Chapter 424 Warfare

Chapter 424: The Battle

Meng Wan woke up in the swaying canopied boat, and the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Dai Zhong's handsome smiling face. "You slept a full two hours, junior brother—quite the sound sleep."

"I should have known. Why would you, senior brother, happen to come to Lin'an for no reason, especially while my Lord Song happens to be away?" Meng Wan's tongue felt slightly numb. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and, resting on the hard, stiff pillow, suddenly realized this was the second time he'd slept on such a hard pillow—he still wasn't used to it.

"Junior brother is a clever man—too clever to be the child of a trained courtesan and a frail, useless scholar. I've also studied your works, junior brother. Those tales of strange creatures and monsters—don't they all feature supernatural calligraphy and arts beyond mortal skill?" Dai Zhong stared intently at Meng Wan's face, then raised his hand and pulled the bone hairpin from his own hair.

Only then did Meng Wan notice the grayish-white hairpin, its tip so sharp and piercing. Dai Zhong gripped the hairpin, his gaze boring into Meng Wan's face, as if he wanted to slice open Meng Wan's skin to see if another face lay beneath.

"The mermaid jade token from Ji Po Island was made by you, wasn't it, senior brother? Since you've been entangled with the Luo family, you must have already investigated my background thoroughly. Don't you know whether I was a servant boy sold by Bai Fuling?" Meng Wan lay on the pillow with half-lowered eyelids, his tone indifferent. The fingers inside his sleeve barely twitched, and a tingling numbness spread through his entire body.

Dai Zhong wasn't wrong—Chi You's knockout powder could even subdue the large beasts in the forest, let alone a defenseless young lad. So much time had passed, and though Meng Wan had regained consciousness, his body still couldn't move.

"Junior brother speaks truly, but I've actually been watching you for a long time. There's one thing I'm truly curious about, and I hope junior brother can enlighten me." Dai Zhong spoke politely, but the bone hairpin in his hand was getting closer and closer to Meng Wan's cheek, the threat unmistakable.

"Thanks to your lingering brotherly affection, I haven't ended up chopped to pieces like Lady Yu. I'm already deeply grateful. A few words are nothing—if I don't answer, wouldn't that be ungrateful?" Meng Wan said with deadpan sarcasm, making it unclear if he feared Dai Zhong or simply didn't care.

Dai Zhong ignored Meng Wan's mockery. "I recall you accompanied Miss Bai as a dowry gift to the Luo family and only stayed there for half a month. How is it that after entering the capital, you became so close with Luo Jining of the main Luo family branch?"

"Luo Jining doesn't care about his parents or brothers, never replies to any letters from the Luo family, yet he corresponds frequently with you, junior brother. I wonder when the two of you started becoming close." The tip of the bone hairpin grazed past Meng Wan's jaw, sending a fine shiver through him. Meng Wan turned his head to avoid the hairpin, his eyes fixed on the two short men rowing at the stern, but his mind was racing.

Why would Dai Zhong conspire with the Luo family, and why would he suddenly bring up Luo Jining? What was so special about Luo Jining—a son who cut ties with his family after marrying out—that made him worth worrying about? Tying this to what he'd seen in You City, Meng Wan suddenly asked, "I heard there's war in the north. The Mohe dared to launch an attack and broke through three northeastern cities. Unfortunately, they only reveled in their victory for a month before Marquis Zhongyi led troops to retake two cities. While the two sides were deadlocked, the Eastern Wo suddenly sent troops to the coastal islands, attacking Weihai and Licheng?"

Hearing Meng Wan's words, a smile slowly crept across Dai Zhong's lips. With his hair loose, his laughter seemed unhinged. "What is junior brother trying to say? Shouldn't you be answering my questions?"

With no other choice, Meng Wan answered readily. "Luo Jining and I had some business dealings, but we never came to terms. However, his husband Yi Hongfei guards Weihaiwei. He may not have been famous under Nie Chuan, and most people don't know that as a military commander, he's meticulous and was personally trained by a great scholar of Yu. He's well-versed in military strategy and tactics. If one isn't careful, it's easy to lose to him. Even if those Eastern Wo were well-prepared, I doubt they got the better of Yi Hongfei, did they?"

