Chapter 41: Mutation

Qin Sang tapped his toes and flew up to the treetops to meet them.

"Old Zhou, what happened?"

"General Qin!"

Seeing Qin Sang, Water Monkey’s face lit up with joy, and he shouted loudly, "I have just received a pigeon dispatch. The Admiral has ordered that General Qin must immediately lead men to evacuate Guling Mountain. You are required to return to the main camp within three days."

Qin Sang frowned upon hearing this. "What is the reason? Am I to return alone, or is everyone required to evacuate?"

Water Monkey leaped several times to reach him, pulling a letter wrapped in oil paper from his bosom. "The letter says the General must lead everyone back. It doesn't state a reason."

Qin Sang took the letter and read it carefully. Indeed, it ordered him to withdraw all scouts from Guling Mountain within two days; the wording was far more severe than Water Monkey's tone.

Clutching the letter, Qin Sang looked at the desolate mountains surrounding them, his heart filled with doubt.

Currently, the Prince of Dongyang had already taken Xitai County, and various armies were moving in unison, striking directly at the three counties of the Imperial Capital. The Xuanwei Battalion had entered Guize County two months ago and had already captured several cities; their current target was Raven's Mouth.

Raven's Mouth was actually a significant city, originally a ferry crossing on the Lingshui River that had gradually developed over time.

The Lingshui River was the largest river in Guize County, running diagonally across the entire county from northwest to southeast. Although it was not as wide as the Wuling River, it flowed continuously year-round and never ran dry; the movement of troops and grain relied heavily on the Lingshui River.

Due to the convenience of the ferry, the largest granary of the defending army was currently located at Raven's Mouth.

By taking Raven's Mouth and cutting off the Lingshui River, the seven cities downstream would become isolated cities, effectively having their lifelines severed. There would be no choice left but to surrender.

Originally, it would have been impossible for the Xuanwei Battalion to strike Raven's Mouth now, because a massive mountain range called Guling Mountain separated the south of Raven's Mouth.

To attack Raven's Mouth, one had to cross Guling Mountain.

The terrain of Guling Mountain was precipitous, the forests were dense, and it was devoid of human life; legend had it that even birds could not fly across it.

Aside from hunters going into the mountains, ordinary people who entered would surely lose their way and die without ever finding an exit, let alone a large army.

According to the original plan, they were to march east for several hundred miles, detour through Guling Pass, and then fight their way through the seven cities downstream of the Lingshui River, one by one.

At this time, Guling Pass was already heavily garrisoned and on high alert. Fighting that way would not only consume time but would also inevitably result in heavy casualties.

A few days ago, when the Xuanwei Battalion captured the small town in front of Guling Mountain, Qin Sang had learned a piece of information from an old man who had once been a hunter in Guling Mountain. There used to be an ancient path within the mountains; local legend said it was carved by the founding emperor of the previous dynasty during a military campaign. It had been abandoned for nearly a thousand years and was little known.

Qin Sang reported the intelligence regarding the ancient path and was then ordered to lead scouts into Guling Mountain to investigate. He had only just entered and dispersed the scouts when he was called back.

The letter was signed with the Commander's Seal; this letter was a military order.

Wu Chuanzong, who remained at the main camp, had not sent word in advance, which likely meant the decision had been made suddenly by the high command of the Xuanwei Battalion.

Seeing the difficulty on Qin Sang's face, Water Monkey knew that gathering all the dispersed scouts was not something that could be done 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 all personnel over to those two for deployment. Stay in Guling Mountain to continue searching for the ancient path. You and I will return to the main camp together."

"Yes!"

...

Under a torrential downpour, the two did not rest all night. They left Guling Mountain on horseback and did not arrive back at the main camp until the hour of Chen the next day.

Even outside the camp, Qin Sang sensed that something was wrong. There was an unusual atmosphere of grimness within the military camp, and the patrols were much tighter than usual.

