TGWM Ch. 8

Chapter 8: Military Affairs

The battle began before dawn and lasted until the afternoon. By the time the enemy troops retreated, Lin Aoxue’s uniform was completely soaked in blood. Although she was uninjured, she looked utterly disheveled.

Since being saved by Lin Aoxue, Beichen Ji had stayed by her side. Under her protection, apart from the initial wound he suffered, he endured no further harm and managed to survive the battlefield. However, he was physically drained, his steps unsteady as he walked.

As the signal to withdraw was sounded, Lin Aoxue was dragging Beichen Ji back when the sound of wailing reached her ears. She turned her head and saw Lu Sheng kneeling in a pool of blood, covering his face as he wept uncontrollably, his emotions overwhelming him.

Lin Aoxue hesitated for a moment before signaling Beichen Ji to return to camp first, while she walked toward Lu Sheng.

Lu Sheng had sustained multiple wounds, though none were fatal. He had endured his first battle since joining the camp, surviving thanks to months of rigorous training. Yet, as the fight ended, he broke down in tears.

Standing behind him, Lin Aoxue gazed at the battlefield littered with the mingled corpses of the barbarian invaders and Beichen soldiers. A complicated emotion surfaced within her.

She gently patted Lu Sheng’s shoulder, roughly guessing the reason behind his emotional collapse. If one day she had the chance to kill her enemies with her own hands, she might also cry just as he did.

Even if revenge left her with nothing, the hatred buried deep in her heart for so many years had to be repaid in full.

Chen Er was only the beginning. She could endure, but it was not out of weakness or retreat. Her patience was like a wolf’s fangs—silent, but not a sign of surrender. She was merely waiting for the perfect moment to strike with lethal precision.

“Squad Leader, I’ve avenged myself by killing the barbarians, so why… why do I still feel so much pain?”

Lu Sheng lay on the ground, his fingers digging into the blood-stained earth. His head hung low, tears falling onto the back of his hands. There was no sense of relief in his vengeance—only the feeling of losing the obsession that had kept him going. Without it, even the will to live seemed uncertain.

Lin Aoxue let out a quiet sigh. She didn’t know how to console him, because she herself was still walking this thorn-covered path, unsure of what awaited at the end—liberation or an even deeper abyss of suffering.

Perhaps the sins she would commit along the way would one day leave her without a place to die, but she stubbornly refused to turn back.

The only thing she understood was that Lu Sheng needed a reason to keep going. Something to hold onto—something that would carry him through his most painful moments and give him a reason to fight for survival.

“Your revenge is not complete,” Lin Aoxue said softly. “The general who led the barbarian attack on Lu Family Hillside during last autumn’s harvest was named Doran.”

As her words fell, Lu Sheng’s broad shoulders gradually stopped trembling. He lifted his head, looking up at Lin Aoxue’s face. The sunlight reflected off her mask, casting a golden glow—an almost unreal radiance that carried a sense of salvation, igniting a new hope within him. Clenching his jaw, he grasped a handful of damp earth. 

“Thank you for your guidance, sir.”

Lin Aoxue reached out and pulled Lu Sheng up, dragging him away from the pile of corpses.

***

By the time the battlefield was cleared, night had completely fallen. The casualty report was in—around two thousand lives had been lost, including one of the new recruits under Lin Aoxue’s command and Platoon Leader Chen Er.

This year, the barbarians had attacked much earlier than usual, nearly a full month ahead of past campaigns. Instead of the customary pre-battle challenges at the gates, they launched a direct assault on the city, catching the northern camp off guard and inflicting severe losses.

General Beichen Long found the situation highly unusual. He dispatched an additional hundred scouts to monitor the movements of the barbarian army beyond the pass. Later, he summoned all officers ranked field marshal and above to the command tent, where they deliberated deep into the night.

After Lin Aoxue and the soldiers returned inside the pass, the military physicians and logistics guards worked through the night to stop the wounded soldiers’ bleeding and treat their injuries. Except for those recovering, everyone in the camp was in a hurry.

For the next two days, the barbarian forces did not reappear outside Xingbei Pass. However, northern scouts tracked their movements about fifty li east of the pass and rushed back to deliver the report. Upon hearing the news, Beichen Long slammed the table, his face contorted with rage.

“These cunning barbarians!”

After attacking Xingbei Pass to draw attention, the enemy suddenly vanished. However, it wasn’t because they had given up on the rich resources of the northern frontier. Instead, they had secretly dispatched a force of fifty thousand soldiers into the forests east of Xingbei, preparing to assault the neighboring city of Poyan.

Poyan was a small city surrounded by many villages. The stationed troops there numbered fewer than twenty thousand. Though it was close to Xingbei Pass, making it easier for Xingbei’s forces to provide reinforcements, that very proximity had made it a blind spot.

The barbarian army first attacked Xingbei Pass to divert Beichen Long’s attention. Then, while the recent battle’s impact still lingered, they sent their true main force toward Poyan.

By the time Beichen Long realized their real target, the barbarian forces were already dangerously close. If they breached the city, they could plunder food supplies and retreat before the northern army could track them down.

Even if Beichen Long dispatched troops immediately, they would not arrive until noon the following day. Whether Poyan’s forces could hold out until then remained uncertain.

Furious, Beichen Long clenched his fists. The barbarians were brute martial artists who had never relied much on strategy in warfare. In previous years, their attacks on Xingbei Pass had always followed predictable patterns. This year, however, their tactics had suddenly become more cunning and unpredictable, catching Beichen Long off guard and causing him to lose the initiative.

The situation was dire. If the barbarian army broke through Poyan, the number of innocent civilians killed and the amount of farmland destroyed would be unimaginable.

