"No." Pingting pursed her lips slightly, not frowning. She lifted her chin, looking serious and articulated her words one-by-one. "If Chu Beijie stopped attacking, he must have found better way to capture Kanbu. Knowing his calculating methods, his way of attack would be shockingly surprising and the impact would be unpredictable. It'll easily rip apart the Kanbu's inner defence system."

Ze Yin's expression was doubtful. "Is that even possible?"

Pingting didn't bother answering this question. She asked another instead. "Did you send any soldiers to spy on the Dong Lin army?"

"Lots but Chu Beijie takes note of these things and often sends huge troops to scout for spies around his residence. The spies can't stay too long and only know that the enemy army hasn't done anything yet." Ze Yin sighed, "Those who get a little bit more than usual end up never coming back."

"That must be right because Chu Beijie is already secretly carrying out his plan," Pingting analysed. "Main General, as the main military advisor, only tell the top commanding generals what we've discussed. Do not tell anyone else."

Ze Yin readily agreed. "Don't worry, My Lady. The people who you saw today are all the generals I trust and only they know that My Lady is the new advisor. Only me and the escort, Ruohan, know your real name, but we'll all call you 'My Lady'. The King clearly stated the last Order."

So this was why he, the main general, was calling her by the title, 'My Lady'.

Pingting nodded to show assurance. Her eyes drifted towards the door, onto the pebbled footpath out on the foyer. Quietly, she said, "Well, let's go and see the wall."

Up on Kanbu's magnificent city walls, Pingting saw the plains and mountains covered by the atmosphere of war. It was truly everywhere. Ze Yin stood up and pointed south-east, saying, "That's the Dong Lin army camp."

Her heart started to thump loudly.

"Dong Lin army camp huh..." Pingting tried to focus on the camp in the distance, but it was too far away. She couldn't even see the banners flapping in the air. She couldn't see the chiselled features of Chu Beijie either.

Guess what Chu Beijie? Pingting came.

Pingting couldn't escape so she came instead.

Every second was crucial to finding out Chu Beijie's secret plan. Pingting wasn't interested in rewards; she simply wanted the rights to control the Bei Mo army from the King so that she had easier accessibility to command the army during difficult times. Apart from the few highest ranking commanders who briefly saw her upon arrival, she didn't appear in public a second time.

The meetings were held in the room Ze Yin had moved out for Pingting. He was the only one who had discussed battle tactics with her. Being also a good friend of his wife, her unknown background was disregarded. Ze Yin had long earned Pingting's approval. He was more than just helpful.

The Bei Mo army's current situation was not caused by Ze Yin's lack of ability but because of Chu Beijie's wit.

"What are thinking, My Lady?" Ze Yin finally broke the silence. He continued with informing the latest report. "This time, we've lost several dozens of frontline spies. They retrieved only insignificant news. What a waste."

Pingting mentally processed the report but didn't answer. She rolled open the map and aimlessly stroked across before stopping to point at the bottom corner on the right. Frowning, she muttered, "The South is full of dense forests, but that's all. Do you know why Chu Beijie sends troops everyday over there?"

Ze Yin gathered around the map and also frowned as if in deep a thought but only shook his head. "It's impossible to surround and attack from the back of Kanbu by going through that forest. It's not only a waste of time but also a massive waste of power. The forest is pretty dangerous as well, complete with poisonous snakes. The army could be diminished by more than a half before they even reach Kanbu."

Pingting flicked through a journal of Kanbu's battle history when a sudden thought washed over. "Is there a similar journal about the surrounding, dense forest?"

"That forest is dark, dangerous, and scary – there aren't many people willing to go there." Ze Yin continued, "But one of the previous head guards of Kanbu was dedicated and once collected data on the topography of the area around Kanbu. They have it preserved. There might be something about that forest in those books, but I'm not sure how detailed the data is. I'll retrieve it if My Lady wants."

He personally went to another library to get a set of very old, dusty-looking books and placed them on the table.

Pingting hoped that news of the Dong Lin King's unconsciousness would reach Chu Beijie soon before his yet to be predicted plan was in action. If not, and Pingting couldn't stop his plan, it meant the surrender of Kanbu and eventually the conquest of the Bei Mo country.

As of now, Ze Yin's once indestructible impression could no longer be recovered, and the only spark of hope for Bei Mo was Chu Beijie's infamous enemy, Pingting.

What bad luck — he would have been okay if his enemy wasn't the frustratingly invincible Chu Beijie, right?

Pingting realised the sudden change in the atmosphere. She stared at Ze Yin as understanding flickered into her eyes. "How many days has it been since you closed your eyes? A balanced lifestyle is needed to fight properly. You ought to get some rest."

"I'm fine."

Pingting chuckled and softened her words, "Well, General, I won't force you, but you're being manipulated by Chu Beijie. You see, his favourite tactic is scaring the opposition to prevent them from sleeping, then attacking when everyone is too tired. Often, the defending team has already collapsed from fatigue by the time he decides to attack."

Ze Yin nodded in understanding, "My Lady's right. Too much anxiety will damage our energy." The corners of his mouth twitched into a bitter smile. "Honestly speaking, ever since fighting against Chu Beijie, I haven't slept properly for ages. Tonight, I'll sleep and get more confidence to fight against the Dong Lin army."

He stood up. "I'll check the soldier's sleeping quarters before going to bed." Then, he left the room.

Meanwhile in the Dong Lin army's sleeping quarters, everyone had long gone to bed and was deep in their dreams, except for a few nightly guards.

No one was afraid of being attacked at night by the Bei Mo army since their last attempt at surprise attack had failed miserably. They couldn't possibly be prepared for such sacrifice again.

No one worried whether conquering Kanbu was possible or not, and no one cared about the final victor either. Under the command of the best commander in the world and with the Duke of Zhen-Bei's flag flapping in the wind, they felt sure that all of the instructions given were the best course of action.

The Duke of Zhen-Bei's flag, at the moment, was firmly wedged in the central command tent, flapping loudly from the wind blowing from the dense forest of a hundred acres.

Light came from within the central command tent. Chu Beijie wasn't asleep yet. A set of armour made of gold hung against the wall, occasionally reflecting the flickering candle flame. Moran stood quietly at the side, waiting for Chu Beijie to speak.

Chu Beijie hadn't said a word ever since getting the latest report from their spy. Before long, Chu Beijie placed the report back into the file. Expressionless, he asked, "Who could possibly be their new advisor, who's rumoured to be a woman?"