Inside the main conference room of the Xijiang Military Mansion.
Seated at the very head of the table was a woman in her early thirties, possessing slender moth-wing brows and classic eyes. Her well-defined features and facial contours fit together flawlessly.
She wore a military uniform, her hair tied back in a ponytail. Combined, these traits gave her a strikingly formidable and heroic air.
Shen Qingtang, the youngest female God of War in Xia Country.
Just sitting there quietly, she caused the high-ranking officials of the military mansion seated below to hold their breath in awe.
"Execute the plan exactly as I've laid it out. We will launch a surprise attack tonight and break the Shensan Country forces in one fell swoop!" Shen Qingtang declared, bringing her hand down on the table to settle the matter.
At that moment, an elderly man replied with a solemn expression, "The enemy holds the terrain advantage—it's easy to defend and hard to attack. Even if we ultimately succeed, the price we pay will be disastrously heavy!"
Shen Qingtang frowned tightly at the front of the room. His words left her somewhat cornered.
Another high-ranking military official chimed in, "Elder Sun is completely right!"
Shen Qingtang's brow furrowed even deeper, and she couldn't help but ask in return, "Aside from my plan, does anyone here have a better one?"
As soon as these words fell, the conference room plunged into a dead silence, so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.
Sun Zhan, who had spoken earlier, said in a deep voice, "Before General Huang and General Yang left, they instructed us not to act rashly for the time being. They said they would find a better way to resolve this matter."
Hearing this, Shen Qingtang sighed, seemingly finding it hard to believe anyone could come up with a better strategy.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Come in!"
As Shen Qingtang's voice trailed off, a soldier pushed the door open, executed a standard military salute, and reported, "We just received orders from General Huang directing General Shen to lead all senior officers outside the military mansion to welcome a leader."
Shen Qingtang's sharp eyes narrowed. "Is someone coming from the General Headquarters?"
The soldier shook his head. "General Huang didn't specify."
"Understood. You are dismissed."
Shen Qingtang figured it must be someone of high rank from the General Headquarters; otherwise, Huang Zhonghu wouldn't make such a grand welcoming fuss.
The scene shifted.
Led by Shen Qingtang, all the senior personnel of the Xijiang Military Mansion came out to wait outside the grounds.
High above, a military helicopter flew in from a distance and finally touched down steadily outside the mansion.
The first to step out were Huang Zhonghu and Yang Zhian. Just when everyone assumed the next person to emerge would be some high-ranking official from the Imperial Capital General Headquarters—the next moment—
Xu Lang jumped agilely down from the chopper.
Who on earth was this?
Including Shen Qingtang, everyone wore looks of utter bewilderment.
Logically speaking, anyone capable of entering the Imperial Capital General Headquarters should be at least fifty years old. Why was the newcomer so young?
"Salute!" Yang Zhian roared.
Swish, swish—
Everyone present snapped to attention in a unified salute.
Xu Lang felt rather awkward and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I'm not in the military, don't be so formal."
"Come, let me introduce everyone. This is Mr. Xu, who will have full authority over the negotiations with Shensan Country this time," Yang Zhian introduced to the crowd.
Shen Qingtang couldn't help stepping up to Yang Zhian's side, lowering her voice to ask, "General Yang, what kind of background does this guy have?"
"It's a secret!" Yang Zhian kept her in suspense.
At that moment, Xu Lang noticed Shen Qingtang, his eyes lighting up slightly. "They say Suzhou and Hangzhou are famous for handsome men and beautiful women, but I didn't expect the soil and water of Xijiang to breed such a stunning babe."
"Watch your mouth!" Shen Qingtang's expression darkened.
"General Shen, show some respect." Huang Zhonghu was terrified that Xu Lang might get angry and simply turn back, which would be a catastrophic loss.
Shen Qingtang's face remained grim as she couldn't help asking, "General Huang, I'd like to know what rank this person holds in the military."
"Are you talking about me?"
Xu Lang pointed at his own nose, smiling playfully. "Didn't I just say it? I'm not a soldier."
Seeing Shen Qingtang's furious expression, Huang Zhonghu hurriedly explained, "Although Mr. Xu holds no official rank in the military, he is a Special Envoy personally appointed by the Dragon Lord."
A Special Envoy? And personally appointed by the Dragon Lord at that!
Shen Qingtang, who had been on the verge of erupting, instantly swallowed her anger, and her arrogant posture softened—though the look she cast at Xu Lang still carried traces of displeasure.
Moments later, led by Huang Zhonghu and Yang Zhian, the group returned to the conference room.
Only this time, compared to before, Shen Qingtang was not the only one sitting at the front; even the center seat had been taken over by the unknown Xu Lang.
"Mr. Xu, I've already briefed you on the specifics earlier. Do you have any good methods or suggestions?" Huang Zhonghu handed the floor over to Xu Lang.
There was a lawless no-man's-land on the border between Xia Country and Shensan Country. Not long ago, an oilfield had been detected there, with estimated reserves surely no less than the five major oilfields of the north.
Shensan Country coveted it eagerly, while Xia Country refused to cede it, so the two nations agreed that whoever could occupy that land within ten days would own the oilfield.
If it came to sheer might, Shensan Country naturally fell short of Xia Country. But to prevent the two nations from falling into a bitter war, they reached a friendly agreement: no weapons of mass destruction could be used, and the deployed personnel could not exceed one thousand!
Simply put, it was to be settled through a micro-battle.
Even so, Xia Country had nothing to fear; the crux of the problem was that Shensan Country held a vastly superior geographical position, which put the Xia forces on the passive defensive.
The Xijiang Military Mansion was at its wit's end until, prompted by the Imperial Capital General Headquarters, Huang Zhonghu and Yang Zhian personally traveled to Number Nine Celestial Prison to invite Xu Lang out of seclusion.
In their eyes, if anyone could truly turn the tides and save the day, it had to be the master of the Eightfold Pagoda!
"I don't have any methods. Do whatever you want!" Xu Lang's reply was completely unexpected.
Yang Zhian frowned slightly. "Mr. Xu, even a suggestion would do!"
"Not even a suggestion!" Xu Lang answered very crisply.
Yang Zhian and Huang Zhonghu exchanged glances, completely at a loss as to what medicine Xu Lang was selling in his gourd.
Shen Qingtang, who had remained silent for a long time, curved the corners of her lips upward and said, "Since the Special Envoy has no better methods, then we will use the plan I drew up!"
"No!" Huang Zhonghu flatly rejected it. "Accomplishing the mission is important, but the lives of a thousand men matter more!"
"Though casualties are inevitable, we must keep the cost to the absolute minimum!" Yang Zhian's attitude was identical to Huang Zhonghu's.
Even though Shen Qingtang's plan had a high chance of success, if they went that route, fewer than one in ten of the thousand soldiers might survive. That was definitely not what they wanted to see.
"Let me look at your plan." Xu Lang looked at Shen Qingtang with keen interest.
Swish!
Shen Qingtang pushed the folder in front of him across the desk.
Xu Lang opened it, reading ten lines at a glance, and finished browsing the whole thing in a few seconds. As he closed the folder, he criticized it indirectly, "Which idiot came up with this plan?"
Swish!
Hearing this, Shen Qingtang immediately stood up from her chair. "Who are you calling an idiot?"
"Oh, so it turns out your plan was the idiot!" Xu Lang's face showed mock apology.
Just when Shen Qingtang thought this fellow was about to apologize, she never expected Xu Lang to shoot her a sideways glance.
"I guessed right after all, you really are that idiot..."