Fight For Love

Wei Yun rushed straight to Wei Qiu and Wei Xia, immediately saying, "Shacheng isn't easy to attack. Retreat along the route you've prepared."

Wei Qiu and Wei Xia hesitated for a moment before replying, "Marquis, our provisions may not last more than seven days..."

"There are other places nearby. Retreat first, then we'll make plans."

Wei Yun spoke decisively, and Wei Qiu and Wei Xia no longer hesitated. Following Wei Yun's orders, Wei Qiu stepped forward to lead the way. Wei Yun gathered Chu Yu, Shen Wushuang, and the others, and the group swiftly left Shacheng like the wind.

The Shacheng soldiers had just prepared for battle when they saw the enemy forces turn and leave. After some deliberation on whether to pursue or not, they decided... it was better not to. After all, they weren't idle. So the Shacheng defenders rested for a while, and when Wei Yun and his men didn't return, they turned back to report the attack on Shacheng to the royal court.

Wei Yun, Wei Qiu, and Wei Xia led their men along their pre-planned escape route, running as they spoke. "Where are we heading now?"

"There's an oasis not far away. We'll rest there," Wei Qiu answered, guiding the way.

"How many men do we have left?"

They had been raiding villages along the way, so casualties were inevitable. Wei Xia's expression darkened as he replied, "One thousand, one hundred and forty-three."

Including the losses during the siege, their casualties over these days weren't devastating, but proportionally, it was still alarming.

Wei Yun pressed his lips together before continuing, "Why did you think of attacking Shacheng?"

"Provisions were running low," Wei Xia sighed. "We're not familiar with the Northern Di, and our guide died. Now we just attack whoever we see, grabbing provisions first."

Wei Yun remained silent. Very few from Great Chu had ventured deep into Northern Di territory. Before coming, Wei Yun had done his best to gather all available information on the Northern Di, but on one hand, the maps were outdated, and on the other, since the Northern Di were nomadic, most villages were temporary camps except for the cities. Even the cities were only known to Great Chu along a few major routes. As for Shacheng, it was merely a name—without Wei Yun having stayed there for a month, its true strength would have remained unknown.

Listening to their conversation, Chu Yu understood Wei Yun's concerns. In her past life, she and Gu Chusheng had traveled in and out of the Northern Di multiple times for this very reason.

After everyone had settled in the oasis, Wei Yun exchanged stories with Wei Qiu and Wei Xia about what had happened after they were separated. Chu Yu arranged accommodations for Shen Wushuang, Bai Chang, and Shen Jiaojiao before returning to Wei Yun's side.

Wei Yun sent Wei Qiu and Wei Xia to rest first. Chu Yu sat beside Wei Yun and noticed the map he was drawing.

"Thinking about where to go next?"

Chu Yu smiled. Wei Yun looked up at her. "Sister-in-law, aren't you going to sleep?"

"There should be a village not far from here."

Chu Yu nibbled on a flatbread and pointed calmly in the southwest direction of Shacheng. "I inquired while in the city. The village isn't large, probably only a few hundred people."

Wei Yun nodded. After a moment's thought, Chu Yu pulled out a map from her sleeve. "Also, here's this. I had someone draw it while in the city."

Wei Yun took the map from Chu Yu's hands. It was far more detailed than the one he had obtained back in Great Chu.This was the map of the entire Northern Di region that Chu Yu had painstakingly drawn with Gu Chusheng through life-and-death struggles over the years. Not only that, but she had also marked the strongholds of the major Northern Di tribes and the routes of their main forces based on her memory. She explained to Wei Yun, "The points marked here are all my guesses. We’ll avoid them when the time comes."

Wei Yun lowered his head to look at Chu Yu. If this map had no errors, it would be incredibly valuable.

He vaguely understood—how could such a thing be obtained simply by asking around or making guesses?

Yet he also knew that if Chu Yu chose not to explain, she must have her reasons. So he merely nodded in acknowledgment and studied the map, a plan gradually forming in his mind.

Before dawn the next day, Wei Yun roused Wei Xia and Wei Qiu. After the soldiers had eaten breakfast, they mounted their horses and galloped toward the village Chu Yu had marked. The desert was vast and sparsely populated, and it was already nightfall by the time they reached the vicinity of the village. Wei Yun ordered everyone to hide behind the sand dunes while he went ahead to scout. Once he had roughly confirmed the number of people, he called Wei Xia over and instructed, "Spread the men out. We’ll move in after nightfall, charging from all directions. Make sure everyone shouts loudly and creates as much commotion as possible. Understood?"

