Xue Li’s fingers drummed the hard surface of the wooden table. Tap. Tap. Tap. All eyes were on her, but she acted like she was the only one in the room. Her presence was nauseating and suffocating; the power she exuded was equivalent to an army. She unrolled the crisp scroll in front of her, even though she had already read the contents a few times over. The swirling handwriting was beautiful against the crisp yellowed paper. She could never write anything as pretty as that; her handwriting was just as she was—wild.

Xue Li placed the scroll down on the table and finally raised her black eyes to everyone in the room. Jinhai was seated the closest to her, his hands folded on top of each other and his expression carved from stone. His inky hair was tied at the crown of his head with a deep blue ribbon; his armor was glistening under the torchlight.

Beside him sat Hulin, her Head Strategist. His hair was pulled behind his head, but messy strands were poking out from it, and his eyes were rimmed with dark circles, like he hadn’t slept much. He stifled a yawn and scratched the back of his neck. Wen Ming, her attendant, was standing a few feet behind her. She stood tall, even though she was the smallest in the room. Her black hair was braided and hung behind her back like a thick rope. Her large, seductive eyes were set on Xue Li.

Xue Li placed her hands together and leaned back in her seat, absorbing the energy of the room. The other men in the room were either watching her nervously or unashamedly staring at her. The corner of her mouth rose. “We’ve been successful in capturing the city; we’ve officially completed our campaign,” she said, slowly looking from face to face.

She had allowed everyone to celebrate last night and hadn’t disturbed them, but now it was time to straighten out any last issues. After all, once they took a small break—maybe a month and a half—they would be off to their next campaign. This campaign had been about completely taking over State Lushui, which Huo had taken from Ki a year ago. There were still pockets of resistance and an uprising from Ki to take it back, and Xue Li had been given the task of completely destroying Ki in Lushui. People had expected the campaign to take a few years, but she had wrapped it up in one year. They now had absolute control over State Lushui.

“Now, as my top officials, you’re probably wondering when and where our next campaign is,” she said, unfolding her hands and crossing them behind her head in an informal manner. Her eyes gleamed dangerously, almost as dangerously as her smile. “If I’m honest, I don’t know.” She leaned forward and braced her elbows on the desk. “But I’ve been called out by General Ding De-Shi to attend a generals’ meeting in City Lan.”

Hulin raised an eyebrow. “A generals’ meeting? How many generals are going to be there?”

“Six, including myself.”

“Six,” he murmured. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Did he call out the nearby generals?”

“Yes. Two Dragon Generals will also be attending.”

“Dragon Generals?” one of the men said.

“Yes,” she said with a sigh. Even her own men grew excited at the mention of their names. “Huanglong and Bailong.”

“So there’s Bailong, Huanglong, General Ding De-Shi, you—General Jin—and then two more,” Hulin said. “Which other two generals will be there?”

She glanced down at the scroll in front of her; she had never interacted with the two generals listed below. Their accomplishments probably weren’t extraordinary, but they were still generals. Both of their family names, however, sounded familiar. “General Gao Anguo and General Qian Duyi.”

Hulin bobbed his head; calculations seemed to be flitting behind those dark eyes of his. He slunk back in his seat and cracked his knuckles. Although unconventional, he was probably the most brilliant man in her entire army. He was unkempt, sleepless, and drank a little too much, but there was a reason he was her Head Strategist. He was one of the reasons her army was so successful. “I see,” he murmured.

“Is there anything you’d like to add?” she asked. His opinion was like gold to her.

He shook his head. “Nothing at the moment, General. I’d say a few things, but they’re personally attached to me and have no real relevance in the grand scheme of the war.”

“Personal things? Such as?”

“I know General Gao Anguo personally, from my time as a scholar . . . I served his family a little bit, since they needed my assistance with a matter . . .” He laced his fingers together. “He’s, unfortunately, not an individual I’d like to work with again.”

“What faults does he hold?” Jinhai asked.

“He’s a womanizer, for one.” Hulin shrugged. “He drinks too much—”

Xue Li’s smile twitched and she had to resist the urge to laugh at that.

