Wen Yu raised her head. A strand of dark hair slipped from behind her ear, and she lifted her hand to tuck it back. Her face bore some fatigue and pallor from long lack of proper rest, yet her expression remained calm and peaceful: “The city gate can no longer be held?”
Zhao Bai bowed his head without speaking.
Wen Yu murmured: “Twenty days—still five days short.”
She pressed her brow, set down the vermillion brush, and summoned the Azure Cloud Guards waiting outside the door. She ordered them to box and seal the memorials she had processed, instructing: “Deliver these to Prime Minister Qi’s hands. He’ll understand what to do after reading them.”
After the Azure Cloud Guards respectfully took the memorials and withdrew, Wen Yu rose from behind the long table: “Come with me to the city tower.”
Her brocade skirt swept across the steps below the long table. She had nearly walked past Zhao Bai, yet Zhao Bai still hadn’t risen. Finally, as if having made some firm decision, as Wen Yu continued walking out, Zhao Bai turned toward her and kowtowed heavily: “Princess, please leave with this servant.”
The words carried both heartache and distress.
Wen Yu slightly furrowed her brow and looked back at Zhao Bai.
Having followed her for so long, Wen Yu naturally understood her temperament all too well.
Maintaining her sidelong posture, Wen Yu looked at Zhao Bai for a long while before sighing softly and calling out as she used to in her chambers: “A Zhao.”
The wind rose. The deep jade-green earrings at her ears and several floating strands of dark hair swayed lightly together at her neck. Her expression remained so calm and gentle, yet also conveyed the inviolable authority of one in power.
Zhao Bai didn’t raise her head. Her ten fingers pressed against the ground clenched into fists, veins bulging on the backs of her hands. As if unable to endure some unbearable pain, she broke down: “The Late Emperor, the Late Empress, the Crown Prince—all have already died martyrs for this realm. The Crown Prince’s consort is also gone. Princess, the Wen clan of Fengyang has long owed nothing to the people of this world. Just live once for yourself! Or for the young princess! The young princess is not yet a year old. Without you, how will she face this situation of wolves circling on all sides?”
She had always been cold, hard, and strong, rarely showing such complete loss of composure.
Wen Yu approached through her choking sobs, crouched down to help her up, and with a soothing gentleness added to her serene face, said: “A Zhao, I am the sovereign of two kingdoms.
“In this position, I must protect the people of both kingdoms. There are still my soldiers and subjects in the city. If I leave, the harm won’t stop with them.”
If Tiger Gorge Pass and Gele City were destined to fall, only her death would be the best way to break the deadlock.
Zhao Bai’s hands were held by Wen Yu. She bit her teeth tightly but still couldn’t suppress the bitter pain in her eyes. Hot tears rolled down as she said repeatedly: “This servant knows, this servant… knows everything.”
By the end, her throat grew hoarse, her choking grew heavier, and she lowered her head in distress: “It’s this servant’s incompetence. This servant couldn’t protect the Crown Prince or the Crown Prince’s consort, and now cannot protect you either…”
Wen Yu raised her arms to embrace her. For an instant, her eyes also revealed some desolation: “How can this be blamed on A Zhao? A Zhao has already done well enough. It’s us who are contending with Heaven.”
Wind blew through the courtyard. The tall trees throughout filled it with rustling sounds. The wind chimes under the eaves also rang out with the sound of weapons clashing in this wind.
Wen Yu’s gaze gradually solidified in these sounds of wind and bronze bells, even producing a sharp determination: “At this point, we can only continue to contend.”
–
“The breach in the western wall is still expanding! We can’t block it!”
Within the narrow inner city passage leading to the barbican, fleeing Chen soldiers ran back in complete disarray.
The soldiers originally rushing toward the barbican heard these words and couldn’t help but feel somewhat panicked, uncertain whether to continue toward the barbican for support.
“Stop defending! Western Ling’s one hundred twenty thousand troops are attacking the city. After entering, their horses’ hooves alone will trample everyone in the city to death. What are we fighting with!”
The deserter’s hysterical shouts spread fear like a plague through the army. Support toward the western wall suddenly halted.
