Chi Wan always felt she was forgetting something very important. Logically, this shouldn’t be happening; her memory had been proven to be exceptional.
Forgetting was impossible for her. She wasn’t old, nor had she suffered a heavy blow to the head. Her memory should have been fine.
But for the moment, she couldn’t figure out what it was she was forgetting.
Besides, the war in Lingnan was critical and required her attention.
The Heir Apparent of Lingnan was a fine general. Facing a numerous and versatile enemy with inferior numbers, she met their every move with steadfastness.
Despite having only a hundred thousand troops, as long as nothing unexpected happened, she could guarantee Lingnan’s safety.
Chi Wan had discussed the plot with Yu Jiuzhou. She knew that in the previous life, Lingnan had repelled Nanyue’s invasion, which she now presumed was thanks to the Heir Apparent of Lingnan.
So much had changed in this life. As a precaution, she decided to continue overseeing things in Lingnan.
The main issue was Nanyue’s Guai’er Army, which was composed of children. These individuals were harder to catch than monkeys. They grew up in the rainforest; even if thrown in alone, at least eighty percent of them would survive.
An eighty percent chance was very high. For Great Zhou’s soldiers, aside from those native to Lingnan, the survival rate if thrown into the rainforest alone was likely less than thirty percent.
With most of the fighting taking place in the rainforest, the advantages of Great Zhou’s soldiers could not be brought to bear.
Chi Wan was glad she hadn’t brought too many people with her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be an advantage but a larger target.
The most difficult part was that the Guai’er Army could infiltrate Lingnan’s towns and villages at any time, potentially delivering a fatal blow to the local populace.
Chi Wan held a string of agarwood beads, idly rolling them between her fingers, an indescribable sense of oppression weighing on her heart.
War brought nothing but slaughter. Unless one was a true demon, witnessing so much killing would inevitably lead to a heavy heart.
If only she were by Yu Jiuzhou’s side. Just a moment in Yu Jiuzhou’s arms would be enough to lift her spirits.
Chi Wan blinked. She thought she saw Yu Jiuzhou’s figure.
Lately, she seemed to be having hallucinations, always seeing Yu Jiuzhou standing before her, smiling.
Perhaps she was too tired, and missed her wife in the distant capital too much.
As a result, her mind was filled with images of Yu Jiuzhou, and she relied on these thoughts to soothe the oppression brought on by the war.
After a moment’s thought, Chi Wan picked up her brush and wrote on a piece of paper—Yu Jiuzhou, Chi Jinzhao misses you. Misses you, misses you, misses you so much.
She didn’t know how many times she had written “misses you” before she began to write about official matters.
—My dearest Jiuzhou, I’m so tired, so sleepy, and I miss you so much.
At the beginning of her official report, Chi Wan once again expressed her longing before starting to ramble on about her recent experiences.
She was writing the letter like a diary.
August 1st…
August 15th…
September 1st…
October 1st…
Winter arrived…
Chi Wan hadn’t expected this war to last so long. Half a year had passed, and the fighting was not yet over.
Nanyue’s tenacity was nothing like Beining’s.
Beining had first been backstabbed by the Duke of Xin, then they had pushed deep into Yanbei. Coupled with their unfamiliarity with Great Zhou’s tactics and their failure to anticipate the power of Great Zhou’s firearms, that war had been concluded in a few months.
Nanyue was different. Their spies had surely investigated the details of the war between Great Zhou and Beining and had prepared countermeasures long ago.
Moreover, Nanyue was better at guerrilla warfare and avoided direct confrontation. It was all thanks to the Heir Apparent of Lingnan—oh, she should be called the Prince of Lingnan now.
Thanks to the Prince of Lingnan’s steady hand, Lingnan had remained stable.
Over in the East Sea, Xu Chenlu had also stabilized the situation. The war report said she had killed the leader of the Wokou pirates.
Chi Wan suddenly remembered something. In her past life, the Duke of Xu had been able to eliminate the Wokou pirates, perhaps because of Xu Chenlu.
In this life, Xu Chenlu had been recalled to the capital, and problems arose in the East Sea. Once she returned, she drove the Wokou pirates away.
No wonder the Duke of Xu had eliminated the Wokou pirates in the last life but not in this one.
It turned out to be Xu Chenlu’s achievement. It seemed the Duke of Xu could return to the capital. He was suitable for training troops, but the defense of the East Sea could be handed over to Xu Chenlu.
