Chapter 65

When Yun Xiao found Shao Jingyu, he was already half-asleep on the grass. Pushed awake by Yun Xiao, he grumbled and swatted his hand away angrily. “What is it? Disturbing my peaceful dreams!”
From the privileged Young Master Shao to the adaptable General Shao, his transformation had been astonishingly swift. Yun Xiao dragged him up in exasperation. “If Yiming hadn’t said you’d catch a cold lying here, I wouldn’t have bothered!”
“Yiming,” Shao Jingyu jolted awake, sitting up with his knees bent and an arm resting on them as he beckoned to Yun Xiao. “Come here.”
Yun Xiao moved closer. “What is it?”
“I think...” The words caught in his throat, feeling awkward no matter how he phrased it. Did he think Yiming's smile was more beautiful than a woman's? Or that he had some improper thoughts about another man?
No, that wasn't right. Shao Jingyu frowned. “Not what I think, what do you think of Yiming?”
The question was vague and strange, but Yun Xiao, being rather thick-headed, enthusiastically slapped his thigh and replied, “Yiming? He's great! Prettier than a woman, skilled in battle, sewing, and painting, practically perfect except for not being able to bear children. If he weren't a man, I'd definitely...”
“Get lost, get lost, get lost!” Shao Jingyu kicked him away angrily. “Shut your mouth and keep those filthy thoughts to yourself. If I hear such nonsense again, I'll break your legs. From now on, keep your distance from Yiming!”
Yun Xiao scrambled several meters away, bewildered and aggrieved. “Why?”
Because it irks me! Shao Jingyu rolled over, got up from the grass, and after a few steps, warned Yun Xiao not to follow. Then, shaking out his clothes, he strode off.
He wandered aimlessly for a while before seeking out Yan Yiming. When he found her, she was already asleep in a makeshift tent. Perhaps feeling the evening chill, she had curled into a ball, neither her usual aloof self nor the fierce warrior from the battlefield, but peaceful and serene in her slumber.
Shao Jingyu unconsciously slowed his steps, crouched beside her, and gazed at her for a long while. Unable to resist, he gently brushed his fingers against her long, delicate eyelashes.
Before leaving, he draped his cloak over her. Passing by a few overly excited soldiers still chatting, he scowled and scolded, “Can't you see Deputy Commander Yan is sleeping?”
But your voice is the loudest of all, the soldiers thought, though they dared not say it aloud, only grumbling inwardly.
“We need to return to camp early tomorrow morning. Go rest now.”
“Yes, sir,” they replied, nodding before dispersing to find places to sleep. Yan Yiming, awakened by the noise, squinted, glanced at the cloak covering her and Shao Jingyu's retreating figure, chuckled softly, and closed her eyes again.
Dawn broke.
Having stayed in the area too long, they risked encountering Mongol troops. After a night of peace, Shao Jingyu dared not delay further. Once the troops were assembled, he led them swiftly back to camp.
It was only then that Shao Jingyu remembered Cao Hui, whom Cao Meng had previously assigned to him. Since Cao Hui held a higher rank than Yan Yiming, Shao wondered whether Cao Hui had given Yan Yiming any trouble during this military expedition.
Yan Yiming tightened his grip on the reins, his tone as cold and unemotional as ever. “Of course he did.”
“How did you persuade him then?”
Before Shao Jingyu could respond, Yun Xiao interjected.
Shao Jingyu promptly whipped Yun Xiao's horse, watching with satisfaction as Yun Xiao shot several meters ahead before saying, “Cao Hui is no easy opponent. Persuading him certainly wasn't simple.”
Yan Yiming nodded, as if describing the most ordinary of matters. “So I had him tied up directly.”
Tied... tied up?
Not only did Yun Xiao, who had awkwardly trotted back, gasp in shock, but even Shao Jingyu was taken aback. Yan Yiming was bolder and more decisive than he had imagined.
“Aren't you afraid of offending him?” Yun Xiao exclaimed, inhaling sharply. “The Cao family holds grudges easily!”
Yan Yiming glanced at Shao Jingyu, pursed his lips, and said, “Isn't the General here to back me up?”
These words sent Shao Jingyu's heart soaring with delight. “Yiming was acting under my orders. What can even Cao Meng do about it?” Then, abruptly, his smile vanished, replaced by a cold sternness. “As for this blunder, I intend to hold him accountable.”
Cao Meng had led his troops astray, preventing the two armies from joining forces as planned. Had it not been for Yan Yiming's timely arrival, Shao Jingyu and his ten thousand elite cavalry would have perished in the vast grasslands.
By the time the main force finally returned to camp, Cao Meng and the other two generals had already arrived.
True to Duke of Ding's earlier assessment, Cao Meng, though skilled in martial arts, was no match for the late Duke of Ning. As a newcomer to the battlefield, he couldn't compare to the experienced Left and Right Generals and had committed the elementary error of getting lost.
Consequently, his ten thousand elite troops had marched out and returned without achieving anything, severely delaying military operations.
Cao Meng was well aware that he couldn't escape blame for this, especially as days passed with no sign of Shao Jingyu's return, fueling his anxiety. When Cao Hui, whom he had assigned to Shao Jingyu's side, reported that Yan Yiming had mobilized troops without authorization, Cao Meng flew into a rage. “This is sheer lawlessness!”
The Left General, during the march, had encountered the Left Wise King of the Mongols. However, because the vanguard had become separated from the main force, the two armies were divided and surrounded by the Left Wise King's troops, suffering heavy casualties and nearly being annihilated. Only through the Left General's unwavering courage was morale stabilized, allowing him to lead the remaining thirty percent of his soldiers to break through the encirclement.
