The land was filled with lamentations.
Feathered arrows fell like locusts.
The charging cavalry of Prince Zhongshan raised their shields, while the defending Capital Garrison formed a wall of armor. Only the civilians in the middle were left unprotected, and to prevent them from disrupting the formations and affecting the imminent battle, the rain of arrows fell almost entirely upon them—
With no path to survival ahead and no retreat behind, the fleeing people collapsed to the ground.
Xie Yanfang no longer covered Xiao Yu’s ears, allowing the cries, screams, and wails to rush in. Perhaps overwhelmed by the war drums and the roars of soldiers, the child in front of him trembled at first but gradually grew numb.
Having witnessed such brutality, fear and terror no longer held sway.
"Lord Xie," Qi Gonggong said, feeling the vibrations of the ground as the first wave of the charge was about to begin, "please take His Majesty further back."
Even within the central army’s formation, it was unsafe once the fighting started, let alone this close to the front lines. Though he trusted Xie Yanfang would not let anything happen to Xiao Yu, who could say for sure? No one had expected the Crown Prince to die back then—
Xie Yanfang looked down with a smile and asked, "Are you afraid, A Yu? You might get hurt soon."
Xiao Yu murmured, "I’m not afraid."
His hand gripped the sword tightly.
Not afraid, but that wasn’t enough. Xie Yanfang looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Then, Your Majesty, smile. As you watch the soldiers fight through bloodshed and see treacherous ambitions come to nothing, you should laugh heartily."
Smile? Xiao Yu tightened his grip on the sword and forced out a faint, strained smile.
Though it wasn’t a hearty or pleasant smile, it would suffice. This smile amid the carnage would be etched into the child’s heart. When he grew up, no matter how dire the circumstances—be it the destruction of a family or a powerful minister pleading for mercy—he would face them fearlessly with a hearty laugh. Xie Yanfang gently patted Xiao Yu’s shoulder and directed his gaze forward. The army’s formations shifted, archers retreating while cavalry advanced with thunderous steps—
"Your uncle will take you to the front lines, A Yu. You are no longer the weakling who was once ambushed. You are now a warrior who can kill amidst thousands of troops."
Kill, kill. He was no longer the one being hunted. Those who sought to harm him, to kill him—they would all die! Let them perish! Xiao Yu raised the long sword in his hand and let out a cry that was half-sob, half-laugh: "I will kill them all!"
Xie Yanfang urged his horse forward, taking Xiao Yu away from the central army’s formation.
Qi Gonggong followed a few steps before stopping. He couldn’t even hold a sword properly. To go to the front lines, he would need seven or eight soldiers to protect him—he would only be a hindrance. He could only watch as Xie Yanfang led Xiao Yu forward.
He knew Xiao Yu would be in no danger, but—
Qi Gonggong muttered helplessly, "He is the emperor, but he is also a child."
Last time, the child escaped from the slaughter. This time, the child was plunging into the slaughter. Would this child ever escape the nightmares of his life?
As an emperor, such a fate was inescapable.
But the next moment, he paused slightly. Though he wasn’t heading to the front lines, from the central army, he could sense something unusual—the movements of the troops and formations seemed to shift.
The fighting seemed—to have halted?
……
……
Once the battle on the Border Commandery began, it would not cease until one side was annihilated, or both sides were wiped out.
The long sword swept forward, slicing through the armor of the Xiliang soldier ahead and ending his life. But the sword was also firmly seized by the soldier. Through the blood-soaked blade, Xie Yanlai saw a grotesque, grinning face behind him.
Without a sword, how could he kill?The Xiliang soldier from behind raised his sword to strike down, but in the next moment, the young officer forcibly dragged the Xiliang soldier in front of him, pivoted like a hawk, and kicked him to the ground. Before the soldier could react, the hilt of the long blade smashed hard into his throat.
A distinct sound of shattering bone seemed to echo in the air.
The Xiliang soldier lay motionless, dead.
Even without a blade, one could still kill.
In the distance, the thunder of hooves shook the ground as reinforcements arrived just as the last Xiliang soldier fell.
Corpses piled like mountains across the land shrouded in twilight.
Zhong Changrong didn’t wait for his horse to come to a full stop before leaping down, gripping his blade and rushing forward, shouting, “How many are still alive!”
Behind him, soldiers surged forth, dispatching the Xiliang soldiers who had not yet breathed their last and rescuing their wounded comrades.
