Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 141: An Chu

War had broken out once more. The beacon fires burned across the sixth month of summer. This time, however, it was the state of Wei that had taken the initiative, unwilling to sit still and wait for their demise. When the news arrived, the entire nation was shaken. It was an invasion using the full strength of the state.

The two nations had been neighbors for many years. Though the Lord of Jin had long harbored ambitions to annex Wei, he had not expected them to strike first. The Lord of Jin dispatched the Fourth Prince to lead the troops in defense, with orders to halt the Wei army outside the Tiger’s Mouth Pass. Even if he could not defeat them, he had to hold them back. All available troops, provisions, and even farmers along the route were mobilized.

"Fourth son, I have never seen you command an army. This time, let me witness it properly," the Lord of Jin said, seeing him off. "Your elder brother, he is capable of anything, but he is simply too lazy. Alas..."

"I will do my best, Father," the Fourth Prince replied earnestly. In the past, he could have wiped out a kingdom single-handedly, but that would have been an offense against the heavens. The Lord of Jin had always hoped to see his grasp of military strategy and tactics. He wanted to see something like when Wang Chuan led troops through Wei—a command that could be described as godlike.

"Duan Changfeng has topped several rankings and should be a famous general of the future, yet he himself admits that Chuan is no less than him. Where do you think he learned all that? Self-taught from reading books? Regardless, he is already formidable," the Lord of Jin sighed. "I hope to see your own unique brilliance as well!"

"I understand, Father," the Fourth Prince said solemnly.

"A commander should fight with wits, not just strength. This time, you can prove your own capability to me, prove that you are no worse than Wang Chuan," the Lord of Jin looked at him, his gaze burning like a torch. "If one wishes to achieve unparalleled glory, one must take extraordinary measures. This is what I have done in the past; if it were Wang Chuan, I believe he could do it too. Do not be bound by rigid conventions! If things go wrong, just escape and come back to me. Don't worry about anything else. I just want to see you safe, all right?"

The Fourth Prince felt a warmth in his heart. He understood the hidden meaning and nodded with reddened eyes. "I understand. Please rest assured, Father, I will not disgrace my mission!"

"You are a good son," the Lord of Jin said, finally gripping his hand with satisfaction. "I am old now; I only wish to facilitate this matter. The future, however, belongs to you all. In truth, this world is vast enough to contain both you and Wang Chuan. Do you remember what he asked me in the court earlier? He was right—some things simply cannot be discarded at will."

The Lord of Jin stood there, watching the other depart. The great army marched out.

"Your Highness! Your Highness..." Duan Changfeng rushed over in a flurry.

Upon seeing Wang Chuan, he found the man in a sour, irritable mood. "You have disturbed my peace."

"This subordinate deserves death, please forgive me, Your Highness," Duan Changfeng bowed hurriedly.

"Enough, keep it brief," the man said impatiently.

"Your Highness, Wei has invaded with the full strength of their nation," Duan Changfeng reported.

He had expected as much. Even he would have done the same. At this point, how could they hope to hold back the Jin army? Otherwise, they would be kings of a fallen state. He also knew that the state of Yu would certainly intervene. But if so, the Jin army would surely not win. It seemed they would have to rely on the forces behind the scenes after all.

"I know nothing of this," the man shook his head. "Are you finished?"

"The most suspicious part is that the Wei army came from Tiger’s Mouth Pass. This place is strategically narrow. Do you remember the plans we drafted for the western expedition in court?" Duan Changfeng pressed. "Tiger’s Mouth Pass happens to be our current weak point. Three days ago, for the sake of the grand plan for the west, the entire nation’s troops and provisions were redeployed. Therefore, someone must have leaked the intelligence for the Wei army to target the pass."

This was a sensitive matter, but the two were brothers-in-arms who had faced death together. Duan Changfeng spoke clearly.

"Are you suspecting me?" the man asked with a strange expression. "Do you want me to say yes or no?"

"Your Highness, the most important thing now is that others suspect you. The voices of the masses are like a river that is hard to block," Duan Changfeng advised. "Whether you did it or not is truly hard to say."

"Ha..." Wang Chuan yawned. "Then I understand. It wasn't me anyway. I don't understand military matters, so you should go back early and get some rest. There will be many things to keep you busy later."

Since his return, Wang Chuan seemed increasingly unfathomable.

"Your Highness, do you think Wei has any chance of victory?" Duan Changfeng asked finally. "If this was not your doing, who could have leaked the secret to Wei? And why? Could it be that someone is trying to frame you?"

"Changfeng, you talk too much. Go back and think it through yourself," Wang Chuan replied. "Remember to do your own job and don't meddle in other affairs."

The Lord of Jin was also returning to the palace. He glanced at the old eunuch beside him and asked, "Do you think the Crown Prince has changed much since he returned this time?"

"I don't think so," the old eunuch replied hurriedly.

"You don't?" the Lord of Jin wondered.

Yet why did he have such an illusion?

"This old servant only thinks that it is Your Majesty who has changed a great deal," the eunuch said.

The Lord of Jin was stunned, pausing for a long time.

"Oh, so it is I who have changed."

...

Tiger’s Mouth Pass.

The Fourth Prince had traveled over a thousand miles to arrive. Outside, the Wei army was constantly gathering. Their momentum was sharp and unstoppable; these were no ordinary soldiers.

