Being hauled from the dark lower hold, Wu Yanle couldn’t open his eyes against the piercing daylight, but he heard an all-too-familiar voice.
“Qiu Shuang, a great achievement—well done, well done.”
That voice, long ago, could always make him particularly happy. Refreshing as morning dew, full of spirit and energy, neither coquettish enough to give one goosebumps nor weak enough to randomly evoke sympathy. Mo Zi, oh Mo Zi—he was certain she had clearly seen his face, but how could she act as if nothing had happened, as though the captured person were merely a stranger?
He suddenly opened his eyes, enduring the stabbing light, and glared wide in the direction of the voice.
“Young Marquis, don’t force yourself. Fighting against sunlight—your eyes are the ones who lose.” Her voice was close at hand, its timbre unchanged, but something had vanished from her tone, cold and severe as deep winter.
Wu Yanle gritted his teeth and began breathing heavily. “Song Mo Zi, when did you become so despicable as to threaten people with an innocent child?”
“If my opponent is despicable, then I’m despicable.” Mo Zi laughed lightly. Facing this childhood companion who had grown up with her, she would no longer reminisce. “The Young Marquis is after all the Daqiu King’s blood brother—no matter what, you stand on his side.”
Gradually adapting to the light, Wu Yanle’s eyes outlined a woman wearing silver-white soft armor. Her eyes were dark as ink, her cheeks peach-pink, her lips bearing a faint indifferent smile. Her hair was tied high in a ponytail, secured with a dark red carved wooden hairpin clasping sapphire tortoiseshell, a short sword at her waist. He couldn’t help staring blankly—Mo Zi was three parts more beautiful than before.
Clenching his fists, he forced himself to face the reality of their enmity. “If you dare, kill me.”
“Daqiu people seem particularly fond of asking enemies to kill them.” A man’s voice suddenly interjected. Seeing Wu Yanle frown and stare at him, he stood beside Mo Zi. “I am Yuan Cheng. I’ve long admired the Young Marquis.”
“Yuan Cheng?” Wu Yanle naturally knew Yuan Cheng’s identity, but he had another doubt—why did he seem somewhat familiar?
“My appearance at Tianmei Garden was quite impolite. If the Young Marquis could erase this terrible memory, I would be most grateful.” Yuan Cheng resolved his doubt.
Wu Yanle’s gaze narrowed. “Right. That day it was you—”
He turned to look at Mo Zi. “Do you know he frequents brothels and jokes lewdly with prostitutes in public? How can such a man compare to my Imperial Brother? Imperial Brother was devoted to you, yet you turned to throw yourself into another man’s embrace. Song Mo Zi, I’m extremely disappointed in you.”
Mo Zi recalled fleeing Wu Yanle’s drunken nonsense in the Daqiu brothel and coincidentally encountering Yuan Cheng. She coughed twice. “Wu Yanqie and I severed ties long ago. Each of us seeking a good match is perfectly natural and right. Whether you’re disappointed in me or approve of me—I don’t care either way. You’re also someone who’s become an uncle. Aren’t you afraid of making your Imperial Sister-in-law sad and upset by speaking this way?”
Wu Yanle froze, then snorted briefly. “You can’t tolerate sharing one husband with others, yet you married a man who sleeps around as your husband—what’s the logic in that?”
“Has the Young Marquis forgotten what caused the incident that day?” Mo Zi didn’t want to discuss it further, but Yuan Cheng didn’t intend to let people wrongly label him as fickle. “The person I was flirting with was actually precisely the person the Young Marquis was seeking.”
Wu Yanle immediately reacted, staring directly at Mo Zi. “That day was really you?”
Mo Zi didn’t volunteer clarification but wouldn’t deny it either. “This problem of yours—becoming wild when drunk—is truly headache-inducing.”
Wu Yanle stood dazed for a long moment before dejectedly hanging his head. “So that’s how it was, that’s actually how it was. If I had caught you then and brought you back to Imperial Brother’s side, everything today would be different.”
