The First Jasmine - Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Night Raid
Returning to Yonglin City, Xia Shu was indeed already busy running around with several Black Cloud Cavalry commanders to reinforce the city's defenses. Yun Ting had been itching with impatience for a long time; as soon as they returned to the city and gave a brief report to Ye Li, completely forgetting to greet her as the Princess of Regent King, he ran off to join the busywork. Murong Ting had no interest in Ye Li sitting in the study looking at piles of files and maps, so she rolled her eyes and ran off to find some young, strong youths and nimble-fingered women in the city. She prepared to organize them so that while they wouldn't be able to go onto the battlefield when fighting broke out, helping to take care of the wounded and handle logistics would be no problem at all. Ye Li highly approved of her idea, and Murong Ting—who had been kept under strict restraint by Murong Shen for far too long—was even more overjoyed, leaving with a beaming smile.
Sitting in the study that had been specially cleared out for her, Ye Li frowned deeply as she looked at the map unfurled before her eyes. She was clearly no genius, at least not when it came to commanding large-scale operations. As a former special forces soldier in her previous life, she was much better at localized small-team combat and striking the enemy's vital points. Yet now, without the advantage of favorable weather, let alone favorable terrain, she was facing a siege of over a hundred thousand troops. Forget turning defeat into victory; she would count her blessings if she could successfully hold out until reinforcements arrived. Furthermore, the Broken Snow Pass—which had never been breached by foreign tribes in hundreds of years—had clearly given Yonglin City a false sense of extreme security. Consequently, the defensive capabilities of Yonglin City's walls were utterly inadequate, let alone its internal defenses. Who would have ever thought that the garrison soldiers guarding the Broken Snow Pass would one day need to face an attack originating from within Great Chu territory?
"Greetings, Princess." Xia Shu, Yun Ting, and the others arrived together, standing at the doorway and bowing to Ye Li. Without even lifting her head, Ye Li beckoned to them and said, "Come in. How is everything going?" Yun Ting, with his most forthright personality, smiled and said, "Thanks to the help of the Black Cloud Cavalry brothers, we've managed to reinforce the city defenses a bit more." The accompanying Black Cloud Cavalry commander shook his head and said, "The foundation of Yonglin City itself is too weak. Even with our additional reinforcement, I'm afraid it still won't hold out for very long." Yesterday's assault could only be considered a probing attack; once the next offensive began, it probably wouldn't be so easy to call it to a halt.
Ye Li raised her head, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as she said, "The rebel forces probably won't attack over the next two days, but we still cannot let our guard down. All of you must be extra careful." Yesterday, they had set up a false display to trick Mo Jingli, and until Mo Jingli figured out exactly how many men they had, he shouldn't easily launch an attack. However, deceptive tricks couldn't last forever; once Mo Jingli discovered the truth, an even fiercer offensive would await them. "Yun Ting, Xia Shu, you are both familiar with the surrounding area. Come take a look at this map." Curious, Yun Ting and Xia Shu stepped forward. Unfurled on the desk in front of Ye Li was a large-scale map. At the top, a line of elegant handwriting read: Topographical Map of Yonglin. Yun Ting and Xia Shu quickly realized that this map encompassed not just Yonglin City, but the topography and landforms of almost every location within a radius of nearly a hundred miles around Yonglin Prefecture. It even included the Broken Snow Pass and localized regions of Southern Zhao. Most importantly, this map was clearly freshly drawn. Puzzled, Yun Ting asked, "Does the Princess need a map? We still have a few copies stored here, and Broken Snow Pass also has the complete map of Yongzhou."
Ye Li shook her head. Neither she nor the Black Cloud Cavalry were familiar with Yongzhou. In warfare, unfamiliarity with the terrain was clearly a major taboo. Therefore, while she was still in Southern Zhao, she had already sent word instructing the Black Cloud Cavalry to gather topographical data around Yonglin, drawing them out only last night by referencing the original maps. However, because she had not personally inspected most of the regions herself, this map carried a degree of uncertainty, which was why she wanted Yun Ting and Xia Shu—who were familiar with the local area—to take a look.
