Nine Nights Owl Song

September 17th, the eighteenth year of Yong'an.

The day after Yanzhou fell, the news spread like wildfire throughout the three prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Wang Chongyuan died, the entire 30,000-strong main force was wiped out, and the imperial flag was raised on the walls of Yanzhou.

Those who were still observing, still hesitating, still wavering between the rebels and the court, made their choice overnight.

It wasn't because they suddenly became loyal to the court, but because they knew the tide had turned against them.

Yunzhou.

Yunzhou is Zhao Tianhu's stronghold. The Zhao brothers have been operating here for more than a decade, and their influence is even deeper than in Yanzhou.

After Wang Chongyuan's death, the general defending Yunzhou was Zhang Biao, a former subordinate of Zhao Tianhu, who commanded 10,000 troops and held the city.

His plan was shrewd—Yanzhou was lost, but Yunzhou remained.

The imperial army has suffered heavy losses in the battle of Yanzhou, and its food supplies are running low. If the imperial court cannot resupply, it will retreat. All he needs to do is hold the line.

Xiao Yan did not give him a chance.

On September 19th, Xiao Yan's army arrived at the gates of Yunzhou.

After the Battle of Yanzhou, the 40,000-strong army suffered 3,000 casualties and 5,000 wounded, leaving just over 30,000 soldiers still capable of fighting.

With 30,000 troops against 10,000, the troop strength advantage is three to one.

Zhang Biao stood atop the city wall, looking at the dark mass of troops outside, his face grim.

He saw Zhou Tieshan, Liu Wu, Chen Daniu, and Li Dingguo, the generals who had once fought alongside him in the north. Zhou Tieshan shouted from the front lines:

"Zhang Biao, the Sixth Prince of the Imperial Court is here! Why don't you open the city gates and surrender?"

Zhang Biao did not answer, and Zhou Tieshan shouted again:

"We've been comrades for years, and I can't bear to see you die here. Surrender."

Zhang Biao's lips were trembling.

A person appeared on the city wall.

He had a chubby, round face and wore a gray cloth robe stained with oil, with tools hanging from his waist.

Lin Mo squatted at the highest point of the city wall, holding a bronze telescope and looking down, muttering to himself:

"The city wall is two zhang thick and four zhang high. The city gate is an iron and wood structure, which cannot be opened by ordinary battering rams."

He put down his binoculars and waved the red flag in his hand towards the city below.

Upon seeing the flag, the artisans of the siege engine turned the winches, and five giant catapults were pushed to the front lines.

The catapult's boom was as thick as two people could hug, and its base was fixed to the ground with iron nails. Stone projectiles were piled up next to it.

Each stone bullet is about the size of a person's embrace; they were specially quarried by Lin Mo from a quarry in the mountains.

"put!"

Five catapults launched simultaneously, sending five stone projectiles flying in five arcs as they hurtled towards the walls of Yunzhou City.

The first stone hit the city wall, sending stone fragments flying and creating a large crater in the wall.

The second one hit the roof of the city gate tower, sending tiles flying everywhere.

The third blow struck the city gate, causing the iron and wood structure to dent inwards.

The fourth and fifth walls were trembling.

The rebels on the city wall fled in panic, while Zhang Biao, leaning against the wall, barely managed to stand, his face completely drained of color.

Lin Mo's hands were trembling, not from fear, but from excitement.

The catapults he built could now hit the city walls, and their accuracy was 50% better than when they were tested at Qingshiling.

He waved the red flag again. "Fire!" The second wave of stones rained down, and the city gate collapsed with a crash.

Zhou Tieshan drew his knife.

"Brothers, charge with me!" The vanguard battalion rushed into the city gate, and the street fighting began.

The street fighting in Yunzhou was even more brutal than the siege of Yanzhou.

The rebels retreated into the city, using the familiar terrain to put up a step-by-step resistance. Every street, every house, and every window could be a target for arrows.

Zhou Tieshan led the vanguard battalion forward, pushing forward street by street.

Liu Wu's guerrilla battalion flanked and blocked the rebels' retreat.

Chen Daniu's liaison battalion was responsible for eliminating the remaining enemy forces.

The battle ended at dusk.

Zhang Biao was surrounded in the main hall of the government office, with only a dozen or so personal guards by his side.

He sat in the armchair, a knife in his hand. Zhou Tieshan walked in, looked at his former comrade-in-arms, and remained silent for a long time before finally saying:

"Surrender." Zhang Biao loosened his grip, the knife fell to the ground, and he covered his face and cried.

On September 19th, Yunzhou was recovered.

Jizhou.

Jizhou is the northernmost of the three prefectures of Yanyun, bordering the northern frontier.

The garrison commander was not one of Zhao Tianhu's former subordinates, but a traitor named Ma Cheng who had defected from the imperial court to the rebel army.

This guy is no good at fighting, but he's number one at running away.

Hearing that Yanzhou and Yunzhou had fallen one after another, and that the army of the Sixth Prince Xiao Yan was marching towards Jizhou, he packed his valuables and fled with his confidants overnight.

