With his legitimate wife having died from illness, Su Hongyu, as the only concubine Li Zhigao had taken into his household and favored, could visit her husband Li Zhigao at the Chaozhou military camp without others having much to say about it, even in these difficult times.

Yao Xishui and Ye Feiying disguised themselves as Su Hongyu’s maids, sitting in a tightly covered carriage. They lifted the curtain corner to look at the stern military camp, where thousands of civilian laborers were transporting war equipment and supplies accumulated in the camp to the front lines without stopping.

Duke Changguo Li Pu had entered Chaozhou military camp yesterday bearing an imperial edict. His Majesty and the court officials had unanimously decided to capture Chaozhou City before the Liang army crossed the Huai River, blocking the passage for the Loushuai Navy’s warships to enter the Yangtze River. The various generals at Chaozhou military camp were now following orders and actively preparing for the general assault, which was as it should be.

Yet Yao Xishui and Su Hongyu watched with secret alarm.

Seventy to eighty thousand elite Forbidden Army troops and provincial soldiers surrounding Chaozhou City and launching a frontal assault on it were two completely different types of warfare situations.

Relying on outer fortified camps and trenches to surround but not attack Chaozhou City, even if a large enemy relief force charged from the outer perimeter, the north bank Forbidden Army could still calmly deploy troops and generals—either intercepting and defending, or retreating and withdrawing.

After all, no matter how slow the Forbidden Army’s scouts were, they could still maintain effective surveillance over a thirty to fifty-mile radius. At such a close distance, cavalry advancing at full speed would still need half a day, meaning the besieging troops would have at least half a day to adjust their deployment.

Even if the situation deteriorated further, they could rely on the outer fortified camps and trenches to confront the enemy army without necessarily falling into a disadvantage.

But once they launched a full assault on Chaozhou City, with large quantities of supplies and troops directly deployed below the city, if a large enemy relief force suddenly attacked from the flanks, deploying troops and generals would become much more chaotic.

Under such adverse circumstances, the situation would become much more dangerous for them.

Not to mention if enemy cavalry launched a surprise attack under cover of night or extreme weather like rain and snow, creating terrifying chaos. Even if they could withdraw troops below the city back to the rear camp in time, large quantities of supplies and war equipment would inevitably be lost and fall into enemy hands.

And with their rear camp supplies and war equipment already scarce, once surrounded by enemy forces, could they hold out until the south bank Forbidden Army came to their aid?

Even if the south bank Forbidden Army disregarded the Loushuai Navy’s warship blockade and forced a crossing of the Yangtze River to reinforce the north bank, if Emperor Liang Zhu Yu mobilized the entire nation and deployed more troops across the Huai River for a decisive national battle, what chance of victory would they still have?

“Why has Madam come across the river to visit General Li at this time?”

Just as they were startled and hesitating, they heard a familiar voice from in front of the carriage. Yao Xishui lifted the carriage window curtain a bit more and glimpsed Wen Ruilin wearing a blue robe standing before the carriage, bowing in greeting.

Yao Xishui and Ye Feiying shrank into the corner of the carriage. Only then did Su Hongyu lift the front curtain, leaning forward and saying: “Oh, it’s Master Wen—the situation is so perilous that this concubine has been restless these past few days, having nightmares every night, unable to sleep or eat peacefully. Though I know I shouldn’t, I couldn’t help but cross the river to visit my husband. Are my husband and father-in-law both currently in the camp?”

“General Li went to supervise the battle at the front lines. I just returned to camp with Duke Guo,” Wen Ruilin said.

“After this concubine rests briefly, I’ll go pay respects to father-in-law,” Su Hongyu said.

Since Li Zhigao was Li Pu’s adopted son, Su Hongyu was naturally Li Pu’s adopted son’s concubine. Getting off the carriage to pay respects was necessary etiquette; otherwise, it would reveal a flaw.

Wen Ruilin scrutinized the carriage suspiciously before stepping aside to let Su Hongyu’s carriage proceed toward Li Zhigao’s command tent.

Yao Xishui lifted a corner of the carriage window curtain, continuing to secretly observe Wen Ruilin’s reaction as he stood at the roadside. It was truly difficult to imagine he could be a Liang spy, yet Han Qian’s words made it hard for them to doubt this point.

