Chapter Seven: The Game Begins

Half a month later

After a streak of sunset lit the horizon, the sky gradually faded into gray. The vast, desolate land, scarred by the ravages of war, had become nothing more than a wasteland of scorched earth and ruined walls.

A man clad in silver armor and a white robe surveyed his surroundings, his brow furrowing at the pervasive chill and desolation.

“It seems things here are even worse than I imagined.”

Just as Su Qing made his observations, dozens of figures suddenly appeared behind him.

“Marshal, we’ve searched the entire area… There’s not a single living soul left.”

Su Qing said nothing, simply gazing silently at the two corpses before him.

The bodies were so badly charred as to be unrecognizable, yet their hands remained tightly clasped together.

“Even death cannot part the common folk, yet I, a noble, could not protect her…”

“Marshal.” The voice behind him broke Su Qing from his thoughts.

“Head to the Marshal’s residence in Chenghao at once. You two, go ahead first. Tell Yang Tingyu to summon all officials of the fourth rank and above to the council hall.”

“Yes!” The two men in black received their orders and immediately raced off into the night.

...

“Welcome home, Marshal!” The assembled officers and soldiers formed two neat rows, each bowing deeply in respect to the God of War of the northwest.

Su Qing walked past them with a calm expression, causing those he passed to shrink back in fear.

For his veteran subordinates—Yang Tingyu and the others—their hearts surged with joy. In this makeshift Marshal’s residence in Chenghao, everyone harbored their own thoughts.

He did not deliberately slow his pace, but with his spiritual sense, he perceived every nuance of their expressions with crystal clarity.

He had no intention of addressing this now; the pressing matter was not to purge these men, but to reclaim what remained of the Western Territories as quickly as possible.

He had already formulated a plan on the journey here; now it was a matter of how to rally these battered troops for a resurgence.

Su Qing strode confidently to the marshal’s seat, sweeping his gaze over the assembled officers.

Resting one hand lightly, he addressed them in a measured tone, “You have worked hard defending the city. That Chenghao held out until my arrival is no small feat.”

This remark struck a nerve. Many of the officers turned purple with embarrassment, unable to utter a word.

They wished to protest, but none could deny they had lost the Western Territories. The atmosphere grew unbearably awkward.

“Enough. From now on, you need say nothing more. You only need to obey my orders. Do you understand?” The last four words, imbued with his inner strength, rang unmistakably in every ear.

He wanted them all to understand: obedience was paramount. Any further insubordination would no longer be met with such restraint.

The generals bowed again, answering in unison, “We will wholeheartedly follow the Marshal’s orders and dare not disobey!”

Su Qing glanced at Yang Tingyu, who stood silently to one side, and addressed him: “Tingyu, report on our current situation.”

Yang Tingyu stepped forward, clasped his fists, and reported, “Marshal, we have roughly 180,000 troops remaining. Originally, we had 300,000, but due to low morale, many deserted on the way to Chenghao.

Numbers continue to dwindle. And there is another matter—the rear supply line has already been cut off.”

“How long can our food stores last?” Su Qing asked impassively.

“Roughly… enough for two months,” Yang Tingyu replied, hesitating.

Su Qing cast him a glance, then looked ahead, almost teasing, “Tingyu, it’s been years since we last met, and now you dare exaggerate such things?”

“I wouldn't dare, Marshal, I wouldn’t dare,” Yang Tingyu hurriedly replied, lowering his head. “We have only about half a month’s food left. With our supply lines cut, we are entirely isolated. There’s no telling when reinforcements from the capital will arrive—I fear we cannot hold out…”

“Eighteen days, then!” Su Qing stroked his chin and, after a moment’s thought, his mind was made up.

He smiled to himself and addressed the assembly, “Aside from Yang Tingyu, Guo Bao, Wu Jian, and Yu Wenqi, the rest of you are dismissed.”

