Before the Storm (Part 1)

When Zheng Qiao received the news, only two days had passed since Shen Tang had tricked Lin County. Those two days had been nothing short of harrowing and exhausting. Shen Tang had never intended to hold Lin County, so she had cleared out its storehouses and a pile of military supplies in advance.

She had moved all of it away.

Then she had armed the military stronghold she'd tricked them into handing over to the teeth.

At that point, she'd stopped pretending and laid her cards on the table.

She'd learned from Wei Shou: there was nothing more satisfying than digging in and refusing to come out!

She might as well have written "Come and cut me down if you've got the guts" across her face. The taunting words practically leapt off the battle report. Zheng Qiao was already in a volatile mood, and when he read the report, the veins in his forehead bulged with rage.

The ministers summoned to discuss the matter all lowered their heads, barely daring to breathe lest a single deep breath bring down a death sentence. Compared with their caution and fear, the generals under Zheng Qiao were much more outspoken. They all volunteered for battle. "They're just a pack of petty thieves with a few cheap tricks up their sleeves. I'm willing to lead troops to wipe them out and knock the enemy's morale down a peg!"

When he finished, a few others voiced their agreement.

Zheng Qiao's expression shifted between dark and bright, revealing nothing of his position. He crushed the bamboo slip bearing the intelligence in one hand, then used his literary energy to grind it to dust. Just then, a normally rather reserved civil official stood up to voice dissent and pour a bucket of cold water over the proceedings.