Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The wind was blowing hard.
Dugu Xian ordered the first 10,000-men army to launch their attack. Flags fluttered as gusts of wind blew through them, and the sounds they made were so loud that they nearly drowned out the rumble of the horse hooves. The troops in the rear could only feel the shaking ground through their mounts.
Horseback archery was all about distance. Only when the distance was right could the Norland cavalrymen freely launch attacks on their enemies while keeping themselves safe at the same time. When two such armies engaged, the battlefield naturally became exceptionally vast. Even if there was only a small amount of dust in the air, the two sides would easily lose sight of each other.
Dugu Xian had ordered some of his men to build a dozen observing pavilions about sixteen to nineteen meters in height. The soldiers on them would take turns to report the battle situation. There were also scouts going back and forth between the front line and the Commander-in-chief.
Very soon, news came in that Luoluo had sent 20,000 to 30,000 men into battle. Dugu Xian waited awhile longer before ordering the second and the third 10,000-men armies to also depart. The two armies kept a certain distance from each other to make sure that they wouldn't enter the battlefield at the same time.
The 10,000 Dragon Army troops didn't move, because their weapons were mainly sabers and spears. When the number of the enemies was around the same as them, they would be committing suicide if they tried to engage the enemies. Like the common generals, Gu Shenwei stayed beside Dugu Xian - on the battlefield, even he had to follow the orders of the Commander-in-chief.
At the front line, the fighting had already begun. Numerous steeds galloped through the battlefield as roaring battle-cries shook the sky. Dust engulfed the entire battlefield and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Only the soldiers on the observing pavilions closest to the battleground could look through the dust and see the situation on the opposite side.
Luoluo didn't send more troops, and neither did Dugu Xian.
The news brought back by the front line scouts were becoming increasingly contradictory, indicating that the battle had entered a chaotic state.
Shangguan Ru was riding the Flame Foal, with dozens of female soldiers closely surrounding her. As she glanced at the Dragon King who was riding ahead of her at an angle, she suddenly felt nervous. A layer of fine sweat inexplicably appeared in her palms. As she stroked the Flame Foal's neck, which was as smooth as silk, she could feel the undulating muscles and the pulsating blood.
Her palms dried. Shangguan Ru raised her head and discovered that someone was looking at her.
Azheba hurriedly turned his head, feeling even more nervous than Shangguan Ru did - instead of staying at the rightmost position, the Dragon King was actually with the Middle Corps. Not only had he provided the wrong intelligence to Prince Duodun, but he also didn't know how he would control Dugu Xian later on.
Duodun had a.s.signed ten guards to Azheba, telling him that they were all kung fu experts and should be able to overpower Tie Linglong who would be behind Dugu Xian. But if the Dragon King were there… Azheba could only hope that the Dragon King would enter the battlefield early on.
About three to five miles west of the Middle Corps, Mo Chu was sitting in a temporarily erected main tent, listening to the news from the front line. He knew his place was, so he seldom spoke, only using the phrase “got it” as a universal answer. Only in one circ.u.mference, when Luoluo's army mounted an all-out attack, would he order the corresponding armies to attack.
The Dragon King had unexpectedly a.s.signed Mo Lin to be his bodyguard. Mo Chu had been very surprised by this, and he also acted very politely, letting this old Khan's wing guard stand beside him.
Duodun had also sent a dozen guards who were now standing at the tent's entrance.
“This is not a good weather to fight in,” Mo Chu said casually. This was his “main tent,” but these generals and guards were all under other people's command, which made him feel somewhat unwanted.
Mo Lin turned his body slightly as he said, “It's the same for Luoluo.”
Mo Chu nodded, smiling. “If the Court Attendants Army hasn't changed much, they will probably gain the upper hand.”
The soldiers of the Court Attendants Army indeed hadn't changed much, but all the officers had been replaced. Having no interest in chatting, Mo Lin simply mumbled “Um” in response. The guards at the door then caught his attention.
They were neither Norlanders nor common soldiers. Judging from the way they stood and held their sabers, they were better at fighting on foot than at horseback archery.
Mo Lin said to Mo Chu, “I'm going to go check something.”
“Check what?”
“Just a routine check on the circ.u.mstances outside.”
“Heh-heh. I'm talking too much. Go ahead.”
