Chapter Twenty-Four: A Thousand Pieces of Gold for Anyone Who Captures This Thief Alive

On the side of the Qi Kingdom, mindful of the formidable strength of the Kang army, Tian Yueying had issued careful instructions to her generals as they surrounded the city gates. She strictly forbade them from engaging the Kang forces in direct confrontation. She ordered the generals at the northeast gates to launch an attack one hour after the enemy forces had departed, while the general at the south gate was to wait for the enemy to exit before advancing toward the west gate to rendezvous with her. Should they encounter the supreme commander of the Kang army, they were authorized to strike. With all preparations made, she took her position ten miles outside the west gate, waiting in silence for the opportune moment.

Just as she had anticipated, plumes of dust soon rose from the northeast and south gates, suggesting that each general was leading a substantial force. As for the west gate, it was not until half an hour after the other Kang divisions had departed that Grand General Guo Mingyu slowly led the remainder of his troops out. He moved with such caution for fear that the Qi army might be laying an ambush, ready to circle back and seize Huicheng the moment he left. To this end, he had left five thousand elite soldiers behind to guard the city against any such stratagems. As the commander-in-chief, Guo Mingyu led the elite of the Kang army, a force of approximately forty thousand troops. Faced with an enemy force that outnumbered her own, Tian Yueying felt a flicker of nervousness, as this was her first time commanding a battle in person. However, she took comfort in the knowledge that General Shi at the south gate would serve as reinforcement; with a pincer maneuver, breaking the Kang formation should be well within their capabilities.

As Guo Mingyu’s army drew closer, the hearts of the Qi soldiers rose to their throats. "Your Majesty, the Kang army is less than two hundred meters away. Shall we engage?"

"Soldiers, heed my command!" Tian Yueying drew her sword. With no time for a grand address, she pointed her blade directly at the enemy commander. "Follow me into the fray! We stand or fall with the Great Qi!"

Having been restrained for days, the soldiers were filled with high morale. Within moments, they charged toward the enemy, closing the distance to within a hundred meters. As the gap narrowed, Guo Mingyu quickly spotted the peerless woman at the front of the Qi line. He halted his army, stroked his beard in deep thought, and his eyes lit up as he ordered his forces to form a battle array on the spot.

"Damn it, I wondered who was leading the charge—it’s the Empress of Qi herself!" Upon realizing Tian Yueying’s identity, Guo Mingyu felt a surge of excitement far greater than any promotion or reward. After all, what was the merit of killing ten thousand nameless soldiers compared to the glory of capturing the Empress of Qi alive? Even if she could not be taken alive, simply slaying her on the battlefield and sending her head to Pingtian City would ensure his wealth and status for the rest of his life.

However, he remained rational before receiving her charge. He ordered his deputy to command the rear guard to hold their ground regardless of the fighting in the vanguard, ensuring no enemy could sneak around them. Only after these arrangements were made did he raise his long halberd and ride to the front of his army. Realizing the Kang forces had formed their lines, Tian Yueying signaled her army to halt, and the two forces stood locked in a standoff ten miles from the west gate.

"Heh, is that the Empress of Qi?" Though he did not know her name, Guo Mingyu could discern an incomparable nobility in her features. Beyond that was her exquisite face, beautiful enough to topple a kingdom, and a graceful figure that even her heavy armor could not conceal.

"Hmph, I am indeed Tian Yueying, Empress of Great Qi. It is my fortune to cross blades with you today and experience the grandeur of the Kang warriors."

"Hahaha... Not only that, Empress, but I shall also let you experience my grandeur in bed!" Guo Mingyu, born of a rough background, possessed no sense of chivalry—especially not toward the Empress of an enemy state. His insults were vile, and the Qi soldiers were filled with indignation.

"Your Majesty, why waste words with such a man? Let us charge into their ranks and crush them!"

Having rarely heard such humiliating words, a flush of anger colored Tian Yueying’s face. Perhaps yielding to her soldiers' urging, she ceased the verbal exchange and signaled for the attack. "Soldiers, follow me! A thousand gold pieces to whoever captures this rogue alive!"

With shouts and screams, the two armies collided. However, the Kang army used its sheer numbers to quickly encircle Tian Yueying’s troops, while their rear guard remained perfectly disciplined, unaffected by the chaos of the charge.

As she realized she was leading her soldiers into a death trap, tears welled in the corners of Tian Yueying’s eyes. Is this the measure of the gap between me and Yang Chuan? Back when he faced a hundred thousand Kang troops at Linde City, even with the Kang Empress Yan Wugou leading them personally, Yang Chuan had demoralized the enemy without losing a single soldier. Though fewer than twenty thousand were killed, it was a flawless victory of zero against twenty thousand!

But what of her?

Deep in the enemy ranks, she watched in a daze as her soldiers fell one by one, surrounded by the roars of the Kang army. She felt as if she could already see herself in chains, kneeling before the Empress of Kang. Just then, in this moment of crisis, shouts erupted from the western flank of the Kang formation. It was General Shi, coming to her aid!

"Soldiers! Whether we return home or not, fight with all your might! We must carve a path of blood!"

Encouraged by her words, a lieutenant shouted, "Everyone, follow me! We must break their formation and protect Her Majesty as we fight our way out!"

While the previous Grand General Bao Wuyuan had been defeated due to his ignorance of military strategy, Guo Mingyu was different. Though his cunning fell short of Yang Chuan’s, he commanded his troops with such resolve that they did not panic; even when the Qi soldiers punched a hole in their lines, they reorganized immediately to re-encircle them. It was only through the desperate fighting of General Shi Ling’s five thousand troops that they managed to open a gap in the vanguard and help Tian Yueying break out of the encirclement.

"Oh? An ambush after all? It is fortunate I made preparations. Quickly! Tell the rear guard to send word to the garrison at the west gate. We must catch her in a pincer move and capture the Empress of Qi alive!"

After breaking out of the heavy encirclement, only three thousand soldiers remained with Shi Ling and Tian Yueying. Their clothes were tattered, and they bore the look of a defeated army. To avoid being spotted by the forces in Huicheng, Shi Ling had no choice but to lead the Empress in a retreat toward the east, hoping to reach the next city and request reinforcements. Behind them, Guo Mingyu’s Kang army pressed on, giving them no room to breathe.