{"id":3856,"date":"2026-06-05T12:37:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-82\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T12:37:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T12:37:19","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-82","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-82\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 82"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chapter 82<br><br>Inside the tent, Xie Zheng looked at the chicken blood splattered across his collar and cloak and frowned.<br><br>\u201cIsn&#8217;t this a bit too much blood?\u201d<br><br>While directing Xie Seven to take the freshly slaughtered chicken to the cooks&#8217; camp to make soup, Gongsun Yin replied, \u201cIt&#8217;s not like you&#8217;ve never visited the infirmary. Some of those wounded soldiers are missing arms and legs. Which one of them isn&#8217;t covered in blood? Miss Fan has seen plenty while helping there. If we don&#8217;t use enough blood, what if we fail to scare her?\u201d<br><br>As he spoke, his sharp eyes spotted a stray feather that had been left behind when the chicken struggled. He quickly plucked it off the cloak.<br><br>Then he looked Xie Zheng up and down.<br><br>Although Xie Zheng&#8217;s complexion was pale and there were faint dark circles beneath his eyes, he showed absolutely no signs of running a fever.<br><br>Gongsun Yin couldn&#8217;t help complaining, \u201cYou spent the whole night sitting in the cold wind and even washed your hair with cold water. How is it that you still haven&#8217;t developed so much as a fever?\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng: \u201c&#8230;\u201d<br><br>Gongsun Yin finally gave up.<br><br>\u201cForget it. This little suffering-and-injury act should be enough as it is.\u201d<br><br>Outside the tent came Xie Five&#8217;s voice.<br><br>\u201cIt&#8217;s in here!\u201d<br><br>Gongsun Yin immediately retreated and sat down on a nearby stool, arranging a sympathetic expression on his face.<br><br>Following the physician, Fan Changyu hurried into the tent.<br><br>The moment she entered, she saw Xie Zheng lying weakly on the bed, his face pale and fragile, a shocking stain of blood spread across his chest.<br><br>Her heart clenched instantly.<br><br>\u201cYan Zheng!\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng&#8217;s eyes were tightly shut.<br><br>His lips were dry and cracked.<br><br>His complexion was as white as snow.<br><br>Loose strands of hair hung messily over his forehead, and dark shadows lingered beneath his eyes.<br><br>He looked haggard and pitiful.<br><br>Fan Changyu felt as though a giant hand had seized her heart.<br><br>The dark bloodstains on the cloak made her eyes sting with rising tears.<br><br>It had only been one night.<br><br>How had someone who seemed perfectly fine yesterday suddenly become like this?<br><br>The remnants of her rationality forced her to step aside and turn to the physician.<br><br>\u201cPlease check his pulse quickly!\u201d<br><br>The physician was also startled by the scene.<br><br>Fearing something serious had happened to Xie Zheng, he immediately placed two fingers on his wrist.<br><br>The moment he felt the steady pulse beneath his fingertips, a strange look appeared on his face.<br><br>When he glanced up, however, he saw Gongsun Yin shooting him a meaningful look from across the room.<br><br>The physician immediately stroked his beard and adopted a grave expression, continuing the examination.<br><br>Fan Changyu&#8217;s heart pounded harder and harder.<br><br>After a long while, the physician finally withdrew his hand.<br><br>\u201cMiss Fan, your husband&#8217;s condition is extremely dangerous.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu hurriedly pleaded,<br><br>\u201cPhysician, please save him!\u201d<br><br>The physician stroked his goatee and said in a troubled tone,<br><br>\u201cHe&#8217;s coughing up blood this severely. The previous injury must have left a great deal of stagnant blood in his lungs.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHe needs medicine to nourish his lungs and restore moisture. At the same time, he&#8217;s lost too much blood and has excessive internal heat. We&#8217;ll also need herbs to replenish blood and stop the bleeding.\u201d<br><br>\u201cI&#8217;ll prepare some medicine for him first.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHowever, from now on, someone should stay by his side at all times. If he coughs up blood while unconscious and chokes on it, he could die.\u201d<br><br>Fear flooded Fan Changyu.<br><br>\u201cI&#8217;ll stay with him every moment.\u201d<br><br>The physician went off to prepare medicine.<br><br>Looking at Xie Zheng lying amid the bloodstained bedding, Fan Changyu felt her nose growing sore.