Huyang Wang, hiding behind the city walls, cursed Xing Muzheng as nothing more than a brute who knew only how to fight. His retainers too could not fathom why Xing Muzheng would cast aside such a good bargain—where had things gone wrong?
“It’s said that General Xing dotes greatly on his wife. For the sake of saving his only son, he even dared charge into Yongan alone, knowing it was a tiger’s den. It seems he values that mother and son deeply,” one retainer said.
Huyang Wang’s pale, fleshy face quivered with rage. “And what of it! However much he spoils her, she is still of common birth. How can she compare with my princess! Besides, I’m offering Huyang itself as dowry—what more could he want! He insists on fighting, insists on seizing—he’s nothing but a bandit! A brute!”
The eldest son of Huyang Wang, uncomfortable in his armor, swallowed nervously. “Father… are we truly going to fight Xing Muzheng? He’s the God of War—he can cleave a man in half with a single strike!”
The second son added, “Yes, Father, let’s not fight him. Didn’t his letter show sincerity in alliance as well?”
Huyang Wang spat, “Useless things! So easily swayed by a little favor? And you call yourselves sons of the royal house!”
The third son, resembling his father but far bolder, said, “Royal Father, how can we sacrifice little sister to marry that butcher! I know a few martial experts—why not let me ask them to kill Xing Muzheng!”
Huyang Wang sneered. “Those scoundrel friends of yours? Don’t embarrass me! I heard that even the emperor sent his Shadow Imperial Guards to kill him, yet the entire force was annihilated. Xing Muzheng not only escaped but burned them all to ash. The Yongan emperor boy played himself to death. We are of the same royal blood—do you think Xing Muzheng will spare us so easily? If we hold out, we may be praised as loyal subjects, but the emperor boy would still fear us usurping the throne. We might end with the same fate as Xing Muzheng himself! And to hold off a furious Xing Muzheng—that’s next to impossible. Now we stand with one foot caught in the bridge’s eye, unable to go up or down. The only way out… is through your sister!”
Behind the screen, Princess Xianning let out a faint sigh.
“So what do we do now?”
Huyang Wang pondered for a long time. At last, he grit his teeth and said, “Hold! Stall! Huyang is easy to defend and hard to attack. We’ll drag this out until Xing Muzheng is forced to bow his head first!”
Indeed, Huyang Wang carried the word “stall” through to the end. A month passed, and he ignored every taunt and challenge shouted by Xing’s army at the front lines. Xing Muzheng launched only one strong assault, and seeing that Huyang was difficult to take, he stopped the offensive and camped outside the city.
Seeing this, Huyang Wang was very pleased with his strategy, believing that with Xing Muzheng feeding such a massive army, the cost in grain and silver would soon break him. But his retainers had different opinions, suspecting Xing Muzheng had deeper intentions. Huyang Wang dismissed them.
Just two days later, he suddenly fell ill. His three sons rushed to his side, claiming to attend him, yet each asked about his final arrangements. The favored concubines who came in turns to feed him medicine all whispered about how good this son was, or how promising that son was. By the time Huyang Wang realized chaos had erupted around him, it was too late—he breathed his last.
His retainers urged the household to conceal his death, but each of Huyang Wang’s three sons feared the others would get ahead, all desperate to declare themselves the new king. Ignoring all opposition, they immediately held a funeral and announced it to the world. No sooner had mourning banners been hung at the gates than a homing pigeon flew out from the back courtyard of the embroidery workshop. Within an hour, firecrackers rang wildly inside the city, and outside, the drums of war thundered.
Xing Muzheng personally led the assault. Great stone-throwing engines stood at the front like giant beasts, hurling boulders that tore through the sky and crashed into the city walls with thunderous booms. Several breaches were blasted open, soldiers scattering in panic.
The three sons of Huyang Wang, dressed in mourning clothes, hurried to the gates. Seeing stones raining down from the heavens, they cried out in fright, “Retreat! Retreat!”
The general in charge of the defense rushed down and stopped their carriage. “We cannot retreat! Young masters, the enemy is at our gates. Do we fight or surrender? Please give the order!”
“Defend!”
“Surrender!”
“Fight!”
The three brothers gave three different commands. The general was left completely at a loss.
The eldest glared at the others. “I am the eldest son. Father’s throne should pass to me. I am the new Huyang Wang. I say defend first!”
The second spat at him. “Bah! You’re only a concubine’s son, yet you dream of inheriting the kingship? Impossible! I am the legitimate heir. It should be mine! I say, for the sake of the people, we open the gates and surrender!”
The third shouted, shoving the other two aside. “Enough! Don’t think I don’t know—you’ve both been bought by Xing Muzheng’s men! It was you who killed Father, you want to use his head to curry favor with the traitor! I’ll avenge Father, I’ll kill Xing Muzheng!”
The three brothers began brawling right there in the carriage, soon tumbling out and rolling on the ground, fighting in a heap.
The defending general wanted to pull them apart, but just then a soldier came to report that Xing Muzheng’s troops were already battering the city gates. The general shouted to the brothers, who, even as they fought, still hollered back answers:
“Defend!” — “Surrender!” — “Fight—! I’ll kill you, troublemaker!”
The general was in despair. One of the retainers who had followed the three brothers pulled him aside. “General, the lord is gone, and Huyang is leaderless. With the enemy before us, as commander of the garrison, the decision falls to you. Do we fight, or defend?”
The general looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and said, “If I must die, let it be on the battlefield. Even if we cannot win, we must fight!”
“Then fight!”
The horns blew. The defending general and his officers opened the gates and marched out to meet the enemy.
Xing Muzheng, clad in silver armor, sat tall upon his horse like a god of war descended, striking fear into every heart. Behind him, the Xing family army stood in perfect ranks, weapons at the ready, fully armed, silent and solemn. The defending general swallowed hard in secret. He had once hoped to climb his way up by drawing close to the Great Xie’s God of War, never dreaming fate would pit them against each other.
His heart was torn. He longed to defect to Xing Muzheng, yet could not betray his duty as a general of Great Xie. In the end, he chose to die with honor. As the war drums thundered, he raised his spiked mace. “Loose the arrows!”
Arrows rained down like a storm. Xing’s five-flag commander was Zhen Hao. He raised his flag, and the shield-bearers advanced swiftly—heavy shields below, light shields above, forming an impenetrable wall against the arrow rain. At his next signal, special crossbows thrust from the gaps. Zhen Hao dropped the flag, and volleys of bolts shot forth. These improved crossbows, crafted by Master Lu and Xing Pingchun, were faster and heavier than any bows. Before the defenders could react, men and horses fell in swathes, cries of pain filling the field.
Morale plummeted. The defending general ordered the drummers to pound the drums again to rouse the soldiers. He shouted for another volley, but again most arrows were blocked by the enemy’s iron wall.
Xing Muzheng glanced at Zhen Hao. Zhen Hao lifted the blue flag and waved twice. The shield-bearers stepped forward in steady rhythm, the rest of the troops following. To the defenders, it looked like some vast, iron-clad monster advancing upon them.
The Huyang soldiers began to fall back. The defending general, horrified, snapped out of it and roared, “Anyone who flees—will be executed!”
“Beat the drums!” The general threw himself in with all he had.
The drums thundered again. The Huyang soldiers glared and gritted their teeth, clutching their weapons, awaiting the general’s command to clash with the monster before them.
At that critical instant, the gates of Huyang opened once more. Out walked a frail young woman, clad in mourning white.
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