After all, Xu Chenyu relied too much on experience and military texts, lacking any groundbreaking ideas. But such a person would surely make an excellent instructor, capable of training a batch of outstanding generals.
Chi Wan wrote to Yu Jiuzhou about this matter; adjustments would surely be made on that end.
Besides these things, Yu Yichen had also been escorted to the capital.
A top-secret letter from Yu Jiuzhou detailed Yu Yichen’s interrogation. Chi Wan was shocked. No wonder Yu Yichen had been so crazed.
It turned out that after Yu Jiuzhou’s death, Yu Yichen’s throne had not been stable. The Marquis of Pingliang, An Yizhi, had led a large army to force him out of the capital, and he had fled to Jiangning to establish a new capital.
That was why he had chosen Jiangning again in this life.
After making Jiangning the capital, his power was quickly usurped.
The great clans of the south were not to be trifled with. Like a pack of vicious wolves, they quickly seized control of the Southern Zhou court, and Yu Yichen became a puppet.
His good days had only lasted for ten years, and that was while Yu Jiuzhou was still around. In the end, he had become a puppet emperor. No wonder his temperament had changed so drastically, becoming so volatile and suspicious, even more so than Emperor Shengyuan.
And he had been so impatient to become emperor, even if it meant being a false emperor in Jiangning. He must have thought that in this life, he would absolutely not fall again on the battlefield of power that was Jiangning.
Yu Yichen was desperate to prove himself, and to shatter the rumor that he was nothing without Yu Jiuzhou.
Great Zhou had nearly been destroyed at his hands. First the move south, then being turned into a puppet, and finally being captured.
After the Southern Zhou fell, An Yizhi unified Great Zhou, then withdrew and completely handed over power to the new emperor, who was the younger sister of the Prince of Shunchéng.
Unfortunately, being too young, she made a grave mistake. In the end, she gave up in despair. If not for An Yizhi stepping in to save the day, there would have been a disaster.
Yu Yichen knew nothing of what happened after that. He was imprisoned and soon tortured to death.
Chi Wan was quite shocked as she read the letter. An Yizhi was a good person. To avenge Yu Jiuzhou, she had gone to such lengths, even at the cost of being branded a treacherous official.
Later, for the stability of Great Zhou’s imperial line, she relinquished her military power and retired into seclusion. Yet when the new emperor needed her most, she rallied her old subordinates and entered the capital to rescue the sovereign.
Chi Wan guessed that An Yizhi probably felt that since she had put an unsuitable person on the throne, she had a responsibility to see it through to the end.
She just hadn’t expected such an outcome.
According to history, Great Zhou would have been split into a Southern Zhou and a Northern Zhou, and Yu Yichen would have been the last monarch of the Northern Zhou.
The contents of the letter were top secret and absolutely could not be known by outsiders. Chi Wan burned it after reading.
Although it pained her a little, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Whenever Chi Wan had a bit of free time, she would write to Yu Jiuzhou, and Yu Jiuzhou would do the same. So she had now collected many letters.
She would read every letter from Yu Jiuzhou several times before carefully putting it away.
But for some reason, she had forgotten most of the contents of the letters Yu Jiuzhou had written to her back in Yanbei.
This shouldn’t be happening. Her memory had never failed her before; it was impossible for her to forget letters she had read several times.
Chi Wan was certain something was wrong with her. A physician cannot heal themself. She was out on a campaign, and many matters required her attention. Her body could not fail at a time like this.
At present, if Yu Jiuzhou was the god of Great Zhou, then she was its Dinghai Shenzhen—the magical staff that stabilized the seas.
If the Dinghai Shenzhen had a problem, things could get ugly.
She was living in the military camp now. Calling for a military doctor would immediately alert others. It was not an option.
Unless she secretly summoned a physician.
She was a physician herself. She knew her own body; there was nothing physically wrong with it. It was just her memory that was failing.
Memory was related to the brain. A problem with the brain was affecting her memory.
No, that wasn’t right either. She had checked with her internal energy and found nothing amiss.
Besides, she remembered many other things with perfect clarity, down to every word she had read. Therefore, she didn’t believe there was a problem with her brain.
But why, then, was her memory fading?
No, what kind of situation would cause a specific set of memories to be lost?
What was special about these memories?
Chi Wan tried to sort through what she had forgotten, to find the common thread among those memories.
Although what was forgotten was forgotten, she hadn’t lost her memory completely. There were still traces to follow.
