Bisuo hurriedly rushed to the main tent where Yuanjue lifted a corner of the felt curtain and shook his head at him.

“General, the Regent cannot see you right now.”

Bisuo peered through the gap in the curtain. The tent was packed with people, with commanders divided into two groups standing on either side below Tanmoluojia, seemingly in confrontation. Both sides’ faces held thinly veiled anger, the atmosphere tense and oppressive. Only Mo Biduo stood in the corner with arms crossed, wearing an expression of detached amusement as if watching a show.

The commanders spoke with agitated expressions, complaining and questioning loudly while Tanmoluojia remained silent, his face cold.

Bisuo frowned and asked, “What happened?”

Yuanjue answered in a low voice: “Earlier, several officers were leading men to clean up the battlefield, tend to the wounded, and count prisoners… While others pursued the Northern Rong’s remaining forces, they captured one of Khagan Wahan’s sons and two nephews, along with a group of Northern Rong nobles. One tribe also discovered a Northern Rong camp with women. How could these tribal allied forces compare to our central army’s strict discipline? They also bore grudges against the Northern Rong and wanted to kill them all—they nearly started looting and killing… There have been several disputes today. The Regent just ordered that indiscriminate killing is forbidden, civilians must not be harassed, and those Northern Rong nobles, regardless of their status, cannot be killed if they surrender. Anyone who harms others without cause will be dealt with according to military law, regardless of their status.”

“Many are dissatisfied and are demanding to kill Khagan Wahan’s son. The Regent refused and assigned Mo Biduo to watch over the prince.”

Bisuo sighed.

Tanmoluojia had long ago established rules against killing surrendered enemies and issued several edicts prohibiting the harassment of civilians.

The central army was loyal to the royal court, and since Tanmoluojia had once publicly punished a group of noble youths who violated military discipline while acting as Su Dan Gu, the central army remained mindful and generally followed the rules. The other military units had previously followed noble orders without restraint, and although the military atmosphere had been completely renewed in these past few months, after entering the battlefield and experiencing bloody battles, soldiers who had survived death found it difficult to be magnanimous toward the Northern Rong who had committed countless bloody debts.

Usually, after a major battle, commanders would appease the army’s mood by deliberately allowing soldiers some latitude, but Tanmoluojia would never do such a thing.

Bisuo waited outside for a while.

Inside the tent, Tanmoluojia waved his hand, brooking no argument.

Seeing his resolute attitude, no one dared to argue further and took their leave. When several commanders reached the entrance, they hesitated, flashing looks of unwillingness across their faces. They turned back as if to say something more but were dragged away by the others.

Mo Biduo also left the tent, pausing as he passed Bisuo to ask, “General, has the Sand City commander written to you? Is Princess Wenzhao in Sand City?”

Bisuo replied vaguely, “There’s no news yet.”

Mo Biduo’s brows furrowed slightly.

Bisuo entered the tent and walked to the desk, anxious and hesitating for a moment before presenting the letter: “Regent, I was concerned about Princess Wenzhao’s safety and wrote to the Sand City commander asking if the Princess had arrived safely. The commander’s reply just arrived, saying the Princess is not in Sand City…”

Tanmoluojia gestured for Bisuo to put down the letter, his expression calm and unruffled.

“I know.”

Bisuo’s pupils suddenly contracted.

“You know?”

Tanmoluojia nodded, picking up his brush to respond to memorials, saying, “She went to find Li Zhongqian.”

Bisuo’s mouth gaped open, unable to close for a long while.

“How did you know?”

He slapped his forehead, “Did the Princess tell you in that letter?”

Before leaving, Li Yaoying had left a letter, asking him to deliver it to Tanmoluojia. He had hesitated for a long time, worried that the contents might upset Tanmoluojia, wanting to read it first before deciding whether to help deliver it before the great battle. After several days of indecision, he still didn’t want to offend Li Yaoying and gave the unopened letter to Yuanjue.

After reading the letter, Tanmoluojia had shown no reaction, continuing to command the deployment of troops as usual.

Bisuo had secretly breathed a sigh of relief, guessing that Li Yaoying must have written only conventional pleasantries, which was why Tanmoluojia had shown no reaction at all, and gradually forgot about the matter.

Now, looking at Tanmoluojia’s expressionless face, he suddenly remembered that letter.

“What did Princess Wenzhao… say in the letter?”

Bisuo’s voice trembled slightly.

Tanmoluojia’s brush movements remained calm and composed. “She said the Western Army must take advantage of the chaos to rise and seize key towns as strongholds. She would go to join Yang Qian, and Li Zhongqian was already heading to Sand City. She would leave early after confirming it was safe, to reunite with Li Zhongqian sooner. Jia’er, who escorted her, has already reported this to me.”

Li Yaoying also said she thanked him for his care all this time, asking him to be careful with his medicine and not harm his health. Remember to eat when hungry and add warm clothes when cold.

