Riceki’s face flushed nearby. Linglong, with a sour tone, remarked to Cheng Susu, “Sister Susu, aren’t you worried about your husband? I think you’re more worried, otherwise why rush to bring Master a meal?”

Cheng Susu’s expression became serious. “I came with Zhou Ni. If we’re talking about worrying for your Master, you should ask her first. She was so distracted all morning cooking that she nearly sliced her finger off.”

Before Linglong could speak, Zhou Ni nervously interjected, “Don’t, don’t ask me. You two talk. I—I already have a boyfriend.”

I picked up my bowl. “Let’s eat quickly. Otherwise, if the horse bandits attack again, we’ll have to fight on an empty stomach. By the way, how are Ma Xiaoda and the others? Don’t let him run around wildly at a time like this.”

Cheng Susu replied, “He certainly wants to come out and fight the bandits, but Jinglue and Bai Shi are keeping a tight watch on him. He’s shouting angrily at home. Is Feiyu City finally safe? I heard that after a failed initial attack, these horse bandits usually retreat, and the common folk are all saying the bandits have returned to their country.”

I glanced at the official road outside the city. “That’s not certain. The scouts haven’t reported back yet. There might be other developments. In any case, I dare not relax, as I’ve accepted the command of your adoptive father to serve as a temporary official.”

Zhou Ni ate her rice grain by grain, seemingly burdened by infinite worries. She frequently gazed at me blankly, as if facing a difficult decision. Cheng Susu watched me with a smile, eating her rice both fragrant and sweet.

“The scout is back! The scout is back!” a yamen runner shouted from atop the city wall. Soon, a person was hauled up in the basket—it was Ah Mao. I put down my bowl. “You all keep eating; I’ll go check the news.”

“My Lord, I followed your orders to scout. After trailing the horse bandits for ten li, I discovered their resting place from last night. They have set up camp and are reorganizing their troops; there are no signs of retreat. Moreover, they have dispatched the majority of their men to cut down trees, seemingly to construct something. Since it hasn’t taken shape yet, I couldn’t make a final judgment. Ah Gou is still stationed there to continue observing. I returned to report to Your Lord before going back to relieve Brother Ah Gou.”

I said, “Good. Continue scouting. Remember to send some food to Ah Gou. What are the casualties among their troops? How many combat personnel are left?”

Ah Mao reported, “Besides the more than a hundred men they lost during the siege, their reduction due to injury is not significant. There are still over three hundred horse bandits who are formidable fighters. If they attack, those numbers are sufficient, so Your Lord must guard against them launching a sudden return attack.”

I nodded. “Understood. You may step down now. Remember to keep a close watch for any reinforcements for the horse bandits. Also, if the object they are building takes shape, return and describe it to me; be sure to observe closely.” Ah Mao bowed formally. “As you command.”

County Magistrate An, worried all morning, stepped forward. “Nephew Zhao, why haven’t the horse bandits retreated yet? Since they failed to breach the city, it stands to reason they should move elsewhere. Why are they so interested in our Feiyu County? Our county isn’t richer than many other places.”

I replied, “Magistrate An, I’d like to know the reason too. But if they don’t leave, and they won’t say what they want, what can I do? You have years of experience as a magistrate and a good grasp of the horse bandits’ temperaments. Why don’t you share your opinion?”

Magistrate An looked embarrassed. “Nephew Zhao, to be frank, my tenure as magistrate here has been a failure. In the years since I arrived in Feiyu County, the horse bandits have grown more rampant each year. Initially, they only plundered the remote villages outside the county seat. Due to the limited number of yamen runners and soldiers in the county government, we couldn't reach them to provide protection, so we had to let them be. But successive years of plunder have left the surrounding villages utterly ruined. Thus, starting last year, their reach extended to major centers like the county seat. Feiying Prefecture borders the Twin Cities Nation and the Ten Thousand Horse Nation, overseeing three counties: Feiyu, Feihe, and Feie. Among these three, Feiyu suffers the most. We have been deeply afflicted, yet all my previous requests for reinforcements to Feiying Prefecture have been rejected. To confront several hundred horse bandits with a mere few dozen yamen runners now—it’s a huge joke, isn’t it? Heh, for the dignified Twin Cities Nation to have declined to such an extent, it is lamentable and ridiculous.”

