Chapter 255: "Deceiver!"
The iron cavalry charged forth like rolling thunder.
Yang Yue and the two Wolf Cavalry members assigned by Xiao Li rushed at the forefront alongside the elite cavalry led by Fan Yuan. Spotting Xiao Li and the blood-soaked official road from afar, he urgently cried out: "Benefactor!"
Upon reaching the scene, exhausted from the desperate ride and overwhelmed with emotion, he attempted to dismount while his warhorse was still at full gallop. Missing the stirrup, he tumbled directly from the saddle.
The two accompanying Wolf Cavalry guards swiftly leaped down to assist him.
Fan Yuan also reined in his horse nearby, letting out a long "whoa" to steady the steed before dismounting. He surveyed the corpse-strewn official road, his gaze sweeping over the headless body on the ground before settling on what Xiao Li held in his hand. Temporarily stunned by the gruesome scene, it took him two breaths to regain composure before clasping his hands toward Xiao Li: "Thank you, Lord Xiao, for eliminating this scourge on behalf of the Liang people."
He continued: "On our way here, we encountered Young Master Yang, whom your men were escorting to safety. We've learned that the treacherous Pei Song led Western Mausoleum barbarians through the border defense camp's passage. How fares Tiger Gorge Pass now?"
Raindrops still dripped from the leaves of roadside shrubs.
Xiao Li's jaw was pale, his hair ends and the robes beneath his armor still dripping with water. His blade gleamed with blood, while in his other hand he held precisely Pei Song's severed head.
His voice was hoarse from prolonged combat: "Tiger Gorge Pass holds. General Yang and Madam Yang... have both fallen..."
Fan Yuan's expression froze in shock.
The junior cavalry officer from Tiger Gorge Pass who had accompanied Xiao Li in pursuit of Pei Song saluted Fan Yuan and briefly recounted Yang Shuo's final confession and the events at Tiger Gorge Pass.
Upon learning that Yang Shuo had initially spared Pei Song out of gratitude for Qin Yi's past kindness, only for Pei Song to return later attempting to force Yang Shuo's rebellion through vile schemes—and how both Yang Shuo and his wife had taken their own lives to thwart Pei Song's plot, allowing Tiger Gorge Pass to hold until Xiao Li's reinforcement—everyone present sighed in sorrow.
As if unable to accept this reality, Yang Yue staggered backward and choked out: "Father..."
Then, howling in anguish, he rushed toward Pei Song's headless corpse, punching and kicking the body: "You treacherous dog! Give me back my parents' lives! Give them back!"
He wept bitterly, beating the corpse until his knuckles were raw and bleeding.
Fan Yuan, unable to bear the sight, gestured to his guards, who stepped forward to pull the young man away.
Yang Yue continued weeping uncontrollably, collapsing to his knees facing Tiger Gorge Pass, pounding the ground with choked sobs: "Father... Mother... Younger brother..."
...
Xiao Li watched the boy's frail, slender back without speaking.
Before such profound grief, any words of comfort would ring hollow—this was a pain one must bear alone, before rising again from the blood-soaked mud.
Seeing Yang Yue's state, Fan Yuan sighed inwardly before turning back to Xiao Li. Noting his abnormally pale complexion, damaged armor, and the faint pink tint in the water dripping from his robes, he knew Xiao Li's injuries must be severe. He said:
"With this traitor dead and Tiger Gorge Pass secured, this remains a great victory. The Liang Camp owes you an immense debt, Lord Xiao. I see you're wounded—shall we enter the city for rest?"
Xiao Li wrapped the bloody head in his cloak and tied it to his saddle, stating: "I have pledged allegiance to Han Yang. I am a subject of Liang."
These brief words left Fan Yuan so astonished he remained speechless for a long moment.Xiao Li, however, only continued speaking to Fan Yuan: "I request General Fan to assign ten thousand elite cavalry to me. With tens of thousands of Western Mausoleum troops besieging Gole City, the current war situation in Chen Kingdom is likely grim. If we march out from Tiger Gorge Pass to reinforce them, we can catch Western Mausoleum by surprise from the rear."
