Before leaving Yanchi Crossing, Helian Cang had already mentally dissected the clues gathered from all sides countless times.
Inside the main camp, he stood before the table with his saber across it, his gaze fixed on the area marked “Yan Gui Plain” on the sheepskin map.
In his eyes, that territory was one of the nomadic regions belonging to the Cangyuan Khanate. Yet Xiao Yuan had now stationed himself there, like a thorn driven into his heart.
The secret reports brought back by spies from Da Sheng and the details reported by the dozens of batches of scouts he had dispatched over the past half month fit together perfectly, without the slightest gap—
Xiao Yuan had personally led the troops into the northern battlefield this time, committing approximately twenty thousand men as his main visible force in the conflict.
Linbei City had another eight thousand Imperial troops and approximately four thousand Northern Frontier troops remaining behind, none of whom had accompanied the army into battle.
As for the earlier rumors that had spread far and wide about “the Da Sheng Emperor secretly granting fifty thousand elite soldiers,” they were nothing more than a bluff intended to mislead the enemy.
Helian Cang had not blindly trusted a single piece of paper from his spies.
Over the past half month, he had ordered his Red Scouts and dozens of batches of mounted patrols to repeatedly investigate and probe the areas surrounding Yan Gui Plain.
The information brought back by the scouts was recorded, item by item, on the wooden table inside the main tent.
The number of cooking fires and columns of smoke rising from the camp each day, the depth of hoofprints left by incoming and outgoing carts and horses, the specifications of the carts transporting provisions, even the rhythm of patrol rotations and the arrangement of lights at night—all of it had been cross-checked and verified through multiple sources.
When different intelligence sources ultimately pointed to the same conclusion, the falsehoods faded away, leaving behind the cold, hard truth—
The number of men Xiao Yuan could actually lead into battle with blades in hand was indeed only a little over twenty thousand.
Inside the main tent, Helian Cang pressed his rough fingers against the large sheepskin map, slowly tracing the three locations of Yan Gui Plain, Duanyun Fortress, and Baishui Pass. There was not the slightest hint of contempt on his face. His eyes held only the cold, deep stillness of an icy pool.
Xiao Yuan was by no means a reckless commander. Precisely because of this, his deployment of troops was all the more glaring.
Qin Feng led a portion of the main force in a head-on assault against Duanyun Fortress, Pei Yi led his troops in firmly holding Baishui Pass, while Xiao Yuan himself remained stationed at Yan Gui Plain, overseeing the overall situation.
Twenty thousand troops supporting three battlefields meant that every defensive line had been stretched to its absolute limit.
When the fist had already been extended to the very front, the area behind the heart would inevitably be left wide open.
The weakest point in terms of troop strength was undoubtedly Yan Gui Plain, where Xiao Yuan was stationed.
If he wanted to take Xiao Yuan’s head, this was an excellent opportunity.
Yet precisely because of that, Helian Cang hesitated.
“How quickly can forty thousand troops reach Duanyun Fortress?” Helian Cang asked in a deep voice without even raising his head.
The deputy general beside him immediately cupped his fists and answered solemnly, “If we push the horses to their limits and march at full speed, we can arrive within a day. Our military provisions can still sustain us for several days. If we successfully join up with the supplies along the way, we will have enough to launch a swift, sudden attack.”
Helian Cang nodded slightly, suppressing the killing intent in his heart.
He immediately ordered the ships repaired and preparations made to assemble the troops for deployment toward Duanyun Fortress.
However, the battlefield changed more quickly than he had anticipated. In the end, he had still underestimated how thoroughly Xiao Yuan could steal time from the course of the war.
In less than a day, when Helian Cang led his forty thousand troops like dark clouds pressing down upon the land and arrived within ten li of Duanyun Fortress, the fierce battle of offense and defense he had anticipated never materialized.
On the distant city walls, the wolf-head banner of the Cangyuan Khanate had already been cut down.
In its place, the silver wolf banner on a black background of Da Sheng fluttered violently in the cold wind.
Helian Cang tightened his reins. His warhorse exhaled a cloud of white breath and stamped the ground uneasily.
Given the original marching pace and the thirty thousand defenders inside Duanyun Fortress, the city should have been able to hold out for at least several days, giving his forty thousand troops sufficient time to form an encirclement from both inside and outside.
Yet Xiao Yuan had torn through the defenses of Duanyun Fortress at an extremely high cost in an incredibly short time.
