Yan Che strode in from outside, his eyes already red with shock!
“How could this be! How could several hundred thousand troops suddenly enter Cangzhou? Where did such an army come from?!”
The man weeping on the ground was covered in tears. When he heard this, he turned around, and seeing Yan Che enter, he couldn’t contain himself. Someone nearby quickly said, “This is the Crown Prince, answer him!”
The man’s expression changed, and he continued, “Your Highness, it truly was several hundred thousand troops. The army broke into the city, so many that the city couldn’t contain them all. The rest went to the villages outside to massacre. These people… their accents were extremely barbaric, and their attire differed from ours. This humble one thinks… perhaps… perhaps it’s the barbarians from Canglong Mountain. How could mere bandits have so many people? And their appearances and attire were very strange. These people were incredibly fierce, each able to fight three of our men. Cangzhou didn’t have many people to begin with, let alone when faced with such demons!”
Hearing this, Yan Che’s heart rose to his throat. “Mother! It’s the barbarians!”
At the words “barbarians,” even the Empress trembled, almost unable to maintain her seated position. “It’s the barbarians—”
The man below quickly said, “Before the General left Canglong Mountain, all the camp’s defenses were maintained as usual, so even if scouts came, they couldn’t see any weaknesses. But somehow the barbarians got the news and suddenly attacked. This humble one saw that there were even more of them than when they attacked Canglong Mountain Pass last year. This humble one… is probably among the few who managed to escape.”
The soldier’s voice trembled as he spoke, showing his terror.
Hearing this, the Empress’s face turned paper-white. Decades ago, Cangzhou had also been blood-cleansed, but reinforcements arrived quickly then, and the city wasn’t destroyed—only many people died. But from what this man was saying, Cangzhou might be destroyed now.
South of Cangzhou were Fengzhou and Chongzhou. The barbarians wouldn’t stop there. What should she do next?
Wait here? Actively engage? Or retreat elsewhere?
Outside the city was General An Yang’s army. Retreating south was impossible. But if they stayed put, the barbarians’ next target would be them. When General An Yang attacked from the south, they would be caught in the middle, and Fengzhou would likely fall within a day. Regardless of whether the barbarians or General An Yang won, her current military strength would be severely depleted. The Empress drew a sharp breath, almost immediately understanding the dire situation.
The soldier below had already said, “Empress, please issue orders quickly! The barbarians will arrive soon! They burned Cangzhou to the ground and will surely continue south to attack. They probably want to occupy the entire northern region of Great Zhou. Empress must prepare quickly. The current city garrison is at least larger than Cangzhou’s, so we should be able to resist somewhat!”
The Empress clenched her fists, and after a moment, narrowed her eyes and asked coldly, “What was the city’s condition when you left? How long have you been traveling?”
The messenger soldier quickly replied, “This humble one escaped the city the night before last. At that time, half the city was on fire, and small groups were still resisting in other areas, but they certainly couldn’t win. These people were like beasts, burning, killing, looting, and raping—committing every evil deed possible. They probably wanted to strip Cangzhou completely bare. I’ve been traveling for two days and two nights. By now, they must have emptied Cangzhou and started moving south!”
The Empress suddenly closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were filled with cold light. “Very well, We understand. You’ve had a long journey. Go rest now. We shall issue orders immediately for everyone to prepare!”
Hearing this, the soldier finally relaxed, immediately collapsing into exhaustion. The Empress ordered someone to take him away, then her face grew stern.
Madam Qin stood at the doorway. Hearing this news, she was so frightened that her palms grew cold with sweat, yet she could think of no solution.
Yan Che urgently asked, “Mother, should we issue orders immediately?”
The Empress narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “First, summon General Cheng!”
General Cheng Wei was Zhao You’s primary deputy commander. When Zhao You went to Chongzhou, he assigned Cheng Wei to the Empress. For any important matter, the Empress always consulted Cheng Wei first. Upon hearing this, Yan Che immediately sent someone to summon Cheng Wei. After about half a cup of tea’s time, Cheng Wei arrived. As soon as he entered, Yan Che urgently informed him of the situation. Hearing this, Cheng Wei’s face showed great shock. “How did the barbarians learn of this?! This was what the Old General feared most! Empress, what should we do now? Should we go to Cangzhou immediately?”
