Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 408 - 407. A dog that has lost its home

407. The Stricken Dog

Early in the morning, when the Mo Family Army once again sounded the war drums, the Army of Great Chu indeed suffered a crushing defeat. The Mo Family Army managed to open the gates of Liyang City with little effort. With almost all generals missing and at least half the soldiers unable to fight, the Chu forces were in disarray. The sight of the man with snow-white hair and white robes standing beneath the city walls caused the soldiers atop Liyang’s ramparts to lose all courage. In an instant, the 800,000-strong army disintegrated.

At this time, Mo Jingli, still in the Governor’s Mansion within the city, was completely unaware. The injury he had sustained was undoubtedly a massive blow, both physically and psychologically. Especially with lingering doubts about whether Mo Xiuyao was truly dead, Mo Jingli’s temper became even more erratic and unpredictable. Severely wounded, he found it difficult even to get out of bed, let alone personally command the battle.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!" Just as Mo Jingli was again furiously berating the kneeling imperial physicians, the panicked footsteps of an attendant sounded from outside.

Mo Jingli frowned, displeased. "Get in here! What is it?"

The attendant stumbled in and fell to his knees, crying out in terror, "Your Majesty... the Mo Family Army, they’ve breached the city!"

"What?!" Mo Jingli shot up abruptly, his face contorting in pain. "How could the Mo Family Army break in so quickly?" It wasn’t that the arrogant Mo Jingli disbelieved the Mo Family Army’s capabilities. Rather, Liyang was defended by 800,000 soldiers. Unless they all defected simultaneously, it was impossible for the Mo Family Army to enter so silently.

"It’s true... All our generals ranked Vice General and above have vanished. Half our soldiers... suddenly suffered from stomach problems. And... and someone reportedly saw Prince Ding at the city gates." The attendant delivering the news hadn’t seen Mo Xiuyao himself; his information was a garbled account from others. After all, the appearance of the supposedly dead Prince Ding at the city gates had terrified many. Most common soldiers couldn’t comprehend the idea of Prince Ding faking his death in an explosion; their first instinct was to believe they had seen a ghost.

"Mo Xiuyao?!" Mo Jingli’s face turned white, and his hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, began to tremble uncontrollably. "What in the world is happening?! Find out for me!"

The trembling servant stammered, "Your Majesty... the Mo Family Army has already broken through the city gates. We... we must flee immediately."

"Flee?" Mo Jingli’s eyes were bloodshot. "Where else can I run to now?"

The servant advised, "Your Majesty, where there’s life, there’s hope. As long as we return to Jiangnan, we can surely rise again. But if Prince Ding captures us..." The servant shivered. As Mo Jingli’s confidant, capture by Prince Ding meant certain death. They had heard more than enough about Prince Ding’s fearsome reputation over the years.

Hearing the servant’s words, Mo Jingli’s expression shifted slightly, his eyes flickering with indecision.

The battle was surprisingly easy, with virtually no casualties on either side. When Prince Ding, clad in white, landed gracefully in the center of Liyang City’s main street, everyone instinctively lowered their weapons. Mo Xiuyao’s voice carried far and wide, "All soldiers of Great Chu, lay down your arms. This Prince will not hold your past actions against you."

Some hesitated. These were ordinary soldiers, leaderless and disorganized, like scattered sand. They didn’t even know what to do next. Yet, the Mo Family Army and Prince Ding’s Mansion were the most revered names in the heart of every man native to Great Chu. The former glory of Great Chu, protected by the Mo Family Army, was the most cherished memory for all who had endured the ravages of war. Soon, one soldier dropped his weapon.

Where one led, others followed. The clatter of discarded weapons soon echoed throughout the main street. Citizens who had barricaded themselves in their homes began to emerge. The Family Heads of Yunzhou’s prominent families, led by Chu Shaoying, came forward together. "We, your humble servants, congratulate His Highness Prince Ding!"

"We welcome His Highness Prince Ding! Long live His Highness Prince Ding! May he live for ten thousand years!" A cheer erupted from the crowd, the sound quickly swelling like a tidal wave, engulfing the entirety of Liyang City.

