The fierce wind temporarily subsided, the dim torchlight swallowed by the heavy darkness of night. The wilderness was silent all around. The soldiers gathered near the banner without making any noise.
Mopiduo spoke briefly with the commanders, signaling to continue marching. He found Yao Ying and rode beside her, speaking softly: “The situation is more severe than we previously estimated… The Wahan Khan’s main force has disappeared—our scouts have lost their trail. General Ashina captured a Northern Rong scout and interrogated him personally. According to the scout, even they don’t know where the Khan’s main force has gone. These days they’ve been communicating only by messenger hawks.”
Yao Ying immediately asked: “What about Haidualin?”
A look of surprise flashed across Mopiduo’s face: “Haidualin has also disappeared. Why did Princess immediately think to ask about him?”
The desert night was extremely cold. Yao Ying pulled her headscarf tight and said: “Haidualin’s troops are most skilled at rapid marches, their cavalry moves even faster, and they’re bold and daring, fond of venturing deep into enemy territory for surprise attacks. Wahan Khan acts cautiously, preferring to prepare thoroughly before engaging in frontal charges. This sudden change in the Northern Rong army’s route is more like Haidualin’s style.”
Mopiduo nodded and said: “The Regent King said the same thing. Maybe it’s Haidualin, maybe it’s someone else, but in any case, someone persuaded Wahan Khan to change his route. The fact that Wahan Khan could listen to others’ opinions this time shows he’s eager for victory, and also indicates his next move is temporarily unpredictable. Our previous plans must change accordingly. The Regent King has ordered General Ashina to continue investigating the Northern Rong’s movements, while Princess and the others are to accompany me to Asang City to regroup. We’ll wait for instructions from General Ashina’s side before deciding our next move.”
They had already left Royal Court territory. Asang City belonged to the Asang tribe, a vassal tribe of the Royal Court. This time, responding to the call for troops, the tribal chief led a thousand men to assist, leaving his son to guard the city.
Yao Ying nodded in agreement and asked: “The Regent King… where is he now?”
Mopiduo looked around vigilantly and said: “The Regent King is with the vanguard. Princess must not leak this information—the fact that the Regent King is alive hasn’t been officially announced yet.”
Yao Ying made a sound of acknowledgment.
After discussing official matters, Mopiduo took a torch from a soldier and held it up to look at Yao Ying, examining her for a moment before saying with concern: “Princess must be tired from these days of travel.”
Yao Ying smiled and shook her head: “It’s as it should be.”
They traveled through the night, leaving the desert behind and continuing across endless wilderness. The next afternoon, low hills appeared on the distant horizon, with a dark green forest below them. A dried riverbed wound its way past, the glacial meltwater not yet arrived, the riverbed covered with pebbles. By the river stood a stone wall over thirty feet high and extending for two li, rising from the flat ground. Before the city gate stood a simple watchtower, with soldiers stationed at its height, their waist-worn long sabers reflecting cold gleams of light.
The recent days of strong winds had covered the city walls and tower with a layer of dust, making them appear gray from a distance.
It was just twilight, with half the sky burning red, and straight columns of cooking smoke rising from the city into the azure heights.
Mopiduo said: “That’s the Asang tribe.”
The Asang tribe’s patrol warriors had seen the army approaching and had already lit dung piles as warning signals. The chief’s son, who was guarding the city, led his subordinates out to welcome them. After confirming Mopiduo’s identity, he immediately ordered his men to open the city gates.
An elder behind the chief’s son, seeing the Wujili tribe warriors among the troops, showed hesitation and said: “In response to the Buddha’s Son’s call for troops, all the young men in the city have gone to the front lines. Most of those remaining are women and children. Could the general’s army perhaps camp outside the city?”
Mopiduo first surveyed the surrounding terrain, then nodded in agreement.
Before submitting to Tanmoluojia, the various tribes had fought each other, building deep hatred. Later, they all submitted to the Royal Court, but when they formed armies and marched together, conflicts would still inevitably break out whenever they camped together. Upon waking, there would always be several fresh corpses in the corners of the camp. With the Asang chief away, he, as a prince of another tribe, couldn’t let all his troops enter the city.
Mopiduo told Yao Ying to rest while he went with the chief’s son to inspect provisions.
After so many days on the road, Yao Ying had finally reached a place with hot water. After washing away the dust, eating a bowl of steaming mutton soup, and lying down in the blankets, she fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.
While sleeping hazily, she had a dream. In the dream, she was on a battlefield, surrounded by soldiers fighting with sabers. A black horse galloped toward her, its rider not wearing armor but ordinary herder’s clothing with a narrow-sleeved leather coat, holding a pair of gleaming golden hammers.
