That evening, the news they had been waiting for finally arrived. The sky was painted in deep orange and fading crimson as the sun sank into the endless dunes. The desert wind moved in long, whispering currents, carrying grains of sand across the encampment. Torches flickered to life one by one, casting long, dancing shadows across the trenches and half-built fortifications.
A lone rider appeared on the horizon.
His horse was exhausted, foam clinging to its mouth, its steps uneven but still it rode on. The guards at the outer trench raised their spears, then lowered them as they recognized the insignia of the Jin household.
"Open the line!" one of them shouted.
The rider barely slowed as he crossed into the camp, sand spraying behind him. He dismounted roughly, stumbling forward before dropping to one knee.
"My lord news from the desert capital"
Inside the command tent, Luo He stood over a rough map carved into sand and wood. Vera stood beside him, silent but tense, while Xu Mun watched from the shadows, his sharp eyes missing nothing. "Speak," Luo He said calmly.
The rider swallowed.
"The ShaMo King is dead." Silence.
Only the wind answered. "Before even his funeral the eldest son has claimed the throne," the rider continued. "He has taken the palace, the treasury and the former king's wives."
Vera's jaw tightened, her fingers curling slightly but she said nothing. "The other four princes fled," the rider added. "They gathered five thousand men but…" he hesitated.
"But?" Luo He asked. "They are already dead. The eldest sent two of his wives to poison them. The plan succeeded. Their forces now serve him." Xu Mun let out a quiet breath. "Ruthless," he muttered.
The rider continued, voice lower now.
"The new king has already changed the laws. Marriage age lowered to twelve preparations have begun." Vera's eyes snapped toward him. "The Xu girl," he said, "will be married tomorrow. Three days before her thirteenth birthday."
The tent fell completely silent.
For a moment, even the wind seemed to stop. Then "We move tonight," Luo He said. No hesitation. No doubt. Su Kim, who had been lounging lazily against a pillar, straightened slightly, a slow smile forming on her lips.
"So eager," she teased. "You give orders like you own my army already." Luo He didn't even look at her. "Prepare your sixty thousand. We march before midnight." She stepped closer, circling him slowly. "And what do I get," she murmured, "for moving an entire army on your word?"
Her voice was playful but her eyes were sharp. Luo He glanced at her briefly. "Win me this war," he said calmly, "and I won't keep you at a distance." That was enough. Her smile deepened, satisfied.
"Then don't die before I collect," she said lightly, before turning and walking out.
Within moments, the entire camp began to stir. Orders spread like fire. Torches multiplied. Men moved. Shovels struck sand.
By dawn, the battlefield had changed.
What had once been open desert was now carved with trenches deep, jagged lines cutting across the sands like scars. Wooden stakes lined the edges. Hidden pits lay beneath thin layers of sand. Narrow choke points forced any advancing force into tight formations.
But the ShaMo king did not attack immediately. Instead he sent a gift.
That night, under the cover of darkness, three women were escorted into Luo He's camp.
They were dressed lightly, their movements graceful, their expressions carefully crafted. The guards hesitated but allowed them through. "They claim to be defectors," one guard reported. "Saying they wish to serve you."
Xu Mun, standing nearby, let out a quiet, humorless chuckle. "Poison," he said.
Luo He nodded slightly. "Of course."
Inside the tent, the three women entered slowly. Their steps were soft. Controlled. Intentional.
The heat of the desert night clung to them. Their clothing light already shifted as they moved, as if the heat itself was stripping away layers.
"My lord," one of them said, her voice smooth. "We were sent but not for what you think." Luo He sat calmly, watching.
Not reacting. Not moving. "You're wasting your time," he said quietly.
Su Kim's eyes narrowed the moment the three women stepped inside the tent.
For a heartbeat, she said nothing. She simply watched the way they moved too smooth, too deliberate.
Watched the way their voices softened, the way their bodies leaned just slightly forward, testing the space between them and Luo He.
Then a slow smile crept onto her lips.
Sharp. Dangerous. "Do they really think that I would just stand by while you flirt with my man?" The last words came out softly but there was nothing gentle about them.
A wicked glint flashed in her red eyes.
Before anyone could react she moved.
Fast. Her leg rose and struck. A sharp, brutal kick. Her strike came like a snap of lightning, clean, sudden, merciless. The first woman's head snapped violently to the side. A sickening crack echoed through the tent as she collapsed instantly, lifeless. And as the first body fell, her smile didn't fade. If anything, it deepened.
The second tried to move. Too late.
Before she could even take a full step back, a hand closed around her head with immense force. It was Vera.
Her grip was absolute unyielding, like iron wrapped in flesh. The woman's body froze instantly, her hands clawing weakly at Vera's wrist, her eyes wide with sudden, overwhelming fear.
There was no struggle that mattered. No escape. Vera didn't rush. She didn't shout. She didn't even change her expression. Cold. Still. Unmoved.
Then with a sharp, effortless motion she tightened her grip. And then she popped her head like a grape. A dull, sickening crack echoed through the tent, quick and final. The body went limp instantly, collapsing where it stood, as if whatever life it had carried was simply extinguished in that single moment.
The third ran but she was seized by the guards, dragged back before she could react. Su Kim's expression was cold now.
"Trying to use tricks like that on him?" she muttered. "Pathetic." The third woman struggled but it didn't last long.
Her fate was sealed.
Outside, the bodies were dragged away.
Cleaned. Prepared. "Send them back," Luo He ordered calmly. Xu Mun raised an eyebrow slightly. "To provoke him?"
"Exactly." The bodies were sent but non had a head and Luo He made sure their suffering was well understood by the other party.
Xu Mun stood at the edge of the trenches, watching. "You're not planning to win this with strength," he said quietly.
"No," Luo He replied. "I'm planning to win with time." In the distance, a dark mass began to form. The ShaMo army. Twenty-five thousand strong.
Armored. Disciplined. Mounted and on foot.
Against them Peasants. Rebels. Untrained men. Xu Mun shook his head slightly. "Will they charg?" "They will," Luo He said. And so they did. His plan to prevorck him had worked.
The first wave came like a storm.
The ShaMo soldiers advanced in tight formation, shields raised, spears forward. Their war cries echoed across the desert, shaking the very air. "Hold!" Luo He commanded. The rebels trembled but they held. Until the enemy reached the trenches.
Then Chaos. The front lines of the ShaMo army fell into hidden pits, impaled on stakes. Those behind crashed into them. Arrows rained down from above. Firepots shattered, spreading flames across dry sand and cloth.
"Push them back!" Vera shouted, her voice cutting through the noise. The rebels fought desperately. Messy.
Untrained. But relentless. By the time the first wave retreated the desert was stained red.