Chapter Twenty-Two: How Could I Fail to Understand His Well-Meaning Intentions?

"Immediately lead a squad of light cavalry and head quietly to the South Gate of Hui City. Order the archers to fire my secret decree onto the city walls. Do not delay!"

Having said this, Tian Yueying personally fetched brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, writing a brief sentence on a scroll of cloth. She then pressed the Great Qi Emperor’s imperial seal upon it and handed it to Zhang Yi.

Taking the secret decree, Zhang Yi dared not dally; he immediately led a squad of light cavalry toward the South Gate of Hui City. After he departed, the other generals gathered around, waiting for the Empress to issue further commands, yet they saw no movement.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, a senior general knelt and asked, "Your Majesty, you have sent only General Zhang Yi, while the rest of us remain idle. Why is this?"

After casting a glance at the group, Tian Yueying spoke in a deep, calm voice.

"Wait three days, until the defenders of Hui City abandon the city and emerge."

"What?"

Hearing this, the generals were struck dumb, wondering for a moment if they had misheard.

"Your Majesty, we have traveled thousands of miles to reach Hui City. We should be fighting to the death to save the defenders from destruction. Why would Your Majesty order them to abandon the city?"

"Indeed! If Hui City falls, once the Kang army’s supply troops arrive, their offensive against the capital of Great Qi will be unstoppable!"

For three years, this was the first time the generals had fought alongside Tian Yueying. Yet, they never expected that the first strategy offered by an Empress who had not presided over court in three years would be to abandon Hui City. It was utter madness!

For a moment, the generals even suspected that their Empress did not know how to command troops in battle; otherwise, why would she have gone to such lengths to summon Yang Chuan into the palace?

Finally unable to contain himself, one general spoke bluntly.

"Your Majesty, it is not that we mean to be disrespectful, but you have lived deep within the palace for so long that perhaps you lack a firm grasp of the battlefield situation. If you truly have no effective strategy to face the enemy, you should delegate command to one of your senior generals!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty! We have long received the court's stipends. With the enemy at our gates, we must consider how to serve our country. If Your Majesty does not trust us, you could immediately dispatch someone to bring Chancellor Yang here; that would be a sound plan!"

As the saying goes, a general in the field is not bound by every order from the sovereign. While the Empress of Great Qi had personally led the expedition, if she truly lacked any strategic acumen, the generals were prepared to risk the penalty of beheading to seize control of the army.

"This strategy was taught to me by Chancellor Yang before I departed."

Seeing that the others were dissatisfied with her plan, Tian Yueying remained silent for a moment before revealing the truth.

The moment these words were spoken, the camp fell into a deathly silence.

After a long while, a senior general remarked indignantly, "Hmph! I knew that this man from Great Kang had no good intentions. He deliberately offered a devious plan to mislead Your Majesty so that the Kang army could easily breach the passes and occupy the lands of Great Qi!"

"Nonsense!"

Others might not understand Yang Chuan, but how could she, Tian Yueying, fail to grasp his painstaking efforts? To soothe the morale of the army, she explained carefully.

"Before this campaign, Chancellor Yang had already informed me that once we arrived at Hui City, we should send a squad of light cavalry to the city of Anding in the State of Wei to offer gold and silks, solely to persuade the Wei army to join us in cutting off the Kang army's supplies."

"When that happens, the Kang troops trapped in Hui City will be like birds in a cage. Once their morale crumbles, we can crush them in one fell swoop."

"This..."

A senior general pondered for a moment but, finding no rebuttal, fell silent.

...

Two days later, the envoys sent by Tian Yueying reached Anding City.

The leading lieutenant had barely met with the Governor of Anding when he said with visible displeasure, "Heh, General of Wei, your state and my Great Qi share a bond as close as lips and teeth. Why then did you easily allow the Kang army to enter our borders and attack our frontier?"

"Oh, Envoy of Great Qi, pray, calm yourself!"

The Governor of Anding wore a cunning and sycophantic expression. Although he had been reluctant to receive the Qi envoys, the sight of the chests of treasure accompanying them made him grudgingly engage in conversation.

Even though he despised the Governor in his heart, the lieutenant bore the imperial decree of the Empress of Great Qi and suppressed his frustration.

"We have come under the orders of the Empress of Great Qi. We hope that when the Kang army's supply train arrives at Anding City, you will detain their carriages and horses!"

"Oh? Your request is truly difficult for me to fulfill."

The Governor of Anding stroked his beard, eyeing the lieutenant playfully for a long while before murmuring, "The General may not know this, but your visit to Anding is for the sake of your country, whereas my decision to let the Kang army enter was for the sake of our State of Wei!"

"The Great Kang Empire is powerful, and their three hundred thousand imperial guards are as fierce as tigers and leopards. Granting your request today is a small matter, but if Great Qi cannot withstand the Kang army, then the next target for the Kang forces will be Wei!"

"Heh, as the power of Great Kang grows stronger by the day, I advise the Empress of Great Qi to know when to yield. If you were to submit to Great Kang in advance and willingly become a vassal state, you could save the people of Great Qi from the ravages of war!"

"Hmph!"

Seeing the Governor of Anding insult Great Qi in such a manner, the lieutenant could no longer contain himself. He immediately ordered his men to bring the gold and silver out of the Governor's mansion, then, with a cold face, he said word for word, with absolute finality:

"Since the Governor insults my Great Qi so, may I ask if the Emperor of Great Wei is truly willing to become a vassal state to Great Kang?"

"If you agree to my request today, you may keep all the gold and treasure outside; if you refuse, I shall take my troops to raid the Kang supply train myself!"

Having said this, he laughed boldly and left one final remark.

"The Governor likely does not know that Yang Chuan, who once helped Great Kang rise to become the premier empire, is now the Chancellor of our Great Qi. Great Kang is now a spent force and can never recapture its former glory!"

"Wait!"

Seeing the lieutenant about to leave, the Governor of Anding immediately rose to stop him, asking with a hint of suspicion:

"Could it be that the person you speak of is the same Yang Chuan, the Grand Chancellor, who once single-handedly led the Empress of Great Kang, Yan Wugou, out of a siege, executed two Grandmaster martial artists, and then spent a mere three years helping Great Kang unite the Central Plains?"

"What, is there perhaps a second Yang Chuan in this world?"

Seeing the Governor's change of heart, the lieutenant felt a swell of joy. He had not realized that Chancellor Yang's reputation among the various nations was so lofty. That the Empress had managed to recruit him as Chancellor of Qi was truly a unique and historic strategic achievement.

The Governor stroked his beard, pondered for a few seconds, and replied: "Very well. Since Yang Chuan is the Chancellor of Great Qi, I shall agree to your request. When the Kang supply troops arrive, I will block them outside Anding City!"

Hearing this, the lieutenant wanted to say more, but considering the disparity in strength between Wei and Kang, he thought better of it.

He then added, "The Governor need not fear the Kang army too much. You only need to detain the supply train for three to five days; once our army arrives at the walls of Anding, you may release them."