Fan Yuan's expression instantly turned grave, and he no longer dwelled on the shock of Xiao Li's sudden return to Liang Camp. He said, "Sir Xiao, please remain within the pass to recuperate from your injuries. The princess personally went to Gole City, and her fate remains unknown. Since Tiger Gorge Pass is now secure, I shall naturally lead my troops to rush to Gole City's aid!"
Just as Xiao Li was about to mount his horse, his movements abruptly halted upon hearing this. He turned back and asked, "What did you say?"
The blood on his face had been washed almost clean by the rain, yet his expression in that moment could still be described as ferocious.
Fan Yuan was taken aback by his unusual reaction, silently pondering that the letter Wen Yu sent to Pingzhou had mentioned Xiao Li leading the Wolf Cavalry to Tiger Gorge Pass to block the Western Mausoleum Army, though it didn't state he had defected to Liang Camp—likely due to Wen Yu's own considerations.
But Xiao Li's act of resisting Western Mausoleum was no different from a suicide mission. Wen Yu's subsequent plans probably shouldn't be kept from Xiao Li anymore. Puzzled, Fan Yuan asked, "Sir Xiao didn't know? The urgent message from Pingzhou stated that the princess ordered someone to escort the young princess back to the pass, while she personally went to Gole City to supervise the battle. She said if anything were to happen to her..."
At this point, Fan Yuan's eyes suddenly reddened: "...then Chancellor Qi of the Chen Kingdom and our Great Liang's Yu Taifu would assist the young princess in presiding over the overall situation..."
Xiao Li's grip on the saddle tightened so much that his knuckles turned white. He let out a cold laugh, almost grinding out two words through clenched teeth in an extremely low voice: "Liar!"
What did she mean by asking him to return alive and bring her back to Great Liang?
What about herself?
Fan Yuan didn't catch what he said, only feeling that Xiao Li's reaction upon learning Wen Yu had gone to defend Gole City was truly peculiar. Just as he was about to ask more, he saw Xiao Li already push off the saddle and mount his horse, directly ordering the Wolf Cavalry: "Follow me to Gole City immediately!"
With that, he fiercely cracked his whip and galloped away! Though confused, the Wolf Cavalry closely followed suit.
Fan Yuan, terrified, shouted after him: "Sir Xiao! You're still injured—stay within the pass to recover properly. Leave the reinforcement of Gole City to me!"
Outside Gole City.
The sun slanted westward, casting a vast expanse of fading light.
The earth-yellow banners of Western Mausoleum fluttered in the wind. In the distance, the walls of Gole City were already pockmarked with craters, the battlements collapsed in many places, and even the city gate had been repaired several times. Smoke of gunpowder drifted everywhere.
Yet despite this, the city that appeared to be built like a pile of loose sand still stood firm after days of relentless assaults by Western Mausoleum's 120,000-strong army.
The black-and-gold dragon-emblazoned standard on the city tower remained raised high, flapping sharply in the wind carrying yellow dust and the scent of blood.
Below the city, the Western Mausoleum Army, which had been employing attrition warfare in prolonged attacks for days, retreated like a receding tide.
He Yi stood on the high slope of the camp, her hand resting on the curved blade at her waist. Her arm was wrapped in several layers of gauze, as if injured. Beside her stood an elderly monk wearing an ochre-colored robe.
Gazing down at the battlefield below, she said, "I indeed underestimated Han Yang before. That day she beat the war drums on the city tower until dawn, actually managing to coalesce the scattered sands of Gole City into a solid iron weight."
The elderly monk's weathered face was etched with deep wrinkles. Watching the Western Mausoleum Army below—which had been attacking day and night using attrition warfare and now showed signs of fatigue even in retreat—his aged eyes held a faint sorrow and compassion. He said:"That Princess of Liang has roused the entire army with a do-or-die determination. There's an ancient saying in Central Plains military strategy: 'First drumming energizes, second weakens, third exhausts.' Prolonged failed assaults will inevitably devastate our warriors' morale."
