When Mo Xi returned to the residence, Gu Mang was in the study, reading and writing.
The small vermilion-lacquered window was open, and scattered flower petals drifted outside. Gu Mang was wearing a loose, pale-blue robe made of fine ramie, his braided hair loosely gathered at the back of his head into an untidy bun. When the wind blew, the shadows of the flowers wandered and fluttered across his body and the desk.
One glance at the book spread open before him told Mo Xi that he was once again recording those memories that were gradually slipping away. Gu Mang was writing with great concentration and had not noticed Mo Xi’s arrival. His cheeks were slightly puffed with held breath, his berry-like lips lightly pursed, while his mist-like eyelashes cast gentle shadows beside his nose, occasionally trembling.
Mo Xi was unwilling to shatter this hard-won peace, so he simply stood outside the half-open study door and watched him. After quite some time, Gu Mang finally finished writing what he wanted to record today, and so he raised his head.
When he saw the man standing outside the door, Gu Mang froze for a moment, his clear blue eyes widening slightly.
“Huh? When did you come back? Have you been standing outside this whole time?”
Mo Xi, who was clearly not good at lying, nevertheless replied at this moment with extraordinary calm and naturalness, “No. I just got here.”
As he spoke, he entered the room.
Gu Mang asked, “What did they say at court? Has His Majesty returned to court today?”
“He has.”
“That’s good. In that case, the cities around Shituo Pass also—”
“It’s already too late. Daze City has fallen. The report just arrived today.”
Gu Mang was suddenly startled. “Another city?!”
“Yes.” Mo Xi said, “His Majesty has already drafted the edicts. In another hour, he will send these several edicts to the various residences concerned. At noon, he will go to the General’s Platform to assemble the generals and troops, and mobilize the army to head for the northern frontier.”
“He has already discussed it with you?”
Mo Xi paused before saying, “Yes. I will still lead the Northern Frontier Army into battle. In addition, fifty thousand cultivators from the Flying Horse Camp have been assigned to us, under Murong Lian’s command. There are also fifty thousand cultivators from the Scarlet Feather Camp, but their commander has not yet been decided.”
Gu Mang’s brows had already furrowed when he heard that Murong Lian was going. He thought to himself that Murong Lian had clearly already lost his heart for the battlefield. His addiction to Floating Life Like a Dream had reached such a degree, yet His Majesty still intended to send him… He did not know what reason lay behind it. However, when he heard that “the commander of the fifty thousand Scarlet Feather Camp cultivators has not yet been decided,” his brows furrowed even deeper.
“He doesn’t have a candidate yet?”
Mo Xi shook his head. “He favors Mengze.”
“……”
“Although Mengze is physically weak, the former troops of the Scarlet Feather Camp were once commanded by her. This army is also the elite force of the First Nobility. Although they are obedient, they are nevertheless unruly. His Majesty is worried that if someone else becomes their commander, they will be unable to withstand the provocations of the Scarlet Feather nobles. So his intention is to have Mengze stationed with the Scarlet Feather Army. She does not actually need to do anything.”
Gu Mang pressed his lips together. “Do you think His Majesty is really doing it for that reason?”
“I don’t want to speculate on what he is doing it for,” Mo Xi said. “I came back to the residence before the military assembly for no other reason than to ask you this—if possible, would you be willing to take over the former Scarlet Feather troops in Mengze’s place and go to the front line with me?”
Gu Mang was stunned.
“You want me to… take over the former Scarlet Feather troops?”
“Yes. Are you willing?”
The change in Gu Mang’s emotions could be seen clearly on his face. Before he had even had time to react, the unexpected thought of “being able to return to his own kingdom and fight alongside his fellow countrymen” sent the blood rushing to his face—seven parts astonishment and three parts delight.
But gradually, the intense flush on his face faded somewhat, and the light in his eyes dimmed.
Gu Mang slowly said, “Mo Xi. I really want to go to the front line with you. Even if you hadn’t come back and told me today, once I found out, I would have gone anyway.”
Mo Xi could not help giving a bitter smile. “I understand. Actually, I don’t want you to go to the front line, but I thought that if I truly stopped you, you wouldn’t be happy. You would only resent me. So the suggestion that you go with us was something I proposed to His Majesty.”
Gu Mang was stunned for a moment, then lowered his eyes. “Thank you.”
Mo Xi raised a hand and rubbed his hair. His strength was always somewhat heavy, and Gu Mang’s bun was tied loosely. After Mo Xi rubbed it, several strands of hair fell loose, hanging black beside his cheeks.
Mo Xi said, “There are advantages to you going too. At least I can see you at every moment. So, if you’re willing, I’ll go and speak with His Majesty right now—”
But Gu Mang interrupted him.
“I want to go to the battlefield. But I don’t want to command the Scarlet Feather Camp.”
