The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 331- 333

Chapter 331: A Long Con

The two of them entered the city. The situation in the city seemed, for all intents and purposes, the same as how it’d been the day before. Jiang Xi was conducting the hunt for spies in a covert way, and so far no common residents had come to know about the existence of spies in this city.

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong went into the General’s Office. It was located in Shao Feng’s residential compound. In the compound there was also a villa separated from the General’s Office, which was Yuwen Tong’s temporary abode. Currently Shao Feng was not in, and staying in the compound were his family members and personal bodyguards, so Yuwen Tong directly led Ling Zhang into the villa through the front gates. They didn’t go to the General’s Office, and nobody would come to the villa to disturb them.

At noon, Jiang Xi showed up. “Marshal, all spies on that list have been put into custody. These people were unaware that someone had blown their cover and all of them were still lingering in the city. This is what I got after interrogating them. The interrogation is still ongoing and I think I can get more details.”

Jiang Xi handed their confession to Yuwen Tong, who took a look at it and said, “There might be some who slipped through the net. Tell those on duty at the city gates to keep their eyes peeled and make sure no spy escapes.”

“I understand. I’ve already instructed them to tighten the security,” said Jiang Xi.

Ling Zhang also looked at the written confession and said, “It surprises me some of them have been hiding here for so many years.”

“The reason why the Luohai Kingdom dared ally with the Wan Kingdom and attack us was because they’d been plotting this for years. Previously they just couldn’t find a chance to make their move. If it weren’t for the civil strife in the Great Yue, they wouldn’t have dared take action,” remarked Yuwen Tong, looking at Jiang Xi. “Have every one of them make a full confession before dark.”

Jiang Xi inclined his head and hurriedly took his leave.

“Of what use could Chief He be to us as a pawn?” asked Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong replied, “Right now the war remains deadlocked. I’m sure the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom are more anxious than we are. Since they are more anxious to break the impasse, I’ll provide an opportunity for them.”

Ling Zhang thought about it for a moment and got a vague idea of what Yuwen Tong meant. “You are going to use Chief He to send them some false intelligence?”

Yuwen Tong gave a bob of the head. “That’s right. I’ll have to consult with them about the specifics before I could finalize the plan. As a result, for this to work, I have to get some relevant intelligence out of those spies by the end of the day at the latest.”

Jiang Xi got the job done very quick and delivered a detailed written confession to Yuwen Tong before dusk. Yuwen Tong took a look at it, did some careful thinking and then came up with a rough plan.

“Let’s go back to the encampment. I’ve got to figure out a feasible plan before tomorrow morning.”

Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong returned to the military encampment outside the city in haste. After they had a quick supper, Yuwen Tong summoned his inner circle of generals to consult with them about how to use Chief He, the spy caught by Ling Zhang.

“Marshal, I think we should put out feelers first. If we are to have the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom take the bait, first we’ll have to find out about their intentions, so that we’ll have a better chance of tricking them into swallowing the bait,” said Shao Feng.

“I agree with General Shao. Whether or not we should use Chief He as a pawn depends on whether the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom have enough trust in him or not. We might have to put on certain act according to the circumstances to cooperate,” said Jiang Xi.

The others also expressed their opinions. Although some of them saw things differently, they all believed that Shao Feng’s proposal was reasonable.

So Yuwen Tong bobbed his head. “Then let’s have Chief He sound them out first.”

They had ascertained how Chief He communicated with the Luohai Kingdom, and what they needed to do right now was create an opportunity for Chief He to make contact with the Luohai Kingdom without rousing the Luohai Kingdom’s suspicions.

Having undergone several days’ interrogation, Chief He was now utterly docile, didn’t even dare think about resisting or playing any tricks, and obediently agreed to cooperate with Yuwen Tong and the others.

There was nothing Ling Zhang could do to help with this plan. Not knowing what he should do before the Luohai Kingdom acted in response, he went to the infirmary with Ling Zhaowu to give the physicians there a hand. He had some acquaintance with medicinal herbs, so helping sort herbs and fill prescriptions was within his power.

There hadn’t been any messages from the Luohai Kingdom yet, so Yuwen Tong was also busy. The two of them could only spend some time alone with each other by night. Sometimes, when there was something Yuwen Tong had to consult with his men about, the candles in the meeting room in the main tent remained ablaze until midnight.