The Right General, on the other hand, had a relatively smooth campaign. But on the return journey, he unexpectedly ran into the very Mongol army that had just battled the Left General. In the ensuing fierce fight, although the Xia army suffered significant losses, the Mongols were left in even worse shape.
Now, only Shao Jingyu's main force and the rescue army led by his deputy commander had not returned.
The thought of ten thousand troops facing the main Mongol force was terrifying. It was uncertain whether the deputy had managed to join forces with General Shao. If not, both were likely in grave danger.
The generals waited anxiously in the camp for two more days, their faces lined with worry, until they finally heard the steady tread of iron-hoofed horses. Shao Jingyu's familiar face, as stirring as the last time, appeared before everyone.
Beside him was that slender, seemingly frail deputy general.
A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. Regardless of the battle's outcome, their safe return was a blessing in itself.
But little did they know, Shao Jingyu had an even greater surprise in store.
Of the ten thousand elite cavalry, only three thousand returned safely, yet the Mongol army lost thirty thousand combatants! Moreover, the minor Mongol chieftains in the Yin Mountains region were wiped out, forcing the Mongols to retreat northward.
If the Right General’s battle could be considered a victory, then Shao Jingyu’s engagement was undeniably a great triumph!
No one dared to ask how Shao Jingyu, with only ten thousand men, had held off the Mongol army for two days or what horrors they had endured to seize a slim chance of survival. Everyone only knew that Shao Jingyu was truly a born commander.
After this great battle, no one could rival Shao Jingyu’s prestige.
Even though he was merely an eighteen-year-old youth.
Shao Jingyu sat in the commander’s seat in the main tent. Cao Meng, who had previously been discontent, no longer dared to utter a word of dissent, and the other veteran generals respectfully addressed him as General Shao.
As for the fate of Cao Meng and the Left and Right Generals, it would be decided by the Emperor once the battle report reached the capital. However, Shao Jingyu had the authority to personally reward the greatest hero of this battle, Yan Yiming, along with the soldiers who had risked their lives to protect him.
He appointed the most outstanding soldiers from the battle as eighth or ninth-rank lieutenants and deputy commanders, and no one objected. But when Shao Jingyu announced Yan Yiming’s promotion to Cavalry Commandant, Cao Hui could no longer remain seated.
The rank of Cavalry Commandant was equivalent to the fifth grade, placing Yan Yiming on the same level as Cao Hui. Cao Hui still harbored resentment toward Yan Yiming for tying him up in the camp, causing him to lose face in front of the troops. Now, instead of punishing Yan Yiming for acting without orders, Shao Jingyu was rewarding him generously. How could Cao Hui tolerate this?
What Cao Hui failed to realize was that after this battle, Shao Jingyu was no longer the man Cao Meng could manipulate at will. Cao Hui didn’t even grasp that this time, even Cao Meng might not be able to retain his position.
Cao Hui stepped forward, sternly accusing Yan Yiming of acting without authorization and, with a flushed face and bulging neck, denounced him for insubordination and disrespect, even going so far as to tie him up when he was caught off guard.
As soon as he finished speaking, several people in the tent couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Cao Hui grew even more flushed with anger, noticing that the one laughing the most openly was Deputy General Yun, who stood beside Shao Jingyu. Next to him, Yan Yiming stared coldly at Cao Hui, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
Cao Meng wished he could kick Cao Hui out of the tent.
Although he, too, was deeply dissatisfied with Yan Yiming’s actions, with Shao Jingyu’s triumphant return, Cao Meng no longer dared to bring up the matter.
It was his own mistake that had nearly cost Shao Jingyu his life. If not for Yan Yiming, Shao Jingyu might have been left forever on the grasslands, and Cao Meng would surely have faced execution.
Only with Shao Jingyu alive did Cao Meng have a chance to survive.
So, no matter what Yan Yiming had done, Cao Meng was grateful to her. Who would have thought that Cao Hui would step forward to accuse Yan Yiming!
Everyone knew whose side Cao Hui was on. Cao Meng immediately grew restless and, without waiting for Shao Jingyu to speak, rebuked, “Does the General need your approval for his actions?”
Cao Hui was taken aback.
Shao Jingyu lightly tapped his fingers on the wooden armrest, each tap sounding like a hammer in Cao Meng’s ears, unnerving him. After a long silence, Shao Jingyu finally spoke with a slow, mocking tone, “Fool.”
Cao Hui’s flushed face instantly turned pale.
“If Deputy Commander Yan hadn’t dispatched troops in time, I would have already perished in the Yin Mountains. There would have been no great victory, nor would I be sitting here safely. In warfare, if everyone were as rigid and inflexible as you, the Chenxia Empire would have long been lost to others! By your logic, in the previous battle, when I pursued the Northern Mongol King without orders, should I also be held accountable?”
Shao Jingyu’s handsome features showed not a trace of a smile, his expression as oppressive as an impending storm.
Cao Hui fell to his knees with a thud. “I would never dare to think that!”
Shao Jingyu let out a cold, mocking laugh, completely ignoring the kneeling Cao Hui. He addressed the others solemnly, “Deputy Commander Yan’s actions were not unauthorized. They were my pre-battle orders. Whether it was meritorious or at fault, I have detailed everything in my report. If anyone disagrees, wait for the Emperor’s decree.”
Cao Meng felt his vision darken. He had hoped Shao Jingyu might conceal some details, but after Cao Hui’s outburst, it was clear Shao Jingyu would show no leniency.
Before he could say anything more, Shao Jingyu impatiently dismissed everyone.
A few days later, Prince Yue, who was stationed a hundred miles away in Beiping, arrived at the Northern Camp. Everyone came out to kneel and receive him. Meeting Prince Yue’s cold gaze, Cao Meng knew, this time, he was truly finished.