A Minister's Capricious Affection | Chapter 44 | The Edge of War | Novela.app

The garrison at Rouhui belonged to the Beiyang Army. By the time Ji Baiyue’s reinforcements arrived, Xu Hu had already sustained injuries. "When will the Prince arrive?" Xu Hu asked Ji Baiyue as Xu Qingniang applied medicine to his wounds. "You should persuade him not to come." "Naturally, he won't be coming." Ji Baiyue checked his quiver. "The Dayuan attack on Rouhui isn't a major affair; with you here, I doubt they can break through. I fear their main objective isn't Rouhui." Shangjin had now separated from Beiyang and served as a commercial trade route. Regardless of other factors, if Shangjin were attacked, the Beiyang Army could not provide support. They would have to wait for official documents to be sent down from the capital; otherwise, Xin Yi would be suspected of mobilizing troops privately. Therefore, compared to Rouhui, Shangjin was the more vulnerable target. "A feint to the east while attacking the west." Xu Hu hissed in pain. "Gentle, wife!" He turned back to Ji Baiyue. "This doesn't seem like Arsleng’s style." "The Lion King isn't due to appear yet." Ji Baiyue reached up to brush the hair from his forehead, his delicate features stained with a touch of wildness. He said, "Previously, the Prince insisted I remain at Lijin because he feared the Prince of Tang would use Sun Baiping’s rebellion as a pretext to encircle the Beiyang Army. He didn't expect Dayuan to strike first. I’ll tell you plainly: even if we gather at Shangjin now, the Beiyang Army only numbers two hundred and ten thousand. We must fight Dayuan, keep an eye on the Prince of Tang, and guard against the deceptions of the capital. I only worry our strength will be spread too thin." There was another reason he didn't voice: the young Prince had only recently received his title, and his military authority was not yet stable. He had to play the part of a mute before the capital and the Prince of Tang; he couldn't say much, and his orders had to be issued through the few of them who remained by his side. With the current situation so dire, they were likely even more vulnerable. "The two of us must hold Rouhui." The sound of provocative horns outside was constant. Ji Baiyue stood and shouldered his heavy crossbow. "Staking the lives of the Tiger of Rouhui and the Wind-Piercing Arrow, we cannot allow Dayuan to pass through here." With that, he turned, lifted the tent flap, and headed up to the city walls. Below the city, thirty thousand iron cavalry were a stark sight in the snow, their fierce aura surging toward them. *** Chiye nuzzled Bai Jiu’s palm affectionately. Xin Yi leaned down and grasped Bai Jiu’s hand. "Take Chiye with you." Xin Yi was heading to Shangjin, while Bai Jiu had to go to Qingping. With their parting imminent, neither was the first to say goodbye. Bai Jiu gripped his hand in return. "Chou Deyao owes you a debt of conscience; he won't refuse you. Moreover, with the nation's safety at stake, the Crown Prince won't dare move against you in the slightest. Just keep your eyes on yourself." Finally, he added, "Do you understand?" Xin Yi nodded. "I’ll remember. When you go to Qingping and meet Yan Jueshu, be extremely careful. That man is unusual and his connections are vast. Though I don't yet know his true intentions, I understand he holds no affection for you." "That is natural." Bai Jiu smiled, lowering his head to press a light kiss to Xin Yi’s fingertips. "All my affection is right here." Behind them, Wu Yu gave a heavy cough. This time, Xin Yi didn't blush; he only felt a lingering sense of unease. The tragic scenes of Xianglan were still fresh in his mind, and both the Prince of Tang and Yan Jueshu were implicated. The thought of Bai Jiu going alone to play a game of wits against those two made it difficult to let go. "Go." Bai Jiu released his hand and stepped back, his narrow eyes softening. "I’ll wait for you in Qingping." Xin Yi showed his dimples and suddenly urged his horse forward. Chiye’s hooves thundered north, brushing past Bai Jiu. *** It didn't snow in Shangjin today; there wasn't even a breeze. Under the silent night sky, the flags of Great Lan hung limp on their poles, listless. It was already the middle of the night, yet there were still few people on the road. It was unknown where the usual merchant caravans had gone, as the city’s former prosperity was nowhere to be seen. Old soldiers huddled in groups of two or three behind the city walls, secretly drinking. "Where did everyone go today?" one of them asked, wiping his mouth. "It’s like seeing a ghost; even that leather shop at the end of the road had no business." "Maybe the heavy snow at Lijin blocked the road." Another took the wine, tilted his head back for a gulp, and smacked his lips. "Did that family water down their wine again? There’s no flavor at all." He added, "Doesn't the road get blocked every year?" "It’s never been like this before." The man who had first passed the wine rubbed his head. "I just feel like something’s wrong." Another laughed and cursed, "You’re just worrying over nothing. What could be wrong? At worst, Dayuan will attack." He wiped the mouth of the wine gourd. "Even if they attack, they’d hit Rouhui first." The group shared a laugh over the matter, even making up some wild stories about Xu Hu for amusement. After a while, one of them felt the urge to relieve himself. He stood up, swayed a few steps onto the city wall, and unfastened his trousers in a corner. As the sound of water splashed in the corner, he gazed out. Outside were undulating snowy slopes, and tonight the moonlight