Xia Shu stared earnestly at the drawing for a long time, a fanatical light flashing in his eyes as he softly praised, "Did the Princess draw this personally?" Massaging her brow, Ye Li said, "Although I trust the Black Cloud Cavalry soldiers, I wasn't able to conduct an on-site inspection after all. Take a look and see if there's anything incorrect with this map." After inspecting it for a long time, Xia Shu pointed to a spot on the map marked with a river and said, "Here... if this riverbed were shifted a bit closer to this mountain, it would probably be fine." Picking up her brush again, Ye Li asked, "What is the distance between this river and this mountain?" Lowering his head to calculate mentally, Xia Shu replied, "About three miles or so." Ye Li raised her eyebrows; the discrepancy was indeed a bit far. In cartography, an error of a hair's breadth could lead to a loss of a thousand miles. Picking up her brush, she began revising the drawing with brisk strokes. Watching this, Xia Shu was filled with admiration and felt an involuntary, heartfelt respect for the Princess of Regent King before him. Setting aside everything else, even someone who had personally walked every single path might not be able to draw a map like this, let alone the Princess of Regent King, who had merely heard descriptions from others and yet managed to depict it almost flawlessly. Compared to the maps they currently possessed, this map was at least ten times clearer and more detailed. What did warfare rely on? Aside from military strategy and tactics, wasn't it favorable weather and advantageous terrain? Yet not every military commander had the opportunity to scout out the impending battlefield. With this map alone, a radius of a hundred miles around Yonglin could essentially be said to be clear at a glance.
"Princess, are we just going to sit here and wait for the rebel army to attack the city?" Yun Ting asked somewhat impatiently.
With a faint smile, Ye Li asked, "What were your original plans?"
Yun Ting looked somewhat embarrassed. Originally, their only option really was to wait for the rebel army to attack. It wasn't that they wanted to do it this way, but they had no other choice constrained as they were by troop numbers. But didn't they now have two thousand Black Cloud Cavalry? The Black Cloud Cavalry excelled not at defending cities, but at attacking, didn't they? Of course, he himself didn't like defending cities either.
"The area around Yonglin is full of mountains and forests, which severely limits the cavalry's capabilities and leaves them no room to maneuver," Xia Shu frowned, seeing the dense mountains and forests on the map and feeling annoyed for the first time in his life. If it were flat plains, the Black Cloud Cavalry could do far more than just this. However, he also knew that if it truly were a flat plain and the rebel army's hundred-plus-thousand troops all pressed down upon the city walls, it would be even harder to survive.
The Black Cloud Cavalry commander sneered, "Even though the Black Cloud Cavalry are called cavalry, what they excel at is not just horsemanship and archery." Cavalry was primarily meant for dealing with Northern Rong, but Great Chu's horses simply couldn't compare to those of Northern Rong. Although the Black Cloud Cavalry were all elite, going head-to-head in a direct clash with the iron cavalry of Northern Rong was an absolute recipe for mutual destruction where neither side benefited. Glancing at the arrogant-looking Black Cloud Cavalry commander and the silent Shadow Two and Shadow Three standing to the side, Xia Shu hesitated and said, "Can we launch a preemptive strike to disrupt their plans?"
Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."
Picking up the charcoal pencil on the desk, Xia Shu began making marks on the map as he said, "The rebel army is currently camping twenty miles outside Yonglin. If we launch a cavalry raid, we should be able to catch them off guard."