Though Cheng Wei was utterly loyal to the Empress, having guarded the northern borders with Zhao You for many years, he never imagined Canglong Mountain would fall and the tragedy of Cangzhou would repeat itself. His first reaction was to rescue Cangzhou. Hearing this, the Empress couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Return to Cangzhou?! Have you lost your mind?! Cangzhou must have already fallen, and the barbarians are likely already heading south. If we head north now, how can our fifty thousand troops face their several hundred thousand?!”
The Empress’s gaze was like a sharp sword; even an old general like Cheng Wei found it hard to meet her eyes. The Empress continued, “I summoned you not to prepare for rescuing Cangzhou, but to decide how to handle our current situation! Though Fengzhou is fortified, it cannot withstand attacks from both the barbarians and General An Yang. We now have wolves in front and tigers behind. Think first about self-preservation—otherwise, forget about achieving great things, tomorrow we’ll all be buried here!”
Hearing this, Cheng Wei broke into a cold sweat. His concern for Cangzhou and guilt conflicted with the need for self-preservation and the Crown Prince’s cause, leaving him hesitant. “The Empress speaks wisely. This old servant was shortsighted. Whatever the decision, this old servant will follow the Empress’s orders!”
The Empress stared at Cheng Wei for a moment, raised her chin slightly, and spoke more coldly. “Send scouts north immediately to investigate the military situation. The barbarians weren’t numerous before, but the young officer’s report was terrifying. We must determine their exact numbers—that’s the first thing. Secondly, we cannot continue to defend Fengzhou. General An Yang outside the city is restless, and we cannot give her an opportunity—”
After a brief pause, the Empress made her decision. “Order the army to prepare immediately. We’ll leave Fengzhou before dawn and join Father in Chongzhou.”
“Mother wants to abandon Fengzhou?” Yan Che quickly asked.
The Empress looked at Yan Che. “Fengzhou is now just a shield, and we don’t know how long it can hold. But whoever holds this shield will pay a heavy price. Since General An Yang prides herself on years of military command, let her hold this shield!”
The Empress laughed coldly, shooting a sharp glance at Cheng Wei. “Why aren’t you issuing orders yet!”
Cheng Wei immediately responded but asked, “What reason should we give for the army’s withdrawal?”
The Empress was nearly amused by Cheng Wei’s question, saying coldly, “Naturally, to avoid General An Yang’s army and pursue our greater cause from the east after joining with General Fu!”
Cheng Wei’s face showed sudden understanding as he wiped the thin sweat from his forehead before turning to leave.
Yan Che then asked, “Mother, retreating is good, but should we inform General An Yang about the approaching barbarians?”
The Empress seemed to hesitate briefly but quickly shook her head firmly. “Why tell them? General An Yang is loyal to the country and its people. After we leave, they’ll learn about Cangzhou soon enough. Someone like her won’t let the barbarians’ iron hooves march south.”
Yan Che wanted to speak but held back. The Empress seemed to know what he wanted to say and gave him a cold look. Yan Che kept his words to himself, and only then did the Empress’s gaze soften. Seeing no outsiders in the room, she relaxed entirely and wearily rubbed her temples.
“The Northern Mansion Army has been marching south for many days; the news was bound to leak. We delayed too long. The barbarians covet our northern borders daily and seized this opportunity to invade. But how are we at fault?! If not for…” The Empress’s words reached her lips but stopped. She only said, “For us, this is also an opportunity.”
What was originally a standoff between two forces now had a third army involved. Given General An Yang’s character, once she learned of the barbarian invasion, she wouldn’t stand idly by. Thus, no one would be able to restrict their movements anymore. Yan Che understood this point but still couldn’t help saying, “But Cangzhou…”
The Empress closed her eyes heavily again. “Cangzhou… what’s done is done, don’t dwell on it! When the Emperor deposed you and me, the Northern Mansion Army no longer had the duty to guard the northern borders. He should have thought of this. If people want to blame someone, let them blame their cruel Emperor!”
Yan Che could say no more. Throughout their journey north, the Empress often spoke like this, describing his father the Emperor as if he were a demon from the netherworld. But Yan Che had his doubts, not understanding where his mother’s deep hatred came from. Though he had asked, how could his mother explain clearly?
