Zheng Zai’s heart was in turmoil, feeling utterly…
In his dazed state, Ying Zheng didn’t know why he was so fixated on staring at that banner.
His night vision was excellent, and the pale moonlight did nothing to hinder his ability to discern the shape of every stroke.
“Qin.”
Was this character supposed to look like this? It seemed so, yet also not quite.
The simplified clerical script differed from both the large and small seal scripts, but the overall structure was largely similar, with the grain stalks at the bottom stretching out like a mysterious bird.
A thought stirred in Ying Zheng’s heart.
He seemed to recall hearing someone address his father as “Your Highness, Prince of Qin.” Was it this “Qin”? If so, how could the enemy be flying this banner?
This shouldn’t be.
Zheng Zai was unhappy, deeply unhappy. He began fussing with his shell again.
The arrival of reinforcements acted as both a shot of adrenaline and a proper round of CPR for the chaotic Tang Army. The troops, on the verge of collapse, immediately erupted with fighting spirit, launching a desperate counterattack.
The Tang forces retreating toward Gaozhi City, seeing the enemy’s defenses breached, should have accelerated their withdrawal. However, the leader of this contingent was Chai Shao, the commander among the Eight Commanders of the Tang Army who was closest to Li Shimin.
Chai Shao was the husband of Li Shimin’s elder sister, Princess Pingyang. Given Li Shimin’s temperament, the two had long been as familiar as could be.
Under such circumstances, how could Chai Shao possibly abandon Li Shimin, who had come to their rescue, and retreat with his own troops?
Moreover, he was well aware that Li Shimin had come to clean up their mess, with hardly any reinforcements at his disposal. The grand display was nothing but a bluff.
And Li Shimin was still ill!
What a dire situation.
Gritting his teeth, Chai Shao exerted every effort to rendezvous with Li Shimin, providing cover and protection, while asking, “The enemy outnumbers us twofold. The situation looks grim—what should we do?”
“Are you asking me?” Li Shimin chuckled softly.
He could still laugh.
Chai Shao felt a mix of helplessness and an inexplicable loosening of his tense nerves. He admitted earnestly, “My resolve wavered. When others said we could fight, I faltered.”
“Will you do whatever I tell you?”
“I’ll follow your orders. Even if you tell me to confront Xue Ju right now, I’ll go.”
“That won’t be necessary. If we keep fighting, we’ll be at a disadvantage.” Li Shimin decisively commanded, “You retreat. I’ll cover the rear.”
“Huh?” Chai Shao was left speechless.
“No more ‘huh.’ Can’t you see Xue Ju’s main force heading this way? If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to.”
“But you…”
“You just said you’d listen to me. As the commander, are my orders completely ineffective?” Li Shimin looked at him with a half-smile.
Chai Shao’s face burned with shame, but the urgency of the situation left him no choice but to obey the overly young commander before him.
“Retreat to Gaozhi City. Someone will meet you there. Stay calm, maintain morale. Retreat, but do not collapse.” Li Shimin instructed coolly.
“You can count on me.” Chai Shao took a deep breath and, before leaving, helped clear the enemy forces from the right flank.
This orderly retreat drew the attention of the entire battlefield, gradually becoming the center of the vortex as both enemy and allied forces converged on the area.
“Your Highness!” Liu Wenjing rushed over, his face flushed. Before he could say anything, Li Shimin spoke, “We’ll discuss matters later. For now, stay with me and cover the rear. Can you do that?”
“Yes!”
Yin Kaishan quickly followed suit, promptly agreeing and marshaling his troops to press forward, blocking the enemy surging like a tide, clearing a safe path for their own rapidly retreating forces.
The two disobedient troublemakers, thoroughly beaten by the enemy, were now completely subdued, obeying whatever Li Shimin said.
Having a twenty-year-old Prince of Qin come to their rescue while ill—such a story would shame them for half a lifetime. Who would still have the nerve to put on airs?
Miraculously, the chaotic Tang Army gradually regained its morale and order within just two hours.
Late into the night, it wasn’t as if Li Shimin had done anything extraordinary. Yet, the moment he arrived, command of the Tang Army changed hands. Leaderless flies now found their head: drums beat when they should, gongs sounded when needed, and everything fell into orderly rhythm.