Indeed, back in Wuling City, Wen Ruilin had first fallen into Han Qian’s hands.

Wen Ruilin had initially first presented his strategy for quickly capturing Tanzhou to Han Qian. When Han Qian rejected it, Li Chong found an opportunity to leave the city at night to notify Li Pu to rush to Wuling Prefecture and take Wen Ruilin away for their use.

At that time, she, Chun Shisanniang, and Zhang Ping were all in Wuling City.

However, they had suspected back then that Han Qian’s refusal to adopt Wen Ruilin’s strategy meant he had some scheme waiting to trap Li Pu. After seeing Wen Ruilin successfully persuade Gao Long and Miao Yong to surrender, and capture Tanzhou at the fastest speed, they naturally concluded that Han Qian had been afraid of his achievements overshadowing his lord and was forced to yield Wen Ruilin.

She had never imagined that Han Qian’s calculations were far more sinister and deep than they had imagined, actually scheming against Duke Changguo’s household at that time.

If Wen Ruilin was a Liang spy, didn’t that mean Gao Long and Miao Yong had also become unreliable?

Chen Mingsheng and Li Chong had captured Zhongli City with Gao Long’s assistance!

Thinking of this, Yao Xishui became more and more afraid. A chill ran straight up her spine. She wished she could see her elder brother at this moment and tell him the truth.

……

……

Only after dark did Li Zhigao return to the rear camp from the assault positions below Chaozhou City. But he also realized that Su Hongyu must have important matters to cross the river at this critical juncture. However, military duties pressed on his shoulders, preventing him from getting away.

Li Zhigao’s command tent was a temporarily requisitioned large clan estate with three courtyards front to back, plus east and west side courts—several layers of courtyards and dozens of rooms.

Li Zhigao’s command headquarters was also established here, with dozens of clerks under the command of the military司马, registrar, and various staff officers assisting Li Zhigao in handling various tedious affairs and commanding the deployment of troops and provisions. Li Pu had come bearing the edict with supervisory military responsibility but was temporarily staying elsewhere and couldn’t directly interfere with frontline combat command.

The rear courtyard where Li Zhigao resided was relatively small. In the military, he didn’t use female servants, but now that Su Hongyu and her attendant maids had moved in, the guards previously responsible for this area moved outside.

Li Zhigao had his trusted guards secure the outside of the courtyard and entered the inner residence with only his personal army commander Deng Tai.

Seeing that Yao Xishui was also there, he wasn’t particularly shocked. Without even removing his armor, he sat down with a grim expression and asked in a low voice: “What exactly has happened to make you cross the river at this time?”

“Han Qian himself is in Jinling. He says Wen Ruilin is a Liang spy…” Yao Xishui concisely and clearly recounted the situation of Han Qian breaking into the general’s residence to meet them, quickly informing Li Zhigao.

Deng Tai stood frozen on the spot. Though he faced bloody combat on the battlefield without fear, at this moment he instinctively felt a chill run straight from his tailbone to the top of his head. For a long time, he didn’t know what to say.

“The defending troops have been besieged for half a year, yet their morale hasn’t collapsed and their fighting spirit remains resilient. It seems the truth should indeed be so! Only this way can many other matters make sense!” Li Zhigao also drew in a sharp breath, his expression grave as he sat supporting himself on the desk.

When the main forces of the Left and Right Five-Tooth Naval Forces raided Hongze Lake, he had felt it was too rash, but that matter was completely controlled and executed by Yang Yuanpu directly through the Privy Council. A few people’s advice couldn’t stop it.

And after the main naval forces suffered heavy losses at Hongze Lake, considering that the rebel navy could enter the Yangtze waterway at any time, threatening Jinling and the Jiangnan heartland, either urgently mobilizing Xuzhou’s water forces eastward or capturing Chaozhou City before the Liang army advanced southward in force were the two most urgent choices.

Except for Yang En, Yang Yuanpu and the court officials had directly excluded mobilizing Xuzhou’s water forces eastward.

After all, the Right Shenwu Army had already captured Zhongli City, wedging into the river mouth where the Huai River flows into Hongze Lake. No matter how one looked at it, there seemed an excellent opportunity to capture Chaozhou City, which had been besieged for over half a year.

Most generals in Chaozhou military camp also supported this court decision.