Witnessing the anticipated long siege resolved with almost no casualties, the generals of the Mo Family Army beamed with relief. Leng Huai stood by the street, looked at Lv Jinxian nearby, and chuckled. "Truly, one man can be worth a million soldiers. Under the heavens, who besides His Highness Prince Ding possesses such prestige?"

As a veteran of the Mo Family Army, Lv Jinxian shared the pride. He nodded and smiled. "General Leng is right. Besides Prince Ding... who in all the world could command such renown?"

Leng Huai smiled faintly. Though the war with Xiling was yet to be decided, Prince Ding’s deployments made it clear that the Xiling army’s good days were numbered. Who else in this world but Prince Ding could master its destiny? The realm, fractured for centuries, was on the verge of reunification under Prince Ding’s Mansion. A true golden age of a new dynasty was dawning. Even an old general like Leng Huai felt a surge of fresh excitement.

Mo Xiuyao announced calmly, "This Prince will soon lead an expedition to Xiling. Any soldier of Great Chu willing to follow This Prince to resist Xiling shall depart with me tomorrow. Those unwilling may remain in Liyang. After the war concludes, they are free to return to Jiangnan."

"We are willing to follow His Highness Prince Ding and resist Xiling!"

"We wish to follow His Highness Prince Ding!"

"We swear to follow His Highness Prince Ding to the death!"

The tottering Great Chu versus the ascendant Prince Ding’s Mansion. The inept and volatile Emperor of Great Chu versus the wise and brilliant Prince Ding. Mo Jingli, who treated soldiers as cannon fodder, versus Mo Xiuyao, who cherished his men as his own sons. The choice was so obvious it required almost no deliberation.

Mo Xiuyao nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Effective immediately, all Chu soldiers within Liyang City are under the command of the Mo Family Army."

"We swear loyalty to Your Highness until death!"

After instructing Lv Jinxian and Leng Huai to settle the newly surrendered Chu soldiers, Mo Xiuyao led his men toward the Governor’s Mansion where Mo Jingli was staying. Entering Mo Jingli’s familiar quarters, they found only the bodies of imperial physicians and attendants littering the ground. Mo Jingli himself was gone.

"Mo Jingli escaped? Your Highness, I’ll dispatch men to search for him at once," Xu Qingfeng said, frustrated. They had only surrounded the Governor’s Mansion but hadn’t assigned Qilin to watch it closely. Who would have thought Mo Jingli could escape from the Governor’s Mansion, even under such heavy military siege?

Mo Xiuyao nodded. "Go. Don’t blame yourself. Compared to securing Liyang City, Mo Jingli is a minor concern." Though Liyang City had ostensibly been taken without bloodshed, much blood had been spilled in the shadows. Mo Jingli’s trusted guards, the Great Chu imperial family’s secret guards, some generals who remained loyal to him, and families that had already pledged allegiance to Mo Jingli—all had to be eliminated in the shortest possible time. Furthermore, as an emperor, Mo Jingli would obviously have secret guards. While the imperial family’s secret guards of Great Chu were not as skilled as the Mo Family Army’s Qilin, they were no worse than Lei Zhenting’s Golden Armor Guards. They might struggle in a direct confrontation, but helping one person escape wouldn’t be difficult.

Xu Qingfeng nodded and departed.

Mo Xiuyao glanced around the bloodstained room, a cold smirk playing on his lips. Mo Jingli, if I were you, I’d rather have died here... It might have been a better fate.

Mo Xiuyao did not linger in Liyang due to Mo Jingli’s escape. Early the next morning, before dawn, he departed with Leng Huai, He Su, and an army one million strong. Over 200,000 soldiers were left under the command of Lv Jinxian and Yun Ting to garrison all territories east of Liyang. With Mo Jingli grievously injured and defeated, he would be unable to cause trouble for a long time. And even if he recovered, Mo Xiuyao had prepared plenty for him; it was unlikely he could stir up anything significant. Mo Xiuyao had absolute confidence in Lv Jinxian’s abilities, especially since their military strength was not significantly inferior.

