Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
On the first day of the chaotic war —
The Dragon King issued a decree, demanding that all the remaining kings surrender, abdicate from their imperial titles, and wait for the new Khan’s inauguration. Of course, such a rude and tyrannical order received no approval, and war broke out right that afternoon.
To distinguish it from the tangled warfare that had started the night the old Khan died, this second war was named the “One Month War,” to indicate that it started exactly a month after the Khan’s death.
The Court Attendants Army had been reorganized into ten contingents of 10,000 troops each. Half of them were sent to clear the ruins of the Royal Court, while the other half marched forward, each in different directions, the furthest target being hundreds of miles away.
The 30,000 cavalrymen of Shulitu were also sent to the battlefield of the Royal Court as the army reserve.
On the other side, the surviving kings had immediately fled to King Shengri for shelter, holding a banner of the “Five Kings” with troops numbering around 50,000 to 60,000 strong.
The Court Attendants Army displayed great strength, but they also exposed the immaturity of their newly-promoted officers. They defeated enemies of similar numbers with thousands of casualties, and it was not until the 30,000 reserve army launched an attack after dark that they finally annihilated the enemy.
Gu Shenwei watched the battle, but didn’t take part. Throughout it all, the giant red-crowned roc stood beside him, launching a wild assault with each take-off.
The victory was not a decisive one. Although King Shengri’s army was forced into one retreat after another, abandoning their major camp near the ruins, and re-encamping tens of miles away, they still numbered tens of thousands.
Eventually, under Shulitu’s name, the Dragon King took over the entire Royal Court. Large numbers of corpses appeared in the ruins. Gu Shenwei had to try very hard to stop the giant roc from pecking out the eyeballs of those dead bodies.
After returning to the camp, Shulitu became much quieter than usual. He took off his armor and took his leave very early. He had heard far more intense war stories from others and had also seen them described in books, but words and thoughts, no matter however vivid and rich they were, could not possibly compare to the gory reality.
He needed time to accept all this.
Fang Wenshi didn’t witness the battle. He had found himself an excuse: I’m an adviser, which makes it highly inappropriate for me to see too much blood. And that’s because both fear and sympathy may cloud my judgement in the future.
But he said that Dragon King and Shulitu must be on the battlefield, and he had a different theory for that as well. Rulers must be ruthless. How can they rule a nation if they can’t handle a few scenes of death?
Fang Wenshi was satisfied with the results of the battle, saying, “King Shengri is about to lose. Winning this battle in Royal Court has given us the absolute initiative. With just one more victory tomorrow, all of the kings will undoubtedly surrender themselves to us.”
“We can’t fight tomorrow,” Gu Shenwei said.
“Why now?” Fang Wenshi was a little surprised, “If King Shengri refuses to fight us, then we can have the Court Attendants Army lead the attack. They’re yearning for a fight, which is perfect.”
“King Shengri will hold his ground. Besides, our troops need rest.”
Fang Wenshi became even more surprised. Although he could tell that there was something going on beneath the surface, he trusted the Dragon King’s judgement. “Isn’t it better this way?”
A tired army attacking a scared one was the perfect setup for a pyrrhic victory.
“You don’t want the whole army to question your leadership, do you?”
“No, of course not.” Fang Wenshi hesitated for a moment, then said, “Well, taking a break for a day or two might be nice as well. “Dragon King, you won’t… change your mind, will you? I know that this is tough for you. You’re used to being known for your reputation of protecting your men with even your own life, and yet now… ”
“We will rest for two days and then resume the attack. Any news from the southeast?”
“Not for now. But I think that it’s almost time. We need to finish this as soon as possible.”
The armies in the Royal Court were only a part of the Norland’s military strength, not even a majority of it. The main forces were deployed at the southeast frontier, always ready for a final battle against the Central Plains.
Ever since the death of the old Khan, the situation at the frontier regions had always been a matter of great concern. But now that a month had passed by, and there was still barely any news coming in. Gu Shenwei only knew that the riots there were flaring up, but the final winner to reap all the benefit still remained unknown.
Fang Wenshi retreated. He had barely stepped out of the tent when he saw a small group of people heading towards him, but they passed by him as if he didn’t exist. He thought for a while and then tried followed them inside the tent, but was abrasively asked to leave by two officers.
The group numbered eleven in total, and had the Second Consort as their leader. The followers were all young officers, among whom were included Azheba and Liman who was promoted recently.
Gu Shenwei intended to reorganize his troops, so he had forcefully combined several camps into a single major one. The Second Consort’s camp was at the center, surrounded by the others like a central camp.
Seeing these people, Gu Shenwei had a vague conjecture of their purpose.
The officers bowed to Dragon King respectfully, but the Second Consort, unlike usual, stood arrogantly.
She was discontented by the ultimatum issued by Dragon King. Much as she would like to see the kings surrender and prostrate themselves, there was another result she would enjoy more. “It seems like the Dragon King’s almost forgot about Prince Duodun.’
These eleven people were the backbone of Duodun’s military strength in Royal Court, and the first group who had taken the Dragon King’s side.
“It’s not the right time yet.” Standing before the desk, Gu Shenwei answered Second Consort’s question with just six words.
“Then when will you think that it is the right time? The kings are about to lose the war, so now is the perfect time to demand their acknowledge of Prince Duodun’s imperial identity as Khan. If we don’t do this right now, I’m afraid that there won’t ever be a better chance.”
Second Consort had under-performed. After handing over her cavalry force, she seemed to have been deprived of her confidence, along with her unique, bold, and forthright temperament.
