Xiao Li donned the bloodstained Western Ling military armor and pulled out the long blade stuck in the sand beside him. The red light of the newly risen sun shone on his face: “If we can’t hold back these thirty thousand Western Ling troops, killing Pei Song and severing the Western Ling army’s connection with spies inside the pass can equally prevent the Western Ling army from entering the pass.”
His gaze toward the north was cold and solemn.
All of Zheng Hu’s bellyful of words instantly lodged in his throat.
The wolf riders who came out of the pass together this time numbered only a few thousand. To hold back thirty thousand Western Ling troops in the great desert where terrain and climate were both complex and unpredictable—even if all the wolf riders filled it with their lives, they might not necessarily succeed.
But once Tiger Gorge Pass fell, Western Ling could thereafter drive straight into Liang territory. Great Liang, having experienced only a few years of war and lost Mount Jiashi, this natural barrier—it would simply be like wolves entering a sheep pen.
So even if it meant death, they had to come intercept these thirty thousand Western Ling troops.
In the previous several harassment attacks, to avoid exposing the wolf riders’ military strength, Xiao Li had the soldiers tie sand-thorns to their horses’ tails. When leading the Western Ling army toward ambush zones, if the other side sensed something amiss and wanted to retreat, the soldiers would circle from behind to cut off their escape route.
The sand-thorns dragged on the ground, raising vast sheets of yellow sand as the warhorses galloped urgently. The lured Western Ling troops thought the wolf riders’ main force was pressing down on them. In their urgency, they could only continue forward, thus falling right into the ambush.
But with the other side’s troops numbering thirty thousand strong, if they used this enemy-luring tactic too many times, it would certainly be seen through. Once the Western Ling side figured out their troop strength, they would become the ones in danger.
Moreover, the Western Ling side seemed to also understand the reason for their several harassment attacks. Their main force had been marching urgently without ever stopping.
Xiao Li decided to use a dangerous stratagem—before Western Ling completely figured out their troop strength, he would disguise himself as that small squad of Western Ling troops lured away by the wolf riders and directly penetrate deep into enemy territory to go ahead and kill Pei Song without hesitation.
Zheng Hu knew he couldn’t dissuade Xiao Li. After sighing in defeat, he looked at the Western Ling junior general tied up tightly beneath a withered tree, already breathing more out than in, and said: “No wonder after interrogating him for their signal flags, Second Brother, you still kept this grandson alive—so this was your plan all along…”
—
Inside the Western Ling military tent, the atmosphere was quite tense.
Pei Song looked at Western Ling General Nilu sitting in the main seat above, unable to conceal the anger and gloom on his face: “The general’s meaning is that the princess wants to abandon Tiger Gorge Pass, which is within easy reach, to chase those petty thieves who’ve harassed the army several times?”
The look Nilu gave Pei Song was extremely contemptuous. Their Western Ling people valued martial prowess. Pei Song possessed a refined and handsome appearance. Even though it was through cooperation with He Yi that he obtained the title of prince consort, in Nilu’s view, this couldn’t help but carry a hint of selling his looks.
After all, He Yi had never been shy about matters between men and women. Though she’d only had two previous prince consorts, who knew how many lovers she’d had.
Now facing Pei Song’s interrogation, Nilu slapped the letter He Yi had someone deliver onto the desk. His entire person leaned lazily back, his expression mocking: “The princess’s handwritten letter is here. Does Prince Consort Pei still suspect this general of forging a decree?”
The eagle-dogs following Pei Song had never suffered such humiliation. Their faces changed as they wanted to “reason” with Nilu, but were stopped by Pei Song raising his hand.
He glanced at Nilu, stepped forward to pick up the letter on the desk, and only after reading it did his expression grow increasingly gloomy.
Seeing this, Nilu seemed extremely pleased. He asked with a fake smile: “Well? Does the prince consort believe it now?”
Pei Song said: “This is that Liang woman’s treacherous scheme. The princess and general must not be deceived by her.”
He put down the letter: “That Liang woman is clearly trying to protect Tiger Gorge Pass, which is why she used some unknown method to persuade that Xiao fellow to continue being her dog. That Liang woman absolutely cannot be with that cavalry. We should continue marching at full speed and rush to Tiger Gorge Pass as quickly as possible to open this gate to Great Liang, which will make that Liang woman’s trap come to nothing.”