A junior officer who had received word galloped over and cut down a deserter with one slash, shouting: “Those who flee before battle shall be executed on the spot!”
But the effect was minimal. Some deserters even yanked off their helmets. After being terrified to the extreme by this grossly unequal battle, only anger remained. They already had an attitude of gambling with their lives: “Execute us then! Having our heads cut off by Western Ling barbarians is death, having our heads cut off by you court lackeys is also death!”
After finishing, he even raised his arms and called out to those around him: “When has the court ever treated us as human? Military pay is withheld year after year. That Liang woman now wants to use our entire Chen kingdom as a stepping stone for her Liang kingdom, drawing one hundred twenty thousand Western Ling troops to attack Gele City while she herself fled long ago surrounded by attendants! I’m also born of parents. I’m done!”
These inflammatory words caused military morale to scatter even more. Many soldiers followed suit, throwing down helmets and armor, wanting to abandon their posts and flee.
The junior officer angrily pointed at these deserters with his curved whip, cursing: “You dare rebel! Twenty thousand Liang troops are all in the city resisting the enemy, and the Princess is also in the city. How dare you disturb military morale!”
Having gained momentum, the deserters were no longer afraid. They even spat on the ground: “Bullshit! Where’s the Liang woman!”
They shoved aside the Chen soldiers who had come with the junior officer to stop them, making to force their way through. An internal conflict seemed about to erupt when suddenly from behind came a call: “The Princess arrives—”
Everyone looked back toward the sound. The soldiers behind also spontaneously cleared a path.
At the end of the narrow passage between mottled walls, a carriage rolled forward. Sixteen Azure Cloud Iron Cavalry opened the way, with a great black-and-gold dragon-patterned banner raised behind the carriage and horses, solemn and fierce.
Even the deserters who had been shouting most fiercely fell silent one after another.
The dragon banner—symbol of the Son of Heaven.
If this great banner was erected on the city tower, it meant the sovereign would also live or die with this city.
As the procession drew near, they could see within the ceremonial carriage open on all four sides the princess seated with dignified authority in black and crimson ceremonial robes.
The junior officer on horseback was the first to react. He quickly dismounted and knelt down on the spot.
In an instant, the sound of iron armor colliding was unceasing on both sides of the narrow passage. The Chen soldiers who had come with the junior officer to suppress the unrest, as well as the deserters who had abandoned their armor to flee, all knelt down on both sides of the passage.
They hated the nobility who treated their lives as worthless as ants. They hated the princes and marquises who sat high in court halls feasting on their blood and flesh.
But what if the sovereign truly shared life and death with them?
–
When Mu Youliang received the news and before he could rush down to the barbican, he saw Wen Yu ascending the city tower carrying the dragon banner. He was also greatly shocked. Immediately he lifted his armor robe and knelt down. A myriad of feelings choked in his throat as he clasped his hands, both distressed and guilt-stricken, pleading: “Princess, this cannot be.”
Wen Yu gestured to help him up, saying: “The common people in the city have all been evacuated. This palace’s decision is made. I vow to share survival or death with all soldiers of Gele City.”
She then signaled Zhao Bai to lead people to plant the dragon banner on the city tower.
Seeing this scene, Mu Youliang’s shock was even more overwhelming. Maintaining his half-kneeling posture with head bowed, he was nearly moved to tears: “It is this minister who has failed the Princess’s trust.”
Wen Yu helped him up, saying: “Having defended for fifteen full days, the General has already fulfilled his loyalty. I ask the General to continue assisting this palace, fighting this eternal battle for the people of both kingdoms.”
Mu Youliang’s eyes reddened with barely visible tears, yet his gaze was resolute as he clasped his hands: “In this battle, as long as this subordinate lives, the city stands; when this person dies, the city falls!”
–
The dragon banner had been successfully erected atop the city tower.
Gu Xiyun, who was leading troops to fill the collapsed section of wall, glanced back during the melee at the distant city tower. Her gaze suddenly froze.
Her helmet had long since been lost somewhere. Loose hair falling from her small topknot was wetly matted into strands by sweat and blood, clinging messily to her forehead along with smoke and dust.
She stared fixedly at that newly erected black-and-gold dragon-patterned banner until both redness and killing intent overflowed from her eyes.
