The black army surged like a tide from the end of the street, rushing toward those fighting at the street and city gates. The gates that had collapsed just a quarter hour ago were quickly closed again, and the Western Ling soldiers who had rushed into Jiangxia first in pursuit of military glory found themselves terrifyingly trapped like fish in a barrel, like beasts in a cage. The black-clad soldiers methodically charged to their assigned positions, and countless black figures suddenly appeared on the walls that had been filled with gray-clothed Western Ling soldiers. The killing began anew.
In the distance, the Zhennan King’s expression changed dramatically as he watched the black-clad soldiers suddenly appear on the city walls. Then he saw a flamboyant figure in red appear on the wall, moving like a dragon, unstoppable wherever he went.
“Your Highness, that’s Feng Zhiyao. In the capital, they call him the Third Young Master Feng, the son of the capital’s wealthiest family, though he was driven from home in his youth. He followed Mo Xiuyao to the battlefield when he was barely in his teens and is among Mo Xiuyao’s most trusted confidants. His presence here means the Mohist Army’s reinforcements have arrived.” The Zhennan King’s face darkened as he commanded gravely, “Continue the attack!”
War drums thundered as gray figures and black figures merged in combat. But Jiangxia’s gates could no longer be forced open. When countless black-clad archers appeared on the city walls, their arrows falling like sudden rain on those below, a slender figure in snow-white walked gracefully onto the wall. Standing beside her were the Southern Marquis Mu Yang and Zhuo Jing. Though surrounded by bloody carnage, her white silk robes remained remarkably unstained by blood. The pure white gave an inexplicably cold and lethal impression.
Ye Li stood on the wall, gazing far toward the Western Ling army’s command flag. Though she couldn’t make out the other’s features, she could sense their overwhelming presence and visible anger. A cold smile tugged at her lips as she commanded coldly, “Leave none of the Western Ling soldiers who entered Jiangxia alive. Throw all their corpses outside the city!”
Zhuo Jing nodded, “Your servant obeys.”
Ye Li turned her head, giving a provocative smile toward a certain distant spot.
“Is that Prince Ding’s consort?” the Zhennan King asked gravely.
The general beside him looked at the snow-white graceful figure on the city wall and said hesitantly, “It does appear to be Prince Ding’s consort.” In truth, few had seen Prince Ding’s consort, but at this time, what woman besides Prince Ding’s consort would appear with the Mohist Army on Jiangxia’s walls? The Zhennan King watched for a long while before suddenly bursting into laughter, “Good! Interesting… Prince Ding’s consort? They say Eastern Chu women are weak, but Prince Ding’s consort surpasses even our Western Ling noble ladies. No wonder she frightened Princess Lingyu so thoroughly back then.” The generals beside him wore stiff smiles, unsure whether they should agree with the Zhennan King’s praise of Prince Ding’s consort. After all, it was this same Prince Ding’s consort who had just ruined their plans to take Jiangxia today. Moreover, the soldiers who had rushed into Jiangxia were likely already dead. Thus, their losses in this small city of Jiangxia now exceeded all their previous losses combined. This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Western Ling army’s morale.
“Your Highness, the soldiers who entered the city…”
The Zhennan King waved his hand and shook his head, “Too late. Attack with full force! A title of Marquis of a Thousand Households to whoever captures Prince Ding’s consort alive!”
“Yes.”
Near dusk, Western Ling finally sounded the gong to withdraw. Continuing such relentless attacks without knowing the true strength of the Mohist Army’s reinforcements would be unwise – if the armies were evenly matched, it would likely end in mutual destruction. Moreover, this was Eastern Chu’s home territory, where they could continuously replenish troops and supplies. After their gains in Xinyang fell far below expectations, they needed to be cautious everywhere, lest they inadvertently put themselves in an irredeemable position. Watching the Western Ling army quickly withdraw at the sound of the gong, everyone on the walls breathed a sigh of relief. The remaining original Jiangxia defenders couldn’t help but cheer.
Yuan Pei, wearing blood-stained clothes that were half-dried and bearing numerous wounds, walked up to Ye Li, “Your servant Yuan Pei, commander of Jiangxia, greets the Princess Consort!”
Ye Li quickly reached out to stop him from kneeling, saying gravely, “General, you’ve worked hard. I arrived late, causing you such hardship.”
Yuan Pei was visibly moved, his bloodshot eyes glistening with suspicious moisture as he said loudly, “Your servant dares not accept such words. It was your servant’s incompetence that nearly let Jiangxia fall to Western Ling, I dare not speak of hardship.” Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “The situation forced it, it was not the General’s fault. Let’s not dwell on these matters now. General, first take your men to rest and recover. Leave Jiangxia to us for now.” Yuan Pei nodded heavily, and Feng Zhiyao, standing behind Ye Li, smiled and said, “General Yuan need not worry, Feng San will not let Western Ling advance one step past Jiangxia.”
Yuan Pei didn’t stand on ceremony, clasping his hands and saying, “Then I trouble General Feng.”
After reorganizing the city’s defenses, Ye Li finally led her people down from the wall. Just as she descended, she saw Leng Qingyu standing below with his blood-stained sword, his expression wooden. After some thought, Ye Li still stepped forward to ask, “General Leng, are you well?” Leng Qingyu raised his head to look at Ye Li, giving a bitter laugh before saying faintly, “A defeated general – what is there to be well about?” Ye Li raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Victory and defeat are common in war, this wasn’t entirely General Leng’s fault. Take care of yourself, General.” Leng Qingyu was stunned for a moment before finally saying, “Thank you, Princess Consort.”
