Chapter 148

Chapter 148

The generals saw the Crown Prince's expression change and looked at each other, sensing something amiss. Qi Hanzhou, ignoring protocol, immediately grabbed Ying Fusheng's hand. Ying Fusheng came to his senses and walked quickly toward the command tent without a word. Qi Hanzhou knew he had discovered something and followed after him.

"What's going on?"

"Let's follow and see."

Inside the command tent, the sand table showed the current situation in the Southern Territory. As Ying Fusheng entered, he turned to look at the generals following him and asked urgently, "Do you have a map of the Northern Territory?"

They were fighting a war in the Southern Territory—why suddenly ask about the Northern Territory? General Lu was about to speak when Qi Hanzhou walked to the back of the tent and took out a map showing the area from western Shu to the northern border of Mobei. He spread it out and hung it beside the existing map of the Southern Territory. The two maps together spanned most of the Dayuan territory. "What part of the eastern Northern Territory do you need? I can draw it for you."

"I need it," Ying Fusheng said. "As soon as possible."

The generals were just discussing the Northern Barbarians, and now they realized the Crown Prince's unease could only mean trouble in the north. General Lu ordered the generals to split up—some to organize the sand table, others to help Qi Hanzhou with the maps. Soon, the entire Dayuan territory was pieced together.

In his previous life, this was the time of the Northern Barbarian invasion. The Qi family had fought desperately to repel them, while the Secret Faction in the court had created turmoil, infiltrating the palace through the Xu family. The result was that the Emperor fell ill and died, followed by the Deposed Crown Prince's coup.

Many things had changed in this life. Ying Fusheng had thought some events might not happen again, but if certain arrangements were part of the Secret Faction's long-standing plans, they could be activated at any time, depending on how things developed.

Before this, Ying Fusheng believed the Secret Faction was just using the Northern Barbarians to pressure Dayuan when needed, and the Northern Barbarians wouldn't miss the chance to seize northern territory. Such cooperation would be loose, with each side using the other. But General Lu's words today sparked another possibility: the Secret Faction might have colluded with the Northern Barbarians as early as the previous dynasty, leading to the invasion of Western Shu.

The Secret Faction had wanted power for a long time, but the late emperor had unexpectedly risen to power, rallying the people and garrison troops to establish a new court.

Qi Hanzhou observed Ying Fusheng's expression. "You suspect the Secret Faction has already allied with the Northern Barbarians?"

Ying Fusheng recalled the Secret Faction's silence since the recapture of Liangzhou. Those who had tried to cause disaster in Liangzhou and sent assassins after him were cautious in their military moves, which could only mean they were waiting for an opportunity.

The two men's expressions made the generals realize there was a problem.

"What? Your Highness means the Secret Faction has allied with the Northern Barbarians? Are they insane?" A general from the Lu family went pale. "Bringing in foreigners just to usurp the throne? They're handing over Mobei and northern Shu to the Northern Barbarians in exchange for their alliance?"

The veteran generals of Liangzhou looked even paler. They had just learned that the people manipulating them were likely the Prince of Pingnan's mansion, already taken over by the Former Dynasty Remnants. Now they were told these remnants had colluded with the Northern Barbarians—this wasn't just a civil war for personal gain—it involved foreign tribes.

The Northern Barbarians had plundered lands and massacred countless people. If not for that, the Liangzhou Army wouldn't have followed the late emperor in rebellion to overthrow the old dynasty.

Ying Fusheng kept wondering: where had the Northern Territory turmoil started in his previous life? Had he discussed this with Qi Hanzhou? He couldn't remember clearly. The chaotic memories of his past life couldn't provide a clear starting point, but he knew that even if the court, the Northern Territory, and his father were on guard, he still had to consider the worst.

What if he had overlooked something?

What if the Northern Barbarians invaded from another place? Ying Fusheng dared not imagine the result. The Northern Territory couldn't have a second Youzhou City...

"Mobei. The Northern Barbarians invaded through Mobei back then, all the way into Western Shu."

A voice pulled Ying Fusheng back from his thoughts. He turned to see Qi Hanzhou watching him with deep concern.

Qi Hanzhou knew why Ying Fusheng needed the Dayuan territory map. If the Northern Barbarians and the Secret Faction were cooperating, they would apply pressure from both north and south. Once that happened, Dayuan would face the Secret Faction in the south and the barbarians in the north, with the weakest point being the northwest.

Ying Fusheng's gaze didn't leave him. The figure before him was gradually overlapping with the Qi Hanzhou of his previous life.

After years together, a single glance was enough to understand each other. Ying Fusheng realized he was overthinking. Even if he remembered where the Northern Territory turmoil began in his past life, the current situation was different. Clinging to past possibilities would only lead to misjudgment.

