Chapter Twenty-Four: Deadlock

No doubt everyone has noticed these three figures among the Flame Clan: Lin Yufei, Lin Yukong, and Lin Yuluo. These three, the noble brothers of the Lin family, saw the Flame Clan’s invasion of Wangmai as their stepping stone to fame. From a young age, the brothers studied both strategy and martial arts together—the eldest, Lin Yufei, was the most outstanding, while the youngest, Lin Yuluo, was generally considered the least accomplished.

At present, the second brother, Lin Yukong, is busy running about Wangmai. Although he failed to capture Yaoguang Town and could not penetrate deep into Xia’s territory, he still made a name for himself by striking deals with so many of Wangmai’s upper echelons. As for the eldest, Lin Yufei, he first led his light cavalry to a devastating defeat at the hands of Xiao Ming, then managed a victory with his heavy cavalry, only to have Ye Linhui beat him black and blue afterward. The youngest, Lin Yuluo, is locked in stalemate with Zi Jie in the north; even the “Flaming Bull” tactic he devised after much thought was completely outmaneuvered and humiliated. Though these two brothers appear rather battered, their misfortunes are due mainly to inexperience. They’ve learned many skills, but have yet to master their application on the battlefield. Meanwhile, all Lin Yukong had to do was offer terms so tempting they could not be refused—terms which, to the Flame Clan, cost them nothing of substance—so his work went smoothly.

Truth be told, ever since Lin Yuluo was outmaneuvered by the Snowshade King, he had been dispirited. It was one thing to fail in a protracted siege, but to have his midnight inspiration—the Flaming Bull tactic—foiled with mere fire and earth, losing three officers and countless soldiers, and having to rely on endless reinforcements from the Demon Gate Valley, left him feeling unworthy of his general’s title.

Claiming it was to relieve his boredom, Lin Yuluo issued orders to maintain vigilance, then indulged himself in food and drink within his large tent—wine brought from home and meat from the cattle and sheep of Snow Country’s herdsmen.

In principle, of course, there should be no drinking in the army anywhere; punishments for officers are heavy while rewards for the rank and file are light. But who could control Lin Yuluo? Besides, he drank in moderation, and there had never been an incident of drunkenness in the camp.

With Lin Yuluo holding his position, Zi Jie was content to enjoy the lull. He lacked enough troops to take the initiative, and the outcome of an attack was uncertain. Technically, the Flame Clan was only on the edge of Wangmai, while his own Hengguan was the true western border of Snow Country. His task was simply to defend; if Lin Yuluo did not attack, he had no reason to seek him out.

Thus, Zi Jie increased the number of scouts and sent them farther afield, ensuring he would not be caught off guard by any ruse. If Lin Yukong wanted to drag things out, so be it—it was the Flame Clan fighting on foreign soil, he could afford the stalemate.

In the central front, Ye Linhui and Lin Yufei were at an impasse. After Ye Linhui nearly wiped out his heavy cavalry, Lin Yufei resorted to every possible stratagem, but the results were...

One night, Lin Yufei tried to send men to scale the city walls in secret. But when his elite troops attempted to quickly dispatch the defenders, they found themselves striking straw dummies tied with bells. The result: some elite attackers were killed, some fell to their deaths, and some failed to kill their targets and tumbled after them. Fewer than one in ten made it back alive.

However, the fire-soaked boulders, each the size of a man’s embrace, did cause Ye Linhui some trouble. It took all his effort to extinguish the flames, but the next day Lin Yufei was dismayed to see the stones flying back at him. In the lands of Xia, stones suitable for catapults were much rarer than in Snow Country, and Ye Linhui had many catapults but little ammunition. The Flame Clan, with Demon Gate Valley at their backs, had no such problem.

Lin Yufei’s plan was to hurl the burning stones over the walls, not at them, so the catapults were adjusted accordingly. Ye Linhui, anticipating this, prepared defensive detachments atop the walls, and the very night of the fire attack, forged layers of iron mesh between the inner and outer walls. The mesh caught the stones, the flames were doused, and then the boulders were loaded onto catapults and returned to Lin Yufei—shattered and unusable upon impact. Lin Yufei, frustrated, devoured three lamb shanks in a row, but it was to no avail.

There were, however, moments of mutual embarrassment. Somehow, both sides had the same idea: digging tunnels. On a fateful day, several teams’ farm tools clanged together in the dark, sparking a fierce scuffle underground, each side shouting and grappling. Since neither carried weapons of great lethality—picks and shovels are hardly easy to wield in combat—few were killed. After exchanging threats, they retreated and filled the tunnels back in.

In short, though Ye Linhui held a slight advantage, he could not break Lin Yufei, nor was Lin Yufei likely to conquer Luoshui City.

Meanwhile, on the southern front, Feng Xiaoyang was encountering Xiao Ming for the first time, not knowing his true strength. Having previously bested Duan Xingyun and Peng Wanli, Feng Xiaoyang had formed the impression that Wangmai and Xia were nothing special, and subconsciously believed Xiao Ming was no threat.

