After a few days, Prince Ji finally lost his patience and led troops to attack the Southern Capital. When the plan was revealed, he engaged in real, bloody combat with Prince Su. The streets of the Southern Capital were filled with killing and chaos. All citizens shut their doors and stayed inside. Fang Xian Ye was also trapped in Jin’an Temple, so he could only accompany the Emperor daily.
The Emperor was indeed at the end of his rope, but he was still holding on, waiting for his two sons to fight until both were severely wounded, then he would appear to deliver the final blow.
Fang Xian Ye and Eunuch Zhao took care of the Emperor together. Master Song Yun was well-versed in medicine and came daily to check the pulse and deliver herbal remedies.
One evening, the Emperor finally woke from his day-long slumber, gazing at the tree shadows outside the window with confused eyes. Suddenly, he said to Fang Xian Ye, “Minister Fang previously mentioned losing his father at a young age. What happened?”
Fang Xian Ye was somewhat surprised. He bowed respectfully and said, “Your Majesty, when I was young, my family experienced a drought, and our fields yielded no harvest. On our escape from famine, three of our family of five died of starvation. My father sold me to a wealthy household as a servant, and afterward, I was resold many times. Fortunately, I met a teacher who took pity on my difficult circumstances, redeemed me, and taught me literature, allowing me to complete my studies and take the imperial examination.”
“What about that teacher? And your father?”
“The teacher died of illness. Later, when I went to find my father, I discovered he had passed away in the second year after our separation.”
The Emperor was silent for a while, then turned his head to examine Fang Xian Ye, his tired eyes lacking vitality. He said, “With such a background, you speak of it very calmly.”
“All people suffer, not just me.” After a pause, Fang Xian Ye said, “I entered government service hoping to reduce the number of suffering people in the world.”
These days, his answers to the Emperor’s questions were always very appropriate, neither seeking merit nor complaining, and he acted extremely calmly. The Emperor fell silent, narrowing his eyes as he watched the sunlight slowly dim. When only a faint yellow light remained, he said softly, “The sun is setting.”
As Fang Xian Ye looked up in the direction the Emperor indicated, he heard the Emperor say, “I know Minister Fang is intelligent and capable. I’ve noted your achievements in the Ministry of Revenue and Yun and Luo Prefectures, and your reform proposals also show insight. But Minister Fang, this world never lacks intelligent people; what it lacks is timing.”
“If I could live a few more years, your timing would be better than it is now.”
The Emperor’s tone was calm as if he was speaking frankly. Fang Xian Ye thought the Emperor probably meant that he had originally planned to build more power for Prince Jin over the next few years, perhaps extracting Fang Xian Ye from Duke Pei’s influence and secretly placing him under Prince Jin’s command.
But given the current situation, there was no time for all this.
“You saved me and haven’t revealed my whereabouts all this time. Song Yun said you’re trustworthy, and he’s always been accurate in judging people. He wasn’t wrong this time either,” the Emperor said calmly, turning his eyes to look at Fang Xian Ye. “Since that’s the case, I’ll give Minister Fang this opportunity.”
“I’ll issue an edict for you. For your merit in saving me, I’ll ennoble you as Marquis Zhonghe and promote you to Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs and Privy Councilor.”
Fang Xian Ye was stunned. Being promoted to Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs and Privy Councilor meant entering the ranks of the highest ministers—a meteoric rise. This was the position he had dreamed of since entering government service. He immediately kowtowed in gratitude, but amid his surprise and excitement, suspicion overshadowed his joy.
He felt that things weren’t that simple.
After a moment of silence, the Emperor said quietly, “I remember you and General Duan have never been on good terms.”
After a pause, the Emperor seemed to sigh, “General Duan, he still hasn’t returned yet.”
The ominous feeling in Fang Xian Ye’s heart gradually expanded.
The messenger sent by the Emperor had naturally arrived at Duan Xu’s camp long ago and had “unfortunately” encountered bandits, barely escaping with his life, but losing the imperial edict and military tally. Duan Xu politely received the messenger, expressing full belief in his words, but stated that without seeing the military tally and edict, he absolutely could not withdraw his troops according to regulations.
