Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The wind abruptly stopped, which instantly clarified the sound of the fierce fighting on the battlefield. After the thick dust in the air settled slightly, the bloody scene became as vivid as if it was taking place right before their eyes.
At this moment, the opposing side, Luoluo, had just sent troops into battle for the second time. Scouts were coming back from various positions, and they all reported wildly different numbers, ranging from 10,000 to 30,000.
Dugu Xian twisted his head around and asked, “You got this, right?”
After nodding emphatically, Gu Shenwei took a spear from a nearby guard’s hand and stamped it, upright, into the ground.
Long Fanyun was personally carrying the Red Crow Flag himself. As he walked across the front row of the troops, the Dragon Army soldiers also stamped their spears into the ground upright like how the Dragon King had just one, their eyes all fixed on that big flag with the symbol of a red bird on a black background.
Gu Shenwei rode to Shangguan Ru’s side and said in a low voice, “Stay here.”
Widening her eyes, Shangguan Ru looked like a child whose toys had just been snatched, her face full of amazement and stubbornness. She was just about to object when Gu Shenwei added on, “I’ll be better able to concentrate on the fighting in front of me if you stay here and protect General Dugu.”
Shangguan Ru suspected that the Dragon King was just making up an excuse to keep her in the rear, but she soon remembered that the Dragon King was not that sort of person. “Okay. You… stay safe.”
As he peered into her black eyes, Gu Shenwei didn’t say anything. He merely turned his horse around and returned to the head of the Corps. Fifty guards were standing at his sides with shields in their hands. They were the Dragon King’s strongest defense.
As the warhorses pawed at the ground restlessly in place, Gu Shenwei turned his torso to look at these soldiers who were both familiar and strange to him. He wanted to give a pep talk, but then felt that that was totally unnecessary. In the end, he merely straightened his body, gave the horse under him a spur with his legs, and started trotting forward.
The roaring gallop of horse hooves was the only sound that could be heard. Watching the ranks of marching cavalrymen pass by, Shangguan Ru felt that her heart was flying away along with them.
Beside her, Red Bat watched the receding Red Crow Flag with tears in her eyes.
But unexpectedly, Shangguan Ru was smiling. “How many women get to watch their loved ones leave for the battlefield? You should feel happy.”
Red Bat wiped her tears away. Sometimes, Instructor Shangguan was like a child, and sometimes she was like a wise old woman who had been through numerous ups and downs in her life. Red Bat constantly felt unable to appropriately respond to her comments. She only words she could muster were “I am happy. It’s just that… the wind is too strong.”
And as if she had cast a spell, the wind started blowing even harder.
Shangguan Ru rode up to Dugu Xian’s side and asked, “This war is not going to end anytime soon, is it?”
“Mmm.” Dugu Xian had been observing the left front this whole time as if there were some invisible force lying in ambush in that open space. After the last Dragon Army soldier had advanced about twice the range of an arrow forward, he ordered the fifth 10,000-men army to enter the battlefield. Then, he had the herald send a message to the Commander-in-chief, saying, “It’s time for the right corps to launch an attack.”
Shangguan Ru reined in her horse and moved two steps backwards before saying to Azheba, who was standing on the other side, “What do you think our odds are that we will win this war, general?”
Upon hearing Shangguan Ru’s voice, Azheba became so nervous that he nearly fell off of his horse. After coughing several times, he said, “It is the morale of our army that we care about, so we can call it a victory as long as we are not defeated. So, I think that the odds are very much in our favor.”
Red Bat abruptly interjected to say, “When will you join the fight, General Azheba?”
“I’m waiting for the Commander-in-chief’s order.” Azheba’s face blushed slightly as he said these words. His rank was the same as that of Dugu Xian, so nominally Mo Chu, was the only one who had any right to order him to attack. However, Duodun had effectively taken absolute control of the army, so he actually only answered to Duodun.
The Dragon King approached towards the battlefield. As long as Luoluo kept his promise and sent his men to attack the Naihang Tribe, Azheba would then order his men to abduct Dugu Xian and Mo Chu. However, Azhe didn’t expect that his opponents would be a group of women.
