Chapter 69: The Schemes of Lord Yan Chun

“Ah! Your Majesty, that huge tiger is terrifying!” Wei Qianqian was also startled by the roar of the Dragon Horse. Xuan Jian forced a bitter smile and nodded. “The Dragon Horse is more than just terrifying!” If not for her, Xuan Jian might have been devoured by the carriage by now! Thinking of Yanri’s fate, he couldn’t help but feel grateful that he hadn’t tried to act tough.

...

As the infantry dispersed to attend to their tasks, the cavalry regrouped. Lei Ming, the deputy commander of the Liaoxi army and a veteran subordinate, took his position. Each major general was allotted a black tiger as his mount, and Lei Ming’s was a specially designed one, swifter and more heavily armored than the usual. The earlier charge had not required his own steed to lead.

As the twenty thousand Northern cavalry assembled, the great carriage had already begun to lift before the Yan soldiers. “Impossible! How can this be?” The massive carriage floated three meters above the ground, stunning the crossbowmen. “Catapults! Quickly, launch the stones!” With the carriage airborne, dozens of crossbows had to hurriedly recalibrate their aim, while Le Jian had no choice but to order the catapults in the rear to fire.

Boom—the very air seemed to shatter. The floating carriage accelerated at a frightening speed. Boom! Boom! Waves of force rippled through the air. Shields, spears, and pikes within a hundred meters snapped and shattered, vanishing as they drew near the carriage, while Yan soldiers were flung to either side by the force field.

“General! I’ve done all I can!” Spitting blood, the burly Le Shan lost consciousness. In the wake of the carriage, even the furthest Yan soldiers were thrown over a hundred meters, and those standing a hundred meters on either side were crushed by their flying comrades. With their faces pressed into the dirt by the weight of others, the Yan soldiers were too embarrassed to curse—the bloodied man on top of them might well be dying.

Like autumn leaves swept by the wind, Yan soldiers tumbled in droves to both sides. The catapult stones, falling at last, landed only on empty ground, while the carriage plunged into their midst.

The thunderous sound of hooves followed as the twenty thousand cavalry charged alongside the carriage. Now, it wasn’t only the central Yan ranks collapsing—soldiers on the flanks broke and ran as well. The cavalry ignored the fleeing, unarmed Yan soldiers, pressing forward after the nearly vanished divine carriage.

...

“Lord Commander, I beg you—spare me, and I shall repay you richly in the future!” The Crown Prince Jia had no idea what fate awaited him, but he knew it would not be pleasant. After fleeing for some time with three thousand cavalry, Lord Yan Chun’s pace began to slow.

“Heh! Repay me, or avenge yourself?” he sneered. “Pang Nuan, Zhao Sheng, King Zhao, and you, Jia! Has your Zhao Kingdom conspired to ruin Yan on purpose? I actually believed the words of you fools!”

Regret surged in Yan Chun’s heart. If not for those two idiots, swearing they were guaranteed victory, he would never have forgotten the might of the Northern army.

“Lord Yan Chun, you—?” Damn it! Jia realized he was in deep trouble, and that Zhao’s army was unlikely to win now—in fact, they might be doomed.

After a short pursuit, Lin Shu’s carriage came into view of the main Yan army. He did not rush, instead letting the Yan soldiers tire themselves out before making a move. He directed his cavalry to follow at a steady pace while he steered the carriage toward the coast, circling ahead to intercept the remnants of Le Jian’s defeated army.

[Commander, Lord Yan Chun and Crown Prince Jia of Zhao are among the two thousand cavalry ahead.] Two thousand cavalry was hardly worth Lin Shu’s attention, but now he could not let them go.

“Ha! Perfect! Time to settle the score with this scoundrel!” Lin Shu remembered how Lord Yan Chun had promised to attend the imperial ceremony, yet not a single envoy from Yan had appeared in the end.

After venting his anger at Jia, Lord Yan Chun felt somewhat calmer, but the thought of the Northern King’s retribution made him anxious again. The last time, they had ceded Liao North and paid compensation in copper to numerous craftsmen and their families just to keep the North quiet. Now, having dared to launch a sneak attack on Liaoxi during the imperial ceremony, the Northern King’s wrath could well be imagined.

“No! It can’t be!” “My lord! It’s—the Northern King’s carriage!” Jue Ying reined in abruptly, nearly throwing Jia from his horse.

