Chapter 786: I Have My Pride Too

“Grand General!”

Eighth Prince was genuinely speechless now.

In the short span just passed, his emotions had risen and fallen again and again, like a chicken being held by the neck, squeezed tight, released, then squeezed tight once more.

“Your Highness, the Yan army crossed through Chu territory to outflank us here. Tell me... if Great Chu were still the Great Chu of years past, would the Yan dare?”

“Grand General, what exactly do you mean?”

“If this were Chu as it was in the old days, then yes, noble fiefs would be spread everywhere and imperial authority would be constrained. But the regions would also be rich in troops and strong in arms. If the Qu Clan still existed, forget whether Fan City could have been lost in the first place. Even if Fan Zhengwen had been dead set on rebellion and Marquis Pingxi had been dead set on saving him, the Azure Luan Army alone, even at some disadvantage, could still have fought this Yan force back and forth in the field. But now the regional nobility has been weakened too severely. Great Chu appears to have concentrated authority in the new Ying Capital. His Majesty holds all power in his own hands. Yet the Yan can move through Chu territory as though no one lives here at all, coming whenever they please and leaving whenever they please. This slave borrowed a road through Jin, yes, but this slave used a surprise force and took mountain paths. At the end of the day, that was trickery. But the Yan this time? How many came? At least tens of thousands of cavalry, openly charging straight into Chu!”

“Yan simply has more cavalry, so...”

“They dared come because they are not afraid they won’t be able to go back.”

“This...”

“This slave understands that His Majesty wishes to imitate the late Emperor of Yan. This slave is willing to help His Majesty do exactly that. But the balance between Yan and Chu did not reverse merely because the Yan Emperor died. Instead, it has become even clearer. Right now, Yan fights when it wants to fight. Great Chu can only defend passively. This slave took such a dangerous move this time precisely because I saw Marquis Pingxi Residence preparing to use force against Chu. I moved first, hoping to eliminate the Fan Clan and the Qu rebels and shift the scales back by even a little. But if our strength were truly sufficient, if we genuinely feared nothing... why would we need to rely on tricks?”

Eighth Prince asked:

“Grand General, why are you telling me all this now?”

“No particular reason. This slave simply wants to say it aloud. His Majesty believed that once the late Emperor of Yan died, Yan’s national strength would decline. Once the Northern and Southern Princes were gone, Yan would fall into internal disorder. But Yan did not fall into disorder. And Marquis Pingxi Residence is gradually growing into another Situ Clan. Another... Great Cheng. His Majesty believed that regardless of how close Yan’s new sovereign and Marquis Pingxi had once been, once one of them sat upon the Dragon Throne, their relationship would inevitably become one of suspicion between the court and a regional military power. But it did not. Marquis Pingxi did not hoard troops for self-preservation. I don’t even need to see the army to know that the force he brought this time must be the true elite foundation of his household. He is not afraid of losing his own military capital in a war fought for the state. Where is the slightest trace of sovereign-vassal suspicion in that? His Majesty wishes to proceed slowly. Cut away the dead branches and rotten leaves, then wait for new shoots to grow. Five years ago, ten years ago, there would have been nothing wrong with that. Reforming oneself to eliminate accumulated disease inevitably creates a period of weakness and gives foreign states an opportunity, but one could still endure it. When the late Emperor of Yan trampled the great clans, the Jin believed Yan would descend into chaos and give them an opportunity, so two houses joined their armies and attacked Yan. But the Jin of those days had already been divided among three families. Each had its own calculations. They distrusted one another inside and out. How could opponents like that compare with the Yan of today? His Majesty wants to regrow Great Chu branch by branch and rebuild it anew. But outside waits Yan, a tiger and wolf. Why would the Yan give His Majesty the time to proceed slowly? The times... are different now. Qu Tiannan died during the chaos among the imperial princes, when Great Chu had no strength to spare elsewhere. Pillar of State Shi died during the Yan-Chu war. And now, whether Pillar of State Dugu in the south can withdraw safely is still unknown. Even if part of the Dugu Clan’s army escapes, its frame has basically been smashed apart. Chu has always lacked cavalry. But in the old days, the battle formations of Great Chu infantry were fierce enough to stand against cavalry even in open battle. Yet over the last several years, one elite force after another has been broken, swallowed, and eaten by the Yan. It is true that this slave preserved the Chu Imperial Clan Guards to the greatest possible extent during the last Yan-Chu war. But then came the campaign against Qian, followed by the long redeployment back. They still look strong on the surface, but in truth they are exhausted. Without those elite troops to serve as our foundation... the Yan will only become more unscrupulous. And in the years before this, certain people and certain armies... were in truth handed over to the Yan by His Majesty himself, tacitly and deliberately, to be dealt with.”

Eighth Prince stared at him.

“Grand General means that this defeat is not your responsibility, but Imperial Brother’s?”

“This slave never imagined Marquis Pingxi would dare charge openly through Chu territory like this. Perhaps before making the choice, he too gambled everything he had. But now, looking at the result... he won. Great Chu looks like a towering tree. But inside... it is already hollow. A pity. In the past, this slave never dared say these things to His Majesty. I did not even dare mention them. Only now do I have enough courage to say them aloud.”

“You want me to repeat these words to Imperial Brother?”

“Your Highness... would you dare?”

At that moment, the last organized resistance ahead was smashed apart.

There was still some distance between the Yan cavalry and the Grand General banner.

But nothing remained in between to stop them.

Eighth Prince shouted:

“Grand General, at a time like this you are still joking with me? We... what do we do now?”

Grand General Nian sighed.

“Your Highness, simply remain here.”

