As for the specifics of the war, he left it entirely to those who knew what they were doing.
Though he didn’t attend the military council, the veteran generals came to him one after another once the meeting concluded, their faces clouded with worry as they sought to “vent” their frustrations.
The first to arrive was Han Ding. This old general had been appreciated by Pei Jingyi’s father and had held his position as Jiedushi for years; he was well-versed in military strategy. Yet, after the meeting, he was utterly bewildered.
Han Ding sat in the study, his brow furrowed so deeply it could have crushed a fly. “Lord Chancellor, Grand Marshal Pei intends to move the troops tonight. He has ordered two hundred thousand men from the Provincial Army to move in three columns.”
“The left wing is to march with torches at night, the right wing is to beat drums and shout, but the center is only to set up an empty camp with bonfires… The Provincial Army cannot stand against the Imperial Court Army in a direct confrontation! What kind of tactic is this?”
Gu Huaiyu rested his chin on one hand and let out a lazy yawn, fully aware of the old man’s anxiety. “Governor Han, why didn’t you ask the Grand Marshal directly?”
“I did!” Han Ding sighed heavily. “The boy just said we would see the result tomorrow morning!”
Gu Huaiyu casually flipped through a military report. “Then, shouldn’t you just wait until tomorrow morning, Governor?”
His attitude of total delegation and absolute trust forced Han Ding to retreat in frustration.
No sooner had Han Ding left than the commander of the Foreign Auxiliaries rushed in. The tribal leader was covered in dust, complaining the moment he entered. “Lord Chancellor! Grand Marshal Pei ordered my fifty thousand men to set out immediately and hide in the mountain ravines! We aren’t even allowed to lift our heads! We can’t even light fires to cook! When I asked why, he just said ‘wait’!”
Gu Huaiyu didn’t even look up. “Then wait.”
The commander wanted to argue further, but the attendants ushered him out.
Next, the commander of the Provincial Army entered with bloodshot eyes. “Lord Chancellor! Grand Marshal Pei is making my men the vanguard! Those are the elite frontrunners of Eastern Liao! Isn’t he just sending us to our deaths?”
Gu Huaiyu dismissed him with a single sentence: “Military orders are as immovable as mountains.”
The commander opened his mouth, but ultimately retreated in despair.
Gu Huaiyu sat steadily at his desk, as immovable as a mountain himself. If he, the Chancellor, wasn’t worried, why were the others so frantic?
That night, the Military Governor’s estate was as busy as a marketplace, with generals rushing in and leaving in frustration. When Pei Jingyi stepped over the threshold, he happened to run into the dejected Provincial Army commander.
Pei Jingyi was now clad in his armored pauldrons, looking majestic and imposing. He hitched his warhorse to the old locust tree outside and strode into the study with a powerful gait.
Hearing the footsteps, Gu Huaiyu finally looked up from the reports. “I thought you were setting out tonight?”
“I’m leaving now.” Pei Jingyi adjusted the leather straps of his bracers as he walked, his black armor clinking with every step. “I had to see the Chancellor before I left.”
Gu Huaiyu set down his vermilion brush and leaned back lazily in his chair, his eyes roaming over the man. “…Mmh. Fine clothes really do make the man.”
Pei Jingyi knew how striking he looked in uniform, but hearing the praise from Gu Huaiyu’s own lips made it different. He suddenly leaned over the desk, his finger lightly stroking his own jaw. “If I catch your eye, Chancellor, I am more than willing to offer myself to you. I’ll even keep the bed warm.”
Gu Huaiyu gave a soft snort but didn’t take the bait, simply watching him in silence.
Pei Jingyi let the loose smile fade from his lips, replaced by a serious, focused gaze. “Is the Chancellor afraid?”
Gu Huaiyu shook his head. He believed in Pei Jingyi’s ability, he believed in his own judgment, and he believed that human effort could overcome any obstacle.
Pei Jingyi leaned further forward, taking Gu Huaiyu’s hand and pressing it against his own cheek, making it look as if Gu Huaiyu were caressing him. He lowered his voice. “The Chancellor isn’t afraid, but I am.”
Gu Huaiyu’s brow arched. You’re afraid?
Pei Jingyi looked up, his lips lightly brushing Gu Huaiyu’s pale fingertips. “I’m afraid that while I’m away, someone will try to court the Chancellor and take advantage of my absence.”
Gu Huaiyu had expected some grand statement of state affairs, not this kind of romantic sentiment. He shifted his grip to hold Pei Jingyi’s rugged, firm jaw, the sharp contours of the general’s face contrasting sharply with his own pale palm.
“You animal!” Gu Huaiyu cursed. “Aren’t you afraid of dragging me down to death with you?”
Though the words were harsh, hearing them made Pei Jingyi’s heart bloom with joy. He countered with a smile, “When the Chancellor issued the decree for military governance, were you ever afraid of being ruined?”
Of course Gu Huaiyu wasn’t afraid. What he admired was precisely this shared certainty—the absolute confidence in one’s own abilities, the composure in strategy, and an unshakeable resolve.
Pei Jingyi lingered, nuzzling his jaw against Gu Huaiyu’s palm one last time before finally standing. “The hour has come. Won’t the Chancellor see me off?”
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