Shadow Two said, "Cavalry makes too much movement. If we're talking about speed, we'll likely be discovered before we even get close to their camp. Besides... raiding an encampment of over a hundred thousand troops with two thousand men?" Once truly plunged into a sea of thousands of troops, the Black Cloud Cavalry might not be able to withdraw unscathed. Shaking his head, Xia Shu replied, "We don't need to raid their main camp. Yonglin's terrain dictates that they absolutely cannot and will not station all their troops in one place. If the rebel camp is here, then here, and here as well, they will definitely station a portion of their forces to form horns of support and protect the main camp. The garrisoned troops in these two locations shouldn't exceed ten thousand each. Perhaps... we could create some chaos?"
"Qin Feng?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked the Black Cloud Cavalry commander.
Frowning, Qin Feng said, "If that really is the case, and we cut off the roads leading from the left flank to the main camp in advance, it is entirely possible to completely annihilate this detachment of troops. Even if we can't, this mountain trail isn't very wide, so the enemy's reinforcements won't arrive too quickly, giving us time to retreat completely unscathed. Only, if we do that, the enemy might suspect that the main force of the Black Cloud Cavalry isn't in Yongzhou at all." Blinking, Ye Li smiled and asked, "What if we completely annihilate both the left and right flanks?"
Everyone in the study cast their gazes onto Ye Li. Annihilating one flank of troops was already extremely difficult; how could they possibly annihilate both flanks simultaneously?
"Shadow Two, Shadow Three, gather all intelligence on Mo Jingli's army as quickly as possible," Ye Li ordered.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Shadow Two and Shadow Three turned and left the study.
For two consecutive days, unable to obtain any intelligence on the Black Cloud Cavalry, Mo Jingli had no choice but to bide his time and remain motionless. Every time he looked from afar at the relatively sparse Black Cloud Cavalry atop Yonglin City's walls, Mo Jingli always suspected that there weren't actually many Black Cloud Cavalry personnel in Yongzhou, and that Mo Xiuyao wasn't in Yongzhou at all. Yet just as he resolved to launch an attack, he felt that this was very likely a scheme by Mo Xiuyao to lure him into a trap. Mo Xiuyao had always been resourceful, leaving him no choice but to take precautions. Therefore, even though people from Southern Zhao had long since come to urge him to attack, he still had no choice but to remain deadlocked with his hundred-plus-thousand troops in front of this small Yonglin City.
"Your Highness, Southern Zhao has already urged us multiple times. Are we going to attack Yonglin tomorrow?" Inside the large tent, a middle-aged man with the appearance of a military strategist asked.
Frowning, Mo Jingli said, "What's the rush? If they're in such a hurry, why don't they break through the Broken Snow Pass themselves and see? After fighting for so many days, they haven't even scratched a hair of Murong Shen!" Smiling bitterly and shaking his head, the military strategist replied, "The walls of the Broken Snow Pass are formidable and have been difficult to breach since ancient times. It's only natural that they haven't been able to take it after attacking for so long." Hesitating somewhat, Mo Jingli furrowed his dark eyebrows, looked at the strategist, and asked, "Allowing the people of Southern Zhao to pass through the pass... is it really useful?" Startled for a moment, the military strategist looked at him in incomprehension and asked, "What does Your Highness mean?" With a light snort, Mo Jingli said, "Sweeping across Yongzhou didn't cost the Southern Zhao people an ounce of effort. Once the Broken Snow Pass lets the people of Southern Zhao in, I'm afraid... it'll be easier to invite a deity than to send one away." Although the people of Southern Zhao were currently cooperating with him, he naturally knew that they weren't all that honest. Once the myth of the Broken Snow Pass remaining unbroken for a hundred years was shattered, he feared these people would only challenge the Broken Snow Pass and violate Great Chu's territory even more diligently.
"Your Highness, once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back," the strategist advised. "Once we break our promise, Southern Zhao will likely withdraw their troops immediately. By then, Murong Shen will turn around to deal with us. Once the imperial court's reinforcements arrive... the consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, Your Highness would do best to achieve a swift victory." Nodding, Mo Jingli acknowledged the truth in this logic; how could he not understand it? "Tell me... why did the Black Cloud Cavalry arrive so quickly?"