These memories… they all seemed to be related to Yu Jiuzhou.
From the time she transmigrated, to when they began to get along, to when they developed feelings for each other, and had that passionate lovemaking-before-love—or more accurately, they were already in love before they went to bed.
As time went on, Chi Wan finally realized what she was forgetting: the little moments she had shared with Yu Jiuzhou.
Why? She hadn’t forgotten anything else. Why only these things?
It was as if she had drunk the Water of Forgetfulness. No, the Water of Forgetfulness would make you forget everything upon waking. She was forgetting bit by bit.
In comparison, her situation seemed even more painful.
Forgetting little by little. She knew she was forgetting, but there was nothing she could do.
It was agonizing. She didn’t want to forget, but her brain was beyond her control. The more she tried not to forget something, the more it slipped away.
It was as if there was a worm inside her head, constantly devouring her memories of Yu Jiuzhou.
First year of the Zhengtong era, the first day of the second month.
There was a turning point in the Lingnan war. Nanyue wanted to negotiate for peace.
After fighting for so long, why the sudden desire for peace talks?
Still, continuing the stalemate was not a solution. Talking was an option.
Meanwhile, Chi Wan found a local physician in Lingnan. After examining her, he said she was in perfect health, with no problems whatsoever.
She had examined herself, and had a physician examine her. Both found nothing wrong. So what on earth was happening?
She found an even more skilled local physician. He gave her a suggestion: find the Ah Po of Luodie Stronghold.
He didn’t say which Ah Po, only that she should go find “the Ah Po.”
Chi Wan had intended to go, but then Nanyue proposed peace talks and specifically requested her as the negotiator.
If Nanyue had wanted to talk peace, they could have done so from the beginning. Why wait until now, after fighting for over half a year? What was their motive?
She would have to go and see to find out their motive. Chi Wan thought of Xi Wu, and also of Duan Jinxian.
According to the spies’ reports, the commander of Nanyue’s invasion this time was Princess Duan Jinxian.
To be honest, Chi Wan’s first impression of Duan Jinxian hadn’t been bad. She was a bit crazy, but she was brave enough to express herself—a rare and precious quality for a Kun Ze in this world.
But when Duan Jinxian proposed that she go to Nanyue to become their Fuma, she felt the woman was not just crazy, but also somewhat lacking in morals.
A person with a proper moral compass would not suggest that someone else’s partner become their own.
Even if the Qian Yuan of this world could take wives and concubines, there was only one primary wife, and the value of the original primary wife was indisputable.
Besides, her relationship with Yu Jiuzhou was very good. Duan Jinxian couldn’t have failed to see that, yet she still made such a request. It left one speechless.
Then there was Xi Wu, a woman who always smiled gently but rarely spoke. What made her even more curious was her identity: the young mistress of Insect Valley, a woman who could use Gu.
The mystery of Gu poison made this woman seem mysterious as well.
Thinking of these two, Chi Wan couldn’t help but think that one couldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Duan Jinxian had the air of a “sweet girl,” yet such a person was not only crazy and had a questionable moral compass, but had also launched a war in disregard of the common people. It made her understand why the term “femme fatale” existed.
As for Xi Wu, a gentle and beautiful woman, but one who practiced Gu. Of course, she didn’t think Xi Wu was a bad person, just that she was too mysterious.
It was like practicing martial arts. Some techniques were killing moves, each capable of taking a life. In the hands of an evil person, they were tools for murder; in the hands of a good person, they were tools for saving lives.
People found Gu poison sinister mostly because of its mysterious nature.
Chi Wan couldn’t help but wonder how Gu was administered, and how the Gu insects were cultivated.
If she had the chance, she would like to consult a professional.
It was precisely because she knew Xi Wu’s Gu skills were formidable, and that her surname was Duan and she was close to Duan Jinxian, that Chi Wan had worried from the start that Xi Wu might use Gu against the army.
So far, that hadn’t happened. Or perhaps it had, but the high-quality Gu insects were too few, so only common ones were used, and the insect-repellent sachets Chi Wan had distributed to the soldiers had prevented any incidents.
The more powerful and refined something was, the rarer it was.
If powerful Gu insects were so numerous, why would Nanyue bother deploying a mysterious army? They could just deploy the Gu insects.
Chi Wan calculated in her mind, then called out, “Who are Nanyue’s envoys for the talks?”
“The Princess of Nanyue, and the Grand General.”
Duan Jinxian and Duan Hefeng. Both were acquaintances.
