The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 526- 528

Chapter 526: Be a Peach

Shan Congli went berserk in the audience hall and reproved the commander of the cavalry for his mistakes.

What with the setback that the cavalry had suffered during the first battle, the Wan courtiers began to have doubts and worries, residents in the capital thrown into panic.

The cavalry commander’s face had been tense ever since he had left the palace. After returning to the encampment, he summoned his lieutenants and told them that they must win the next fight and force the enemy back at least five kilometers.

“General, we will drive these goddamn Great-Wen people away as long as we still draw breath! But … ” The speaker left his sentence hanging, clearly unsure whether or not he should continue.

The officer beside him glanced at him and then finished his remarks for him. “But this time around the Great Wen has a cavalry regiment that matches us. Also, the total number of their troops is no smaller than that of ours. We’ll have to pay a very heavy price if we’re to defeat them. From the vantage point of the present, it’s inadvisable to force them back five kilometers at a price that heavy. Our ultimate goal is to drive them out of our country, and to achieve that goal, we’ll at least have to have them retreat back out of the mountain pass of Jifang City first. We need to do it step by step and must not rush into anything.”

“Yes. That’s exactly what I want to say,” agreed the former speaker.

During the fight earlier this day, they had underestimated the adversaries and lost the initiative because it had never crossed their minds that the Great Wen would be able to knock into shape a cavalry regiment like that, but these officers of the Wan cavalry were not cowards, and they had the guts to fight the formidable enemies again. In fact, they were all anxious to render meritorious service in the next battle, but it did not mean that they would abandon tactics and try to win with sheer force.

“Sire has given the order. We must force the enemy back at least five kilometers. This is our mission, and we must see it accomplished,” said the commander, his voice as grave as his countenance.

All the others were dismayed at the words.

“Our failure to win the first fight has come as a terrible blow to the court. Many courtiers are concerned about the security of the city. If we fail to win a reassuring victory in the next fight, there might be political unrest in the city,” said the commander.

The commander, who was very much in the Wan monarch’s confidence and in charge of the Iron North Cavalry defending the northern border, was a fairly smart man. Though bitterly disappointed that the monarch had reproached him immediately after their failure to win the first fight, he was also aware that in these circumstances he must do as the monarch said, because otherwise there would be political unrest in the capital and their unity would be undermined. If that happened, the capital would fall sooner or later, given that they didn’t really have a high chance of successfully defending against the attacks from Yuwen Tong’s troops. If the monarch lost his power, they would – if still alive – have to flee north. The Wan Kingdom would no longer exist if things really came to that.

The commander’s explanation was followed by a subdued silence. The reason why they were silent was because they had now come to know that the enemy was like a thick steel plate, and their legs would break if they kicked the plate hard.

…

The Wan cavalry were instantly under even heavier pressure, ready to fight tooth and nail during the next battle. In the encampment of the Great Wen, Yuwen Tong was also cautioning Jiang Xi and He Xiao, “The enemy failed to make any gains in the first fight. In order to bolster his troops’ morale and reassure his court, Shan Congli sure as hell will order his men to win the next battle, no matter how heavy the cost might be, which means the next battle will be much tougher than this one. In the next fight, you’re to adopt the formation you’ve practiced previously to deal with the Wan cavalry instead of attacking them frontally. Jiang Ke and Yuwen Jin will be assisting you. I want you to face them down hard once again!”

Faces serious, their burning eyes gleaming enthusiastically, Jiang Xi and He Xiao chorused, “Yes, Sire!”

Unlike Shan Congli who had requested his cavalrymen to fight to the last breath, Yuwen Tong had long since made some plans aimed at eliminating the Wan cavalry. His men had practiced the formation designed to deal with the Wan cavalry for over a year and could now work as a seamless team. Jiang Xi had even secretly gone to the south and lived in the encampment of the South-Western Army for over a year.

The cavalry of the Great Wen could not afford to lose the next battle either, because if they lost, the tables would be turned on them; although they would still be able to win the final victory, the war would be prolonged, and the situation would be unfavorable for the Great Wen, given that the whole army was now deep in enemy territory, and that it would not be long before the civil strife in the Luohai Kingdom came to an end, either with Mu Rongfeng’s throne usurped or with Nian Feng killed by Mu Rongfeng. Therefore, the Great Wen must subject the Wan Kingdom to its rule before the Luohai Kingdom came to the Wan Kingdom’s rescue!

