Chapter Sixteen: The Great Chaos is About to Erupt

  In the 22nd year of Xian De, in the second month, Li Zai, the King of Yong, defeated Northern Han again. However, the ruler of Northern Han issued a decree ordering General Long Tingfei to launch a counterattack. Long Tingfei was shocked and quickly turned the tide, blocking Li Zai at Yanmen Pass. Li Zai retreated in defeat, but his army did not suffer heavy losses. In the third month of the same year, Yong and Northern Han negotiated a peace treaty.

  In early April, King of Qi Li Xian marched south and stationed troops in Xiangyang. At that time, Prince Deqin Ji was defending Xiangyang and suffered a great defeat. Later, someone in the court secretly reported that Prince Deqin had control over the military power and was constantly training his army with the intention to conquer the north. As a result, Daliang took advantage of this opportunity to raise an army to attack Chu. The ruler believed it and ordered Prince Deqin to return to the capital. On May 4th, King of Qi Li Xian again marched troops to invade Xiangyang. The ruler was deeply regretful and ordered Prince Deqin to rush to Xiangyang overnight.

  The Biography of Deqin Wang Ke in the Book of Chu of Southern Dynasties

  I stood at the window with my hands behind me, gazing out at the chilly moonlight. Xiao Shunzi was standing behind me, while Chen Yin stood at the door. Xiao Shunzi said, "Your Excellency, how do you plan to respond to the letter from Prince Yong's mansion? The messenger is still waiting."

  I said faintly, "You write a reply for me, saying that King Qi will surely not win. With Deqin Wang here, even if Yong Wang comes in person, it won't be easy to break through the defenses of Jing and Xiang under Deqin Wang's command. As a subject of Southern Chu, how can I avoid the great Yong? However, it seems that Da Yong is about to launch an attack. Chen Zhan, you should send someone to keep a close eye on Liang Wan, I think they will make some moves."

  At this time, a knock at the door was heard outside. I nodded to Chen Yin to open the door. A 14 or 15-year-old big boy came in and knelt down on one knee: "Young master, an urgent message has arrived that Li Xian, the King of Da Yong, is attacking Xiangyang."

  I smiled faintly, Li Xian still knew the art of war, if Jingzhou fell into Dayong's hands, then the connection between Shu and Jiangnan would be cut off, and Dayong could swallow and devour South Chu. However, I believed in King Deqin's skills, and Jingzhou's defenses were very strict.

  In the following days, the court was in an uproar, with many officials fearful and angry about Da Yong's attack on Southern Chu. Some were furious and demanded that Da Yong be held accountable, while others discussed how they had offended him and even suggested sending a memorial to apologize and ask him to withdraw his troops. Only Shang Weijun, the prime minister, took a firm stance, proposing to send an envoy to question Da Yong about his unprovoked attack. Although this proposal was unanimously agreed upon, the officials were still uneasy at heart, and for several days, some people secretly visited Mingyuelou, seeking reassurance. I did not stop them, as even the court officials had lost confidence in Southern Chu; what else could I do?

  I had Xiao Shunzi bring out the map of Xiangyang's defense, and after careful study, I found that Xiangyang was actually composed of two cities: Xiangcheng and Fancheng. The two cities were separated by the Han River and faced each other, with a pontoon bridge connecting them in the middle. Both cities were heavily fortified with deep moats and high walls. If the enemy were to divide their forces to attack both cities simultaneously, they would inevitably weaken their strength and be unable to break through. On the other hand, if the enemy were to attack one city, the soldiers from the other city could cross the pontoon bridge to provide support, and with the added protection of the naval forces, Xiangyang was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

  When De Qin Wang first arrived at Xiangyang, he sent someone to deliver the map to me for my opinion. I didn't give a clear response, but instead provided him with a design plan for a pontoon bridge. The original wooden bridge would be difficult to repair if damaged, so I suggested setting up two rows of wooden stakes in the river, each stake being several meters long and pounded into the riverbed, with iron chains on top and wooden planks laid across them. This would create a floating bridge that could be easily repaired at any time.