After settling the messenger, he continued with his business as usual, as if completely unaware of the situation in the Southern Capital. Ding Jin Dao said that losing the military tally and edict was already a serious crime, and by normal logic, the messenger should have fled, but he still rushed here to report the news. It seemed he considered this information more important than his life, suggesting the news was genuine.
Shi Biao was somewhat worried and said to Duan Xu, “If the Emperor calls us back and we don’t return, won’t we lose our heads in the autumn purge?”
Duan Xu crossed his arms, looking at the map on the table showing troop distributions, and gave an irrelevant answer: “Shi Biao, since we began attacking You Prefecture, what have our casualties been?”
Shi Biao scratched his head. Ding Jin glanced at him, shook his head, and then answered, “Guihe Army, 130,000 men, 3,000 dead, 9,000 wounded. Chengjie Army, 70,000 men, 800 dead, 3,000 wounded. Tangbei Army, 100,000 men, 5,000 dead, 15,000 wounded. Total: 8,800 dead, 27,000 wounded.”
Duan Xu nodded and said, “We attack while they defend. You Prefecture’s terrain is complex, and our casualties are much higher than Dan’s. Dan’s forces have been defeated and have ceded most of You Prefecture, but their main force remains. Once we withdraw, the thirteen cities of You Prefecture we’ve captured will immediately return to Dan’s hands. Moreover, it’s uncertain whether neighboring Jing and Qi Prefectures would suffer losses. Why did these more than 30,000 men get injured, and why did they die?”
Are the lives of those noble families in the Southern Capital lives, but the lives of these soldiers who died on the battlefield not lives?
In the end, Duan Xu didn’t speak this treasonous thought aloud. He merely raised his eyes to look at Shi Biao, smiling warmly.
“My soldiers will not die in vain. The land I, Duan Xu, have captured, no one can make me relinquish. If returning means losing my head, I’ll be the first to lose it and won’t implicate you. Rest assured.”
Shi Biao felt somewhat abashed. He said loudly, “My life belongs to General Duan. Whatever General Duan wants me to do, I’ll do it. As long as my head remains on my neck, I’ll never let the General lose his head!”
Ding Jin said coldly, “Always talking big.”
Seeing that his two subordinates were about to argue again, Duan Xu turned to Ding Jin and said, “I just heard you mention some discussions in the Guihe Army. What’s that about?”
Ding Jin remembered the matter and reported formally, “Some time ago, Dan soldiers suddenly became incredibly strong and seemingly impervious to weapons. We encountered the greatest resistance since the beginning of our campaign, causing much doubt among our troops. Theories about gods and ghosts are rampant. The crucial battle for Fusee City is imminent, and I’m worried about the stability of our troops.”
Duan Xu clasped his hands together and placed them against his lips, thinking while smiling brightly: “Lu Da’s strategy is progressing well.”
When he last came to the northern shore, few Han people knew about the Azure God. This time, many Han people already knew the legend of the Azure God and even attributed military setbacks to the Azure God’s miracles. If he had come a few years later, many Han people might have been reciting the Azure Scripture and following its teachings.
“First, let’s finalize the battle plan. I’ll talk to them before the battle,” Duan Xu said, pointing at the map.
This discussion continued until late into the night. Duan Xu, Ding Jin, and Shi Biao rehearsed various possible scenarios and arranged their troops. In previous battles, their front had been almost entirely victorious, but these were mostly rout battles, with Dan’s main forces suffering few losses. Fusee was the burial ground Duan Xu had chosen for Dan, where he planned to annihilate their main army.
Duan Xu casually drew the terrain of Fusee City with great clarity. Shi Biao couldn’t help but wonder how Duan Xu could know Fusee City so well without having been there.
Duan Xu smiled and said, “If I said an immortal revealed it to me in a dream, would you believe me?”
Shi Biao looked bewildered. In these matters, Ding Jin was much more sensible. Having followed Duan Xu from the Southern Capital to suppress bandits and then to the northern shore, he was accustomed to Duan Xu’s mysteries and merely patted Shi Biao, telling him to just listen.
When everything was ready, Duan Xu gathered the elite soldiers of the Guihe Army and held a blood oath ceremony on Xingyun Mountain. That day, the sun shone brightly, and countless iron armors and weapons gleamed in the sunlight, like a tumultuous sea of iron.
