The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Song Qi tactfully withdrew from the tent, knowing that the general did not like to be disturbed when writing letters.

This is the seventeenth letter.

Song Zhiwen wrote very slowly, each stroke like he was carefully planning a battle.

In the letter, he recorded in detail the war over the past six months, from crossing the river in early spring to capturing fifteen cities in succession, and then to the upcoming Sishui Pass.

When writing about strategic deployments, his writing became sharp; when writing about casualty figures, it turned solemn.

Once the last drop of ink had dried, Song Zhiwen folded the letter and placed it in an exquisite wooden box.

The box already contained sixteen unmailed letters, neatly arranged.

"General, you've written so many letters, why don't you send them out?"

Song Qi couldn't help but ask again.

Song Zhiwen smiled faintly.

"I write letters because I want to, but when I send a letter, I have to consider whether the recipient wants to read it."

He closed the wooden box.

"Besides, some things are enough to say once they're written down."

Three days later, the Song army broke camp and marched south, heading straight for Sishui Pass.

During the march, Song Zhiwen, riding his warhorse, gazed at the gradually emerging outline of the majestic pass in the distance, his expression somewhat solemn.

Sishui Pass is built against the mountain, with steep cliffs on both sides and towering city walls that seem to stretch into the clouds, like a natural chasm on the road to Zhengdu.

In front of the pass is the turbulent Sishui River, with only one stone bridge connecting the two banks.

"Report!"

A scout arrived on horseback with the news.

"The garrison at Sishui Pass is on high alert, and banners are waving on the city walls. Judging from the banners, it's the Jixia Academy!"

A glint of light flashed in Song Zhiwen's eyes.

"Jixia Academy?"

The corners of his mouth raised slightly.

"interesting."

The lieutenant asked in confusion.

"Isn't the Jixia Academy supposed to be detached from worldly affairs? Why would it get involved in the war between Zheng and Song?"

"The rise and fall, everyone is responsible."

Song Zhiwen said softly.

"Not to mention the Jixia Academy."

He turned to the messenger and said.

"Pass down the order: the entire army shall set up camp three miles in front of the pass, and we will attack the city tomorrow."

That night, the Song army camp was brightly lit.

Song Zhiwen stood in front of the sand table, discussing the strategy for attacking the city with his generals.

The model of Sishui Pass on the sand table is exquisite and detailed, with even the crenellations on the city wall clearly visible.

"Sishui Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack; a direct assault would result in too many casualties."

Song Zhiwen pointed to the sand table and said.

"Tomorrow, send out the vanguard battalion to probe the enemy's strength, while the main force remains stationary."

"General, this humble general is willing to lead the vanguard battalion!"

A young general clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and requested permission to take command.

Song Zhiwen shook his head.

"Not urgent."

His gaze was deep.

"Let's see who the Jixia Academy sent first."

The following morning, the vanguard of the Song army lined up in front of the pass.

Song Zhiwen, dressed in military attire, rode on his warhorse and gazed at the city walls.

In the morning mist, figures could be seen on the city wall, and a large flag embroidered with the character "Chen" stood out.

"List?"

Song Zhiwen frowned slightly, then suddenly realized.

"Could it be Chen Shouren?"

A white figure appeared on the city wall.

The man, dressed in a scholar's robe and holding a feather fan, stood out starkly against the heavily armored city walls.

He stood on the edge of the battlements, looking down at the Song army's formation with a calm expression.

"General Song has come from afar, and I, Chen, have failed to greet you properly."

A clear voice came from the city wall. Although it wasn't loud, it clearly reached everyone's ears, revealing profound inner strength.

Song Zhiwen smiled slightly and responded by channeling his inner strength.

"So you are Chen Shouren, a junior teacher at the Jixia Academy. I have long admired your name."

The two men spoke across the distance, their voices echoing across the battlefield, and the soldiers of both armies listened with bated breath.

"General Song conquered fifteen cities in succession, his power shaking the state of Zheng."

Chen Shouren spoke in a calm tone.

"However, with Chen here at Sishui Pass, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the general."

Song Zhiwen laughed loudly.

"Young master, you have quite the audacity! I, Song, would like to see what the Jixia Academy is capable of!"

Chen Shouren proceeded calmly and unhurriedly.

"General, why are you in such a hurry? Why don't you retreat thirty miles first, and then we can talk things over slowly?"

"With the enemy at our gates, how can we possibly retreat?"

Song Zhiwen said.

"If you have the courage, young sir, you might as well go out of the city and fight."

Chen Shouren shook his head.

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death. I, Chen, dare not lightly initiate war, but if the general insists on attacking the city..."

With a flick of his feather fan, rows of archers appeared on the city wall.

"I have no choice but to play along."

Song Zhiwen narrowed his eyes, knowing he was unlikely to gain any advantage today, and ordered the vanguard to retreat. On the way back to camp, the deputy general asked, puzzled.

"General, why not just attack the city directly?"

"Chen Shouren is no ordinary opponent."

Song Zhiwen said in a deep voice.

“He was a disciple of Yuan Tiangang and a prized student of Yan Zhitui. His military strategy is no less than mine. A rash attack on the city will only increase casualties.”