  I also sent De Qin Wang a sample of a fishing net with bells attached, instructing him to deploy it underwater during battles to prevent enemy divers from sabotaging the pontoon bridge. I only provided De Qin Wang with a map and a fishing net; how he chose to defend Xiangyang was entirely up to him, and had nothing to do with me.

  After careful consideration, I still believed that if De Qin Wang were to defend Xiangyang, it would not be easily lost. But did Qi Wang really not know about the ease of defending Xiangyang?

  On April 14, King Xuan of Qi ordered the attack on the city. The momentum was like a raging fire, and the soldiers of Yong did not fear casualties, fighting to the death. King De of Chu ordered the naval forces to use bows and arrows to attack the infantry of Qi from across the Han River, forcing them to retreat. King Xuan of Qi launched a second assault, using catapults to drive back the naval forces. The main army took advantage of the situation and attacked the north gate of Xiangyang day and night. When King De saw that the situation was critical, he personally led 3,000 cavalrymen out of the south gate and launched a surprise attack on the flank of the Yong army. The Yong army did not expect the Chu forces to emerge from the city, and their formation was thrown into chaos. King Xuan of Qi ordered 5,000 elite cavalrymen to be dispatched to counterattack, but they were defeated by Zhao Yu's troops at the east gate. King Xuan was enraged and sent a force of 20,000 soldiers to press the attack, holding both flanks, while he himself supervised an army of 80,000 men in rotating shifts attacking the north gate. The north gate was on the verge of collapse, but Zhao Yu remained steadfast on the city wall, directing the battle. Finally, when the Yong army was exhausted, the defenders of Fancheng launched a surprise attack from behind, and both sides clashed. King Xuan saw that his losses were heavy and had no choice but to retreat. Zhao Yu pursued them for 30 miles, and the Yong army suffered heavy casualties before he finally withdrew. The two armies fought for three days, with over 60,000 casualties among the 150,000-strong Yong army, while the defenders of South Chu lost 20,000 men out of a force of 70,000. This was a Pyrrhic victory. After the retreat of the Yong army, Zhao Yu immediately sent someone to report their victory to the imperial court and request reinforcements.

  At this time, in the imperial court, Zhao Jia looked at Zhao Ke's report of victory and said: "Everyone, although Wang Shu has won, but the strength of the Great Yong army is ten times stronger than ours, what should we do?"

  Shang Weijun reported: "I report to the Lord, this time although Da Yong broke the alliance, but our country's military strength is far inferior to that of Da Yong, why not take this opportunity to send someone to ask for peace with Da Yong?"

  Everyone who heard it said that this should be the case. At this time, someone reported that the envoy sent to Da Yong had returned, and Zhao Jia hastily ordered him to ascend to the hall. This envoy, Fu Yulun, was a flower explorer in the 16th year of Xian De, and is currently serving in the Ministry of Rites. He knelt down and said: "I was sent on a mission to Da Yong, but before I entered the territory of Da Yong, I was blocked by King Qi Li Xian. He claimed that this time he raised troops to invade Chu, it was to clear the ruler's side, this is the letter from King Qi to the lord."

  Zhao Jia hastily had the eunuch take it over and examined it carefully. On it was written:

  "The Great King of Yong has come to pay respects to the ruler of Southern Chu. This time, we have mobilized our troops, not for any other reason, but because of the treacherous heart of Zhao Ke, a wolf in sheep's clothing, who is stationed in Xiangyang, sharpening his blades and horses, constantly eyeing our borders. What's more, he has designs on stealing the sacred artifact. If this person is not eliminated, Yong and Southern Chu will never have peace. As the king and the ruler are close relatives, how could I possibly harm him? If you don't believe me, please summon him back to court, but he will surely make excuses and refuse to comply. The promise made in the past, I still remember it clearly, but his power is too great, and if the ruler were to restore his imperial authority, that person would rise up in rebellion, and Yong would not be able to intervene. If the ruler takes away his military power, our two countries will return to their former harmony. But if the ruler believes his slanderous words, I will meet with him on the hunting grounds of Jiangnan."