Time had been stolen by Xiao Yuan.
The speed at which Duanyun Fortress had fallen was wrong.
The efficiency of this army was different from that of the Xiao Yuan’s forces he had known in the past.
Windblown sand swept across Helian Cang’s stern face.
He did not fly into a rage. There was barely even a ripple in his eyes. He simply asked the most crucial question directly.
“What about the grain?”
“It has all fallen into Da Sheng’s hands. Qin Feng has sealed off the granaries and is repairing the breach in the eastern wall,” the scout reported with his head lowered.
Helian Cang’s fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the hilt of his saber.
The loss of Duanyun Fortress meant that a portion of the logistical system sustaining the Cangyuan Khanate’s army had been completely severed. From this point onward, they could only rely on supplies from farther behind the front lines, and the pressure of providing provisions for the forty thousand troops behind him had suddenly intensified.
But that did not mean he had lost.
The deputy general urged his horse forward and hurriedly requested orders. “Commander, our army has the advantage in numbers. Should we attack Duanyun Fortress while Da Sheng has yet to establish a firm foothold?”
“We cannot attack.” Helian Cang’s voice was hard and cold.
They had marched at full speed all the way here without bringing heavy siege equipment. Using only their light equipment to attack a fortified city that Qin Feng had already taken over and that possessed ample provisions would be no different from filling a trench with their own flesh and blood.
Moreover, the sky was growing dark. By the time they finished deploying their troops, it would be nearly nightfall. There simply would not be enough time to launch an assault.
“If we waste time beneath the city walls and our provisions run out, our army will be trapped in a dead end.”
It was not that he did not want to retake the city. Rather, he had calculated the situation very clearly. If they attacked, they would only die faster.
“Then should we change course and enter Baishui Pass to join General Tuoba Lie?”
“That is even less advisable.”
Helian Cang immediately rejected the suggestion.
“Baishui Pass is small, and its grain reserves are limited. If forty thousand men crowd into the pass, we will lose the advantage of maneuverability in open battle. Forty thousand mouths will only accelerate the exhaustion of the provisions inside the pass. By then, if Pei Yi surrounds us outside the pass without attacking, and Xiao Yuan cuts off our retreat, these forty thousand troops will become trapped beasts.”
A direct assault on Duanyun Fortress was out of the question, and retreating into Baishui Pass was equally inadvisable.
Helian Cang’s gaze passed over the vast, desolate plains before settling coldly on the southeast—Yan Gui Plain.
The intelligence verified by multiple sources half a month ago resurfaced in his mind.
With Duanyun Fortress fallen, Qin Feng would inevitably be held up inside the city, gathering provisions and reorganizing the defenses. At the Baishui Pass front, Pei Yi was still being firmly restrained by Tuoba Lie.
Xiao Yuan had stretched his troop deployments to their absolute limit. As a result, the main camp at Yan Gui Plain, where he was stationed, had now become the weakest and most vulnerable shell.
“A city can be retaken after it is lost, and grain can be seized again after it is gone. But Xiao Yuan cannot be allowed to withdraw safely with his main force.”
Helian Cang drew his saber, Suiya, and pointed it directly toward the southeast. The blade reflected a cold gleam beneath the sunlight.
He had not made this decision out of personal spite. He firmly believed that as long as Xiao Yuan was gone, Prince Su’s army would collapse on its own.
“Turn the entire army around! Make straight for Yan Gui Plain!”
◆◇◆◇◆
The Cangyuan Khanate’s forty thousand troops descended upon the outskirts of Yan Gui Plain like a hurricane sweeping across the land.
As far as the eye could see, the camp at Yan Gui Plain still stood tall.
Anti-cavalry barricades had been placed at the camp entrance, archers stood on the watchtowers, and several hundred cavalrymen patrolled back and forth outside the camp.
Beneath the tall, fluttering banners, the entire camp presented a picture of strict vigilance, as though it were ready to engage the enemy at any moment.
“Commander, there are approximately a thousand men inside the camp!” a scout reported as he galloped over.
Helian Cang narrowed his eyes slightly. He did not allow the black-background silver wolf banner before him to cloud his judgment.
He calmly ordered, “Have the vanguard cavalry probe the enemy. The main force must maintain its formation and must not move rashly.”
The Cangyuan cavalry slowly advanced.
The Da Sheng troops inside the camp did not stubbornly defend their position. After unleashing one suppressive volley of arrows, they abandoned the camp in an orderly fashion and retreated along a narrow valley path behind it.