「In a quiet little courtyard tens of miles outside Liyang City」

The place looked like an ordinary farmhouse from the outside, but the atmosphere within the courtyard was chilling. Several men, evidently guards, stood with solemn expressions, listening to the waves of painful moans coming from inside. In a gloomy room, Mo Jingli, his face contorted, stared at a man kneeling not far away. The man was beaten bloody and mangled, already at death’s door.

"Speak! How did the Mo Family Army get into the city?" Mo Jingli demanded, his voice grim.

The man shook his head with difficulty, his eyes filled with desperate pleading. He truly didn’t know how the Mo Family Army had entered, nor why the Chu soldiers had suddenly suffered diarrhea after consuming the newly delivered rations. He was merely a low-ranking supply officer. Had he known escape would lead to such torment, he would have preferred captivity in Liyang City. Losing his patience, Mo Jingli ordered coldly, "Throw him out!"

The man desperately wanted to beg for mercy but could no longer form the words. Being thrown out didn’t mean an end to his torture, but an end to his life. In recent days, he wasn’t the first to suffer such a fate, nor would he be the last. Soon, the bloodied man was dragged away. No one pitied him. Mo Jingli’s wounds showed no sign of healing, and his temper grew increasingly violent. Most had grown accustomed to it.

An attendant-like man cautiously pushed open the door. "Your... Your Majesty?"

"What is it?" Mo Jingli asked icily. Since suffering that humiliating injury, Mo Jingli had become exceptionally somber. He even forbade any light in his room, keeping it perpetually dim. The attendant, having just entered, struggled to adjust to the gloom and was startled by Mo Jingli’s cold, menacing appearance. Suppressing his fear, the attendant said in a low voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty... Prince Ding has taken control of all forces in Liyang. He already left with his troops yesterday morning, heading west."

Silence filled the dark room for a long moment. Finally, Mo Jingli’s voice, slow and venomous, emerged, "Mo Xiuyao... took MY troops to fight Lei Zhenting?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The 800,000 soldiers in Liyang City, formerly of the Mo Family Army, have all surrendered to Prince Ding," the servant said, his voice hushed.

"Bastards! Traitors! I will exterminate their entire clans!" WHOOSH. An object flew past the servant’s ear and smashed against the wall behind him. The servant, legs buckling, scrambled to the ground. "Your Majesty, calm your anger! Please, Your Majesty, take care of your imperial health!"

Mo Jingli sneered, glaring at the prostrate servant. "Take care of my health? You all are just eager for me to die, aren’t you?"

"This servant wouldn’t dare... Your Majesty, spare my life!" the man on the floor pleaded, trembling. "Your Majesty... please calm down. Once we return to Jiangnan, we can regroup our forces and seek revenge against Prince Ding’s Mansion then. Right now... the north is teeming with Prince Ding’s Mansion’s troops. We... we really shouldn’t linger here."

Having vented his fury, Mo Jingli gradually regained a sliver of composure. Looking at the profusely sweating servant, he said coldly, "Get up."

The servant, knowing he had passed a crisis for the day, secretly sighed in relief. He hastily thanked the Emperor and rose. His deference seemed to satisfy Mo Jingli somewhat, whose tone softened slightly. "Go and prepare. We return to Jiangnan first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, yes..."

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Lord Qiu requests an audience," a guard announced from outside.

Mo Jingli frowned, slightly annoyed. "What does he want?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Outside, Lord Qiu’s voice, somewhat breathless as if he had hurried, carried in. "Your Majesty, this old subject has urgent matters to report!"

"Come in."

Lord Qiu pushed open the door and entered, frowning at the dimness of the room. Just as he was about to speak, Mo Jingli asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

Lord Qiu produced a folded paper from his sleeve. "Your Majesty, please look at this. This old subject just tore it down in a nearby county town. It’s a public declaration issued jointly by several prominent families in Yunzhou."

Mo Jingli sat bolt upright. "Chu Shaoying? Quick, bring it to me!"

An attendant took the paper from Lord Qiu, presented it to Mo Jingli, and lit a candelabrum near the bed. Only then could they clearly see Mo Jingli’s condition. Due to his severe injuries and the consuming anger of the past few days, his face was strikingly pale, and he had grown gaunt. Most disturbingly, there was an intensely discordant aura about him. Lord Qiu frowned but dared not look further. He was neither a confidant nor a high-ranking minister of Mo Jingli’s and did not know him well. Although he sensed something was amiss with the Emperor’s state, he had no time to dwell on it.