Naturally Ling Zhang’s heart ached for Yuwen Tong, but he also knew that these matters must be settled and couldn’t be brushed aside.

Finally, three days later, the Luohai Kingdom sent a small force to attack the city. Taking advantage of this opportunity, someone from the Luohai Kingdom delivered a message to Chief He.

In order to prevent the Luohai Kingdom from noticing anything anomalous about Chief He, it had been “Chief He” who provided the Luohai Kingdom with a method of communication. The message was delivered to him without any trouble. Unsurprisingly, the Luohai Kingdom didn’t assign Chief He any key tasks immediately. Instead, they tried to sound him out.

What with this, Yuwen Tong and some others had no choice but to cooperate with Chief He and put on an act.

Ling Zhang saw the whole thing. After they finished the act, he couldn’t help but ask apprehensively, “Will the Luohai Kingdom rise to the bait?”

Yuwen Tong said, “They will, because they have no other choice.”

The Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom must figure out a way to break the stalemate and win this war. Otherwise their only option would be to withdraw their forces and sue for peace.

This was also because the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom were no match for Yuwen Tong’s army. They had made one retreat after another and were completely incapable of getting the better of Yuwen Tong. If things went on like this, the army of the Great Yue would advance to the border city of the Luohai Kingdom, and there was no telling whether or not Yuwen Tong would be able to take the city. After all, he was a very formidable opponent, though the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom hated to admit it.

…

The headquarters of the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom.

Staring at Dong Gao, a general of the Luohai Kingdom, Shan Congwen asked, “What do you have in mind, General Dong? If we are to use this pawn, we’ll have to do it as soon as possible. The longer we hesitate, the more unfavorable the situation will be for us.”

Dong Gao said, “I was the one who planted this pawn in the Great Yue. He’d been in touch with me before the Great Yue sealed the gates of the border city. This time around, we put out feelers and he made a response. I believe he’s trustworthy, and naturally, I want to use him, but how we should use him is a problem that needs further discussion.”

Shan Congwen sneered, “The Wan Kingdom’s army suffered heavy casualties during the last few battles against Yuwen Tong’s, and my brother has already been considering a pull-out of the troops. You are still in the mood for lecturing me about being patient?”

Dong Gao furrowed his brows. “Then what do you suggest we do, King Ming’en?”

As though not having seen the displeasure on Dong Gao’s face, Shan Congwen said, “It’s not that I’m giving the enemy too much credit and giving ourselves too little, but with Yuwen Tong in command, we won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning if we take on his army directly. Still, Yuwen Tong is not invulnerable. His headquarters is in Shengzhou. Shao Feng, the general who used to be in charge of the defense of Youzhou, is not Yuwen Tong’s absolute henchman. There is no way Yuwen Tong will trust him completely. If we could take advantage of this weak link, maybe we’ll be able to create a disturbance on their side, which might be an opportunity for us to save the day.”

Dong Gao’s frown slightly softened. “But judging from the last few fights, Shao Feng seems to be very obedient to Yuwen Tong. What do we have to do to find out what either of them has against the other? And how do we turn them against each other? None of this could be done in a hurry. It’s a shrew move, King Ming’en, but none of the men I planted in there could strike up an acquaintance with a general like Shao Feng, not to mention Yuwen Tong.”

Shan Congwen said, “General Dong, just tell me whether you agree to carry out this plan or not.”

It was after mulling over it for a long moment that Dong Gao answered, “As things stand, we don’t really have a choice.”

Shan Congwen secretly curled his lip and said, “Then please figure out a way to get in touch with that man of yours and have him look into Shao Feng’s past. Even if the two of them have nothing against each other, we’ll have to create some for them. Tell him to give us a definite reply within ten days, so that we’ll be able to take the next step in time.”

…

The military encampment of the Great Yue.

The Luohai Kingdom sent yet another small force to attack, as though harassing the Great Yue’s army. A lot of people found this confusing, and the truth was known to only a limited number of insiders. When Yuwen Tong had read the letter from the Luohai Kingdom to Chief He which stated Chief He’s task, he immediately fathomed out what they meant and summoned the generals to have a meeting.

“So, it turns out I’m the one who’s supposed to put on the act,” said Shao Feng.

Beaming, Jiang Xi threw his arm around Shao Feng’s shoulders. “General Shao, whether or not we’ll be able to get rid of those annoying bugs on the other side depends on your performance now.”