Mo Xi: “……”
Gu Mang said, “I can’t be a commander anymore.”
“Think about it. The Scarlet Feather Camp is entirely made up of cultivators from noble and imperial relatives. After fighting against Liao for so many years, they hate me to the bone. For them to be willing to obey my military orders would be nothing short of a fantasy.”
“……I understand what you mean. If you’re worried about that, you don’t need to have any concerns.” Mo Xi said, “If you wear a face covering, His Majesty will tell the Scarlet Feather Camp that you are a distinguished noble of the royal family, but for certain reasons, it is temporarily inappropriate to disclose your specific identity. With His Majesty’s warning before battle, and with me as the commander-in-chief, no matter how much they speculate, they won’t dare make any reckless move.”
Beneath Mo Xi’s deep brows, his phoenix eyes, black as night, gazed at him. His expression was gentle, without coercion, without persuasion, filled only with boundless tolerance, like an ocean that had swallowed the starry night.
“As long as you’re willing.”
“But if you aren’t willing, or if you simply want to be an ordinary soldier and stay by my side, that’s fine too. It’s entirely up to you.”
How could Gu Mang not be willing? How could he not know the painstaking effort Mo Xi had put into this?
If he led the Scarlet Feather Camp to achieve a resounding victory, and one day had the opportunity to publicly reveal his identity as a spy to the world, this would also be an achievement that absolutely could not be underestimated.
It seemed that Mo Xi and His Majesty must have fought very hard to obtain the position of Scarlet Feather Camp commander for him. His Majesty clearly intended to choose Murong Mengze as deputy commander, which evidently contained his own private considerations. Mo Xi had moved against His Majesty’s interests in order to fight for this bargaining chip for him.
Gu Mang was silent for a while before saying, “…Let Mengze go after all.”
Although Mo Xi had been somewhat prepared for it, when he heard Gu Mang truly give up, his eyes still held a trace of sorrow.
—Just as Gu Mang could instantly see through the sacrifices Mo Xi had made, the risky move he had taken, and the boundaries of His Majesty that he had crossed.
How could Mo Xi not see through the fact that his senior brother’s decision to give up was also for his sake?
“Gu Mang…”
Gu Mang gathered his wide, dark-blue sleeves and explained, “In the end, it really isn’t suitable for me to become the commander of the Scarlet Feather Camp. Everyone’s eyes will be watching me. There’s no guarantee that someone won’t discover something unusual. If my identity is exposed during a great battle, it will inevitably cause internal unrest among Chonghua’s soldiers.”
“Besides, my memories are constantly disappearing little by little. I don’t know what I will become next. If I go and serve as a general, having a clear mind is indispensable.”
“……”
“I know what you’re thinking.” Seeing Mo Xi’s expression darken, Gu Mang stepped forward and cupped Mo Xi’s slightly cool face in his hands. The corners of his eyes curved into soft, smiling lines. “But I only want to do my part for Chonghua. I want to fight alongside you all. I want to stay by your side.”
After a pause, he rose slightly onto his toes and pressed his forehead against Mo Xi’s. His hand slid down and intertwined their fingers.
“This time, let me be an attendant by your side.”
Mo Xi lowered his eyes. “The position you should have isn’t this…”
“The position I want is this.”
Mo Xi: “……”
“Be good.” Gu Mang rubbed his forehead against Mo Xi’s. “Being able to once again go to war for Chonghua with you, I am already very happy.”
“With you. With the Northern Frontier Army. No matter how it is, it is good.”
“Mo Xi, we can fight side by side again.”
——
Chonghua, sixth month, seventeenth day of the Dali calendar.
Summer.
Less than two years after the cessation of war, Liao tore up the treaty and launched an attack on Shituo Pass. Because Chonghua delayed mobilizing its troops, after breaking through the perilous Shituo Pass, the Liao army swiftly swallowed Feng City, Di City, and Daze City, once again taking into its grasp the strategic location where Chen Tang had once sealed the Blood Demon Beast.
When news of Daze City’s fall arrived, His Majesty finally awakened from his deep slumber. In order to swiftly reclaim the city, His Majesty immediately mobilized troops at the court assembly that very day and began intensive preparations for war.
The fierce wind whipped the bright-red battle flags. Beside the railing of the General’s Platform, His Majesty stood with his hands behind his back.
To his left stood Mo Xi, dressed in black with gold trim. To his right stood Murong Lian, dressed in an ornate sapphire-blue robe.
Under the blazing sun, His Majesty’s gaze swept inch by inch across the three armies below, their formations strict and orderly. Gu Mang also stood among them with his face concealed behind a covering. When His Majesty’s gaze fell upon him, it paused for a moment, and then he gave an almost imperceptible nod, greeting his Marshal Gu in this manner.