Having besieged Chaozhou City for over half a year, how many people were willing to give up halfway and withdraw from outside Chaozhou City at this time?

Li Zhigao hadn’t considered defying the edict either, but he felt extremely uncomfortable about it.

With Wen Ruilin being a Liang traitor, and by extension Gao Long, who had surrendered through Wen Ruilin’s persuasion, also becoming unreliable, Li Zhigao felt as if clouds had parted to reveal the moon. He unhesitatingly determined that the facts should indeed be so.

Li Zhigao then asked Yao Xishui: “Did Han Qian say what strategy to adopt?”

“Han Qian took the Empress Dowager’s handwritten edict last night. Xuzhou’s water forces could enter the Yangtze waterway at any time…” Yao Xishui said.

“Han Qian’s calculations are so sinister, and he’s so ruthless he could watch Great Chu’s navy be annihilated. How can we easily hand over a troop deployment edict to such a treacherous person?” Before Yao Xishui could finish speaking, Deng Tai urgently interrupted, questioning her.

He was still secretly alarmed by Han Qian’s schemes, instinctively thinking that cooperating with such a traitorous hero was like seeking skin from a tiger.

“There’s no use discussing this now.”

Yao Xishui was about to explain this was Madam’s decision when Li Zhigao directly signaled Deng Tai not to dwell on this issue. What they were secretly plotting—which point of it was any more honorable than Han Qian?

He asked Yao Xishui again:

“Although Xuzhou has water forces available, it doesn’t have many troops to help the Empress Dowager compete with His Majesty for power. Presumably he already knows about our secret relationship and wants you to bring the Empress Dowager’s handwritten edict here, wanting us to cooperate with him and resolve the current crisis together?”

Seeing her elder brother could guess most of the subsequent details just from hearing this much, Yao Xishui was quite excited. She felt that with her elder brother present and the Empress Dowager under their control, they needn’t truly fear Han Qian. She took out the edict from her padded sleeve and said:

“Han Qian may not know our backgrounds, but he has noticed that elder brother has been secretly communicating with us. The Empress Dowager has a secret edict here. Elder brother can act at his discretion with the secret edict…”

Li Zhigao received the edict and spread it out to read carefully.

Having or not having the Empress Dowager’s handwritten edict made too great a difference.

Without the Empress Dowager’s edict, if he delayed attacking the city, his adoptive father Li Pu would be the first to object, let alone persuading the other generals besides Deng Tai to join him in defying Emperor Yangyou’s imperial edict. And even if he could persuade the generals to risk their families and lives following him in defying orders and withdrawing, surviving the current crisis, could they escape Emperor Yangyou’s punishment for defying orders afterward?

One must know that once he led the north bank Forbidden Army’s main forces to abandon the assault on Chaozhou City, or even directly withdrew to Shuzhou, the Liang army would adjust their deployment accordingly, possibly even abandoning crossing the Huai River.

At that time, they wouldn’t just be defying orders—they would also be “cowardly and afraid of battle,” missing the good opportunity to recapture Chaozhou City. All these charges added together would not be enough even with all their heads combined.

But with the Empress Dowager’s handwritten edict, he only needed to persuade more generals to follow him in obeying the Empress Dowager’s edict.

As for whether Emperor Yangyou would go mad with rage, he couldn’t worry about that much now. And since the matter of “the Empress Dowager’s regent authority over policy” hadn’t been abolished, their obedience to the Empress Dowager’s edict meant they couldn’t be charged with defying orders, at least on the surface.

This way, at least the generals below wouldn’t need to bear much pressure, and the lower-ranking officers and soldiers wouldn’t fall into fatal chaos.

Of course, even with the Empress Dowager’s edict, how to persuade the generals to obey, whom to start with, and how to make his adoptive father Li Pu submit and obey the edict—all these required great consideration.

Li Zhigao held the edict, sitting at the desk, thinking carefully.

“Yang En firmly opposed attacking the city. He even made a scene in court and was driven away by Yang Yuanpu. He stood in the snow before Changchun Palace until he vomited blood and fainted. He firmly opposes risking an assault on the city. Should we have him come over?” Yao Xishui suggested.

“Good. Immediately arrange for someone to invite Yang En to cross the river,” Li Zhigao said.

