Chapter 1: The Gambit of Princes
The juice of reed roots carried a subtle sweetness on the tongue. Li Yi broke off several tender shoots, crouched to rinse them in the lake's murky water, then placed them between his teeth, chewing with deliberate slowness. After more than a month of relentless marching and over a dozen battles—some mere skirmishes, others bloodbaths—he had grown darker and leaner from perpetual hunger. Sun Jing's rebellion had severed the emperor's head and massacred the royal princes, cutting off the Ganliang grain supply that had sustained the Zhenxi Army for years. Even the wounded received only two meager meals daily. Though Li Yi had renounced his titles of crown prince and regent, Pei Xian and the other Zhenxi generals still regarded him as their marshal against the rebellion, commanding not only their forces but theoretically all imperial armies. Yet despite his supreme authority, he shared the same coarse grain mixed with bran as the lowliest soldier, sleeping on hay-covered ground like any common warrior.
While methodically chewing the fibrous reed, Li Yi asked with studied casualness, "Are the Cui family members still entrenched in Xiangzhou?"
"Yes, the messenger has returned." Pei Yuan's voice carried undisguised irritation. "Their reply brims with empty platitudes—something about 'guarding Xiangzhou for His Highness the Seventeenth Grandson's security.' As for military provisions, they claim all prefectures and counties along the route have fallen to Sun Jing, leaving nothing behind." His frustration deepened. "Seventeenth Brother, the Cui father and son prove utterly untrustworthy. Not only does Cui Yizi maintain his forces in Youzhou, biding his time like a vulture, but he's dispatched his son Cui Lin southward with the Dingsheng Army under the pretense of 'defending the king.' What manner of defense involves seizing strategic positions for personal gain? These past months, Cui Lin has systematically occupied key locations, yet upon reaching Xiangzhou, he keeps his troops deliberately inactive. He's clearly waiting for us to exhaust ourselves against Sun Jing—like a fisherman watching snipe and clam tear each other apart."
Li Yi spat out the stringy reed pulp and inquired with apparent indifference, "I understand Cui Yi has only this one son?"
"Precisely," Pei Yuan replied bitterly. "And this son possesses dangerous cunning that shouldn't be underestimated."
Li Yi chuckled softly. "If Cui Yi entrusts his sole heir with leading troops south, and this young master has proven unstoppable—conquering cities and territories so effectively that even Sun Jing's forces cannot halt his advance—then indeed, he must be formidable." He dismissed the Cui family's treachery with a casual wave. "Their opportunistic stance was predictable. Our immediate priority remains containing Yu Liao's army. I'll serve as bait to draw him out."
"Absolutely not!" Pei Yuan's objection erupted instinctively. "How can we risk such a thing? Better that I carry your banner and impersonate you..."
Li Yi offered Pei Yuan a pristine white reed root. When his friend shook his head in refusal, Li Yi bit into it himself, savoring the mild sweetness. "Yu Liao, that ancient fox, has served Sun Jing for decades and possesses legendary cunning. How could you possibly deceive such a veteran by merely carrying my standard? The moment he suspects deception, our entire strategy collapses." As Pei Yuan prepared to argue further, Li Yi gazed upward at the thin clouds drifting across the sky. "Everything stands ready—we await only favorable rain."
Pei Yuan clenched his teeth in frustration. "This approach carries excessive risk. Your Highness, I remain convinced it's inappropriate." Though they had served together in the Zhenxi Army for years as comrades who had become brothers, he rarely used Li Yi's formal title. Today's "Your Highness" deliberately emphasized rank and responsibility.
Li Yi remained unperturbed. "Warfare thrives on deception. I understand the plan's inherent danger, but without such measures, how can we contain Yu Liao's tens of thousands? If he breaks through, Yanzhou becomes impossible to capture. Then our entire cause crumbles while the Cui family circles like hungry wolves, and nothing can preserve us."
Pei Yuan grasped the strategic necessity but resented the personal cost. "If my father were present, he would never permit this."
Li Yi smiled knowingly. "What did the general instruct you before departing?"
Pei Yuan faltered momentarily. Before leading his forces away, Pei Xian had commanded absolute obedience to Li Yi's orders—natural given their military hierarchy and imperial authority.
Li Yi's expression softened reassuringly. "Besides, leading the vanguard into battle carries equal peril."
Pei Yuan couldn't suppress a wry smile. "Should you make even the slightest error, my father will personally separate my head from my shoulders. No greater risk exists in this world."
Li Yi clapped his shoulder with genuine warmth. "Rest assured—I won't allow the general such satisfaction."
