Of the 800,000 Mo Family Army troops, only 50,000 under General Zhang Qilan were stationed near the capital, and these were said to be for protecting the capital region, so they couldn’t join Ye Li’s army marching to the border. Ye Li and the Marquis of Nan needed to travel several hundred li from the capital to rendezvous with several divisions stationed in various locations before heading to the frontier. This at least eliminated the need for farewell ceremonies and military oaths before departure. Ye Li, who didn’t particularly like such hollow displays, was naturally satisfied with these somewhat rushed arrangements.
Most of Prince Ding’s household staff had to remain in the capital to maintain their duties. Only Feng Zhiyao, Zhuo Jing, Yun Ting (who had been thrown into military camps for some time), and Xu Qingze (who had somehow persuaded Mo Jingqi) accompanied Ye Li to the battlefield. Because Xu Qingze insisted on going to the border, Ye Li felt quite guilty toward Qin Zheng, whom she hadn’t seen for many days. However, Qin Zheng, who came to bid farewell, smiled understandingly at Ye Li, simply telling them both to be careful on their journey and return soon. Additionally, Mo Jingqi, for whatever reason, had inserted Mu Yang into their group at the last moment, saying that with Prince Ding’s return uncertain and the Marquis of Nan being elderly, Mu Yang would serve as an errand runner for the Marquis. Neither Ye Li nor the Marquis said much about this – everyone understood clearly why Mo Jingqi had sent Mu Yang along. Though Mu Yang was a talented youth, the others were no pushovers, and no one could predict how things would play out on the battlefield. There was no need to quarrel with the emperor over such a small matter.
The group rode hard, and in just over a day reached Hengshui, a military stronghold five hundred li from the capital. Though Hengshui City wasn’t particularly grand or prosperous, nearly a hundred thousand Mo Family Army troops were stationed twenty li west of the city. Troops from other locations were also converging in this direction, with nearly three hundred thousand soldiers gathering here in the coming days. By the time they reached Hengshui, the sun was setting. Ye Li reined in her horse and turned to the Marquis, saying, “Lord Marquis, General Sun arrived at Hengshui last night with his forces. Let’s skip entering the city and go directly to the Hengshui camp.”
The Marquis looked admiringly at Ye Li sitting straight on horseback and said, “Let’s do as the Princess Consort suggests.” After riding hard for a day and night, even most men would be exhausted, yet the Princess Consort remained composed, without a trace of fatigue on her face. This earned both surprise and respect from her traveling companions, the Marquis, and Mu Yang.
The Hengshui camp sat at the foot of the mountains twenty li west of Hengshui city, with endless plains stretching before it and the Hengshui mountain range behind – a natural training ground. When the group was still five or six li from camp, the local commanders, along with General Sun Yan who had arrived the previous night, came out to welcome them. “We pay our respects to the Princess Consort!” Ye Li nodded slightly and asked, “Where is the Hengshui camp’s commander?”
A middle-aged man with graying hair, who despite being in his forties or fifties still appeared vigorous, stepped forward from the crowd and cupped his hands to Ye Li, saying, “This humble servant is Lu Jinxian, commanding the Hengshui camp. I pay my respects to the Princess Consort.”
Ye Li dismounted and raised her hand, saying, “No need for such a ceremony, General Lu. This is the Marquis of Nan, specially appointed by His Majesty as Vice Commander of the Western Campaign, and this is Mu Yang, Military Officer and heir to the Marquis of Muyang.” Ye Li didn’t introduce Zhuo Jing, Yun Ting, and the others standing behind her, and the commanders understood these were her people, only stepping forward to greet the Marquis and Mu Yang. The Marquis, having seen battle himself, naturally didn’t stand on ceremony with these commanders, greeting everyone quite warmly. As for Mu Yang, though he was the Marquis of Muyang’s heir, his military rank was merely that of an officer – every commander present outranked him. He naturally had little place to speak, only exchanging brief greetings alongside the Marquis. Fortunately, though Mu Yang had grown up smoothly, he hadn’t developed an arrogant or superior attitude. The atmosphere remained harmonious and pleasant.
After the greetings, the Marquis asked seriously, “General Lu, when can the army depart?”
Lu Jinxian responded straightforwardly, “The army is ready and waiting – we can depart anytime at the Princess Consort and Lord Marquis’s command!”
Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, “General Lu, we’re quite tired from our journey. Perhaps we should depart early tomorrow morning instead.”
Lu Jinxian looked at everyone and smiled, saying, “General Feng speaks truly – I was thoughtless. Princess Consort, Lord Marquis, please rest in camp tonight. It will also allow the troops to conserve their strength.”
