Chapter 18: Infiltration

Diloxi watched Long Chen’s departing figure, countless thoughts flashing through her mind. She did not trust Long Chen; she sensed too many secrets hiding within him. Yet with the surprise attack on Linjiang City having failed, Long Chen’s desperate plan was their only hope.

Earlier, when Diloxi asked Long Chen how many people he needed, she had been ready to kill him if he requested her to send troops. That would have meant a trap. But Long Chen only wanted Wu Jian. That was what made her decide to take the gamble. After all, it was just one eunuch, plus another one. Even if Long Chen fled, she would lose nothing of consequence.

Besides, during the earlier surprise attack, had Long Chen not fired that arrow, Diloxi might never have returned.

“Little Dragon, don’t betray me…”

A sudden, inexplicable feeling welled up in her heart—a warmth tinged with bitterness, unlike anything she had felt before.

Long Chen left the chambers and found Wu Jian outside.

“Uncle Wu, let’s go.”

“Is it really come to this?”

“It has.”

Wu Jian had been there years ago when Linjiang City was built. To see such a fine city reduced to ashes grieved him deeply.

The two made their way to a secluded corner of Fishing City, where a sewer led straight to the great river. Last time, Long Chen had braved the snow searching for this entrance. There was a secret tunnel from Linjiang City to Fishing City, running beneath the entire breadth of the river.

“Close that door and let the wind blow in,” Long Chen instructed.

Wu Jian shut the nearby door, and a violent wind howled into the passage. The tunnel stretched for thousands of meters and was very deep; after so many years, there could easily be poisonous gases inside. Though Long Chen had begun ventilating it days before, he still feared they might be poisoned halfway through. As the wind rushed in, Long Chen and Wu Jian leapt into the tunnel.

With only a tiny luminous pearl to light their way—they dared not use torches, as the oxygen was already thin—they walked for nearly two hours before finally reaching Linjiang City.

A straight shaft led upward; Long Chen climbed slowly, Wu Jian close behind. This tunnel led directly to the Grand Marshal’s residence, and from within, they could hear the victorious shouts of the Southern Liang soldiers.

“They’re celebrating,” Wu Jian peered out through a crack. The soldiers, drunk and boisterous, huddled around fires eating meat, with abducted women at their sides.

It was often said that soldiers and bandits were of the same ilk—when war broke out, the enemy would burn, kill, and pillage, but even government troops would loot grain and women.

“Not yet. We wait,” Long Chen crouched in the tunnel, silently biding his time for the city to fall asleep.

Inside the Grand Marshal’s residence, dancing girls in thin black veils swayed gracefully as they helped Shangguan Xiu remove his armor and settle into bed. Earlier, he had drunk heavily with his officers and soldiers.

“Congratulations, General, on your resounding victory over Eastern Zhou. From now on, Linjiang City shall be your permanent fief,” the dance girl purred.

Shangguan Xiu laughed heartily. “That princess of Eastern Zhou is formidable indeed. She made perfect use of the weather, turning the river’s natural barrier to her advantage.”

“And yet she still ended up defeated by you, General,” the girl cooed, pulling him onto the bed and wrapping herself around him.

“This battle was mine, but Eastern Zhou didn’t lose to me—they lost to the Dragon Marshal’s household. Old Dragon Ye was truly shrewd; everything happened just as he’d predicted. Years ago, he advised His Majesty on this very campaign: a sudden blizzard at Linjiang City, Eastern Zhou launching a surprise attack under its cover, and our countermeasures. The strategy with the oil tanks and hidden troops was his design,” Shangguan Xiu reminisced.

Before the campaign, Emperor Li Chengdao of Southern Liang had shared this plan with Shangguan Xiu.

“The Dragon family is wiped out. The glory is yours alone, General,” the girl flattered him.

Shangguan Xiu burst out laughing. “Yes, the Dragons are dead. The credit is all mine!”

He suddenly recalled how Shangguan Mu had been struck by an arrow earlier that day, and a flicker of suspicion crossed his mind—perhaps Long Chen was still alive. But he quickly dismissed the thought. It was impossible. All six members of the Dragon family had died at White Wolf Mountain. They’d found Long Chen’s clothing, horse, and weapons—only the body was missing. Everyone assumed it had been trampled beyond recognition.

“Come, celebrate with your general!” Shangguan Xiu hoisted the dance girl against the wall...

Sounds echoed from the room as Shangguan Po and Shangguan Qiu loitered outside, feeling a rising heat within them.

“Once the general’s asleep, let’s grab a couple of women for ourselves.”

“I saw the tavern mistress on the main street—she’s not bad.”

“We’ll take her, and her daughter is mine.”

“It’s a deal!”

Inside Fishing City, Diloxi dressed and summoned Li Xiannan.

“Prepare fifty thousand troops. We attack Linjiang City again.”

Diloxi donned her armor, her face cold as ice.

Li Xiannan was astonished. “Princess, we’ve lost too many. Another assault is meaningless.”

The elite forces were nearly spent, and Linjiang City’s oil tanks rendered the sled-tower ships useless.

She thought Diloxi was simply unwilling to accept defeat, ready for mutual destruction.

“I told you to gather the troops. Fifty thousand!” Diloxi issued the order without room for discussion.

Li Xiannan hesitated, then bowed. “I obey, Your Highness.”

Soon, fifty thousand soldiers were assembled within the city, though none understood the plan and morale was low. Xuanyi and Qingyue donned their armor once more, making no objection—their duty was to follow their princess into battle.

Diloxi hefted her great spear, boarded a battered sled-tower ship, and raised its tattered sails to catch the wind and cross the river towards Linjiang City. Li Xiannan, leading the troops aboard the fleet, watched Diloxi’s back with a sense of helplessness. The blizzard still raged, the world was dim, and visibility was reduced to a mere meter—navigation depended solely on instinct.

Within Linjiang City, Shangguan Po and Shangguan Qiu waited until the sounds from the general’s room died down and both he and the dance girl had fallen asleep. Quietly, they slipped into the courtyard.

“That tavern mistress is a wild one—I’m going to take her right in front of her husband!” Shangguan Po snickered.

Shangguan Qiu laughed. “Then I’ll drag her daughter to my room. The two of us together.”

Their boots clanged against a stone slab.

Below, Long Chen and Wu Jian heard everything with perfect clarity.

Once the men had gone, Long Chen peered outside—the soldiers were all asleep.

“These two beasts haven’t changed at all,” Wu Jian muttered angrily.

“Beasts never turn into men. Better to kill them,” Long Chen replied.

He carefully slid the stone slab aside, and the two emerged from the tunnel, covering their tracks behind them. Skirting a few sentries, they made their way to the back courtyard of the Grand Marshal’s residence.

There, Long Chen found a small room where several drunken soldiers lay snoring. Wu Jian drew a sickle-shaped knife from his belt—the same blade he used in the eunuch house. He slipped inside and silently slit the throats of the soldiers, blood spurting from their arteries. With drink having dulled them, they only twitched briefly before dying.

Long Chen entered the room, where a clay kang-bed stood.

“This is the place,” he said, lifting a corner of the bed to reveal a thick wick steeped in lamp oil.

“Is it time?” Wu Jian asked.

Long Chen glanced outside. “We have sixty breaths. If we don’t escape, we die here as well.”