“Don’t mention past matters again. Wu Yanle, we are now enemies. Don’t treat this statement as wind passing by your ears, or someday you’ll die at my hands.” As long as either side still dwelled on the past, victory and defeat became predetermined. “Wu Yanqie has already understood this point. I hope you wake up soon too. You’re different from your brother. I believe if we truly meet on the battlefield, we can also have an honorable decisive battle.”
“I’ve already fallen into your hands—what’s there to say about past or future?” Wu Yanle’s expression was somewhat wooden. “Dying at your hands is also fine. Daqiu owes you so much. I’ll just consider it repaying the debt for everyone.”
Hearing this, Ye’er couldn’t help being greatly alarmed. She said to Mo Zi, “Miss, you cannot disregard old friendship. I was wrong, Yue Xiang was wrong, the king was also wrong—only Yanle never did one thing to wrong you. If you must kill, kill me. I beg you to spare him.”
Mo Zi laughed once. “Innocent? My brother was also innocent, yet he died at Daqiu people’s hands. How many innocent people died in the war you started—you fundamentally never think about that, do you? However, you few won’t die. Wu Yanqie only has one blood brother. I believe he hasn’t reached the point of being that coldhearted.”
Wu Yanle’s eyes narrowed. “You want to use me to threaten my Imperial Brother? To do what?”
“Nothing much, just make one very small demand.” Mo Zi waved her hand at the soldiers, having them take the prisoners away. “We either don’t keep prisoners or we treat prisoners well. Rest assured, you and your brother will soon be reunited. Don’t distort my meaning—I mean reunited alive.”
Wind blew toward the opposite shore. Wu Yanqie was in the main camp discussing military matters with his generals when he heard someone urgently reporting outside the tent.
“My king, Song forces have sent a declaration of war!”
Declaration of war? Wu Yanqie didn’t understand the necessity, but sensing the opponent was up to tricks again, he hastily let them enter.
A patrol ship garrison commander entered, holding an arrow with a tube attached. “When we were patrolling the river, we encountered several Song warships. They said this is a declaration of war.”
Wu Yanqie pulled a scroll from the tube. After reading just one sentence, he flew into a rage. “Outrageous! They’ve actually captured Ale.”
The generals were greatly shocked and knelt one after another. “Your Majesty, please preserve your dragon body. Do not be angry.”
“General Duan Ge, read it aloud. I want to hear what conditions they’re proposing.” Wu Yanqie’s face was iron-blue.
Duan Geshou read it once. The meaning was actually quite simple. Wu Yanle was in Song hands. If they wanted him alive, Daqiu must accept Song demands. Three days hence when the sun rose, both armies would exchange positions at mid-river, each withdrawing to opposite shores, henceforth never interfering with each other. Specific details on how to form up, how to return hostages, and so on.
But even this simple letter, which wasn’t really a declaration of war, left Wu Yanqie completely confused.
“My king, this is a trap. We absolutely cannot go onto the river surface.” A veteran general said.
“Correct. They captured the Marquis, clearly harboring evil intentions, wanting to use this to lure the king into a trap and annihilate us all. My king, we cannot go.” Another great general opposed.
Voices of opposition came in endless succession.
“Duan Ge, what are your thoughts?” With Ale in Mo Zi’s hands, Wu Yanqie felt his brother’s life was temporarily safe. But why demand exchanging positions rather than other conditions? He had thoughts but wasn’t certain.
“I believe it could be a trap, or it could be forced by circumstances.” Duan Geshou analyzed thus: “They have over a hundred thousand men without provisions supply. Relying solely on plunder isn’t enough. This is point one. Point two, they’re after all fighting away from their homeland, unlikely to have reinforcements. Though well-equipped, their numbers are far fewer than ours. Point three, though warship numbers are comparable, if we truly transport troops across, we can use ordinary fishing boats and cargo ships. If we want all four hundred thousand men to cross the river, they fundamentally cannot handle it. The longer time drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for them, which is why they devised such exchange conditions.”
