Chapter Ten: Rising Ten Levels in a Row

“Causing trouble?” At these words, Xue Wan-che, commander of the Right Palace Guard, could no longer contain himself. His face flushed with rage, his eyes flashed menacingly as he pointed at Chen Ying and shouted, “You’ve got some nerve! If you want to die, I’ll grant your wish myself…”

He reached out to grab Chen Ying, but Zhang Huaiwei and the local militia quickly stepped forward, forming a protective barrier in front of Chen Ying.

Tensions ran high, and just as both sides seemed ready to clash, Princess Pingyang barked, “Stand down, all of you!”

Princess Pingyang was not a mere ornamental figure confined to the palace; she was not swayed by the murmurs among her reinforcements. She trusted her own judgment above all.

Neither the Tang nor the Western Qin possessed standardized armor; almost all their equipment was seized from the Sui army. Still, she wondered how this Jingyang militia could have amassed so much armor.

She had already noticed that the militia’s armor was in a wretched state—broken, missing plates, and clearly battered in fierce fighting. The chest plates were marked with deep indentations, evidence of repeated blows from blunt weapons.

Yet, for all these signs, one could not be certain such armor had truly seen battle. Seasoned officers sometimes ordered their men to hack at armor, making it appear as though it had survived a fierce engagement.

But the thick, iron scent of blood that clung to the armor was not something that could be faked.

Princess Pingyang stepped before the salted severed heads, examining the contorted faces with great care.

Most of the faces belonged to young and middle-aged men; a few were older or weaker, but they were a small minority. If these heads were taken to claim false merit by slaughtering civilians, their expressions should have shown terror. Instead, the faces were twisted with ferocity and violence.

Princess Pingyang was halfway convinced by Chen Ying’s account.

After she had inspected the more than two thousand heads, Ma Sanbao returned to her side and bowed.

“Your Highness, I have found the corpses they discarded outside the city.”

“And?”

“They appear to be Western Qin soldiers, almost all of them experienced veterans. It seems Zong Luohou truly met his end here!” Ma Sanbao sighed. “Who would have thought that Zong Luohou, so clever all his life, would stumble at Jingyang?”

At these words, Princess Pingyang’s heart skipped a beat. Seven men, leading only a group of civilians, had managed to annihilate Zong Luohou’s force of more than 2,500 Western Qin troops—a feat worthy of a great general.

When Ma Sanbao’s report reached Xue Wan-che, he couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. “This… it’s actually true?”

As a general’s son accustomed to hard fighting, Xue Wan-che had himself won battles against superior numbers. But to win with five thousand against ten thousand was possible with careful planning and some luck. For seven men to defeat two thousand five hundred—that was simply terrifying.

And yet, looking at the frail, bony Chen Ying, it was hard to believe he could fight at all; Xue Wan-che’s own arms were thicker than Chen Ying’s waist.

Princess Pingyang fixed her gaze on Chen Ying. “How did you win this battle?”

Chen Ying calmly recounted the events to Princess Pingyang and the Tang soldiers.

When they heard how Chen Ying had feigned surrender to win Zong Luohou’s trust, then seized him off guard and forced the Western Qin soldiers to lay down their arms, the Tang soldiers’ eyes changed as they looked at Chen Ying.

Xue Wan-che felt as though his head were ringing.

“He actually did it? Seven soldiers wiped out two thousand five hundred Western Qin troops—Zong Luohou’s own vanguard, the best of Xue Ju’s forces. Even the elite Tang units only have sixty percent armored, but Zong Luohou’s men were fully equipped. And Chen Ying’s account isn’t even exaggerated?”

Impossible!

Princess Pingyang’s troops were struck dumb, having previously belittled Chen Ying and his men, mocking them as worthless curs, some even secretly hoping to find Jingyang sacked and slaughtered by the Western Qin so they might take advantage of the chaos, while others fantasized about rescuing the townsfolk and being showered with gratitude.

But what was the reality? They had arrived only to be told the war was already over!

Awkward silence filled the air until Chen Ying broke it, turning to Princess Pingyang and saying, “Your Highness, General Ma, General Xue, you have come a long way. Allow me to prepare wine and food for you—please, come into the city!”

Princess Pingyang’s feelings were mixed. Her own troops had mocked Chen Ying and his companions, but she knew that she herself had harbored a measure of resentment.

Under Chen Ying’s direction, the gentry of Jingyang worked with great enthusiasm, bringing out their stores of wine and meat to reward the reinforcements. After all, Princess Pingyang was favored at court; everyone wanted to curry favor or at least make themselves known to her.

Feeding five hundred was no easy task, however. Princess Pingyang did not allow the county to supply her troops directly, but instead had fifty sheep, four pigs, over a thousand catties of grain, and a large quantity of wine sent outside the city, so the troops could cook for themselves. She herself, with Ma Sanbao and Xue Wan-che, entered Jingyang.

As she entered the city, Princess Pingyang sent a dispatch to Li Yuan, reporting the victory.

A “lu bu” was an open letter, not sealed—such as proclamations against traitors or announcements of imperial rewards—meant to be widely read. An express rider set off at a gallop toward Chang’an with the good news.

Ever since Princess Pingyang had set out to reinforce Jingyang, Li Yuan’s heart had been ill at ease. He was no stranger to storms, but the fall of Jingyang had seemed inevitable, and no matter how skilled his daughter, she could not work miracles without resources.

Worse still, Li Yuan was plagued by the thought of the aristocratic clans of Guanzhong. As one of their own, he knew well how fickle they were. Should Xue Ju bring his army to the gates of Chang’an, the local magnates would surely hand over Li Yuan’s entire family as a token of allegiance.

He paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back.

Li Jiancheng’s eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable.

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice called out, “Urgent dispatch from Princess Pingyang—!”

Li Jiancheng sprang to his feet, just as he saw Li Yuan’s trembling hand retreat into his sleeve.

Li Yuan slumped into his couch, addressing the attendant, “Go on, I can bear it. Was Pingyang ambushed? Did she suffer defeat?”

The attendant beamed as he held out the letter. “Your Majesty, it’s wonderful news—wonderful news!”

Li Yuan took the letter, and as he read, his face filled with disbelief. “This… how can this be?”

Li Jiancheng looked over his shoulder, equally stunned. “Seven Tang soldiers—one killed, one wounded—annihilated Zong Luohou’s force of two thousand five hundred? How is that possible?”

“Heaven truly favors the Tang!” Li Yuan’s joy was sweeter than honey. “With Zong Luohou gone, Xue Ju will have to keep quiet for a while!”

Li Jiancheng said, “But what about Tongguan… Wait—this Chen Ying has raised a force of fifteen hundred men. That’s a timely reinforcement indeed. But Third Sister was too reckless—Chen Ying was but a commoner, and already promoted three ranks, which was a great favor. How can you promote him ten ranks at once? It’s absurd!”

As Crown Prince Li Jiancheng saw it, Chen Ying deserved a reward, but not such an excessive one. Three steps up the military ladder, making him a subordinate seventh-rank company commander, was generous enough.

But Princess Pingyang had recommended him for the official fifth-rank title of General of Pacification.

Li Yuan shook his head. “Crown Prince, I know your concern. Excessive rewards cheapen their value and harm military morale. But extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I will not only grant him the residence of a General of Pacification, but order Chen Ying and Zhang Huaiwei to ride through Chang’an in triumph!”