Nilu’s eyelids lifted slightly. His chin gestured lightly: “Is the prince consort questioning the princess’s decision?”
Pei Song lowered his head and said: “Song would not dare.”
He added: “Song is only thinking—if that Liang woman is truly in the hands of that Xiao fellow, if that Xiao fellow wanted to prevent us from entering the pass, he could simply take the Liang woman and enter the pass first. After taking over Tiger Gorge Pass and eliminating Song’s men, defending the pass would be the way.
“But right now that elusive cavalry is not rushing on their journey. Instead, they keep obstructing our march. This shows that either the Liang woman is not in their hands, or… that Xiao fellow has already taken the Liang woman ahead to Tiger Gorge Pass and deliberately left troops here to obstruct us.”
The contempt that had originally been on Nilu’s face faded. His expression became solemn, as if pondering the possibility of what Pei Song said.
Pei Song took in his expression completely. At the right time, he continued: “Of course, the princess’s decree cannot be violated. Just in case, the general can also divide the troops into two routes—dispatch one group to surround and annihilate that cavalry, while the remaining troops continue with Song to urgently march toward Tiger Gorge Pass. This way, with both approaches, it surely won’t delay the princess’s business.”
Nilu was clearly persuaded by Pei Song. After pondering for a moment, he said: “What the prince consort says is reasonable. Then we’ll act according to the prince consort’s plan…”
A smile seemed to appear at the corners of Pei Song’s lips. At this moment, the expression on his face could even be called gentle: “Then Song will take half the army and continue on the road first.”
Nilu thought about how before departure, He Yi had specially instructed him that Pei Song still hadn’t revealed who his helper inside the pass was. Tiger Gorge Pass was an important pass connecting Western Ling and Liang territory. After entering the pass, he had to keep a close eye on Pei Song. He didn’t dare let him go alone with fifteen thousand troops, saying: “The prince consort is new to the army and there are still many unfamiliar aspects. I’ll have Nuger go with the prince consort. I’ll personally go surround and annihilate that cavalry. At the latest, I’ll also rush to Tiger Gorge Pass in three days.”
How could Pei Song not hear the wariness toward himself in these words? But he still only smiled and flattered: “The general’s considerations are thorough.”
No one could see clearly how much darkness was hidden in his lowered eyes.
—
Pei Song and Vice General Nuger had just left with half the troops to continue their march when another Western Ling army came fleeing back to the camp in disarray.
The armor on their bodies was in terrible condition, covered in blood. The junior general at the front was being carried by his subordinates on a simple stretcher made from cut tree branches and cloth—clearly having just experienced a fierce battle.
The guards at the camp entrance exchanged flag signals with them from afar. This remnant army also quickly returned the flag signals. The head guard saw the signals were correct and quickly ordered his subordinates to lift away the chevaux de frise blocking the camp entrance.
As soon as that Western Ling army entered the camp gates, junior generals immediately surrounded them asking: “What happened?”
After seeing clearly who was being carried on the stretcher, someone shouted in alarm: “It’s Wusa!”
A tall soldier beside them, his face covered in blood and sand, in no way inferior to their Western Ling warriors in physique, said somewhat breathlessly in Western Ling language: “Our general has urgent military intelligence to report personally…”
Because his breathing was extremely unstable, the awkwardness in his phrasing was easily covered up.
The junior general who came to receive them shouted: “What matter can’t be relayed through us?”
That soldier, whose appearance couldn’t be seen clearly but who had very deep features, hesitated slightly: “It concerns the prince consort…”
With him saying this, those beside him understood the stakes involved.
Pei Song had suddenly become He Yi’s third prince consort and even become a military supervisor in their army—there must be many reasons behind this that they didn’t know.
Even in this attack on Tiger Gorge Pass, he still needed help from Pei Song’s inside contact at Tiger Gorge Pass.
But a cavalry that came and went without a trace and whose numbers couldn’t be determined had suddenly appeared midway—this was truly strange.
If the problem lay with Pei Song, then their thirty-thousand-strong army’s journey to Tiger Gorge Pass would be in danger.
That junior general said with an ugly expression: “This is bad—the prince consort has already taken fifteen thousand troops ahead to Tiger Gorge Pass!”