"Doesn't the same apply to the defenders inside Gole City?" He Yi retorted coldly.
Her eyes burned with repressed fury and unwavering ambition: "Seeing no glimmer of hope has made Gole City's defenders forget the taste of fear. Then I shall give them hope!"
"Pass down the order: slaughter cattle and sheep to feast the three armies. Tomorrow we attack with full force!"
The aide waiting nearby received He Yi's command, promptly pressing a hand to chest in salute before rushing off to deliver the orders.
He Yi cast one final glance at Gole City bathed in the dying sunlight, her words ringing like steel: "Before tomorrow's sun rises from the east, I will breach Gole City!"
Having survived the harshest desert eagles, she understood human fragility best.
Facing the crush of 120,000 troops, that Liang princess might have stirred the city's morale once by personally beating war drums atop the walls for a full day and night. But after experiencing such hollow victory and fleeting joy, when despair descends again, could she rouse them a second or third time?
The old monk watched He Yi's confident retreating back, her hand resting on the curved blade at her waist, then gazed toward Gole City's distant battlements and sighed softly into the wind.
He had hoped to see this child he'd found in the desert reach greater heights, but Gole City stood before her like an impenetrable fog - he could no longer discern her destiny.
Upon Gole City's walls, Wen Yu stood beneath the Dragon Banner in black-and-red brocade robes, calmly watching the retreating Western Mausoleum Army.
The wind stirred stray hairs across her pale face. Her eyes, red-rimmed from sleepless nights, retained their sharp intensity undiminished.
"We won! We've won!"
The defenders' hysterical cheers seemed determined to shatter the gloom that had hung over Gole City for half a month.
Four days earlier, 120,000 Western Mausoleum troops had descended, intent on crushing the city and pushing deep into Southern Chen's heartland.
Wen Yu had anchored their defense with the Dragon Banner, personally ascending the walls to beat war drums until dawn throughout the battle.
Though the promised reinforcements never arrived, nobody cared anymore.
In that battle, the defending soldiers saw their princess truly prepared to live or die with them!
If Gole City fell, Liang and Chen's histories would turn a new page.
Thus all fear vanished from their hearts, replaced by the determination to pile their own flesh and blood higher before Western Mausoleum could trample them!
This universal conviction allowed the long-besieged, battered gates and walls to withstand repeated collapses, soldiers using comrades' corpses as bulwarks while patching breaches with stones and logs.
Just during that single day and night of frenzied slaughter, Gole City's defenders lost over half their number.
Western Mausoleum paid dearly too.
By dawn's light, corpses piled higher than the city walls, blood soaking the sandy battlefield dark brown.
This battle had brutally shattered Western Mausoleum's momentum.After a full day and night of failing to capture Gole City, all they gained was exhaustion and plummeting morale throughout the army. Though He Yi was furious, she had no choice but to divide the main force into several groups, ordering them to continue the assault day and night using attrition warfare in the following days.
They had thought this would eventually wear down Gole City's defenses. Unexpectedly, having successfully withstood the Western Mausoleum Army's fierce attack by 120,000 troops on the first day, the defending forces inside the city—though divided into two shifts by Wen Yu to take turns guarding the walls—only grew more courageous with each battle. In contrast, the Western Mausoleum's offensive grew weaker by the day.
Today marked the fifth day of the Western Mausoleum's relentless assault.
Zhao Bai stood beside Wen Yu and said, "Perhaps He Yi has realized that continuing like this will drain the Western Mausoleum's morale completely, which is why she decided to change tactics."
Wen Yu's hands were clasped in front of her, the gauze wrapped around her tiger mouths stained with dried, brownish blood—a result of her tiger mouths splitting from beating the war drums that day.
