Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 165
Chapter 165
Prime Minister Liu and his two hundred thousand soldiers fought to the death at the He-Long frontier. Tongguan Pass was breached, and then, besieged by enemy forces from both inside and outside the pass, all twenty thousand soldiers were martyred for their country.
In mid-February, Liangzhou was wiped out. The Southern Barbarians, their morale soaring, swung their forces southward. In less than three days, the iron hooves of the Southern Barbarians trampled onto the Xianyang Bridge. With the vast, flat plains ahead, the fall of the capital, Chang'an, seemed only a matter of days.
The news was delivered to Chang'an without delay. The ministers had no time to grieve for the passing of their Prime Minister before they were turned pale with fright by the arrival of the Southern Barbarian army. Since the founding of Great Wei centuries ago, they had never allowed invaders to breach the capital of Chang'an. For a time, the ministers gathered to seek an audience with the Emperor to discuss countermeasures.
They hoped the Emperor would assemble the one hundred thousand elite troops guarding Chang'an and issue a decree for the various provinces across the realm to mobilize for the defense of the kingdom. They argued for the elite troops to hold the city while waiting for the Jiedushi (regional commanders) of the various provinces to arrive with reinforcements.
This strategy was proposed by Prime Minister Zhang, who had served alongside the late Prime Minister Liu.
The Emperor, however, scolded them during the court session: "The two hundred thousand elite troops in Longyou, who have fought the barbarians and foreign nations for years, could not stop the enemy. The one hundred thousand in Chang'an certainly cannot stop them! What is your intention in proposing this policy of national destruction?!"
Prime Minister Zhang stared blankly at the Emperor, his face instantly turning ash-gray. He bowed his sleeves, wanting to say more, wanting to question why the Hexi front had collapsed so rapidly.
Had Prime Minister Liu not told the Emperor that it was not the right time to engage? Was it not the Emperor who urged them to fight day and night, suspicious that Prime Minister Liu was clinging to life and refusing to attack? Was it not Liu Wenji who whispered slanders, leading the Emperor to distrust the Hexi army?
Prime Minister Zhang did not believe that Hexi could have fallen so quickly.
Perhaps there were spies, perhaps someone in this very court was colluding with the Southern Barbarians and passing along intelligence...
But facing the Emperor, who was as agitated as an ant on a hot pan, Prime Minister Zhang no longer had the strength to speak these words. He could say them, but these were not what the Emperor wanted to hear.
The Emperor saw the indifference of the officials, with no one daring to speak. He slammed his imperial desk, shaking with rage: "The enemy is about to attack Chang'an, and you are all here playing at being Bodhisattvas and Buddhas! You all pride yourselves on being century-old aristocratic families, having read ten thousand books, rising from humble beginnings to possess high and noble character... Why is it that when it comes to this moment, not a single person has a plan?"
Prime Minister Zhang felt a chill on behalf of the late Prime Minister Liu.
He spoke for the ministers: "Things have come to this; besides holding the city, what else can be done? Does Your Majesty have a brilliant strategy?"
The Emperor pondered for a moment and said: "I have an idea. As long as the green mountains remain, there will always be wood to burn. In such a dangerous time, compared to a single city, my life and the lives of my beloved ministers are more important. The Southern Barbarian troops might arrive at the gates of Chang'an by tomorrow. You and I should pack our belongings and withdraw from Chang'an immediately.
"Those barbarians will not know how to govern Chang'an even if they take it; they will not want it. When the reinforcements arrive and drive the Southern Barbarians away, you and I will return."
The ministers were in an uproar.
They stared blankly at the Emperor, who was entirely caught up in his own schemes. The absurdity of it made them feel dazed, and for a moment, the hall fell into a dead silence, with no one able to utter a word.
"Absurd!" Prime Minister Zhang, his face flushed red, shouted uncontrollably.
One Prime Minister had retired, another had died, and now only three remained in court. Among them, Prime Minister Zhang was of a similar age to the late Prime Minister Liu. Prime Minister Liu had been known for his toughness, but Prime Minister Zhang was the most good-natured of them all.
