The chess match is stuck in a stalemate, which cannot be solved in a short while. Emperor Sui wants to go see his precious grandson, Sui Zhang, first.
Since Sui Zhang secretly followed the army southward, Lan Guifei has been crying all day. Every now and then, she would come to Emperor Sui to cry and plead with him to send someone to retrieve Xiao Junwang.
Emperor Sui naturally also cared about his only precious grandson, even though he had been as strong as a calf since childhood. Emperor Sui was also worried that Xiao Junwang would be too young to adapt to the local conditions and fall ill in the army.
Upon hearing the news of His Majesty’s arrival, all the guards in the camp went to the gate and kneeled down to welcome him. Emperor Sui brought his attendants directly to the tent where Xiao Junwang, Sui Zhang, resided.
Before he could enter, he heard a cry coming from inside.
Emperor Sui immediately recognized his beloved grandson’s loud voice, and his heart skipped a beat. He asked the attendant, “What’s going on?”
The palace attendants responsible for serving Xiao Junwang kneeled on the ground and dared not speak.
As everyone in the palace knows, Xiao Junwang is a precious lump held in the palm of His Majesty’s hands. Now, Xiao Junwang is sad and crying. Regardless of the reason, if His Majesty gets angry, they will not escape punishment.
Emperor Sui frowned and lifted the tent himself, only to find that the tent was a mess, and things scattered everywhere. Xiao Junwang, Sui Zhang, wearing his bright little armor, sat on the ground, kicking his thick legs and crying loudly.
Shi Fang stood on the side to advise.
On one side of the small bed, there sat a beautiful baby, holding a large box of cheese chunks in his arms, happily nibbling on them.
Wei Yan, the chief of the inner court who followed Emperor Sui, was first taken aback. “Where did that little kid come from?”
Turning around, Shi Fang was shocked to see Emperor Sui personally present and quickly kneeled down to pay his respects.
“The humble servant greeting Your Majesty.”
Xiao Junwang, Sui Zhang’s cry came to an abrupt end. He turned around and saw that it was indeed Emperor Sui who had come over. He immediately got up from the ground and ran to Emperor Sui’s arms.
“Imperial Grandpa, you must back me up! Wuwu, wuwu!”
Sui Zhang shouted loudly, becoming increasingly out of breath and howling in grievance.
Emperor Sui felt extremely heartbroken, wiping away his obedient grandson’s tears while comforting him. He asked, “Who is so bold and daring to bully our Zhang Er?”
Sui Zhang pointed to the snowball on the small bed.
“It’s him.”
“He snatched my cheese chunks! He snatched all my cheese chunks!”
Wei Yan couldn’t help but reprimand the palace attendants first. “How did you guys take care of Xiao Junwang? How can you guys let others snatch Xiao Junwang’s belongings so casually?”
The palace attendants frowned bitterly. “It’s not that the maids didn’t do our best to protect Xiao Junwang’s things, but that little kid is really amazing…”
With just one punch, he could knock down Xiao Junwang, who was as strong as a calf, not at all like a baby under one year old.
And His Highness the Crown Prince has strictly ordered them to serve this baby like serving Xiao Junwang, and they must not harm him at all; otherwise, they will be dealt with according to military law. The baby has an amazing appetite, not only eating half a box of cheese chunks for each meal but also drinking a bowl of elk antler soup every day. The Crown Prince ordered them to cook elk antler soup for the baby on time according to the recipe.
“When His Highness the Crown Prince left, he divided the remaining six boxes of cheese into two equal parts, but the little kid had a large appetite and didn’t have enough to eat. After finishing his own portion, he began to grab Xiao Junwang’s…”
The palace attendant explained in a low voice.
Emperor Sui found it rare.
He said, “Zhang Er, he’s such a tiny little one. How could he have the ability to steal your things?”
This once again pierced Sui Zhang’s pain and shame.
Sui Zhang let out a cry, he cried even harder.
And on the other end, suddenly seeing so many people coming over, in the blink of an eye, the snowball that had been on the small bed had already hugged the cheese box and hid under the bed.
