The Beiyong Army was stationed at Swallow Cliff, thirty li outside of Andu City.
The cliffs were steep on both sides, and an official road weaved in and out of the mountains, occasionally echoing with the passing of horse hooves, which added an abrupt solemnity of slaughter.
The Prefectural Governor offered his daughter in a plea for surrender, and no sooner had the wind of this news reached the camp than the soldiers were in an uproar.
Since the onset of the campaign, they had only witnessed beacon fires, smoke of war, and desolate cities filled with bones; their pent-up emotions rolled madly in the inferno, and they longed for a breath of relief.
What could soothe the hearts of the soldiers more effectively than beauty?
"They're here, they're here!"
"The Nanqi beauties are entering the camp!"
A small donkey cart creaked its way into the barracks.
The air grew unreasonably hot and dry...
It was said that the women of Nanqi were born with an elegant and soft beauty—the twenty beauties were just like that, with each step full of languid charm, their waists as if boneless, swaying more enchantingly than the last...
Then, what about the exquisite Feng family beauty?
The soldiers' eyes were glued.
This was their war spoil.
At the General's command, they could do as they pleased.
A fire seemed to be hidden in the soldiers' hearts, burning fiercely...
"In Wanning City, I killed ten!"
"I killed twenty!"
"I also have military merits!"
"Stop dreaming. Under the General's tent, when will it be your turn to act wildly?"
"But the General..."
Hadn't he taken that Feng family beauty?
Wasn't this a signal to the soldiers to let them off the leash?
Unease stirred in the barracks amid the clashing of weapons and curse words. The twenty beauties were escorted into the east camp. In no time, crying could be heard; the escorting soldiers were not very kind to them.
Feng Yun was actually no different from these beauties, a female captive of the Beiyong Army, but since the General had not spoken, the camp did not dare to make things difficult for her, and so a separate residence was arranged for her.
"Remember, you may not enter or leave the tent without permission. If there's any trouble, you'll have to take care of it yourself."
The young man in armor was youthful and handsome, and his tone was very fierce.
Feng Yun said, "Young General, I have a favor to ask of you."
A sweet, soft breeze blew past, warming Ao Qi's cheeks.
He had originally prepared to earn military achievements by killing enemies in the battle at Andu, but he was ordered to escort the female captives back to the camp, which left him quite unhappy, thus his tone was stiff.
"My name is Ao Qi, I am a guard at the General's tent. Just call me by my name, no need to call me 'General' over and over!"
What a charmingly naïve and proud Young General Ao was.
How old was Ao Qi this year? Sixteen, or maybe seventeen?
Feng Yun looked at the indignation in his eyes and felt quite conflicted.
This Ao Qi was not only a guard at the tent, but also had another identity, known only to the senior officers—Pei Jue's nephew.
He followed his uncle into battle for experience, and his admiration for Pei Jue was boundless. Therefore, in his past life, he was extremely disgusted by Feng Yun's "seduction" of his calm and self-contained uncle, and often caused her trouble.
Feng Yun did not wish to make an enemy of this hot-tempered little tyrant and bowed slightly, making a curtsey, "I am new to the military camp and quite unsettled. Before the General returns, I ask you, Ao guard, to ensure my safety."
The beauty's smile could send hearts into turmoil. Especially since Feng Yun was genuinely in a good mood, the curve her lips traced reached all the way to the light in her eyes, brightening her features.
Ao Qi paused for a moment, his heart pounding uncontrollably, inexplicably agitated.
This girl, her face whiter and tenderer than jade, her waist more slender and flexible than willow twigs, her wide clothes and sashes simple and unadorned yet emphasizing the fullness of her bosom, her composure graceful, those misty eyes as if they held a pond of autumn water, enchanting and alluringly dense...
Being on campaign, surrounded by rough men, it was inevitable to feel agitated with beauties around, and unspeakable events could arise...
"I know what you're worried about."
The young man's blood boiled, Ao Qi's face flushed with irritation, clearly impatient.
"The Beiyong Army doesn't have that many animals! I'll be right outside the tent. As long as the lady doesn't run around, I can ensure her safety... When the General returns to camp, it will be up to your fate."
Feng Yun hummed, "The General won't return tonight, and I fear there will be chaos in the camp."
Her sudden remark was frightening.
Ao Qi exclaimed in shock, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Feng Yun said half-truthfully and half-falsely, "I'm guessing."
Ao Qi: ...
He had seen too many captives.
