Chapter 196: We’re Not Asking for Favors, but Please Don’t Abuse Us

Xiao Ziling was skilled in both literary and martial arts, and Xiao Yang hadn’t insisted she become a female general.

But it was difficult for women to gain a foothold. If Xiao Ziling had military achievements to her name, it would silence many of her detractors.

After all, when reason fails, might makes right.

And once Xiao Ziling was truly involved, Xiao Yang was even more certain she had made the right decision.

Xiao Ziling was literate. She had spent years at Mu Yunlian’s side, watching him use all sorts of schemes to deal with people. As a result, military treatises became tangible concepts in her mind; she could grasp their meaning without needing much explanation.

Mu Yunlian was a merchant, so his cunning and deceit went without saying. Xiao Ziling didn’t need to be as crafty as him—even half of his guile would be more than enough when applied to military strategy.

With the matter of strategy settled, there was still the issue of her martial skill.

Xiao Ziling’s style was light and nimble, so learning to wield heavy weapons like a long spear was out of the question. Instead, she would have to build her combat experience.

Xiao Yang had originally intended for Xiao Lan and Xiao Cheng to be her sparring partners, but the two of them were too busy to be found.

Thus, Xiao Yang thought of the captured rebel soldiers.

A dozen or so would be released at a time to serve as her training partners. Once she’d had her fill of fighting them, they would be replaced with a new batch, each taking their turn to enjoy the "thrill" of a blade at their throat, always stopping just short of a fatal blow.

The captives were speechless. ’We’re not asking for preferential treatment, but this is just torture!’

However, this "torture" came with benefits. Any captive who was thoroughly bested by Xiao Ziling would earn a chance to atone for their crimes through meritorious service. They could be reintegrated into the army, have their crimes pardoned for future deeds, and receive half the usual rewards.

The usual fate for captives was a life of mining or hard labor. The chance to fight and earn merits was, for them, an incredible gift.

These captives, desperate to live and earn merit, didn’t care whether their commander was a man or a woman. What mattered most was Xiao Ziling’s undeniable martial prowess.

Strength knows no gender.

If they achieved victory under her, they would be grateful to Xiao Ziling and become her most loyal followers.

***

"Mr. Su, you miscalculated."

The large room was brightly lit.

But behind a screen, the atmosphere was so grim that the light could not seem to penetrate.

Two figures sat facing each other, their auras chilling and dark.

Su Wu had been struck by an arrow during his rescue. The wound was on his right hand, and he now couldn’t even hold a teacup steady.

This was the first time he had ever been so grievously injured. He, who considered his plans to be foolproof, had fallen into a trap and nearly lost his life. It was a complete humiliation.

"King Huainan... there’s no point in gloating now. The Emperor is already mustering her forces to wipe you out completely. Our top priority is to prepare to face her."

King Huainan sneered. "Wipe *us* out? And does that not include you, Mr. Su?"

King Huainan was obviously seething with anger, and his words were sharp. "You were the one who said the Emperor had few troops and couldn’t even protect herself! You said to abandon Yizhou and take Luoyan City! That idiot Zhao Cheng’an lost his life because of you, and now the Emperor is coming to settle the score. Are you satisfied now? Is this your ’peerless wisdom’? Your ’divine strategy’?"

King Huainan’s words were nothing short of a personal insult. Su Wu fought the urge to kill him right then and there, but he needed the king’s assistance.

After a long silence, having calmed his emotions, he pushed a box that had been sitting beside him across the table.

"Look at this."

King Huainan shot it a cold glance before reluctantly taking it and opening it. Inside was a blueprint for a strange device.

"What is this?"

Su Wu lowered his eyes. "The blueprint for the cannons."

King Huainan’s eyes lit up instantly. "You’re saying this is the blueprint for the cannon? The one that can bring down a city wall?"

