In late October, Da Chu officially went to war with the Northern Border. Almost simultaneously, the Zhen Nan Wang of Xi Ling ordered his son, Crown Prince Lei Teng Feng, to lead an army of two hundred thousand troops to the southern border adjoining Nan Zhao. At once, various countries began deploying troops and dispatching generals – even the Northern Rong in the bitter cold north showed signs of stirring. At this time, the military exercises that the Prince Ding Manor had been preparing for several months also raised its curtain.
Early morning, Zhang Qi Lan, the general stationed at the main camp thirty li outside Li City, received an urgent order: lead his troops at full speed to Jian Tian Ya, fifty li northwest of Hong Prefecture, to seize its strategic position. The order came so suddenly it could be said there was no preparation at all. Fortunately, the Mo family army was always well-trained, and everyone had been somewhat on edge these days, so they didn’t become flustered.
When he received the order, Zhang Qi Lan was having dinner with several subordinate commanders while discussing military intelligence. After glancing at the graceful yet naturally distinguished handwriting on the paper, Zhang Qi Lan jumped up and called out to his subordinate commanders, “Pass down the order, break camp, and depart in half an hour!” In his heart, however, he found it strange – why did this order look like it was in the Princess Consort’s handwriting?
All the commanders were stunned. The bolder ones quickly asked, “General, are we…”
Zhang Qi Lan chuckled and said, “It’s begun, men. Put in your best effort. We must beat that old fellow until he cries for his parents.”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh, and the atmosphere in the tent immediately lightened considerably. Zhang Qi Lan glared and shouted, “Why aren’t you hurrying to prepare!”
Everyone immediately scattered out of the tent to coordinate their subordinate troops. After dismissing his subordinates, Zhang Qi Lan looked at the letter in his hand once more, wiped his face, and turned to prepare his campaign equipment.
“General Zhang, excuse the late-night disturbance.” Outside the tent, a refined voice said lightly. Zhang Qi Lan was startled, only then realizing who was speaking, and hurried to welcome them. The tent curtain was lifted as the person outside walked in.
Zhang Qi Lan quickly cupped his hands and said, “This subordinate greets the Princess Consort.” Different from usual, Ye Li wore a gray long cloak, with her hair done up in a man’s style. From beneath the cloak, the white hem of her clothing revealed it was male attire. Zhang Qi Lan was puzzled but still asked, “Princess Consort, this is…” Ye Li smiled and said, “General Zhang is about to set out on a campaign. This humble one volunteers to serve as an advisor, hoping the General won’t refuse.”
“Princess Consort means… to march with us?” Zhang Qi Lan exclaimed.
Ye Li nodded. Zhang Qi Lan said somewhat worriedly, “This… the Princess Consort is worth her weight in gold if something were to…”
Ye Li played with the folding fan in her hand and smiled, “Where in this world can one guarantee against all possibilities? Besides, this one has been on the battlefield a few times. Even if I can’t help General Zhang much, I certainly won’t be a burden.”
Zhang Qi Lan repeatedly said he wouldn’t dare – he was naturally very clear about the Princess Consort’s abilities. Having her assistance was like gaining an extremely capable strategist and commander out of thin air. However, firstly, Ye Li’s identity made him somewhat uneasy, and secondly, if this were the case, even if he defeated Lü Jin Xian, it could only be said they had a greater advantage.
Ye Li naturally saw through his hesitation and couldn’t help but smile, “Speaking of this… actually, General Zhang is at a disadvantage. Does General Zhang know who commands the Western Route Army?” Hearing this, Zhang Qi Lan suddenly had a bad feeling, and his heart stirred as he said, “Could it be…”
Ye Li nodded and smiled, “That’s right, the opposing commander is my lord, with Lü Jin Xian as deputy commander.”
Zhang Qi Lan’s face darkened. Although he was considerably older than Prince Ding, when it came to military command, he had to admit his inferiority. When Mo Xiu Yao campaigned south against Nan Zhao years ago, Zhang Qi Lan had accompanied him. He had never imagined in his life that he would face off against Mo Xiu Yao.
Ye Li smiled at Zhang Qi Lan and said, “General… are you admitting defeat before the battle?”
Zhang Qi Lan gritted his teeth and nodded, “If that’s the case, then I trouble the Princess Consort.” Admitting defeat before battle was naturally impossible, so now he couldn’t care about Ye Li’s identity – one more expert was one more advantage, and even if they couldn’t win, he would still bite off a piece of the opponent’s flesh. Moreover… the thought of crossing swords with my lord seemed to make one’s blood boil.
Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “Don’t mention it. This one is Chu Jun Wei. General can just call me by name.”
Half an hour later, the army was indeed ready. By this time, it was already dark, but the army had to march through the night with bits in their mouths and horses’ mouths bound. Li City was three hundred li from Jian Tian Ya – while this was manageable for the Black Cloud Cavalry, expecting ordinary Mo family soldiers to arrive within a day was simply impossible.
After the army set out, the commanders following Zhang Qi Lan only then discovered there was a youth in a gray cloak beside the general, whose features couldn’t be seen in the darkness. “General, this is…”
Zhang Qi Lan’s face twisted slightly as he said in a deep voice, “This is my military advisor. Where is Feng Zhi Yao?” Feng Zhi Yao was also on the list of commanders for this exercise, but this time the Third Young Master Feng, who had always followed Mo Xiu Yao, was unfortunately assigned to the opposing side of Prince Ding. However, from the beginning, Zhang Qi Lan hadn’t seen this lord show his face.
Ye Li said quietly, “Feng San has already gone ahead.”
Zhang Qi Lan was stunned but quickly understood. With their tens of thousands of troops, it was impossible to reach Jian Tian Ya without being discovered by Prince Ding. Worst of all, the Western Route Army had a force stationed on their necessary route to Jian Tian Ya. My lord definitely wouldn’t let them reach Jian Tian Ya so smoothly – having Feng Zhi Yao lead the Black Cloud Cavalry to clear the path ahead was much better than being blocked and attacked after arriving. In the night, the group rode forward on horseback, with the Mo family army soldiers running in long lines behind them.
In the Western Route Army Camp
Mo Xiu Yao still wore all white, his hair white as snow, lounging lazily in the main tent while thoughtfully looking at the map before him. Lü Jin Xian sat below him and said, “My Lord, Zhang Qi Lan came from the Black Cloud Cavalry and is known for swift military movement – they have likely already broken camp and set out by now.”
Mo Xiu Yao nodded and raised his eyebrows, saying, “No matter how fast they are, they only have ten thousand Black Cloud Cavalry. Thinking they can compete with us for Jian Tian Ya with just these ten thousand is simply wishful thinking.”
Lü Jin Xian nodded and frowned, saying, “But although we have fifty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry under our command, our ordinary forces are weaker than theirs. While the Black Cloud Cavalry excels at swift attacks and seizing strategic positions, their defense might be somewhat lacking. Even if we seize Jian Tian Ya first, trying to defend against an attack from a hundred thousand Mo family troops with just fifty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry might be somewhat difficult.”
Mo Xiu Yao looked at Lü Jin Xian with a smile and said, “What? Is General Lü afraid of Zhang Qi Lan?”
Lü Jin Xian’s expression changed as he straightened up and said, “Who would be afraid of him? My Lord, rest assured, this commander will defend Jian Tian Ya to the death!”
Mo Xiu Yao waved his hand and said, “What death? Don’t forget Jian Tian Ya isn’t the final objective. If we exhaust everyone at Jian Tian Ya, how will we fight the battles that follow?”
Lü Jin Xian was somewhat shocked and asked, “Does My Lord have any ideas?”
Mo Xiu Yao pondered for a moment and said, “Zhang Qi Lan will rush to Jian Tian Ya with all his might. Let’s not hurry there ourselves. We can move faster than them anyway, so let’s create some obstacles for them on the road. Additionally… add another line of defense twenty li before Jian Tian Ya. Even if we can’t hold Jian Tian Ya in the end, we should at least consume half their forces.”
“This subordinate understands,” Lü Jin Xian nodded. Mo Xiu Yao nodded with satisfaction and said, “Then I’ll leave Jian Tian Ya to you.” Hearing this, Zhang Qi Lan couldn’t help but be startled, “Leave it to me? Then My Lord…” Mo Xiu Yao smiled ambiguously and said, “That cannot be said…”
The Eastern Route Army’s journey was not smooth. By noon the next day, the army encountered the enemy’s first line of defense, while Feng Zhi Yao, who had supposedly gone ahead to clear the path, was nowhere to be seen.
The intercepting force wasn’t large, just two or three thousand men. On flat ground, an army of a hundred thousand could trample them to death just by walking over them. But now they were on mountain paths, somewhat presenting a situation where one man could hold off ten thousand. This angered Zhang Qi Lan so much that he called Lü Jin Xian despicable and shameless.
