Chapter 161: "You're No Match for Jiang Yu"...
The campfire crackled and spat in the night. A gust of wind swept through, causing the flames to dip low, while snow cascaded from the distant treetops with a soft rustle.
Xiao Li sat by the fire, his armor half-unfastened, baring one arm. Clenching one end of a bandage between his teeth and gripping the other with his hand, he wrapped it around a dark-stained gash the length of a finger on his forearm.
Zhang Huai, carrying a bowl of medicinal brew, trudged through the deep snow with Zheng Hu from the other side of the camp.
Xiao Li tilted his head slightly and asked, "What are the casualties among the troops below?"
After sitting down, Zhang Huai shook his head. "The soldiers from the three battalions suffered heavy injuries this time. We've been chasing the barbarians through wind and snow for days, and many have caught colds."
Once Xiao Li finished bandaging his wound and donned his armor, he said, "Tomorrow, the second battalion will follow me to continue pursuing the enemy. Tiger will lead the third battalion back to the base for rest."
But Zheng Hu interjected, "Let me take the second battalion tomorrow. You haven't slept for two nights straight, Second Brother. Go back and get some proper rest."
Zhang Huai also urged, "The Prefect has been rushing between battlefields nonstop these past few days. The barbarians clearly hit one place and then move to another. Though we hold the central line, we can't keep up with every Border Defense Camp sending pleas for help the moment barbarians appear."
His face, illuminated by the firelight, looked grim. "They're clearly trying to exhaust us to death."
The defense of Yanle Mountain had always been held by Wei Qishan's elite troops. But the Wolf Cavalry, after all, were precious, their strength lying in countering the barbarians' main cavalry force. They couldn't be scattered across various defense posts.
After the narrow victory in holding the pass last time, the barbarians continued their tactics, splitting into countless small units to harass the Border Defense Camps along the Yanle Mountain range.
No one could predict which nighttime raids were real and which were feints. The Wolf Cavalry was the Northern Wei's ultimate trump card and couldn't be wasted on such exhausting pursuits.
The tens of thousands of righteous army troops stationed at the central line became the best choice to verify the barbarians' raids.
Whenever a Border Defense Camp sent an urgent plea, the message would reach the righteous army camp, and troops had to be dispatched immediately.
Moreover, the dispatched forces had to be substantial—too few, and they wouldn't hold the breach until the Wolf Cavalry arrived for support.
Xiao Li's righteous army now numbered thirty thousand. He had temporarily divided them into ten battalions. Whenever a Border Defense Camp called for aid, he sent one battalion. Three thousand troops were enough to temporarily plug a gap.
Even so, four or five units left the camp daily. Often, before they even reached the pleading Border Defense Camp, another would report an emergency, saying the barbarians had turned to attack them instead.
The supporting righteous army sometimes spent entire days and nights on the move, being toyed with by the barbarians, rushing between various camps. Not only were the soldiers worn out, but the horses couldn't endure such strain either. After several days, both men and steeds were utterly exhausted.
Xiao Li took the medicine bowl from Zhang Huai, drained it in one gulp, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "We can't let the barbarians keep leading us in circles. It's time to switch from defense to offense and take the initiative. I've been tracking this barbarian unit for two days. They're cunning—we can't afford to let our guard down."Zhang Huai sighed, "My lord, you must take care of your health. Even an iron-forged man cannot endure such relentless toil. Even Marquis Wei's own trusted followers may not push themselves as hard as you do."
Xiao Li, however, stated, "Once we repel the barbarians this time, I will resign to Marquis Wei."
Both Zhang Huai and Zheng Hu were startled by his words, but Zheng Hu quickly responded, "I'll follow Second Brother wherever he goes!"
Zhang Huai asked, "Is it because of Princess Han Yang?"
By protecting Wen Yu, Xiao Li had inevitably shown disloyalty to Wei Qishan. Though Wei Qishan might already harbor suspicions, he had refrained from taking action due to various considerations and lack of concrete evidence.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Li replied, "Not entirely."