She had never belonged to the Royal Court.

Before, he had thought she would leave when the one-year agreement expired.

The arrival of Li Xuanzhen and Li Zhongqian had advanced everything.

With the Northern Rong’s defeat, she would become the Western Army’s leader—the identity of Modengnia no longer held any meaning for her.

“She’s gone.”

Tanmoluojia said flatly, his writing flowing smoothly, his tone calm, his voice steady, as if speaking of something entirely unrelated to him.

Bisuo’s chest tightened.

He had known all along?!

Tanmoluojia didn’t look up: “What else do you want to ask?”

Bisuo’s whole body shook as he retreated awkwardly from the tent, standing outside the felt curtain, his face pale.

Yuanjue looked at him puzzled: “General, what’s wrong?”

Bisuo swayed slightly and heaved a long sigh.

Yuanjue reached out to support him: “General?”

Bisuo smiled bitterly, “I was wrong.”

“What?”

Bisuo’s lips trembled slightly. He was wrong.

He had underestimated Tanmoluojia’s fortitude.

Luojia knew that after Li Yaoying reunited with Li Zhongqian, she would leave the Royal Court without hesitation, yet he still showed no sign of depression, calmly commanding troops in battle and handling complex court affairs, working tirelessly for the Royal Court’s future.

He was too calm, so much so that Bisuo couldn’t tell at all what he had read in Li Yaoying’s letter.

Bisuo clenched his fists tightly.

Luojia hadn’t even been able to properly bid farewell to Li Yaoying.

If Li Yaoying met Li Zhongqian and truly never set foot in the Royal Court again, wouldn’t that mean Luojia would never see her again in this life?

Bisuo smiled self-mockingly, “Yuanjue, just now Wanhu and the others caused an uproar over how to handle the Northern Rong prisoners. Do you know what’s in the King’s mind?”

Yuanjue looked completely bewildered.

Bisuo said with deep feeling: “If Princess Wenzhao were here, she would surely understand the King’s concerns. She always knew how to comfort the King…”

She could even make the typically stoic Luojia smile.

If such a person had never existed in the world, that would be one thing, but she had not only existed but had come to Luojia’s side, spent time with him, and then had to leave…

How cruel.

…

That day, Tanmoluojia swiftly dealt with several officers who had killed prisoners indiscriminately, and the unrest in the army subsided.

The surrendered Northern Rong nobles were sent to be settled locally in the Asang tribe, and the Northern Rong slaves who had been forcibly conscripted were also released to return to their respective tribes. The slaves could hardly believe their ears and were overcome with gratitude. Before leaving, they prostrated themselves toward the direction of the Holy City, chanting Buddha’s name while weeping bitterly.

Tanmoluojia didn’t sleep all night. After handling military affairs, he ordered Mo Biduo to continue pursuing Khagan Wahan’s remaining forces while he led the main army back to the Holy City. Before the campaign, he had made arrangements so that even if the first few lines of defense collapsed, the Holy City could not be easily breached, but the crisis wasn’t over. Battlefield situations could change in an instant—he had to return quickly to the Holy City to take charge of the overall situation.

On the second day after the great battle, the army reorganized briefly, divided into vanguard and rear forces, and immediately set out to return to the capital.

The vanguard consisted of light cavalry who abandoned their supply trains and galloped rapidly, with soldiers eating and drinking on horseback. After several days of non-stop travel, avoiding busy towns and markets, they reached the foot of the snow mountains where they had previously set up ambushes. Tanmoluojia sent out scouts to gather information.

Half an hour later, the scouts returned together with Gelu, the commander who had been ordered to lie in ambush here.

Gelu clasped his hands and said: “Regent, we have trapped Haidu Aling and his several thousand elite troops in the river valley. You had instructed before not to engage Haidu Aling head-on, just to contain him. These past few days, we’ve kept your orders firmly in mind, guarding all exits. Haidu Aling and his men haven’t shown themselves for several days.”

Previously, Su Dan Gu had ordered Gelu and others to each lead several thousand elite troops to lie in ambush under the snow mountains. Everyone was puzzled: in the vast snow mountains where even birds were rarely seen, with only occasional glimpses of eagles, no one had ever crossed the snow mountains to attack the Holy City directly. Wasn’t the Regent wasting military strength by having them set up ambushes here?

Though confused, they still honestly followed orders, digging trenches and setting traps, arranging barriers, oiling the crossbow carts several times daily, sending scouts to patrol every hour, and constantly watching for messenger eagles. After busy days of following such routines, they hadn’t seen any Northern Rong troops or even a leopard. Just as they were complaining about the Regent’s unnecessary precautions, a scout tumbled into camp: he had seen a group of people climbing down the cliff faces like agile mountain goats.

