Qin Sang tapped his toes, flew onto the treetops, and went to meet him.
"Old Zhou, what happened?"
"General Qin!"
Seeing Qin Sang, the man known as Water Monkey looked relieved and said loudly, "The subordinate just received a message by carrier pigeon. The Admiral has ordered General Qin to immediately lead your men to withdraw from Guling Mountain. You have a three-day deadline to return to the main camp."
Qin Sang frowned upon hearing this. "What is the reason? Am I to return alone, or is everyone required to withdraw?"
Water Monkey leaped over a few times and took a letter wrapped in oil paper from his bosom. "The letter says to have the General lead everyone back. It doesn't state the reason."
Qin Sang took the letter and read it carefully. It was indeed an order for him to lead all scouts out of Guling Mountain within two days. The wording was much harsher than Water Monkey’s tone.
Clutching the letter, Qin Sang looked at the desolate mountains in all directions, his heart filled with confusion.
Currently, Prince Dongyang had already captured Xitai Commandery, and various armies were moving in unison, heading straight for the three commanderies of the Imperial Capital. The Xuanwei Battalion had entered Guize Commandery two months ago and had captured several cities in succession; their current target was Raven Pass.
Raven Pass was actually a sizable city, originally a ferry crossing on the Lingshui River that had gradually developed over time.
The Lingshui River was the largest river in Guize Commandery, cutting diagonally across the entire commandery from northwest to southeast. Although not as wide as the Wuling River, it flowed year-round without ever drying up, serving as the lifeline for troop movements and grain transport.
Because of the convenient ferry, the defending army’s largest granary was now located at Raven Pass.
Capturing Raven Pass and cutting off the Lingshui River would turn the seven cities downstream into isolated islands, effectively severing their lifeline and leaving them with no choice but to surrender.
Originally, it was impossible for the Xuanwei Battalion to attack Raven Pass, because a massive mountain range called Guling Mountain stood to its south.
To attack Raven Pass, one had to cross Guling Mountain.
Guling Mountain was steep, densely forested, and uninhabited; legend had it that even birds could not fly over it.
Except for hunters entering the mountains, ordinary people would surely lose their way and die inside, let alone an entire army.
According to the original plan, they were to head east for hundreds of miles, take a detour through Guling Pass, and then capture the seven cities downstream of the Lingshui River one by one.
At this moment, Guling Pass was already heavily fortified and waiting in battle array. Attacking that way would not only be time-consuming but would inevitably result in heavy casualties.
A few days ago, when the Xuanwei Battalion captured a small town before Guling Mountain, Qin Sang had learned from an old man who used to be a hunter in Guling Mountain that there was once an ancient path through the mountains. Local legend claimed it was carved out by the founding emperor of the previous dynasty during a military campaign, but it had since been abandoned for nearly a thousand years and was known to very few.
Qin Sang reported the intelligence about the ancient path and was ordered to take his scouts into Guling Mountain to investigate. They had only just entered and dispersed the scouts when he was suddenly ordered back.
The letter was signed with the commander's seal; it was a formal military order.
Wu Chuanzong, who had remained at the main camp, had not sent word in advance, which meant this was likely a sudden decision made by the high command of the Xuanwei Battalion.
Seeing Qin Sang’s troubled expression, Water Monkey knew that gathering all the dispersed scouts would not be possible in a day or two. "General, what should we do now?"
Qin Sang thought for a moment and said, "Old Zhou, send word to Zheng Kun and Zhang Wenkui now. Hand over command of all the men to them; they are to remain in Guling Mountain and continue searching for the ancient path. You will return to the main camp with me."
"Yes!"
...
Heavy rain poured down. The two did not rest all night. They exited Guling Mountain, mounted their horses, and did not arrive back at the main camp until the hour of the dragon the next day.
Outside the main camp, Qin Sang felt that something was wrong. The camp had an unusually grim atmosphere, and patrols were much tighter than usual.