A spark from the crackling firewood landed on his clothing, which he promptly extinguished. He continued, "Initially, I truly wanted to make a name for myself and break free from being controlled by others. That's why I raised a militia in Tong Prefecture. As more brothers joined, their reasons were simple: to protect their homes and families, and to secure a future."
"When the three allied armies in the Southern Border collapsed during the campaign against the Pei, and the Liang forces retreated, our Tong Prefecture Army became the largest force in the south. To avoid being besieged by the Pei army, I used Yuan Fang as a pretext to have our brothers move north for safety. After the Battle of Youzhou, we established a foothold in the Northern Border. Since then, in every battle against the Outer Pass Barbarians, our brothers have charged at the forefront with me."
His dark pupils reflected the flames, growing increasingly somber. "But it seems that as long as I refuse to become a obedient dog, Marquis Wei's distrust will never fade."
At this, Zheng Hu grew indignant. "Exactly! After we distinguished ourselves in the Youzhou campaign, they didn't let us fight the barbarians anymore. Instead, they ordered us to disperse the remaining Pei forces within the border. We didn't complain. But then Marquis Wei sent that bastard Wei Pingjin and Wei Ang to win over the other righteous army leaders. If not for Wei Ang knowing his place, I'd have pummeled that worthless young master of the Wei camp countless times!"
Though slow-witted, Zheng Hu was not entirely unaware of the situation. He grumbled, "After we successfully defended the Yanle Mountain front, every Border Defense Camp now just sends messages to our righteous army camp whenever there's an enemy attack. I really wonder how the Northern Wei managed to hold the line before our righteous army existed."
Zhang Huai sighed. "Marquis Wei's actions are indeed meant as a warning. He values you, my lord, that's true. But you have outshone many veteran generals of the Wei camp with your achievements twice now. With Marquis Wei injured and recuperating in the rear, he has been trying to pave the way for his son to take the frontlines and win the army's favor. Unfortunately, Wei Pingjin already disgraced himself in Youzhou and further lost face and credibility among the righteous army because of the incident with Lieutenant Lin."
He looked at Xiao Li. "At any time, achievements that overshadow one's superior are a grave taboo. Even for the sake of the Wei family's reputation, Marquis Wei must make you stumble this time."
Zheng Hu couldn't contain his anger. "Then why did you, Military Advisor, advise Second Brother to stay back then?"Zhang Huai said, "Why not stay? As I said before, the two battles crucial to the survival of the Northern Border were won by the Provincial Lord. It was you who trained the ragtag troops into a righteous army nearly matching the regular forces of Northern Wei. How many of our Tongzhou brothers have laid their bones in the Northern Border? We've contributed manpower and resources to assist the Wei camp this far—how can we let minor grievances jeopardize our greater plans?"
Zheng Hu urgently countered, "We've humbled ourselves—must we endure the Wei camp's arrogance forever? Has their damned young lord ever treated us as human beings?"
Zhang Huai lifted his gaze slightly. "General Zheng, how many in the Wei camp would truly obey their young lord once the Marquis of the Northern Frontier is gone?"
Understanding Zhang Huai's scheme, Zheng Hu felt chills run down his spine and hastily looked toward Xiao Li.
But Xiao Li stated, "I have no interest in the Wei family's legacy."
Having said this, he rose to leave.
Zhang Huai called out to stop him, "Provincial Lord, this is no time for righteousness! And if we must speak of righteousness, it is Northern Wei who owes us countless debts!"
He enumerated: "Yuan Fang, a general under Wei Qishan's command, was saved by you. You revived the nearly lost Youzhou and defended it for them. When the barbarians feinted east to strike west, luring away the main Wei forces to cross Yanle Mountain and attack Weizhou, it was you who led our brothers to block their advance. Do you truly not understand why Wei Qishan fears you?"
The alpha wolf of the Northern Border had aged. A new alpha wolf had led his pack into the old wolf's territory, yet helped guard his domain.
The aging alpha needed the young wolf's strength but feared being supplanted.
That was why, upon first meeting Xiao Li, he had been so desperate to make him "family."
