Chapter 23: News of Victory Flies to Jinguan City

Jiang Wei unfolded Liu Chen’s secret letter, his fingers trembling slightly under the flickering candlelight. Inside the tent, Dong Jue, Zhang Yi, and Liao Hua held their breath, with only the dull sound of the ox-hide map scroll unrolling to be heard.

"The Prince of Beidi claims to have crushed the sixty-thousand-strong armies of Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu?" Zhang Yi suddenly slapped the table and stood up, his beard quivering with his rapid breathing as he exclaimed, "This is impossible! Did the imperial messenger not tell us that the Wei army was still holding firm at Fucheng?"

Liao Hua narrowed his eyes, the scar on his face appearing particularly grim in the firelight. He shook his head and said, "I have crossed swords with Deng Ai many times; that old scoundrel commands troops like a venomous snake striking its prey. The Prince of Beidi grew up in the palace—how could this be?"

In their words, they fundamentally disbelieved the contents of the letter.

Dong Jue suddenly gave a light cough and said, "Great General, could this be a plot by Zhong Hui?"

Jiang Wei shook his head, a look of hesitation appearing on his face as well.

Dong Jue took a step forward, his graying beard trembling slightly as he said, "Great General, it is not that I am overly suspicious. Deng Ai commands his troops like a wolf, and Zhuge Xu has long garrisoned Yongzhou. Their combined forces of sixty thousand are all battle-hardened frontier troops. Although His Highness the Prince of Beidi has spirit, he is, after all, young, and his men are mostly the Imperial Guards of Chengdu. How could he, in the span of one month, fight across a thousand miles and defeat two great generals in succession?"

Liao Hua picked up the letter and held it to the light for a long time before shaking his head. "In my opinion, this is likely just the Prince exaggerating the victory to boost morale."

Zhang Yi pressed his hand to the sword at his waist and said in a deep voice, "Whether it is true or not, we should first send someone to Qiaotou to see for themselves."

For a moment, all three pairs of eyes fell upon Jiang Wei, awaiting his decision.

Jiang Wei stroked his beard and chuckled softly. "We have been fighting so fiercely on the eastern front, yet there has been no news from the west. When the General of the Guard led his troops out, how much information did the imperial court receive? Every day it was reports of a stalemate with Deng Ai at Fucheng, but now? The Prince of Beidi claims he has already occupied Wudu?"

"The Prince of Beidi has deceived the court!" Liao Hua exclaimed.

"No, the Prince of Beidi has seized military power," Jiang Wei said quietly.

Jiang Wei was different from Liao Hua and the others; as the Great General, besides fighting wars, he focused on military authority. Regardless of whether the letter was true, one thing was certain: the Prince of Beidi, Liu Chen, had taken control of the military.

If he had not defeated Deng Ai, he had at least seized control of the seventy-thousand-strong Feathered Forest Guards. If he had defeated Deng Ai, he would have nearly one hundred thousand troops under his command; and if Zhuge Xu had also been defeated, that number would climb to nearly one hundred thirty thousand—a force far outstripping his own.

Jiang Wei slowly placed the secret letter over the candle flame. The tongues of fire licked the edges of the silk scroll, reflecting a sharp, brilliant light in his eyes.

His voice was low but firm. "Order every camp to reinforce its defenses, set up more dummy camps, and take turns challenging the enemy daily. You must make Zhong Hui believe that our main force is entirely here."

Dong Jue frowned upon hearing this and said, "Does the Great General really intend to trust this unverified report of victory? If there is a trap within..."

"I have my own calculations," Jiang Wei said. He suddenly drew his sword and slashed across the ox-hide map, his blade cutting from Yinping to Jiange, then turning toward Fucheng. He said calmly, "As for whether this letter is true or false, won't we know once we send men to see? In any case, true or false, we must stall Zhong Hui. This has nothing to do with the letter's authenticity. Furthermore, since the Prince has sent this letter, it means what is written here is true."

Liao Hua nodded and said, "If everything in this letter is true, then Heaven has blessed the Han, and we have been gifted an enlightened ruler."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Jiang Wei’s face, tinged with a faint, strange undertone—this was likely not an enlightened ruler, but a peerless, ambitious hero.

In his impression, the Prince of Beidi, Liu Chen, had a reputation for virtue, but nothing to do with military command. Yet, what was happening before his eyes exceeded his expectations; the Prince had actually seized control of the Imperial Guards and was commanding a grand campaign.

