The Sovereign – Chapter 132

Volume Seven: Iron Horses Shock the World

Scattered War Fires

War Breaks Out

“Quick, save Mu Jin!” Ling Yu shouted fiercely. Ye Ming held the horse reins with one hand as Ji soldiers surrounded them, blocking their path forward.

“Take the Princess and go, don’t worry about us!” Mu Jin called out urgently. Suddenly, a spear struck from behind, piercing through her body. Blood flowed rapidly, but she still held firmly against the burning cart. Two more spears suddenly pierced her body, yet she only twitched slightly, as if forgetting the pain.

“Mu Jin!” Ye Ming shouted, slashing down two Ji soldiers with her sword. But she couldn’t delay any longer. Mu Jin’s lips curved into a smile, blood filling her mouth as she kept murmuring, “Go…”

The fire from the wooden cart gradually spread to her body. The few people who stood with Mu Jin against the Ji soldiers were also pierced through. Amidst the flowing blood, they roared together, steadfastly refusing to leave the cart’s side. Finally, they were struck by countless arrows, their bodies torn and mutilated, dying in the sea of flames.

“Hya!” Ye Ming spurred her horse forward, leading her forces to help Ling Yu break through. The Yu Kingdom could lose anyone, but not Ling Yu.

Suddenly, over a dozen Ji soldiers attacked simultaneously, their spears striking the horse’s body. The warhorse fell wounded, with Ling Yu and Ye Ming both flying off. A red figure suddenly appeared, dual blades in hand, cutting down several Ji soldiers in a flash of sword light. She quickly flashed before Ling Yu, kneeling in the gap, “Master, your subordinate Eagle Eye has returned to face death.”

“Kill more Ji soldiers and I’ll spare you from death!” Killing intent filled Ling Yu’s eyes.

“That’s exactly what I intend to do. Killing one is worth it, killing two is profit!” Eagle Eye’s fiery red hair was exceptionally bright, and as she spoke, her blades never stopped, instantly killing two more Ji soldiers.

Qin Junlan narrowed her eyes watching these people fall one by one. For Ling Yu, they never feared death. Such an army, due to no one understanding military strategy or training, was facing complete defeat – truly a waste. If under her military management system, the Yu army would have been invincible.

“Archers! Divine Spear Unit, form ranks!” Commander General Lin saw the Yu soldiers struggling desperately and immediately ordered men to escort Qin Junlan to safety, beginning the slaughter of the Yu soldiers who had come to rescue Ling Yu.

What began as an ambush turned into a disaster. The falling snow turned to blood, and the accumulated snow became treacherous. Countless bodies were buried in this frozen wasteland. Though Ling Yu was safely evacuated, she had to walk over countless corpses to escape. She had fallen for Qin Junlan’s strategy, leading to so many casualties.

The Art of War [bīng zhě guǐ dào – reference to Sun Tzu’s military treatise] speaks of deception… Ah, the gap between one who merely reads military texts and one who truly studies military strategy could be so vast. Ling Yu, proud throughout her life, had never suffered such a devastating defeat. The trusted members of the Shura Sect died one after another, the Yu Kingdom teetered on the brink of collapse, the nation in grave peril. Now half their cities were occupied by Ji soldiers, and her heart, like the Yu Kingdom itself, had frozen solid.

Chen Qing was dead, He Xi was dead, Mu Jin was dead, soldiers were dead, civilians were displaced – this was the Yu Kingdom she had defended. Ling Yu walked through the city with heavy steps, her hollow eyes filled with loneliness and a despair of having no way out. She stared blankly at her surroundings, seeing soldiers shivering from cold yet standing straight at their posts. Some gathered in groups of three or five, sitting on the ground around fires, while others huddled together in front of hastily built camps.

Snow danced across the sky, blooming like flowers on shoulders. Ling Yu approached a soldier, brushed the snow from his shoulders, and placed her own cloak around him. The soldier stiffly moved to salute, but Ling Yu waved it off, and he continued his watch with reddened cheeks.

