That night, not only was Lin Dan not sent away, but she also had her own tent. Though she was a woman, no one in the camp dared to have any designs on her. It wasn’t due to her status, but rather out of fear of her strength. Lin Qing approached while holding a set of armor and embarrassedly said, “Sister, I never knew you were so powerful. If I were as strong as you, I wouldn’t be so helpless and just forced to watch as Grandfather and the others got killed. I’m so useless…… wuuwuuwuu……”

Lin Dan frowned and said, “Why are you crying? On the battlefield, tears are the most useless thing. Even if you bleed out, you must not shed a single tear.”

Lin Qing quickly wiped away his tears and stammered, “I understand. This will be the last time I show weakness. Sister, I will definitely avenge Grandfather and the others! But…… you clearly defeated Xue Zhao and could have taken command of the entire army, so why did you give the position to Li Xian? Do you know, if it weren’t for saving him, Grandfather wouldn’t be trapped so deep in the enemy lines and died such a tragic death?”

Lin Dan calmly donned the armor one piece at a time and replied in an even tone, “The reason you’re still alive and standing here is also because many soldiers sacrificed their lives for you. Should their families hate you for that?”

In order to protect the last heir of the Lin family, many soldiers risked their lives to save Lin Qing, pulling him back from the enemy lines after much difficulty. At the thought of those brave souls and the grieving families they left behind, Lin Qing was struck silent.

“They were willing to sacrifice themselves to save you, out of the camaraderie between brothers-in-arms. It’s an unspoken bond. Grandfather was also willing to sacrifice himself to save Li Xian. It was his choice, freely made. In the army, comrades are our family. It’s only natural to support and help one another. So where does hatred come into this?” Lin Dan stared directly at Lin Qing, her voice sharp, “You don’t hate them— you hate yourself. You hate that you’re powerless and couldn’t save anyone. Isn’t that right? If you keep getting caught up in these thoughts, you’ll lose focus on the battlefield and more soldiers will have to risk their lives to save you. Lin Qing, you carry the Lin family’s name, but do you think your life is more precious than others? If you keep thinking like this, tomorrow you should just stay in the camp and go nowhere.”

Lin Qing bowed his head, feeling chastened by his sister’s words. All the grief and resentment in his heart slowly settled, transforming into clarity and resolve.

“Sister, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have blamed anyone else.” He choked out.

“Knowing your mistake and correcting it is the best thing you can do. On the battlefield, blades and arrows are unforgiving. Take care of yourself and don’t let your thoughts wander. Someday, I will take both you and Father back to the capital.” Lin Dan’s tone grew serious. “And don’t expect me to fight Li Xian for command. I am a woman and I lack battlefield experience. Even if I’ve earned some respect, the soldiers still don’t trust me enough. If I were to take command of the entire army, they would feel uneasy and morale would falter. Li Xian is their comrade. He’s fought alongside them through life and death. His abilities are already recognized by them, so he is more suitable for the role than I am. Do you understand?”

“I understand, I’ll listen to everything you say, Sister.” Lin Qing nodded, his expression filled with reverence. He hadn’t noticed how the sister he was once distant with had now become his pillar of support.

Outside the tent, Li Xian’s face was full of complex emotions. After a moment, he quietly left without entering. He had initially come to speak with Lin Dan and resolve the issue between them, but now he felt it was unnecessary. He realized that Lin Dan was a generous and broad-minded person, someone who saw through everything with clarity. She didn’t need anyone else to advise her. Her presence was like a lifeline for Li Xian, who had been on the verge of despair, giving him a sense of security he hadn’t felt in a long time.

That night, Ding Mujie also had trouble sleeping, repeatedly dreaming of Lin Dan’s face— sometimes from their past life, sometimes from this one. After a while, the hazy images in his mind became clearer. They stood on opposite sides of a door, staring at each other. Beyond the door was a vast sky, while inside was cramped darkness. Gritting his teeth, he asked, “I’m doing this to protect you. Why can’t you understand? What can you do at the border?”

Lin Dan’s voice came from within the darkness, calm and unwavering. “What can I do? I can die in battle, wrapped in horsehide. That ending is far better than dying in the backyard of your home.”

Her resolute face began to fracture piece by piece in the dark. Startled, Ding Mujie reached out to stop her, only to awaken from the surreal dream. His head throbbed with pain and his heart ached as though cut by a blade. That had been their last meeting in their past life. He had always thought Lin Dan’s words were spoken in anger, not to be taken seriously. Only now did he realize she had meant every word. She had both the strength to conquer the battlefield and the resolve to die there. It was he who had stubbornly refused to see her for who she truly was, judging her with narrow-mindedness. How laughable and pathetic he had been!

Ding Mujie sat frozen on the bed, unable to collect his thoughts. Only when the army’s rallying horn sounded did he remember that today Lin Dan would be heading to the frontlines. He rushed outside, only to find the army had already set off. Lin Dan, on horseback, was riding toward the battlefield. She hadn’t even left him a word of farewell, not even a backward glance.

But he stood there, staring at her retreating figure until the burning heat in his eyes turned into tears that finally made him snap back to reality.

———pr


On a plain, the two armies stood against each other. No war drums were sounded and neither side made a move.

Mo Li stood among his army and called out loudly, “Lin Qing, are you here? Come out and see! I’ve brought your father!” With a wave of his hand, a scaffold was raised, and soldiers wheeled a bloodied man up, hoisting him slowly into the air.

