Chapter 170 – Dare to Scheme

The day after the massacre at North Watching Pass.

The incident of Wei Duo, the Wild Tiger Battalion captain, gouging out one of his own eyes as punishment didn't cause a stir within Wang Yuepi's vanguard.

If anything, it was as if everyone believed this was the way things should be done... After all, as soldiers under the greatest warrior of Northern Qiang, they were naturally held to a higher standard.

Shortly after rising that day, Wang Yuepi received a letter from the Commander, delivered by one of the Commander’s personal guards.

The letter stated that the other two army contingents had captured the North Suppressing Pass and the North Defending Pass. The Commander ordered Wang Yuepi to advance westward immediately and meet with the other two armies ten miles outside Yanchi Pass within two days to encircle it. After taking Yanchi Pass, they would then make longer-term plans.

"Not too slow...

heh heh

..." Wang Yuepi smirked, casually stuffing into clothes by his chest. Stroking his chin, he decided, "We’re all cavalry, so two days will be more than enough. Before we leave... why don't we leave the Ruen Dynasty dogs a present?"

Two days later, the Ruen Dynasty’s forces, which had divided into three groups, reached the North Watching, North Suppressing, and North Defending Passes.

Marshal of the Three Armies Ying Gutong sent two subordinate generals to lead detachments to North Suppressing and North Defending Passes. North Watching Pass was the city closest to the border and the place where Northern Qiang was most likely to station its heavy troops, Ying Gutong and Qi Zongbi personally led a force to the North Watching Pass.

When the scouts reported from ahead that they had yet to see a large army stationed outside North Watching Pass, Qi Zongbi felt a sudden sense of unease.

"There isn't a large army stationed there?" Ying Gutong sensed something was wrong. Seated high on his horse, he glared down at the scout. "What do you mean by that?"

"To be exact..." The scout gritted his teeth, "To be exact... there wasn’t a single person in sight!"

Ying Gutong squinted and fixed the scout with a hard stare until the scout broke out in a cold sweat. Only then did Ying Gutong turn away, stroking his graying beard. "Could it be... that the Northern Qiang army has retreated?"

"That shouldn’t be the case."

Qi Zongbi had been listening to everything from his carriage behind them. He lifted the curtain and stepped out, shaking his head as he spoke to Ying Gutong.

"The Northern Qiang barbarians are inherently greedy. For years, they’ve eyed the border covetously, and their annual harassment of the border shows their incorrigible nature. Now that they’ve finally taken the North Watching Pass... there's no reason for them to abandon such an unprecedented opportunity."

"Exactly." Ying Gutong nodded and asked Qi Zongbi, "In that case... what do you make of this, Lord Qi?"

"Let’s proceed first," Qi Zongbi decided. His expression darkened and a sense of foreboding grew stronger in his heart. "We must see it firsthand to understand."

"Those are my thoughts exactly," Ying Gutong agreed, then turned and ordered, "Send word! Dispatch all scouts, stay vigilant for ambushes, and speed up our advance to the North Watching Pass!"

Half a day later, this army of one hundred thousand finally arrived outside the North Watching Pass. Spread across the vast desert, they formed a dark mass that filled the horizon.

But at that moment, the entire army was silent. Only the wind howled across the desert, sounding like the wails of anguished ghosts.

The army parted down the middle, clearing a path. Qi Zongbi and Ying Gutong rode their horses to the very front.

Qi Zongbi’s pupils shrank to pinpoints, his lips trembling violently.

The scout had been right... The Northern Qiang army was not here, but there was one thing the scout had crucially missed... there wasn’t a single living soul here either.

Outside the gates of North Watching Pass, countless corpses had been piled into a mountain twice the height of the city gate. The decaying bodies assaulted the air with an unimaginable stench.

A line of characters written in blood was scrawled on the wall, now dried into a dark red-brown. To Qi Zongbi, they were glaringly harsh.

"You stupid Ruen dogs dare to scheme? What a pathetic joke!"

"T-this... this..." Ying Gutong pointed at the wall, his fingers trembling, his voice shaking. "Why... why is it like this..."

Qi Zongbi clenched his fists tightly, staring at the words unblinkingly, as still as a statue.

"Why?!" Ying Gutong suddenly grabbed Qi Zongbi by the collar, shouting at him, "You promised it wouldn’t be like this! Tell me! Tell me why it turned out like this!"

