The Fallen Nation System, Turning the Tide - Chapter 4: Youzhou

Chapter 4: Youzhou

“There are people in the army inciting soldiers to defect.”

Niu Liu circled the camp searching for a while but found nothing. Dejected, he headed toward the riverbankhis water flask was nearly empty and needed refilling.

Unexpectedly, Niu Liu spotted the Commander’s figure by the river. The Commander stood motionless, hands submerged in the water, lost in thought.

“Brother!” Niu Liu hurried over. The Commander seemed dazed, only snapping back to reality after several calls.

The Commander lifted his dripping hands and replied calmly, “What is it?”

Niu Liu said, “Everyone’s whispering about whether to flee west to General Lu’s side tonight. Why are you alone by the river, Brother? I searched everywhere and couldn’t find youI thought you’d already left!”

The Commander shook off the water droplets. “You want to become a deserter?”

Niu Liu scratched his head sheepishly, grinning with simple honesty. “You saved my life, Brother. Wherever you are, I’ll be there.”

“I’m not leaving.” The Commander’s usual laziness vanished instantly, his gaze sharpening with resolve. Watching soldiers trickling toward the river, his unkempt beard twitched as his steady voice shifted in tone: “Only fools would run!”

Niu Liu, who had been tempted to flee, fell silent, not daring to speak further.

After stirring up the troops, Xu Ying feared a mutiny might endanger Xu Lang. She discreetly arranged for a few trusted aides to escort Xu Lang ahead under the guise of scouting.

By midnight, soldiers who had planned to defect began slipping away cautiously.

Lying in her tent, Xu Ying heard faint rustling. Slowly opening her eyes, she suppressed a thrill at the thought of returning to the modern era, feigned sleep, and closed them again.

Soon, footsteps drew nearer.

Just as Xu Ying braced for the end, the expected pain never came.

Puzzled, she suddenly heard a sharp cry that startled her. Quickly pretending to wake, she lit a lamp to see what was happening.

A Green Flame flickered sideways before steadying, casting dim light across the tent. A few steps away, a heavily bearded man had already twisted the arm of a shadowy figure, pinning him to the ground.

Xu Ying instantly recognized her rescuer’s distinctive beard. “Commander Xia?”

Xia Chenglie restrained the man beneath him and replied, “Your Majesty, this man intended to assassinate you. I arrived too late to prevent itplease forgive my failure.”

“Thank you so much, Commander Xia,” Xu Ying forced a smile, momentarily at a loss for words.

Her gaze shifted to the would-be assassin who was supposed to send her home. After a thoughtful pause, she told Xia Chenglie, “A subject’s disloyalty reflects the ruler’s shortcomings. I must have failed in some way to drive him to this. Heaven values lifelet him go.”

Both men stared in astonishment.

Xia Chenglie recovered first, releasing the man and positioning himself protectively in front of Xu Ying to guard against further attacks.

Having mustered courage for regicide, the squad leader lost all nerve upon facing Xia Chenglie. Ignoring the pain, he scrambled away.

With the minor threat gone, a graver issue remained. Xia Chenglie reported, “Your Majesty, there are agitators persuading troops to defect. Shall we execute them?”

To his surprise, Xu Ying waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t discuss ice with summer insectslet them go. Those who stay are the truly capable ones.”

However, with so many deserters from the Royal Army, morale was shaken. I’m afraid before we even reach Youzhou, the troops will have all fled.

Seeing Xu Ying’s confident expression, Xia Chenglie refrained from saying anything.

Overnight, the ranks suddenly shrank, with roughly over two hundred people deserting. Xu Ying publicly expressed deep distress, affirming her absolute trust in the Royal Army, yet another hundred or so gradually slipped away afterward.

These deserters had little impact on Xu Ying and even saved rations, but they thoroughly confused the pursuing forces. They couldn’t understand why some fled east while others went west, with Royal Army soldiers scattered everywhere.

Suspecting Xu Ying had changed direction but unsure where she’d gone, they urgently sent word back to Chang’an.

Xu Lang watched helplessly as the thousand-strong force gradually thinned, growing increasingly concerned.

Whenever he brought it up, Xu Ying always appeared utterly self-assured, so Xu Lang convinced himself, saying, “As long as Commander Xia is here, it’s fine. Though he may not excel at leading troops in battle, his martial skills are exceptionalhe’ll surely keep Her Majesty safe.”

Not good at battle?

Xu Ying’s ears perked up at the key phrase. She stroked her smooth chin, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

Not good at battle? Perfect. The main general for this northern campaign has just been decided.

Over the next few days, Xu Ying grew more and more pleased with Xia Chenglie. In high spirits and ignoring the deserters, she led the several-hundred-strong contingent smoothly to Youzhou.

The Governor of Youzhou had received word early and awaited them at the city gates. While genuinely curious about this female emperor who had emerged from the sacrificial rites, he was still taken aback when he saw her in person

The long journey had drained any initial vigor, and frequent travel under the scorching sun had tanned both Xu Ying and Xu Lang, who had been fair-skinned from palace life, several shades darker.

Whether due to her constitution or not, Xu Ying’s skin had turned pitch black, as if she’d just emerged from a mine shaft. It was only when resting by a river with Xu Lang that she noticed the stark contrast in their complexions.

The Governor of Youzhou stood stunned for a long moment before wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve and quietly sharing his thoughts with a subordinate: “Her Majesty… truly heaven-chosen, extraordinary indeed. She bears the bearing of a wise ruler, and the Royal Army is mighty and majestic, imposing in spirit.”