<br><br>An overwhelming sense of guilt began to rise inside her.<br><br>Yan Zheng was still seriously injured.<br><br>Why had she gotten upset yesterday?<br><br>Why had she said she wouldn&#8217;t come back?<br><br>If something really happened to him&#8230;<br><br>She might spend the rest of her life regretting it.<br><br>The moment Gongsun Yin saw her expression, he knew the scheme had succeeded.<br><br>Appropriately, he offered comfort.<br><br>\u201cMiss Fan, don&#8217;t worry too much. Little Brother Yan will surely be blessed by fate.\u201d<br><br>Only then did Fan Changyu notice that Gongsun Yin was present.<br><br>All her attention had been focused on Xie Zheng from the moment she entered.<br><br>\u201cMr. Gongsun is here too?\u201d<br><br>Without changing expression in the slightest, Gongsun Yin lied smoothly.<br><br>\u201cWhen Little Brother Yan suddenly started coughing blood, Xiao Wu panicked. I happened to be inspecting the camp nearby, so I told him to fetch the physician while I watched over Little Brother Yan.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu thanked him on Xie Zheng&#8217;s behalf.<br><br>Gongsun Yin smiled.<br><br>\u201cThey are all brave sons of Great Yin who fight for our nation. Only by staying alive can they continue protecting our land. There&#8217;s no need for thanks.\u201d<br><br>\u201cSince Miss Fan is here now, I won&#8217;t stay any longer.\u201d<br><br>After seeing Gongsun Yin off, Fan Changyu moved a small stool beside Xie Zheng&#8217;s bed and sat down.<br><br>In a quiet voice she said,<br><br>\u201cYou have to get better.\u201d<br><br>Because she was sitting so close, the smell of blood on the cloak became more noticeable.<br><br>Suddenly she sniffed hard.<br><br>Having slaughtered pigs for years, she was extremely familiar with the smell of pig&#8217;s blood.<br><br>And after all the fighting these days, human blood was no longer unfamiliar to her either.<br><br>Yet the blood on these blankets seemed strange.<br><br>Besides the heavy metallic scent, there was also a faint smell of chicken feathers.<br><br>Leaning closer, she was just about to investigate further when the supposedly unconscious Xie Zheng suddenly fluttered his eyelashes and weakly opened his eyes.<br><br>Fan Changyu instantly forgot everything else.<br><br>Delight filled her face.<br><br>\u201cYan Zheng, you&#8217;re awake?\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng stared at her for a moment before speaking.<br><br>\u201cYou came.\u201d<br><br>His voice was hoarse and broken, as though excessive coughing had injured his throat.<br><br>That single sentence made Fan Changyu&#8217;s heart ache again.<br><br>She tucked the blanket around him more securely.<br><br>\u201cThe physician said your internal injuries are severe and need careful treatment.\u201d<br><br>\u201cFrom now on I&#8217;ll stay here and look after you.\u201d<br><br>\u201cYou just focus on recovering.\u201d<br><br>The blood staining Xie Zheng&#8217;s pale lips made him appear even weaker.<br><br>Slowly, he said,<br><br>\u201cI heard about what happened in Ji Province.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu wasn&#8217;t sure where he was going with this and remained silent.<br><br>He continued with some difficulty.<br><br>\u201cAfter everything you&#8217;ve been through, you&#8217;re no longer the ordinary woman from Lin&#8217;an Town who only knew how to slaughter pigs and sell pork.\u201d<br><br>\u201cWhen you returned, all I did was criticize you.\u201d<br><br>\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<br><br>Hearing him apologize once again for yesterday&#8217;s harsh words only made Fan Changyu feel even more ashamed.<br><br>Lowering her head, she said quietly,<br><br>\u201cWhat you said wasn&#8217;t wrong.\u201d<br><br>\u201cThe only reason I and the others returned safely was luck.\u201d<br><br>\u201cIf Brother A&#8217;Qi hadn&#8217;t brought reinforcements in time, the soldiers who raided the enemy camp and I might have been trampled to death beneath the rebels&#8217; horses.\u201d<br><br>After gathering her courage, she finally looked him directly in the eye.<br><br>\u201cGetting angry with you after you scolded me&#8230; that was narrow-minded of me.\u201d<br><br>\u201cI&#8217;ll change.\u201d<br><br>At that moment, guilt filled her heart.<br><br>Seeing that traces of blood still remained around his lips, she immediately went out to fetch hot water so she could clean him up.<br><br>Watching her leave, Xie Zheng frowned slightly.<br><br>How had this somehow turned into her accusing herself of being narrow-minded?<br><br>When Xie Five later brought the prepared medicine, Fan Changyu personally fed it to Xie Zheng spoonful by spoonful.