Yao Ji’s mind went blank. He looked at Jiang Jin and said, “Lord, I’ve traveled by water before. I know the waterways well.”
Zhou Sui said, “I have a telescope.”
Everyone was silent. “…”
Wait, what kind of new quarreling skill was this?
Grand General, you win!
Dong Si quietly placed his own telescope on the table. As it turned out, he too was a member of the “telescope clan.”
Yao Ji’s eyes lit up. “Lord Dong, perhaps you could…”
Before he could finish, Dong Si smiled and tucked the telescope back into his robes. “Sorry, neither lending nor selling.”
Yao Ji was speechless. “…” So you just wanted to show off, huh.
Jiang Jin couldn’t help but press her forehead, finalizing the decision. “Alright, this time Zhou Sui will come with me.”
She looked at Qiu Liao. “You’ll come along this time too.”
Qiu Liao was confused. “Why is that?”
“Because of Nan Wen,” Jiang Jin explained.
Qiu Liao immediately understood. Jiang Jin planned to take Lin County and then leave Nan Wen to defend the city.
Nan Wen had courage, but strategy was not his strong suit, so he needed Qiu Liao, as his military advisor, to keep an eye on things.
Qiu Liao’s face fell. He had only enjoyed a few days of the warm heated kang, and now it would be taken from him?
He glanced around at the others and sighed inwardly. Nan Wen really was the best choice for now.
Seeing that he understood, Jiang Jin said, “If you have any concerns, feel free to raise them.”
Qiu Liao was straightforward. “Since the Lord allows me to make a request, then I’ll just say it: once we’re in Lin County, can you build me a kang?”
Jiang Jin paused. “…Alright.”
She never expected Qiu Liao’s request to be so… practical.
Building a kang inside an existing room wasn’t a big problem. They could even modify the room to add a heated wall.
The sea wind was biting cold, carrying snowflakes dancing in the air.
This year’s first snow finally fell at the end of October.
A fleet of more than a dozen ships of various sizes sailed through the snow-filled sea.
Jiang Jin stood on the deck, watching the snowflakes drift down and disappear into the sea, swallowed by the waves the moment they touched the water.
A fox-fur cloak was gently draped over her shoulders.
“Lord, it’s cold outside. Would you like to go into the cabin?” Dongzhi smoothed the cloak for her.
Jiang Jin kept her eyes on the sea. “I’m not cold. The sea on a snowy day is like a poem, like a painting.”
Dongzhi followed her gaze but didn’t see a poem or a painting—only the cold.
“Aunt, come quickly! Eat fish, fish!”
Yun Chengxuan was on the fourth floor of the cabin, in front of an iron stove and an iron pot, ready to make hot pot.
On such a snowy day, sitting on a military ship while eating hot pot, watching the sea, and listening to the roar of the waves—this was truly one of life’s great pleasures.
Jiang Jin smiled. “Alright, coming.”
In Lin County, the snow fell to the ground, stained red, mixing with still-warm body temperatures. It melted into slush, seeping into the dry earth until it was saturated, and the blood flowed into the moat.
Corpses lay everywhere in the river in all kinds of poses. No one knew how long it had been. Blood mixed with snow, spreading red like the flowing blood in veins, slowly drowning the bodies…
As dusk fell, the earth-shaking sounds of slaughter and screams finally stopped.
In the blood-filled sky, a flock of vultures appeared, as if waiting for this very moment to enjoy their great feast.
Qu Shilang stared at the retreating soldiers, his face dark. He had been so close—just a little more—to taking Lin County.
He hadn’t expected Lin County to be so stubborn. This reckless, death-defying style of fighting had caused massive losses on both sides.
As for Luo Lan, he had fought until his eyes were bloodshot. Not only did he kill Qu Zhao’s soldiers, but anyone on his own side who dared to retreat or disobey orders—he killed them all.
Yu Cheng sighed. “This snow has been falling for two days straight. It’s bad for our siege.”
Qu Shilang looked at the thickening snow and nodded. “They don’t have many men left. We’ll take the city tomorrow.”
Snow meant the real winter had arrived. The weather would only get colder, the snow deeper. Their time was running out.
He snorted, his tone neither quite admiration nor disgust. “Luo Lan… he’s quite a figure.”
For a city as isolated as Lin County, only a madman like Luo Lan could have held out this long.
Although Luo Lan had consumed a great number of Han people, there was no denying that he had tied down a large part of Qu Zhao’s forces and worn down many of their soldiers.
Yu Cheng sighed again. “Perhaps, from the moment he took Lin County, he never planned on surviving.”
“It’s a shame we underestimated him back then. The county magistrate Gao was useless—killed on the spot, and Lin County changed hands.”
Qu Shilang frowned. “Who was it back then?”
Yu Cheng shook his head. “After Luo Lan took control of Lin County, none of our people came out. They were probably all killed by him.”
“According to the civilians and soldiers who escaped earlier, his forces were small in number. They killed Magistrate Gao, broke open the prison, and then headed north.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the two looked at each other. “Jinyang Army?”
Qu Shilang was uncertain. “Is Luo Lan with the Jinyang Army?”
Yu Cheng thought for a moment. “It doesn’t seem like it.”
Whether in style or tactics, it didn’t match the Jinyang Army.
The Jinyang Army specialized in precision strikes, using small forces to achieve big results.
Luo Lan, on the other hand, relied almost entirely on overwhelming numbers.
Qu Shilang rubbed his temples. “That’s true. If he were with the Jinyang Army, why wouldn’t he use the repeating crossbow?”
Yu Cheng sighed. They had just found a suspect, only to dismiss it.
Qu Shilang gave his orders. “Treat the wounded as quickly as possible. Stay alert tonight, in case Luo Lan launches a night raid.”
Night raids in the snow were extremely difficult. Footsteps on snow made sounds, and even on moonless nights, the snow made it brighter than usual.
But Luo Lan was a madman who couldn’t be judged by common sense.
Luo Lan, who defied common sense, had no plans for a night raid. He was wounded, gravely so.
Days ago, he had been hit by an arrow, and in the days since, he had suffered wound after wound, holding on almost entirely by sheer will.
Now he stood on the city wall, his bloodstained hands gripping the hilt of his sword, the blade wedged into a crack in the wall to support his shaky body.
Fresh wounds on his abdomen were still oozing blood, drop by drop, falling onto the snow mixed with blood.
Snowflakes landed on him, but he felt neither cold nor pain. His gaze went to the distance, though in the dim twilight, he could see nothing.
But he knew the Qu Zhao army was out there, like wild beasts watching him, watching Lin County, ready at any moment to devour it whole.
Ji Xin and Li Qian, covered in blood, led a few soldiers, stepping over the corpses scattered across the wall to rush to Luo Lan’s side, one on each side to support him.
“General, how… how are you?” Ji Xin asked urgently, looking at the fresh wound on his abdomen.
Luo Lan didn’t speak. His entire body was numb from the cold, and with the heavy blood loss, he could feel his life slipping away.
This time, he wouldn’t make it.
And Lin County… could not hold.