  Zhao Jia felt a chill run down his spine. If he believed it, he suspected that there was a plot to drive a wedge between the emperor and his ministers. But if he didn't believe it, since Zhao Ge's return from attacking Shu, he had repeatedly demanded military expenses and supplies, and refused to return to court after being stationed in Xiangyang. Could it be true that he had rebellious intentions? Thinking of Zhao Ge's prestige far surpassing his own, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He said calmly: "King Shu should also return to court to receive rewards, transmit the emperor's decree, and order King De to return to court."

  When Zhao Jue, who was far away in Jingzhou, received the imperial edict, he refused to return to the court. He submitted a memorial stating that military affairs were urgent and that he could not return to the court for the time being. Originally, Zhao Jia had only a small amount of suspicion towards Zhao Jue, but seeing that Zhao Jue was unwilling to return, his suspicions grew. He issued several imperial edicts, and at first, Zhao Jue refused to comply, citing the reason that military orders in the field were not subject to imperial interference. However, Zhao Jia's words became increasingly sharp, and eventually, even the court officials began to suspect something was amiss. Under duress, Zhao Jue handed over the defense of Jingzhou to Rong Yuan and returned to Jianye with a few personal guards. When they were still dozens of miles away from Jianye, an ordinary-looking man appeared on the road, blocking their way and handing Zhao Jue a letter. When Zhao Jue opened it, he saw that it was written in elegant and refined handwriting.

  "You were wrong not to return at first, and now you're making an even bigger mistake by coming back. At this point, it's better for you to turn back to Jingzhou and rebuild your strength with your army."

  Zhaō Jué looked at it, sighed, and burned the letter on the fire, saying: "Thank your master for me, tell him Zhao Jue is not a traitor."

  The man quietly withdrew.

  When he arrived at Jianye, Zhao Ju went to the palace gate to request an audience, but was instead imprisoned by a decree from Emperor Xiaowu of Song. Although Zhao Ju submitted a memorial explaining his reasons for not returning earlier, it had no effect. In Emperor Xiaowu's mind, if he were not worried that Qi King Li Xian would not withdraw his troops as promised, he would have punished Zhao Ju already. During Zhao Ju's imprisonment, suddenly many officials submitted petitions requesting that Zhao Ju be put to death, but Emperor Xiaowu did not become that confused, and instead released Zhao Ju from prison and placed him under house arrest.

  The idea of killing Zhao Jue was mine. After I received the oral message from Chen Yin that Zhao Jue refused to rebel, I thought of this plan. Zhao Jue is a loyal minister and also a foolish person. If he had returned immediately at the beginning, Zhao Jia would have known that he was wrongly accused, and Zhao Jue could have quickly returned to Xiangyang. Since he didn't return at first, now returning would make him look guilty. Even if Zhao Jia were a wise man, he couldn't help but suspect him, let alone I think Zhao Jia is not much smarter than an idiot.

  After Zhao Jue was put under house arrest, I was really in a dilemma. According to my idea, it would be best if Zhao Jue didn't come out of this situation. This way, the opportunity I needed would soon arrive. However, thinking about how hard Zhao Jue had worked for South Chu and the difficulties he faced, I couldn't bear to see him suffer. Even if South Chu were to perish, it should be after those who loved it had done their best.

  So at that time, I wrote a letter to Rong Yuan, telling him to instigate officials to petition for Zhao Jue's death. The envoy I sent out was very fast, and soon after Zhao Jue arrived in Jianye, Rong Yuan's people arrived. He sent someone to stir up those who feared the great Yu, and they petitioned to kill Zhao Jue. As a result, Zhao Jia still had some trust in Zhao Jue, but seeing so many people asking for his death, he became suspicious instead. Zhao Jue's life was saved, and now it depends on when Da Yong can help him return to Xiangyang.