But just as the officers turned to leave, Su Qing’s cold voice halted them. “No one is to breathe a word of my return tonight. If I learn who let it slip, I’ll cut out his tongue and feed it to him myself.”

...

“Yes, yes, we wouldn't dare,” the officers stammered, backing out of the hall without even daring to turn their heads.

“Alright, now that the outsiders are gone, it’s time we talked business.” Sensing with his spiritual power that no one eavesdropped, Su Qing dropped all formality, leaning one arm on his thigh and letting the other hang loosely.

“Tingyu, you’ve served longest and have the most tricks up your sleeve. Let’s hear your thoughts.” Seeing the others hesitate, Su Qing simply called on him directly.

“Marshal, with no reinforcements from the court and five hundred thousand enemy troops outside, we are being roasted on a spit…” Yang Tingyu began, but Su Qing cut him off.

“Enough—I didn’t call you here to complain. His Majesty went to great lengths to appoint me. As his subjects, we have no right to pick and choose, only to overcome difficulties.”

He turned to the other three. “What about you? Any ideas?”

“Uh…” Guo Bao, Wu Jian, and Yu Wenqi glanced at each other, at a loss for words.

After a moment’s silence, Yang Tingyu stepped forward, saluted, and said, “Marshal, even leaving aside external pressure, we can’t stabilize our own ranks. Under such stress, everyone fears for themselves; no one will fight with full devotion.

So first, we must quell internal unrest. The most pressing issue is our food. But… but this problem seems insurmountable.”

Su Qing gave a helpless smile. “Do you think the coalition will give us time to resolve our internal matters? Even if your concerns are addressed, it would be of little use.”

Yu Wenqi let out a knowing smile, which Su Qing immediately noticed.

He shot him a look. “You brat, still have the nerve to laugh now?”

Yu Wenqi, suppressing his amusement, replied, “After all these years at your side, Marshal, your expression always gives you away. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already made up your mind.”

The other three looked at Yu Wenqi in surprise, then turned to Su Qing.

Unable to hold back under the scrutiny, Su Qing laughed and scolded Yu Wenqi, “You rascal, always watching my face instead of learning something proper! I wanted to see if any of you have improved. You’re to blame!”

Yu Wenqi scratched his head, embarrassed. “Marshal, we have no choice. If we had a good plan, we wouldn’t be stuck here in Chenghao.”

“Exactly, Marshal, just tell us what we should do,” the other three urged.

Su Qing’s expression turned solemn. “With the enemy at our gates and supplies running low, we cannot afford a war of attrition.

If I remember correctly, Chenghao once served as a prison camp for captives and prisoners of war?”

“Well…” Yang Tingyu asked tentatively, “Marshal, you’re not thinking of arming these prisoners, are you?”

Wu Jian added, “These are unstable elements, and the foreign captives already hate our empire. If we release them and add them to our ranks, it’s like planting a ticking time bomb—they’ll defect as soon as battle begins.”

Yu Wenqi and Guo Bao both nodded in agreement.

“Defect? Ha.” Su Qing let out a cold laugh. “Defection is exactly what I want.”

“Marshal, what do you mean?” the others asked, bewildered.

“These prisoners consume most of our food. If we release them, not only will they fail to bolster the enemy, they’ll burden them instead.”

Su Qing spoke at length. “With five hundred thousand troops, their daily consumption is astronomical. With such a long front, for every stone of grain delivered, five are consumed in transport.

If I release nearly four hundred thousand prisoners, they’ll flood into the enemy’s camp and devour their supplies.

And by shedding this burden, we can hold on for at least another month.”

The four men’s eyes lit up.

Yang Tingyu said, “We may not even need a month. Send two men on swift horses to the capitals of the three enemy states, promise their high officials gold and favors. Once their supplies fall short, they won’t dare fight us.”

“Brilliant plan, Marshal!” Guo Bao rubbed his hands in excitement. “Now that you put it this way, this could really work.”