In the vast camp, the night brought silence. With the army departing early tomorrow, most soldiers had retired early, though this didn’t include the commanders gathered in the central tent for discussion.
In the tent, Ye Li had changed into light cyan robes and sat in the central position. To her left and right sat the commanders in order of rank: Feng Zhiyao, Lu Jinxian, Sun Yan, and others. The Vice Commander Marquis of Nan and Mu Yang had already been invited to rest after concluding their part of the discussions. This was the commanders’ first time meeting Ye Li, the mistress of Prince Ding’s household, and their respect stemmed less from her position as Princess Consort than from the Yazhi jade pendant at her waist. One commander stood and asked, “Princess Consort, when will His Highness return?”
Though the Princess Consort was only serving as military supervisor, with the Marquis of Nan as Vice Commander currently holding the highest authority over the Mo Family Army, his traditionally neutral stance still made these commanders loyal to Prince Ding’s household somewhat uneasy. Ye Li shook her head slightly and said, “His Highness is far away in Northern Rong. Once he receives news and hurries back, it will naturally take some time. But now, the border situation cannot wait for His Highness’s return. So… without His Highness present, are you generals unable to fight?”
The commanders all started. Ye Li continued, “I understand your loyalty to Prince Ding’s household and His Highness. But I also hope you generals understand one thing – what does the Mo Family Army exist for?” Her clear eyes swept calmly over everyone. “It’s for the peace of Da Chu’s people. Every Mo Family Army soldier also has parents and children – protecting Da Chu means protecting the Mo Family Army’s own loved ones.”
Everyone fell silent. Lu Jinxian hesitantly asked, “Do we have to follow the Marquis of Nan’s commands?”
Ye Li replied, “If the Marquis of Nan’s goals align with the Mo Family Army’s, why can’t we temporarily follow his command? His Highness’s inability to return quickly is reality – can we tell Western Ling’s forces, ‘Prince Ding isn’t here, let’s fight in a few days?'” Hearing this, everyone’s expressions twisted involuntarily. Feng Zhiyao smiled and said, “Princess Consort, I believe everyone’s concern is whether giving the Marquis of Nan command over the Mo Family Army might disadvantage us?”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, “The Marquis won’t gain control of the Mo Family Army. I will accompany the Marquis’s movements at all times. Though this has some drawbacks, it’s our only option now. Moreover, while the Marquis temporarily serves as commander-in-chief, he can’t personally oversee every battle. So, generals, we’ll be relying on you on the battlefield.”
Everyone responded in unison, “We won’t disappoint the Princess Consort’s expectations!”
Ye Li nodded and said, “I thank you all, generals. Now then, how much do you understand about the current situation at the front?”
With these words, the tent grew serious. Though they had reservations about the emperor’s appointee, this was only because of the emperor’s relentless suppression of the Mo Family Army over the years. Originally, the Mo Family Army had been dispersed guarding various Da Chu borders, but because Mo Jingqi didn’t trust them, he had taken advantage of Prince Ding’s convalescence and the Mo Family Army’s weakened state to withdraw all forces inland. Almost all border stations were now commanded by the emperor’s trusted officers or those who didn’t get along with Prince Ding’s household. Now, with Western Ling invading Da Chu, they were also invading the lands their families had protected for generations – how could their hearts not feel urgent?
Lu Jinxian said gravely, “Western Ling came well-prepared this time. The King of Zhengnan personally leads a central army of 300,000 troops in the invasion. According to reports from the front, tens of thousands surround Xinyang alone. The court’s forces that encountered the King of Zhengnan’s ambush suffered heavy losses. We’ve been discussing it these past days, and fear Xinyang… cannot be held.”
Everyone’s expressions darkened. Xinyang was the northwest’s granary – losing it meant losing not just territory but threatening the food supply for both civilians and military in the northwest.
Ye Li pondered for a moment before asking, “At our marching speed, what’s the worst outcome?”
Lu Jinxian replied, “Western Ling’s forces will take Xinyang and occupy all of Qingzhou. Then advance to Hanzhou’s Jiangxia Garrison.”
Ye Li raised her eyebrows. Lu Jinxian explained, “We have fifty thousand troops stationed near Jiangxia. The commander, General Yuan Pei, is a veteran of many campaigns. He should have already gone to support Xinyang. If Xinyang falls, he’ll likely withdraw to defend Jiangxia. If we march immediately, we should arrive in time to support Jiangxia.” Ye Li nodded – she had analyzed this with Feng Zhiyao before, reaching similar conclusions. She rubbed her brow and asked, “We’ve only discussed the central army’s situation. What about the southern and northern routes?”