Without hesitation, Beichen Long ordered Deputy General Guo Wencheng to lead thirty thousand cavalry on an overnight march to reinforce Poyan. Meanwhile, Field Marshal Yang Jin would follow closely behind with twenty thousand infantry.

Beichen Ji and Lu Sheng, both wounded, remained at Xingbei Pass, while Shang Wu and Lin Aoxue were assigned to the temporary infantry unit under Yang Jin’s command, hastily making their way toward Poyan.

The cavalry, moving ahead, arrived at Poyan first—only to find that the city gates had already been breached. Inside, the barbarian warriors and Poyan’s defenders were locked in brutal combat, with heavy casualties on both sides.

Poyan was on the verge of collapse. As the thirty thousand cavalry from Xingbei joined the battle, the pressure on Poyan’s garrison eased. Seeing that reinforcements had arrived, the barbarian forces, unwilling to retreat empty-handed, launched another fierce charge and looted the city’s grain stores as quickly as possible.

An hour later, Yang Jin and his infantry force reached the battlefield. With their arrival, the barbarian army completely lost its advantage and attempted to retreat.

Yang Jin led his troops around Poyan, cutting off their escape route. Lin Aoxue and the other soldiers fought with fearless determination, shattering the enemy’s formation.

Trapped between Xingbei’s infantry at the front and the relentless cavalry at their rear, the barbarian forces found themselves in a desperate situation. Their commander gave a swift order, and the army split into units of one hundred soldiers each, scattering in different directions in an attempt to break through the encirclement.

Yang Jin was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure and ordered an interception.

Lin Aoxue, possessing exceptional agility, led the charge at the forefront, with Shang Wu, also a skilled martial artist, closely following behind.

Fixing her gaze on the warhorses laden with stolen grain, Lin Aoxue wielded her silver spear with precision, slashing the throats of no fewer than ten horses. The beasts let out agonized cries as they collapsed to the ground, kicking up towering clouds of dust while scattering the grain they carried.

Shang Wu, on the other hand, relied on his raw strength and endurance to engage the enemy head-on, cutting down a significant number of barbarian soldiers.

Yang Jin’s gaze swept over Lin Aoxue, and in a flash of realization, he promptly issued an order prioritizing the seizure of the grain. With this directive, the Xingbei infantry focused their efforts with greater precision, creating immense obstacles for the barbarian forces.

However, the enemy moved swiftly. Despite the Xingbei army’s best efforts to cut them down, nearly half of the barbarian troops still managed to escape, taking a portion of Poyan’s grain with them.

By the end of the battle, the barbarians had lost thirty thousand soldiers, whereas Xingbei Pass and Poyan combined had suffered fewer than ten thousand casualties—a resounding victory. Yet, the barbarians had used a reckless strategy of sustaining heavy losses to inflict damage on their opponent, managing to steal a considerable amount of Poyan’s grain. This left Beichen Long deep in thought, his brows furrowed in displeasure.

Fortunately, after securing the grain, the barbarians remained quiet for some time, allowing Poyan to recover.

Beichen Long transferred some provisions from Xingbei to replenish Poyan’s stores and swiftly sent a military report back to the capital. In response, the ruler of Beichen dispatched a fresh supply of grain to the northern border, finally resolving the crisis.

After the war, Beichen Long issued commendations and promotions based on merit. Lin Aoxue’s platoon leader, Chen Er, had perished on the battlefield. Beichen Ji, having slain over ten enemies, was set to be promoted to platoon leader. However, he stepped forward and declared, “Lin Aoxue saved my life outside the pass. His martial skills far surpass mine, and he has slain more enemies. He should be promoted first.”

Yang Jin also spoke up, emphasizing that both Lin Aoxue and Shang Wu had displayed exceptional bravery during the battle to reinforce Poyan, cutting down a great number of enemy troops. Moreover, Lin Aoxue had demonstrated remarkable ingenuity, taking down dozens of enemy warhorses and reclaiming nearly a hundred loads of stolen grain.

Lin Aoxue’s martial prowess was undeniable, and her performance during the barbarian attack on Poyan had earned the recognition of her fellow soldiers. With a decisive wave of his hand, Beichen Long promoted Lin Aoxue, Shang Wu, and Beichen Ji to platoon leaders, assigning them to different infantry battalions.

With Chen Er gone, there was no one left to suppress Lin Aoxue’s advancement. She took the opportunity to request Yang Jin to promote Lu Sheng to squad leader. Including the new recruit who had died in battle, Lin Aoxue now had only three soldiers left under her command. In response, Yang Jin reassigned another squad leader and seven new recruits to Lin Aoxue’s unit.

After becoming a squad leader, Lu Sheng’s attitude toward training remained unchanged. His obsession with vengeance still burned within him, though his goal had shifted—from merely killing barbarians in battle to one day personally slaying the barbarian general, Doran.

Having fought alongside Lin Aoxue on the spring battlefield, Lu Sheng now held her in even greater respect. Every morning, without fail, he would formally greet Lin Aoxue before heading off to the training grounds.

During drills, Lu Sheng trained with unmatched dedication. While others practiced a hundred swings of their blades, he would push himself to two hundred or more. By the end of the day, his clothes were soaked in sweat, and at night, he would collapse into sleep, paying little attention to anything outside his duties.

He was not one for conversation. Aside from managing the five soldiers under his command, he rarely interacted with others. Over time, this led to his isolation. Even when another squad invited his men to drink with them on rest days, they did not extend the invitation to him.

But Lu Sheng never cared for such gatherings. While others sought entertainment at the taverns, he would head alone to the training grounds to refine his skills. Engraved in his heart was the lesson Lin Aoxue had taught him during the harsh winter—a lesson he had never once neglected.