The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 158 Thank You
Outside Youzhou City, Northwestern Military Camp.
Zhao Shang was not exceptionally intelligent, but he was not entirely foolish either. When he received the imperial decree from Grand Preceptor Zhou, he immediately understood that this was orchestrated by Zhao Fu. As his advisor had analyzed, his father intended to make him the crown prince—only such an important task would be entrusted to him!
But then, his advisor suddenly gasped in horror, "Disaster! That secret letter!"
Zhao Shang was momentarily confused. "Secret letter?"
The next moment, his face turned ashen. "The secret letter! What should we do? We must retrieve it immediately!"
His advisor dared not delay and rushed to Youzhou City to intercept the letter that had been secretly sent out. However, by nightfall, the Grand Preceptor ordered that no one was to leave the military camp without permission. Zhao Shang and his advisor were in a panic, but no one dared to openly state that they needed to leave the camp to retrieve the letter. By the time the Second Prince’s advisor finally returned to Youzhou City the next day, they discovered that the scout carrying the letter had already left overnight!
Grand Preceptor Zhou had sealed the city but had never restricted Zhao Shang’s movements. After all, he was a prince—no one would dare to stop him from doing as he pleased.
The advisor set out again to chase after the letter, but it was already too late. That plea for help, written in Zhao Shang’s own hand, had made its way to Shengjing. At this point, there was no turning back. Zhao Shang and his advisor had no countermeasures left and could only pray that the emperor would not take that foolish letter to heart.
But seven days later, news arrived from Shengjing—Fourth Prince Zhao Jing and Fifth Prince Zhao Ji had both left for Youzhou.
Zhao Shang collapsed onto his chair in bewilderment and turned to his advisor. "Mister, what... what is happening?"
The advisor already understood that the crown prince position, which had seemed within reach, was now completely lost. But he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, we may still have a chance. It seems that the letter did indeed reach His Majesty, but he has not issued a decree to punish you. The arrival of the fourth and fifth princes in Youzhou does not necessarily mean your defeat. As long as Your Highness can achieve great military merit in this war, everything may yet turn around."
Meanwhile, the deployment of both Fourth Prince Zhao Jing and Fifth Prince Zhao Ji to Youzhou stirred controversy within the court.
The emperor had only three sons, and now all of them had been sent to Youzhou. What exactly was he planning?
Tang Shen was baffled. Even officials like Wang Zhen and Xu Bi could not decipher the emperor’s intentions. It was only when Ji Fu mentioned that Second Prince Zhao Shang had written a letter home from Youzhou that Wang Zhen sighed heavily, "Fate plays cruel tricks."
There was no doubt—Zhao Shang must have done something to disappoint the emperor, leading to this outcome.
For a full month, the war between Song and Liao had been deadlocked outside Jiaozhou City.
In Shengjing, military reports arrived every five days. Most contained neither good news nor catastrophic losses. The Liao people were fierce warriors, and Jiaozhou was a naturally defensible position. Even a legendary war god could not conquer it in a short time. The emperor placed great trust in Grand Preceptor Zhou, ensuring a continuous supply of provisions and pay from Youzhou along the official roads.
Yet, despite this, criticism in court increased.
Every day that Jiaozhou remained untaken was another day of enormous financial strain!
Moreover, internal strife had erupted within Liao, and reinforcements from Dading Prefecture had yet to arrive. The Liao forces inside Jiaozhou were virtually unsupported. They were like cornered beasts, yet Grand Preceptor Zhou still hesitated to attack. If they continued to delay and Dading’s reinforcements finally arrived, the tide of war could turn against them.
But Zhao Fu still did not waver in his trust. During a morning court session, he harshly reprimanded an official who questioned Grand Preceptor Zhou’s decisions. The official was dragged out by guards, crying out in protest.
In truth, he was indeed innocent—he had not even been impeaching Grand Preceptor Zhou, merely urging a swift offensive to capture Jiaozhou.
Tang Shen sighed inwardly.
This was a clear example of using one person as an example to silence the others. After this incident, no one in court dared to voice objections against the Grand Preceptor again.
Meanwhile, in Liao territory, Datong Prefecture was under siege by Song forces, causing further internal discord. Though the second and third Liao princes were fiercely competing for the throne, they dared not entirely neglect their defenses.
