When Li Tianjiao had learned of the impending fall of her country, she had held back her tears and not cried. But now, hearing the old general speak thus, she could no longer contain herself—her throat swelled with pain, choking her beyond words.
Old General Cui Shanzhong drew the sword from his waist and shouted: “Warriors of Western Liang, we were born in Western Liang and raised in Western Liang! Western Liang’s waters… Western Liang’s grain has nourished us! Western Liang’s gods protect us! Our Emperor has resolved to fight to the death for our country! Can we Western Liang warriors retreat?!”
Throughout the spacious, magnificent hall echoed Old General Cui Shanzhong’s resonant voice echoed like a great bell.
“We cannot retreat!”
“We cannot retreat!”
“We cannot retreat!”
The soldiers inside and outside the hall shouted hoarsely, their voices thunderous and deafening.
“If the gods bless our Western Liang, then in today’s battle, we will be the heroes who swore to defend Western Liang! If it is the gods’ will that Western Liang should cease to exist, we will have fought for our own country, our own homes… our Emperor! Though we die, we die with glory! Though we die, we die without regret!” Old General Cui Shanzhong surveyed his surroundings. Seeing that the Western Liang soldiers’ morale had been roused, his gaze fell upon Li Tianjiao. “Your Majesty, give the order!”
Li Tianjiao gripped her long sword tightly, raised it high, and shouted with all her might: “Brave warriors of Western Liang! For Western Liang… kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
Amid the soldiers’ triple battle cries, Li Tianjiao and Old General Cui Shanzhong led the warriors charging toward the front hall.
Li Tianjiao’s eyes were resolute—suddenly, she was no longer afraid!
What was there to fear in death, with so many Western Liang soldiers accompanying her!
But even if she died, she would kill several more Zhou bandits, several more Yan dogs. If she could take the Great Zhou Emperor’s brother and Great Yan’s Ninth Prince with her, that would be even better!
In the front hall, when Li Tianjiao and Old General Cui Shanzhong arrived with their soldiers, the originally mirror-bright azure stone floors inside and outside were piled with Western Liang corpses. From the front hall’s white jade steps to inside the hall, they were everywhere. Fresh blood had pooled into streams, slowly flowing down from the jade steps.
Calling this place a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood would be no exaggeration.
“This is bad!” Old General Cui Shanzhong cried out in alarm. Before he could explain, a rain of arrows came whistling.
Old General Cui Shanzhong swiftly turned to shield Li Tianjiao behind him, shouting: “Retreat! Retreat! Fall back into the great hall!”
Li Tianjiao looked up to see fires suddenly blazing from the multi-tiered palace buildings on all sides. The enemy forces held crossbows, continuously shooting arrows at them!
Cui Shanzhong and the others protected Li Tianjiao in their midst. Even knowing that only the hall area had no ambushed archers, that the Great Zhou and Yan Country sincerely wanted to force them into the great hall, they could only retreat into the hall. After all, with the enemy holding the high ground… they had few choices!
Retreating into the hall still left them room to maneuver. If they stood in this completely exposed area, they would inevitably die under the enemy’s rain of arrows.
Cui Shanzhong couldn’t understand how, when facing the enemy head-on was a decision he and Li Tianjiao had made on the spot, Yan Country and Great Zhou had known they were coming and set up ambushes in advance?!
There was no time for Old General Cui Shanzhong to think further. They protected Li Tianjiao while continuously retreating…
The Western Liang soldiers who had first charged into the great hall to scout came out, shouting: “No ambush!”
Cui Shanzhong hesitated no longer. He grabbed Li Tianjiao’s arm and finally charged back into the great hall under the soldiers’ cover.
After going full circle, Li Tianjiao hadn’t expected to be back here again.
Inside the hall were the corpses of all her shadow guards. Li Tianjiao’s eyes stung with tears.
She had summoned the greatest courage of her life to charge out with sword in hand, thinking she could kill more enemy soldiers and die on the battlefield. She hadn’t expected to be forced back here again.
This reminded Li Tianjiao of the eight great families of Western Liang that clung to Western Liang like a bone disease. She had initially held great confidence in dealing with these eight great families that had troubled even Father Emperor, promoting people from humble backgrounds to contend with the established families, wanting to gradually consolidate all power into her own hands. But she hadn’t expected the eight great families’ influence to be far greater than she had imagined.
Outside the hall doors, firelight flickered…
“Be careful, they don’t burn down the palace!” Cui Shanzhong shouted.
The soldiers barricaded the doors with their bodies, even though the Great Zhou and Yan countries showed no intention of charging in.
Xiao Ruohai and Yue Shi followed behind Bai Qingyu and Xiao Rongyan, emerging from the great army that had surrounded the great hall.
The firelight reflected off Xiao Rongyan’s cold mask, turning it bright red. He turned his head to signal Yue Shi.
Yue Shi stepped forward and shouted: “Western Liang Emperor, Old General Cui Shanzhong! As long as you surrender, whether to Yan Country or the Great Zhou, the soldiers inside can all live! Western Liang’s destruction today is already predetermined. Don’t make meaningless sacrifices—surrender!”
The reason they had forced them into the great hall was because Old General Cui Shanzhong was also born of a military family… like the Bai family of the capital, both were century-old military families who later suffered the ruler’s suspicion and wariness, ending in family destruction and death. This reminded Xiao Rongyan of Bai Qingyan, of Bai Qingyan’s grandfather, Duke Zhenguo Bai Weiting!
Therefore, Xiao Rongyan was willing to give this eighty-year-old man a peaceful old age and a natural death.
It was because Bai Qingyu, as a son of a military family, also held a thread of compassion for an old general like Cui Shanzhong.
Seeing no response from inside, Yue Shi turned to glance at his master, then saw Xiao Rongyan step toward the stairs, calling loudly to Cui Shanzhong inside: “Old General Cui, Great Zhou’s Fifth Young Master recognizes that Old General Cui was also born of a century-old military family from a noble house, and like the Bai family suffered family destruction due to the ruler’s suspicion. Therefore… he leaves the general a thread of hope for survival.”
Hearing these words, Bai Qingyu looked toward Xiao Rongyan and immediately understood his meaning…
Xiao Rongyan likely intended to yield Yun Jing to the Great Zhou.
His palm tightened. Why was this?
If Yan Country held Yun Jing in their hands, when the two countries competed in the future based on national governance to determine the realm’s ownership, their chances of winning would be greater.
Last time when Elder Sister was trapped in Jiangzi City, Xiao Rongyan had abandoned Yun Jing to rush to Jiangzi City for rescue—that was due to deep affection and righteousness with Elder Sister, concern for her safety, and the child’s safety.
But what about this time? Why would he yield Yun Jing to the Great Zhou?
In Bai Qingyu’s view, Great Yan’s Ninth Prince, except when facing his elder sister, was not someone who could be trapped by romantic feelings. Did he have other purposes?
Inside the great hall, Li Tianjiao heard these words and looked toward Cui Shanzhong.
She heard Cui Shanzhong laugh and speak: “That Yan Country’s Ninth Prince would compare this old man to the Bai family of the capital—this old man is deeply honored! The Bai Family Army once had a military song that said… ‘Never remove armor until death in battle, sons of the homeland!’ Though this old man is over eighty, my heart that protects and loves the country is not old. I, too, am willing to never remove armor until death in battle for my country! Yan’s Ninth Prince and the Bai family’s Fifth Young Master need not say more. Go ahead and attack—this old man will meet your challenge!”