Shanguan County’s meeting deliberated defense and offense, Tang Tishou, governor of Donghu County, listened to his subordinate’s report.
“General Qu Bai of the Swift Cavalry leads the army—about forty thousand troops entrenched nearby.”
Tang Tishou frowned. “Did they duel?”
His subordinate nodded. “Two duels, two defeats. They lost two commanders.”
Tang Tishou lowered his head in deep thought. After a moment, he ordered, “Prepare. We’re heading to Shanguan County.”
He didn’t want to get involved in this battle, but if Shanguan County fell to the Jinyang Army, his Donghu County would be nearly isolated.
From there, the Jinyang Army could attack him all too easily.
Though he’d once dismissed the small Jinyang Army, his view had completely changed.
Given that they’d taken Shanguan County in under an hour, even with low numbers, their fighting power was formidable.
Inside a newly pitched tent, Qu Bai and his men sat in heavy silence.
Beyond Qu Bai and his officers, none had expected the Jinyang Army to be so tough.
Qu Bai scanned the group. “Speak up. What do we do next?”
Yan Pu gave a bitter smile. “Duels are hopeless. Our only edge is numbers—we attack the city directly tomorrow.”
Qu Cong frowned. “The Jinyang Army will have strong defenses. It won’t be easy. Their crossbows have too great a range; our first wave will take heavy casualties.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Yan Pu asked.
Qu Cong fell silent. What else could he suggest?
If the Jinyang Army didn’t have those crossbows, a standard assault wouldn’t be a problem—but there was no ‘if.’
Qu Bai mused after a moment, “The Jinyang Army can’t have many troops. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dragged branches through the woods to create the illusion of hidden forces.”
He’d never believed the army could number twenty thousand. Earlier, he’d sent men to inspect the forest, supposedly hiding at least ten thousand troops—and found exactly what he expected: a trick.
“Why bother?” Yan Pu was puzzled.
If the Jinyang Army could take Shanguan County outright, such elaborate misdirection seemed redundant. Could it just be to scare Qu Tianshi?
Qu Bai’s voice turned bleak. “To lure more of our forces here.”