The Cangyuan vanguard pursued them immediately.
However, the Da Sheng troops retreated without falling into disorder. Every few li, they would take advantage of the terrain to form a shield wall and resist for a short while before withdrawing again.
After several rounds of advancing and stopping, the formation of the Cangyuan vanguard gradually stretched out.
When the cavalry poured onto a narrow dirt road, the warhorses at the front suddenly let out miserable neighs.
Countless iron caltrops had been scattered among the dead grass and mud. The warhorses stepped on them and fell, causing the cavalry behind them to stumble and tangle together. Dense patches of shallow pit traps had also been dug along both sides of the road. Although they were not fatal, they completely disrupted the cavalry’s charging rhythm, forcing the troops at the front to halt and bunch up.
By the time the Cangyuan cavalry had cleared the obstacles and looked up again, the thousand Da Sheng soldiers had already used their familiarity with the terrain to split into small groups and disappear deep into the mountains and forests.
Helian Cang reined in his warhorse and looked at the obstructed vanguard. His voice was cold and low.
“Stop the pursuit. Withdraw!”
He already understood the situation in his heart.
The thousand men left behind had never intended to fight a decisive battle. They were the final delaying force Xiao Yuan had deliberately stationed at Yan Gui Plain.
Their sole mission was to use the terrain and obstacles to exhaust the Cangyuan Khanate vanguard’s horses and buy time for the actual withdrawal.
When Helian Cang led his troops into the central military camp at Yan Gui Plain, what appeared before his eyes was an encampment that had been completely emptied out.
Empty tents that had somehow not been dismantled flapped in the wind. Broken cartwheels and discarded pieces of wood that could not be carried away lay scattered across the ground.
As for grain, military equipment, medicinal supplies, important documents, and even the surplus horses, none had been left behind.
This was absolutely not a panicked escape following a surprise attack. It was a carefully planned withdrawal.
A scout hurried over to report. “Commander, we have discovered three clear sets of retreat tracks on the ground!”
Three distinct trails extended in different directions.
The first had deep wagon ruts and obvious traces of grain carts, strongly resembling the transport of large quantities of provisions. It headed in the direction of Duanyun Fortress.
The second bore traces of light baggage and military supplies, heading toward Baishui Pass, where Pei Yi was stationed.
The third was also the freshest and clearest of the three. Bootprints, wagon ruts, and hoofprints intertwined, and there was even fresh horse manure. The trail looked disorderly and led directly southwest.
According to the usual logic of military retreat, this third trail looked the most likely to indicate the direction taken by Xiao Yuan himself and the last batch of troops accompanying him.
A sharp glint flashed through the deputy general’s eyes as he quietly requested orders.
“Commander, Xiao Yuan’s last contingent has not gone far. If we immediately gather our main cavalry force and pursue them with all our might, we can certainly intercept and kill him!”
The temptation to pursue was right before them. As long as Xiao Yuan was killed, the unfavorable situation caused by the fall of Duanyun Fortress—and even the entire course of the war—could be reversed in an instant.
Yet Helian Cang did not draw his saber.
He slowly dismounted and walked over to the freshest set of tracks. Crouching down, he grabbed a handful of damp soil that had been crushed beneath the wagon wheels and carefully rubbed it between his fingertips.
Deep wagon ruts… exceptionally clear hoofprints… even the scattered bits of fodder that had fallen to the ground were far too conspicuous.
Helian Cang brushed the dirt from his hands, stood up, and looked toward the southwest.
“Too clear.”
It reminded him of the previous occasion when the enemy had used wagon tracks to lead him into a trap.
The deputy general was startled. “Commander, you mean…?”
“Xiao Yuan maintains extremely strict military discipline. If he truly wanted to conceal his whereabouts, how could his retreat leave such utterly undisguised traces?”
Helian Cang’s eyes were icy.
“This is not a rout. He deliberately wants me to see these tracks.”
The three trails did not resemble the chaotic traces left by an army hastily fleeing for its life.
Xiao Yuan indeed did not have enough troops to confront forty thousand men head-on in the open field, so he had chosen to divide his forces and withdraw along separate routes.
Yet he had deliberately left his own trail the clearest of all, placing an enormous multiple-choice question before Helian Cang.
Helian Cang could not help tightening his grip on the saber hilt.
Of course, he desperately wanted to pursue Xiao Yuan immediately.