For the Wan Kingdom, however, another setback would be a fatal blow to the morale of its army.

Yuwen Tong had long since conferred with the generals and had all these planned out.

…

Jiang Xi and He Xiao immediately left to have the cavalry get ready. Jiang Ke and Yuwen Jin were racing against time to have their men practice the formation one last time. Xiao Jiangyue and the other officers were also doing what they were supposed to do respectively. After a short break, the encampment instantly became abustle with soldiers making preparations for the next fight, the mood in it tense.

Ling Zhang inquired of Yuwen Tong, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He felt it inappropriate to stay in the rear under the protection of soldiers all the time. He had confidence in his kung fu, and his bodyguards would be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. It would be a waste of manpower if he had them stay behind the army with him.

Yuwen Tong, however, did not like the idea of Ling Zhang fighting enemies on the battleground. It was too dangerous, considering how many enemies there would be and the stray arrows that would be coming from unpredictable directions. Ling Zhang had just recovered from his injuries. How was he supposed to endure the heartache if Ling Zhang got hurt again?

“You’re the empress. ‘The rich men dare not sit right under the eaves for fear of dropping tiles’. Your safety concerns the well-being of our people, so don’t risk going to the battlefield.”

Ling Zhang was somewhat astonished by his words. This was his first time hearing Yuwen Tong say something like this. “I can protect myself. I won’t be hurt by a stray arrow or any other weapons. Besides, my bodyguards will be with me.”

Yuwen Tong looked resignedly at him. Why couldn’t Ling Zhang understand him? It was him that he was worried about the most.

It was a while before Ling Zhang cottoned on and hastened to say, “I’m really not going to put myself in danger. Don’t worry.”

He had not realized that Yuwen Tong had been expressing his concern about his safety in a roundabout way when talking about the well-being of the people.

Yuwen Tong said, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Ling Zhang looked at him, silent.

“Do you remember the promise you made me? Are you going back on your word?” Yuwen Tong added.

Ling Zhang opened his mouth and said after a pause, “But that was because … I just don’t want to stand by idly while the soldiers are risking their lives fighting the enemies. It makes me anxious and fretful.”

Yuwen Tong made no immediate reply after hearing his words. Instead, he raised his hand and stroked Ling Zhang’s face. “You’re the empress. Your very presence is an encouragement to them, so you’re not doing nothing. If you join the fight and accidentally get hurt, that would affect the morale. Besides, I need you to stay within my sight so that I could composedly direct the troops throughout the battle.”

Ling Zhang, “…”

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. Now that Yuwen Tong had put it this way, what else could he possibly say? He did want to fight the enemies on the battlefield, but he did not want Yuwen Tong to be distracted by his actions and thus be in danger.

“Okay. I’ll stay.”

Yuwen Tong’s face softened slightly. “But you still need to wear your armor, just in case.”

“All right,” said Ling Zhang, but his voice was not very spirited.

Yuwen Tong’s hand which was stroking Ling Zhang’s cheek moved upwards and he gave Ling Zhang a pat on the head.

Ling Zhang was at a loss for words after being patted. Why was Yuwen Tong treating him as though he were a child?

“Stop patting me. I said I’ll stay. I’ll keep my promise.”

“I know. I just want to cheer you up a little.”

Yuwen Tong knew very well how it felt to be eager to join the fight but have to stay in the rear. Back then when he had first been made a general-in-chief, he had been in this kind of situation as well, believing that he should be charging at the enemies and bathed in blood instead of staying under the protection of his soldiers and watching the troops fighting. It was after a very important war that his opinions had changed. His experience in that war had made him considerably more poised and so much more prudent as though he had become another person, and he had also come to realize the importance of the general-in-chief directing the troops correctly. If a commander fought on the battlefield, he might be able to kill some enemies, but he wouldn’t be able to hold all the enemies back; if he stayed in the rear and directed the troops in the correct way, his army would win the battle; if the commander was good at tactics, he would be able to help his army defeat enemies that outnumbered them and at the same time minimize the casualties, saving more lives.