But no matter how despicable and shameless the opponent was, the battle still had to be fought, and Zhang Qi Lan wasn’t just a brash warrior who only knew how to shout and curse. He immediately dispatched a team to circle to the enemy’s rear from concealment for a pincer attack. Even so, they were delayed at this location for nearly three or four hours. After encountering two or three similar strategic blocking positions along the way, Zhang Qi Lan had long understood that Lü Jin Xian was trying to delay their time.
Yet paradoxically, such an obvious strategy laid out before them was impossible to counter. Even knowing that Lü Jin Xian had set up ambushes along the way to delay their time, they had no choice but to wade through this path, because taking a detour would only take even longer.
The final objective of this exercise wasn’t Jian Tian Ya, but rather a small city several dozen li away. The small city had a garrison of forty thousand troops, and the Western Route Army led by Mo Xiu Yao’s task was to occupy the small city, while Ye Li and Zhang Qi Lan’s mission was to provide reinforcements and annihilate the Western Route Army.
However, Jian Tian Ya was a crucial location because both the Eastern and Western Route armies had to pass through there to reach that small city. If Mo Xiu Yao had enough troops at his disposal, he could naturally ignore everything else and pass through Jian Tian Ya to take the small city directly, but his Western Route Army only had fifty thousand Black Cloud Cavalry and forty thousand Mo family troops. Meanwhile, the Eastern Route Army had, including the garrison forces, ten thousand Black Cloud Cavalry plus one hundred and fifty thousand Mo family troops.
The current commander of the small city also couldn’t be ignored – it was the elderly General Yuan Pei of the Mo family army, the former commander of Jiang Xia City who was especially skilled at defending cities. Therefore, if Mo Xiu Yao used all his forces to attack the city, should he fail to take the small city within three days, the Western Route Army would find itself surrounded by over a hundred thousand Mo family troops. So he could only leave part of his forces with Lü Jin Xian to delay the reinforcements’ speed, but this also invisibly reduced the strength of his attacking force.
What was originally estimated to be a three-day journey took the Eastern Route Army a full five days to reach a small town twenty li outside Jian Tian Ya, due to the ambushes set along the way. Looking at the formation on the hillside with its rolling banners and cold glinting weapons, Zhang Qi Lan gave a cold laugh and turned to order the troops to make camp. The subordinate commanders were all eager to fight – these days of marching had built up frustration that urgently needed release, and they all requested battle from Zhang Qi Lan. Zhang Qi Lan waved down their requests – the enemy held the advantageous terrain, and a frontal assault in broad daylight would be suicide.
“What does Master Chu think?” Zhang Qi Lan turned to ask Ye Li who sat to the side.
Everyone stopped their clamoring and looked toward the white-robed young gentleman sitting aside. Although many in the army had seen Ye Li before, none were particularly familiar with her. Ye Li had changed into men’s clothing with slight alterations to her appearance, and usually spoke very little, so none of these commanders recognized that this somewhat quiet young gentleman was their Princess Consort of Ding. Of course, this was also related to these commanders’ pride and their disapproval of Ye Li’s sudden appearance, so naturally few were willing to engage her in conversation.
“General Lü wants to stop us outside Jian Tian Ya. At this time… Prince Ding should have already led troops to attack the city,” Ye Li pondered aloud. The men below couldn’t help but sneer – who couldn’t say such obvious things? Just looking at the current situation made the enemy’s intentions clear. However, Zhang Qi Lan thoughtfully said, “Master Chu means… Prince Ding isn’t at Jian Tian Ya now? If it’s only Lü Jin Xian… there probably aren’t many troops. This general might be able to break through Jian Tian Ya within three days.”
Ye Li shook her head and said, “Breaking through Jian Tian Ya in three days – how many casualties is the general planning to pay as the price? Jian Tian Ya can be called a natural fortress for good reason; it’s easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we exhaust our forces here, what will we use to reinforce General Yuan?”
A young commander below couldn’t help but say, “But if we don’t break through, how will we get across? If we take a detour, it will need at least seven or eight days, and going by the southern route means crossing mountains and rivers – by the time we arrive, whether we can still fight is another matter. If we go by the northern route, that’s a large swamp area we simply can’t cross.”
Zhang Qi Lan looked at Ye Li and asked, “What does Master Chu suggest?”