The two arrived dusty and travel-worn. Qin Sang changed into his armor, intending to find Wu Chuanzong in the camp first, only to find that Wu Chuanzong was waiting for him outside.

"Sir! Vice General Feng came personally to find me. He requested that you see him immediately upon your return to the camp."

Qin Sang nodded and asked, "Have you found out what happened?"

Wu Chuanzong said shamefully, "Chuanzong is incompetent. Late the night before last, the central command camp was suddenly sealed off. It was guarded by heavy troops for twelve full hours. Without orders, no one was allowed to approach, otherwise they were to be killed on sight. I inquired everywhere but could not obtain accurate information."

Qin Sang noticed that Wu Chuanzong looked haggard, with dark circles under his eyes. Knowing that he had done his best and that if something had happened in the central command, it was not something Wu Chuanzong could know, he patted his shoulder and comforted him, "It is not your fault. Go rest first; I will go find Vice General Feng."

Walking through the camp, Qin Sang watched one squad of soldiers after another, feeling secretly puzzled and somewhat hesitant.

He had not received any message from the Princess, so it shouldn't be a problem in the rear.

However, even if a mutiny had occurred in the central command, there was still significant danger.

Qin Sang prided himself on no longer being an ordinary mortal, but if faced with hundreds of heavy crossbows, he could only close his eyes; his death would surely be quite gruesome.

As he approached the central command camp, Qin Sang hesitated for a moment. He secretly summoned Yama, placed a wisp of his divine sense upon Yama, and sent him to infiltrate the camp.

Yama quietly swept through the camp. Inside, there was no sign of the murderous atmosphere he had imagined, and then he guided Yama toward Vice General Feng's tent.

Vice General Feng was inside his tent, and there were no ambushers with blades or axes around him; only then did Qin Sang feel at ease.

By now, he had reached the gates of the central command. He produced his command token, but despite his rank as a Deputy General, he still had to report to Vice General Feng before being allowed entry.

"This subordinate greets General Feng!"

Seeing Vice General Feng approaching from a distance, Qin Sang immediately saluted.

"Brother Qin!"

Vice General Feng walked quickly toward him and supported Qin Sang, his expression somewhat urgent. "You're finally back. Quickly, follow me!"

The two walked arm-in-arm into Vice General Feng's tent. Vice General Feng looked cautiously outside before lowering his voice to deliver shocking news, "The Admiral has suddenly fallen seriously ill and is in a coma. His life is in grave danger; I fear he won't last more than a few days!"

Qin Sang let out an "Ah," his face full of surprise. Of the two Admirals in the Xuanwei Battalion, Wang Liu was merely the Right Admiral; the Left Admiral was the true commander-in-chief—a man well-versed in military strategy, skilled in troop movements, and strict in discipline.

The Left Admiral was a confidant of the Prince of Dongyang and owed loyalty only to the Prince. Anyone before him was only permitted to discuss major military affairs; regarding the secret struggles between the Heir Apparent and the Princess, he maintained a stance of non-interference.

With him exerting control, Wang Liu would not have dared to act recklessly or use schemes against Qin Sang.

Qin Sang took out the military order. "I only received this letter yesterday. Who is using the Commander's Seal?"

Vice General Feng said with a face full of indignation, "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 fell silent.

The current situation was now quite clear. It was only a matter of time before the Prince of Dongyang ascended the throne; people in the small court were already discussing the matter of the Heir Apparent.

Regarding the position of the Heir Apparent, no one could compete with the Heir Apparent except for the forces behind the Princess.

But since the founding of the Great Sui, there had never been a precedent of a woman ruling the roost. It was easy to imagine which side those people would stand on.

When they were in Hening County, the Black Crane Daoist had already been secretly colluding with the Heir Apparent.

It was quite normal for the Left Admiral, on his deathbed, to hand over military power to Wang Liu to show goodwill to the Heir Apparent and cultivate a good relationship for his descendants.