Nanyue’s sincerity seemed decent enough, but she wondered what conditions they would propose.
Chi Wan thought for a moment and said, “Summon the Prince of Lingnan.”
“Yes.”
A short while later, the Prince of Lingnan arrived. She saw Chi Wan studying the sand table and couldn’t help but ask, “What is the Commander worried about?”
The peace talks were about to begin. She should be resting, so why was she still studying the sand table?
Chi Wan shook her head. “I just feel a little uneasy.”
Ever since she discovered her memories of Yu Jiuzhou were constantly disappearing, she had been on edge. Learning about Nanyue’s desire for peace talks had only made it worse.
The Prince of Lingnan looked at the sand table and agreed with her. “I feel something is wrong too. We’ve been fighting for so long, and we haven’t gained any advantage over Nanyue. Why would they suddenly want to talk peace? Could there be internal problems in Nanyue?”
That was indeed one possibility. If Nanyue was having internal problems, there would be more room to maneuver during the negotiations.
Was it civil unrest, or had their supply lines been cut?
Chi Wan and the Prince of Lingnan exchanged a look. “Hypothetically, if the peace talks with Nanyue fail, what method could force them to retreat?”
The Prince of Lingnan thought for a moment. “That would have to be something happening within Nanyue that forces them to retreat.”
The two sides had been in a stalemate for so long. Due to unfamiliarity with the geography, as well as issues with the climate and water, Great Zhou had fought a difficult campaign this time, almost entirely on the defensive.
But in the past half-year, Chi Wan had not been idle.
Her secret weapon was ready. The workshops and artisans in the capital had worked urgently for over half a year to produce one hundred of Great Zhou’s most technologically advanced heavy cannons, along with various landmines, explosive packs, and firearms.
Compared to the previous equipment of the Capital Camps, this was several times better.
Especially the heavy cannons. A hundred cannons firing in unison at Nanyue… what rainforest, what guerrilla warfare? Flatten it. Flatten it all.
This was her tactic. To maintain secrecy, she hadn’t even told the Prince of Lingnan.
Tactics were like this: attack the enemy’s weakness with your strength. Use guerrilla warfare against Beining, and simply flatten Nanyue.
Not just cannons, but trebuchets as well. Hundreds of trebuchets launching at once—Nanyue wouldn’t stand a chance. Of course, Great Zhou’s trebuchets would be launching explosive packs.
There was also the option of tying explosives to crossbow bolts and arrows. Just flatten Nanyue, and their guerrilla tactics would be useless.
At that point, Nanyue’s army wouldn’t retreat? Their homes would be gone.
As for the people of Nanyue, if their own rulers didn’t consider their well-being, it wasn’t her place to do so.
But just as the plan was about to be implemented, Nanyue proposed peace talks. Chi Wan even suspected a leak.
Regardless, she had to meet them. Unless absolutely necessary, the act of razing another’s home to the ground was too detrimental to heavenly harmony. So many people would die under the cannon fire.
Of course, to protect the people of her own country, she would open fire without hesitation. The people of another country certainly couldn’t compare to her own.
However, since the other side had chosen to talk, she would talk first.
Before the talks, Chi Wan needed to make a few things clear.
The Prince of Lingnan was a steady and reliable person, perfectly suited for this task.
Chi Wan cleared her throat and said in a low voice, “Nanyue says they want to talk peace, but we don’t know if they are sincere or just trying to stall for time. Whatever their motive, we must have our own plans.”
The Prince of Lingnan nodded. “The Commander is right. What are the Commander’s thoughts?”
“What about you? Do you have any ideas?” Chi Wan wanted to hear the Prince of Lingnan’s thoughts. In the future, Lingnan would still be in her hands.
Chi Wan didn’t support this hereditary method of guardianship. After all, just because the first generation was capable didn’t mean the following ones would be. But clearly, the education and other aspects of the Prince of Lingnan’s line were very strict, and at least so far, there had been no problems.
But this concerned the people and soldiers of Lingnan, and many things needed to be done after she left for the negotiations. She had to understand the Prince of Lingnan’s thinking.
The Prince of Lingnan glanced at her. “Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.”
It was a similar idea: attack Nanyue to force their army near Lingnan to retreat.
Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. “What’s your plan?”
The Prince of Lingnan frowned in thought. “Trebuchets, to first create chaos in Nanyue. I have an agent in the Nanyue royal palace who can take the King of Nanyue hostage during the chaos. However, the success rate is only thirty percent.”
