Chapter 91
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Over a month later, Xue Yao, along with the reinforcements of cavalry, arrived at the northwestern border.
The local garrison had already set up camps and storage depot for provisions.
Due to the Sixth and Seventh Princes being unable to participate in frontline combat, Xue Yao, who accompanied them, could only stay behind at the camp.
About forty miles away from this location, the western route vanguard command was stationed, facing the enemy across the river on the western frontline.
Unable to engage in battle, after arriving, Xue Yao lost contact with the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince.
Necessary reminders had already been reiterated countless times on the way. There was nothing else particularly to instruct the two about.
Xue Yao didn’t know much about this war, only that Great Qi ultimately emerged victorious. Apart from the Emperor’s ambush, most of the engagements were won with overwhelming superiority.
It was precisely because of this that the Emperor became overconfident, pursuing the enemy alone and ultimately falling into the ambush at Baisu Trench.
The war lasted a little over four months. The novel didn’t specify the exact period of the Emperor’s downfall, making it impossible to take precise precautions.
Xue Yao could only remind the Crown Prince to be cautious of Baisu Trench, a treacherous military spot. Especially, to be mindful of the Emperor’s safety, ensuring the Emperor wouldn’t venture into dangerous territory.
Although Xue Yao, who knew nothing about military matters, lacked persuasive skills, his significant achievements in grain procurement and epidemic control made the Crown Prince highly value his words. Logically, the Crown Prince should have been cautious.
However, during the days spent at the camp, the frontline military reports Xue Yao heard revealed that war was indeed filled with various uncontrollable factors.
The battle plan formulated by the Great Qi army before departure aimed to encircle rather than attack, leveraging double the troops and geographical advantages. The goal was to intimidate and scatter a portion of the reputed 200,000 Khitan forces, persuade another portion to surrender, and ultimately annihilate the remaining troops.
In reality, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Within a fortnight, Xue Yao heard about small-scale skirmishes on the frontline.
Surprisingly, the first to act was a small Khitan detachment.
They crossed the river at night, ambushing the frontline military camp and engaging in fierce combat with the Great Qi artillery unit.
The Khitan cavalry showed no fear despite facing double the number of Great Qi forces. Their only fear was the Great Qi artillery.
The artillery’s range and firepower caused significant losses to the Khitan forces before direct engagement.
After being abruptly awakened, the soldiers of the sleeping Great Qi military camp were briefly massacred unilaterally by the Khitan forces. Subsequently, they bravely fought back.
The Khitan forces, ambushing both inside and outside the camp, gained the upper hand, causing the artillery unit to quickly disintegrate.
In the dire situation, the artillery unit at the brink of life and death fearlessly split into three groups. Two groups covered one group to break through and seek reinforcements.
Among the remaining two groups, one fought desperately to resist, buying time for the other to launch a assault on the arsenal. They fulfilled their traditional duty as Great Qi artillery: Before facing death, they must destroy muskets and cannons to prevent them from falling into enemy hands and being used against their own forces.
By the time reinforcements from the second front arrived, the Khitan ambush unit had already retreated completely, leaving the Great Qi battlefield covered in fallen soldiers.
Consequently, the original plan of encirclement without direct engagement was completely disrupted.
The soldiers’ hatred burned almost as intensely as the river, wishing to tear apart those Khitan dogs alive.
Experienced commanders, understanding the optimal morale for such a situation, sought the Emperor’s command to launch a counterattack.
At this point, emotions not only affected the battle plan. Judging rationally, the Khitan army’s deliberate ambush on the artillery unit indicated their strong resolve. They were truly prepared for battle, as shown by their deployment. The plan of encirclement and persuasion seemed ineffective against them.
Even if they were ready for a fight, a reassessment of the battle plan was necessary.
With the Emperor’s delay in issuing a new plan, General Liu Jidong under the artillery unit acted impulsively. One small unit, burning with vengeance for their comrades, defied orders, imitating the Khitan army by crossing the river at night, launching a surprise attack.
However, due to the Khitan army’s preparedness, they suffered complete annihilation.
The frontline commander hastily suppressed this news to prevent morale from being damaged.
Two consecutive minor skirmishes ended unfavorably, causing the Emperor, who held the advantage, to lose face.
Urged by his furious impatience, the newly devised proactive battle plan replaced the comprehensive one before deployment. The real fighting commenced.