Yan Che sighed. “Then let’s follow Mother’s plan. If we’re to retreat at dawn, we should prepare quickly. Mother, the night is extremely cold—please return to your chambers to warm up. Your son will go order the packing of belongings; Mother need not worry about this.”
The Empress rubbed her temples again, her expression finally softening. “Very well, go ahead.”
Thus, Yan Che went with Madam Qin to handle the packing. He didn’t need to manage military matters personally, but their personal belongings needed to be packed. Upon learning of this situation, Madam Qin’s whole body grew cold, and her steps were unsteady as she walked. Though she had seen much life and death on the northern journey and witnessed siege warfare, she couldn’t imagine what the soldier described—an entire city falling, hundreds of thousands of demons raping and pillaging, the city becoming a sea of fire… These thoughts made her body tremble with cold.
Noticing her distress, Yan Che took Madam Qin’s hand. “Don’t be afraid, we’ll avoid battle by leaving here.”
Madam Qin nodded, tightly gripping Yan Che’s hand to regain some strength.
After Yan Che finished arranging the luggage and rested briefly, by dawn, the city’s army was ready to march. The army consisted of Northern Mansion troops and soldiers recruited after capturing the city, but there were also civilians in the city. Seeing the mighty army that had stormed the city and exercised iron authority now preparing to leave, the civilians hid in their homes, anxious but not daring to inquire. Many thought that with the deposed Empress leaving, they might finally have peaceful days ahead.
At the second quarter of the dawn watch, the Empress rode to the city gate, where the vast army stood ready.
Cheng Wei came forward and said, “Your Grace, scouts have been out for four hours without a report, suggesting they haven’t encountered anything. General An Yang’s camp outside the city is normal. If we leave now, they won’t have time to react even if they notice.”
The Empress nodded with satisfaction. “Open the gates! March—”
At her command, the gates that had been sealed for days opened. General Cheng led the vanguard, with the Empress, Crown Prince, and others riding in the middle, followed by tens of thousands of troops, silently but majestically leaving Fengzhou City. They headed east toward Chongzhou City, with fast riders immediately dispatched ahead to bring news to Chongzhou.
Watching the dawn light appear, Yan Che moved forward and asked, “Mother, what if the barbarians go to Chongzhou?”
The Empress shook her head. “Impossible. Fengzhou is wealthy and directly south, the closest target. The bloodthirsty, barbaric tribes won’t pass up a closer target for a distant one.”
Yan Che heard this with concern but had no other solutions, only looking toward Cangzhou and silently lamenting.
The army continued east. By midday, a messenger hawk returned. A soldier brought the message to the Empress, who frowned after reading it.
“The scouts report they haven’t encountered the barbarians or signs of any large army movement. However, they met more refugees from Cangzhou who said that this time, two forces entered Cangzhou. After occupying the city, the two sides seemed to have quarreled.”
Both Yan Che and Cheng Wei were shocked. Cheng Wei said, “The barbarians have only one Khan, how strange they’d split into two forces!”
The Empress put away the message and said coldly, “Never mind that. If they’re quarreling, it gives General An Yang time to prepare. Consider it heaven’s mercy on her!”
At the same time, several scouts returned to the Northern Campaign Army camp outside Fengzhou.
In the command tent, General An Yang sat in the center, Prince Cheng Yan Qi on the left, with camp commanders filling the space below!
One person reported, “We’ve sent over ten scout teams into the city. Zhao’s army has truly withdrawn, not leaving a single person behind. The civilians say they suddenly began mobilizing last night, prepared through the night, and left before dawn. When our scouts looked, they hadn’t even taken down their camp tents.”
Another added, “Scouts returning from the east say the army headed east, probably to join Zhao You!”
“Why is this? She’s been holding position all these days, seeming even more patient than us. If planning a feint, why such haste? Look, we discovered them as soon as they left the city. If we send word to Chongzhou now or pursue them, won’t they be in trouble?!”
Everyone discussed animatedly. Seeing no one speak up, Yan Qi smiled, “Who cares why? Since they’ve left, let’s occupy Fengzhou City first!”
Some below agreed, but Yue Qiong suddenly narrowed her eyes. “Send scouts north immediately to investigate. This matter certainly isn’t so simple.”