The corners of Shao Feng’s mouth twitched and he pushed Jiang Xi aside, looking at Yuwen Tong. “Marshal, you know that I’m not good at acting. If by any chance those of the Luohai Kingdom see through it, the whole plan will fall through.”

Yuwen Tong said, “They won’t be able to see it with their own eyes. All you have to do is give the reaction they expect to see.”

Shao Feng’s face crumpled up. “Well… The problem is I don’t quite know when to react, or what the appropriate reaction is. This is way beyond my capabilities.”

Jiang Xi leaned over again. “I’ll teach you.”

Shao Feng shifted his gaze to him, a disbelieving expression on his face. “You? I’m not sure you’re the right person to seek advice from.”

Jiang Xi went unhappy. “Hey, what do you mean by that? What makes you think I’m not the right person to seek advice from?”

Shao Feng averted his face. “You and I always deal with things in different ways. If I do as you tell me to, they might see through me right away!”

It was only too obvious that Jiang Xi laughed and joked too much for Shao Feng’s liking.

His abilities being questioned, Jiang Xi was badly bruised and immediately contradicted Shao Feng, “You are prejudiced against me. Just because I deal with things in a different way from yours doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of teaching you how to react correctly. I expect more of you, Shao Feng. On the surface, you look like an honest man of few words, but deep down you think so little of me!”

“That’s enough,” said Yuwen Tong. “Now is not the time for you two to have a verbal duel. Shao Feng, just act according to the plan. This matter must be handled properly.”

The worry on Shao Feng’s face dissolved considerably as he heard that there was a plan he could follow. “Yes, Marshal. What do you think we should do?”

Jiang Xi raised his hand. “I have an idea!”

Shao Feng ignored him. Jiang Xi went angry again, intending to criticize Shao Feng.

Yuwen Tong gave Jiang Xi a dirty look. “Control yourself or get out of my sight.”

Jiang Xi immediately sat down and expressed his opinion in a serious manner, without any frivolity on his face.

After giving it some thought, Yuwen Tong made some adjustments and added some details in light of the way Shao Feng usually handled things, and then instructed the others to act accordingly.

When the meeting was over, Shao Feng and Jiang Xi took their leave together. Yuwen Tong glanced around the empty meeting room. Ling Zhang still hadn’t come back from the infirmary. Yuwen Tong stood up and exited the main tent, making towards the infirmary.

Ling Zhang was filling a prescription given by an army physician and marking the bags of medicinal herbs one by one. These herbs were supposed to be decocted the next day. He was preparing them in advance, so that there would be less bustle the next day. There were also five paramedics working with him.

Chapter 332: The Marshal’s Vexations

There were five lighted candles in the tent, all of which had been carefully placed in proper positions.

“Childe Ling, all these ten prescriptions have been filled,” said a paramedic. The teenager’s voice was quite crisp and full of vigor, though he had had a hectic day.

“Now that the job is done, you may go back and get some sleep. It’s pretty late,” said Ling Zhang.

“How many more prescriptions do you have to fill, Childe Ling? Let me help you,” said the young paramedic, walking up to Ling Zhang and leaning over.

Ling Zhang smiled, “Only two. I’ll get it done in just a few moments. Just go back and turn in.” Then he turned to the other paramedics and said, “You guys, too. If you finished filling the prescriptions, go back and get to sleep right away. We’ll handle the rest tomorrow.”

“Please let me help you, Childe Ling. If we each fill one, this will be done sooner.” The paramedic was quite insistent, but his eyes which were looking at Ling Zhang were sparkling.

Ling Zhang was always nice to everybody in this place, had much acquaintance with medicinal herbs and gave these paramedics directions from time to time, so they all liked him very much.

Seeing his gleaming eyes, Ling Zhang didn’t have the heart to decline the offer once again and decided to accept it. “Then–”

“I’ll do it. You guys may all go back and get to sleep.” Yuwen Tong, who had been standing in the doorway for a moment, walked inside, his eyes raking the paramedic. It had never crossed his mind that these people would grow so fond of Ling Zhang. All their eyes were glinting when they looked at Ling Zhang. On top of that, these people were all fourteen or fifteen years old, which meant they were only three or four years Ling Zhang’s junior, and this was a small age gap…

The paramedics were startled by Yuwen Tong’s sudden arrival. Ling Zhang, who was taken aback as well, said, “Why did you come here? You’ve got everything handled?”