I responded, “Magistrate An, I have encountered horse bandits while in Feiying Prefecture before. Truthfully, you can’t entirely blame Feiying Prefecture for not sending reinforcements. As far as I know, Feiying Prefecture has fewer than a thousand soldiers, yet they must defend such a large prefectural city with two gates. Frankly, they have their own difficulties. However, I see that although the Twin Cities Nation is backward, there still seem to be quite a few wealthy people. The government shouldn't actually be short of money, right? We have over ten thousand common folk behind us. Can’t the county organize a militia on its own?”

“A militia?” Magistrate An had never heard this term before. He questioned, “What is that?”

I explained, “Yes, a militia. Organized by the county government, allowing able-bodied common folk to join. During idle times, they train; during busy times, they farm and hunt. Once horse bandits invade, everyone becomes a soldier. We would have ten thousand against five hundred, defending a strong position. Do you think the horse bandits would still have an opening?”

Magistrate An said, “That’s a good idea, but right now, everyone should focus on why the horse bandits are so fixed on Feiyu County. They’ve targeted us precisely because we are in such danger. We don’t have time to organize a militia right now.”

I didn't know much about the situation in this world, and even less about the Ten Thousand Horse Nation. For a moment, I had no clue. Magistrate An suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, could it be that the horse bandits have come to seize the escape pods? Yes, it must be! They’ve probably heard about this treasure and sent people to rob us.”

I wasn't sure if the horse bandits were after the escape pods. The curiosity of people in this world regarding new things might exceed my imagination. Perhaps they would truly sacrifice a large number of men to steal what they consider a divine object.

“Whatever they want them for!” I slammed my hand heavily against the city wall. “If they attack, we defend. By the way, Magistrate An, do you know what kind of Juma Zhuang [Caltrops/Horse Barriers] Head Constable Sun has built?”

Magistrate An replied, “I’ll go down and ask someone. Nephew Zhao, do you think that kind of thing can stop the horse bandits?”

I said, “It might not completely stop them, but if their charge weakens, the yamen runners can intensify their arrow attacks. As long as we continuously inflict casualties, those three hundred-plus horse bandits might not be able to breach Feiyu County.”

Hearing there was hope for defending the city, Magistrate An happily went down from the city wall to question the carpenters. Cheng Susu and the others finished eating and left. Although she desperately wanted to stay and help defend the city with us, seeing the wall piled high with logs, stones, and cauldrons of oil, she realized that staying would only impede the yamen runners’ work as they were ill-suited to operate such implements, so she abandoned the idea.

Soon, Magistrate An returned happily to tell me, “Nephew Zhao, Head Constable Sun, despite his injuries, is directing the carpenters in the city to work overtime. They have already made over thirty Juma Zhuang.”

Since that item only requires wood, it’s simple to make; constructing thirty in one morning is not surprising. I ordered Ah San, “Take some men immediately and move the Juma Zhuang over. Since the city gate is blocked, use ropes to lower them from the ramparts. Then, scatter them outside the gate and beneath the city walls, with the sharp points facing outward.”

Ah San took the order and left. I then called Ah Si over. “You lead men to start fires and boil oil. Don’t rush the fire; just ensure the oil is scalding hot. Once the horse bandits attack, wait until they gather below the city, then use ladles to pour the boiling oil down. Let them fry themselves down there.”

The people standing nearby had been wondering why so much grease was needed atop the wall. Now, understanding its purpose, they were shocked. “Ah! Pouring boiling oil onto people! Doesn't that kill them! That’s wicked!”

I braced myself against the wall to keep from falling. I told the crowd, “When fighting a war, do you expect not to take lives? Are you asking them to take ours instead?”

“But that seems a bit too cruel, doesn’t it?” someone commented.

