Shadow Love (Yu Jin Chang An)

The warriors of the Changfeng Battalion mobilized overnight and engaged in a fierce battle with the most elite vanguard of the Western Rong army, barely managing to defend Deer City.

Li Shuang did not personally take to the battlefield. She spent the entire night in the military camp, arranging troops, understanding the situation, discussing strategies with other generals, and dispatching urgent military reports to the capital.

From the moment she learned of the military situation, Li Shuang had been swamped with work.

Inside the camp, physicians tended to the endless stream of wounded soldiers. Every personal guard took turns standing watch by Li Shuang’s side, and even the horses seemed more restless than usual. The mysterious black-armored man who had acted like a rogue and the matter concerning Jin An suddenly became trivial. In the chaos of war, no one paid attention to what a child was doing, no matter how unusual he might have been under normal circumstances.

At dawn, after a night of battle, the frontline soldiers temporarily repelled the Western Rong vanguard, forcing them to retreat ten miles outside Deer City. Li Shuang rode into the city, intending to discuss with the city governor the relocation of the Changfeng Battalion inside the city walls for easier defense in the days to come.

City Governor Li Zhangyi, a man bloated with fat, hurried from his quarters to the hall to meet Li Shuang, already panting and drenched in sweat by the time he arrived.

Li Shuang wasted no time on pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Governor Li, last night’s battle outside the city surely has not escaped your notice. The Western Rong army is pressing upon our borders, and the military situation brooks no delay. To facilitate our joint defense against the enemy, I request that you welcome the Changfeng Battalion into the city by 5:45 this afternoon."

At these words, Li Zhangyi’s beady eyes flickered.

He had been appointed as the governor of Deer City by the Prime Minister, who had long been at odds with the Grand General in court. Li Shuang had been sent to the frontier to oversee the Changfeng Battalion, yet the battalion was stationed outside Deer City—a subtle contest of power between the Grand General and the Prime Minister beyond the court.

Now, despite the imminent threat of the enemy, the rivalry between the Grand General and the Prime Minister remained fierce. Allowing the Changfeng Battalion into the city would benefit neither his position as governor nor the Prime Minister’s authority.

Naturally, he refused to agree.

Thus, he narrowed his eyes and offered a greasy smile, placating Li Shuang: "General, the Western Rong army is strong and ruthless in their methods. This year, our dynasty’s southern lands have yielded a bountiful harvest, and Deer City is well-stocked with grain. We can easily last through the winter. Why not offer them some provisions and send them on their way?"

Li Shuang’s expression turned icy, her gaze like a cold blade piercing the governor. "You would feed our Great Jin’s provisions to these jackals?"

Governor Li shuddered under her stare, taking a half-step back. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he thought to himself that the moniker "Jade Faced Rakshasa" was not just an empty title—her aura of menace was truly overwhelming.

Steadying himself, he chuckled awkwardly. "This... this is merely a temporary measure. Yesterday, I took a glance from the city walls. If it were just their vanguard, it wouldn’t be an issue, but now the full Western Rong army has arrived, with numbers far surpassing ours. Even with the city’s defenders and the Changfeng Battalion combined, we’d barely match half their forces. Wouldn’t it be better to placate them first—"

"You want to placate them?" Li Shuang sneered. "Why don’t you ask the Western Rong army if they’ll accept your placation!"

Li Zhangyi continued to smile unctuously. "General, what do you mean by that? Surely you don’t intend to sacrifice the soldiers of Deer City and your Changfeng Battalion to certain death?""Whether it's suicide or not isn't for a civil official like you to decide," Li Shuang interrupted sharply. "This winter's food shortage in the northern frontier is just beginning to show. The conflicts between tribes beyond the frontier will only intensify. Whoever controls substantial provisions first will dominate the northern frontier this winter. The Western Rong are attacking Deer City with a large army precisely because they know it's rich in grain—they plan to plunder thoroughly, stock up, and use this harsh winter to conquer other tribes." Li Shuang rapped her fingers on the table.

"Tell me, how much grain can you provide to sustain their entire Western Rong army through this winter's campaign?"

Li Zhangyi remained silent.

"This first battle must be fought, and I intend to win decisively—to crush their heads like dogs—to ensure Deer City's peace hereafter." Li Shuang rose, her armor clanking. "At the third quarter of the hour of You, open the gates for my Changfeng Battalion. In peacetime, I don’t interfere, but in war, Deer City answers to me."

She strode out, her high-tied hair brushing past Li Zhangyi's greasy face.

Only after her footsteps faded did Li Zhangyi glare venomously at her retreating figure, clenching his fists. "Hmph, little brat."

Winter nights in the northern frontier fell early. By the hour of You, the sky was already darkening. Li Shuang rode alongside her troops, watching as the Changfeng Battalion soldiers packed their essentials into bundles and prepared to march toward Deer City as dusk deepened.

All her personal guards followed behind her. Only now, as the vanguard moved ahead, did Li Shuang have a moment to glance back. She stiffened slightly and asked Qin Lan, who stood nearby, "Where’s Jin An?"

Qin Lan blinked, scanning the group. "I... haven’t seen him in a while." He inquired among the guards, and one mentioned spotting him before nightfall.