“Yeah. How many unfilled prescriptions are there? I’ll help you fill them all.” Yuwen Tong walked up to him, naturally took the prescription from the paramedic’s hand, pivoted around and made towards the medicine shelves to get the required herbs.

Astonished, the young paramedic opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Seeing this, Ling Zhang said in a low voice, “It’s okay. We’ll handle it. You may all go back.”

The paramedic’s cheeks flushed faintly red as his eyes met Ling Zhang’s gentle ones. He inclined his head and then left with the others.

Yuwen Tong tossed a backward glance just in time to see the young paramedic leave with a flush on his cheeks. Instantly, his face darkened somewhat.

When the two of them were the only ones left in the tent, Ling Zhang said, “Put it down and let me handle it. You had quite a busy day.”

Watching the back of Yuwen Tong who was quickly filling the prescription, Ling Zhang was a little worried that he might get the herbs wrong, but he didn’t dare say it explicitly, so he reminded Yuwen Tong in a tactful way.

Yuwen Tong didn’t twist his head back. After filling the prescription, he walked over with the herb holder, put it down onto the table and reached out an arm to wrap it around Ling Zhang’s waist, looking him in the face. “Are you worried that I’d get the herbs wrong?”

Ling Zhang, “…”

He didn’t show any signs of his true thoughts. How did Yuwen Tong come to see through him?

A flicker of guilt appeared on his face in spite of himself. “No, I’m not. You’re imagining things.”

Yuwen Tong glanced from the herb holder in Ling Zhang’s hand to his eyes. “You’re having a good time here?” he asked.

Ling Zhang bobbed his head. “It gives me a little peace of mind knowing that I’ve been making myself useful. Occasionally I get to help change wounded soldiers’ dressings with my father. The physicians are all very busy, and I can give those young paramedics some directions about the identification of medicinal herbs that they have difficulty identifying.”

Yuwen Tong said, “Didn’t you say that you didn’t want to come to this place? That ointment thing doesn’t concern you anymore?”

Ling Zhang’s face darkened slightly. What a nuisance. He had had a job to dismiss that from his mind. Why was this guy bringing it up again? “I’ve been bustling around in this tent for days, and I’m pretty sure those who find that funny have laughed enough already.”

With an arm around Ling Zhang’s waist, Yuwen Tong gave Ling Zhang a playful pinch on the side of his waist and said, “You specially came here to keep me company, right? With you being here, we can only see each other by night. Just leave these things to those guys and go back to stay with me.”

Ling Zhang looked at him confusedly. “I thought we talked about this. We’ve been… been together every night. Besides, there’s nothing I can do to help with any of those matters you’ve been dealing with, and it’s inappropriate for me to offer my opinions about any of them either. I can be of help in this place. Isn’t this a good thing?”

Yuwen Tong lapsed into silence, took the herb holder from Ling Zhang’s hand, put it down onto the table and interlocked his fingers with Ling Zhang’s. It was indeed a good thing, but the very thought of people staring at Ling Zhang with gleaming eyes every day made him feel rather uncomfortable.

Ling Zhang looked at him apprehensively. “What’s the matter? Did something happen? Don’t be like this. Your silence is making me very worried.”

Yuwen Tong rested his head on Ling Zhang’s shoulder, cuddling him. “I just want you to be by my side all the time. I haven’t seen you for a whole day and it makes me feel awful.”

A pink flush slowly spread over Ling Zhang’s ears and he rested his head on Yuwen Tong’s shoulder. “But it’s wartime, isn’t it? Now that I’ve already come here, I need to do something, and so do Wang Dashan and the others. You should give them some jobs as soon as possible. They’re only too anxious to help. Considering they’ve developed a decent level of proficiency in formations, I’m sure they’ll prove themselves helpful. As for those guards from the Millennium Pavilion, if you don’t think they’re trustworthy, tell them which areas are off-limits to them.”

Yuwen Tong was relieved that Ling Zhang was unaware of what was concerning him, but at the same time worried that those people that had been staring at Ling Zhang might take advantage of him. Although Yuwen Tong knew intellectually that none of the young paramedics harbored any evil attentions, in his heart of hearts he found this fairly intolerable.

