CXD - 80

On the way back to the government office, Jiang Zhiyi listened as Pei Zisong recounted the information he had gathered from fellow officials while leading soldiers to search for Governor Zhu’s whereabouts earlier.

It turned out that Zhu Fengyuan had only been transferred to Xingzhou as governor last year. His predecessor had been accused of harboring bandits and suspected of rebellion, resulting in his removal from office. Wei Ji had hoped to be promoted to take over the position, but then Zhu Fengyuan suddenly arrived. Being unwilling to delegate authority, Zhu had gradually rendered Wei Ji’s role as second-in-command meaningless. This had caused Wei Ji to harbor resentment early on, which likely allowed people from Hedong to exploit the situation and bribe him.

Thinking about the horrific deaths of Zhu Fengyuan and his wife and daughter, Jiang Zhiyi closed her eyes briefly, ordering the three bodies to be collected and prepared for proper burial after the battle.

Upon arriving at the government office, Jiang Zhiyi was helped out of the carriage by Jingzhe. Without even having time to change out of her blood-stained dress, she heard that Cao Sima had requested an audience and hurriedly went to the main hall with Pei Zisong.

A middle-aged man in his thirties turned around at the sound of footsteps. As he was about to step forward, he caught sight of Jiang Zhiyi, paused momentarily, and stood there entranced.

Jiang Zhiyi, surprised, looked at the man’s fixed gaze and turned her head curiously to look at Pei Zisong beside her.

Pei Zisong stepped forward, blocking Jiang Zhiyi: “What is it that Cao Sima wishes to report?”

Cao Chen abruptly snapped out of his daze, bowed, and clasped his hands: “Your subordinate Cao Chen pays respects to Her Highness and Lord Pei. Only one-tenth of the grain in the western granary could be salvaged. Half of the grain in another granary in the city was transferred south in June, and more recently, under the persuasion of Wei Changshi, it was distributed to refugees. Now, only thirty percent remains, and it still needs to supply the refugees within the city. I believe the urgent task is to prepare supplies in advance, so I have come to seek guidance from Her Highness. Should we begin collecting materials from the townspeople at first light? Besides food rations, we also need iron tools, weapons, lime, lamp oil, and other household items. Additionally, I wish to employ ‘golden juice.’”

While Jiang Zhiyi and Pei Zisong could handle spies and boost morale, specific administrative tasks still relied on local officials like Cao Chen, who had thought of these things they hadn’t considered yet.

Hearing the familiar term “golden juice,” Jiang Zhiyi briefly lost herself in thought, recalling the siege defense battle she had observed in April at the Xiance camp.

After that observation, she had asked Yuan Ce about it. She learned that golden juice, if mixed with metals such as gold, silver, copper, or iron, could be more potent but these materials were expensive and scarce, making them difficult to procure. Thus, fecal water was commonly used as a substitute.

“Cao Sima, as the assistant governor, can now assume the duties of the governor. Please proceed with these matters without hesitation,” Pei Zisong replied on behalf of Jiang Zhiyi.

Jiang Zhiyi added from behind Pei Zisong: “I heard that adding metals such as gold, silver, copper, or iron to golden juice increases its potency. I carry some valuable items with me; I will send someone to deliver them to the military camp shortly. There should also be wealthy families in the city—could we collect from them as well?”

Cao Chen looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting her to know about this, and quickly replied: “There are indeed affluent families in the city, but collecting from them might encounter resistance since these are their assets. If unsuccessful, it could provoke unrest…”

Jiang Zhiyi waved her hand dismissively: “Don’t worry about that. I will have someone draft promissory notes stamped with my private seal. Anyone donating valuable items will have their value recorded. Whatever they contribute today, they will receive double from me after the war. Let me assure you, I have no shortage of money!”

Pei Zisong: “….”

Cao Chen: “….”

“With Her Highness’s generous support, this matter will surely succeed. I will go and make arrangements immediately,” Cao Chen excused himself.

