Chaos Of Beauty

ꦼ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ-ғᴏᴜʀ

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR (FINAL): The Sin Of War

Day twenty three.

The late arriving spring infects the treetops, the streets and alleys of Du Cheng surrounded in light green, the spring breeze rises all around, bringing a ray of cosy warmth into the city walls.

The Nu Army surrounds Du Cheng in form of a fan, due to adopting the tactic of quickly defeat the enemy, an unexpected strategy with the element of surprise, they did not bring any heavy invasion weaponry nor food supplies, originally thinking they will very quickly capture Du Cheng, but reality proves the error in their perceptions and understanding. This city, once famous for being the capital of trade, in face of the invasion from cavalry troops totalling up to nearly a hundred and fifty thousand, actually managed to firmly hold their ground for a full twenty three days.

"We have already performed to the best of our duty." The sky yet to light up, Military Advisor with a face somewhat pale, enters the military discussion area, saying this to the full house of Du Cheng generals.

The reaction from the generals all varied, Han Ze Ming only nods his head slightly, the slick and sly Defence Officer Jiang lets out a heavy sigh. The one known for his courage, Zhao Xin rounds his big eyes, an indignant demeanour, looking around at everyone's reactions, in the end, he does not say anything. When Military Advisor sweeps his eyes across everyone, not leaving a single person out, the moment he once again see Gui Wan, he finds that the her that is deep into thoughts, has curved her lips into a gracefully beautiful arc, faintly letting a smile bloom.

This is a very pure smile.

Waiting for everyone to leave, Military Advisor strokes his chin with a hand, warmly saying: "It has been tough on you these past days."

"The ones who had it tough, are the soldiers guarding the city."

Having never experienced the struggles of war, one would not know the brutality of it.

The soldiers' blood, the commoners' tears.

When they first started defending the city, she ordered the capture of four hundred Nu people, tying them up above the city tower, day and night hearing their weeping mixed with sorrowful singing, amongst them were old women with grey hair, also children who were too young to understand the way of life, just because of a war between two nations, they were treated as shields, standing in front of divisions of tigers and wolves. To this very day, those wave after wave of heart p.r.i.c.king singing seems to still be echoing in the ears.

"This is the sin of war, unable to be avoided!" Seeming to see the complications deep down in Gui Wan's heart, Military Advisor guides her out of those thoughts in an orderly and patient manner.

Raising her head like a cicada, looking at Military Advisor standing before the window, the new shoots a tranquil green, horizontal branches by the side, spring proudly filling the air, only that figure in front of the window, is bone thin, both sides of his head white like snow, those eyes once defined by her as old and cunning now appears greatly vast and deep. Defending the city for around twenty days, he has actually spent each day like a year, an elderly state now complete.

Gui Wan vaguely remembers, the first time seeing him, the feather fan gently swaying, happily chatting about the interesting gossips within the Capital, and it is also this feather fan, that guided her to make decisions in defending the city, arranging armaments and food supplies.

On the third day Du Cheng was sieged, Ye Li had already intended not to care for the life and death of the Nu people, storming into Du Cheng, driving her into a cave, unable to advance nor retreat, not knowing whether to kill those four hundred Nu people, to serve as a warning to others. It was Military Advisor who warned her, killing the Nu people, will provoke anger in the Nu Army, it is better to let them go at the beginning of the siege.