Khan’s comments about her suddenly occurred to Gu Shenwei: Her falling in love with prince Duodun was in of itself a punishment for her.
In a gentler tone, Gu Shenwei attentively explained, “The Royal Court is merely a minor battlefield, while the whole grassland is the real stage. The chaotic situation has probably already ended in the southeast frontier region, from where a real, powerful enemy will arise. He, not the kings, will be the best opportunity for Duodun. Only the sole descendant of Khan who wins the final war will indisputably become the new Khan. The temporary acknowledgement of the kings is irrelevant.”
Eyes narrowing slightly, the Second Consort was obviously mulling over the Dragon King’s words. “And then you will hand your army over to Duodun?”
“If we don’t make an alliance, then none of us will be a match for the strong enemy emerging from the southeast.”
“Nonetheless… I think that it’s necessary to inform the troops of the existence of Prince Duodun. We can’t just order them to pledge loyalties to a different commander for no good reason someday in the future.”
Gu Shenwei’s eyes swept through the faces of the eleven people in front of him. ‘I’ve only met Prince Duodun, once and I barely got to know him. I placed my faith in him because of you all. So, if he is, like you said, truly eligible to become a Khan, then under no circumstances will he have achieved nothing.”
Just like the southeast frontier, there were very few messages from the Western Region. Nobody knew whether the more than 100,000 strong cavalry was still under Duodun’s command.
The Second Consort narrowed her eyes even more, and her wariness of Dragon King flared up.
Liman was the first one among the ten officers to step forward. He said, “I think that the Dragon King has a point. We are not giving Prince Duodun a free army. He himself is capable of winning the loyalty of the grassland cavalry. In no case would he be defeated by a ten-year-old.”
“What concerns me is that the opponents he will have to face in the future will not merely be children,” Second Consort retorted as she stared at Dragon King. The situation had changed too fast. With the giant roc coming from out of nowhere, the Dragon King seemed to have suddenly cultivated some kind of divinity in himself, which made her feel alarmingly threatened.
Only descendants of Khan could be the rightful heir of the throne, but with supernatural power and the banner of the previous Khan, who knew how many tricks Dragon King would be able to play and how much more admiration he would actually win?
“I believe that the kid is totally incomparable with Prince Duodun. How much faith do you have in him after all?”
“Prince Duodun is indisputably the most valiant and intelligent man in the whole grasslands,” an officer said before the former one could even finish his sentence.
“Then what do you all have to worry about?” Gu Shenwei used “you all” in each of his replies, but his eyes had been starting straight at the Second Consort the whole time.
All of a sudden, the Second Consort broke into laughter. In the same forthright manner she used to have, she turned to the officers and said, “See? I told you that Dragon King is not that easy to deal with. Haha, he is of more help to Prince Duodun than all of us combined. We all have sharp eyes. Dragon King, we have just as much faith in you as we do in Prince Duodun.”
“I’m truly honored.” Gu Shenwei didn’t act too modestly, but he also felt he should make some concessions. “Prince Duodun’s reputation is in your hands. As a foreigner, my recommendations are of little value. The troops are right here. The people who pledged their loyalty to you will do the same to Prince Duodun in the near future.”
It meant that Second Consort and her followers were free to publicize the name of Prince Duodun and that no interference would come from his side.
After they departed, the Second Consort returned to her usual manner, seeming highly content with this meeting.
Azheba stayed behind with an excuse of making an intelligence report. He was now one of the major commanders. With his superb archery, his name was becoming increasingly well-know.
Fang Wenshi found his chance to enter then, pretending to be raking in piles of paper while eavesdropping on them.
Azheba saw the military counselor and paid no particular attention, because he knew that Dragon King took much advice from this fat, white man.
He was even more straightforward than the Second Consort.
“I thought that the Dragon King was a hero, but now I’m a little doubtful about it now.”
Fang Wenshi barely managed to stop himself from turning his head and seeing how the Dragon King would deal with this bold offence from a subordinate, but all he could do was listen. The Dragon King didn’t say anything, as if he was encouraging Azheba to keep talking, which greatly surprised the military counselor.
“When I heard that the Dragon King had stood out to protect a dozen of his men surrounded by hundreds of thousands of enemies, I believed that he had to be a deeply beloved supreme commander. When you were helping us tackle the crisis, I believed that you were a sage. And when you challenged the Great Shaman in front of the two opposing armies, I believed that you were a true king.”
Azheba tried his best to subdue his emotions, but his anger was growing uncontrollably. He was never good at speculating on the thoughts of his superior, and today he had made up his mind to face his commander head on. “I was entirely disappointed with this battle. Do you intend to just get rid of the Court Attendants Army with one battle after another? They just pledged their loyalty to you and are spilling their blood for you in the battlefield without a hint of hesitation. You’re burying your followers with your own hands.”
Fang Wenshi became anxious and gave several deliberate coughs to indicate to the Dragon King that he should stop Azheba from continuing. Schemes should stay covert and were not something to be discussed publicly. This general was violating a forbidden taboo.
But not only was Azheba surprised by his response, he was also disappointed. The Dragon King behaved very powerlessly. In a tone even more gentler than usual, he said, “What else? Just list it all out.”
Azheba was panting heavily. Dragon King’s attitude gave him nothing on which he could take his rage out. In a low voice, he said, ” Nothing more. I just want to know what you plan on doing with the rest of the Court Attendants Army.”
“Don’t tell him,” Fang Wenshi thought. Then, the sound of Dragon King pulling out his saber gave him a sudden feeling of delight.
