Mo Li

Ten miles outside Xinyang City, hundreds of thousands of Western Liang troops gazed covetously at the distant city on the horizon. This city held far greater allure and significance than a mere border fortress. Within its walls lay boundless provisions and military supplies, the wealth and prosperity of the northwest's largest metropolis. It would become the true first step in their conquest of Great Chu.

In the commander's tent, Zhennan Wang, nearing fifty, sat behind his desk. Holding a report just delivered by his subordinate, he read for a moment before suddenly bursting into wild laughter. The generals below exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what could have pleased their lord so greatly. When his laughter finally subsided, he boomed, "Mo Liufang! So this is your fate! If you were still alive to see your Ding Royal Palace reduced to such a state, would you regret it?!"

The generals shared meaningful looks before one at the front stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, has some good news arrived?"

Zhennan Wang casually handed over the report and chuckled, "The Ding Royal Palace truly has no worthy successors left—they’ve actually entrusted military authority to a woman!" The general who read the report also showed a flicker of surprise. "Deputy Commander Nan Hou, with the Princess of the State as overseer? What is Eastern Chu playing at?"

Zhennan Wang snorted lightly. "A desperate measure, nothing more. I’ve heard a little about this Nan Hou—he’s always remained neutral, uninvolved in worldly affairs. He might make a decent general, but leading the Mo Family Army? He lacks the capability. Besides, the Mo Family Army’s authority isn’t so easily seized."

"Could it be that the Mo Family Army is now entirely in the hands of that Princess of the State?" another general exclaimed in shock.

Zhennan Wang nodded, smiling thoughtfully. "Indeed. Mo Xiuyao is far away in Northern Rong and cannot return. Without him, the Ding Royal Palace has no one left to lead the army to war. Now, military power has fallen into the hands of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old brat."

The generals beneath the tent grew excited, murmuring among themselves for a moment before someone stepped forward. "In that case, Your Highness, this is the perfect opportunity for us to crush the Mo Family Army. Let’s not allow them to reunite with Prince Ding and cause trouble for our eastern campaign!"

Zhennan Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, his right hand idly stroking his empty left sleeve. "Though I would have liked to face Mo Xiuyao in battle… a true commander must not act on mere personal rivalry. This is truly a heaven-sent opportunity for our army. If we can annihilate this force, the Ding Royal Palace will never recover its strength!"

"At Your Highness’s command!" the generals chorused, their hearts stirring with excitement at the prospect of destroying the Ding Royal Palace.

Zhennan Wang nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Intensify the assault on Xinyang—we must take the city within three days! Then we march to Jiangxia and wipe out the Mo Family Army in one stroke!"

"As you command!"

"Reporting to the Princess, a message from Agent Two has arrived."

In the Mo Family Army’s camp, Ye Li was seated in the command tent, discussing strategy with Nan Hou and others while the army was encamped. Zhuo Jing entered holding a letter. Without looking up, Ye Li said calmly, "Decipher it for me."

Zhuo Jing nodded and moved to a desk in the corner of the tent to transcribe the coded message. Ye Li continued speaking to Nan Hou. "It will take at least seven more days for us to reach Jiangxia. The accelerated march you suggested may prove difficult."Marquis Nan frowned and asked, "Why is that? The Mo Family Army has always been known for their swift marches. I recall their fastest speed was covering hundreds of miles in a single day..."

Ye Li shook her head and replied, "Marquis, that was for small detachments. With nearly three hundred thousand troops, compressing a ten-day march into five days—do you really think our soldiers would still have the strength to fight upon reaching the border? Moreover, the Western Liang forces won’t give us time to regroup. The moment we arrive at Jiangxia, we’ll likely face a brutal battle." Marquis Nan sighed heavily. "I understand what you’re saying, Princess, but I can’t help worrying about Xinyang..." Ye Li lowered her voice. "Xinyang is already lost. Given your expertise, Marquis, how many days could you hold Xinyang against Zhennan Wang?" After a moment of thought, Marquis Nan answered, "Xinyang isn’t short on military supplies. If it were me, I could hold it for a month."

Ye Li said, "General Leng has held it for half a month. Calculate how many days have passed now. Even if we had wings, we couldn’t reach Xinyang in time. Besides, Xinyang isn’t lacking in everything—it’s short on water."

The others paled slightly. While a shortage of food could be endured for a while, a lack of water was a death sentence. And Xinyang, located in the arid northwest, had always been scarce in water sources. Once besieged by Western Liang, water shortages were inevitable.

"No matter how fast we march, Zhennan Wang will undoubtedly be waiting for us at Jiangxia," Ye Li sighed.

Mu Yang frowned and asked, "What if Jiangxia is also breached?"

Lyu Jinxian raised his sharp brows and declared, "Young Master Mu, rest assured. Though General Yuan Pei only commands tens of thousands of troops in Jiangxia, the terrain there is entirely different from the flat plains of Xinyang. Holding it for ten days or more won’t be a problem. Even if Zhennan Wang presses with his full force, as long as a single soldier remains in Jiangxia, not a single Western Liang man will set foot inside!" Hearing this, Marquis Nan and Mu Yang flushed with shame. The Mo Family Army had guarded the border for over a century, never allowing enemy forces to step into Great Chu territory. Yet now, because the emperor distrusted Prince Ding’s Estate and sidelined the Mo Family Army, within less than a month of war, the Western Liang Army had already seized several cities and advanced three to four hundred miles.

