The Slender Waist-Chapter 200 - 141 The Majestic Presence

Feng Yun walked to the parapet.

Bingzhou had no barbican, so standing here, one could see the situation outside the city clearly.

The drawbridge had been raised since yesterday, and everywhere one looked there were pits created by stone projectiles. The traces of war were truly alarming.

From the parapet, one glance would take in the water of the moat, which was quite wide, about two zhang away from the city wall—a distance precisely calculated. If too narrow, it wouldn’t protect the wall; if too wide, it would create a large gap between the inner edge of the moat and the base of the wall, providing easy access for the enemy’s large siege engines. Thus, the design of Bingzhou City’s defenses was actually quite flawless.

Feng Yun glanced at Pei Jue once more.

Choosing Bingzhou, others said he was crawling into a jar, taking a step that led to a dead end...

Was this truly not a deliberate choice on his part?

The trenches outside the moat had been nearly destroyed in last night’s battle, but the Qi Army hadn’t come too close. Their entire unit, roughly a hundred or two hundred men, stood outside the range of the archers, shouting at the top of their lungs at the Jin Army atop the walls.

Feng Yun had heard of insult matches.

But this was his first time witnessing such ferocity.

Unbelievable!

It turned out that in a standoff between two armies, there was not only the killing on the battlefield but also such "cruel" battles of insults below it, which could be even more thrilling than real sword-to-sword combat. Each insult was hurled so fiercely that faces turned red, people fumed with anger, almost wishing to fling open the city gates and kill the enemy immediately.

"Do you hear that?" Feng Yun asked.

The Great General standing before the parapet had no particular reaction, "Hmm."

Feng Yun smiled, "What are your thoughts?"

She thought Pei Jue wouldn’t respond.

Yet, after a pause, he let out two faint words, "Unjust."

Feng Yun looked at the man with a clear-cut face in astonishment.

The so-called "seizing the moral high ground"—those who excelled in insult battles were indeed rare in the military. It was said that those with sharp tongues could directly scold someone into depression.

The Qi Army present today clearly brought such an expert.

In the face of Northern Yong forces’ taunts from the city walls, "Come on over, you cheap slaves," the other side did not engage in martial decorum; they didn’t insult over battles won or lost, but bitterly insulted Pei Jue’s personal morality.

"Your Great General is nothing but a villain who takes other people’s wives, a shameless scoundrel lurking in the shadows!"

"Following such a notorious lowlife, your ancestors’ graves must be splitting with rage. What disgraceful offspring, vile turtle eggs, even if you die in battle, in the next life you’ll still be reborn as despicable people, worthless slaves..."

"Pei Dog takes others’ wives! A thief indeed!"

"All you can do is howl within your walls of dung, aren’t you brave enough to come out?"

"You wife-stealing scoundrels, come out and fight!"

The insults from outside the city enraged the soldiers atop the walls so much they were nearly steaming.

Especially since the Great General himself was present, they felt even more disgraced. A few fiery youths, gripping their broadswords, were eager to go out and deal with them, and it took some effort for Shi Yin to hold them back.

Provocation can indeed drive people to madness.

As the "party robbed," Feng Yun stayed calm like an old dog, and it was somewhat unexpected to see Pei Jue, who was being scolded as a "wife-stealing lunatic," also show no reaction.

No wonder she thought this man was impervious to anything.

It turned out that having been scolded on the battlefield, he had developed a thick skin.

Feng Yun, recalling how he just said "unjust," approached him a couple of steps closer.

"Aren’t you angry, General?"

"Hmm," Pei Jue responded indifferently.

The stream of insults continued, gratingly harsh.

But arguing back was futile; the enemy wouldn’t listen, they were determined to hurl abuse. As their adversaries, if one couldn’t stand it, then it was time to open the city gates and fight. That would be playing right into their hands.

"To endure humiliation is the mark of a great man. The General is truly admirable."

Feng Yun’s comment would have seemed sincere, if it weren’t for the following statement that would’ve certainly struck Pei Jue’s heart.

However, after she finished, she added with a warm smile,

"No wonder they call you ’Great Air’ Pei."

Pei Jue abruptly turned around, his jawline tensed.

"What did Ji Fang just say?"

Feng Yun observed his changing expression, "I said the General has a broad mind, doesn’t squabble over trivial matters with others. No wonder people in the camp call you ’Great Air’ Pei."

Pei Jue stared at her for a long while in silence, his angular face, pursed thin lips, and eyes of nebulous intent seemed to grow upon a certain aesthetic preference of Feng Yun’s. For a moment, she felt the Great General, clad in armor, exuded a masculine forcefulness all over...

But he didn’t speak.

And Feng Yun was perplexed.

Wasn’t it okay to praise him?

Looking around, Feng Yun noticed that the surrounding soldiers were busy with their own shouting match, paying no attention to them.

She frowned slightly, "Did I say something wrong?"

Pei Jue’s turning back slowed, his gaze sweeping contemptuously over the scene below.

"No mistake."

Feng Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

Little did she know that "Great Air" here did not correspond to "great talent," nor did she realize she had touched a taboo that nearly tore apart someone’s cold demeanor with just those three short words.

The insults continued unabated.

The Qi Army cycled in fresh cursers.

On the Northern Yong side as well, more people came to join the fray.

The exchanges flew fast and furious.

"If you’re so brave, cross the river and face your father in three hundred rounds!"

"Pah! You turtle grandchildren cower behind your walls of excrement, dare you fight?"

"Qi Country brats can barely walk, what do you know of warfare? Better surrender soon and go back to suck on your mother’s breast..."

"Come out and fight."

