Chapter Twenty-Four: Settling on a Plan

  "Some book friends strongly oppose the fact that a 12-year-old boy starts to have contact with women, but it's actually unnecessary. Book friends always use modern perspectives to look at problems, and indeed, 12 years old is still a naive child in today's society. However, in ancient times, there were many men who married at 12 years old, and many women also got married at the age of 12. Okay, I won't explain further, and some parts still need to be pondered..."

  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 essentially 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 a topic that many people delighted in talking about. Not to mention the decadent atmosphere within the imperial palace during the prosperous Tang era.

  That one kiss was extremely sudden, but at that time it wasn't considered a big deal, and at most would only result in a few slaps. If Li Jinhua insisted on pursuing the matter, with the power of the Li family, it wouldn't be impossible to make them flee for thousands of miles. However, Li Jinhua was already 22 years old, and had been delayed from marrying due to her family's circumstances for many years. Although she didn't say anything, could she really not have any romantic thoughts or feelings in her heart? Furthermore, although Zhao Shi was only 12 years old, his physique was like that of a 15- or 16-year-old youth. He was small, but his status was far removed from hers. That one kiss... In just this short moment, all sorts of thoughts had already revolved 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 trace of the passion and dominance he showed during their kiss. His facial features were still immature, with some childishness remaining, and his physique was far from strong, but standing there upright gave him a certain air about him that couldn't be hidden, even by the muddy and bloody uniform he wore, 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 saying embarrassing things is putting it mildly. It's 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 take credit, and it's not that he hasn't been arrogant before, but just didn't have the opportunity. Today, after going into battle, she finally understood many things - things aren't as easy as imagined, a hundred battles won, a hundred battles won... so many people died in this one battle, how many lives will be lost in a hundred battles? Thinking of this, her heart already had a thread of fear. Then she thought of the young man in front of her, who in the chaos of battle actually killed the enemy general, and now didn't show any pride or joy after his great achievement. Since seeing him, this young man has always had a cold expression, except for that one moment... He is already so calculating now, what will 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: "It's freezing to death outside! I don't believe Miss can sleep peacefully in here. If the commander is like this, how can you still expect your subordinates to risk their lives for you?" Just as he was getting to the climax of his speech, 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-like beauty 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 people? It was better to 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 of his men had been wounded. If they were 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, and in the blink of an eye, his gaze was fixed on Zhao Shi. The young lady had grown up under his care, 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, but it's unlikely we can choose 200 people. There are many who can move, but those with smaller guts cannot follow, they might mess things up. Having 100 is fine by me. Tonight is dark and murky, going to kill them doesn't require that many people."

  "Take the thirty or so brothers of the Xiarong 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 troops this time, Miss Gu Yifei 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 mind was not made up, and she was hesitant, 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. Looking around, he estimated it was probably this unfamiliar young man, which is why he asked the question.