Every day, fresh reserve troops were deployed from the camp, making Xue Yao worried about whether the Great Qi army could crush the Khitan forces as depicted in the novel.
Anxiety led Xue Yao to guard the remaining warm baby and chubby cub in the tent every day, counting heads periodically. Both little ones were still there, missing only the Fifth Prince.
Surprisingly, since learning about the ambush on the frontline artillery unit, the Sixth Prince, usually gentle as a lamb, yearned to personally rush to the front lines for revenge. He even uttered fierce words like cutting off their limbs and gouging out their eyes when mentioning the Khitan people.
In contrast, the Seventh Prince, the fearsome war god in the novel, had yet to express any intention of joining the fight.
Xue Yao felt that even the chubby cub was a bit nervous, so every night, someone had to comfort him before he could sleep.
However, the ambush on the artillery unit also left the Seventh Prince feeling upset. Xue Yao could tell. The chubby cub’s appetite had decreased — the best evidence.
After a month, the two armies had already engaged in two frontal battles.
As expected, the Great Qi army demonstrated a clear advantage, just like in the novel. However, Xue Yao grew more uneasy each day, fearing that one day, bad news about the Emperor and the Crown Prince might arrive from the front lines.
And there was his fifth cub.
Another month passed, and the issue of the Khitan’s insufficient provisions and military supplies began to surface. Naturally, the Great Qi army’s advantage further expanded.
The frontline morale inevitably entered a phase of arrogance.
Whether in face-to-face battles or localized ambushes, Great Qi emerged victorious in several engagements. Soldiers and commanders were eager to vie for military achievements, but the Emperor seized the opportunity to steal the limelight.
On the twenty-second of the tenth lunar month, the Emperor personally led the army across the river, launching a decisive battle.
With victory in sight and triumphant reports pouring in, the Crown Prince, who was holding the second line, received an urgent confidential letter from the palace.
The letter was penned by the Second Prince himself.
Despite being written in a soothing tone, it caused the Crown Prince’s vision to blacken, almost fainting.
The Crown Princess had given birth prematurely.
The content mainly reassured safety, emphasizing the child’s well-being. The Crown Princess was weakened but conscious. The letter expressed hope that if the Crown Prince could spare the time, he would come back for a brief visit.
As the number one devoted fan of the Crown Prince, the Second Prince was well aware of the deepening bond between his elder brother and sister-in-law.
In case his sister-in-law didn’t make it and he hadn’t informed his elder brother to return for a final farewell, the regrets left for his elder brother would be immeasurable.
So, he still wrote this letter, whether to return or not, letting his elder brother decide.
After all, the victory in this battle was already assured. Losing one younger brother wouldn’t make much of a difference, but losing his sister-in-law would mean a lot to his elder brother.
The Crown Prince’s decision was to return to the palace.
He had intended to personally go to the front lines and explain the situation to Father Emperor, but Father Emperor had issued orders, not allowing his sons to cross the river.
The Crown Prince planned to send a messenger, but he feared news of “Crown Prince fleeing the battlefield” might affect morale at this critical moment of impending victory.
Desperate to check on his wife, with little time for further considerations, the Crown Prince immediately handed over the command token to the Fifth Prince, instructing him to stay and await orders. The Crown Prince left the military camp that very night.
Only the Fifth Prince was aware of this. To prevent the Third Prince from feeling discontent after learning that the Crown Prince had entrusted the command token to him, the Fifth Prince followed his eldest brother’s instructions. He fabricated a story, claiming that the Crown Prince received a secret order to lead a special forces unit to assist Father Emperor and might return victorious at any time. He instructed the Third Prince to temporarily guard the second line.
Upon learning this, both the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince harbored no suspicions.
In their view, if Father Emperor hadn’t prohibited the Crown Prince from participating in the battle, the Crown Prince would have crossed the river and engaged the enemy long ago. The idea of fleeing the battlefield wouldn’t apply to the Crown Prince, or so they believed.
In the novel, the Crown Prince indeed wouldn’t have returned to the capital on account of that confidential letter.
This life, however, was different.
On his hurried journey back to the capital, the Crown Prince thought the battle was mostly over. Little did he anticipate that the day after his departure, a battered soldier, escaping the encirclement, crossed the river under the cover of night. Crawling into the tent of the second-line commander, the soldier died in the arms of the Fifth Prince.
With three arrows lodged in his back and numerous cuts all over his body, the bloodied soldier, resembling a corpse, was helped to kneel before the Fifth Prince. By then, his tongue could no longer articulate what he intended to convey.
