2.3

Quick notification! I'll be posting a slightly shorter chapter due to final projects for classes in the upcoming weeks, so to make up to y'all, I'll be having another Q/A! You can ask any characters from this arc (and the past arc) questions, and these questions will be answered after next week's chapter!  Just comment here or at the end of the chapter, and your question might be included in the Q/A section!

Anyway, onwards with the story!

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"It brings me great honor today to be in front of so many amazing Jinzhouans as your Unit Commander," Lau says at dinner. He was delivering the first pep-up speech of many, but his attempts at inspiration were applaudable. Shi Zixin watched him from behind among the other generals, trying not to roll her eyes. The rowdy soldiers at the common tables cheered boorishly as Lau waited for his opportunity to speak again.

"I'll admit, this war will not be easy. We know that Shaolian has more land than us and has professionally trained soldiers," Lau solemnly notes. "But," his voice swells to enrapture his audience, "those pigs have lazed around for the past two decades off honest farmers by taking ruthless subsidies! Those farmers were once part of Jinzhou, but Shaolian took our land almost a century ago! We will not let any more years pass where our righteous land is held away from us!"

The men seated in their tables banged their fists into the wooden tables as the generals politely applauded, each stoic face hiding their own brewing storm of emotions. Shi Zixin bit back her tongue and a laugh.

Claiming land has always been a problem, hasn't it? If it wasn't for my system's goal, I would've been long gone and completely uninvolved with this war.

"So rise with me! Training begins at dawn tomorrow with the dawn of a new era!" Lau's voice rises above the sea of cheers. The tent posts seemed to rattle with the tenors and vibrations of everyone's voices. The wives of some men ushered out with bowls of meager soup, quickly ladling a small portion into each bowl.

The men were so high on adrenaline to not notice how bland the soup was, but soon enough they'd realize the cruel reality of war rations.

Shi Zixin sipped coolly on her soup as she watched the generals converse among themselves. Over the past two months, she had increased her training regimen to keep up with the others. The skill pills helped out a lot, and she was able to take on and defeat the surprisingly nimble General Liu.

And now, war was just a stone throw away.

The preparation over the coming weeks gave Shi Zixin an almost 'training montage' from Hollywood films feel. After having trained heavily before, everything quickly passed by in a blur. The new recruits she was given were quite dull, as if U.C Lau doubted her ability as an instructor. However, she polished away their rough edges and made them some of the top soldiers in the camp, her group nicknamed "Brigade A" by the other soldiers when seen training.  All of her soldiers were field men, taught how to wield a sword like a pro and also use it on horseback. She didn't have time to teach them strategies, but when she was sent out with her brigade she could teach them the basics.

Two weeks before the first battle, the generals' meeting occurred.

"I have calculated who has who in their flanks," U.C Lau starts. "General Wu, you will be heading to the South-Western at the end of the Guryo village. General Yao, you will be slightly North of him by 50 miles near the border. There's a 30-mile gap between Guryo and the Ure village, so after you overtake Ure, ride South and assist in taking over the Guryo."

Shi Zixin's brows furrow slightly. It was certainly a good idea to circle the countryside and the ports before moving to the capital, but there was not enough of a majority yet to overtake the popular fishing village yet; especially with the snow beginning to thaw down south. If the soldiers attempted to control the fishery by killing off the fish, they'd poison the water and everyone would die of dehydration, making it a lose-lose.

After all, you want them to submit--not to die. If it was a smaller, more isolated village, one could easily kill off the whole lot. But a popular town would make the word spread too fast and make Jinzhouans seem like a bunch of savages.

Even then, if the soldiers couldn't control the fishery, the people could still live on just fine off their fish and water and would have no reason to relent to Jinzhou, which would lead to battle. Then, Jinzhou's soldiers would be completely crushed and it'd be a total waste of resources.

"General Lin, you will move straight down south to the villages we have scouted out earlier with General Fong. You will split and conquer based on the notes in the booklet that I'll give you in a moment. After that, you will head further south and overtake the next overlined villages."

That seemed to be a slightly better idea. Maybe U.C Lau isn't a total idiot...

