Atop the mighty Hangu Pass, Mo Jingli looked down at the menacing Mohist Army camp in the distance. The black flags of the Mohist Army fluttered fiercely in the wind; from afar, their entire camp appeared vigorous, like a black tide ready to surge forward at any moment.
“Your Majesty, something isn’t right,” said the old Marquis of Mu Yang, standing beside Mo Jingli with Lei Tengfeng on the other side, his brows slightly furrowed. Mo Jingli raised an eyebrow, “Not right? How so?” The old Marquis replied solemnly, “The Mohist Army appears fierce, but these past two days they’ve only been making empty shows of force, without any substantial action. This doesn’t match their usual style.”
The Mohist Army was renowned throughout the world for their fierce combat ability and their soldiers’ fearless spirit. They would never hesitate before even a thousand-year-old fortress—the only explanation was that there must be another plot at work.
Mo Jingli raised an eyebrow and said calmly, “Ye Li has less than a hundred thousand troops. Even if she attacks Hangu Pass, how could she take it? She’s probably waiting for Lu Jinxian. As long as Mu Yang blocks Lu Jinxian, these forces before us… will eventually become Our prisoners.” Lei Tengfeng stared into the distance thoughtfully before saying quietly after a while, “These past few days, it seems we haven’t seen the Princess Consort herself.”
Hearing this, the old Marquis’s face changed as he said gravely, “Your Majesty… the Princess Consort is known for her cunning schemes. I fear…” Not only was the Princess Consort cunning, but with the Qilin’s aid, she could appear and disappear at will. Misfortune always befell wherever the Princess Consort appeared. Mo Jingli’s sword-like eyebrows furrowed—he naturally understood the old Marquis’s concerns, but this time he believed his arrangements were flawless; even someone as clever as Ye Li shouldn’t be able to find any gaps to exploit. Unfortunately, though the list Dong Fangyou had given him earlier had solved his urgent problem of being unable to plant people in Prince Ding’s household, these people still couldn’t approach Ye Li without arousing suspicion. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be having such difficulty tracking Ye Li’s movements now.
After some thought, Mo Jingli ordered cautiously, “Send people to investigate. We must confirm whether Ye Li is actually in the camp outside the pass.” The old Marquis quickly nodded and turned to go give the orders.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, urgent military news!” Before the Marquis could leave, a soldier rushed up. The old Marquis’s eyelid twitched as an ominous feeling arose. The reporting soldier continued, “Urgent report from the front: The hundred thousand troops led by the Marquis of Mu Yang fell into Lu Jinxian’s ambush, suffering almost total annihilation. Lu Jinxian has bypassed our arranged ambush and is heading toward Hangu Pass.”
“How is this possible?!” the old Marquis cried out involuntarily, his body swaying as he nearly collapsed. He quickly asked, “How is the Marquis?” The soldier glanced at Mo Jingli behind him, then at the old Marquis, before saying, “The Marquis is leading the remaining forces, less than ten thousand men, toward Hangu Pass.”
Hearing that Mu Yang was safe, the old Marquis finally breathed a sigh of relief. But when he turned to see Mo Jingli’s expression, his heart sank. He had been worrying about various things, but in the end, it was his son who had caused problems—how could someone like Mo Jingli not be enraged?
Sure enough, Mo Jingli swept a cold glance at the old Marquis and asked calmly, “Old Marquis Mu, what do you have to say?” The old Marquis replied with a bitter expression, “My son has failed in battle. I request Your Majesty’s punishment.”
Beside them, Lei Tengfeng’s handsome eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped forward and said softly, “Emperor Chu, the Marquis is still young—how could he match Lu Jinxian, a veteran who has fought for half a lifetime? Moreover, now is the time when we need every capable person.” Mo Jingli snorted lightly and said to the old Marquis, “For the Crown Prince of the Southern Marquis’s sake, We will give him a chance to redeem himself through merit.”
The old Marquis’s heart leaped with joy as he quickly bowed in thanks, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s mercy.” His gaze toward Lei Tengfeng also gained several degrees of kindness and gratitude, “Thank you, Crown Prince of the Southern Marquis.” Lei Tengfeng smiled, “Old Marquis need not be so formal. This Crown Prince acts only for the alliance between our two nations.” The implication was that the Mu Yang household didn’t owe him any favor. Hearing this, the old Marquis’s expression grew even more amiable—after all, owing a favor to the Crown Prince of Western Ling’s Southern Marquis was no small matter.
