Chapter 17: The Jade Fragment Plan
“Outrageous! They actually escaped!” Watching the retreating army of Eastern Zhou, Shangguan Xiu felt a deep sense of regret. She had been so close to capturing Di Luoxi alive—a woman of such beauty. Capturing her would have meant not only a great military merit, but much more.
“How did you get hit by a stray arrow?” she asked with irritation.
Shangguan Mu, also a general on the verge of reaching the martial emperor realm, had been struck by a random arrow in the chaos of battle. It was truly disgraceful.
Clutching his wound, Shangguan Mu glared hatefully toward the tower ships below the city walls. “No, it wasn’t a stray arrow. That shot was aimed precisely at me!”
Random arrows could not have pierced his shoulder armor with such accuracy. It was clearly targeted.
“Targeted at you? By whom?” Shangguan Xiu asked in surprise.
“This is the second time! The same spot!” Shangguan Mu gritted his teeth, holding his shoulder.
Shangguan Xiu glanced toward the storm raging to the north and shook her head. “Impossible. Long Chen is dead.”
Indeed, last time Shangguan Mu had challenged Long Chen to a duel, Long Chen had pierced his shoulder bone with a single arrow, nearly crippling him.
“If Long Chen were still alive, I’d skin him alive!” Shangguan Mu cursed into the blizzard.
Shangguan Xiu sighed. “Enough. Tend to your wound quickly, or you’ll lose the use of your left arm.”
Shangguan Mu immediately went to see the military physician.
Though the battle had been fierce, Linjiang City held fast. By Shangguan Xiu’s reckoning, it was a victory.
The city walls were soon cleared of bodies. Over three thousand spies planted by Di Luoxi within the city had been executed.
Sitting in the commander's residence, Officer Xu Sheng offered his congratulations. “Congratulations, General, on this great victory over Eastern Zhou!”
Shangguan Po and Shangguan Qiu also joined in, followed by the assembled officers.
Shangguan Xiu smiled. “This victory belongs to all who fought bravely today. Tonight, all but those on duty defending the city will feast—let there be wine and meat for everyone!”
A chorus of cheers erupted.
The soldiers of Linjiang City soon lit great bonfires, slaughtered pigs and sheep, and brought out their wine to celebrate.
Shangguan Xiu immediately wrote a victory dispatch, sending it to the capital of Southern Liang, Jinling, to inform Emperor Li Chengdao of the triumph.
...
Fishing City.
The army entered the city; the wounded were treated, and the fallen laid to rest.
Di Luoxi, dragging her great spear, stepped into her bedchamber. Li Xiannan tossed his sledgehammer outside, while Xuan Yi and Qingyue followed in.
The atmosphere was heavy. No one had expected such an outcome.
The battle had started smoothly. They had all believed Linjiang City would fall, only for Shangguan Xiu to turn the tables at the last moment.
“It’s all because of that old fox Long Ye!” Li Xiannan cursed.
Long Ye had discovered Di Luoxi’s spies and had even prepared the oil vats that burned the sled-tower ships.
Di Luoxi sat on the couch as Xuan Yi helped her out of her coat, revealing a gash on her back, the blood soaking through her underclothes.
“Bring the medicine!” Qingyue immediately fetched some and applied it.
“Long Ye truly was a peerless general. Even in death, he could foil my surprise attack.” Di Luoxi’s regret was palpable, but her admiration for Long Ye was sincere. If not for him, she would have succeeded.
“If Long Ye were still alive, Linjiang City would never return to Eastern Zhou,” Di Luoxi sighed.
An uneasy silence settled over the room.
Long Chen took the medicine from Qingyue and motioned for her to rest. She was exhausted.
He then carefully helped Di Luoxi out of her underclothes and tended to her wound, not wanting such a beauty to bear any scars on her jade-like back.
“Little Dragon, your archery is quite something,” Di Luoxi remarked suddenly.
Long Chen, tending to her wound, replied, “I’ve studied it a bit.”
Di Luoxi looked back with a meaningful gaze. “Did you know Shangguan Mu’s left shoulder was previously injured?”
