Gu Huaiyang had truly fallen into dire straits.
On the sixth day, the two sides clashed for the first time. The imperial armies surrounded them from all sides; their violent encounter lasted three days.
On the tenth day, the Redscarf Army retreated back into Dongyue.
On the fifteenth day, the imperial army, which had lost half its ranks to casualties, received one hundred thousand reinforcements. Their forces marched towards the city walls. Gu Huaiyang and his lot put up a valiant resistance.
On the twenty-first day, rations and matériel ran dangerously low. This time, Gu Huaiyang knew that they were at the end of their tether.
The court had exhausted the country’s full force in order to sunder Dongyue and Haining so that they could besiege them one by one. Dongyue’s “easy to defend, hard to attack” terrain became their prison. When Gu Huaiyang listened to Lu Yunzhou’s battle report, his face full of stubble, he did so in grim silence.
When he was done, Lu Huaiyang succinctly said, “Eldest brother, the men and horses have nothing left to eat, you have to find a way.”
“How much do we have left?” Gu Huaiyang asked.
“Three days, three days at most.”
Gu Huaiyang mulled it over silently as his hand, covered in dried, cracked scars tapped the table. He frowned, then said, “Alright.”
Lu Yunzhou wasn’t a man of many words and wasn’t an easy man to get close to. The only ones he spoke more than a few words to, aside from his only daughter, were his sworn brothers. At that moment, standing there, he seemed to be hesitating as to whether to speak. Gu Huaiyang looked up at him, asking, “What?”
Lu Yunzhou’s brows slackened for a moment. He mumbled, “Nothing. I was thinking of Lu-er. Wondering how little sixth’s injury is coming along too.”
Gu Huaiyang said, “The letters I’ve gotten from Si-niang recently said little sixth’s injury’s getting better. She’s looking after Lu-er too, she’ll be safe and sound.”
Lu Yunzhou nodded.
Gu Huaiyang glanced at him again and couldn’t help saying, “Has someone been telling you rumors again? We’re brothers, you and I, is there anything you can’t just ask me?”
Lu Yunzhou dithered for a moment, then said, “Lieutenant-general Guo Hui told me to say something to you, eldest brother. If after three days, provisions and reinforcements aren’t able to come in, are we going to… levy grains from the civilians.”
For a few minutes, Gu Huaiyang didn’t reply. He scoffed coldly, “Levy grains? It sounds to me like Guo Hui means ‘pillaging grains.’”
Lu Yunzhou silently lowered his gaze.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Pfffft — hahahahaha,” Gu Huaiyang guffawed. He put his hand over his face, leaving only his pale lips exposed. A long while later, he said quietly, “That Guo bastard. Back in the day, when he was so sick he was nearly on his deathbed, it was thanks to his fellow refugees, struggling to drag him along, rationing the food they got from begging, that he’s alive to this day. His younger brother was only eight when he died, so skinny he was like a little monkey. His hand was so small as he tugged his brother’s clothes and said ‘I’m hungry, I want to eat a flat cake,’ but even up to death, we hadn’t been able to give that child a single bite of flat cake.”
Oe Techtbe’r fsfr gfvvfcfv rilutais, “Sivfra ygbatfg.”
“Dea cbk atja atf yjrajgv’r ubaafc rb rfio-lwqbgajca, kts’r tf ralii ibbxlcu ab wf jr atf ifjvfg?” Xe Lejlsjcu rjlv, lc j ribk, fjrs mbcnfgrjalbcji abcf, “Uliijuf ugjlcr? Lbk mbeiv tf fnfc atlcx bo la? Lbk vjgf tf fnfc atlcx bo la!”
His voice rose into a shout. He furiously swept the clay teacups off the table, shattering them to pieces.
For the sake of surviving in a tumultuous world, they’d been shameless, they’d used every means, they’d robbed the rich without aiding the poor, they’d used the court’s loopholes to madly gain wealth, they’d even gone dog-eat-dog on the mountain bandits. They’d drafted soldiers and bought horses to the point that, within a few short years, the court was forced to fear the Redscarf Army.
But how could they ever kick down the doors of ordinary civilians and seize their grains at swordpoint?
The souls of the dead wandered the wilds, the mountains echoed with the wailing of ghosts. Who wasn’t living in fear and misery, homeless and adrift, terrified for their lives?
In the end, what had the people done to deserve this?
Even rebels and traitors like them, when they’d just started out, who amongst them had been an irredeemable sinner?
