IV. Keeping the Appointment

The news of the Third Prince’s return to the front lines traveled much faster than his carriage. By the time Pei Xiunian’s carriage came to a halt within the camp, the entire Xiliang army was already prepared. As soon as he stepped out, a thunderous chorus echoed through the air:

“Welcome, Your Highness!”

Armored soldiers, swords at their sides, bowed in unison, and tens of thousands of kneeling troops created a scene so grand it could shake the soul of any onlooker.

Pei Xiunian was momentarily dazed, but quickly forced himself to clear his mind and remain composed. He suddenly realized that these soldiers, even the officers, were more excited than he was.

It was clear this was no mere parade ground drill, but a sincere outpouring of emotion. This, perhaps, was what a revival of morale looked like…

Chu Jiangye came forward, his tone earnest. “Your Highness, the front is dangerous. Please, return to the provincial capital…”

Pei Xiunian had heard about Chu Jiangye from Xiao Qin during the carriage ride, so he recognized the burly general with the air of a warrior. He simply waved his hand and said,

“There’s no need for further words, General Chu. Though Prince Qi is absent and I’m unsure whether the heir can mobilize the personal troops, I have already sent an urgent memorial to my father for reinforcements. Moreover, I bring other good news today. Let us discuss it in the command tent.”

Indeed, the Third Prince had spoken with the heir at Prince Qi’s residence, but even Xiao Qin didn’t know the details. Regardless, the priority was to steady the troops’ morale.

Chu Jiangye nodded and led Pei Xiunian into the main command tent. The assembled officers all bowed to him. Pei Xiunian took his seat calmly, facing the wide, central sand table, and asked,

“What is the current state of the battle?”

The deputy general beside Chu Jiangye stood, saluted, and replied, “Your Highness, the Qingqiu army is commanded by Princess Su Zhiqiu, the eldest imperial daughter of Qingqiu. She is suspicious by nature, a master strategist, and commands over two hundred thousand troops.”

“The situation has stabilized for now. The Qingqiu army is temporarily stationed at Xiangyang. As their granaries have been burned, it will be some time before the flames of war reach Hangzhou.”

What he had seen on the sand table the previous day was indeed true. Pei Xiunian finally relaxed and nodded, concealing his relief as he continued,

“What are our casualties?”

A staff officer holding a document immediately stood to report, “Your Highness, Xiliang’s army originally numbered eighty-five thousand. After the battle of Xiangyang, we have lost nearly ten thousand, leaving seventy-seven thousand. However, the Xiangyang garrison… barely one in ten survived; the governor of Xiangyang fell in battle, and the prefect of Yunchuan was wounded and has withdrawn.”

Xiangyang was the last county city of Yunchuan Prefecture; with its fall, the entire region was lost.

No wonder the tide of impeachment memorials had forced the Third Prince, far away in Hangzhou, to hurriedly find a scapegoat.

Pei Xiunian looked at the sand table; even without counting banners, it was obvious that the Qingqiu army outnumbered Xiliang’s forces several times over.

Facing an enemy entrenched in a county city while Xiliang’s army marched across open plains, there was almost no hope of victory. The only way to break the deadlock was to cut off Qingqiu’s supply line.

But the crucial location of that supply line, the central granary that allowed Qingqiu’s army to survive deep in the heart of the Zhou Dynasty, was known only to him.

The main force of Qingqiu, having penetrated so deep, would undoubtedly be stationed at Xiangyang, while the rear granary, like a jungle outside the Maginot Line, could be bypassed for a fatal blow.

Yet Pei Xiunian was not Chu Jiangye; these officers would never blindly obey the desperate orders of a prince who had not yet come of age. To force compliance through rank would only backfire.

"The situation is grim. Once Qingqiu’s supplies arrive, their banners will sweep from Xiangyang, gradually invading the Central Plains. Although the length of their supply line puts them under great pressure, their army did not rest idly outside Xiangyang for a year,”

“If we could uncover the location of their central granary, there might still be hope. Otherwise, we’re simply waiting to be destroyed.”

Pei Xiunian muttered under his breath, drawing surprised glances from a few deputy generals. They had not expected an imperial prince, raised in luxury, to have such insight.

Perhaps they thought he would suggest summoning a sword immortal to vanquish the enemy with a single blow, or deploying the Divine Machine Corps’ giant war puppets to crush them.

Pei Xiunian noticed their stares and was equally surprised. From their reactions, it seemed the original Third Prince had barely taken command before racing to Xiangyang, with no time to direct the Qingqiu army at all.

The Third Prince was said to be well-versed in military strategy; it was unlikely he would have made such reckless decisions. But if he had arrived in Xiangyang just before the Qingqiu army advanced… wasn’t that a little too coincidental?

Did he have enemies at court?

Now that he sat in this position, he needed to be exceedingly cautious.