Standing right behind Dugu Xian and about ten steps away from Azheba, Tie Linglong was tightly holding onto her saber hilt, her eyes sweeping around vigilantly. Even Shangguan Ru was included in her alert gaze – she was a little unhappy as she felt that having the female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance stay in the rear was completely unnecessary.
A soldier rapidly rode over, but he was neither a herald of any army nor a scout. Instead, that soldier joined Azheba’s guards and nodded at him.
Azheba moved closer to Dugu Xian to evade Shangguan Ru’s view and potential questions.
But against Azheba’s expectations, it was not this soldier that had attracted Shangguan Ru’s attention, but rather another person.
Nobody knew when Qian Ying had arrived. She was disguised again, this time among the ranks of the female soldiers of the Land of Fragrance.
Shangguan Ru knew all the female soldiers assigned to her, so she recognized Qian Ying at first sight. She waved her arm and summoned Qian Ying before her, and then asked in a low voice, “Why are you here?”
After seeing that her master hadn’t gone into battle with the Dragon King, Qian Ying felt greatly relieved. She had heard a lot of secrets, but she thought it was unnecessary to reveal all of them to her master. “I’m here to protect you, master. Be careful…”
Qian Ying glanced at Azheba after speaking those words. Shangguan Ru immediately realized that the Dragon King’s suspicion had not been groundless.
After staying beside Azheba for a while, the strange soldier turned his horse around and rode towards the tent of the Commander-in-chief, but he didn’t pause after arriving at the tent. He then changed his direction again and started riding towards Shulitu’s tent, which was located in the area of the right wing.
After seeing that soldier who had stopped by briefly, Mo Lin nodded at Azheba and went outside for another routine check – standing by was his only choice.
The guards at the doorway were expressionless. After Mo Lin had gone far away, the ten plus men grabbed their saber hilts simultaneously.
At this moment, Shulitu was sitting in a temporary tent with only Nie Zeng and five guards by his side.
It had been a while since someone had last informed him of the front line’s situation. Shulitu was growing a little anxious, and he nervously said, “Go ask General Li Shun how the battle is going at the front and whether the right corps are ready.”
But after hearing the order, the guard didn’t leave. He instead bowed slightly and said, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. General Li Shun already has everything planned out.”
“You’re right. I’m losing my grip slightly.” Shulitu smiled and then sat back into his chair, seeming rather relaxed.
But his heart had skipped a beat.
After being a puppet for so many years, Shulitu had become highly sensitive to certain issues. For example, sometimes people around him would agree with him on the surface, but actually disagree with him. Or, sometimes they would appear to be respectful, but actually refuse to follow his orders. These were all indications that something suspicious was going on.
After glancing at Nie Zeng, Shulitu realized something from the vigilant look in his eyes – these guards had not been assigned here by the Dragon King.
“Which lord did you serve previously? I don’t think that I’ve ever seen you before,” Shulitu asked casually. He curled his body, as if he didn’t feel too well.
The guards exchanged a glance of their own before one of them answered, “We’re General Li Shun’s guards. You probably just didn’t notice us, Your Highness.”
“Where are my former guards? Actually, I’m a little nervous. And I’d feel better if I had someone familiar within my sight.”
“They’re right outside the tent,” the guard answered blandly without going out to get anyone.
Shulitu glanced at Nie Zeng again and then yawned. “I got up too early this morning. I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up if any news comes in from the front line.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” a guard answered.
Nie Zeng started walking towards the door. A guard blocked his path and asked in a low voice, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going back to the camp to get a pillow for His Highness. He can’t lie down just like that,” Nie Zeng answered naturally as if this was something he did regularly.
Shulitu impatiently urged, “Hurry.”
The guards reluctantly made way for him.
Nie Zeng had just left when a voice came from outside the tent, “General Li Shun sent me here to ask you whether everything’s okay, Your Highness.”
“Everything’s fine,” a guard answered.
It was quiet outside. Shulitu opened his eyes and asked aloud, “How’s it going at the front lines? Come in and talk to me about it.”
“No news is good news,” a guard replied.
The five guards whipped out their sabers and surrounded Shulitu.
“Are you going to kill me or put me under house arrest?” Shulitu asked calmly.
Nobody answered. All of the guards’ faces were cold. Two of them were standing in an offensive stance at the doorway.
“I got the pillow,” another voice called out from the outside, before someone opened the tent flap and came in.