After Cao Chen left the main hall, Jiang Zhiyi asked Pei Zisong: “What do you think of this Cao Sima? Is he reliable?”

Pei Zisong recalled: “This person is experienced and meticulous. Upon hearing about Governor Zhu’s disappearance tonight, his first reaction was to confirm whether the governor’s seal was missing. Upon learning about the burning of the granary, he immediately sent people to check if there were any issues with the armory. It was also he who eradicated the local bandits after the previous governor was removed. However, he prefers to work behind the scenes without taking credit, allowing Governor Zhu to receive all the public accolades… For now, he seems reliable, but…”

Having gone through the incident with Wei Ji, both Pei Zisong and Jiang Zhiyi were somewhat paranoid, as initially, they had also found Wei Ji to be trustworthy.

Pei Zisong looked down at Jiang Zhiyi: “This Cao Sima looks at you strangely. I will handle him. With both the governor and secretary absent, you should stay here at the office. I will accompany Cao Sima outside. You’ve done everything you can. Get some rest.”

Hearing the words “get some rest,” the fatigue that had been suppressed throughout the night surged through her body like a tide. Jiang Zhiyi’s willpower crumbled, and she nodded with half-closed eyes.

Dragging her heavy legs back to the rear courtyard, Jiang Zhiyi was assisted by Jingzhe in changing out of her blood-stained dress. She walked to the washbasin to clean her hands.

The basin contained pure water, but it seemed to transform into thick blood, with a severed head floating in it.

Startled, Jiang Zhiyi pulled her hands back, retreated hastily, and stared at the basin, panting.

“What’s wrong, Your Highness?” Jingzhe was startled.

The scarlet vision before her eyes vanished, leaving only an ordinary washbasin.

Jiang Zhiyi’s eyelashes trembled as she shook her head to indicate that nothing was wrong: “It’s just a bit—” Her words were cut short as she turned and retched over the rack.

Jingzhe hurriedly patted her back.

With an empty stomach, Jiang Zhiyi vomited several times, bringing up only a few mouthfuls of sour bile.

Jingzhe handed her a cup of hot tea with heartache, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched her mistress. To intimidate and stabilize the wavering soldiers, beheading was necessary, and the princess couldn’t show any weakness. It seemed she had held it all in until now.

Jiang Zhiyi took the hot tea and held it in her hands, rinsed her mouth, and took a moment to recover.

“Your Highness, are you alright?” Jingzhe asked, looking at her pale face.

“He isn’t here; I can’t afford to be unwell…”

Jiang Zhiyi raised her eyes towards the northwest outside the window. The night was deep, and dawn had yet to break—it truly was such a long, long night.

Her words last night in the camp had seemed full of confidence, but she hadn’t dared to add a timeline.

Sanqi had told her that under ideal conditions—each cavalryman riding multiple horses and abandoning heavy supplies—the Xiance Army could cover more than three hundred miles in a day and night. However, that was for one day and night; they couldn’t sustain such relentless marching for three consecutive days.

Thus, even if Yuan Ce received the order on the day he fell into trouble in the capital, traveling from Gucang to Xingyang—a thousand miles—would take at least six days.

Six days would already come at the cost of losing seven to eight out of ten soldiers and horses. In other words, out of ten thousand cavalrymen setting out from Gucang, only about three thousand might reach Xingyang within six days.

Moreover, the Xiance Army couldn’t possibly receive orders that quickly.

She believed he would do everything to come, but with countless mountains and rivers between them, she and Xingyang still had many days to endure… perhaps too many.

The next afternoon, Jiang Zhiyi woke with a start at the sound of prolonged horn blasts, abruptly sitting up from her bed.

Her ears rang, momentarily unsure whether it was a dream or reality, for she had dreamed this kind of nightmare repeatedly during her sleep.

In her daze, she heard Jingzhe’s voice outside, seemingly asking Sanqi, “How many men?”