If his forty thousand troops pursued the trail without regard for the consequences, their formation would inevitably stretch out along the way, while their horses and supplies would be steadily depleted.
By the time they reached the end of the trail, they might no longer be facing the remnants of Xiao Yuan’s army. They could instead find themselves facing another battlefield that Xiao Yuan had prepared in advance.
By then, the forty thousand troops might already have become an exhausted army before the actual battle even began.
Xiao Yuan’s true intention was to use himself as bait to exchange for Helian Cang’s time and logistical supplies.
As long as the forty thousand troops became trapped in an endless pursuit, Helian Cang’s time and provisions would run out even sooner than Xiao Yuan’s.
“Commander, are we pursuing him or not?” Cold sweat seeped from the deputy general’s forehead.
Helian Cang closed his eyes, rapidly weighing the possibilities in his mind.
If the entire forty-thousand-strong main force pursued Xiao Yuan, it would mean staking their formation, provisions, and retreat route on a single uncertain gamble. They might very well fall directly into Xiao Yuan’s hidden contingency plan.
Yet if he let Xiao Yuan go entirely unchallenged, Xiao Yuan would be able to reorganize his forces without any pressure.
After a moment, Helian Cang opened his eyes, recovering the coldness and decisiveness expected of the commander-in-chief of the Cangyuan Khanate.
“The main force will not pursue.”
Helian Cang issued his orders calmly.
“Dispatch three hundred light cavalry scouts, personally led by you, to follow these freshest tracks. Maintain a sufficient distance. Do not approach too closely. Remember, you are only to track them, not engage in battle. It is better to lose sight of them than to let them bite back at us. I want to confirm which direction Xiao Yuan actually took, not send you out to fight!”
“Also, dispatch several small teams to investigate the places where we previously saw flashes of light. If you find any Da Sheng people, capture them alive and interrogate them. If they carry anything unusual, confiscate it and bring it back. Burn the buildings at those locations.”
“Understood!”
After receiving his orders, the deputy general did not dare delay. He immediately gathered the troops and departed.
Several groups of Cangyuan light cavalry galloped away with howls, heading toward several different directions like packs of wolves on the grasslands following the scent of blood.
Helian Cang had not staked his entire forty-thousand-strong army on a single unknown variable.
Sending three hundred scouts to follow Xiao Yuan would at least allow him to confirm the latter’s true direction of retreat. Meanwhile, moving the main force back toward Baishui Pass would allow him to observe Pei Yi’s troop strength and prevent the Da Sheng forces from joining up smoothly, while also maintaining vigilance toward Yanchi Crossing and regaining the strategic initiative.
He stood in the center of the silent, empty camp, watching the three sets of wagon tracks extending into the distance. His gaze was as dark and deep as still water.
Today’s contest might appear to have ended with Xiao Yuan gaining the upper hand once again through a feigned retreat and luring the enemy into pursuit. Yet Helian Cang understood better than anyone that Xiao Yuan’s troop strength had not changed.
What had changed was the Da Sheng army itself.
The battle over the past half month had seen Duanyun Fortress fall far too quickly, at a speed that defied common sense.
In the past, whenever Da Sheng’s frontier forces suffered large numbers of casualties, the evacuation of wounded soldiers and the rotation of troops would quickly fall into disarray. The distribution of provisions and the morale of the army would also become unstable.
But the troops under Qin Feng’s command had withdrawn, separated, and treated their wounded with astonishing speed after half a day of fierce fighting. Reinforcements at the front lines had arrived in orderly fashion. Fatigue was certainly present, yet the main force in the central camp had not lost its organization despite suffering heavy casualties. It remained as tightly unified as an iron plate.
Then there was the almost perfectly synchronized coordination across the battlefields.
Pei Yi at Baishui Pass, Qin Feng at Duanyun Fortress, and Xiao Yuan at Yan Gui Plain were separated by hundreds of li. If military orders relied on traditional courier horses, transmitting them would take at least several shichen.
Yet the attacks, defenses, and withdrawals of the Da Sheng army today had been so precise that they seemed almost as if the same person had moved three chess pieces at the exact same moment.
Helian Cang reached into his robes and took out a cold, solid object.
It was a broken fragment of a glass mirror, its surface ground unusually smooth. Its ability to reflect light far exceeded that of ordinary objects, and it refracted a cold, pale gleam.
