CALID Chapter 103

Finalised

In the 12th day of the first month of Xinhe year, Duan Xu was ordered to go to the North Bank and reassume the position of Marshal, organizing the army. After lurking for two months, he switched from defence to offense, recapturing Qingzhou. The governor of Danzhi rebelled and surrendered to Dalian.

On the 19th day of the third month of Xinhe year, the Daliang army surrounded Shangjing and cut off the water route.

On the 8th day of the fourth month of Xinhe year, Emperor Fengshun of Danzhi borrowed 20,000 cavalry to cover his escape from Shangjing. However, he encountered an ambush by the Daliang army and retreated in embarrassment into the city.

In the fifth month of Xinhe year, Danzhi surrendered, seeking to preserve the royal family, but Duan Xu refused.

On the 6th day of the sixth month of Xinhe year, Shangjing city was breached. Duan Xu led the army into the city, executed Emperor Fengshun and nearly a hundred members of the Danzhi royal court, while the high priest committed suicide, leading to the extinction of Danzhi.

Duan Xu ordered the entire army that not a single person, including the people of the city, should be harmed, regardless of whether they were Huqi people or not.

In the seventh month of Xinhe year, the remnants of Danzhi in Yizhou and Jizhou resisted, but within half a month, they were chased to the grasslands north of the Tangbei by the Daliang army.

From the seventh month to the tenth month of Xinhe year, within three months, Tanzhou, Qianzhou, Guizhou, Ruzhou, and Huanzhou successively surrendered.

In the eleventh month of Xinhe year, Duan Xu submitted a memorial to relocate the old Huqi people to Qianzhou, Guizhou, and Huanzhou for farming, and prohibited intermarriage within the clan, stipulating that marriages must be conducted with Han people. The request was approved.

In the spring of the second year of Xinhe, Duan Xu returned to the Southern Capital, relinquished his military authority, rejected titles and rewards, and retired from official duties.

Regarding Duan Xu, the first-class hero who recovered the seventeen northern provinces, various legends circulated in the North Bank. Some said he was born with extraordinary powers and agility, even dreaming of being taught by immortals, leading to unparalleled victories in battles.

There were also legends that claimed he was physically weak and rarely went to the battlefield, but as long as his banner was seen, the Daliang army would bravely fight without retreat.

It was said that he was very familiar with the Danzhi royal court and recognized Emperor Fengshun and the crown prince disguised in an instant, personally executing them. He conversed with the high priest on the city wall for three hours, after which the high priest laughed and wept, saying, “I return to the grasslands,” before leaping from the city wall.

Despite frequent assassination attempts, he remained unscathed, with some claiming they often saw him muttering to himself, as if a deity was always by his side, protecting him.

With grass growing and birds chirping, the spring sunlight was warm, and flowers were in full bloom. Duan Xu wore a black robe embroidered with silver pine, cypress, and bamboo branches. He had lost weight compared to before, his face showing signs of illness but his spirits were high. He sat cross-legged in front of a tomb, throwing victorious battle reports into the fire basin in front of him. Amidst the dancing flames, the ashes floated gently in the bright light.

“In a few generations, the Huqi people within Daliang’s territory will gradually become Han people, blending bloodlines as Simu said. I have also presented your strategies to the Emperor,” Duan Xu said calmly, as if chatting leisurely.

He declined all celebratory banquets and returned the military seal to the Emperor when he mentioned resigning from his official position. In the Emperor’s eyes, there was genuine surprise at first, but then a wave of suspicion surged, as if he couldn’t believe that Duan Xu truly harboured no desire for power over the realm, as he had claimed before.

Knowing that saying more to this Emperor was futile, when he handed the military seal back to the Emperor, he simply said, “Your Majesty, the realm is vast, and this military seal is of utmost importance. Please handle it with care.”

“I wonder if Your Majesty will seriously consider your strategies and if they will be implemented. But it doesn’t matter; I’ve also given a copy to Zhao Xing. He’s a very interesting person,” Duan Xu said with a faint smile.

Due to the turmoil and power struggles in the court after the previous emperor’s death, the court had no time to attend to Zhao Xing, stationed in Qizhou. Later, due to his merits in battle, Duan Xu even secured for him the position of Governor of Qizhou and the title of Duke of Xun Guo.

