Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Wuwei City.

After nightfall, Qingyang dutifully returned to the western wing of the rear courtyard as her imperial father had instructed. Though she lay quietly in bed, her mind was consumed by thoughts of the war: Would the West Hu choose to launch a night raid on Wuwei tonight? Would they break through Huai'an Pass as she and her father had predicted? Could the ambush troops her father had hidden in the darkness stop the fierce West Hu cavalry? Would her second brother, on the battlefield for the first time, and Zhang Su, face danger?

As these thoughts swirled, Qingyang grew increasingly restless. She called for Jie Yu to read to her, but she couldn’t focus.

Jie Yu set the book down and asked the little princess, who kept glancing outside, "Your Highness, are you worried about His Majesty’s strategy?"

Qingyang replied, "No, I just don’t want to sleep. I’m going to see Father. Help me change."

Jie Yu and Qin Fang then assisted the princess in changing her clothes.

It was only the first watch of the night, and a few lanterns hung under the eaves of the rear courtyard corridor.

Noticing the little princess looking toward the main room where the Crown Prince resided, Jie Yu whispered, "The Crown Prince hasn’t returned yet. The Third Prince is probably already asleep."

Qingyang glanced at her third brother’s room and headed straight to the front courtyard.

In the eastern chamber, Emperor Xingwu was playing chess with the Crown Prince. Seeing his daughter with her hair down and draped in a cloak, the emperor smiled and asked, "Can’t sleep?"

Qingyang handed her cloak to He Yuanjing, took off her shoes, and sat beside her father. "Father, and you too, elder brother—neither of you are asleep."

Emperor Xingwu said, "I am waiting for battle reports from outside."

In such a major battle where he himself was the bait, even with a high chance of victory, Emperor Xingwu couldn’t truly rest easy. The battlefield was ever-changing, more unpredictable than a chess game—for chess pieces were lifeless, but soldiers were living men. A single soldier’s sudden idea could completely alter the course of the entire battle.

Qingyang leaned against her father’s shoulder and said, "I’ll wait with you and elder brother."

Emperor Xingwu gently ruffled his daughter’s head.

They waited for an hour. The little princess went from sitting beside her father to lying down next to him. After she fell sound asleep, Emperor Xingwu asked He Yuanjing to bring her cloak and carefully covered her with it. The part of the cloak near her feet was closer to the Crown Prince, and without needing a reminder from his father, Qin Hong carefully covered his sister.

Emperor Xingwu stretched his shoulders and, looking at his daughter’s thinner face, said to the Crown Prince, "I shouldn’t have been soft-hearted when we left the capital. I should have sent your sister back right away."

Qin Hong, recalling his sister’s cries from the imperial carriage, smiled and said, "Sister has never been separated from you since she could remember. She was crying so hard—not just you, Father, but even I couldn’t bear to send her away."

Emperor Xingwu said, "I’m getting old. Back when I had to go out to battle, your eldest sister also clung to me and refused to let go, but I still left."

Qin Hong replied, "At that time, Father was still fighting to secure the empire. Taking eldest sister would have put her in danger. Now the empire is stable, and you know you can protect us, so you’re willing to indulge us."

Emperor Xingwu said, "Enough of that. Accompany me for a walk in the courtyard. Sitting for so long is tiring."

Qin Hong replied, "As you wish."

Father and son walked and chatted in the courtyard for about half an hour before returning inside to continue their chess game.

At the third watch (around 11 PM-1 AM), soldiers from Wuwei Pass, six li (about 3 miles) away, sent a report: beacon fires were lit at Huai'an Pass, and West Hu cavalry were attacking!

Emperor Xingwu dismissed the scout and continued playing chess with the Crown Prince.

By the end of the third watch, General Lü Zan, the city defense commander, sent word that the West Hu forces that had broken through the pass had fallen into an ambush, and the two armies were now engaged in battle!

Qin Hong gazed excitedly at his father.

Even Qingyang was awakened by the messenger’s loud, excited voice. Making sure she hadn’t misheard, the young princess sat up abruptly and also looked at her father.

Emperor Xingwu finally smiled and said to his children, "Go back to your rooms and sleep. The battle will be over by daybreak."