Pei Xiunian kept this thought in mind, then turned to Chu Jiangye. “General Chu, if we set aside the difficulty, is there any other way, apart from severing their supply line, to force the Qingqiu army to retreat quickly?”

Chu Jiangye pondered for a moment before saying, “If we ignore other factors, we could form an alliance with Jin Xia, persuading them to attack the demon army. Qingqiu’s inner realm is undefended; forced to fight on two fronts, they would have to withdraw.”

This was indeed possible. The Jin Xia people, though considered barbarians, were not fools. With the Zhou Dynasty weakening, they had surely prepared their troops and were only waiting for the critical moment when both sides were exhausted.

When the emperor redeployed troops to reinforce the western frontier, that would be Jin Xia’s cue to invade and seize a share.

But for them, attacking Zhou or Qingqiu made little difference; in fact, conquering Qingqiu would be even better.

Under the pretense of aiding Zhou, they could reap greater rewards, and with Qingqiu’s many demon clans, robust in blood and strength, they could be immediately pressed into labor to recover from the war.

The challenge lay in how to form such an alliance. Attacking Qingqiu was no minor matter—it would mean Jin Xia exposing a huge vulnerability to Zhou.

Mere gold and silver would not suffice for trust; a peace treaty would be worth little more than scrap paper. At the very least, a marriage alliance would be required, but even that would be a slow death for Zhou.

“In fact, there is another way,” Pei Xiunian said after a moment’s thought, gesturing for Xiao Qin to hand over a prepared letter. “We could force the governors of the northern and southern prefectures to dispatch their garrisons, trapping the Qingqiu army within Yunchuan, caging the tiger.”

The staff officer with the documents rose again. “Your Highness, that is too risky. Besides, mobilizing the prefectural garrisons requires an imperial edict…”

Pei Xiunian placed the letter firmly on the table and said calmly, “That is the good news I bring. My father has personally written an edict ordering both prefectures to send troops, creating a pincer to contain Qingqiu. Please, generals, examine it and speak freely.”

The Xiliang generals in the tent gazed at the edict, erupting with joy and heated debate around the sand table.

It was, without doubt, a tremendous boon. Now, they needed only to send scouts to ferret out Qingqiu’s granary in Yunchuan and they could trap the invaders.

Of course, danger remained. If Qingqiu’s two hundred thousand strong army chose to fight to the death, no local garrison could withstand them. The details and process still needed thorough discussion and a concrete plan.

But that was no longer Pei Xiunian’s concern—it was for these battle-hardened generals, each of whom had fought more campaigns than he had seen films.

Pei Xiunian turned to Chu Jiangye, who had remained silent at his side, and made a gesture of respect. “General Chu, may I have a private word?”

Chu Jiangye quickly stood and saluted. The two withdrew to a side tent, and once certain they were alone, Pei Xiunian spoke bluntly:

“I believe you’ve already noticed the truth about that document, General.”

Chu Jiangye saluted again, his expression troubled. “Your Highness, forging an imperial edict and manipulating military command is a capital offense. I beg you to reconsider.”

“That is precisely why this document is not meant for the governors,” Pei Xiunian replied, turning away. “It is for Qingqiu’s commander—Su Zhiqiu.”

He clasped his hands behind his back, watching the flickering candlelight. “I must trouble you to safeguard this edict, General. Within three days, arrange for it to be ‘accidentally’ intercepted by a demon spy. That will give us grounds to negotiate with Qingqiu.”

The strategy crashed over Chu Jiangye like a tidal wave—a stroke of genius. Quickly regaining his composure, he said,

“But Your Highness, the Qingqiu army may not be fooled into retreat. They might even strike first. If…”

“I understand.” Pei Xiunian turned, his jade-like features shifting in the candlelight, unreadable. “Qingqiu’s granary is within the Yunchuan border. Once the supply line is cut, they will have no choice but to negotiate.”

“But Your Highness, the location of Qingqiu’s baggage train…”

Pei Xiunian interrupted, “Just spread the word in Jiangdu City that we have already dispatched scouts and are closing in on the location of Qingqiu’s granary. As for severing their supplies, I have my own plans. Three days is all I need!”

“I obey,” Chu Jiangye replied, bowing deeply. He realized he could no longer fathom this prince’s mind; gone was the panicked, helpless youth of the day Xiangyang fell—now he was a master strategist.

Pei Xiunian left the side tent. Night was falling, the fires outside blazed bright, and the late autumn air was cold. Xiao Qin carefully draped a sable cloak over his shoulders, asking softly,

“Your Highness, how did it go?”

Everything had gone according to plan, much to his satisfaction. Pei Xiunian felt his chance to rise had finally arrived. He smiled.

“Prepare the carriage, and two sets of plain clothes. Simple, clean, with a touch of the wanderer’s air.”

Xiao Qin nodded. “Where are we going, Your Highness?”

“To Jiangdu City,” Pei Xiunian replied. “It’s time to keep our appointment.”