He was kindly and benevolent, extremely easy to talk to. In the past, Prime Minister Liu had teased him as a "Maitreya Buddha," saying he was aimless and merely drifting through life. By closing one eye and opening the other, he believed the world was perfectly peaceful.
Yet now, this Prime Minister Zhang’s voice trembled with rage: "Does Your Majesty intend to abandon the city and flee? Once the enemy arrives, the million residents of Chang'an—can they flee just as we can? The ancient monuments, the gardens, the collections... can they come with us too?! How will Your Majesty answer to the people of this realm?!"
The Emperor replied craftily: "Do you know how many times Chang'an has been destroyed since ancient times? If it is destroyed, we shall rebuild it; this is not the first time."
He declared: "My mind is made up!"
Prime Minister Zhang asked: "Where can Your Majesty flee to? Further down to Yizhou? Is the road to Shu even passable now? The great battle in Jiannan is no better off than our situation here."
The Emperor said: "First, go to Bingzhou, cross the Yellow River..."
Prime Minister Zhang could not help but retort: "Even the Yellow River must be crossed? Since Your Majesty wishes to speak of history, this subject must say one more thing: throughout history, regimes that fled to the south have never had the chance to return to the Central Plains. Does Your Majesty intend to gift our magnificent lands to others?"
The Emperor was speechless, his annoyance turning into shame and rage. He could not out-argue Prime Minister Zhang, and he was angry that his ministers refused to save his face. He bellowed: "Prime Minister Zhang is disrupting public morale and spreading treacherous lies! Lock him up! Liu Wenji, you and the others discuss how we should withdraw..."
Liu Wenji held his whisk, bowed, and performed a salute.
The result of the court meeting left the officials who had not participated feeling incredibly sorrowful. Yet, wiping away their tears, they could only kneel in dismay and kowtow to the people.
If the sovereign is like this, what can the subjects do?
Wei Shu had previously offended the Emperor due to his fierce rivalry with Liu Wenji and had been confined to his estate for the past two days to reflect. When he received the news, he was told to join the ministers and follow the commoners in their flight.
Wei Shu was startled and asked: "Why must we flee?"
He was clear and elegant, like falling snow in the forest. This clean, clear beauty, devoid of sharp edges, had always been well-liked.
The eunuch delivering the message, having forgotten how the last one had been terrified by this man, smiled and said: "The Southern Barbarian iron hooves are invading, and even the Longyou army cannot defeat them. We are certainly even less capable of doing so. Naturally, for the sake of the future, His Majesty must endure what he must."
Wei Shu was even more surprised: "Defending a city is different from attacking one. Being unable to win does not mean being unable to defend. Defending a city requires people, not just soldiers. Chang'an has a population of several million, our food supply is abundant, and the city has flowing water—we lack neither water nor food. What is there to fear?
"We only need to close the four city gates; in the worst-case scenario, we simply fortify the walls. Once the reinforcements arrive, won't Chang'an be saved?
"Besides, even if the reinforcements cannot repel the Southern Barbarians immediately, based on the stored grain in Chang'an, we could hold out for a year without any issues. Since that is the case, I understand even less why we must flee."
The eunuch was left in a daze by his words.
What the Seventh Young Master Wei said was so reasonable, clear, and logically sound that the eunuch was convinced. Why were they fleeing if they had enough to eat and wear?
But His Majesty wanted to flee!
The eunuch stammered: "Defending the city might be very difficult..."
Wei Shu interrupted: "I have defended cities; I know how to defend them. I know that defensive warfare is easier than offensive warfare. As long as the defending side does not surrender, the casualties for the attackers will be far from negligible!"
The eunuch stuttered after a long while: "This is His Majesty's will. Young Master, please do not make things difficult for this servant."
Wei Shu sneered.
A fierce light emerged in his normally calm eyes. He took a step forward, his hand resting on his sword in a manner as sharp as ice breaking on a jade river, causing the eunuch to retreat repeatedly.
Wei Shu shed his previous amiability and questioned: "Prime Minister Liu’s body is not yet cold; he fought for the country, and yet His Majesty thinks of fleeing? Longyou collapsed so quickly that the cause is unknown, and His Majesty thinks of hiding?"
