Chapter Twenty: Humiliated So Deeply in Her Very First Battle

After Tian Yueying and Yang Chuan returned to the capital of the Great Qi, she began to ponder Yan Wugou’s true intentions.

“Young Master Yang, do you think Yan Wugou will send troops again to harass the borders of Great Qi after retreating this time?”

Yang Chuan squinted and smiled slightly. “Even if she won’t lead the army personally again, she will certainly send others to launch another attack on Great Qi.”

In truth, Yan Wugou’s hostility towards Qi was not out of deep enmity; what she truly sought was to take his life. As long as he remained alive, soldiers from Great Kang would continue appearing beyond Qi’s borders.

But that was not necessarily a bad thing.

Back then, it was he who single-handedly upheld the mighty Great Kang Empire.

Now, he could use his personal feud with Yan Wugou to gradually sap Great Kang’s national strength.

After all, in this era, waging war was an immense drain on a nation’s resources.

Although Yang Chuan did not dare to call himself the supreme military sage, as long as Great Qi had his command, they could win against overwhelming odds and continuously demoralize Great Kang’s forces.

With prolonged conflict, Great Kang’s fortunes would inevitably be exhausted, leading to a true reversal of power.

With this in mind, Yang Chuan added to Tian Yueying, “However, with the court affairs growing more complicated recently, next time the Kang army comes, Your Majesty will have to lead the troops personally.”

“That’s easy to say. When I was young, I did learn some military skills from Guardian Duke Sun Xin. Young Master Yang, you have too many matters to attend to; leave the warfare entirely to me,” she said with a sweet smile, her tone soft and gentle, entirely unlike that of a sovereign.

...

A few days later, Yan Wugou’s carriage returned to Pingtian City.

In the following days, she felt constant chest tightness and shortness of breath, even skipping her once steadfast morning court sessions.

Her first act upon returning to the capital was to relieve General Bao Wenyuan of his command.

She had led the imperial expedition over a thousand miles, only for Bao Wenyuan to disgrace her in the very first battle!

Yang Chuan’s mocking had reached a peak, yet Bao Wenyuan had not gained any advantage; instead, he had lost many elite soldiers at once!

Seeing the empress abstain from court daily, Grand Tutor Jiang Ziqi began to grow concerned.

Years ago, he had carefully groomed several princes, but they had all died under various circumstances.

If Great Kang had capable successors, they would never have allowed a woman to ascend the throne.

Since Yang Chuan left Great Kang, Yan Wugou had thoroughly ruined the empire!

She ignored the famine affecting several provinces, obsessed only with raising an army for revenge, and yet was defeated in the first battle.

What was most aggravating was that despite her mistakes, she showed no remorse, instead hiding in the harem, claiming illness.

Though deeply dissatisfied, as the empire’s senior statesman, Jiang Ziqi could not stand idly by.

One day, he brought some tonics and personally visited Yan Wugou in the nourishing chamber.

Upon meeting there, Jiang Ziqi earnestly persuaded her to regain her strength and shoulder her responsibilities as Great Kang’s emperor.

Unfortunately, after the previous campaign, Yan Wugou looked utterly weak, as if her vitality had truly been drained.

“Your Majesty, you cannot lie down like this any longer!” he urged.

“Staying hidden in the nourishing chamber all day—if this news reaches Qi, won’t Yang Chuan mock you endlessly?”

This time, Yan Wugou did not act delicate; instead, she looked at Jiang Ziqi with a pained expression.

“Grand Tutor, do you think I am truly unfit to be a ruler? I always thought that without Yang Chuan, I could manage state affairs well.”

“But since he left, I have bungled Great Kang’s politics, and even military campaigns have been ruthlessly mocked by Yang Chuan—nothing has gone right.”

Hearing Yan Wugou’s self-deprecating words, Jiang Ziqi inwardly nodded in agreement.

Yes, she was unfit to be a sovereign and utterly lacked military talent!

Had it not been for Chancellor Yang’s assistance, someone like her—a mere figurehead—would have long since been overthrown by treacherous ministers.

Which ruler in the world cannot control their own emotions?

Yan Wugou was clearly a slave to her turbulent emotions, quick to act rashly whenever displeased, causing resentment throughout the court.

Unfortunately, Jiang Ziqi had no suitable candidate to replace her; otherwise, he would have done so long ago.

Despite his many grievances, Jiang Ziqi forced himself to flatter her.

“Not at all, Your Majesty. You ascended the throne at sixteen and your abilities have surpassed many emperors before you. Though Yang Chuan is a prodigy, having served for many years, I know youthful brilliance often fades quickly.”

“Yang Chuan is just an ordinary man; once his brilliance dims, Qi will have no one to rely upon.”

Hearing this, Yan Wugou felt a faint glimmer of hope.

She gently grasped Jiang Ziqi’s hand and whispered, “Grand Tutor, I know my military skills are weak. Today, I entrust the national military authority to you. From now on, you may freely mobilize troops from the six provinces to continue the campaign against Qi.”

Seeing Yan Wugou’s stubbornness about attacking Qi, Jiang Ziqi sighed deeply.

But she was after all the empress of Great Kang, and a volatile one at that; refusing her might cause more trouble.

Besides, with military power in his hands, he could freely appoint commanders in the Kang army.

After thanking Yan Wugou, Jiang Ziqi left the nourishing chamber.

...

A few days later, following his reshuffling, the leaders of the capital’s guards and provincial troops were all replaced by Jiang Ziqi’s men.

Among them were many talented commanders, far superior to the former General Bao Wenyuan.

To avoid angering Yan Wugou, Jiang Ziqi quickly appointed the new general Liu Yinglong as commander-in-chief.

Liu Yinglong led 200,000 imperial guards and the troops of three provinces to continue the campaign against Great Qi.

Another week passed.

Determined not to repeat Bao Wenyuan’s mistakes, after careful consideration, Liu Yinglong negotiated with the Wei kingdom to secure passage through their territory, reaching a small frontier town on the western outskirts of Qi.

News of this “new tactic” soon reached Tian Yueying.

Upon hearing it, she was truly alarmed.

She knew well that among all of Great Qi’s border cities, Huicheng on the western frontier was the most vulnerable.

Not only because Huicheng lay on the plains without natural defenses,

But more importantly, it was too far from other cities, making reinforcements difficult in case of war with Great Kang.