PRINCESS AGENTS (SEASON 2)-COMPLETED

Chapter 31

Chu Qiao’s suspicions were finally confirmed. The chaos in Liang finally broke out at the imperial mausoleum in Meishan after ten peaceful years. It came out of the blue, like a pot of cold water. Before the people inside could react in time, the pot of water was heated to its boiling point, implicating everyone within.

At Hanshui, the conflict had escalated. After a few groups of cavalry troops trampled on the land, the city was destroyed. Homes were torched; the fertile land was instantly turned to a barren wasteland. The prosperity of the city went up in smokes. On both sides of the roads, corpses of the civilians littered the ground. A pungent smell of blood could be detected amongst the decomposing bodies.

The king of Luo had started a rebellion in Meishan. The residents, who did not want to be branded as rebels, brought their families and migrated towards Hanshui, only to realize that Xu Su, one of his brothers-in-law, had taken over command of Hanshui Pass. The water crossing leading towards the east had been duly sealed off. The Liang troops located west of Hanshui Pass were disorganized and were heavily defeated by the king of Luo at the city of Hong. The life of the Liang Empire hung by a thread.

Chu Qiao and her party’s journey was delayed as a result. Along the district of Hanshui, the civilians gathered in large numbers. As it was in the middle of summer, diseases were rampant within the city. In less than half a month, an epidemic broke out there. The noble aristocrats stayed in their houses, sending their servants to keep watch and patrol the areas. The inns and restaurants closed for business, causing rations to be in short supply. Chu Qiao and her party had no choice but to head towards the outskirts of the city. Luckily, they had prepared themselves for the long journey ahead; their rations and tents were sufficient to tide them over.

As the days passed, they heard all kinds of different rumors. When Pingan and the rest went into the city to gather intel, their efforts did not come to fruition.

The rumors were diverse in nature. Some people claimed that Xiao Ce had gathered an army of 800,000 elite cavalry troops in the east, and that he was headed towards Hanshui for a rampage. Some people claimed that the king of Luo had massacred the Nanhuai Army at Junshan a few days ago. The areas around Jiangzhe, the city of Fei, Nanwang, Anxi County and the Sunset Mountains had been heavily affected. The army of the royal capital had suffered heavy casualties, while the survivors had surrendered. In less than five days, the army of the king of Luo was to conquer Hanshui. Others claimed that the big households in the southwest rendered support towards the Luo King’s rebellion in the form of donating money and rations towards the cause, due to their displeasure with the current fatuous ruler. They sent out their private troops to join the Meishan Army, causing the king of Luo’s army to be almost 1,000,000 strong. More absurd theories claimed that Xiao Ce was no longer in Tang Jing, and that he had fled to Wei with his concubines. The Song Empire had constructed a boat for him, for him to escape to the seas.

The people along Hanshui waited with bated breath. Although the rumors were not entirely valid, the army of the Luo King slowly approached Hanshui as each day passed. As the number of refugees entering the city decreased, it meant that the Luo King’s army was starting to surround Hanshui. A major battle was about to ensue.

After seven days, the Luo King’s army finally arrived at Qibai Slope, less than 40 kilometers away from Hanshui. However, they stopped there, showing no signs of a head-on confrontation with General Xu Su. On the other side, Hanshui did not show any signs of defecting towards the Luo King either. The war suddenly entered a stalemate.

Suddenly, the Xishuo Army of the royal capital detected that something was amiss. General Xu Su was a general of the royal army, who had followed Old General Murong in his early years. If he stood on Xiao Ce’s side, their hopes of victory would have been greatly boosted.