TGPSAC – Chapter 118

At the end of the second month, before the sky had fully brightened, Chi Wan led a thousand Embroidered-Robe Guards out of the capital.

She wanted to leave most of the Imperial City Division’s personnel for Yu Jiuzhou to use, not for herself.

She was familiar with the people in the Capital Camps and could command them effectively.

When Chi Wan left the capital, Yu Jiuzhou stood on the city wall, watching her departure with a storm of emotions in her heart.

Some things had to be done. She could not, and would not, stop them.

Perhaps if she had expressed her desire for Chi Wan not to leave, Chi Wan would have stayed for her sake.

But a lifetime of regret would likely weigh on both their hearts.

There were things they had to do. They enjoyed the highest echelons of power, and when foreign enemies invaded, they had a responsibility to fight for the common people.

Chi Wan rushed to the Capital Camps, where one hundred thousand soldiers had assembled. At her command, they marched toward the path the Beining army was bound to take.

With the Embroidered-Robe Guard and the Imperial City Division mobilized, along with the Princess’s Residence’s own spies, it was not difficult to determine the Beining army’s route.

Besides, an army of two hundred thousand would leave traces wherever it went.

Xia Qu was by Chi Wan’s side. When she heard Chi Wan was going to war, she was the first to volunteer.

Then came the several commanders of the Capital Camps, most of whom had been newly appointed.

Following behind her were the instructors she had previously sent to the Capital Camps, who now held mid-to-high-ranking positions.

The Capital Camps had also held an examination. Those who excelled received corresponding rewards, and most of them became low-ranking officers.

Such rewards let more people know that hard work paid off. It might not be true elsewhere, but it was certainly true in the Capital Camps.

Regardless of background or status, as long as one had enough ability, one could rise through the ranks.

Before leading the army out, Chi Wan spoke a few words to the one hundred thousand soldiers, and every one of them etched her words into their hearts.

“I am Chi Wan, the current Fuma, consort to Her Highness the Princess. Our children have just passed their first month. Logically speaking, when it comes to war, those nobles should be the ones to go. They come from families of military merit, their ancestors earned their titles through valor. But now, those nobles have become nothing but parasites. Sending them to war would be like sending our soldiers to their deaths!”

“So, Her Highness has said that since she is the Grand Princess and I am the Fuma, and she cannot leave the capital, I will lead the troops. We will go fight those bastards from Beining. We will share weal and woe, and we will follow the rules of the Capital Camps. No matter how high an official’s rank, once they enter our Capital Camps, they will eat what the common soldiers eat. No special treatment is allowed.”

“Furthermore, Her Highness has also said that for our Capital Camps in this war, anyone who beheads an enemy commander, is first to scale the walls, or captures a banner will be directly ennobled, with the title hereditary for three generations.”

Three generations? A roar went through the crowd.

Normally, for such merits, being granted a title at all was the absolute limit. Unless one actually killed the Great Khan or Prime Minister of Beining, a hereditary title was out of the question.

But now, she was saying that any of the three great merits would earn a hereditary title.

Titles were divided into three types: single-generation, hereditary for three generations, and perpetually hereditary.

These days, even a single-generation title was hard to come by, let alone one that passed down for three generations. That meant a family could be wealthy for at least three generations.

Perhaps even longer. After the title expired, there was still the privilege of securing official posts for one’s descendants. There were always positions in the capital that were necessary but not critical.

After three generations, they could secure a minor official post for a descendant, ensuring several generations of prosperity.

And if a descendant turned out to be capable, their starting point would be so much higher. It was better than the life they themselves had to fight for.

It was just like the ancestors of those nobles, who had risked their lives to win titles precisely so their descendants wouldn’t have to.

Moreover, even if they couldn’t achieve a great merit, they could still fight for a future for their children.

If nothing else, if their children could enter the Capital Camps, that would be an excellent path. The Capital Camps of today were different from before. The food was good, the clothing was good, the promotion channels were fair, and they even taught literacy and military strategy for free. With that kind of education, one could go anywhere in the world.

But the requirements for entering the Capital Camps were now strict. If they earned merit, they could surely plead with their superiors on their children’s behalf.

In an instant, the morale of the Capital Camps soared. They wished they could take the heads of the two hundred thousand Beining soldiers right then and there.

Even though they only had one hundred thousand men, they could surely take on three times their number.

However, the Beining army was mostly cavalry, and their tactic was to first use archers, then charge with cavalry, and finally engage in close combat.