"Cross the river!"

"We’ll starve you for a month, let’s see who dies of hunger first."

"Hey, you gutless wretches with torn pants, look at you—do you even look like you can fight? Forget a month, give you a year, and you still won’t get across the moat!"

"Kill Pei Jue!"

"Kill Xiao Cheng!"

"Kill the wife-stealer!"

"Kill the dog Emperor!"

Bingzhou City was not large, but its advantage was its wide moat. The soldiers of both armies hurled insults across the river, reminiscent of children squabbling, comically absurd.

This was not the war Feng Yun had imagined.

Yet it was the most realistic aspect of war.

"All this yelling, such a waste of voice."

Feng Yun thought of a wartime anecdote she had read about.

"There was once a general who sent men to insult the enemy daily without engaging in battle, which enraged the other side beyond measure..."

Pei Jue asked, "And the result?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Feng Yun pondered for a moment, "The defensive commander lost his temper, went out to fight, and the outcome, as you can guess, was not good."

Pei Jue: "I’m not that defensive commander."

Feng Yun said, "But Xiao Cheng will be that besieging general."

Upon saying this, she smiled.

Her radiant smile seemed to bring luster to the entire city wall...

Pei Jue looked at her and did not respond.

Feng Yun said, "Last night, the Qi Army feigned an attack to test us, and today they came to insult us. General, why is that?"

Pei Jue tilted his chin slightly, signaling her to continue.

Feng Yun said, "Bingzhou has high walls and a deep moat, solid as a metal cauldron. The Qi Army suffered in last night’s attack; they likely won’t launch a major assault soon. Now they send small groups to provoke and harass us, seeking to wear us down. They’ll wait for the right moment to catch us off guard... If they can provoke the general to fight outside the walls, that would be even better for them."

The besieged are prone to anxiety, especially without food or water. When provoked, it’s inevitable that they will lose their composure.

Hurling insults is a tactic to attack the enemy’s morale.

Even if the commander doesn’t falter, what about the soldiers who are insulted by the enemy every day? The hot-blooded soldiers, who can clash with swords on the battlefield, are also prone to rage in a war of words...

Blinded by anger, many act impulsively, disregarding life and death.

"No wonder it’s said in the books that to attack walls is inferior to attacking the will. Today, I have come to understand the true meaning of it."

Pei Jue gazed deeply at her.

Suddenly, he called out, "Shi Yin."

Shi Yin approached, "Great General."

Pei Jue tilted his head slightly.

When all the surrounding soldiers looked at him, he said, "Stuff your ears. Ignore the filthy words and do not respond. It’s no more than the barking of dogs."

Shi Yin obeyed, but he and the others looked at each other, bewildered.

Just when the insults had reached their peak, they were not supposed to retort?

But with the Great General’s orders, they had no choice but to comply, so everyone began stuffing their ears, truly falling silent.

But who wouldn’t feel frustrated in this verbal battle?

Seeing the soldiers with red faces from yelling, Feng Yun said to Pei Jue:

"General, I have a good strategy."

In war, psychological advantage often holds the key to victory. If Zhuge Liang could infuriate his opponent to death, Feng Yun believed she could give it a try. Even if not to the death, at least this new strategist should make an impression in front of "his lord."

"If the Qi army wants to attack our psyche with insults, let me turn the tables and infuriate them to death."

If it were someone else boasting so, Pei Jue might not believe it, but when Feng Yun said it, he at least half believed her.

Because he often felt the sensation of being infuriated to death.

"Two lady, do share your thoughts?"

Feng Yun’s eyes narrowed as a slight smile appeared on her face.

"Let’s not boast about things not yet accomplished. It’s a secret for now."

In Pei Jue’s contemplative eyes, a curiosity emerged, "How will you do it?"

Feng Yun bowed, "I’ll need the General to send someone to find me a carpentry workshop in the city and a few carpenters."

Pei Jue summoned Zuo Zhong, "Do as she says. Find them!"

Zuo Zhong bowed in acknowledgment, turned, and set off to make arrangements, feeling a chill inside, deeply unsettled.

Feng Shi Er Niang didn’t clarify what she wanted to do, yet the Great General unhesitatingly ordered it to be done. Such favoritism. If this continued, he feared it might end like King You of Zhou.

Those atop Bingzhou City suddenly became mute, and the Qi Army, while hurling insults, lost some of their spirit.

"Why isn’t the Northern Yong Army responding?"

"Can’t match our insults, they’ve quieted down?"

"The one on the wall, is it Pei Jue?"

"Can’t tell..."

"Such a tall figure, certainly that’s Pei Gou beyond a doubt."

"Is that a woman beside Pei Gou?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. How could a woman be on the battlefield?"

A few soldiers discussed quietly, refreshed their lines, and continued to verbally assault Bingzhou City...

Behind the troops, Xiao Cheng, surrounded by guards, clad in iron armor, and wearing a helmet, silently rode on horseback, silently staring at the lady on the city wall.

From such a distance, of course, one could not see clearly.

But perhaps too familiar, the moment Feng Yun appeared atop the wall and looked outward, Xiao Cheng recognized her.

She stood at Pei Jue’s side, occasionally looking up at him.

Xiao Cheng couldn’t hear what they were saying or see their expressions...

Yet he could hear the agony in his own heart tearing him apart as he tried to speak.

"Xiao Lang, Andu is too far away, I want to go home."

"Will you send someone to pick me up?"

"Xiao Lang..."

"Master Xiao San..."

"Your Majesty!"

The voice faded further and further away, weaker and weaker, calling for him through countless days and nights. That life was too long, so this time he came early.

But she was not there.