War and Love

"Ah, this was the life of a Deputy Commander I'd always hoped for!" Zichuan Xiu gazed with satisfaction at his spacious, newly renovated, luxuriously furnished office: an imposing desk with wine and pornographic books hidden in its drawers, and a comfortable leather chair. He could even loudly order the beautiful secretary in a miniskirt, "Get that journal from ten years ago off the top of the cabinet for me!" Once she climbed onto a stool, Zichuan Xiu propped up his chin, raised his head, and devoted himself to admiring the view... They were all men; there was no need to spell it out!

And the work was not demanding either—Deputy Commander Zichuan Xiu was clearly not highly regarded. His main tasks each day were things like counting how many chairs and teacups each corps had left, or dispatching someone to repair broken windows. Although Director Gushan had not entrusted Zichuan Xiu with important duties, she at least had not treated him unfairly.

Zichuan Xiu sighed emotionally. "Heaven!"

Then his gaze spotted several "things" that did not belong in heaven.

"Roger, Shirakawa, Changchuan, why are you in my office?"

"Oh, sir, have you forgotten? We're your 'assistant deputy directors'!"

"That's not what I mean—you have offices of your own, don't you? Why are you all..."

"Don't mention it. Our office is cramped, shabby, and badly lit!"

"Exactly! It doesn't even have air conditioning!"

"And the female secretary is uglier than the Demon Race's mother—sir, have you seen Midnight Terror? No need to buy a movie ticket. Just come to our office and look at our secretary."

"And they don't even provide Coca-Cola!"

"Sir, you know we were Banner Commanders! In the Far East, a Banner Commander is a high official in charge of more than a million people!"

"But here, we rank lower than refugees filing petitions!"

Zichuan Xiu felt his head spin. "Stop it, stop it—why is Zichuan Ning here too?"

Zichuan Ning replied calmly, "Oh, I'm inspecting the Administrative Department's work as the family heir. Does Assistant Director Xiuchuan have a problem with that?"

"Then why is Princess Kadan here too?"

"Brother! You're all too selfish. You ran out to have fun and left a girl all alone at home. How lonely do you think that was? Don't you feel guilty? Doesn't your conscience condemn you?"

"People will get the wrong idea if they see so many gathered here..."

"Oh, Lord Xiuchuan, then you needn't worry!" Kadan casually hung a sign on the door that read, "Meeting in Progress, Do Not Disturb." "At worst, they'll say, 'Assistant Director Xiuchuan holds meetings seven days a week.' They'll even praise your dedication to duty!"

"Hell!" Zichuan Xiu cried in despair.

"Axu, why are you shouting about hell?" Sterling appeared in the doorway, smiling. "Sorry for interrupting your meeting, everyone!"

"Not at all!" Everyone stood to welcome him, except Kadan, who remained seated.

Since bidding each other farewell that day, Sterling had visited Zichuan Ning's home almost every day. No one was foolish, and they soon understood that Lord Sterling's frequent visits were not merely because he was close friends with Lord Xiuchuan. Besides, Sterling himself made little effort to hide it: whenever he arrived at Zichuan Ning's home, he would widen his eyes and search all around until he found Kadan's lovely figure. Only then would he relax and let out a long breath.

Roger once sighed to Shirakawa, "Look at Lord Sterling. He's like a middle school student who's fallen in love—he's completely lost his head."

Shirakawa replied, "By the will of the gods, everyone is a prisoner of emotion. No one can escape it." Then she sank into thoughtful silence...

But Kadan, the second party involved, seemed wholly unaware of Sterling's devotion. When he came, she saw him; when he left, she did not keep him. She treated him no differently from anyone else. She did not reject him outright, but neither did she show the slightest warmth in return.

Sterling was a famous figure in the Imperial Capital, and this should have caused quite a stir. But under Zichuan Xiu's harsh pressure, he summoned the household servants and his subordinates, threatening viciously, "Anyone tired of living, go ahead and tell the outside world!" Even with Zichuan Ning, he unusually assumed the authority of an elder brother and strictly forbade her from revealing a single word to her close friend Li Qing. Thus, the matter fortunately did not leak beyond Zichuan Ning's residence.

