Although he wanted to mount a sneak attack in the night and teach Jiang Pengji a lesson, the Red Lotus leader knew that this plan was not feasible.

First of all, although it was New Year’s Eve, there was a formidable opponent outside the city eyeing them like prey. Nobody was in the mood to celebrate the New Year.

Secondly, the Red Lotus Group had deceived the commoners in the city to put aside their savings, which they had then plundered dry. The commoners were penniless now. Although they were not in such a miserable state that they could not even afford food, the quality of their meals was poor. It was the New Year and they could not even taste a little meat. This New Year had only gotten more upsetting.

They were not in the mood. They had no vigor, no motivation… A sneak attack on another camp?

Haha.

To use the words of the viewers in the livestreaming room, “Even Liang Jingru would not dare to cheer them on.”

Lastly, Jiang Pengji and her army had encamped in a very unique way. At a glance, one could tell that they were experienced. There was no flaw suitable to be exploited for a sneak attack. The soldiers patrolling on night watch did not dare to slack off. Even if it was a lively New Year, they had no intention of getting lazy. Mounting a sneak attack at night was simply not feasible.

Everything was impossible. The Red Lotus leader was so angry that he swept the delicacies and fine liquor off the table and onto the ground, feeling extremely vexed and frustrated.

Since Jiang Pengji had already dared to delay the attack on their city for a day, she would naturally not be afraid of a night ambush.

If they dared to come over, she would, in turn, dare to “accept the humble offering.”

Alcohol was prohibited in the camp. Even if it was the New Year’s Eve, no one was allowed to touch a drop of alcohol.

As the Supreme Commander, Jiang Pengji had to lead by example. Drinking plain water was enough.

As for rice wine and the like, it was better to imagine all of that in her mind.

Jiang Pengji sat in a tent with some small dishes on her table. From the color of the food to their taste, they were exactly the same as what the soldiers were eating.

Since the start of the New Year’s Eve dinner, all the viewers in the livestreaming room had been giving her New Year’s blessings.

Many viewers had been following the livestream since the beginning. They had become very emotionally attached.

Now that they were about to enter another year with Jiang Pengji, many fans of the livestream had also spontaneously organized concerts for the New Year festival.

Although she could not hear them, she could feel their enthusiasm via the packed bullet screen.

A sigh escaped her as she looked at the liveliness of the livestreaming room, then at the empty and cold commander’s tent.

“This new year is so dreary… Looking back at last year, we should be around a long table eating barbecue and a hot pot right now…” Jiang Pengji ate until she was half full. The taste of the communal meal was average at best. For someone who was used to delicacies, the food was hard to swallow. However, she was not a picky eater, so she finished everything with a normal expression on her face. There was not a single grain of rice left in the earthen bowl. “I really don’t want to do battle on a new year..”

Yang Si would have heartily agreed.

As a picky foodie, disrupting his access to fine food was tantamount to getting cold turkey treatment for his addiction… A gentleman’s preventive medicine, like the hanshi powder, against the cold.

When his cravings reared up, how uncomfortable would it feel without the hanshi powder to guard against the cold?

One would know by asking Feng Zhen who had given up on the powder and was crying about it.

Yang Si and Dian Yan ate their New Year’s Eve dinner while sitting at the bottom left and right side of the table.

Jiang Nongqin was left to control the situation in Red Lotus County, so she was not in the camp.

Yang Si smiled. “Only with comparison can relative superiority be established. Why doesn’t my lord think about the thieves in Fenghu County? Maybe you will feel better.”

Jiang Pengji rested her chin in her hand. “Say, will they come to ambush the camp in the middle of the night?”

“It’s very unlikely,” Yang Si said firmly. “Nevertheless, for the sake of caution, we must strengthen the patrol around the camp and increase the soldiers on garrison duty.”

Making an encampment was a school of knowledge on its own. If they were well encamped, it would be difficult for an enemy to ambush them.

Jiang Pengji was not well-versed in this area. Fortunately, there was Yang Si around to make up for this deficiency.

In addition, the patrolling soldiers were strict. Even if the Red Lotus Group attacked in the middle of the night, they could react quickly.

All the soldiers in the camp had a wonderful meal. Good food could soothe negative emotions, which more or less dispelled the dreary atmosphere of fighting on the Lunar New Year.

