Chapter Sixty-One: The Alliance (Fifteen)

On this day, everything seemed inexplicably strange to Wang Dong, the squad leader of the Second Army Garrison at the foot of the Cloud City’s outer hills. The orders from above had been clear: maintain a strict watch on the camp of over a thousand Yue tribesmen, stationed some seven or eight li away. Lookouts were posted at every fort, required to report to the city with flag signals every hour. Any lapse, however brief, would trigger a chain of reprimands, each more severe than the last, until everyone was berated harshly.

Moreover, an entire battalion of armored cavalry was constantly patrolling near the Yue camp, divided into several shifts. Once off duty, instead of returning to the city, these cavalrymen merely retreated to the various hilltop outposts to rest. Throughout Heng’an’s Eagle Command, though nearly everyone possessed a horse, there were only two battalions of these elite armored cavalry, armed with weapons seized from the great victory over the Turks the previous year—Liu Wuzhou’s most prized force.

Whenever the cavalry rotated through the garrisons, Wang Dong and his soldiers had to boil water, cook meals, chop fodder, and serve these haughty lords, whose eyes seemed fixed high above. After days of such treatment, the garrison soldiers felt more exhausted than if they were marching or fighting a campaign.

All this left Wang Dong rather disgruntled. Wasn’t it just a mere thousand-strong Yue force? They’d brought only five or six hundred warriors; even if you added in the scattered Tartar tribes, the total would barely reach a thousand. If they tried anything, the elite troops of Eagle Command could wipe them out with a single counterattack.

Why act as if facing a dire enemy, standing guard day and night? It only made the Eagle Command appear weak. Yet today, things began to go awry before dawn. First, the squad leader ordered that the usual flag reports to the city be suspended—no need to constantly update on the Yue camp’s movements. Then, the entire battalion of armored cavalry withdrew, leaving a few to rest in the garrison, the rest returning straight to Cloud City.

Next, one group after another of Tartar nobles swaggered openly toward the Yue king’s tent. The garrison commanders pretended not to see, and Cloud City remained utterly silent, not a single order issued from above.

From iron discipline to utter neglect in an instant—no one knew what their superiors were planning; there seemed to be no clear direction. Wang Dong was sure it was that scoundrel Yuan Junzhang deceiving Liu Yingji again, plotting something in secret.

For half the day, Wang Dong paced back and forth atop the garrison wall facing the Yue camp, muttering his complaints. Normally, when his shift ended, he’d rush away, but today, with the rare order for everyone to rest, he remained, glaring at the distant Yue tents. The wind blew directly into his face, making his eyes red by midday.

His squad followed suit, for in Eagle Command, a squad moved and rested as one—such was the camaraderie of the army. The others huddled in a sheltered spot, quietly chatting, for everyone knew Wang Dong was always at odds with his superiors; otherwise, how could he be but a lowly squad leader after seven years of service?

Let him rant; no one was foolish enough to stand sentry with him in the wind.

A handful of soldiers crouched behind the wall, sleeves tucked, chatting about how much pay they might get after the autumn fair and where they could go for some fun. Suddenly, Wang Dong’s voice, shrill and strained, rang out: “There’s fighting! Killing has broken out!”

The soldiers ignored him, thinking their squad leader was just worked up again.

But Wang Dong’s voice grew more frantic, nearly tearing his throat: “Damn it, it’s real! They’re really fighting!”

One of his men snapped back irritably, “Squad leader, in this godforsaken place, eating coarse grain and fighting tough battles, we barely get a moment’s rest. Why are you stirring up trouble?”

Wang Dong bellowed, “If you want to sit around waiting for death, there’s plenty of time for that! There’s fighting in the Yue camp—chaos among the Nine Tribes!”

Finally, his men were startled enough to stand and peer toward the distant Yue encampment.

Their jaws nearly dropped to their boots.

Within the Yue camp, people scurried like ants in a frenzied melee. Worse yet, a lone figure broke free from the camp, and soon after, a dozen horsemen burst out in pursuit!

No one knew why the Nine Tribes, who’d gathered under Liu Wuzhou’s tacit approval, had turned on each other so violently.

Wang Dong reacted first—the garrison always kept a horn ready for alarms. He seized it and blew a long, wailing note.

The horn was a warning; within moments, the duty squad leader and the armored cavalry’s officer rushed up.

The garrison captain, knowing Wang Dong’s stubborn streak, stormed up the wall, cursing, “Damn you, Wang Dong, can’t you let your elders have a moment’s peace?”

Wang Dong pointed to the distant chaos.

By now, Xu Le was galloping to the rescue, crashing repeatedly into the Yue cavalry lines! Everyone stared in stunned silence as Xu Le, mounted on his red horse with a long lance, charged unopposed—no Yue warrior could withstand even a single blow, men and horses fell in his wake.

The armored cavalry officer exclaimed, “What skill! Truly remarkable!”

Wang Dong asked, voice trembling, “Is that the mighty Xu Le?”

That day when Xu Le broke into Cloud City, fighting from Yuan Junwei to Yuchi Gong and finally forcing Liu Wuzhou to appear, the entire scene had been unforgettable to all who witnessed it. Though his figure was small in the distance, his heroic bearing was unmistakable—who else but that handsome young warrior, Xu Le?

They watched as Xu Le smashed through two formations, then, facing overwhelming numbers of archers, finally turned and fled, loosing arrows as he rode. The mass of men and horses, raising clouds of dust, raced straight toward their position!

The two squad leaders exchanged a glance. The armored cavalry officer barked, “I’ll gather the brothers and prepare to sally out. You go report to the city commander for orders!”

At this moment, Yuchi Gong also stood atop the city wall, staring intently at the distant activity on the hill. The sound of the horn had startled him—after being chewed out by Liu Wuzhou for walking off the job, he’d slunk back to resume his patrol duties.

But since no flag signals had yet come from the outpost, Yuchi Gong could not act rashly.

The city’s duty officers crowded around, anxiously awaiting his command.

Suddenly, one officer leapt up, pointing at the distant garrison: “The signal’s up!”

Far away, red flags fluttered first at one outpost, then two, then three, until every garrison was awash in crimson banners.

It was the prearranged signal.

The Yue camp was in revolt!

Yuchi Gong leaped for joy, grinning from ear to ear. “Pass the order—cavalry from all outposts, attack! I’ll lead the main force to support! If those Yue bastards really are up to no good, we’ll teach them a lesson they won’t forget!”

On the city walls, dozens of horns sounded in unison. Within each outpost, armored cavalry waited for the order, watching as the gates creaked open.

One officer raised his spear and shouted, “Let’s go save our brave lads of Mayi!”