Looking somewhat troubled, the strategist said, "The Prince of Ding has always been farsighted and deeply calculating. For the past two days, we haven't been able to trace the whereabouts of this detachment of Black Cloud Cavalry beforehand. I'm afraid it's a dark move planted here by the Prince of Ding long ago." Thinking of this, the strategist couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. If not for this branch of the Black Cloud Cavalry, Yonglin City would have been within their grasp by now, and perhaps even the Broken Snow Pass would have been breached.
"Are you saying Mo Xiuyao anticipated long ago that war would break out in Southern Zhao?" Mo Jingli asked with an unsightly expression.
How dare the strategist admit to that? He could only say, "Perhaps it was just left behind by the Prince of Ding to guard against Southern Zhao. After all, the Prince of Ding fought fiercely in Southern Zhao back then." If the imperial family hadn't worried that the young general of the Prince of Ding's Estate at the time was too prominent in fame and too high in military merit, and thus forcibly ordered him to withdraw his troops, Southern Zhao probably wouldn't even exist anymore. Needless to say, Southern Zhao's hatred for the Prince of Ding was absolute, and the Prince of Ding likely regarded the now-resurgent Southern Zhao as a thorn in his side. Scoffing dismissively, Mo Jingli said, "Mo Xiuyao boasts of being a military genius, yet he failed to pacify Southern Zhao even after fighting for a year. I swept across Yongzhou in a mere half-month. In another half year at most, pacifying the entire region south of the Yunlan River will be just around the corner!"
"Your Highness is brilliant," the strategist smiled, while imperceptibly wiping away his sweat. Being able to go this smoothly this time was definitely due to Heaven helping them. Ever since Murong Shen garrisoned the Broken Snow Pass, the Emperor had used various methods to reduce Yongzhou's military forces, and the Prefect of Yongzhou spare no effort in creating trouble for Murong Shen. That was why Yongzhou's defenses ended up so hollowed out. And this time, they had launched a sudden, unexpected strike, which made their journey smooth sailing all the way. Moving forward, once the imperial court reacted, things likely wouldn't go quite as smoothly. However, what His Highness said was right: as long as Murong Shen at the Broken Snow Pass was wiped out, the lands south of the Yunlan River would truly fall into their grasp.
"Reporting to Your Highness! The Western Army is under attack!" a soldier outside the tent anxiously reported in a loud voice. Startled, Mo Jingli abruptly stood up, walked out of the tent, and looked into the distance. Sure enough, he saw a sky full of blazing fires to the west. "Damn it! How could Yonglin City possibly still spare the forces to launch a raid?" Following him out, the strategist looked at the situation in the west, stunned for a moment, before hurriedly reminding him, "Your Highness..." In a cold voice, Mo Jingli commanded, "Send reinforcements over there!"
"Your Highness, look over there!" exclaimed the generals who had hurried over. Simultaneously, blazing fires had also lit up in the eastern encampment. Stunned, one person cried out, "The Eastern Camp is under attack too!"
A flash crossed the strategist's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness! Yonglin City simply doesn't have many troops. If they intended to attack both the eastern and western flanks simultaneously, the city must be empty. If we seize this opportunity to attack the city now..." Turning back abruptly, Mo Jingli stared hard at him. "Do you think those two punks in Yonglin City have the guts to empty Yonglin to launch a night raid?" He wasn't entirely unfamiliar with Yun Ting and Xia Shu, though they weren't close either; they were reportedly the youngest two captains under Murong Shen's command. Two captains in their early twenties—even given ten times their courage, they wouldn't dare leave Yonglin unattended to take such a desperate risk. Furthermore, anyone with a brain knew that even a successful night raid could never drive away an army of over a hundred thousand; instead, it would only waste Yonglin City's defending forces.
"What does Your Highness mean...?" the strategist frowned and asked.
"Send scouts to investigate! General Zhang, General Li, reinforce the eastern and western camps!"