Upon seeing the man’s face clearly, Lin Qing let out a heart-wrenching cry, “Father!” He immediately urged his horse forward but Lin Dan grabbed him just in time. She stepped out from the crowd and called out to Mo Li, attempting to provoke him into a one-on-one duel so that she could capture him alive and exchange him for Lin Tie.

However, Mo Li didn’t take the bait. Glancing at Xue Zhao, he sneered, “Little lady, don’t play these tricks in front of me. I, Mo Li, have never underestimated women, especially one who can rise to prominence in the Wei army. Unlike us Hu people, Wei doesn’t permit women much freedom. Hu women can herd sheep and fight battles, skilled both inside and outside the house. But in Wei, women are confined to their homes, to tend to husbands and raise children, so fragile! Yet here you are, a woman standing as a troop commander in the Wei army. How could I not be wary? If you didn’t have true skill, someone like Xue Zhao wouldn’t be willing to serve under you. My refusal to fight isn’t out of fear, but caution. If you’re planning to capture me alive, I suggest you save your energy.”

He stroked his beard and laughed heartily. His soldiers praised him for his sharp mind and for not falling for Lin Dan’s trick even a little.

Though Lin Dan showed no emotion on her face, she tightened her grip on the reins. The other high-ranking officers of Great Wei clenched their teeth, reminding themselves to remain composed. Mo Li was a formidable foe, both brave and cunning, and deceiving him was no easy task.

After laughing enough, Mo Li ordered a bucket of ice-cold water to be poured over Lin Tie. As Lin Tie slowly regained consciousness, Mo Li pointed to Lin Qing and Lin Dan and said, “Lin Tie, my old friend, look! Your son and daughter are both here today. I’ll reunite your whole family for you.” With a wave of his hand, several soldiers turned a wheel, hoisting up the bodies of more Lin family members onto the scaffold.

In the recent battle, the bodies of the Lin family men had fallen deep within enemy lines and couldn’t be recovered. Lin Qing had thought that cruel as Mo Li was, he would burn their bodies or scatter their ashes, but he hadn’t expected Mo Li to bring the corpses to the battlefield, hanging them up as an insult to the Lin family and further crushing the morale of the soldiers of Great Wei. Even though Old General Lin had been dead for days, his eyes were wide open as if he couldn’t rest in peace. The other Lin family men were similarly bloodied and mangled, a pitiful sight.

The Great Wei soldiers looked up at the corpses, their eyes red with tears and their spirits shaken. Some cried out for the old general, others for their brothers-in-arms, while some tried to stifle their sobs, on the verge of weeping blood.

This was exactly the effect Mo Li wanted. He leaped onto the scaffold and delivered a brutal punch to Lin Tie’s face, smashing his teeth, before laughing. “I’ve always said, you Wei soldiers are nothing but toothless tigers, nothing to fear!”

Fully awake now, Lin Tie screamed hoarsely, “Lin Qing, what are you standing there for?! Shoot me with your arrow!”

He had already been tortured beyond recognition, with every bone in his body broken and his tendons severed— he was already a useless person. Even if they rescued him, the days ahead would be worse than death. He knew what Mo Li was doing. The other party wanted to use the Lin family’s corpses to humiliate the Lin family’s army, to break their spirit and destroy their military soul, using the blood of hundreds of thousands of comrades to build the other party’s reputation.

This psychological tactic was Mo Li’s invention and it was extremely effective. Lin Tie could only call it a war on the mind. If today, he and the other Lin family members’ bodies remained hanging on the scaffold, the Lin family’s army’s morale would be impossible to restore. These corpses were like banners of death, rattling the soldiers to their core. Unless they could burn these bodies with their own hands and completely unleash the fury and bloodlust inside them, Great Wei was bound to lose the battle.

With this thought, Lin Tie screamed even more fiercely, “Lin Qing, do you hear me?! Kill me! I’d rather die than be humiliated by the Xiongnu!” If his death could awaken the fighting spirit of thousands, he had no fear.

Lin Qing repeatedly shook his head, his eyes bloodshot. How could he possibly kill his own father? He simply couldn’t do it!

With no other choice, Lin Tie turned to shout at Li Xian. Li Xian raised his bow and aimed, then lowered it, and after a moment, he raised it again. He repeated this several times until he was on the verge of collapse, feeling a bit shaky on top of his horse. Lin Tie wasn’t just anyone, he was his mentor. How could he bring himself to do it?

Lin Tie’s intention was to ignite the bloodlust and anger of the Lin family’s army and use his own death to break the chains weighing on their hearts. But instead, his plea had pushed them deeper into despair. The soldiers, already weary and dispirited, now showed even clearer signs of defeat. Even before the battle began, the outcome seemed sealed. Xue Zhao’s central troops were already in disarray, horses shuffling, and soldiers retreating— some even showed signs of fleeing the battlefield.

Lin Tie coughed up blood in anger, while Mo Li laughed loudly. “Hahaha, I knew you Wei people were all spineless cowards! Brothers, today we’ll crush the Lin family’s army and use their blood for the great cause of our Great Hu!”

“Victory for the Great Hu! Wei will fall! Victory for the Great Hu! Wei will fall!” Tens of thousands of Xiongnu soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and forcing the Great Wei’s army to retreat several paces.

Standing on a hill watching the battle, Ding Mujie’s face had turned ashen. He knew that this time, he couldn’t change the inevitable outcome. And now, Lin Dan, who should have lived out her days peacefully, was on the battlefield. He wanted to stop her, to keep her alive. But if her wish was to die on the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide, then no matter how much it pained him, he would no longer go against her will.