Han Feibao stared at Yang Jing’s face, plastered with smiles, calling him “General Han” and “My beloved Han” with every other breath — it left him not knowing what to do with himself.
Pei Qi tugged at the back of Han Feibao’s robe, signaling him to show some gesture of deference. After all, the banner of the Chu Emperor still had its uses.
Han Feibao cursed both Yang Jing and Pei Qi in his heart, then forced a smile onto his own face.
“Your subject Han Feibao pays respects to Your Majesty.”
He bowed — a shallow bow. A full kowtow? Not a chance.
In his eyes, Yang Jing was nothing more than a clown. A supremely hypocritical clown, at that. A man like this he despised from the bottom of his soul.
“General Han, please rise, rise.”
Yang Jing hurried forward and reached for Han Feibao’s arms. Han Feibao instinctively jerked away, flinging the Emperor’s hands aside.
“Hahaha!”
Yang Jing covered his embarrassment with a booming laugh. “General Han truly lives up to his reputation — these arms are as solid as bedrock!”
“Your Majesty should go rest.”
Han Feibao said, “I need to see to the defenses. Unless I’m mistaken, the Ning army will arrive before long. Your Majesty would do best not to get in the way.”
The smile Yang Jing had forced onto his face slowly froze.
“Of course, of course…”
Yang Jing laughed. “We won’t disturb General Han and Minister Pei in their military affairs. We’ll go have a look around over there.”
With that he moved off to the side — though there was nowhere in particular to go. He found a quiet corner with few people and sat down.
Fragments of conversation drifted to his ears, not loud, yet every word arrived perfectly clear.
“Is that the Emperor? He looks… rather pathetic.”
“He’s technically still an Emperor, but only because Minister Pei tossed him a scrap of food. Otherwise he’d have starved to death long ago.”
“I always imagined an Emperor would carry himself with such divine majesty that you’d want to fall to your knees the moment he stood before you.”
“Ha… look at that spineless wretch.”
They made no effort to lower their voices — and likely did so deliberately, so Yang Jing would hear every word.
In that moment, something surged in Yang Jing’s chest: *I cannot go on like this. I’d sooner leap from these battlements and dash myself on the ground below.*
And yet…
He smothered the thought under the weight of familiar words: *I must restore Great Chu. The burden on my shoulders weighs ten thousand catties.*
It seemed to be the one thing he had always excelled at — no matter how dire the circumstances, he could always find himself an excuse.
The only difference was that in the past, he would have added one more line in his heart: *I will have every one of you flayed alive and your clans exterminated.*
Sitting in this deserted corner, robes still pristine, still magnificent — even he could no longer deny that he was the clown.
—
“The terrain beyond the pass is too open.”
Han Feibao stood atop the wall, gesturing toward the land outside. “Kaoshanpass has the gorge at its back, true enough — but the open ground in front gives the Ning army more than enough room to deploy their formations.”
Pei Qi said, “Military matters are far beyond my expertise. Whatever you decide to do, give the order.”
Han Feibao nodded. “First — I’m taking command here.”
Pei Qi’s brow furrowed slightly. He said nothing, only cut his eyes toward Han Feibao.
“I don’t mean that Minister Pei’s troops are useless,” Han Feibao said. “Only that they’re somewhat beneath mine.”
“Second — I’ve already received word that several months ago, agents from the Court of Justice infiltrated Kaoshanpass and obtained a great deal of intelligence on the garrison. Your men would do best to step aside from the defense.”
Pei Qi smiled. “I said it before — military matters are not my domain. Give the order.”
Han Feibao studied that smiling face and thought to himself: *You truly are a supple old fox.*
“Very well. I’ll trouble Minister Pei to pass the word — all Shu Zhou forces are to withdraw from Kaoshanpass. This ground goes to the forces I brought from Yong Zhou.”
“No problem at all. I’ll send word immediately.”
“Minister Pei — you should descend from the wall as well.”
“Oh? Hahaha, no problem, I’ll head down right now. Kaoshanpass is yours, General Han.”
