Chapter 1268: Shameless Wretch!

Shang Chaozong noticed Meng Shanming's reaction and knew he had probably remembered the bitterly painful events that had left him crippled.

He comforted him. "Uncle Meng is different from Huyan Wuhen. Back then, Uncle Meng did it to save His Majesty."

Meng Shanming shook his head. "A man who excels at defense and can truly hold a position already possesses remarkable ability. Gao Pin is capable."

Shang Chaozong said, "Didn't Uncle Meng say Gao Pin was only imitating Jin Jue's way of fighting?"

Meng Shanming replied, "No one on a battlefield remains undefeated forever. One generation of newcomers replaces the old, and the old will eventually fade away."

"The ability to learn is itself worthy of respect."

"Jin Jue's way of fighting is not something just anyone can use well."

"Defending is actually extremely difficult. In many ways it is more complicated than attacking, because one has to prepare for countless different possibilities."

He raised a hand and pointed at the map.

"Your Highness, look at how Gao Pin arranged his defensive lines."

"He did not hesitate to abandon large areas Jin had already occupied. He chose only the most advantageous terrain to fortify, then made each defensive line as solid as iron."

"He forced Huyan Wuhen to circle outside those defenses again and again without ever finding a point he could break through."

"That alone is an impressive ability."

"The fact that Gao Pin could take Jin Jue's method and actually make it work already proves his own capability."

"No one is born invincible on the battlefield."

"Every great commander has suffered losses and been tempered step by step. Some abilities are even forced out by adversity."

"The only difference is that some learn quickly and some slowly."

"Once Gao Pin stabilized his footing, he gained Huyan Wuhen as a long-term opponent in actual battle."

"That will benefit him enormously. His ability to command armies will improve by leaps and bounds."

"In his early years, Gao Pin lost to Huyan Wuhen again and again."

"Looking at it now, Huyan Wuhen may actually have been the man who forged him."

"And despite Gao Pin's repeated defeats in those early years, Taishu Xiong continued placing him in important command positions."

"Without Taishu Xiong, Gao Pin would never have had so many opportunities to be tempered."

"So in another sense, Taishu Xiong also made Gao Pin what he is today."

"When the fate of a state is involved, it is easy to support a general who wins every battle."

"Not everyone possesses the nerve to keep backing a commander who repeatedly loses."

"That shows Taishu Xiong always believed in Gao Pin."

"Perhaps he had already seen some particular ability in him."

"And in this war, where Jin has committed the strength of the entire state, Gao Pin did not disappoint him. At the critical moment, he held firm."

Meng Shanming sighed.

"Gao Pin met an enlightened ruler."

Shang Chaozong fell into thought, then asked, "In Uncle Meng's view, can Qi stop Jin this time?"

Meng Shanming said, "No matter how powerful Jin is now, it is not a bottomless pit."

"Huyan Wuhen still has opportunities."

"But the Gao Pin he faces now is no longer the same man as before. Gao Pin has suffered pain, reflected on it, and emerged renewed."

"If he takes advantage of Jin's greater momentum and continues advancing steadily and fighting securely, Huyan Wuhen will have a very difficult time."

Shang Chaozong turned toward the map and nodded slightly.

Meng Shanming suddenly asked, "Your Highness, what attitude does the one at Maolu Annex have toward the present situation?"

Shang Chaozong looked back and smiled bitterly. "His heart is broad enough. He doesn't care."

"It's still the same sentence."

"If he needs something, he will naturally come find us. If he doesn't, then we may do as we please."

"Whatever we think is appropriate, we may do. He doesn't interfere."

Meng Shanming said, "Being able to let go and leave matters alone is also a kind of courage."

"It means he has enough confidence to control the greater situation."

"Your Highness has also encountered a man with courage. That is Your Highness's good fortune."

"All these years, it was he who kept the various forces pressed down for Your Highness and gave you room to spread your hands and feet."

Shang Chaozong nodded, then hesitated. "But this time feels somewhat different."

"He seems to have stopped paying much attention even to the war."

"That is understandable." Meng Shanming raised a hand and pointed upward.

"The fact that he could come out from that place already shows that his hands have reached the people up there."

"That struggle has surpassed contention on ordinary battlefields."

"Naturally, dealing with that side has become his priority."

"It is also far beyond the level at which we can involve ourselves. It is no longer our place to ask."

Shang Chaozong sighed. "That is exactly what I secretly worry about."