The eunuch fell to his knees with a thud: "This servant... this servant does not know!"
Wei Shu ignored the eunuch, nor did he let him go. He had his family guards tie the eunuch up and rushed out of the house. He immediately ascended to the mansion of his eldest brother, the head of the Wei family, Wei Kai.
Wei Kai was in his home, organizing books and clothes amidst the chaos, while the women, children, and servants of the household were in extreme panic. With disaster looming, everyone was influenced by the emotions of those in power and began to panic.
Wei Shu was led to the study to see Wei Kai. Wei Kai had his back to him and mocked: "A rare guest! Since Zhao Wuniang left the capital, Juyuan and I have severed our ties, shouting that we wanted to break with the Wei family. How do you have the time to visit my door today?"
Wei Shu said concisely: "Eldest brother, let us reconcile."
Wei Kai was taken aback and turned to look at him.
The youth, who was always excessively handsome, wore gray robes, his appearance disheveled and dusty from his hasty arrival.
Wei Shu’s face remained calm as he asked: "I wish to reconcile with you, to reconcile with the Luoyang Wei family. Tell me, brother, what must I do for you to forgive me, so that there will be no more rifts between me and the Wei family?
"Must I kneel and kowtow, or what must I pay?"
Wei Kai looked at him for a long time.
Wei Kai put down the book in his hand and lowered his gaze, speaking softly: "Juyuan, you have resisted the Wei family for ten years without yielding. Resisting marriage, serving as an envoy, severing ties with your family for a woman... Why now, suddenly, do you want to reconcile?"
Wei Shu said concisely: "National disaster is upon us; petty family squabbles are meaningless. I reconcile with the Wei family to seek family resources for my own use and to cooperate with the power you hold, brother. Personally, I loathe the Wei family’s control over me, but... the Wei family is only a small part of Great Wei.
"Too many people are going to die, too many are dying for reasons unknown. I am willing to reconcile with the family, if only... we can save this world!"
Wei Kai looked at him in silence.
Wei Kai said: "I know what you want to do. But the reason my Luoyang Wei family has survived for hundreds of years is because we never concern ourselves with such things."
Without waiting for Wei Shu to argue, Wei Kai seemed to drift off for a moment before smiling: "But my Wei family has survived for hundreds of years also because in every major choice, we chose correctly. Times create heroes, and heroes also adapt to the times. Every time my Wei family has faced such massive trends, we have been incredibly lucky, with family members stepping forward to meet the current, preserving our family.
"I don’t know if Juyuan is such a person, but I am not. Since I am not, I should make way for you people... This era belongs to you. I will not stand in your way."
He walked toward Wei Shu and scrutinized the brother he had never liked. He resented that this brother was an illegitimate son, yet overflowing with talent, hailed as a prodigy since childhood. Prodigy or not, this brother was also arrogant and ignored everyone. His peers in the family were crushed by Wei Shu’s talent and angered by his arrogance.
But having grown up and experienced many things, Wei Kai had long since understood that his seventh brother was perhaps not arrogant, and did not look down on them.
It was simply that he was unskilled in social interaction and did not know how to curry favor with brothers like them.
Wei Kai could not help but smile.
He said: "Juyuan, go and do what you want to do. Whatever you need, the Wei family will pave the way for you. If you are wrong, I will bear the consequences of everything today."
Wei Shu bowed to him: "I do not need my brother to take the blame for me; I will do it myself."
Wei Kai cursed: "Brat!
"You are still just as tactless!"
The Wei family’s influence permeated every department of the court. Perhaps their highest-ranking official did not hold a high position, but they had family members with speaking power in every one of the Six Ministries, which was immensely powerful.
That night, the Emperor was escorted by Liu Wenji into his carriage, preparing to flee the city. But the moment they left the gates, the procession could not proceed. Liu Wenji informed the Emperor that the Imperial Guard refused to leave; they had been persuaded to stand with the people and defend Chang'an.
The Emperor cursed incessantly.
But the Imperial Guard refused to move, and how could the Emperor, protected by them, dare to leave?
