After Yuxi returned, she wanted to go straight to sleep after supper. However, Momo Quan wouldn't allow it, saying, "The medicina...
After Yuxi returned, she wanted to go straight to sleep after supper. However, Momo Quan wouldn't allow it, saying, "The medicinal food is still simmering on the stove. Wait until you've eaten it before you go to sleep." Although her heart ached with pity at seeing Yuxi so utterly exhausted, Momo Quan couldn't bear to let her rest just yet. She knew that Yuxi's path and the things she had to do were unlike those of ordinary people.
Yuxi was very tired, but she knew Momo Quan meant well. "Then I'll go to the study. Call me when the medicinal food is ready." With that, she entered the study.
Despite being utterly exhausted, Yuxi still took out The Art of War🔗 to read. She leafed through it twice, but still couldn't think of a good solution. "When you come to use a book, you regret having too little of it1." In truth, Yuxi was very clear by now: the problem wasn't her learning ability. What mattered now was raw strength.
Knowing that Yuxi hadn't slept, Xu Wu brought Xiang Weiguo over. Xiang Weiguo wanted to hand over logistics to Yuxi, while he wished to go to the battlefield himself.
Yuxi shook her head: "It's not that I'm unwilling, but my body can't take it. I must rest at night; otherwise, I'll surely collapse." Logistics work meant being busy for twelve hours a day with no rest. With her current health, she couldn't manage it. It was important to act within one's limits; this was not the time to show off one's strength. Yuxi was certainly not someone who tried to show off her toughness.
Xiang Weiguo tried to reason with her: "Madam, how about this — you take charge during the day, and I'll handle things at night?" There were far fewer affairs at night than during the day.
Yuxi disagreed. "General Xiang, it is not yet that time2."
Xiang Weiguo's face showed sorrow as he said, "Madam, we have nearly ten thousand dead and over ten thousand wounded so far. At this rate, Yu City will be breached in less than five days."
Yuxi spoke calmly. "I've already written to the prefects of Xinping, Linzhou, and Wucheng, asking them to recruit another batch of soldiers. ‘When the will of the people is united, we can drive out the Northern Barbarians, so long as we hold on." If Yu City fell, Xinping, Linzhou, and the others wouldn't escape disaster either, so Yuxi believed they would try their utmost to raise more troops.
Although he did not doubt Yuxi's words, Xiang Weiguo still argued, "Madam, I just fear that even if the recruits arrive, it will be useless."
Yuxi responded expressionlessly, "How could it be of no use? The Northern Barbarians are only two hundred and fifty thousand strong — with so many of us, how can we not drive them off?" She might not have been so confident if she were fighting alone, but with such powerful support, she believed they could withstand the Northern Barbarian army.
Xiang Weiguo wanted to point out that the Northern Barbarians were extremely fierce and that they might still not prevail, even with more men, but he couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
Momo Quan brought over the medicinal food, saying, "Your body is still very weak. You must take good care of it!"
Yuxi nodded. "Don't worry, Momo, I'll be fine."
After eating the medicinal food, Yuxi lay down to sleep. Momo Quan came over and said, "You've been exhausted all day. Let me give you a massage — you'll sleep more peacefully."
There was no time for formalities, so Yuxi simply nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Momo." She had been running around all day.
Momo Quan was a first-rate masseuse, and she massaged Yuxi until her whole body was relaxed enough for her to fall asleep. Momo Quan tucked the quilt over Yuxi. Noticing that Yuxi was still frowning in her sleep, she sighed softly and left the room.
At dawn the next day, Yuxi was awakened by Gancao. By the time she had finished washing herself up, Mama Bai had already brought in breakfast.
Yuxi didn't have much of an appetite but forced herself to eat her fill anyway. Afterwards, she went to the front courtyard to meet Han Jianye. "Er Ge3, Bate'er has brought two hundred and fifty thousand troops to besiege the city. Yu City may not hold out. Er Ge3, you should go!"
Since their last meeting, Han Jianye had been kept in a small courtyard instead of being sent back to the dungeon, and his food rations were no longer cut.
With anger written all over his face, Han Jianye exclaimed, "The Northern Barbarians have already reached our gates, and you're telling me to run for my life? What kind of man do you take me for?"