Ye Ming held a paper umbrella, following beside Ling Yu. The ice had frozen her heart, and a strand of white hair at her temple matched the snow. She walked to a set of steps, watching soldiers gathered around a bonfire, chatting casually like they were at home. Finally, her lips curved into a smile – her first since the war began.

“She finally smiled…” Lin Wuming suddenly felt his nose tingle with emotion. It had been so long since he’d seen her smile that it moved him to tears of joy.

He hesitantly took out a xun from his robes, gazed deeply at Ling Yu once more, and after a moment’s thought, finally stepped forward.

“Grand Princess, this is for you.” Lin Wuming extended his hand nervously. Ling Yu lowered her eyes, her expression changing slightly, “A stone xun?”

“Princess, do you remember how long I have served you?”

Ling Yu shook her head. How could she remember all those years? The Shura Sect had so many people – some she had saved personally, some she had given names to. She only remembered the little details about Liu Qianxun, having forgotten all others.

“Eight years and three months. I was originally the son of a noble official, but was later kidnapped. If I hadn’t met you, I would have been beaten to death at the human traffickers’ den. At that time, I was holding this stone, and later when I learned you liked playing the xun, I began polishing it. I heard that constant hand rubbing would make the stone smooth, though making it into a xun was even more difficult. Fortunately, I polished it day and night until it finally became what I wanted.” Lin Wuming’s memories seemed to return to the year Ling Yu saved him.

“Iron pestle becomes needle, stubborn stone becomes xun [tiě chǔ chéng zhēn, wán shí chéng xūn – Chinese idiom meaning achieving the impossible through persistence] – you actually did it.” Ling Yu looked at the stone xun, smooth and delicate, no heavier than a jade xun.

“I never dared to give it to you before, fearing it would remind you of her. But you love playing the xun, and one shouldn’t abandon what they love. Princess, would you play a tune? Not for others, but for yourself, for the soldiers, and for the departed souls.”

Ling Yu gripped the stone xun and looked up at the sky. She took a deep breath, cold air flowing from her mouth, and brought the xun to her lips.

The music flowed deep and ancient. If silence was the deepest sorrow, then the xun’s sound was Ling Yu’s only emotional outlet – this was why Lin Wuming gave her the stone xun. The music floated through Zhengyi, drawing everyone’s attention to Ling Yu, as if attracted by this moment’s melody. When the country falls and mountains and rivers remain, where is home?

This war lasted longer than either country imagined, with a full year of stalemate without conclusion. In this year, there were twenty-three siege attempts and countless enemy defeats, with Yu soldiers maintaining a defensive position. Ling Yu adopted conservative battle tactics – as long as Zhengyi didn’t fall, the Yu Kingdom would survive. During this year, Qin Junlan’s health gradually deteriorated, sometimes lacking even the strength to observe battles. News of her poor dragon health gradually spread.

Every day, military physicians prescribed medicine to treat her body as she lay on her bed, her mind filled with countless strategies to breach the city. She dared not rest, for whenever she stopped, Liu Qianxun’s image filled her mind. The physicians said her body was fundamentally damaged, and combined with deep heartache, it led to stagnant qi and blood, often causing her to cough blood.

“Your Majesty, stop looking. Spending every day agonizing over strategies to defeat the enemy isn’t good for your recovery,” Li Yue supported Qin Junlan, pulling her from the terrain map back to her bed.

“I never expected Ling Yu to hold out so long. It’s been a year, and we still haven’t taken Zhengyi.” Qin Junlan’s face was deathly pale, showing no color after her long illness.

“After all, this is the Grand Princess’s stronghold. If it were as easy as the other cities, you wouldn’t have spent so long preparing for unification. The generals have been discussing strategies day and night – we can’t engage in futile struggles.” Li Yue tucked in Qin Junlan’s blanket, and seeing her eyelids heavy with drowsiness, helped her lie down. “Rest for a while first.”