Mu Shaoting noticed her abnormality and followed her line of sight backward, also seeing that dragon banner.
From behind, a messenger officer galloped urgently forward, shouting to boost morale: “Reinforcements are on the way! The Princess remains at Gele City to wait for reinforcements together with all soldiers! The entire army must defend to the death and survive this round of fierce attack!”
The soldiers who had been fighting the Western Ling army to the point of some despair all had their spirits lifted upon hearing there were reinforcements.
Looking back and seeing that black-and-gold dragon-patterned banner, clearly Wen Yu was personally stationed at the city tower and the messenger’s words were true, morale rapidly surged back.
“There are reinforcements! The Princess is on the city tower! It can’t be false!”
“We’re saved!”
The messenger continued wielding his whip to hasten elsewhere, spreading this “good news.” Throughout the previously dejected city, morale reached a boiling point in an instant.
But Mu Shaoting furrowed his brow.
The troops initially allocated from Liang to Southern Chen had all been brought to this pass by Wen Yu. Even though Wen Yu had subsequently sent letters to the Liang camp, just crossing the thousand-li desert between Great Liang and Southern Chen would take no less than half a month even at full marching speed.
Reinforcements couldn’t arrive so quickly.
He recalled that day when Wen Yu first came to Gele City to repel the enemy, when Gu Xiyun had told him outside the long corridor that if Gele City couldn’t be held, the Liang army wouldn’t withdraw and Wen Yu wouldn’t withdraw either. At this moment he already understood something, and many indescribable feelings rose in his heart.
He looked toward Gu Xiyun, moved his lips wanting to say something, but Gu Xiyun acted first.
She withdrew that bloodthirsty gaze, abandoned her long spear, and took down two goose-wing sabers from her horse. She tightly bound them with cloth strips to her left and right hands already covered in sticky fresh blood, lowering her head to bite the tight knot with her teeth.
Her eyes looking toward the approaching Western Ling army ahead remained fierce, but seemed to carry an additional fearlessness of having abandoned life and death.
From her actions, Mu Shaoting understood something and suddenly couldn’t speak a word.
From the first day this woman had pointed a spear at his throat, he had investigated her.
Her surname was Gu. She was the younger sister of Gu Changfeng, known as the foremost military strategist of Great Liang.
In the battle to avenge Luodu, she had used her Gu family’s famous lacquered blossom spear throughout.
Now she abandoned that spear she cherished as life itself.
Because that lacquered blossom spear was too heavy—she wasn’t actually skilled with it. What she had practiced since childhood were sabers.
Only because the Gu family no longer had any male heirs did she force herself to switch to practicing the spear, join the military, and use that spear in her hands to reestablish the glory the Gu family once had, washing away the disgrace ground into the Gu family when Luodu fell.
Switching to sabers now was to conserve strength as much as possible.
Binding the weapon handles to her hands was also to prevent blood from making them slippery, fearing that in the final moments of battle when exhausted, her hands would no longer be able to grip.
She wasn’t afraid of death. She only wanted to defend for her sovereign beneath that dragon banner for as long as possible, even if just one more breath.
–
Below the city tower, surrounded at the very center of the Western Ling army formation, on a war chariot guarded by over a thousand personal troops, He Yi in full military attire also saw the dragon banner appearing on the city tower and Wen Yu.
The morale of the defending army within Gele City surged sharply. Even advancing through the section of wall that had already been breached became difficult. They were even being pushed back by the city’s defending army. These changes caused He Yi’s expression to grow somber.
She rose from the tiger-skin throne on the war chariot, narrowed her eyes to look across for a few moments, forcibly suppressed that trace of not-very-obvious irritation, and a smile of certain victory mixed with contempt appeared at her lips: “A cornered beast’s struggle.”
She sat back down on the tiger-skin throne and shook the bronze bell beside her. Immediately personal guards came forward.
He Yi’s eyes, filled with ambition, stared at the city tower ahead—not particularly grand, yet having blocked her Western Ling’s one hundred twenty thousand troops for so long. She said: “No need to continue attacking the city in rotating shifts. All forces, press forward for this princess!”