"Liu, you will remain at this camp and evaluate new recruits before sending them out to whatever post. General Ho will join me as we move past General Lin's group and divulge Westward slowly to some of the plains' villages."

"And what of me?" Shi Zixin asks as U.C Lau looks at her with sharp eyes.

"Your troops will head Bayanhand Valley."

"That's suicide!" Shi Zixinn argues as the other generals looked on.

She did have a point, the snow melts early in April for a week before quickly freezing over again. The troops would be sliding up and down the hills like children sledding. The villages were larger, yet more distanced, and the air was so dry it felt like one was choking on dust.

"It's a necessary venture," U.C Lau. "And you have no authority to deny this, General Shi."

But it isn't necessary-!

Shi Zixin's lips tighten in distaste, unwilling to argue this anymore with the other generals watching on with wary eyes. Generals Lu, Yao, and Wu tended to be on her side of the argument while the others were either neutral or fell at Lau's feet, but even if the three men were on her side they'd make no point to argue.

They wouldn't want to be sent out to the boonies with her. Every man for themselves.

Shi Zixin lowly exhales from her nose.

At least she'd have her men...

U.C Lau passes out the booklets filled out with the information.

"You all are going to be Unit Commanders of your own domain, however, you still answer to me and the Imperial crown," he adds.

'Congrats, you're almost there, you just need to become the top commander,' 008 chimes in Shi Zixin's head faintly, but Shi Zixin ignores their voice.

U.C Lau dismisses the generals and everyone exits. Most of the men head to the kitchen to smuggle some alcohol (before they're forced on a no-alcohol diet for the next few months) while General Fong, Lau, and Shi head back to their tents.

Shi Zixin turns on the oil lamp at her desk and begins reading the pamphlet. Her eyes scour over the words as her face quickly morphs from shock into disgust and rage.

She rises from her cot and flips open the flap of the tent, stomping through the snow to Lau's tent. Enraged, she rips open the tent flap to see him in a pair of plain leather pants, muscular back lined with scars visible to her furious eyes. He turns towards her with a blank expression.

"You're invading my privacy, General-"

"And you invaded mine as well, Unit Commander!" Shi Zixin's face turned red in anger as she dangled the pamphlet between her fingers. "You took away my men and gave them to yourself! Everyone else kept theirs because they trained them hard? And what do I get?"

Shi Zixin steps forward as the tent flaps close behind her. The light from the lamp on the floor engorged Shi Zixin's shadow as it rose dangerously with every flicker on the wall.

"I get your bunch," Shi Zixin pushes her hand into his chest, passing him the book.

"My men are well trained, you should be honored-"

"Honored?" she asks as a sarcastic laugh ripples from her chest. "I'd be more honored if I died at the hands of the Shaolian Emporer's harem!"

Shi Zixin shortly exhales from her nose. "I know what's going on. You're giving me the bottom of the barrel just to shame me for even speaking the tru-!"

Shi Zixin was interrupted by a firm slap across her face. She quickly turned back to him, feeling the immense sting begin to numb her face.

"My men were trained well. I've had more experience than you, yet you dare question my authority." His black eyes stared into her brown, kindling with rage. Her face remained swollen, yet she kept her lips tightly pressed together.

'Sidequest available. Do you wish to accept?'

Shi Zixin didn't even have to read the full description that flashed before her before she accepted. She finally leans her head back, leering down at him even though she was shorter. However, with this simple move, she suddenly seemed a lot bigger.

"Lau Rong," she addressed him with his full name with spite. "You will regret this."

She snapped her head forward so quickly that it took  Lau Rong a moment to realize she had spit blood at his feet. She turned briskly and walked away with her head held high, not even looking back. Enraged, he picked up her pamphlet and threw it at her head, but she merely tilted her head to the side as she opened up the tent flap. The booklet zoomed past her into the snow, totally missing its mark.

She closed the tent flaps, fully knowing he wouldn't follow her. She picked up the pamphlet and dusted it off of snow before returning to her tent.

'008, how many points do I get for this side quest?' she questions, hands still shaking slightly with rage.

'You'll receive 800 upon completion.'

Perfect... but the real question is will I be ready for it when the time comes?

Snap out of it, Eman. You know well enough that you'll have to do whatever it takes to get what you want. When the time comes, you'll be ready and you'll know what to do.