"Understood, Your Highness!"
On a mountain peak not far from the Prince of Li's encampment, Ye Li looked down with satisfaction at the fires illuminating the mountain below and the sounds of fierce combat echoing through the air. Xia Shu, Shadow Two, and Shadow Three stayed close by Ye Li's side, watching the scene unfold below. "The reinforcements have arrived!" Xia Shu pointed toward a mass of troops moving rapidly along the road at the base of the mountain toward the Western Camp. Lowering her gaze with a faint smile, Ye Li said, "The Western Camp is almost finished, isn't it? Have our men lead them around in a few circles." Smiling, Xia Shu said, "Of course. When it comes to terrain, locals like us who have garrisoned here for years are much more familiar with it. The Eastern Flank looks like it's about to collapse." Ye Li replied, "Leave the people over there to resolve things themselves. Have the shadow guards ready; I don't want Mo Jingli to be able to spare any more men to reinforce them." Overeating would lead to choking to death, after all. With a smile, Shadow Three said, "Don't worry, Princess! The shadow guards might be useless at formal warfare, but causing trouble is definitely their specialty!"
"The rebel army would never imagine that their own men would attack them from behind." Ambushed in the pitch black of night, they could just go ahead and tear into each other like dogs fighting. Thankfully, the Prince of Li hadn't had the time to change their insignia yet; the rebel army's weapons and even their uniforms were virtually identical to Yonglin's garrison troops. As for whether anyone could spot the insignia of the Prince of Li's fiefdom in that pitch-black valley, they would just have to leave it to fate.
Nodding in satisfaction, Ye Li said, "Let's go, let's head over and take a look." The four of them mounted the fine steeds parked not far away, galloping silently through the dark night toward another mountain peak. It was foreseeable that an even more breathtaking battle would take place there.
This was a night no one could escape; the fighting did not gradually cease until dawn began to break. The outcome made Mo Jingli's already gloomy expression even darker than ink. Between the eastern and western flanks and the dispatched reinforcements, nearly thirty thousand men had suffered casualties as high as seventy to eighty percent. Yet the number of corpses left behind by the enemy didn't even reach three thousand. As for the valley behind the Eastern Camp, it was almost entirely composed of his own men. If he still couldn't figure out what had happened, he would be a complete idiot! Losing over twenty thousand troops in a single night, with the main commanders of both the eastern and western camps as well as the two generals sent as reinforcements all killed in action—this was a stunning blow to the previously soaring morale of the Prince of Li's army. Unknowingly, a rumor had quietly begun to spread among the Prince of Li's troops: that the Prince of Ding and his Black Cloud Cavalry were right inside Yonglin City. Nearly all the soldiers couldn't help but fall into panic. In the hearts of every single person who served as a soldier, the Prince of Ding's Estate and the Black Cloud Cavalry undoubtedly held an eternally unshakable deterrent power.
Meanwhile, Yonglin City was a scene of festive jubilation. This major victory had Yun Ting practically walking on air.
"Don't celebrate too early. Once Mo Jingli figures out the truth, I'm afraid no one will be able to stop his army then," Ye Li said helplessly. Excitedly, Yun Ting said, "Should we launch a few more surprise raids?" Glancing at him dismissively, Xia Shu retorted, "Do you think the Prince of Li's subordinates are idiots who'll let you succeed a second time after being ambushed once? They're probably waiting right now for you to walk right into a trap." Nodding, Ye Li said, "Xia Shu is right. This time we truly took a desperate risk with an unorthodox strategy. If Mo Jingli had reacted in time and made a direct assault on Yonglin, then even if we managed to kill another two or three thousand rebels, it wouldn't have helped." Gradually calming down from his excitement, Yun Ting began anxiously biting his fingernails and asked, "Then what should we do? When on earth are those damned imperial court reinforcements going to arrive?"
"Princess," Shadow Three entered holding a letter. Nodding, Ye Li said to the two men, "You two go ahead and take care of your duties first."