  As expected, it wasn't long before King Qi once again invaded Jing and Xiang. This King Qi was truly impatient, if it were King Yong, he would probably have waited a bit longer to speak. Fortunately, Rong Yuan was still able to hold his ground and stabilize the situation in Jing and Xiang. The urgent letter from Xiangyang arrived, causing the king to suddenly come to his senses, and he hastily dispatched Zhao Ke to return to Xiangyang. Zhao Ke didn't bother with anything else and immediately set off on the road with his personal guards. Not long after leaving the city, Zhao Ke saw a refined and elegant young man sitting in the Ten Mile Pavilion, with a jug of wine and two cups on the stone table inside. Behind him stood an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, and at each corner of the pavilion stood two fifteen or sixteen-year-old servants. Zhao Ke smiled and dismounted his horse, bowing deeply before the young man and saying: "Thanks to your help, Rong Yuan, I am eternally grateful. Today, you have again come to see me off, I am truly ashamed."

  I stood up and saluted, saying: "Your Highness has a deep fortune, those evil spirits will naturally not harm Your Highness. Since you are going to Jingzhou, the journey is long, so I came to see you off specially."

  A young servant came forward, poured two cups of wine for us, and then quietly retreated. Zhao Jue saw that the young servant was agile in his movements and handsome in appearance, and couldn't help but feel a good impression, saying: "Zui Yun has been living a life of luxury these past few years, and just by looking at these servants, one can tell they are from a noble family, and there's even an air of refinement about them."

  I smiled calmly and raised my cup, saying: "Let me advise you to drink another cup of wine, may your journey to Jingzhou be smooth."

  Zhao Ke raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, saying: "It's a pity that Sui Yun refused to go with me to Jing Xiang. If Sui Yun were there to preside over the situation, Jing Xiang would be completely safe."

  I smiled and said, "Isn't this underestimating Mr. Rong, Your Highness?"

  "Alright, having escorted you for a thousand miles, we must eventually part ways. The military situation in Jingzhou is urgent and I am in a hurry to rush on my way, so I bid farewell now. When the army of Yong has been defeated, let us meet again and drink together joyfully. If unfortunately that does not happen, please follow Yun to offer sacrifices at my tomb."

  As I heard this, the wine cup in my hand almost fell. Today, I had a lesson for him, and over the past two years, I have gradually gained some insight into divination. However, this morning after bathing and burning incense, I did a reading for him and got an ominous omen, with hints of untimely death. Now, hearing Zhao Jue's words, I felt even chillier in my heart. As Zhao Jue mounted his horse to leave, I suddenly said: "Your Highness, I have two attendants who are quite skilled in martial arts despite their young age. Please let them accompany you to Xiangyang as a token of my regret for not being able to follow you myself." Thief Li and Bai Yi came forward to pay their respects, and Zhao Jue looked at them with a bitter smile: "Random Cloud, the journey is arduous; don't put these children in harm's way."

  "I said calmly: 'They are skilled in archery and horseback riding, they won't delay the prince's journey.'"

  Zhao Ke wanted to persuade me again, but seeing that I was resolute and time was pressing, he had no choice but to bid farewell with a wave of his whip and gallop away.

  Zhao Ke rushed all the way, except for changing horses halfway, he even ate and slept on horseback. He was originally worried that the two children sent by Jiang Zhe to follow him would not be able to hold up, but every time he looked over, he saw that they were in high spirits, so Zhao Ke stopped worrying about them later. With still over 300 miles of road ahead, changing horses once more should get them to Xiangyang. Zhao Ke stretched his waist on horseback and said: "Alright, there's a teahouse up ahead, let's rest for a bit, have lunch, and then make a final push to Xiangyang, how about it?" Everyone was very happy, these past few days of frantic rushing had truly exhausted them, although they still had to hurry on the road ahead, being able to rest for a moment was also good.