As Mo Jingli unfolded the paper, the faint smile on his lips froze. The announcement wasn’t the denunciation of Mo Xiuyao and Prince Ding’s Mansion he had expected, nor was it a declaration of loyalty to himself. Instead, it listed numerous accusations against him. These ranged from poisoning Mo Jingqi and imprisoning the Empress Dowager, to causing Mo Suyun’s death, deserting the Capital of Great Chu, and even allying with Beirong and Xiling. Every detail was recounted so vividly it was as if the writers had witnessed them firsthand. The pens of scholars are sometimes sharper than swords; in their portrayal, Mo Jingli was a despicable villain who had murdered his sovereign to usurp the throne, was disloyal and unfilial, and had even disregarded the realm’s safety for his own gain. What enraged Mo Jingli further was that this declaration had been posted *before* the Mo Family Army breached Liyang City. The signatures at the bottom indicated it had been made public the day after Chu Shaoying had pledged allegiance to him, and the co-signatories were precisely those Family Heads who had followed Chu Shaoying in declaring their loyalty.

"Chu... Shao... ying!" Mo Jingli gritted out, his gaze, sharp as lightning, fixing on Lord Qiu. "Why was there no word of this in Liyang before?"

Lord Qiu hastily replied, "They didn’t initially publish it in Liyang. It first appeared in a small county town 30 miles from Liyang. It then spread outwards but was never released in Liyang itself. That’s why... that’s why we..." As Lord Qiu spoke, he lowered his head, his mind racing. Judging by the Emperor’s reaction, the contents of this notice are likely true. Although I don’t know the truth behind the deaths of the two previous emperors, it’s common knowledge that the Emperor abandoned the Capital of Great Chu to flee, and later, after Prince Ding’s Mansion recaptured it, he allied with Beirong and Xiling to attack the Mo Family Army. The Emperor... is finished...

"Useless fools! Issue the order! Bring me the heads of Chu Shaoying and those other bastards!" Mo Jingli roared.

"Your... Your Majesty..." the attendant beside him said with difficulty, "That... I’m afraid... Prince Ding left a Qilin unit of 200 men in Liyang City. Our people in Liyang... likely can’t..."

As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. Just when Mo Jingli thought his luck couldn’t get worse, greater calamities awaited. His party, without allowing him adequate time to recover from his injuries, concealed their movements and quietly headed for Jiangnan. However, less than two days into their journey, another piece of news swept across the land. The Grand Empress Dowager and the officials in Nanjing had dethroned Mo Jingli. The grounds were his conspiracies against the two previous Emperors and his reckless military campaigns that caused the deaths of millions of soldiers. In his place, they had installed the 14-year-old Mo Suiyun, son of the late Emperor Mo Jingqi, as the new Emperor. Furthermore, they announced their intention to mend relations with Prince Ding’s Mansion and jointly attack Xiling. Without even waiting for Mo Jingli’s return, Mo Suiyun ascended the throne with the backing of the Grand Empress Dowager and the court officials. On the second day of his reign, he ordered an army of 300,000 to cross the Yunlan River and advance on Xiling. Upon hearing this, Mo Jingli spat a mouthful of blood and fainted. When he regained consciousness, he descended into a screaming frenzy, smashing everything in his room. This further weakened his already grievously injured body, yet Mo Jingli raged on, "Mo Xiuyao! Mo Xiuyao! I will kill you! I will definitely kill you!"

Outside the door, Mo Jingli’s shrieks, growing increasingly high-pitched and piercing, made the guards shiver.

