Qiao Chu

The King of Xiliang turned his head to look at the young general who had taken over his nomadic couch.

The incident had happened abruptly—a sudden assault in the dead of night, fierce and swift in its slaughter. At first, he hadn't thought much of it and even stepped out to see which foolhardy soul had come seeking death. Before he could get a clear view, a young general drenched in blood and with disheveled hair appeared beside him—as if emerging from the ground or rising from what seemed like a corpse lying there.

After that, his vision was filled only with flying blood and flesh; he saw nothing else clearly. Then the young general stood behind him, a long blade pressed horizontally against his neck.

The cry of "The King of Xiliang has been captured!" pierced the night sky.

What followed was wave after wave of people falling, only to be replaced by another wave emerging like a dense forest, encircling the area.

He was tightly bound, and the young general behind him moved away.

When he saw the young general again, dawn had broken. The general was wrapped in bandages, his hair tied up, revealing a face younger than he had imagined.

And quite handsome at that.

"You remind me of Chu Ling," the King of Xiliang said as his first words.

The young general touched his chin. "I'm quite similar to him, but General Chu took down your father. Now, it's me who's taking you down. You can remember another name from now on." He reiterated, "Xie Yanlai."

He was a rather proud and boastful young man, seemingly afraid others might forget his name. The King of Xiliang laughed heartily, repeated the name, and nodded.

"Xie Yanlai," he said. "Killing me isn't necessarily a victory. What you should do now is release me. Otherwise, you're doomed."

Xie Yanlai chuckled. "I've never understood—" He hissed at this point, as if in severe pain, gritted his teeth, and called out a name, "Xiao Shan—"

The King of Xiliang saw a young man standing beside him dart to the nomadic couch, holding something like half a pill, hesitating as he tried to feed it to Xie Yanlai.

"Young master, you can't take any more," he whispered.

Xie Yanlai snatched it and stuffed it into his mouth. "I know my limits." After swallowing the pill, he continued his unfinished thought, his voice slightly slurred. "You powerful figures, once captured, still threaten others. I don't know if it's clever or foolish—no, it's just too arrogant."

He lay back, swallowed the pill, took a deep breath, and eased the pain.

"You think your power matters, but once you're in someone else's hands, what power is left?"

"If I dared to come capture you, I came ready to perish together. Dying is just dying. If I were afraid of death, why would I be here?"

The King of Xiliang said, "What use is perishing with me? If I die, I still have sons." He smiled arrogantly. "Believe it or not, the moment they learned of my capture, Western Liang already had a new Great King. I am nothing now. Don't think you can use me to threaten Western Liang. Even if reinforcements from Great Xia arrive, it's useless. You and Great Xia will gain nothing—"

Midway through his speech, the young general on the nomadic couch called out again, this time for water. The soldier named Xiao Shan hurriedly fed him a few sips, but Xie Yanlai complained it tasted awful and refused to drink more, grumbling that Xiao Shan wasn't as gentle as his maids.

"When we return, I'll learn properly from your maid sisters, young master," Xiao Shan promised repeatedly.The King of Xiliang didn't mind his jesting. After they finished drinking and talking, he continued, "So, Xie Yanlai, what you should do now is release me and engage in proper negotiations. I've already sent a peace proposal to Daxia. Since you've captured me, I'm willing to make further concessions during the peace talks. This way, both you and Daxia will gain something—"

"Enough, Great King, no need to say more." Xie Yanlai lazily interrupted him, waving his bandaged hand. "Who says I haven't gained anything? So what if Western Liang immediately gets a new king? Killing you, the King of Xiliang, is my greatest achievement. My life is worth it now—I'll be remembered in history! That's what I've gained. As for whether it affects the war situation or what Daxia gets, that's none of my business."

The war situation and Daxia were none of his concern? The King of Xiliang laughed in disbelief—had he come here to die just for a place in the history books?

"You—" he started to continue.

But this time, as soon as he opened his mouth, Xie Yanlai ordered, "Gag him."

The soldiers guarding nearby immediately tore some rags and bound the King of Xiliang's mouth.

Xie Yanlai snorted, "So noisy."

He should have accompanied these words with a dashing inward turn, but unfortunately, his body was wrapped up like a wooden puppet. Though he thought of turning over, his leg hadn't yet settled, and he must have tugged at some wound, causing him to let out a muffled groan.

"Master—" Xiao Shan, who had been watching him closely, rushed over at once, examining him up and down with a tense voice. "Where does it hurt? How are you? Is there any medicine you can take?"

Xie Yanlai lowered one leg, kept the other propped up, twisted his upper body over while his lower half remained flat on the bed, and closed his eyes. "So noisy! Shut up! Help me straighten out!"

Only then did Xiao Shan notice Xie Yanlai's awkward position and hurriedly reached out to move his leg into place.

"Master, it's better for your wounds if you lie flat," he added. "Why are you lying on your side?"

Xie Yanlai scoffed, "Because it looks better."

What did looks have to do with anything? Xiao Shan scratched his head in confusion.

"Alright, stop staring at me. Go keep watch outside," Xie Yanlai said with his back to him.

Xiao Shan acknowledged the order and turned to leave but paused, lowering his voice to ask, "Master, are you alright? Can you still hold on?"

"You're really nagging. If things fall apart outside, whether I can hold on or not won't matter much," Xie Yanlai replied impatiently, but he still answered, "I can hold on."

Reassured by the response, Xiao Shan happily acknowledged and went out.

Xie Yanlai lay motionless, facing inward, biting down on a sachet. He clenched it so tightly it seemed about to be chewed to shreds.