“What Northern King?” Jia sneered. The Northern army was still far behind—how could the King himself be here?

It was over! Lord Yan Chun nearly fell off his horse as he stopped in shock. Looking up, he saw a great carriage ahead, flanked by two enormous tigers.

Having finished his preparations, Lin Shu stepped out of the driver’s compartment and sat quietly on a small chair.

“It truly is the Northern King!” Though the King was a bit thinner and paler, Jue Ying could not possibly mistake him.

“Heh! How can this be? How did he get here?” Lord Yan Chun couldn’t make out the face, but he dared not make another move.

Jia frowned. Could it really be the Northern King?

“Lord Yan Chun, if that is the Northern King, seize him at once! Then we’ll win without a fight!” Jia said excitedly, seeing a golden opportunity.

“But—it’s only one carriage!” Lord Yan Chun was tempted, but still did not dare act.

...

“My lord! Even with three thousand cavalry, we would be hard pressed to capture a grandmaster—let alone the Northern King, who surpasses even that! If he is here, the Northern army must be close by!” Jue Ying said anxiously. Jia might be a fool, but he himself did not wish to die senselessly.

That’s right! In a flash of anger, Lord Yan Chun glared at Jia. “Fool! You’d have me throw away my life for nothing!”

“Jue Ying, muzzle him. Come, let us pay our respects to the Northern King.”

Alas! Lord Yan Chun felt suddenly aged. Whether he would survive today depended entirely on fortune.

“Yes, sir!” Jue Ying sneered, striking Jia’s mouth with a palmful of inner force.

Damn it—if only he could curse! Jia, wracked by pain and rage, found his voice and meridians paralyzed by the force.

As the fine horse drew near, Lord Yan Chun dismounted, his heart pounding with each step toward the tiger-drawn carriage.

“Your Majesty, I have failed you and the trust you placed in me through your envoy, Jing Ke!” he said, kneeling with both knees. Jue Ying knelt as well, and the unwilling Jia was forced to the ground by another blow.

Glancing at the aggrieved young lord, Lin Shu immediately guessed his identity.

“Hmph! Lord Yan Chun, you raised an army of over a hundred thousand to destroy my Yanhuang Empire! I cannot bear such kindness!” As he spoke, Lord Yan Chun’s kneeling form began to rise, blood from his neck dripping onto the ground.

“No—Your Majesty! It was Zhao’s machinations! I tried desperately to dissuade my king, but Yan Dan, Le Jian, Ju Wu, and the Mo family leaders were all seduced by Zhao!” Yan Chun cried out, his body trembling.

“Your Majesty, the combined forces of Zhao, Xiongnu, Linhu, and Yuezhi—more than several hundred thousand infantry and cavalry—are even now attacking the two great camps at the northeastern desert and the Northern Sea! Please, give me another chance, and I will have Yan King seize Yan Dan and Le Jian to answer for their crimes!”

Lin Shu was not surprised that the Xiongnu would send troops, but he had not expected the Linhu and Yuezhi to join as well.

“What are their exact numbers?” Tens of thousands of cavalry was no force to be trifled with, especially the Zhao army.

The blood at his neck ceased to drip, and Lord Yan Chun’s face lit up with hope. “Your Majesty, Zhao has sent one hundred and fifty thousand troops, while the Xiongnu have dispatched one hundred thousand cavalry under Pang Nuan and Li Mu to attack the eastern desert camp. The Linhu and Yuezhi have also allied with another hundred thousand to march on the Northern Sea camp, mainly to pin down the northern tribes. Zhao’s main strategy is to besiege Liaodong and incite rebellion among the desert tribes against you!”

Lord Yan Chun—damn him! Jia could have bitten the old dog in fury. Not only had he confessed everything, but he’d shifted all blame onto Zhao.

“Hmph! Well, well, Zhao! Once I have crushed your army, I’ll settle the score with Yan. Tell your king I won’t forget him,” Lin Shu declared, truly enraged. If he hadn’t distributed war chariots and other equipment in advance, the Liaoxi and eastern desert camps might have been completely overrun—or, even if they held, the casualties would have been appalling.

“Your Majesty, this is Zhao’s Crown Prince Jia. I leave him to your judgment,” said Lord Yan Chun, realizing that his own life was likely spared. As for Yan King, Yan Dan, Le Jian, Ju Wu, and the others—their fate would depend on fortune yet to come.