Yao Ying trembled with excitement and ran toward him.
The man’s narrow phoenix eyes stared at her unblinkingly, as if afraid she might disappear, and he reached out his hand toward her.
Just as the black horse drew near and Yao Ying was about to grasp the man’s hand, a long saber thrust in from the side, piercing through the man’s body. Blood gushed forth as the man fell from horseback, the golden hammers dropping to the ground.
“Brother—”
Yao Ying awoke from the dream in a cold sweat. Before she could carefully recall what she’d seen in the dream, there came a violent sound at the window. She got up from bed and opened the window. The black hawk Jin General swooped into the room, continuously making shrill cries.
From far away came the sound of chaos: “Enemy attack—”
Yao Ying suddenly became fully alert. She put on her clothes as personal guards and Mopiduo’s subordinates found their way through the darkness. “Young Master Bayan, the camp outside the city is in chaos!”
“Has the Asang tribe rebelled?”
“We don’t know. Prince Mopiduo worried about the camp being destroyed and went to the city gate first. He told us to come to protect you. Don’t be afraid, Young Master. If we lose our position, we’ll escort you away directly.”
Yao Ying tied up her long hair and put on a man’s headscarf, saying: “First find the chief’s son and stabilize the situation in the city. If Mopiduo can’t hold them off, he can retreat into the city.”
The personal guards agreed, protecting her as they withdrew from the chief’s house while sending people to search for the chief’s son’s whereabouts.
Soon, the personal guards reported that the chief’s son’s subordinates had blocked the long street leading to the city gate and were heading this way, all fully armed and looking fierce.
Hearing this, Mopiduo’s subordinates changed color angrily. When the chief’s son appeared, they immediately rushed forward, ready to bind him without discussion.
The chief’s son hurriedly retreated, shouting: “Are you trying to take advantage and occupy the Asang tribe?”
Unable to understand each other’s languages, both sides shouted and argued, creating chaos, weapons at the ready.
Yao Ying listened carefully for a moment, then looked to her guards. The guards drew their curved sabers and struck the uneven earthen wall, creating several loud crashes as stone fragments flew.
Everyone was startled into silence.
Yao Ying stepped forward and shouted in a barbarian language both sides could understand: “Are you not the Buddha’s Son’s subjects? Whoever continues quarreling is betraying the Royal Court!”
Everyone was stunned and turned to look at her.
Yao Ying looked at the chief’s son: “Are the enemy troops outside your men?”
The chief’s son was completely confused: “Aren’t they Mopiduo’s men?”
Mopiduo’s subordinates flared up in anger and said irritably: “Why would our prince attack his camp?”
The chief’s son came to his senses and hurriedly apologized, telling his subordinates to lower their weapons. “I was sleeping soundly when suddenly I saw flames rising outside the city. I thought your Wujili tribe was taking the opportunity to attack the Asang tribe!”
Both sides calmed down and, after questioning each other, cleared up the misunderstanding. The chief’s son hurriedly led his subordinates to defend the city walls.
Other staff members rushed over. Yao Ying had them remain in the city while she climbed the city wall with the chief’s son.
The camp had already descended into chaos.
The soldiers, exhausted from many days of travel, had finally been able to rest at Asang City and had relaxed their vigilance. Suddenly attacked by enemies in their sleep, they responded in confusion, allowing the enemy to penetrate the camp.
“Don’t panic!”
Mopiduo rode into the battle formation as war drums thundered deafeningly. The soldiers hurriedly gathered and regrouped in his direction.
While the chief’s son and his subordinates were discussing whether to open the city gates, a sharp sound suddenly cut through the night.
Several feathered arrows tore through the air toward the city wall like a sudden rain shower, embedding themselves deep in the earthen wall, their fletching vibrating.
The chief’s son was stunned, then flew into a rage: “Who shot those arrows? Are they blind? Where are they shooting?”
Judging from the direction the arrows came from, the archers were inside the city!
Battle cries rose from below the wall, and a blood-covered subordinate climbed up, shouting: “Someone has infiltrated the city!”
Yao Ying looked down from the city wall.
It was too chaotic below. Soldiers kept shouting as they retreated into the city. With dawn not yet broken, the guards couldn’t distinguish which were their soldiers and which were enemy troops.
The chief’s son drew his curved saber and stood guard by the battlements, making a quick decision and roaring: “They’re trying to slip into the city during the chaos—close the city gates!”
Besides their small group, there were almost no garrison troops in the city. If they let the enemy infiltrate, trouble would eventually break out.
As soon as the chief’s son’s roar went out, the guards hurriedly closed the city gates, cutting off the enemy’s intentions, though this made the soldiers below even more panicked.