Jiang Zhiyi came to her senses, threw off the covers, and got out of bed: “Have the rebel forces attacked?”

Jingzhe quickly entered upon hearing her voice: “Your Highness, it seems a nearby prefecture has fallen, allowing the rebels to concentrate their forces on us. There are currently about twenty thousand troops attacking the southern gate.”

Jiang Zhiyi, her face pale, steadied herself by holding onto a bedpost.

“Your Highness, don’t worry. Sanqi said Cao Sima has experience in defending cities, and preparations have been made since last night. They should be able to hold.”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded tightly, dressed quickly, washed up, hastily ate a few bites, and left the room to take command in the front courtyard of the government office.

Pei Zisong had gone out to inventory supplies with local officials, leaving her alone today.

Perhaps because the southern gate was close to the government office, or perhaps because the enemy’s forces had doubled, the sounds of battle could already be heard clearly while sitting there. The water in the teacup beside her rippled far more violently than the previous night.

Jiang Zhiyi closed her eyes, listening to the overwhelming clamor, feeling as if she were adrift on a small boat, her heart surging without finding solid ground.

As the sun slowly sank westward, the clamor continued to resound.

At sunset, footsteps echoed, and Jiang Zhiyi suddenly opened her eyes to see Sanqi leading a few Xiance soldiers stationed at the government office walking in.

“How is the situation?” Jiang Zhiyi stood up to ask.

Sanqi removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm, sweat pouring down like rain. He caught his breath and replied: “Young Mistress, the rebel army suffered heavy losses yesterday. Today’s reinforcements are exceptionally fierce. Both sides are locked in a stalemate. To reduce our losses, we plan to create a diversion by launching a surprise attack from the northern gate to disrupt the enemy. Several of those left here are skilled in surprise attacks. I’ve come to discuss tactics with them and seek your approval to join the battle.”

“Do you have confidence?” Jiang Zhiyi frowned at Sanqi, pointing to the desk, “Discuss first. If you’re confident, go ahead.”

They spread out a map and huddled together to discuss.

“Taking this water pass is the fastest route.”

“But if we send out a detachment here, there will be no retreat.”

“Can scouts reconnoiter the enemy situation around here?”

“No, it’s a blind spot.”

“What about tying ropes and descending along the city wall to scout?”

“It’s not dark yet; the target would be too obvious.”

Jiang Zhiyi listened to their back-and-forth discussions, discerning their meanings. The crux seemed to be that scouts couldn’t ensure the enemy situation in a certain blind spot, making it somewhat risky.

When the discussion hit a deadlock, someone sighed, “If only ‘Jizhu’ were here…”

Amidst the silence, everyone looked up, their dull eyes brightening with longing.

Suddenly, someone hopefully asked, “Could ‘Jizhu’ be among us?”

Jiang Zhiyi, puzzled by their cryptic conversation, asked, “You mean someone in the team you aren’t aware of?”

A soldier replied, “Young Mistress, ‘Jizhu’ is our most exceptional scout in the Xiance Army. There is no enemy situation he cannot reconnoiter. However, scouts conceal their true identities and don’t disclose their names. We only know his code name, and only a few have seen him, always masked. Thus…”

Sanqi sighed, “‘Jizhu’ isn’t in our ranks. If he were, this battle would have been won already. Let’s think of another way.”

Jiang Zhiyi observed Sanqi’s knowing expression, meeting his gaze, and blinked.

Sanqi seemed to understand her question and nodded to her.

Splitting the character “Ce” in half, with “bamboo” at the top and two “thorns” below, forms “Jizhu.” Jizhu, every joint thorny, could be fashioned into bows and planted to fend off thousands of troops.

This legendary scout revered by them was none other than Yuan Ce, his identity in the Xiance Army before he turned eighteen.

Listening to another wave of battle cries from the city walls, Jiang Zhiyi gently closed her moist eyes, wondering how many more had fallen.

It wasn’t just her who thought of him.

They all… missed him dearly.