Chapter 261

Chapter 261

By the middle of the fourth month, Zhao Che had led his army into the southwest regions to meet up with Wei Shuye, who was the first to enter the area. It was Xia’s first large-scale resistance army since the outbreak of the conflict. The army stood 200,000 strong, consisting of 50,000 cavalry troops, 60,000 infantry troops, 80,000 heavily armored infantry troops and 10,000 of Wei Shuye’s light cavalry troops. Three days later, a supply line cutting through the southwest regions from the inner mainland was established under Zhuge Yue’s coordination. At the same time, Zhuge Yue and some of his troops rushed to Shengjing to take charge of Shengjing Camp, located in the southwest. Aside from having control over the country’s food supplies, he could assist Zhao Che in the south, watch over Zhao Yang and Yanming Pass in the north and west respectively. In an instant, Shengjing had effectively become the country’s capital.

It was on the 15th day of the fourth month that Yan Bei gathered its first large-scale army at the Hang River, consisting of the Second, Sixth, Ninth, Thirteenth and Black Eagle Armies. Under the command of Cheng Yuan, the forces were rapidly mobilized into action while reserve troops continued to stream in. In all, over 200,000 troops were deployed.

Yet, as Zhao Che rallied his forces for an all-out battle, Yan Bei’s army did not fight them straight on. Instead, after the various armies received orders from Yan Xun to disperse, they followed the tracks left behind by the bandits and ventured into the land of Xia separately.

As Yan Bei’s army carried out their attacks from their dispersed positions, military leaders and planners in Xia were flooded with reports of attacks, heavy casualties and even some locations being completely overrun, throwing the entire leadership into disarray.

Zhuge Yue’s top general, Meng Feng, returned from Qinghai to her old hometown, witnessing the carnage from the battlefields along the way. The young female general was stunned and could only ask dumbfounded, “Has Yan Xun lost it? Does he want to perish with us?”

Zhuge Yue was in deep thought for quite some time as he looked at the various colors etched on his map. He eventually went to the Military Strategy Department and put his map on the table as he said, “I think I know what they’re up to.”

In a thick forest along the Xia-Tang border, Chu Qiao and He Xiao had been reunited with the group of Tang diplomats that had married her off. Luckily, their journey had been delayed by the conflict; they had not headed back to Tang, which allowed them to preserve their power amidst these turbulent times.

With 20,000 troops from the Wolf Army and 20,000 troops from the Xiuli Army, her forces stood 40,000-strong. 40,000 troops, all of them elites. With the right tactics, Chu Qiao was confident that her forces could take on an army three times the size of hers.

In the candle-lit command tent, laid in her suit of armor, Chu Qiao held her helmet in one hand as her other hand pointed on a map lying on the table.

“He’s going to attack Yanming Pass.”

“An attack on Yanming Pass?”

He Xiao’s younger brother, He Qi, questioned as he frowned, “General, why would they spend all that effort to attack Yanming Pass when they’ve occupied Baizhi Pass already?”

“You both don’t understand him,” Chu Qiao replied as she shook her head.

“How would Yan Xun allow himself to be bounded by the will of others? Right now, he is just using Tang to advance towards Xia, while the path behind him is under the control of Jingan. Once she falls out with him, or if the royal family of Tang fights back, it will only be a matter of time before Yan Bei’s army comes under attack. Without a path to retreat, the siege will place enormous strain on their forces. Therefore, Yan Xun has to attack Yanming Pass within a specific timeframe to open up an escape route towards the north. Only then will the armies of Yan Bei and Xia face off.”

Chu Qiao frowned, took a deep breath and sat on the floor, frustrated that she did not think of this earlier when she should have. Yan Xun had not attacked previously, even going as far as to feign his vulnerability on multiple occasions, causing the court of Xia to become complacent. Thereafter, he took a major risk by robbing the rations of Tang, but it turned out that no such thing had happened. He had actually captured the general in charge of defending Tanghu Pass, using him to contact Princess Jingan, who had an intention to stir up a rebellion. Then, he would capitalize on Xia’s internal conflict to infiltrate the southwest secretly. It was a plan that he had planned for ages to execute.

“There is always more to Yan Bei than what appears to be. Their true power is hidden somewhere just outside Yanming Pass.”

“General, should we inform General Zhuge about this?”

Chu Qiao shook her head. “Whatever I’ve thought of, he’ll have the same ideas.”

Instead, she rolled up the map and unwrapped Tang’s territorial map as she explained in a low voice, “We can’t do anything to stop the inevitable battle between Yan Bei and Xia. Our mission now would be to head back to Tang as fast as possible to obtain the latest situation report concerning the conflict there. From there, we will decide how to assist His Majesty.”

The vice-commander of the Wolf Army, Guan Song, nodded and agreed, “General, our scouts have been out for two days. I estimate that they’ll be back by tomorrow morning latest.”

Just as Chu Qiao was about to reply, there was commotion from the soldiers outside. “General, the scouts are back.”