Half a month later, Liao reinforcements were dispatched to aid Datong.
Inside the Liao imperial tent, Prince Yelü Shege furiously rebuked Grand Preceptor Yelü Ding for his inaction. Under normal circumstances, he would never have dared to challenge Yelü Ding. But now, with the Song army at their gates and Datong nearly falling overnight, even the tribal chieftains were beginning to question Yelü Ding’s leadership.
Yelü Shege cried out, "Datong Prefecture is under Grand Preceptor’s command, and its governor, Xiao Han, is one of your former subordinates. Everyone knows Datong is our northern stronghold! How did the Song manage to cut off our supply lines and suddenly launch an attack? There must be a traitor within Datong!"
His face was pale from exhaustion—he had been attending to the comatose Liao Emperor daily.
With a heavy heart, he turned to Yelü Ding, his voice choked with emotion. "Grand Preceptor, the Song army is no longer the same as it was thirty years ago! We must not underestimate them! I beg you, dispatch reinforcements to Datong immediately and root out the traitor before the Song forces grow even more arrogant!"
Saying this, Yelü Shege moved as if to kneel.
The tribal chieftains were stunned and hurriedly stopped him. "Your Highness, you mustn’t!"
Determination flashed across Yelü Shege’s delicate yet resolute features. "I am only a prince, unable to fight on the battlefield. I only wish for the Grand Preceptor to act swiftly! I will do anything required of me!"
The chieftains were moved. "What are mere Song soldiers? If no one else sends troops, I will!"
"I will send troops as well!"
"As will I!"
Yelü Ding’s gaze darkened as he observed the tearful Yelü Shege and the impassioned chieftains.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "The Song have dared to invade our Liao lands—I will not stand idly by. However, the commanders of the Black Wolf Army are stationed across the empire. Though I hold their military seal, I lack capable generals, which is why I have delayed sending reinforcements."
Yelü Shege’s heart sank.
Yelü Ding then knelt slightly and saluted him. "Your Highness’s dedication moves me. Therefore, I will entrust the entire Black Wolf Army—100,000 strong—to Your Highness. Lead them south and annihilate the Song forces!"
Yelü Shege opened his mouth, but Yelü Ding interrupted, "The duty of caring for the Emperor will now fall to the Third Prince. He is dull-witted, whereas Your Highness is the general we need!"
Thus, Yelü Shege led the Black Wolf Army south toward Datong.
On the march, Yelü Qin voiced concern. "We intended to use the Song threat to lure Yelü Ding’s Black Wolf Army away. Who would have thought he would send you along with them?"
Yelü Shege smirked. "That may not be a bad thing. In the end, isn't his most trusted army now under my command?"
Yelü Qin: "Your Highness means...?"
"A lone wolf without a pack is nothing more than prey waiting to be slaughtered. The Grand Preceptor believes he is playing along, but am I not also going with the flow?"
Yelü Shege, clad in armor and gripping his sword, declared loudly, "In this battle, I will make Datong Prefecture the graveyard of the Black Wolf Army!"
Yelü Qin looked at Yelü Shege approvingly, while Xiao Zhen, standing beside them, was sweating profusely.
Xiao Zhen had originally been just a minor adjutant in Xijin Prefecture, never expecting to rise to become one of Yelü Shege’s trusted aides due to a twist of fate. He was a greedy fool, and Yelü Shege saw through his every ambition, which was why he used him with complete confidence.
Leaving the command tent, Xiao Zhen was still shaken when Qiao Jiu approached him.
Xiao Zhen trusted Qiao Jiu completely and relayed everything he had heard in the tent.
Qiao Jiu said, "His Highness the Second Prince wants to use this opportunity to wipe out the Black Wolf Army. Why not lend him a hand? If things go well, when he ascends to the throne, your future will be boundless."
Hearing this, Xiao Zhen suddenly realized something. He lifted his head and stared at Qiao Jiu intensely, as if trying to see through him.
"I always thought you were one of the Third Prince’s men, that your Song identity was just a disguise. But now... Have I been wrong all along? Could it be that you really are a Song spy?!"
Qiao Jiu was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected this fool, Xiao Zhen, to have always thought he was working for Yelü Ding. But his suspicion wasn’t entirely unreasonable—after all, Xijin Prefecture was deep within Liao territory. How could he have guessed that Tang Shen and Su Wenyun had managed to reach so far, stirring up chaos even here?
