Zhaoyun had just reported to the King about the recent ambush on the Prince of Qin's army. The attack had taken place on both sides of the strategically significant stronghold of Qin Fuhua, while their soldiers were busy preparing for the upcoming war.
Meanwhile, Areum had been eavesdropping on their conversation as Zhaoyun was trying to figure out how he would explain this unexpected attack to Weizhe.
Areum quickly grasped the gravity of the situation and rushed off to inform Han Suyin.
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Weizhe, Suyin, and Zhaoyun were gathered in Qin Fuhua's study room, with a tense silence filling the air. The reason for their unease was the recent news of Qin Fuhua's ambush, which had left him injured and vulnerable. The three were struggling to come up with a plan to rescue Qin Fuhua and bring reinforcements.
Zhaoyun was particularly angry and frustrated about the situation, slamming his hands on the table and venting his anger towards the king and the soldiers.
"That's how you got out? You were already heading back to the fortress until you saw them." Weizhe spoke.
"The King can't bring reinforcements, because there was no way that the soldiers are trained well enough for this ambush!" Zhaoyun was angry.
Weizhe tried to reason with him, reminding him that the soldiers were not well-trained enough to handle such an ambush.
Meanwhile, Suyin was surprisingly calm, which surprised both Weizhe and Zhaoyun. However, her thoughts were racing a million miles per hour, as she feared for Qin Fuhua's life. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him, as he was the love of her life.
Suyin was a Doctor who spent most of her days healing others. However, despite her profession, she was not immune to the ravages of war.
"How are we going to get reinforcements?" Weizhe continued the conversation with Zhaoyun who was more angry at the King's response than anything.
"There's no way that the King will help. I'm hopeless enough to know anyone else to ask for help!" Zhao was feeling a mixture of frustration and irritation. He couldn't help but feel upset at the thought of the Prince of Qin falling victim to the ambush due to his injury. It was a difficult situation to be in, and his emotions were running high.
Meanwhile, Suyin was deep in thought, considering their options. Both Weizhe and Zhaoyun were looking at her expectantly, hoping she would come up with a solution. Suddenly, she seemed to have an idea.
"Know anyone else we could call on for help?" she spoke to herself, trying to think of anyone who could assist them. After a moment of reflection, she exclaimed, "That's right! I think I know just the person who can help us out of this situation!"
Suyin, who lacked military expertise, was in dire need of assistance. She knew exactly who to turn to - Weizhe and Zhaoyun - two individuals she trusted wholeheartedly. Suyin requested their aid to expedite the process of sending reinforcements to Qin Fuhua's location. If the King was unable to assist, Suyin was determined to take matters into her own hands and gather reinforcements herself. They knew that time was of the essence, and they had to act fast to get the reinforcements they needed.
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As the sun began to set, Suyin hastened to gather her belongings, making sure she didn't leave anything behind. She had to leave in a hurry before heading up to the horse that would take her to her next destination. Suyin had sent Zhaoyun and Weizhe to get reinforcements as they parted ways, riding off on a rose that had already left ahead of time. There was no time to waste as they had to act fast to ensure their safety and success. Suyin now had to make her way to the camp where Zhaoyun had previously mentioned, hoping that everything would go as planned.
As Suyin whispered the name "Camp Yaosi" to herself, she tried to recall the directions that Zhaoyun had given her. She hoped to arrive at the camp at the right time to meet up with Zhaoyun and Weizhe. However, just as she was about to set off, Teacher Zhou Lin and Yuan Fu appeared behind her
"Let me come with you." A voice called out from behind. Suyin turned around, seeing Teacher Zhou Lin and Yuan Fu who hurried to her.
"What do you mean? How do you know..."
"A person like Miss Han Suyin would never let things fall in their place. If there's nothing that'll happen, she'll make it happen in her matters." Teacher Zhou Lin said. "Plus, this will be the perfect opportunity for my students to gain experience."
Yuan Fu nodded, "Sister Suyin's going to be in this, but little does she know that she has us here to support and aide her. Your brother Fu here is always happy to help!"
Suyin lit a smile on her face. Despite all of the commotion about her real identity, the medical scholar students and Suyin were like a family of their own.
She then nodded her head. "Please come in a day or two. Prepare a good amount, but not too much where the King will suspect us doing this behind their back." Suyin uttered.