At that time, when his troops had been looking at him, it was as though they were looking at some kind of belief; they would charge at the enemies if he gave the order, and they would sacrifice their own lives to keep him safe; as long as he still drew breath, the army under his command would be alive and stand a chance of winning, however difficult the situation was. He was the soul of his army. Without him, his troops would lose their belief and their backbone, become a leaderless mob and powerless to defend against attacks.

He would never let that happen, so he had, step by step, grown into what his troops saw as a god. He had, risking death again and again, led his men to one victory after another, helping them survive countless battles.

In a war, the general-in-chief was under far greater emotional stress than a common soldier was. He was not just sitting idly in the rear under the protection of a number of soldiers.

Yuwen Tong thought about it for a while and then shared with Ling Zhang his experience and what he had learned in a couple of previous battles.

He recounted it very carefully, Ling Zhang listening attentively.

Ling Zhang was not an intransigent person. On the contrary, he was very open-minded and willing to accept anybody’s opinions as long as they were reasonable, which was why a moment ago he had undertaken not to join the next fight after Yuwen Tong told him what consequences it might lead to if he went to the battlefield, though he had been rather unreconciled to the situation.

And now, after Yuwen Tong related to him what he had experienced in the past, he decided to keep Yuwen Tong’s words in mind. Maybe because he had seen a lot of fighting and killing on the battleground recently, Yuwen Tong’s stories did not strike him as something that had happened in the long past. He understood and empathized with those feelings.

“Was your grandfather already gone at that time?” Ling Zhang asked him.

Yuwen Tong inclined his head. “Yeah. I was not made general-in-chief immediately after my grandfather passed away, because I was too young, but the then general-in-chief groomed me to become one. His methods might be a little unduly harsh, but they helped me make rapid progress.”

Ling Zhang asked him, “Who is he?”

Yuwen Tong gave him a name. “Have you heard of him before?”

Ling Zhang thought back for a moment and then said, “Yeah. My uncle mentioned him once, but … it’s said he died in a war afterward.”

Yuwen Tong said, “He did, which is why the Wan Kingdom must be subjugated, and the strife between the three countries must end, so that there will be no more bloodshed or loss of lives.”

Chapter 527: A Crushing Defeat of the Wan Cavalry

A full-on offensive on the city soon started. The Wan cavalry charged out of the city gates in a very threatening manner, followed by a great number of infantry part of whom were carrying shields. Anybody could tell from the menacing air they were emanating that the Wan Kingdom was determined to win this battle.

Jiang Xi and He Xiao didn’t dare take the enemies lightly. As bugles of both sides sounded attack in unison, the two of them leading the cavalry charged at the enemies.

The two opposing cavalries were both large, and the ground was making a perpetual rat-tat as horses’ hoofs stamped on it, the quake of it spreading outward as though in response to the beat of war drums. The whole battlefield instantly turned into an ocean of militant spirit.

Every one of the Wan cavalrymen had a fierce look in their eyes. They had sworn to crush the cavalry of the Great Wen, so they were charging in an uncommonly ferocious fashion.

When they were halfway to the front of the enemies, however, the cavalry of the Great Wen suddenly split up into two groups and galloped towards the two wings respectively, seemingly intending to outflank them.

The Wan cavalry found it hard to believe. Though the opposing cavalry were the equal of them, staying together to fight them head-on was the safest strategy, but they were actually splitting up on their own initiative! Wasn’t this suicide?!

The commander of the Wan cavalry was overjoyed to see this scene, feeling that it was a godsend. Since Yuwen Tong’s men were seeking their own deaths, they would be fools not to seize the opportunity and rout the enemies.

“Advance! Kill them all!”

“Advance!”

“Kill them!”

Their morale boosted, the Wan cavalry charged forward even faster, targeting the opposing cavalry.

They were galloping so fast that it was too late for them to stop when they found that something was wrong.