After speaking, he hurriedly urged his personal guard behind him: “Quickly go relay the message to the general’s tent! Say that Wusa has urgent military intelligence concerning the prince consort to report!”
The personal guard behind didn’t dare delay and hurried to Nilu’s tent to relay the message.
All the Western Ling soldiers and generals were shocked into panic by this news. No one noticed that when that soldier heard Pei Song had already taken troops to continue toward Tiger Gorge Pass, a flash of icy, strange color seemed to pass through the depths of his eyes.
Nilu was urgently searching for traces of that cavalry. When he heard that the troops who had gone ahead to pursue that cavalry had returned and brought back important military intelligence concerning Pei Song, he hurriedly put down his current affairs and personally rushed over.
The military doctor hadn’t yet arrived. When Nilu saw his trusted beloved general covered in blood lying on the stretcher at the camp entrance, his face twitched. He painfully shouted his beloved general’s name: “Wusa!”
While shouting, he had already strode toward the stretcher. Squatting down to grasp his trusted beloved general’s hand, that originally dying junior general, upon hearing Nilu’s shout, actually struggled to open his eyes and seemed to use all his strength to shake his head at him.
The vigilance honed through years of battlefield campaigns made him instantly halt his movement. As his hand reached for the blade at his waist, his form was also rapidly retreating. Only the corner of his eye swept toward the person standing beside. He opened his mouth wanting to shout for someone to seize them.
But before he could even clearly see that soldier’s appearance, a flash of cold silver already swept toward him. Because he had started retreating early, he was able to narrowly dodge it, but the leather belt at his waist was still severed by the other party’s cold and fierce blade wind.
The hair on Nilu’s arms hidden beneath his clothing all stood on end in an instant. Completely unable to think, relying only on his body’s instinctive reaction, he held the unsheathed saber horizontally before him. He heard a piercing sharp “clang” sound. His tiger’s mouth went numb—only then did he block the second blade the other party had extremely quickly cleaved down.
All this happened in just an instant. Xiao Li’s wolf eyes were fierce and cruel. Using the blade edge to file against the opposing blade mouth, obliquely sliding and sparking as he was about to continue slashing toward Nilu, Nilu’s personal guards and surrounding junior generals finally reacted and swarmed toward Xiao Li.
Those “severely wounded” “Western Ling remnant army” behind Xiao Li also instantly weren’t weak anymore. They drew their blades and fought in a chaotic melee with the real Western Ling troops.
Someone in the crowd shouted: “The attached have come!”
“Wolves—they’re wolves from Liang territory’s north!”
Under the protection of his personal guards, Nilu was able to temporarily escape danger. The hand gripping his weapon was still numb from the shock. The severed leather belt slid from his waist loop and dropped at his feet. Nilu glanced at it. His expression was particularly ugly.
The personal guards below were also still shaken, frequently looking back at Xiao Li who was fighting like a fierce god while still pressing closer toward them.
Even though they were Western Ling tiger-wolf soldiers famous for being warlike, at this moment they all felt a groundless fear, as if what was killing toward them was no longer a mortal with flesh and blood like themselves, but some kind of monster.
A personal guard shouted: “Quickly protect the general and leave!”
“Bring a horse!”
Even though he felt humiliation and unwillingness, Nilu at least hadn’t lost his reason. He knew that right now it wasn’t appropriate to compete with the other party for this momentary bravery. They only had less than a thousand men here. Once their army surrounded them, they could quickly surround and kill them all.
Protected by personal guards, he rushed back. Who would have thought Xiao Li had already discovered their intention? When that personal guard shouted, he cast a fierce and pressing glance toward Nilu, tightly gripping the blood-soaked blade handle, using the blade edge to press against the human wall and advance.
The screams from behind caused Nilu to turn back and look. The instant his gaze met Xiao Li’s, he only felt he’d already been locked onto by a violent fierce beast.
The long blade in the other party’s hand cleaved and hacked. The crowd surrounding him reduced layer by layer like peeling bamboo shoots.
Though unwilling to admit it, at this moment Nilu truly and genuinely felt fear. He twisted his head, only wanting to quickly leave this place. But ahead in the camp, Western Ling soldiers surging over after hearing the sounds of fighting here blocked his path.