Everyone watched with smiles as Sterling walked in as though unaware of anything. Changchuan, who was seated beside Kadan, hurriedly gave up his place. "Please sit, sir!" Sterling sat down without the slightest hesitation, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Even Zichuan Xiu, usually shameless himself, had to admire the man's sheer brazenness.

"What are you all talking about?" Sterling said "all," but his eyes looked only at Kadan.

Kadan did not answer, so Zichuan Xiu answered for her. "We were discussing Di Lin's battle situation in the Far East." He handed Sterling a newspaper.

Sterling had actually read it already, but he unfolded it as if seeing it for the first time. He made thoughtful noises as he read, as though the news were extremely interesting. After several minutes, he asked, "What do you all think?"

"We all think Di Lin is in trouble," Roger answered first, hoping to present himself as clever before the idol in his heart. "A lone army advancing deep into enemy territory, with no reinforcements; powerful enemies blocking the way, unable to advance."

"Mm. Axu, do you see it that way too?" Sterling looked at Zichuan Xiu. Their eyes met, and they immediately understood each other's meaning.

Zichuan Xiu said softly, "No. I think Di Lin currently holds the strategic initiative."

Sterling said briefly, "Agreed!"

"Why?" several voices asked at once.

Zichuan Xiu smiled. "You only see that to Di Lin's east lies Gemara City, guarded by two hundred thousand Demon Race troops led by the famous general Yun Qianxue. Its defenses are as solid as a fortress, so Di Lin will surely have to attack Gemara—and surely fail to take it. Right?"

Sterling picked up the thread. "But what if Di Lin does not attack Gemara? For example, he could turn southeast and launch an attack on the more weakly defended Yika City. Once he captures Yika City, Di Lin can link up with Deputy Commander Lei Bang's garrison in the southeast, no longer needing to worry about his rear or reinforcements. At the same time, he can completely isolate nearly five thousand square kilometers of Demon Race territory, then slowly gnaw it away piece by piece..."

Zichuan Xiu said, "If Di Lin does not attack Yika City either, he can march northeast toward Guosen Grassland. Taking Guosen Grassland would mean seizing the Demon Race's source of magic crystals and Walking Dragons. Di Lin could use the captured Walking Dragons and Magic Stones to build a hundred-thousand-strong magical Dragon Cavalry force. At that point, the Demon Race would be in even greater misery."

Sterling said, "Even if Di Lin does not attack Guosen, he can still surround Gemara completely with superior forces and wait for Yun Qianxue's two hundred thousand troops to become too hungry to endure it, then surrender obediently."

Silence fell. Shirakawa said hesitantly, "But that requires one condition: Di Lin's legion must receive a constant flow of supplies. He must not fear his supply lines being cut, or he cannot sustain a long campaign. But with a supply line over a thousand kilometers long, and entirely within Demon Race territory, how can it be protected?"

Zichuan Xiu and Sterling exchanged a glance and smiled bitterly together.

Sterling spoke as though weighing every word. "For you and me, that really is a difficult problem—but for Di Lin, it is no problem at all. Perhaps that is the difference between a famous general and an ordinary one." There was an indescribable bitterness in his tone.

Zichuan Xiu smiled bitterly too. "It has nothing to do with ability. It is purely a difference in mindset—you need not belittle yourself so much."

No one understood. They looked at Zichuan Xiu, hoping for an explanation.

Zichuan Xiu sighed and said only one sentence: "Plunder locally and solve the supply problem."

Everyone understood. To sustain a prolonged campaign, Di Lin would inevitably send out detachments to seize every scrap of food that could fill a stomach from fields, villages, towns, and cities. He would never let his soldiers go hungry. Thus, if Di Lin could hold out for two months, Yun Qianxue's trapped troops in the city would certainly not last even three weeks.