Marquis Nan nodded. "As long as the Princess has a plan."

Ye Li smiled faintly. "I know the Marquis is concerned about the war. Don’t worry—General Sun Yan has already dispatched the Black Cloud Cavalry to rush ahead to Jiangxia under cover of night."

"Princess." Zhuo Jing, having finished deciphering the letter, approached and handed it to Ye Li. She read it silently for a while, then frowned and passed it to Marquis Nan. "Marquis, what do you and the generals think of this?"

Marquis Nan glanced at it, then looked up in surprise at Zhuo Jing, who stood calmly beside Ye Li. Frowning, he said, "Zhennan Wang has suddenly intensified his attacks—does he intend to take Jiangxia before we arrive? No... Princess, this is dire news!" Lyu Jinxian and Feng Zhiyao, noticing Marquis Nan’s grim expression, quickly took the letter and read it together, their frowns deepening with each line. Zhennan Wang was launching fierce assaults on Xinyang while simultaneously splitting his forces to flank them. Even the Southern Army, stationed not far away, had dispatched a detachment northward...

"Princess..." Feng Zhiyao muttered worriedly.

Marquis Nan said gravely, "While Zhennan Wang attacks Xinyang head-on, he’s also sending troops to cut off General Yuan’s retreat."Ye Li furrowed her delicate brows and after a long pause said, "Bring me the map." At this moment, the disadvantage of poor information flow became evident. No matter what they analyzed now, they couldn't immediately relay it to the frontline generals. They could only hope the frontline commanders had discerned the enemy's intentions like them and taken necessary countermeasures. Fortunately, this disadvantage often worked both ways.

Zhuo Jing turned around and retrieved a folded paper from behind, carefully unfolding it to reveal winding lines marking mountains and rivers. The entire northern and southern borders of Great Chu were clearly visible. Ye Li picked up a brush from the desk and marked the marching routes of Western Liang's troops as mentioned in the letter. Frowning, she looked up and asked, "Has the detailed map of the northwest arrived yet?" Zhuo Jing retrieved another document from their luggage and said, "It came this morning. I was just about to show it to you, Princess." Ye Li cleared the desk to spread out the map, saying, "What use is it for me? I've never been to the northwest. Marquis Nan, General Lyu, come take a look."

Everyone had been curious about the map before them and immediately gathered around at Ye Li's words. Two maps of similar size lay on the table—one clearly depicting the entire western border of Great Chu, while the other was far more detailed but only covered the northwest region. It was more precise than anything they'd seen before. Lyu Jinxian praised, "This is excellent. I've been stationed at the northwest border since I was twenty, spending nearly two decades there, yet I dare not claim to know it better than this map." Marquis Nan nodded, pointing to a spot on the map, "General Lyu is right. I've been to the northwest a few times myself. Princess, this map of yours... is remarkably detailed."

Ye Li smiled with satisfaction. How could it not be detailed? The entire batch of newly trained personnel had been dispatched, combined with existing maps. If they still couldn't familiarize themselves with the northwest, those people would have wasted their training.

After studying the two maps for a long time, Ye Li picked up her brush and drew a heavy line at a certain point, declaring solemnly, "Immediately order the southern troops—all forces near Western Liang's southern route army—to gather westward and intercept the divided forces from the southern route!"

Zhuo Jing nodded in acknowledgment. Ye Li raised an eyebrow in thought, then smiled faintly. She pulled out a piece of paper, wrote a line of characters, and handed it to Zhuo Jing, asking, "Where is Qin Feng?"

Zhuo Jing thought for a moment and replied, "Near Ling Pass. He should be preparing to head north to rendezvous with us now." Ye Li glanced at Ling Pass's location on the map and said, "Tell him not to come. Give him this—it's the next phase of the plan."

Zhuo Jing took the note and left without even glancing at it.

"Does the Princess have some plan in mind?" Mu Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ye Li smiled faintly. "It's not much of a plan, just some advance arrangements. A precaution, that's all."

Seeing she had no intention to elaborate, Mu Yang gave her a complicated look but didn't press further. For a hundred years, the Mo Family Army had obeyed the Ding Royal Palace's commands, and in recent years, they'd held little goodwill toward the emperor. As someone sent by the emperor—and from a family closely aligned with him—Mu Yang naturally found himself in an awkward position. Fortunately, he was a tactful man.Marquis Nan looked at Ye Li, then at Mu Yang, seemingly unaware of the undercurrent between them. Stroking his beard, he smiled and said, "It's good that the Princess has a plan. Right now, we're hundreds of miles away and can't do much. The most important thing is to hurry to the battlefield to provide support." Both Ye Li and Mu Yang nodded in agreement. Only then did Marquis Nan smile and discuss a while longer with Ye Li and the others before rising to take his leave and return to his own tent to rest. Seeing that Marquis Nan had left, Mu Yang—even if he wished to stay and continue listening to the others' reports—had no choice but to rise and bid farewell as well.