The north wind whipped sand and gravel against the ox-hide tents, creating a dull, rhythmic thrumming as if the heavens themselves were sighing for the impending battle. Shen Mingyue stared at the enemy movements marked by black beans and red thread on the sand table. The candlelight flickered in her eyes, making her gaze appear sharp and predatory, like a lone wolf hunting in the cold of night.
She dug her fingernails deep into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks, yet she felt nothing. Her fingertips traced a firm line across the boundary between Eagle Beak Cliff and the banks of the Heishui River. This was the ambush point they had meticulously selected: a treacherous terrain where the mountains on either side were as steep as if carved by blades, leaving only a narrow mountain path in between—easy to defend, difficult to attack.
"General Gu, at the third quarter of the fifth hour tomorrow, the enemy will inevitably enter the gorge." Her voice was low and calm, though she could not mask the tension and anticipation beneath it. "Intelligence from these past few days shows that the enemy commander is arrogant and self-important; believing the victory is already in his pocket, he will surely lower his guard and walk right into our trap."
Chapter 113