"What are you looking at, Your Highness?" asked Li Man'er, catching Qi Yihan red-handed.
Qi Yihan cleared his throat slightly before replying, "It's nothing. This Prince is considering deployment matters."
A blatant lie.
Li Man'er saw through him but didn't bother to expose him. "Then, Your Highness, do you think my plan is feasible?"
"Mmm, and when do you think would be a suitable time to strike?"
Li Man'er blinked her apricot eyes. "The next time it snows."
"The next time it snows?"
Li Man'er explained, "Think about it, the weather in Mobei is dreadful. How cold will it be when it snows? The wind will be so strong, it'll make your eyes water. The barbarians would never dream that we would attack during such harsh weather. With that much snow, even a sneak attack would be difficult, let alone a full-scale invasion."
Although it would be more challenging, the rewards of success would be immense.
"Furthermore, we can dispatch a vanguard team to infiltrate the barbarian camp ahead of time to scout the enemy. They can set up some traps and ambushes, and capture Manmuhahe and Ti Houye alive."
Qi Yihan put away the blueprints. "I'll take these with me for now. I will make a thorough plan and discuss it with you later."
This discussion, however, was meant to be open and aboveboard.
"Alright!" Li Man'er then said, "Your Highness should also return early."
A'si escorted Qi Yihan out. Once he was gone, she shut the door tightly and pressed her ear against it, listening intently for a moment. Hearing no unusual sounds, she finally relaxed her anxious heart.
Li Man'er couldn't sleep. She knew that the snow-melting agent was a bit far-fetched. Such a thing would require large-scale usage to be effective, but could alchemy really produce so much snow-melting agent? Qi Yihan knew this in his heart, and she couldn't reveal the origin of these items. But he didn't ask, and just for that, Li Man'er felt he was quite decent.
Quite decent.
Li Man'er tossed and turned restlessly, then pulled the quilt over her head. She decided not to worry about it anymore. This time, she was determined to pull off something big and resolve the problem once and for all.
With such a contribution, her issues with the Li family would become trivial.
Thinking this, Li Man'er's mood calmed down considerably. As her mind relaxed, sleepiness washed over her, and she drifted back to dreamland.
Li Man'er hadn't expected Qi Yihan to act so swiftly. The very next day, after breakfast, he sent someone to find her.
She was sparring with the soldiers on the training ground at the time.
She had previously won four consecutive matches here, leaving Zhang Jingfeng and Yang Yitian utterly defeated. Some of the soldiers below had witnessed it, while others had only heard about it.
With such a large group, there were all sorts of personalities. Soldiers, by nature, had a bit of a rowdy streak, and naturally, some were unconvinced, thinking that Li Man'er, being a mere woman, couldn't possibly possess more skill or strength than generals who trained in the barracks year-round.
They must have held back out of respect for Li Man'er's status.
Therefore, when Li Man'er came to inspect the camp, some soldiers started heckling, saying they wanted to spar with her. Li Man'er, being sharp-witted, saw through their intentions at once and accepted their challenge.
The Xiao family was currently defending the city, and these men had nothing else to do besides their daily drills. They were bored to death, and seeing an exciting spectacle, no one wanted to miss the opportunity. With cheers and encouragement, they pushed a few men onto the training ground.
Li Man'er didn't take these men seriously at all. These burly men were indeed well-built and strong. Many were veterans with extensive combat experience on the battlefield. Their movements were agile, their skills were good, and their judgment of danger was even superior to that of ordinary people.
But so what!
To a Xuan physician who had one foot in the realm of cultivation, they were merely a little stronger than ordinary people.
They were not worth mentioning.
So, as Li Man'er stood in the center of the field, she beckoned to the men unceremoniously, "Come at me together!"
Her words caused a stir among the onlookers, who began to murmur amongst themselves as if they had heard something incredible.
The men who had stepped forward to challenge were also exchanging glances. Li Man'er's unconventional approach had disrupted their plan.
It would be dishonorable to fight them all at once, and even if they won, it would be meaningless.
But Li Man'er was confident and reiterated, "Come at me together!"
The men exchanged glances and no longer hesitated. With a slight nod, two of them lunged forward, throwing punches at Li Man'er.
They still held back, after all, this was a sparring match, not a life-or-death battle against enemies. Moreover, their opponent was their superior. Who would dare to use deadly force?
Even so, the speed of their punches was not slow, and their stances were steady, their strength definitely above average.
Unfortunately, in Li Man'er's eyes, it was all still too slow, too weak. She didn't dodge but charged towards their fists. Just as their fists were about to hit her, Li Man'er suddenly moved, swiftly grabbing their wrists and yanking them backward.
No one had expected Li Man'er to be so strong.
The two soldiers whose wrists were grabbed felt as if their arms were about to be torn off. A force they couldn't resist pulled them forward, completely disrupting their balance.
To the spectators, it looked as if Li Man'er had barely exerted any effort, just a light pull, and the two men flew out. They stumbled forward four or five steps before regaining their balance.
After steadying themselves, the two men couldn't help but reach up to rub their arms, their faces contorted in pain.
Seeing this, the others were also taken aback. They had never imagined that even with two men attacking simultaneously, they couldn't even touch the hem of Li Man'er's clothes. The remaining men no longer held back and charged towards Li Man'er one after another.
Li Man'er then truly entered the fray. She leaped into the air, soaring at least two zhang high, as light as a swallow. Her toes were pointed, and she kicked towards one of the men's shoulders. She had held back her strength, but even so, the man was sent flying, landing more than three meters away, directly on his backside.
Fortunately, it was winter, and their trousers were thick, so they weren't injured.
The others fared no better. Although Li Man'er had shown restraint, none of them lasted more than a single move against her. While they weren't injured, each of them fell quite miserably.
Li Man'er calmly brushed off the negligible dust from her hands and looked at the disheveled and grimacing men, smiling as she asked, "Want to continue? Is anyone still unconvinced?"
She was establishing her authority!
By hurting them within a single move, she was showing them her strength.
"No, we don't dare anymore."
"We are convinced, General."
A wave of cheers erupted from the surroundings, it was a lively scene, and everyone had witnessed something extraordinary.
Just then, the messenger sent by Qi Yihan arrived.
It was Wu Daqiao.
"General Li, my General has an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please come to the council hall."