“Okay. Let’s return to our tent after I fill this prescription. And from now on… from now on I’ll go back earlier every day,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong rose to his feet and said, “Okay.” Though still reluctant to let him stay here, he couldn’t bring himself to pressure Ling Zhang to give up. In addition, he could feel that Ling Zhang had been somewhat uptight since his arrival at this encampment, and this infirmary was the only place where he was relaxed.

He lowered his head to nibble Ling Zhang’s lips lightly, parted them and with that his tongue reached inside…

Hugging, they kissed for a long moment before they let go of each other, and they stopped only because they felt each other’s bodily response, knowing that they would lose control of themselves if they continued.

It took Ling Zhang quite a while to cool himself down a little. Then he made up the prescription in his hand as quickly as possible, tidied up the table, put out the candles and fastened the fly of the tent. The soldiers on night duty saluted them and saw them off.

…

While Ling Zhang was helping with medical matters in the infirmary, he heard a rumor that Shao Feng and Yuwen Tong had a bitter quarrel owing to a divergence of opinions when discussing a military affair. As soon as this reached his ears, he came to know that Yuwen Tong and his men had started to carry out the plan.

Predictably, as day after day passed by, the divisions between Shao Feng and Yuwen Tong deepened further. On one occasion, during an engagement with the enemy, Shao Feng disobeyed Yuwen Tong’s order and they nearly lost the fight because of it. After returning to the encampment, Yuwen Tong flied into a rage and meted out punishment to Shao Feng according to military law, inflicting a great humiliation on Shao Feng in the presence of all troops.

At the same time, some negative gossip began to spread in the encampment, saying that Yuwen Tong was being too harsh on Shao Feng, that a lot of officers of Youzhou garrison were displeased with Yuwen Tong’s handling of the matter of Shao Feng and had argued with him several times.

These messages were sent back to the Luohai Kingdom one after another.

…

The headquarters of the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom.

“It seems that this pawn of yours is serving its purpose, General Dong.” Shan Congwen paid Dong Gao a compliment, a broad smile on his face. “And I really admire how well you’ve knocked your subordinates into shape.”

Dong Gao burst into laughter. “Your plan deserves some credit as well, King Ming’en.”

Shan Congwen gave a smile, somewhat disapproving secretly. He had heard about the whole thing and believed that it’d be more reasonable to attribute this outcome to Yuwen Tong’s bad luck than to Dong Gao’s man’s efforts, that it had been because Yuwen Tong was unable to have Shao Feng, the one in charge of the defense of Youzhou, toe the line and let their disagreements go public that Dong Gao’s man took advantage of the situation so easily.

“King Ming’en, do you think we’re ready to make our next move?” asked Dong Gao.

Shan Congwen replied, “I think so. As Yuwen Tong has just punished Shao Feng according to military law, right now officers of Youzhou garrison are all disgruntled at Yuwen Tong. Given how cunning Yuwen Tong is, he would by no means let this situation last long. We have to incite Shao Feng and the others to take action before Yuwen Tong tricks them into letting it go.”

Dong Gao gave a bob of the head. “We happen to have been laying low for some time and everything is in absolute readiness. It’s about time we dealt Yuwen Tong a real heavy blow!”

Shan Congwen observed, “Our ultimate target is Yuwen Tong. It would be best if we could take full advantage of their infighting to confound Youzhou garrison and at the same time kill Yuwen Tong. Otherwise he will remain our biggest trouble.”

Dong Gao appeared awkward. “That won’t be easy. Yuwen Tong has consummate kung fu skills and is under constant protection of many personal bodyguards. It would be next to impossible to dispose of him.”

Shan Congwen said, “You’re not chickening out of this, General Dong, are you? As long as Yuwen Tong still draws breath, he’ll always be a hindrance to our plan to take the border city in Youzhou. The current civil strife of the Great Yue is a golden opportunity for us. Their emperor died and so far there haven’t been any signs of an heir succeeding to the throne. If we don’t seize this opportunity, it’d be of no avail even if we manage to force Youzhou garrison back into the city.”

Dong Gao frowned. “If we are to have Yuwen Tong killed, someone will have to get close to him first, which is something none of my men is capable of.”

Shan Congwen said, “Well, Shao Feng is. Wouldn’t it be much better to have him do it than send our own men?”

Dong Gao looked at him. “You think Shao Feng will take the bait?”