Seemed like they just hadn’t been virtuous enough in their past life, to have been born in such troubled times.
“From now on, you tell everyone that they’re to tighten up their belts.” When Gu Huaiyang stood up again, his face was full of adamant resolve. He took a letter out of the fold of his robes and handed it to Lu Yunzhou.
Somewhat astonished, Li Yunzhou opened the letter and saw it was filled with Shi Wuduan’s familiar handwriting. Even perpetually stoic Lu Yunzhou revealed a faint hint of excitement, “Eldest brother, this is…”
He wanted to ask: hadn’t all communication with Haining been cut off? How did Shi Wuduan deliver this letter?
Gu Huaiyang raised his hand and interrupted him, “I have my methods. Tell everyone that rations will be halved and to hold out for another three to five days. After three to five days, lord sixth will find a way to break us out of this siege, don’t worry. It’s just…. today I want to make it clear that our Redscarf Army is the emperor’s righteous army. We have heaven’s blessings from above, and the people’s hearts from below; we are not petty buffoons that bring scourge wherever they go! Anyone who dares to harass civilians and flaunt the law, I’ll make their heads roll. I, Gu Huaiyang, do not make empty promises!”
“Yes!”
After Lu Yunzhou turned and left, Gu Huaiyang chuckled bitterly, then donned his armor and went to patrol the walls.
Dongyue was surrounded by an army that was a hundred-thousand strong and had powerful cultivators holding the line. Not even a fly could slip through, much less a letter.
Ah, little sixth. Whether we live or die, succeed or fail, it all depends on you now.
Shi Wuduan had gotten news of Dongyue’s besiegement the moment it happened. Thus before the wound on his chest had fully recovered, he was already on his feet, sending an urgent message to Meng Zhongyong and taking control of military resources; no one could dissuade him — no one had the heart to dissuade him.
Haining’s elites were all with Gu Huaiyang. If they couldn’t break the siege of Dongyue, their prospects would become grim; ten years of arduous planning could be put to the torch. Everyone was beside themselves with worry.
Afterwards, Shi Wuduan deployed troops, not to attack Dongyue, but to launch a surprise offensive on Wanjiang, Huining, and Zhao Canal, threatening to advance into the fertile lands of Huzhou.
He was planning to “besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.”
In Haining Commandery, Shi Wuduan hardly got a couple hours of sleep each night. And because of his chest injury, every time Lanre delivered medicine, she’d hear him painfully, raspingly cough up his lungs. When he saw her, he’d merely nod, thank her, then down the bitter pitch-black as blankly as if it was water.
Information, maps, letters, and battle reports that’d been delivered in secret by the Merchant Association covered the whole table. Lanre knew that she was only a servant girl, so to avoid raising suspicion, never approached too closely. She’d back away after handing over the medicine and wait for him to return the empty bowl.
Illuminated by candlelight, for some reason, Shi Wuduan’s perpetually impassive face made Lanre think of a term — stonehearted.
She couldn’t help but remember the words that the most learned scholar in her village had once told her: it’s rather normal for people to be ruthless to others. Those with the hardest hearts are just as ruthless to themselves.
Lanre became confused. She thought, Lord sixth is such a polite, cultured gentleman – especially when he smiles, it feels like a feather tickling against my heart. How could he be a ruthless person?
Shi Wuduan didn’t stay in Haining for long. Mere days after Li Si-niang set off, he headed out as well, leading the rest of the soldiers. Lanre followed along as well; Shi Wuduan, considering the fact that she was too weak to truss a chicken, had her placed among the medics. Her regular duties consisted of delivering medicine and looking after injured or sick soldiers. Still, he was worried that she couldn’t handle it, so he provided a carriage, padded with thick cushions inside, just for her.
A few of the soldiers chuckled suggestively at her, “Miss Lanre, lord sixth sure is good to you.”
Lord sixth is good to everyone, Lanre couldn’t help blushing when she recalled how Shi Wuduan had looked at her two days ago when she’d been delivering medicine as usual, and asked her if she was able to keep up with the pace of travel.
At the same time, Yan Zhen had also received battle reports — Huzhou was in a state of emergency.
Bai Li and Zou Yanlai had gone with their troops to Dongyue. Upon receiving Yan Zhen’s letter, Zou Yanlai peered at Bai Li and asked, “Demon Lord, this…”
Bai Li was right in the middle of playing go against himself, he didn’t even look up as he responded, “What, is Huzhou that easy to conquer?”