It is impossible for an ordinary little kid to live in the same tent as Xiao Junwang.
Emperor Sui asked Shi Fang, “Who is that little kid?”
Ten Fang answered truthfully, “He is the Jiang Empire’s Xiao Huangsun.”
“The Jiang Empire’s Xiao Huangsun?”
Emperor Sui was taken aback for a moment, then frowned deeply.
“How could the Xiao Huangsun of Jiang be in the Sui army camp?”
This is even more difficult to explain.
The palace attendants dare not speak up, and even Shi Fang cannot answer without authorization.
Emperor Sui seemed to think of something and suddenly lowered his face. “Could it be that the Crown Prince has taken someone else’s Xiao Huangsun captive in order to force… him to come here?”
It’s totally something that that dog-tempered son of his could do!
“That assh*le!”
Emperor Sui had a heart attack and was furious at the same time. Walking to the bedside, squatting down, and looking at the little ball under the bed, he asked, “Pretty little one, where do you come from?”
Jiang Nuo tightly hugged his cheese box and tilted his head to look at Emperor Sui. His black eyes were as sparkling and beautiful as gemstones, paired with his snow-white jacket, he looked like a porcelain doll. The little one is small but daring, he tightly guards his food. When Emperor Sui asked, he hid inside again.
Emperor Sui felt guilty and piti in his heart. He couldn’t help but wave his hand and kindly say, “Little one, come out and let Zhen take a good look, alright?”
“Zhen promised not to snatch your cheese.”
Upon hearing these words, Xiao Junwang, Sui Zhang, who was standing at the back, showed an incredulous expression and let out a growl before starting to howl again.
Emperor Sui’s head is two times bigger and is busily comforting him.
“Alright, Zhang Er also has cheese. Zhen will have someone bring more over.”
At dusk, the lights were turned off and the night was bright, with figures of famous scholars shuttling back and forth everywhere.
There are more famous scholars coming at night.
In just one day, this match, which was enough to shock the whole world, had already spread throughout the north and south of the country through the mouths of these famous scholars.
Take the world as a game and display the chess formation.
People are not only praising the thrilling and spectacular nature of this battle but also praising the unparalleled demeanor of the two Crown Princes in the south and north of the Yangtze River.
The fire sticks reflect the white-armored into a warm red while adding a deeper and more intense color to the black-armored.
Inside the huge chessboard, the gossip array carries countless small mayflies, and the black and white chess pieces are still intricately entangled and fighting together, making them difficult to distinguish.
At night, the temperature drops sharply.
Even though the silent and intense fighting and surging emotions are enough to withstand the cold of the frontier night, sitting for a day, one’s stomach cannot hold on.
Jiang Yun ordered the city to open the gates and bring hot wine and food to the generals lining up at the bottom of the city. The Sui army also opened the gate and brought steaming roasted deer meat and Shaodaozi over.
Jiang Yun sat under the drum, contemplating, while listening to the advisors discuss strategies for breaking through the formation. These advisors are all trusted subordinates of the Crown Prince, including the locals from the Jiang Empire and those from other Jiangnan countries. They come from various backgrounds, but they are all loyal to the Crown Prince. Although the Crown Prince is known for his respect for the virtuous officials, he usually attends meetings in the Lanxin Palace and hides behind the scenes. He rarely sits opposite them, having such close conversations and listening to their opinions, as he does today.
Many advisors have also just seen the Crown Prince’s true face for the first time.
After all, not all advisors are qualified to participate in regular military discussions.
The Crown Prince’s elegance, demeanor, and appearance amazed and impressed the advisors.
Today, they witnessed the seemingly elegant and civilized Crown Prince, with wide sleeves fluttering and graceful like an immortal, beating war drum and commanding confidently on the towering city wall of Muyun Pass, fighting against the Crown Prince of Sui, who was known for his fierce and powerful spirit, across the air.