Teacher Zhou Lin laughed as he rubbed his beard with his hands, nodding his head, "Of course. Our brave Suyin is going to guide us!"
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It had been two long days since Suyin had devised her strategy to reinforce her troops. She had been following the map closely and heading in the right direction, towards Qin Fuhua's stronghold. However, the journey was proving to be much more arduous and time-consuming than she had anticipated.
Suyin was exhausted and couldn't believe that it was taking her this long to reach her destination. She had been staying at various inns along the way, trying her best to fight off her weariness and stay alert. She was worried that Qin Fuhua would be in an even worse state than she was, given the intensity of the conflict.
After crossing the treacherous mountain range, Suyin finally reached the peak and began her descent towards the stronghold. From her vantage point, she could see that over five thousand soldiers were milling around the fortress. Despite the large numbers, the stronghold appeared to be relatively unscathed, indicating that Qin Fuhua was well-prepared for any attack.
Suyin was on a mission to reach the stronghold as quickly as possible. She held onto the horse's reins tightly, with a small dagger given to her by Weizhe in case of any sudden danger. The urgency of her mission was evident from her determined look.
As she approached the stronghold, it seemed small from afar, but as she got closer, she realized it was almost as large as a castle. The Prince of Qin's reputation for military tactics and architecture was well-deserved, she thought to herself.
Several people were standing in front of the large walls, and she realized that getting inside the stronghold would not be an easy task. She quickly descended from her horse and tied it to a tree, hidden from view of the soldiers. She recalled Zhaoyun's advice to hide in the forest in the west and decided to make her way there.
Suyin's heart was racing with fear as she walked slowly to the forest, carefully hiding behind bushes and trees to avoid being seen. She knew that Qin Fuhua was in grave danger, and she couldn't afford to be caught and stopped by anyone. As she approached the open field around the stronghold, she heard some voices and quickly tried to find a hiding spot behind a bush.
"It was essential that the King finally gave the green light for us to ambush him. There are even some talks that some of the old clans that held a grudge against the Qin Kingdom joined forces with the Long Kingdom." One of the soldiers spoke, the hooves of their horses stomping down on the ground as they slowly passed by Suyin.
"Do you think we will be able to break the wall soon? Their gates are still up" Another soldier spoke.
"Yeah, I heard that they finally brought the bigger canon and better weapons to break the gates down so we can get the Prince of Qin's head."
As they passed by, the sound of the horses' hooves resonated on the ground.
Suyin couldn't believe what she had just heard. She was horrified at the thought of Qin Fuhua's head being held by the soldiers. As she shook with fear, the sound of the bushes rustling caught the soldiers' attention, and they stopped to investigate. However, as there was no sound, they continued on their way out of the forest and to the stronghold.
Suddenly, Suyin felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her shoulders and pull her closer to a male figure. She couldn't see who it was, but she knew it wasn't Qin Fuhua. She reached for her sleeping powder, intending to use it, but stopped when she recognized the male holding her.
Suyin was surprised to see Zhaohui instead of Shi Zhang when he gestured to her with his index fingers to his lips and said, "Shh."
"Zhaohui!"
She couldn't help but smirk as she looked up at him. However, her happy expression soon turned into confusion as she wondered why Zhaohui was there instead of Shi Zhang.
The Jiaoshu village were the people in the mountains who were neutral between the war of the Long and Qin Kingdoms (Chapters 19-25). It was only when Suyin had cured their mysterious illness was when that Shi Zhang gave Qin Fuhua the approval of their support and aid. Suyin had asked Shi Zhang for help, but why was Zhaowei there?
As Suyin turned to see Weizhe carefully heading their way, she couldn't help but question, "Weizhe, I asked for Shi Zhang's approval and aid, so what did he say?" She was even more confused at his expression as he eyed Zhaohui.
Then, Zhaohui spoke up with a proud expression, saying, "This is Shi Zhang. He formally came himself."
Suyin was taken aback by this revelation and slightly pushed him out of his grasp on her shoulders. She couldn't help but smile at him as she said, "So you've been hiding your identity all this time when I met you, then?"
"It wasn't like you were going to know who I am. Plus, I'm sure you wouldn't believe in me." He then casually brushed his shoulders, as if shrugging off any doubts about his identity.
