Chapter Ninety: Shadows of an Assassination

Several months earlier, with the war on the northern frontier of the Great Qian growing desperate, the court had no choice but to summon the Iron Cavalry of Mount Banner, whom it had increasingly come to distrust.

To serve the realm and defend the land was their duty. Though they had been ever more neglected by the court in recent years, the sense of mission in the hearts of the sons of Banner had never wavered for a single moment.

Upon receiving the order, the commander-in-chief, Duanmu Hongtu, led his deputy, Han Yuyang, together with the fifty thousand iron horsemen under his command, and set out in force for the battlefield. Once they entered the fray, the tide of war against the northern enemy state of Northern Yan shifted rapidly.

Within less than half a month, they had reclaimed eighteen cities in succession, driving the Northern Yan army back step by step until, in an uncharacteristic move, it was forced to assume a defensive posture.

This was the first time such a thing had happened in the current war between the two nations. The great Northern Yan host, when facing the frontier army of Great Qian, could almost be described as crushing in its might; yet when it met the Iron Cavalry of Mount Banner, it seemed suddenly at a loss.

The two armies then drew lines at Liao City and entered a prolonged stalemate. On one hand, Great Qian hurried to repair its cities, forge defenses, and stockpile grain and fodder; on the other, it actively shifted troops and replenished its manpower.

Overall, the war was moving steadily in Great Qian’s favor, and voices in the court had already begun to call for a grand counteroffensive: not only to drive the men of Northern Yan out of Great Qian’s lands, but to march north and strike into the southern reaches of Great Yan as well.

Yet just as everyone thought the situation had turned, word came from the north that Duanmu Hongtu had been assassinated.

That night, after Duanmu Hongtu had discussed military affairs with the generals in the main command tent, he removed his armor and slept. The camp remained peaceful through the night, and it was not until noon the next day, when no one had yet seen the commander emerge, that they realized something terrible had happened.

When Duanmu Hongtu was found murdered in his military tent, someone immediately accused Deputy Commander Han Yuyang, saying he had slipped into the commander’s tent in the middle of the night; therefore, he must be the killer.

The camp descended into chaos. Protected by his loyal followers, Han Yuyang narrowly fled, and then made his way south to Mountain Pass Town.

With their commander dead and their morale shaken, the Iron Cavalry of Mount Banner was immediately met with fierce assaults from the Northern Yan army. Enemy troops stood before them like wolves and tigers, while behind them lurked the frontier garrison that trusted them not at all. The situation could be said to have been perilous in the extreme.

In the end, they lost the cities they had only just reclaimed not long before. In wave after wave of battles to halt the enemy’s advance, the Iron Cavalry of Mount Banner was forced to abandon the cavalry warfare in which they excelled, and instead rely on cities, either to hold fast within them or to fight street by street. Before long, the fifty-thousand-strong army had been reduced by more than half.

This was the chain of events that had unfolded before and after the assassination of Duanmu Hongtu.

Han Yuyang and Duanmu Qing both wore somber expressions, low in spirit. Their attachment to Mount Banner ran deep, and now all they wanted was to clear their names and secure justice for Banner.

“We have already been in the royal capital for half a month. Though the court, because of the Emperor, has not taken any drastic action against Banner, we still haven’t found the slightest clue to the murderer. Could it be that we were wrong?”

Han Yuyang gripped his teacup tightly. Inside was the floral tea Wu Yue had just brewed for them, fragrant and refreshing, soothing to the heart and mind.

But fine though the tea was, he had no heart for it.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Chen said, “According to what you said, that night you did indeed enter the command tent partway through. At that time, you happened to see a short sword driven into General Duanmu’s chest, and he was already at death’s door.”

“He told you that the person who ambushed him had a tattoo of a three-eyed snake head on his chest, and he instructed you not to make a fuss, but to investigate the killer’s whereabouts in secret. At the same time, he also mentioned that the reason Old Wu had left Banner back then was related to that very tattoo.”

Han Yuyang nodded.

“After that, you received the command seal from General Duanmu. His final instruction before death was for you to take the seal and leave the camp. If you felt isolated and without recourse, you could go find Old Wu.”

Han Yuyang nodded again, and everything he did afterward followed Duanmu Hongtu’s instructions.

Although Old Wu had left the Banner army twenty years earlier, his status and prestige remained. Moreover, Old Wu was directly connected to that three-eyed snake-head tattoo; finding him would bring enormous support.

After leaving Duanmu Hongtu’s tent, Han Yuyang kept his composure. In secret, he investigated who had entered the tent before him, but through the entire night he gained nothing.

In the end, he could only wait for dawn the next day and flee the camp with the help of some trusted men, heading south all the way.

Before dying, Duanmu Hongtu realized that there must have been a traitor in the camp, and that the one behind the traitor might be an extraordinary and immense power. He regarded Han Yuyang as Banner’s last hope of salvation.

Jiang Chen replayed the entire affair once more in his mind, and the only thing that caught his attention was the official who had come to the Banner camp the day before to represent the court in rewarding the army.

The governor of Yanzhou, Wang Qiaoling.

This man had arrived at the Banner camp the day before Duanmu Hongtu’s assassination, and after the incident he had left the scene of turmoil without a trace. Jiang Chen therefore believed he was highly suspicious. If they could start with him and investigate thoroughly, the truth should come to light.

Afterward, Wang Qiaoling publicly claimed illness and came to the royal capital to recuperate, and he had now been living there for nearly half a year.

Han Yuyang and Duanmu Qing had been investigating this man recently, only to discover that over the past six months he had almost never appeared in public, remaining all the while in a private residence west of the royal capital.

This made their investigation all but impossible, and with no clues forthcoming, Han Yuyang grew anxious.

“Wang Qiaoling may simply have been an outsider who happened to stumble into this matter by chance,” Duanmu Qing said, voicing her own speculation. But Jiang Chen did not think so.

There were many suspicious points surrounding this man, yet they had been concealed just well enough that no path of inquiry could be forced out of him. It was impossible for the matter to be so coincidental.

After some thought, Jiang Chen said, “It seems we must find a way into that private residence and see exactly how Wang Qiaoling stands now. Also, the man we met this morning with the snake-head tattoo on his chest must be investigated as well!”

Old Wu had died to avenge a blood feud, and he had indeed personally killed Qi Zhaoxuan. But if the latter was merely one member of a much larger organization, then Old Wu’s revenge had not truly ended.

“Let’s do this: tonight I’ll first look into that tattooed man, then find a way to slip into Wang Qiaoling’s residence. In any case, everyone should keep calm; none of these things are as easy as they seem.”

After drinking a few mouthfuls of tea, Han Yuyang’s mood finally settled somewhat.

Since he was still a wanted fugitive, it was inconvenient for him to act openly in the royal capital, and for now he could only entrust this matter to Jiang Chen.

“However, you’ll need to do me a favor as well,” Jiang Chen said suddenly.

“Just say it plainly. Between us, what is there to be polite about?”

Jiang Chen glanced at Duanmu Qing and said, “I’m bound to be very busy next, but business at the shop still has to go on. So I’ll need to borrow Miss Duanmu for a few days to help Wu Yue.”