And the Crown Prince, like them, sat on the seat with his sleeves out, as gentle as jade, like a young gentleman from an ordinary family, making people unable to resist the desire to get close and make friends with him.
So the advisors were all excited and uplifted, not feeling cold at all, they also had no intention of eating or resting.
Meng Hui came over in the middle and applied a newly prepared ointment to Jiang Yun’s right arm.
Jiang Yun felt warm and comfortable, so he asked, “Do you still have this ointment?”
This is a new formula developed by Meng Hui, who stayed up all night. It uses many precious medicinal herbs, and the production process is also very complicated.
Meng Hui said, “Your Highness, don’t worry. Although there are only three patches at the moment, the humble physician can work harder to produce more. How does Your Highness feel? Is it more comfortable than before?”
Jiang Yun nodded and suddenly asked, “Can you also give the remaining two patches to Gu?”
“Of course, but Your Highness wants to use them now? This ointment should be applied every two hours. The humble physician will come over regularly to help Your Highness apply it.”
Jiang Yun said, “Gu wants to keep it as a backup.”
This is not incomprehensible.
Meng Hui agreed.
“Alright, the humble physician will have the medical staff bring it to Your Highness later.”
Sui Heng leaned against the railing with his arms clasped, listening to the advisors and generals discussing strategies to break through the formation.
The brothers Lu Jishi and Lu Anmin have already drawn thumbnails of the city’s chess formation on paper. Lu Anmin is also obsessed with chess, and he pointed to the paper and said, “If we don’t break the deadlock, we might as well follow the White’s example. Break up the black pieces completely as well, first getting rid of the white entanglements, and then re-form the formation.”
Another advisor immediately said, “Breaking up requires a process. What if the white chess pieces take advantage of this process to form a circle and surround the black chess pieces before the black could reach the periphery?”
“Everything in the world carries risks, and as long as the speed is fast enough, the white may not be able to achieve encirclement in such a short period of time.”
“But this old man is still worried, if there’s any mistake, it’s all over.”
As they were discussing, a soldier suddenly grabbed something and came to the high platform, kneeling on one knee and reporting, “Your Highness, the Crown Prince of Jiang on the other side has ordered someone to bring this.”
The advisors and generals were slightly surprised, and when they looked up, they saw the soldier holding a food box in his hands.
The crowd was even more skeptical and uncertain.
At this critical moment of a fierce battle between the two armies, the Crown Prince of Jiang actually gave His Highness a food box.
Standing aside, Chen Qi frowned and said, “Your Highness, be careful.”
Sui Heng ignored him and only raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. Then with a smile, he lowered his arms and said, “Bring it.”
“Since it is a heartfelt gesture from His Highness Rongyu, Gu should accept it with a smile.”
The soldier approached and presented the food box.
Sui Heng took it and frowned as he opened a layer of food boxes.
Because the food box is not filled with food but with a blueprint depicting a mischievous-looking little dog.
The generals all curiously leaned over to look, and upon seeing the situation, they were all surprised and said, “What does the Crown Prince of Jiang mean?”
Sui Heng then proceeded to open the second layer.
It’s also a blueprint, but there’s an extra whip behind the puppy, and the puppy is crying.
Sui Heng: “……”
Sui Heng opened the third layer again, where things were placed upside down, but it was still not food, but two patches of ointment.
Sui Heng’s eyes suddenly darkened as he thought of something. He looked up and looked at Xu Qiao.
Xu Qiao smiled with a guilty heart. “This-this-this Crown Prince of Jiang really cares about Your Highness. He specially sent him the plaster to treat his arm injury…”
The other generals were still wondering, “What does the little dog in the beginning mean, then?”
One person angrily said, “Could it be that the Crown Prince of Jiang deliberately compared His Highness to a little dog, using pictures to provoke His Highness and say he wants to beat His Highness to tears?”
Xu Qiao quickly drove everyone away and said, “What little dog, big dog? Maybe he just put it in the wrong place, drawing it for fun. Don’t guess, everyone quickly thinks about a way to break through the formation.”