Last month, when the scouts had raided a Da Sheng secret outpost on an isolated peak in the Yin Mountains, they had recovered it among the belongings of a sentry who had fallen off a cliff. At the time, Helian Cang had not understood the true purpose of this peculiar object.
But over the past half month, the scouts had reported more than once that short, dazzling flashes of reflected light appeared during the day on the high ridges of the Northern Frontier’s mountain ranges. After nightfall, concentrated beams of light occasionally flashed between mountain peaks.
Their appearances did not follow the established conventions of beacon fires, yet they always seemed to follow some kind of barely perceptible pattern.
“Neither beacon fires nor courier horses…”
Helian Cang ran his fingertip over the cold, sharp fragment of broken glass. A profound shock flashed through his eyes.
In the past, he had assumed that Xiao Yuan had an exceptionally intelligent Xia Lanshi by his side.
But if Xia Lanshi was the most important strategist around Xiao Yuan, then who had brought about the structural changes now taking place in this army’s logistics, medical care, and communications?
“Someone come here.” Helian Cang’s low voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against a surface.
A scout responsible for the intelligence network hurried forward. “What are your orders, Commander?”
“Activate our hidden contact in Linbei City.”
Helian Cang’s tone was as cold and hard as iron.
“Tell him to stop obsessively investigating how many troops Xiao Yuan brought or how much grain he carries. I want to investigate Xiao Yuan himself. Since his return to Linbei City this time, what new people have appeared around him?”
“Especially the military camps and the rear areas where wounded soldiers are treated.” Helian Cang’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s.
“Find out who is arranging the evacuation of the wounded. Determine where the soldiers who suffered severe injuries but survived were ultimately sent. Who is managing the medicinal supplies, wounded soldiers, and military physicians in the rear? Apart from Xia Lanshi, are there any other unfamiliar advisers or extraordinary individuals frequently entering and leaving Xiao Yuan’s central tent? Investigate every detail. Even if it’s an inconspicuous physician or an ordinary craftsman, I want to know his origins!”
The scout’s heart jolted. He quickly lowered his head. “This subordinate understands! What about those unidentified flashes of light on the mountain peaks…?”
“Send elite mounted scouts to keep watching all the high points.”
Helian Cang snorted coldly.
“Do not attack them directly. Simply mark down the locations of every mountain peak where flashes of light have appeared, one by one, on the sheepskin map. Whatever they are, if there is light, then someone must be transmitting messages there. One day, we will find the source.”
After issuing these two secret orders, Helian Cang took one final, deep look at the empty, deserted camp at Yan Gui Plain.
“Order the main force to regroup and organize the provisions!”
Helian Cang mounted his horse and turned his gaze toward the northeast.
“Move the entire army toward Baishui Pass!”
The night wind gradually rose across the desolate plains, scattering the dust and smoke over Yan Gui Plain.
Helian Cang’s forty thousand main troops reorganized their formations once more. Like a gigantic beast that had cautiously and calmly retracted its claws, they began moving toward Baishui Pass.
◇◆◇◆◇
Xiao Yuan had never intended to engage the Cangyuan Khanate’s iron cavalry in a decisive battle at Yan Gui Plain. Meeting them head-on would have been no different from courting death.
The moment the horns sounded to announce Qin Feng’s breach of the city, the three-pronged retreat plan at Yan Gui Plain had already been fully set into motion.
Helian Cang did not know that, on the night before Duanyun Fortress fell, the main camp at Yan Gui Plain had already begun a quiet, orderly withdrawal.
The first route consisted of large quantities of grain and baggage. Hundreds of carts had quietly departed in the dead of night, escorted by light cavalry and heading straight toward the area surrounding Duanyun Fortress along concealed valley paths. By now, the front and rear sections of the convoy had already been gradually received inside the city.
The second route consisted of essential military equipment, medicinal supplies, and account books. These had turned southwest toward Pei Yi’s main camp and were now approaching a safe area.
The third route was Xiao Yuan himself.
Xiao Yuan personally led the last thousand or so men in withdrawing, carrying the final batch of military provisions with them as they departed last.
They had made no deliberate attempt to conceal their whereabouts. Deep wagon ruts, dense hoofprints, and bootprints had been left clearly visible on the ground.
Whether Helian Cang chose to pursue them or decided not to, the final positions of the chess pieces would remain unchanged.
Night had fallen.