Of course Huzhou wasn’t easy to conquer. Highly productive land was always highly guarded, not to mention that it was a strategic pass. It was on a whole other level from the small towns and small cities that Li Si-niang had toppled so easily. Even if all the court’s elites were in Dongyue facing off against Gu Huaiyang, Huzhou’s defense force would not lightly fall.
Zou Yanlai paused for a moment then said, “However, Huzhou is an important crop-producing region currently suffering from drought and surrounded by high mountains. If I were Shi Wuduan, I would attack with fire. It would be difficult for the city to…”
Zou Yanlai trailed off as Bai Li smiled enigmatically at him. Bai Li asked, “If Huzhou really is burned down, then regions that haven’t had a good harvest in years already, like Zhangzhou and Luzhou, are going to starve, aren’t they?”
Zou Yanlai didn’t expect the Demon Lord would know so much about the state of the country; he answered, “That’s correct, Demon Lord. It’s precisely why Sir Yan is worried that Shi Wuduan’s tactic might really…”
Bai Li scoffed, interrupting, “You don’t need to worry about that. Judging by how many beggars I saw on the way here, the roads must be paved with the bones of those who died of hunger. He won’t pour oil on the fire. Relax, Shi Wuduan might be ruthless, but he’s not as evil as you lot.”
Zou Yanlai froze, not knowing what to say. All he could do was awkwardly shut his mouth.
A moment later, Bai Li pinched a chess piece and said, “You don’t need to concern yourselves with the woman. She probably doesn’t have many soldiers to use, and judging by how much Shi Wuduan likes using smokescreens, I’m afraid she’s just a decoy. He wants to rescue Gu Huaiyang, and he knows I’m here; he’ll come personally.”
He snapped lightly, turning the chessboard into a massive sand table. All of the chess pieces became mountains and valleys. Bai Li flicked a chess piece out. It transformed into a black flag in midair and planted itself at the outlet of Min River.
Zou Yanlai’s eyes brightened. Bai Li said, “Send forces to surround the city from three sides; make sure nothing gets in or out. If it were anyone else, ‘besieging Wei to save Zhao’ would likely be the extent of their thought, but my Wuduan certainly isn’t just anyone.”
Seeming to recall something, Bai Li’s eyes sparkled as he smiled. He continued, “He’s unbelievably fearless, and has always dared to do things that others dare not. Your forces and center army are all congregated around the Min River outlet. The only advantage that you have in your siege of Dongyue is that you can exhaust Gu Huaiyang’s rations and materiel. But if someone were to break through your lines there, the court’s armies will be stretched too thin. When that happens, you’ll only be able to deal with one end but not the other.”
Zou Yanlai stilled and said, “That… that place has the sects’ elites stationed there…”
Before he finished, Bai Li started guffawing, “The sects’ elites? Did you say the sects’ elites?”
Zou Yanlai instantly remembered what’d happened at Dazhou Mountain and shut up awkwardly.
Bai LI said quietly, “Last time he escaped, but this time when we meet him… I quite miss him after being apart all these days.”
Zou Yanlai’s heart thumped; he saw that Bai Li wasn’t looking at him, and that there was a faint hint of softness in his face that didn’t seem fake. Somewhat shocked, he asked probingly, “Last time, Demon Lord, you used a divine arrow to wound his chest – do you regret it?”
Regret? Bai Li laughed, he shook his head good-naturedly and started arranging his sand table.
Of course I don’t regret… but that doesn’t mean I don’t ache for him.
Whether beckoned by heaven or man, the rains descended on the day that Bai Li and company arrived at the outlet of Min River. The Min River’s water level surged, and every so often, boulders rolled down the mountainside. Zou Yanlai suddenly had an ominous feeling.
Sure enough, on that very night, there was a massive noise. The earth shook as shouts broke through the encampment, “Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
As if he hadn’t been sleeping at all, Bai Li alertly flung open his tent flap as he rushed outside. The glow of fire could be seen in all directions. Another thunder-like noise came from the mountains. If one looked up, they’d see massive stones falling upon them. People and horses were being struck down all over, yet he began laughing.
Blowing up the mountain pass — it really is something he’d come up with.
Thank you so much for your wonderful work 👏💐❤️🙏🧨
💙💙💙
Whether as friend, lover or enemy, to Bai Li, SWD would always be “My Wuduan”
Thank you so much for translating this.