The wolf riders clearly all knew to “capture the ringleader first to capture the bandits.” No matter how the Western Ling soldiers charged at them, they stubbornly surrounded Xiao Li, helping him clear away obstructing Western Ling soldiers. The entire force was like an awl—with Xiao Li as the awl’s tip, irresistibly sharp as it stabbed forward.
To block this force, the personal guards protecting Nilu’s retreat constantly split off men to kill toward the rear, yet it still showed minimal effect.
Sounds of weapons clashing and killing clamored all around. Nilu’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point for a time. As he rushed back, he constantly used his hands to push aside junior soldiers charging from behind and blocking the way, even shouting in exasperation: “Get out of the way! All of you get out of the way! Don’t block the road!”
The sun hung high in the vault of heaven, illuminating distant sand dunes as if they had a floating radiance.
As if having some premonition, Nilu suddenly halted his steps.
Not far behind him, Xiao Li, carrying a dripping blade, pressed closer step by step.
Layer upon layer of Western Ling troops were still surrounding from behind the camp. They should have been able to completely surround and kill this Liang camp force disguised as wounded soldiers who had infiltrated the camp. But a gap quickly appeared in the military formation.
Xiao Li captured Nilu alive. Seated high on horseback, he pressed the long blade against the other party’s neck, causing the Western Ling troops surrounding them to voluntarily clear a path.
The blood he’d earlier smeared on his face hadn’t dried, obscuring his handsome features but making him appear even more fierce and sharp.
The Western Ling junior generals led their soldiers below, retreating on one side while continuing to surround Xiao Li and his group. No one dared to act rashly.
Xiao Li’s blade edge pressed down. He shouted coldly: “Send a message to Pei Song—withdraw the army!”
Though Nilu was at someone’s mercy, the humiliation of being captured alive still made him unable to resist speaking sarcastically: “We all serve the princess. If Lord Xiao captured the prince consort to threaten me, it might be useful. But capturing me to threaten the prince consort—you’ve miscalculated!”
Xiao Li paid him no heed. The blade edge flicked along Nilu’s shoulder and neck, and a piece of skin and flesh was carved off alive.
In front of all the Western Ling soldiers, Nilu forcibly endured this pain of having his flesh gouged, only instantly becoming pale as paper, his teeth nearly bitten through.
Xiao Li swept his gaze across the crowd, coldly and fiercely speaking: “When this marquis was in Liang territory, I could dismember and boil alive Pei camp’s strategists. Today I can also dismember your main general alive! Go send a message to Pei Song!”
Nilu didn’t speak again. The junior generals below also didn’t dare wait for him to continue stating his position. They prudently hurried to order someone to gallop after Pei Song.
—
Pei Song had led troops more than ten li when the messenger soldier galloped to catch up, reporting that Nilu had been captured alive and they should retreat to provide rescue.
Vice General Nuger immediately panicked. He hurriedly said to Pei Song: “Prince consort, the general is in danger. We must quickly go back to save the general!”
Pei Song sat steadily on his horse’s back. His dark lashes lowered slightly. His tone was extremely cold and detached: “This is a Liang spy deliberately spreading false news to disrupt our military morale. Execute him!”
As his words fell, eagle-dogs immediately rushed out. Before Nuger could even speak words of prevention, that messenger soldier’s head had already fallen to the ground.
Fresh blood spattered on the sand, extremely glaring.
Nuger was still in a daze, not yet recovered, when Pei Song had already turned his horse’s head and ordered them to continue marching.
Nuger’s jaw tightened. In fury, he yanked the reins and spurred his horse to catch up to Pei Song, shouting: “Prince consort, are you going to disregard General Nilu’s life and death? When the princess asks about this, how will the prince consort account for it?”
Pei Song glanced at him with extreme calm: “The general gave you and me the military order to march to Tiger Gorge Pass. Is the vice general going to disobey military orders because of false military intelligence delivered by a spy?”
Nuger was furious beyond measure: “This was clearly our Western Ling soldier. Where’s the spy?”
His face flushed red, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. Clearly he also understood that Pei Song simply didn’t want to go back to save Nilu.
Pei Song’s eyelids lowered with a lazy and mocking gaze. He said coldly: “Since there can’t possibly be spies in the army, how could General Nilu fall for such a foolish scheme?”
Using these words to render Nuger speechless, he instructed those behind: “Continue marching.”