She gazed into the distance, her light red eyes devoid of joy or sorrow, yet vaguely filled with a determination to gamble with fate: "Gole City has held firm for twenty full days."
A faint flicker of surprise crossed Zhao Bai's face.
Then she heard Wen Yu continue asking, "How is Xiyun's injury?"
That day, Gu Xiyun had led troops out of the city to destroy the Western Mausoleum's ballistas used for the siege. She confronted He Yi, but the elite soldiers she brought suffered heavy casualties under the Western Mausoleum's human wave tactics, and she herself was severely wounded.
In the end, it was only with covering fire from over a dozen catapults on the city walls hurling rolling stones that Mu Shaoting, who had fought his way through to rescue her, managed to bring her back at great risk.
Both wore heavy armor but still nearly ended up like porcupines from the arrow barrage.
The situation at the city walls was equally grim. Wen Yu had beaten the war drums until dawn, her arms so numb and painful they nearly lost all sensation. When the royal physician arrived and performed acupuncture in the duty room to stimulate her blood flow, the sudden surge of pain felt as if the bones and meridians in her arms were being crushed inch by inch.
The excruciating pain forced Wen Yu to change clothes multiple times, yet each set was thoroughly drenched in cold sweat.
The royal physician said the meridians in her arms were severely damaged, and if not properly rested, she might struggle to even wield a brush in the future.
Her subordinates knelt and begged her to return to the inner city to recuperate, but Wen Yu refused them all. The morale within the city had been ignited by her vow to live or die with them.
If she left now, all their efforts would be in vain.
Thus, from that day on, Wen Yu never left the city walls, resting daily in the duty room there.
Day or night, whenever urgent military reports arrived, she would be at the sand table, discussing desperate defense strategies with Mu Youliang and other officers.
Hence, she knew very little about Gu Xiyun and Mu Shaoting, who had been sent back to the inner city for treatment.
Zhao Bai replied, "The royal physician has used all available medicine. News came at noon today that General Gu and Young General Mu are both out of mortal danger."
She hesitated slightly before continuing, "Princess, regarding the Western Mausoleum royal city..."
Wen Yu's voice was clear and steady: "Inform General Mu that all plans proceed as scheduled."
The desert night was utterly silent, save for the howling wind.
In the pitch-black expanse between heaven and earth, a fire suddenly blazed on a high slope.
Sentinels on duty in the Western Mausoleum Army camp spotted the flames and hurried to report to He Yi.
He Yi threw on her cloak and swept out of her tent, staring at the abrupt flames on the distant slope. Her right eyelid twitched violently. Frowning, she commanded in a low voice, "Send scouts immediately to investigate the source of those flames!"
Then she asked her guards, "Any unusual movements from Gole City?"
A guard pressed fist to chest and replied, "Scouts have been watching closely. No unusual activity detected."Hearing this response, He Yi’s brow remained furrowed as her gaze returned to the distant flames on the high slope.
The sudden blaze tonight left her with an inexplicable sense of unease.
He Yi asked again, "Has there been any further news from Niru?"
The guard shook his head. "Not yet."
Seeing He Yi’s concern, the guard reassured her, "Judging by the march’s progress, General Niru should have just arrived at Tiger Gorge Pass. Even if they’ve taken the pass with the consort’s assistance, the battle report will take a few more days to reach us."
This reply eased some of He Yi’s restlessness. She turned back toward the military tent and ordered, "Keep a close watch on Gole City. Report any unusual activity immediately."
The commotion caused by the flames had also drawn the old monk’s attention.
By the time he entered He Yi’s tent, she had already changed into her usual battle armor and was seated on a tiger-skin stool, meticulously polishing the curved blade that had accompanied her for years.
The old monk gave a slight nod. "Your Highness summoned me."