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The next morning was stormy, grey clouds overhead promising rain soon. U.C Lau was extremely tense as he explained that troop assignments will be delivered by tomorrow morning and that they'll all set out with their assigned General before week's end.

He kept glancing out of the corner of his eye at Shi Zixin, but the girl seemed to keep a still, emotionless face. It was swollen purple on one side, but everyone's attention was drawn to the raging storm in Shi Zixin's eyes.

After the meeting, everyone went to train for the last time with their old troops. Everyone was already soaked by the first hour. However, one group was completely dry.

"We'll have our training inside for today, inside the cafeteria tent," Shi Zixin announced to her 40 men. "A bit different than what we normally do, but it's necessary before you venture out into the world."

The men murmured among themselves. What was their general going to teach them?

"This," Shi Zixin held up a small, brass needle, "is a sewing needle. Today, you will learn how to sew two pieces of cloth together, and then if we have time left over we'll do another lesson."

The men paused before laughing among themselves.

"This is a woman's job," Qian You, a frequent jokester, comments. Shi Zixin chuckles.

"Ah, yes, it is a woman's job. So, if you cannot do it better than a woman, I will forbid you from going out into the field, for if you are less than a woman, how are you useful to me?"

The smiling and joking immediately ceased. Shi Zixin removes a bag from her robes and pours a bunch of sewing needles onto the table.

"Acquire 3 meters of thread and two scraps of cloth," Shi Zixin says as she points at the stations set up around the room. "We begin in 5 minutes."

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The men hated to admit it, but they sucked at sewing. Their large, calloused fingers, all gnarled from training and weathered from scars, struggled to sew even stitches to join the cloth together.

After a few hours, everyone gathered for lunch. The men in Shi Zixin's brigade sat together and complained about how tedious it was while the other soldiers wondered why there was a mountain of poorly-sewn-together cloth on the table behind the generals.

After lunch, Shi Zixin had them get their materials again.

"Remove your threading and begin again," she orders. "You will sew three sides of the square together to form a pocket. If it is good enough, you don't have to do this activity anymore."

The men immediately tore the thread from their cloth, snagging the cotton so it was ripped in bits and pieces. Carelessly, they dipped their needle up and down through the cloth, eager to be the first one to finish. One by one, they presented their crummy craft to Shi Zixin, who looked at it with an uneager eye and quickly dismissed it.

Even when I was blind I could sew better than this!

Finally, the last person was done and showed her the pocket.

"May I hold this for a moment?" Shi Zixin asks as Kai Bojing nodded, handing her the pocket he made.

"Qian You, may I have yours as well?" Shi Zixin asked as the first person to finish nodded, handing her his work. The two men stood beside her, Kai Bojing with a look of nervousness and Qian You with a look of pride.

"Men, I want you to look at the difference between this."

Shi Zixin held the pockets up, one in each hand. On the left was Kai Bojing's, and although it wasn't perfectly in line, it was tight and well done. On the right was Qian You's with uneven stitching, cloth ripped everywhere and wasn't lined up, and string was still hanging from it loosely.

"Take your time! It's quality over quantity here. Almost everyone in here had crap work like Qian You's!" Shi Zixin set the pockets down behind her. "We will be doing this activity again-"

The men mumbled among themselves, obviously not pleased by this.

"Cut the bull, General Shi," Qian You spits as the room goes quiet. "We don't need to know how to sew pretty cloth. We're men, no, we're warriors! Our wives will take care of mending the clothes."

Most of the men jeered in agreeance while a few remained quiet. Shi Zixin watched silently as they all began to spit out curses at their general, a man they had respected, over a mere needle.

"Fine," Shi Zixin finally says. "I suppose if you all believe you're ready for the next activity, we can do it."

The men stop talking as smiles come onto their face. Had they really just bested their stone-faced leader?

"In fact, since Qian You is the man who inspired you all so much, he can be my example."

"No need to thank me," he jokes as he holds his hands up humbly.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Zixin grabs his left wrist and holds it straight across her, revealing a tanned arm. With the flick of her spare knife, she cuts a long, hand-length gash into his outer arm.