Yuxi smiled bitterly. "I don't look down on you. I just don't want Mom to suffer the fate of 'a white-haired person sending off a black-haired one4.'" Back then, when news came that Er Ge3 had died in battle in Liaodong, Mom fell gravely ill.
Han Jianye raised his voice. "I won't leave. I'm going to kill the Northern Barbarians." Although he disagreed with Yun Qing's rebellion, he had no objections to killing the Northern Barbarians.
Yuxi nodded slightly. "Have you thought it through? This battle is extremely dangerous. Once you step onto the battlefield, you may not make it back alive."
Han Jianye replied, "From the day I set foot in Yu City, I was already prepared to die." 'To die on the battlefield, one's body wrapped in horsehide5' was the fate of most soldiers. Surviving was nothing but an extra fortune.
Yuxi nodded. "Since you've made up your mind, then write a letter." That letter was essentially his last will.
Han Jianye quickly wrote the letter and handed it to Yuxi. "If I die on the battlefield, tell Mom that I would still want to be her son in the next life."
Yuxi shook her head. "I'll have someone send this letter to Mom."
Hearing this, Han Jianye's expression changed. "What do you mean? Don't tell me you also—" He had thought Yuxi was preparing to leave Yu City and had asked him to go along with her.
When he realised Yuxi would not be leaving after all, Han Jianye grew anxious. "What nonsense are you talking about? What can you even do here? Hurry and go to Haocheng—once you're there, you'll be safe."
Yuxi shook her head. "Er Ge3, I have things I must do. There's no need to say more." No matter what was said, it would be useless.
Seeing her reaction, Han Jianye said, "I'll stop talking then. Take good care of yourself." With that, he went to find Han Yi, picked up his weapons and headed to the city wall.
Over the next three days, the Northern Barbarians' assaults grew even fiercer, attacking the city as if they had no regard for their lives. By the end of the fourth day, more than forty thousand had died in Yu City. Of those who could still fight, only a little over thirty thousand remained, including the severely wounded.
With reddened eyes, Xu Wu told Yuxi, "Madam, take the two young misses and leave!" At this rate, they could only hold out for three more days.
Yuxi's hand trembled slightly as she asked, "Have you heard anything from Xinping City?"
After a moment, Xu Wu finally told Yuxi the truth: "Madam, after receiving our message, Xu Chong fled with his whole family." Xu Wu had received this news the previous night, but had remained silent, not wanting to add to Yuxi's worries.
Yuxi bit her lip and cursed, "D@mn him." It might have been understandable if he had fled after Yu City had fallen. But the city hadn't even lost yet, and he ran anyway. Xu Chong had always seemed reliable, but it turned out Yuxi had misjudged him. As the saying goes, it is only in times of great crisis that a person's true character is revealed6.
Not long after, Xu Daniu arrived and reported, "Madam, Boss, General Zhao has been wounded." Zhao Feng had not been assassinated; he had been injured in battle.
Yuxi's expression looked very grim. Zhao Feng's injury would have a significant impact on soldiers' morale at this time. The situation was even more serious than she had imagined.
More bad news followed. Xiang Weiguo had also been injured, but not in battle; an assassin had attacked him.
Xu Wu asked, "Who was behind the assassination?"
Yuxi waved her hand. "Now is not the time to pursue this. Who is commanding the army right now?" Even after Fu Tianlei was poisoned, Xiang Weiguo failed to learn this lesson, so he had no one to blame but himself.
Xu Daniu said, "It's Chu Shaoguang." Chu Shaoguang had been personally promoted by Yun Qing. He was very loyal to Yun Qing and also formidable in battle. However, while he had more than enough courage, he lacked strategic wisdom.
Yuxi said, "Xu Wu, I'm going up to the city wall now—come with me!" Raising morale was the key at this moment. She might not be able to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, but she could at least boost the soldiers' spirits.
Xu Wu agreed at once. "Alright." Hearing this, Xu Daniu swallowed back the words that had already reached his lips.
When they reached the foot of the city wall, Yuxi looked at the bloodstained stone slabs, clenched her fist and muttered to herself, "There's nothing to be afraid of." After saying this, she stepped onto the stone staircase, her foot landing directly in a pool of blood.
Xu Daniu walked in front, followed by Ah Wan, Master Yang, and finally, Xu Wu. Everyone else on the staircase moved aside to let them pass.