Some of the cavalrymen of the Great Wen suddenly strained at a long rope they were holding, which blocked the path of the Wan cavalry like a hurdle. The vanguard of the Wan cavalry tripped over it and dashed to the ground one after another like dumplings being poured into a wok. Those behind them, what with the inertia, were unable to rein in their horses in time and crashed smack into the horses ahead. Because of their fast speed, the force of the impacts was so great that their horses neighed madly in pain. The cavalrymen either flew forward or fell heavily to the ground; some of them got their feet caught in their stirrups, and when their horses turned sharply, their legs instantly broke; some others, after landing on the ground, were trampled by horses galloping from behind.

But this was not the worst part. As the cavalry of the Great Wen scattered, a team of archers emerged and with that sharp arrows accompanied by chill airflow were fired at the Wan cavalry unhesitatingly. The warhorses in front, along with their riders, took the brunt of the first salvo.

The battlefield was soon full of intermittent cries of anguish and curses. The same thing was happening in several spots. The cavalry of the Great Wen extended their formation. Almost half of the vanguard of the Wan cavalry lost their lives because of the rope the sudden appearance of which caught them flat-footed, and those who survived soon got killed when the arrows rained on them. Though a few of them flukily survived both, the cavalrymen of the Great Wen charged up to them and took their lives as their warhorses turned around.

Thus, the vanguard of the Wan cavalry were wiped out only a few moments after engaging their adversaries.

Such a disastrous outcome shocked all the other Wan soldiers.

The cavalry of the Great Wen, while the enemies were in shock, regrouped and charged at the main force of the Wan cavalry once again.

“This can’t be happening! How could they have tripped so many people?!”

Many Wan soldiers couldn’t believe their eyes.

How was it possible to trip the vanguard charging with that momentum with a mere rope?

In fact, were the cavalrymen and the ropes common ones, they would have not only failed to stop the charging enemies but also been dragged off their horses and ended up grievously wounded or even dead.

However, those holding the ropes were not common soldiers but special cavalrymen with very powerful internal energy and extraordinary physical strength, all of whom were, when not on the battlefield, heroes capable of fighting off kung fu masters vastly outnumbering them. On this occasion, masquerading as common cavalrymen, blending in with the crowd, they were barely recognizable.

It hadn’t been easy for Yuwen Tong to seek out and recruit these men.

The Wan soldiers were blindsided by this unexpected change, but the troops of the Great Wen, however, had been expecting it. Therefore, Jiang Xi and He Xiao, without further ado, charged at the main force of the Wan cavalry who had not come to themselves yet, their men closely following in their wake.

“THEY’RE COMING! WATCH OUT FOR THEIR ROPES!” bawled the commander.

Though why those ropes were so stout was a mystery to them, it was a fact that their fellow cavalrymen’s warhorses had tripped over them. The commander was instantly on the alert at the sight of the opposing cavalry led by Jiang Xi and He Xiao charging at them.

Because of this, the Wan cavalrymen did not dare charge fast and, most of their attention concentrated on guarding against the enemies’ ropes, tried to dodge when the enemies split up into two groups once again.

But as they turned their horses, a team of archers on horseback emerged from behind the cavalry of the Great Wen, drew their bows and fired arrows at them without hesitation.

The sounds of arrows penetrating armor and flesh were heard at fleeting intervals, cavalrymen and warhorses sinking to the ground in patches amid a rain of arrows.

The commander cocked an eye at the enemies and found that this time they were not using any ropes and were just pretending to be! What with this, many of his men had been unprepared for the arrows and shot to death!

“Fuck! These bastards are so crafty. Nobody falls back another pace! Charge and kill them all!” The commander was beside himself with fury.

Another batch of cavalrymen were downed in the time it took for them to turn around and make a beeline for the enemy archers on horseback after finding themselves fooled.

Meanwhile, the cavalrymen led by Jiang Xi and He Xiao also hurtled towards the opposing side.

Owing to the chaos at the beginning of the fight, the Wan cavalrymen were still in a state of bewilderment. On top of that, watching their fellow cavalrymen going down one after another, many of them were baffled as to what was going on and thus powerless to defend against the pre-planned assault of the enemies during which they were soon slaughtered.

It had been barely an hour since the start of the battle, but the Wan Kingdom had lost nearly one third of its cavalry.