Pei Qi laughed heartily and turned toward the Emperor. He intended to keep Yang Jing firmly in his own hands.
But he had barely taken a few steps when Han Feibao’s voice came from behind.
“His Majesty may remain here. My men will protect His Majesty — I daresay rather more devotedly than Minister Pei’s.”
Pei Qi turned back, brow furrowed.
Then, a moment later, he burst out laughing again. “Hahaha! No problem. As I said — you’re in charge here, entirely your call.”
He walked up to Yang Jing, bent slightly at the waist, and said, “Your Majesty, General Han requests that Your Majesty remain on the wall to oversee the troops. Your subject takes his leave.”
“Minister Pei.”
Yang Jing seized Pei Qi’s sleeve. “Is this not Minister Pei’s Shu Zhou? Is this not Minister Pei’s Kaoshanpass?”
“No, no, no — this is Your Majesty’s Shu Zhou, Your Majesty’s Kaoshanpass. Both the General and I are here to protect Your Majesty. Your Majesty need have no worries whatsoever.”
Pei Qi yanked his sleeve free and strode off down the wall.
At the base of the wall, the expressions on Pei Qi’s men were equally sour.
This Han Feibao was too domineering. He clearly believed that with so few troops available in Shu Zhou, Pei Qi had no choice but to rely on him to hold the province.
“My lord…”
Ning Haocun, the newly promoted Strategy Officer whom Pei Qi had just elevated, wore a dark expression. “This Han Feibao will be a serious problem sooner or later.”
Pei Qi smiled. “I’ve kept my patience — what do you have to complain about? He wants to defend the pass for us. What’s there to object to?”
With a wave of his hand: “Pull everyone back.”
“My lord, pull back to where?”
“Meicheng.”
“Since General Han dislikes being disturbed,” Pei Qi said, “let’s give him plenty of space.” He turned to one of his Shu Zhou commanders: “Yao Zhiyuan — take thirty thousand men to Hubipass.”
Yao Zhiyuan was one of Pei Qi’s finest generals, gifted both in strategy and in arms, long entrusted with the most critical assignments.
Hubipass lay roughly three hundred li behind Kaoshanpass — another vital stronghold. If Kaoshanpass fell, the Shu forces could still hold at Hubipass. And Hubipass was larger, with higher walls and far greater stores of provisions and supplies.
“My lord’s meaning is…”
Yao Zhiyuan lowered his voice. “If something goes wrong — we don’t let Han Feibao back through to Meicheng?”
Pei Qi said nothing. He only shrugged.
Yao Zhiyuan understood perfectly. That was exactly what his lord meant.
Between Kaoshanpass and Hubipass lay three hundred li of road, roughly a hundred and sixty or seventy li of which was relatively flat. After that, one had to pass through Xiushan.
Xiushan rose like an enormous steamed bun from the earth — not particularly treacherous, but positioned directly beside the main road. A defensive line set there would be as good as impassable for any army trying to push through.
This was why Pei Qi wanted Yao Zhiyuan to hold Hubipass — because Xiushan could be turned to advantage.
If Han Feibao were defeated, his only route of retreat led toward Hubipass. But when he arrived, he would find the Shu forces barring the gates.
With the Ning pursuit at his heels and no other road open, Han Feibao would have only one choice: concentrate whatever remained of his forces and make a stand at Xiushan.
The Ning army would then be forced to fight a pitched battle at Xiushan before they could reach Hubipass. It would be a brutal engagement — both sides would suffer heavily.
A mutual destruction scenario was exactly what Pei Qi wanted most.
Han Feibao’s arrogance had made him distasteful. A man like that need only be wrung of his final use before being discarded.
Pei Qi looked to Ning Haocun. “Go tell our people in Qingmian County to keep a dead watch on Kaoshanpass. The moment it looks like the pass can’t hold, burn the granaries.”
Ning Haocun bowed. “Your subject will send someone at once — no, your subject will go and arrange it personally.”
Pei Qi nodded with satisfaction.
