Huo Xian’s arrival greatly lightened the burden on Ji Yuluo.
All the war reports from the front lines were first filtered through Huo Xian. Trivial matters were handled directly by him, sparing Ji Yuluo from having to deal with them. Even when reports did reach her, Huo Xian would succinctly explain the content in a few words, saving Ji Yuluo the trouble of reading them herself.
Additionally, he always provided multiple solutions.
Not just one, but two, three, four, or even five, showing his thorough consideration of every matter.
At first, the maids and servant girls attending to Ji Yuluo were still reserved around him. However, seeing how he shared meals and lodgings with her, and after some inquiries through Chaolu, they gradually understood the situation. They began to use Huo Xian without any hesitation.
These subordinates were aware of Huo Xian’s identity, but others merely saw him as a highly trusted confidant of Ji Yuluo.
In just a few days, he became very close with the difficult leaders of the Cuixue Tower, almost to the point of sworn brotherhood.
Having spent many years in the Northern Zhenfu Division and mingling with the aristocratic scions, Huo Xian had a certain roguish charm. This made it easy for him to blend in and get along with these arrogant martial artists.
Moreover, he had a knack for manipulating people, wielding his influence effectively. He quickly established his identity, earning respectful addresses as “Young Master Huo” from everyone he encountered.
Ji Yuluo felt that her surroundings had become much quieter, except for the occasional shouting from Fang Kejin.
Before the soldiers of Marquis Xuanping arrived, Zhou Baihu struggled to fight on the mountain. Outnumbered, they could only organize a few surprise attacks, but this was not a sustainable strategy. With each retreat, Fang Kejin would faint from fright.
Upon waking, he would ask again, “When will the imperial reinforcements arrive?”
It wasn’t until a few days later, when the soldiers of Marquis Xuanping finally crossed Taiyuan Prefecture and headed straight for Shunde Prefecture, that Fang Kejin’s noisy complaints momentarily ceased.
However, the battle situation was still not as favorable as expected.
This was a confrontation between two powerful military families. Although Xiao Cheng was not as familiar with the battlefield as Marquis Xuanping, he had a highly skilled military strategist, Mu Lei, by his side. Mu Lei’s tactics were extremely fierce, with no regard for consequences. Initially, Zhou Baihu’s surprise attacks left them disoriented, but once they adjusted, Mu Lei’s counterattacks were relentless. Zhou Baihu’s guerrilla tactics were soon uncovered, forcing him to cooperate with the imperial reinforcements to flank the rebels.
Unexpectedly, Mu Lei abandoned some troops as bait, drawing significant firepower, and led the remaining soldiers to break through from the side of the mountains. They split into several small teams, shamelessly adopting Zhou Baihu’s tactics, turning defense into offense, and even raiding several carriages of the imperial army’s supplies.
After three days and nights of fierce fighting, both sides ended in a stalemate, each retreating a hundred miles to set up camps and rest.
Zhou Baihu was carried back during this break.
He had several wounds on his legs and arms, now wrapped up like a mummy, but his voice was still loud, “Damn it, stealing my tactics, how shameless! Where are the soldiers? Where are the soldiers? The imperial court sent so few men, I thought there were tens of thousands coming south to wipe out these bastards in one go! Why are there only thirty to fifty thousand?”
Fang Kejin, irritated by his shouting, rubbed his ears and asked him, “Who should I ask?”
Although he was an official, the imperial court currently had no emperor. What use was an official like him under such circumstances? Fang Kejin could only turn to Ji Yuluo. She was from Cuixue Tower, which was loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince. Although the enthronement ceremony had yet to take place, everywhere people were already equating the Crown Prince with the emperor.
Before Ji Yuluo could speak, the person beside her spoke first, “The court doesn’t have so many idle troops to deploy. If it weren’t for Marquis Xuanping volunteering, there wouldn’t even be a leader. How is the Marquis doing before you returned?”
Zhou Baihu then shifted his gaze to the tall, handsome man and squinted, “Who are you?”
Huo Xian, somewhat irritated by not getting an answer, didn’t speak to Zhou Baihu. Instead, he lazily looked at Ji Yuluo and said, “He asked who I am.”
Ji Yuluo replied, “He’s with me. You can tell him anything. He knows more about court affairs than I do.”
Zhou Baihu suspiciously glanced between the two, finally fixing his gaze on Huo Xian, “When I left, the Marquis was still in the tent, only suffering minor injuries. But the question now is, how much longer will this war last? Will the court send no more reinforcements?”
Huo Xian said plainly, “Wait a few more days.”
Ji Yuluo knew he was waiting for Lou Panshun’s reinforcements.
From the start, Huo Xian knew the court’s troops were limited. The miscellaneous soldiers of Cuixue Tower obstructed the rebels’ advance to wait for Marquis Xuanping’s main forces. But it wasn’t easy for the Marquis to repel the enemy single-handedly, which could take ten days to half a month.
Both sides were stuck in the mountains, just to see who could outlast whom.
But Huo Xian secretly added stakes for Marquis Xuanping by having Prince Ning give the military seal to Lou Panshun.
This was also why Xie Subai agreed to conspire with Huo Xian.