Jiang Xi and He Xiao made a perfect team. While some of the Wan cavalrymen had not regained their composure, the two of them, along with their troops, started massacring the enemies. Other soldiers of the Great Wen, inspired by the valour of the two of them, charged at the enemies as well, their morale soaring, their faces glowing with militant spirit and hunger for the enemies’ blood.

Ling Zhang, who was standing on a chariot watching the battle, also felt an overwhelming urge to join the fight and would have jumped off the chariot, mounted Snowflake the horse and galloped towards the enemies had he not promised Yuwen Tong he would stay put.

But Yuwen Tong beside him was very composed, watching the fighting develop with his penetrating eyes.

Because although things were going smoothly as planned, and they had faced the Wan cavalry down in the first battle, in his eyes this was just a beginning, and only when the war was won would they be able to call themselves the winners.

Ling Zhang clenched his fists, staring fixedly at the fighting, his desire to join it still churning inside him.

The objective of this offensive was to annihilate the cavalry of the Wan Kingdom. Xiao Jiangyue and the others’ task was to assist Jiang Xi and He Xiao and hold back the reinforcements of the enemies so that Jiang Xi and He Xiao’s men could wipe out the Wan cavalry famous in the three countries.

As a result, the fighting between the two opposing cavalries was the most intense on the battlefield.

Watching Jiang Xi and He Xiao battling the enemies with their men, Ling Zhang was feeling not only an urge to join the fight but also a mounting nervousness.

Fortunately, Jiang Xi and He Xiao lived up to the expectations of their comrade-in-arms. After almost two hours’ fierce fighting, they successfully exterminated the Wan cavalry isolated by infantry of the Great Wen. Even the commander of the Wan cavalry, after being grievously wounded, died to Jiang Xi’s spear.

“Bravo!” Ling Zhang involuntarily let out a cheer at the sight of the commander’s death and then exhaled deeply, unclenching his tight fists slowly, a hum in his head because of the abrupt sense of relief. Just now he had been so nervous.

A thunderous cheer went up from the troops of the Great Wen on the battleground. They had suffered heavy casualties as well during the fighting, but now that this formidable Wan cavalry had been eliminated, the Wan capital had lost its strongest protectors, and the rest of the defenders were no threat to the Great Wen.

Compared with the rapturous troops of the Great Wen, soldiers of the Wan Kingdom were in a deathly silence. All of them found it hard to believe that their cavalry, their most trusted and strongest armed force, had actually been defeated – wiped out, to be precise …

It had been the strongest cavalry of the Wan Kingdom, one that they had been proud of, but it had actually been disposed of just like this!

The defeat came as a greater shock to surviving Wan soldiers than the death of their monarch would have been.

The army of the Great Wen exploited the victory by hot pursuit and killed all the other Wan soldiers on the battlefield. The city gates of the capital were tightly shut and no reinforcements whatsoever were sent out.

The great battle lasted a whole day and it was not until night fell that the fighting came to an end.

Yuwen Tong looked at the city gates of the Wan capital which had been closed from start to finish, a derisive expression in his eyes.

“Sound retreat.”

The bugle sounded retreat and with that the army of the Great Wen fell back. Given the current circumstances, it was inadvisable to continue the attack. The Wan capital, which had been reduced to a paper tiger, was still standing there, alone and vulnerable. The falling night seemed to be a herald of the city’s fate.

…

The gates of the Wan capital, though still tightly shut, were unable to provide any sense of security for the residents or officials inside the city. Their strongest defense lost, they were like turtles in a jar waiting to be caught by the soldiers of the Great Wen. They were really scared. Citizens packing things helter-skelter could be seen everywhere. They wanted to flee the city, because they were not inclined to die with it.

Officials in the royal palace of the Wan Kingdom, as though having died with the soldiers, gave no reaction to the panic among the citizens.

The courtiers, after coming to know the disastrous defeat of the cavalry, retired to their respective abodes one after another on the pretext of not feeling well. The palace, well-lit as it was, was empty except for a small number of courtiers and Shan Congli, who had been sitting on the throne in silence all along.

The staying courtiers were trying to convince Shan Congli to flee.

