Chapter 33: Zhao Wudi in Shock

Li Xuantian was furious, never expecting that Li Ye would dare to defy him.

"This is preposterous! It wouldn't matter if Li Ye had suffered a defeat. But he has remained idle, taking no action for so many days—is he planning to deceive his sovereign?"

"Perhaps the Sixth Prince has a brilliant strategy that requires time to implement. Should we not grant him a bit more time?" suggested Shangguan Qi.

As the Chancellor, he had a mountain of matters to attend to. Over the years, he had often received financial assistance from Li Ye whenever funds were tight. Deep down, Shangguan Qi was inclined to speak on Li Ye's behalf. After all, it was truly too much to ask a prince without a shred of ambition to lead troops into battle. Furthermore, he had no desire to see Li Ye punished; if he could keep this Sixth Prince on his side to help out when money was scarce in the future, it would save him a great deal of trouble.

"Hmph, what brilliant strategy could he possibly have? Though the reports do not state it explicitly, the subtext makes it clear that Li Ye has no intention of fighting at all. I suspect he plans to occupy the position for a while and withdraw once the provisions are exhausted," Li Xuantian fumed.

Deceiving the Emperor was a grave crime, far more serious than losing a battle. It meant that his orders were being treated as nothing. In this age of absolute imperial power, such behavior could not be tolerated.

"Perhaps Your Majesty could issue another imperial decree, ordering the Sixth Prince to launch an attack immediately!" Shangguan Qi suggested, hoping to divert Li Xuantian’s attention and delay any immediate punishment. He wanted to give Li Ye one more chance.

Li Xuantian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his rage. "Give him another half-month. If he does not launch an attack by then, I shall show no mercy." He then turned his gaze sharply toward Shangguan Qi. "Do not dare to secretly send word to Li Ye. If I find out, you will not be spared."

Feeling the crushing weight of the Emperor’s presence, beads of sweat broke out on Shangguan Qi’s forehead. He hurriedly replied, "This subject would not dare!"

"Hmph, you had better not!"

After Shangguan Qi retreated and left, he gingerly wiped his forehead. He whispered to himself, "Your Highness, the Sixth Prince, it is not that this old subject is unwilling to help you. The Emperor is truly enraged this time. You must look out for yourself."

The next day, everyone on Vulture Mountain gathered together. They threw open the fortress gates and dismantled all their armaments. Li Ye rode at the front, leading his army in at a measured pace.

Lei Ying was the first to kneel, shouting loudly, "Welcome, Your Highness, the Sixth Prince!"

The others followed suit, echoing the cry: "Welcome, Your Highness, the Sixth Prince!"

Li Ye rode up to them and said, "Everyone, rise!"

Once they had stood up, Li Ye dismounted. He walked over to Lei Ying and took his hand, a smile of satisfaction on his face. "I have not misjudged you, and I will not break my promise to any of you. Bring everyone and follow me back to the capital. On the road, my managers will make arrangements according to your needs. Even if the imperial court fails to allocate resettlement funds in time, I will pay them out of my own pocket. I will never let any of you suffer."

Hearing Li Ye’s words, the people of the mountain fortress felt their hearts settle completely, and they were deeply moved. They had never imagined a prince would go to such lengths just to put their minds at ease. They knew that surrendering was the single best decision they had ever made in their lives.

Li Ye had Lei Ying mount his horse and ride alongside him, while ordering his soldiers to take care of the elderly and children. Those who could not travel easily were provided with carriages or horses; he refused to abandon a single soul.

Only then did the people of Vulture Mountain realize that the camp was filled with nothing but old veterans and the wounded. It was not a normal army at all. Seeing the doubt in Lei Ying’s eyes, Li Ye smiled and said, "Do you feel deceived? Do you think such an army could never have taken Vulture Mountain?"

"This commoner would not dare, but I am indeed puzzled that Your Highness would lead such an army."

Li Ye patted his shoulder and explained with a smile, "Do not look down on them because they are old or injured; they possess a wealth of combat experience. In fact, many of the strategies used to besiege the fortress were their ideas. The court and the Ministry of War consider them a burden, but I believe they are an elite force."

Lei Ying was stunned for a moment, then came to a realization. Far from regretting his surrender, he was even more moved. A prince who could treat old and wounded soldiers with such care would surely never fail them. He immediately bowed and said, "Since Your Highness can go to such lengths, everyone on Vulture Mountain will surely pledge their loyalty to you."

"Good. I will certainly not treat you poorly! Let us pick up the pace and return to the capital as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Lei Ying had been completely conquered by Li Ye’s courage and vision. He resolved to be loyal to him for the rest of his life. Because they helped one another, their pace of travel was not slow.

The people of Vulture Mountain looked forward to seeing the outside world and living a good life, while the soldiers in the camp thought of the rewards they would receive upon their return. They found it dreamlike that they had caused the surrender of Vulture Mountain without losing a single man or weapon. It felt completely unbelievable, yet the Sixth Prince had actually achieved it.

Without any casualties, he had accomplished a monumental feat. Who wouldn't love a commander like that?

Zhao Wudi had not yet received the imperial decree, but he had received news from the front lines. A scout rode his horse at full gallop to the command tent, jumped down, and rushed inside. "Report to the General! A great victory at the front! All the bandits of Vulture Mountain have surrendered and are currently on their way here!"

All the officers present were dumbfounded, unable to believe the news was true. Only a short while ago, they had received word that the Sixth Prince was remaining idle, and now they were told he had taken Vulture Mountain. How was that possible? Even if they had sent a hundred thousand troops to besiege it, they could not have won in such a short time.

"Nonsense! Who told you to spread such false rumors?" Zhao Wudi demanded, furious.

"Everything I say is the truth! The returning army is less than seventy miles away! If the General does not believe me, you will soon see the troops returning in triumph."

"Then the earlier report that the Prince was remaining idle—was that a lie?" Zhao Wudi asked, still incensed.

"Replying to the General, that report was also the truth!"

Zhao Wudi was so angry he shattered his teacup. He glared at the scout. "Are you playing with me? Vulture Mountain is strategically located and easy to defend; tell me how it was broken in such a short time!"

Seeing that Zhao Wudi was truly enraged, the scout trembled with fear and said with a choked voice, "I have been observing the camp the entire time and have not lied about the situation. I simply cannot understand why they surrendered so suddenly. As the General ordered me to observe only from the shadows, I do not know what methods were used. Perhaps it would be better to wait until the Sixth Prince arrives and ask him directly!"

Zhao Wudi’s expression was dark and uncertain; he found it difficult to make a decision. After a moment, he finally issued the order: "The entire army will remain stationed here. Select fifty riders to accompany me to meet the Sixth Prince."

He had to see these surrendered bandits with his own eyes and, more importantly, find out exactly why they had surrendered without a fight.