Shan Congwen responded, “Why wouldn’t he? Yuwen Tong’s authority has been weighing Shao Feng down like a mountain. Now that we’ve already set out to play him off Yuwen Tong, why not go the whole hog?”

Eyes on Shan Congwen, Dong Gao said, “I’d like to hear what you have in mind, King Ming’en.”

Shan Congwen inwardly rolled his eyes upwards and cursed Dong Gao for being a fool who could do nothing but sit idle and enjoy the fruits of others’ work, who was totally unworthy of his post as general-in-chief, but there was nothing Shan Congwen could do about it. He had to cooperate with Dong Gao. The Wan Kingdom had mobilized all resources available to wage this war. If they failed to achieve anything this time, they would not only have to pay another huge compensation to the Great Yue but also sustain so heavy losses that they wouldn’t be able to recover for many years. The Luohai Kingdom, however, hadn’t undergone many wars. Though located in the north and not as rich as southern countries, it had many years’ accumulation of wealth and other resources, so if the war was lost, the Luohai Kingdom would suffer a setback but it wouldn’t be as serious as the one the Wan Kingdom would suffer. As a result, though knowing that Dong Gao was, intentionally or unintentionally, sloughing this matter off onto him, he still had to do it.

Secretly clenching his teeth, Shan Congwen confided his plan.

Clapping his hands, Dong Gao said, “Now I can see why you are in your emperor’s confidence, King Ming’en. You’re indeed a resourceful man. I couldn’t admire you more!”

Chapter 333: The Enemy Took the Bait, but the Marshal Was Still Jealous All Day

“There has been a rise in the number of wounded soldiers recently, and some of them have to be transferred back into the city. As there are not enough physicians in the city, physicians in Youzhou are being drafted in as a matter of urgency. I wonder if you and your father could offer some help before the physicians arrive.”

At night, Yuwen Tong suddenly brought this matter up. After hearing this, Ling Zhang just paused for a fleeting moment before agreeing, “No problem. I’m sure my father will be glad to help. I’ll talk to him early tomorrow morning and then go back to the city with the injured.”

Yuwen Tong stepped over, put his arms around Ling Zhang and said, “I’ll go back to the city to keep you company by night.”

On hearing this, Ling Zhang rejected the offer. “No. Shuttling between two places is too much trouble. You’re the commander-in-chief and there are a lot of matters you need to deal with. If you don’t rest well at night, things could easily go wrong. Us not seeing each other for a couple of days wouldn’t be a big deal, but this army needs its commander to be in position. You staying healthy is the most important thing.”

Yuwen Tong looked at him. “At least let me pay you a visit every other day, okay?”

Ling Zhang said, “Cut the nonsense. The execution of your plan is at a crucial juncture. We can’t afford to let anything go awry.”

Unhappy, Yuwen Tong hugged Ling Zhang and caressed him and kept silent for a long moment.

Stroking his back, Ling Zhang said gently, “We have to win, because after we win, we’ll go back to the capital city to get married.”

Yuwen Tong uttered “Um” in a deep voice and lay down onto the bed with Ling Zhang in his embrace, making out.

…

The next day, Ling Zhang told Ling Zhaowu about that matter and, unsurprisingly, Ling Zhaowu agreed almost without thinking. The two of them went into the city with the team of soldiers transferring the wounded. Naturally, Wang Dashan and the others went with them, along with the guards from the Millennium Pavilion.

Yuwen Tong escorted them back to the city. Ling Zhang and the others would be staying in the headquarters in the city.

“You’ve been here for quite some time and should go back right away. Deputy Commander Jiang and the others would get anxious if anything comes up and they couldn’t find you,” said Ling Zhang, looking at Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong heaved a sigh. Seeing there was nobody else around, he gave Ling Zhang a quick peck on the cheek, lingered for a while longer and then reluctantly exited the city.

Ling Zhang followed Yuwen Tong with his eyes as he left. After quite some time, he pivoted around and returned to the place he’d be staying in during the next few days. He and Ling Zhaowu needed to help the physicians settle the injured soldiers that had just been transferred.

Yuwen Tong had just returned to the military encampment outside the city when Jiang Xi came out of nowhere and said, “Has Childe Ling settled in? Did he suspect anything?”

“I’ve got him settled. For the present he’s not suspicious of anything,” replied Yuwen Tong.