He Xiao opened the curtain beside him to be greeted by three soldiers soaked in both mud and blood jumping off their horses. One of them reported, “General, the situation in Tang is critical. The rebels have breached Hanshui Pass, and have taken a few key personnel captive. They include Fang Huaihai, the vice-commander of Jinji Camp in Shennan, and Tian Rujia, the general of the Dianxi Army. General Xu Su has been betrayed by traitors, dying together with Cang Muling in battle. The Hanshui Army has been utterly defeated. The rebels have now surrounded the city and are in a strong position, with as many as 200,000 of them.”

In an instant, the entire camp stood still, stunned at what they just heard. Chu Qiao frowned as she clenched and loosened her fists for a few times.

“Who’s leading the enemy?”

“Princess Jingan.”

“Is the background of this person known?”

“Yes. She was trafficked into the king of Jingan’s residence as a dancer four years ago. However, he grew closer to her, and they had a son together. From then on, he became even more attached to her and made her his concubine, only to have another child together a year after. In a fit of elation, he decided to make her his first wife.”

He Xiao asked, “Can a slave become a first wife?”

“This, I don’t know. However, many things happened at his residence. His old wife and two other sons passed away in succession. From then on, she became the mistress of the residence. After his rebellion failed and his entire family had been executed, she escaped with the help of guards loyal to him, ending up in Tanghu Pass, where she survived under the watchful eye of the general defending that place. Apparently, she had an affair with this person.”

Gloomily, Chu Qiao asked, “What’s her name?”

“We don’t know her name, but we know that her first name is Chou.”

“Chou?” Chu Qiao muttered, deep in thought.

Anxious about the situation in the capital, Guan Song exclaimed, “General, with the Tang Capital under siege, we should head back to save His Majesty!”

Chu Qiao’s eyes looked towards Baizhi Pass, which had been occupied by Yan Bei. The land of Tang beckoned beyond that.

She nodded and replied plainly, “Yes, it’s time to head back.”

She had not once seen real snow throughout her life. The moonlight appeared especially bright under the night sky devoid of stars. It appeared like a moving stream of water and snowflakes at the same time.

Wearing a wide robe, she stood atop the white tower, the chilly wind blowing at her sleeve. Her hair was scattered about by the wind as it danced behind her head. In the distance, a big palace stood tall amongst the darkness. A shadow stood in front of the gate, which was made of black stone. From her position, she could not make out any faces, but she could tell it was a tall, young figure, and very likely a soldier. She stood rooted to the spot for what seemed to be an eternity.

Xuan Mo looked at her as he remained silent. The night was quiet as the wind blew past her robe, the smell of her perfume slowly wrapping around Xuan Mo.

For a moment, Xuan Mo was brought back in time in a flashback, to when he was just a child going hunting with his father after winning an archery competition, catching the attention of the royal family. Wearing her bright yellow gown, she stormed onto the range and shot three arrows on the bullseye in quick succession, before boasting, “Let’s go head to head if you’re up for it!”

That day, the emperor sat on his throne as he proclaimed, “My daughter does not lose out to boys!”

As the other members of the royal family poured in praise of the young princess, Xuan Mo stood in silence and looked at her riding on her horse, the gentle rays of the sun glistening off her face. He recalled her look that day, as her eyes shone brightly. He did not say anything, as he seemed to turn into a mute in front of her. Throughout these years as he watched her grow and ascend the peak of power, he had gotten used to looking up to her.

As time flew past, so did their youth. The chance of making his feelings known to her started to slip away.

“Xuan Mo,” Nalan Hongye suddenly whispered, her voice sounding even softer due to the sheer height of the tower. Still looking at the lights below, she asked, “Did I really do anything wrong?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

She smiled gently and shook her head indifferently, “I’m afraid not. Advisor Duan may be right after all. Once I open the floodgates to bandits, the Song Empire will be ruined.”

“With the emperor in such a critical condition, the Nalan family no longer has any successors in line. Looks like the lineage of Song will not be able to continue.”

“Who says so?” Nalan Hongye replied calmly.

“The kings of Jinjiang, Anli, and Jianghuai… they are all in the line of succession.” What she said was the truth. In the event that any of the emperor’s family members was unable to inherit the throne, the other branches of the royal family were entitled to nominate potential heirs as well. It was only that…

Xuan Mo did not say anything else. The humid wind blew atop the white tower, which gave off chills at night despite being in the middle of summer.

“Ultimately, I’m too selfish. In my heart, I would always place my family ahead of my country.” Nalan Hongye wandered deep into thought. Her years of reign in power had numbed her sense of kindness. Any remnants of her impulse or wilfulness were no match for her inner persona, which was determined and stubborn.

Recalling the recent behaviors of the royal family, Nalan Hongye could not help but show a flash of ruthlessness in her eyes. In the centuries that the Nalan family stood firm, many generations had shed endless blood across various battlefields to defend the country. This empire was built upon the blood, sweat, and tears of the Nalan family, which she had taken upon to task to defend for many years. There was no way she would let those pests take away the empire from her.

“The Nalan family built this country from scratch, which my ancestors defended with their blood. If it’s going to end, it will only end on terms of the Nalan family.”

Nalan Hongye looked down, as the moonlight cast an icy tone on her coat.

In her low voice, she ordered, “Go through proper channels and inform Yan Xun that I support his proposal. I also want him to keep his promise that he will protect and treat the people of Song well. Whoever inherits the throne in future must be one of my sons. Also, I want the head of the king of Taiping.”