Beauty, Power and Intrigue Chapter 19

The carriage wheel had broken, and even after the carriage was righted, it was no longer usable. Still, on a rainy day like this, having somewhere to take shelter from the rain was precious enough.

Song Chuyi glanced outside. In the dark forest on that rainy night, even with torches burning, they could illuminate only about twenty meters in every direction, making it impossible to see how many people were actually there. The soldiers gathered around the carriage all had battered armor and broken weapons. Rain had soaked the grime on their faces, leaving them so dirty and disheveled that their features were almost impossible to make out. Perhaps because of this, their eyes seemed especially stark against their faces, and in the flickering firelight, the hope in those eyes was all the more intense.

Song Chuyi knew that however intense their hope was now, their despair before this must have been just as deep.

Seeing that the man’s own armor was battered almost beyond recognition, and that the rain was streaming down his face so heavily that he could barely keep his eyes open, Zhang Yi said, “Why don’t you come inside and speak with us?”

The man glanced at the soldiers around him and wiped the rain from his face. “I’m already soaked through, so there’s no point in my going inside.” He paused, apparently remembering that he had yet to introduce himself, then continued, “My name is Ji Yu, courtesy name Pengfei. I am a commander in the State of Wey.”

Although the titles of government and military officials varied somewhat from state to state, military organization was largely standardized. An army of ten thousand men was generally placed under a general, while every two thousand five hundred men were commanded by a marshal. Each general could command up to four marshals. Wey was a small and weak state, so a marshal capable of commanding two thousand five hundred men already held an extremely high position within the country.

Song Chuyi was rather curious as to how Wei’s army had ended up stranded in the State of Song. Over the years, Wey had been steadily swallowed up by Wei, leaving it with little territory. It no longer even bordered Song. Marquis Cheng of Wey was timid and averse to trouble, and had practically retreated into Wey itself, constantly seeking peace with the larger states. He had even voluntarily demoted himself from the title of duke to marquis, acknowledging Wey’s small size and weakness.

With a ruler like that and a state in such a precarious position, could they really be planning to make war on Song?

Song Chuyi asked, “Are you planning to attack Chu, or invade Song?”

“Your tongue is far too sharp,” Zhang Yi said disdainfully.

Wei was surrounded by powerful states on every side. Given its strength, taking military action rashly would be no different from courting destruction. It was far better suited to employing a strategist like Zhang Yi, who could manipulate the political landscape through diplomacy and intrigue, than to launching a war lightly. Song Chuyi’s question was clearly an insinuation that the Marquis of Wey was incompetent.

Song Chuyi cleared her throat, then immediately declared with righteous indignation, “I wasn’t insulting them. I was insulting the King of Wei. He’s utterly shameless.”

Zhang Yi thought to himself, You insulted both, didn’t you?

Ji Yu showed not the slightest trace of anger. He merely looked at Song Chuyi in surprise and said, “I presume you have already guessed. Three months ago, Wei sent an envoy to our state, declaring that they would raise an army and wipe out Wey. My lord was alarmed upon hearing this, so he held a lavish banquet for the envoy and asked what offense he had committed against the King of Wei to deserve such a calamity. The envoy said that Chu had grown powerful and was the state most likely to unite the realm. Since Wei bordered Chu, they felt increasingly threatened. Wei had been at war with Qin for decades, leaving its soldiers exhausted and its generals depleted. To replenish its military coffers and strengthen the state, they had no choice but to attack the weaker State of Wey.”

The rest hardly needed to be guessed. The envoy had clearly been trying to entice and pressure the Marquis of Wey into attacking Song.

Ji Yu continued, “At the banquet, the envoy from Wei said that Song lies at the heart of the Central Plains and possesses fertile land. Whether it was Wei or Chu, the territory they wanted most was Song. If my lord were willing to help them attack Song, the King of Wei would not only refrain from sending troops against our state, but would also give us a share of the territory we conquered.”

There was hardly any scenario in which the State of Wey would attack Song, which was precisely what made the proposal so unexpected.

The King of Wei’s intention was probably for Wey to throw the full strength of its forces into capturing a city, while the Wei army would then be responsible for protecting it and preventing Song from taking it back. Wey and Song did not share a border, and after such a battle, Wey would inevitably be weakened even further. Giving them a distant city would be of no benefit whatsoever; they might not even have the ability to control it.

It was little different from a bandit chief forcing an honest man to rob someone. Even if the honest man was unwilling, he had no choice but to rob others to stay alive under the bandits’ threats.

That was exactly the trick Wei was playing. If Wey won, all the better: Wei would simply take advantage of the situation and seize the city they had conquered. If Wey lost, then Wei would have suffered severe losses, leaving it ripe for annexation.

“Ritual and propriety have collapsed, and there is no sense of honor or shame left.”