  Dao Huai and Bai Yi heard Zhao Ke's orders, Dao Huai quickly dismounted his horse and walked a few steps to the tea shed. He ordered the owner to set up several tables with hot tea, and although the tea shed was small, there were also some small dishes like salted peanuts. Dao Huai had them brought out as well, and the owner was busy running around. Before long, everything was ready. Bai Yi, on his own initiative, went to fetch a copper basin of hot water, washed it clean, took out a towel from his bundle, and waited for Zhao Ke to sit down before coming over to help him wash his face and dust off his clothes. Although Zhao Ke was a member of the royal family, he had been fighting on the battlefield for many years and these comforts were something he could only dream of. Seeing how capable these two young servants were, he couldn't help but feel pleased. After sitting down and drinking a cup of hot tea, eating some dry rations with salted peanuts, he saw that Dao Huai and Bai Yi had already finished their meal and were urging the owner to give fodder to the horses. Zhao Ke said, "What a capable pair of young servants! Jiang Shangyuan is indeed formidable, training his attendants to such an extent."

  One of his personal guards chuckled and said: "If you like it, just mention it to Lord Jiang later, and they'll serve you willingly."

  Although Zhao Ke knew that it was a common practice among the wealthy to give away even their favorite maids and servants, he still shook his head and said, "A gentleman does not take what others love. These two children are not just anyone who can be trained."

  As everyone was chatting and laughing for a moment, Zhao Jue ordered to set off. At this time, one of the imperial guards suddenly let out a miserable cry. Everyone looked over and saw that a silver arrow had pierced through his back.

  Everyone was a seasoned veteran, immediately seeking cover to avoid the obstacle, but then they heard a loud laugh. A man in white emerged slowly from the forest, and all that could be seen was his handsome appearance, his tall and stately figure standing out under his white warrior robe. A silver-white longbow hung from his left shoulder, with a quiver of the same color slung across his waist. Whether it was his attire or his bow and arrow, everything was exceptionally exquisite, clearly indicating that their owner was a man of great refinement. Zhao Ke's heart chilled as he said: "Is this Silver Bow Young Master Duanmu Qiu?"

  The man in white laughed and said: "It's really a humble person, I heard that King De is coming here, so I came to pay my respects. If the king doesn't despise me, please come to my humble abode for a short rest."

  Zhaoyu listened to his words, which were warm and gentle on the surface but extremely arrogant in meaning. He coldly said: "This king's military affairs are busy, I dare not delay, Your Excellency's secret arrow is a sneak attack, it seems that you have come to assassinate this king."

  Duanmu Qiu said disdainfully, "I've never been willing to launch a sneak attack or make a covert strike. Otherwise, that arrow just now would have taken the king's life. As for that soldier, I was just giving him a warning. I don't think you'll mind, Your Majesty."

  Zhao Ke said coldly, "I have always treated my subordinates as if they were my own hands and feet. You, on the other hand, look down on your soldiers so lightly. It's no wonder you've never served in the great Yun army. Who doesn't know that Jin Gong Changsun, Yin Gong Duanmu, General Changsun under the command of King Yun, has never lost a battle? And yet, you, Yin Gong Duanmu, can only show off your bravery and ferocity in the jianghu."

  Zhao Ke's words must have pierced Duanmu Qiu's heart, his eyes flashing with icy killing intent. He said coldly: "I came here only to prevent the king from escaping. Now it seems that I will not be able to hold back. But I wonder how many arrows the king can dodge."

  A spoiled voice came over and said, "I bet you can't kill him." Along with the voice, a beautiful woman in red walked out. The woman was stunningly beautiful, but her long eyebrows were furrowed, and she had an aura of evil around her, making her look like a female Rakshasa. Zhao Ke couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "So you're here too, no wonder, you two master siblings are always inseparable."

  The woman said coldly: "Duke De also knows me, it's an honor indeed."