<br><br>The thick cloak taken from the rebel camp had been serving as Xie Zheng&#8217;s blanket.<br><br>Now that it was stained with blood, Fan Changyu knew how much he valued cleanliness.<br><br>She returned to her own quarters, brought over the cloak she and Changning normally used at night, and covered him with it temporarily.<br><br>She intended to wash both the bloodstained cloak and the bloody clothing he had been wearing.<br><br>Terrified that she might discover something suspicious while washing them, Xie Five immediately volunteered and snatched them away.<br><br>That evening, Fan Changyu wanted to remain with Xie Zheng but was also worried about leaving Changning alone.<br><br>Seeing that there were several unused beds in the tent, she brought Changning over as well and had her sleep there.<br><br>As she made up the bed, she asked in confusion,<br><br>\u201cThe other infirmary tents are crowded with wounded soldiers. Why are so many beds here empty?\u201d<br><br>The physicians went out of their way to avoid Xie Zheng whenever possible.<br><br>How would they dare place ordinary wounded soldiers in his tent?<br><br>Lamp oil and candles were precious on the mountain.<br><br>At night, nearly every tent relied on fire basins for light.<br><br>The flames licked at the darkness.<br><br>Warm golden firelight illuminated half of Xie Zheng&#8217;s face, making his handsome features appear as though painted with ink.<br><br>Turning his head slightly to watch Fan Changyu make the bed, he lied with complete seriousness.<br><br>\u201cI don&#8217;t know. Perhaps the physicians have their own arrangements.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu knew little about military management and didn&#8217;t think further about it.<br><br>After putting the sleepy Changning to bed, she turned to Xie Zheng.<br><br>\u201cIf you need water during the night, or if you need to get up to relieve yourself, just call me.\u201d<br><br>At the words \u201crelieve yourself,\u201d Xie Zheng&#8217;s ears immediately grew warm.<br><br>He looked at her in surprise.<br><br>The moment she met his gaze, realization suddenly dawned on her.<br><br>Her own face heated up as well.<br><br>Turning away, she hurriedly explained,<br><br>\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d<br><br>\u201cIf you call me, I&#8217;ll go find one of the soldiers on patrol nearby to help.\u201d<br><br>For convenience, the bed she shared with Changning was placed right beside Xie Zheng&#8217;s.<br><br>Less than three feet separated them.<br><br>She had been exhausted for days.<br><br>The moment her body touched the mattress, she fell asleep.<br><br>Only after hearing the steady breathing of both sisters did Xie Zheng turn his head toward them.<br><br>The fire basin still contained a partially burned log.<br><br>Its weak flame flickered gently.<br><br>The wavering light danced across Fan Changyu&#8217;s sleeping face, lending her peaceful features an indescribable beauty.<br><br>A restless feeling began sprouting in his chest.<br><br>It came fiercely, like countless ants gnawing at his heart.<br><br>He stared for a long time at her lips, slightly puffed from sleeping on her side.<br><br>The darkness in his eyes was thicker than the night itself.<br><br>But in the end, he did nothing.<br><br>Turning away, he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.<br><br><br>&#8212;<br><br>The next day, a new group of wounded soldiers was assigned to the tent.<br><br>Some had injured hands.<br><br>Others had injured feet.<br><br>In any case, none were completely bedridden, and they could all help one another.<br><br>Fan Changyu took responsibility for preparing medicine for them.<br><br>It conveniently allowed her to remain in the tent during the day and care for Xie Zheng at the same time.<br><br>At night, she still returned to her own tent with Changning.<br><br>The newly arrived wounded soldiers helped watch over Xie Zheng.<br><br>They were all easygoing and generally quiet.<br><br>Fan Changyu thought they seemed different from the wounded soldiers she had cared for previously, but she simply assumed every person was different and paid it no mind.<br><br>What she didn&#8217;t know was that these wounded soldiers were all members of Xie Zheng&#8217;s personal guard.<br><br>After hearing her question the previous evening, he had instructed Gongsun Yin to transfer the injured guards into this tent.<br><br><br>&#8212;<br><br>In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.<br><br>Whenever she wasn&#8217;t caring for wounded soldiers, Fan Changyu would take out several books from her bundle and study.<br><br>With Yan Zheng nearby, she effectively had a ready-made teacher and could ask questions whenever she encountered something she didn&#8217;t understand.