He yells out in pain as he puts his dirty hands over the wound, wincing as blood pools on his fingers before falling onto the dirt floor.

The room was quiet now and watched as Shi Zixin used Qian You's pocket to wipe off the blood from her blade.

"How many of you have wives? Women who will follow you?" Shi Zixin asks. Only four men slowly raised their hands; after all, most of the men here were fairly young or didn't want for their wives to follow.

"So, if you and 50 other men of your stature were suddenly wounded, would your wives be able to tend to you all?" Shi Zixin questions. No one says anything, all nervously looking at Qian You who had crumbled to the floor, paling with every second that passed.

"Now, the more you touch a wound with dirty hands or cloth, the higher the chance it'll get infected," she informs as she sees Qian You quickly move his blood-coated hand away. "If Qian You will sit upon the table, I will demonstrate what to do next."

He slowly gets up and sits in the middle of the tabletop of the Generals' table. Shi Zixin walks away for a moment and returns with a bottle of rice mead and plain, untouched scrap cloth.

"You will disinfect the wound with alcohol," she instructs as she pours it over. He winces at it, biting his lip to prevent any more screams. "Then, you will dab it clean with a clean cloth. Do not use your dirty garments!"

Taking the scrap cloth she dabs it. "After this, you will begin stitching up the wound only after you had sterilized the needle and thread. You can do this by dipping it in untouched alcohol. I have already sterilized mine."

"You will then sew it in the basic manner I have taught you," she informs as she dips the needle into his skin. He bites his lip, looking away as the needle reemerges. She ties a knot and looks at her ashen audience. "Don't tie it too tight or the skin may pucker. Take as much time as you need to do your job well. Make sure the knot is flat. After you have done a good knot, snip the excess thread and move half a centimeter down and do this all again."

Shi Zixin grinned at her audience's discomfort. "Who'd like to give it a shot?"

They gulped before she laughed. "I'm kidding. You'll have plenty of time to practice after I'm done with Qian You." After all, U.C Lau will probably let them drop like flies...

She quickly finished up after not having to explain how to stitch it up after every move. Finally, she wrapped up bandages around his arm.

"This wound is fairly shallow and isn't in any place where serious nerves are, so you'll be able to remove the stitches in about 7 days and be as right as rain," she pats Qian You on the back and he shudders in nervousness.

"How will we take out the stitches?" someone asks as Qian You pales once more.

"Good question," Shi Zixin responds. "You just have to place your scissors below the loop of the knot and snip. Then, you slowly pull out the stitches. It doesn't hurt, so there's no need to worry."

"Will you remove my stitches in a week as another demonstration?" Qian You asks as Shi Zixin's face darkens.

"That's the thing I wanted to talk to you all about." Shi Zixin lowly exhales as her face turns back to its regular impassive look. "Unit Commander Lau has deemed that it'd be best if I separate from all of you and that you'd join his fleet instead while I take his men and head West."

Everyone's eyes widened. Everyone knew that being under U.C Lau was definitely a promotion but it seemed as if General Shi had gotten the bad side of the deal, especially with General Shi having to head west.

"This is why I wished to teach you this essential skill. I know he plans to have more men sent out alongside you all when more troops are trained, but I don't know how many will have wives or nurses to help you heal. And while I think most of the generals are highly skilled, I believe Unit Commander Lau lacks intelligence...but don't tell him I said that," Shi Zixin jokes, causing her men to awkwardly chuckle, afraid they'll get in trouble if they laugh.

Shi Zixin sighs. "Regardless, this is my final gift to you. You may think it is stupid now, but knowing how to sew can save you or a comrade's life," Shi Zixin comments as she bows to her brigade. "Thank you, for everything."

The crowd was stunned at their general's moment of humbleness. Slowly, she rose from her position to see her subordinates had all bowed to her, even Qian You who she had cut less than half an hour ago. Shi Zixin chuckles.

"Please, don't act as if I'm going to die," Shi Zixin jokes. "But, I do have a...more fun parting gift."

Shi Zixin walks to where her seat was at the low table and reaches under it, pulling out a few bottles of rice wine.

"If one of you can grab some glasses, I'd like to give one last test. I wonder how well you all can hold your liquor?"

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