Mo Lin walked out of the tent. Outside, there were the hundred plus soldiers guarding Mo Chu, and a bit further away, some troops who were holding reins and waiting to join the fight. The front line scouts were riding back one by one like an endless stream of ants.
There was nothing unusual. Mo Lin walked back towards the tent and encountered an oncoming guard sent by Duodun.
“His Highness hopes that you will stand by wherever you are,” the guard said in a low voice.
“You're from the Western Regions?” Mo Lin asked.
The guard raised his head and shot him a dark glance but didn't answer. Mo Lin was pretty sure that no Norland soldier would show such an expression before a wing guard of the previous Khan.
In the tent, a scout had just brought back the latest news. “The enemy's right wing is on the move. Our left wing is ready to fight.”
“Got it,” Mo Chu answered as usual. The left wing was under Duodun and Liman's command, so he didn't have to issue any orders.
In the tent of the left wing's Commander-in-chief, Duodun was sitting at the chief position, with Liman and the other companions encircling the prince. In fact, Duodun had already taken full command of the Left Corps. As an utter puppet, Liman's status was even lower than that of Mo Chu.
This was the final life-or-death showdown, and Duodun wouldn't entrust the power to anyone else.
“Azheba's an idiot.” Duodun tried very hard to control himself, but he still burst into anger. “His only job was to figure out where the Dragon King would be, and yet he still screwed it up.”
A couple of companions snorted in schadenfreude.
“It's no big deal.” Liman always took on the unpleasant roles. “The Dragon King will definitely join the fight himself. Azheba can still stick to the original plan.”
“Definitely, definitely. Azheba also said definitely. You're all the same - always thinking that you're smart and that others are stupid.”
Duodun felt that he had gone too far, so he intimately slapped Liman's shoulder twice as he said, “You are very smart. Azheba has amazing courage, but his taste is terrible. His judgement has been clouded by a woman.”
He was just talking about woman when a guard came in and reported, “The Second Consort's here.”
Duodun frowned as he thought, The Second Consort's growing bolder and bolder. She's even daring enough to come here on this occasion. It seems that she worrying that others won't be able to realize our special relations.h.i.+p.
Her face full of smiles, the Second Consort walked in, followed by two maidservants. “How's it going at the front line? All the news I heard is outdated. I can't wait any longer.”
“You shouldn't be here,” Duodun said blandly. “It's a very dangerous place.”
“Dangerous how? It's just a little closer to the battleground than my original position. Don't forget that the 10,000-men army that Azheba's commanding is mine. I've been maintaining this army for such a long time. Don't you think that I'm ent.i.tled to watch over their performance?”
Duodun burst into laughter, clearing out all of his boredom and discontent. “I can a.s.sure you that the Second Consort's soldiers will be more renowned than the Court Attendants Army after this war.”
With a bright smile on her face, the Second Consort walked towards Duodun. The prince's companions voluntarily made way for her.
“Why are you all in the tent?” the Second Consort asked in surprise. “Liman, as the Commander-in-chief of the left army, you should be on the horseback and with the troops. And you guys - are you not going to enter the battlefield today? You are not even wearing your full armor. Are you planning on serving the prince with your lips?”
All of them blushed. n.o.body dared to contradict the Second Consort, and n.o.body dared to walk out of the tent either. Everybody remained silent with bowed heads.
The smile on Duodun's face was a little uneasy now. After staring at the Second Consort for quite a while, he said, “All of you go outside. Get on the horses and get ready to fight.”
Liman and the others bowed and answered “Yes” before hurriedly leaving the tent.
The moment the tent flap was down, Duodun's smile vanished. “Are you deliberately putting me on the spot?”
The Second Consort's smile remained just as bright. “Me? Put you on the spot? How? You're the intelligent, brave Prince Duodun. Who could and who would dare to put you on the spot?”
Duodun smiled again and glanced at the two maidservants behind the Second Consort. Seeing that she was not going to have them leave, Duodun directly said, “I'm confused. Who p.i.s.sed you off? Why are you being so grumpy?”
After walking around the tent in a circle, the Second Consort raised her hand and ordered the maidservants to leave as the smile on her face disappeared at the same time. “What the h.e.l.l are you doing?”
Duodun sighed, “Who drove a wedge between us again? I consulted you on every aspect of the plan, and yet you still don't believe me?”
The look on the Second Consort's face was cold as she replied, “Duodun, I watched you grow up. Even your lying skills were taught to you by me.”