<br><br>One day, seeing her reading a copy of Mencius, Xie Zheng asked,<br><br>\u201cFinished studying the Analects already?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu nodded honestly.<br><br>\u201cYes.\u201d<br><br>The memory of her protecting Li Huai&#8217;an during the encounter with mountain bandits resurfaced in Xie Zheng&#8217;s mind.<br><br>His narrow phoenix eyes lifted slightly.<br><br>\u201cYou learned it all on your own?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu replied,<br><br>\u201cThe writing is profound. Even after reading the annotations, there were many parts I couldn&#8217;t understand.\u201d<br><br>\u201cWhen I was helping build the dam upstream in Ji Province, I met an elderly gentleman.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHe looked stern but was kind-hearted.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHe taught me everything.\u201d<br><br>Mentioning Old Tao brought visible respect to her face.<br><br>\u201cYou don&#8217;t know it, but he&#8217;s quite an extraordinary person.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHe later became a military advisor.\u201d<br><br>\u201cIt&#8217;s just that he&#8217;s old now, with no children to care for him.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHis only student abandoned him too.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHe&#8217;s rather pitiful.\u201d<br><br>\u201cWhen we were digging rocks together on the mountain, he spent every day cursing that student of his.\u201d<br><br>Relieved to learn she hadn&#8217;t studied under Li Huai&#8217;an, Xie Zheng felt unexpectedly pleased.<br><br>Then, hearing about her being mistaken for a spy and forced to work on the dam, he experienced a subtle feeling of guilt.<br><br>The plan had been his idea.<br><br>However, the personnel overseeing the dam construction belonged to He Jingyuan&#8217;s side.<br><br>At the time, Xie Zheng had been in Yan Province and genuinely hadn&#8217;t known Fan Changyu was being held there.<br><br>After a moment, he only commented on her last remark.<br><br>\u201cIf his student truly lacks respect for his teacher, now that the old man has achieved success, he should teach that student a lesson.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu shot him a displeased look.<br><br>\u201cOld Master Tao may have a sharp tongue, but he&#8217;s very broad-minded.\u201d<br><br>The moment he heard the surname Tao, Xie Zheng&#8217;s finger paused on the page.<br><br>\u201cWhat is his full name?\u201d<br><br>\u201cI don&#8217;t know. He only said his surname was Tao.\u201d<br><br>There were countless people with that surname.<br><br>Thinking about the old man who supposedly spent every day cursing his ungrateful student, Xie Zheng immediately dismissed any connection to Grand Tutor Tao.<br><br>His teacher had retired years ago.<br><br>If he ever returned, he would surely seek him out.<br><br>Setting the matter aside, Xie Zheng said,<br><br>\u201cSince he helped you, you can promote him in the future.\u201d<br><br>The moment those words left his mouth, he saw Fan Changyu staring at him strangely.<br><br>Realizing he had misspoken, he was about to correct himself when she frowned and said,<br><br>\u201cOld Master Tao is already serving as General Tang&#8217;s advisor.\u201d<br><br>\u201cWhat exactly could you promote him to?\u201d<br><br>\u201cYou aren&#8217;t even a general.\u201d<br><br>\u201cYou shouldn&#8217;t say things like that. What if Old Master Tao heard you? It would sound terribly inappropriate.\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng choked on his own words.<br><br>After a pause, he said,<br><br>\u201cI mean in the future.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu looked somewhat helpless.<br><br>\u201cYou&#8217;re really that confident you&#8217;ll become a general someday?\u201d<br><br>A faint glimmer appeared in Xie Zheng&#8217;s eyes.<br><br>\u201cWhat if I became something even greater than a general?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu looked puzzled.<br><br>\u201cWhat official position is higher than a general?\u201d<br><br>Appearing casual, he replied,<br><br>\u201cA marquis. Or perhaps a prime minister.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu immediately put down her book.<br><br>\u201cDoes your wound still hurt?\u201d<br><br>Caught completely off guard, Xie Zheng considered his answer.<br><br>\u201cIt&#8217;s manageable.\u201d<br><br>\u201cIt only hurts badly if I exert myself.\u201d<br><br>In truth, he was already mostly recovered.<br><br>As long as he didn&#8217;t use excessive force, it barely hurt at all.<br><br>Fan Changyu handed him the bowl of cooled medicine.<br><br>\u201cDrink your medicine first.\u201d<br><br>\u201cYou can think about becoming a marquis or a great general after you&#8217;re healed.