With the defending troops leaderless, the gates of Jizhou were wide open.

When Xiao Yan's army arrived, the city walls were already covered with white flags made by the people themselves—not surrender flags, but flags of unknown origin.

The people knelt at the city gate, and the old man at the head of the group held the seal of Jizhou in his hands, which were trembling.

Xiao Yan dismounted and walked to the old man to take the seal.

"Old man, get up. The court is not here to punish, but to bring peace and stability to the people."

The old man looked up at the young prince, and tears streamed down his face.

On September 21, Jizhou was recovered.

The three prefectures of Yan and Yun were pacified.

From the siege of Yanzhou to the recapture of Jizhou, the entire process took less than ten days. They accomplished what the imperial court had failed to do in three years.

When the news reached Luoyang, the imperial court was filled with jubilation.

Emperor Yong'an read the victory report three times, laughed heartily, and said "good" three times.

The crown prince stood in the court with a smile on his face, but there was a hint of gloom in his eyes.

The sixth prince won a battle, recovered the northern border, and now commands 40,000 elite troops.

He used to have only Su Jiuge, but now he has 40,000 soldiers. The Crown Prince gripped his imperial tablet tightly.

The Second Prince was still under house arrest. When the news reached the mansion, he looked at the last teacup in front of him and said nothing more. What else could he use to compete with the Sixth Prince?

Yanzhou City.

Xiao Yan summoned his generals at his headquarters.

Three states were captured in three days, and the morale of the soldiers soared. But what to do next? Everyone was watching him.

"Next step: reorganization."

Xiao Yan looked at the generals,

"The northern border has been pacified, but it cannot be allowed to descend into chaos. The surrendered soldiers must be incorporated into the army, the people must be appeased, and officials must be appointed. These things are more difficult than fighting a war."

Li Dingguo asked His Highness if he wanted to stay in the northern border. Xiao Yan shook his head and said that there were still matters waiting for him in the court.

The affairs of the North are yours to handle.

"Zhou Tieshan".

"Your subordinate is here."

"You've been stationed in Yanzhou, responsible for the defense of the northern border. It's been three years; it's time for a promotion."

Zhou Tieshan knelt down and kowtowed.

Li Dingguo remained in charge of Yunzhou, while Liu Wu remained in charge of Jizhou.

Chen Daniu was responsible for liaising with all parties.

Lin Mo did not stay in the Northern Territory; he followed Su Jiuge back to Luoyang.

After the meeting, Su Jiuge stood alone on the city wall of Yanzhou.

Xiao Yan walked up and stood beside him.

"The northern border has been pacified," Su Jiuge said.

Xiao Yan nodded.

The two stood side by side atop the city wall of Yanzhou, the wind blowing from the north. September in the north was already quite chilly, the wind carrying the scent of winter.

Their soldiers stood on the city walls, their people lived in the city, and behind them lay their empire.

On the 21st day of the ninth month of the 18th year of Yong'an, the entire territory of the three prefectures of Yan and Yun was pacified.

Less than ten days passed between the siege of Yanzhou and the recapture of Jizhou. Xiao Yan and Su Jiuge recovered the lost territory that the imperial court had failed to reclaim for three years. The news spread throughout the land.

The name of General Anxi, Su Jiuge, was written together with the name of the Sixth Prince, Xiao Yan.

It's not "a spoiled brat and his killer wife," but rather the sixth prince and General Anxi who work side by side to reclaim the northern border.

On September 22, Xiao Yan and Su Jiuge led their troops back in triumph.

The journey home was much longer than the journey there—40,000 soldiers needed to be settled, surrendered troops needed to be incorporated, and the people needed to be appeased.

Emperor Xiao Yan traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently to deal with long-standing government affairs in various regions.

Su Jiuge was in charge of dealing with the small groups of rebels who refused to surrender. Her knife was swift, much more efficient than her words.

Zhao Ying followed behind, taking care of the final arrangements. Shen Qing was in charge of Su Jiuge's safety. Zhao Xiaohe sat in the carriage, holding a candied hawthorn in her hand. Shen Qing had bought it for her in Jizhou. She couldn't bear to eat it, so she licked it once and then wrapped it up in oil paper.

Shen Qing saw it, but said nothing.

Lin Mo sat in the carriage drawing blueprints.

In early October, Xiao Yan and Su Jiuge returned to Luoyang.

Emperor Yong'an personally went to the city gate to greet them, and all the civil and military officials came.

Emperor Yong'an held Xiao Yan's hand, tears streaming down his face.

"well."

The second prince remained silent amidst the reports from his advisors. Although he hated this woman, he had to admit that they had done what he could not.

Su Jiuge walked beside Xiao Yan, the straight sword at her waist gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Sunlight shone on her face, and she saw her family waiting inside the city gate. Madam Shen was crying, the old drunkard's eyes were red, and Su Zhentian, standing at the back, smiled slightly as he looked at his daughter.

Su Jiuge saw them and quickened her pace towards them. Xiao Yan followed behind her.

In October of the eighteenth year of Yong'an, the northern border was pacified, and the army returned in triumph.