Qi Zongbi, a mere scholar, was helplessly shaken back and forth by Marshal Ying Gutong, yet his attention was transfixed on the contemptuous message on the wall.

The soldiers behind them all had reddened eyes. They had no idea that the North Watching Pass was sacrificed as bait... They only knew they were ordered to reinforce the border. It seemed they had arrived too late, leading to the tragedy before them.

Thud—

Qi Zongbi was shoved to the ground by Ying Gutong, who pointed at him, with a stiff jaw.

"Qi Zongbi... you’re finished, finished... You’ve ruined yourself and you want to ruin me too! You... you traitor! How could I have listened to your lies?! I... I’m going to report this to His Majesty—"

"Shut up!"

Qi Zongbi suddenly turned, standing up and shouted sharply at Ying Gutong, "Ying Gutong! You’re unworthy of being the Marshal of the Three Armies! I thought you had unique insight in leading troops, but it turns out you’re just a fool!"

Ying Gutong’s eyes widened.

"You traitor! How dare you insult me! Men! Take him—"

Clang!

Before Ying Gutong could finish, a sword was pointed at his throat. Qi Zongbi holding the other end.

"Traitor, how dare you?!"

"Release the Marshal!"

"Qi Zongbi, are you planning a rebellion?!"

Seeing things take a turn, Ying Gutong’s personal guards moved to intervene.

At that critical moment, Qi Zongbi pulled a golden object from his chest, raising it high and shouting, "Everyone, stand down!"

"By the decree of His Majesty! Who dares act recklessly!"

The emotional troops fell silent.

Ying Gutong swallowed involuntarily, his eyes bulging like a fish out of water.

"A royal decree... how is that possible?"

"Why not?" Qi Zongbi removed the sword from Ying Gutong’s neck and, somewhat clumsily, sheathed it again. He looked coldly at Ying Gutong and said, "Marshal Ying, although you hold the title of Marshal for this campaign, the authority over the three armies rests with me... Now, do you understand your offense?"

Ying Gutong’s face flushed with anger. "What crime have I committed?!"

"Your troops have been noisy and undisciplined, and you have spread nonsense while disturbing morale..." Qi Zongbi sneered. "With your crimes, I could execute you on the spot and report it later!"

Ying Gutong broke into a cold sweat as he was forced to realize his newfound position.

"Yes... yes, I lost my composure and made a mistake," he admitted.

Seeing that Marshal Ying had yielded, Qi Zongbi did not press him further.

Qi Zongbi looked back at the wall and said in a grave tone, "It seems there was an error in the plan... Marshal Ying, now is not the time for us to fight amongst ourselves.

"Once we win this battle and return, you can say whatever you wish about me to His Majesty. For now... we must first figure out where the Northern Qiang army has gone!

"The North Suppressing Pass? Or the North Defending Pass? And why haven’t our scouts arrived with any updates?!"

"Reporting!"

Just as Qi Zongbi finished speaking, a scout came galloping over on horseback.

Qi Zongbi raised an eyebrow. "Perfect timing to arrive just as we were discussing it."

Everyone watched as the scout rode up, dismounted, and knelt on one knee before Qi Zongbi and Ying Gutong.

Qi Zongbi spoke directly, "No need for formalities. Just tell us what is happening. What’s the situation at the North Suppressing and North Defending Passes? Has the entire Northern Qiang army concentrated on those two cities?"

As he spoke, his brow creased sharply as if he realized something.

"Damn... if that’s the case, it’ll be difficult for our other two forces to take them. And even if they do, the losses will be severe—"

"N-no... that’s not it..." The scout interrupted Qi Zongbi.

"That's not it?" Qi Zongbi frowned, turning to look at the scout.

"No..." The scout took a deep breath, his gaze bleak. "North Suppressing Pass and North Defending Pass... not a single Northern Qiang soldier is there... and... the people inside the cities, the civilians... they’re all dead."

"What?!" Qi Zongbi’s eyes widened.

"How could this be?!" Ying Gutong was equally horrified. He grabbed the scout by the collar. "Then where did the Northern Qiang army go?!"

The scout, struggling to breathe under Ying Gutong’s grip, managed to gasp out, "There-there were a few survivors from North Suppressing Pass. They said... the Northern Qiang army went west!"

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"West?" Ying Gutong let go of the scout, frowning in thought.

"West?" Qi Zongbi murmured to himself.

"Heavens!" Qi Zongbi’s eyes suddenly widened as he took a sharp breath, as if realizing something. His whole world went dark as he collapsed backward.