Chapter Ninety-Nine: Entrusting It to My Little Nephew
“Prince Consort, this time we truly owe you our thanks.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“To think Mu Tie had been hiding so deeply all along—foolishly, I even called him brother for over a decade.”
“Isn’t that the truth? If it weren’t for the Prince Consort exposing him this time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
“Generals, first take the elixir to help recover and restore your strength.”
“Agreed!”
...
During the subsequent interrogation, much to everyone’s surprise, it turned out that this Mu Tie was not the Mu Tie they thought.
The real Mu Tie had perished in a battle over ten years ago. The former royal advisor of the Holy Mountain Court, Zang Mo, had skinned him to craft a disguise mask, leaving no remains behind.
The Mu Tie captured now was merely the former royal advisor’s disguise.
Inside his pouch, a brocade box with spirit-concealing properties was found, containing a special spiritual tablet used for transmitting messages.
Other than this, there was no useful intelligence to be gained.
The upheaval caused by this battle was too great to conceal, so the special spiritual tablet no longer held any strategic surprise value.
“Send the order!”
“In three days! Execute Zang Mo, the former royal advisor of the Holy Mountain Court, before the front lines of the two armies! Let this avenge the souls of tens of thousands of our fallen soldiers!”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
Over three hundred thousand troops erupted in a deafening roar, their voices shaking the heavens!
...
The fewer than thirty thousand soldiers who had returned defeated from the surprise attack wept and smiled in bitter relief.
...
“General Zhao Qian of the Left Army offers six thousand fallen soldiers’ gratitude to the Prince Consort.”
“We too express our thanks to the Prince Consort!”
“Please rise, gentlemen. I do not deserve such honor.”
“No, dear nephew, you absolutely do!”
“Your Imperial Uncle has already given a detailed report of this battle to His Majesty. Though His Majesty has issued no direct orders, I can sense his deep relief and pride in you.”
“Come now, everyone, rise! Let us toast the Prince Consort!”
“To the Prince Consort!”
...
“May I ask, Your Imperial Uncle, esteemed generals, now that the spy has been uncovered, why do your faces suddenly darken?”
“Prince Consort, you may not know: initially, both sides were evenly matched. But in this battle, we lost over a hundred thousand soldiers, while the enemy...”
“The most critical point is that His Majesty likely has no troops left for reinforcement in the short term.”
“What about neighboring prefectures? Can they spare any troops temporarily?”
“Hmph, those old officials clutch tightly to their military forces—not a single soldier will be sent.”
“What about the Nanyan Prefecture? They recently added 180,000 soldiers.”
“Distant waters cannot quench nearby thirst. Nanyan Prefecture? That old fox Song Wuji is loyal, but it’s just too far away from us.”
...
“What if there’s chaos within the Holy Mountain Court itself?”
“Chaos? What kind of chaos?”
“Just saying, what if their royal court falls into disorder? Or if there are other enemy attacks?”
“That could ease our immediate crisis, but the Holy Mountain Court isn’t one to fall into chaos just because we say so.”
“Besides, are there any other hostile forces targeting them? Other courts would rather see us both bleed each other dry.”
...
“If it’s feasible, then it’s settled.”
“As for how to sow that chaos, leave it to me.”
“But if my plan is mishandled, it could backfire. I ask all of you uncles to keep my whereabouts strictly confidential.”
...
Amid the confusion of the commanders and generals, Gu Xiaopang took his leave. Deep into the night, he secretly departed with Bai Ling’er.
Their destination was precisely the enemy’s imperial capital—the Holy Mountain Court.
...