"My Lord needs to secure Miss Suyin so that other guys wouldn't be casually holding onto her like that." Weizhe couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He knew that his Lord needed to protect Miss Suyin from any potential danger, especially from those who would try to casually hold onto her like what Shi Zhang had just done. Despite his concerns, Weizhe tried to maintain his composure and looked ahead.
"That's true." Suyin agreed with Zhaohui, who gave her a look of betrayal. "Despite that, I appreciate your presence here, oh dear 'Shi Zhang'" Suyin sarcastically remarked.
Zhaohui was amused by her teasing and laughed heartily. He turned to her and said, "My men are hiding behind the trees. I have about two thousand with me. Do you think that's enough?"
As Suyin was lost in her thoughts, a voice interrupted her. "More if I'm here to help," a male voice said. She turned around and saw a man covered in cloth all over his body walking towards her. Jiayi, who had been following him, was right behind him as a large army of men came right behind them.
As they came closer, Suyin realized that they were people she had met during her stay at Liaoping. She remembered how she helped with Junli's cure whilst being entangled by his brother's obsession with women. She also remembered how she saved Jiayi at one point, but now she was one of the important figures who helped with Junli's business and work. (Chapters 26-36)
Suyin couldn't believe her eyes! She had personally written a letter to them, in hopes that they'd come and help, and they came as they promised! The feeling of relief washed over her as she realized that she wasn't alone in her fight anymore.
Jiayi looked at Suyin with a kind and reassuring smile and said, "I know that your husband must be worried, but if there's any help that Miss Suyin needs, then I'm there for it." She then bowed respectfully to Suyin, showing her genuine willingness to help.
Suyin, who was feeling overwhelmed and grateful, couldn't believe what she had just heard. "I can't believe it! I appreciate the help that I can get," she said, her voice shaking with emotion.
As they were talking, they heard a voice coming from another pathway. It was Yuan Fu, who raised his hands and waved at them. He ran towards Suyin, followed by another person. It was Shao Feng, who looked taller and more mature than before.
"I'm telling you! I heard what happened. I dropped everything I could to come and help!" Shao Feng argued with Yuan Fu, who was carrying a backpack filled with all kinds of dried herbs.
Suyin smiled as she saw Shao Feng approaching. She knew him well and he was a friend she could count on. She quickly reassured Yuan Fu, who looked a bit puzzled, that Shao Feng was a friend and not a foe.
Teacher Zhou Lin, who had been watching everything from a distance, was impressed at the sight of so many men coming to help for reinforcements. "My, oh my! It seems like we have a large army of Miss Suyin's, don't we?" he said, laughing. "I knew that Miss Suyin was not an ordinary person."
Suyin laughed at him, shaking her head, "I'm just someone who wants to help cure others."
As the group prepared for the impending ambush, Weizhe and Zhaoyun convened with the men whom Suyin had previously aided to assist Qin Fuhua in the battle. The situation demanded a strategic approach, so Suyin shared her observations with the leaders.
"Right now, it's important for some of us to head to the East to prepare to battle from the other side that surrounds them. From my view of the mountains when I was descending, soldiers from the North and South did not appear to have as much as those in the East and West. That means that the North and South must be a camp or some sort for them to stay out there for so long."
Suyin spoke to the leaders and they were impressed at her insight.
"You're telling me you're a Doctor, but it seems like you sound like a military strategist now." Zhaohui laughed, as he nodded his head. "I like it though, how should we take this then?"
"It's important to ambush those in the North and South and spread to the East and West afterward," Weizhe added on.
Suyin nodded her head. "There must be a reason why they're waiting it out."
"Was it possible that they knew that the Prince was sick and they were waiting it out for him to be vulnerable enough for him to not be cured?" Teacher Zhou Lin added in.
"Possibly. There's another way that I heard. It seems like they are going to bring a canon to break the gates, so we must do this hastily!"
"Our scholars with our carriage will try to transport those that are injured or hurt and take care of them as fast as we can." Teacher Zhou Lin added.
"I can help with aiding the injured, also!" Shao Feng added.
Suyin turned to him, with an impressed look on her face as he lowered his head.
"M-My mother passed... so I decided to learn some medicine to help others... on my own." Shao Feng lit a smile on his face as he looked at her. "But it's thanks to you that you inspired me to never falter!"