Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Mo Chu was very old now. He had once served as the prime minister of the Norland and assisted the Khan in ruling the entire prairie and was deeply trusted. After living in seclusion for several years, he had been appointed as the Governor of Jade City.
On the surface, it seemed like he had been relegated, but Mo Chu received a clear assurance from the Khan that something big was going to happen in the Western Regions soon.
As expected, the Norland Cavalry swarmed into the Western Regions and devoured the Shule Kingdom and Mo Chu, as a matter of course, became the commander-in-chief of this army.
The death of the Khan was a great shock to him, but what was even more unexpected was that he would be abducted by a dozen or so young officers and forced to hand over the command in such a humiliating fashion.
Mo Chu knew Prince Duodun. Actually, he had watched him grow up. He had seen his frivolousness and also witnessed him gradually mature. What Mo Chu had been thinking this whole time was that if Prince Duodun had even a little respect for him, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to surrender the military leadership. After all, the Norland had a tradition that once the army lost its leader, the nearest descendant of the Khan could automatically take control.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he had been released and Prince Duodun made a sincere apology in person. Mo Chu would have almost believed the prince if he hadn’t had such a wealth of experience.
Some generals in the army were still loyal to him. After a quick inquiry, Mo Chu was surprised to discover that the one who had rescued him was most likely a woman sent by the Dragon King — the instructor of the Land of Fragrance and the daughter of the Unique King.
Mo Chu would not run to thank Shangguan Ru like a reckless child and also would not assume that the Dragon King was his friend. He waited and observed the situation patiently, pretending that he didn’t know the inside story. He accepted Prince Duodun’s kindness and handed over most of the military power with the excuse that “I’m getting old and I might be summoned by the Khan at any time. I’m really unable to command an army now.”
Duodun had no choice but to share his military power with this annoying old sly fox. His core supporters were mostly mid-level officers. And to reward his loyal partners, he had offended many senior generals who regarded Mo Chu’s release as a comeback. They swarmed to visit him and complain, and even reported all the military intelligence to him, still regarding the former prime minister as the real commander-in-chief.
Duodun regretted not acting more ruthlessly at the very beginning which resulted in the current hidden danger. It was not because he was soft-hearted, but more so that he just didn’t want to kill a noble of the Norland before having a battle.
Mo Chu agreed to share the military power while pretending to refuse and expressed his gratitude as if it were a power granted to him by the prince. From now on, he would work under the restored nominal title of Commander-in-chief while the prince would be the Army Supervisor.
Apart from the occasional small conflicts between the low-leveled officers, the two sides got along quite well for more than a dozen or so days until the Dragon King and the army he led arrived at Heaven’s Pass.
“Ten thousand people? He only brought ten thousand people with him?” Duodun couldn’t believe his ears.
Inside the tent were several of his trusted friends and Mo Chu, along with a dozen or so generals. The scout bowed and replied, “Yes, only ten thousand people. The Dragon King’s messenger will be here soon.”
Duodun didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned to look at Mo Chu and wanted to see how this Old Fox would react.
“Uh, let’s wait for the messenger to come.” Mo Chu refused to take a definitive side. On the contrary, he showed a drowsy look as if he were no longer capable of carrying out his duties.
Duodun sent for Shangguan Ru.
Duodun hated this woman, this strange woman, but was also fascinated by her. The reason he had banished the disciple of the Waning Moon Hall and freed the commander-in-chief Mo Chu was not simply out of fear. He had actually fallen in love with her. He had first been enchanted when Shangguan Ru drank the first bowl of wine in front of him.
As a prairie man and the Khan’s favorite son, Duodun would not hide his love in his heart. On the night Shangguan Ru had poked his acupoint, when he could only move his mouth, he had revealed his true feelings. “Become my princess consort. You’ll be the Chief Consort of the Norland. I won’t marry any women from the Khan’s consorts’ side. I only want you.”