The Yu Hou (an official position) responsible for conveying orders led soldiers to strike the zheng with mallets, its clear and resonant sound piercing through the entire battlefield.
Once battle commenced, it became a veritable meat grinder. Methods for swiftly relaying messages were limited, with the most effective being the zheng and drums, along with flag signals.
Drums signaled advance; gongs signaled retreat.
The Tang Army withdrew from the battlefield in waves, regrouping and retreating toward the sound of the zheng.
"So fast!" Hao Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "This speed of reorganization is extraordinary."
"Sir, don’t keep boosting the enemy’s morale. What use is fleeing quickly? I can chase just as fast!"
Xue Ju grinned like a bear descending a mountain, his burly frame wielding a long halberd. In an instant, he pierced a foot soldier’s chest, then lifted the man high and swept him aside.
"Once I capture that Tang Army brat and throw him before Li Yuan, let’s see what he’ll do then!"
Xue Ju laughed heartily, charging and killing with even greater ferocity.
The moonlight covering the ground was stained a tragic blood-red. Within this crimson hue, Li Shimin drew his bow, steadied his hands, and listened to the wind.
The bowstring curved like a full moon, the arrow shot like a meteor, flickering between light and dark, piercing through every oncoming foe.
Duan Zhixuan silently coordinated with him, steadfast as a city wall, preventing the enemy from getting too close.
Li Shimin calmly reined in his horse and ordered a retreat just as Xue Ju’s banner came into view.
The Tang Army had mostly withdrawn; only their group remained.
How could Xue Ju watch a cooked duck fly away like this? Without another word, he spurred his horse, charging fiercely to carve a bloody path.
Li Shimin still covered the rear, relying on the mobility of light cavalry and swift steeds. As he retreated, he shot arrows backward, each strike unerringly landing just a dozen steps from Xue Ju, taunting him until his teeth itched.
"Bah! I refuse to believe it!" Xue Ju’s eyes were bloodshot, even forgetting to put on the pretense of saying "Zhen" (the imperial "I").
"So he’s skilled with a bow? I’m skilled too!"
Xue Ju drew his longbow, the proud arrowhead ringing sharply. Across a distance of over a hundred paces, his arrow clashed with Li Shimin’s in a duel.
Zheng Zai held his breath, pouring all his strength into pulling Li Shimin’s condition above healthy.
That was all he could do now.
When it came to archery, Li Shimin had never feared anyone.
Meteor collided with meteor, emitting a piercing hum. At the point where the arrowheads met, even the air seemed to freeze.
Every second stretched long and tense; each arrow trailed an eerie explosive sound. Their trajectories were invisible, only the metallic clang of collision audible.
Zheng Zai’s heart raced up and down as he lay against the shell, intently observing the battlefield.
Whose child, not yet born, has to accompany their father to the battlefield, worrying about their father's life amid the clash of swords and rain of arrows?
Zheng Zai frowned, his heart hanging in his throat, feeling as if he could hardly breathe. He didn’t know whether it was psychological or because he was sharing and empathizing with Li Shimin’s illness.
Xue Ju shot several arrows but gained no advantage, so he simply put away his bow and focused on pursuing with all his might.
Li Shimin fought while retreating, neither lingering in battle nor engaging the enemy unnecessarily.
Shallow Water Plain was less than ten li from Gaozhi City. No matter how closely Xue Ju pursued, he couldn’t stop Li Shimin from darting into the city like a falcon returning to its nest in the blink of an eye.
Xue Ju was left with a mouthful of dust. Fuming, he shot a few more arrows, cursing and venting his frustration.
"Your Majesty, please calm down," Hao Yuan comforted him. "The monk may run, but the temple remains. The Tang Army has just suffered a defeat and is too preoccupied with its own troubles. This is the perfect opportunity for us to march straight on Chang’an."
"Good! We’ll do as you say!"
While Xue Ju and his son were brimming with confidence, the Tang Army was the complete opposite—everyone was dejected and dispirited.