Su Wu said, "Building them takes time. I had obtained the blueprints, but the Emperor had already made her move against Marquis Wu’an, forcing us to act prematurely. I thought the Emperor had few troops and that we could catch her off guard. I never expected her to have planted explosives all around Luoyan City. That’s what led to our heavy losses and ultimate failure."

King Huainan held the blueprint, examining it closely. A moment ago he had been utterly disheartened, but now, he could finally see a glimmer of hope for victory.

"With this, I won’t be afraid of the Emperor. What she has, I’ll have too."

"There’s no time to build the cannons," Su Wu said. "Right now, our priority is gunpowder. I have the formula for the kind that explodes. You need to prepare a secure location and transport the raw materials. The more, the better. We must produce enough explosives before the Emperor mobilizes her army and plant them along her inevitable path."

He clenched his fist slightly, the wound throbbing with a dull ache. A hint of hatred crossed his face. "This time, we will repay her in kind!"

Although King Huainan wanted to mock Su Wu, he knew that Su Wu was, after all, on his side. If Su Wu couldn’t pull this off, they would all just be waiting to die.

"Fine. I just hope there are no more screw-ups this time."

Su Wu replied, "I won’t allow myself to fail again either."

With that, he rose to leave, but stopped after a few steps. "Even though the Emperor hasn’t attacked yet, we can’t remain idle. You must send men to infiltrate Luoyan City. It would be best if they could destroy the Emperor’s cannons. Otherwise, once the war starts, we’ll have no chance of victory."

King Huainan knew how terrifying the cannons were. He nodded. "Alright, I’ll arrange it. But about King Guangchuan... are you certain he will help us again?"

King Guangchuan did help this time, but he covered his tracks well. It wasn’t even certain if the Emperor could trace it back to him. Moreover, King Guangchuan was far away; it wouldn’t be easy for the Emperor to attack him.

King Huainan was very afraid of losing such an ally.

The Little Emperor’s methods were too vicious. He couldn’t stand against her alone; he simply didn’t have the confidence.

Su Wu replied, "I will personally write to him. Your Highness need not worry."

Su Wu took the remnants of his forces from Yizhou to King Huainan’s fiefdom. There, they began frantic preparations, bracing themselves for the Emperor’s assault.

Yet a month of preparations went by, and snow began to fall, but there was still no sign of an impending attack from the Emperor.

He sent out scouts, only for them to return with news that the Emperor had gone back to the Capital City.

Su Wu’s face was thunderous. "Why did she go back to the Capital City?"

King Huainan retorted, "Isn’t her returning to the capital a good thing? Do you only feel happy when we’re at war?"

King Huainan had already tallied his losses from the last battle, and he’d also heard the news that Li Wei had conquered half of Beimeng. In any case, he wasn’t particularly eager to fight the Emperor.

After scraping the bottom of the barrel, he had only managed to muster sixty thousand soldiers. King Guangchuan had contributed another twenty thousand.

Eighty thousand men sounded like a lot, but last time the Emperor had used just ten thousand to wipe out thirty thousand of his own. And this time, she had assembled an army of fifty thousand.

Even if Su Wu succeeded in making the gunpowder, he didn’t think his odds of winning were very good.

He genuinely wanted to rebel. He couldn’t stomach the idea of a mere slip of a girl sitting on the throne.

But now, that slip of a girl had proven she had a strong fist. And he wasn’t stupid enough to go looking for a death wish.

Su Wu did not share his optimism. "The Emperor was in Luoyan City. That was your only chance to kill her. Now that she’s returned to the Capital City, what are you going to do, march all the way to the capital?"

"Even if you don’t try to kill her now, she will not spare you. King Huainan, from the moment you decided to rebel, you left yourself no path of retreat."

King Huainan’s expression turned grim, but he didn’t refute Su Wu’s words.

"Then what do you want to do now?"

Su Wu’s eyes darkened. "The Emperor can’t possibly take all fifty thousand troops with her. This is our last chance. Muster the soldiers at once! We’ll ambush her after she leaves Luoyan City!"