“Sire, we may flee north through the secret passage leading off the city. We still have some troops garrisoned at the northern border, and after we get there, we can lead them out of the pass, subjugate those tribes, incorporate their men into our forces, muster all our troops and make a comeback! There’s still hope!”

“Sire, His Lordship is right. You must not give up because of this setback. We’ll do everything in our power to help you take back what’s rightfully yours, whatever the cost!”

“Yes, Sire. Flee this city right away. Where there is life, there is hope.”

The hall was full of intermittent suggestions from the courtiers, but Shan Congli was still sitting motionless on the throne, appearing not to hear any of them, gazing fixedly out of the audience hall, looking like a cornered beast. There was no sign of life on him except for the look in his eyes, which was rather scary. Gradually, the courtiers’ voices died away. Faced with this seemingly lifeless Shan Congli, they were at a loss what to do.

Chapter 528: A Letter of Capitulation

Yuwen Tong received a letter of capitulation on the night of the very day when his army had retired to its encampment.

It was secretly delivered out of the Wan capital by an official who had bribed the commander of the garrison unit guarding the city gates, and who professed his willingness to surrender, offering to open the city gates on condition that Yuwen Tong spared the lives of his whole family and allowed them to migrate to the Great Wen to start life anew.

“He’s a big fish,” observed Yuwen Tong, handing the letter to Ling Zhang after reading it.

Ling Zhang read the letter and came to know that the one who had delivered it was a ranking-two courtier of the Wan Kingdom, that the commander of the garrison unit guarding the west city gates used to be his student. Given that the letter had been safely delivered to Yuwen Tong, the courtier should be telling the truth.

“Should we accept it?” asked Xiao Jiangyue.

The officers were sitting in a circle.

“We don’t really need his help to take the city,” remarked Yuwen Jin.

“But we’ll pay a price. Although the Wan capital is in panic, if they really strain every nerve to hold the city, it’ll take us a lot of time and energy to breach their defense, and more of our men will die,” said He Xiao after pondering for a moment.

All officers present expressed their respective opinions, some agreeing with Yuwen Jin, others with He Xiao.

Xiao Jiangyue, Jiang Ke and Jiang Xi reserved their judgement about the matter, hesitant for their own reasons.

“By requesting permission for his whole family to migrate to our country, this guy’s actually offering to put his family’s lives in our hands, so I think he won’t dare play any tricks,” said Jiang Ke finally.

Xiao Jiangyue also said, “He’s got a point. I think it’s worth a shot.”

Ling Zhang, after a few moments’ silence, began, “The standoff between Nian Feng’s army and the Yuexi garrison in the Luohai Kingdom won’t last long. There’s every likelihood that it’ll end in half a month. We should take the Wan capital and the couple of cities in the north and subjugate this country as quick as possible, so that we’ll be able to take advantage of the golden opportunity by attacking the Luohai Kingdom before they could put an end to their internecine struggles, minimizing the casualties. We’ve lost quite some men in this war against the Wan Kingdom. Though we’ve got some fresh troops, they’re in small numbers compared with the ones we lost.”

After hearing Ling Zhang’s words, the officers holding different opinions lapsed into silence, because what Ling Zhang said was a fact.

“Money and supplies are not a problem for us, but we hardly have any reserves to replace the soldiers we lost, and there are not many men in the Wan cities we’ve just taken who can be drafted into our army,” Ling Zhang continued.

With Jiahe Chamber of Commerce at his back, he was not worried about the possibility of the army having to stay in the Wan Kingdom for a longer period of time. Besides, there were large amounts of food supplies and money in the Wan capital. In addition, they had taken many cities, and although the soldiers had orders not to disturb the civilians, they had taken some money, food and fodder from the municipal governments.

However, people were different from resources. Incorporating Wan soldiers into their own forces would be a risky move, and they were only fit to be placed in the vanguard.

In a word, the army was dwindling, and they must take the Luohai Kingdom in one fell swoop while it was still mired in infighting. They couldn’t afford to waste any time.

“Brother Zhang has a point as well. So we’ll accept the surrender of that … courtier or something? Will they really open the city gates for us?” said Yuwen Jin.

Everybody looked at Yuwen Tong, waiting for him to make a decision.