Even after his identity was exposed, Qiao Jiu remained unfazed. He smiled and said, "Since you haven’t called for anyone to seize me, it seems you don’t plan to expose this. There's no need to look at me like that, daren. I’m merely a businessman. Have our years of cooperation not been profitable for you? You know well enough that the Song army may take Datong Prefecture, but conquering all of Liao? Impossible. The Song people have only ever wanted the three prefectures lost a hundred years ago. As for the Second Prince, all he wants is to eliminate the Black Wolf Army."
Xiao Zhen: "You mean...?"
"How does one eradicate the Black Wolf Army? Have them die by the blades of the Song soldiers—it only takes a few words from you, daren. How effortless. If you accomplish this for the Second Prince, you will truly become his confidant. Why hesitate?"
Xiao Zhen tried to feign righteousness. "I am a Liao official, and you are a Song spy. How can I send Liao’s soldiers to their deaths?!"
Qiao Jiu gave him an easy way out. "You are not the one who wants to destroy the Black Wolf Army—His Highness the Second Prince does!"
Xiao Zhen was never a man of principles; otherwise, he wouldn’t have secretly worked with Qiao Jiu for so many years. After hearing this, he saw a clear path to success stretching before him.
Xiao Zhen was about to rise to prominence!
On the second day of the fifth month in the thirty-sixth year of Kaiping, the renowned Black Wolf Army arrived at Datong Prefecture in great numbers. They had come swiftly, led by their commander Yelü Qi, a trusted confidant of Yelü Ding. Though Yelü Ding had verbally agreed to let Yelü Shege lead the Black Wolf Army, he would never truly hand over his elite troops to him.
Yelü Qi acted decisively. Upon reaching Datong Prefecture, he immediately led his forces outside the city to counterattack the Song army.
"The Song army will assume that we need time to rest after just arriving. We shall catch them off guard and wipe them out in one strike!"
However, when the Black Wolf Army charged towards the Song camp outside Jiaozhou, they found that the Song forces had already retreated at an alarming speed, leaving them striking at nothing but air.
That night, a lean young man in a black cloak entered the grand marshal’s tent. As he lifted his hood, a handsome face with rosy lips and white teeth was revealed.
Grand Preceptor Zhou was sitting upright. Looking up at him, he greeted with a voice as deep as a bell. "Su daren."
Su Wenyun smiled slightly, saluted, and greeted, "This lower official, Su Wenyun, pays respects to the Grand Marshal."
Grand Preceptor Zhou, "You have been in Youzhou for two years, yet this is my first time meeting you. I must thank you for today’s early retreat."
"I am merely serving His Majesty, just as you are, Grand Marshal."
Grand Preceptor Zhou nodded in appreciation. "Jing De told me you received intelligence that the Liao Second Prince plans to trap and massacre the Black Wolf Army in Datong Prefecture?"
"It is true."
"Can this be confirmed?"
Su Wenyun narrowed his eyes slightly. "Tonight, the Black Wolf Army launched a surprise attack, yet our Song forces suffered no losses. That is proof enough."
In the command tent, Su Wenyun and Grand Preceptor Zhou continued their discussion for a while. When Su Wenyun finally donned his cloak again and left, he had barely walked into a dimly lit, secluded area when he suddenly sensed something amiss.
He quickly said, "Li Jingde, if you dare to sack me with a burlap bag again, I swear I will kill you for revenge!"
General Li stood frozen in place.
Su Wenyun turned around, only to see that Li Jingde was empty-handed—no burlap bag in sight.
Li Jingde rubbed his nose. "You scholars are always slandering loyal men. Fine, fine, I won’t argue with you."
Su Wenyun scoffed and turned to leave, uninterested in continuing the exchange.
"Hey, I came to thank you."
Su Wenyun paused and glanced sideways at him.
General Li swaggered out from the shadows and nonchalantly tossed out a few words. "For the early retreat—thanks."
By all rights, Su Wenyun should have seized this opportunity to mock him. But when his gaze fell upon the black cloth tied around Li Jingde’s left arm, the sharp words he had intended to say were swallowed back.
"Slandering loyal men? Tch, only a treacherous villain like Wang Zifeng would do such a thing." With that, he flicked his sleeve and walked away.