「In Lei Tengfeng’s Xiling army」

After days of maneuvering against Murong Shen and Marquis South, Lei Tengfeng looked visibly tired. Marquis South and Murong Shen were, after all, battle-hardened veterans. Even with superior numbers, Lei Tengfeng had failed to gain a significant advantage in their confrontations. For days, both sides had traded blows, resulting in a stalemate with minor victories and losses for each. However, the overall situation was not unfolding as he and his father had anticipated. The Xiling army had suffered a severe setback upon reaching Feihong Pass, with even Lei Zhenting sustaining serious injuries. This was an outcome no one had foreseen, and as a result, the morale of the Xiling forces besieging Feihong Pass was low. Conversely, fueled by the news of Mo Xiuyao’s (faked) death, the entire Mo Family Army at Feihong Pass was in mourning yet brimming with murderous intent, eager to avenge Prince Ding. Given this disparity in morale, even though the Xiling army outnumbered the Mo Family Army several times over, Feihong Pass was proving difficult to capture quickly.

For the past two days, Murong Shen and Marquis South, who had previously launched almost daily provocations, had vanished. This left Lei Tengfeng, who had been steeling himself to annihilate them in one fell swoop, feeling as if he had punched cotton. The abrupt change also filled him with a subtle sense of unease, a whiff of conspiracy in the air.

"This general greets the Heir." A general in armor hurried in.

Lei Tengfeng composed himself and sat up. "General Yang, what’s the rush?"

General Yang frowned. "Reporting to the Heir, I’ve just received news. Both Murong Shen’s and Marquis South’s forces retreated 30 miles last night and made camp. It seems they don’t intend to engage us for the next few days."

Lei Tengfeng frowned. "No intention to engage? Are they plotting something else?" It was natural for Lei Tengfeng to be suspicious. His forces could perhaps afford to stall; their mission was to bog Murong Shen and Marquis South down here. However, their opponents definitely couldn’t afford the delay; Feihong Pass was still besieged by hundreds of thousands of Xiling soldiers. And beyond Feihong Pass lay the Mo Family Army’s main base. Murong Shen and Marquis South couldn’t risk such a gamble.

General Yang frowned, hesitated, then said, "This subordinate also suspects that Marquis South and Murong Shen are no longer with their troops."

"What did you say?" Lei Tengfeng shot to his feet, his voice grave. "Could they have returned to Feihong Pass? Impossible. Even with a Qilin escort, we’ve blockaded all routes to Feihong Pass. They couldn’t have slipped back without alerting us." Lei Tengfeng had expended considerable effort to trap Marquis South and Murong Shen outside Feihong Pass. With these two formidable generals absent from the pass, the most capable defenders, aside from Ye Li and Feng Zhiyao, would be the 70-something-year-old General Yuan Pei.

General Yang was silent for a moment before saying, "However... this subordinate sent men to investigate. We are at least 50% certain that those two are indeed not in their army camp." If either Murong Shen or Marquis South were present, the Mo Family Army would never have retreated so far to set up camp. This clearly indicated their intention to avoid a direct confrontation for the time being.

Lei Tengfeng frowned anxiously. "If they haven’t returned to Feihong Pass and aren’t with their troops, then where could they have gone? No, first, send some men to probe their lines. What if this is a trap they’ve laid in advance..."

"Yes, Heir! This subordinate obeys!" General Yang cupped his fist and acknowledged the order.

"Heir! Reporting to the Heir, there’s major trouble!" Hurried footsteps approached from outside the main tent.

Lei Tengfeng frowned in annoyance. "Come in and speak."

The man rushed in, panting heavily. "Reporting... reporting to the Heir... a large enemy force is approaching from the direction of Liyang! According to our forward scouts’ estimates, there are at least... at least 700,000 to 800,000 men!"

"What? Mo Jingli has been defeated?!" General Yang exclaimed in shock.

Lei Tengfeng’s expression was grim. "That’s not right. Where would the Mo Family Army get 700,000 to 800,000 men? Leng Huai’s and Lv Jinxian’s forces combined, even without any attrition, wouldn’t amount to 800,000 men. Moreover, after fighting for so long, how could there be no losses, and how could they not need to leave troops behind to garrison? Besides, the Mo Family Army has always strictly forbidden conscription on the battlefield; they simply couldn’t have that many men."

"Who is leading them?" Lei Tengfeng asked.

"It’s... it’s Mo Xiuyao... Scouts at the front said they saw the princely banner of Prince Ding’s Mansion!"