Chapter 213: "That Lord Xiao of the Northern Border, Princess..."
A light snow fell again as night descended.
Having faced setbacks in the daytime siege, the three armies decided to jointly discuss subsequent plans against the Pei forces.
When Fan Yuan and Chen Wei entered the tent, their cloaks were dusted with snowflakes. Attendants at the entrance took their outer garments, guiding them further inside where they found the tent already filled with Xiao Army commanders. Seated at the head position behind a long table, Xiao Li's brows were drawn in severity, his gaze fixed intently on the strategic map. Though he remained silent, an aura of formidable authority radiated from him.
Tempered through countless battles fought over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, certain qualities seemed to have fused with his very bones and blood, becoming an undeniable power that commanded attention.
Both men froze momentarily.
Though Xiao Li had shown promise while in Pingzhou, he had been younger then and hadn't experienced as much hardship. Compared to now, his former self appeared strikingly immature.
Despite having heard numerous accounts of his reputation in the northern territories after Xiao Li left Pingzhou, neither had seen him again until now.
Staring at the figure in the commander's seat, they momentarily hesitated to recognize him.
It was only when an attendant approached Xiao Li and whispered a few words that he lifted his gaze from the map. Fan Yuan quickly greeted: "It has been over a year and a half since I last saw the Marquis. Meeting today, I almost didn't dare recognize you."
"General Fan jests. Someone, prepare seats for General Fan and Lord Chen," Xiao Li instructed.
Having served under Fan Yuan's command previously where Fan had shown him considerable mentorship, Xiao Li's tone retained some familiarity when addressing him.
After they were seated, Xiao Li's personal guards promptly served them tea.
With both Liang and former Chen territories now acknowledging Wen Yu as their ruler, and following Jiang Yu's death in Liang territory due to Keji spies, Wen Yu had reorganized the Chen court. Facing invasion from the Western Mausoleum Army and temporary inability to dispatch additional commanders, the remaining Chen troops in Liang territory were temporarily placed under Chen Wei's command.
Thus, what appeared to be a three-party discussion actually involved only commanders from the Liang and Xiao camps.
Noticing the strategic map of Luodu's four city gates spread across Xiao Li's table, Fan Yuan deduced he had been discussing the next assault plan with his subordinates earlier.
Recalling the daytime siege failures, Fan sighed: "During today's attack, the Pei defenders employed bizarre tactics. Just as my forces nearly pushed the siege towers beneath the battlements and our crossbowmen fired upward, they launched over a hundred earthen jars from catapults. When our arrows shattered them, they spilled lime everywhere! Five hundred of my crossbowmen suffered eye burns from the lime and remain in the infirmary."
Zheng Hu immediately added: "Exactly! We assaulted the northern battlements today where they also dropped earthen jars - but these contained oil. After their rolling stones breached our shield formation, they doused us with oil and ignited it with fire arrows. The battlefield instantly became an inferno! Our infirmary now holds many soldiers burned or trampled in the chaos."
Zhang Huai had grown contemplative upon hearing Fan Yuan describe their failed assault. Glancing at Xiao Li who had remained unusually silent since returning from battle, he ultimately chose not to speak.Chen Wei, who had come with Fan Yuan, remarked, "The defensive tactics employed by Pei's camp in today's city defense were vastly different from before. Despite my repeated orders for fierce assaults, the enemy managed to block every one. Luodu City still houses tens of thousands of Pei's troops, and Pei Song himself once led an attack on Luodu, so he knows its weak points. Even before the Marquis of Shuobian's southern campaign last year, he had already reinforced Luodu's defenses. Over the past half-year, he has stockpiled ample provisions and military supplies in the city, likely in preparation for a siege like this. Even if we resort to attrition warfare now, it would be difficult to wear them down quickly."
As he contemplated the consequences of future battles, his expression grew increasingly grim. "I wonder who the mastermind assisting Pei Song in holding Luodu is. If it were Gongsun Chou, I've faced him before back in Jinzhou."
He quickly shook his head. "Today's battle didn't resemble Gongsun Chou's style. After this engagement, Pei's camp has reversed its previous losing streak and morale has surged. If we attempt another assault and fail to take the city in one go, it could deal an even greater blow to our own army's morale."
Over the past half-year, the forces of Liang, Xiao, and Chen had been consistently overpowering Pei Song. It could be said that everyone believed trapping Pei Song in Luodu would soon mark the end of this two-year turmoil.
The soldiers, too, had been riding high on their successive victories.
But today's defeat disrupted that momentum.
As the saying goes, the first blow is half the battle; with the second, morale wanes, and by the third, it is exhausted.
Another defeat would mean the enemy's morale rising while ours falls.
That would put us at a severe disadvantage.
All the generals present understood this, and for a moment, their faces darkened.