Before leaving, Duan Xu summarized and copied down Fang Xianye’s experiences in governing Yunluo and Liangzhou, along with his strategies for governing the country, and gave them to Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing’s eyes brightened as he flipped through the pages, repeatedly praising the excellent writing and expressing a desire to meet the author.

— The author, Fang Xianye, has already passed away. If you achieve greatness in the future, remember him well.

— Lord Zhao once aspired to be the overlord of Qizhou; perhaps in the future, you could aim even higher.

As he said this, Zhao Xing’s expression subtly changed, then he smiled knowingly.

Zhao Xing was a shrewd character, ambitious and resourceful. In his eyes, the world was much broader than the one sitting in the high halls of the Southern Capital. Before leaving, Duan Xu returned the army he had compiled in Qizhou to Zhao Xing. Since Shi Biao was unwilling to return to the south, he persuaded Shi Biao to stay with Zhao Xing. In addition, he also gave Zhao Xing the design of the feather array chariot and his military treatise.

“The thorns have been removed, and the path is open,” Duan Xu coughed twice, skilfully wiping away the blood he had coughed up with a handkerchief, and chuckled, “This is all I can do.”

“Don’t blame me. I discovered these past few days that I actually have white hair now. Fang Xianye, oh Fang Xianye, as they say, youth does not return. Have you not seen how guests from other provinces, on their way to Chang’an, return looking old?”

Duan Xu chuckled as he tapped the tombstone with his index finger. If his friend were here now, he would see the same clear and round eyes as ever.

The sunshine was warm, and it was very quiet all around.

After a moment of silence, Duan Xu looked up at the clear sky and spoke whatever came to his mind.

“How time flies, it’s been twelve years in the blink of an eye. The first time I saw you, I thought you looked so frail, so unlike me. If I had stayed in Daliang, would I have grown to be like you? You have such a strong sense of pride, you can’t bear to hear these words, so there are many things I haven’t discussed with you. Looking back, it’s quite a pity.”

“Jingyuan’s marriage is set, she’ll be married in a few months. Her fiancé is a good man, and most importantly, he treats her very well, so rest assured. But, I always feel like she has a bit of affection for you. When you died, she cried for a long time. When I asked her why she was so upset, she said she didn’t know. If you had spent more time together… well, let’s not dwell on that.”

Duan Xu sighed softly, still with a smile on his lips, but his eyes became lonely. He joked, “I used to think that once we reclaimed the North Bank, I would entrust everything to you, but you slipped away first. Now I think, how could I have been so sure that what I wanted to do would never fail?”

Chenying is now just a weak and unconscious soul, while Fang Xianye has long departed.

In their youth, they were reckless, thinking they could turn bad luck into good fortune and always win against fate. But in the end, as time rushes by, they realized that while they may not have lost, they also never truly won.

Flesh and blood, ultimately no match for the ever-changing world.

Someone appeared behind him, a faint fragrance wafting in the air. He could no longer discern the scent as he used to, but he knew who it was.

He Simu gently placed her hand on his shoulder and bent down, saying, “It’s time to go back and take your medicine.”

Upon hearing the words “take medicine,” Duan Xu sighed deeply and stroked the tombstone, “I finally came to see my good friend, can’t I have a little more time to chat with him?”

He Simu smiled slightly and wasn’t convinced, “Your excuse for avoiding medicine is really far-fetched.”

She effortlessly lifted Duan Xu up by the nape of his neck from the ground, and Duan Xu didn’t resist. Following her lead, he stood up and said to the tombstone, “A fierce wife must be obeyed. Goodbye, Xianye.”

He fell silent for a moment, then smiled brightly, “In the next life, may you not encounter someone as troublesome as me. Live easily and happily.”

As soon as he finished speaking, they disappeared into the green smoke. In front of the tombstone, only the radiant sunlight remained, along with the chirping of insects and birds.

According to the agreement with He Simu, after resigning from his official position, Duan Xu moved to Xingqing Palace, where Tian Tongxingjun could treat him at any time. When Tian Tongxingjun removed the silver needles inserted into Duan Xu’s head, he immediately vomited blood and could barely walk straight.

During the year of warfare, under Tian Tongxingjun’s repeated orders, Duan Xu hardly ever went to the battlefield in person, but he suffered immense mental exhaustion. By the end of the conflict, he was barely holding on, relying on Tian Tongxingjun’s silver needles to sustain his spirit.

After the fall of the capital city, he rested for a while. This time back in the Southern Capital to handle the affairs of the Duan family and return his military authority, he had to rely on these things to conceal his condition.