Only now did I understand why the Twin Cities Nation was so backward—the mindset of the people was flawed. They were even more stagnant than ancient times in the Great Dragon Country. I said to that person, “Fine. If that’s the case, remove the oil cauldrons. When the bandits arrive, you go down and enlighten them using the most touching rhetoric you have. Brother, I wish you success. Guards, escort him down from the wall.”

“No, no, no,” the man waved his hands repeatedly. “I was just speaking casually. Those horse bandits are murderers; they won’t listen to my teachings.”

I retorted, “This is preposterous. In warfare, only the final outcome—victory or defeat—matters. The process in between allows everyone to use whatever means they can devise; it’s irrelevant whether it’s cruel or not. The victor is king, the vanquished is a thief. If you are the loser, no one will praise you, even if you used the kindest methods. If you win, even if you used the most despicable tactics, others will call you a hero.”

“Well said, well said! Profound words!” My speech made Magistrate An, standing nearby, cheer loudly. He turned to the crowd. “What Lord Zhao commands, you do. Anyone who dares to talk back or delay the war effort will be executed!”

Magistrate An uttered the word ‘executed’ with imposing authority, as if he were the successful king, completely forgetting that earlier that morning he had been so frightened he hid God knows where. However, with his assistance, his subordinates dared not object further. When I told them to use rolling logs to strike anyone attempting to climb the wall if too many people climbed, no one opposed it anymore.

By dusk, including those made in the afternoon, over fifty Juma Zhuang were haphazardly arranged on the open ground outside the city. Over ten large cauldrons atop the wall bubbled with boiling oil, and stones and logs piled higher and higher. I was confident that even five hundred horse bandits attacking now could be repelled.

As night fell, Ah Mao returned with more intelligence. “My Lord, I have clearly seen the things they are building. They should be ladders, like ours, but the ones they are building are very long. Perhaps… perhaps the horse bandits intend to use them to scale the walls!”

I stated, “What do you mean ‘perhaps’? They clearly are.”

Ah Mao continued, “Also, My Lord, they are building another strange thing, resembling a small house, square-shaped, with a large wooden beam installed inside. I don’t know what they intend to use it for.”

I involuntarily shouted out, “A battering ram! These horse bandits intend to breach the city wall and charge in on horseback!”

Immediately afterwards, I burst into laughter. These horse bandits possess no intelligence work, and they haven’t encountered any serious resistance before. They simply don’t know that Feiyu County’s walls aren't built from stacked stones but from the original monolithic bedrock. The markings of stone joints drawn with lime plaster on the exterior are merely for aesthetic enhancement. I was tricked by this myself initially. Now, if the horse bandits want to use a battering ram against the wall, hehe, I wonder how many years it will take them to knock down this massive rock.

“Scout again!” I ordered Ah Mao. Ah Mao asked no further questions, bowed formally, and hurried down the city wall with his dinner. This fellow traveled dozens of li in one day yet seemed untired; his stamina was astonishing, truly possessing the natural aptitude of a scout.

Magistrate An, who had been on the city wall all day, was tired and hungry and confused. “Nephew Zhao, what’s the use of sending people repeatedly to spy on what the horse bandits are doing? It would be better for us to strengthen the defense. In my opinion, the work you’ve done so far should be enough to hold them off. Let those two scouts return; we are severely short-handed.”

I explained to Magistrate An, “Magistrate An, you don’t understand this. The most crucial prerequisite for winning a battle is knowing both yourself and the enemy. Therefore, intelligence work is the foundation of warfare. We must act with purpose, reacting specifically to the actions of the horse bandits. Since they are building scaling ladders now, we must prepare countermeasures against scaling ladders. In short, we must counter their moves step by step, rendering them helpless and unable to attack.”

Magistrate An listened, completely bewildered. I ignored him and went down to find carpenters to carve several long poles, tying a small branch cluster to the ends. If the horse bandits used scaling ladders, we would push them over and see what they did next.

Zhou Ni came looking for me. “Zhao Qian, are you tired? Can’t you come home for dinner?”