Beining had used this tactic with unfailing success. It was how they had broken through the Yanbei defensive line before.

After Chi Wan led the Capital Camps to their destination, the first thing she did was convene a meeting of high-ranking officers to ask for their ideas.

They offered several suggestions, some of which were reasonable, but they all boiled down to fighting with brute force.

Even if they gained an advantage, it would be a minor one.

Chi Wan came to understand that warfare in this era was about clashing with real swords and spears. They used tools, of course, like war chariots, long pikes, and bows and arrows.

Great Zhou’s war chariots were fitted with heavy shields that could block arrows, and long pikes protruded from within, sweeping through infantry as if for sport.

Bows and arrows were also effective against cavalry, but against an army of two hundred thousand, even if Beining only had tens of thousands of cavalry, it would be difficult to resist.

Therefore, they had to use heavenly timing, earthly advantage, and human harmony. The enemy was numerous while they were few; they could not afford a direct confrontation.

Chi Wan announced loudly, “I have already had someone spread the news that Great Zhou has a granary in Dongyang County. They will certainly come to seize it.”

“Will Beining believe it?”

“They are already in Dongyang County.”

Just as Chi Wan finished speaking, a messenger arrived. “Reporting to the Commander! Thirty thousand Beining troops entered Dongyang County and triggered all the explosives. The entire force of thirty thousand has been annihilated.”

“Is it true?”

“A great victory! A great victory!”

“Thirty thousand Beining soldiers wiped out! A great victory for the Capital Camps! A great victory for the Commander!”

“A great victory for Great Zhou! A great victory for Her Highness the Princess!!!”

Great Zhou had been suffering defeat after defeat. With the Fuma and the Capital Camps now deployed, a major victory was desperately needed to stabilize morale.

Not just the morale of the soldiers, but that of the common people as well.

Chi Wan had planned this before leaving the capital. She had genuinely placed grain in Dongyang County, which Beining had surely scouted.

But the grain was quickly moved away through tunnels. It was only a surface display for Beining’s spies to see. There wasn’t a huge amount, but it was enough to trick Beining into sending troops to collect it.

Chi Wan had dispatched a hundred Embroidered-Robe Guards to bury gunpowder in and around Dongyang County overnight. Once ignited, the thirty thousand soldiers had no chance of escape.

The officers walked out of the command tent and looked toward Dongyang County. The sky in that direction was ablaze with fire, confirming the report was true.

When Chi Wan had formulated this plan, she had considered what to do about the people of Dongyang. Dongyang was a small county of only about ten thousand people, making it easy to evacuate them.

Great Zhou had granaries scattered everywhere and was accustomed to stockpiling grain.

Every county yamen stored grain. In times of disaster, the yamen would first distribute relief grain and then report up to the prefecture, and so on up the chain.

Minor disasters could be handled at the county level. Larger ones were reported to the prefecture, and only when they became uncontrollable were they reported to the capital.

Besides the yamen granaries, some places also stored military grain, which could only be supplied to the army. Dongyang County was one such place, making it perfect for executing this plan.

The success of the plan instilled confidence in the Capital Camps.

Chi Wan had everyone return to the tent and began to lay out her arrangements. “The Beining army will definitely pass through Yunguan Pass. This road was carved by human hands, with mountains on both sides, perfect for an ambush.”

“But the Beining army will surely send scouts ahead. If they discover our men, they will take a detour. Therefore, we can’t have too many people. Xia Qu, take a hundred men and plant gunpowder on the mountains. Remember, it’s best to place it inside the rock face. When the Beining army passes, blow up the mountain.”

Chi Wan offered no further explanation. Those who understood would understand; those who didn’t simply needed to follow orders.

Once the explosives detonated, a massive amount of rock would fall from the mountains. Even if the falling rocks didn’t kill the Beining soldiers, it would be enough to throw them into chaos.

Seizing that opportunity, trebuchets positioned outside the pass would relentlessly hurl stones into the narrow passage. The Beining army would either have to retreat or suffer heavy losses.

And the place where Beining would retreat had a river. They would surely choose to rest nearby. At that time, they would open the dam and flood the camp.

In addition, she would divide the Divine Machine Camp into squads of three to five hundred, hiding them in the forests to take potshots. They were experts with firearms and explosives. If the enemy pursued, they would run; if not, they would periodically fire from hiding.

This was the ancient version of guerrilla warfare, and they could also employ hit-and-run tactics.

After such a series of harassments, the Beining army’s morale would surely plummet.

