Chapter 23: Settling on a Plan (1)

  A fleeting moment, yet it feels like an eternity.

  The tension, fatigue, pain, despair and other emotions after the killing are all dissipating and alleviating.

  It feels wonderful, just like a person who is exhausted to death taking a hot bath.

  In a specific occasion, at a specific time period, two people who seemed to have lived in different worlds, something fermented between them, took root and sprouted in each other's heart.

  It wasn't until Zhao Shi took a step back that the woman fully came to her senses.

  When they looked at each other again, the woman's face was flushed, and the man's eyes flickered. In their embarrassment, there was a hint of closeness, but in their entanglement, they both revealed resistance.

  The mentality that can be understood but cannot be expressed in words is fully revealed at this moment.

  When speaking again, there was still a distinction between high and low.

  "Lao San, what are you doing standing here? Where's the girl? Is she inside?" A rough male voice came into the tent at this time.

  "It's nothing... Nothing, miss. She's resting inside. Miss is also very tired. Big brother, I think there's no important matter, let's talk about it tomorrow."

  "How can this be? Didn't the young lady herself give the order not to start a fire? On such a cold day, with so many injured people, not allowing them to warm themselves by the fire will surely cost lives?"

  "The Western Xia people have already set fire everywhere, they're not afraid, what are we afraid of?...... Third brother, why are you blocking me?"

  "Big brother, Ci didn't take control of the army, and the Western Xia people still have strength left. Take a look at us again... At this time, we can't afford to have any more casualties..."

  Upon hearing the voice, the two people inside the account exchanged a glance, and their faces seemed to have an inexplicable smile.

  The woman turned her head and walked away, silently picking up the helmet on the ground, tidying up her scattered hair, fastening the helmet strap, and glancing at her armor, roughly adjusting the silk tassels. When she lifted her head again, she had become much calmer, but her voice was softer and more charming. "Tonight we'll leave the camp, you follow me, from now on... from now on, just be my personal soldier, okay? Ah, right, how old are you this year?" By this point, Li Jin Hua's neck was red as if it were on fire.

  Li Jinhua's performance seemed strange to Zhao Shi, but this was because he didn't understand much about the era. Since the Han and Tang dynasties, the openness of the Central Plains' folk culture, although not comparable to modern times, was still unimaginable to many people today. Take daily life for example: clothing, food, housing, and transportation all reflected the degree of openness at that time. For instance, the low-cut cheongsam dresses worn by Tang dynasty ladies were ancient versions of evening gowns. It was common for women to join men at the dinner table and drink with them. Although there were some taboos when women traveled, the vibrant scenes of Chang'an women going on spring outings outside the city walls were topics that many people enjoyed talking about. Not to mention the decadent atmosphere within the imperial palace during the prosperous Tang era.

  Everything in the account just now was a bit abrupt, but at that time it wasn't considered a big deal, and at most it would be over after being beaten up a few times. If Li Jinhua insisted on pursuing it, with the power of the Li family, it's not impossible to wander thousands of miles, but at this time Li Jinhua was already 22 years old, and for the sake of the family, she had been lingering for years until now, although she didn't say anything, could her heart be without any thoughts or feelings? Moreover, Zhao Shi was only 12 years old, but his physical appearance was like that of a 15- or 16-year-old boy, he was a bit small, and his status was also far from hers. However... ...In just this short moment, all sorts of thoughts had already turned over thousands of times in Li Jinhua's heart.

  Li Jinhua's mind was a mess, but her attention didn't waver from Zhao Shi for a moment. At this time, Zhao Shi stood up straight, his face restored to the calm and collected expression he had when he first entered the tent, without any of the passion and dominance that had been revealed in their previous kiss. His facial features were still immature, with some childishness remaining, and his physique was far from strong, but standing there upright, he had a certain air about him that couldn't be hidden, especially those eyes...

  At this time, Zhao Shi in Li Jinhua's eyes had become particularly different, but the aftertaste was difficult for her to describe, let alone Zhao Shi beside her.

  After saying all this, especially asking the other person's age, these words were almost spoken without thinking, and only after finishing did she feel that the meaning of the words didn't sound right. Isn't this rushing to find a man? Her face turned red in an instant, as if it was about to bleed. From meeting this young man today, she has been at a loss for what to do, and her embarrassment is beyond description. Simply... simply thinking about it makes her want to find a crack in the ground to crawl into to feel better.

  "I am not..."

  "This year I'm sixteen, as for being a grown-up's concubine, I think it's better to wait until after this hurdle is passed." Zhao Shi said calmly, although he didn't quite understand what women thought in their hearts, but since the woman had no hostile intentions, that was already certain. After regaining his usual calmness, the temperament he had cultivated over the years also emerged, which was a kind of indifference and coldness that kept people at arm's length.

