Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

This was just too absurd. In the decades he had spent leading troops and waging wars, he had never encountered such preposterousness.

To predict precisely the date of one's death? And down to the day?

Such things simply weren't done with prophecies!

Historical prophecies were usually extremely vague concepts that never specified exact times, because if the time didn't match up, the prophecy would be false, so what would be the point?

The recent Xin Si date referred to the ninth day of next month, which was utterly impossible.

Because Xue Ju was still alive and kicking, in very good shape.

But if it weren't the next Xin Si date, then the prophecy would have absolutely no power whatsoever.

You could stubbornly claim the prophecy referred to some Xin Si date ten years later, but would that be of any help on the current battlefield?

Crown Prince Xue Rengao spoke from the side, "Father, in your son's view, apart from Lord Qin, who poses some threat to us, the others in the Liang Army are not worth worrying about!

"Yin Kaishan and Liu Wenjing have only gained their positions within the Liang Army by defeating some nobodies. If they come into battle, your son is confident he can crush them in one strike and capture them all alive!

"However, your son did not expect Lord Qin to be so foolish, to trust solely in kinship and not give military command to Yin Kaishan or Liu Wenjing, but rather to his mere fifteen-year-old younger brother, Prince Qi!

"If Yin Kaishan and Liu Wenjing were leading troops and holding firm, our army might face some difficulty.

"But with this young Prince Qi in command, our victory is certain!

"This childish trick is most likely also Prince Qi's doing, aiming to use such an immature method to disrupt our army's morale? I can only say that his ability compared to Lord Qin's is like the difference between heaven and earth!"

At this point, Xue Ju's army was still very wary of Lord Qin.

Because the battle at Qianshui was not their first encounter with Lord Qin; last year, Xue Ju had sent Xue Rengao with a hundred thousand troops to take advantage of the Liang Army's attack on Chang'an and strike at Fufeng, but Lord Qin led his forces to punish them, inflicting a massive defeat on Xue Rengao, who was pursued by the Liang Army all the way to Longchi.

Having fled Longchi, Xue Ju even asked his subordinates, "Were there any emperors who surrendered in ancient times?"

Though after his strategists persuaded him, Xue Ju immediately dismissed the thought and found an excuse to save face, it still revealed Xue Ju's fear of Lord Qin.

Now with Lord Qin ill, they naturally saw it as a heaven-sent opportunity to shatter the Liang Army.

Such a naive psychological warfare was hardly enough to cause problems in their morale.

"However… Father," Crown Prince Xue Rengao hesitated.

It was not wise to speak plainly about this matter.

As Crown Prince, Xue Rengao was well aware that Liang Hulang was not especially loyal to him.

If something were to happen to Xue Ju, succeeding the throne wouldn't be an issue, but whether he could control these generals was uncertain.

Xue Ju glared at him: "What are you proposing?

"This is nothing more than a scheme of that petty Prince Qi to sow discord. Are you going to let a mere rumor released by the enemy cause distrust among our generals?"

Xue Rengao quickly said, "Your son wouldn't dare."

Xue Ju waved his hand, "There's no need to discuss this any further. Continue to provoke the Liang Army outside their camp, force them into battle!"

Xue Rengao accepted the command: "Yes, Father!"

Meanwhile, Liang Hulang was feeling restless in his tent.

"What a vicious trap by the Liang Army! How dare they frame me like this!"

Liang Hulang racked his brains but could not fathom why Prince Qi would write a prophecy specifically implicating him.

Yes, he was indeed one of the generals in Xue Ju's army who were less submissive to Crown Prince Xue Rengao, but Xue Ju wasn't dead yet, was he?

The prophecy thrust him into the limelight.

He didn't think Xue Ju would do anything to him because of this prophecy, but such things would undoubtedly leave a bad impression with Xue Rengao, further intensifying Xue Rengao's suspicion of him.

Perhaps Xue Rengao was already badmouthing him to Xue Ju as they spoke.

And so the chain of suspicion formed.

But at the moment, Liang Hulang obviously couldn't just defect to the Liang Army; the situation had not yet deteriorated to that extent.

So, both sides continued the standoff.

...

Finally, the time arrived in August.

As the "Xin Si" date mentioned in the prophecy gradually approached, an inexplicable sense of panic seemed to permeate the military ranks.

Although Xue Ju had ordered a strict clamp down on discussions about the prophecy, whispers inevitably spread in small circles.

Additionally, with the stalemate persisting and neither side able to make significant progress, soldiers, bored every day, became more prone to idle thoughts.

The key was whether they could safely get through Xin Si day.

If Xue Ju were still hopping around after that day, the laughable prophecy would collapse on itself. Then, Xue Ju's troops would be greatly heartened and the Liang Army's morale might suffer a blow.

Crown Prince Xue Rengao arrived at Xue Ju's camp to report on the battlefield as usual.

"Father, the Liang Army still stands firm and refuses to engage with us," he said.

Xue Ju waved his hand listlessly, "I know, you may leave."

Xue Rengao paused, "Father, what's wrong with you?"

He noticed that Xue Ju's complexion seemed a bit off, and he appeared unwell.

Xue Ju shook his head slightly, "It's nothing serious, just a slight cold. I should be better in a few days."

Xue Rengao quickly suggested, "Father, should we cancel the military meeting scheduled for tomorrow?"

Xue Ju hesitated for a moment without answering immediately.