Chi Wan made her arrangements for a long time, yet she never committed her main force.

But no one dared to ask what she was planning. They just had to follow. The broad strokes were laid out; the specific execution was up to the commanders of each unit.

This was why mid- and low-ranking officers were so important.

With the arrangements made, Chi Wan waved her hand, dismissing everyone. Then she turned to an Embroidered-Robe Guard at her side. “Transmit my secret order. Have Lu Burou take her people and set an ambush at Burial Mound Slope.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Send a message to An Yizhi. Have her consolidate her troops and block the Beining army’s path, forming a pincer with the Capital Camps. Remember, tell her to leave an open channel. Only if they see a path to survival will Beining not fight like a cornered beast.”

Chi Wan had never believed that Great Zhou’s army couldn’t defeat Beining. It was only because Great Zhou had traitors, colluding from within and without, that the army couldn’t win.

The Duke of Xin had led his subordinates toward Jiangning, and the traitor had revealed himself.

Of course, they had already known the Duke of Xin was the traitor.

Chi Wan looked at the few Embroidered-Robe Guards beside her and continued giving orders. “Have the war chariots I prepared distributed. Tell them to practice their formations well. They’ll be fighting for their lives on the battlefield.”

“Instruct the Second Army Camp to follow behind the Divine Machine Camp and lie in ambush. When the Beining army is lured in, they are to strike.”

In games, this tactic was called kiting. One person would draw the monster out, and the team would work together to annihilate it. Repeating this a few times could kill many monsters.

Every bit of attrition counted. The enemy was numerous while they were few; a direct confrontation was unwise. Draining the enemy’s stamina and morale was paramount.

Set traps, lure the enemy deep, launch surprise attacks from time to time, and make good use of military formations and various technologies.

With many troops dispatched, Chi Wan was left with only fifty thousand men. When the time came for a direct confrontation, they would rely mainly on formations: the long pike formation, the shield wall, and various others.

Chi Wan deeply regretted not having read more military texts back then. The formations she knew were mostly from watching videos and reading books.

History was full of famous battles, and she would search for them to study.

In terms of warfare, there were many who were more skilled than her, but it was impossible to select a capable and loyal general in such a short time.

What Chi Wan could do was use guerrilla tactics to constantly wear down the Beining army, buying time for An Yizhi to arrive with her troops so they could attack from both sides.

After being worn down by several waves of attacks, the Beining army would surely become vigilant. Their main force would likely stop splitting up. That would be the time for the decisive battle.

Chi Wan gave a few more orders, which the Embroidered-Robe Guards acknowledged one by one before leaving. Soon, she was the only one left in the tent.

She began to miss her two little ones.

It wasn’t that she didn’t miss Yu Jiuzhou; she had started missing Yu Jiuzhou before she even left the capital. It had been several days, and only now did she think of her children.

Today, she finally had a little free time—if one could call the brief moments before sleep free time.

Chi Wan took out a brush and ink, sat cross-legged before a small table, and began to write her first letter in days.

Fortunately, she wasn’t too far from the capital. A letter sent by express horse could arrive in a day and a half.

She lifted her brush and wrote the first line.

—My dearest Jiuzhou, by the time you read this letter, I will have already made preparations to fight Beining. I was missing you before I even left the capital. My mind is filled with your image, wrapped in a thousand threads of tenderness, all of them the mornings and evenings we’ve spent together.

I am well in the military camp. You must take care of yourself too. Let Chun Gui look after the two little ones; you mustn’t tire yourself out…

One sheet of paper was not enough, and the characters toward the end grew smaller and smaller.

Left with no choice, Chi Wan took another sheet of paper and continued writing.

She rambled on, writing about small things like what she ate and drank. She wanted to know what Yu Jiuzhou was doing in the capital, so she assumed Yu Jiuzhou would want to know what she was doing in the camp.

After rambling on for over a thousand characters, Chi Wan couldn’t help but flex her wrist.

At the very end, she wrote—When the war is over, I will return. I hope my wife takes care of herself.

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By the time Yu Jiuzhou saw the letter, it was already two days later.

Looking at the densely packed characters, even without reading the content, Yu Jiuzhou couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips.

A battle report had been delivered along with the letter. Learning that Chi Wan had achieved a great victory just a few days after her departure filled her heart with joy.

The court was now full of praise for Chi Wan, saying that with the Fuma present, the capital was certain to be safe.

Knowing that Beining was unlikely to reach the capital’s gates, many officials who had been planning to flee finally settled their minds.

