Volume One, Chapter 50: The Critical Moment of a Hundred Thousand Lives!
The night was as black as ink, with wind and snow howling fiercely.
Zhang Muyang lay motionless like a crouching leopard in the shadow beneath the mountain cliff, his eyes pressed against a bamboo tube, fixed intently on the movements inside the tent.
Beside him, Su Ying was anxious but could see nothing. Unable to bear it, she tugged at Zhang Muyang’s sleeve.
Zhang Muyang smiled and handed her the bamboo tube in his hand.
He then drew his Cold Feather Blade and carefully made a very fine slit nearby, slowly inserting another bamboo tube through it.
Outside the tent was an icy wasteland; inside, it was warm as spring—a world apart.
The tent’s frame was made of sturdy elm wood, deeply driven into the frozen earth, solid as a rock. The outer layer of the tent was covered with thick double layers of windproof animal hide, while the inside was lined with soft wool felt, greatly insulating against the severe cold. The central fire basin burned brightly, the leaping flames dispelling the chill, and above it hung an iron kettle boiling strong liquor, its aroma filling the air.
A young man sat cross-legged by the fire, bare-chested.
Around his neck hung a large, fierce wolf tooth. His muscles were sleek and powerful, his gaze sharp as an eagle’s, radiating an extremely dangerous aura.
He was Helián Chúnshuǐ, the legitimate son of the Northern Yan Wolf King, Helián Bóbó.
At that moment, the princess entered.
She shed her white fur cloak and sable hat, revealing a fitted outfit that perfectly outlined her full, curvaceous figure. Her legs were long, standing at least 1.75 meters tall. Her face was sharply defined, with a high nose bridge, exuding both nobility and wild charm.
“Princess…” Helián Chúnshuǐ rose to his feet.
“The ones who killed Helián Jué and Helián Fēng have been found,” the princess said, sitting casually by the fire and pouring herself a bowl of steaming strong liquor.
“Who?” Helián Chúnshuǐ’s face instantly turned icy cold.
“He is Zhang Muyang, a squad leader among the reinforcements from Sifang County.”
“A squad leader?!” Helián Chúnshuǐ’s voice suddenly rose, disbelief filling his eyes. “A squad leader at the skin-refining realm, with a strength of barely five or six hundred jin… How could he possibly have killed Helián Fēng, let alone Helián Jué?!”
It was utterly absurd!
The disparity in strength was too great; it simply couldn’t be.
“But it is true.”
“However, you need not think of avenging this yourself. Wei Sōng, an advisor under Prince Beijìng, has already sent men to Hufeng Pass to have Zhang Muyang killed.”
The princess took a sip of her wine and solemnly said, “Our urgent task now is to ally with the Rong tribe and crush Zhenbei Pass in one decisive strike!”
The Rong tribe?
Helián Chúnshuǐ’s face suddenly turned extremely ugly, nearly bursting with suppressed fury. “Could it be that His Majesty has truly agreed to the Great Khan’s condition—to betroth you… the princess… to the Khan’s son?!”
The Rong tribe was a powerful nomadic people with a long heritage, their totem a wolf.
Legend held that their ancestor was the “Mother Wolf who gave birth to nine sons,” who then proliferated into nine great tribes forming a loose confederation. The highest leader of the alliance, the Great Khan of the Red Wolf tribe, was chosen by all the tribes and led the united army during war, while each tribe governed itself in times of peace.
This alone revealed the Emperor of Yan’s determination in marching south: he intended once again to unite with the Rong tribe and break through Zhenbei Pass!
Very well.
The Great Khan of the Rong tribe had agreed but made one condition—to have the Emperor’s most beloved princess married to the Khan’s son.
Only through marriage could the two nations solidify their alliance.
But everyone in Northern Yan knew the Emperor had already privately betrothed the princess to the illustrious Helián Chúnshuǐ to secure the Wolf King’s loyalty. Now, with the Great Khan’s demand, the Emperor had no choice but to accept.
How could Helián Chúnshuǐ not be enraged?
