Chapter 125 – Warm-Up Battle Drill (2)

Ge Jingyun felt unjustly reprimanded. He held up the now-crumpled little flag in his hand and said,

"I've captured the command banner."

Though Leng Xiao had resorted to trickery, it didn't change the fact—he had won.

Taking the flag from his hand, Gu Yun sneered,

"Do you truly believe you've won?"

Her sword-like brows drew together.

"You said the one who seizes the command banner is the victor!" Ge Jingyun retorted urgently.

Was she going to go back on her word?

Slender fingers clamped down on his shoulder. With a firm shove, she turned him around and said coldly,

"Count your remaining soldiers."

Ge Jingyun glanced over his ranks. Some were caked in mud, some clutched arrows—captured or 'dead,' each one lost. Behind him stood a scattered remnant, barely more than a dozen.

His confidence instantly deflated.

He stood in long silence, but Gu Yun showed no regard for sparing his pride.

"Eighteen. You have only eighteen soldiers left! This night raid cost you dearly. Now count how many soldiers Leng Xiao still commands. One hundred and thirty-eight! In a real confrontation, do you truly think seizing the flag means victory? His troops are retreating to camp. If you face them again, what can your mere nineteen do? Why should you keep this flag—or your lives?"

"Because of your misjudgment, how many brothers have died under your command? And you still dare claim victory?!"

Stubborn, rigid, reckless, and utterly lacking in strategy—he was driving her mad.

With every word she hurled at him, Ge Jingyun lowered his head further.

The once unyielding man, now facing the mud-streaked faces of his comrades, was consumed by shame.

In her fury, Gu Yun couldn't even bear to look at him. She turned her sharp gaze to Leng Xiao, who had remained silent throughout.

"Leng Xiao, do you know why you lost?"

This time, Leng Xiao gave no excuse. He stood in silence, unable to meet her piercing eyes.

Her tone remained stern, yet in contrast to Ge Jingyun's incompetence, Leng Xiao's strategic thinking gave her some satisfaction.

"Taking the initiative wasn't your mistake. On the battlefield, cunning can be your greatest asset. But arrogance—underestimating your opponent—has cost you everything."

"I wasn't arrogant," Leng Xiao muttered in protest.

"Oh no?"

His quick denial truly ignited her fury.

"You left only thirty men—one-eighth of your force—to guard the camp. Inside are your provisions, weapons, maps—every essential resource. Tell me, with just one-eighth, how could you possibly defend it?"

Leng Xiao remained silent.

Gu Yun sneered,

"Let me answer for you. You thought your ambushes would hold. You thought the camp was safe. You thought, even if someone broke through, they'd be too exhausted to fight. That one-eighth was enough. Didn't you?"

Still, he said nothing.

Her patience snapped.

"Answer me!"

"…Yes."

For the first time, the cold and aloof Leng Xiao spoke with effort, conceding his arrogance.

Both commanders had been harshly rebuked. Behind them, their soldiers stood with wide eyes, shaken to the core.

As Gu Yun approached, every man's heart pounded in his chest.

She stopped in front of a mud-streaked soldier—the very one who had laughed the loudest just now.

"You find this amusing?"

The young soldier didn't dare respond, nor lower his head. He simply stood frozen.

Gu Yun's icy gaze swept across the faces of the young soldiers.

"What do you think you're doing here? Taking a stroll? Playing games? Look at yourselves—do any of you look like soldiers? Do any of you look like you've just fought a war?"

Her voice trembled with frustration. These were the elites she had spent half a month training?!

"They say your true enemy is Su Ren—a veteran of countless battles, unmatched in both strategy and might. You'll be up against Su Yu, a warrior whose ferocity knows no bounds. And you dare face them with this attitude? Defeat is inevitable!

On the battlefield, you'll confront enemies ruthless beyond imagination. With this mindset, death is certain!"

Under the moonlight, Gu Yun's slender figure stood tall amidst the rugged soldiers. Her heaving chest betrayed her anger and disappointment.

She said nothing more. Turning, she walked away.

As she reached the end of the formation, the soldiers suddenly turned in unison and shouted,

"Give us another chance! Let us do it again!"

Their united cry, thunderous and resolute, echoed across the desolate plains under the midnight sky.

Gu Yun did not look back.

"One life, one chance. There won't always be a second time. The day after tomorrow is your final chance—make it count."

She left without another word.

No one dared to call after her. Under the pale moonlight, the men stood motionless, solemn and silent.

Ge Jingyun turned to Leng Xiao. His face was no longer clouded with frustration or indignation—only calm determination remained.

"Let's face each other once more."

Leng Xiao met his gaze and replied without hesitation,

"Agreed."

Together, they turned to their disheartened troops and shouted,

"Shall we go again?"

For a moment, the soldiers were stunned. Then, voices rang out in thunderous unison:

"Yes!"

As the battle cry surged behind her like a tiger's roar, Gu Yun's footsteps faltered.

She did not turn around. But her lips curved ever so slightly, and her pace lightened.

A little failure does the young some good.

—

The General's Residence, Study Room

Neither Gu Yun nor Su Yu had gone to the training grounds. At dawn, Su Ren summoned them both to the study.

Outside, the sun blazed like fire. Inside, the atmosphere was deathly still.

Facing each other across the table, Gu Yun and Su Yu sat in silence. Gone was their usual bickering; both seemed lost in thought.

Leaning back in her chair, Gu Yun was already plotting the next step after the night raid. She was nearly certain now—Qing was in the Prime Minister's residence. She had to see her, learn her current condition, and plan the escape accordingly.

Su Yu, on the other hand, was thinking about the stakes. Word had it she'd been training hard lately. If she lost, the shame would be unbearable.

As a man of honor, he decided he wouldn't press her too hard—so long as she toned down her arrogance, he wouldn't make things difficult.

Unbeknownst to him, Gu Yun had never once considered the possibility of losing.

Behind the large rosewood desk, Su Ren looked at the two dazed figures and nearly laughed aloud.

Who was supposed to be competing? Why did it feel like he cared the most?

With a soft cough to pull their minds back, he smiled.

"I asked you both here to discuss the format of the night raid. What kind of contest will it be?"

Su Yu snapped back to attention, glanced at the contemplative Gu Yun, and said,

"I'm fine with anything."

Gu Yun also looked up and replied casually,

"Doesn't matter to me either. Let him decide."

Su Ren raised a brow, amused.

"You're not worried I'll favor my third brother?"

Gu Yun looked rather languid today, half-reclining in her chair.

"If you really wanted to help him, no matter how the match is set up, you'd find a way."

Su Ren was exactly the type to revel in chaos—quietly entertained as the world burned. He probably wouldn't help Su Yu at all and might even come up with the most outlandish contest imaginable.

Their back-and-forth seemed quite congenial, much to Su Yu's annoyance.

"Hey! Do you two think I'm dead? I don't need anyone's help, alright? Don't be ridiculous!"

Gu Yun offered a faint smile but didn't reply. After all, Su Ren had brought up the idea of favoritism—not her.

Su Ren ignored Su Yu's protest and continued with a grin,

"Alright, since neither of you has objections, I'll set the rules. As these are all new recruits, I won't make it too difficult. The location will be the Su Family's City Guard Camp in the western suburbs. The task is simple: I'll place a wooden box in a random room within the camp. Inside it, there will be an object. Whoever…"