When Yu Jiuzhou saw the victory report, her heart swelled with pride. When she read Chi Wan’s letter from home, she was filled with a deep sense of longing, mixed with amusement.

Standing on the city wall that day, watching Chi Wan’s receding figure, her hands had gripped the ramparts tightly, afraid she might call out Chi Wan’s name.

She had never experienced such a feeling before—the bitterness of separation and the weight of worry filled her heart.

For a moment, she had thought, if only she weren’t the Grand Princess, then Chi Wan wouldn’t have to go to war.

But with the country in turmoil, where could one find a safe home?

She entertained such a thought only once. Afterward, she was once again the Grand Princess—resilient, decisive, aloof, and proud.

Yu Jiuzhou would not allow herself to think of retreat. She was the Grand Princess of Great Zhou, and as such, she had a duty to protect its people.

She disdained being like Emperor Shengyuan, a sinister coward who only knew how to flee.

However, Chi Wan’s departure not only made it difficult for her to adjust to her current life, but it also brought up deeper psychological issues.

She would think about many things, from her past life and this one.

Yu Jiuzhou realized that Chi Wan’s presence had healed her gloominess, paranoia, and suspicion.

At the end of her previous life, she had harbored a death wish. Was it not because she had discovered that her own character flaws were so similar to the Emperor’s?

It was laughable, really. She was the Emperor’s daughter, and he had personally taught her the art of ruling. What was wrong with being like him?

It was wrong, of course it was wrong. She did not want to be that kind of person. The gloominess, paranoia, and suspicion had all taken root after she learned of all Emperor Shengyuan’s schemes.

Yu Jiuzhou knew she hadn’t always been like this. After her rebirth, a struggle had raged within her heart.

She hated Emperor Shengyuan and didn’t want to become like him, yet her personality had already changed.

But when did her suspicion and paranoia begin to fade?

It seemed to have started as her opinion of Chi Wan slowly changed, right up until she fell in love with her.

It had been a long time since she had hidden in a deserted corner, nursing her own wounds in a world of black and white.

Chi Wan had brought long-absent color back into her world.

So, the moment Chi Wan left, the gloom in her heart surged up again.

It was like being poisoned. Chi Wan was her antidote, and with Chi Wan gone, the poison flared up once more.

But after seeing this long letter, Yu Jiuzhou’s gloomy heart was healed again.

The contents of the letter warmed her heart bit by bit, making her melancholy disappear.

Yu Jiuzhou picked up her brush and wrote two characters on a blank sheet of paper—Read.

She thought for a moment. Weren’t just two characters too few? But she wasn’t a sentimental person and couldn’t bring herself to say sweet nothings.

After a pause, she took a new sheet of paper and wrote again—Jinzhao’s letter, I have read. On this campaign, I await your triumphant return.

Writing so formally, it seemed less like a letter to her wife and more like one to a subordinate.

So, Yu Jiuzhou changed the paper again—The army’s march is harsh and cold. Ah Wan, take care. I am in the capital waiting for you.

Still not right. She had so much to say in her heart, but she was too embarrassed to write anything too intimate, and she didn’t want to show Chi Wan anything too cold. She struggled for a long time.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yu Jiuzhou picked up her brush again—Chi Wan, I miss you a little.

Was that too mushy?

Just as Yu Jiuzhou was hesitating, Chun Gui suddenly entered. “Your Highness, His Majesty has passed away.”

Yu Jiuzhou’s hand trembled, and a drop of ink fell onto the paper, obscuring one of the characters.

She quickly put down her brush. “When?”

“Five days ago. Prince Bao’an demanded that His Majesty affix the Imperial Seal, but His Majesty refused. Upon learning that the seal was with Your Highness, Prince Bao’an flew into a rage and killed His Majesty directly.”

The Emperor could have lived for a few more days, but now he had died a few days early.

Yu Jiuzhou stood up, her hands hidden in her sleeves clenched into tight fists. “Where is Wang Hai?”

“Wang Hai has been rescued. He holds evidence that Prince Bao’an killed His Majesty. Prince Bao’an has sent people to hunt him down, and he is on the run. He cannot return to the capital for the time being.”

“What evidence?”

Chun Gui lowered her head. “His Majesty’s testament, written in blood.”

The dragon’s body was precious. If something happened to the Emperor, countless people could die. It could be considered treason, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of kin.

First and foremost, imperial authority had been challenged and trampled upon. The Emperor’s dignity was sacred and inviolable. Forcing him to write a testament in blood was a grave desecration of imperial power.