Liu Wenjing was the first to plead guilty. His armor stained with blood, he knelt straight down and bowed his head. "The defeat in this battle is entirely my fault. I await Your Highness’s punishment."
As soon as he knelt, Yin Kaishan and the other generals followed suit.
Li Shimin did not rush to punish or reprimand them. Instead, he first tallied the battle losses and arranged for the wounded soldiers to receive treatment.
The city was already plagued by disease, and now there were even fewer physicians to go around.
He coughed twice and asked calmly, "What about General Murong Luohou?"
"He died in battle," Li Anyuan replied softly, his face covered in dust.
The military tent fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Liu Wenjing bowed his head even lower.
Li Shimin remained silent for a moment, took a light breath, and asked, "How many soldiers did we lose?"
"Ten to twenty percent," Chai Shao answered.
It grew even quieter, as silent as a graveyard.
"The defeat in this battle was due to underestimating the enemy, acting rashly, and being too eager for success. We neither knew ourselves nor our enemy. Do you all agree with this assessment?"
Li Shimin calmly reviewed the battle, and the generals murmured their assent, offering no objections.
"I will report the full details truthfully to Chang’an. How His Majesty will decide, I do not yet know. Until the imperial decree arrives, all military affairs in Gaozhi City must follow my command. Do any of the generals have objections?"
"I have no objections, General."
"Nor do I."
…
"Then from today onward, we will fortify the city and hold our ground. No one is to act rashly."
"Yes, sir!" the generals acknowledged the order, then unanimously awaited his judgment.
"Take turns resting. There is still much to be done," Li Shimin merely waved his hand.
The generals were taken aback. They stood up, exchanging glances, and whispered, "We disobeyed the commander’s orders and launched a private attack. Shouldn’t we be punished according to military law?"
"I’ll note it for now. After we win this battle, we’ll see if you can redeem yourselves through merit," Li Shimin said with a faint expression. "Dismissal and military caning are likely unavoidable, but for now, Xue Ju is right outside the city. With a formidable enemy at our gates, I don’t want to weaken our own forces. I hope you all will not disappoint me again."
"Your Highness, rest assured!"
The generals, as if having narrowly escaped punishment and now resolved, spoke up with renewed vigor, their spirits suddenly lifted.
The shadow of defeat seemed to dissipate considerably, and they each went about their duties.
Li Shimin patted Liu Wenjing on the shoulder, looking him in the eye. "When we counterattack, you'll need to earn more merits. Otherwise, the credit for raising troops in Taiyuan might just cancel out the mistakes made this time."
"I understand. It was only thanks to Your Highness' timely intervention that the Tang Army was not completely wiped out. I will take responsibility for my mistakes," Liu Wenjing said sincerely. "I was too eager to achieve merit and didn't listen to Your Highness' advice…"
"Victory and defeat are common in warfare. Who can claim they will never lose?" Li Shimin said magnanimously. "I also fell ill at an unfortunate time. Otherwise, you would have discussed it with me."
Liu Wenjing felt utterly ashamed and could only stammer in response. Finally, he clasped his fists and vowed, "I will never make such a mistake again! If there is a next time, I will offer my head!"
"I also…" Yin Kaishan followed suit with a promise.
"Then I'll be watching your performance."
Though it seemed lightly handled, the pressure was immense. Even Chai Shao stood obediently to the side, sweating profusely as he listened.
Only after everyone else had withdrawn did Chai Shao finally relax and manage to exchange some casual words.
"How are you feeling?"
"Not bad."
Chai Shao wasn't convinced and scrutinized him carefully for a long while. Li Shimin plopped down on the folded Hu Bed before remembering that he hadn't eaten for a full day and night.
Dawn was almost breaking.
"I'll fetch you some food and medicine. Wait for me to return before resting. Sleeping on an empty stomach is even more uncomfortable."
"Alright." Li Shimin didn't stand on ceremony and casually agreed.
Just as he was about to remove his bloodstained armor and tidy up, he suddenly heard the sound of an eggshell cracking.
"Crack."
Li Shimin's hand froze, and he looked down in astonishment.
"Crack, crack."
The eggshell split even more eagerly.
"Did you hear something?" Chai Shao turned around in surprise, glancing around.
Author's note: