“Yes.” The trusted aide went down to relay the order, repeatedly emphasizing to Shen Guiwu and Yuwen Changqing, “You must send out troops. Don’t believe any other messages.”
Both Shen Guiwu and Yuwen Changqing solemnly agreed.
However, that very night, Wen Shoushan received news that the capital’s defending forces had dug trenches in both the northeastern and western directions, deploying heavy troops and eight-trigram formations overnight—they were thoroughly prepared.
“Advancing tomorrow, General Yuwen’s and General Shen’s sides have no defenses. Informing them to change formation now would probably be too late,” a military official said. “Better to delay first and attack after proper discussion.”
Wen Shoushan pressed his lips together, sighed, and nodded. “Then go notify them.”
“Yes.”
Delaying the march, Wen Shoushan gathered intelligence to review. The capital’s defending forces numbered only seventy to eighty thousand. With his three-pronged attack here, plus reinforcements in the rear, it shouldn’t be difficult to capture. As long as he installed Ming Yu on the throne and killed the Emperor before the various princes came to the Emperor’s aid, everything would be settled.
That was what he thought. But the next day, just as he was about to summon Yuwen Changqing and Shen Guiwu to discuss new attack routes, he heard that both sides had already attacked the capital.
“What’s going on?” National Uncle Wen roared in anger. “Didn’t I say to discuss it properly before attacking the city!”
His trusted aide stammered, “Yesterday the General said that both sides should not believe any messages about stopping the attack, so when someone went to report yesterday, the two generals didn’t listen.”
Wen Shoushan flew into a rage and immediately led his army toward the capital.
On the battlefield, blood flowed like rivers. People wearing different colored clothes would swing their blades at each other upon meeting. Some crawled on the ground with severed legs, only to have their heads chopped off by nearby enemy soldiers. Some took their last breath, looking one final time toward the imperial city.
No matter how brilliantly strategies were discussed on paper or how clever the military deployments, after any war when rainwater gathered into rivers, the red never dispersed.
The Southern Camp soldiers charged into battle. Even with prepared traps and deployments, countless still died. The capital’s main gates were tightly closed, but there was a small opening like a dog hole. From somewhere came a little girl who sat in the battlefield piled with corpses and wailed loudly.
Her crying shook heaven and earth. The capital’s defending soldiers all had bloodshot eyes, roaring and howling. Weapons clashed, iron horses trampled bones—their sorrow reached the heavens.
Sleep drunk on the battlefield, mock me not—since ancient times, how many return from war?
Gu Chaobei didn’t personally take the field today but stood on the city tower. He and Shen Guiwu and Yuwen Changqing had already discussed that this battle would sacrifice three thousand from the Southern Camp and cost ten thousand of their vanguard forces.
To those in high positions, those were merely numbers. But before their eyes was a hellish scene—countless people dying miserably under blades. Drums beat continuously, horns mourned tragically.
“The heroic souls of this capital will probably not dissipate for several years,” Shen Guiyan said, somehow having come up to the city tower. Standing beside the Emperor, she spoke quietly.
“What are you doing here?” The face that had been composed moments ago turned iron-blue upon seeing her. Gu Chaobei pulled her down in one motion, frowning. “This is no place for women. Weren’t you supposed to wait for me in the palace?”
Shen Guiyan wasn’t wearing palace dress but armor, with a basket protecting her belly. She didn’t intend to fight but had protected herself thoroughly before daring to come see him.
“Don’t be angry.” Shen Guiyan smiled. “This concubine came to deliver news. Over thirty officials fled the court overnight. This concubine and Prime Minister Gu have recorded their names and positions for Your Majesty to handle.”
Gu Chaobei gripped her shoulders, taking a deep breath. “From now on, let others relay such matters. When you come, I get distracted.”
Shen Guiyan fell silent, her eyes looking at him. After a long while, she gently nodded. “Alright.”
She didn’t plan to return to the palace. Even though her belly was already eight months along, she wanted to be where she could see him. That way, if something really happened, she could make it in time…
No one facing war had absolute confidence in victory. She was afraid.
The common people remaining in the capital were organized by the magistrate’s office. They wanted to arrange them but had nowhere to place them. Shen Guiyan said, “Clear out the prison, lay down straw—it can house some people. Also clear out the mansions of the fled officials to settle the common people.”
Both the prison and official residences were sturdily built. If enemy forces entered the city, people in these two types of places wouldn’t be slaughtered at will.
“Your Ladyship is compassionate.”
The remaining people were all old, weak, sick, and disabled. Military grain was already scarce. Since they were in the city and couldn’t leave, food was a major problem.
“Your Majesty, grain from nearby cities has already begun being transported here. Military provisions are secured, but the city’s common people…” Gu Chaonan, wearing full armor, stood at the Emperor’s side and frowned. “We may not be able to look after the common people.”
“That won’t do.” Gu Chaobei said seriously. “If the city’s common people riot, they’ll be more terrifying than the enemy forces outside.”
“But…” Gu Chaonan said helplessly, “There’s no surplus grain.”
Gu Chaobei fell silent.
The battle ended. When Wen Shoushan arrived, Yuwen Changqing had already withdrawn his wounded troops, and Shen Guiwu’s side had also suffered heavy losses.
