Chapter 487: Chapter 470 Dizziness
When Fengyu found herself in Xie Xun’s body, he was in the tent discussing military matters with the generals. Xie Jue and Fang Chuning were also present. Except for Xie Jue, nearly everyone was clad in heavy armor. Perhaps because of the ongoing turmoil in Ningzhou, and the fact that the group consisted entirely of rugged men, no one seemed concerned about personal hygiene. The moment Fengyu was transported over, a thick odor of sweat and blood assaulted her senses—an extremely unpleasant smell.
The generals, all donned in heavy armor, were drenched in sweat and blood despite the winter season. Most of them had gone a full month without a proper bath or even washing their hair. Fengyu noticed that every set of armor and robe in the tent bore bloodstains. Apart from Second Brother, not a single one of them was clean. Forgive her for being picky, but as a proper lady, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. While these rough men seemed accustomed to such conditions in the tent, Fengyu, who had just arrived, wasn’t prepared for the stench lingering in the air. She almost gagged on the spot.
She understood that in times of war, hygiene wasn’t a priority, but even though her mind grasped the situation, her body reacted honestly, sending waves of nausea rolling through her stomach.
Fengyu: "..."
"Your Highness, what’s wrong?"
"Your Highness, this isn’t such a big deal. Don’t get upset—please reconsider."
Feeling confused and stifled by the smell, Fengyu thought, Upset? About what?
She wasn’t upset at all!
The news of Sannan mobilizing their troops hadn’t yet reached Ningzhou. Currently, Ningzhou was struggling against the Beiman’s new war chariots, scrambling to find a way to counter them. The spoils salvaged from the battlefield had been dismantled for study but couldn’t be replicated due to the lack of special materials that Ningzhou couldn’t source. The precision and accuracy required for these innovations further complicated replication efforts. Days earlier, Xie Xun had engaged in fierce combat with Dugu Jing outside the city gates. Thus far, the Beiman had deployed over a dozen of these new war chariots, which boasted formidable firepower.
Ningzhou remained blanketed in heavy snowfall, but in just a month, the arrival of spring and the melting of the snow would render these war chariots even more potent. Some generals, aghast at the ferocity of recent battles, had proposed that Xie Xun mobilize their entire force for a decisive stand. Xie Xun and Fang Chuning both opposed this resolution. Currently, Fang Chuning represented the imperial court, but his say carried far less weight than Xie Xun’s.
Mobilizing all forces was a cardinal sin in military strategy. As a general in the past, Xie Xun had led troops into battle with unmatched valor and sharp ferocity. However, in his current role as commander, he adopted a far more cautious and composed demeanor. Every soldier under his command, he hoped, could live to return home.
When Fengyu first swapped over, she felt slightly dizzy and was only able to listen in on the generals’ discussions. She noticed Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and Zhou Liyu sitting toward one corner. It had been a long time since she’d seen them, and she found herself quite nostalgic. She hadn’t expected Lin Xiao and the others to participate in such strategic meetings—how wonderful! She recalled Xie Xun mentioning that generals invited to strategy meetings in the commander’s tent were invariably some of the most crucial figures of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry.
"Your Highness, have you thought over the strategy just now?" asked General Zhou.
Everyone’s eyes turned to her. Having only just swapped into the body, Fengyu hadn’t managed to catch the earlier conversation. Still, her quick-wittedness prevailed. "What does Second Brother think?" she replied.
Xie Jue frowned and shot her an icy glance, while Fang Chuning couldn’t suppress a chuckle. "Are you doing this on purpose? You just argued with him earlier, and now you’re asking his opinion? You know full well he disagrees."
Maintaining Xie Xun’s dignified aura with a calm exterior, Fengyu thought inwardly: Argued? A disagreement? So... whose judgment should I trust? I’ll just let Xie Xun resolve this when he’s back.
Fengyu replied coolly, "Let’s take a quarter-hour incense break. My head aches."
"Your Highness, didn’t we just return from a break?"
Fengyu: "..."
Xie Jue shot another piercing look her way, making Fengyu’s scalp tingle. In a state of panicked composure, she resorted to a classic excuse: "Excuse me... urgent call of nature. I drank too much water."
Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin immediately got up. "Your Highness, we’ll accompany you!"
Fengyu: "..."
Practically fleeing the suffocating tent, Fengyu stepped into the biting cold outside. Taking a deep breath of the frosty, clean air, she managed to quell the rolling turmoil in her stomach.
"Your Highness, the privy is this way!" Lin Xiao noticed her heading in the wrong direction and hurriedly called out. Feeling faint, Fengyu could only follow Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin, all the while stalling for time. With the war situation so dire, Xie Xun wouldn’t possibly be gone for too long.
"Your Highness, do you truly plan to lead the troops as bait? The Second Young Master is right—you’re no longer a general but a commander now. You shouldn’t take such dangerous risks," Lin Xiao blurted out. "There are so many seasoned generals in the tent. As someone with less seniority, I didn’t feel it was my place to speak earlier. But if we truly need a decoy, you can send me. I’m willing to go!"
"Lin Xiao is right. Let me go with him. We coordinate well together," Zhang Boxin added. Now Fengyu was starting to piece the situation together: Xie Xun intended to lead the decoy mission himself, which had likely sparked the argument with Xie Jue.
"Are you two that eager to earn merit?" Fengyu asked, unsure of their exact circumstances. Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin rarely conversed much during prior encounters, and Xie Xun never shared much detail about them either. Yet, for them to have secured a seat at the commander’s table must have required extraordinary effort—perhaps a hundred or even a thousand times the norm.
On the brutal, blood-soaked battlefields of Ningzhou, their willingness to volunteer for such dangerous missions clearly hinted at their desperation to achieve merit. Fengyu figured they sought to exchange their lives for military accomplishments. By her guess, Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin weren’t considered part of the core Ningzhou Iron Cavalry; as members of prominent clans, they were probably viewed with suspicion and continuously subjected to exclusion and provocation within the army.
In their hearts, they trusted Xie Xun as the rightful ruler of the land. They also had families still residing in the Capital City. Only by amassing merit could they climb through the ranks and one day shield their loved ones with their military achievements. Even if cast out by their clans, blood ties were bonds that could not easily be severed.
"Nothing escapes Your Highness’s notice," Lin Xiao said with a bitter smile. He refrained from mentioning his brother’s matters. Xie Xun had once told him about encountering Lin Cheng in Yangzhou and explained the purpose of Lin Cheng’s presence there.
It was as if Xie Xun had outright said, "I am the one who killed Lin Cheng," even though it was left unsaid. Lin Xiao knew it in his heart. Xie Xun hadn’t made it explicit, and Lin Xiao hadn’t acknowledged it either. Their mutual understanding was a silent pact.
"Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, don’t rush..." Fengyu said. "You are Prince Qin’s trusted inner circle—personally nurtured by me. You’ve sacrificed everything to follow me in rebellion against the Capital City. Whatever you desire in the future, there’s no need to trade your lives for it. I will bestow it upon you."
She knew this would be Xie Xun’s pledge.
Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin were visibly moved. Zhang Boxin brushed snow off his forehead. "Your Highness, we understand. We simply want to kill Beiman people—that’s all."
"Then there’s no need to hurry. There will be plenty of chances."
The privy turned out to be a simple, nearly open-air structure. As Fengyu approached, she saw a crowd of men with their backs to her, relieving themselves. At last, she remembered her purpose here!
Fengyu turned crimson. "..."
She spun around to leave in a hurry but suddenly felt her body stiffen. The world spun violently, and before she could fully process what was happening, Xie Xun returned to his original body.
Upon swapping back, the intense dizziness hit Xie Xun like a tidal wave. He suspected the upheaval of emotions between the two of them had something to do with it. He hadn’t anticipated the chaos breaking out in West State, nor the audacity of Sannan’s forces to mobilize. Worse, Fengyu’s injuries were still severe. As he reentered his body, residual fury clung to him, stirring discomfort within.
"Wasn’t I just in the commander’s tent? Why am I outside?" Xie Xun asked, bewildered.
"Your Highness, we came here to use the privy," Lin Xiao explained.
The dizziness in Xie Xun’s head grew even worse. "..."