Yang En’s status was special. Even though everyone knew his position, as long as no one knew about the secret edict, even if he crossed the river, no one would pay attention to or stop him. They would all think crossing the river was just a futile struggle.

However, Yang En’s influence among the imperial clan and military generals was not small.

After he came over, Li Zhigao could then produce the Empress Dowager’s secret edict and further persuade the generals. Many things would become much easier.

“Good, I’ll cross the river back to Jinling tonight,” Yao Xishui said.

“By the way, don’t mention Wen Ruilin’s matter to Yang En,” Li Zhigao remembered something and specifically instructed Yao Xishui.

“What? That wretch could ruthlessly watch tens of thousands of navy officers and soldiers be annihilated, yet we still need to protect his reputation?” Yao Xishui questioned. She had wished for someone like Yang En to completely stand opposed to Han Qian, yet hadn’t expected her elder brother would actually cover up for Han Qian.

“How have you become so confused? After the crisis passes, whom will His Majesty hate most?” Li Zhigao asked.

Hearing her elder brother say this, Yao Xishui was slightly startled before suddenly understanding.

She had truly been too obsessed.

Her elder brother had been able to command the north bank Forbidden Army precisely because he enjoyed Yang Yuanpu’s deep trust, but this time they were actually equivalent to staging a “military remonstration and coup,” helping the Empress Dowager seize power from Yang Yuanpu!

Previously, Yang Yuanpu had been most suspicious of Han Qian, but after this matter, he would most likely come to hate her elder brother most intensely, right?

After the crisis was resolved, they still needed to unite with Han Qian to first stabilize the Empress Dowager’s “authority.” Whether or not they would tear off the facade completely—that was a matter for later!

If they wanted to use Wen Ruilin’s matter to make Han Qian’s reputation notorious, making it difficult for him to establish himself in Jianghuai and forcing him to retreat back to Xuzhou, would the situation truly be favorable to them?

Of course, if they missed this opportunity and waited some time before trying to reveal the truth that Han Qian had used Wen Ruilin as a scheme to trap Duke Changguo and watched the navy’s main forces be annihilated, it would lack persuasive power.

Thinking of this, Yao Xishui asked Li Zhigao again: “Then what about Wen Ruilin?”

“Deng Tai, tomorrow you find an opportunity to trick him out of camp and eliminate him,” Li Zhigao said. Having campaigned north and south for many years, kindness didn’t command troops. One or two lives were as light as grass in his eyes. “But be careful not to let other spies lurking in the camp for Liang discover this.”

A figure like Wen Ruilin might very likely have become suspicious upon seeing Su Hongyu and Yao Xishui cross the river. Any moves they made next would reveal flaws to him. It was better to directly find an opportunity to eliminate him, which should buy more time.

Deng Tai nodded and accepted this task, but thinking of something, he asked hesitantly:

“The Right Shenwu Army and Chen Mingsheng, Li Chong, Li Xiu, Li Qi, Xu Jing and others are all at Zhongli City. What should we do? Should we send someone to notify them?”

Once they abandoned the assault on Chaozhou City, even if they didn’t hurry to retreat to Shuzhou immediately, the change in combat situation would be enormous. When the rebel army and Liang army realized their conspiracy had been exposed, they would most likely first devour the Right Shenwu Army’s main forces currently defending Zhongli City and the Yandun Mountain and Biezi Peak line to the south.

However, they had currently confirmed that Wen Ruilin was a Liang traitor, which meant Right Shenwu Army’s Deputy Commander Gao Long was also unreliable. If they continued maintaining their offensive against Chaozhou City while first using the secret edict to persuade Chen Mingsheng, Li Chong and others, who were one hundred seventy to eighty miles away, to prepare the Right Shenwu Army for southern withdrawal, the risk of leaking secrets was too great.

But were they truly going to abandon the Right Shenwu Army?

Although they had already parted ways with Duke Changguo’s household, and Zhang Ping, Chen Ruyi, An Jixiang and others now followed only Yang Yuanpu’s commands, once upon a time they had all been disciples and old friends of the Shenling Bureau!

“At this time, we can’t worry about so much. To plot great matters, one must necessarily make sacrifices!” Li Zhigao said with a resolute expression.

Deng Tai thought about it and agreed, saying nothing more.