The Grandmaster Strategist

ecause of fear of Great Yong’s strength that he did not place the Queen under house arrest.
However, Princess Changle grasped the big picture and did not take a single step out of the Palace.
In reality, the house arrest ordered by Shang Weijun was only to feign an appearance.
Who was to know that the Imperial Guardsmen would report that the Bright Moon Pavilion was completely empty, while Princess Changle had disappeared, while all of the court ladies were locked in a single room.
Shang Weijun turned pale with fright.
He knew that he had lost the protective talisman.
Not worrying about the city’s defenses, he ordered those fighters that he trusted to have Consort Shang and the Crown Prince changed into commoner garb and led to safety.
After that, Shang Weijun mounted the battlements to personally take charge of the defense. 

At this time, within a farmhouse in the northern outskirts of Jianye, the scene was filled with naked swords stained with blood.
Liang Wan wore green colored commoner garb.
A short sword was in her hands.
Although the sword was unmarked by blood, Liang Wan’s forehead dripped with sweat.
Behind her, seated upon a chair, was a woman with a wan and sallow, but clear and attractive complexion.
She was also in commoner garb.
Behind her stood a pretty maid with a short sword in her hands.
To the left and right stood a dozen or so Great Yong spies dressed as farmers.
All of them were injured.
The floor was covered with bloodstained arrows and crossbow bolts. 

Liang Wan could not believe her current predicament.
After she had brought Princess Changle to this hidden farm, her force had been caught off guard and attacked.
She could only retreat into the farmhouse, only to discover that the two individuals she had left there earlier had been captured and were bound tightly.
The legs of the two individuals had suffered grievous cuts before being treated.
Liang Wan had led her spies out several times to break the encirclement, but had been blocked by volleys of arrows and crossbow bolts.
Once, Liang Wan had relied upon the soft armor that she was wearing to charge out.
But just as she had left the courtyard, she was stopped by four masked men wielding sabers.
Although the martial arts of these masked men were, in Liang Wan’s eyes, only second-rate, they were bold and powerful with ferocious blade techniques.
In addition, they cooperated well and were using a blade formation to entrap Liang Wan for a period of time.
Seeing that the arrows and crossbow bolts were flying towards her, Liang Wan could only break through and retreat back into the farmhouse. 

Unfortunately, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
She was becoming increasingly confused.
Those surrounding her were definitely elite soldiers.
At the very least they were comparable to the best soldiers of Great Yong.
In addition, those martial artists who had stopped her were not easily found.
In the current Southern Chu, how could there be such an elite unit near Jianye? Even if they were Southern Chu spies, why had they only now taken action? They could have acted when she had rescued the Princess from the Palace.
From the beginning to the end, Liang Wan could not understand who was surrounding her.
But she knew that they absolutely must hold out.
For safety, they had not revealed this location to the Yong army.
If they could not hold out until the arrival the Yong army, then not only would she lose her life, but also the Princess would be finished.
If something happened to the Princess, even if she were to die, Liang Wan would be unable to quell the Yong Emperor’s anger.
When the time came, the Fengyi Sect would have to bear this anger. 

As Liang Wan was thinking, one of her subordinates informed her in a low voice, “Lady Liang, they have finally awoken.” 

Liang Wan was delighted.
Although the two that had been left here had suffered numerous injuries, they had not died.
They had been in a coma, unable to wake.
They must have taken some medicine.
She walked over and hurriedly asked, “What happened? Who attacked you?” 

One of the men licked his parched lips and replied, “Milady, only one person came.
He was dressed in black and had his face covered.
He didn’t say anything.
But his martial arts were extraordinary.
Using only one stance, he injured both of us.
That person originally wanted to kill us, but was stopped by another.
The second person should not know any martial arts, as his footsteps were weak and his breath deficient.
He gave the order to leave cut wounds on our legs.
After that, we fainted.” 

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Liang Wan listened to their words, but found them useless.
Just then, a cold voice could be heard from outside, “Those in the farmhouse, listen up! We have run out of patience! If you do not come out within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, we will burn the farmhouse down!” 

“If you set fire to the farmhouse,” replied Liang Wan in a loud voice, “Aren’t you worried that you’ll attract others’ attention?” 

It was silent outside for a moment before the man replied, “Southern Chu is too busy worrying about itself to care about others, while Great Yong is still more than an hour away.
We have plenty of time.
The longer you take to think, the more severe the punishment will be.
If you surrender now, we can guarantee that at the very least, you all will not die painfully.” 

Liang Wan could only feel cold sweat flood down her back.
For the first time, she regretted that she had not brought more men here.
As she was hesitating, several straw bundles were thrown next to the doorway.
A lit fire starter was thrown over.
Quickly a blaze was started.
Without any alternatives, Liang Wan could only yell out, “We’re surrendering!” 

The two straw bundles were pulled away.
A man of average height in black garb and with his face covered stepped into the doorway.
His hands were empty, weaponless.
But Liang Wan could feel the faint pressure being exuded from his body.
Her left hand was holding the flying daggers at her waist.
But at this moment, she did not have the courage to throw the daggers.
The black garbed man spoke in a feminine voice, “Raise your hands and walk out one by one.” 

