The Blood Crown - Chapter 20

A room full of civil officials and military officers stared in amazement at this young man. The resolute righteousness in his demeanor added a weightiness to his slender frame, surpassing the limitations of his age, leaving everyone deeply impressed.

Han Zhaoxing felt his face heat up, infuriated and embarrassed, “Yuan Mao! Is this a place for your son to act recklessly?”

Yuan Sikong knelt halfway to the ground and loudly declared, “In accordance with the Lord Governor’s orders, I am already thirteen years old, and I, like countless other men of Liaodong, am willing to dedicate myself to the country, to join forces in resisting the Jin, and I will not regret it even if I die!”

“Good!” Li Boyun slammed the table vigorously, excitedly saying, “What is your name?”

“I am Yuan Sikong.”

“You speak well! Even a young lad like you has the courage to stand alongside the men of Guangning, armored and armed, enjoying the blessings of the court. Aren’t you ashamed?”

Han Zhaoxing and Chen Yulon were silenced by this.

Li Boyun stood up and firmly declared, “If Zhang, the King, can hold his ground, then so can I. We, the people of Liaodong, will not yield an inch of land to the barbarians. Yuan Mao!”

“At your service!”

“I entrust you with full authority over the defense of Guangning. Do not allow the enemy to set foot inside our city gates!”

Yuan Mao replied, “I promise!”

“Lord Li,” Han Zhaoxing stood up, “what is your intention with this?”

Li Boyun calmly replied, “General Han, I see that your fighting spirit has waned. How can you lead your soldiers to defend the city?”

“Han thinks of the people as paramount, considering the big picture. Whether we advocate for peace or war, what’s wrong with that? War is for warriors, must one display reckless bravery to be considered ‘courageous’?”

“If we truly seek peace, would I be willing to send my soldiers to their deaths?” Li Boyun stroked his beard, “The Jin people are treacherous, they crossed the Huang River, attacked Guangning, their ambitions are clear. They are not sincere about peace. If I open the city gates to welcome the enemy, it could lead to a grave historical mistake. Do you not know that Zhuoletai is ruthless and has tried to lure and massacre six thousand captives?”

“But…”

Li Boyun didn’t give him a chance to argue, “Furthermore, His Majesty’s reinforcements have not arrived. If you insist on peace, do you intend to defy the imperial decree?”

The muscles on Han Zhaoxing’s face twitched stiffly, and he clasped his hands, saying, “I dare not.”

“Yuan Mao, take the command token.”

Yuan Mao knelt halfway forward, hands raised, and Li Boyun handed the command token to him. Yuan Mao trembled and said, “Thank you, Lord Governor. I will not fail in my mission.”

Since ancient times, the court valued civil officials over military officers, to prevent military rebellions. Only the command token could mobilize the army, and it was under the control of the Governor-General, who was a civil official. After the city battle, Yuan Mao promptly returned the command token to Li Boyun.

Han Zhaoxing’s gaze towards Yuan Mao turned ice-cold.

Li Boyun personally helped Yuan Mao to his feet, saying, “Yuan Mao, the lives and fortunes of the forty thousand people of Guangning are now in your hands.”

Yuan Mao’s gaze was resolute, “As long as the people are in the city, I will stand firm.”

Li Boyun then glanced at Yuan Sikong, “This young man will surely accomplish great things. You have a fine son.”

A hint of anger flashed in Yuan Shaoxu’s eyes.

Han Zhaoxing said in a deep voice, “Do any of you have a feasible plan? A sharp tongue alone won’t defend the city.”

Yuan Sikong had already achieved his objective and refrained from speaking rashly, looking towards Yuan Mao, who remained silent.

Li Boyun slowly straightened his slightly hunched back and spoke in his aged voice, “I have a plan that can at least delay the Jin for ten days.”

“Oh? What is this brilliant strategy?”

“I will personally go to the Jin camp.”

The crowd looked at each other in surprise.

“Lord Li, this…”

“Pretend to negotiate, delay one day at a time.”

“What if Zhuoletai realizes you’re deceiving him? He might kill you!”

Li Boyun stroked his beard, “Once I go, I don’t plan to come back.”

The officials knelt down one after another, “Lord Li, you can’t do this!”

Li Boyun waved his hand, “Zhuoletai is cunning by nature. If I don’t go in person, how can he believe it? The soldiers of Liaodong have sacrificed on the city walls, shedding their blood. If my decaying bones can save the people, why should I hesitate? I only hope that you will use all your wisdom and give your lives to resist the enemy, and make sure to wait for reinforcements.”

“Lord Li…”

“My decision is final. There’s no need to persuade me.”

After the meeting dispersed, Yuan Shaoxu took the opportunity to pull Yuan Sikong aside and said coldly, “Do you feel proud of stealing the limelight?”

Yuan Sikong was taken aback, “Elder brother, I didn’t mean to steal the limelight, I did it for…”

“You don’t understand anything!” Yuan Shaoxu shouted, “Do you know who Han Zhaoxing’s brother-in-law is? Offending him will affect Dad’s future, but all you know how to do is act clever. Sooner or later, you’ll harm Dad!”

Yuan Shaoxu gave Yuan Sikong a shove, and Yuan Sikong opened his mouth hesitantly, “Elder brother, I…”

Yuan Shaoxu pointed a warning finger at him, “From now on, you better behave yourself, be cautious in your words and actions!”

“…Yes.”