Shangguan Ru wasn’t shy like the average woman, but she laughed in response. “Sorry, I’m not interested in becoming the princess consort or Chief Consort. And I don’t want to mislead you, so I’ll tell you this bluntly. It’s impossible.”
Duodun’s acupoint was released. He had then said to the disciple of the Waning Moon Hall who had been in disguise to protect him, “Look, it’s as simple as that. Instructor Shangguan is more powerful than you, and I fell in love with her. So, go back and tell your Master Commander that our alliance is over. I don’t like your style of hiding in the dark and assassinating the enemy. You may succeed occasionally by assassinating, but that doesn’t mean that it will always work. If the Waning Moon Hall had even half the fame of Golden Roc Castle, it would be strictly guarded, and it will be hard for you to take even one step.”
Shangguan Ru knew that this had been said to her, but she didn’t expect that it would come true so soon.
Fame meant attention, and attention meant a lot of obstacles. Shangguan Ru had thought that she had completed her task successfully and now wanted to leave the Heaven’s Pass, only to find that it really was ‘hard to take even one step.’
“People of the Waning Moon Hall are all crazy.” Duodun’s judgment was right as he continued, “So you are in danger now. Whether it is for the public’s interests or for my private interests, I won’t let you get hurt. But I can’t spare any men to escort you at the moment. So please stay, at least until your thousand women soldiers arrive. And please consider my suggestion. Believe me, I’m not joking.”
The one thousand female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance were marching towards the Thousand Horsemen Pass. They had to escort the ladies back to their countries and then make their way around Xiaoyao Lake to reach Heaven’s Pass, which would then not be reachable for a few months.
Shangguan Ru believed that she could run away secretly, but Xu Xiaoyi also advised her to stay. “The situation in the Western Regions is not stable. The instructor should stay for a while, at least until the Dragon King returns.”
The person Shangguan Ru was trying to avoid was precisely the Dragon King. But she had stayed in the end. The reasons were complicated, but one of them was exactly the information gathered by Xu Xiaoyi. “Lotus has appeared in Heaven’s Pass and Han Xuan is with her. Some people have seen a young lady. And if my guess is right, that should be Shangguan Shaomin.”
But the clue was lost as soon as it appeared. Shangguan Ru wasn’t able to find the whereabouts of her niece.
She had heard that the Dragon King was also now coming with the army, so she accepted the invitation to meet Duodun.
“You said that the Dragon King would bring back at least eighty thousand people but the best estimate I’ve heard is only ten thousand people,” Duodun asked with a serious look. He liked this woman and could frankly show his love for her, but he would never try to please her, and nor would he ever purposefully act weak in front of her.
“That’s what you said. I said that the Dragon King was qualified to be respected by Your Highness.” Shangguan Ru still clearly remembered the conversation that they had before, “If Your Highness still has doubts, you can ask the Dragon King directly. He’ll be here soon and will surely give you a satisfactory explanation.”
“I believe in the Dragon King because I believe in you.” Duodun specially stressed the last word.
Shangguan Ru shook her head. “You are the Khan’s son. You will be laughed at for saying such things. Believe in yourself, and do not place your hopes on others.”
“Haha.” Duodun laughed drily. Those surrounding him were his most trusted friends so he did not have to worry about them letting out the secret. “I don’t understand how a woman like you doesn’t like me. We are a perfect match, and only the vast prairie of my being can let you gallop to your heart’s content.”
“Maybe it’s because my horse runs so fast that most people can’t keep up with it.”
Duodun laughed again and turned to his friends, asking, “Do we really have no other horses that can catch up with the Flame Foal?”
“The grassland is too big. With so many horses there, we will sooner or later find a horse that can keep pace with the Flame Foal,” one of his friends replied.
Just then the Dragon King’s messenger arrived. Duodun sent for Mo Chu, the commander-in-chief.
Azheba was obviously astonished to see Shangguan Ru here. He nodded at her and said to Duodun and Mo Chu, “The Dragon King will arrive the day after tomorrow and the army will be stationed at the Xiaowan Kingdom.”