Although Zhang Yi had an intimate understanding of the political situation throughout the realm, even he could not help sighing at the sheer political roguery of the King of Wei.

On the surface, Song Chuyi claimed to despise such behavior, but deep down, she actually had no objection to it. Political rogues, after all – she had once sworn that she would become the greatest rogue of them all.

Besides, if the Marquis of Wey had possessed even a little backbone and been willing to stake everything on a desperate gamble, he might have been able to find a sliver of hope in this seemingly hopeless situation. With Qin and Wei currently locked in a fierce struggle, he could secretly send a few skilled strategists to persuade Chu to attack Wei, sow discord and turn Han against Wei, and drive wedges between rulers and their ministers. Even if he died in the process, he could still leave the King of Wei struggling with troubles both within and without.

It was easy enough to say, of course. Talents capable of such schemes were exceedingly rare, and given the Marquis of Wey’s conduct, even if he had possessed such a talent, that person would hardly have been willing to serve Wey. Zhang Yi was a perfect example.

Song Chuyi remained silent for a long while before finally saying, “In my humble opinion, Marshal Ji, your first priority right now should be to have the soldiers prepare for another attack by the wolves.”

Ji Yu often lived and travelled in the wilderness as well, so he had some understanding of wolves and their habits. He was therefore not surprised by her suggestion.

Wolves generally did not come out to hunt in the rain. Perhaps because the performers knew this habit, their caravan had let its guard down and had consequently been overwhelmed so easily.

Perhaps this pack had gone a long time without finding food. Or perhaps they had been following the caravan for a long while and had finally waited for the right opportunity. Either way, it showed that this meal was extremely important to them. Wolves were highly retaliatory creatures. Having been disturbed while feeding, they would certainly not retreat very far. The moment they spotted another opportunity, they would not hesitate to attack again.

Ji Yu was about to go and make the necessary arrangements when Song Chuyi stopped him. “The two of us were travelling with the performers’ caravan when the wolves attacked and scattered everyone. Earlier, they mentioned that there was somewhere nearby where we could shelter from the rain. It may not be large enough for everyone, but at the very least, we could keep the fire going there, and the soldiers could take turns resting. What do you think, Marshal Ji?”

In the rain, their torches would soon burn out. With the wolves still lurking nearby, that would put them in considerable danger.

Ji Yu deeply agreed with Song Chuyi’s suggestion. He immediately thanked her, then rose and went to make the arrangements.

Song Chuyi sat by the carriage door, sleeves tucked over her hands, watching the soldiers form ranks. If she had not been going to look for Zhao Yilou, she would much rather have stayed here. At least she would not have to travel through the rain at night.

Zhang Yi could see her worry as well, and said, “Brother Zhao is with Qiao. The caravan’s guards will do everything they can to protect them. Huaijin, you needn’t worry too much.”

“I suspect this is an enormous pack of wolves, at least thirty or forty adult wolves.” With a single sentence, Song Chuyi laid bare just how dangerous their situation was.

The six or seven wolves that had chased them earlier had killed two horses in the blink of an eye. A wolf pack fought with strategy; they would not simply swarm their prey and tear into it indiscriminately. Who knew whether the carriage carrying Zhao Yilou had faced the same terrifying ordeal? They had survived only because Heaven had taken pity on them and led them to the stranded army. Otherwise, there would have been nothing left of them but bones.

Zhang Yi fell silent. What had happened earlier was still vivid in his mind. In the face of such savage force, no one could guarantee the outcome. So he did not offer any pointless reassurance. Song Chuyi was not someone who could easily be placated, either.

Once Ji Yu had finished making the arrangements, he came to the carriage door and said, “I suspect there are quite a few wolves. I dare not split up the soldiers, so I’m afraid I must trouble the two gentlemen to accompany me and search together.”

This was exactly what Song Chuyi and Zhang Yi had expected, so they readily agreed. They borrowed the two best umbrellas available, wrapped themselves in quilts, and set off with him.

The umbrellas were badly damaged, and it was not long before the quilts were soaked through and became unbearably heavy. They had no choice but to discard them.

Song Chuyi shivered in the cold rain as she trudged forward beneath her umbrella, each step sinking deep into the ground before she could pull her foot free. Fortunately, it was late autumn, approaching the beginning of winter, and a thick layer of fallen leaves covered the forest floor. At least they did not have to slog through the mud and standing water.

“There’s blood!” a soldier shouted from ahead.

Song Chuyi instinctively glanced at the rain. If blood had not yet been washed away by such heavy rain, there had to be either a great deal of it, or it had only just been spilled.

They had walked less than thirty meters when, amid the cold, damp air mingled with the scent of fallen leaves and rotting wood, the smell of blood was already unmistakable.