When the ruler is shamed, the subject dies. With the Emperor’s dignity trampled, any official of Great Zhou with a shred of integrity would fight the traitorous official to the death.

This was an unshakable code of conduct. Anyone who dared to challenge this principle was making an enemy of the sages—in short, an enemy of all the scholars in the world.

They might not have liked Emperor Shengyuan, and might even have considered him a fatuous ruler, but Emperor Shengyuan was the Emperor, their sovereign. What were the consequences of their sovereign suffering such an insult?

No wonder Prince Bao’an was sparing no effort to capture Wang Hai. If the blood testament were to leak, his dream of a legitimate succession would be over, and rebellion would be his only path left.

After learning of the Emperor’s death, Yu Jiuzhou looked up at the gloomy night sky, then turned to Chun Gui. “Ring the bells.”

Ring the bells to tell the world the Emperor was dead. Prince Bao’an’s wish to conceal this news was a fantasy.

The bells of the capital began to toll, and everyone within its walls knew the Emperor was dead.

Hadn’t the Emperor just arrived in Jiangning? How could he have passed away so suddenly?

A conspiracy!

This thought crossed many people’s minds.

If it was a conspiracy, then who benefited from the Emperor’s death?

When Prince Bao’an read out an edict of succession, many people immediately understood what had happened.

A forged edict, a false edict, a fake edict!!!

No one was a fool. Who couldn’t see through such an obvious plot?

If this had been before—before the Grand Princess was regent, before she controlled the capital, before an Imperial Heir was established, and if Emperor Shengyuan had died in the capital instead of Jiangning—perhaps people would have turned a blind eye, content as long as there was an emperor.

But things were different now. The Grand Princess controlled the capital, and there was an Imperial Heir. As long as the Imperial Heir ascended the throne, that was the legitimate line.

The Imperial Heir had been genuinely presented at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, personally established by Emperor Shengyuan.

It was nothing like the edict in Prince Bao’an’s hands, whose authenticity was unknown—or rather, was eighty percent likely to be fake.

If the late Emperor had truly wanted to make him emperor, he wouldn’t have established an Imperial Heir. Why would he have taken such a roundabout path?

Many people suspected that Emperor Shengyuan’s death might even be related to Prince Bao’an.

The struggle for power in the imperial family had always been a bloody affair. After a battle for the throne, the winner became emperor, and the loser died.

It was understandable that Prince Bao’an didn’t want to die, but at a critical moment when foreign enemies were invading, he had dragged the Emperor to Jiangning. Nominally, the Emperor was going there to recuperate, but that was just a pleasantry. Everyone knew the real reason.

This action by Prince Bao’an shattered the virtuous persona he had maintained, and the goodwill many people had for him vanished.

Scholars were most fond of a virtuous prince; a virtuous prince would make the best emperor.

Now, many officials who had once admired Prince Bao’an had only one thought in their minds: That bastard, we were deceived.

Yu Jiuzhou found Prince Bao’an’s actions truly laughable.

Wasn’t this person a regressor? After being emperor for several years, he was even less capable of putting on an act than when he was young.

Or had he grown accustomed to being emperor, used to being forceful, and could no longer tolerate being defied or listen to his ministers’ advice?

She knew about this. Ever since Prince Bao’an became emperor and gradually consolidated his power, he had grown increasingly impatient with his ministers.

Someone who had once helped him, merely for offering advice a little too loudly, was executed on some pretext after he gained power.

To be precise, Prince Bao’an had always had a dark personality, the type to discard people once they were no longer useful. It was just that he used to feign otherwise to achieve his goals. Before being summoned to the capital, he was just a minor prince who had to defer even to the local prefect. Upon arriving in the capital, he was thoroughly suppressed by Prince Zhongshan and Prince Ying, so he had grown accustomed to forbearance.

The moment he possessed power, he couldn’t hold back and began to retaliate against others.

Having been emperor for several years after his rebirth, his personality was thoroughly exposed, and had even worsened. In other words, for some people, rebirth was not necessarily a good thing.

This was Yu Jiuzhou’s analysis. Chi Wan received a similar report, but she would have preferred Yu Jiuzhou to write a love letter rather than treating a love letter like a work report.

Previously, she had written something like—Chi Wan, I’ve begun to miss y—

Because the character was obscured by ink, she guessed it must have been the word “want.”

Her Highness the Princess was truly something else. One moment, she was incredibly forward; the next, she was extremely reserved. Truly impossible to figure out!

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