Lei Tengfeng looked toward Mo Jingli and said, “Emperor Chu, at this point, we should quickly summon the Marquis back to clarify the course of events. I feel… this matter is rather strange.” Lei Tengfeng knew something of Mo Jingli and the old Marquis’s arrangements, which could be said to be nearly perfect. At least Lei Tengfeng himself couldn’t find any flaws. Though Lei Tengfeng hadn’t achieved much militarily, he had been trained by Lei Zhenting himself, and his insight and abilities were first-rate. If even he couldn’t see any flaws, it proved that the old Marquis and Mo Jingli’s arrangements truly had no major problems. While Mu Yang might not have achieved total victory, he shouldn’t have lost so badly. But in just a few short days, Mu Yang had nearly suffered complete annihilation—to say there wasn’t something wrong with this would be even more unbelievable than Mo Xiuyao’s complete defeat of the Northern Rong army.
Hearing his words, Mo Jingli and the old Marquis’s expressions also grew solemn. Though the old Marquis hadn’t dealt much with Lu Jinxian, he was still a famous general himself and had some understanding of the Mohist Army’s generals. Therefore, he couldn’t believe that Lu Jinxian had so easily broken through his arranged formation.
Mu Yang returned quickly, but the spirited commander who had departed now returned covered in wounds. Of his original hundred thousand elite troops, less than six thousand remained.
“This criminal Mu Yang requests Your Majesty’s punishment.” Mu Yang understood clearly that this first clash between the Chu army and the Mohist Army had ended in the Chu army’s devastating defeat. Mo Jingli probably wanted to have him drawn and quartered. More importantly, this defeat had largely destroyed the Chu army’s original geographical advantage.
The main tent fell silent, with no Chu army generals daring to speak up for Mu Yang. Mo Jingli coldly examined Mu Yang—his originally handsome face now bore a bloody gash, and his shoulder was bandaged, his left arm appearing stiff, clearly seriously wounded. His handsome, steady brows were filled with exhaustion, and his eyes were bloodshot—these past few days had been very difficult for Mu Yang.
“Rise,” Mo Jingli finally said solemnly. It wasn’t that Mo Jingli didn’t want to punish Mu Yang, but he understood that the Chu army already had few capable commanders. If he punished Mu Yang, the old Marquis might develop ulterior motives, so he followed Lei Tengfeng’s suggestion and pardoned Mu Yang’s punishment. “Lu Jinxian is a famous Mohist Army general. We’ll let this matter pass, but you must make amends through future achievements. If there’s any negligence again, don’t blame Us for being merciless.”
Mu Yang was stunned, clearly not expecting Mo Jingli to be so lenient. Beside him, the old Marquis quickly prompted, “Quickly thank His Majesty for his grace.”
Only then did Mu Yang thank Mo Jingli for his mercy and stand up.
“What exactly happened this time? Explain in detail,” Mo Jingli asked solemnly. Mu Yang quickly recounted the defeat. Actually, not just others, even Mu Yang himself felt the defeat was inexplicable. When Mu Yang led his hundred thousand troops to reinforce, though the numbers still favored Lu Jinxian, with the geographical advantage, the Chu army should have been almost certain of victory. But unexpectedly, on the second night after Mu Yang’s arrival, Lu Jinxian suddenly appeared with five thousand troops behind the Chu army. In the dead of night, the Chu army had no idea how many troops were attacking, and in their hasty response, were led by the nose by Lu Jinxian. Finally, Lu Jinxian even ignited the tung oil that had been meant for the Mohist Army, resulting in the hundred thousand troops being half-destroyed by their trap. When Mu Yang led the remaining troops out of the sea of fire, they encountered Lu Jinxian’s main force head-on, with only a few thousand troops ultimately escaping back.
After hearing Mu Yang’s account, Mo Jingli’s face twisted with rage, “So… Our hundred thousand troops were decimated by Lu Jinxian’s mere five thousand? Good! How wonderful!”