In the days that followed, the Song army made several attempts to attack the city, but Chen Shouren skillfully thwarted them all.

Three months later, the barbican of Sishui Pass was breached three times, but each time the Song army was forced back by Chen Shouren's counterattack.

The battle reached a stalemate, and the morale of the Song army began to decline.

Worse still, due to their deep penetration into enemy territory, the Song army's supply lines were stretched too long, and their food supplies began to run into shortages.

On that day, the quartermaster came to report with a worried look on his face.

"General, the provisions are only enough to last for seven days."

Song Zhiwen frowned.

When will the supplies arrive from the rear?

"It will take at least half a month."

The generals in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment, and an old general stepped forward and spoke.

"General, why don't we requisition provisions on the spot?"

The so-called "collection" was in fact plunder.

Song Zhiwen's heart sank. He had received a Confucian education since childhood and knew the importance of a "benevolent and righteous teacher".

But looking at the tired faces of the soldiers in the tent, he couldn't bring himself to criticize them.

"Pass the order."

He spoke with difficulty.

"Grain and fodder may be purchased from surrounding villages at market prices. Burning, killing, and looting are strictly prohibited; those who disobey will be executed!"

However, the orders were not executed properly.

The starving soldiers stormed into the village, looting food and committing atrocities.

When the news reached the main camp, Song Zhiwen was furious and personally executed several officers who had led the looting.

But the bad reputation had already spread, and the people of Zheng hated the Song army to the core, which also cast a shadow on Song Zhiwen's reputation as a "Confucian swordsman".

That night, Song Zhiwen wrote another letter in his tent.

This was probably the umpteenth unmailed letter, filled with self-reproach and inner conflict.

He suddenly stopped writing halfway through and crumpled the letter into a ball.

"General?"

Song Qi asked cautiously.

"I am fine."

Song Zhiwen shook his head, looking somewhat tired.

"I'm just... a little tired."

Suddenly, a bugle sounded outside the camp, followed by a cacophony of shouts.

Song Zhiwen suddenly stood up, grabbed his sword, and rushed out of the tent.

"what happened?"

"Report! Enemy attack at night!"

A soldier rushed in to report.

Song Zhiwen quickly donned his armor, mounted his horse, and ordered the entire army to be on alert.

He personally climbed the watchtower and looked towards Sishui Pass.

Strangely, there was no sign of a large army moving out in front of the pass; only a single light on the city wall shone brightly.

Under the lamplight, Chen Shouren, dressed in flowing white robes, was raising his cup to drink alone.

Upon seeing Song Zhiwen, he raised his glass in the distance, his voice clearly audible.

"General Song, the moonlight is just right, why don't we have a drink together?"

Song Zhiwen sneered.

"Young sir, you have quite the refined taste, disturbing our army in the middle of the night just to drink?"

Chen Shouren smiled.

"No. Chen is here to deliver a message."

As he spoke, he took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to the soldier beside him.

The soldier drew his bow and shot the message toward the Song army camp.

The arrow landed precisely at Song Zhiwen's feet.

He picked up the letter and quickly scanned it by the torchlight, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"General, what did the letter say?" Deputy General Yang Cheng couldn't help but ask, the veins on his forehead still throbbing.

He was still furious about the scout's false report of an enemy attack.

Song Zhiwen did not answer immediately. His gaze swept back and forth across the letter, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with an odd expression.

"Chen Shouren invited me to meet him three days later on the banks of the Sishui River."

"Peace?"

Yang Cheng's eyes lit up.

"Could it be that the State of Zheng is about to collapse?"

"impossible."

Song Zhiwen sneered and handed the letter to the old general Lu Yunshan beside him.

"The Jixia Academy values ​​face the most. If Chen Shouren dares to negotiate peace behind the back of the King of Zheng, his master Yan Zhitui will be the first to not let him off the hook."

Lu Yunshan took the letter and scanned the neat handwriting with his cloudy old eyes.

"This this."

"read."

Song Zhiwen gave the order.

The old general said.

"General Song, the two armies have been locked in a stalemate for more than three months, causing immense suffering and death, which is not what a gentleman desires. Three days from now, on the banks of the Sishui River, I wish to meet with you to discuss a way to end the war. Written by Chen Shouren of Jixia Academy."

An uproar erupted in the tent. A young general slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"General, this is a trap! We must not go!"

Song Zhiwen raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Chen Shouren is not Xiang Yu, and I am not Liu Bang."

His gaze swept over the generals in the tent.

"But the battle must end as soon as possible. We are running out of food and supplies, and our camps are full of wounded soldiers. If we drag this out any longer, we will collapse before Zheng's army can launch a counterattack."

Yang Cheng lowered his voice.

"About the herbs."

"already solved."

Song Zhiwen said calmly.

"I've sent men to control the families of those herb merchants. Remember, they can only be coerced, not harmed. If someone dies, it will only incite public outrage."

General Lu Yunshan was deeply worried.

"General, I find this matter suspicious. Why did Chen Shouren suddenly extend an invitation? Could it be a trap?"

Song Zhiwen did not answer immediately; his gaze fell on an inconspicuous ink dot at the end of the letter.