Wu Yanqie nodded. “You think similarly to me. They fear I’ll attack across in one sweep, which is why they’re holding Ale hostage, wanting to exchange positions. They also understand that with merely over a hundred thousand men, they cannot completely annihilate us. And in the capital, there’s still your father and others like him administering government—they’ll certainly mobilize cavalry from various tribes beyond the border. Sooner or later, they’ll be attacked from front and rear. This isn’t a declaration of war—it’s a peace negotiation letter.”
“My king, do we agree or not agree?” Duan Geshou asked.
Wu Yanqie pondered for a long while. “With Ale in their hands, even if I don’t want to agree, I must agree. But agreeing doesn’t mean having no initiative. One thing you said reminded me—even fishing boats and cargo ships, as long as they can carry people, can cross the river. If we fall into the water, four hundred thousand people surging forward can still capsize their ships from below. Pass the order—these next few days, eat well and eat your fill. Build up strength to fight our way home.”
Duan Geshou acknowledged.
The generals looked at each other, quite hesitant.
Wu Yanqie smiled. “Look at you all—usually each as fierce as bulls. We hold the advantage—are we still afraid of the opponent? No matter how formidable ships are, they’re just transport tools. Real warfare still depends on people. Once ship meets ship, it becomes hand-to-hand combat. I dare say our Daqiu warriors crush enemies like ants. Come, let’s discuss and devise a method—tomorrow we can both return home and dampen the opponent’s sharpness again.”
The generals thought about it—correct, they had three times the opponent’s forces. What was there to fear? Thus they rolled up their sleeves and gathered around the map to devise strategies.
That night, Wu Yanqie dispatched ships using the same method to send a message, agreeing to the mid-river exchange in three days.
Mo Zi also read Wu Yanqie’s reply. Looking at Yuan Cheng reading by lamplight, she asked, “Three days hence, what will happen?”
Yuan Cheng turned a page. “Perhaps the realm divided in three, perhaps Daqiu destroyed—one short-term stability, one long-term stability. We each do our utmost. What remains depends on heaven’s mandate.”
Mo Zi exhaled a long breath.
Three days later, before the sun rose, the water’s surface couldn’t calm its waves—one wave chasing another with loud commotion. Using mid-river as the boundary, the vast emptiness on both sides was suddenly broken. Row after row—two rows, three and four rows—ship formations proudly emerged. Iron points, high gunwales, great masts and giant sails, arrogantly facing the water. Arrows cold, hooks sharp, killing implements and attack techniques, mercilessly eyeing the enemy.
Wu Yanqie wore iron armor and a silver helmet, standing atop his command ship’s cabin tower. The great wind blew the wolf banner and eagle emblem beside him ramrod straight, as if mirroring his resolve—not wavering even when seeing that deeply loved, deeply hated figure.
The two armies stopped at a hundred zhang interval and advanced no further. Only each side’s vanguard ships continued to mid-river. From afar they seemed almost prow to prow, but actually still had over ten zhang between them.
Seeing Duan Geshou looking behind him, Ding Gou revealed a mocking expression. “What is General Duan Ge looking for? If it’s my staff officer, she was dragged onto the command ship by her husband. If you have words, I can relay them.”
Duan Geshou remained unmoved and withdrew his gaze. “I only want to know—during that night raid, exactly how many ships did you have? If I ask her, she’ll tell the truth. That’s all.”
Rumor had it that he fell for a trick that night, abandoning a golden opportunity to attack and fleeing with tail between legs.
“Not much fewer than General Duan Ge’s ships.” Ding Gou’s mockery deepened. “However, this matter needn’t be mentioned. I fear it would demoralize the general’s troops. Better focus—let’s first exchange positions, then talk.”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the crane banner and wolf banner drew a circle, each turning their backs to the enemy forces.