The sachet wasn't fragrant anymore—the scent of almonds had faded, and the ink aroma from the letter inside was gone. All he could smell was the metallic tang of blood.

During the fierce battle, his robes had been soaked in blood, and the sachet he wore around his neck, hidden against his skin, hadn't escaped the stain.

He bit down hard on the sachet, jolting himself awake each time he nearly lost consciousness and loosened his grip.

This was how he stayed alert.

Even if death might come soon, until that moment arrived, he remained the victorious master of the situation.

Outside the tent, Xiao Shan watched as dusk began to envelop the land, his face darkening.

"Is the master alright?" a soldier whispered.

Xiao Shan sighed. "He's in so much pain he can barely drink water, and he can't move his body."

The soldier fell silent.Another soldier hurried over but hesitated upon seeing their expressions.

Xiao Shan glanced at him and asked, "What is it?"

The soldier replied, "The west side has also been surrounded."

Xiao Shan's face darkened. "They're quite fast."

"That means we're surrounded on all sides. Even if our reinforcements arrive, breaking through will be difficult," the soldier said quietly.

Their forces were far too few.

The three of them gazed into the hazy twilight. Outside the royal tent, soldiers circled layer upon layer, resembling the Eight Trigrams Formation yet different. If viewed from above, it would look like a flower bud ready to bloom.

This was the military formation devised by the young master, who had given it a beautiful name: Six Petals Formation. (Note 1)

When the enemy forces charged from all directions, it would bloom in a bizarre and enchanting manner.

Then scatter into mud.

Xiao Shan snorted, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "Break out? Since we came, we never planned to break out. We're here to kill the King of Xiliang. Achieving that will be satisfaction enough."

The messenger soldier chuckled and said earnestly, "Brother Xiao Shan, your imitation of the young master isn't convincing at all. He's taller and better-looking than you."

Xiao Shan spat and kicked at him. "Get lost and keep scouting!"

The soldier dodged with a laugh and ran off.

Xiao Shan remained on guard outside all night. Though deeply concerned about Xie Yanlai, he steeled himself not to return to the royal tent. If these Xiliang soldiers had a new king who ordered a full assault, he would hold the final line for the young master.

As night gradually faded into hazy dawn, commotion seemed to arise from all directions.

Xiao Shan, who had been leaning against the ground, abruptly straightened. His bloodshot eyes sharpened as he scanned the direction of the noise.

But there were no sounds of battle. Instead, a troop of riders galloped into view.

"Report—Messenger from Xiliang has arrived—"

A messenger from Xiliang? Xiao Shan frowned. Previously, Xiliang military officials, princes, and tribal leaders had sent envoys, but Xie Yanlai had declared that with the King of Xiliang present, no one else had the authority to send messengers. Those who did were not envoys and were to be executed outright.

After several such incidents, they had stopped coming.

Why were they sending one now? And how had he gotten through?

"What's going on?" Xiao Shan barked, watching the approaching riders.

Alongside Great Xia soldiers were men in plain robes and Xiliang attire—

"Reporting to General Xie, it's an envoy from Xiliang City brought by the reinforcements," the guards shouted.

This statement carried two meanings. Reinforcements? Had they already arrived? Xiao Shan's gaze fixed on the two men in plain robes.

"Are you reinforcements sent by Commander Zhong?" he asked.

The two men shook their heads, then nodded.

How baffling. Yes or no? Xiao Shan frowned as the guards approached and showed him a token. "They do carry Commander Zhong's Waist Token."

Xiao Shan glanced at it, confirming its authenticity, then looked at the Xiliang envoy. An envoy from Xiliang City—so was he sent by the new king?

"Let him see the King of Xiliang," one of the plain-robed men said, tilting his chin. "He has words for the King of Xiliang."

This man didn't look like a soldier at all, Xiao Shan thought inwardly. But he trusted Commander Zhong and asked no further questions, leading the Xiliang envoy into the royal tent.

"Great King—"

The moment the Xiliang envoy entered, he dropped to his knees, kowtowing and wailing loudly, startling both Xiao Shan and the slumbering King of Xiliang.The King of Xiliang opened his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the messenger.

"Great King," the messenger lifted his head, "the royal city has been plundered by bandits—"

Plundered by bandits?

For a moment, the King of Xiliang thought he hadn't fully woken up, that he was dreaming—how could he be hearing such an absurd statement?

Where would bandits come from in the capital of Xiliang? What bandits could possibly plunder the royal city?!

"It's true, Great King," the messenger wept, pulling a jade ring from his bosom. "The First Prince... has also been killed by them—"

The King of Xiliang felt as if struck by lightning, his ears ringing, his vision narrowing until only the jade ring held up by the messenger remained.

He certainly recognized this jade ring—it had been passed down to him by his father, and he had only bestowed it upon the First Prince before setting out on this campaign.

"Ungag him."

Xie Yanlai, who had somehow turned over on the nomadic couch, suddenly remarked.

Xiao Shan snapped back to attention, rushed over, and tore the cloth gagging the King of Xiliang's mouth. A piercing roar instantly filled the tent.

"I don't believe it! I refuse to believe it! This can't be possible!"

Watching the ever-composed King of Xiliang crumble like a collapsing mountain, roaring and trembling, Xie Yanlai, lying on the nomadic couch, raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly: "Nothing is impossible."

What could be impossible? If he could meet a girl named Chu Zhao while delivering military dispatches, what in this world could truly be deemed impossible?

After saying this, he turned to look at Xiao Shan.

"Xiao Shan, go ask Commander Zhong to inquire of the Third Prince—now that the First Prince is dead, does he wish to become the King of Xiliang?"

...

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Note 1: Created by the renowned Tang Dynasty general Li Jing.