Bowing respectfully, Yun Ting and Xia Shu withdrew. Ye Li took the envelope from Shadow Three's hands, opened it, and was initially delighted before her expression quickly darkened again. Watching the changes in Ye Li's expression with some bewilderment, Shadow Three wondered what was written in the letter to make the usually composed Princess act so uncharacteristically. After a long while, she finally saw Ye Li slam the letter down onto the table and say, "Pass down the order: starting today, the entire army is to be on high alert!"
"Princess, what happened?"
Ye Li said, "Mo Jingli is very likely to launch a forceful assault on Yonglin within these next two days."
Uncomprehending, Shadow Three noted that according to their projections, the rebel army shouldn't make any moves for the next few days. Glancing at the letter on the table, Ye Li said, "The reinforcements will reach the Yunlan River within three days, and it won't be long before Mo Jingli gets this news too. If he doesn't launch a fierce assault on Yonglin at this time, he'll have even less of a chance once the reinforcements arrive." Nodding, Shadow Three said, "So... as long as we hold out through these three days..."
"I'm just afraid these three days won't be so easy to get through."
Within the Prince of Li's main army, Mo Jingli stared at the newly arrived secret letter in his hand as if he could burn a hole through it with his gaze. After a long moment, he angrily said, "Good... what a fine Black Cloud Cavalry. I'd like to see just which expert is inside Yonglin City!" The secret letter stated clearly that Mo Xiuyao had still entered the palace to see Mo Jingqi ten days ago; even if he had left the capital at that time, it was utterly impossible for him to have rushed to Yongzhou in such a short period of time. Therefore, the ones blocking his path over the past few days were definitely not that cripple Mo Xiuyao. And as for the Black Cloud Cavalry... aside from those two thousand Black Cloud Cavalry in Yonglin City, they had searched almost the entirety of Yongzhou and hadn't seen hide nor hair of another Black Cloud Cavalry soldier.
"Your Highness, now..." the strategist's expression was grave. "The reinforcements are coming fast; they will cross the Yunlan River in three days at most. I ask Your Highness to make a decision early." They could either withdraw their troops to attack eastward, or continue westward to breach the Broken Snow Pass and rendezvous with the Southern Zhao army.
"At all costs, attack the city!"
The battle broke out once more, and this time the offensive was even more intense than a few days prior. Sparing no expense, Mo Jingli dispatched his most elite troops to launch a frenzied assault on the city. Although the defensive capabilities of Yonglin City had been further enhanced with the assistance of the Black Cloud Cavalry, this kind of continuous, frenzied offensive still left the defending soldiers exhausted and suffering heavy casualties. Lasting the entire day, the rebel forces only gradually retreated when night fell, yet they still maintained their standoff with Yonglin City from less than five miles away. By the end of this day, nearly half of the Yonglin garrison troops had been killed or wounded. Even at night, they couldn't rest peacefully and had to guard against the rebel army launching a nocturnal surprise raid. Frowning as she looked at the situation before her, Ye Li waved her hand and ordered the Black Cloud Cavalry to garrison the city walls for the night, allowing the defending soldiers to get a moment of rest.
"A-Li, will we be able to hold Yonglin City?" In the dead of night, Murong Ting stood atop the city wall, gazing out into the distance. The rebel army's encampment in the distance was a dense expanse of black that inevitably made one's mood heavy. Turning her head to look at her, Ye Li smiled faintly and asked, "What, are you scared?" Pouting, Murong Ting unhappily said, "Who's scared? It's just... I've never seen so many dead people before. In the past, Dad always said I was childish, and now I realize I really am very childish. I always thought that because I spent a few years with Dad on the frontier, I understood more than others. In truth, I've never seen a battlefield at all." Softly, Ye Li comforted her, "You've done very well." Murong Ting had also been busy without stop all day, bringing the city's doctors and strong laborers to help the military doctors treat wounded soldiers, and assisting in transporting food, arrows, and other supplies. She had lost a whole circle of weight from exhaustion. "General Murong will definitely be proud of you."
