Chapter 107: Yinghuo's Ingenious Plan

Without daring to linger, I rushed toward the border in a flurry. On the vast plains, two armies had arrayed themselves against each other. Amidst the fluttering banners, a single horseman rode out from the enemy camp. The man in the saddle wore steel armor and a heavy helmet, his long hair swaying in the wind. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Yinghuo, who had fled the Central Palace. His complexion was pallid, his eyes a hauntingly pale shade, and his tightly pressed lips were devoid of color. His frail frame made one fear that a strong gust of wind might blow him from his horse.

Burdened by his heavy armor, Yinghuo drew closer to the Central Palace army step by step. He reined in his horse a hundred paces away and called out in a clear voice, "I request that the commander of the Central Palace come forward to speak!"

Kaiming felt a twinge of panic. After all, this was her first time bearing such a heavy responsibility, with so many soldiers awaiting her orders, and Yinghuo was someone she had known well. Perhaps it was the immense pressure, but she opened her mouth only to find she could not utter a word.

Yinghuo called out again. The gazes of the crowd fell upon her, seemingly puzzled as to why their commander dared not respond.

Chang Geng, feeling anxious, gave her horse’s flank a secret nudge and whispered, "The dignity of the army is at stake. Whether you want to or not, you must go and handle this!"

Startled, the horse lunged out of the formation. She let out a cry of surprise, while Dai Yuhang offered a faint smile.

Watching her stumble out of the ranks, Yinghuo’s eyes brightened. He chuckled softly, "I heard the commander this time was a woman, and I thought I would be facing the Great Sound of the Central Palace. I never imagined it would be you!"

She broke into a cold sweat and nodded repeatedly. "Uh, long time no see, long time no see."

Yinghuo smiled, pursing his lips, and rode toward her. Her heart tightened with nervousness; being captured in such a hostile state would be a humiliating defeat.

Fortunately, he had not come to take her prisoner. He stopped beside her horse's head. "Back when you, Commander, tested the medicine yourself, I should have realized you had a bright future ahead! Sure enough, in less than a few days, you were promoted by the Central Palace."

"Don't even mention it!" Kaiming glared at him. Looking back at her own troops, she lowered her voice. "This is all your doing—what kind of ridiculous war is this? Otherwise, I would still be at home enjoying a peaceful life!"

Yinghuo smiled slightly. "It is not that I wish to fight. Am I not being forced into this?"

"Forced? Who would dare force you?" She widened her eyes.

"That one," he said, raising his riding crop to point behind her. She turned to look and caught the gaze of Dai Yuhang. "Your Central Palace’s Attendant Dai is treacherous. It was agreed that he would support me as the Emperor of the Northern Palace. Yet, before we even reached the North, his men attempted to ambush us on the way. If I hadn't been vigilant, I wouldn't be alive to see you today!"

Yinghuo sighed intentionally and shook his head. Kaiming’s expression changed drastically. "So when you disappeared in the middle of the night back then, it was because you listened to that fox and ran off to the Northern Palace to become their Emperor?"

Yinghuo found it amusing that she called Dai Yuhang a fox. "To be honest, there was an uprising in the Northern Palace that night. The royal family was in chaos, and I had no choice but to leave. I am truly sorry I could not inform you."

"Compared to what you've been through, those are trifles!" She waved her hand magnanimously and whispered, "As for that fox, don't you worry. I have more authority than him now. I will make sure we both get our revenge on him eventually."

Yinghuo only smiled. She asked, puzzled, "Is this the reason you insist on igniting a war between the two palaces? You must know this is a matter that exhausts the people and drains the treasury."

Yinghuo replied, "Attendant Dai is ambitious and covets the national strategy of the Northern Palace. With the Northern Palace currently leaderless, I fear the Central Palace would take advantage of our vulnerability. With no one in the North to take charge, I had no choice but to raise an army to prevent disaster."

"But you didn't have to do it this way!" she blurted out. "Actually, Emperor Tianjue of the Central Palace is very wise. He would surely understand your dilemma..."

"Even if he understood, it would change nothing." Yinghuo interrupted her quickly, lowering his voice. "Do you really think that under the iron fist of the Dai clan, Emperor Tianjue can accomplish anything? Besides, the Dai clan covets the strategy of the Five Palaces—do you think Emperor Tianjue doesn't?"

Kaiming was stunned. This was a question she had never truly pondered. The Dai clan had always wanted the Pearl, but did the Emperor of the Central Palace desire it as well? Was he also playing along with the Dai clan’s intentions, planning to use their own scheme against them?

A smile appeared on Yinghuo’s face. "Commander Kaiming is the only friend I have made in the Central Palace worth talking to. Since you are so compassionate, I might as well offer a solution to allow both sides to withdraw with dignity. How about it?"

"Oh? What is your brilliant idea?" Kaiming wondered. Did Yinghuo actually possess such kindness?

"You and I will stage a battle. I will voluntarily yield one camp, and you will proceed to attack, capturing three of my camps in total. This battle will be considered a resounding victory for the Central Palace," Yinghuo explained smoothly. "After taking the camps, do not pursue. At that point, my side will send a letter requesting peace. We will willingly offer up the national strategy Pearl, but we will demand the life of one person from the Central Palace in exchange."