The commanders of the Northern Frontier Army and Flying Horse Camp had already been decided. His Majesty fingered the prayer beads around his wrist, then used voice amplification magic to send his voice across the entire training ground.
“Murong Mengze, step forward.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Mengze stepped out from the side of the military formation.
She had a gentle, beautiful appearance and a frail body, but her bearing was extremely upright. Especially when she tied up her hair and changed into a fitted formal military robe of the direct royal lineage, she appeared even more solemn and dignified in military bearing. No one could tell that she was a sickly person whose spiritual core had been shattered.
His Majesty said, “The position of commander of the Scarlet Feather Camp is hereby granted to you. I hope you will work together with Lord Wangshu and assist Lord Xihe in his northern expedition to Daze, reclaiming the lost territory.”
As soon as these words were spoken, faint disturbances began to ripple through the army.
Murong Mengze lowered her head. “I obey.”
She took the golden command arrow from the herald, then stepped up the stairs covered with scarlet felt carpeting and walked onto the General’s Platform, standing beside commander Mo Xi according to protocol.
The General’s Platform was solemn and dignified, and casual whispers were forbidden. Yet when Mengze took her position as commander of the Scarlet Feather Camp, quite a few nobles revealed expressions of disbelief and extreme dissatisfaction. They said nothing; a meeting of their eyes and brows was already self-explanatory.
There were plenty of capable people in Chonghua. Why had this golden command arrow been given to Murong Mengze?
Could it be His Majesty’s personal preference?
Could it be that he wanted Mengze to fight side by side with Lord Xihe and exchange favors with him?
Could it be that he deliberately wanted to distance himself from the imperial relatives…
Thought after thought seemed to take physical form, and beneath the silence of the General’s Platform, undercurrents surged violently.
As the person who had interacted most closely with His Majesty, Gu Mang understood the deeper meaning very clearly.
This battle was of immense importance. The most elite troops had all been mobilized, and it could practically be considered a battle that was certain to be won. Yet before this, the various nobles had pushed responsibility onto one another and quarreled endlessly, resulting in cities falling and the frontier collapsing. It was truly a misfortune for the kingdom.
At that time, Murong Mengze, who had advocated war, had clearly received the Emperor’s full authority, yet because she was a woman, she had been subjected to widespread doubt.
On the surface, this matter appeared to be those old noble officials refusing to accept a woman wielding authority. But if one dug deeper, it was still because these old aristocrats, who possessed imperial iron decrees and ancestral fiefs, did not take His Majesty seriously enough. That was why they dared exploit such a loophole.
Since the collateral nobles were already so arrogant, if His Majesty now granted the position of Scarlet Feather commander to any one of them, would he not simply be raising his own hand to slap his own face?
Only by giving it to Murong Mengze could he vent this anger completely. Only then could he silently yet forcefully warn them:
Chonghua is under my command.
Whether she is a woman or a slave, whoever I want to employ, you cannot stop me.
Under the brilliant blue sky and blazing sun, His Majesty said, “For this battle, a total of two hundred thousand cultivators will be mobilized. The army will press upon Daze. We depart today.”
The war drums thundered. The training ground immediately erupted with the soldiers’ unified cries of response. Armor reflected the sunlight, while spears and halberds gleamed brilliantly.
As usual, Chonghua’s cultivators recited the oath before departing for battle. Their voices broke through the heavens and stopped the drifting clouds.
“We solemnly obey His Majesty’s command! We shall not return until we have broken through!”
“We solemnly obey His Majesty’s command!”
“We shall not return until we have broken through!”
Hidden among the crowd like the most insignificant of people, Gu Mang watched the cultivators around him shouting and listened to their earth-shaking cries. After hesitating for a while, he cautiously tried to follow them, reciting those oaths that had once been engraved in his mind but had now become almost unfamiliar.
Gu Mang softly murmured, “We wear the same robes as our brothers; we shall not return until we have broken through…”
He mounted an ordinary jujube-red warhorse, the feathered plume of his helmet fluttering in the wind.
The city gates opened wide, and the great army advanced north.
At that moment, he had returned once again to his old friends, his comrades, his Northern Frontier Army, as nothing more than a small soldier.
Everything seemed to have returned to the starting point bathed in brilliant sunlight.
Gu Mang turned his face to the side. In a daze, he seemed to see Lu Zhanxing at the same young age, Mo Xi still green and youthful, and the seventy thousand brothers who had passed away mounting their horses once more.
They were so young.
And he had already become so broken and aged.
“We shall not return until we have broken through!”
Amid the deafening cries, the army moved from the training ground onto the official road. Perhaps the sunlight at that moment was simply too fierce; passing through his eyelashes, it stung Gu Mang’s eyes, and he unexpectedly felt so choked with emotion that he wanted to cry.
That year, he finally went to war once again.
Just as he had when he was twenty, full of youthful spirit.