\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng: \u201c&#8230;\u201d<br><br><br>&#8212;<br><br>Two more days passed.<br><br>Xie Zheng&#8217;s condition still showed no \u201cimprovement.\u201d<br><br>Meanwhile, Gongsun Yin was being crushed beneath mountains of military reports and official correspondence from the capital.<br><br>With dark circles under his eyes and murder practically radiating from his body, he stormed over to visit the patient.<br><br>Fan Changyu hadn&#8217;t seen him in some time.<br><br>Upon seeing the exhausted, hollow-eyed Gongsun Yin, she was startled.<br><br>\u201cMr. Gongsun, what happened to you?\u201d<br><br>His murderous aura immediately diminished.<br><br>Forcing a refined smile onto his face, he said,<br><br>\u201cJust buried under miscellaneous affairs. I&#8217;ve been busy.\u201d<br><br>\u201cPlease take care of your health too, Mr. Gongsun.\u201d<br><br>Gongsun Yin smiled stiffly and agreed.<br><br>Then he asked,<br><br>\u201cHow is your husband&#8217;s condition?\u201d<br><br>After thinking for a moment, Fan Changyu answered,<br><br>\u201cThe physician says his internal injuries are severe and need time.\u201d<br><br>\u201cHis wound still hurts.\u201d<br><br>Gongsun Yin maintained his smile.<br><br>Though somehow it looked suspiciously like he was grinding his teeth.<br><br>\u201cIs that so?\u201d<br><br>\u201cI&#8217;ll go take a look.\u201d<br><br>Since Fan Changyu needed to prepare medicine, she headed off.<br><br>The moment Gongsun Yin entered the tent, he dismissed all the injured guards.<br><br>After half a month of pretending to be wounded, even the scabs on their injuries had started falling off.<br><br>The only reason they still wore bandages was to keep up appearances.<br><br>Looking at Xie Zheng, who was lying there napping with a book covering his face, Gongsun Yin finally exploded.<br><br>Snatching the book away, he roared,<br><br>\u201cIf your injury doesn&#8217;t get better soon, I&#8217;m going to die from overwork handling all those documents!\u201d<br><br>Back when he had been helping devise the strategy, he had worked enthusiastically.<br><br>Now he regretted every second of it.<br><br>Xie Zheng was genuinely enjoying his recovery.<br><br>Meanwhile, Gongsun Yin was working like a mule pulling a millstone.<br><br>No.<br><br>Even mules had easier lives.<br><br>What terrible karma had he accumulated to dig a pit and jump into it himself?<br><br>Without the book blocking the light, the sunlight made Xie Zheng frown.<br><br>Opening his eyes lazily, he looked thoroughly refreshed after weeks of eating and sleeping well.<br><br>His face was infuriatingly handsome.<br><br>Gongsun Yin&#8217;s eyes nearly turned red with jealousy.<br><br>At one point, he had been the elegant and ethereal one.<br><br>Now Xie Jiuheng was hiding here pretending to be sick.<br><br>To avoid arousing Fan Changyu&#8217;s suspicion, he hadn&#8217;t touched a single official document.<br><br>At most, he occasionally sent one of the equally fake-invalid guards to deliver instructions.<br><br>Everything else had fallen onto Gongsun Yin.<br><br>Nowadays, whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see were endless stacks of unfinished paperwork.<br><br>It was enough to kill him.<br><br>Xie Zheng sat up.<br><br>Ignoring Gongsun Yin&#8217;s outburst entirely, he glanced at the wrinkled book in his hands.<br><br>His eyes narrowed slightly in displeasure.<br><br>\u201cGive it back.\u201d<br><br>Seeing that reaction, Gongsun Yin finally looked at the cover.<br><br>It read Mencius.<br><br>He found it strange.<br><br>\u201cYou mastered the Four Books shortly after beginning your education. Why bring this with you up the mountain?\u201d<br><br>His expression became suspicious.<br><br>\u201cYou treasure it this much. Don&#8217;t tell me it&#8217;s some indecent book?\u201d<br><br>Flipping it open casually, he discovered detailed annotations on nearly every line.<br><br>Although the handwriting had been deliberately altered, Gongsun Yin immediately recognized it as Xie Zheng&#8217;s.<br><br>Before he could examine it further, the book was snatched back.<br><br>Gongsun Yin became even more aggrieved.<br><br>\u201cI&#8217;ve been imitating your handwriting and nearly breaking my wrist handling official documents.\u201d<br><br>\u201cAnd while I&#8217;m doing that, you&#8217;ve been sitting here annotating an entire copy of Mencius?\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng offered no explanation.<br><br>Instead, he said,<br><br>\u201cYou can choose any of the Seven Sages manuscripts from my library when we return.\u201d<br><br>Instantly, Gongsun Yin stopped complaining.<br><br>With a snap, he opened his folding fan and began smiling pleasantly despite his panda-like dark circles.