The two were covered in dust. Qin Sang changed into his armor and was about to go to the camp to find Wu Chuanzong when he discovered Wu Chuanzong waiting for him outside.
"Sir! Deputy General Feng came to find me personally, ordering you to see him immediately upon your return to the main camp."
Qin Sang nodded and asked, "Have you found out what happened?"
Wu Chuanzong said shamefully, "Chuanzong is incompetent. The night before last, the central command camp was suddenly locked down. It has been heavily guarded for twenty-four hours. No one is allowed near it without orders, or they will be killed on sight. I have inquired everywhere but have been unable to obtain any accurate information."
Qin Sang noticed Wu Chuanzong’s haggard face and dark circles under his eyes, knowing he had done his best. If something had happened in the central command, it was not something Wu Chuanzong could have known. He patted his shoulder to comfort him. "This is not your fault. Go get some rest; I will go find Deputy General Feng."
Walking through the camp, Qin Sang looked at the endless lines of soldiers, feeling secretly puzzled and hesitant.
He had not received any message from the Princess, so it shouldn't be a problem in the rear.
However, even if there was a mutiny in the central command, the danger remained significant.
Qin Sang considered himself no longer an ordinary mortal, but if he were to face hundreds of heavy crossbows, he could only close his eyes and accept a miserable death.
As he approached the central command camp, Qin Sang hesitated for a moment. He secretly summoned the Yama, covered it with a wisp of his divine sense, and let it slip into the camp.
The Yama glided silently through the camp. There was no sign of the hidden murderous intent he had imagined. He then guided the Yama to Deputy General Feng’s tent.
Deputy General Feng was inside, and there were no hidden executioners nearby. Only then did Qin Sang feel relieved.
By now, he had reached the gate of the central command camp. He took out his waist token, but even with his status as a Major General, he had to be announced to Deputy General Feng before being granted entry.
"This subordinate pays respects to General Feng!"
Seeing Deputy General Feng walking over from a distance, Qin Sang immediately saluted.
"Brother Qin!"
Deputy General Feng hurried over a few steps and grabbed Qin Sang, his expression urgent. "You’ve finally returned! Come with me, quickly!"
The two walked arm-in-arm into Deputy General Feng’s tent. Feng looked cautiously outside before lowering his voice to share a shocking piece of news: "The Admiral has suddenly fallen critically ill and is in a coma. He is now in mortal danger; I fear he won't last more than a few days!"
Qin Sang gasped, his face full of surprise. The Xuanwei Battalion had two Admirals. Wang Liu was only the Right Admiral; the Left Admiral was the true commander of the army—a man well-versed in military strategy, skilled in leading troops, and strict in discipline.
The Left Admiral was a confidant of Prince Dongyang and loyal only to the Prince. In front of him, one could only discuss major military affairs. He maintained a neutral stance regarding the secret power struggle between the Heir Apparent and the Princess.
With him suppressing things, Wang Liu dared not act recklessly or use schemes against Qin Sang.
Qin Sang took out the military order. "I received this letter only yesterday. Who is using the commander's seal?"
Deputy General Feng said with an angry expression, "Before the Admiral fell into a coma, he entrusted the affairs of the army to Wang Liu, including the commander's seal and the tiger tally... he gave them all to him!"
Qin Sang was silent.
The situation was now quite clear. Prince Dongyang ascending the throne was only a matter of time. Now, some in the small imperial court were already discussing the matter of the Heir Apparent.
As for the position of Heir Apparent, no one could compete with the Heir, except for the power behind the Princess.
But since the founding of the Great Sui, there had never been a precedent for a woman to rule. It was easy to imagine which side these people would stand on.
When they were in Hening County, the Taoist Black Crane had already secretly colluded with the Heir.
It was only natural that the Left Admiral, on his deathbed, would hand over military power to Wang Liu to curry favor with the Heir and build a bridge for his descendants.