Duodun and the Second Consort stared at each other for a moment. “What do you know?”
“First, I want to hear what you're willing to tell me.”
Duodun waved his hands impatiently, stood up, and said, “Today, right on this day, I'm going to eliminate the Dragon King and gain command of all the armies of the Western Regions.”
The Second Consort's eyes blazed with fury as she hissed, “I told you-”
Duodun also turned angry. “It's me who's fighting for the throne, not you! You've been making all the decisions, but now it's my turn to call the shots. You seem to have forgotten that I stopped being a child a long time ago.
The Second Consort was debating with herself on whether she should uphold her dignity as someone with a high status or whether she should resort to her feminine maneuvers. She decided to choose the latter. In a gentle voice, she consoled, “Of course you're not a child. You're the one who decides everything and I'm just trying to help you.”
Duodun's deep feelings for the Second Consort were real. So he held her hands and softened his tone. “Then trust me. This is a rare opportunity and I'm going to succeed. I have everything under control.”
“Tell me about your plan. That would make me feel like I'm part of it. I feel bad when there's nothing I can do to help you when you are fighting for a great cause.”
After dithering for a while, Duodun finally told her everything, and the more he talked about it, the more excited he became. “Luoluo and I have reached an agreement. I'm going to hand over the Dragon King and his Dragon Army to him. He will send his right wing army to attack Naihang Tribe and I'll accept the Naihang Tribe troops when they surrender. Actually, I was planning to give you a surprise - both Zhesu and Duo Ercha will kneel down before you and beg you to spare them.”
“How do you plan on handing the Dragon Army over to Luoluo?”
“The Dragon King's a ferociously compet.i.tive man and he will surely throw himself into the fight. When that happens, Azheba will abduct Dugu Xian, and another group of my men will overpower Mo Chu and force him into ordering the Court Attendants Army to retreat. The Dragon Army will bring up the rear.”
“There're still 10,000 Dragon Army troops on our right side.”
Looking around the empty tent, Duodun gave a self-satisfied smile. “The right army's Commander-in-chief, Li Shun, has already pledged his allegiance to me. He'll place Shulitu under house arrest and order those 10,000 Dragon Army troops to enter the battlefield.”
“Li Shun? He's a former general of King Riying. Is he trustworthy?”
“He is. Actually, he just wants to protect Shulitu. In the Dragon King's hands, that kid is just a puppet and his life is at stake everyday. Li Shun's request was very simple - Shulitu will keep the t.i.tle of King Riying and waive his claim to the throne. I agreed.”
The Second Consort nodded, seemingly very satisfied, “The Naihang Tribe's the key again. How do you know that they will surrender?”
“Will the Naihang Tribe have another choice when Luoluo's army launches an attack on them? Besides, I'm doing this in Shulitu's name. That little puppet is not completely useless. He's King Rizhu grandson, so it's very easy for him to gain people's trust.”
The Second Consort smiled. “So this is your plan. No. Cancel it immediately.”
Duodun felt like he had just been slapped hard across the face. “Why?”
“The messenger I sent to the Naihang Tribe's camp just came back, and he told me that all of the Naihang Tribe's warhorses are facing in our direction.”
“You sent your men to talk to Zhesu?”
“That's not important right now. What's important is that the Naihang Tribe is not trustworthy. You will literally be cutting off your own arms if you hold all the Commander-in-chiefs hostage.”
“Ha, this is your reason?” Duodun looked at her as if he couldn't believe what she had just said. “The Naihang Tribe is just a spectator. It's natural that they would guard against both sides of the war. What's so strange about it? If your messenger had watched more carefully, I bet he would have seen that the Naihang Tribe's warhorses are also facing Luoluo's direction.”
“The Naihang Tribe is not trustworthy,” the Second Consort repeated in a severe tone.
“You can't stop me!” Duodun yelled feverishly.
The Second Consort abruptly turned around and walked towards the door of the tent. Duodun pounced on her and hugged her tightly, pressing against her mouth heavily.
At the doorway of the tent, facing the other maidservant, Qian Ying pointed at her belly and then hurriedly ran away, followed by the other maidservant's amazed gaze. She had heard something that others couldn't.
She didn't intend to save the Dragon Army, and her only intention was to protect her master, Shangguan Ru, because that was her duty.
