Chapter 500: Courier

The Dragon King had disappeared. It was not until seven or eight days after he left the barracks that his people started to realize that he was missing when he needed to be there the most.

Most people believed that the Dragon King left to look for reinforcements to rescue the army, but there were different guesses as to where he had gone. The most likely place was Wushan since the tribes in the mountain had not yet gotten involved in the war officially and were most likely to provide a large number of troops. The most optimistic view was that the Dragon King was having a secret talk with the Central Plains. There was also a more exaggerated claim that the Dragon King was going to invite the magic warriors from the sea.

Even though Commander Dugu Xian looked calm, he was more anxious than anyone else. Whenever someone mentioned the Dragon King, he always nodded confidently, as if he had some secret plans with him.

Indeed, only a few people, including Dugu Xian, knew that the Dragon King had not only left to get reinforcements, but was also planning a surprise attack. The chance was very low that the Dragon Army would have fundamental success with only the help of the reinforcement army from Gulping Wind Gorge. In order to bring about a radical change to the war situation, a large-scale attack had to be launched from the enemy’s flanks at the time of the decisive battle.

It was already the time of the planned attack. The Golden Roc Army was pressing closer and closer, and the morale of the Dragon Army was getting low. However, there was no sign of either the Dragon King or the army that should have reached the designated point.

No wonder Dugu Xian panicked. The Dragon Army had nowhere to retreat. Gulping Wind Gorge was not far behind. It was the key pass that he must hold fast. The terrain behind it was a large tract of plains, which led to the capital of the An Kingdom. People in the city, old and young, sick and disabled, were fearfully awaiting the result of the war.

This was an unequal war. If Golden Roc Fort lost, it still had the strength to make a comeback. However, if the Dragon Army lost, everything would vanish and countless people would die.

Gulping Wind Gorge became busier than ever. A large number of refugees were trying to flee to the Land of Fragrance where the Dragon King had promised safety. Dugu Xian had to send massive forces to set up checkpoints to prohibit anyone from entering or leaving freely. The Dragon King was mobilizing troops in the mountains. The last thing he needed was for refugees to divulge these secrets.

Dugu Xian was facing increasing pressure. You could imagine how unhappy he was when he heard that the Queen was in the barracks. At this time, he was in no mood to deal with trivial matters that had nothing to do with the war.

However, the arrival of the Queen might also have a bright side. She could be used to boost morale. By making a public appearance at such a life-or-death moment, the Queen could convince the soldiers that the Dragon King did not abandon his army.

Few people knew about the delicate relationship between the Dragon King and the Queen.

The Queen brought a large number of attendants, both men and women. They all dressed in military uniforms, and her dress was very simple. She got off at the gate and walked into the barracks. Instead of heading straight to the main tent, she took a detour to meet as many ordinary soldiers as she could. She inquired about their welfare, and promised that the Dragon King was leading a large army back.

Although there was not a very strict protocol between men and women in the western regions, the Queen’s actions were still quite unusual and a bit shocking. The anxious soldiers were deeply moved and their confidence was regained.

The Left General, Dugu Xian, waited at the gate of the main tent, watching from a distance. He saw a large number of soldiers kneeling on the ground and saluting the Queen. He was both relieved and alert, especially when he heard the Queen’s promise to the army.

As a professional general, he did not like any outside interference. Even the Dragon King had never openly shown that he owned the army. Seeing that the Queen had won over the soldiers with such great fanfare, the commander-in-chief felt his authority had been challenged.

Dugu Xian turned to Prime Minister Zhong Heng.

Zhong Heng returned him a wry smile. Knowing the Queen well, he was aware that she was not as simple as she looked. When the Dragon King was around, she looked gentle and demure and would never stand out. However, she could do amazing things in times of crisis.

During the siege of the Stone Kingdom’s capital, when she was still a princess, she had walked into the city at Xu Yanwei’s instigation to inspire people. Zhong Heng hoped that this time her purpose would be the same.

It took half an hour for the Queen to come to the exit of the main tent. She apologized to the Left General and the Prime Minister, who had been waiting for quite a while, “Sorry that I’ve kept you waiting so long. I hope my arrival did not cause too much trouble,” she said.

The young Queen looked more mature and proper than ever before. It was hard to believe that she was less than twenty years old.

Dugu Xian made a few casual remarks dryly. Zhong Heng was much more enthusiastic. The Queen was not threatening the authority of the Prime Minister, so he had nothing to complain about.

Xu Yanwei, who was still the Queen’s maid, made a helpless expression to the Prime Minister, indicating that this was not her idea.

Zhong Heng saw Shangguan Hong among the guards of the Queen. He seemed to have accepted the fate of being a eunuch and looked calm.

As soon as she entered the main tent, the Princess asked, “Left General, what are the arrangements for our army?”

“The Dragon King and I had worked out a perfect plan and everything is in order,” Dugu Xian said, avoiding a direct answer. Even Prime Minister Zhong Heng only knew a little about the surprise attack plan. It was impossible to tell the Queen. “The frontline is full of danger. Your Majesty really shouldn’t have come,” he continued.

The Queen answered softly, “General Dugu, what is the difference between the frontline and rear now? The Golden Roc Army is less than 30 miles away from our army and only a little more than a day’s walk to the capital of the An Kingdom. If there is a crisis, it is everywhere.”

Dugu Xian did not know how to respond to the Queen. He was not good at analyzing the hidden meaning of her words, either. The frontline was indeed close to the rear, but the difference was obvious. Anyway, it was the 20,000 soldiers in the front who would affect the final outcome of the war, not the 100,000 people in the rear.