was so bright it dazzled his eyes. The man groaned, closing his eyes for a moment to adjust. When he opened them again, he saw bean-sized dots running through the snow in the distance. "What kind of beasts are out in the middle of winter..." Before he could finish, a wave surged from behind those dots. The thunder of hooves rolled in like a tide. Those weren't beasts—they were cavalry! He froze, his face turning pale with shock. He hurriedly pulled up his trousers and turned. "Enem—" A hawk plummeted from the sky, its fierce talons striking his face. His words were cut short by a scream as the man rolled on the ground in agony, one eye gouged out by the strike. Enemy attack! The warning failed to wake the surroundings. A dry wind blew, and the Great Lan flag on the pole shivered, unfurling halfway. It remained unfurled for less than a moment before a sharp arrow pinned it to the pole. The iron horns of Dayuan suddenly blared. Immediately following, the city gates shuddered. Completely unprepared, the gates were easily smashed open by Dayuan men wielding a heavy battering ram! The old soldiers who had been drinking dropped their wine gourds in terror. They turned and ran in a panic, shouting at the top of their lungs, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! To the walls! Ring the alarm bell!" Iron cavalry leaped through the breached gates with savage force. The Dayuan men shouted in their native tongue, their horses charging straight for the old soldiers. Their polished scimitars flashed like cold blades; in the blink of an eye, heads rolled. The cavalry following close behind surged in, their blades swinging. Severed heads rolled beneath the horses' hooves, and wine gourds were trampled into shards. Chou Deyao was shaken awake from his dreams. Before he could vent his anger, someone knelt by his bedside. "Master Chou! Master Chou!" the man cried in panic. "The Dayuan are inside! The Dayuan... the Dayuan have broken in!" Chou Deyao was stunned. "What did you say?" He immediately rolled out of bed, kicked the man aside, and dressed quickly. He grabbed the saber hanging on the wall and cursed, "Assemble the troops! Quickly, assemble the troops! What are you afraid of!" But even though Shangjin had eighty thousand defenders, they were no match for this midnight raid. By the time Chou Deyao gathered his men for a counterattack, half of Shangjin had already fallen. The Dayuan iron cavalry surged in like a flood, their scimitars capturing the light of the cold moon amidst the fire and darkness. Hawks circled in the sky above Shangjin, looking down as the city's prosperity burned to ash, inch by inch. "Block Shanghua Street!" Chou Deyao barked. "Pull up your trousers! It’s not time to offer up your white backside yet!" The soldiers who had been startled awake were disheveled. On one side, the Dayuan hooves were already upon them; on the other, belts were not yet tightened. Chou Deyao gave a low shout, swinging his blade to topple a Dayuan soldier from his horse, then followed through with a thrust. But it wasn't over, for dozens more cavalry were charging straight for them. Chou Deyao knew he couldn't retreat. He wiped his hand on his hilt and drew his blade, cursing loudly, "You god-cursed barbarians!" As the horse charged, Chou Deyao stood firm and delivered a massive cleaving strike, knocking the rider down. The Beiyang soldiers behind him, their belts now tightened, followed with their blades. The two forces collided on the fire-lit, smoke-filled Shanghua Street in a life-and-death struggle. Falling bodies caused men to stumble; once down, it was a desperate situation of being pinned and stabbed. Half of the Beiyang soldiers stationed at Shangjin were veterans who had fought Dayuan years ago; they understood the enemy's nature best. In battle, the Dayuan cavalry were ferocious, their scimitars hooking souls as they leaned from their saddles; a single pass could send a man to the underworld. But if they lost their horses, half of that ferocity was gambled away. Thus, the tactic was to strike the horse first, knock the man from his saddle, and then fight for their lives. The Dayuan horses were fine steeds, but on the battlefield, they were sacrifices that suffered even greater casualties than the soldiers. Chou Deyao’s eyes were already bloodshot. Amidst the screaming and slaughter, he saw another troop of cavalry surging from the distance. The leader carried a magnificent long blade; his face and his horse were things etched into Chou Deyao’s memory. He kicked aside a corpse on his blade and shouted at the newcomer, "Arsleng!" The Lion King’s blade hung low from his saddle. His horse suddenly accelerated, charging straight ahead like the wind. Chou Deyao stepped forward with a roar, raising his blade to meet him. The two sides collided with a massive crash on the corpse-strewn street. Chou Deyao’s hand was instantly split open, his arm numbed by the force of Arsleng’s long blade. "Shameless coward!" Chou Deyao hissed through gritted teeth. The clanging of their weapons rang out as they clashed, separated, and clashed again. The blood on his hilt grew thicker until, suddenly, even the grip felt slippery. That slip was fatal; Arsleng seized the opportunity to flick the weapon from his hand. The moment his blade was lost, Chou Deyao lunged forward and grabbed Arsleng’s arm, dragging him backward and pulling the Lion King from his saddle. Immediately after, a piercing pain shot through his abdomen. Chou Deyao’s grip loosened, and he couldn't suppress a mouthful of blood that came coughing out. "What do you want!" He grabbed Arsleng’s sleeve. As Arsl