Yuxi kept walking until she reached the highest point, at which point she finally stopped.
A hail of stones and a storm of arrows crisscrossed the sky. Wooden donkey carts raced to and fro, each one hurling down yet another hemp sack. The air was filled with the horrific screams of figures tumbling from the city wall and the pitiful groans of the injured.
The last battle had also been fierce, but Yuxi had been pregnant and stayed in the inner residence, so she had not witnessed it firsthand. Now, standing on the battlefield herself and watching young lives vanish one after another, she felt a sorrow and helplessness that were beyond words. Only those who had experienced it themselves could truly understand the cruelty of war. This scene would be forever frozen in Yuxi's mind; she would never forget it.
Looking at the dense, dark mass below, Yuxi asked, "With our losses being so heavy, how many casualties did the Northern Barbarians suffer?"
Xu Wu answered, "More than ours."
Unsatisfied with this answer, Yuxi questioned, "Since we have the upper hand, why are their casualties still so low? Their losses should be at least double ours. After all, this place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If they want to storm the city, they must pay a high price."
Xu Wu smiled bitterly. "Madam, there's something you may not know. Most of our veteran soldiers have been taken away by the General, and the men left here are those who were recruited in the past two years. These recruits already fight with great strength. Otherwise, the situation would be even worse than it is now."
Just as he spoke, a sharp arrow flew over Yuxi's head. With a flick of his throwing knife, Master Yang deflected the arrow's course.
Xu Wu's face turned pale as he urged, "Madam, let's hurry down! It's too dangerous here." No sooner had the words left his mouth than another arrow came flying at them.
Yuxi remained expressionless as she remarked, "The enemy must have a divine archer to be able to shoot from so far away." The enemy's skill was indeed considerable to lock onto her so quickly.
Looking at Yuxi's calm demeanour, Xu Wu couldn't help but sigh with emotion. He remembered how, on his first time on the battlefield, he had almost been scared to the point of wetting himself. Yet Madam was so composed—she truly deserved her reputation, and he could do nothing but admire her! However, if he had known that Yuxi's hands were trembling with fear and every hair on her body was standing on end at that very moment, he probably wouldn't have thought that way.
Master Yang also urged, "Han Girl, go down! If the Northern Barbarians notice you, it will be even more dangerous for you to stand here."
Yuxi turned to Xu Wu beside her and asked, "Can you find the divine archer's hiding place and take him out?"
Xu Wu shook his head and said, "We don't have such a divine archer like that."
Yuxi felt a little frustrated. Even from this one comparison, she could see the difference in ability between the two sides.
Master Yang said, "Han Girl, if you can lure that Bate'er over, I can give it a try. If I hide well enough, maybe it could work. Of course, if it fails, it won't be the end of the world."
Xu Wu quickly interjected, "Absolutely not! That Bate'er is a madman. If he sets his sights on Madam, she will be in great danger."
Yuxi responded calmly, "As long as the city doesn't fall, that madman can't do anything to me. If it does, it's nothing more than death. Let Master Yang give it a try! Even if Bate'er can't be killed, it will at least dampen the morale of the Northern Barbarians."
Seeing Xu Wu with a face like he was at a funeral, Master Yang laughed and said, "Even the Han Girl isn't afraid, so what are you afraid of?" It was Yuxi's fearlessness that inspired him; otherwise, he would never have spoken up first.
Footnotes Full List
- 书到用时方恨少 (shū dào yòng shí fāng hènshǎo)— an idiom meaning when you truly need knowledge, you realise you haven't learned enough.
- Here "那个时候 (nàge shíhòu)" means "the moment of a life-or-death battle," implying they hadn't yet reached the point of desperate last resort.
- 二 èr: two/second, 哥 gē: elder brother
- 白发人送黑发人 (báifàrén sòng hēifārén) = idiom, meaning parents outliving their children and having to bury them, which is considered the greatest tragedy.
- 战死沙场, 马革裹尸 (zhànsǐshāchǎng, mǎgéguǒshī) = an idiom/metaphor, meaning a soldier's honourable death in battle, with his corpse wrapped in his horse's hide instead of a coffin
- 大事才能看清楚一个人的真面目 (dàshì cáinéng kànqīngchǔ yígè rén de zhēnmiànmù) = a metaphor, meaning adversity reveals a person's true character.
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