He Simu forced him to take his medicine, then helped him onto the bed to lie down. Duan Xu felt tired, his eyes closing as if he was drifting off to sleep. In a half-awake state, he grasped He Simu’s arm and murmured, “How much time do I have left… just tell me…”

He Simu paused for a moment, her gaze piercing as she looked at Duan Xu’s bloodless face. Then she tucked his arm under the blanket and whispered in his ear, “I’ll tell you when you stop avoiding your medicine.”

Duan Xu pursed his lips and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

He Simu adjusted his blanket and sat quietly by his bedside, watching him.

The Southern Capital was clear and sunny, but the Tai Zhao Mountain where Xingqing Palace was located was shrouded in continuous spring rain. Duan Xu, without the silver needles, was as fragile as paper, unable to withstand the wind. The doors and windows of the room were tightly closed, with only the sound of dripping rain audible.

He Simu thought, Duan Xu was only twenty-six years old now, and she had known him for just seven years.

She had imagined what he would look like at seventy, aged with white hair, walking with a cane, moving slowly. She thought she would laugh at him then, laugh loudly, flaunt her eternal youth in various young bodies in front of him, make him angry and embarrassed.

Then, she would take good care of him.

By that time, he should have already fulfilled his wishes, become an old man who could stay by her side and bask in the sun leisurely.

She would have him completely during that time. Fifty years after meeting him, she would slowly accept the fact that he would eventually leave her and disappear from this world.

But it had only been seven years, and she wasn’t ready yet.

Can I live until seventy years old? Can I wait until he’s grey-haired, peacefully leave her on a random nap?

Seven years is too short. Seven years are truly too short.

“Can’t you pity me a bit, Duan Fox?” He Simu said softly. As she spoke, a strong impulse surged up from the depths of her heart, mixed with bitterness, sadness, and hopelessness, overwhelming her like a tidal wave.

She thought, maybe she wanted to cry.

But ghosts don’t shed tears, not even her parents, who never received a tear from her.

“Is General Duan asleep?” a deliberately lowered voice came. He Simu looked up to see Feng Yi standing before her, hunched over with a cane, dressed in a green palace attire, still looking sickly and inexplicably spirited as usual.

He Simu nodded.

Feng Yi sighed and said, “I heard from Senior Brother that General Duan’s condition isn’t too good…”

“Mm.”

“If he passes away, what will you do?”

He Simu remained silent for a moment before saying, “There are still many things to do. Aunt Jiang Ai is currently helping me manage the Ghost Realm, but her heart isn’t in it. Later, I’ll have to reclaim the authority. Chenying’s soul is still too weak right now. After a few years of nurturing his soul, I’ll let him regain consciousness and accompany me. His obsession is protection. If he’s willing, perhaps he could take over my position a hundred years later.”

“I wasn’t asking about how His Royal Highness the Ghost King would handle it, I was asking about you, Elder Ancestor.”

He Simu’s eyes flickered, then she smiled bitterly. The room was filled only with the sound of dripping rain, the air quiet and damp.

“I don’t know,” she said, meeting Feng Yi’s gaze. “Perhaps when that time comes, I’ll find out.”

Now, when she thought of Duan Xu’s passing, she felt as if time had vanished into thin air, turning into an endless expanse of emptiness. She could still see many things waiting for her to do, but she couldn’t see herself.

Feng Yi’s eyes flickered, and he reached out to pat He Simu’s shoulder wordlessly.

Not long after, Jiang Ai called for He Simu to go to the Ghost Realm to handle some issues, so He Simu temporarily left. Feng Yi also prepared to leave the room, but he saw Duan Xu on the bed opening his eyes.

Feng Yi exclaimed in surprise, “So General Duan was just pretending to sleep all this time.”

“I slept for a while and then woke up,” Duan Xu slowly sat up, a usual bright smile appearing on his pale face. He said, “Your Majesty, I have a request.”

Feng Yi had a bad feeling about this. He asked, “What do you want to do?”

“Is there any way, Your Majesty, for me to lend all five senses to Simu at the same time, even if it’s just for an hour?” Duan Xu asked as if it were a matter of course.

Feng Yi widened his eyes, choked for a moment, and said, “We’ve had no grudges in the past, no enmity in recent days. Why would you ask me to do something that would put me in trouble before the Elder Ancestor?”