Does this not echo the spirit of the Founder?

Dong Jue stepped forward and whispered, "Great General, if the Prince of Beidi has truly defeated Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu as the letter states, the situation at court must have changed drastically. Should we send someone back to Chengdu to verify the truth?"

Jiang Wei was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No need. No matter how Chengdu changes, our enemy remains Zhong Hui. Pass my order: tomorrow, the entire army will feign an attack on the Wei army's left flank, creating the appearance of an all-out battle."

In truth, he believed that after this battle, not only would the situation between the enemy and themselves change, but the imperial court would also be transformed. Would a Prince of Beidi who held military power still allow people like Huang Hao and Qiao Zhou to exist?

Jiang Wei was old; he only wished to inherit the legacy of Zhuge Liang and fulfill his dream. But with the likes of Huang Hao and Qiao Zhou in the court, achieving that dream was impossible.

Liu Chen had shown him a glimmer of hope. Therefore, the truth of the letter did not matter; what mattered was responding to its call and holding Zhong Hui at bay.

Liao Hua frowned and asked, "Does the Great General intend to..."

A flash of sharp brilliance appeared in Jiang Wei's eyes. "Zhong Hui is a suspicious man. The more we posture for a decisive battle, the more he will suspect a trap. If we can stall him for ten days, regardless of whether the Prince of Beidi’s claims are true or false, we will have seized the initiative."

Zhang Yi clapped his hands and said, "A brilliant plan! Zhong Hui is now caught between advancing and retreating, and will not dare to act rashly."

"The initiative is now in the hands of our Han."

Jiang Wei’s expression was relaxed, a faint smile on his face.

In all these years, this was perhaps the first time he had felt a sense of ease.

The morning mist at Mianzhu Pass had not yet dissipated when three fast horses galloped through the dew. The sound of hooves struck a dull echo in the silent pass, startling the sentries on the gate tower into gripping their halberds.

"Victory report from the Prince of Beidi!" the lead cavalryman shouted, holding high a blood-stained command flag, his hoarse cry piercing the mist.

"Wudu has been taken! Zhuge Xu has been captured alive, and the main army is marching toward Yangping Pass!"

Huang Chong was standing on the gate tower, gazing at the pale, fish-belly white of the eastern sky. When he heard the shout, the bamboo tally in his hand clattered to the ground. His lips trembled, and suddenly, he burst into loud laughter.

"The Han has won! Ha! Heaven bless the Han!"

"Heaven bless the Han!"

The soldiers around him erupted into cheers.

When the news reached Chengdu, it was the fourth hour of the day. At first, it was merely whispers in tea houses and taverns about the Prince of Beidi winning a great victory in the west, but within half an hour, the news had flown through the streets and alleys as if it had grown wings.

"Did you hear? Deng Ai’s thirty-thousand-strong army was crushed by the Prince of Beidi! Deng Ai and his son were captured alive!"

"More than that! Even Zhuge Xu was taken prisoner, and the Han dragon flag is already flying over the walls of Wudu!"

"What do you know! The Prince of Beidi captured Deng Ai half a month ago!"

The common people gathered on street corners, the clouds of sorrow on their faces gradually dispersing; some even began to set off firecrackers. Yet, in the district where the government offices were concentrated, it was a different scene.

The officials who usually advocated for surrender had bolted their gates, their servants scurrying about as if the sky were falling.

Qiao Zhou’s carriage was passing through Zhuque Avenue when it was suddenly blocked by the boisterous crowd. The driver lifted the curtain, his voice filled with panic as he shouted, "My Lord... in front... everyone is saying the Prince of Beidi has won a great victory."

Qiao Zhou sat upright in the carriage, his hands tightly gripping the carriage rail, his knuckles white from the exertion. He had been on his way to the palace to see the Later Lord to discuss sending an envoy to offer surrender to Zhong Hui, but hearing the cheers outside, he felt as if his chest were being crushed by a giant boulder, making even breathing difficult.

"Won... how could he have won..."

He muttered to himself, his face paler than the parchment inside the carriage. Deng Ai and Zhuge Xu were both battle-hardened veterans, and their troops were elite frontier forces. Liu Chen was merely a prince who had lived deep in the palace; how could he, leading a group of Imperial Guards, turn the tide of the war in a mere month?