Gone with the Bustling World Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty-Five

Since the founding of Daqing, Bafang had been firmly gripped in the hand of the imperial family. In the face of its fortified walls and the perseverant resistance of Daqing's soldiers of several generations, both Tianbin's raging army and the barbaric Xiongye had to return fruitlessly. A series of glorious names were written in the history of this town—Emperor Wuzong, Ge Linfei, Fang Ronghui, Yao Mo, Yu Shanhe—and later Fang Junqian and Xiao Qingyu. After undergoing three centuries of flames of war, Bafang stood upright as ever.

After a long journey, Yuan Qinghe, travel-stained, finally arrived at the entrance of Bafang. Facing this great town, Yuan Qinghe was exalted, “I come from the imperial city and beg to meet Duke Fang.”

Duke Fang was noble and busy with countless affairs. Could you just meet him that easy?

The guards were alerted, “Duke Fang is busy. He wouldn't have the time to see you in person. Can I help with passing the words to him?”

Yuan Qinghe stopped his steps, “Please arrange that. I have urgent things to talk with Duke Fang in person!”

“Oh? How urgent?” A guard asked, irony flickering in his eyes.

Yuan Qinghe said verbatim, “It matters to this battle and the survival of Daqing!”

The guards were startled and hesitated for a while while judging that Yuan Qinghe didn't seem to be lying, “If you insist, then please allow me to report first.”

“Thanks. Please do make it clear that it's 'an old friend from pavilion' who needs to meet him!”

The guard was confused, “I see.” In a hurry, he turned to leave.

Yuan Qinghe waited at where he was, boring and bearing with the curious eyes coming in all directions. Luckily, soon the guard came back and looked at Yuan Qinghe curiously, “Duke Fang said he didn't have the time to receive guests, but somehow, when he heard 'an old friend from pavilion', he asked me to take you there immediately… Can I know…”

He peered at Yuan Qinghe in confusion, wanting but not daring to ask, an expression that Yuan Qinghe pretended not to see—

Childe told me to say so. How could I know?

After a few rounds of body search, they arrived at a huge camp. He lifted the door curtain and saw Fang Junqian at first glance.

The young commander was sitting at the desk, pondering. His wicked charm, shouting nobility and the red long scarf were too dazzling to see squarely. There laid a march map on the desk before him, against which was a blade half out of the sheath in a perfect curve. The sword inconspicuously reflected blue light, carrying indomitable courage to slaughter.

“Qingyu sent you here?” He pointed out his identity at once.

Yuan Qingyu folded his fists as salute, “Duke. I'm here to pass my childe's words to you.”

“Yes, please.”

“Childe wants to know if Bafang could win when Tianbin and Xiongye join hands.”

“No.” Fang Junqian answered straightforwardly.

“Ah?” Yuan Qingyu was shocked, “Why is that? Now Bafang's army is in high spirits. It looks promising!”

“At this time of year, Bafang doesn't reap new grains. If the enemy forces attacked, they couldn't defeat us for a moment. But what's most worrying is besieging. Trapped in for one or two months, we would starve to death before they killed us.”

“Then…what's your opinion…?”

“The only way is to retreat and abandon the town.”

Shock flashed in Yuan Qinghe's face.

Fang Junqian saw it immediately, “What?”

“Uh…Childe said exactly the same thing.” Yuan Qinghe lowered his head to hide his shock.

Before setting off, Xiao Qingyu said almost the same thing, “Bafang is one of the most fortified places in the world where Daqing raises a tremendous army here. It couldn't be conquered easily by the enemy. But what's most worrying is the besieging around the city by the enemy. If the commander couldn't deal with it well, very likely the entire army would be crashed! In such a case, the guarding army's sole way out is to retreat. But once Bafang, a barrier town, was lost, Tianbin and Xiongye would sweep over Daqing in a savaging momentum, and Daqing would soon perish.”

A far-reaching strategic vision and the grasp of the macro situation were what it took to become peerless commanders.

Xiao Qingyu was able to analyze and control over the situation from hundreds of miles away and managed to predict Bafang's condition by deducing. Fang Junqian, neither agitated or aggressive after a vital victory, could remain calm and a clear mind and acute thinking. The two came to the same judgment.

Yuan Qinghe took a deep breath, “Childe told me not to say more if Duke Fang's answer was 'yes'. And if Duke said 'no', I should give you this letter.”

Fang Junqian unfolded it and read.

The handwriting was neat and elegant, with proud and miserable strokes by closer examination.

Just like the one who wrote it.

There were only four lines on the letter—

“You stand guard in the northwest,

while I watch in the southeast.

Across mountains and rivers,

I'll come soon.”

Staring into the bloody red sky in the east, Fang Junqian stayed silent for a long while.

At last, he opened his mouth, saying in a frustrated, firm and powerful tone, “Go through thick and thin together. Entrust our country to you. Qingyu, I'm right here waiting for you!”

Looking at the handsome and determined face, Yuan Qinghe knew that Fang Junqian had entrusted his life, the fate of Bafang army, the life of Daqing to his childe's promise.

A man never regretted his promise, life or death! This kind of trust made Yuan Qinghe's blood boil involuntarily!

Chapter end