Yuwen Tong said in a level voice, “Let’s do some background check on him first. If he really can open the city gates for us, striking a deal with him won’t be a bad idea; if he can’t, there will be no deal.”

Just like Ling Zhang had said, the official wouldn’t be able to play any tricks under their noses.

As Yuwen Tong had given the order, the others naturally obeyed. Xiao Jiangyue, who was the most poised of them, was made a liaison to that official.

After seeing this, Ling Zhang inquired of Yuwen Tong, “Do you think we should take advantage of this opportunity and try to get in touch with our plants in the city whom we haven’t been able to make contact with?”

“There’s no hurry,” said Yuwen Tong. “Whether this guy is trustworthy is still unknown.”

Ling Zhang gave it some thought and, believing that Yuwen Tong was right, made no more remarks on that score.

…

That ranking-two courtier, presumably quite anxious, sent another letter to Yuwen Tong immediately after receiving the reply to his first letter.

It was delivered to the encampment along with a letter from the commander of the garrison unit guarding the west city gates. In the letter, the commander said that citizens were congregating at the north city gates demanding the guards open the gates to allow them to escape to the north, that the street leading to the north city gates was packed.

The monarch was turning a blind eye to the confusion and chaos in the city. He had done nothing apart from ordering the guards to keep the city gates shut. The courtiers, on the surface, were nursing their illness at home, but in fact they were all secretly packing their valuables. They also had their respective henchmen keep them posted on the situation at the north city gates and had even sent some men there to add fuel to the flames of the citizens’ rage, covertly trying to pressure the guards into opening the north city gates so that they could make their escape.

“I can’t believe Shan Congli is standing by watching the city descending into chaos. What is he thinking? Has he given up?”

After Xiao Jiangyue brought the letter from the commander of the garrison unit back to the encampment, all the others were astonished to learn the situation in the Wan capital.

Ling Zhang found the circumstances suspicious. If Shan Congli had given up hope, why hadn’t he opened the north city gates to allow the citizens to flee north? At least he should take some measures to placate the citizens and have them unite to help hold the city.

Confused, Ling Zhang looked at Yuwen Tong and asked, “Why do you think Shan Congli is doing this?”

Yuwen Tong said, “No matter what Shan Congli is thinking, we should take advantage of the chaos in there by launching another assault. Have our men get ready to attack at a moment’s notice.”

Xiao Jiangyue, without further ado, went to contact that Wan official and tell him to open the city gates as soon as possible.

The official made a reply very soon, saying that he would open the city gates that very night.

Yuwen Tong commanded his troops to mount a sneak attack on the west city gates at night.

…

Ling Zhang put on his armor and double-checked his sword quite some time in advance.

Under the cover of night, he could easily go into hiding if things went south, so he believed that this time Yuwen Tong wouldn’t try to stop him.

At the sight of Ling Zhang in full armor looking at him with anticipation etched all over his face, Yuwen Tong came to know what he was planning to do. After a long moment’s silence, he said, “Have your bodyguards on your heels.”

Ling Zhang’s eyes lit up. This time around, instead of trying to dissuade him, Yuwen Tong was actually of his own accord telling him to join the fight!

“I promise I’ll stay within their sights! Wh–Why are you not trying to talk me out of it?”

After making him a promise, Ling Zhang couldn’t help but ask Yuwen Tong about it.

Yuwen Tong said, “All this time I’ve been constraining you, and you haven’t been very happy about it, so I figured maybe once in a while I should let you do what you want.”

Of course, deep down there he was unwilling to let Ling Zhang join the fight. In his eyes, Ling Zhang would be in danger if he went to the battlefield, be it during the day or at night, but he also knew that being restrained from doing what he wanted was a torture for Ling Zhang.

In a war, any soldier capable of killing enemies would find it unbearable to have to stay in the rear. He had dissuaded Ling Zhang once on that day, but he couldn’t do it over and over again.

“Stay safe. If anything happens to you, it’ll break my heart. Remember that you mean everything to me,” said Yuwen Tong, looking earnestly at him.

Ling Zhang paused briefly at these words, his countenance suggesting an internal struggle. “W–Well, then maybe I should stay.”