“Wake me in half a shichen, and gather the generals to discuss war matters.”

“Yes, this servant will go prepare your medicine first.” Li Yue moved the lamp aside so Qin Junlan could rest properly.

As soon as Li Yue left the tent, a figure quickly slipped in, appearing and disappearing like a shadow. The guards on duty thought it was just their imagination.

Liu Qianxun quietly entered the tent, her heart aching at the sight of the weakened Qin Junlan. She sat beside the bed, noting how her face had grown thinner, her recently improved complexion now faded again. She gently took Qin Junlan’s hand to check her pulse, finding it weak, slow, and irregular.

Why do you push yourself so hard? Liu Qianxun placed Qin Junlan’s hand against her cheek with concern. Qin Junlan seemed to sense someone’s presence and, though already asleep, suddenly half-opened her eyes, thinking she was in a dream, and softly called out, “Xun’er?” Liu Qianxun quickly pressed her sleep acupoint, sending Qin Junlan back to sleep.

“I’m sorry, Yan’er, I’ve come to say goodbye.” Liu Qianxun brushed the hair at Qin Junlan’s temples, and thinking of how they might never meet again, felt a sharp pain in her heart as if pricked by needles. She clutched Qin Junlan’s arm, resting her head on her shoulder as tears dampened her collar.

No matter how unwilling her heart was, it was time to leave. She had followed and watched from afar for nearly two years. Now the situation was settled, victory and defeat determined. When the world was unified, Qin Junlan would have many things to do, and she should walk away. In this life, they were destined to have a connection but not be together – they would have to wait for their next life to be companions.

“Yan’er…” Liu Qianxun wanted to embrace her tightly but dared not use force. She placed the golden token beside Qin Junlan’s pillow – ending where it all began.

From now on, all conflicts would be irrelevant to her; from now on, she would no longer be part of the mortal world. Living with one person in her heart, accompanying herself until old age – perhaps this was her destiny.

She raised her head, her face inches away from Qin Junlan’s. She lovingly caressed her face and gently kissed her forehead. The pain in her heart intensified; she couldn’t indulge her own desires or let her feelings run free. She gripped the corner of the blanket, carefully tucking in Qin Junlan, finding she had no strength even to turn away. In the end, she could only retreat step by step, hoping to steal a few more glances.

Suddenly, a figure flashed, and a palm strike shot toward Liu Qianxun. She dodged instantly and turned to face Li Yue, who quickly withdrew her attack upon recognizing Liu Qianxun.

“Lady Liu?!” Li Yue exclaimed in both surprise and joy.

“Take good care of her.” Liu Qianxun said, preparing to leave.

“Lady Liu, you… Her Majesty…” Li Yue turned to find something wrong with Qin Junlan, and upon closer inspection, discovered her sleep acupoint had been pressed. “You pressed Her Majesty’s sleep acupoint?”

“How else could she sleep peacefully?” Liu Qianxun’s brows furrowed slightly. Each additional glance made her heart fall deeper; she feared the next moment she wouldn’t be able to leave.

“Since you’ve been following us all this way, why not show yourself? Her Majesty has been searching for you. You two have been through life and death together, and now though you’re so close, why can’t you meet? Don’t you know Her Majesty…”

“Li Yue, I killed Her Majesty’s birth mother, I killed the Empress Dowager with my own hands…”

“I…” Li Yue didn’t know how to respond. Liu Qianxun’s calm tone was filled with resignation. In this tragedy, there was no right or wrong, but someone had to pay the price, and the outcome was their forced separation.

“If you don’t want to increase her suffering, don’t tell her I was here.” Liu Qianxun turned decisively, her lonely silhouette leaving no room for compromise. Li Yue wanted to call out to her, but she had already vanished.

This wordless farewell finally drew its curtain, and Liu Qianxun rode away on horseback, not daring to look back even once.