“That Shan Congwen guy is such a sly asshole. He pulled this nasty trick on us and now we have to play it his way,” huffed Jiang Xi.

“We can’t expect to have them take the bait without paying a price,” said Yuwen Tong.

Jiang Xi flicked him a glance and thought, ‘You’re saying this, but the dark look on your face suggests otherwise.’

Yuwen Tong entered the main tent with a sulky face. Before long, he summoned all his generals. With a cold face, he consulted with them and eventually drew up a series of plans aimed at ambushing the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom, the Wan Kingdom’s army being the primary target. It seemed that he was determined to wipe out the whole army of the Wan Kingdom.

Jiang Xi, who was getting chills up his spine, stroked his back, thinking that a man could get so scary when forced to part from his partner, that under no circumstances should he do anything that might anger the Marshal at this point in time.

…

After moving into the headquarters in the city, Ling Zhang was unable to get up-to-date messages about the situation in the encampment outside the city.

“You are not anxious any more?” asked Ling Zhaowu, applying a dressing to a soldier’s wound and bandaging it.

On hearing this, Ling Zhang who was putting things away answered matter-of-factly, “I am, but given that he suddenly sent me away on that pretext, there must be something he doesn’t want me to know about, presumably because he wants to save me worrying. Had I insisted on staying in the encampment outside the city, he would’ve had some misgivings about doing what he has to do, which would’ve made things more dangerous for him.”

Ling Zhaowu cast him a surprised look. “I thought you really believed his excuse.”

Ling Zhang gave a brief smile. Of course he had perceived Yuwen Tong’s contradictory behavior and come to know that something was wrong. The day before Yuwen Tong had wanted him to stay by his side at all times, but now Yuwen Tong had sent him downtown on the lame pretext of needing him to help tend the injured because of understaffing. Even if he hadn’t come to realize the truth when he agreed, he should’ve caught on to it some time ago.

“What kind of danger do you think he’s faced with which made him decide to send you here?” inquired Ling Zhaowu, who had finished bandaging the soldier’s wound and was making towards another one.

Following in his wake, Ling Zhang responded, “I’ve got some suspicions.”

As there were outsiders present, it was inappropriate to be specific about this matter, so Ling Zhaowu didn’t persist with his questioning to get more details. After hearing Ling Zhang’s reply, he said, “Considering even the Clan Leader has to cooperate with him, you may rest assured that nothing will happen to him, and there’s no doubt he’ll succeed in achieving his goal.”

Naturally, Ling Zhang also had faith in Yuwen Tong, but it couldn’t stop him from worrying about Yuwen Tong.

…

A few days later, the growing conflict between Yuwen Tong and Shao Feng, the general in charge of the defense of Youzhou, suddenly was settled, because Shao Feng personally went to meet Yuwen Tong, admitted his mistakes and apologized to him. The tension in the atmosphere in the encampment outside the border city instantly dissolved, and a lot of people felt greatly relieved.

At this moment. In the encampment of the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom.

“Shao Feng took the bait as expected. He faked his reconciliation with Yuwen Tong, waiting for an opportunity to deal Yuwen Tong a blow. We may start to execute our plan now,” said Dong Gao.

Shan Congwen thought about it for a moment and then asked, “Are you sure Shao Feng is not playing any tricks?”

Dong Gao answered, “You were the one who came up with this plan in the first place, King Ming’en. Although it took some doing and we lost quite some men, things are going exactly in the direction we want them to. What doubts do you still have in these circumstances? We’re so close to reaping the rewards. You’re not getting cold feet, are you, Your Highness?”

Shan Congwen said, “I’m not. It’s just we can never be too cautious about Yuwen Tong, given how cunning he is.”

Dong Gao chuckled contemptuously, “No matter how resourceful Yuwen Tong is, he cannot keep everything under his complete control, not without the assistance of loyal subordinates. Surely he’s not some three-headed, six-armed demon capable of bewitching people?”

Shan Congwen felt a little piqued by the dismissive sneer on Dong Gao’s face. He was fully aware of how many defeats Yuwen Tong had inflicted on the Wan Kingdom over the years. The Luohai Kingdom, however, had been standing by all along. Dong Gao, as the general-in-chief of the Luohai Kingdom, had never fought Yuwen Tong’s army on the battlefield before, which was why he was so proud. By taunting Yuwen Tong, Shan Congwen believed, Dong Gao was actually taunting the Wan Kingdom, and taunting him about his overcautious behavior as well.

