Deep night.

On the city tower of Xiamen Pass, Ji Huan stood with an upright posture, his pair of cold, hard eyes staring straight ahead at the boundless darkness in the distance!

His gaze grew deeper and deeper.

He stood facing the wind, his expression flat, revealing nothing of what he might be thinking.

Beside him on the city wall was planted a small Da Lin banner, swaying in the wind.

That splash of red was particularly glaring under the torchlight’s illumination!

Throughout the entire journey to Xiamen Pass, he had spoken very little, always behaving properly as Jingrong’s “assistant,” becoming a supporting presence.

To outsiders, the Emperor allowing him to accompany Prince Rong to atone for his crimes through merit was an immense imperial grace. If he didn’t behave obediently and instead displayed the bearing he had as a great general before, he would likely invite criticism from others.

He didn’t know how long he had been standing here.

Suddenly—

“So you’re here!” A powerful voice came over.

Chu Chengyu was seen striding over in his war boots from the distance, arriving at his side.

“You weren’t at the banquet just now. I was wondering where you’d gone, but I didn’t expect you to come here.”

Ji Huan’s eyes didn’t stray from ahead as he said flatly: “You know I don’t like that kind of occasion.”

“I know.” Chu Chengyu smiled, with a sense of understanding him, then followed his gaze toward the distance and said, “Still remember seven years ago when we went out together to campaign against Qujiang? That battle lasted several months. After returning, you two brothers went to the capital, and I came here. I have to say, time really flies.”

There was a tone of emotion.

And also some bitterness!

Seven years ago, when Da Lin and Qujiang went to war, the commanding generals at the time included not only Ji Huan and Ji Li, but also Chu Chengyu himself. The three of them were figures who dominated Da Lin’s military scene. Originally, that campaign could have ended earlier, and Qujiang could have withdrawn their troops sooner, but because of a mistake by Chu Chengyu, the opposing general was able to escape. As a result, that battle dragged on for several more months, leading to increased casualties and faster depletion of provisions. If Da Lin hadn’t held on in the end, the victor of that campaign might have been Qujiang.

It was precisely because of Chu Chengyu’s mistake that the late Emperor ordered him dispatched to Xiamen Pass, and he had been guarding it for over six years now.

And the general who had escaped from Chu Chengyu’s hands at that time was none other than Su Ziluo’s (Ji Pei’s) father!

It was also in that campaign that Su Ziluo’s father was killed by Ji Li, and he was brought back to Jinjiang by the Ji brothers as an orphan.

Ji Huan turned his head to look at him: “You haven’t changed one bit!”

“Haven’t changed one bit? Ha ha, guarding this godforsaken place, how could I change? Every day is the same repetitive things. I actually envy you—at least you could still wander around and see the capital. But what about me? When my grandfather died, I couldn’t even rush back to see him off.” Chu Chengyu smiled bitterly.

Then—

Ji Huan said: “I’d rather the person who came here back then had been me.”

Chu Chengyu heard the meaning in his words and patted his shoulder: “I know about what happened to the Ji family. Life is unpredictable—who knows what will happen next?”

“Man can conquer heaven!”

“Oh? There’s something more to what you’re saying.”

Ji Huan gazed into the distance again: “General Chu, do you want to return to your hometown?”

Uh!

“I dream of it. After fighting battles my whole life, who doesn’t want to settle down and attend to their relatives!”

“It won’t be long. Believe me, you’ll be able to return very soon.”

Certain!

Chu Chengyu didn’t quite understand the meaning in his words.

He only saw Ji Huan suddenly pull out the small banner that had been planted in the city wall beside him and wave it a few times in his hand.

The banner rose with the wind, that splash of red appearing and disappearing in the darkness…

Houliao main camp.

After receiving news that Da Lin wanted them to submit, Muzhaar had been troubled for several days.

He was someone who didn’t like warfare!

Moreover, he was someone who looked before and after!

Now that Da Lin was pressuring them like this, he didn’t know how to proceed either way.

In the military tent, Third Master sat on the left side, also with a hesitant expression—his mood was probably the same as Muzhaar’s.

Saihe spoke in a rough, coarse voice: “Those Central Plains people are truly outrageous, actually wanting us Houliao people to submit to them? Bah! Simply dreaming!”

Full of indignation!

He nearly overturned the table.

With him saying this, someone else chimed in: “At worst, we’ll fight those Central Plains people. I refuse to believe those skinny monkeys can withstand the broadswords in our hands.”

“That’s right, let’s fight them!”

“Even if we die, we cannot submit to Da Lin!”

…

The military tent was like a giant furnace.

“Thud!”

Muzhaar finally couldn’t stand being bothered anymore and slammed his fist heavily on the table.

Instantly, everyone fell silent!

Pairs of eyes waiting for orders all looked toward Muzhaar in unison.

Expecting him to give the order to fight Da Lin to the death!

Muzhaar took a deep breath, looked toward Third Master, and asked: “Hechi, what do you say?”

Third Master’s expression grew even more somber. He only said two words: “Thorny problem!”

These two words plunged the entire military tent into an unprecedented chill.

Not a single person spoke!

Until—

Muzhaar said: “Your meaning is… we should submit to Da Lin?”

Uh!

Before Third Master could respond, someone objected.

“Submit to their damned ancestors! Even if we’re killed one by one by those sons of bitches from Da Lin, we absolutely won’t submit to them.”

“That’s right! Even if we die, we absolutely won’t agree.”

Saihe’s reaction was the most intense. He suddenly stood up, his large belly knocking over the table in front of him.

A thunderous crash.

Wine cups and liquor spilled everywhere.

He said: “Leader, we absolutely do not agree to submit to Da Lin. To us, it would be a humiliation. They’ve pushed us to this point—we should immediately gather our forces and have a fierce battle with them. Who wins and who loses is still uncertain.”

“Fight!”

“Fight…”

Everyone became excited, slamming tables one after another.

Third Master shouted: “Everyone quiet down.”

Full of authority.

Everyone shut their mouths again.

Third Master looked toward the crowd, his eyes sharp and serious, and said: “Do you think this is like fighting Yue Dan? What we’re facing now is Da Lin. Even if you’re not afraid of death, what about the herdsmen on our grasslands? Are you going to disregard their lives too?”

“But we absolutely cannot just submit to them like this.”

“Of course we won’t submit to Da Lin!” Third Master said firmly. “Just as you said earlier, that would be a humiliation.”

“In that case, then fight!”

“Fight!” Third Master glared angrily. “Do you know how many soldiers Da Lin has? How many arrows? We’ve only just finished the campaign against Yue Dan and simply don’t have the ability to continue contending with Da Lin. If we fight forcibly, do you know what outcome awaits us?”

Faced with this interrogation, no one dared speak anymore.

Muzhaar asked: “Then what do you want to do?”

Third Master was silent for a moment, then said: “The person who led the troops here this time is that Young Master Jing. He’s a prince of Da Lin. I… should meet with him first.”