Wei Xia nodded. When night fell, he dispersed the men, forming an encirclement behind the dunes surrounding the village.

At Wei Yun’s command, the group charged down with deafening war cries. The clamor of battle erupted from all sides, startling the livestock into panicked flight. Villagers rushed out, the men brandishing weapons to shield the women and children in the center.

Wei Yun bellowed in Northern Di language, "Surrender and you won’t be harmed! Surrender and you won’t be harmed!"

The suddenness of their attack, combined with the darkness that made it impossible to gauge their numbers, left the village—home to fewer than a thousand people—terrified. Hearing Wei Yun’s words, men and women exchanged glances in the firelight before slowly lowering their weapons and kneeling.

Wei Xia and Wei Qiu separated the men from the women, then began rounding up the livestock and provisions.

An elderly man watched them work, fists clenched, tears glistening in his eyes.

Wei Yun noticed and walked over, patting his shoulder.

Startled, the old man immediately kowtowed, fearing his expression had displeased Wei Yun. The villagers grew agitated, but Wei Yun steadied the old man and said calmly, "Elder, we won’t take everything. We’ll leave half the provisions for you."

The old man froze in surprise. The others, hearing Wei Yun’s words, gradually calmed down. As Wei Xia and Wei Qiu led the livestock out, Wei Yun spoke evenly, "War has broken out ahead. None of us have a choice. If there were another way, no one would do this. If you must hate someone, hate Su Can."

His accented Northern Di speech betrayed his identity. The old man’s face twisted in sorrow. "Your wars—what do they have to do with us common folk?"

"Old man, that’s not quite right," Wei Xia interjected mockingly. "Why don’t you ask your Northern Di armies the same thing? When they slaughter our people of Great Chu, why don’t they say it has nothing to do with civilians? You raid our lands and steal our grain every year. This is the first time we’ve done this—consider it mercy."The old man was left speechless by these words. After a long silence, he sighed and said dejectedly, "Take it all, take everything. In the end, it's always the common people who suffer."

"We've lost people too," Wei Xia retorted with a roll of his eyes. Wei Qiu stepped forward and reported to Wei Yun, "Marquis, the grain and horses have all been accounted for."

Wei Yun nodded and turned back to the old man. "Pick twenty young men for me."

"What do you want them for?" The old man's eyes widened. Wei Yun smiled faintly. "We need guides. Give me ten young men, and I'll ensure they and their families are well taken care of."

"No!" the old man refused firmly. "You can take the grain, the cattle, the horses—but not the people!"

Wei Yun's expression remained calm, though a hint of regret flickered in his eyes. "Old man, I'm not above killing."

Drawing his sword, he said coolly, "If you don't give me those ten men, I'm afraid no one in this village will survive."

The old man clenched his fists, trembling all over. Just then, a bright young voice rang out, "I'll go with you."

"Tuso, go back!" the old man barked. But the boy stood his ground, staring straight at Wei Yun. "I'll go with you."

Wei Yun nodded and motioned for Wei Xia to take him. However, at that moment, many young men stood up and rushed forward, blocking the boy. "We'll go! We'll go instead!"

"Young chief, you mustn't..."

The crowd shielded the boy, preventing Wei Xia from reaching him. Wei Xia hesitated and looked to Wei Yun for guidance. Wei Yun studied the boy and finally said, "Let him come. He can choose two others to accompany him. I'll count to ten—once the selection is done, we leave."

The boy exhaled in relief, a smile appearing on his face. The others clamored to stop him or volunteered themselves. After surveying the crowd, the boy pointed to two men, then stepped forward, parting the crowd. He approached the old man, placed a hand over his chest, and bowed deeply. "Grandfather, farewell."

Then he turned to bid his family goodbye one by one.

Once this was done, the boy walked up to Wei Yun. Wei Qiu and the others were already prepared to depart. Wei Yun sized him up. "What's your name?"

"Tuso."

The boy lowered his eyes respectfully. Wei Yun nodded and had Wei Xia bring him a horse. "Get on."

Tuso obeyed without protest. Before dawn, the lightning-fast raid was over. Wei Yun led the group, with Chu Yu following and the camels guiding the way. They traveled through the night and by noon, they reached the next water source.