Kadan cried shrilly, "Then what about our civilians? Are we just going to let them starve to death?"

Every Zichuan Family officer in the room turned away, not daring to meet the girl's bright eyes. Only Roger muttered softly, "War is cruel..." But no one paid him any attention.

"That just now felt truly sinful." When only Zichuan Xiu and Sterling remained in the room, Zichuan Xiu spoke softly. "We got so carried away talking that we almost forgot Kadan was one of them."

Sterling only sighed.

Zichuan Xiu said, "If it had been someone else, I would have had plenty of arguments to throw back at them: 'Don't you see that for centuries, the Demon Race has been bullying us? This tiny bit of payback does not even count as interest!' But when I saw Kadan's eyes, I couldn't say anything..."

Sterling sighed again.

"Honestly, if Di Lin keeps doing things like this in the Far East, cleaning up the mess later will be difficult." Zichuan Xiu said, "For the sake of immediate convenience, he has killed all the prisoners. Who will dare surrender to us in the future? They will only fight to the death. And massacring civilians, plundering their food—I truly cannot approve of such methods. Once we lose the people's support, how can our family establish itself in the Far East?"

Sterling said nothing. He remembered Di Lin's domineering, forceful voice: "I do not need the support of those lowly commoners. I only need them to fear and obey me! In the end, we rule the Far East not through public votes and elections, but through the swords in our hands!"

Sterling did not truly approve of Di Lin's violent methods either, but Di Lin was still their elder brother. Zichuan Xiu, the youngest brother, could complain a little, but from his position as the second brother, Sterling was not in a place to condemn him.

He sighed again.

"I say, Sterling, stop sighing like some resentful woman shut away in her chambers. Say something."

"Any recent news? I mean here in the Imperial Capital."

"Nothing new. First, Yang Minghua refused to give Ming Hui's Border Defense Army new equipment, so that batch of equipment ended up in Lei Xun's Central Army. Second, our director, Gushan, had a huge argument with Luobo Minghai over it. She said Yang Minghua should not have broken precedent, since new equipment had always been issued to the Border Defense Army first. I'm having trouble figuring out where that old spinster stands."

"Oh, is that so? It seems I can work on her a little. Maybe I can win her over."

Zichuan Xiu shot Sterling a sidelong glance, his expression strange.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You lecher, could you please restrain yourself when chasing girls? You like Kadan, but don't make it so obvious. I'm afraid word will get out... I can barely keep things suppressed as it is!"

Sterling had no reply.

"Does Li Qing know?"

"She only suspects something. She suspects I have found a second woman outside, but she does not know who it is."

"Tsk, tsk. A woman's intuition is terrifying! She asked Zichuan Ning to have me investigate your whereabouts for her. I had to talk her around with every trick I knew, and I only barely placated her for now. Next time, I will not get off so easily. What reaction has Kadan given?"

"You saw it yourself: no reaction! She never gives me an opportunity to be alone with her..."

Zichuan Xiu cursed, "That little vixen! So cunning! Listen, you should just tell the Chief Commander directly. As long as he supports you, no one else will be able to interfere. Then you won't have to sneak around anymore!"

"I will tell him, but not now. Yang Minghua and his people will never let this chance to strike at us pass. If things go badly, he may force me to resign and take responsibility. Besides, I do not want the Chief Commander distracted by my affairs at a time like this."

"That's true."

Zichuan Xiu looked at Sterling's face. It had grown noticeably thinner, his cheekbones protruding, his eyes deeply sunken. He could not understand how his closest friend had suffered so much for love, while still having to pretend nothing was wrong as he handled heavy military duties every day and schemed against Yang Minghua's faction, exhausting both mind and body...

He pitied Sterling, but admired his resolve even more deeply. He even thought, If it were me, I couldn't do it. Luckily, I'd never be foolish enough for this in the first place. Love, my ass! Those young women wandering beneath the Imperial Capital's grand hotels are all beautiful as goddesses. Three hundred yuan for a night—why make things so troublesome with love?