The Lazy Life Of Raine

Reunion (6)

After cleaning up the dishes and the tent, nighttime fell quickly and a bath was called into the tent for the General.  After he bathed behind a screen, Linqin cleaned up after the soldiers emptied out the tub.

“You … sleep on my bed.  I’ll sleep on the floor on the other side of the room.”  He told her.

“I cannot do that.  It’s not right for General to give up General’s bed for this servant.”  She told him as she knelt down. “This servant will sleep on the floor. It is only right and proper.”  

General Shen stared down at her for a long time before nodding his head.  

Linqin made room for her bed on the rug, near the instruments, on the other side of the tent.  While General Shen requested for more blankets. When five soft blankets were presented, he took them to Linqin and gave it to her.  

“Just in case it gets cold.”  General Shen told her as he placed the blankets in her arms.  

“Thank you.”  She said as she laid the blankets down as a cushion and as a blanket for her to use.  

General Shen hesitated for a moment, before going back to his side of the tent and blowing the candles that lit the tent.  Once the tent was dark, General Shen laid down on his bed and he felt as if the weight on his shoulders came down on his heart.  Such a gentle, talented, smart lady, reduced to a slave in a moment. Life was not fair for her, but he’ll make it as fair as possible.  

Although Linqin could have slept in the tents provided for the servants, General Shen didn’t like the idea of her sleeping with strangers and the possibility of others creating trouble for her.  

Even though there may be rumors of him keeping her in his tent, at least she would be safe.  And the two of them would know the truth that nothing happened.

Her time with General Shen was cordial as they got along well.  General Shen was spoiled by Linqin’s skills and talent, making his stay at the border easier.  They also spent their time playing chess, where she would win most of the time, but when he won, he made it a big deal. He was a sore winner to say the least.  

A year past with skirmishes from both sides, until the fall came.  The enemy troops were attacking every day, trying to steal weapons, food, and money.  

General Shen and five of his most trusted aide sat around his work table discussing about a plan to attack the enemy soldiers once and for all.  After four hours of arguing back and forth of a plan, General Shen ordered them to rest and they would meet again in the morning to make a final decision.  

General Shen sat at his work table with a frown as he stared at the map.  Linqin had gone out to get his dinner and when she came back with his food, he had not moved from his position.  

Linqin set up the table first, then tested the food and wine before setting her plate and chopstick down.  

“You should come and eat first.”  Linqin said as she stepped to the side.  “Thinking with an empty stomach is the same with a full stomach. Just that with a full stomach, you’re much more likely to come up with a plan.”  

“General Shen looked at Linqin and sighed before he got up and went to the side table to eat.  When he ate, his frown was still plastered on his face as if he was unhappy. The winter was coming and the provisions for his army was late.  He wanted to take care of the enemy nation before winter, so there wouldn’t be so many skirmishes during the winter.

Linqin began to clean his work table and General Shen did not pay her any attention as he ran over the several suggestions from his aides.  Once he finished dinner, Linqin gathers the empty dishes and walks out of the tent without a word.

General Shen sat back in his chair and his eye caught the map on his work table.  

The map had chess pieces on it.  General Shen stood up and walked over to the work table and there was a piece of paper laid on top.  On it, Linqin wrote out a few quotes from The Art of War, By Sun Tzu.

After reading the words over and over his eyes opened wide and looked at the map. Underneath the paper was a detailed report on how they could win the border wars.  Linqin had planned out their attack by feigning weakness when the enemy soldiers attacks. By the second or third time, the enemy soldier would think that their army was not as strong as it may seem, and when they came the fourth time, they would already have two units flanking the enemy army.  

A big number of enemy army would attack their base the fourth time, leaving the enemy base with barely any soldiers to guard it. That is when the two units would attack the enemy base, destroying the food source and setting the base on fire.  

The two armies would face off, and once the two units are done with the enemy base they would fight the enemy army from behind, completely trapping them.  

The plan was ambitious, but it was well thought through with a list of names for each unit and detailed plans should something happen out of the norm.    

By the time the soldiers came in to put water in his bathtub, he covered the paper and hid it, not wanting anyone to see it.  After he was done with his bath, he had the soldiers empty the bathwater.

When Linqin came back to the tent, he was sitting at the head of his work table and looked at Linqin with a hard stare.  

“How sure are you?”  General Shen asked.

“Very sure.”  Linqin told him.  “But everything has to be done exactly how it’s written.  No one cannot deviate from the plan.”

General Shen rubbed his beard on his chin for some time before he nodded his head.  

“Very well, we’ll do as you say.”  He told her. “But we can’t tell anyone who came up with the plan.  If they ask, it has to be me.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”  She told him.

General Shen called his aides back and told them the first part of the plan.  They would hardly put up a fight the for the next three skirmishes. Although the aides did not agree, in the end, when he told them that he had a long term plan, they reluctantly agreed.