When they entered the tent, the generals had all taken their seats. The tent was very quiet, but the simmering fury held in check gave their eyes a murderous look.
Song Chuyi walked unhurriedly to the center, cupped her hands, and saluted the three generals. “I wonder why you wished to see me. Is there some important matter?”
Gongsun Chi could not stand Song Chuyi the most. He thought that she, a youth who had not yet even reached the age of capping, was probably no more than somewhat knowledgeable, and could not be called a true scholar at all. Hearing Song Chuyi’s words, he could not help but sneer, “You cannot see it, but you can always hear the furious roars of thirty thousand soldiers, can you not?”
Having said that, he did not give Song Chuyi a chance to respond, and turned to shout at Longgu Qing and Bing Ge, “If you ask me, the right thing to do is immediately muster the army and catch the Wei thieves off guard. What is the point of wasting time here?”
Gongsun Chi was tall and powerfully built, with a voice like thunder. When he roared, ordinary people truly found it hard to endure.
Longgu Qing, his expression unchanged, looked toward Song Chuyi. “Please sit.”
Song Chuyi compliantly found a straw mat and knelt down to sit. Then she heard Longgu Qing continue, “Wei is bullying us too far. We cannot swallow this anger. We intend to lead the army to retake the city. Do you have any good plan?”
“Which city do you intend to retake?” Song Chuyi asked.
“Of course it is Chuqiu. This place is already close to Puyang. If not here, then where?” Gongsun Chi said coldly.
Seeing that the others did not object either, Song Chuyi folded her hands and said, “I wonder how long Wey’s hatred over this matter can last?”
As soon as her voice fell, everyone immediately fell into discussion, their anger clearly even greater, though this time it was directed at Song Chuyi. Ji Yu also frowned and cut in, “How can national humiliation be forgotten? With such despicable conduct by the Wei thieves, as long as our state does not retake the city for one day, we cannot wipe away the shame for one day.”
“Then that is good.” Song Chuyi looked somewhat relieved. “Since the will to fight is still there, why choose this time when the generals are weary and the soldiers exhausted to go retake the city?”
Bing Ge said, “Of course because we want to catch them off guard.”
The generals all spoke up one after another in agreement.
Amid the clamor, Song Chuyi sighed and slowly shook her head.
Longgu Qing raised a hand slightly, signaling everyone to be quiet. Only after the noise gradually died down did he speak and ask, “Why do you shake your head?”
“I believe that a surprise attack is secondary. The main reason is simply that all of you are men of unyielding backbone and hot blood, and cannot swallow this anger.” Song Chuyi’s words sounded pleasant, but the gist was that they had been blinded by hatred. “From the time the King of Wei forced the Marquis of Wey to send troops to attack Song until now, there is only one thing I have seen very clearly.”
She drew a deep breath and said loudly, “The King of Wei has never taken the State of Wey seriously at all. In his eyes, Wey can be kneaded and shaped however he pleases.”
Everyone’s faces turned ashen, but they had no words to refute it. Even if they were unwilling to admit it, this was the truth. Some people’s hands unconsciously moved to the hilts of their swords, as if this could let them find a shred of dignity.
“If the King of Wei took Wey seriously, or were even more ruthless, he would long ago have cut off your supply routes and then stirred up Song to start a war. Do you think the King of Wei harbors any benevolence toward Wey?” Song Chuyi asked.
Of course not. This answer was absolute.
Since he harbored no benevolence, then it was contempt. Although the crowd did not answer, they knew this very well in their hearts.
“Since Wei has schemed to seize by force, it naturally will not be without any precautions. Even if we could catch them off guard, the march would be rushed, and our troops and horses are already exhausted. Leaving aside the question of victory or defeat for the moment, even if we won, have you calculated the gains and losses?” Song Chuyi said.
“Never mind gains and losses for now. First tell us the chances of victory or defeat.” Gongsun Chi wanted to know this even more.