Xiao Li, who had been silent for some time, spoke up: "It's Qin Yi."
At the mention of that name, a brief silence fell over both sides of the long table.
Fan Yuan and Chen Wei exchanged glances, seeing shock in each other's eyes.
Zheng Hu, unaware of Pei Song's past or the many events of the former Liang dynasty, grew puzzled by the silence in the tent. "Who is Qin Yi?"
Xiao Li replied, "Pei Song's biological father."
Zheng Hu cursed, "So he's just another old treacherous scoundrel?"
No one in the tent spoke.
Zheng Hu realized he might have said something wrong but saw no issue with cursing Pei Song's father. Bewildered, he asked, "But why haven't we heard of Pei Song's father before? Why has he only now emerged to help that turtle's son of his?"
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. "Father and son don't even share the same surname."
Fan Yuan glanced at Xiao Li, then cleared his throat and explained, "The princess has verified that Pei Song's original name is Qin Huan, the only son of the great general Qin Yi, who was imprisoned years ago on charges of treason under dubious circumstances. When Pei Song used his stratagem to sow discord, he claimed that the marquis had studied under his father."
Zheng Hu let out an "Ah!" and immediately turned to Xiao Li, stammering, "Sec—Second Brother, when did this happen?"
Zhang Huai's eyes showed a flicker of understanding, finally grasping the reason for Xiao Li's unusual demeanor since returning from the battlefield.
When Xiao Li heard the name "Qin Huan," his gaze briefly sharpened.
Then, as if unwilling to dwell on the past, his expression turned cold and weary. He lowered his long lashes slightly and said, "When I was imprisoned as a child, he looked after me."
Zheng Hu knew about Xiao Li's imprisonment and that he visited the deranged old man in prison every year. For a moment, he was speechless, scratching the back of his head repeatedly, unsure of what else to say.Zhang Huai spoke up at the opportune moment: "The Pei Camp has repeatedly employed treacherous schemes to bring harm to the Lord Marquis, exploiting past grievances to inflict considerable suffering upon him."
His words unmistakably absolved Xiao Li of any blame, making it clear to all that even though Xiao Li had once shared a master-disciple bond with Qin Yi, he had consistently been victimized by the Pei Camp's machinations and bore no association with them whatsoever.
Now that Qin Yi was aiding Pei Song in defending the city against them, he could only be regarded as an enemy.
Fan Yuan and Chen Wei grasped the implication in Zhang Huai's words. Fan Yuan promptly followed up: "Indeed, had it not been for the Pei Camp's earlier scheme to sow discord, why would the Lord Marquis have departed from the Liang Camp?"
He sighed and waved a hand dismissively. "Let's not dwell on these stale matters of the past. The Lord Marquis has since carved out his own domain, which can be considered another twist of fate. However, Qin Yi now aiding his son in abetting evil is truly troublesome."
Pei Song had troops, and Qin Yi was a seasoned veteran of countless battles.
Today's siege was the clearest example.
If Pei Song were allowed to rebuild the morale of his army, it would undoubtedly lead to a brutal battle for them, inevitably costing the lives of countless soldiers.
After two years of campaigning against Pei Song, they had finally severed his retreat and drained his spirit, all for the purpose of achieving a decisive victory.
As commanders, they naturally wished to minimize casualties among their ranks.
Zhang Huai remarked, "In my earlier years, I came across some accounts of Qin Yi in unofficial histories. It is said that when General Yuchi's achievements had reached such heights that he nearly shared rulership of the realm with Liang Chengzhu, the latter promoted Qin Yi to bolster his own influence within the military. Qin Yi's methods in warfare bear some resemblance to those of General Yuchi."
Hearing this, Fan Yuan could not help but sigh with regret. "It is a pity that fortune was not on our side. The Lord had already persuaded Old General Yuchi to come out of retirement, but both of them fell in the Battle of Wayaobao."
At this point, there was still no concrete plan for how to proceed with the assault on Luodu.
The only person in the tent with more knowledge of Qin Yi was Xiao Li.
The gazes of the assembled generals instinctively turned toward Xiao Li. After a moment of silence, he spoke: "When I was imprisoned as a child, he had already gone mad. That he is now able to assist Pei Song in battle—whether Pei Song has cured his madness or employed some other method—is unclear. Given the Pei Camp's current high morale, it is unwise to launch another full-scale assault. We should instead besiege Luodu for a month, during which we can send small detachments to probe their defenses and analyze their tactics."
Fan Yuan slapped the table in admiration. "An excellent strategy! A month's time would not only allow the Pei Camp's morale to decline but also, through repeated skirmishes, stir unrest within their ranks."
After all, Luodu, as the imperial capital of Great Liang, was filled with markets and wards but lacked farmland for self-sufficiency.
