"We’re finished?" Qi Zongbi scoffed, his anger turning into bitter laughter. Pointing at Ying Gutong’s face, he retorted, "Ying Gutong, let me tell you! If we don’t split our forces... then the entire Ruen Dynasty will be finished!"
Ying Gutong slapped Qi Zongbi’s hand away. "Nonsense! I’ll retake the Yanchi Pass myself! Keep your eyes open, you old dog, and watch me do it!"
Qi Zongbi was so furious his body began to tremble. He rolled his eyes. "Ying Gutong, how can you be so foolish! Since the start of the war, Northern Qiang has held the upper hand everywhere. There must be a mastermind behind their strategies. Think carefully... if they didn’t have absolute confidence and sufficient troops, how could they dare to seize Yanchi Pass?"
"Ridiculous. Absolute confidence? Sufficient troops?" Ying Gutong sneered, casting a sideways glance at Qi Zongbi. "Are you implying that Northern Qiang knows all our plans and that we have a traitor?"
Qi Zongbi’s body stiffened, his face turning pale. An unsettling thought lurked in the back of his mind, one he had been subconsciously doing his best to avoid. Suddenly confronted, he stammered slightly, "I-I didn’t mean that! I’m saying—"
"Enough!" Ying Gutong waved his hand, cutting Qi Zongbi off. "I, Ying Gutong, have spent my life on the battlefield, and I don’t need you, Qi Zongbi, to teach me how to fight! I’m sick of you civil ministers scheming in court when there’s no war and meddling when there is. You think you know everything, but it’s all nonsense! You’re just another one of them, Qi Zongbi! I’ll say this one last time! Get out of my way!"
"You can’t retake Yanchi Pass." Qi Zongbi had settled down somewhat by now. He stood before Ying Gutong’s horse, looking at the old man steadily. "Yanchi Pass has great defensive positioning and is hard to attack. You know this as well as I do. If they have fifty thousand defenders in the city, you couldn’t take it in two months, and"—Qi Zongbi squinted—"if they took our supplies, you’d have no hope at all."
"That’s just your opinion!" Ying Gutong laughed heartily. "Precisely because Yanchi Pass is difficult, I have to take it! Not only that, I’ll take it in a magnificent style! If we win this battle, not only will we redeem ourselves, but it will go down in history as a legendary victory!
"I have five hundred thousand soldiers! Even if they have fifty thousand, or even a hundred thousand defenders, I’ll take it! Besides..., it’s questionable if Northern Qiang even has fifty thousand! Qi Zongbi, you’re a civil minister, and I’m a general! Stay in your lane!"
"Ying Gutong!" Qi Zongbi’s voice was low, like a rumbling lion about to roar. He glared at Ying Gutong with a dark expression. "You’ve been blinded by your ambition!"
Ying Gutong was taken aback, his face twisting with anger. He leaned in slightly toward Qi Zongbi. "Ambition? Qi Zongbi, don't you understand? I’m over sixty. I should have retired long ago! But why do I cling to this position? Don't you know?!"
Ying Gutong straightened, taking a deep breath. "It's all because I can’t accept it... To be a general, the Grand Marshal of the Three Armies, and to have never fought a major battle?" Ying Gutong laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "It’s a disgrace..."
Qi Zongbi listened with a cold expression, but suddenly Ying Gutong grabbed him again, his eyes burning with a passion uncharacteristic for his age.
"So can you understand me, Qi Zongbi? I don’t want future generations to read about me in the history books with just one line... Served as Marshal of the Three Armies, achieved nothing of note.
"I need a battle! I need to prove I existed! And now the chance has come, hasn’t it?" Ying Gutong pulled Qi Zongbi, pointing west. "Just look... the Yanchi Pass is right there, Minister Qi! As long as we take the Yanchi Pass, we’ll both be heroes of the Grand Ruen Dynasty!"
"To go down in history... that’s what you promised me when we decided to work together!" Ying Gutong screamed.
"Ying Gutong, you’ve gone mad." Qi Zongbi broke free from Ying Gutong’s grip and spoke coldly.
"It’s you who are mad, Qi Zongbi." Ying Gutong’s tone suddenly calmed as he mounted his horse and looked down at Qi Zongbi and pointed his whip westward. "Setting aside my personal ambitions, the Grand Ruen’s territory is being devoured by Northern Qiang. As Marshal, I cannot ignore this. For duty and honor, I must go to the Yanchi Pass. Minister Qi, step aside."
Qi Zongbi sighed, shook his head, then turned and instructed the messenger beside him, "Send the order to change course southwest. Full speed to Jibei."
Furious, Ying Gutong roared, "Let’s see who dares!"
Before his words had even faded, Qi Zongbi announced, "I possess the royal decree. Disobey me, and you’ll be executed on the spot!"
Ying Gutong stared blankly at the shining decree in Qi Zongbi’s hand. He was stunned for a long time before saying in disbelief, "Qi Zongbi... are you seizing my command?"
"It’s not seizing." Watching the messenger leave, Qi Zongbi turned back to Ying Gutong, saying coolly, "The command was mine all along. When His Majesty gave me the royal decree, wasn’t his intention clear enough?"
"Haha! His Majesty? You still have the nerve to talk about him?" Ying Gutong laughed bitterly and thrust his finger at Qi Zongbi with gritted teeth. "Qi Zongbi, do you really think I don’t know what was in that secret edict His Majesty entrusted you that night?!"
Qi Zongbi’s gaze sharpened momentarily, but he quickly dismissed it with a casual wave. "Whether you know or not changes nothing. It’s best that you don’t concern yourself with me, Marshal Ying.
"Men! Keep an eye on the Marshal and make sure he doesn’t fall from his horse."
With that, two deputy generals rode up, flanking Ying Gutong on either side. They seemed a bit apprehensive and whispered, "Forgive us, Marshal."
"Qi Zongbi, you dying dog! There's no need for you to watch over me. I wouldn’t want to miss this." Ying Gutong sneered from his horse. "I’ll be here to watch you die!"
Ying Gutong laughed deeply. "The three frontier passes! Tens of thousands of lives! Qi Zongbi, your ruthlessness surpasses my own! And the result? You tried to gain the advantage and even lost the Yanchi Pass! Now, instead of redeeming yourself, you want to split our forces to retreat and defend against ghosts. Isn’t that cowardice?"
"Qi Zongbi! Do you feel no shame?" Ying Gutong’s eyes were bloodshot. "Just wait. The edict for you execution may already be on its way! I’ll stay here and watch you die!"
"Thank you for your concern, Marshal Ying," Qi Zongbi replied coolly, then turned and climbed into the carriage. His low voice emerged from within.