The Emperor was helped down from the carriage by Liu Wenji, while the concubines, hiding in the carriage behind, were in a panic. Among them, Consort Xian, Chunhua, quietly lifted the curtain to look out.
She saw that the road was filled with soldiers and horses, the light of fires everywhere, with Liu Wenji standing with his back to them. And the youth standing before the Emperor, unyielding and poised—she recognized him as Wei Shu.
The Emperor angrily asked Wei Shu: "Minister Wei, are you overstepping your bounds, reaching your hand too far? You actually dared to make the Imperial Guard stay... Commander Jiang, do you listen to a minor official from the Ministry of Rites and ignore my words?"
Wei Shu bowed: "Your Majesty, in the past when I served as an envoy, I established diplomatic relations with nations in all four directions. With Longyou fallen, those nations are equally terrified. I have written to them requesting aid for Hexi. The Southern Barbarians have moved too quickly, and their rear must be unguarded. If the nations in the four directions force them from behind, and Chang'an attacks from the front, the Southern Barbarians will be caught in the middle, trapped in a dilemma.
"Only then will the Southern Barbarians panic."
The Emperor scoffed: "I never knew a mere official from the Ministry of Rites could fight a war! What of the Minister of War, where is the..."
Wei Shu remained impassive: "The Minister of War drank too much and is resting at his mansion."
Liu Wenji’s eyelids twitched violently, and his fierce eyes turned to Wei Shu.
Wei Shu... he tied up Duke Zhao? The father of Zhao Wuniang? How did he dare?
The Emperor also realized this, his expression filled with secret suspicion. For a moment, looking at Wei Shu, he actually took a step back, afraid that Wei Shu would place him under house arrest.
The Emperor was panicked and vigilant: "Commander Jiang..."
The tough general who had stood with his head bowed for a long time lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, Seventh Master Wei’s words make sense. At such a critical juncture for the nation, we cannot leave, and Chang'an cannot be lost. The million residents of Chang'an are watching us... we cannot abandon them and flee."
The Emperor: "Wei Juyuan has been an envoy; he has served as a diplomat! He has a glib tongue and is adept at sophistry; you have been tricked by him!"
Wei Shu: "This is the first time I have been called 'adept at sophistry'."
The Emperor: "Wei Juyuan, what exactly is your intention?!"
Wei Shu: "No other intention. I request Your Majesty to return to Chang'an, return to the imperial palace, and sit securely. As long as Chang'an does not fall for a single day, Your Majesty may not leave Chang'an. As long as the cause of Prime Minister Liu’s death is not cleared, Your Majesty may not retreat.
"The entire civil and military administration of the court will follow Your Majesty and watch Your Majesty.
"The hundred thousand elite troops of Chang'an will all watch Your Majesty and protect Your Majesty."
The Emperor was dumbfounded.
He looked at the soldiers and horses lining the road, at the ministers bowing their heads in silence. He looked at the heavy firelight, then turned back to look at the city of Chang'an behind the flames.
He broke into a cold sweat. He had no doubt that if he insisted on leaving tonight, Wei Shu might truly kill the sovereign... The entire court was watching him like this!
They all wanted to kill him!
They all wanted to kill him!
The Emperor was filled with immense fear, having never realized so deeply the hatred the ministers had for him. Liu Wenji gave him a nudge from behind, suddenly helping him regain his composure.
The Emperor thought it was fine, fine, as long as he had Liu Wenji. It seemed the Imperial Guard was entirely attached to the scholars represented by Wei Shu; it seemed the aristocratic families and the humble-born had joined forces. But Liu Wenji also had troops in his hands, and the Northern Yamen still listened to him!
The Emperor’s voice was hoarse and strange: "Then I... shall return to the palace."
Wei Shu stood in silence.
Liu Wenji lifted his eyes, meeting the gaze of Wei Shu, who was seeing them off. As they brushed past each other, a surge of fear rose in Liu Wenji’s heart.
Wei Juyuan’s gaze was so calm, yet it made Liu Wenji realize the other man’s murderous intent. A scholar-official who had once led troops to attack and defend cities as an envoy was by no means an ordinary scholar.
Wei Shu would start a massacre.