Snow covered the mountains, the silver landscape gradually brightening. From the mountains, one could overlook the Red Armor Army camp facing Zhengyi City. Liu Qianxun led Black Star, heaving a deep sigh. She knew Qin Junlan would soon end this battle, and Ling Yu would lose the entire Yu Kingdom. Though Ling Yu had spent her life serving country and people, one person’s strength ultimately couldn’t save a nation. The Yu Kingdom could no longer match Ji Kingdom’s power, and Liu Qianxun only hoped Ling Yu would survive.

She didn’t want to watch the final battle, didn’t dare face this ending. She didn’t want to see anyone get hurt – let everything be left to heaven’s will, she believed everything had its predestined outcome.

Before dawn broke, the sound of someone urging their horse forward came from nearby, but the white horse seemed to have collapsed from exhaustion, unable to rise. The fallen young woman slapped the horse’s back, calling out to it, “Fei Fei, wake up! You can’t rest now, we’re almost there.”

Her heart-wrenching calls carried a hint of tears, yet were powerless. But she gave herself no time for sorrow, gently patting the horse’s back and standing to walk forward. When she saw Liu Qianxun with her horse, it was as if she’d seen a glimmer of hope.

“A horse.” She ran through the snow, rushing over. “Could I borrow your horse?”

Liu Qianxun looked at her impassively, noting her blue eyes. Could this be the Nalan family’s Blue-Eyed Holy Maiden, Nalan Ling? Unexpectedly, after just two years, Nalan Ling had transformed like a butterfly reborn, not only graceful and poised, but with beauty that could startle heaven itself. If not for those unique blue eyes, Liu Qianxun might not have recognized her.

“Excuse me, would you sell your horse to me?” Nalan Ling was anxious and helpless, gripping Liu Qianxun’s arm. “What would it take for you to lend me your horse? Please, I must reach Zhengyi before daybreak.”

“Zhengyi is at war. You won’t be able to enter.”

“I’ll find a way in.”

“Even if you get in, you’ll be of no help in the battle.” Liu Qianxun deliberately tested her, wondering why Nalan Ling was rushing to Zhengyi so urgently.

Nalan Ling showed a faint smile, this touching expression mixed with determination and resilience. “That doesn’t matter. I just want to be by her side. Perhaps in her heart there are only the Yu Kingdom’s citizens, but in my heart, there is only her – that’s enough. I don’t care who becomes emperor or which country wins. I only care about her feelings; whatever she cares about, I care about. But my horse has collapsed from exhaustion. Won’t you lend me your horse?” Nalan Ling’s blue pupils were like the azure sea and sky, beautiful beyond mortal realm. Her naturally pitiful eye color, combined with her pleading voice, stirred compassion in Liu Qianxun’s heart.

Liu Qianxun hesitated for a moment, looked at Black Star, and said: “This horse only accepts its master. If you can convince it to follow you, I’ll let it help you.”

Nalan Ling seemed to see hope. She slowly calmed down and gently stroked Black Star’s mane. “Black Star, have you ever yearned for someone? Do you know that since the war began, I’ve tried one hundred and eighty ways to escape home to find her, but my elder sister used two hundred methods to prevent me? For two years, I never gave up, and now I’ve finally slipped away during the Qing Emperor’s coronation ceremony.” Nalan Ling spoke while gazing toward Zhengyi, pointing there and speaking to Black Star with the sincerity of confiding in an old friend. “She’s in that city. We’re so close, but I still need to circle several mountain peaks to reach there. Will you help me? Black Star…”

Black Star blinked its eyes. Nalan Ling’s hand never left it, and it seemed to truly sense her helpless feelings, actually bending its knees slightly. Nalan Ling immediately understood and first bowed deeply, “Thank you, Black Star!” Then she decisively mounted the horse. Black Star let out a long neigh and galloped away swiftly, carrying Nalan Ling.

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