Zhong Heng decided to be the mediator, interjecting, “We are impressed that the Queen cares about the frontline soldiers. General Dugu didn’t mean to oppose the Queen’s visit. He is only worried about how to face the Dragon King if anything happens to your Highness.”

The Queen nodded, saying, “Where is the Dragon King?”

Dugu Xian and Zhong Heng glanced at each other and did not answer.

“As the Queen, am I not qualified to know the whereabouts of the Dragon King?” she asked.

Zhong Heng coughed dryly and said, “We do not mean to hide. It is really…”

“We don’t know where the Dragon King went,” Dugu Xian broke in, “That is the truth. I haven’t told anyone else.”

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“Then guess. You two have followed the Dragon King for so long. You must have some clue,” the Queen said.

What Dugu Xian was thinking was: ” You are the one sleeping with the Dragon King. How can we know something that even you don’t know ?” But rather, he said, “As a subject, it is a crime to speculate about the whereabouts of a king.”

The queen was not irritated. Despite the stiff tone of the General, she said in a soft voice, “General Dugu is very correct, but this is a special time. The Dragon King is likely to be in danger now.”

“The Dragon King is excellent in Kung Fu, outstanding in intelligence and has survived numerous dangers. He will be fine.” Dugu Xian said, having never spoken such flattering words in front of the Dragon King himself.

The Queen smiled and then said seriously, “If you two knew what I knew, you wouldn’t be so calm.”

Dugu Xian remained silent. He did not believe that the Queen could know anything more than he did. Zhong Heng showed his interest, asking, “Can the Queen express it?”

“The Dragon King entered Wushan,” she replied.

This was nothing. Many people guessed that the Dragon King must have gone to Wushan.

“The Dragon King is looking for the army that Tuo Nengya and Ha Chilie recruited,” she continued.

This was also nothing. Since she knew about Wushan, she would naturally know about the two generals sent by the Dragon King earlier.

“But the two men have died in mysterious ways, and the army is missing,” she went on.

The news of Tuo Nengya’s and Ha Chilie’s death had only just spread outside of the mountains. Although not many people knew it, it was natural that the Queen had heard about it already.

“General Dugu wants to launch a surprise attack on the sea slope, but maybe it’s a little difficult now,” she said.

Dugu Xian suddenly stood up and snapped, “How do you know that?”

“So to speak, what I said is right?” the queen said, calmly.

Dugu Xian’s heart was beating like a drum as he thought, “Even the Queen knew about the surprise attack plan. Did the Dragon King accidentally reveal it, or was there another reason? What if the Golden Roc Army also knows about this plan…”

Zhong Heng came to the rescue again, “The Dragon King is not here, and the three of us are the core of the Dragon Army. Now is the time for us to trust each other.”

“Well, let’s trust each other,” the Queen said expectantly.

Although Dugu Xian had more and more doubts, he had to admit the truth. “The Dragon King did enter Mount Wushan. He suspected that there was a mole from Golden Roc Fort in the mountain, and therefore he meant to take over the army….Your Highness, please tell me the truth. How do you know…?” he asked.

“I got it from the Queen Mother of the An Kingdom,” she replied.

Dugu Xian and Zhong Heng looked at each other, startled.

The Queen Mother of the An Kingdom had originally come from the Central Plains. Her son, the old King of the An Nation, had fled Jade City with his followers to seek refuge, but she had stayed and personally chosen a candidate from her royal family to be the new king. However, the Central Plain had shown no interest in the war, and the old king had sent messengers to contact her. When she got the messages from her son, she decided to break her oath to the Dragon King and started planning a rebellion. Her plot started before the first battle between the Dragon Army and the Golden Roc Army. She made an attempt to control the entire capital and keep the Dragon Army out of the city when the Dragon Army was defeated on the frontline.

However, the Queen and Xu Yanwei had set up an intelligence network in the palace and discovered the plot. They always pretended to not know anything, though. But in actuality, none of the letters exchanged between the Queen Mother of the An Kingdom and the Golden Roc Army had escaped the Queen’s eyes.

“The man named Wu Zongheng revealed the news to the Queen Mother,” said the Princess, intending to make a long story short. “The Queen Mother is going to tell the Golden Roc Army,” she finished.

She took out a letter and handed it to Zhong Heng, who took it respectfully, hastily read it, and then passed it to Dugu Xian.

The letter contained every detail of their plan. Dugu Xian’s face turned as white as a ghost. “Wu Zongheng. How could it be? Dragon King trusted him so much….This letter…” he gasped.

“It wasn’t sent out,” the Queen said, relieving the Left General with one sentence. At this moment, nothing was more important than keeping the surprise attack plan a secret — not even the fact that Tuo Nengya and Ha Chilie had been killed and Wu Zongheng had betrayed the Dragon King. As long as the plan was safe, the Dragon King would get the army back sooner or later. The key was to keep it secret.

Dugu Xian immediately changed his opinion about the Queen and looked up to her. He was about to say something to show his loyalty when he was informed that a messenger had asked to meet him.

Before, Dugu Xian would have politely asked the queen to take a rest to keep her from the messenger. Now he decided to meet the messenger in front of her.

The messenger was dusty with mud and sweat. He bowed to the Left General and handed over a sealed letter with both hands, not saying a word.

There were only five words in the letter: “the fifth day of March.”

Dugu Xian was excited, but he remained calm and simply asked, “Where did you come from?”

The messenger pointed out the direction of Wushan and opened his mouth to show he was a mute without a tongue.

Dugu Xian turned to the Queen and the Prime Minister and said, “The final battle will be on the day after tomorrow.”

Even though he was excited, the Left General also had some doubts. The original plan was that Maid Lotus would send the letter. How could she have been replaced by a mute?