And unlike someone gentle and warm like Yan Shang, Wei Shu’s massacre might be very calm, perhaps without any psychological burden... The colder a person is, the fewer flaws they have.
Liu Wenji was restless, realizing his own danger. No, he had to save himself. This Emperor was essentially being deposed by Wei Shu... and today, due to Prime Minister Liu’s death, the aristocratic families and the humble-born had joined forces to attack the eunuchs, and the eunuchs would inevitably be defeated.
He had to find a way to save himself——
Chang'an entered a defensive war starting in mid-February.
Just as Wei Shu had predicted, the food within Chang'an was enough to sustain them for at least a year, and the gates of Chang'an, meant to protect the capital, were not easily breached. The defensive battle of Chang'an was not difficult; what was difficult was that, as a capital, it was the symbol of Great Wei.
Chang'an fell into difficulty, and naturally, the Jiedushi from all four directions had to come to the rescue.
For a time, the armies of the realm all went to Chang'an to help. Prime Minister Liu’s death had stirred the fury of the Great Wei soldiers. That the Emperor and Chang'an were under siege felt like a humiliation to everyone in Great Wei.
Other counties could fall, but Chang'an could not.
As for Wei Shu’s conduct, which was essentially house arrest of the Emperor, the reinforcements did not know; nor did they know of the open and hidden blades between the scholars and the eunuchs within Chang'an.
With Chang'an under siege, all troops went to the rescue. Consequently, the Jiannan circuit, which was below Chang'an, received far less support in terms of troops and supplies than before.
Chang'an could barely protect itself, so it could naturally no longer provide grain to Jiannan; with Chang'an in crisis and its gates fully sealed, it was naturally unable to issue orders or dispatch soldiers to fight in Jiannan.
Jiannan had reached the most critical stage of the war, yet both its grain and troops were in critical condition. Yan Shang used all possible means to borrow troops and grain from all sides, but the provinces were all busy aiding Chang'an. Compared to Chang'an, the gain or loss of Jiannan was not a priority.
Yan Shang was anxious, running back and forth, but the grain decreased day by day, and the number of troops that could be mobilized did not increase.
Zhao Lingfei gritted her teeth and pledged on her own honor that she would go to borrow troops in her father’s name. The neighboring circuit was repairing the Yangtze River embankments, and last year, troops and grain had been diverted to assist. The Jiedushi of that circuit was even a student of her father.
She said: "Yan Second Brother, Cousin, do not worry. I will definitely borrow the troops and the grain! I will definitely help you resolve the crisis!"
Yang Si was covered in blood and exhaustion. When Zhao Lingfei took her military oath, he had just ended a major battle. He sat on the ground, supporting his forehead, thinking of the corpses on the battlefield.
His face was cold and tense, his eyes dark, fierce, and ruthless. This was a side effect of returning from the battlefield... spending every day and night mixed in the slaughter of war would fundamentally change a person.
Yang Si thought, what exactly must he do to kill Meng Zaishi? If Meng Zaishi were killed, Jiannan would have won more than half the battle. Yan Er-lang would not need to be so anxious, Lingfei would not need to go against her own father, and he could...
Yan Shang stood behind Yang Si, not getting too close because of the other’s volatile reaction, and said gently: "San-lang, you have not closed your eyes for two days. I am going out to handle some business; get some sleep."
Yang Si shook his head: "I cannot sleep."
Yan Shang was worried but only sighed, saying nothing. He and Zhao Lingfei left the military camp separately. Before he departed, he entrusted his younger sister, who was treating the wounded in the camp, to have Xiaozhou take extra care of Yang Si.
Yan Xiaozhou agreed to all of it but said with worry: "Second Brother, we have no medicine left. If the number of wounded continues to increase, we will be unable to save them..."
Yan Shang rubbed his temples and said: "I will find a way."
A voice came from behind: "Are you even out of medicine?"
The siblings turned back to see Yang Si standing at the tent entrance.
Yang Si pondered for a moment and said: "Then we should resolve this with a quick battle."
Yan Shang said: "San-lang, you do not need to..."
Yang Si: "I know how to fight a war; I do not need you to teach me."