“Drinking too much is fine, so long as he does his work,” Hulin said with a twisted frown when everyone raised their brows at him. He cleared his throat. “The only reason he’s been moderately successful on the battlefield is because of the men that surround him, particularly his Lieutenant General. He hasn’t done anything extraordinary, and if I’m quite honest, if it wasn’t for his family’s noble name, he wouldn’t be given the title of General.”

“So what are you trying to say?” Xue Li said.

Hulin shifted in his seat. “General Jin, I suggest you try not to work together with him. If we are paired with him, we will have to carry the heaviest burden. Also, during that meeting, I suggest you make sure he isn’t given an important task, since I’m positive he will fail at it.”

This was war, not a game of fame; Xue Li particularly hated when noble families were given high positions in the military, or in politics, when they had no merit. Having a high position in the military meant he had a lot of responsibilities; having someone inept in that position of power meant many people would die due to his carelessness. “I will take that into consideration,” she said with a nod. “And what are your thoughts of General Qian Duyi?”

He shrugged. “I have no opinion on him, since I have never met him.”

“And you, Jinhai?” she asked. His opinion was also gold.

“General Qian Duyi has been in the battlefield for two decades now. I think he knows what he’s doing.”

“I see.” Xue Li folded her arms over her chest. “The meeting will be in three weeks, which is enough time for us to make it there. Hulin, I know you have a wife and daughter waiting for you, so I won’t force you to come with us, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide.”

“I’ll come,” he said.

“Are you sure? You might not see them until after our next campaign.”

“I’m sure, General. If I leave for home, by the time I come back, the next campaign will have already started and you’ll be without me in the battlefield for at least a month or so. I’d rather not do that.”

“Alright then.” Xue Li glanced at everyone else. “I’m taking seven people with me to this trip to City Lan. Hulin, choose two strategists to come along. Jinhai, choose two of your men to come. Wen Ming, I expect you to come as well.”

Wen Ming gave a short bow. “Yes, General.”

“Any questions?”

No one spoke a word, so Xue Li rose from her seat. Since no one had anything to add, the meeting was over. She was sure they were all excited to go back home or simply enjoy their break from war. “Then, that’s it. I hope you all enjoy your little break. I’ll see you all soon.”

There was a rustling of papers as the men clambered to their feet. Xue Li rolled the letter and passed it to Wen Ming, who tucked it away within the folds of her clothing.

“Jinhai,” Xue Li said as he headed toward the entrance of the tent. She walked over to him and exited the tent alongside him. “Your family home is close to City Lan, isn’t it?”

“Actually, no.” Soldiers moved all around them; most sidestepped out of the way once they saw the both of them. “They live in State Shiyu, yes, but it’s on the opposite side, close to the border of State Xue.”

“That’s still close,” she said. “What is it, a week of travel from City Lan?”

“Yes, it is.”

“You’re allowed to leave to visit them, if you’d like.”

“No, I’ll stay.”

“Look, the meetings will take about a week, maybe less. Once that’s settled, we’ll have about two weeks of break time. During that time, you’d be able to visit your family, even for a few days.”

“I’ll take that into consideration. Thank you.”

Xue Li turned to leave when she felt a murderous presence to her left. Before she could even move, someone shouted, “General!”

Jinhai jumped in front of her unexpectedly, just as the assailant brought his sword down towards Xue Li. Blood streaked her vision for a split second before Jinhai twisted to the right and hit the assailant across the face with the hilt of his sword whilst unsheathing it.

The assailant stumbled backwards and hit the ground, stunned as blood burst from his nose and upper lip. Jinhai made move to strike again, but Xue Li grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

“That’s enough,” she said, just as half a dozen soldiers tackled the man.

Had it been another person, the sword would’ve run right down his shoulder and to his heart, but Jinhai had moved aside in time and only nicked his shoulder.

The assailant, upon closer inspection, was a young boy who couldn’t have been older than eleven. Red hot blood ran down his nose and dribbled across his chin.