The princess said coldly, “The Rong tribe is merely a stepping stone for Northern Yan’s southern advance. We’ll use them to attack Zhenbei Pass. When they and the border troops are both exhausted, that will be the day we swallow the Rong tribes whole!”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
To motivate the tribes, the Great Khan had issued a Khan’s decree: whichever of the nine tribes first captured Zhenbei Pass could claim all the gold, silver, supplies, population, and beauties inside the fortress for their tribe alone!
Once this decree was out, the nine tribes had gone wild with greed!
Now, the two tribes nearest to the pass—the Black Bear tribe and the Red Fox tribe—had already mobilized, expected to arrive by dawn to join the vanguard camp. When that happened, they would serve as the main force, launching a fierce assault on Hǔqiū camp alongside the vanguard.
Meanwhile, the Wolf King himself would lead Northern Yan’s elite cavalry straight for Zhenbei Pass!
Helián Chúnshuǐ clenched his fists and asked, “Is everything arranged inside Zhenbei Pass now?”
“Don’t worry. Vice General Zhou Chóng is already one of ours. Everything is under control. Not to mention there are many of our Northern Yan people inside the city.”
“And the Khan’s son of the Rong tribe?”
The princess’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “He will charge with the Black Bear and Red Fox tribes… We will ‘do our best’ to protect him, but the battlefield is merciless. If anything unexpected happens, don’t blame us.”
Ha ha!
What a clever plan!
Helián Chúnshuǐ laughed aloud, his dark mood lifted, pouring two bowls of wine, handing one to the princess. “Then let us toast to our triumph over Zhenbei Pass and to the success of your plan, Princess!”
“To victory!” The princess threw her head back and drank her bowl of strong liquor in one gulp.
Hiss...
Hidden in the shadows, Su Ying’s face changed drastically. She gritted her teeth, saying, “I never expected the Wolf King to be so ruthless, using the Rong tribe as a vanguard, only to cross the river and dismantle the bridge afterward! The Black Bear and Red Fox tribes will be here by dawn!”
Zhang Muyang’s heart sank. “How many men will those two tribes bring?”
“Each tribe is different. The Black Bear tribe is large, about eighty or ninety thousand strong; the Red Fox tribe is smaller but still has fifty or sixty thousand. As the vanguard attacking Zhenbei Pass, even if not their entire force, they will send at least tens of thousands of elite cavalry!”
“What?”
Over ten thousand Rong cavalry!
Added to Northern Yan’s own iron cavalry!
This news was a thunderclap for Zhenbei Pass—a catastrophe!
Su Ying looked at Zhang Muyang anxiously. “What do you think we should do now?”
“We can’t listen any longer. We must immediately send this news back! Retreat!”
“Agreed.”
There was no more useful information to be gained.
The two of them grabbed the ropes and silently climbed to the cliff top.
Wang Da Dong was hiding in a snow cave. Seeing their figures, he immediately came forward. “Brother Mu, Sister Ying, what did you find out?”
“The situation is extremely urgent. We’ll tell you on the way! Quickly descend and meet up with Wang Yi and the others!” Zhang Muyang’s tone was urgent and commanding.
“Yes!”
The three did not dawdle, tumbling and scrambling down the mountain until they reached their sled and sped away.
Zhang Muyang looked at the gathering companions, a bitter, heavy smile on his face. “Things are bad... We’ve confirmed that the Black Bear and Red Fox tribes of the Rong tribe will arrive by dawn at the earliest, joining Northern Yan’s vanguard to jointly attack Hǔqiū camp!”
“What? The—Rong tribe?!”
“How did they get here?!”
Wang Yi, Zhang Xiaobei, and Gou Sheng were struck as if by lightning; their faces instantly drained of color, disbelief and despair filling their eyes.
The news was too horrifying.
Facing the Northern Yan army was already extremely difficult; now, with tens of thousands of elite cavalry from the Black Bear and Red Fox tribes...
Does Zhenbei Pass even stand a chance?
Everyone’s hearts plummeted into an abyss of ice.
It was likely...
No one would survive.