The messenger gazed toward the seat of Luxia Prefecture, his eyes reddening.
He cursed the refugee bandits, calling them all beasts.
Though the world was in chaos and scenes like this had become all too familiar, seeing the messenger like this stirred many people's hidden grief. For a moment, they sighed and sympathized. But all they could do was turn their sympathy into fighting spirit and kill a few more bandits later.
Only Shen Tang gave a quiet sigh, looking as if she wanted to say something but held back.
She seemed not to agree.
Chu Yao noticed his lord's mood. He rode a few steps closer, drawing alongside Shen Tang, and offered her some comfort. "The clouds may gather in a moment, but they vanish just as swiftly; even the fiercest rain lasts no more than a day. Bandits who commit every evil will bring about their own destruction. Our army will surely win a great victory!"
His words pulled Shen Tang's wandering attention back.
She paused, then said, "I'm not worried about whether we'll win this battle."
Shen Tang had never once thought she might lose.
The enemy had a force made up of over a thousand Second-Class Shangzao, as the messenger had mentioned, and several high-ranking Martial Gall Warriors. Most of the enemy soldiers were commoners, starved until their faces were sallow, and tenant farmers who had lost their land. Many had dragged their whole families along.
It was hard to say how much fighting strength they could truly muster.
Chu Yao asked, "Then what is troubling you, my lord?"
"The setting sun melts into gold, and the evening clouds gleam like jade. I'm admiring the sunset, while also feeling that it's such a pity..." The sun sank in the west. Looking up, she could see clouds