The camp had been cut into several sections. Mopiduo knew he couldn’t launch a counterattack at this moment and mustn’t panic. He focused on gathering the scattered troops while patiently waiting for an opportunity.
The chief’s son led Yao Ying into the tower. After dealing with the enemy troops who had infiltrated the city, he quickly returned to the city wall, hesitating whether to leave the city to help Mopiduo, worried about further complications.
Day gradually broke, with a pale glow emerging from the pitch-black horizon.
Amidst the battle cries, suddenly came the deep sound of horns from afar. Birds took flight, and the ground trembled.
Those on the city wall looked toward the sound.
On the horizon, dark shapes moved like surging waves. As the waves drew closer, the chief’s son first called out in joy: “It’s the Royal Court’s central army!”
A central army unit charged forward like lightning toward the camp.
The leading commander rode at the front, his robes fluttering.
Just then, a ray of morning light broke through the clouds, pouring down and enveloping him, outlining his tall figure. He wore a snow-white battle robe and a headscarf, holding a saber. One man, one horse, charging at the front of the formation, his presence overwhelming, as if unafraid of blades and swords.
Behind him, a unit of three to four hundred men formed tight ranks, like a fierce beast opening its bloody maw.
Though their numbers weren’t great, the soldiers fighting in the camp were all encouraged upon seeing them, shouting excitedly.
Mopiduo cut down an enemy with his saber, wiped the blood from his face, and raised his blade to shout: “The central army has arrived! Follow me and attack!”
The soldiers’ morale suddenly soared as they began their counterattack. The central army attacked from the south, quickly forming an encirclement with the other forces, surrounding the defeated enemy troops. The battle ended in less than an hour.
The chief’s son ordered the city gates open and went out to welcome Mopiduo and the central army commander into the city.
The staff led the remaining people to clean up the battlefield and interrogate prisoners.
Yao Ying didn’t follow them but returned to her room with her guards. She counted her men, had the wounded guards treat their injuries, and helped handle some non-confidential Royal Court documents.
…
After being busy until evening, there came several knocks at the door. Yao Ying immediately went over and opened it.
Mopiduo stood outside, having changed into a clean-lapeled robe. His killing aura had receded, and he showed a bright smile revealing his youth. He held nang bread and roasted mutton, saying: “I’m sorry for frightening Princess last night. I heard from my subordinates that Princess hasn’t had dinner yet?”
Yao Ying took the tray and placed it on the table. “Thank you, Prince… Were those who attacked last night Northern Rong people? Why did they attack the Asang tribe?”
Mopiduo shook his head: “Not Northern Rong, but an allied army formed by tribes that submitted to the Northern Rong. They’re not just attacking the Asang tribe, but other tribes as well.”
A light flashed in Yao Ying’s mind.
“Vicious.”
Mopiduo’s expression became grave as he nodded: “Indeed. The Northern Rong didn’t appear themselves but let the tribal alliance fight their front lines, harassing small countries and tribes. First, this tests the Royal Court, probing our strength and disrupting morale. Second, it weakens the Royal Court—when they launch their main attack, we’ll have lost tribal support, and in these wastelands, the tribes know the terrain and are indispensable. Third, it lures the Royal Court to deploy troops, forcing us to scatter our forces.”
Yao Ying continued: “There’s another point—if they force tribes to rebel, the tribes might suddenly turn sides on the battlefield.”
Such things weren’t rare. When armies faced each other in battle, if one side held the relatives of the other side’s vassal tribes hostage, those tribes would immediately withdraw, causing that side to collapse like a mountain.
Mopiduo gave a cold laugh: “Fortunately we deployed troops… But it’s impossible to guard against everything!”
Yao Ying thought of the Wujili tribe and reminded Mopiduo: “Does the Prince have troops guarding his tribe?”
Mopiduo made a surprised sound: “The Wujili tribe is far from here…”
Yao Ying shook her head: “Prince mustn’t be careless. Precisely because no one would think of the Wujili tribe, Haidualin would target them.”
Mopiduo broke into a cold sweat. If his family were captured, when the armies faced off, how would he choose?
“Thank you for reminding me, Princess.”
Mopiduo clasped his hands in thanks to Yao Ying and called his confidant, ordering him to return to the Wujili tribe with warnings.
A guard said softly: “Prince, the General just issued orders—warning messages to various tribes are already on their way.”
Mopiduo breathed a sigh of relief.
Yao Ying’s brows moved slightly as she asked: “Was that the central army general who led troops to break the siege this morning?”
That man had kept his headscarf on, not showing his face. After entering the city, he had gathered the staff to discuss matters, and no one knew his exact position.