From darkness to dawn, and then from dawn to darkness.
Two whole days have passed, and the city’s chess formation is still in a stagnant state. More famous scholars and commentators have come from all over the Jiangnan and Jiangbei regions, but none of them have come up with a perfect solution to break through the situation.
The next night, light snow began to drift into the sky.
In the freezing cold, the Muyun Pass was still brightly lit, and all the famous scholars, soldiers, and subordinate states’ Guozhu were sitting in the scattered snowflakes, staring at the black and white entangled chess game in a daze.
Most of the famous scholars are literati with weak bones. After enduring two days of hard work in the cold outside the pass, they gradually couldn’t hold on anymore. They rubbed their hands and said, “What should we do? In my opinion, before this chess formation is broken, we will freeze to death in the snow.”
The other person said, “You should be happy. At least this is just a chess battle, not a real bloody war. If a war really starts, those soldiers are not going to camp in the wilderness, but charge into battle in the snow. I don’t know how many people will die. We are just suffering from some bitter cold now, but at least we still have wine and meat to eat.”
That struck a chord with a lot of people.
“Yes, who likes bloody wars if there is peace in the world!”
“The Crown Prince of Jiang’s proposal to replace the army with a chess battle is truly a move that benefits the people. As long as the sea is clear, the river is peaceful, and the world is at peace, who wins and who loses actually doesn’t really matter.”
At this moment, on the high platforms on both sides, there was once again a dull drum beat.
Countless famous scholars looked up and saw the two Crown Princes, one from the south and the other from the north, gazing at each other from a distant city tower amidst the snowflakes. They once again sounded the war drums at the same time.
Accompanied by the drum beats, the chess formation under the city also underwent astonishing changes.
Due to the entanglement of white and black, which were originally like giant vines and trees, they were completely different and began to scatter on both sides. The white pieces are making way for the black, and the black pieces are also making way for the white.
Six hundred white-armored soldiers and six hundred black-armored soldiers quickly occupied the left and right sides of the chessboard, forming a long dragon again. The drumbeats were dense, shaking everyone’s heart. Around the chessboard, a white and a black python appeared again, and the chessboard returned to its initial state!
“This black and white really separates.”
“The world and the common people, the way to break this precious chess game turns out to be retreating, not advancing!”
The white and black python did not bite fiercely anymore, but instead surrounded the huge chessboard and began to gather at the same time. The drum beats became increasingly urgent, and the speed of the movement of the armored soldiers on both sides became faster and faster.
The white python wraps around the black python, and the black python once again wraps around the white python in turn.
Two serpent formations, meandering like long dragons, began with the sky as the curtain and the ground as the mat, creating a huge Eight-Trigrams formation. Everyone’s nerves were tense, their eyes fixed on the rapidly moving black and white.
Everyone almost forgot to breathe.
No one could have predicted that it would be the white pieces that would surround the black pieces, completing the last stroke of the Eight-Trigram. It was still black that wrapped around white and sealed the game.
Amidst the intense drum beats, the sound of the zither suddenly echoed from above the city gate.
This time it is not a song of entanglement or lovers, but a song of homesickness.
A song of homesickness familiar to all soldiers is famous around the world.
“Chai Wei”.
Willow shed tears because I was gone. Snow melted because I’ve missed you now.
The journey (home) was long and winding, not to mention thirsty and hungry. I felt sad in my heart. No one would understand my pain. (Pour)
The melody is melancholic. The scene of the hungry soldiers struggling to walk on the road suddenly catches their eye. All the soldiers silently shed tears, and all the famous figures stood up, looking at the Crown Prince drumming on the high platform and the soldiers lining up in the wind and snow below the city. Someone suddenly lifts their arms and shouts, “Stop the war, cease the war.” For a moment, the sound of stopping the war shook the sky, echoing in the sky above the Muyun Pass for a long time.
And almost at the same time, black and white met at the outermost part of the Eight-Trigram formation, and together they completed the enclosure.
Surprisingly, each occupies half of the circle, and no one has more pieces.