At this time, Feng Xiaoyang was aware of traitors within Xia helping the Flame Clan, but not their identities, and certainly did not know that the top ranks of Xia had already struck a deal with his own clan. Xiao Ming, on the other hand, could not possibly imagine, much less believe, that the emperor would make an agreement with the enemy at such a moment. He was still intent on preventing the Flame Demons from establishing themselves in his homeland, seeking opportunities for a decisive breakthrough.

One night, Xiao Ming dispatched two young officers to raid the enemy’s supply wagons. They set fire to the provisions and withdrew. When the Flame Clan gave chase and failed to catch them, those left to fight the fire were ambushed by Xia cavalry lying in wait beyond the camp, and many were shot down by a volley of arrows. Each cavalryman loosed three arrows in rapid succession, then wheeled their horses and withdrew without giving pursuit, not even pausing to see if they’d hit their marks.

Yes, Xia did have cavalry—after all, horses are invaluable strategic resources—but the terrain in Xia was much more wooded than in Snow Country, making cavalry operations difficult. Thus, the Xia had never prioritized their development.

This infuriated Feng Xiaoyang. Though the loss of provisions and men was not severe—far from crippling—the humiliation stung, and he felt he had disgraced the Feng family. The next day, he launched a massive assault on the city.

Xiao Ming, whose mission was to defend Luoshui City, had brought ample siege equipment. At first, these machines were of little use, as the Flame Clan’s vanguard was cavalry and unable to mount a major siege. Now, with Feng Xiaoyang’s attack, Xiao Ming was eager for battle and deployed his arsenal. Feng Xiaoyang had arrow towers and catapults; Xiao Ming had dozens of giant crossbows designed to destroy such engines. Feng Xiaoyang produced scaling ladders taller than the walls; Xiao Ming countered with ample rolling logs, stones, and boiling oil. The siege raged for four hours—Flame troops once took the walls of Pengzhou, while the Xia forces at times drove them back more than ten meters from the city.

After a thunderous battle, neither side gained the upper hand. Men and horses were exhausted; Feng Xiaoyang sounded the retreat, and Xiao Ming did not pursue. Both sides lapsed into uneasy quiet.

Thus, the three great fronts—north, center, and south—fell into stalemate, with neither side able to overcome the other.

The Flame Clan continued to replenish their forces and supplies through the Demon Gate Valley, while the war on the Wangmai side had already lasted over four months. The people, fully aware of the situation, were voluntarily sending supplies to the front lines, and logistics for the human side were secure. Barring any dramatic changes, it seemed the war would drag on until the Demon Gate Valley closed.

Luoshui may dry up, but Zi Jie will not falter.

—From “The Chronicles of Wang and Flame”

This is how later generations recorded the deeds of the Snowshade King, Zi Jie. Why mention this here? Clearly, the great turning point in the Season of Wang and Flame occurred at the hands of the Snowshade King.

As previously mentioned, the court intended to reinforce Zi Jie’s position. General Chen Qingwei, who had a secret agreement with both the Flame Clan and Xia, requested permission from the Snow Emperor, Ziying, to accompany the army himself, strengthening Snow Country’s elite defenses. There was nothing suspicious in his request. After all, treason at the general’s level was rare, and betrayal to a foreign race even rarer. Ziying did not suspect a thing and agreed on the spot.

Thus, General Chen Qingwei arrived at Hengguan with his reinforcements.

The arrival of reinforcements could not be concealed from the Flame Clan, and Lin Yuluo soon received word of Chen Qingwei’s approach. He began, as planned, to prepare for the next assault on the city.

With the reinforcements in place, Zi Jie was unwilling to limit himself to merely holding Snow Country’s frontier. Aware that the three battlefields of Wangmai were all deadlocked, he aimed to break the stalemate and gradually expand his advantage, hoping to push the Flame Clan back before the Demon Gate Valley closed.

So, while the Flame Clan prepared to attack, Zi Jie devised his own plans.

“General Chen, this war needs a breakthrough. In a few days, I’ll lead three thousand elite troops to ambush in the surrounding forests. During the next battle, I’ll take five thousand crack soldiers to raid the enemy’s grain stores. Your task is to hold this position. Are you prepared?” Zi Jie, usually lighthearted before Ye Linhui, was utterly serious now.

Chen Qingwei felt as if Heaven itself favored him, but kept his composure, bowing and replying, “Your Highness, I pledge my head as surety—Hengguan is impregnable!”

Zi Jie nodded, eyes burning with the fire of battle. “This time, I, the Snowshade King, will show the Flame Clan that Wangmai is not theirs for the taking!”

Then, as if recalling something, he smiled and asked, “General Chen, where is your younger brother? Why is he not with you?”

A flicker of panic crossed Chen Qingwei’s eyes—he feared Zi Jie might grow suspicious. He quickly replied, “Your Highness, Qingyue has taken a detachment to support Marshal Ye.”

Nearly every military officer knew the two brothers, Chen Qingwei and Chen Qingyue, were inseparable on the battlefield.

Zi Jie thought nothing of it and laughed, “Ah, he’s gone to my master, then.”

The next day, Zi Jie took three thousand elite soldiers out the rear gate of Hengguan, concealing them in the forests ten miles east of the pass, ready for the assault.