The ink dot had a peculiar shape, resembling a drop of splashed blood.

A thought struck him, and he suddenly asked.

"Yang Cheng, the other day you said that you discovered traces of the Blood Shadow Tower in Iron City?"

Yang Cheng's expression changed drastically.

"General, you are wise! I have only received intelligence that there are Blood Shadow Tower agents active in Iron City, but this has not yet been verified."

"Blood Shadow Tower?"

Lu Yunshan gasped in shock.

"Isn't that the most notorious assassin organization in the martial arts world?"

Several veterans paled, some even instinctively reaching for their swords at their waists.

Song Zhiwen, however, remained surprisingly calm.

"Yang Cheng, do you think the assassins from Blood Shadow Tower could infiltrate Sishui Pass?"

"General!"

Lu Yunshan suddenly stood up, his old face flushed red.

"You wouldn't be thinking of..."

"I'm just asking."

Song Zhiwen smiled meaningfully.

"After all, Chen Shouren mentioned something very interesting in his letter."

He unfolded the letter again and pointed to the ink dot.

"Look, what does this look like?"

The generals crowded around to take a closer look, and Yang Cheng suddenly widened his eyes.

"This is the Blood Shadow Tower's secret mark! I've seen similar markings on the case files of the Dali Temple!"

Song Zhiwen nodded slightly.

"Chen Shouren is implying to me that he has already obtained information about the Blood Shadow Tower."

There was a cold light in his eyes.

"Or rather, he suspected that I had connections with the Blood Shadow Tower."

The tent was deathly silent. After a long while, Lu Yunshan finally spoke in a trembling voice.

"General, I dare to speak frankly. To associate with such a heretical sect as the Blood Shadow Pavilion would tarnish your reputation as a Confucian swordsman!"

"Yes, General!"

Another veteran echoed this sentiment.

"The Blood Shadow Tower is ruthless and has no bottom line. If it becomes known that the Song army is colluding with assassins, morale will surely collapse!"

Song Zhiwen remained silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table. Hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, and a messenger rushed in.

"Report! The King of Song has dispatched the Grand Eunuch Zhang Yan as the military supervisor, who will arrive at the front in three days!"

"what?!"

Yang Cheng gasped in shock.

"Zhang Yan? That confidant of the Empress Dowager?"

Song Zhiwen's face instantly darkened.

"Everyone."

His voice was unusually calm, yet it sent chills down everyone's spine.

"You all know who Zhang Yan is."

If he goes to the front lines, how can we fight this battle?

Lu Yunshan was overcome with emotion and tears streamed down his face.

"General, I understand your predicament. But colluding with assassins is hardly the act of a gentleman!"

"Gentleman?"

Song Zhiwen suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with self-mockery.

"Old Master Lu, do you still remember what my grandfather often said? 'Once the sword is drawn, there is no regret.'"

He turned sharply.

"Yang Cheng!"

"The general is here!"

"Go contact Blood Shadow Tower."

Song Zhiwen said, enunciating each word clearly.

"I will settle things with Chen Shouren at the Sishui Conference."

Yang Cheng's face turned ashen, but he dared not disobey.

"As ordered!"

"General, please reconsider!"

Several veterans urged him to stop.

Song Zhiwen raised his hand to stop them.

“My mind is made up. Zhang Yan will arrive in three days, and we must break through Sishui Pass before then.”

He was somewhat resolute.

"For the sake of the Song Dynasty and the soldiers of the army, I will bear this infamy."

The generals looked at each other, then silently lowered their heads.

Song Zhiwen waved his hand.

"Go and prepare. Elder Lu, stay behind."

After everyone had left, Lu Yunshan said in a trembling voice.

"General, why are you doing this?"

"Mr. Lu."

Song Zhiwen interrupted him, his voice suddenly softening.

"Do you remember what you said to me when I first went to the battlefield at the age of twelve?"

The old general was taken aback, then recalled.

"As I always say, on the battlefield, sometimes it takes more courage to survive than to die."

"Yes."

Song Zhiwen sighed softly.

"This time, what I have to do is the hardest thing—live on the stigma."

He took out a brocade pouch from under the table.

"Please keep this safe. If anything happens to me, give it to Song Qi."

Lu Yunshan accepted the brocade pouch, tears streaming down his face.

"General"

"Go."

Song Zhiwen turned and looked at the moonlight outside the tent.

"Let me have some peace and quiet."

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, at the Cloud Sea Immortal Gate.

Amidst the swirling clouds and mist atop the mountain, an ancient pavilion appears and disappears.

Lin Xiao, the young man in white, was packing his belongings and fastening a seemingly ordinary iron-slaying sword to his waist.

"Going out so late?"

A strange beast, pure white in color, emerged from the clouds and spoke in human language.

Lin Xiao didn't even look up.

"Going to see a friend."

Jiang Chuan tilted his head.

"Which friend is worth going down the mountain in the middle of the night?"

"A friend I haven't seen in a long time."

Lin Xiao fastened his sword sheath and finally looked up at Jiang Chuan.

"Would you like to come along?"

Jiang Chuan flicked its tail. (End of Chapter)