“Xiaowan Kingdom?” Mo Chu was surprised. “Isn’t that… Isn’t that the territory of the young master Shangguan Yun from the Golden Roc Castle?”
“Yes, but Shangguan Yun was willing to offer the capital city up and the Dragon King agreed.”
It was another unexpected piece of news but Duodun said nothing about it.
The formal meeting was soon over. Azheba retreated. Mo Chu and Shangguan Ru also took their leave. Duodun returned to his tent and summoned the Dragon King’s messenger again.
Although Azheba had stayed in the Royal Court all this time, he was still one of Duodun’s most trusted friends like Liman.
Azheba kneeled to the prince and greeted, “Azheba salutes Your Highness.”
Duodun pulled his favorite officer off of the ground and thumped Azheba’s chest affectionately. “Good boy, it’s only a few months since I saw you last time and you are already beginning to distance yourself from me. I heard that you’ve done a great job in the Royal Court and shot down many enemies. Are you going to treat me as an outsider after you become a hero?”
Azheba grinned. This was the prince he knew. The rest of the party also came one by one to hug him affectionately.
This was a small coterie. Instead of dismissing any of his companions, Duodun casually lay on the couch and asked, “Tell me, what kind of person is the Dragon King?”
“It’s hard to say.” Azheba knew that the prince would ask him about this. He had thought for a long time but still could not think of a simple answer. “He’s clever and decisive. He knows how to win people over and has impressive saber techniques. He often makes unexpected decisions, but he always succeeds.”
“Hmm, those’re his strong points. I suppose he’s not perfect, is he?”
“No, the Dragon King is very suspicious. He’s very different from Your Highness. Although he’s good at wooing people, he doesn’t fully trust any of them, not to mention confiding in others. He’s always hiding something, and when one finally realizes it, they will make themselves feel very stupid and uncomfortable.”
Duodun looked up and thought for a while before asking, “Then how could such a man obtain the allegiance of the Court Attendants Army?”
“The Dragon King is very good at his tricks. Even if someone can think of them, they won’t necessarily use them.”
“Hehe, playing tricks. I’ve heard those rumors but I’m on the Dragon King’s side. All the founders of the Norland and the Central Plains did the same thing and quite enjoyed it. How do I know that? Sorry, bro, I secretly read a few books.”
All the people including Azheba laughed. In the Norland, all the nobles who read books were abnormal.
“How many horsemen did the Dragon King muster? I want real numbers.” Duodun put away his smile.
“There are 155,000 horsemen in total, including 93,000 men in the Court Attendants Army, and 62,000 soldiers in the armies of the kings. That’s the most accurate figure.”
“But he brought only ten thousand men with him.”
“Since Prince Luoluo is leading his army to the Royal Court, the Dragon King has to leave the main army behind as a countermeasure.”
“What kind of prince is Luoluo?” One of them cried out indignantly. “Even his pedigree is dubious, he doesn’t deserve to lead the Norland Cavalry.”
Duodun didn’t join in on the discussion. He had his own thoughts about Luoluo of the East, but he didn’t want to share them with his friends too early.
A king always had to hide things, but in different ways. In Duodun’s view, the Dragon King was clearly not a master in this respect.
“The Second Consort also came with the Dragon King and she asked me to deliver a letter to Your Highness personally.”
Duodun took the letter, casually put it next to him, but did not open it. “The Second Consort and Liman think very highly of the Dragon King. Even I am a little jealous now. What’s your opinion, Azheba? Should I wholeheartedly ally with the Dragon King?”
Azheba took a deep breath. This was another question he had pondered for a long time. “The Dragon King will never give up his right of control, but he’s a man of his word. So my suggestion is that, if you are sure you can get rid of the Dragon King once and for all afterwards, then kill him; if not, bow your head to him for the time being. Do not compete with him at all because that will only cause you more trouble.”
“Very good. I never do things I’m not sure of,” Duodun coldly said, already quietly making a decision in his heart.