Yuwen Tong, without saying anything, seized Ling Zhang above the elbow, took him out of the tent, down a path between tents and into an open space where the troops were falling in, then slackened his grip and said, “Go.”

Ling Zhang pressed his lips together, took a deep breath and then had Wang Dashan and the others join the vanguard led by He Xiao and Yuwen Jin. “Never hesitate if the decision is made” – he recalled what Yuwen Tong had once said to him.

He Xiao and Yuwen Jin were both taken aback as they saw Ling Zhang and his bodyguards join the ranks, but at the sight of Yuwen Tong looking at them with a grave expression in his eyes, they immediately threw out their chests again. “Don’t worry, Sire. I promise His Highness will come to no harm!”

Yuwen Tong, however, said in a deep voice, “Your job is to open the city gates, check out the lay of the land in the city and clear the way for our main force. The only one responsible for Ling Zhang’s safety in this battle is Ling Zhang himself. All the rest of you have to do is fulfill your respective tasks. If you fail to perform your duty on his account, both you and Ling Zhang will be punished according to military law.”

He Xiao and Yuwen Jin both jumped at Yuwen Tong’s words and with that they clenched their teeth and replied aloud together, “I’ll bear your words in mind and see to it that my mission is accomplished!”

Ling Zhang amid the soldiers also gave a start. By cautioning He Xiao and Yuwen Jin not to give him any special treatment, Yuwen Tong was being a responsible commander-in-chief and demonstrating his faith in him.

But at that moment Ling Zhang still felt two surges of emotions, one of them being the excitement of being able to kill enemies without misgivings, the other one a vague inexplicable mood. Even he himself did not know why, but his hand clenched hard around the hilt of his sword, his eyes glittering.

…

Two hours later, a new message came saying that the city gates would be opened in an hour.

The vanguard led by He Xiao and Yuwen Jin immediately set off.

Ling Zhang, followed by his bodyguards, departed with the vanguard. Yuwen Tong glanced at the receding back of Ling Zhang leaving with the vanguard and then gave the order for the main force to follow.

It was shortly before the time the city gates were supposed to be opened when they reached a spot not far away from the gates. The vanguard hid themselves in the shadows, waiting for someone to give the signal from the gate tower.

After a while, someone on the gate tower waved a lighted torch left and right and left again.

He Xiao perked up and hissed, “It’s time.”

After another few moments, they saw the city gates twitch.

“Mount and charge!”

The vanguard jumped up onto their horses the hoofs of which were swathed in thick cotton cloth and galloped towards the west city gates under the cover of night.

Before long, they were close enough to be spotted by soldiers on the gate tower and all of them tensed.

Ling Zhang cocked an ear at the sounds from the city gates, mobilizing his internal energy and heightening his five senses as much as he could. He could hear a lot of men breathing nervously behind the gates, then the sound of the latch being removed and the creak of the gates being pushed open …

“They’re opening the gates,” said Ling Zhang.

He Xiao and Yuwen Jin, who did not possess internal energy as powerful as Ling Zhang’s and thus couldn’t hear the sound of the city gates creaking, both jumped at these words and fixed the city gates with an unblinking stare.

Ling Zhang’s eyes raked the ramparts once again. Judging from the sounds of breathing he was hearing, the soldiers on the ramparts were performing routine guard duty, and there was nobody lying in ambush.

“There’s nobody lying in ambush on the ramparts.

And neither is there anybody waiting to ambush us behind the city gates. It’s very quiet there.”

Ling Zhang told them all that he was hearing.

He Xiao and Yuwen Jin were greatly emboldened. Believing that Ling Zhang would never talk through his hat in this kind of circumstances, the two of them dismissed all their misgivings and streaked towards the city gates, their men on their heels.

At this moment, the gates finally opened a fraction and with that a creak was heard, which lasted as the gates slowly opened wider.

Soon someone emerged from the open city gates and waved at them.

One of the gates was fully open when the vanguard reached them.

“Push the gates fully open and blow the bugle!”

As He Xiao gave the order, half of the vanguard dismounted from their horses, quickly pushed the other gate open and then took control of the gates. At the same time, the bugle blared.