<br><br>\u201cHelping Your Lordship bear your burdens is naturally a strategist&#8217;s duty.\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng was completely unsurprised by the speed of his transformation.<br><br>Ignoring it, he moved on to more important matters.<br><br>\u201cTang Zhaoyi&#8217;s twenty thousand Ji Province soldiers have surrounded Chongzhou.\u201d<br><br>\u201cNo supplies can reach the rebels.\u201d<br><br>\u201cThe rebels beneath the mountain have been attacking for days.\u201d<br><br>\u201cTheir grain is gone and their troops are exhausted.\u201d<br><br>\u201cIt&#8217;s time to wipe them out completely.\u201d<br><br>The Yan Province army atop the mountain had spent the past several days resting and recovering.<br><br>The Chongzhou rebels below, however, had begun digging up roots and stripping bark from trees two days ago.<br><br>After their grain stores were burned, they faced only three options.<br><br>Return to Chongzhou.<br><br>Destroy the Yan Province army on the mountain.<br><br>Or flee and preserve their remaining strength.<br><br>The first option was impossible.<br><br>Twenty thousand Ji Province soldiers guarded Chongzhou.<br><br>The rebels would lose enormous numbers just trying to get back into the city.<br><br>Even if they succeeded, once the main forces of Yan and Ji Provinces surrounded Chongzhou, destruction would still await them.<br><br>Prince Changxin had only withdrawn half his forces previously.<br><br>Perhaps he had anticipated exactly this situation.<br><br>The army beneath the mountain represented the escape route he had left behind.<br><br>Ji Province had already stabilized.<br><br>He Jingyuan was moving large forces toward Chongzhou.<br><br>If Chongzhou could not be held, the rebels below One-Line Gorge only needed to seize another defensible city and they could rise again.<br><br>The commander of that force was Prince Changxin&#8217;s trusted general, Shi Yue.<br><br>Back when Xie Zheng burned the rebels&#8217; grain, he had deliberately used Sui Yuanqing as bait to tie down most of the enemy forces.<br><br>Although Shi Yue eventually rescued him by piling corpses high enough to reach the mountain pass, he had suffered substantial losses.<br><br>Combined with the destruction of their supplies, the situation had become dire.<br><br>Shi Yue had assumed that without Sui Yuanqing as a hostage, and after being trapped for so long, the Yan Province army had lost all will to fight.<br><br>Enraged after learning the grain had been burned, he launched relentless assaults against the mountain for half a month.<br><br>The terrain of One-Line Gorge, however, was simply too advantageous.<br><br>He lost even more troops.<br><br>Meanwhile, the Yan and Ji Province cavalry roaming the forests below behaved like ghosts.<br><br>They struck when they could win and fled when they could not.<br><br>Infantry could never catch cavalry.<br><br>The Chongzhou commanders were driven nearly mad with frustration.<br><br>Now that their supplies were gone while the mountain defenses remained impregnable, Shi Yue finally realized he would never achieve the legendary feat of trapping the Marquis of Wu&#8217;an to death atop the mountain.<br><br>He quickly adjusted his strategy.<br><br>Under cover of darkness, he began secretly withdrawing portions of his forces.<br><br>Since direct assault had failed, preserving strength was now the most sensible choice.<br><br><br>&#8212;<br><br>The mountain camp immediately entered a state of intense military preparation.<br><br>Whether in the infirmary or the cooks&#8217; camp, Fan Changyu heard constant discussions about the coming battle.<br><br>Troops were continuously being dispatched toward various mountain passes.<br><br>The moment she stepped outside, she could see military banners snapping in the wind while streams of soldiers moved beneath them toward assigned positions.<br><br>Every wounded soldier who could still hold a weapon was ordered back to his unit.<br><br>Naturally, that included Xie Zheng.<br><br>Just looking at the preparations, Fan Changyu knew this battle would be extraordinarily dangerous.<br><br>Yan Zheng&#8217;s wound still hurt whenever he exerted force.<br><br>He probably couldn&#8217;t even wield a weapon properly.<br><br>Wouldn&#8217;t sending him to the battlefield now be suicide?<br><br>The moment she thought about the bloody hole that had once been punched through his body, anxiety gripped her heart and refused to let go.<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3856","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3856"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3857,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3856\/revisions\/3857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}