Xu Ying’s first order of business upon arriving in Youzhou was to bathe. Lying on a soft bed, she sighed contentedly.

A day or two of camping was tolerable, but any longer became unbearable.

That evening, the Governor held a banquet to welcome her, but Xu Ying, reluctant to leave her warm bedding, declined. When she asked if Xu Lang wanted to go, Xu Lang, invigorated since reaching Youzhou, accepted the duty without hesitation.

The next day at dawn, Xu Ying woke and was eating breakfast when Xu Lang entered, her face clearly displeased. Xu Ying set down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a silk handkerchief, and waved off formalities, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Lang replied, “The late emperor appointed He Chongguang to guard Youzhou, yet now he hoards troops for himself. At yesterday’s welcoming banquet, he claimed illness and didn’t attend. Most of the accompanying officials were minor functionariesthey show no respect for Your Majesty!”

“He Chongguang?” Xu Ying recalled he was a general from the late emperor’s princely household, so his defiance was unsurprising. After brief consideration, she said, “Since he’s ill, let the old man rest peacefully at his residence. Didn’t we bring several imperial physicians? Have one examine him, and avoid troubling him with trivial matters.”

Hearing this, Xu Lang immediately felt much better, her face brightening into a smile. “Your Majesty always has the best ideas.”

Before the meal was finished, Xu Lang took the imperial physician to the general’s residence. Xu Ying heard that He Chongguang had been so enraged he nearly turned his feigned illness into a real one.

However, Xu Ying paid him no mind. After resting, she immediately issued an edict appointing Commander Xia Chenglie of the Royal Army as the main general, replacing He Chongguang to lead the troops into battle.

It could be said that Xu Ying’s order shocked everyonepartly because of its swiftness, and partly because she had replaced He Chongguang with Xia Chenglie.

“How could Her Majesty use Xia Chenglie? Doesn’t she know he lost three cities in a row and fled abandoning his post?”

Niu Liu overheard discussions about Commander Xia Chenglie everywhere. Learning that Xia Chenglie had indeed lost three consecutive cities, his eyes widened in disbelief.

“If Xia Chenglie had just stayed quietly in Chang’an, that would be one thing. How dare he shamelessly take the position of main general? Such brazenness brings shame to Old General Xia’s legacy!”

“With the Xia family all dead, he’s the only one who lost cities yet rests comfortably in Chang’an. Of course he’s thick-skinned! If it were me, I’d have died of shame long ago.”

Commander Xia was nothing like what they described. Niu Liu clenched his fists and was about to charge forward when suddenly, a hand reached from behind, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

“Big brother?” Niu Liu recognized the person stopping him, surprised to see Commander Xia here.

Xia Chenglie dragged Niu Liu away, warning him: “Don’t cause trouble.”

“They’re slandering you,” Niu Liu protested indignantly.

Xia Chenglie lowered his gaze. “What they say is true. After losing three cities, I grew cowardly. As commander, I fled the battlefield. They have every right to condemn me. Her Majesty shouldn’t have appointed me.”

Niu Liu was stunned but insisted firmly: “Big brother, though we haven’t known each other long, you’ve always looked after mea powerless, useless cook. I believe you wouldn’t abandon your soldiers lightly. There must have been unspoken difficulties forcing you to act that way!”

Xia Chenglie lifted his head, his voice turning cold abruptly: “There were no unspoken difficulties. It was my cowardice. Don’t make excuses for me.”

“Go back first.” Xia Chenglie strode directly toward the residence specially prepared for the emperor by the provincial governor.

This was the first time Xia Chenglie had spoken to him so sternly. Niu Liu felt intimidated and wanted to say more, but Xia Chenglie had already walked away. Left with no choice, Niu Liu regretfully followed at a careful distance, worried that hearing those rumors might push Xia Chenglie to do something drastic.

Meanwhile, Xu Ying was checking her hatred value. She was surprised to find it fluctuatedsometimes rising by one point in the morning, only to drop by over ten by evening.

This showed she should use the hatred value to exchange for materials as soon as it reached the required amount, lest it diminish over time.

Since leaving Chang’an and outmaneuvering the chancellor, the hatred value had risen and fallen, but overall it was substantial. Not one to waste resources, Xu Ying decided to cash it in before she died. She opened the database, ready to make the exchange.

After browsing for what felt like ages, she either didn’t have enough hatred value or found the materials unsatisfactory. Her eyes grew dry from staring, so she rubbed them, planning to rest before continuing.

Just then, a palace maid approached to announce that Xia Chenglie requested an audience.

Xu Ying had anticipated he might come. She quickly sat up straight and said solemnly, “Let him in.”

Soon, Xia Chenglie entered with his signature thick beard and respectfully knelt.

Seeing this, Xu Ying waved for him to rise and went through the formalities: “What important matter brings you here?”

Xia Chenglie remained kneeling and refused to rise, apologizing to Xu Ying: “Your Majesty, I once lost three cities in succession and fled abandoning them. I am a guilty man, unfit for such an important task. I beg Your Majesty to seek another worthy candidate.”

“So it’s just a trivial matter like this.” Xu Ying’s tone was relaxed, as if losing three cities was nothing to make a fuss about. She said, “I’ve already heard about the fall of the cities from the Empress Sister. The opposing commander at that time was the Western Rong general Aguhun, so the loss was hardly surprising.”

“Aside from this battle, your military achievements are illustrious and completely undefeated. One failure proves nothing. In my view, you are fully capable of taking on this important responsibility.”

Author’s Note:

“Zhuangzi·Autumn Floods”: “You cannot speak of ice to a summer insectit is confined to its season.”