“What? Then what about you, Grand General?”

“This slave... is going to run.”

“You are going to run, but you want me to stand here?”

“If Great Chu loses Your Highness, then at worst we lose a little more face. It is not a serious problem. We have already lost plenty of face anyway. But if Great Chu loses this slave... His Majesty will have almost no one left to use.”

“...” Eighth Prince.

The infuriating part was that this household slave dared say something like that in a situation like this.

The even more infuriating part... was that Eighth Prince could not refute him.

Even if Imperial Brother himself were forced to choose between the two... he would almost certainly choose Nian Yao without hesitation.

Eighth Prince grew angry.

Then angrier.

And suddenly... he was no longer angry at all.

He even rubbed his face with his sleeve, drew a deep breath, and gradually calmed himself.

“Grand General should leave quickly. Great Chu still needs you. Imperial Brother still needs you. I will remain behind and cover your retreat.”

“This slave actually does not want to leave. This slave would like to stay. I would like to preserve a little dignity as well. A defeat is a defeat. It isn’t that I cannot accept losing. I could stand here openly, wait for judgment, and be done with it. I was born a slave. But before the end, I too would like to be a true nobleman once. Unfortunately... I still have to try running. Ai. In the end, I suppose I was born to be a slave. Also, Your Highness does not need to cover the retreat. Simply remain beneath this banner. Do not resist. Do not fight. Stand here quietly. By relationship, Marquis Pingxi is still your brother-in-law. When Your Highness was younger, you seemed intelligent and eloquent. You appeared to have traveled widely and experienced plenty. But in truth, you only watched, played, and made noise from the sidelines. You never truly took part in anything. That Marquis Pingxi probably will not trouble you. Trouble a... mm. He dared release Qu Peiluo back then. If Your Highness behaves properly, I imagine he will release you before long as well.”

“...” Eighth Prince.

Nian Yao dropped to his knees before him.

“Your Highness, if this slave fails to escape this time, I must trouble you to carry a message to His Majesty. What I said earlier was merely this slave venting grievances. What comes next is what I truly hope you will convey. Of course, if His Majesty asks whether this slave said anything else... then Your Highness can obey the imperial command and repeat those earlier words too.”

“What... message?”

“Tell His Majesty that this slave was useless. In the end, I lost this move. This slave has failed the expectations His Majesty always placed upon me. But this slave has followed Master all his life. I have known glory. I have known freedom. This life has been worth living. A pity... I can no longer continue helping Master restore Great Chu. This slave...”

Nian Yao’s lips moved twice.

Partly, there was no time.

Partly, with death so close, there seemed little point wasting words on empty courtesies.

“When a man is near death, his words become sincere.”

“This slave wishes Master ten thousand years of life... and wishes the foundations of Great Chu endure forever.”

With that...

Nian Yao stood.

A dozen or so personal guards waited beside him.

“Brothers, I’ll trouble all of you.”

“We swear to protect the Grand General to the death!”

“We swear to protect the Grand General to the death!”

“Go. Into the mountains. If we can link up with the navy, then I, Nian Yao... will still have another day to return!”

Eighth Prince watched Nian Yao mount and ride away.

Then... he was left alone beneath the Grand General banner.

The guards who had originally accompanied him had been sent into the army over the past few days to join the siege and earn military merit.

Now the tree had fallen and the monkeys scattered.

Defeated Chu troops fled everywhere.

With Nian Yao gone as well... no one remembered to come protect this banner.

Eighth Prince stood for a while.

Then simply sat down.

Not long afterward... hoofbeats sounded ahead.

He raised his head.

The first thing he saw was a Marquis in black armor riding a Pixiu.

Black-armored riders quickly surrounded the banner.

Sabers pointed inward.

Marquis Zheng rode his Pixiu beneath the Grand General banner and looked down at the young man sitting there.

Nian Yao was gone.

Earlier, Zheng Fan had imagined that perhaps Grand General Nian would straighten his armor, stand beneath the banner, and wait for him.

Perhaps before admitting defeat, the two commanders would exchange a few grand lines.

That would at least fit the aesthetics of a historical romance.

But Nian Yao... had clearly chosen otherwise.

At last Eighth Prince summoned his courage.

He lifted his head and looked at Marquis Zheng.

Then forced a smile onto his face.

It carried a faint hint of ingratiation.

“Brother-in-law... I finally get to meet you.”

Marquis Zheng ignored this little brother-in-law entirely.

He merely swept one hand forward and ordered:

“Whoever captures Nian Yao alive or brings back his head will receive a heavy reward from this Marquis!”

“Yes!”

The cavalry around him immediately surged forward in pursuit.

Then...

Marquis Zheng turned toward A’Ming, who by habit remained at his side.

“A’Ming.”

“Here.”

“I have never liked talk of destined rivals. Nor do I ever give an opponent another chance to fight the next round merely because I respect him. We spent enormous effort this time. Wagered more than half our household foundation. Worked ourselves half to death getting here. If after all that we still let him escape... that would be truly infuriating. I don’t like dragging a story out forever. I like things crisp. Understand?”

A’Ming nodded.

He lifted his wineskin.

Pulled out the stopper.

And drank a mouthful of the blood inside.

“Understood.”

Marquis Zheng reached down and gripped the mane of his Pixiu.

Then he said calmly:

“Last time... you missed him. I’ll give you one more chance. When you come back, I don’t want to have to comfort you by saying ‘third time’s the charm.’”

A’Ming smiled.

“Master, if he escapes me again this time, this subordinate won’t have the face to come back at all. I... A’Ming... have my pride too.”

[End of Chapter 786]