  Li Jinhua's lips moved, wanting to say something more, but felt there was nothing to be said, and in the end didn't make a sound. In her heart, she thought: Is he looking down on me? Does he think I'm a flighty person? Also, although he is still young now, he has already achieved so much. If they win this battle today, he will be the first to be credited with the victory. She had always thought that she wouldn't let men get the better of her, but it seemed that was just an illusion. Today, after going into battle, she finally understood many things - things weren't as easy as she had imagined. A hundred battles and a hundred victories? That would mean countless people losing their lives! Thinking this, Li Jinhua felt a thread of fear in her heart. Then she thought about the young man in front of her, who had killed the enemy general in the chaos of battle, but now didn't show any signs of pride or joy after his great achievement. Since she met him, he had always been expressionless, except for that one moment... He was already so calculating and composed at such a young age - what would he be like in the future?

  Just as she was lost in thought, the outside of the tent suddenly erupted into a commotion. The flap opened with a rustling sound, and a tall, thin man burst in with an angry expression on his face. As he walked, he loudly exclaimed: "Outside, people are almost freezing to death! I don't believe Miss can sleep peacefully here. If General is like this, how can you still expect your subordinates to risk their lives for you?" Just as he was speaking, he raised his head and saw the situation inside the tent. He was taken aback for a moment, then immediately turned around and angrily shouted: "Good one, Li Old Three! I said Miss wouldn't ignore military matters... Who is this person? You didn't say Miss was alone..."

  It wasn't until then that he realized the suspicious part of things, his eyes darting back and forth between Li Jinhua, Li Shu, and Zhao Shi, his face full of doubt.

  Behind him, Li Shu also touched his head, looked at Li Jinhua with his eyes, and then looked at Zhao Shi. He was also puzzled in his heart. Just now, the young lady had made such a big fool of herself, but now she didn't seem to care at all. This young man, apart from other things, really knew how to deal with women. They were all rough men, how could they see the spring feelings hidden in Li Jinhua's eyes and eyebrows?

  Before they could speak again, Li Jinhua had already said: "Pass down the order, select two hundred people to come, those who can act without hindrance, we will go to raid the camp tonight."

  The two of them were taken aback by these words. As veterans who had been through many battles, they had already steeled themselves for the possibility of dying in battle the next day. After a brief moment of consideration, their eyes lit up with excitement. Why wait until tomorrow to engage in a bloody battle with the Western Xia army when they could try their luck tonight? The Western Xia army might not be stronger than the Imperial Army after all. Their commander had been killed on the spot despite having the upper hand, and many soldiers had been wounded. If the Western Xia army was caught off guard tonight, they would surely suffer a crushing defeat.

  Li Shuxin's thoughts were a few degrees deeper than that of the tall and thin man, his eyes flashed and he had already fixed his gaze on Zhao Shi. The young lady was someone he had watched grow up, just like the old master, steady but lacking in cunning, let alone it being her first time on the battlefield, such a reckless plan couldn't have come from the young lady. It seemed that this young man really did have some real skills after all.

  "Alright, I'll go now. But it's unlikely we can choose 200 people. There are many who can move, but those with smaller guts cannot follow us. Who knows, they might mess things up. Having a hundred is fine by me. Tonight is dark and murky, we don't need that many people to go and kill them."

  "Take the thirty or so brothers of the Xue Jun army and bring them up, just wait for the Western Xia people to be killed by us and then chase after him, determined to kill him without leaving a single piece of armor, avenging the dead brothers."

  "When charging into the Western Xia camp, we must first scatter their horses. If they escape on horseback, our two legs won't be able to catch up."

  "Heh heh, if we can take down a few hundred Western Xia this time, Miss Gu Yichun should be promoted... What's your name, little brother?"

  The two of them were experienced, and with each word, they thought things through more thoroughly, and their words seemed to have already won the argument. This was exactly where they had matured, but it was all to firm up Li Jinhua's determination. As the saying goes, "don't think about defeat before victory", this is absolutely a foolish statement on the battlefield. If the commander-in-chief doesn't have the determination to win, who will follow you to death? This time it was a do-or-die situation, if Li Jinhua's heart wasn't set, and she was indecisive, they would likely lose before even fighting.

  The last sentence was spoken by the tall and thin man, who was straightforward in nature, but lacked some cunning. However, he wasn't stupid, and after talking for half a day, he already knew that such a plan couldn't have come from his own young mistress. He looked around and estimated that it was probably this unfamiliar young man, which is why he asked the question.