It was different. Everything should have been different long ago.

Eight years since his rebirth, he had changed many things.

"If they want to invade, they'll choose a surprise attack. The Qi Family Army camp is here," Qi Hanzhou pointed to a central location on the northern map. "The Northern Barbarians have fought Dayuan many times. They know the Qi family's marching and support routes."

"Right. They were driven back by His Majesty a few years ago. They wouldn't dare a full-scale confrontation now," General Lu agreed. They knew the Northern Barbarians well, but the terrain of western Shu was unfamiliar to them. "If they really invade and ally with the Secret Faction, they'll choose the weakest point."

"Do we have a terrain map?" someone asked.

"I'll draw it. The terrain where western Shu meets the Northern Territory is complex. You troops from the central plains won't understand." A veteran general from Liangzhou stepped forward.

"Can you do it?"

"Of course. It's only been twenty-odd years. The mountains haven't collapsed, and the roads are the same." The Liangzhou veteran shot back, eager to prove himself. "Wait, I'll have the map drawn in the time it takes to burn an incense stick!"

Ying Fusheng watched the generals spring into action, studying the border between western Shu and Mobei. The tent still smelled of wine from their break, but everyone at the sand table was dead serious. They didn't question Ying Fusheng's foresight; they were willing to explore possibilities based on his conjecture.

In times of chaos, these rebels would sacrifice the people and the country for power... and now they wanted to plunge the people into disaster again for their so-called restoration.

"It can only be Shayan," Qi Hanzhou said. "Shayan Pass lies at the junction of Mobei and northern Shu, far from the Qi family camp. If it falls, the Northern Barbarians can drive straight in."

"Can we send reinforcements to Shayan?"

"From Liangzhou to Shayan, the fastest march takes five days!"

If Qi Hanzhou's judgment was correct and the invasion came through Mobei, the Secret Faction might target Shayan Pass for a coordinated attack from north and south. Shayan Pass must not fall. If it did, the Secret Faction and the Northern Barbarians could fully unite, and the hard-won northern Shu would fall into chaos again.

Was that all?

Qi Hanzhou looked at him worriedly. "What are you worried about?"

Ying Fusheng gazed at the vast Dayuan territory. For the first time, he felt how vast the empire built by two generations of Dayuan emperors was—so vast that it was out of reach, so vast that he felt the immense difficulty of guarding it. But this vast land was filled with Dayuan's people. No part could be allowed to fail.

"It might not be just Shayan."

Just then, a falcon's cry came from outside the tent. The Qi family falcon's call drew the attention of all the generals. Ye Xuanqi, pale-faced, entered the tent and reported, "Junior General, an urgent letter from the Northern Territory!"

Qi Hanzhou's eyes sharpened. That was his father's falcon.

"General Qi's urgent letter: The Northern Barbarians have mobilized!"

The generals had just analyzed the Northern Territory situation. Were they too late?

General Lu immediately decided: "We can still send troops to Shayan now."

Liangzhou now had 40,000 troops, including both the imperial army and the Liangzhou Army. They could spare some for Shayan to fill the gap in the Northern Territory.

Ying Fusheng walked quickly to the sand table. If his father had been on guard, Shayan should have been within his calculations.

The conspirators couldn't have failed to anticipate that.

A possibility surfaced in Ying Fusheng's mind.

"We can't defend," Ying Fusheng said.

In the imperial capital, a messenger from the Northern Territory raced through the night. The palace lights were lit, and an urgent report from eight hundred li away, accompanied by the cry of a Qi family falcon, shattered the tranquility of the Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Mobei!"

As the news arrived, the Emperor lifted his gaze from the documents on his desk. What he had long anticipated had finally happened. He casually tossed the memorial aside, and the attendants felt the weight of the imperial presence.

"Summon Hu Buyu and Meng Jinyuan."

Late at night, the imperial city was stirred by the urgent report, and many high officials were summoned to the palace. Hu Buyu passed the news to Shen Changcun, who turned pale upon receiving the secret message. Without a second thought, he dressed and rushed to the Imperial Stud Office. "The Northern Barbarians have attacked three cities in the Northern Territory. The Qi Family Army marched out five days ago!"

Madam Shen's face turned white. "What will happen?"

When Shen Changcun heard this, he reached out to reassure his wife. “Don’t worry, the northern border has long been prepared.”

“Lord Shen! Urgent dispatch from the Imperial Stud! Something has happened in the southern border!”

It wasn’t just the northern border—the southern border was in turmoil too.

Outside Ningjiang County, a key area in the three prefectures of Jiangnan, a relentless volley of flaming arrows rained down. Urgent horn calls rang out as the Chen Family Army marched out in full force, setting the Jiangnan night sky ablaze. Prince Jin hastily left his residence, riding out to the outskirts of Huaizhou City. There, he saw the distant flames soaring into the sky in the direction of Ningjiang. He demanded urgently, “What’s the situation?”