I had just returned from the carpenters. Zhou Ni’s concern warmed my heart. Defending the city for the safety of these women made any exhaustion worthwhile. “I’m not tired. I’ll give a few instructions on the ramparts, and then we’ll go home together. I estimate the horse bandits won’t attack at night; darkness is more disadvantageous for them.”

On the ramparts, I instructed Ah San and Ah Four to take men under the cover of darkness to dig horse pits on the official road. Although these men had never dug vegetable cellars, they understood immediately once I explained. However, the tools were inconvenient, and the official road surface was hard. I didn’t expect the horse pits to be very effective. They could dig as deep as possible before dawn, then cover them casually with some grass and a sprinkle of dirt.

After arranging for guards on duty and setting the alarm signal (a gong), I called Dali Wan, Linglong, and Riceki to go home with me. The skirmish that morning made everyone cherish the feeling of home even more. Although this house wasn't ours, we had lived here for a while, and the atmosphere of home was strong.

At the dinner table, Linglong curiously recounted to the women of the household what I had ordered during the day. The girls all said the ideas were wicked. Only Yun Yao knew these were basic methods for defending ancient cities, but she happily joined them in teasing.

I quietly slipped out of the living room and sat on a wooden stump in the courtyard. Here, everyone planted trees in their courtyards; the standard for greenery was quite high. Sometimes, when a tree was cut down, the stump was left and occasionally used as a stool.

“What are you thinking about? Still contemplating how to deal with the horse bandits?” It was Cheng Susu. She had quietly stood behind me.

I replied, “No. Dealing with the horse bandits is only to ensure everyone’s safety. I’m just wondering where those five women are right now, if they are safe. I worry about them constantly.”

Cheng Susu moved closer to me. She suddenly reached out and gently massaged my hair. The feeling was very pleasant and relaxing, like a massage. As she massaged, Cheng Susu said, “Good people are naturally blessed. Those women are all very clever; they will surely find a way to protect themselves. Don’t worry. Relax a bit. You’ve been very tired these past two days. What if your body breaks down?”

I chuckled. “Susu, tell me the truth. Have your memories fully returned? I can’t sense any difference between you now and how you were before.”

Cheng Susu paused her hands. “Was I like this before? I don’t remember.”

I said, “Yes, you were just like this before. Aloof and indifferent to others, just like you were to that Zhang Wenbing today. Yet you are deeply caring toward me and the other women, just like you are now. I truly can’t see any difference. Think about how, just a few days ago, you had Ah San and Ah Four strike me.”

Cheng Susu suddenly tapped my head lightly. “Why would I have them hit you? That day was a misunderstanding between them. I care about you now because you care about me. You killed for me and nearly went to prison. I am deeply moved. Since I must repay kindness, I naturally must treat you as well as possible.”

I turned around and grasped Cheng Susu’s hand. “Susu, regardless of whether you remember what happened before, I will treat you the way I did before…”

“Ah!” Cheng Susu cried out, suddenly withdrawing her hand. She seemed startled and jumped several steps away. I was taken aback. “What’s wrong? I—I just held your hand because I was moved. You—you aren’t angry, are you?”

Cheng Susu tightly gripped the corner of her clothes, lowering her head, and asked from a distance, “You—what did you mean, ‘treat you the way I did before’?”

I explained, “Treat you well, like before. Protect you from harm by others. What’s wrong with that? Are you upset because I lost my superpowers and you think my promise to protect you is just empty talk?”

“No, no,” Cheng Susu suddenly returned to my side. “I misunderstood you just now. Thank you, Zhao Qian. You genuinely care for me and treat me well, unlike Zhang Wenbing and Niu Pang, who only cared about my body and schemed about how to trick me into bed. I detest them.”

I suddenly realized it. Cheng Susu had interpreted my words as ‘like before, when we were in that place’! But this matter was indeed something I thought about day and night. How could I not? She is my wife. If I don’t have this impulse toward her, what kind of marital affection is left between us? However, I dared not utter such words now. Although the current Cheng Susu cares for me like before, this caring currently lacks lust; it’s more of a light dependence on me, because she feels safe in my presence.