After dividing the troops at Luhe Town, the ninety thousand cavalry led by Deng Chong, Meng Ji, and Hou Wanzhong detoured from the west, arriving early at Chang County, 400 li (about 120 miles) away from Wuwei, to hide. After resting for two days, they quietly exited through a pass at Chang County under cover of night, traveling by night and hiding by day to reach Wuwei, tasked with cutting off the retreat of the West Hu cavalry.

At the same time, Lieutenant Generals Kong Ben and Ge Dayong led ten thousand cavalry and forty thousand infantry on a detour to position themselves between Huai'an Pass and Wuwei City. Also moving by night and hiding by day, they were specifically stationed to ambush the West Hu cavalry that had entered the pass. Among them, twenty thousand infantry carried the majority of the arrows for this operation, twenty thousand infantry were responsible for killing dismounted and injured West Hu soldiers, and ten thousand cavalry initially blocked the advancing cavalry at the front of the ambush circle. Once the West Hu forces began to retreat, they pursued relentlessly, eventually encircling them from both front and rear alongside the ninety thousand cavalry outside the pass.

Before this, Emperor Xingwu’s main concern was whether the West Hu forces would take the bait. Now that they had, he was confident of victory!

The next morning, Lieutenant General Ge Dayong entered the city to report: "Your Majesty, in last night’s battle, we killed approximately one hundred thirty thousand West Hu soldiers inside and outside Huai'an Pass, with over ten thousand severely wounded or captured. General Deng and General Qin have led troops to pursue the fleeing soldiers and have not yet returned."

Emperor Xingwu asked, "What are our casualties?"

Ge Dayong’s expression sobered, and he bowed his head. "We have lost about twenty thousand soldiers, with seven thousand wounded."

Though a great victory, it was won at the cost of many imperial soldiers’ lives.

Qin Hong lowered his head, and Qin Ren asked tremulously, "What about the Second Prince…"

Ge Dayong replied, "The Second Prince fought bravely through the night, showing great courage. He is now resting at Huai'an Pass. Zhang Su and several other young gentlemen have also remained there under General Meng’s orders. The Second Prince is unharmed, while Zhang Su and the others sustained some injuries, but none are life-threatening."

Qin Ren breathed a sigh of relief.

Emperor Xingwu said, "Let’s go. Accompany me to Huai'an Pass."

Qin Hong naturally would go, and Qin Ren also wanted to see his second brother and Zhang Su. When Qingyang saw her father glance back at her, she immediately stepped forward and took his arm. "Wherever Father goes, I go."

Emperor Xingwu warned his daughter, "The place is littered with corpses. If you go, be prepared to vomit again."

Qingyang lowered her eyes but did not let go.

Emperor Xingwu looked up and said, "Everyone, change into your armor. We’ll ride there shortly."

Wuwei was more than twenty li from the nearest ambush site, and traveling by carriage would be too slow.

Both Qin Hong and Qin Ren had their own armor. Since Qingyang had "sneaked" out of the palace wearing only men’s clothing, after she officially joined the army, Emperor Xingwu ordered that one of his spare blue satin armor sets be altered to fit his daughter.

Qingyang returned to her room. As Qin Fang helped the princess remove her outer garments, Jie Yu brought the imperial blue satin armor. Underneath the blue satin was a layer of lightweight yet sturdy leather armor. During alterations, the excess parts were removed, leaving the central five-clawed dragon (an imperial symbol) design intact. Later, Qingyang had the skilled Qin Fang modify the dragon’s claws from five to four (a symbol reserved for nobility) to avoid unnecessary complications.

After changing into her armor and tying up her hair, Qingyang returned to the front courtyard.

Emperor Xingwu, dressed in his gold-brocaded satin armor, was listening to Ge Dayong’s detailed report of the previous night’s battle. Hearing footsteps, he looked toward the door and saw his daughter striding in majestically in men’s attire. Her face was thin, but her eyes, so like Consort Li’s, were firm and fearless. Emperor Xingwu’s heart ached at the sight.

"Your daughter pays respects to Father," Qingyang said, imitating a general’s salute.

Emperor Xingwu smiled. As his daughter stood beside him, he said, "I am going to honor the soldiers who fought bravely last night. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to ride with me. If you take a carriage, the journey will be very bumpy."