If Kaoshanpass fell, the grain in Qingmian County could not be left for the Ning army. Nor for Han Feibao.
“I wonder what Han Feibao will do with Yang Jing.”
Ning Haocun smiled. “That Emperor will probably be made to suffer quite thoroughly.”
“Then it has nothing to do with us,” Pei Qi said.
“One more thing.”
Something had come to mind. He looked at Ning Haocun. “Once you reach Qingmian County, order the garrison there to send every stockpile of arrows up to Xiushan.”
Pei Qi smiled. “We ought to give General Han a hand.”
His men all laughed.
The grain must be burned. But the weapons must be delivered in full.
Pei Qi mounted his horse and rode away from Kaoshanpass with easy grace. He had shown just a touch of displeasure while on the wall — how could Han Feibao ever guess that all of this had unfolded exactly as Pei Qi foresaw?
That slight dissatisfaction had been performed deliberately for Han Feibao’s benefit.
Pei Qi knew Han Feibao’s character too well. He would inevitably seize command of Kaoshanpass. And Pei Qi had been only too happy to deploy Han Feibao’s Yong Zhou forces to grind down the Ning army’s strength — he had merely gone along with the current.
Behind him, the Shu Zhou forces streamed out of Kaoshanpass in great columns.
Every one of them left in fury — not performed, but genuine. Being driven away by Han Feibao was a humiliation for any soldier.
But that very anger and resentment only made Han Feibao all the more pleased with himself.
Atop the wall, Han Feibao walked up to Yang Jing.
“Your Majesty — take a guess. What arrangements will Pei Qi make as he departs?”
Yang Jing scrambled to answer. “General Han and Minister Pei are united as one, so he will surely devote his full strength to assisting the General in holding the pass…”
“Rubbish!”
Han Feibao gave a snort. “If I were him, the moment I saw Kaoshanpass couldn’t hold, I’d immediately have someone burn the grain stores in Qingmian County.”
“I’ve observed the terrain all the way here — every li of it. Unless I’m mistaken, Pei Qi will also have arrows and other war supplies sent ahead to Xiushan.”
“Then his people will hold Hubipass and refuse to let me back through. The Ning army will be at my heels with nowhere to retreat — my only option would be to make a final stand at Xiushan.”
“By then my army will have just lost a battle, morale collapsed, and the men will know they’ve been betrayed by Pei Qi. Naturally they’ll have no hope against the Ning army riding high on victory.”
Han Feibao smiled. “My men and I — hundreds of thousands of us — will all die at Xiushan. We’ll manage to bleed the Ning army of some portion of their strength. And since Your Majesty is here with me, Your Majesty would presumably die at Xiushan as well.”
Yang Jing’s face drained of color.
He hurriedly said, “Since General Han has already foreseen all of this — surely the General has a countermeasure prepared?”
Han Feibao grinned. “Take a guess.”
Yang Jing shook his head. “We… We couldn’t begin to guess. General Han employs troops with godlike skill — you must have something arranged already, yes?”
“Then keep guessing.”
Han Feibao said with a smile, “Pei Qi wants to use me. Did he think I’d let myself be used so easily? He wants to use the King of Ning’s hand to be rid of me — so I’ll pretend I’ve been used…”
He stretched both arms wide with a sigh of contentment.
“Your Majesty, you should be pleased. If you had stayed with Pei Qi, he would certainly have killed you. Stay with me, and I’ll only kill you a little later.”
Han Feibao laughed out loud.
He turned and walked away, leaving Yang Jing rooted to the spot like a stunned wooden figure.
As he went, Han Feibao raised a hand and beckoned. His subordinate general KuobieLie saw the gesture and came running.
Kuobieulie was not from the Central Plains — he was from the Western Regions, a man of ferocious courage whom Han Feibao had taken into his service.
“Send scouts to keep watch on Pei Qi’s men. The moment his forces enter Hubipass, you come back to me at once — then take your troops and seize Qingmian County.”
Han Feibao smiled. “Burning the grain — as if it were that simple.”
—