Pei Yuan muttered under his breath, "Following you around in constant terror proves worse than my father's executioner's block." Despite his complaints, when Li Yi offered another tender reed shoot, he accepted it and bit down, discovering its distinctly sweet flavor. Like Li Yi, he studied the wispy clouds overhead. Early autumn approached, and the afternoon sun had lost its brutal intensity. The boundless reed marsh stretched for thousands of acres, rustling in the breeze while occasional lake-light shimmered through the gaps. He found himself hoping the weather would hold—no immediate rain meant more time to prepare for such a perilous undertaking. The more thoroughly they could plan this dangerous gambit, the better their chances.
Before completing this thought, Li Yi whistled sharply. Old Bao materialized from nowhere with his characteristic grin, leading three horses. After handing over the reins, he bent to retrieve a massive bundle of reed roots and tender, yellow-flowered waterweed. His other hand gripped four fluttering wild ducks by their necks.
Pei Yuan burst into laughter. "Remarkable! In mere moments, surrounded by treacherous swampland where none dare wander, you've managed to capture four wild ducks."
Old Bao's eyes crinkled with satisfaction. "Take them back for everyone's soup."
Li Yi had already mounted and called over his shoulder, "Never doubt Old Bao's ability to find sustenance anywhere." Old Bao secured the plant bundle to Li Yi's saddle with practiced efficiency, then bound the four ducks with reed-leaf rope, carrying them as he mounted and settled them before his saddle. The three men carefully followed their marked trail back to camp.
That evening, the four wild ducks joined the fresh yellow-flowered waterweed in several enormous pots of aromatic soup. Each Zhenxi Army soldier received half a bowl—meager perhaps, but at least containing actual meat. The duck had been stewed until fork-tender, and even the skin and bones were distributed among the wounded. Reed roots, cleaned and prepared, served as sweet snacks, transforming this into their richest meal in weeks.
During the first night watch, Li Yi conducted his customary camp inspection with Old Bao trailing behind. After completing their rounds and walking back, Old Bao suddenly asked with conspiratorial stealth, "We're playing decoy again, aren't we?"
Li Yi saw no reason for concealment. "Yu Liao commands thirty thousand troops advancing on Liangzhou with considerable fanfare. Combined with Liangzhou's existing garrison of over ten thousand, he intends to trap our Zhenxi Army outside the Ganliang corridor. General Pei must capture Yanzhou, which means we must pin Yu Liao here regardless of cost. But we possess barely six thousand men, while Yu Liao remains a veteran who followed Sun Jing during the Yiluo campaigns. In direct confrontation, our victory chances appear slim."
"So you plan to use yourself as bait again?" Old Bao's eyes rolled dramatically as he fixed Li Yi with a knowing stare.
Li Yi replied with deliberate nonchalance, "Naturally! I am the emperor's grandson, Marshal of Rebellion Suppression, and Jiedushi of Zhenxi. Sun Jing's generals would kill for the chance to capture me and claim such unprecedented glory."
Old Bao couldn't help but curl his lip at this impressive recitation of titles. When Li Yi had arrived at Laolan Pass at thirteen, he resembled any raw recruit. Winter found him breaking river ice for water; summer saw him mucking out reeking sheep pens. No one suspected his imperial bloodline. Later, the most grueling mission sent him deep into desert wastes seeking the Yingmin king's encampment. Hundreds of cavalry entered that wasteland, but only a dozen including Li Yi reached the Chanyu's tent. After fierce fighting, merely two veterans survived—one wounded, one maimed. Li Yi courageously shepherded them all home alive, earning recognition as the Zhenxi Army's finest scout. Whenever dangerous intelligence-gathering missions arose, Li Yi invariably volunteered. Through accumulated military merit and eventual revelation of his three-generation noble lineage, everyone learned he was both emperor's grandson and Prince of Liang's son. However, the Zhenxi Army, from highest officers to common soldiers, revered their famous "Seventeenth Brother" regardless of imperial connections.
Old Bao examined Li Yi in the moonlight and sighed deeply. "Following you—this irresistible bait—I haven't enjoyed a peaceful day since leaving Laolan Pass."
Li Yi grew immediately suspicious. "What mischief have you committed now?"
"Nothing! Don't spread lies!"
Li Yi lunged forward, catching Old Bao's collar as he attempted escape. With lightning speed, he plunged his free hand into Old Bao's robes and extracted a warm, round object—a hard-boiled wild duck egg. "Anything else?"
"Truly nothing remains," Old Bao grumbled, but recognizing Li Yi's disbelief, he produced three additional duck eggs from his belt with obvious reluctance. "Little ancestor, you see through everything."
Li Yi regarded the four contraband eggs sternly. "These go to the wounded soldiers' quarters."