Several dozen li away, the gates of Duanyun Fortress had been firmly shut, and the enormous granaries had been securely taken over by the Da Sheng army. Inside Pei Yi’s main camp, newly delivered military equipment and supplies were being unloaded in an orderly manner.
Meanwhile, along another concealed route, Xiao Yuan rode on horseback and looked back toward Yan Gui Plain. His eyes were deep and solemn.
The pieces on the battlefield had already been moved.
The confrontation at Duanyun Fortress and Yan Gui Plain had come to an end, while the next contest, one that would determine the fate of the northern territories, was silently advancing toward Baishui Pass.
◇◆◇◆◇
The Cangyuan Khanate, in the rear of the royal court.
A plain white felt tent stood alone in a sheltered spot behind a low hill on the western side.
Several clusters of low-growing tamarisk bushes grew on the hill, producing tiny white flowers like stars in summer.
A shallow stream flowed past the southeastern corner of the tent. Its gentle sound was just enough to conceal conversations inside.
The location was neither so remote that it would arouse suspicion nor so central that it would attract unwanted attention.
Behind the tent was also a small vegetable plot enclosed by a fence.
It was called a small plot, though in reality it was only a few paces square. Inside grew several cold-resistant wild vegetables and a small clump of mint.
Such a thing was extremely rare on the grasslands. The Northern Di did not practice farming, yet someone had inexplicably cultivated a small patch of land behind the tent.
Outside the tent, wind chimes swayed gently in the breeze, producing faint, tinkling sounds.
Inside, a faint herbal scent lingered in the air. It was not incense, but the distinctive medicinal fragrance of the White Deer Tribe.
Dried mint, mugwort, and unnamed wildflowers carried the scent of the grasslands after rain, mingling with the smell of old paper and a faint trace of milk.
There were no ferocious beast skulls symbolizing martial valor hanging here. Instead, thick scrolls of sheepskin and books from Da Sheng were neatly stacked on the desk.
Historical classics, military texts, maps, medical manuals, agricultural books, and even several volumes of Da Sheng poetry collections were all present.
Most of the book spines had been softened by repeated reading. Some had been sewn back together with leather cords, while others held bookmarks made from dried grass or strips of cloth.
The place was unusually quiet, entirely devoid of the murderous atmosphere and stench of blood that filled the frontline battlefield.
A man in his twenties sat with his eyes lowered, carefully reading a livestock register in his hands.
His features were gentle, and his gaze was serene. Beneath the light, his irises resembled translucent, pale amber, as though all the violent blizzards of the grasslands would instinctively come to rest upon reaching him.
His complexion was fair, not the pallor of someone pampered by luxury, but the whiteness of someone who had spent years reading inside tents and rarely seen sunlight.
His cheeks lacked the roughness and weathered appearance common among men of the grasslands. He kept no beard, and instead possessed a slender, scholarly air.
His long hair was as black as an ink cloud, hanging straight down to his waist and flowing behind him like a traditional ink painting.
A simple white deer-bone hairpin was fastened in his hair, its smooth texture resembling jade.
He wore a plain white robe, without embroidery or ornamentation. Only a delicate pattern of clouds, stitched in thread of the same color, circled the collar and cuffs. On his feet were soft deerskin boots.
The Cangyuan Khanate lay in an extremely cold region, where white creatures held a special sacred status in the culture of the grasslands. White symbolized purity, holiness, and communication with Heaven. Anything white was not to be treated lightly.
Among these, the white deer was the ancestral deity of the White Deer Tribe, symbolizing the tribe’s origins and bloodline. It was also an auspicious creature revered throughout the grasslands.
Deer antlers symbolized the Tree of Life, while the white deer itself embodied purity, guidance for those who had lost their way, and peace.
And this man was Helian Yue, the second prince of the Cangyuan Khanate, born of the White Deer Tribe.
If Helian Cang was an unsheathed blade, then Helian Yue was a pool of still water beside it.
He did not seek attention, was not sharp or aggressive, and did not even attract much notice.
He simply existed there quietly, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yet if one observed him for a little longer, one would discover that beneath those gentle eyes lay something deeper than any blade.
Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, breaking the tranquility.
A messenger covered in dust entered the tent and dropped to one knee. His voice was hoarse from days of continuous travel.
“Second Prince, urgent news from the front lines!”
Helian Yue calmly set down the livestock register in his hands. Without urging the messenger to hurry, he simply looked at him serenely.
“Speak slowly. What has happened to my elder brother?”