Everyone rested. Chu Yu and Bai Chang busied themselves starting a fire and preparing a sheep for slaughter. Wei Yun called Tuso over, handed him a flatbread, and the two sat behind the camels to talk.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen," Tuso replied, nibbling on the bread while stealing glances at Wei Yun. Wei Yun nodded. "I'm fifteen, almost sixteen."

"Are you an important official?"

Tuso's curiosity made Wei Yun chuckle. "Yes, you could say that."

"Then you must be very capable." Tuso nodded approvingly. Wei Yun smiled wryly. "I just inherited the family business."

"Oh, what about your father?"

"Dead," Wei Yun answered quietly. Unaware of any offense, Tuso pressed on, "Don't you have an older brother?"

"I do."

"What about him?"

"Dead."Tuso froze for a moment, carefully weighing his words before asking cautiously, "Was it... the Northern Di who killed them?"

Wei Yun remained silent for a while before nodding slightly.

Despair flickered in Tuso's eyes, but Wei Yun patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I won't hold it against you. Throughout history, wars have always brought suffering to the common people. Whether a nation rises or falls, it's the common folk who suffer. If I seek revenge, it will be against your Northern Di royalty. Serve me well, and I won't make things difficult for you."

Tuso looked puzzled. "What do you want me to do?"

"Guide us."

Wei Yun lifted his gaze to where Chu Yu stood not far away, cloaked and calling people over to roast mutton under the scorching sun. He said calmly, "I have no other ambitions—I just want to end this war quickly and go home. Help me well, and when I return to Great Chu, if you're willing, I'll take you with me. High positions and generous salaries—I'll arrange them all for you."

Tuso thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't want high positions or wealth."

"Then what do you want?" Wei Yun turned to look at him.

The reason Wei Yun had chosen Tuso was precisely because he could tell Tuso hadn't been forced to come—he had volunteered.

Tuso hesitated, then said softly, "When the war is over... could you give me some land? I want to bring my people to Great Chu."

Wei Yun was puzzled. "Why? Isn't life in Northern Di good enough?"

"Our tribe is small," Tuso sighed. "Just a few scattered villages, fewer than two thousand people in total. We're often bullied by larger tribes. To be honest, even if it hadn't been you who raided us, someone else would have. I don't like war." Tuso looked toward Great Chu with longing in his eyes. "I've heard the people of Great Chu dislike war too. They live peaceful, stable lives. I want that."

No one likes war. In this, all people are the same.

Wei Yun didn't comment on Tuso's aspirations. Everyone simply wanted to live a better life.

He patted Tuso's shoulder and said calmly, "Don't worry. When the war ends, I'll allocate you land from the Wei family's fief."

"Thank you!" Tuso was overwhelmed with gratitude. "I knew you were a good man!"

As they spoke, Chu Yu approached and beckoned them over. "The mutton's ready. Come and eat."

Wei Yun stood up with a smile. "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Hearing Wei Yun's words, Tuso perked up and glanced curiously at Chu Yu. The group gathered around the roasted lamb, and Wei Yun personally carved a portion for Tuso, saying earnestly, "Here in the desert, you're our host. We'll be relying on you from now on."

Tuso nodded repeatedly. Shen Wushuang raised a cup of water like wine and toasted Tuso.

Blushing, Tuso listened as Wei Yun introduced everyone one by one, committing each name to memory. When the introductions were done, Tuso asked Wei Yun, "Is your young master back in Great Chu?"

Everyone froze slightly. Wei Yun coughed awkwardly. "I'm not married yet."

Tuso looked confused and pointed at Chu Yu. "But isn't your wife right here?"

"That's his sister-in-law!" Shen Wushuang hurriedly interjected. Tuso replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, but since his elder brother has passed, doesn't that mean his sister-in-law is now his woman?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Chu Yu spat out her water in shock.

She coughed violently, her face flushing red. Everyone stared at Tuso in stunned silence. Shen Wushuang suddenly remembered and quickly explained, "The Northern Di have this custom—when an elder brother dies, the younger brother inherits all his property, including his wife."As she spoke, Shen Wushuang's face turned slightly red, but she still forced herself to continue, "Including women."

Author's Note: [Mini Theater]

Shen Wushuang: I suddenly think the Northern Di's inheritance customs are quite good.

Wei Yun: ...

Shen Wushuang: Don't be hypocritical, say something.

Wei Yun: My sister-in-law isn't property to be inherited!

Chu Yu: Good boy, Xiao Qi is so sensible.

Bai Chang: This is why I don't like you.

Shen Wushuang: ...

Wei Yun: ><