Xiao Li's profile was illuminated by firelight, the other half shrouded in night. His voice was low: "I led our brothers out of Tongzhou to escape disaster. But as long as war continues, people will die—today a mother may lose her son, tomorrow a wife her husband. My time in the ranks has been brief; I don't know how to be a perfect commander. I can only strive to keep them alive in every battle and lead them toward a better future. Those who die honorably on the battlefield are heroes. But to die at the hands of barbarians after such exhausting marches—that would be my failure to them."
"Aside from the matter of Han Yang, my conscience is clear regarding the Marquis of the Northern Frontier. After blocking and eliminating those barbarian troops, I'll have atoned for that incident. I request to leave voluntarily. Any brothers who wish to remain in the Wei army will no longer be suspected because of me."
Zheng Hu laughed cheerfully, "Who in the army doesn't know their young lord's character? If even you won't stay in the Wei camp, Second Brother, who'd remain here enduring such nonsense?"
Zhang Huai stood and bowed to Xiao Li. "I followed the right man. With such integrity, Provincial Lord, your achievements will not end here."
Xiao Li offered no reply, striding away into the distance.
Amid the cold silence of the pine forest, he gathered a bundle of fodder and personally fed his horse tethered under a tree. Stroking the horse's neck, he murmured, "You've suffered these past few days."
The jet-black horse snorted and lowered its head to eat.
Light snow shook from the branches as a gleaming long sword pressed against Xiao Li's throat. "Release the princess."
Zhao Bai's expression was icy.
Xiao Li showed no intention to fight, merely plucking a few dried grass blades from his narrow sleeves and tossing them to the horse before saying, "I don't understand what you're talking about."Zhao Bai suppressed her fury and said, "Stop playing dumb!"
With her other hand, she produced the white jade lock threaded with a red cord, her voice cold and sharp as she hissed, "If it wasn't you who abducted the princess that day, then who else could it have been?"
Wen Yu had left his army and was given a white jade lock for the child in her womb. Aside from Xiao Li, Zhao Bai truly couldn't think of anyone else.
Before Xiao Li could respond, she snapped again, "If you still hold a grudge over that arrow incident, come at me directly. It was my failure to control the Azure Guard, allowing a traitor among them to shoot a poison arrow at you. The princess only ordered me to intercept you and bring you back to Pingzhou to protect you. Since you encountered Zhou Sui in Yongzhou, you should know the princess has always tasked him with secretly investigating your mother's whereabouts!"
When Xiao Li heard her mention Xiao Huiniang, a mocking sneer surfaced on his handsome yet aloof face. "Back then, you wanted to capture me and bring me to Pingzhou to verify whether I was a spy, wasn't that it? Ordering Zhou Sui to investigate in Yongzhou—wasn't that also to confirm the truth of Pei Song's claims?"
He turned around, the sword in Zhao Bai's hand grazing his neck and drawing blood, yet he paid it no mind. There was no trace of anger on his face, but an aura like thick smoke before a volcanic eruption seemed to swirl around him. His wolf-like, fierce eyes were filled with icy frost. "From the moment your Liang Camp suspected me of being a spy, none of you are worthy of standing before me and speaking."
Zhao Bai was certain he had abducted Wen Yu. She had lain in wait for days, only to find him relentlessly pursuing barbarians at Yanle Mountain, never venturing elsewhere. With no clue where he had hidden Wen Yu, she seized this opportunity to confront him about her whereabouts.
Hearing his words, she couldn't hold back her anger. "There were plenty of suspicious points about you—why shouldn't we be doubtful? Even if the princess trusted you, she had to answer to her subordinates. Do you think giving a broken jade lock to the princess's child makes you profound and magnanimous?"
She coldly warned, "The princess only agreed to Empress Dowager Jiang's wish to have a child with Jiang Yu, and he would die for her. There are countless men in this world willing to die for the princess—what does your so-called depth of feeling amount to? Don't think you can use the princess's guilt and affection for you to force her into anything!"
The look in Xiao Li's eyes at that moment was utterly frigid.
Author's Note: Xiao Li: I'm done, I just want to go with Yu Yu.
Zhao Bai—Wen Yu's devoted protector (arms crossed, disdainfully): Do you even rank among my princess's suitors?
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