“Duanyun Fortress… has fallen!”
The messenger swallowed and hurriedly reported, “The Da Sheng general Qin Feng launched a surprise attack on Duanyun Fortress. The commander has already led forty thousand main troops toward Yan Gui Plain, but Yan Gui Plain has become an empty camp, and Xiao Yuan’s whereabouts are unknown!”
The messenger had expected this usually refined and gentle second prince to show some sign of alarm. After all, Duanyun Fortress was one of the three central strongholds supporting the Khanate’s southern campaign.
However, there was not even the slightest ripple in Helian Yue’s expression.
He sat quietly in his place, his slender fingers tapping soundlessly against the tabletop.
After a moment, he asked the first question that came to mind upon hearing the military report.
“How much grain remains inside Duanyun Fortress?”
The messenger froze. His lips trembled as he replied, “Not a single… not a single grain was brought out. The Da Sheng army has taken over the granaries. All the provisions have been lost.”
Helian Yue did not slam the table, berate anyone, or even lament the cunning of the Da Sheng army.
He merely lowered his eyelids slightly and looked at the livestock register on the desk.
…The provisions that had originally been intended to sustain the hundred-thousand-strong southern expeditionary army for several months were gone.
Those supplies had been extracted from an already barren homeland and exchanged for at great risk through secret dealings with Da Sheng grain merchants.
For Helian Cang at the front lines, the loss of Duanyun Fortress meant the destruction of a strategic hub. Determining how to deploy the troops next was the most urgent matter.
But for Helian Yue, stationed in the far rear, this was not simply the loss of a city.
It was as though the enemy had plunged a sword into the Cangyuan Khanate’s veins and drained away most of the last of its blood. The country could collapse at any moment with the next blow.
“You may leave and get some rest first.”
Helian Yue’s tone remained gentle, as though what he had just heard were nothing more than an insignificant matter.
After the messenger withdrew, a man emerged from behind the tent. He was Helian Yue’s most trusted adviser.
“Second Prince…” The adviser’s voice was somewhat strained.
“How much was lost during this year’s spring grazing season?” Helian Yue suddenly asked without raising his head.
The adviser was startled but immediately answered, “Less than sixty percent of previous years’ numbers remain.”
“What about the winter sheep?”
“All the tribes are reducing their herds, and the breeding rate among the ewes is extremely low.”
“How is the epidemic being controlled?”
“The White Deer Tribe has already lost two batches of livestock to disease. To prevent a major outbreak, the Tiele Tribe began sealing off its camps several days ago.”
Helian Yue finally raised his head. His light brown eyes held no feverish desire for power, only a cold despair at the figures laid out before him.
He continued asking questions.
“If my elder brother demands that we send more grain to the front lines, based on our current reserves… how much longer can we last at most?”
The adviser hesitated, his Adam’s apple moving with difficulty.
“Based on the current reserves of all the tribes… if we have to send another shipment to the front lines, we can last at most… two months.”
Helian Yue fell silent.
…Two months.
The void left behind in the rear after so many able-bodied young men had been drawn away from the pastures was on the verge of collapse.
It was certainly important who controlled the cities, but the grasslands had no food left, cattle and sheep were dying in batches, and the population was rapidly declining.
Summer was approaching. For the grasslands, the growth of pasture was normally a blessing.
But for a long-distance military campaign, summer rains would turn the roads into mud and blunt the cavalry’s mobility. The damp heat would also make livestock diseases and injuries more likely to spread and worsen.
If the war dragged on into a prolonged stalemate, the young men and livestock would remain trapped at the front lines, and the rear would no longer be able to count on a harvest in the next season.
Helian Cang might still win several more battles, but whether the Cangyuan Khanate could endure several more was an entirely different matter.
By then, whether Da Sheng’s cities could be held would no longer be important. The true dead end would be how many living people remained in the Cangyuan Khanate itself.
Helian Yue slowly rose to his feet and walked to the entrance of the tent. Lifting one corner of the curtain, he gazed at the distant, gloomy sky.
He knew that he could not call for a ceasefire.
At this moment, the war faction held an absolute majority within the Cangyuan Khanate.
Those generals who depended on their maternal clan, the Golden Wolf Clan, and those tribal leaders who had watched their people starve to death during three years of famine all stared south with bloodshot eyes.
In their eyes, Da Sheng was the largest granary in the world. If they did not fight, Da Sheng would never give them grain. Mutual trade was nothing more than begging from the strong by the weak.