Seeing everyone staring at her, Song Chuyi knew that at this moment their hearts were filled with hatred and rage, and that they only wanted revenge. They would certainly want to know the chances of victory first, and then the gains and losses. She said, “In that case, I will venture to speak of it. In military affairs, one assesses them through five factors: first, the Way; second, heaven; third, earth; fourth, the commander; and fifth, law. It is also said that only by knowing oneself and knowing the enemy can one fight a hundred battles without danger.”
In using troops, one must weigh five things. The first is the social and political conditions, the second is climatic change, the third is terrain, the fourth is the quality of the commanders, and the fifth is military rules and laws.
“Do all of you know how many men the enemy has defending Chuqiu? How their forces are distributed? Do you know whether the people of Wey are willing to fight? Have you predicted changes in the weather? Have you carefully surveyed the terrain? And who is the one commanding the enemy troops?” Under Song Chuyi’s pressing questions one after another, everyone gradually calmed down.
Having finished speaking in one breath, Song Chuyi rested for a moment, also giving everyone time to think. Only then did she slowly say, “That is why I say victory or defeat is hard to predict.”
For a long time the tent was silent. Even Gongsun Chi, who had always looked down on Song Chuyi, lowered his eyes in thought.
After quite a while, someone finally broke the silence. “Are we just to suffer this loss for nothing?”
“Naturally we cannot suffer this loss for nothing,” Song Chuyi said. “Since the soldiers’ momentum will not disperse for a time, it would be better to prepare thoroughly and then launch a surprise attack. But before that, Wei must make the matter of the King of Wei’s coercion known to the whole world.”
She smiled slightly and reminded them, “Did not Wey, in the time of Duke Shen, attach itself to Zhao?”
If Wey silently swallowed its anger before striking back, then by that time the matter of “ceding territory and borrowing a route” would become true even if it were not. And to make it known to all, apart from appealing to the Zhou royal house, Zhao was the only choice.
“I am merely a passerby. Whether to fight or not rests entirely with the three generals. But since I have promised Commander Ji to serve Wey, I am willing to advance and retreat together with you.” Song Chuyi made a solemn bow to express her resolve. “I will take my leave for now.”
“Please do as you wish,” Longgu Qing said.
Song Chuyi did not think they would be persuaded by her immediately. They still needed to discuss matters, so that was why she withdrew from the tent. Because all the higher-ranking generals were inside deliberating, although the camp tents had already been pitched, they had not yet been assigned, and Song Chuyi had nowhere to go, so she had no choice but to wander aimlessly.
“Master Huaijin.”
Hearing someone call her, Song Chuyi looked toward the source of the voice and saw it was Yun Ruo.
“It’s you,” Song Chuyi answered with a smile.
Yun Ruo was very happy to see Song Chuyi. Seeing that she had actually responded, he rose and came up to greet her. “Come warm yourself by the fire.”
“All right.” Song Chuyi was shivering from the cold, and since there was a fire here to warm herself by, she naturally followed over happily.
The people sitting around the fire varied widely in age, from fifty or sixty years old down to fifteen or sixteen. When they saw Song Chuyi approach, they all secretly cast curious glances her way.
Song Chuyi cupped her hands and gave them a slight salute, then found an empty spot and sat down cross-legged.
Yun Ruo was somewhat shy. A moment ago he had excitedly called Song Chuyi over, but now he did not know what to say. Fortunately, Song Chuyi was quite good at chatting.
When Song Chuyi had once been down and out, she had also lived for a period among simple common folk. These people in the army were also commoners conscripted from various places, so she very quickly got the people around her talking as well, and a group gathered together chatting about everything under the sun.
From farming and tilling fields, to entertainers and courtesans, to fine food and good wine, Song Chuyi had no trouble conversing at all. In particular, her descriptions of various courtesans and delicacies made the whole crowd drool with craving.
More and more people gathered around.
Just as the conversation here was warming up, there was a disturbance on the north side of the camp.