“But…” Yu Wenqi said worriedly, “What if they absorb those four hundred thousand and attack us immediately? Can we still hold out?

I know their commander—your old rival, General Pang Yuan of Wei. He may not see through this at first, but he’ll soon catch on. If the balance tips, we may not be able to defend the city.”

“Right, if Pang Yuan realizes you’ve tricked him, he might not keep us bottled up like this,” Wu Jian chimed in.

“See? You lot have spent too much time around him and lost your wits, forgetting even the basics,” Su Qing said disdainfully.

“Marshal, what do you mean?” the three, excluding Yang Tingyu, asked in confusion.

“Forgive me for laughing,” Yang Tingyu couldn’t help saying.

“Hey, Old Yang, must you always mock us? Just spit it out,” Guo Bao grumbled, scratching his head impatiently.

Stifling his laughter, Yang Tingyu explained, “Chenghao was built here as a granary and prison camp—surrounded by mountains, with only two narrow entrances, Rong Valley and Xiangchang Pass.

Both are steep and treacherous: when our 180,000 troops arrived, it took days to get through.

With such terrain, how could their 500,000 troops storm us while we defend the chokepoints?

Our only real fear here is flooding, but the weather isn’t on their side. There’s been no rain for months, and the rivers nearby are mere trickles. To flood us, they’d have to unite the waters of five rivers—an impossible feat under our noses.”

“Right! How could I forget something so simple? I’m a fool!” Guo Bao exclaimed, slapping his forehead.

“With everything in place, we await the Marshal’s command,” Yu Wenqi bowed.

“We are ready to give our lives for the Marshal!” Yang Tingyu and the others echoed.

“Good!” Su Qing’s eyes flickered as he looked at the four, but he quickly steeled himself and issued orders. “Yang Tingyu, tally the remaining grain in the granary—I want the exact number by tomorrow night.”

“Yes, Marshal. I’ll see to it at once,” Yang Tingyu replied, then left.

“Wu Jian, spread the word in the army: say that Chenghao has enough food for six months, and from now on, improve the quality of every meal. Make sure the prisoners hear this above all. Understood?”

“Understood, sir!”

“With that rumor seeded, we can proceed to the next step,” Su Qing said, turning to Yu Wenqi. “Send your best riders to the enemy capitals. Spare no cost—strike a deal and delay their grain convoys at all costs.”

“Yes, sir!”

“And the last task falls to you,” Su Qing said to Guo Bao.

“Just give the word, Marshal. I’ll see it done!” Guo Bao thumped his chest.

“This one’s tricky. Are you sure you can handle it?” Su Qing asked, smiling.

“Come on, Marshal, why do you always underestimate me? I’m no less capable than Old Yang and the rest,” Guo Bao protested.

“Very well, then I’ll give you the most important mission.”

“Really?” Guo Bao was taken aback. “Marshal… such a great honor?”

“Don’t be hasty. I’ll give you a night to think it over—see if you’re really up for it.”

“Just tell me! There’s nothing I can’t handle,” Guo Bao insisted.

Su Qing smiled, then laid out the plan in detail: “Four days from now, you will…”

Half an incense stick later

“Well? Can you handle it?” Su Qing asked with a playful smile.

“Why do you always look down on me? Just watch—I’ll pull this off beautifully,” Guo Bao replied, his fighting spirit fully ignited.

Leaning back and stifling a yawn, Su Qing said, “Go get ready, then. I’ll be waiting here for your return.”

“Yes, sir!” Guo Bao answered, taking his leave.

With Guo Bao gone, Su Qing was left alone in the hall.

“This is our only option now. I just hope nothing goes wrong on Yu Wenqi’s end. If the negotiations succeed, there’s still hope.”

He slowly placed his right hand on the cool jade pendant at his waist—the keepsake given to him decades ago by Nian Ci, his beloved. No matter where he went, he wore it at his side.

“Nian Ci, with you by my side, I will surely achieve complete victory!”