Before he could assign blame, Yuwen Changqing spoke first, slightly angry. “Distance makes orders ineffective. With all three armies around the capital, relaying orders is only a four-hour matter. Why does the National Uncle constantly change orders morning and evening, wavering indecisively, causing our army heavy casualties?”
Shen Guiwu also showed slight anger. “To obey orders is wrong, to disobey is also wrong. How exactly should we subordinate generals treat the National Uncle’s words?”
Having been preempted, Wen Shoushan couldn’t blame them anymore. The enemy army was sabotaging in secret—it really couldn’t be blamed on anyone. These two were his most trusted, and they commanded heavy forces—he had to appease them.
So he said, “This time we were fooled by that green boy. It’s also because of some distance, which gave him an opportunity to exploit. After this battle, gather forces at the south gate. The great army will attack the capital’s main gate with united strength. This way, there will be no errors in military orders.”
“Combine forces?” Shen Guiwu frowned. “But this way, three sides of the capital are vulnerable. If there are reinforcements or grain supply reinforcements, what then?”
“There won’t be reinforcements.” Wen Shoushan said in a deep voice. “Our side has four to five hundred thousand troops. That imperial boy only has tens of thousands. Anyone with eyes can see the situation clearly—no one will help him against me.”
National Uncle Wen had traversed battlefields for many years. Now in his old age, he inevitably became somewhat stubborn and looked down on Gu Chaobei.
Shen Guiwu didn’t persuade him. Yuwen Changqing also said nothing. Reorganizing and restructuring the two forces would take another month.
War consumed the most time and manpower, but Wen Shoushan felt he could afford it. The states and counties he passed through, he took all as his own, making them provide grain for military provisions. Once the army finished reorganizing, over two hundred thousand troops would be unstoppable—how could they fear not capturing the capital?
The temporary ceasefire brought a moment of tranquility to the capital. Military grain was all prepared—the soldiers wouldn’t go hungry. But civilian grain had no source. Young people with strength could still leave the capital to find food elsewhere, but the elderly could only sit and wait for death.
“Your Ladyship?” Baoshan supported Shen Guiyan, almost dying of anxiety. “Your belly is so big it frightens this servant. Please don’t go out walking anymore?”
“I don’t trust others. I must go see for myself.” Shen Guiyan mounted the phoenix carriage and headed straight out of the palace to the granary in the north of the city.
The grain she had stored before National Uncle Wen’s rebellion was now useful. Tens of thousands of bushels of grain were enough to feed the capital’s remaining elderly for a year.
Opening the granary to distribute grain without charging a penny, the originally lifeless capital seemed to regain vitality. The common people could all receive porridge to drink. Shen Guiyan even summoned students from the academy to care for the elderly while helping Gu Chaobei set up defenses throughout the capital’s streets and alleys.
The capital couldn’t be defended for long, but it had to be defended.
“Majestic heaven, take pity on our nation. The people suffer terribly—what fault have the dead?” A scholar said sadly and angrily, “Even if we let them attack into the capital, such heartless and unjust people cannot sit on the throne!”
Shen Guiyan listened, sighed, and leaned against the carriage, settling the common people everywhere. With grain in the capital, some common people who had fled actually returned. The states and counties around the capital all lacked grain, but the current Noble Consort was distributing grain for free!
“Your Majesty, this minister believes that distributing grain in the capital is rather wasteful,” Prime Minister Gu said with cupped hands. “Better to add it to military provisions to make our soldiers fight better.”
Gu Chaobei touched a blue sachet at his waist and laughed lightly. “Prime Minister, that’s grain Noble Consort Yan bought herself. Let her handle it herself. If I forcibly took it, wouldn’t that be too domineering?”
“But…” Prime Minister Gu looked at the expression in Gu Chaobei’s eyes, sighed lightly, and finally said nothing more.
A month later, Shen Guiyan finally couldn’t move anymore because her belly was so big she was about to give birth. Lying in Yonghe Palace, all she heard was the earth-shaking sound of horns outside.
“Your Ladyship…” For some reason, Baoshan’s tears seemed especially abundant today, her voice trembling. “This servant heard today that three hundred thousand troops are pressing on the capital. This place of ours probably can’t be defended.”
Her belly ached slightly. Shen Guiyan took a deep breath and gripped Baoshan’s hand. “It’s alright. If we can’t defend it, wherever His Majesty goes, we’ll go. Even if it’s the Yellow Springs.”
It was just… pitiful for the child in her belly.
Three hundred thousand troops were unstoppable, their numbers overwhelming—so many they couldn’t all be killed. Wen Shoushan used an ingenious stratagem, having people disguise themselves as common people to infiltrate the capital. While the great army attacked the city, they opened the city gates.
This was completely unexpected. In the original plan, if today’s battle couldn’t be withstood, Gu Chaobei would lead people to retreat first to Li Province. Li Province had Prince Gong, who had already sent a letter willing to help. Even if they yielded the capital first, as long as there were green mountains remaining, there was no fear of lacking firewood.
But Wen Shoushan attacked too quickly. Even though Yuwen Changqing had a last-minute change of heart, he only had time to lead eighty thousand men to protect the Emperor and flee the capital.
“Wait, Yan’er…” Gu Chaobei frowned and wanted to turn back. Yuwen Changqing stopped him.
“If Noble Consort leaves, she may not necessarily come to harm. But if Your Majesty stays, then all is lost. There’s no extra time.”