“Okay, then. Please give the order for the final plan to be carried out, General Dong,” said Shan Congwen.

Dong Gao chuckled, “That’s the spirit! Guards!”

…

The allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom were on the move. There was frequent deployment of large groups of troops, not small detachments like the ones they’d sent the last few times.

Tension was rapidly reaching flashpoint, and even Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowu in the headquarters inside the city were feeling it. Soldiers were being drafted out of the city, along with a lot of physicians, leaving those who stayed really short-handed. Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowu had to bustle around in the infirmary all day along to share the burden of army physicians.

Even Qiu Bing had been summoned to help. He was not an army physician. It was under the identity of Ling Zhang’s bodyguard that he was offering assistance. The relations between Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong had long since reached a lot of people’s ears. During the past few days, he had been fully occupied in the infirmary from dawn until dark and barely had any time to rest, and many soldiers had seen it. If previously it had been because of Yuwen Tong that they liked Ling Zhang, now their liking for Ling Zhang was based on their acknowledgement of his character and their recognition for his deeds.

Of course, not surprisingly at all, Ling Zhang caught a group of young paramedics’ fancy in this place as well. They all liked to stay around Ling Zhang and talk with him.

It saddened Ling Zhang that they had to come to a war zone at such young ages, though they were staying in the rear where it was relatively safe. As a result, he was very patient with them. No matter which one of them came to ask him about something, as long as he had some acquaintance with it, he’d always answer the questions. He helped them sort medicinal herbs, too, which made the teenagers like following him even more.

Before the battle, Yuwen Tong paid a visit to the infirmary, and his face fell drastically at the sight of the scene, instantly scaring those teenagers off, leaving Ling Zhang looking at him walking over with a mixture of surprise and delight in his eyes.

“Do these brats have too little to do? Everybody else is working flat out, but they have the leisure to idle around you. I think they are getting a little slack and need disciplining,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang paused briefly. “What are you talking about? They were sorting medicinal herbs and filling prescriptions with me, not slacking.”

Yuwen Tong stepped closer. “But it’s unnecessary for all of them to cluster around you. Surely there are things to be done elsewhere?”

Ling Zhang was thrown into perplexity at the sight of his sulky face. He stopped what he was doing and looked at him apprehensively. “Did something happen? You don’t look very well.”

Yuwen Tong, “…”

He opened his arms.

Ling Zhang blinked his eyes. His immediate reaction was to look around him. There was nobody else nearby, and those in the distance were occupied with their own business and probably wouldn’t look in this direction. Seeing this, he also opened his arms and hugged Yuwen Tong. Then he persisted, “Did something really happen?”

“No.” Having Ling Zhang in his embrace, Yuwen Tong was no longer unhappy. He said, “I wouldn’t have come here if something did happen.”

Ling Zhang felt that these words made sense, but why had Yuwen Tong appeared sullen just now? And why had he acted grumpily?

“The very sight of those brats around you made me unhappy,” said Yuwen Tong.

Light dawned on Ling Zhang and he pulled a wry face. “What are you talking about? They’re just kids, and we were all incredibly busy. What are you thinking?”

After saying this, he tried to free himself from Yuwen Tong’s embrace, but Yuwen Tong didn’t let him. “Let me hug you a little while longer. Soon there will be another battle and I won’t be able to come here until it’s over. I want you and your father to stay here. Only by knowing that you’re safe can I have piece of mind. Both my heart and my life are in your hands, so on no account are you to be taking any risks.”

Ling Zhang quietly stopped struggling, willingly let Yuwen Tong cuddle him. He took a deep breath and said, “Likewise. If you don’t want to see me charge onto the battlefield, you must stay safe. I don’t dare imagine what I would do if anything happens to you. I think I’ll go crazy.”

He put his arms around Yuwen Tong’s back tight, his voice trailing away to a whisper as he made the last remark.

Yuwen Tong twisted his head aside and planted a kiss on Ling Zhang’s neck. “I promise I’ll keep myself safe. For your sake alone I’ll win this fight and come back unharmed.”

“Um,” said Ling Zhang. After a long silent hug, the two of them reluctantly released each other. Yuwen Tong had specially carved out some time for this visit and had to return to the encampment. He had been telling the truth when saying that he wouldn’t be able to find the time to come downtown again until the war was over.