He had initially thought the first general to appear was unmatched in the world, only to find that the ones who came next were his equal.
By the seventh round, no one dared to step forward to challenge them anymore. After all, none of the ones who had gone in the previous six rounds had returned. Were they alive or dead?
Seeing this, Li Zixiang said nothing and ordered the troops to retreat. On their way back, the soldiers’ faces were devoid of the calm they had when they arrived. Having witnessed the terrifying strength of the enemy, they knew their demise was certain, and everyone was dejected, their morale completely gone.
Back in the tent, the eunuch was still stomping his feet. "You, Li Zixiang! The Emperor appointed you as Great General, yet you brought them back! At this rate, when will these two cities be recaptured?"
Li Zixiang spoke loudly in front of all the generals, "It's not that I don't want to continue engaging them, but the enemy's strength is too terrifying. We are no match for them, and I cannot let my brothers sacrifice themselves in vain."
"You were born to be loyal to the Emperor! You must fight even if you can't win. If we delay any longer, are you waiting for them to reach the capital, depose the Emperor, and succeed in their rebellion?" The head eunuch believed his words were mere excuses. It was said that an army is trained for a thousand days for a single use. The Emperor had nurtured them for so long, and when it was time for them to contribute, he wanted to desert? There was no such thing. Upon returning, he would surely embellish the story to the Emperor, making sure they would suffer.
"I will give you one more day. Even if you all die in battle, you must not retreat." His gaze swept across each of their faces, then lingered meaningfully on Li Zixiang.
"General, what should we do?" After the eunuch left, his right-hand men quickly surrounded him, looking at him anxiously.
"What else can we do? Although I don't want to die, and I don't have much affection for the Li family, at this point, do we have a choice?" Li Zixiang wanted to hear their thoughts, not daring to reveal his contact with the Third Prince. Who knew what they were thinking? What if they were loyal to the court and reported him?
The men exchanged glances and cautiously asked, "Has the General considered defecting to the Third Prince?"
"How can you have such an idea? Wouldn't that make us traitors as well?"
"Why worry about so much? Those who could come here have already been abandoned by their families. They don't care if we live or die, so why should we care about them? Besides, I've witnessed their prowess today. If we continue to linger, we'll all be finished." Zuo Ziqing said dismissively. He was a concubine's son from his family; his birth mother had died early, and he had no one to worry about. For him, wherever he could achieve success or live freely was where he would go. Su Dan Novel Network
"What are your thoughts? He's alone and doesn't care; he can just leave. But you are different. You have siblings, parents. Aren't you afraid of implicating them?" Li Zixiang posed a soul-searching question.
The men immediately lowered their heads. Suddenly, someone had an inspiration and exclaimed joyfully, "We can go into hiding and change our identities! We can tell everyone we died on the battlefield. Once true victory is achieved, who can do anything to us?"
The generals' eyes lit up upon hearing this; they clearly agreed with the idea.
At this point, everyone's gaze turned to Li Zixiang. "General, what are your thoughts? We've told you our biggest secret, and our lives are in your hands. If you expose us, we're all doomed."
Li Zixiang sighed helplessly. "You are all my good brothers. Knowing this is a dead end, I don't want to drag you down with me. But I also don't want to betray the court. Today's conversation, I will pretend I never heard it. However, I have a small suggestion: with just a few of you, your strength is too small. You can try to incite the soldiers under your command. The more people you have, the more the Third Prince will consider."
"What about you? The reason we came to you is because we want you to be the leader."
Li Zixiang immediately made a shushing gesture and turned his back, saying firmly, "My mind is made up. Do not speak of this again. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that I won't regret keeping your secret. Disappear from my sight now, and let's pretend none of this ever happened."
The men stamped their feet in frustration, glancing at each other. After some discussion, they decided to follow his advice and try to incite their subordinates. This way, they would have leverage when they eventually met the Third Prince.
Li Zixiang had seen their little maneuvers all along and was secretly pleased. When the eunuch came to pester him again, Li Zixiang made various excuses to fend him off. The eunuch, observing his behavior, felt an uneasy premonition. Were they planning to rebel? Considering their actions, it seemed increasingly likely.
Having made up his mind to leave the next day, he requested an audience. Li Zixiang readily agreed. He had initially thought he had wronged the eunuch, but unexpectedly, twenty li out, he was captured.
The one who captured him was, of course, Zuo Ziqing. Li Zixiang had told him that the eunuch might be suspicious and that they should act soon. To be safe, after receiving a message from the Third Prince's people, and seeing his family arrive at the border, he took a look from afar. Then, he silently sent men to eliminate the eunuch. After all, keeping this menace around could be dangerous if he ever escaped and reported to the Emperor.
In reality, he had worried too much. The day after the second branch of the family disappeared, the first branch found out. Li Ninghou immediately guessed a possible outcome, trembled, and quickly sent people to pursue them.
While fleeing with the elderly, weak, women, and children, fearing they wouldn't endure the journey, Wu Caiwei's people had them pretend to be ordinary civilians and take a small path. On the road, a group of riders disguised themselves as them, drawing away Li Ninghou's men. They maintained a distance of fifty to eighty li, and by the time Li Ninghou's men realized the deception, they were unsure how to find the second branch of the family.
By the time they had gathered some clues, the second branch had already reached the border. Knowing that the matter could no longer be concealed, for if it were exposed later, the Li family would not be able to bear the Emperor's wrath, he now deeply regretted ever recommending him.
When the Emperor learned of this, he slammed the table. He had thought Li Ninghou's son was a good man, but unexpectedly, he had led his thirty thousand troops to defect to the Third Prince. He knew the Third Prince already commanded thirty thousand troops, and with his own added, wouldn't they be invincible?
The thought sent a chill down his spine. After all, the disparity in strength between him and the Third Prince would be immense. Who knew if the Third Prince wouldn't ascend the throne under a cloud of infamy?
Having become Emperor, he realized that history books were written by the victors. Once he was no longer Emperor, perhaps he would leave no trace in history, or perhaps only a brief mention. Contemplating such a desolate fate, he was determined to prevent this from happening at all costs.