At the end of June, while the Wei army was marching north, the rear encountered multiple attacks. These were all ambush forces that Chi Shu had arranged when withdrawing from Yan Commandery, with the main purpose of cutting off the Wei army’s supply lines and burning provisions. However, their opponents remained steady as a mountain, responding calmly. By early July, the Wei army’s main forces had completed their convergence and approached the southern capital. Finally, they encountered the Di army in the wilderness several hundred li from the southern capital, and a battle erupted.

For this final battle, Jiang Hanyuan was not only fully prepared but also had great confidence. Lord Zuochang had always commanded considerable prestige. His abandonment of territory through night escape, handing over Luan Pass, had directly forced Chi Shu to abandon Youzhou, which he had carefully prepared as his stronghold. The blow to morale this caused could be described as fatal. This was especially evident among the Di army’s middle and lower-ranking officers and soldiers.

Before the great battle, several small-scale skirmishes had occurred. The Di army’s former arrogant demeanor was completely gone. Facing the Wei army, their eyes no longer showed the fierce cruelty and violence of hungry beasts eager to pounce on prey. They observed their comrades and waited to determine their stance—an outstanding general can shape an army’s character and represents the upper limit of what an army can achieve, while the combat effectiveness and mentality of middle and lower-ranking soldiers determine an army’s actual fighting power in real combat. In field battles on such open terrain, neither side had geographical advantages or disadvantages, no city walls or mountain barriers to rely on, and all maneuvering strategies had little use. Charging was paramount, and the courage to fight fearlessly was the foundation of victory.

Chi Shu must have realized this as well. Jiang Hanyuan heard that before the battle, to boost morale, he had brought out all the wealth plundered before withdrawing from Yan Commandery, along with the gold and jewels stored in the southern capital’s imperial palace, loading them onto carts—filling several hundred supply wagons—and pulling them before his soldiers, promising rewards based on merit. Along with the gold and silver used as rewards were also beautiful women. Besides this, it was said he also publicly announced that whoever could capture the Wei army’s female commander alive would not only be enfeoffed as a marquis of ten thousand households but would also receive his most beautiful consort as a reward.

Even under the stimulation of money and beauties, though the Di soldiers’ eyes turned red and they became frenzied again, facing the Wei army—victorious in successive battles, with morale soaring high as mountains, capable of treading through fire, unstoppable in their sharpness—this death-throes fighting spirit was destined to be but a flash in the pan.

After several days of small-scale parallel operations, on the tenth day of the seventh month, the main forces of both sides clashed. Cavalry charged, infantry followed closely behind, and finally, they became locked in tight combat. Looking down from high ground, the Wei army’s thousands upon thousands of troops spread across mountains and plains like threads, seemingly disorderly but interwoven in coordination. When a gap appeared, the rear quickly filled it. This was the power of a well-trained, disciplined army in large-scale field combat. The Wei army was like an enormous ancient divine beast crawling across the earth’s surface—slow but constantly moving forward, devouring all foreign objects in its path. After the Di army’s initial cavalry charge, as they entered close combat on the battlefield, their battle lines were torn with gaps that could not be replenished as quickly as their enemies’. Isolated individuals were swiftly killed by Wei forces several times their number. One by one, two by two—as such gaps multiplied like scales being plucked away one by one, leaving them battered and wounded, the tide of victory and defeat began to show.

This great battle lasted from early morning until dusk. Qin Long’s death became the climax and turning point of the battlefield. Zhou Qing followed the pre-arranged deployment, feigning defeat during combat, then retreating. Qin Long, arrogant and believing himself invincible, became excited by the killing and pursued relentlessly, charging through everything in his path. Wherever he went, he was unstoppable, and Wei soldiers avoided him. When he had been lured far from his main force, a command flag was raised high, and those Wei troops who had previously retreated suddenly surrounded him. Qin Long saw his old adversary Zhou Qing turn his horse and charge toward him, and only then realized he had fallen into a trap. Fewer and fewer people remained around him. Despite multiple breakout attempts, he was forced back and finally trapped in an iron bucket formation surrounded by Wei forces. But even so, ordinary Wei soldiers around him still couldn’t approach—he found opportunities to kill his way out of gaps, seeking another chance to break through. He wheeled his horse around and saw Zhou Qing leading men in continued pursuit, and angrily roared: “If you have the ability, fight me one-on-one! Battle me again!”

When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with hatred. Under normal circumstances, Zhou Qing would certainly have responded to the provocation. But before this battle, the commander had repeatedly emphasized that he was not allowed to act on impulse or play the hero—the only requirement was speed, and he must kill this man on the battlefield.

Zhou Qing understood the purpose behind this order. This man was notorious among the people of Yan and You, a butcher, but in the eyes of Di soldiers, he was an invincible, fierce general, the backbone of the battlefield. Kill him, and this branch of the Di army would be like a group of dragons without a head.