Liang Wan jolted.
She had heard this kind of voice before – it was the speech of a eunuch.
But they should be from Southern Chu.
Summoning her courage, she threw down her short sword.
She raised her hands and collected her disordered hair.
Lithely, she walked towards that man.
She knew that this person could be a eunuch.
Even if he wasn’t, he probably trained in a particularly malevolent and feminine internal energy.
If that was the case, then his temperament was probably also insidious.
As a result, Liang Wan dared not use her beauty to bewilder him.
Instead, she would present the image that she was yielding and compliant.
She held her two hands behind her back and walked towards that man.
Just as she was passing him, her body moved like a viper and slid back, sending the dagger in her right hand piercing towards the man’s throat.
This was an impossible to defend attack, but the man’s right hand softly slashed forward, and Liang Wan lost feeling in her wrist lose feeling.
Afterwards a pale white and ice-cold palm extended forward and grasped her throat.
Liang Wan could only feel that the hand was as nauseous and dreadful as a viper.
Afterwards, she lost consciousness. 

When Liang Wan awoke, she found that she was in the dark.
She perked her ears and listened, but she could not detect anyone near her.
She tried to move her body, but found that her hands were tightly bound behind her.
She still had her martial arts and there wasn’t anything strange about the condition of her body.
She rejoiced and took a breath.
She did not make any more movements, as she did not want to attract any attention.
Just then, an ice cold voice spoke, “You’ve awoken, young master wants to see you.” 

After that, bright lights were revealed.
Liang Wan involuntarily closed her eyes.
Two men brought her to her feet.
From her senses, Liang Wan could tell that the two were still young.
Without letting her walk on her own, the two brought Liang Wan into a spacious room without windows.
This was a secret chamber.
Torches were mounted on the four corners of the room.
Seated in the chair in the center of the room was a black garbed masked scholar.
On the four walls were hung all of Liang Wan’s subordinates held in place with five iron chains.
There was no sign of torture on their bodies.
Liang Wan also saw another man standing next to the seated black garbed man scholar.
From his two hands, Liang Wan was able to recognize him as the person who had captured her.
Outside of this, there were six men in black standing in the corners.
Liang Wan was brought to the wall facing the scholar.
With practiced ease, the two men chained Liang Wan’s wrists, ankles, and waist to the wall.
The chains were tightened and Liang Wan was immobilized.
Another man in black stepped forward and using a bucket, splashed Liang Wan with cold water.
Liang Wan’s entire body was soaked, revealing the beautiful outline of an exquisitely developed and mature woman.
She was equally ashamed and angry.
Although she was already twenty-seven, she was still a virgin.
How could she take such humiliation? The men in black all looked her without restraint.
Even her subordinates could not help but steal glances. 

“Who are you, really?” asked Liang Wan indignantly, “Why are you making trouble for my Great Yong?” 

The black garbed scholar indifferently replied, “This one is not making trouble for Great Yong.
Liang Wan, I am here for you.
Everyone else were unfortunate to be fish in the same pool of water.” 

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Liang Wan shivered in her heart.
These past few years, she had been in service to Great Yong.
How could there be individuals here to avenge a personal vendetta? Seeing the hesitation in her subordinates’ eyes, she replied, humiliated and angry, “What do you do with the two other ladies?” 

She did not dare reveal Princess Changle’s identity, but the black garbed scholar said, “You are speaking of Her Highness, Princess Changle? Her Highness, Princess Changle, has nothing to do with this matter.
This one greatly sympathizes with the Princess’s bitter experiences.
As such, she has been arranged to stay in a different room.
But her female guard’s martial arts were extremely similar to yours.
She tried to seize an opportunity to mount a sneak attack and has been mistakenly killed by my subordinates.” 

Shivering inside, Liang Wan said, “You are really vicious.
My junior apprentice sister was only nineteen.
Who would have thought that you would be so cruel?” 

The black garbed scholar did not say anything.
The man who stood behind him spoke in a dark and gentle voice, “Who cares if we mistakenly kill one person? If you are unwilling to answer our question, I will make you wish you were dead.” 

Liang Wan furiously said, “Who are you, really? What rancor do you have with me?” 

The black garbed scholar coldly replied, “I will only ask you one thing, did you kill Liu Piaoxiang?” 

Liang Wan immediately stared back blankly.
There was no way that she could foresee that she would be asked this question. 

Footnotes:

趁火打劫, chenhuodajie – idiom, lit.
to loot a burning building; to profit from somebody’s misfortune 江淮, Jianghuai – refers to the region between the Yangtze and the Huai Rivers This is an aphorism by the Prussian general and military theorist, Carl von Clausewitz. 戮力同心, luliltongxin – idiom, concerted efforts in a common cause; united and working together 强弩之末, qiangnuzhimo – idiom, lit.
an arrow at the end of its flight; fig.
spent force 沐猴而冠, muhou’erguan – idiom, lit.
a monkey wearing a hat; fig.
worthless person in imposing attire