Watching Ye Li leave, Leng Qingyu looked at the sword in his hand before sheathing it. The Prince’s consort might be right – this defeat wasn’t his fault alone, but now he alone must bear the responsibility for the failure. Fortunately… Jiangxia still stood, and the Mohist Army had arrived.
“General Leng.” As Leng Qingyu turned to leave, the Southern Marquis’s voice came from behind.
The Southern Marquis stood at the street’s edge, noticeably more aged and weary than when they had last met. This war had barely begun, yet many of them seemed to have aged ten years. The Southern Marquis looked at Leng Qingyu for a long while before asking gravely, “General Leng, do you have… any news of my son?”
Leng Qingyu said darkly, “That day when the enemy attacked suddenly, the Young Master led a team to draw away the enemy’s attention… the entire force was destroyed… Marquis, I’m sorry…”
“I understand.” The faint light in the Southern Marquis’s eyes gradually faded as he sighed softly. He turned and left without even bidding farewell to Leng Qingyu. Watching the Southern Marquis’s lonely, desolate figure, Leng Qingyu felt an inexplicable bone-deep chill. Once, he had desperately yearned for the battlefield, believing it to be a place of hot-blooded glory that countless people pursued. But now, after one defeat, he finally understood the cold and pain beneath that glory.
Jiangxia was a small city, and Ye Li’s group temporarily stayed at General Yuan Pei’s mansion. The “general’s mansion” was just an average-sized compound in Jiangxia. Veterans like Yuan Pei and Zhang Qilan were certainly no less capable than the Grand Marshal or Murong Shen, but just because they were Mohist Army commanders, they were endlessly suppressed and marginalized, never able to truly receive the glory and honor they deserved.
Because of Ye Li’s arrival, Yuan Pei moved his wife and children from the main courtyard to the side rooms in the back courtyard. Understanding Yuan Pei’s intentions and loyalty to Prince Ding’s household, Ye Li didn’t refuse, simply choosing a room to stay in. Without time to settle in, she quickly washed up and headed to the front hall to discuss military matters with everyone. When Ye Li entered the study, it was already packed with people. They were discussing something heatedly but quieted when Ye Li entered. Yuan Pei personally came forward to invite Ye Li to the main seat. After Ye Li sat down, he straightened his clothes and came forward to bow solemnly, “Your servant thanks the Princess Consort for saving our lives.”
Ye Li sighed slightly in resignation, gesturing for Zhuo Jing beside her to help Yuan Pei up.
“General Yuan, let’s dispense with these formalities. Please rise and speak,” Ye Li said seriously.
Yuan Pei returned to his seat and said, “Reporting to the Princess Consort, Western Ling now has three hundred thousand troops outside Jiangxia, clearly determined to take the city. Your servant has received news that their southern and northern forces are also subtly converging on Jiangxia. Once the three armies join, there will be nearly five hundred thousand troops besieging Jiangxia. Though our forces are unmatched in bravery, Jiangxia is small and weak, lacking in military supplies. At that time, we may not be able to resist a siege by five hundred thousand troops. I request the Princess Consort make early preparations.”
Ye Li nodded and said, “Thank you for the warning, General. I understand. As for supplies, there’s no need to worry, the court will naturally send sufficient provisions. Southern Marquis, Young Master Mu, wouldn’t you agree?”
The Southern Marquis was somewhat absent-minded and only raised his head when he heard Ye Li’s words, smiling faintly, “The Princess Consort speaks truly. We risk our lives on the battlefield, the court and Emperor naturally won’t neglect the frontline soldiers.”
Ye Li looked at the Southern Marquis, clearly seeing the weariness and darkness in his eyes. She didn’t know what Leng Qingyu had told him, but she could guess some of it, as there was still no news of the Southern Marquis’s heir. This couldn’t help but lead to some unpleasant thoughts. She looked worriedly at the Southern Marquis, who nodded slightly to her to indicate he was fine.
Though they had the Southern Marquis’s assurance, everyone’s expressions hadn’t improved much. After so many years, the Mohist Army’s soldiers could no longer hold much hope for the one in the palace. Ye Li noted everyone’s expressions but didn’t comment, turning instead to discuss military matters with the generals.
After the discussions concluded, everyone began to leave. The Southern Marquis remained motionless in his seat. Ye Li had thought he had something to say, but after everyone had left she realized he was just lost in thought. She frowned slightly and called out with concern, “Marquis?”
The Southern Marquis’s eyes were blank, and it took him a while to seemingly come back to himself, still somewhat dazed as he looked at Ye Li. After a long while, he slowly said, “Princess Consort, I’ve disturbed you. I shall take my leave as well.”
Ye Li shook her head and said, “Marquis, the Young Master’s status is different – no news at this point is good news. Many important military matters still require the Marquis’s decision. I hope the Marquis will take care of himself.” The Southern Marquis managed a forced smile and looked up at Ye Li, saying, “The old Duke once said the Princess Consort was no ordinary person. This journey has shown me that as well. I must trouble the Princess Consort to handle military matters – I… I fear I am not up to it anymore.”
“Marquis…”
Ye Li wanted to say more, but the Southern Marquis waved his hand and said, “I shall take my leave first. The Princess Consort should rest early as well.”
Watching the Southern Marquis walk out unsteadily, Ye Li ultimately swallowed her words and said, “Take care, Marquis.”