The two guards by the entrance slashed out with their sharp sabers at the same time, and the one who had just come in was beheaded. The headless body fell to the ground with a thud, a pillow in his hands.
After rolling around several times, the head stopped, the face looking right at Shulitu.
Shulitu’s face went ashen, but he didn’t scream.
A guard bent over and took a look, “He’s not the one who just…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the guard screeched in pain before slowly turning around, revealing a dagger sticking out from his back. He tried to reach out to grab it, but the only thing he could do was scratch his back a few times. As his life bled out, he slowly sat down on the ground.
The other guards didn’t panic. They immediately moved beside Shulitu and encircled him, their eyes looking around for that hidden killer.
A dozen miles away, Duodun was still trying hard to persuade the Second Consort. “Think about it carefully. If we ally with the Dragon King and Shulitu, we won’t stand a good chance of defeating Luoluo, and even if we defeat him, I will have to win another fight to succeed to the throne. But if we ally with Luoluo, the Dragon King will undoubtedly be eliminated. Besides, the Central Plains army is already pursuing Luoluo, and wintertime is almost upon us. Thus, so Luoluo will surely flee far away after this war, which will give me enough time to expand my army. Given the difference between these two choices, which one do you think I should choose? In addition, what’s done is done – I’ve already sent a messenger and I can’t call him back even if I wanted to.”
As she sat on a blanket, the Second Consort’s face was sepulchral. “Can your men defeat those kung fu experts of Dragon King?”
“The Dragon King makes mistakes too, you know. He has deployed all his real kung fu experts elsewhere, leaving only a couple of women and kids behind. But I didn’t make mistakes like he did. Did you think that I did nothing at Heaven’s Pass? Actually, I recruited some kung fu experts too. Not many – just a hundred men or so. But they should be enough for today’s action, right?”
The Second Consort didn’t answer. After a while she said, “Okay, you win. Like you said, what’s done is done, and it’s beyond discussion at this point. I have no more to say. I just hope that you will stay on guard against the Naihang Tribe’s plots.”
“Ha-ha, what kind of plot can Zhesu and Duo Ercha possibly come up with?”
The Second Consort sighed heavily as she said, “Call your men in.”
Duodun stared at her in confusion. “You’re with me on this, and not playing any tricks, right?”
“Everything I’ve done, I did for you. You don’t believe me?”
Duodun believed her. He walked to the doorway and asked the companions and generals to come inside.
“Luoluo’s troops are fighting the Naihang Tribe. The scouts said that there’ve been some signs of chaos in the Naihang Tribe, so our armies may depart at any time,” Liman reported.
“Give it some time.” Duodun was still watching the Second Consort closely. “When the situation in the Naihang Tribe devolves into a total mess, we’ll corner them then. After that, they will have no choice but to surrender. Have you blocked off the roads in the north yet?”
Liman nodded. “Our 5,000 cavalrymen departed yesterday. News came this morning that they are already in position. They’re moving under King Riying Shulitu’s banner, so it shouldn’t be a problem for them to gain the Naihang Tribe’s trust.
“That’s right.” Duodun took a few steps forward and opened his arms. Two companions immediately carried a suit of armor to him and helped him put it on.
With his armor on, Duodun looked sturdier and more handsome than usual. The Second Consort stared at him obsessively for a while before asking, “Er.. Liman, you know the Naihang Tribe’s army well, don’t you?”
“I do,” Liman answered somewhat confusedly.
Duodun turned his head back and smiled. “He’s from the Naihang Tribe and he’s also General Zhesu’s son. Who else could possibly be more familiar with that army than he?”
“Great.” The Second Consort smiled. “Liman, the Naihang Tribe is conspiring against us. If you’re truly loyal to Prince Duodun, then for his sake, you shouldn’t go welcome their surrender…”
Duodun angrily pushed aside the companions who were helping him equip his armor as he yelled at the Second Consort, “I trusted you!”
“Oh, silly kid.” Second Consort watched her loved man with a compassionate infatuation.
Then, she twisted her head and said to Liman, “Don’t try to think about what your father will do. Think about what old King Rizhu would have done on this kind of occasion, and then think about whether or not General Zhesu will do the same thing.”
Liman’s heart skipped a beat.
