"Assign Murong Jin to the vanguard?" Gu Guoqing, a staff officer, stared at Zuo Xunxiao's drafted battle plan, the words escaping in a stunned whisper.
Three days ago, Zuo Xunxiao's relief army had arrived and made camp at a pass not far from Sushen. Hearing the news, the Yanyun had retreated thirty miles, giving the city a much-needed reprieve. Gu Guoqing had finally been able to breathe. But that breath caught in his throat when he saw this plan.
The Fifth Princess Consort was in the army. It didn't matter how famous she had once been as a general. She was a princess now. If anything happened to her, he couldn't bear the consequences.
"My horse! Ready my horse!" Gu Guoqing shot to his feet, yelling for an attendant.
In the command tent, Murong Jin sat in her light armor, studying a map of the area around Sushen, her fingers tracing a path, her mind calculating.
"You've seen my proposed plan?" Zuo Xunxiao's voice came from right behind her.
"I have." She rose and walked to the map, her finger slowly tracing a narrow route, her gaze distant.
His eyes followed the path. For a moment, they were both lost in thought.
"Report! Staff Officer Gu Guoqing to see the Commander!" a soldier's voice called from outside.
Murong Jin turned just as Gu Guoqing swept into the tent, saluting. "Commander." His gaze shifted to Murong Jin, and he hesitated.
"We are in a military camp, Staff Officer. We follow the rules of the camp," she said with a faint smile. She had heard of him in Wuchuan—a brilliant strategist.
"My respects, General Murong."
"So you are Staff Officer Gu. Before the reinforcements arrived, it was your strategies that saved Sushen. Your merit is great." She glanced back at Zuo Xunxiao. "The frontier truly breeds talented commanders."
Zuo Xunxiao kept his eyes down. "Of course. We have all walked through fire and blood. Not like the pampered nobles in Jindu."
His words were pointed. She just smiled to herself. "Guo Ren was headstrong. His defeat had nothing to do with you."
"I was unable to dissuade him. I am ashamed," Gu Guoqing said with a practiced smile.
"Why have you come, Staff Officer?" Zuo Xunxiao asked.
"I came from Sushen as soon as I saw the commander's drafted plan."
Almost instinctively, Zuo Xunxiao glanced at Murong Jin.
"If you two have important matters to discuss, it is not my place to be here." She gave a crisp salute and walked out.
Things are not as they once were. It was time for her to make her own preparations.
Only when she was gone did Gu Guoqing speak. "Commander, to place General Murong in the vanguard… what is your intention?"
Intention? Zuo Xunxiao's eyes narrowed. This man was no fool.
"General Murong is a veteran of the Wuchuan front. She is the most suitable choice to lead the vanguard against the Yanyun. A victory in the first engagement will be a great boon to the army's morale." Zuo Xunxiao turned back to the map, his gaze fixed on the small path she had pointed out.
"But what if the vanguard fails?" Gu Guoqing pressed. "She is the Fifth Princess Consort now. If anything happens, the consequences are more than we can bear."
"She is a general first," Zuo Xunxiao snapped, whirling around. "Is a general to shrink from battle?"
Gu Guoqing saw the sudden fire in his eyes and swallowed his words. He had heard the rumors from Jindu—that Zuo Xunxiao had nearly challenged the Fifth Prince over her.
"Commander, I don't understand the court's politics, nor do I wish to. But I ask you to put the safety of Sushen first."
"What are you implying, Staff Officer?" Zuo Xunxiao sneered. This man was known for his bluntness. It was why, despite his talent, he was still just a staff officer.
"I am merely saying that since General Murong is a princess, this first strike is a battle we absolutely cannot afford to lose."
"No one is invincible. Even Murong Jin nearly died at the Battle of Henei." His voice grew quiet.
That time, they had been ambushed. As the enemy general's blade had swung toward him, she had thrown herself in his path. He had been unharmed. And from that day on, she had borne a long scar that ran from her shoulder to her waist.
"But if the princess is captured or killed, it will be a greater blow to morale than the death of any general," Gu Guoqing insisted.
Zuo Xunxiao rubbed his forehead. "What makes you think this is a battle we are doomed to lose?"
"Years of experience fighting the Yanyun from this very city."
"Oh?"
"Their leader is a savage, but he's also a cunning, natural-born commander. Both General Xu and General Guo fell to his tricks. He knows this terrain intimately." Gu Guoqing walked to the map and pointed. "Look."
Zuo Xunxiao saw it at once, but said nothing.
"The Yanyun's retreat looks like a response to our arrival, but in truth, these three positions are the keys to Sushen's defense. They form a pincer. If we were to attack and be forced to retreat, they would close in from all three sides. We would be decimated."
"Go on."
"And yet, you plan to have the vanguard attack the Yanyun forces in Serpent's Coil Valley. To attack one is to alert them all. A classic pincer trap."
Zuo Xunxiao listened in silence, then pointed to a single, small path on the map. The one Murong Jin had been staring at.
"You want to take this path?" Gu Guoqing asked, stunned.
"Is it impossible?"
"It is a vital pass, and the terrain is treacherous. Easy to defend, impossible to attack. Several generals have tried to take it. All of them failed, with heavy losses."
"Why?" Guo Ren was one thing, but he knew General Xu was no fool.
"Both sides are near-vertical cliffs. The path between is barely wide enough for one man."
It was a chokepoint where one man could hold off ten thousand. No wonder it had never been taken. But if it were… it would be like a knife to the enemy's heart. The pincer formation would collapse.
After Gu Guoqing left, Zuo Xunxiao stood before the map. He had to take that path. The only question was how.
"What are you hesitating about?" Murong Jin asked, entering the tent.
He glanced at her. "Nothing."
"I took a look at the terrain. It's not entirely impossible." She walked to his side. "You've already thought of a way, haven't you? You just can't bring yourself to decide."
He turned away, uncomfortable at being seen through so easily. "The matter requires further discussion."
"It may be the only way. It doesn't matter who we serve now. Neither of us wants to lose this war. Zuo Xunxiao, for now, forget me, forget Xue Liulan, forget Xue Feiyan. This is a military camp. Here, there is only victory and defeat." Her voice was calm, but held a new, unshakeable authority.
She knew they had to trust each other again, just as they had before.
"I know," he finally said in a low voice. "Still the little general of Wuchuan."
"We have fought side-by-side for a long time. Whatever has happened, I still believe that bond is there." She clapped him on the shoulder and turned to leave.
He watched her go and sighed. But it could never be the same. The trust was gone.
When the battle report reached Jindu, Xue Liulan had already obtained a copy from Guyu. His hand, pouring tea, trembled, spilling the hot liquid over his fingers.
Zuo Xunxiao was sending her to the vanguard, to take a path with almost no chance of success. Even if she wasn't killed in battle, she could be easily assassinated in the chaos and her death blamed on the Yanyun. Zuo Xunxiao, he thought, so you weren't letting go. You were holding on tighter.
"Guyu."
"My lord." She appeared behind him.
"Continue to watch Liu. I am going to Sushen. If anything happens, report to Die Man."