When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds

Tan You shot her a sidelong glance. "Put your tinderbox away. Now that they’ve surrendered, they’re our assets. We need them alive. A clean kill might be satisfying, but it would be far too wasteful."

Yuan Cheng came over to report on the battle. "Madam, we’ve captured over fifty thousand men. Half of the provisions were burned... It’s a real shame."

"And the warhorses... many of them are injured..."

Tan You smiled. "Alright. These are acceptable losses. Now, it’s time to get down to business. Hang the heads of Tuoba Qi and the other high-ranking Beirong generals on the city walls. Chen Yue, you will go with the Yue Team and General Yuan to take inventory of our assets."

"I expect you to have this done before Chen Xi arrives."

Chen Yue tugged at her hair. "Mom, I hate bookkeeping."

Tan You’s voice was grave. "I think your bloodlust is too strong. We need to temper that spirit of yours. It’s one thing to be brave and kill the enemy on the battlefield, but refusing to let go after they’ve surrendered is another matter entirely."

Chen Yue said listlessly, "Oh. I’ll do a good job."

She followed Yue Shu and the others to take stock of the night’s spoils of war. At the same time, the accompanying soldiers from Yunzhou State erupted in a tremendous roar. "We won! We actually defeated the Beirong!"

Who would have ever dared to imagine this before? The mere mention of the Beirong name used to be enough to make them tremble in fear. Who would have thought that one day they would actually defeat the Beirong army?

Tan You let the soldiers vent. Everyone had suffered under the Beirong for far too long.

By dawn, rows of heads belonging to the Beirong high command were hanging outside the walls of Youzhou State. At the very top, naturally, was Tuoba Qi’s. The rest belonged to various senior officers of the Beirong army. It was a horrifying sight from a distance.

Of course, that was only for the Beirong. For the people of Youzhou State and the neighboring Yunzhou State, it was a cause for great celebration.

During the morning meeting, Tan You laid out the next phase of their plan. "There are still Beirong troops stationed in Lin State. Our next step is to reclaim it."

Yue Shu immediately agreed. "Madam, we’ll set out at once."

Tan You was a little worried. "Can your bodies handle it? You’ve been fighting nonstop these past few days. How about you let someone else go this time? You all should rest and conserve your strength."

Yue Shu grinned, flashing his bright white teeth. "There will be plenty of time to rest later. Speed is paramount in war. There aren’t many Beirong troops in Lin State right now. We can make it a quick in-and-out trip."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Tan You didn’t press the matter, but she couldn’t help adding a few words of caution. "Your wife, Zhu Rong, is pregnant. She’s waiting for you at home. I know you want to lighten my burden, and I understand everyone wants to achieve glory, but there’s really no rush."

"We still have a long road ahead of us. Letting you rest now is so you can go even farther in the future. Your health is the most important thing. Everything else is secondary."

Yue Shu truly took her words to heart. He fell silent for a moment. "In that case, our special squad won’t go this time. You’re right, Madam. I need to take care of myself and not make Zhu Rong worry."

Tan You smiled. "That’s more like it. The guards are all fine young men; any of them can hold their own now."

Chen Yue, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, popped out. "Mom, I want to go to Lin State..."

Tan You shot her a sharp glance. "You will stay right here in Youzhou State. Being fickle isn’t a good trait. The others are more than enough to handle Lin State. You’re not needed."

Chen Yue hung her head, all the fierce drive from her valiant midnight charge completely gone. "Oh."

Tan You patted her head. "I know you’ve hated the Beirong for a long time. They destroyed our homes and displaced our people. But most of the time, the decisions are made by those at the top."

"Many of them have no choice in the matter. For those who don’t have blood on their hands, we should give them a chance to live. After all, we’ll have use for them later."

Since Yue Shu was no longer going to Lin State, he remained in the conference room. "What will you use them for, Madam?"

Tan You unfurled a map of the Beirong territories. "The Beirong have always been the ones invading us. Now that we’re on our feet, shouldn’t we be the ones to strike back? The best defense has always been a good offense."

She tapped a spot on the map as she spoke. "The Beirong are a nomadic people, just the most powerful tribe on the steppes. This defeat is a devastating blow to them. What comes next will be a power struggle on the steppes, and that is our opportunity."

Yuan Cheng was startled. "Madam, you intend to unify the lands beyond the pass? I thought..."

"You thought I was going to declare myself an independent ruler?" Tan You chuckled. "The bird that sticks its head out gets shot. What we need is to hide our strength and bide our time, not to join the fray right now."

"The two victories in Yunzhou State and Youzhou State definitely can’t be hidden from the world. Everyone will soon know we possess gunpowder. If we were to attack inward at a time like this, we would become a target for everyone."

"On the other hand, if we unify the lands beyond the pass and govern this entire region well, then whatever we want in the future will be easily within our grasp. At the same time, this will lull the warlords vying for the Central Plains into a false sense of security, giving us a chance to grow."

Yang Youchang commented, "So, Madam’s plan is to lay low and build up our strength."

’You guys actually talk to Madam like that?’ Yuan Cheng thought. ’So casually?’

Tan You nodded. "Yes. From now on, we will rest, rebuild, and strengthen ourselves."

"Once Lin State is reclaimed, we’ll reinforce the walls on the border between Lin State and Yunzhou State..."

Chen Yue’s head drooped. "Eldest Sister is the one who loves this kind of stuff. She’s just like Mom, always into all sorts of construction projects."

Tan You ignored her. "Right, Yue Shu, since you’re on leave, make a trip back to your clan. It’s time to start shipping out the cement. Also, complete the census of the POW camps as soon as possible."

"Then arrange for them to start working on the city walls..."

Tan You issued one order after another, and the people in Yunzhou State and Youzhou State quickly sprang into action. After the cement arrived in Yunzhou State, Chen Xi in particular assigned over ten thousand people to construct the city walls.

Ever since she had experienced war firsthand, Chen Xi had developed a phobia of insufficient firepower. At the same time, she felt their own city walls offered no real defensive capabilities. In short, they needed a major overhaul.

Tan You gave Chen Xi free rein. Having always kept Chen Xi by her side, their personalities were the most similar. Chen Xi wanted more firepower and stronger walls—and didn’t Tan You want those things as well?

While large-scale infrastructure projects were underway in Yunzhou State, the Yunzhou garrison troops led by Chen Desheng and Liu Sheng had already swept through Lin State. The Beirong army stationed there was scared out of their wits. When the Yunzhou Army arrived, there was no fight at all; they surrendered with lightning speed.

Tan You could easily understand why. First, Tuoba Lian had been killed in battle. Then, the main Beirong camp had been defeated, and Tuoba Qi’s head was still hanging on the city wall. That alone was enough to strike terror into the hearts of the Beirong, to say nothing of that mysterious and unpredictable gunpowder...