The curved blade cast a cold glimmer beneath He Yi’s eyes in the candlelight. Staring at the weapon she had seized from her own brother—a legendary blade said to have followed their ancestor Latirang in battle, helping him achieve unparalleled military feats—she declared:
"Master, they say you can glimpse the will of heaven. Tell me, after tomorrow’s battle, will our Western Mausoleum sweep across the Central Plains?"
He Yi, prideful all her life, had never asked the old monk such a question before a battle.
The old monk’s eyes held pity, but before he could speak, scouts sent to investigate the mountain flames rushed back into the tent. Kneeling, they reported urgently, "Your Highness! The flames on the mountain were caused by someone gathering dry branches and broken wood to burn. By the time we arrived, the perpetrators had vanished."
He Yi’s temple throbbed violently. After a moment of frowning contemplation, she seemed to recall something abruptly, her face paling as she shouted, "That’s a Central Plains beacon fire! Someone is sending a signal to Gole City!"
Fury erupted within her. The ominous premonition made her fear further complications, and she immediately commanded, "Sound the gongs and drums! Order all troops to attack the city at once!"
No sooner had she spoken than a young officer hurried in to report, "Your Highness! An envoy from the royal city has arrived!"
Amid her rage, He Yi’s expression shifted slightly.
Moments later, the envoy from Western Mausoleum’s royal city was escorted into the central command tent.
Upon seeing He Yi, the envoy looked as if he had found a savior, his face filled with despair as he cried, "Princess He Yi! Withdraw the troops quickly and return to Western Mausoleum to reinforce the royal city!"
He Yi grabbed the envoy by the collar and demanded sharply, "What has happened to the royal city?"
The envoy wept bitterly, "The sixteen tribes of the Eastern Mausoleum in the desert have all rebelled! They’re now pressing directly toward the royal city’s gates!"
A wave of fury surged through He Yi’s mind. She roared, "You lie! I have eyes throughout the desert. How could I not know if the sixteen tribes were marching on the royal city?"
Clutched in He Yi’s grip, the envoy whimpered, "The sixteen tribes hid among the westward-migrating refugees to evade inspection…"
He Yi’s face twitched, her anger intensifying. Fearing spies from the Liang and Chen kingdoms might infiltrate Western Mausoleum, she had ordered strict inspections when drought-stricken refugees migrated west, commanding her subordinates to kill indiscriminately rather than let a single Central Plains native slip through.
Yet, while they had guarded against Central Plains agents, they had failed to stop the desert tribes.She gritted her teeth and said, "Didn't I make it clear? Even if they are refugees from various tribes, they are not to be allowed across the border. They should be kept outside and made to serve as slaves transporting military supplies!"
The envoy trembled as he wept, "The Queen did exactly as you instructed, Princess. But they killed the garrison troops under cover of darkness, seized the weapons meant for the front lines, and fought their way all the way to the royal capital..."
He Yi felt her vision darken for a moment, her head spinning with dizziness.
After all her meticulous planning, she had still overlooked this one crucial step!
Previously, those transporting military supplies were genuine slaves captured from various tribes. The cavalry's whips were the law, and aside from diligent labor, they dared not offer any resistance.
But this time, mixed among the refugees she had forced into slavery was an entire army!
They had rebelled while posing as slaves. The garrison troops were insufficient to suppress them immediately, and the unsuspecting slaves, likely thinking someone had taken the lead in rebellion and glimpsing this hope, simply joined the uprising.
Those lowly commoners she had never deigned to look at properly had thus become a sharp blade thrust directly at the royal capital!
The various tribes in the desert were all simple-minded, belligerent brutes. Who could have devised such a strategy for them?
And it all had to happen right at this critical moment!
He Yi glared hatefully at Gole City shrouded in the night ahead, the answer already clear in her heart. She spat the two words through clenched teeth: "Han Yang!"
Of the 120,000 troops that had besieged Gole City, excluding the wounded, only 90,000 remained available for deployment.
He Yi coldly addressed the envoy, "I will assign 40,000 soldiers to you for the return to defend the royal capital."