My silence caused Cheng Susu to worry. “Zhao Qian, are you angry? It was my fault just now; I lost my temper without listening to your full words. How about—how about we start over…” Saying this, Cheng Susu shyly offered her hand to me.

My heart stirred with desire. This girlish demeanor was so alluring on Cheng Susu, matched with her mature body and intoxicating fragrance—any man would lose control. But I thought to myself, I dared not be presumptuous with my hands. After all, the Cheng Susu of today was different from the Cheng Susu of before. If I acted rashly and caused another scene like the last one, it would be a big problem.

Fearing I couldn’t resist temptation and would embarrass myself, I subtly slipped my hand away. “Heh, what game are we two adults playing? It’s getting late. You all fought a battle this morning; go back and rest early. There might be another fierce battle tomorrow, so save your strength.”

Cheng Susu seemed a little disappointed. She shot me a resentful glance and, as she turned to leave, mumbled under her breath, “Coward. Where did your old skills go? You don’t even dare to hold a hand, yet you claim you want to be like before?”

Ah! I slumped back onto the tree stump, crestfallen. Did Cheng Susu just pretend? No, I couldn’t stand this. I’ll find Yun Yao. I don’t care if there’s a fierce battle tomorrow; tonight, we’ll have three hundred rounds first.

...

In the deep hours of the morning, I was sleeping soundly embracing Yun Yao when I was awakened by a hurried alarm gong. Yun Yao suddenly sat up and ran off. Last night, fearing a bandit attack, we all slept in our clothes. Of course, Yun Yao and I put our clothes back on after finishing what we needed to do. Yun Yao wanted to leave then, but I hadn't allowed it. I was accustomed to sleeping while holding a girl and hadn't enjoyed this for a long time, so I didn't care.

Bang! The door was kicked open. A yamen runner rushed in holding a torch. “Lord Zhao, bad news! The horse bandits are attacking!”

Dali Wan and Linglong were fully armored. Yun Yao also emerged from the room, feigning just having woken up. The three stood behind me. I instructed Riceki, “Brother Lai, you stay here. The bandits have come prepared today; we need to keep some cards up our sleeves. If we can’t hold them, you can ensure the safety of the household and evacuate.”

Riceki knew that once he was on the ramparts, he couldn’t be of much help, so it was better to stay home and look after them, relieving my worries. He nodded in agreement.

The four of us rushed to the city wall. The sky was just beginning to lighten. Magistrate An was already on the rampart. He greeted me laughing heartily. “Nephew Zhao, brilliant! You are truly brilliant! Look at those horse bandits. They all fell into the horse pits! From afar, I saw them charging fiercely, but now… hahaha, look at their frustrated expressions!”

I leaned over to look at the official road in the woods outside the city. I saw piles of injured horses pressed against each other, and behind the injured horses stood several hundred horse bandits, anxiously pacing back and forth. It turned out the woods were too dense. Once the injured horses blocked the path, the horses behind couldn't pass through.

Did the horse pits have such a powerful effect? How deep could they have dug them with simple wooden tools last night? I asked Ah San and Ah Four, “How did you dig the horse pits so deep?”

Ah San and Ah Si chuckled, gazing out at the helpless bandits beyond the city walls. "Last night, following the Lord's specific instructions, we fully mobilized the masses. For every two meters dug, each person was promised two pounds of rice. Everyone clamored out of the city gates, eagerly vying to be first. Coupled with the recent abundant rain making the soil soft, hehe, by dawn, we had carved out a massive, deep pit right along the main road. We layered some straw over it, then sprinkled a bit of loose soil on top. I honestly thought the bandits would see through it, but these blind fools—they just kept leaping in as if unafraid. The pit finally stopped filling up only when it was completely full. Haha! I never thought that pile of injured horses would actually block their path. What a truly satisfying sight!"

"You... you..." Magistrate An began to tremble with anxiety upon hearing that Ah San and Ah Si had promised rice to the common folk.

Ah San consoled the Magistrate, saying, "Your Honor, if the city falls, we won't get to eat even if we have rice. Why worry about such trivial things now?"

Magistrate An sighed deeply, "This isn't warfare; it's clearly aimed at taking my old life."