Duan Xu, also wearing silver-white armor, stood on a high platform. The Breaking Illusion Sword at his waist clinked against his armor in the wind, emitting a ringing sound. Under the vast sky and earth, the armored men seemed both small and vast. Duan Xu looked at these elite soldiers and generals below the platform and began speaking with a faint smile.
“The Guihe Army has been under my command since its inception. You are all soldiers I’ve personally trained. I’m not much older than many of you, nor am I one for pretense or solemn dignity. From the first day, I told you all that the most important evaluation doesn’t come from ourselves but from our enemies. My name and the name of our Guihe Army must become our enemies’ nightmare. Even if we die, we must die joyfully, laughing at them, because they will eventually bleed, cry, and kneel in submission to us.”
“We have never lost a single battle. When training with the Feather Formation Vehicles, many of you questioned the purpose of practicing such massive war machines and complex tactics. But year after year, we perfected these tactics, which is why we remain undefeated on the northern shore. Dan’s cavalry is formidable, indeed. The Huqi people grew up on horseback. With their proud cavalry, they once marched south, seizing our seventeen prefectures and slaughtering tens of millions. Among those tens of millions might have been our grandparents’ parents and countless of our brethren. But now we’ve returned. We stand on this land, and we’ll make them taste the fear we once felt.”
“Some say they fear Dan’s gods and ghosts. No, they should be the ones who fear! Our ancestors were killed by the Huqi people, and their bones are buried beneath our feet. Their spirits fill the mountains, rivers, and lakes. If they could speak, the sound would be deafening, making the Huqi people tremble with fear. If there are truly ghosts and gods aiding us, our power must be ten thousand times theirs, waiting only for us to clear their grievances and avenge them!”
“Now, six or seven-tenths of You Prefecture is in our hands. Before us lies the final stronghold, Fusee. After Fusee, taking all of You Prefecture is just a matter of time. Where is You Prefecture? This is Dan’s throat, from which we can directly threaten Dan’s capital. Those Huqi people in the palace must be trembling with fear. Even if we drop a spear, they’ll wake from their dreams in terror—isn’t that how it should be? They’ve committed heinous crimes and still enslave our brothers. How can they sleep soundly and ridicule our impotence?”
Duan Xu raised his hand and pointed towards Fusee City, saying word by word: “The army of Great Liang is here, determined to destroy Dan, recover the Central Plains, and honor the souls of the dead!”
The wind carried his voice far, echoing between the valleys. The soldiers below the platform raised their spears and halberds, shouting like a tidal wave: “Destroy Dan, restore China! Destroy Dan, restore China!”
Their gazes burned with intensity, their voices layering upon each other as they echoed through the valley, making heaven and earth tremble. Duan Xu’s throat tasted sweet. He calmly swallowed the fresh blood rising in his mouth, drew his sword, pointed it toward Fusee City, and said, “Beat the drums and pass the order: we march at the Hour of the Goat.”
Ding Jin acknowledged the order.
Duan Xu descended from the platform, patted the shoulders of Ding Jin and Shi Biao, and said, “I haven’t fully recovered from my wounds, so I won’t join the battlefield. I entrust this battle to you.”
The Guihe Army then marched majestically like a black cloud, pressing toward the heavily guarded Fusee.
At the same time, in the chaotic and bloody Southern Capital, the Emperor, hidden in Jin’an Temple and sleeping fitfully, suddenly woke from his dream and grabbed Fang Xian Ye’s arm. Fang Xian Ye turned in surprise and asked, “Your Majesty, are you well?”
The Emperor opened his eyes and murmured, “I dreamed of the Empress Dowager…”
Fang Xian Ye didn’t know what to say, then heard the Emperor continue, “When the Empress Dowager was still alive, the Princess of Western River occasionally visited the palace. I even held her child—Duan Shunxi. I held him too.”
“All children feared me, except Duan Shunxi. It seems that General Duan, deep in his bones, has never had any reverence for me or the imperial family.” The Emperor slowly turned his head to look at Fang Xian Ye, revealing a sinister expression in his cloudy eyes, and said, “He still hasn’t returned.”