"Aside from these two options, what else does the elders have in mind? We are open to all suggestions here," Lord Fengji asked with a smile.
"If I may be so presumptuous to say this…" one of them said hesitantly.
"Go ahead."
The man gulped before saying, "What if the Li Family surrenders the Samfeng Province? At the moment, our biggest problem is that we're facing a two-pronged attack from the east and the south. Our forces are divided and strained by defending two battlefields at once. If we want to re-establish the balance between the three powers, we should pull our defensive line back."
"Surrendering the Samfeng Province?" an elder mocked. "You want our Li Family to do something as shameful as that?
"We would also be losing the Quiton Gates, which is one of our strongest defensive measures against the Imperial Council. Our forces might be consolidated, but we would lose our defensive advantages. It would be difficult to defend against our enemies," another frowned.
"That's not necessarily true. We could hold the Chunshui Lake and the Tailong River. The current is strong enough that without any bridge across, troop movements will be impossible. As long as we can hold the shoreline, we might hold the upper hand."
"The difference between a river and the Quiton Gates is big, you know?"
"Even if we did that, the Imperial Council and the Alzar Kingdom might issue a ceasefire to focus on us. After all, the Imperial Council sacrificed the Yunyun Stronghold to them," someone theorized. "The situation might not necessarily be better."
"The Imperial Council working together with the Alzar Kingdom is impossible. Although we know that Empress Mei Li was not assassinated by the kingdom, that fact has not been made public yet. As far as the people know, the ones that dealt the hand was the kingdom. They would lose the support of the people if they made a move like that."
"Isn't that doubly-so for the Li Family?"
"Well…"
"What do you think, brother?" Lord Fengji looked to the previous patriarch.
Lord Foshan closed his eyes and reflected. After a long silence, he stated, "Hear my command. This is what the Li Family will do."
***
At Guanhuang, capital of the Samfeng Province, Imperian Qiang was reading over a letter with a grave expression. It was delivered from Chongdu with the seal of the former patriarch and the elder council on it. That meant whatever was inside was fully agreed upon by the Li Family's main family. Even he, the current patriarch of the Li Family, could not overturn it so easily. Suffice to say, it was less of a notice, and more of a direct order. He found it a bit ironic that what people thought was the greatest and most prestigious position in the Li Family, that of the patriarch, was reduced to a mere lapdog. It was the same with his nieces, the Imperial Princesses… No, maybe it was the fate of everyone in this world. Alas, he reprimanded himself for his drifting thoughts and finished reading the letter.
"So, it's like this," he exhaled deeply before massaging his forehead. He shouted, "Lord Wei, please let the Imperial Princesses know that I have something important to discuss with them. I will be waiting for them here."
A soft voice came from beyond the door, "As you wish, my lord."
Before long, Princess Xiuying and Ming entered with curious faces. Xiuying had to ask, "Uncle, why did you summon us? Is it really something important?"
Ming cast a glance to the letter on the table and noticed the iconic seals. She frowned and added, "Is it from the main family? And this seal too… This is the seal of the former patriarch, Lord Foshan?"
She was surprised. Lord Foshan Li was the patriarch from two generations ago. Needless to say, the previous matriarch of the Li Family was their mother, the late Empress Mei Li. While Empress Mei Li gained the admiration and respect of everyone in the Xingyuu Empire, so much so that her death sparked the Second Great Kingdom War, Lord Foshan Li was on another level. He was considered a legendary figure in the Li Family! In fact, it was widely due to his contributions in the last civil war that Emperor Jungang Tzu could overthrow the old dynasty, establishing the Tzu Family as the current Imperial Family! They won the war and became the strongest nobility family in the world! Although their primes had passed already, Lord Foshan and his brother were still viewed as old monsters from the previous generation, supporting the Li Family from the shadows. It was very rare for them to make a move themselves.
"Grandfather?" Xiuying blurted out.
"Sister, it's inappropriate to refer to Lord Foshan as grandfather. Lord Foshan is the former patriarch of the Li Family," Ming reprimanded.
"But we refer to uncle as uncle?" Xiuying replied which rendered Ming speechless.