"I've followed you—this walking target—through countless hardships!" Old Bao protested loudly. "Since departing Laolan Pass, have we enjoyed a single proper meal? Can't you allow me this small comfort?"
Li Yi waved dismissively and strode directly toward the wounded soldiers' camp without backward glance.
Autumn rain descended relentlessly, saturating armor and gradually penetrating the leather beneath, creating uncomfortable weight. Roads transformed into muddy quagmires where horses stumbled on slippery ground and supply wagons frequently mired, requiring dozens of men to lay cordwood and push them forward. For armies numbering tens of thousands, such weather made marching extraordinarily difficult.
Yet regardless of hardship, the army maintained seventy-mile daily progress. How could Yu Liao, with his decades of military experience, be deterred by mere weather? Astride his mount, he felt the persistent ache in his left leg—an old arrow wound's legacy. Rain-soaked armor allowed cold to penetrate multiple clothing layers, wet fabric clinging to skin and aggravating the ancient injury until pain became nearly unbearable. Yu Liao's expression remained impassive. He glanced at Liang Huan, his most trusted general, who rode behind. Liang Huan immediately understood and spurred forward to receive orders.
"Prepare for cooking," Yu Liao commanded. "This cold rain chills men's bones—they need hot food before crossing the gorge."
Liang Huan bellowed the order, and the central command immediately dispatched over a dozen mounted messengers, each carrying command banners, to spread throughout the formation. Moments later, the army halted with disciplined precision, each unit detailing cooks to kindle fires and prepare meals. Yu Liao dismounted and strode toward the ridge while Liang Huan and over a dozen trusted lieutenants and captains quickly joined him, ascending the slope to survey terrain.
Naturally, cavalry had already scouted their route. From the height, they observed thousands of soldiers seated against the mountainside, cooking smoke rising from their fires and mingling with rain and mist. The vast army—tens of thousands strong—rested in solemn quiet, each man maintaining his own silence, broken only by occasional horse whinnies. Even Yu Liao, renowned for strict discipline, nodded slight approval.
Suddenly, a horseman appeared galloping from the northeast. Despite treacherous conditions, his remarkable speed testified to exceptional skill. He reached the army in moments—Liang Huan recognized him as a scout dispatched earlier, clearly bearing crucial intelligence.
The scout hastily climbed the mountain to report: a small cavalry detail escorting cooks to the river for water had discovered others fetching water across the stream. Their uniforms identified them as Zhenxi Army members. Caught off guard, they fled in panic. The cavalry sent mounted men across the river in pursuit while others returned with this report.
Yu Liao pondered briefly before Liang Huan offered, "General, allow me to lead pursuit."
Earlier reports indicated Pei Xian had led the Zhenxi Army's main force south, leaving his son Pei Yuan commanding wounded troops in a rearguard action. This small force likely represented Pei Yuan's contingent.
Knowing Liang Huan's cautious nature, Yu Liao immediately approved. Liang Huan, leading three thousand light cavalry, pursued for considerable distance, engaging the Zhenxi Army in close combat. The enemy forces were defeated and fled. Liang Huan pressed his pursuit intending to crush them completely, but soon discovered suspicious circumstances and quickly dispatched a swift messenger back to Yu Liao.
"Not merely Pei Yuan, but Li Yi as well?" Yu Liao's expression remained inscrutable as still water.
"Precisely!" The returning scout spoke with evident excitement. "Because the Mang River runs shallow, General Liang feared Pei Yuan might escape, so he positioned an ambush by the waterside. Unexpectedly, Pei Yuan fought desperately, showing no intention of retreat. General Liang, growing suspicious, secretly sent men downstream to investigate. They discovered a group hiding in mountains across the river—wearing fine armor and carrying excellent bows. Judging by their equipment and bearing, they were clearly Pei Xian's personal guards. The person they protected must outrank Pei Yuan considerably, explaining his refusal to withdraw."
The generals surrounding Yu Liao stirred with excitement. All princes and imperial grandsons in the capital had been executed, while the Crown Prince's fate remained unknown. Li Yi represented one of the emperor's few surviving grandsons and commanded the Zhenxi Army as supreme marshal, theoretically directing all imperial forces against the rebellion. Even the Cui family's victorious army departing Youzhou acknowledged Li Yi's nominal authority. Capturing or killing him would effectively neutralize the Zhenxi Army and all other imperial loyalist forces.
Yu Liao reached his decision swiftly: "The entire army breaks camp immediately—cross the river and pursue Li Yi."
"Understood!" The generals roared their acknowledgment, rapidly reorganizing their forces to break camp and begin pursuit.
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