Gelu was greatly alarmed but remembered Su Dan Gu’s instructions and calmed himself. He gathered his forces and coordinated with the other ambush troops. After Haidu Aling relaxed his guard and charged down the slope, they launched a surprise attack, using crossbow formations to cut off Haidu Aling’s five thousand elite troops at the waist, forcing them to retreat into the river valley.

Haidu Aling hadn’t expected ambush forces here and awkwardly crossed the cold river formed by glacial meltwater. Gelu didn’t pursue relentlessly but withdrew to camp, firmly holding the defensive line.

In the following days, Haidu Aling occasionally tried to break through the defensive line, sometimes sending loud-voiced soldiers to insult the Buddha’s Son in an attempt to provoke them. Gelu and his men remembered Su Dan Gu’s warning and held firm without engaging.

They were well-prepared with abundant food, clothing, and charcoal. Haidu Aling’s surprise attack over the mountains left him without supplies or even horses, so they couldn’t supplement their strength with horse blood. Knowing his chances of victory were slim, Haidu Aling didn’t dare attempt a breakout and had been quiet these days.

Gelu and his men knew well Haidu Aling’s craftiness and dared not lower their guard, maintaining their vigil.

After hearing his military report, Tanmoluojia’s brows furrowed slightly. He gathered the commanders of the other ambush forces and sent out several light cavalry scouts to determine Haidu Aling’s position.

The commanders arrived one after another, all saying that Haidu Aling hadn’t dared show himself recently. During patrols, soldiers often found animal carcasses near the camp, presumably killed by Haidu Aling’s men for food. Without supplies, they could only hunt leopards and wolves.

Gelu voiced his speculation: “Regent, could Haidu Aling have crossed back over the snow mountains?”

Tanmoluojia shook his head: “The path down the mountain cannot necessarily be used to return, and without supplies, Haidu Aling has no way to cross mountains and ridges again…”

He looked around.

“Haidu Aling is not in the river valley.”

Everyone exclaimed in shock: “Impossible! We’ve been guarding steadfastly—unless Haidu Aling could sprout wings and fly away, he couldn’t have escaped from under our very noses!”

Just as the words fell, hoofbeats sounded outside the tent as several scouts rushed back to camp, holding a rope with both hands: “Regent, we found this by the cliff!”

Tanmoluojia glanced at Yuanjue, who understood and drew his sword, striking the rope hard.

With a sharp sound, sparks flew as the blade left only a small notch in the rope.

Everyone stared in amazement.

“This is a specially made rope,” Tanmoluojia picked up the rope to examine it closely. “Haidu Aling used ropes to temporarily construct a bridge at the cliff edge.”

Everyone looked at each other—so Haidu Aling had already escaped without anyone noticing? He didn’t grow wings, but they could build bridges.

Gelu was filled with regret, stamping his foot in anger: “If only I had known, I would have pursued…”

Tanmoluojia said: “Your task was to hold firm without engaging, prioritizing the Holy City.”

Everyone quickly acknowledged in unison, feeling somewhat better.

Tanmoluojia asked the scouts: “Where does the other side of the cliff lead? Are there any tribes nearby?”

The scout answered: “The other side of the cliff leads to the desert, rarely traveled by people. Several hundred li to the south there is a small oasis, Huluzhou, inhabited by Turkic people.”

Huluzhou was a small tribe, named after their entire oasis being shaped like a gourd.

Bisuo’s eyelids twitched as a chill ran up from his feet, and he looked toward Tanmoluojia.

Tanmoluojia said nothing, his thick eyelashes trembling slightly.

South of Huluzhou lay Gaochang.

Li Yaoying should have reached Gaochang by now.

…

Just as Gelu was reporting to Tanmoluojia, Haidu Aling led his starving subordinates through the barren desert, passing by a small tribe. They killed all the men, ate their fill, and restored their strength.

A subordinate asked Haidu Aling if they should go to the Sand Sea Road to assist Khagan Wahan.

Haidu Aling gazed toward Sam Valley, pondering for a moment, his eagle eyes flashing gold in the sunlight before he decisively shook his head: “We encountered ambush forces before even approaching the Holy City—the Buddha’s Son was well-prepared. The Great Khan’s chances in this battle are slim; we cannot go to our deaths.”

He was grateful to Khagan Wahan but would not sacrifice his life for him.

His subordinates asked bewilderedly: “Then where do we go now?”

Haidu Aling narrowed his eyes. “The sky is high and the sea is vast… we can go anywhere.”

His subordinates exchanged glances before drawing their swords. Holding their blades aloft with both hands, they knelt before him. “Prince, you have shown unfailing loyalty and done everything humanly possible for the Great Khan. But the Khan has been defeated—he is no match for the Buddha’s Son. We need a wise leader, not some feeble old wolf!”

Haidu Aling swept his gaze around before drawing his blade and pointing it southward.

With Khagan Wahan’s defeat, the Northern Rong were now leaderless—at last, his time to rise had come.