The smile on Dai Zhong's face gradually faded. "Our master is gone. As fellow disciples, we should support each other. I have no intention of killing you, junior brother. I only want you to come with me to Weihai and help me with a small favor."

Meng Wan sighed. "It's not that I don't want to help you, senior brother. We're not that close. If you're going to Youzhou, you'd do better to bring his parents and brothers."

Dai Zhong: "His parents and brothers were all beheaded by the new emperor."

Luo Jining's sister is Prince Lian's consort—he only survived thanks to Yi Hongfei. Everyone else had already been executed.

Meng Wan thought for a moment. "Since you're so sincere in your invitation, I can accompany you on this trip. But at least undo the drug's effects on me, right? I don't know martial arts—could I possibly escape on this boat?"

"Others might not escape, but you're clever, so I can't be so sure." The two boatmen were undoubtedly first-rate masters, and even so, Dai Zhong's bone hairpin never strayed far from Meng Wan, kept at a constant distance. "I know you have experts following you, but two fists can't beat four hands. He's already surrounded by all of You City's top fighters—he's probably fighting for his life. Don't think you can stall for time and escape. Once we board the big ship, there will be even more people waiting. Even if you sprouted wings, you couldn't fly away."

Meng Wan sighed helplessly. "Ah, it seems you've thought of everything. That big ship ahead is your rendezvous point, then?"

Dai Zhong frowned and turned around—sure enough, a large ship was approaching in the distance. No... not just one!

This was definitely not their prepared ship. Dai Zhong's eyes flew wide, whites flashing, and he instinctively thrust the bone hairpin at Meng Wan. But to his surprise, his wrist went numb, the hairpin snapped in two, and then the canopied boat shook violently. Before anyone could react, the whole boat was flipped by a tremendous force.

Dai Zhong and his men were all strong swimmers and quickly surfaced, but they soon discovered people underwater, with more seemingly swimming toward them in the distance.

The three had no choice but to swim toward less crowded areas. When they surfaced to catch their breath, they saw the large ship they'd spotted earlier had drawn close.

Shen Chongshan stood on the deck of the salt transport ship, looking down, holding a small puppy in his arms. "Fujiwara Taizhong, are you planning to swim all the way back to Eastern Wo? Quite the leisurely swim!"

Fujiwara Taizhong's expression darkened. "Shen Chongshan, it's actually you. Isn't the Shen family and the Song family..." He stopped mid-sentence as realization struck. "You were pretending to be at odds, but actually playing one in the open, one in the shadows? Your new emperor of Yu is quite the schemer!"

During the previous emperor's reign, the power of the Grand Secretariat had been steadily weakened. After Wen Zhao ascended the throne, he deliberately made the Grand Secretariat a hollow institution, increasing the power of the Six Ministries. He wouldn't allow any single faction's power in the court to outweigh the emperor's authority. He was willing to grant his ministers power, understanding clearly that authority and fame shouldn't rest in the hands of the same group of people. The Grand Secretariat members could retire peacefully, their prestige trotted out only when needed—nothing more.

The steady Song Tingzhou, the smooth Shen Chongshan, the money-obsessed Kou Wen who treated the state coffers as his personal purse... these were the men the court truly leaned on.

Shen Chongshan held the puppy, the deck gently rising and falling with the waves. He smiled. "That's not right of you. Lord Song and I simply have different focuses in governance. Those rumors of discord are just others' speculation." While he spoke casually with Fujiwara Taizhong, a large number of his men were already leaping into the water to capture him.

There was no need to ask further—Fujiwara Taizhong realized the ship sent to pick him up had already been intercepted. His hidden forces were nothing compared to the southern network that Song Tingzhou had already purged. Even if his two subordinates were among the finest fighters, they couldn't hold off so many people trying to capture all three. Fujiwara Taizhong was quickly brought aboard.

Not only had Shen Chongshan brought men to intercept Fujiwara Taizhong from the front, but another large ship trailed at a distance behind, and even the banks on both sides were lined with hidden ranks of soldiers.

"Splash!"

More than twenty expert swimmers burst up from where the boat had capsized. Fan Er leaped out of the water, wiped his face, and looked around first—not a soul in sight. "Damn it, Wan Geer doesn't seem to know how to swim."