No matter how much provisions Pei Song had stockpiled earlier, feeding tens of thousands of troops would deplete their military provisions day by day.
They could even simply guard the four city gates of Luodu, besieging them until their provisions were exhausted.
Under the mounting anxiety and fear, the longer the siege lasted, the faster the morale within the city would collapse.
However, this approach would also impose some burden on them, as the expenditure on various military supplies was no small amount.
Chen Wei also nodded in agreement. "This plan is feasible. In the meantime, I will have someone compile records of Qin Yi's past campaigns for everyone to study, so we may better understand his methods of warfare."
With that, the council of war came to an end.
After the generals departed, Xiao Li also left the main tent.The night wind and snow were fierce. Without a cloak, he trudged through the snow for a stretch before stopping at a water vat prepared nearby. Leaning against the stone vat, he picked up a piece of floating ice from the thinly snow-covered rim and the layer of solid ice frozen in the water, holding it in his palm, letting the warmth of his hand slowly melt it.
Moonlight shone upon him, casting a solitary shadow on the ground.
Only when the solid ice in his palm was nearly melted did he lift his head to gaze at the cold crescent moon hanging high in the sky.
In this life, he had gained very little.
What he had lost, however, was always enough to pain him to the marrow.
Now, all he wished to hold in his hand was that moon.
He had also seen that moon gentle.
It was his place of return.
Chen Kingdom, Zhaohua Palace.
The battle report from Liangdi arrived at Wen Yu’s desk half a month late. Little A Li had now learned to recognize people; once she woke and did not see Wen Yu, she would cry and fuss intensely, and no one could soothe her.
But as long as Wen Yu was by her side, even if Wen Yu was busy handling government affairs and paid her little attention, she would play contentedly in her cradle, stretching her arms and legs, and when tired, she would blow bubbles and fall asleep again, needing no one to coax her.
Wen Yu had no choice but to have the cradle placed beside her while she dealt with political matters.
At that moment, as she read the battle report with a slight frown, Yang Baolin, who was helping to amuse little A Li by the cradle, couldn’t help but ask, “Is the campaign against Pei Song not going well?”
Wen Yu handed her the report.
After reading it, Yang Baolin also furrowed her brows: “Qin Yi has officially rebelled as well?”
Wen Yu did not respond directly, only saying, “Only Luodu remains to be recaptured. For this year’s spring planting, the prefectures and counties south of Luodu should hurry and let the common people settle down first. Once military supplies are secured, there’s no need to fear Pei Song holing up indefinitely.”
The defeat at Luodu was inevitable. Even if Pei Song could hold out for a few months with the grain stockpiled in Luodu, the stored provisions would eventually run out.
Yang Baolin was not worried about the battle for Luodu; her gaze fixed on the words “Lord Xiao of the Northern Border” in the report.
A Li was not King Chen’s descendant, nor was her father Jiang Yu. As for A Li’s biological father, Yang Baolin had once been unable to guess who it might be. Wen Yu had never spoken of it, so she had never asked, assuming that Wen Yu had only sought this child to resolve the crisis in Southern Chen.
Over the past six months, there had often been news of that Lord Xiao of the Northern Border on Wen Yu’s desk, and she had merely thought Wen Yu was concerned about the situation in Liangdi.
But after inadvertently noticing that Zhao Bai seemed to hold a grudge against this person, she finally sensed something amiss.
Yang Baolin looked at Wen Yu, who was bending over to play with her daughter, and hesitantly asked, “A Yu, it will be March soon. Should we let the court know of A Li’s existence?”
Wen Yu had publicly claimed to have become pregnant last May; by the calculation of months, she should give birth this March.
To thoroughly consolidate political power, it would be most appropriate to claim a male infant as the royal heir.
But since her pregnancy, Wen Yu had boldly reformed the court system, appointed many female officials from the Morning Cloud Pavilion, established the female civil service examination in the court, and used numerous checks and balances to shape the Chen court into its current state.
Using a male infant to secure her position no longer seemed necessary.
Moreover, the palace was now entirely under Wen Yu’s control. If they truthfully announced that she had given birth to a little princess, and the court officials could not see A Li, it would be easy to conceal the discrepancy in the child’s age.
Once she grew older, who would be able to tell the difference in her months?Wen Yu was momentarily distracted by Yang Baolin's words when her knuckles were grasped by A Li's delicate fingers—unexpectedly strong.
She lowered her gaze to her daughter, who had just grown tiny beige millet-like teeth on her upper palate and was grinning at her, and said, "Then let them know."
Yang Baolin froze.
Did this mean they would publicly declare the child as a daughter?
Hesitating briefly, she still asked: "After Lord Xiao of the Northern Border finishes campaigning against Pei Song, what are Your Highness's plans?"
Author's Note:
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