PC Chapter 52

Outside the city, in the dense forest near the camp of Xiao Yan.

The dim sunlight filtered through the lifted tent flaps, casting a desolate glow on the ground. The setting sun, blood-red, reminded him of the vast deserts and the river sunsets of Mobei (northern borders) years ago.

The two men had been silent all afternoon. Xiao Yan snuck a glance at Li Shi, who was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, seemingly either too lazy to engage or completely uninterested in acknowledging him.

Some people are simply born noble, and the heavens are undeniably unfair. It wasn’t enough to give him such a high-born status; they also had to gift him abilities so far beyond reach.

Xiao Yan still remembered when Li Shi first set foot in the northern borders. To be honest, he had felt a certain disdain.

A pampered little prince from the capital, with soft skin and tender flesh, had insisted on coming to the barren Mobei. It was said he hadn’t been exiled for any mistake but had volunteered to go. It made sense—spending a couple of years at the border, living comfortably, and then returning to the capital with military achievements would give him the qualifications for more power, whether it be for royal favor or competing for the throne. In the end, the difficult part fell on them, the soldiers. After all, he was a prince, and they had to cater to his every need. If any glory was won, it was his; if any mistake was made, they would take the blame.

So Xiao Yan had planned to give Li Shi a harsh welcome. On the day of his arrival, banners were raised, sand swirled in the air, and the Northern Liang soldiers stood in formation, fully armed. From a distance, the gleaming weapons looked like a sea of shimmering scales.

Prince Ning’s entourage arrived at noon. Unlike the usual officials with their grand carriages, a single figure rode a magnificent red stallion, clad in a black armor adorned with dragon scales, hair tied high, and a cloud-patterned cloak fluttering in the wind. As he approached, the man dismounted smoothly, his movements fluid and graceful. Xiao Yan froze for a moment before stepping forward to greet him. The man’s bearing was extraordinary, tall and imposing, with sharp, refined features. His jet-black eyes observed calmly, with a composure that suggested he saw through everything.

At that moment, Xiao Yan thought to himself, ‘This is bad.’

Before he could intervene, the soldiers, as they had practiced, shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. They leveled their spears and charged a few steps forward, stopping just inches away from Li Shi.

If it were an ordinary person seeing this scene for the first time, they would probably sit paralyzed on the ground, and their pants would be wet with fear. But Li Shi remained unmoved, not even changing his expression. He simply squinted at the soldiers and then turned to Xiao Yan, with even a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Are you training?”

Instead of scaring Li Shi, Xiao Yan ended up scaring himself. Forcing a smile, he stepped forward, “Yes, just some routine drills. Apologies for the disturbance, Your Highness.”

Li Shi chuckled lightly, “Indeed, not well-trained.”

As a result, everyone present that day had their pay docked for a month and was made to wake up half an hour earlier for more intense training.

Even more surprising was that this prince from the capital followed their schedule every day, enduring harsh weather without a single complaint.

Two weeks later, Li Shi announced that he wanted to form his own personal soldiers. Xiao Yan initially didn’t think much of it. A prince only staying for a couple of years wouldn’t need personal soldiers. Would they help him hunt rabbits and hawks, or would he show off in the capital later? Although Xiao Yan wasn’t fond of the idea, he didn’t dare oppose it, so he casually suggested that Li Shi could select from the Eight Cavalries or the Twelve Guards.

Li Shi only smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t take your men.”

Two days later, Li Shi returned with a group of Turkic slaves.

They were frail and injured, skeletal, with some unable even to stand. How could they compare to his Eight Cavalries or Twelve Guards?

Yet, it was precisely this group of frail youths who became the feared Tuduo Three Guards, renowned across the entire Zhou Dynasty and striking terror into the hearts of the Turkic tribes.

In the autumn of the 20th year of Yonglong, the Northern Liang army encountered the main force of the Turks at Yuanti Spring. After a day and night of fierce battle, Prince Ning, Li Shi, led his personal soldiers to charge ahead, cutting through enemy lines and disrupting their formations. The Turks suffered a crushing defeat outside Shouxian City. This decisive victory marked the beginning of the Turks’ decline.

The sunset that day was just like today. The twilight bathed the sky in a golden hue, casting a radiant glow over Yuanti Spring. Li Shi, drenched in blood, walked toward them through the light, his entire figure gleaming like a divine warrior descending from the heavens, so awe-inspiring it was hard to meet his gaze directly.

This is what it means to be favored by the heavens, Xiao Yan thought.

“I brought wine from Liangzhou. Would you like to try it?”

He chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Ah, I forgot. You don’t drink cold wine.”

Li Shi opened his eyes and stretched lazily. “It’s fine. I can make an exception for an old friend.”

Xiao Yan called for the wine and filled a cup for Li Shi, who lifted it, meeting Xiao Yan’s gaze, and drained it in one go.

After drinking, Li Shi laughed softly. “Liangzhou’s wine is still as strong as ever.”