Meng Wan not only couldn't swim—his hands and feet were still mostly numb. He sank, held his breath desperately for a moment, and then began gulping water.

Although he knew someone should be protecting him nearby, people's fear of drowning is instinctive. As the oxygen ran out, Meng Wan felt like his lungs were about to explode, his mind flickering between clarity and blackout. In a daze, he seemed to return to that burning dormitory in his past life—everyone else was fleeing in the chaos, while he alone had passed out from carbon monoxide poisoning. This time he didn't faint; he watched with open eyes as flames licked at him from all directions, his body leaden, without the strength to lift a hand.

Actually, in his past life, Meng Wan had been something of a complainer. Why was he an orphan? Why was he so utterly unremarkable?

He'd wanted to be impeccably dressed, holding a cup of coffee, striding confidently through high-rises, speaking elegantly, wearing a polite, aloof smile, looking down from on high at the unremarkable masses below.

Eventually, Meng Wan came to feel content. He considered himself lucky—some people go their whole lives missing each other, yet he'd been lucky enough, in that fateful summer, with wet hair, to be seen and taken into Song Tingzhou's heart at first glance...

Meng Wan's body sank like a stone. Just as his limbs relaxed and he stopped struggling, a powerful arm wrapped around his waist from behind, hoisting him upward with force.

Fresh air flooded into his lungs. Meng Wan coughed a few times, forcing his eyes open. Through blurred vision, he saw a handsome face drawn with worry.

Don't worry, I'm fine, he wanted to say.

But only hoarse coughs came out as he passed out, weak and coughing.

Song Tingzhou held him tightly. On the small boat, Chi Yu quickly helped take Meng Wan. After climbing aboard, Song Tingzhou immediately hoisted Meng Wan onto his back and ran toward the gangplank connecting to the large ship. "Xiao Ci, come see to your father."

After Chu Ci had taken A Xun back to Sanquan Village to be entered into the family registry, he'd stayed with Chang Jinhua for a while before heading south—he'd only arrived in recent days. He was waiting on the deck, directing Song Tingzhou to lay Meng Wan flat on the ground. He pressed on Meng Wan's chest, then pinched his nose and breathed air into him. Song Tingzhou's technique was fairly competent, and Meng Wan hadn't been underwater long. After coughing up a few mouthfuls of water, he slowly regained consciousness.

Song Tingzhou held him tightly with one arm while gently patting Meng Wan's back with the other to help him catch his breath. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

His voice carried a barely perceptible tremor. The heart that had clenched since watching Meng Wan fall into the water finally began to relax slightly. Although he knew Meng Wan didn't like being a delicate flower, he still secretly regretted it—he'd been careless, only guessing You City was in the mountains without considering the waterways. Even if Ge Quan and Chi Yu had excellent skills, some sudden risks were unavoidable.

Chu Ci patted Song Tingzhou's soaking wet shoulder and gestured with his hands: "Take Father to the cabin to rest first, or he might catch a chill from the wind."

Song Tingzhou lifted Meng Wan without a word and carried him into the cabin. There was no room for too many people here.

"Let me wipe myself down first." Meng Wan's voice was helpless. "It's fine, I can wash myself."

His protests were futile—Song Tingzhou cleaned him up and tucked him into bed.

After spitting out the water, he already felt much better. "Your clothes are soaked too—go change quickly." Meng Wan lay in the bed looking at Song Tingzhou, a faint watery sheen in his eyes, like a well-behaved little animal.

Song Tingzhou washed himself hastily with the remaining water. Having left in a rush, the boat didn't have many spare clothes. He put his own spare undergarment on Meng Wan and changed into a slightly damp short tunic himself.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pressed a damp kiss to Meng Wan's forehead. His voice was low and hoarse: "I'll stay with you. Get some sleep?"

Meng Wan grabbed his hand and pulled it under the blanket. "You lie down too." The time he'd been unconscious had somewhat refreshed him, but Song Tingzhou must not have slept in a long while.

The loose-fitting clothes were a bit short on Song Tingzhou. He tugged at them, hesitating. "These clothes are too damp—they'll make you uncomfortable."

Meng Wan didn't care, stubbornly holding onto his hand. Song Tingzhou's heart softened, and he finally gave in. Lifting the corner of the blanket, the moment he lay down, Meng Wan rolled into his arms.