Zhou Qing said nothing, spurring his horse viciously in pursuit. Seeing Wei soldiers gathering around him again, Qin Long gritted his teeth and identified a weak point, preparing to attempt another charge, when suddenly the Wei soldiers automatically parted, and a young Wei general with a blood-stained face and murderous eyes charged in on horseback—it was Yang Hu. His long halberd whistled through the wind as it smashed down from above. Qin Long parried, barely blocking the halberd, when Zhou Qing also struck from behind with his long blade.

No matter how fierce Qin Long was, he couldn’t withstand Yang Hu and Zhou Qing’s pincer attack from the front and rear. In his panicked dodging, he fell from his horse on the spot. He was about to slash at his opponents’ horses’ legs after hitting the ground, seeking an opportunity to survive, but one foot became entangled in his mount’s stirrup. In his urgency, he couldn’t break free and was dragged upside down along the ground for more than ten steps. When he finally struggled free and fell to the ground face-up, an iron-shod horse hoof fell from the sky, heavily stomping on his chest.

The war horse was powerful and had come at a gallop—this hoof strike was as heavy as a thousand jun. He screamed, his previously injured ribs cracked again with a snap, and he spat fresh blood. As he covered his chest and struggled to get up, countless war horses charged at him from ahead, their hooves raising clouds of dust. After several passes, they trampled him until blood flowed from all seven orifices, like rotten mud—thus this renowned number one fierce general of the Di army died under the chaos of hooves.

Accompanied by howling wild winds, the Wei army’s lookout soldiers roared in unison, spreading this news across the wilderness, and the Di army became even more disorganized.

The evening of the second day, as the setting sun descended and the remaining sunset shrouded this battlefield flowing with blood, the great battle that had lasted two days was over.

The southern capital appeared like a lonely island, gradually revealing its silhouette on the northern horizon in the blood-colored, hazy remaining sunlight.

This decisive battle proceeded much more easily than Jiang Hanyuan had expected. By the latter half, the battle situation was like destroying dried weeds and rotten wood. In this, Lord Youchang had also helped. It was said that after dark last night, when fighting ceased, seeing the general situation was lost, he wanted to emulate Lord Zuochang. Under the pretext of arranging formations for tomorrow’s renewed battle, he tried to flee secretly overnight, intending to beat Chi Shu by retreating north to the royal court first to establish himself independently. Chi Shu discovered that the two sides had internal strife, and Lord Youchang escaped. Today, the Di army’s morale was scattered—from top to bottom, they had no heart to fight again. Facing the Wei army’s assault, they fought while retreating, heading north all the way.

The Wei army completely broke the southern capital, and this city changed hands.

For the Beidi, from the day the Western Pass incident failed, they had been passive, step by step. The failure of this great battle was already a predetermined outcome.

In contrast, the Wei army was united from top to bottom, filled with killing intent, with momentum like a rainbow—how could they not be victorious?

Jiang Hanyuan led the army to continue sweeping the northern lands, eliminating the remaining Di forces. At the same time, victory reports of breaking the southern capital and recovering, You and Yan were also traveling day and night on the road, transmitted back at the fastest speed. The victory reports reached Yanmen, then flew to Chang’an.

Ten days later, on this afternoon, the drums of the imperial palace echoed over Chang’an city, resounding through streets and alleys. People heard the drums and emerged from their homes. When the news spread, everyone was jubilant. Court officials rushed to the palace to participate in an emergency court session.

Since the Sacred Martial Emperor’s reign, through the Bright Emperor, to the current regency, recovering the northern gateway had always been on Great Wei’s court agenda. Years of planning had achieved success in one stroke!

After this war lasting more than half a year, this dream was finally realized today.

When the palace attendant read the victory report from the north, the Virtuous Prince was moved to tears on the spot, bowing toward the north. The court officials were also joyful, all bowing and congratulating the young emperor on his throne in unison—but at today’s emergency court session held for the great victory news just delivered, the young emperor presided over court while the Regent Prince did not appear.

Truthfully, the Regent Prince’s contribution to today’s great celebration was immense—everyone knew this in their hearts. This northern expedition from Yanmen was not only orchestrated through his painstaking planning over these years, but from the beginning of the year when court winds changed and undercurrents surged, without him as a pillar of support, firm as rock, insisting on war, this matter might have been abandoned halfway long ago.

On such a joyful day worthy of great celebration, he did not appear. On the surface, no officials mentioned this matter, as if no one had noticed, but after praising the young emperor’s virtues and dismissing the court, privately, various suspicions continued.

Shu Jian returned from the great hall to the imperial study, closed the door, and sat alone until dark. He remained motionless as if in meditation, until deep night when Jia Xiu arrived, and only then did he seem to wake from a dream, slowly raising his eyes.

“What has Third Imperial Uncle been doing today?” he asked.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the prince’s residence has kept its doors closed since afternoon. I have not seen the Regent Prince emerge, so this humble minister has no way of knowing.”

“What about the ministers? After dismissing the court, what did they discuss privately?”

“They discussed His Highness the Regent Prince a few times.” Jia Xiu hesitated, then replied in a low, ambiguous tone.

Shu Jian did not pursue the matter further. His gaze fell on the flickering candlelight on his desk, staring at it for a moment before saying: “I have three matters here for you to handle for me.”