Yan Shang knew that his emotions had changed drastically due to the war, his style of speaking becoming cold, hard, and ruthless. Yan Shang exchanged another look with Yan Xiaozhou, hoping only that his sister could relax Yang Si’s strained nerves slightly. After giving these instructions one by one, Yan Shang left the military camp.
He had his own matters to attend to.
He bore a tremendous pressure in his heart, yet he told no one.
This was the last time Yan Shang and Yang Si would ever see each other——
In early April, Yan Shang led his guards, and after confirming it was safe, met with the envoy of King Ale, who had come from Guangzhou.
The other party brought a jade pendant and a box.
Seeing the jade pendant, Yan Shang’s expression tightened, and the hand in his sleeve trembled slightly.
He remained calm on the surface: "What is the meaning of this?"
The other party was arrogant: "Guangzhou has been under lockdown for two months now. You haven't been in contact with that side for over two months, have you? Let me tell you, our King Ale is heroic and powerful; he has already captured your wife, that so-called Princess.
"This is something she was wearing! You can't possibly not recognize it."
The hand in Yan Shang’s sleeve trembled.
He appeared indifferent on the surface: "I truly do not recognize it."
The envoy said: "Then you can open the box and take a look... That is your wife’s finger! If you still refuse to withdraw your troops from Jiannan, the next thing that is sent will not be a finger!"
Yan Shang’s face turned white in an instant.
For a moment, he felt as if he had fallen into a deep, icy abyss; his head began to swim, and his thoughts suddenly went blank. He spent a great deal of effort to keep from making an ugly display, to keep the other side from reading his emotions. He tried his best to stay calm, but his mind remained a void.
He had long been prepared to sacrifice himself for the country; he possessed the courage to die for his home... but when this day truly came, his mind was still blank.
Yan Shang calmly went to open the box. The Southern Barbarian envoy, held by the guards, was also extremely nervous, watching Yan Shang, afraid the other side would see through the deception.
King Ale, wanting to forge evidence, had naturally prepared thoroughly. King Ale had prepared a woman’s finger that had been scorched by fire, choosing a girl who was thin and similar in build to that Princess... A scorched finger; he was not afraid that this Yan Er-lang would recognize it.
Yan Shang looked at the finger in the box—black as charcoal, with the white bone showing through.
The guards behind him turned their faces away, not daring to look.
Yan Shang looked at it quietly. His gaze fell on the jade pendant and then turned blankly toward the finger.
For an instant, perhaps he thought of many things, but perhaps his mind was still empty.
Perhaps he thought of Mu Wanyao’s beautiful figure, thought of her turning back to look at him with a grin, but then thought of her standing in the flames of war, consumed by fire, her robes fluttering like flight...
Yan Shang said: "You use such things to deceive me, thinking I will fall for your trick? This is not my wife’s finger; it is nothing more than your scheme. When two countries are at war, one does not execute the envoy. I will not kill you, but since you used fakes to fool me, you cannot escape your punishment."
His eyes looked vaguely at the top of the tent: "Tie them up and interrogate them strictly."
As Yan Shang left the tent, the guard following him said in admiration: "As expected of Er-lang. I didn't even recognize that it wasn't the Princess’s finger just now; only Er-lang recognized it... Those people dared to lie to Er-lang; we must interrogate them well to see how Guangzhou is doing..."
Before he finished speaking, Yan Shang, in front of him, swayed gently.
The guard was shocked and hurried to support him, feeling Yan Shang’s ice-cold hand.
Yan Shang turned his head, his face still pale.
The guard realized something was wrong: "Could it be... that the finger wasn't fake? It really was the Princess..."
Yan Shang seemed to be trying to convince himself: "...It must be fake."
The guard was startled.
He looked at Yan Shang’s complexion, beginning to feel lost.
The guard whispered: "Is Er-lang not asking whether it is true or false? The Princess treats Er-lang like this, yet this is how Er-lang repays her?"
Yan Shang hung his head: "Interrogate the envoy; I must know the situation in Guangzhou."
The guard shouted: "But are we still going to send troops? We have no troops! Jiannan has reached a critical moment; we cannot withdraw! Er-lang..."