"They are a bit damp. Why not take them off and sleep for a while?" Meng Wan suggested sincerely.

Song Tingzhou said helplessly, "Wan'er, we're on a boat."

"Oh." Meng Wan leaned against his shoulder and asked, "Where are we docking? Was my senior brother captured? He still has Chi You's drugs. At least half of You City was his doing. I suspect Chi You came from You City—how else could he be so twisted?"

Song Tingzhou closed his eyes and answered Meng Wan's questions one by one in a low voice, "Shen Chongshan is intercepting Fujiwara Tainaka up ahead. On shore, Brother Ge has people ready to receive us. Shen Chongshan is cautious by nature, so there's no need to worry. He'll take Fujiwara Tainaka directly to Weihai to meet up with Yi Hongfei."

"Brother Ge will escort them part of the way. We won't follow—we'll head back to Lin'an to rest and regroup."

Marquis Zhongyi fought valiantly and, recently, led his troops to reclaim the last border city, pushing all the way back to the Mohe tribe's homeland. That's when he found out they'd been stirred up by the Eastern Wa. While the northeast was embroiled in conflict, Weihai on the eastern coast came under ambush by the Eastern Wa.

Moreover, news of the northeastern border battles reached the Liaodong tribes to the north, and they too were starting to stir. With a new emperor ascending the throne, all the neighboring nations sought to test the waters. The Mohe feigned submission for a few days, but once Eastern Wa reinforcements arrived, they began pushing out Yu troops again.

If Marquis Zhongyi insisted on staying in Mohe territory, he would be caught between the northern tribes and the Mohe-Eastern Wa alliance. He had no choice but to retreat to the Yu border and hold his ground there—a long, drawn-out standoff he couldn't afford.

Upon receiving the news, the emperor sent General Qi to reinforce the northeast, while Qin Jiao led troops to reinforce Weihai.

By now, Weihai had already gone head-to-head with the Eastern Wa several times.

At some point years back, the Eastern Wa had secretly been laying groundwork in places like Weihai and Licheng, quietly seizing Penglai just across from Weihai. Using shady tactics, they turned a bunch of Yu citizens into followers, and when the two sides went to war, these followers kept feeding the Eastern Wa a steady stream of intel.

Later, Luo Jining, with his atheist reasoning, exposed several of their fake supernatural tricks, and Yi Hongfei arrested a bunch of troublemakers, finally calming the situation.

But Penglai had already fallen to the Eastern Wa, who used it as a staging ground to keep pushing toward Licheng.

"General, word from Commander Yi—Fujiwara Tainaka has been captured by Lord Shen of the Salt Transport and is being escorted to Weihai."

A sharp crack rang out as hot food hit the floor and the porcelain bowl shattered.

Qin Jiao looked up, a complicated look flickering across his stern face under his helmet. "Reply to Yi Hongfei—have him send someone to escort Fujiwara Tainaka to Licheng."

After the soldier left, Qin Jiao crouched down to help Pei Anyuan pick up the broken pieces. "How did you get so careless?"

A gentle smile spread across Pei Anyuan's face. "The ground was uneven and I tripped. What were you saying just now—Fuji... Tai? What an odd name."

"Fujiwara Tainaka," Qin Jiao repeated. "He's Eastern Wa royalty, long embedded in Yu territory. Yi Hongfei says Lord Shen of the Salt Transport captured him. Song Tingzhou and his husband are also down south—they may well have played a part in it."

Qin Jiao lowered his head with a faint smile. "I hear this Fujiwara Tainaka was also Master Meng's senior fellow disciple, well hidden all along. He must have fallen to his junior brother."

The smile on Pei Anyuan's face faded. "You're always bringing up Master Meng."

Qin Jiao pulled him to his feet. "What, are you jealous?"

Pei Anyuan didn't deny it. "Lord Song always brings him along on official business. General Yi also keeps his husband by his side for counsel. Are you saying I'm useless?" He hung his head, his voice tinged with hurt.

Qin Jiao's expression softened, and his warm palm gently stroked Pei Anyuan's back. "Nonsense. How could you be useless? If you don't mind the dullness of the camp, stay here with me."