The envoy, still coughing from having his throat constricted when He Yi had grabbed him by the collar earlier, exclaimed in surprise, "Princess, aren't you returning?"
He Yi looked toward Gole City, the hatred in her eyes almost materializing as she said, "If this is Han Yang's scheme, how could I let her have her way!"
She issued a cold command to her guards: "Muster 50,000 troops to follow me in attacking the city! After I take Han Yang's head, we'll turn back and teach those reckless tribes a lesson!"
The envoy called out to stop He Yi, wanting to persuade her further, but she had already mounted the warhorse brought by her guard. As if remembering something, she added, "The entire camp is to be struck. Make the mobilization for returning to aid the royal capital appear grand! Divide the 50,000 troops for the city attack into three units, and wrap all the warhorses' hooves in cotton cloth!"
Her subordinates understood that He Yi intended to create the illusion of a full retreat to aid the royal capital, lulling Gole City into lowering its guard for a surprise attack, and they acknowledged the orders one by one.
Burning with a rage that seared her very lungs, He Yi moved with the surprise attack force under the cover of night, silently appearing beneath the walls of Gole City. There, she found the city brightly lit, with guards stationed at the battlements, presenting a scene of strict vigilance.
She drew her bow and shot down several guards at the corner of the wall, then threw a grappling hook to secure it on the battlement. Clinging to the steel cable of the grappling hook and using the city bricks as footholds, she swiftly scaled upward toward the tower.
Simultaneously, another force providing cover charged from the darkness with loud shouts, reaching the city gates and ramming them fiercely with a battering ram.
Archers hidden in the shadows released a volley of arrows, taking down the remaining guards on the battlements. Their eyes remained fixed on He Yi's safety, ready to shoot any archers from within the city the moment they showed themselves.Strangely enough, after they had shot down that batch of defenders, no one came to fill the gaps along the battlements. Despite the deafening roars of the besieging Western Mausoleum Army below the walls, no arrows were loosed from the city towers in response.
The entire Gole City lay as silent as a graveyard, an eeriness that chilled to the bone.
He Yi had already scaled the city tower. Drawing his blade, he slashed diagonally at a defender who, despite being pierced by multiple arrows, remained standing, sending the figure tumbling off the battlements. Only then did he realize that all these so-called "defenders" on the towers were actually Death Soldiers who had fallen in earlier battles!
They had merely been propped up with wooden sticks from behind to maintain a standing posture, posing as guards—no abnormalities were detected when viewed from below the city earlier.
A surge of fury at being deceived once again shot through He Yi's heart. With an enraged roar, she kicked down several death soldiers in front of her and issued a cold command: "Search the area!"
The elite troops who had followed her onto the city tower immediately spread out to search the guardrooms atop the walls and the areas below.
Meanwhile, the city gate below, which had been repaired multiple times, finally gave way under the relentless assault and was completely smashed open.
The Western Mausoleum Army surged in with triumphant cries, but not a single Chen or Liang soldier was found within the city.
The young officer who led the breach returned to the city tower to report to He Yi, his face ashen as if mourning his own parents. He gasped, "Princess, we've fallen into a trap! The defending forces have long withdrawn. The granaries are emptied, and the catapults and ballistas too cumbersome to move were all destroyed. Gole City is now completely deserted!"
The fury in He Yi's chest burned even fiercer—she felt she had never suffered such humiliation before.
The earlier signal fires were actually Han Yang's order to retreat!
The meticulously planned siege she had orchestrated had turned into a complete farce!
He Yi raised her arm and slammed her fist violently against the city wall's bricks, crushing a solid piece of masonry. She gritted her teeth and snarled, "These Liang rats are nothing but cunning vermin!"
The young officer asked fearfully, "Princess, what should we do now?"
Before He Yi could respond, another guard galloped urgently from outside the city, disheveled and panic-stricken, shouting, "Disaster, Princess! A Liang army has launched a surprise attack on our camp and set our granaries on fire!"
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