"If heavenly thunder comes crashing down, I fear everything may be reduced to ashes."

Meng Shanming said, "We are already tied together. There is little point worrying about that now."

"And judging from the way he has settled certain matters, one can tell his own waters run very deep."

"We cannot sound their depth."

"He naturally has his own methods of response."

"We need only handle our own affairs properly."

Shang Chaozong sighed again.

So many people's lives were involved.

How could he truly not worry at all?

...

Qi's army finally withdrew completely from Wei.

Xuan Wei rode with the army, bleakness covering her face.

Wei had been lost in her hands.

No outsider could understand what she felt.

She was no longer of use.

Wei's three great sects, having suffered catastrophic losses at Three Slopes, had already abandoned their protection of her.

Fortunately, one man still refused to leave her.

Ximen Qingkong remained at her side, accompanying and protecting her as before.

Several of Wei's former great ministers rode nearby as well, equally grief-stricken.

The other officials had lost every privilege they once possessed.

The vast marching column had already entered Qi's grasslands.

Those men who had once been great ministers were now reduced to laborers, pushing carts and hauling military supplies.

They had grown accustomed to brocade robes and fine food and could barely perform such rough labor.

The soldiers supervising them showed no mercy with their whips.

The fewer than one thousand Wei soldiers who had survived Three Slopes had also been broken up and turned into laborers attached to the army.

Xuan Wei and the handful around her naturally did not have to perform such work.

She had, after all, once been Empress of Wei and was also the wife of a Prince of Qi.

Huyan Wuhen would not humiliate her too openly.

But neither would he allow her to leave freely.

The reason was simple.

A centipede may die without falling stiff.

Though Wei had collapsed openly, the framework of its hidden intelligence network still remained, with covert agents scattered throughout the realm.

Qi wanted to bring that force under its own control.

Xuan Wei naturally refused to hand it over easily.

This was the final capital left in her hands, or perhaps the final thread of hope.

Xiaoyue Pavilion had once been nothing more than remnants of the fallen State of Qin.

How had it managed to rebuild Qin?

Because the old Qin agents hidden throughout the various states had continued working toward that goal.

As for Wei's three great sects, their losses were severe and they no longer had enough strength to command Wei's other sects.

Nor would the cultivation forces of other states tolerate such a group entering their territories.

For the moment, only Qi still needed their help in battle.

So they could only continue following Qi's army.

When the army stopped temporarily to rest, Ximen Qingkong left under Xuan Wei's instructions to make contact with covert agents nearby.

This had been their pattern throughout the retreat.

Someone had apparently noticed that pattern.

The moment Ximen Qingkong left, a man suddenly slipped into Xuan Wei's tent.

Still lost in grief, Xuan Wei looked up.

Hao Cheng had entered.

Seeing him approach with a cold sneer, she immediately stood and demanded, "You've already been given your freedom. What are you doing here again?"

Hao Cheng scoffed. "You gave me my freedom? What a joke."

"If Qi's army had not put pressure on you, would you ever have released me?"

"As for why I'm here—you are my wife, and I am your husband. Am I not allowed to come see you?"

"You are not welcome here!" Xuan Wei swept one sleeve and turned her back on him.

Then her waist suddenly tightened.

Hao Cheng had wrapped both arms around her from behind.

Xuan Wei was shocked and immediately struggled.

She had trained in martial arts, but Hao Cheng had also practiced somewhat. She could not break his grip.

In the end, he forced her down onto the bed.

"Let go of me... Someone come!"

"Go ahead and scream. I've already had the soldiers hold the people outside back. You can scream yourself hoarse and no one will come."

"You slut! This prince has borne the reputation of being your husband, yet I haven't gotten so much as a bite of the meat. What kind of reason is that?"

Rip!

The clothes across Xuan Wei's chest were torn open, exposing a broad expanse of pale skin.

"I want to see Her Majesty!"

Just as Xuan Wei was nearly sinking into despair, Tang Yi's voice suddenly sounded outside.

Xuan Wei seized on it like a drowning person grasping driftwood and shouted again, "Tang Yi! Save me! Save me!"

Two muffled impacts sounded outside.

A figure flashed into the tent.

It was Tang Yi, sword in hand.

Hao Cheng looked back and saw her storming inside with a drawn blade.

He was badly frightened and scrambled off Xuan Wei, retreating to one side.

Xuan Wei hurriedly sat up and straightened her disordered clothing.