After Yuan Shaoxu left, Yuan Sikong felt uneasy and went to find Yuan Mao. He straightforwardly asked, “Dad, I heard that Han Zhaoxing’s brother-in-law is a big shot. Who is he? Will he cause problems for Dad?”

“Did Shaoxu tell you this?” Yuan Mao was busy cleaning his sword. He glanced at Yuan Sikong and said, “You’re only concerned now? Weren’t you quite confident earlier?”

Yuan Sikong panicked, “Dad, did I do something wrong again? I just wanted…”

Yuan Mao chuckled, and Yuan Sikong froze.

“Come here,” Yuan Mao beckoned to him.

Yuan Sikong walked over, and Yuan Mao pulled him into his lap and showed him the sword, saying, “Look, I’ve had this sword for almost ten years. I joined the military at sixteen, killed countless enemies, rose from a lowly soldier to a captain, all while stepping over the corpses of my foes. But the higher I climbed, the more I had to be cautious, and I began to feel more and more cowardly.”

“Dad is not a coward at all. On the day of the city defense, you had an arrow in your shoulder, and you were still commanding the battle.”

Yuan Mao held Yuan Sikong’s hand and gently traced the cold blade, “Today, I saw courage in you, and I saw my younger self. You’re truly my son, Yuan Sikong.”

Yuan Sikong felt a great sense of joy, “Dad… But my elder brother said…”

“Don’t pay attention to how he speaks. From the moment I allowed Han Zhaoxing into the city, I knew that we would have conflicts. I only opened the city gates because I didn’t want to offend his brother-in-law. But in life, you can’t plan for everything, and even if the future is uncertain, I will never hand over the military authority of Guangning to a mere incompetent.”

Yuan Sikong nodded vigorously, “Dad is right. Guangning can only be held securely in Dad’s hands.”

Yuan Mao spoke earnestly, “Sikong, Li Boyun sacrificed himself to feed the enemy, giving us precious days. We must do everything in our power to defend the city and wait for reinforcements. Sikong, you’re smarter than all of us. Can you help me with this, right?”

“I can.” Yuan Sikong replied without hesitation, “I have many ideas, but I still need to learn more about our situation.”

“Good. From now on, you can come and go anywhere in Guangning, the granaries, the warehouses, the city walls; no one will stop you.” Yuan Mao held Yuan Sikong’s slender shoulder, gazing deeply into his eyes, “My Yuán family, father and son, will stand or fall with Guangning.”

The clear eyes of Yuan Sikong burned with a fierce determination.

The next day, Li Boyun rode alone to the enemy camp, and there was a good chance he wouldn’t return. The soldiers saw him off with tears.

Though his hair was gray, his heart remained resolute, timeless and enduring.

Yuan Sikong, bundled up in heavy winter clothing, braved the cold wind and snow to begin a detailed study of all aspects of Guangning’s situation. At the right time, Yuan Nanyu’s leg injury had healed, and he couldn’t resist the urge to get involved, so he enlisted, obeying Yuan Sikong’s orders.

“Second brother, you’ve been staring at this map for a while. Have you figured something out?” Yuan Nanyu handed a steaming bun to Yuan Sikong, saying, “Eat something quickly.”

While taking a bite of the bun, Yuan Sikong said, “I’m looking at the route the Jin troops will take for their withdrawal.”

“Withdrawal?” Yuan Nanyu exclaimed, “Aren’t you supposed to be looking at their route for advancing toward Guangning?”

“To defend Guangning, simply reinforcing its interior won’t be enough. In the past, this might have worked, but not anymore. The city walls in Guangning have multiple breaches, and our troops and supplies are dwindling. According to our previous defensive strategy, we definitely won’t hold.”

“So, how should we defend?”

“According to the art of war…”

“Hey, hey, hey, just tell me directly.”

Yuan Sikong sighed, “Attack what they cherish, and they will rush to its rescue.”

“Oh, you want to play a ‘besiege Wei to rescue Zhao’ strategy? But whom can we besiege? These nomads don’t even have fortified cities; they’re just wandering with their cattle and sheep everywhere…” His voice grew quieter as he continued, but his eyes suddenly lit up, “You mean…”

Yuan Sikong smirked, “Exactly. Zhuoletai will mobilize his troops heavily, and the main camp will be vulnerable. If we split our forces and attack their camp, he will undoubtedly respond.”

“But… Second brother, where do we have enough troops to spare?”

“We don’t need too many troops. Zhuoletai knows we’re short on soldiers, so he definitely won’t expect us to dare to split our forces for a surprise attack. With just three hundred cavalry, armed with muskets, we’ll raid their camp and disrupt their cattle and sheep, causing chaos in the main camp.”

“Second brother, have you discussed this with Dad?”

“I was just brainstorming it, and you’re already asking if I’ve talked to Dad. When would I have had time to talk to him?” Yuan Sikong tapped his forehead, “This is only part of the plan. I need to come up with a comprehensive strategy to defeat Zhuoletai in one fell swoop.”

Yuan Nanyu gazed at Yuan Sikong in admiration, “Second brother, why are you so clever?”

“I read books.”

“Hmph.”

Yuan Sikong stared at the map, looking at the black chess piece that represented Zhuoletai’s main camp, envisioning the boiling scene of battles with golden weapons and iron horses on the battlefield.

If we can’t hold on to little Guangning, how can we talk about the world? Zhuoletai, I will definitely defeat you!