They firmly believed that as long as they followed Helian Cang, the son of the Wolf King, and broke through the Northern Frontier, they would obtain land, food, and the means to survive.
If Helian Yue stepped forward now and shouted, “Withdraw the troops,” he would immediately become the common enemy of every member of the war faction, branded a cowardly traitor.
“Second Prince, what should we do?”
The adviser asked quietly, “If the commander continues his fierce attacks, these hundred thousand men… may not even have enough provisions to make it back to the grasslands alive.”
“There is no need to rush.”
Helian Yue released the tent curtain and turned back toward the desk.
He would not confront Helian Cang directly.
Helian Cang held the heavy saber Suiya, a symbol of the cruel laws governing the grasslands. As for him… all he had were a brush and numbers.
But he had already been making preparations for a long time.
During this period, he had never convened any public secret meetings of a so-called “peace faction.”
He had simply asked a few questions naturally while visiting the various tribes.
He asked the chief of the White Deer Tribe, “How many adult horses in your tribe can still survive through the coming winter?”
He asked the chieftain of the Tiele Tribe, “If the main army receives no new provisions for three months, how much more can your tribe send?”
When the White Deer Tribe became willing to listen, when the Tiele Tribe began to hesitate, when the accounts no longer balanced, and when the tribes discovered that this war had nearly drained their entire reserves—
Fear would prove more effective than any eloquent argument.
Helian Yue spread out a blank sheet of sheepskin and picked up his brush.
He did not write a letter of surrender, nor did he draft a state letter addressed to Da Sheng.
Instead, he wrote down the following:
“Number of warhorses available for trade, high-quality furs, green salt, jade…”
On the other side, he wrote:
“Grain shortages, required quantities of ironware, locations for mutual trade, winter deadlines.”
This was neither a plea for mercy nor formal diplomacy. It was a contingency plan he had been contemplating for a long time.
A trump card that could be used to exchange for the Cangyuan Khanate’s right to survive with Da Sheng if, one day, the Khanate truly could no longer continue fighting.
He knew that if mutual trade were opened, the Cangyuan Khanate would certainly have to pay a price, but he had already thought everything through.
“Find a merchant we can trust, someone who has frequently traveled along the Da Sheng border and understands the customs and rules of both sides.”
Helian Yue handed the unsigned, unsealed sheepskin document to his adviser. His voice was calm, without the slightest ripple.
“Have him take this list and test the waters along the border to see if anyone is willing to discuss this. Do not mention my name, and do not say that he represents the royal court. He only needs to ask one question: ‘If Cangyuan is willing to exchange this quantity of horses and furs for grain and ironware, would Da Sheng be willing to open the border markets?’”
The adviser accepted the sheepskin document with both hands, his palms growing slightly damp with sweat.
“Second Prince, if the Wolf King’s son discovers this…”
“If my elder brother wins, this list will be nothing more than a piece of waste paper. No one will know its true purpose.”
Helian Yue watched the flickering candlelight, his gaze profound.
“If my elder brother loses, we must ensure… that the Cangyuan Khanate still has a tomorrow.”
He understood his elder brother too well.
Helian Cang had seen the starving corpses on the grasslands, so he believed that the Northern Di had to possess land capable of producing grain. For that goal, he was willing to stake the fate of the entire country.
He was using the present to gamble for a bloody path to survival.
But Helian Yue had read the historical records of Da Sheng and deeply understood how profound the foundations of a vast dynasty that had endured for hundreds of years could be.
Even if Da Sheng lost one or two battles, it would still possess the resilience and resources to turn the situation around.
If they lost Prince Su, they still had other generals.
But what about the Cangyuan Khanate?
Did they have the resources to fight a twentieth or thirtieth war?
He had once said to Helian Cang, “You may win a battle, but you cannot defeat a dynasty.”
Helian Cang was thinking about how to keep Cangyuan alive today.
Helian Yue was thinking about how to ensure Cangyuan would still exist ten years from now.
“Go and handle it,” Helian Yue instructed softly.
The adviser accepted the order and withdrew.
Helian Yue sat alone inside the tent, listening to the howling wind outside.
He lowered his eyes, concealing the deep sorrow within them.
“Elder Brother… you always think I am afraid of you losing.”
Silently, he spoke to the wind blowing from the south.
“The truth is, I am afraid that even if you win… all that remains of Cangyuan will be an empty wasteland.”