Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 31

The next morning, Jin qing was on a horse, speeding to the city.
She had voted to go by herself without any escort slowing her down. Her maids followed behind with some belongings, but Jin qing was much too fast for her maids. Besides, her horse had no weight slowing it down.

Her thin, silk cape billowed in the wind as a sense of determination stayed fixed on her face.
She had put what happened yesterday hopefully as far as she could for the time being. Jin qing desperately needed something to distract her, preferably with work.
Besides, it's not like the emperor can follow her.

The city gates opened for her, and she rode in, looking for the government buildings inside where her brother would be stationed.
Jin qing slid off her horse, and it was led away by a servant. The guards at the door bowed for her, but she paid them no attention and hurried in.

"Greetings to the Xue Xian!" The people inside said in unison as she walked in. Her brother, handsomely dressed in a silver armor over dark blue robes. A red cape marked his status, and so did his jeweled sword.

"Jin qing." Kai feng nodded. "Glad you were able to hurry here."

Jin qing nodded but smiled on the inside. She knew out of all people Kai feng wouldn't bother to address her by her proper name. "I came as soon as I could. Now, can anyone tell me the details?"

"Of course." Kai feng nodded. "Did the emperor not tell you anything?"

"We were interrupted." Jin qing answered quickly, keeping her eyes on the map that was spread on the table. "Now, the details."

"The song has an extraordinary amount of men on the opposite side of the river. They had tried to siege us twice, and we defended and prevented them from doing so twice."

Jin qing looked at the approximate locations of the troops, then looked at what the Wei had. "Reinforcements are marching toward us as we speak." She assured Kai feng. "There's no use fighting by charging across the river, but it might be enough to overwhelm the Song."

"But then their archers-" Kai feng tapped on a blue block on the map "will eventually shoot us down. Though there is no hill, out men is almost undefended as they cross the river."

"From what I can see, the siege weapons are already in a line, ready to be put in position as soon as they grant access to this side of the river." Jin qing bit her lip. She was certain this was the work of that man. "Have you blockaded the bridges?"

"Blown them up on day one." Kai feng assured her. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Surround them. We need to do almost the impossible."

Kai feng locked eye contact with his sister as the people around them muttered. He knew his sister quite well, and if she even bothered to suggest this, it had a chance and way of success. "What do you suggest we do?"

"We tell the reinforcements to take the long way and skirt around the Song. They chose a clearing to camp, as it would be easier to set up and have the thick woods around them like a wall." Jin qing's brain tinkered furiously, searching for the best route through the woods.

"You're suggesting that we crush them inwards." Kai feng's eyes lit up a little, starting to understand his sister's plan. "We use the men already stationed in the city to act as a distraction. The main plan will be to surround them from the sides of the camp and overwhelm them in numbers. When they all charge out to defend the frontal assault that we will do from the city, the reinforcements can surround them again, but this time the men would go in the back so the Song cannot retreat."

Jin qing smiled. Her brother was a smart man, all he needed was a start to get his head running. "Exactly."

"As we always want the men alive, so we'll force them to surrender there." Kai feng nodded "we either capture or kill the General, preferably for information."