Thirty percent? That success rate was a bit low. But on the battlefield, situations were ever-changing. Thirty percent was actually acceptable. At fifty percent, one could bet everything.
Chi Wan smiled. “I originally thought that entrusting the protection of a region to a single family was a bit too reckless. A strong first generation doesn’t guarantee that every generation will be strong. So at the beginning, I didn’t trust you that much. I apologize, that was small-minded of me.”
However, she now had great faith in the Prince of Lingnan’s abilities.
The Prince of Lingnan was stunned. After a long moment, she realized Chi Wan was apologizing.
She was astonished. Normally, officials from the capital, even minor ones, were arrogant.
Their line of Lingnan Princes was far from the capital. Any slight disturbance would be magnified, and once they were slandered, it was difficult to clear their name.
Especially with a monarch like Emperor Shengyuan, it was even harder. Many times, they had considered giving up the title of Prince of Lingnan and becoming an idle prince in the capital like the Prince of Kang, at least ensuring wealth and status.
But looking at the people of Lingnan… Lingnan was one of the poorest regions in Great Zhou. The people suffered greatly. How could they rest easy? And so they persisted, even having to curry favor with minor officials from the capital.
This was the first time she had met such an approachable official from the capital, one who would even apologize.
Chi Wan was the Fuma, the Prince of Qin Yu, the Commander of the Imperial City Division, the Commander of the Capital Camps… with so many important positions, she was second to only one person.
The Emperor of Great Zhou was Yu Jiuzhou, which meant Chi Wan was the most powerful person besides the emperor.
Such a person shouldn’t speak like this. She should be condescending.
The Prince of Lingnan was shocked by Chi Wan’s attitude, but it also felt natural. She felt that someone like Chi Wan, a capable and powerful individual, wouldn’t have the attitude of a petty person who had come into power.
True, Chi Wan had been in Lingnan for a long time, and they had worked together for so long. She had some understanding of Chi Wan.
It was just that Chi Wan apologizing felt like a dream.
After composing herself, the Prince of Lingnan said, “For the sake of the people of Lingnan, the Commander’s concerns are correct. No one can guarantee that I will be like my mother, or that my children will be like my mother.”
Chi Wan smiled. “No, it’s just that during the negotiations, I need to entrust my trump card to you. We need to be on the same page with the plan.”
She was going to negotiate with Nanyue, so the affairs of Lingnan would be handed over to the Prince of Lingnan. They had to be in agreement on the general direction.
After understanding the Prince of Lingnan’s thoughts, she felt relieved. “Alright, let’s get down to business. I approve of your plan. I will send people to assist you. Also, the trebuchets can be used, but the cannons should be the main force. As for taking the King of Nanyue hostage, we can hold off on that for now.”
“Cannons?” The Prince of Lingnan was only puzzled by this point. She had heard of cannons, a rather useless weapon. She had heard they had been effective on the Yanbei battlefield, but could they really be effective in Nanyue?
“You’ll know when you see them.”
Chi Wan stopped studying the sand table. It was clear the Prince of Lingnan was also highly capable. She just said, “Let’s wait for the outcome of the negotiations first.”
The Prince of Lingnan nodded, then looked at her hesitantly, as if wanting to say something. After a moment, she asked, “Is the Commander unwell?”
The Prince of Lingnan knew she had gone to see a physician. After all, they had been operating in Lingnan for so long, and Chi Wan was a person of great interest. It would be impossible not to know.
But for the stability of the war effort, the Prince of Lingnan had not inquired, let alone spread the word. Today, since they had spoken frankly, it was fine to ask.
Chi Wan stroked her right arm, where she could still feel a faint pain. “The physician said I’m fine.”
The Prince of Lingnan’s eyes fell on her right arm. “Is the Fuma injured?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s just some profound memories left behind.”
She was afraid that she would truly forget Yu Jiuzhou.
Footnotes:
- Dinghai Shenzhen (定海神针): Literally meaning “Sea-Pacifying Divine Needle,” this is a mythical artifact from the classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods (封神演义) and later famously featured in Journey to the West (西游记). In the latter, it is the original name of the Monkey King Sun Wukong’s magical staff, the Ruyi Jingu Bang (如意金箍棒), which he retrieves from the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. The staff could change size at will and was used to pacify the oceans. Metaphorically, the term is used to describe an indispensable person or thing that brings stability and order to a chaotic situation, acting as a pillar or cornerstone.
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