He feared Yan Shang would value a beautiful woman over the country, so he pleaded repeatedly. Yan Shang stood blankly before the tent, his thoughts still in chaos. He dared not think of anything, but his heart had already begun to shrink.
He whispered: "I know."——
Zhao Lingfei went to pound on the doors of the Governor’s mansion, begging for troops; Yan Shang was in the suburbs, interrogating the envoy, forcing the situation in Guangzhou out of him.
In the war in the Jiannan circuit, Yang Si was acting like a madman. He had not rested for days and should have stepped down to let other generals take over. He had already lost several battles, yet he refused to leave the battlefield.
The Great Wei army was retreating steadily, and they were already short of troops, so this was adding insult to injury.
The cursing against Yang Si in the Jiannan camp was constant, but because the Marshal, Yan Shang, was absent, the generals had no one to complain to. Moreover, the authority Yan Shang had given Yang Si before he left was too great, allowing Yang Si to ignore the opposition of the other generals and insist on sending out troops.
He wouldn't listen to anyone.
The atmosphere in the entire camp was depressed.
Meng Zaishi, meanwhile, acutely noticed the situation of the Great Wei troops. After several battles, Meng Zaishi realized that something was wrong on the Great Wei side. Otherwise, Yang Si would not suddenly be so aggressive, nor would he lose so many times and yet still act as if he were holding his breath, insisting on winning at all costs.
Meng Zaishi realized this was his opportunity.
But having campaigned for years, he remained vigilant. Meng Zaishi spent time and lost many scouts to confirm that the Jiannan side was starting to run out of grain and troops, and that this was why Yang Si had to win. Yang Si needed a victory, but the more he needed one, the more flaws he would reveal.
Meng Zaishi began to launch a full-scale offensive!
He no longer hid his strength, vowing to bury Yang Si and all the soldiers under his command while Yang Si was no longer calm. After the Jiannan battlefield ended, he would negotiate with Yan Shang and negotiate with Great Wei. Then, after resolving King Ale... only then could the Southern Barbarians truly develop according to his vision!
At the end of April, Meng Zaishi and Yang Si had their decisive battle at the Great Canyon.
Yang Si’s one hundred thousand troops were reduced to only fifty thousand. The Great Wei army retreated into the canyon, and Meng Zaishi led one hundred thousand troops into the canyon to pursue them. After Meng Zaishi entered the canyon, he found that Yang Si’s army had suddenly disappeared.
He realized something was wrong, discovering that the terrain was disadvantageous to his side. This immediately reminded him of the training day in Chang'an, when Yang Si had used a hundred men to block him in a pocket-shaped canyon, preventing him from occupying it.
Meng Zaishi looked up at the surrounding mountain roads, lush with greenery, and shouted from his horse: "Retreat! Retreat..."
On the mountains on all four sides, the Great Wei troops looked coldly down at the Southern Barbarian troops. Yang Si shouted: "Kill—"
Meng Zaishi looked up, his eyes meeting Yang Si’s ice-cold gaze.
Yang Si licked the blood from his mouth and gripped his spear tightly. He stood before the mountain rocks, looking at the enemy that was twice his number. This made his blood boil, filling him with excitement and trembling.
He shouted fiercely: "The victory or defeat of the Jiannan battlefield rests on this one battle; attack with everything you have—"
The military adviser behind him said with worry: "Even though we have driven the enemy into this canyon that is naturally disadvantageous to them, their commander is capable and their forces are strong, twice our number; we still..."
Yang Si: "Then fight to the death."——
Since they must fight, then fight to the death.
Since they have made a desperate gamble, they will never look back.
Without end, nothing but blood.
With a spear in hand, they will never fall.
"Kill—"
The sound of slaughter filled the mountains and plains, echoing across the earth.
The Great Canyon saw three days of continuous battle; both Meng Zaishi and Yang Si were formidable, and the troops in their hands were all but depleted. Yang Si attacked with all his might, while Meng Zaishi fought desperately to break through. But the Great Wei army was indeed low in numbers, and Meng Zaishi’s martial ability could not be underestimated.
In this battle, Great Wei destroyed seventy thousand of the enemy’s troops, leaving Meng Zaishi with only thirty thousand men.