Damn. There was no hiding anything from Di Luoxi’s keen eyes.
“Really? I just saw the Princess surrounded, and Shangguan Mu seemed weaker, so I aimed for him.”
Of course, Long Chen would never admit he knew of Shangguan Mu’s old injury, that his left hand moved slowly and was easy to hit, and that striking there would cause the old wound to flare up.
Only now did Li Xiannan recall the crucial arrow from earlier.
“You eunuch, is your archery really better than mine?” he muttered, feeling a pang of defeat.
Di Luoxi laughed. “It’s luck again, is it? Little Dragon, you have such good fortune. Why am I never so lucky?”
Long Chen replied, “Heaven has already bestowed the Princess with peerless beauty—it would be too much to grant luck as well.”
Di Luoxi chuckled softly. “Such a sweet tongue, Little Dragon. Would you like to taste a place flowing with milk and honey?”
Long Chen sensed something was off with Di Luoxi...
Unable to bear more, Li Xiannan stood up. “I’ll take my leave and rest.”
Now only Di Luoxi and Long Chen remained.
“Little Dragon, what is your true relationship with the House of the General Who Guards the Nation?” she asked.
Long Chen finished dressing her wound, hesitated a moment, then answered, “I once served in the General’s household and received great kindness from General Long. I have nothing else to say.”
Di Luoxi’s eyes were suspicious, but she did not press further.
“I have failed,” she sighed.
Long Chen helped her into her clothes. “No, Linjiang City has already fallen.”
Di Luoxi’s expression sharpened as she fixed him with a burning gaze. “What do you mean?”
He replied seriously, “With your defeat, Linjiang City is doomed.”
Di Luoxi wrapped her arms around his neck, her nose brushing against his cheek, and laughed softly. “So, you have a backup plan. Speak!”
Long Chen draped her coat over her shoulders. “When General Long built Linjiang City, he devised a final contingency—the Jade Shatter Plan.”
“What is this Jade Shatter Plan?” Di Luoxi asked in astonishment.
“General Long planned for the worst: the Empress herself leading her forces, the Long Family Army fighting Eastern Zhou to the death, and eventually being wiped out. The Empress is invincible in this world, and if she risked everything, Linjiang City could fall. That would be when the Jade Shatter Plan was enacted—taking Linjiang City and Eastern Zhou down together.”
Suddenly, Di Luoxi gripped his throat and pressed a dagger against his carotid artery.
“How are you so familiar with the secrets of the General’s household? Who are you, really? Why are you by my side?” These were matters only the closest confidants of Long Ye could know. Di Luoxi felt a chill down her spine. If someone like Long Chen turned on her, she could be killed in her sleep.
Long Chen’s gaze did not waver. “I told you, I once served in the General’s household and was deeply indebted to General Long. After the household was destroyed, I wandered to Eastern Zhou and, by chance, became a eunuch. When you attacked Linjiang City, I hoped to use your hand to take revenge on Southern Liang and repay General Long.”
“And why should I trust you?” Di Luoxi demanded coldly.
“Tonight, I will personally initiate the Jade Shatter Plan and destroy Linjiang City. That is my proof,” Long Chen replied calmly.
Slowly, Di Luoxi loosened her grip on his throat and lowered the dagger.
“Does Shangguan Xiu know?”
Shangguan Xiu knew too much about the Long family—she had even uncovered the spies. If she knew of the Jade Shatter Plan, it could mean another ambush.
“No one knows. Only me.”
Long Chen was certain. Only two people had ever known of the plan—Long Ye and himself. Not even his four older brothers had been told. It was the deepest secret of the House of the General Who Guards the Nation.
“How many people do you need?”
“Just Wu Jian and myself. Wu Jian is a cavalry captain from the Long Family Army. You should know him.”
“Yes, I’m aware of his identity.”
“Wu Jian and I will act at dawn. Princess, you will wait outside the city for us.”
“Very well.”
Long Chen rose and left the bedchamber to find Wu Jian.