They wailed and cried, led like cattle and sheep in groups, to be sent to the capital of Dajin, to become servants at the mercy of the nobles. They pleaded, cursed, spat, there were all kinds, but none were as composed as the lady of the Feng family, who seemed as if she were just visiting relatives.
Before evening fell, news had arrived from Andu.
Feng Jingteng had played a trick on General Pei.
Offering the city with apparent sincerity, the city was long emptied of its treasury. Taking advantage of the Beiyong Army's lax moment, Feng Jingteng himself set fire to the treasury and granary, ignited blazes throughout the city, and took the opportunity to flee south through a secret passage in a panic with his personal guard and family...
Andu City was thrown into chaos.
Feng Jingteng left Pei Jue with a complete mess.
Upon receiving the news, Ao Qi wished he could flay Feng Yun alive.
"What a venomous heart! To play the Great General for a fool, are you not afraid that in his anger, he will sacrifice the lives of thirty thousand civilians of Andu City as a war offering?"
Feng Yun, seeing Ao Qi holding his sword with an unfriendly look, lowered her eyes.
"I was unaware."
She smiled faintly, "As you can see, I am just the discarded child of my father."
Ao Qi glared furiously, "Then how did you know the General won't be coming back?"
Feng Yun gestured for him to pull back the tent flap and look up at the sky.
"A violent storm is coming. The drawbridge over Andu's moat cannot withstand flooding. Once the wind rages and the rain pours, if flooding ensues, the General will surely be trapped within the city."
Ao Qi's countenance shifted back and forth.
The sky was aglow with red twilight, and the moon was just peeking over the Yanzishan crest; where would a violent storm come from?
Seeing his disbelief, Feng Yun's tone grew even more indifferent.
"Swallow Cliff has gates manned by guards and a high terrain inside, as well as a flat, sun-facing area. At first glance, it's an excellent spot for setting up camp, but..."
Her gaze shifted, "this storm will be unprecedented. With mountains surrounding Swallow Cliff on all sides, once landslides and falling rocks occur and floods come rushing in, your army might not be able to evacuate in time and could suffer a great disaster."
She sounded like a fortune teller.
A beautiful, captivating fortune teller.
Ao Qi, still half-doubting, summoned Tan Dajin, the Chief Historian of the guard.
Tan Dajin stared dumbly at Feng Yun's face, his eyes bulging...
My goodness!
The daughter of Feng Jingteng, truly delicate and beautiful, with her fresh and charming vivacity, she resembled a fairy straight out of a painting, enough to make anyone look at her and think...
"Ahem!"
With a cough from Ao Qi, Tan Dajin came back to his senses, remembering why he was there.
"What does a little girl know about the weather patterns? In these dog days of summer, we endure drought. Andu has seen no rain in three years. Don't disrupt the morale of the troops."
After finishing, he glanced at the small donkey cart Feng Yun had outside the tent.
"What is that on your cart, miss?"
Feng Yun's eyebrows and eyes remained still, "Dowry."
A dowry? Claiming a "dowry" for a captive girl offered by a defeated general, where did she get the audacity?
Tan Dajin snorted and walked toward the donkey cart...
These days the Beiyong Army had been advancing quickly.
Many soldiers, but little grain, made supplying materials very difficult.
Tan Dajin, upon opening the cart and seeing it full of food, his eyes lit up.
"Hiss-ha!" A dingy yellow clown cat sprang out of the cart and hissed threateningly at him.
The beast, still a cub, was frankly skinny, but its bones were already a size larger than a domestic cat's, with a wild look in its eyes, fierce and untamed. It was a cat, yet not quite a cat...
Tan Dajin took an involuntary step back.
He had been intent on teaching Feng Yun a lesson, but he dared not.
The Great General had never been one for women, but he had accepted Feng Jingteng's surrendered tribute. What if he had taken a fancy to Feng Twelve and decided to keep her as a cherished woman in his tent? Wouldn't he be making trouble for himself?
—
When night came, the rain indeed began to fall.
The sound of rain was rapid, and in an instant, it plunged the heavens into darkness.
Only then did Tan Dajin become nervous, but fortunately, he heeded Feng Yun's warning. Before the storm intensified, he beat the gong and drum, urging the soldiers to evacuate and secure their supplies.
Nevertheless, the rain brought the Beiyong Army unprecedented trouble.
The grains and fodder not moved in time were all buried under Yanzishan.
When they tallied the supplies after the storm had passed...
Twenty soldiers were missing, scores of cattle and sheep were gone, especially the grain recently acquired from Wanning City, which suffered heavy losses.
Tan Dajin collapsed with a thud into the mud, wailing loudly.
"It is my deathly fault!"