Mission Assignment, Generals Receive Their Mandates

The messenger burst into the tent, the sealed urgent letter still in his hand, but Chen Wuya stopped him with a raised hand before he could deliver it.

He did not take the letter. He merely set his charcoal pencil lightly on the edge of the sand table, his gaze sweeping across the generals in the tent. General A had already strapped on his armor, while an adjutant stood behind him holding the battle standard; General B stood before the deployment map for the archers and crossbowmen, unconsciously rubbing the clasp of the arrow quiver at his waist. Bai Zhi still stood beside the sand table, the Azure Edge Token tucked into her sleeve, with only a strand of silver ribbon hanging beside her wrist.

"This letter," Chen Wuya finally said, "can wait."

He walked to the center of the sand table, his fingertip tracing the course of the Northern Ridge valley before stopping at the gap between the main camp of the foreign army's new forces and the eastern camp. "They sent spies with this letter not to report military intelligence, but to test whether we will lose our heads." He looked up at General A. "Just now, you asked what if the enemy does not play by common sense—but what is common sense? They direct their troops with signal flags and advance to drumbeats. That is their 'sense.' What we must do is make them realize that their 'sense' cannot save their lives."

General A gave a slight nod, his expression grave.

Chen Wuya picked up the charcoal pencil and redrew three paths across the sand table. This time, the lines were even more twisted, like casual scribbles, yet they echoed one another.

"First route: take five hundred light-armored soldiers down the valley beneath the western cliff. The