Smiling somewhat sheepishly, Murong Ting said, "I haven't really done anything. A-Li is the most amazing one. If A-Li were my dad's daughter, my dad would probably be so happy he'd smile even in his dreams."
Ye Li chuckled softly and said, "Otherwise, why don't we ask General Murong later if he's willing to let me trade places with you?"
"No way, Dad loves me the most."
Chuckling softly, Ye Li murmured, "Don't worry, we'll all be fine."
Startled for a moment, Murong Ting sighed and said, "I'm not afraid. If the rebel army really breaks in, this young lady will kill one if they come, and slaughter a pair if two come!" Watching Murong Ting's feigned bravado, Ye Li couldn't help but chuckle out loud. Sighing, she raised her head to look at the crescent moon on the horizon, a wisp of worry gradually staining her delicate features.
In a corner of the city wall, Xia Shu and Yun Ting stood side by side, their gazes both falling upon that slender figure in the distance. Ye Li was dressed in moon-white men's attire, her mass of dark hair unbound by any hairpin and instead casually gathered with a moon-white silk ribbon. Under the moonlight, her crystal-clear face was dusted with a faint layer of silver light, giving her an air of pure melancholy. The tranquil yet serene, orchid-like grace she exuded caused even the fiery-red-clad young woman beside her to be somewhat eclipsed.
"If I survive this time, I must join the Black Cloud Cavalry!" Yun Ting said resolutely. Joining the Black Cloud Cavalry had always been his wish, but now he was simply more determined than ever.
"If we really can't hold the line tomorrow, you escort the Princess away first. Head north across the river; once you cross the Yunlan River, you should be able to encounter reinforcements very soon," Xia Shu said indifferently.
Glaring at him, Yun Ting snapped, "Am I the kind of person who flees from battle?"
Casting an indifferent glance at him, Xia Shu said, "Don't you know what kind of relationship the Princess and the Prince of Li have? If she falls into the Prince of Li's hands, what do you think her fate will be?" Startled, Yun Ting couldn't help but glance toward the distant woman standing against the wind, scratching his head in annoyance. "I don't have the ability to escort the Princess away. You should go instead; you're better at persuading people. The Princess doesn't look like the type who would abandon Yonglin City and run away by herself. Come to think of it, I've really never seen a princess like this before."
Xia Shu nodded in agreement. Although they hadn't spent many days together, this Princess of Ding who was even younger than them completely overturned their understanding of the title of "Princess." Outwardly delicate, her inner resolve was stronger than a man's. Then there was her astonishing intellect, a commander's sharp decisiveness, and martial prowess more formidable than many others. Often, Xia Shu felt that this woman wasn't a pampered princess, but a veteran soldier who had been through hundreds of battles.
"Do you think if we both survive, and I beg the Princess to take me into the Black Cloud Cavalry, she'll agree?" Putting aside problems that couldn't be resolved was Yun Ting's usual habit; tilting his head, he began to daydream about a bright future.
Thinking it over for a moment, Xia Shu gave a faint smile and said, "You can always go ask the Princess of Ding if the Black Cloud Cavalry is still taking recruits."
With his eyes lighting up, Yun Ting looked eagerly toward the moon-white figure nearby chatting with Murong Ting, itching to try. Shaking his head helplessly, Xia Shu turned and walked down the city wall, saying over his shoulder, "Go back and rest. Don't forget we have another fierce battle tomorrow."
Nodding absentmindedly, Yun Ting was still hesitating over whether he should go ask the Princess of Ding after all—after all, not everyone got the chance to cross paths with the master of the Black Cloud Cavalry. Glancing back at that gentle figure under the moonlight, Yun Ting turned and walked down the city wall. If he could survive tomorrow, he would beg the Princess of Ding to take him into the Black Cloud Cavalry even if it killed him!