Ye Li pointed at the map on the table and said, “General Yuan excels at defending cities. Even Prince Ding may not be able to break the city in a short time. My suggestion is… to annihilate the troops at Jian Tian Ya.” Everyone was shocked. Zhang Qi Lan frowned and said, “The time this would take… if we’re too late to reinforce and the city falls…” Ye Li didn’t even furrow her brow, saying calmly, “If it falls, we’ll just take it back.” A vice commander hesitated and said, “But… once the city falls, the exercise ends.” Ye Li said indifferently, “Unless one side surrenders or both sides are devastated, that’s when it ends. When fighting a real war, if the enemy takes a city, do the reinforcing troops just turn back?”
Everyone fell silent, all deep in thought.
After a long silence in the main tent, Zhang Qi Lan slapped the table and stood up, saying, “Good! We’ll follow Master Chu’s suggestion. The success or failure of this operation is in Master Chu’s hands. Does the master have a strategy for victory?” Ye Li smiled as she looked at Zhang Qi Lan’s expectant face and said slowly, “Still thinking about it.”
“…”
Nights on the battlefield were never peaceful. The dark moon and high winds were just as suitable for killing and burning on the battlefield as anywhere else. So when Ye Li was awakened for the third time that night by sounds from outside, she wasn’t particularly surprised. She got up, put on her clothes, threw on her cloak, and walked to the tent entrance. Qin Feng immediately appeared at the doorway, “Young Master.” Ye Li slightly furrowed her brows and said, “Why aren’t you resting?” Qin Feng said, “Wei Lin has gone to rest, he’ll come to relieve me in an hour.” This time Ye Li hadn’t brought Zhuo Jing and Lin Han, but instead brought Qin Feng and Wei Lin. After all, with the Prince and various commanders gone from the city, Zhuo Jing and Lin Han had been left to assist Xu Qing Chen. Ye Li said, “You should all go rest, just assign two people for the night watch. We have important matters tomorrow.”
Qin Feng shook his head and said, “This subordinate will go rest in a while, it won’t affect tomorrow’s matters.”
Ye Li knew she couldn’t persuade him and said no more. She curiously looked toward the distant place where the firelight flickered and asked, “Whose men are causing trouble?”
Qin Feng held back a smile and said, “It’s several young commanders under General Zhang. They seem to have agreed to take turns making night raids on the forward garrison, each persisting for an hour, withdrawing regardless of victory or defeat. This is already the third wave – the garrison up on the mountain probably won’t get any sleep tonight.”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, looking toward where faint sounds of fighting could be heard, and said with a smile, “Interesting. Was this their idea?” Qin Feng nodded and said, “They seemed to have gone to speak with General Zhang after dinner. He probably approved, otherwise they wouldn’t act on their own.”
It seemed Qin Feng also had some fondness for these impetuous young men. Although he hadn’t pleaded their case, he had explained that their actions didn’t violate military regulations. Ye Li smiled as she walked out, saying, “It’s always good when young people have their ideas. Making mistakes in exercises is fine, better than making them on the actual battlefield.”
“What does the Princess Consort mean?” Qin Feng frowned.
Ye Li said, “It would be fine if they went to harass once or twice, but going repeatedly like this – do they think Lü Jin Xian is a pushover?” Qin Feng remained silent. Ye Li smiled and said, “Come, let’s go take a look.”
Qin Feng hurried to catch up, asking curiously, “Princess Consort means they’ll run into trouble?”
Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “Lü Jin Xian is a veteran commander who’s seen many battles – how could he be toyed with by a few green youths? If they had stopped after one or two attempts, the enemy would still be cautiously on guard, probably unable to rest easy tonight. But repeatedly using the same trick – how could Lü Jin Xian not take action? As they say, excess is as bad as deficiency.”
“Then…” Qin Feng frowned and said, “Should we send someone to tell General Zhang?”
Ye Li shook her head and said, “General Zhang and General Lü have known each other for decades – he’ll understand. He must have preparations in place, no need for us to meddle. Just watch.”
As they were speaking, Zhang Qi Lan’s hearty voice came from behind, “Oh? Master Chu hasn’t rested so late? Were you disturbed by those youngsters?” They turned around to see Zhang Qi Lan striding forward, wearing battle armor and a war robe, clearly ready for battle. Ye Li couldn’t help but smile and say, “General Zhang, so late – what’s this about?”
Zhang Qi Lan pretended to be angry and said, “Those reckless youths don’t know life from death, going to provoke old Lü. I better fetch them back while they’re still in one piece.”
Hearing this, Ye Li’s laughter rang clear, “In that case, we trouble General Zhang.”
Zhang Qi Lan cupped his fists and said, “I take my leave first.”