"Who has come from the Wei army?" the Fourth Prince asked, arriving at the front lines.

"It is I, Li Jinxu," a general rode out. "Is there no one left in Jin? Where is Wang Chuan? Why doesn't he come out?"

The Fourth Prince frowned upon hearing this. The nations had been at peace for so long that he was unfamiliar with the prowess of some of these generals. Not everyone could prove themselves in battle like Duan Changfeng or Qi Hao. Most were unfamiliar to him, just as they could not possibly understand him.

The Fourth Prince looked at him once more. "I will remember you!"

This time, he would only strike once; killing one person would be enough. To take the head of a general amidst a million soldiers—he felt such a thing was too boring. After one last look, the Fourth Prince returned to the pass.

At that moment, a whistling arrow suddenly sounded in the sky. As he wondered, a series of roars erupted like thunder. The Tiger’s Mouth Pass shook as if it might collapse; something was falling. The horses were spooked, and the soldiers trembled.

"Your Highness, flee! It is the divine weaponry of Yu! We cannot block it!"

The guards from his estate came to protect him, retreating toward the interior of Jin.

Jin? Weaponry? The Fourth Prince only then recalled that world-famous display, though he had never witnessed it himself. Wang Chuan—he seemed to recall that Wang Chuan had been present.

Yu? Wei? They had actually colluded.

In the thunderous roar, he could barely hear anything else. Only the rumbling echoed, and the soldiers wailed, scrambling in terror. The Fourth Prince also sensed some movement; looking back, amidst the overwhelming noise, the Wei army was attacking.

"This is also the tactic of coordinating firearms with cavalry that His Highness Wang Chuan taught! I truly wish he could see this..."

The Fourth Prince finally heard the enemy say this. He truly wanted to charge in and wipe them all out, but he held himself back. Tactics, military strategy—I am well-versed in these as well!

Now, he could only withdraw with his men, a shameful flight. If it were Wang Chuan, he would not have been defeated, would he? Even when leading troops, he had never lost, had he? The Fourth Prince suddenly felt ridiculous. How would the soldiers view him? In their eyes, Wang Chuan would be more suitable than him.

Heh...

The Fourth Prince retreated all the way to the Lan River, rallying the remnants of his troops to block the Wei army. This was all he could do now. If he let the Wei army take another step, he would be forced to strike.

Now, only two thousand men remained, scattered and broken. How could they block the enemy? The Wei army likely numbered eighty thousand.

"Report to the court. I can hold them for three days. Propose that the Crown Prince take command!"

He still had to let Wang Chuan face these things—the man he was once so familiar with. That was not a bad thing either. A defeat in battle, abandoning the camp and fleeing... for a prince, these things mattered little. There was no punishment to be had, especially since he had already achieved the merit of destroying a kingdom. If the Lord of Jin were displeased, he could cross the border at any time and destroy Wei to make amends. Seriously. These things were no big deal.

"Ah? What did you say, Your Highness? I cannot hear you clearly!"

The messenger dug at his ears and shouted loudly. He, too, had nearly been deafened by the blasts. The Fourth Prince wanted to kick him into the river. Speechless, he ended up writing a letter himself to be delivered by an urgent eight-hundred-mile courier. The military situation was critical!

"Father, what are you waiting for?" the Sixth Prince asked, looking at his father and the vast territory of Jin before them.

The Lord of Wei sighed and did not speak.

"Father, you are waiting for Wang Chuan, aren't you? Why?" the Sixth Prince could not understand. "We could have defended Wei ourselves."

"What would be the meaning of that?" the Lord of Wei asked. "I have never feared the Jin army, but what of the barbarian hordes? And the Demon race?"

"The Lord of Yu thinks the same as I, which is why we are cooperating. We will both become the final foundation stones for Wang Chuan’s great cause. He will step upon this to reach the summit and then protect the human race."

They had been waiting for one person, waiting for far too long. Finally, they had reached Wang Chuan. They firmly believed that he would accomplish what no predecessor had ever finished.

"Father," the Sixth Prince said, unwilling to accept this. "I am your son. Why won't you believe in me? Why won't you give me a chance?"

"Because the burden is truly too heavy. You cannot carry it," the Lord of Wei shook his head. Even he had no confidence. This step—it could not be taken wrongly.

Jin, Crown Prince’s Estate.

Someone was lightly tapping on a chessboard. He was playing against himself.

"This move... it cannot be wrong! Wang Chuan is not here; I must make the decision for him."

The piece hesitated in his hand for too long, unable to be placed.

"Your Highness..."

At this moment, someone came to call him. "His Majesty wishes to see you."

"I know," he said, setting the piece aside and heading to the palace.

Only after seeing the Lord of Jin did he learn the truth; the military reports would not have spread so quickly otherwise. The Fourth Prince had been defeated. Wei and Yu had joined forces, crossing the border with firearms.

"That 'firearm' thing, you know about it, right?" the Lord of Jin asked him.

"I know. Mortal flesh cannot withstand it," he replied.

"Then is it very powerful?" the Lord of Jin asked again.

This...

He could not help but widen his eyes. "It is not a question of whether it is powerful or not; it is truly that kind of... very special thing. Military texts say: attacking cities is the lowest strategy, attacking the heart is the best. The accuracy of Yu's firearms is likely poor, and the lethality is not great, but just by firing blindly based on feeling, the enemy's morale is already in chaos."

Which is to say, us!