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He fell heavily, taking a while to get back up from the ground. He shouted angrily, "You dare, what do you intend to do?"
San Chun laughed and kicked him again, causing Pang Wan to kneel on the ground with a thud. She heard her call out, "General Pang, do not blame yourself so harshly. The defeat in battle is not solely your fault, why must you be this way?"
The nearby officials and soldiers were stunned; they all saw that it was San Chun who kicked the general and couldn't help but think to themselves how bold she was. As for those further away, they couldn't see what was happening clearly; they only saw General Pang kneeling on the ground, looking heartbroken.
San Chun also knelt down with a thud, crying bitterly towards Pang Wan. Afterward, she stood up and shouted loudly, "General Pang has issued an order. Delaying military matters is indeed a grave offense. Today, he punishes himself to serve as a warning to others. In the future, anyone who dares to disobey military orders will be severely punished."
This passionate speech had quite a heroic flair, and cheers erupted in the barracks. Many shouted, "The general is valiant! The general is valiant!"
Pang Wan, who was originally furious, felt a mix of joy and anger at the sudden unity of the crowd. He glared at San Chun, thinking that she had been so ruthless and that he would settle accounts with her later.
San Chun was no fool; she knew when to advance and when to retreat. After things settled down, she found a place to hide, allowing Pang Wan to search the entire barracks without finding her.
Pang Wan intended to keep looking, but at that moment, half of the garrison at Border City suddenly retreated overnight to fend off the Wei Army.
Unlike the situation here, the Wei Kingdom army was advancing rapidly, having captured two cities in the Chu Kingdom. However, due to the retreat from Border City, the Yan Army finally managed to take over Border City.
Having arranged to meet with the Wei Kingdom in Qu City, they arrived only to find that Wei Kingdom had been waiting for a long time. A grand welcoming ceremony was held outside Qu City, where Mr. Dong Cheng, the strategist of the Wei Army, personally welcomed General Pang into the city.
It had long been said that there was a talented strategist by Zhong Xue's side, but few had seen him. Many important decisions were said to have been proposed by him, earning him the title of the first strategist of the Wei Kingdom.
From a distance, Mr. Dong appeared to be in his thirties, dressed in white with a small beard; he looked handsome and somewhat charming.
However, the more she looked at him, the more he resembled someone else, but who it was eluded San Chun.
Upon entering Border City, which had just experienced war, the chaos was not as imagined. Although the streets were desolate, the common people seemed relatively calm. In such turbulent times, being attacked a few times was bearable as long as there was no massacre; most people continued with their daily lives, simply avoiding going out.
San Chun took a stroll around the city and felt some admiration for Zhong Xue. The fact that he could manage a chaotic city so efficiently demonstrated his capabilities.
Zhong Xue hosted a banquet at the Prefectural Office to entertain Pang Wan, toasting and displaying friendly gestures throughout the meal.
Pang Wan felt somewhat overwhelmed by the warm reception from this Lord Jun. After all, the Yan Army had only managed to capture one city and had succeeded under the threat of the Wei Army; he really did not need such treatment. It only made one think of the phrase "false pretenses."
Zhong Xue raised his cup and smiled, saying, "Thank you, General, for leading your troops to assist us. Please drink this cup to the fullest."
Pang Wan quickly replied, "Lord Jun's kindness is overwhelming; Pang Wan feels unworthy."
Zhong Xue smiled slightly, "No worries. It is fortunate for Wei Kingdom that you can send troops. With our numbers, we could scare even the King of Chu."
This was purely nonsense; the King of Chu was no fool and would not be scared to death by mere numbers. However, Pang Wan understood that this was clearly a hint at his inaction, suggesting that they intended to intimidate through sheer numbers.
The stairway provided was both amusing and frustrating; Pang Wan understood this was a subtle reprimand but smiled on the surface, saying, "What Lord Jun says is indeed true. With our numbers, we will surely capture Ying City."
"Indeed."
The two laughed heartily and downed their drinks simultaneously.
Kazama, listening to their conversation nearby, couldn't help but smirk. He thought that those who knew would realize they each had their own agendas, while those who didn't might think these two were just talking nonsense.
After three rounds of drinks, Zhong Xue suddenly asked, "Is there someone named Chun in your army?"
"Yes, Lord Jun."
"Why haven't I seen him today?"
"He holds a low position and is not suitable to meet Lord Jun."
"I heard that this time of expedition, this person named San Chun contributed greatly. Let's invite him to the banquet tomorrow."
Contributed greatly? Pang Wan recalled how San Chun had almost smashed his tent with a group of people, and a fire of anger burned in his heart. Later, he searched the military camp for her but couldn't find her until the last two cities were captured, when she suddenly appeared, grinning and apologizing.
Since the matter was already settled, he wasn't as angry anymore. Moreover, for some reason, he felt that this San Chun resembled someone else. In the end, he only scolded her a few times, and the account of her hitting him was left unresolved.
"Understood." Pang Wan replied, wondering what exactly made Lord Jun care so much about San Chun.