In the end, this battle was within their expectations. Both the advance and retreat routes were clearly arranged, but Huo Xian had become noticeably anxious in recent days.
During the day, he lost patience with people, standing half the night by the window, his mind on the battlefield outside the city.
Or rather, on Marquis Xuanping.
At first, Ji Yuluo hadn’t considered this. Everyone knew the relationship between the father and son of the Huo family was precarious, even antagonistic. There was no sense of concern for each other. But Huo Xian’s question to Zhou Baihu suddenly made Ji Yuluo realize.
Huo Xian’s true feelings weren’t easily seen.
She thought he was concerned about the battle at night when he looked towards the city wall. It turned out there was another reason.
But at this moment, as Ji Yuluo looked at Huo Xian’s calm profile, her heart felt heavy and pained for no reason.
Since Huo Xian cared about Marquis Xuanping, how could he be so ruthless during those tense moments?
He even made himself get expelled from the family and removed from the genealogy…
So pathetic.
While lost in thought, Ji Yuluo reached out and touched Huo Xian’s face. Huo Xian paused slightly, raising an eyebrow at her.
She hesitated, then casually lowered her hand.
Seeing Zhou Baihu was unharmed, they both left. Huo Xian, standing behind a pillar, suddenly pulled Ji Yuluo over, grabbed her chin, and kissed her hard but briefly. When their lips parted with a smack, he whispered, “Touching isn’t enough; you have to kiss me.”
Fang Kejin was still inside, asking questions about the battle.
Zhou Baihu, lost in thought, finally said, “That man, could he be her kept lover?”
Fang Kejin was shocked, “Huh?”
–
After recuperating for a few days, Zhou Baihu returned to the battle camp with fierce determination.
He was highly competitive and refused to be underestimated, especially by the court’s soldiers. As soon as his wounds healed, he hurried back into the fight.
The rain had been falling for two days. Marquis Xuanping’s leg ailment had flared up again, forcing him to stay at the rear. When Zhou Baihu arrived, he found the marquis sitting cross-legged, fiddling with a large sand table.
This was the kind of tool used by sophisticated strategists.
Zhou Baihu stared at it for a while. Marquis Xuanping, assuming he wouldn’t understand, was about to explain the situation depicted on the sand table. Unexpectedly, Zhou Baihu identified the key points and moved a piece, saying, “Originally, we planned to drive them into the valley and surround them from all sides. But they escaped to a high ground that’s easy to defend and hard to attack. Now those bastards refuse to come down and are using guerrilla tactics against us. Damn it… let’s burn the mountain while the weather is clear. Force them down for a head-on battle. We have reinforcements coming anyway!”
Marquis Xuanping was stunned. That was precisely his plan.
Both sides were trapped in the mountains. Xiao Cheng and his men held the high ground, making it difficult for those below to reach them. If the rain continued for a few more days, the risk of landslides would make the fight even tougher. However, he hadn’t expected additional reinforcements from the court, so he quickly asked, “Where are the reinforcements coming from?”
Zhou Baihu replied, “Our young master said they’re coming, so they must be coming. It doesn’t matter from where. As long as they can fight, it’s fine. The young master ordered us to fight to our heart’s content!”
Zhou Baihu, feeling that calling her “miss” lacked authority, took it upon himself to call Ji Yuluo the “young master.” Then he disrupted Marquis Xuanping’s sand table and rearranged it, forming a new strategy.
It was a formation designed for maximum encirclement. He slammed the table and said, “Fight! Just like this!”
Marquis Xuanping was taken aback. Zhou Baihu’s formation was almost identical to the one he had in mind!
But the person who shared his thoughts could not possibly be this bandit leader.
He collected himself and asked, “Who taught you this formation?”
Zhou Baihu, slightly annoyed at being seen through, grumbled, “There is such a person… one of our young master’s consorts. You see, if even our young master’s consort is this formidable, it shows our Cuixue Lou has many talented people. Oh, and isn’t it a coincidence? He has the same surname as you, Hou Xian—right, Hou Xian!”
With a “clack,” the chess piece fell from Marquis Xuanping’s hand. Before he could figure it out, the horn outside the tent blared, “Surprise attack! Enemy surprise attack!”
“Damn!” Zhou Baihu grabbed his spear and rushed out.
Marquis Xuanping, wielding his saber, chased after him and shouted, “You said he’s one of your young master’s consorts? Is your young master a man or a woman?”
Zhou Baihu spat out some sand and shouted back, “What a stupid question. Our young master is, of course, a woman. Don’t look down on women! Our young master was personally chosen and trained by His Highness, the Crown Prince!”
Internal discord among comrades is one thing, but never should outsiders be allowed to look down on us.
Marquis Xuanping let out a sigh of relief, but his expression gradually grew serious. Hou Xian had found himself another backer.
Previously, he relied on the eunuch faction and a foolish emperor. Now, he had stooped to using his looks to latch onto people of the Jianghu.
He had completely abandoned any sense of dignity or reputation.
Marquis Xuanping felt a heavy frustration in his heart. He wondered what sin he had committed to have such a disgraceful son.
In his distraction, a scimitar swept past his leg, cutting him. Marquis Xuanping gritted his teeth, swung his saber, and beheaded the enemy soldier.
What a wretched scoundrel!
