The Western Sichuan army finally withdrew. Once Su Yuchi confirmed their retreat, he breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief. He disliked war, and the more wars he experienced, the more deeply he loathed it. Whenever he saw those lifeless faces, sorrow welled up from the depths of his heart-not only when he faced his own fallen men, but when he saw the bodies of his enemies as well.
Yuan Qingshan delivered an invitation to Su Yuchi. Hu Xiaotian had sent it, inviting him to meet at White Wolf Mound on the Springview River. It was the same place where they had met last time, and it would still be just the two of them, but their respective positions were now very different. It was not Su Yuchi who had changed. Rather, Hu Xiaotian had been cleared of all his offenses and transformed into the Prince of Suppressing the Sea, Great Kang's first Non-Imperial Surname King in hundreds of years.
Yuan Qingshan stood quietly to one side, waiting for Su Yuchi's decision.
"A meeting in the middle of the river..." Su Yuchi said, hesitation in his voice.
"Could he be planning to harm you, General?" Yuan Qingshan asked.
A faint smile touched Su Yuchi's lips. "No."
"I truly cannot understand why the Imperial Court would make him a king," Yuan Qingshan said.
"Her Highness the Princess was considering the bigger picture," Su Yuchi said. "Hu Xiaotian controls Cloud Marsh, and that already poses a serious threat to Great Kang's heartland."
"The man is brimming with ambition," Yuan Qingshan said. "He actually launched a surprise attack on Xingzhou while we were busy dealing with Western Sichuan."
"Guo Guangbi abandoned Xingzhou of his own accord," Su Yuchi said. "If Hu Xiaotian hadn't seized it, Great Yong would have. All things considered, it is