The others remained silent. Five thousand defeating a hundred thousand—this battle was undoubtedly the pinnacle of Lu Jinxian’s life. However, to say this victory was solely due to Lu Jinxian’s ability was hard to believe. One crucial point: how did Lu Jinxian know the Chu army’s encampment location and their prepared ambush? One wrong move could have set several nearby mountains ablaze. Even if Lu Jinxian had won then, with the mountains sealed by fire, he wouldn’t have been able to pass through.
The old Marquis said gravely, “Your Majesty, there must be Prince Ding’s spies in our army. Moreover… they must be highly placed, with access to our military secrets.” The Mohist Army’s encampment location might have been found by the Qilin, but their arranged ambush—even the Qilin couldn’t have found everything without ten days to half a month. Besides spies from Prince Ding’s household in the Chu army, the old Marquis couldn’t think of any other explanation.
Mo Jingli gave the old Marquis an irritated glance. Prince Ding’s secret guards were almost everywhere; even now, Mo Jingli couldn’t guarantee there weren’t Mohist Army people in his household. This statement was practically meaningless.
Beside them, Lei Tengfeng said solemnly, “The old Marquis’s words are extremely pertinent. I fear… the spy might be someone… extremely close to you all. Emperor Chu must be extremely careful. Additionally, Lu Jinxian’s army is approaching—please make preparations early.” In the battle with Mu Yang, Lu Jinxian’s losses were practically negligible. When the two Mohist Army forces pressed toward Hangu Pass from front and back, not only would the Chu army’s supposed geographical advantage be completely lost, but they might also find themselves in a desperate situation.
Mo Jingli said gravely, “Convey Our orders: Command the Western Route Army’s two hundred thousand men to block Lu Jinxian’s army with all their might. Mu Yang, We give you one final chance. If Lu Jinxian reaches Hangu Pass, take your own life.” He swept a cold glance at Mu Yang, who immediately felt the almost tangible killing intent in Mo Jingli’s frigid gaze.
Mu Yang shuddered and quickly responded, “This servant obeys! This servant takes his leave!”
Mo Jingli snorted lightly and said, “The old Marquis will be responsible for investigating Mohist Army spies. Everyone else withdraw—We have matters to discuss with the Crown Prince of the Southern Marquis.”
“Yes, we take our leave,” the generals said in unison.
Lei Tengfeng wasn’t surprised. Mo Jingli thought very highly of himself—without suffering some setbacks, he wouldn’t have given any attention to a mere Crown Prince of the Southern Marquis. Fortunately, Lei Tengfeng’s temperament had changed considerably; otherwise, they would have fallen out long ago during these days.
With only Mo Jingli and Lei Tengfeng remaining in the main tent, Mo Jingli looked at Lei Tengfeng and sighed, “We must have given the Crown Prince quite a laugh.” Lei Tengfeng respectfully replied, “Emperor Chu’s words are too heavy. Victory and defeat are common in war—actually, even on my father’s side, things aren’t going smoothly. The Mohist Army has dominated the world for two hundred years; their reputation isn’t undeserved.”
These weren’t merely words of comfort from Lei Tengfeng. Mo Jingli naturally had his sources of information and knew that the current battles between Mo Xiuyao and Lei Zhenting were even more intense than those on their side. Compared to the warfare at Flying Hong Pass, their situation was minor indeed. This was the first true confrontation between Lei Zhenting and Mo Xiuyao, naturally drawing the attention of the entire world. However, the battles there hadn’t gone smoothly despite the Western Ling army’s initial advantage. The two armies were locked in a stalemate, each battle resulting in rivers of blood and heart-stopping moments. So far, Lei Zhenting hasn’t gained any significant advantage.
Mo Jingli furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then said, “We can lend the Southern Marquis some assistance.”
Lei Tengfeng’s sword-like eyebrows twitched slightly, but he maintained his respectful yet not subservient demeanor while looking at Mo Jingli. Lei Tengfeng remembered Mo Jingli’s marriage to Dong Fangyou—though Cang Mang Mountain had been destroyed, no one could say exactly what benefits Mo Jingli had gained from Dong Fangyou. Since Mo Jingli dared to offer assistance to Lei Zhenting, it certainly wasn’t a joke.
“Please enlighten me, Emperor Chu,” Lei Tengfeng said.