Qiang coughed. For some reason, he felt insulted. "The reason I summoned you is because of the elder council's decision. There are two things, one of which involves you two. The first is that the Li Family will be retreating from the Samfeng Province to regroup in the Shenzhou Province. Our forces will regroup around the Chunshui Lake and the Tailong River."
"We're retreating?" Xiuying did not like the sound of it. "Why?"
Qiang looked bitter, but he did not say anything. Instead, Ming answered in his place. She deduced the core of the matter instantly and said, "The Li Family doesn't have the strength to handle two battlefields at once. At the end of the day, the Li Family's armies cannot compare to the true imperial army or the kingdom's army. In a battle of attrition, we will be the first to fall. The most logical decision is to pull back the frontline and reconsolidate our forces, thus restoring the three-way deadlock. I agree with this decision."
Xiuying shook her head. "But what about the people? If we run to the Shenzhou Province, then who will protect them?"
"The Imperial Council wouldn't dare touch the people. As for the Alzar Kingdom…" Ming choked on her words.
The battle of the Yunyun Stronghold, which could be described better as a slaughter, was unpleasant to bring up. Although the Alzar Kingdom was not mindlessly mowing down people, they were still eradicating any sources of dissent. Anyone that fought back would be killed! Ming understood the reason behind it, but these were her own people. It was hard for her to abandon the Samfeng Province to the Alzar Kingdom.
"When does the Li Family plan on doing this?" Ming asked her uncle.
"The details are being written out as we speak, but I anticipate things will begin to move by the end of the month."
"November… Once first snow falls, it will be difficult for the Imperial Council or the Alzar Kingdom to continue their momentum. Everyone will be too focused on their supplies for the winter, especially the kingdom. The fighting should die down considerably. It's a good opportunity for the Li Family."
"But what does this have to do with us?" Xiuying was confused. She was not interested in the strategic movements of the Li Family.
"…Since it came from the elder council, it must be related to the Alzar Kingdom, correct?" Ming asked, her eyes unusually sharp.
"That's correct. The elder council stated that they wouldn't hold you two accountable for your secret negotiations with the Alzar Kingdom's heir apparent, since nothing resulted in the end."
"What secret negotiations? We didn't do anything of the sort," Xiuying said playfully.
Ming drew a deep breath. "There's no point in hiding it this much, since they know already, sister."
She straightened her back and clothes before falling to her knees. With perfect motions, she lowered her head to the ground in an earnest and deep kowtow! A kowtow was one of the greatest shows of respect a person could give to another in the Xingyuu Empire. For Princess Ming to do this, she was willing to discard her status as an Imperial Princess. It showed how serious she was! Without saying a word of protest, her sister joined her. The twins knocked their foreheads on the ground. No matter the reason, they betrayed the Li Family and their uncle, their own family! As Benedict once mentioned, the Xingyuu Empire valued filiality as one of the most important virtues a person should have. Betraying their own family was worse than a capital offense! It was a sin! After completing the full kowtow, their foreheads were red from the pain. They did not hold back at all since any restraint would mean their insincerity.
"Please forgive our transgressions, uncle. It wasn't our intention to scheme behind your or the Li Family's back, but we had no choice. It's our duty, as Emperor Lianghu and Empress Mei's children, as well as the Imperial Princesses of the Xingyuu Empire, to resolve this war as peacefully as possible. We did not want any more innocent people to die because of it. Please forgive us!"
"Please forgive us!" Xiuying pleaded.
Despite being so sudden, they were sincere in their feelings. Qiang could tell that much with a glance. Upon seeing this display, any words Qiang wanted to reprimand them with were swept away. He could not bear to punish nor blame them. After all, he saw his late sister in them. Empress Mei Li always acted the same way, whether she was the matriarch of the Li Family or the empress of the Xingyuu Empire. It was wrong to call her free-spirited, but she never kept herself bound by the norms of society. If there was injustice in the world, she would not hesitate to call it as is, regardless of the consequences that might fall upon her. There were many times when she clashed with the elder council, especially Lord Foshan and Fengji, over their differing opinions. He could never muster up the courage to do the same. In that regard, the position of patriarch became a puppet in his hands. So, how could he hold any grievances against his nieces? They were strong enough to do things he could not.