The wine’s strength remained unchanged, but the years of wind and sand had worn down their youthful edges.

Xiao Yan, however, poured his first cup onto the ground. “Back then, Chen’er was just a boy. He adored you. You taught him how to ride horse and shoot. When I tried to teach him, he said I wasn’t as good as you.”

Li Shi smiled. “You were better than me.”

Xiao Yan poured himself another cup and said as he drank, “Of course. I was born and raised in Liangzhou. By the time I was eight, I could draw my father’s iron bow. In my teens, I was hunting falcons. If there’s one thing I can beat you at, it’s that.”

He gave a wry smile and continued, “That little rascal just wanted to follow you. Riding, archery—none of it mattered. After you left, he never practiced again. When you returned to the capital, he cried for three days and nights, without eating a single grain. Later, when he was sent to the capital, every letter he wrote to me mentioned you. He couldn’t hide how excited he was. He said he was scorned by everyone in the capital, except you, who treated him the same as before, indulging him in everything. He said he bought you jade cake, and when you praised him with a smile, he started wandering all over Chang’an looking for treats to please you. I didn’t want him to get too close to you—your ambitions run deep, and he couldn’t handle them. But no matter what anyone said, he was loyal to you, his heart and soul.”

“When you mentioned that boy surnamed Su was your person, I finally understood why Chen’er despised him so much. That kid is clever, always knowing how to sway me. If Chen’er had half his cunning, he wouldn’t have been killed.”

“He was still so young, not even of age… I hadn’t even given him a courtesy name yet…”

Li Shi was silent for a moment, then solemnly poured a cup of wine onto the ground. “I’ll make sure there’s justice for him.”

Xiao Yan tilted his head back and pressed his hand against his eyes. “He was forced to inherit his title at just seventeen and sent to the capital as a hostage. In Liangzhou, no one dared provoke him, and he grew up spoiled and arrogant. How could he survive in the treacherous world of Chang’an?”

Li Shi frowned. “If you knew this, why did you conspire with the Turks? He could have lived peacefully in Liangzhou, yet you drove him down this path.”

“It’s all because of you!” Xiao Yan slammed the table and stood up. “If it weren’t for your plan to implement that military farming¹refers to a policy or system where soldiers are tasked with agricultural activities, such as farming and cultivating land, in addition to their military duties policy, why would I have colluded with the Turks? You’ve been to Liangzhou—you know what it’s like there. Farming? With what land can Liangzhou farm? The people there don’t even have enough to eat. They survive by enlisting just to earn that meager army allowance. The moment you cut off those funds, how am I supposed to feed the people of Liangzhou?”

Li Shi’s brows furrowed slightly. “I did propose the military farming policy, but when did I ever say it would apply to Liangzhou?”

“What… what did you say?!” Xiao Yan froze in disbelief.

“Precisely because I’ve lived in Liangzhou and know how harsh the land is, I assigned the military family to southern and northwestern frontier troops—the Tianbao Army, Pingrong Army, Kunming Army, Ningyuan Army, and the Nanjiang Army—so that the court’s military provisions could be reserved for Liangzhou.”

Xiao Yan abruptly turned toward the black-robed strategist. The man calmly held his cup, observing the two without a trace of emotion. Finally, a smile tugged at his lips. “But what’s the point of all this now? You’ve already rebelled.”

Xiao Yan’s clenched fists loosened as despair filled his gaze. “It’s too late. By the time I set off for the capital, the Turks had already crossed into Ganzhou and Suzhou through Liangzhou. By now… they’ve likely taken both.”

A glimmer of coldness flickered in Li Shi’s eyes. “I had planned to spare you out of respect for old times. But now… it seems that’s no longer possible.”

“What?” Xiao Yan stared, stunned.

Li Shi lightly tapped his knuckles on the table. “Qi Lin, do it.”

In the blink of an eye, Qi Lin unsheathed his sword. Before Xiao Yan could react, the blade was pressed firmly against his throat.

Almost simultaneously, a scream sounded outside the tent, followed by the clash of weapons. The tent door was flung open as a wave of imperial guards surged in, raising dust in the chaos.

The black-robed man shot to his feet, realizing that the situation had shifted in an instant.

He looked toward Li Shi, who remained calmly seated at the head of the table. So that’s why he had chosen that spot—to ensure he’d see his reinforcements the moment they arrived!

But the strategist’s eyes gleamed with defiance. He hadn’t lost yet! With Qi Lin occupied restraining Xiao Yan, Li Shi was left unprotected. If he could just capture Li Shi, there might still be a way to turn things around!

Just as he prepared to move forward, a playful voice rang out behind him.

“Blades are blind. I’d advise against any sudden moves.”

Who?! When did they get here?!

The black-robed man spun around, only to find Qu Ling’er holding a dagger to his neck. Ling’er arched a brow at Qi Lin and grinned. “This time, I’m not causing trouble, am I?”

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  refers to a policy or system where soldiers are tasked with agricultural activities, such as farming and cultivating land, in addition to their military duties