Tang Yi moved in front of her protectively and glared at Hao Cheng, furious beyond measure.

She pointed her sword at him.

"Shameless wretch!"

Several soldiers guarding outside rushed in as well.

The moment they saw what was happening, they immediately moved in front of Hao Cheng to protect him.

"Your Highness, are you all right?"

Xuan Wei reached out and pressed Tang Yi's sword downward.

She shook her head, warning Tang Yi not to act recklessly.

Tang Yi had no choice but to swallow her anger.

She understood as well.

Wei's greater momentum was gone.

They could no longer afford to provoke Hao Cheng.

"Get out!" Xuan Wei pointed toward the tent entrance and shouted at him.

Hao Cheng ground his teeth.

He had deliberately found a pretext to have Tang Yi called away.

How had she come back again?

He pointed at Xuan Wei.

"Slut, just you wait."

"Once we reach the capital, I want to see how you escape this prince's hands."

"I'll make you submit beneath me until I've had my fill. Let's see how arrogant you can still be then!"

Then he pointed at Tang Yi.

"This is a private matter between husband and wife. Sleeping with her is perfectly natural. No one can say a thing about it."

"You'd better stop meddling in affairs that don't concern you."

"Otherwise, think carefully about the consequences!"

With that, he flung his sleeve and left.

Only after everyone had gone did Tang Yi return her sword to its sheath and turn around.

"Your Majesty, are you all right?"

Xuan Wei silently shook her head.

Tang Yi's expression was complicated.

After a moment, she sighed.

"That beast's words were infuriating, but one thing he said was not wrong."

"Once we reach the Qi capital, Your Majesty will be isolated and weak, while he will be able to mobilize many forces."

"I fear he truly will try to harm you."

"The Qi capital is not a place where Mr. Ximen can simply rely on martial strength."

"I'm afraid even he may not be able to protect Your Majesty there."

"Your Majesty, Mr. Ximen has always wanted to take you away."

"Now that matters have reached this point, go with him."

Xuan Wei said, "Do you think they will let me leave so easily?"

Tang Yi replied, "They know Your Majesty has no intention of leaving, so the watch over you is not especially strict."

"If Your Majesty is willing to go, we should still be able to gather some people from the Mist Bureau to cooperate."

"Mr. Ximen ought to have a way to take you out."

Xuan Wei shook her head. "It is already too late. There is nowhere to go."

"Every state wants the Mist Bureau's list of covert agents."

"The moment I leave the protection of the army, every state will send people to hunt me down."

Tang Yi sighed. "Your Majesty, if you had surrendered power and left earlier, there would not be this trouble now."

"The greater situation is already lost."

"If there truly is no other way, then hand over the list and buy yourself freedom."

"At least then you would not fail Mr. Ximen's devotion."

Grief and anger appeared on Xuan Wei's face.

"Wei was destroyed in my hands."

"How can I simply abandon it like this?"

"So long as even one thread of hope remains, I must do everything possible to seize it."

"Little Sister, don't try to persuade me anymore."

"My mind is made up."

Tang Yi fell silent for a while.

Then she suddenly lowered her voice.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid Shangqing Sect can no longer continue following you."

Xuan Wei froze slightly.

A moment later, bitterness spread across her face.

"For Shangqing Sect to have followed me until now is already the utmost loyalty and righteousness."

"At this point, I cannot force you any further."

"Back then, I told you not to return in the first place."

"If you leave now, will they allow you to go?"

Tang Yi said, "I already negotiated with Qi's army just now."

"Chuan Ying's status as husband of Xue Luo'er, Pavilion Master of the Ice and Snow Pavilion, still carries some weight."

Xuan Wei asked, "With so many people in Shangqing Sect, where can you go?"

Tang Yi said, "I concealed it from Your Majesty before, but we already contacted the State of Song in secret."

"My senior brother Wei Duo has secured a place in Song where Shangqing Sect can establish itself."

Xuan Wei took her hand.

"Then leave as soon as possible."

"There's no rush," Tang Yi said.

"If I leave now, I won't feel at ease about Your Majesty."

"It won't be too late to go after Mr. Ximen returns."

Xuan Wei understood her meaning.

Tang Yi was afraid Hao Cheng might return and cause more trouble.

She instructed, "Do not tell Ximen what happened just now. If he loses his temper, something may happen."

Tang Yi silently nodded.

[End of Chapter 1268]