Chapter 96: The Border Showdown Looms, and the Heroine’s Strategy Will Shape the World

Chapter 96: The Border Decisive Battle Looms, and the Heroine’s Strategy Seals the Fate of the Realm

Inside the war tent, candlelight swayed, casting a solemn glow across Lin Shiya’s grave face.

Her gaze was sharp as a blade as she swept over every official and general present.

Reports from the frontier came flying in like snowflakes, each one announcing the approach of a storm of war.

“Everyone, the enemy has fully assembled. A large-scale assault is imminent,” Lin Shiya said in a steady, forceful voice, one that carried unquestionable authority. The air itself seemed heavy with suffocating tension.

General Yang clenched his fists so tightly that his armor gave off a metallic clatter. In a rough voice, he cried, “Lady Lin, I beg to lead the charge! I swear I will defend the border with my life!” Fire burned in his eyes; he longed to rush onto the battlefield and cut the enemy down to the last man.

At this, Minister He’s face turned a shade paler.

He rose unsteadily and said in a shrill voice, “General Yang’s words are misguided. Once war begins, the common people will suffer. We should still place peace first, send envoys again to seek reconciliation, and perhaps the chanyu will agree to withdraw.” As he spoke, he kept glancing at Lin Shiya, hoping to win her support.

“Minister He, your words are mistaken!” General Yang glared at him furiously. “Have you forgotten how they trampled over the people of our Great Zhou in the past? Peace talks? Do you think they would agree? They would only press their advantage further!” He wanted nothing more than to seize the timid Minister He by the collar and make him see the misery of the border people for himself.

Terrified by General Yang’s roar, Minister He flinched and hurriedly stepped aside, yet he still would not give up. “But war drains the treasury and leaves the people destitute. The cost is far too great.” He tried to sway the others with these arguments, only to find Lin Shiya’s expression growing even colder.

Lin Shiya looked around the tent. The officials wore a variety of expressions: some worried, some hesitant, some resolute. For a moment, the atmosphere hung in deadlock.

With a soft sigh, she broke the suffocating silence. In a cold voice, she said, “Negotiation? Do you truly believe the chanyu’s wolfish ambitions would be checked by a few empty words?”

She turned to Minister He with a hint of mockery in her tone. “Minister He, have you forgotten that every compromise our Great Zhou has made was answered only by even greater aggression from the enemy?”

Her words were like a dagger, driving straight into Minister He’s heart and leaving him speechless at once.

At that moment, a soldier rushed into the tent in haste, bringing unsettling news. “Lady Lin, enemy scouts are moving frequently. It looks like they are about to act!”

Hearing this, everyone present tightened with alarm.

General Yang could no longer restrain himself and again asked for battle. “Lady Lin, give the order! This humble general will lead the troops out at once and slaughter them to the last!” His eyes were bloodshot, as though he wished to charge out immediately and fight the enemy to the death.

Lin Shiya did not answer right away. She slowly stood, walked to the sand table, and studied the deployment of both sides’ forces, deep in thought.

It seemed she was weighing something. After a long while, she finally let out a single, measured sentence: “War is inevitable...”

Just as everyone thought she was about to give the order to attack, Lin Shiya suddenly stopped. She turned back slowly, her gaze passing over every face in the tent. Her tone was calm, but it carried a chilling edge. “Do you really think they came only for land and wealth?”

Her eyes burned with intensity as they swept across the room. Her voice rang out with iron force. “Have you forgotten the ruins of Northern Yan thirty years ago? They burned, killed, and plundered until not a blade of grass remained! Our people of Great Zhou were left homeless, families torn apart! And now that they have returned, are we to repeat the same mistake and allow ourselves to be slaughtered at will?”

She paused, then continued in an even firmer voice. “Our dynasty has strong troops and fine horses; our soldiers fight with their lives. And now we have the great weapon of artillery. What is there to fear?”

She stepped to the sand table and pointed at the enemy’s deployment map. “Though the enemy comes with great momentum, their supply lines are long. Our army can seize the chance to cut off their food route and make them collapse without even needing to fight!”

Every word Lin Shiya spoke landed like a hammer strike against the hearts of those present.

General Yang sprang up in excitement and slapped the table. “Lady Lin speaks truly! This humble general is willing to lead elite troops and strike straight at the enemy stronghold!” Excitement flashed in his eyes as if he already saw the dawn of victory.

The other hawkish officials quickly joined in, and the war tent was suddenly filled with fervent martial spirit.

Minister He’s face had gone white. His lips trembled, but he could no longer speak a single word of surrender.

He had thought he could use the words “seek peace” to gain some reputation in court. He never expected to be refuted so completely by Lin Shiya, left utterly humiliated.

All he could do was stand awkwardly to the side, too frightened to make another sound.

In the enemy chanyu’s tent, the man laughed darkly and said, “Issue the order. Have our spies spread the news that our army has ample provisions and high morale, and that in three days we will breach the frontier fortress!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a man dressed as a merchant took his orders and left.

This man was none other than the spy hidden within the Great Zhou court.

Disguised and mingling among merchant caravans, he spread the false intelligence without anyone noticing.

At the border, General Yang received word from his scouts and frowned deeply.

The scout reported, “General, the enemy has ample supplies and high morale. It is said they can break our fortress in three days!”

A trace of doubt rose in General Yang’s heart.

He paced back and forth, the long sword in his hand creaking as he gripped it.

Could the enemy’s provisions truly be so abundant?

Why did this differ from the previous intelligence?

General Yang then recalled Lin Shiya’s warning before she departed: “General, on the battlefield truth and falsehood intertwine, reality and illusion are mixed. Do not trust intelligence too readily; observe with care and analyze with caution.”

He immediately summoned the other commanders for a council of war.

The tent was heavy with tension.

General Yang told everyone both the report from the scout and the dying soldier’s final words.

Vice General Li was the first to voice suspicion. “General, how can the ramblings of a dying soldier be taken seriously? What if it was the enemy’s trick?”

“That’s right, General. The enemy is full of cunning schemes; we must be on guard!” The other commanders also voiced their concern.

General Yang furrowed his brow and paced in circles, anxiety gnawing at him.

At that moment, a soldier rushed in to report, “General, there are flames soaring sky-high in the enemy camp, with thick smoke billowing. Something seems to have happened!”

Something stirred in General Yang’s mind. Could it be...

He immediately climbed the watchtower and looked out into the distance.

Sure enough, flames leaped high from the enemy camp, thick smoke rising in great columns into the sky. The air carried the acrid stench of burning wood, and something else as well...

A faint sweet smell.

Even from such a distance, the cries and screams of confusion reached his ears, like the wailing of lost souls carried on the wind.

He raised a spyglass and focused on the scene.

Through the smoke and flickering fire, he could see figures running wildly in every direction, their silhouettes black against the blaze.

Several large tents had already collapsed, and countless sparks scattered into the night sky.

The ground around the camp seemed to be littered with...

Something.

He adjusted the focus.

Sacks.

A sack, then another, and another...

Grain?

Suddenly, everything became clear.

The dying soldier’s words, the strange sweet smell in the wind...

It was sugar.

Not grain.

The enemy was not short of food, but short of fodder.

The lifeblood of their cavalry—their grain stores—was burning.

That sweet scent was burning molasses, feed for their horses.

His heart hammered in his chest, relief and awe flooding him at once.

He thought again of Lin Shiya’s words, her composure, and her keen wit.

He turned to the other generals with a smile.

“Prepare for battle! The enemy is weaker than we thought!”

In the enemy chanyu’s tent, the man was in a towering rage, pointing at Strategist Wang’s nose and cursing, “Useless! All of you are useless! You actually let Great Zhou’s spies burn our supplies!”

Strategist Wang’s face had gone ashen, and he trembled all over, unable to say a single word.

He had never imagined that the scheme he had so carefully devised would be seen through by Great Zhou.

The chanyu roared, “Issue the order at once. Muster the troops and prepare—”

Before he could finish, a soldier stumbled in in panic, dropped to his knees, and cried in terror, “Chanyu, disaster! The Great Zhou army... the Great Zhou army...”

But Lin Shiya had already foreseen it.

Clad in silver armor, she appeared outside the tent with heroic grace.

She did not rush to issue orders. Instead, she walked slowly among the soldiers, her clear voice carrying across the entire training ground. “Soldiers, have you ever wondered why the enemy was so certain that their provisions were sufficient? And why, so coincidentally, the news of a great army pressing on the border came out at this very time?” Her gaze burned like fire as it passed over each young, bewildered face, every word striking like a nail into their hearts.

“All of this is nothing but the enemy’s scheme!” She pointed at Spy Wang, who was kneeling on the ground, and her voice suddenly rose, like a sharp blade drawn from its scabbard, cutting through the fog that had hung over the soldiers’ heads. “This man is named Wang Strategist. He is a spy sent by the enemy state. Disguised as a merchant, he spread false information in an attempt to shake the morale of our army so they could exploit the chaos and strike!”

She paused, drew a deep breath, and her voice turned firm and powerful. “Our soldiers of Great Zhou are all upright men who stand tall beneath heaven and earth! How could they be fooled by such petty tricks!”

The soldiers came to themselves at last, their faces filled with shame. The wavering morale that had troubled them began to gather again in this moment.

General Yang exchanged a glance with Vice General Li. General Yang was the first to drop to one knee, clasping his fists and shouting, “This humble general, Yang Meng, is willing to go through fire and water for Great Zhou without a second thought!” Vice General Li followed at once, kneeling on one knee and declaring with ringing force, “This humble general, Li Yong, is willing to work side by side with General Yang, slay the enemy, and repay our country!”

Seeing this, the soldiers all knelt and shouted in unison, “We are willing to go through fire and water for Great Zhou without a second thought!” Their morale soared, shooting straight into the heavens.

Lin Shiya nodded in satisfaction and looked around, taking in every expression.

In the imperial court, Lin Shiya’s strategy won the unanimous approval of all the officials.

She stood in the center of the grand hall, receiving praise and admiration from every side.

This time, no one dared question her ability or her wisdom.

This battle concerned not only the safety of the border, but also the dignity of Great Zhou.

At the frontier, the soldiers sharpened their blades and waited for the decisive clash.

Outside the camp, the raging fire, driven by the strong wind, burned all the more fiercely.

Sparks danced in the air, carrying a scorched, searing smell.

The soldiers wiped their weapons clean.

In the enemy chanyu’s tent, chaos reigned. He smashed everything on the table to pieces, as though his fury were about to consume him whole.

His face was twisted with rage, his eyes blood-red, like a beast driven mad.

“Damn it! Damn Great Zhou! I will make you pay!” He gave a sinister laugh, his smile full of bloodlust and madness.

Strategist Wang quietly backed toward the door, trying to slip away, but the chanyu seized his arm in one swift motion. The chanyu’s voice sounded like a devil rising from hell. “You think you can run?”