Of course, she wasn't without merits; at least she was bold enough to stir up trouble in front of a powerful figure.
In fact, Zhong Xue had no choice but to find her through Pang Wan. Ever since the Yan Army entered the city, he had been wanting to call San Chun over. They hadn't seen each other for such a long time; he wondered if the girl missed him. However, when someone sent a message inviting her to meet, that girl completely ignored it.
With Lord Jun's order given, Pang Wan could not pretend to be unaware. As soon as he returned to the military camp, he immediately sent someone to find San Chun.
By the time San Chun arrived an hour later, he was anxious from waiting and had consumed two pots of tea before hearing the soldier report: "San Chun requests an audience."
Pang Wan couldn't help but feel another wave of irritation. A mere soldier had a higher rank than him; what kind of situation was this?
After waiting too long and feeling too lazy to waste words with her, he directly asked upon meeting: "What exactly is your relationship with Chengyang Jun?"
San Chun rubbed her nose hard, and she really found it difficult to answer this question. After thinking for a moment, she said, "What if we actually have no relationship?"
Pang Wan sneered, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"
Ever since she brought Zhong Xue out of the city during its construction, he felt something was off. Who is Chengyang Jun? How could he possibly call a soldier to come? Moreover, what Zhong Xue said at the banquet today clearly showed her deep affection for him. How could there be no relationship?
Or perhaps he should rephrase the question, "Who exactly are you?"
This question was even harder to answer. San Chun felt quite troubled for a moment and said, "General, let me answer your first question instead."
"Okay."
She touched her face to make her expression appear more natural, then straightened her chest and adopted an extremely proud posture, saying, "Actually... actually, aside from having slept with him, I really have no other relationship."
"Poof—" Pang Wan was drinking tea and immediately spat it out.
If she were a woman, this statement might still be believable. If she looked a bit more handsome, it would have some credibility. But now, facing someone as unattractive as this, should he suspect that Chengyang Jun has particularly unusual tastes?
San Chun wiped the tea off her face and regretted getting too close to him. Fortunately, he didn't spray much; the amount that splashed on her face was even less. Otherwise, at this moment, she would be worrying not about whether he believed her but whether her makeup would smudge.
Pang Wan asked, "Is your claim true?"
She forced a smile and said, "Have you ever seen someone joke about their own virtue?"
Indeed not. Women wouldn't do that, and men even less so. Especially when it comes to being ambushed from behind, men are usually too embarrassed to speak of it. So although Pang Wan didn't believe her, he had no choice but to accept that he couldn't disbelieve it.
He sighed and said sincerely, "Chengyang Jun is truly special."
San Chun immediately smiled bitterly; perhaps to others this seemed absurd, but for her it was absolute truth. She and he had indeed been intimate, but was there really nothing more than that?
Zhong Xue wanted to see her; she knew that, but for some reason, she did not want to meet him. Perhaps it was because she did not want to get too deeply involved with him, or maybe it was fear of seeing him.
For so many years, her feelings for him had remained ambiguous, and sometimes she herself did not even know if he occupied a place in her heart.
Pang Wan said, "No matter what your relationship with Chengyang Jun is, you must attend the banquet tomorrow. I still have matters for you to handle."
He had made up his mind to use San Chun to improve relations with Chengyang Jun.
San Chun grinned, thinking that Pang Wan was always so deep-minded; he probably intended to use her as a target.
She knew this in her heart but felt helpless; after all, she was Yan People. She would not shy away from doing what needed to be done for her country.
The next day, Pang Wan took San Chun to the Prefectural Office. Upon seeing her, Zhong Xue appeared exceptionally happy, frequently asking questions and showing concern for her daily life.
Pang Wan had some doubts initially, but upon hearing this, his concerns vanished immediately. With such ambiguity between them, it was not easy for them to have no relationship at all.
The banquet ended quickly; Pang Wan took his leave and deliberately kept San Chun behind.
San Chun thought about how he wanted her to act as a spy and report everything about Zhong Xue. It gave her a headache. What kind of person she was and what she planned to do—Zhong Xue knew it all. He could tell what she was up to just by the way she moved; though the words were crude, they held truth.
Not wanting to play games with him since she could never outsmart him anyway, she directly said upon meeting him, "Just tell me what you need to say."
Zhong Xue raised an eyebrow, "What? Did Pang Wan send you on an errand?"
"Are you a know-it-all or a jack-of-all-trades?"
He snorted, "With his little schemes, I could figure it out with my toes. Besides, This Lord has always acted openly and aboveboard, not afraid of being found out."
San Chun glanced at him, then pretended to vomit while holding his stomach. If he were truly open and aboveboard, then the word 'conspiracy' wouldn't exist.
Zhong Xue curled her lip and instructed someone to bring out some exquisite dishes. She had barely eaten anything while hosting Pang Wan earlier.
San Chun was not polite and asked him while eating, "What do you plan to do?"
He countered with a question, "What are you referring to?"
"Regarding the State of Chu, what are your plans?"
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