Mo Jingli smiled faintly, “I wouldn’t dare claim to enlighten you. I merely have a few useable people still in Prince Ding’s household.” Hearing this, Lei Tengfeng’s heart jumped. The most difficult aspect of dealing with Prince Ding’s household wasn’t the Mohist Army’s strength, nor the intelligence of Mo Xiuyao and Xu Qingchen, but rather their almost impenetrable defenses. All information known to the world was what Prince Ding’s household was willing to release, while the information they wished to keep secret remained completely inaccessible no matter how hard others tried to discover it. Over the years, though various factions had persistently tried to plant people in Prince Ding’s household, almost none had proven useful, and many elite agents had been lost in the attempts.
Seeing Lei Tengfeng’s apparent disbelief, Mo Jingli remained unhurried, saying calmly, “Prince Ding’s heir, Mo Yuchen, is currently at Flying Hong Pass.”
Lei Tengfeng’s eyes flickered—the whereabouts of Prince Ding’s heir would naturally be extremely secret information within the Mohist Army, yet Mo Jingli appeared to have known about it for some time, suggesting he truly had some capability. Mo Jingli continued with a faint smile, “Additionally, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li’s twins are currently being raised in the Xu household.”
Lei Tengfeng’s thoughts raced, but he quickly steadied himself, saying calmly, “It seems Your Majesty’s people aren’t in the Mohist Army but in Li City. If so, they seem of little use to my father.”
Mo Jingli smiled, “Their usefulness depends on how the Southern Marquis chooses to use them.”
“What does Emperor Chu want?” Lei Tengfeng asked.
Knowing Lei Tengfeng had conceded, Mo Jingli smiled with satisfaction and asked, “How many men did the Crown Prince bring?” Lei Tengfeng sighed somewhat helplessly, “Cang Mang Mountain was indeed a plague—fortunately it was destroyed early. I have only a mere hundred and fifty thousand troops, merely as a precaution, certainly not harboring any ill intentions toward Emperor Chu.”
“We naturally trust the Crown Prince,” Mo Jingli smiled. With the two armies currently allied against the Mohist Army, Lei Tengfeng naturally wouldn’t have any schemes. But after the outcome was decided, that might not remain true.
Lei Tengfeng said, “I am willing to assist the Marquis in intercepting Lu Jinxian.”
Mo Jingli nodded with satisfaction, wrote several characters on paper, and handed it over, saying, “This is a gift for the Southern Marquis.” Lei Tengfeng glanced at it, casually tossed the note into the nearby charcoal fire, and smiled faintly, “Thank you, Emperor Chu. I take my leave.”
Watching Lei Tengfeng leave, Mo Jingli laughed coldly, “Who says We have no one in the Mohist Army? Mo Xiuyao… We shall see who has the last laugh!”
In Mu Yang’s tent, Yao Ji was bandaging his wounds. Looking at the badly wounded man before her, Yao Ji’s beautiful eyes narrowed, saying nothing. Beside her, Mu Lie also stared anxiously at Mu Yang, his large eyes full of worry, “Father, are you… alright?”
Mu Yang shook his head, raising his uninjured hand to pat Mu Lie’s small head, saying, “Father is fine, don’t be afraid.” Mu Lie nodded, obediently sitting beside Mu Yang watching Yao Ji treat his wounds. Outside the tent, a soldier reported, “My Lord, the old Marquis requests your presence after your wounds are treated.”
Mu Yang nodded, “I understand, you may go.”
Yao Ji frowned, “With such severe injuries, how can you not rest?” Mu Yang smiled bitterly, somewhat helplessly, “I must leave again soon. Father probably called me to give some instructions. Don’t worry, no vital areas were injured.”
“But… your wounds…”
Mu Yang sighed, “Though this defeat was due to the Mohist Army obtaining advanced intelligence, I still lost. His Majesty has shown leniency by ordering me to lead troops to resist Lu Jinxian’s army and redeem myself through merit. How can I easily refuse?”
Yao Ji understood the gravity of the situation and could only nod, saying, “Then please be extremely careful.” Mu Yang smiled slightly, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
After tidying up a bit, Mu Yang went to the old Marquis’s tent. As soon as he left, Yao Ji and Mu Lie’s expressions darkened. Mu Lie said gravely, “The Marquis will soon suspect us.” Not many people in the army had access to secrets—when all other possibilities were eliminated, the answer would be the least likely one.