The price was that Great Wei’s fifty thousand troops were all lost in this canyon.
By the end of the battle, everyone was dead. Yang Si was pierced by several arrows; he had no comrades left beside him. He intended to fight on with his spear, but his face was stained red with blood, and all he saw before his eyes were corpses. His body could not move due to the arrows, so he knelt down, kneeling before a ground covered in bodies.
The cold wind in the canyon in April was biting.
Meng Zaishi was equally exhausted. He watched helplessly as all the Great Wei troops died, and watched Yang Si also kneel down, completely unable to move.
Meng Zaishi fell silent.
The general behind him suggested: "General, that General Yang is too formidable; let’s shoot a few more arrows to make sure he is dead."
Meng Zaishi refused.
Though they were enemies, he wanted to grant Yang Si his final dignity.
He stepped over the corpses, step by step, staggering, stumbling toward Yang Si, who was kneeling and holding his spear. The youth’s face was hidden under his armor, completely unrecognizable, and Meng Zaishi could no longer tell who he was. But Yang Si’s eyes were so calm; Meng Zaishi thought of the training in Chang'an all those years ago.
He stood before Yang Si, who was covered in arrows, and whispered: "Our war, from the training to today, in the end, I have won—"
The general behind roared: "My King!"
Meng Zaishi lowered his head and saw Yang Si thrust his spear straight up from below, piercing his heart.
Meng Zaishi was dazed and uncomprehending, but his body lost its strength, and he fell to his knees.
Yang Si revealed a smile, his teeth filled with blood, and he said: "I have not lost."
The Southern Barbarian army in the distance was terrified, and seeing their King die there, they pounced in anger, hacking with swords and knives, cutting Yang Si into a thousand pieces. But what did being cut into a thousand pieces matter? Yang Si lay on the ground, looking at Meng Zaishi, who had also fallen to the ground with him, twitching as he tried to crawl up but failing.
Yang Si looked up at the sky.
He thought in his heart: You didn't win, and I didn't lose.
I finally dragged you to death with me.
He felt dizzy and groggy, thinking perhaps he still had many wishes, many attachments... but he couldn't quite remember them anymore.
Let it be this way——
Heavy rain poured down, and the world fell silent.
A heavy rain drowned everything.
Zhao Lingfei knelt before the gate of the Jiedushi’s mansion, pounding and shouting: "Please! I beg you, lend us troops! My cousin needs troops; Jiannan needs troops..."
The heavy rain of the world washed everything away.
Yan Shang sat stiffly in the tent, anxiously waiting for the results of the envoy’s interrogation. He refused to let Jiannan withdraw; he refused to provide aid to Guangzhou. His heart was cracking inch by inch, but he stared at that jade pendant, sitting stiffly and refusing to withdraw his troops. In a hurry, a messenger came to report:
"Marshal, we have won—
"But Yang San-lang and the fifty thousand soldiers have all died."
Yan Shang stood up abruptly and walked out of the tent. He lifted the tent flap, and the messenger repeated himself. Yan Shang lowered his head, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out.
On one side was Mu Wanyao, and on the other was Yang Si...
He vomited blood and collapsed, and the entire camp was in panic——
In the Jiannan circuit’s military camp, Yan Xiaozhou was sprawled exhausted on a desk, watching over the wounded.
In her daze, she seemed to have a dream.
In the dream, she was chasing someone, but there was a fog, and she could see nothing clearly.
Vaguely, she remembered back to the beginning, when she told her Second Brother that she wanted to go find Yang San-lang.
At that time, she was full of anticipation, saying his life should not just be about being a youth. He still had half a lifetime to live, he still had—
Born as a guard of Han, first followed the Cavalry to fight in Yuyang.
Who knew it wouldn't lead to suffering at the frontier; even in death, the fragrance of heroic bones remains.
Suddenly, she heard the cheers from the military camp, and she woke up from her dream in a startle.
Yan Xiaozhou thought that Yang Si had finally returned from the war; she joyfully pulled aside the curtain, wanting to see if he was injured, if he would be hurt even worse this time——
"San-lang!"