Mopiduo nodded: “Last night he was tracking a scout unit, trying to find Wahan Khan’s location, when he accidentally discovered the tribal alliance’s plan to attack the Asang tribe and brought troops to help.”
As they spoke, a guard came over carrying a fur coat. He stopped the guard, took the coat, and handed it to Yao Ying.
“This is a snow fox fur coat, pure white without any mixed colors, light yet warm. Princess can wear it when traveling at night—it’s more convenient than other coats.”
Yao Ying smiled and shook her head: “Prince should keep it for yourself.”
Mopiduo scratched his head: “These are women’s clothes—they’re no use to me. Please, Princess must accept.”
Yao Ying smiled, her tone gentle but attitude firm: “I’m now traveling with the army as Bayan—I shouldn’t be too conspicuous. I appreciate Prince’s kindness.”
Such a rare white fox fur coat would stand out like a crane among chickens—it would be impossible not to expose her identity.
Mopiduo made a sound of realization: “I hadn’t thought of that… How about a mixed-color fur coat? I can guarantee Princess there’s not a bit of white! Black, red, grey—whatever Princess chooses.”
Yao Ying couldn’t help but laugh, still shaking her head.
Mopiduo smiled and took back the snow fox coat, pointing at the roasted mutton: “The mutton’s getting cold. I won’t disturb Princess’s meal.”
Yao Ying stood at the door, watching him walk away. Turning back to her room, her gaze swept across the passage below the earthen wall, and she froze.
A tall figure had flashed past.
She thought for a moment, then quickly left her room, went through the passage, and caught up: “General!”
The courtyard was empty, with no one in sight.
Yao Ying searched the front courtyard but didn’t see the figure that had flashed by. She could only return to her room. The mutton in the dish had indeed gotten cold. She had her guards get a bowl of hot soup from the kitchen, finished the bread and meat with it, and instructed the guards to prepare another serving of soup to send to the central army general.
After a while, the guard returned: “The food was delivered, and the General accepted it.”
Yao Ying nodded.
…
As darkness gradually fell, Yao Ying sat at her desk copying documents.
Hurried footsteps sounded outside, and a guard knocked on the door: “Princess, we must move out. Prince Mopiduo says the central army troops have caught up and aren’t far from Asang City. We’ll break camp tonight and join them quickly to avoid complications.”
Yao Ying agreed, quickly packed her things, and left her room surrounded by guards. Several central army riders came looking for her, somewhat surprised to find her already prepared, and escorted her out of the city.
The city had returned to peace, but the outside hadn’t been cleaned up yet. In the night, scattered blue phosphorescence glowed eerily—wild beasts attracted by the smell of blood.
Yao Ying’s group followed the troops, traveling for two hours, crossing a shallow river in the dark, and climbing a slope. On the plain below the opposite towering shadows, thousands of dim lights flickered—the main camp where Ashina Bisuo led the central army.
Mopiduo first sent people to the main camp with messages, then slowly approached, bringing Yao Ying and the staff inside while the others camped in the outer area.
Bisuo came out of the main tent to welcome them, spoke briefly with everyone, and then they all returned to their tents.
In the deep night, lights flickered.
Yao Ying was arranged in a clean, tidy tent to rest. She blew out the candle and lay down on the felt blanket but didn’t close her eyes, keeping them fixed on the tent.
After a long while, shadows moved outside the tent, and people spoke softly.
Yao Ying’s eyes turned slightly as she got up and put on clothes. Lifting the felt curtain, her gaze swept around, and she indeed saw a tall figure.
“General!”
She called out, her eyebrows slightly curved.
Outside the tent, several torches burned brightly. The man in a blue shirt and white robe, his face covered with a headscarf, gave her a faint glance.
Yao Ying smiled at him, stepping aside to make way, gesturing for him to enter the tent to talk.
The man looked at her for a while, then stepped into the tent.
Yao Ying lit a candle, moved to the table, sat cross-legged, and said: “General, I knew it was you!”
Tanmoluojia watched her bustle about and said in a low voice: “How did Princess know it was me?”
Yao Ying asked: “When I saw the General leading troops to the rescue, I had a feeling it was you. General is now dressed as a central army rider without personal guards for protection—is it because you still can’t reveal your identity?”
He nodded and made a sound of agreement.
“Must wait a few days.”
Yao Ying understood and patted an untouched felt blanket before her, saying: “Then General can rest in my tent these few days. I’ll cover for you—General Ashina is the commander now, and there are too many people coming and going on his side. I happen to have matters to consult with General about.”
Tanmoluojia lowered his eyes to look at her.
Yao Ying looked at him, her face sincere.
He was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and made a sound of agreement.