Yao Ji smiled, “You’re wrong—he’ll soon suspect me.”
Mu Lie’s small face darkened as he said solemnly, “You’re crazy, don’t think about taking the blame yourself. Don’t forget, if you’re proven guilty, do you think Mo Jingli would spare me? Moreover, given the Marquis’s intelligence, he might well suspect my identity.” Mu Lie didn’t look much like Mu Yang, only his eyes somewhat resembled Yao Ji’s. The Marquis might very well come to suspect his identity.
Yao Ji sighed lightly, “Unless necessary, would I go to my death? Just be more careful recently—if there’s no extremely important information, don’t bother with it, lest you fall into the Marquis’s trap.”
Mu Lie nodded solemnly, his small face serious, “I understand. I feel… things will end soon.” Yao Ji lowered her eyes, saying softly, “It’s good if it ends. These years have been hard on you.” When Mu Lie had followed her to the Chu capital, he was only eight or nine years old. These years, he not only had to secretly help her collect and transmit information but also frequently reminded her not to make mistakes. If not for Mu Lie’s companionship these years, she truly didn’t know if she could have endured.
Mu Lie looked at her, “If you can’t handle the Prince’s instructions, I’ll do it.”
Yao Ji smiled faintly, “Don’t worry so much, when the time comes, we might not need to…” Mu Lie shook his head, “Since the Prince gave such instructions, that situation will occur. Otherwise, do you think the Marquis could have lived until now? Just for nearly causing the death of the Princess Consort and heir years ago, the Prince would have crushed him then. Watch—the Prince will likely send news soon.”
Yao Ji started, then nodded, “Everything is fate. Besides… I know what to do. I don’t owe them anything—what reason is there to hesitate?” Apart from Mu Yang being her son’s father, over the years, Yao Ji had gradually grown detached. The feelings she once thought would last forever now seemed insignificant in retrospect.
Mu Lie looked at her somewhat worriedly and nodded. But in his heart, he secretly resolved that if it came to that point, he would strike first, sparing Yao Ji from future emotional struggles.
Meanwhile, Ye Li sat on horseback, looking down at the battlefield strewn with corpses below, and smiled faintly. Her white garments and black hair danced in the slightly chilly breeze.
“Your Highness.” Qin Feng presented a letter, saying solemnly, “General Lu has badly defeated Mu Yang’s hundred thousand troops and is marching toward Hangu Pass. Should we return?”
Ye Li frowned slightly, opening the letter while saying, “General Lu’s victory was indeed impressive. However… Qin Feng, immediately withdraw Yao Ji and Mu Lie!” Qin Feng was startled but quickly calmed down. He said quietly, “The Prince has ordered that Yao Ji and Mu Lie… still have other uses.” Originally, Mo Xiuyao hadn’t intended to tell Ye Li this. But now that the Princess Consort was requesting Yao Ji and Mu Lie’s withdrawal, which contradicted Mo Xiuyao’s orders, Qin Feng had to tell the truth.
Ye Li started, quickly understanding Mo Xiuyao’s intentions, and sighed softly to Qin Feng, “Go then, ensure Yao Ji and Mu Lie’s safety as much as possible.” When Mo Xiuyao had initially chosen Yao Ji as a spy to plant in the Chu capital, Ye Li had some understanding. She hadn’t stopped it then, and naturally wouldn’t stop it now. The fate of the Marquis of Mu Yang’s household was already sealed—if it could give Mo Xiuyao some satisfaction, Ye Li didn’t mind being more ruthless.
Qin Feng nodded, “Thank you, Your Highness.” A spy’s life was worthless—many in power wouldn’t care about their spies’ lives or deaths. Most spies had significant leverage held against them by their masters, so those in power didn’t worry about betrayal. If discovered, most could only die, and though Prince Ding’s household treated their subordinates better, they still couldn’t look after everyone. But the Princess Consort was different—whenever possible, she would try to ensure her subordinates’ safety. Perhaps this was why they willingly served a woman. The Princess Consort not only possessed a man’s breadth of vision and strategy but also the mercy and generosity that most in power lacked.
Ye Li smiled faintly, “I do what I can, but I can’t protect everyone.”