"Is it Dai Yuhang?" she asked with a mischievous grin. Yinghuo’s plan to eliminate the man surnamed Dai perfectly aligned with her own desires.

"Exactly." Yinghuo also smiled with ill intent. "I loathe this man to the bone. You hand over Attendant Dai, and I present the national strategy. It kills two birds with one stone—we eliminate a grave threat while you secure a victory for the Central Palace!"

"Brilliant, truly brilliant!" She laughed, then quickly stifled it, fearing her troops might notice something amiss.

"It seems you approve of my plan, Commander?" Yinghuo smiled. "In that case, it is settled. We shall rest tonight, engage in battle tomorrow morning, and proceed exactly as planned?"

"Okay!" She gave him a wink, feeling incredibly satisfied. *Dai Yuhang, oh Dai Yuhang, the day has finally come where you too are being plotted against!*

Yinghuo smiled noncommittally, cast a glance at the Central Palace’s formation, and turned his horse back toward his camp.

Kaiming returned to her own side and issued orders: "Set up camp! We halt here!"

Dai Yuhang had watched their entire interaction. Even as she returned, his eyes remained fixed on her, filled with deep meaning.

The Central Palace soldiers followed the orders, immediately scattering to cut wood and dig fire pits, setting up camp on the spot.

"Is the Military Supervisor still reluctant to dismount?" She cast a sidelong glance at him, then slid off her horse herself, finding a suitable spot to watch the soldiers pitch the tents.

Dai Yuhang followed behind her and whispered, "The Commander talked to Yinghuo for quite a while. I wonder what was said? Could you share it with this supervisor?"

"It was just some trivial matters from back when I was at the Central Palace, just catching up," she dismissed him nonchalantly.

Dai Yuhang would not give up and continued to follow her. "Commander Kaiming, my current position is that of Military Supervisor, and a supervisor is responsible for overseeing all affairs in the army, big or small. I hope the Commander will not keep things from me."

"Lord Supervisor." Kaiming straightened up impatiently, glaring at him. "Are you so certain that because I spoke a few words to an enemy general, I must be hiding something from you? Besides, aren't you my subordinate? Why are you meddling in your superior's business?"

"Who said I am your subordinate!" Dai Yuhang actually refused to acknowledge it now.

Kaiming widened her eyes, put her hands on her hips, and roared at him, "What did you say before we left? Were the words spoken by the Lord Supervisor in front of so many people just empty air? Do you want me to repeat them for you?!"

She spoke so sharply and loudly that all the soldiers stopped what they were doing and looked over in confusion. Caught under the gaze of the crowd, Dai Yuhang was both angry and embarrassed, a faint blush creeping across his fair face. He flicked his sleeves indignantly and walked away.

Kaiming watched his retreating figure with triumph, feeling a secret thrill. The thrill lay in the fact that he was her subordinate, and she could deal with him however she pleased.

Chang Geng walked over from the side and tugged at her sleeve. "What happened? What caused the Attendant to be so upset?"

"Nothing, just a small matter." She waved her hand with feigned generosity.

Chang Geng looked at her with concern. "That, what did Yinghuo of the Northern Palace say to you? Why do you look so pleased after returning?"

"Oh, you noticed?" She touched her face. Was her mood really that obvious?

"I suspect the Attendant noticed as well, which is why he kept questioning you." Chang Geng glanced left and right, lowering his voice. "If you won't tell him, you can at least tell me!"

"You, uh, fine. Help me analyze this." She leaned in and relayed the plan Yinghuo had proposed to Chang Geng in detail.

Chang Geng listened, silent for a long moment. She nudged him. "Why are you stunned? Don't you think this move is brilliant? Not only can we get the national strategy, but we can also use the opportunity to get rid of Dai Yuhang!"

Chang Geng nodded, then shook his head. "It is a clever plan, but I fear Yinghuo is treacherous; he might cause some other complications."

"Although Yinghuo can be a bit of a villain at times, cough..." She recalled how he had repeatedly tricked her into consuming insect gu, but no amount of deception could outweigh the temptation of removing Dai Yuhang. "But how will we know if it's true or false if we don't try?"

"What if he pulls a ‘returning horse’ feint..." Chang Geng seemed traumatized by such tactics, as that was the first thing to come to his mind.

She chuckled. "We must, of course, think of an infallible plan. We cannot let him call all the shots."

"Mm." Chang Geng looked uncharacteristically unhappy, giving a low grunt of acknowledgement.

"Don't be so gloomy. Go get some sleep; we’ll prepare tomorrow!" She patted his shoulder with bravado, and he walked away, looking dejected.

Before long, Gouzi came over, peeking around cautiously, and beckoned her secretly. "Commander, Commander!"

"What is it?" She followed him to a secluded spot.

"Yinghuo knows how to use gu. You must be careful! Don't get too close to him, and don't let him use any sorcery to cloud your mind, or you might hallucinate and end up killing your own people!" Gouzi had been terrified by his previous experiences and shuddered as he spoke.

Kaiming nodded solemnly. "I will be careful, Gouzi. You take care of yourself tomorrow too!"

Gouzi revealed his snow-white teeth in a grin. "The Commander comes first. My life is cheap; nothing to worry about."

Kaiming rapped him on the head. "Everyone in war carries their head in their hands. Cheap life, expensive life—that's all nonsense!"

Gouzi covered his head, yet he still smiled happily.