“Marquis Cen’an has attacked the Ningjiang camp with flaming arrows—they’ve committed all their forces!” a scout reported. The assault was swift and fierce, the fiercest confrontation since they started fighting Marquis Cen’an. “Old General Chen has ordered me to escort you out, Your Highness. If Ningjiang cannot hold, Huaizhou City might—”

The flames lit up the horizon, a stark reminder that the fire was dangerously close to reaching Huaizhou.

Prince Jin’s face turned grim. “Are you asking me to abandon the people of Huaizhou?”

The scout pressed, “But Your Highness is in danger here.”

“Mobilize the Prince Jin’s mansion garrison and fully support Old General Chen. Ningjiang must be held at all costs!” Prince Jin turned his horse around. “Summon the Governor of Yingtian to see me. All Jiangnan government offices must support the Jiangnan garrison. Anyone who disobeys—I’ll have their heads!”

Ningjiang had to be held, no matter what. Xuzhou was already lost. If Huaizhou fell, it wouldn’t stop there—the rest of Jiangnan and the southern border’s core would have no other river like the Ningjiang to shield the people from such a ferocious assault. Armies move fast; civilians can’t outrun them. Once a city fell, the interior of Jiangnan would lose all peace.

Outside Jiangling Prefecture, beside the hard-built embankment, a group of black-clad figures burst out of the dense forest. The craftsmen stationed on the wall sensed something amiss and immediately lit lanterns to investigate. But before they could reach the spot, a sudden rustling from the woods shattered the silence. The patrol guards, caught off guard, watched as the figures charged straight for the dam. “Run! There are people!”

“Stop them! They’re going to destroy the Jiangling Dam!” The craftsmen had guarded this dam for so long—it was a monument of collective effort, built brick by brick with the people of Jiangling. An old craftsman, halfway to safety, turned and ran back toward them. “I can’t just watch them! They’ll destroy the dam! If the dam breaks, what will happen to Jiangnan?”

The craftsmen fired signal flares, but no one ran for cover—they rushed toward the dam.

The flares exploded across the Jiangling sky. Chen Shoude, the garrison commander stationed in Jiangling, saw the signal and immediately deployed his troops. But by the time they reached the outskirts of Jiangling, they saw a wall of torches from Western Shu—an unannounced night raid.

When Wang Guanzhi heard this, his eyes reddened instantly. “What about the people on the dam?”

“The patrol craftsmen risked their lives to light the signal flares. Commander Shen Yunfei led his men to arrive in time and hold the Jiangling Dam, but… but…” The messenger’s voice cracked. “All thirty patrol craftsmen died. They held the line to the end…”

“Damn it!! Those Former Dynasty bastards deserve to die!” Wang Guanzhi couldn’t contain himself. Vice Prefect Xu quickly grabbed his arm. “Lord Wang, calm down! Jiangling is crucial—we can’t have chaos!”

Wang Guanzhi turned and saw Vice Prefect Xu, whose eyes were also red with tears.

Vice Prefect Xu said, “We still have other prefectures behind us. The refugees from Western Shu and the people of Jiangnan are all here. General Chen Shoude and Commander Shen from the imperial court are both here. We have to hold on—we have to hold on!”

“All anyone wants is peace. What did they do wrong?” Wang Guanzhi raged. “I want to kill those people! I want to take a blade and kill them!”

A group of craftsmen who had spent their lives building dams—how could they match battle-hardened enemies? They knowingly walked to their deaths, using their lives to block the advance. They simply couldn’t bear to see the dam, built with such effort to benefit future generations, destroyed in an instant.

Vice Prefect Xu understood the dire situation as well as anyone, but the more desperate it became, the more they needed to stay calm.

Jiangling’s garrison was already thin. With a massive army attacking from outside and Marquis Cen’an pressing in on the three Jiangnan prefectures, they had to hold—they could only hold!

Wang Guanzhi knew it. Jiangling’s forces could only defend.

Just then, a horse collapsed from exhaustion outside Jiangling Prefecture. The messenger stumbled and crawled into the government office. “Urgent letter! Urgent letter from Western Shu!”

Wang Guanzhi and Vice Prefect Xu turned to look, seeing the messenger from Western Shu. They dreaded another piece of bad news from that region.

“His Highness was worried about Jiangling and has dispatched 20,000 troops to reinforce us, taking a detour to encircle the southern part of Western Shu.” The scout, who had nearly run his legs off, dared not rest a moment on the road, fearing the news would arrive too late. “Jiangling is to counterattack.”

“The imperial army of Western Shu is about to deploy to wipe out the Secret Faction!”