Thinking of the attack on the enemy tomorrow, they felt melancholic and longed for home, but more than that, they felt excited.

Tomorrow was the first day of the new year. If they could capture Fenghu County tomorrow, it would be a good start to the year!

The New Year’s Eve meal continued until the moon reached its zenith in the sky. The soldiers not on patrol duty fell asleep early to restore their energy for the fight tomorrow. Those soldiers on duty gathered together to amuse themselves and engaged in boxing competitions to pass the time. Their movements were quiet so they did not disturb others sleeping at the side.

Jiang Pengji always kept her armor on in the camp. She came out for a look around the camp. The soldiers whom she met saluted her one after another.

She inquired about the situation across all areas as she walked to the front of the camp and looked at the giant beastly shadow crawling on the ground in the distance.

She knew that it was Fenghu County.

After taking down Fenghu County and then Qiuyu County, Wanzhou would completely become her territory.

This was only the first step in the fight for hegemony.

She meditated to calm down the complex emotions inside her heart and mind.

Not long after, she heard footsteps behind her and knew who it was immediately.

“Jing Rong.”

She said matter-of-factly.

Yang Si said, “I just saw that my lord left the commander’s tent to come here alone. Are you missing your family?”

Jiang Pengji voiced a questioning “Ah”, finding his question baffling.

“Why would I miss my family?”

Yang Si’s words choked in his throat.

He thought that Jiang Pengji was a youth who was alone and far away from his home on this New Year’s Eve. As he looked at the lively scenes around him, it might have stirred up the longing for family in the youth’s heart. Hence, he’d come here to lend a listening ear as an “older brother,” but… why didn’t he follow the script?

She understood what Yang Si meant and was caught between laughing and crying.

“I’m an adult, not a three-year-old child…”

Now, it was Yang Si who was stupefied.

“Then, my lord is…”

Her gaze was firm. “I am meditating and sorting out the plan. After I take down Chengde County, I’ll take a short time to rest and regroup before setting off to aid the rescue of the Emperor. When that time comes, I don’t know how many heroes and outstanding talents I will meet on the journey to the capital… Whether they will be enemies or allies, ‘you will never be defeated if you know yourself and your enemy.’”

Yang Si “oh-ed,” revealing a little awkwardness.

He was just about to come up with an excuse to leave so as not to disturb her thoughts when his lord said something very strange.

“Jing Rong, I had a strange dream last night. I dreamed of a hen crowing at dawn.”

Yang Si frowned. “A hen crowing at dawn? Isn’t this an omen that foretells a terrible disaster? Of a woman usurping authority? But dreams are weird and can’t be taken literally.”

He was a little worried. Did the lord think that the dream carried an ominous message and that something would change about the battle tomorrow?

He couldn’t be superstitious!

“A hen crowing at dawn. The world often uses this metaphor for women who usurp power and throw the world into chaos, so it is a bad omen…” Jiang Pengji said. She lowered her eyes and asked, “What do you think about this?”

Yang Si was surprised, how had this become the topic?

He was a rebel against orthodoxy and his thoughts were very different from those of the current literati. He said, “In my opinion, the hen crowing at dawn and women in power are different. The hen crowing at dawn is inherently against the natural order and common sense, but women in power are not so. With an overall view of the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the preceding dynasties and gathering the history of hundreds of years, there were women in power or who were part of the government. It would be insulting to the previous generations to describe them as hens crowing dawn.”

There had been a period in the earlier dynasties where it was not unusual for a woman to be in power.

As times changed, the general atmosphere became more cautious and harsh. Narrow-minded vocabulary such as “a hen crowing at dawn” was increasingly recognized.

There were many more people who thought that the idea of women wielding power was ridiculous, just like a hen crowing at dawn.

Jiang Pengji laughed. “What if there was a woman who became an Empress of the world? Do you think that would be normal too?”

Yang Si had a strange expression. Not only was his lord very ambitious, but he also had a self-confidence that was rarely seen in the world.

He smiled and asked quietly, “Following the meaning of your words, don’t tell me that you plan to pass on your position to your daughter after you’ve become the emperor?”

“That’s not necessary.”

Yang Si joked, “That’s great.”