Yu Tianxing cupped his fists and bowed deeply. "I am honored by your favor, my lord. I will bend my back to the task until death itself brings rest, to repay you for recognizing my worth."
Hu Xiaotian said, "Tomorrow, I will announce this to everyone."
Yu Tianxing said, "There is no need to hurry, my lord. Though I have offered advice, I have yet to earn the slightest merit, and it will be difficult to win everyone's acceptance. If we successfully repel the Yong army, you can announce my appointment then. Our immediate priority is to gather fishing boats, fishermen, and blacksmiths. By my calculations, we may have only nine days left. Building three pontoon bridges within nine days will be a race against time. We must gather every craftsman and have them work day and night. As for the men who will hide upstream to launch the ambush, we must select trusted followers. Under no circumstances can word leak out beforehand. Once the Yong army is prepared, our entire plan will come to nothing."
Night lay deep when Hu Xiaotian returned to his courtyard. Seeing a light in his room, he peered through the crack in the door and found Visa asleep at the table. He slipped inside quietly, took off his cloak, and draped it over her shoulders.
Even that slight movement woke Visa. Her beautiful eyes opened, and she hurried to her feet, lowering her head apologetically. "I didn't know you had returned, Master. I actually fell asleep."
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "You've worked hard these past two days, too."
Visa shook her head. "Not as hard as you, Master. I'll fetch some hot water for you."
Hu Xiaotian stopped her. "No need. Go back and rest. I can do it myself."
Visa bit her cherry-red lip,