At this answer, Li Shuang frowned. Luo Teng cursed beside her, "Damn it, that brat’s always causing trouble. I’ll go look for him." He tugged his reins to turn back but suddenly paused, his brow furrowing as he stared toward the Western Rong encampment. "General, movement."

Li Shuang tensed, listening intently. A faint rumble trembled through the earth—years of warfare told her what this meant. The Western Rong’s main force was advancing.

"Double the pace!" she barked. "Into Deer City! To the walls! Defend against the Western Rong!"

The Changfeng Battalion sprang into action. Li Shuang, now unable to spare another thought for Jin An, spurred her horse straight for Deer City. Yet when she reached the gates, she found them shut tight, with her soldiers shouting up at the guards on the walls.

Li Shuang reined in below the gate, glaring up at the defenders. "General Li Shuang of the Northern Garrison commands you—open these gates at once!"

The guards exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one blurted, "General, the city commander ordered us to hold the gates shut—no one enters today."

Li Shuang’s fury erupted. "Treason! With the enemy at our doorstep, does Li Zhangyi dare issue such a death warrant? Obey this folly, and after this battle, every last one of you will be beheaded and left to rot!"At these words, the city guards were all taken aback. They exchanged glances for a moment, and just then, a rotund figure squeezed his way through the soldiers on the city wall. "General Li, such words are too heavy for this humble official to bear," he said, pointing into the distance. "Look behind you—the Western Rong army is closing in step by step. If I open the city gates now and let the enemy in, endangering the people of Lucheng, it would be a dereliction of my duty!"

The thunderous sound of approaching hooves grew louder. Though Li Zhangyi's actions were despicable, he had already delayed the best time to enter the city. If they tried to enter now, it was indeed likely that the Western Rong army would catch up before the Changfeng Battalion could fully retreat into Lucheng. If the city fell then, the situation would be even more dire.

Li Shuang clenched her teeth and turned her horse around once more, facing the vast land where the Western Rong army surged forward like a tidal wave, ready for a desperate battle. Just then, a panicked shriek came from the city wall: "Ah! How dare you! Who are you?!"

Li Shuang looked up.

High on the city wall, a figure had appeared beside Li Zhangyi without anyone noticing. He had seized Li Zhangyi by the neck, a cold, gleaming blade—snatched from a nearby guard—pressed against his throat. The man's grip was firm, and the blade had already drawn blood.

A black visor, crimson eyes—this man was...

That rogue!

Unlike the previous two encounters, this time his chest was not exposed...

"Open the gates," he said coldly into Li Zhangyi's ear. Though his voice was quiet, it carried like a warhorn across the battlefield, striking fear into hearts.

This man...

Li Zhangyi remained silent for a long moment, but the man showed no mercy, pressing the blade deeper into his fat neck. Finally, the pain and fear forced Li Zhangyi to scream in a broken voice, "Open! Open! I'll open them! Open the gates now! Do you hear me?!"

"Do not open them!" Li Shuang shouted from below the wall.

Even the man holding Li Zhangyi seemed momentarily stunned. Without explanation, Li Shuang coldly stared at the approaching dust cloud of the Western Rong army and drew her sword.

"Soldiers of the Changfeng Battalion, leave your belongings at the gates. After we slay the enemy, we shall return to Lucheng."

At her command, the soldiers immediately formed ranks before the city gates. Li Shuang glanced back. "Li Zhangyi, if you have reasons to deny us entry today, so be it. But if you dare fail to defend Lucheng, not just I, but even the Emperor will have your head."

At her words, Li Zhangyi on the wall shuddered, no longer caring about the blade at his neck, and urgently ordered, "Archers! Archers! Cover the Changfeng Battalion at once!"

Li Shuang raised her sword. As the Western Rong cavalry drew near, she roared, "Charge!"

The Changfeng Battalion met the enemy head-on. Unseen by Li Shuang, the man on the wall moved like a ghost, descending into the battlefield as well.

The two armies clashed. Arrows rained down from the walls. Flames burned bright, and the scent of iron and blood soon filled the dark wilderness of the northern frontier.The soldiers of the Changfeng Battalion, though battle-hardened, were vastly outnumbered. In no time, they were scattered and torn apart under the relentless assault of the Western Rong army. Li Shuang found herself deep in enemy lines, her blade rising and falling as blood splattered across her face. Yet the enemies seemed endless, swarming toward her in ever-increasing numbers.

The Western Rong soldiers, hardened by years of nomadic warfare, were exceptionally fierce. Li Shuang's personal guards, along with Qin Lan and Luo Teng, had all been separated from her in the chaos. Alone, she fought against the encircling foes, but even with her formidable martial skills, her arms grew weary from relentless slaughter. Just as she blocked a heavy saber from a Western Rong soldier, a sharp spear suddenly thrust from the side, aiming straight for her waist. There was no way to dodge it.

At that very moment! A great blade swept down from the side, cleaving the iron spear in two with sheer force. The soldier wielding the spear was flung back as if struck by an invisible power.

Li Shuang felt a sudden grip on her shoulder—then, without warning, she was pulled into an unyielding embrace.