Lu Jinxian said, “The southern and northern forces each have at least 150,000 troops. They’re attacking Jiayi Pass in the south and Tianyun Pass in the north. Though the border commanders are resisting with all their might, the situation doesn’t look promising.”
“Who commands the southern and northern forces?”
Lu Jinxian shook his head, but Sun Yan said, “Reporting to the Princess Consort, the southern force is reportedly led by the King of Zhengnan’s heir, Lei Tengfeng. Trained by the King of Zhengnan since childhood, he showed remarkable talent at nineteen fighting Northern Rong – he cannot be underestimated. The northern commander is Western Ling’s veteran general Shangguan Yi. Though he hasn’t achieved particularly notable feats and is past sixty… he was the King of Zhengnan’s military tactics instructor.”
Ye Li nodded and pondered for a long while before looking up to say, “Thank you for your hard work today, generals. We depart early tomorrow – please go rest now.”
Everyone rose to bid farewell to Ye Li and left. Only Feng Zhiyao, Zhuo Jing, and Xu Qingze remained in the tent. Feng Zhiyao smiled at Ye Li’s deeply furrowed brows and said, “Western Ling comes with overwhelming force – is the Princess Consort getting a headache?”
Ye Li smiled bitterly and said, “How could I not? I’m no unparalleled genius – frankly, I have no experience with warfare on this scale. In small special operations teams, I’m confident I could stand above all others, but when it comes to commanding armies and directing strategy, even with Mo Xiuyao’s many instructions, I can’t help feeling uncertain as I start.”
Feng Zhiyao said, “We can be certain Western Ling has deployed at least 600,000 troops. With such numbers, plus the King of Zhengnan’s reputation as a war god, it’s not just you – how many veteran commanders wouldn’t worry?” Though the King of Zhengnan had once been defeated by Da Chu’s Regent Prince Mo Liufang, Mo Liufang was dead while he still lived.
“Li’er, you’re doing very well,” Xu Qingze said quietly to Ye Li, his usually cold eyes filled with gentle warmth.
Ye Li smiled softly and said, “Don’t praise me, brother. I only appear calm on the surface – inside, my thoughts are in chaos.”
Xu Qingze said, “Don’t be too nervous. Just do what you can. If there’s anything I can do, just ask.”
Ye Li nodded, “Thank you, the second brother.”
Meanwhile, far away in Northern Rong, Mo Xiuyao’s heartfelt ice-cold. Looking up at the bright moon on the horizon, he couldn’t help thinking of the past year and more. Since the incident, he had never imagined his life could contain such comfort and joy. From their initial friendship to their mutual support to their deep affection – without realizing when every smile and frown of Li’er had been etched into his heart, impossible to remove in this lifetime.
“Your Highness.” A guard appeared silently behind him.
“What news?”
The guard said, “We’ve confirmed the list of masterminds behind the assassination attempt on the Princess Consort. Also, since Western Ling’s invasion, His Majesty has summoned the Princess Consort to the palace several times, seemingly trying to obtain command authority over the Mo Family Army from her. However, he hasn’t succeeded.”
Dark currents surged in Mo Xiuyao’s eyes as he laughed coldly and said, “He will never understand what matters are truly urgent. Go tell Ronghua that we must depart tomorrow, no matter what.”
The guard hesitated before saying, “Princess Ronghua likely doesn’t have such strong influence over Yelü Hong yet.”
Mo Xiuyao said calmly, “If Yelü Hong wants to defeat Yelü Ye, he knows what to do. Go prepare – we depart tomorrow.”
The guard nodded, “Yes, my lord!”
After dismissing the guard, Mo Xiuyao looked up at the bright moon overhead, his gaze gradually softening. “Li’er… I always make you suffer… Someday… someday I will bring all the best things in the world before you. As for those who wish to harm you… I absolutely won’t let them go!” When news of Western Ling’s invasion first arrived, Mo Xiuyao should have immediately returned to the capital, but the Northern Rong king’s attitude had been uncharacteristically firm. He insisted Mo Xiuyao stay for the crown prince’s wedding, with implicit threats. Mo Xiuyao didn’t fear his threats, but if he truly left abruptly, Da Chu might have to face attacks from two countries simultaneously. The Northern Rong king wasn’t yet prepared to swallow Da Chu, but he had no objection to helping Western Ling by detaining Mo Xiuyao, this war god who had risen to fame in his youth, for a while – perhaps he could gain some benefit from it. So… he too deserved death!