Only fragmented phrases escaped his battered form: “Pursuit ambushed… Emperor… Emperor… Rescue!”
“Where is Father Emperor?” Sensing the gravity of the situation, the Fifth Prince, eyes filled with rage, knelt down and grasped the soldier, shaking him vigorously. “Speak quickly!”
The wounded soldier stared wide-eyed at the Fifth Prince. Blood bubbles emanated from his throat, and his hands, covered in coagulated dark blood, tightly clutched the wrist guard on the Fifth Prince’s left hand. The trembling fingernails almost scratched marks onto the copper wrist guard.
Igniting the last rays of his life, he uttered his final words, “Baisu Trench.”
Having spoken, he tilted his head, breath extinguished. Yet, his eyes retained a glimmer, as if urgently desiring to accompany the Fifth Prince back to the battlefield.
The news of the Emperor being captured did not leak out.
Xue Yao, however, sensed that something was amiss—
The frontline hastily transferred all the reserve troops from the camp overnight.
A dreadful speculation detonated in Xue Yao’s mind.
Could it be that the Emperor fell into the deadly trap?
Moving so many soldiers at once, the command token belonged to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince must be frantic by now, ready to lead all the troops into a desperate battle.
The terrifying future from the novel was aligning with the present, causing Xue Yao to pound his head and pull his hair frantically, frightening both the Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince.
The two princes were unaware of what happened on the frontline, lacking combat experience and not speculating much about the mobilization of reserve troops.
“What do we do… what do we do…”
Thoughts spun like pinwheels in Xue Yao’s mind. He recalled cautioning the Crown Prince before their parting, emphasizing the need to be wary of Baisu Trench.
If the Emperor indeed fell into that trap, the Crown Prince would likely be astonished once again by his foresight and might trust his words.
So, if he joined the reserve troops rushing to the frontline now, pleading with the Crown Prince not to engage personally, could it save the Crown Prince and allow him to ascend directly to the throne?
Holding onto this idea, Xue Yao wanted to accompany the reserve troops to the frontline.
However, with no way to negotiate with the commander of the reserve troops due to his status, he could only approach the two young princes and make this request.
The Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince expressed disapproval of Xue Yao’s request. In the eyes of the two princes, Yaoyao had no strength. What was the point of going to the frontline?
Xue Yao almost kneeled before the two princes, repeatedly assuring them that he wouldn’t cross the river to join the battle. He only had an important matter to remind the Crown Prince.
Hearing this, the Sixth Prince decided to help him by speaking to the commander.
However, the Seventh Prince remained uneasy, believing that the little reader-in-waiting had no protection and would die immediately.
His Highness decided to go to the frontline with the little reader-in-waiting.
The request was unanimously rejected by the commander.
The two young princes were not allowed to go to the frontline.
The Emperor brought them out this time for a combination of tourism and education.
The other four older princes were not allowed on the first frontline. How could they permit the two youngest princes to go to the frontline just for excitement?
If the young princes tripped and fell while walking, the blame would fall entirely on the commander. Taking him to the frontline was impossible.
Xue Yao was so anxious that he felt like banging his head against a wall.
This time, it was different from the novel. There was also the Fifth Prince, and the Fifth Prince was on the frontline!
In the novel, the deposed Crown Prince had no military authority. The reserve troops’ command token was in the hands of Consort Tong’s brother. Unable to secure military support, the deposed Crown Prince led the palace guards in a midnight raid. Meanwhile, the Fifth Prince was called to the capital by the deposed Crown Prince to seek help.
In this life, the Crown Prince had the command token. Xue Yao speculated that he might likely lead the Fifth Prince to charge across the river.
In theory, if the Crown Prince managed to rescue the Emperor with a few hundred people, then leading a battle with tens of thousands of people should be no cause for concern about one’s life.
However, theory was just theory. Didn’t the Emperor still fall?
What if the Crown Prince led the Fifth Prince to their deaths?
Xue Yao was so desperate that he even considered secretly infiltrating the frontline camp but quickly dismissed this impractical idea.
War was a serious matter, and being a commoner, he wasn’t allowed to infiltrate on his own. If caught, he would be treated as a spy and probably wouldn’t even get to see the Crown Prince before meeting his end.
While he was still worrying about the Crown Prince’s fate, the Fifth Prince, with bloodshot eyes, had already personally led the troops, crossed the river, and launched an attack.
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