Chapter Seven: The Soaring Eagles of Eternal Peace

In the depths of night, within the darkened forest, shadows stirred.

The Land Above the Clouds was a vast basin embraced by mountains, all of them stone. The woods were strewn with jagged rocks and fallen, decaying trees, their roots exposed. Starlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, casting the scene as if it were a battlefield littered with corpses.

Eight or nine figures slowly rose from among the deadwood and tangled roots. Each wore simple, lightweight leather armor and had tied their hair up, foregoing helmets. They carried bows across their backs, quivers slung diagonally, and a pouch tightly bound with cord to prevent the arrows from rattling during movement. At their waists hung straight blades, while the other side bore leather pouches containing flint, salt, vinegar cloth, and three days’ worth of hard rations.

This was the standard gear of the Great Sui military. Judging by their equipment, they were organized as a squad, deployed to ambush travelers in the mountain passes.

Under the cover of darkness, their faces were indistinct, but their movements were swift and agile. A faint scent of blood hung about them—only those who had survived the carnage of battlefields could exude such an aura.

The group silently gathered at a designated spot. The squad leader spoke in a low voice, “What’s the situation at the summit?”

A soldier whispered, “They’re all asleep, only one stays on watch.”

Another added, “This merchant caravan is quite the catch—twenty pack animals, plus their mules and horses. With a quick strike, we could net fifty or sixty strings of coins. Our days lying in ambush have not been in vain!”

The leader seemed hesitant. An impatient soldier pressed, “What’s there to think about, Squad Leader? The order from Officer Yuan is clear: military caravans avoiding the official road and passing through the mountains should be taxed, or else the army will starve! Yuan’s command is to make an example, to deal with these merchants coming from the south!”

The surrounding soldiers murmured their agreement.

“Exactly! Wang Renqiong is recruiting troops and hoarding every coin, not a single one leaks out to the Land Above the Clouds. The soldiers at Mayi are rolling in wealth, while we at Heng’an are destitute! Liu Yingji and Prefect Wang are about to break ties—the outcome is uncertain. Now is the time to line our pockets!”

“Squad Leader, you followed Liu Yingji to Korea, you’re his trusted brother. Even if we do something wrong, Liu Yingji would forgive us. Clearing out this merchant caravan is nothing!”

“Chen Big Tumor’s squad followed Officer Yuan’s orders for an ambush, and every brother got a handful of coins. Now they flaunt new boots, feast on wine and meat, and the Tartar girls in the brothels smile at them! We finally got our turn for an ambush—are we less capable than Chen’s men?”

This squad belonged to the Heng’an Eagle Division of the Land Above the Clouds.

Currently, Mayi had two major Eagle Divisions. The Mayi division was under Wang Renqiong, who relentlessly recruited troops and seized supplies, strengthening his power. The Heng’an division in the Land Above the Clouds was led by Liu Wuzhou, the Eagle Commander.

Wang Renqiong was scion of the royal Wang family of Langya, a true aristocrat, with powerful allies at court, long stationed in Mayi. As the chaos in the Central Plains deepened, the Emperor of the Great Sui retreated south to Jiangdu—whether it was a tour or an escape, before leaving, he fulfilled his duties, arranging measures across the land and curbing the power of longstanding local governors with troops, generals, and connections.

Liu Wuzhou was personally promoted by the emperor from the Korean campaign, and upon returning to Mayi, he was appointed to command the Heng’an Eagle Division, intended to divide Wang Renqiong’s authority.

Proud and headstrong, Liu had recently defeated the Turks’ southern forces, boasting of his prowess. With Wang Renqiong’s ambitions in the Central Plains, how could he tolerate Liu’s rise?

Everywhere in the Central Plains, fires and turmoil erupted: Dou Jiande rose in Hebei, the Wagang Army besieged cities, Xiao Xian severed the canal, and Wang Shichong plotted in Luoyang.

Wang Renqiong aimed to unify the county’s troops, perhaps to lead the renowned soldiers from the Land Above the Clouds south and seize a share of the chaos. To secure his position, he recruited even more soldiers and pressured Liu Wuzhou in the Land Above the Clouds.

Troops from Mayi were constantly redeployed north, squeezing Liu’s resources. The county no longer provided money or grain to the Land Above the Clouds.

Liu Wuzhou struggled to maintain his position, relying on the old comrades he brought back from Korea to form the Heng’an Eagle Division, searching desperately for sources of income.

The trade route through the Land Above the Clouds to the grasslands became Liu’s target. The more caravans, the more taxes, and the more troops he could afford. With soldiers in hand, he could carve out his own place in these troubled times!

Yet, with Mayi embroiled in wars against the Turks and the rivalry between Wang Renqiong and Liu Wuzhou, few merchant caravans dared continue their trade. Only the bravest, like Xu Le’s party, traversed the mountains, avoiding the official roads to reach the grasslands. Otherwise, their goods would not suffice to pay taxes to both sides.

Faced with such hardships, Liu Wuzhou’s confidant, Officer Yuan Junzhang of the Heng’an Eagle Division, proposed to Liu that their troops scour the mountains, ambushing merchant caravans and collecting taxes to sustain the army.

Before Xu Le’s departure, with Liu’s tacit approval, Heng’an Eagle soldiers already lurked throughout the surrounding mountains, and several merchant caravans had already fallen victim.

Though Yuan’s proposal was ostensibly for taxation, when the Heng’an Eagle soldiers cornered a caravan in the wilderness, losing their goods and animals was the best outcome—many had paid with their lives. Yet such dire news traveled slowly, and Xu Le had no inkling as he set out.

Even if he had known, perhaps he would have gone anyway.

Now, in the forested mountains, the eyes of every Heng’an Eagle soldier burned red. After days of toil, they had finally cornered an unwary merchant caravan, yet the squad leader still hesitated.

Despite their whispered conference, the soldiers remained vigilant, keeping voices low and bodies crouched. Two watched the perimeter, bows drawn, alert to any disturbance.

Years of war in Mayi had left the Heng’an Eagle soldiers neglected, poorly paid, and suffering through harsh campaigns. Yet they had been forged into elite troops, and with the addition of Liu Wuzhou’s Korean veterans, their fighting strength soared.

Otherwise, even Wang Renqiong, proud as he was, would not have resorted to such ruthless expansion of his forces.

Under the urgent eyes of his comrades, the squad leader sneered, “You think I’m soft-hearted? I’m deciding whether to slaughter every last one of them! If we only seize their goods, we have to hand over eighty percent. Wouldn’t it be better to keep it all for ourselves? After Korea, I learned—the credit goes to the aristocrats, our lives are worthless. In these times, money matters most!”

The Eagle soldiers fell silent, seeing the leader’s gaze, fiercer than theirs by tenfold. Each gritted his teeth and nodded, “We’ll follow your lead. Let’s do it!”