The mountain of corpses shifted as many emerged from beneath—the number of survivors was not small.
Zhong Changrong breathed a sigh of relief, then raised his voice again as he remembered something: “Xie Yanlai!”
Only after calling two or three times did a young officer crawl out from under the pile of bodies, his tone dripping with sarcasm: “General Zhong, if your reinforcements had arrived any later, you’d be calling for my ghost.”
Seeing him, Zhong Changrong relaxed again, but at these words, he glared angrily. That brat!
“You attacked without orders,” he roared. “This was reckless.”
Xie Yanlai took a bandage handed by a soldier nearby and wrapped it around his arm twice, saying, “This is called adapting to the situation. We finally located the main force of these Xiliang soldiers—how could we let them go?”
Recently, the Xiliang soldiers had been emerging from all directions as if driven mad. Clearly, aside from Chu Ling’s death, they had also heard of the standoff between Prince Zhongshan and the court—the Great Xia was in turmoil internally.
Zhong Changrong, acting as temporary commander, was deeply anxious. If the court and Prince Zhongshan continued to fight like this, the Border Commandery would be in grave danger.
Not only were the Xiliang soldiers attacking fiercely, but the mobilization and command of the Border Army were also strained, with morale wavering and officers harboring their own selfish motives.
Fortunately, there was Xie Yanlai. Though the young man seemed rash and unreliable, he always completed his missions successfully. Moreover, his status as a scion of the Xie family intimidated many of the self-serving officers.
He just wouldn’t follow orders.
As this thought crossed his mind, Zhong Changrong saw Xie Yanlai mount his horse and call out to the soldiers—
“Where are you going now?” Zhong Changrong snapped irritably.
Xie Yanlai wore an expression of disbelief, frowning as he said, “There’s an ambush at Sandao Gully. We were originally headed there. Although we’ve taken out the main force now, the enemy troops at Sandao Gully are still there. Of course, we must go and eliminate them immediately.”
He was right. Zhong Changrong glared at him, his gaze sweeping over the young officer’s bleeding arm. He wanted to say something but ultimately swallowed his words.
“Someone—” he turned to muster troops.
Just then, a scout galloped up from the front and reported, “The enemy at Sandao Gully has been eliminated.”
Zhong Changrong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, “Which unit was it?”
“The vanguard of the Left Wing Army,” the scout replied. “Young General Liang.”
Young General Liang. Zhong Changrong’s expression grew complex. Among the five great generals of Yunzhong Commandery, there were hundreds of notable officers under their command, all of whom Zhong Changrong knew. But when it came to lower-ranking officers leading troops, he might not recognize them all. Yet, at this moment, hearing only “Young General Liang” without a name, Zhong Changrong knew exactly who it was—and not just him; everyone in the Border Army knew.
Liang Qiang.
He was called “Young General Liang” because his father also served in the army, as the Chief Clerk of the Left Wing Army.The Left Army's General Guo was dismissed due to previous mistakes, and Second Master Liang temporarily assumed the role of Left Army General, earning the nickname "Great Liang General."
The Liang father and son were gradually gaining fame in the military. As family members of a disgraced official serving at the border, they laid down their brushes to take up arms, seeking to atone for their crimes through meritorious service.
The elder Liang, a scholar with remarkable wisdom, had repeatedly deciphered the battle strategies of the Xiliang soldiers.
His son, Liang Qiang, was brave and fierce. Since joining the war, he had fought a hundred battles without a single defeat, rising from a common soldier to the rank of Army Captain through his military achievements.
As they spoke, the ground trembled with the sound of hooves. A troop of less than a hundred men galloped out of the dusk, each looking as if they had been drenched in blood, their armor in tatters.
The young officer at the forefront, holding a long blade, dismounted and saluted as he approached: "Liang Qiang of the Left Army reporting to General Zhong."
Although there was some friction between the Liang and Xie families, Zhong Changrong would not trouble a warrior who had fought the enemy. He gestured for him to rise: "Captain Liang, your bravery is commendable. What is the situation?"
Liang Qiang stood up, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping past Xie Yanlai.
In the deepening dusk, the tall, slender young officer, stained with blood, was speaking with a few soldiers, but the next moment, his sharp gaze turned toward them.
Liang Qiang lowered his eyes.