The Imperial Carriage was drawn by six horses, but to keep up with the cavalry’s pace, the ride would be rough.

Qingyang replied, "If Father rides on horseback, it shows his eagerness to see the soldiers without delay. Preparing the Imperial Carriage might give the impression that you are still thinking of comfort on the return journey. Since that is not your intention, and I do not want the soldiers to misunderstand you because of me, I ask Father to allow me to ride alongside you."

Just as Emperor Xingwu frowned, Qingyang quickly added, "I’ve been practicing riding for over half a year. If I ride with you and the generals, what is there to worry about?"

Emperor Xingwu remained uneasy. Just then, the Crown Prince arrived, and the emperor instructed him to take care of his sister.

The group soon assembled. Emperor Xingwu led the way out. After mounting his horse, he saw the Crown Prince preparing to help his sister onto her horse. Remembering how the Crown Prince might react to the sight of corpses along the way, Emperor Xingwu gestured to Fan Zhong, a general, and said, "You take Lin'er." (Lin'er is Qingyang's childhood name.)

Fan Zhong acknowledged the order, nodded to the Crown Prince, and effortlessly lifted the little princess onto his horse.

As she mounted, noticing the little princess’s displeasure, Fan Zhong explained, "Your Highness, you could certainly ride two laps around the palace practice grounds on your own now. But this is a forced march. Even if your riding skills are excellent, your endurance may not suffice."

Qingyang was only half-convinced.

When the three thousand cavalry led by Emperor Xingwu charged out of Wuwei City's gates in a grand procession, feeling the swift wind against their faces, Qingyang finally believed it.

The horseback ride was also bumpy. After covering twenty li in one stretch, Qingyang felt uncomfortable just sitting in Fan Zhong's arms. But as the first battlefield came into view, she completely forgot her physical discomfort.

The battlefield had been roughly cleared. The nomads and warhorses that had died from arrows were dragged into separate piles. Both men and horses were covered in blood, the ground was stained everywhere with blood, and the wind carried a thick scent of blood.

Emperor Xingwu slowed his pace. Seeing the Crown Prince and the third prince with their heads lowered, he shouted, "Open your eyes wide and look! Look at those nomad raiders who came greedily to plunder our dynasty's people! Look at those soldiers who died fighting to protect our homes and defend our nation! Look clearly and remember—you enjoy comfort in the palace because these soldiers are spilling blood and risking their lives! You may not set foot on the battlefield many times in your lives, but you can decide when these soldiers march to war, and whether they will return in victory or defeat, in life or death!"

Tears streamed down Qin Hong's face as he struggled to identify every corpse lying on the road.

Qin Ren did not cry, but his face was pale, and he looked at each body with pity.

Emperor Xingwu glanced at his youngest daughter, who remained relatively calm in front of Fan Zhong, and then continued onward.

The closer they got to Huai'an Town, the more corpses there were, and among them, more and more were soldiers of their own dynasty. Small teams of soldiers clearing the battlefield knelt to welcome Emperor Xingwu when they saw him in his dragon armor.

The news reached the fortified town of Huai'an, and the guards hurried to notify the second prince and others, who had managed barely an hour's sleep in the barracks.

Qin Bing was exhausted, weary, and miserable. When he heard his father had arrived, his eyes reddened instantly.

Yuan Chongli, who had once been inseparable from him, was gone. The most familiar person before him now was Zhang Su.

Qin Bing's gaze fell on Zhang Su's face, but Zhang Su, injured in his left arm, only met his eyes briefly before lowering his own.

For some reason, Qin Bing's urge to cry suddenly vanished. How absurd—would Zhang Su, who spoke as little as the third prince, even comfort him?

Swinging off the kang, fastening his armor, Qin Bing led the way out of the pass city.

Zhang Su fell a few steps behind. As the figures around Emperor Xingwu shifted, Zhang Su suddenly caught sight of the little princess seated on Fan Zhong's horse.

At the same time, Qingyang withdrew her gaze from a collapsed and broken fence. Looking ahead, amidst the battle-ravaged devastation before the pass city, her eyes met those of a young man whose war robes were stained with blood but whose face remained jade-like in its handsomeness.

In this unfamiliar frontier, seeing the familiar Zhang Su, the little princess broke into a sudden smile.