"My scouts tracked the movements of the Xiliang soldiers. I led the vanguard but encountered an ambush on the way. Fortunately, we fought our way out and continued the pursuit—" He paused, glancing at the gruesome battlefield around them. "Congratulations to General Zhong on this great victory."
Zhong Changrong laughed heartily, taking a large step forward and reaching out to hook an arm around Xie Yanlai. But the young man slipped away like a fish, leaving Zhong's hand hanging awkwardly in the air.
"This—Captain Xie was one step ahead," Zhong Changrong said, pointing at Xie Yanlai by way of introduction. "It was his unit that fought fiercely and annihilated the Xiliang bandits."
Liang Qiang lowered his eyes and bowed to Xie Yanlai: "Thank you, Captain Xie, for rescuing us from peril. Otherwise, we would have been completely wiped out."
Xie Yanlai raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly: "No need for formalities, Captain Liang. Consider yourselves lucky."
That brat! Zhong Changrong shot him a glare.
Liang Qiang showed no sign of embarrassment. He smiled slightly and, without further words, prepared to take his leave and report back.
Zhong Changrong watched as the young officer mounted his horse. The officer seemed hesitant, his horse pawing the ground.
"General Zhong," he began, as if about to say something.
Zhong Changrong looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
But Liang Qiang ultimately raised his hand in salute, withdrew his gaze, and spurred his horse to gallop away.
"That Liang lad is truly impressive," Zhong Changrong remarked with a sigh, especially when he turned and saw Xie Yanlai standing nearby, arms crossed like a solitary black eagle.
Xie Yanlai came from the prestigious Xie family, renowned and influential. Yet he was unruly and defiant, to the point that even soldiers who had fought alongside him dared not approach him.
Liang Qiang, also from a noble family, was not only brave and skilled in battle but also courteous and refined. He was always surrounded and supported by his soldiers.
"That mouth of yours," Zhong Changrong grumbled in frustration. "We're comrades fighting together. Would it kill you to say something nice to make people happy?"
What did he mean by "consider yourselves lucky"?
Xie Yanlai smirked faintly: "Even if I said something nice, he wouldn't be happy, nor would he like me. Why waste my breath?"
That was true. It was the Xie family who had brought disgrace upon the Liang family, making them enemies. Zhong Changrong snorted.
"As for whether the soldiers like me or not—" Xie Yanlai glanced back.
The soldiers gathered behind him immediately straightened up, some even stepping back fearfully.
Xie Yanlai withdrew his gaze.
"They're not here to be my friends. As long as they can kill the enemy, earn merits, and survive deadly battles under my command, that's enough."
With that, he let out a sharp whistle."Assemble the troops and prepare to march."
At his command, the soldiers who had been keeping their distance immediately picked up their weapons and mounted their horses without the slightest hesitation. Even those not under Xie Yanlai's command could barely contain their excitement, urging for their units to be called next.
This young man might not speak elegantly, but he certainly fought brilliantly. In the army, he was like a thorny flower attracting swarms of buzzing bees.
He was promising material, no wonder the young lady wanted him tempered here. Zhong Changrong grabbed Xie Yanlai: "You can't venture too far from camp. Going deeper into enemy territory is too dangerous." His hand came away sticky - blood had already soaked through Xie Yanlai's sleeve from his wounded arm. Zhong Changrong didn't release his grip, instead pulling the arm back firmly. "Go dress your wound immediately."
Despite his injury, Xie Yanlai still managed to break free nimbly. "We have medics in the army who can tend to wounds. You should hurry back to command headquarters. Keep a clear head and don't be fooled by those generals."
Since Chu Ling's passing, the generals had indeed been gradually becoming uncontrollable. Zhong Changrong reflected that the only reasons he could still maintain his position were, first, Chu Ling's lingering prestige - especially his death in battle, which made the soldiers worship him as a war god - and second, because of Chu Zhao.
Chu Zhao was the Empress, and not just because she was Empress, but because this Empress personally fought and killed enemies alongside the Border Army.
The officers and soldiers recognized her, respected her, and therefore recognized Zhong Changrong as well.
He had always thought that after the general's death, the young lady needed his protection. Unexpectedly, it was she who ended up protecting him.
Thinking of the young lady, Zhong Changrong grew deeply worried.
She was in extreme danger now, hovering between life and death. Shouldn't he dispatch some troops to her?
"If you send troops there," Xie Yanlai said coldly, "she'll die even faster."
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