“General! The scouts report they’ve discovered a squadron of Qi troops. Judging by their direction, those Qi people’s treacherous hearts refuse to die—they still want to set fire to our grain supplies!”

Yelu Zhen’s subordinate general Tuoda hurried into the tent to report.

“Then let them come. Tuoda, prepare yourself. Ensure they have no return.” Yelu Zhen braced one hand on his knee. The tent’s candlelight illuminated his face in red, his spirits high.

“Yes!”

Tuoda placed one hand on his chest, then turned and went out.

Nielinqu silently observed Tuoda’s departing figure, saying nothing.

“Nielinqu, look at these Qi people. Not only did they kill Prince Su Qile, they also prevented your General Shi Monu from receiving timely treatment, causing him to die with hatred.” Yelu Zhen removed his fur-trimmed iron helmet and set it aside. “What was the name of that Qi person who caused Shi Monu’s death?”

“No one knows his name.” Thinking of that person, Nielinqu couldn’t help gripping the knife handle at his waist, his expression extremely grim. “The Qi people all call him Young Master Ni.”

“I heard your nephew Sasuo also died due to this person’s stratagem.”

Yelu Zhen made no effort to conceal his curiosity about this Young Master Ni. He observed Nielinqu’s expression. Seeing him reveal a mournful look, he offered comfort. “Whether your Nanyan tribe or my Changbo tribe, we all belong to the Danqiu royal court. This Young Master Ni—once Yongzhou City falls, I’ll leave him for you to kill!”

Nielinqu hadn’t yet reacted when the felt curtain was suddenly lifted. It was Tuoda, who had just left moments ago. Yelu Zhen frowned. “Why have you returned?”

“Those cursed Qi people!”

Tuoda panted heavily. “General, their objective wasn’t our rear grain supplies at all. They traveled halfway then suddenly changed course, using fire arrows and crossbows to shoot at our siege equipment on the south side that we hadn’t pulled back in time!”

Yelu Zhen was taken aback.

“General Yelu, whether Qin Jixun or that Young Master Ni, neither are people who will sit and await death.” Nielinqu had participated in several battles following Shi Monu. Now General Shi Monu was dead, and this isolated army he’d brought from Juhan Pass had no grain supplies—he had no choice but to temporarily attach himself to Yelu Zhen.

He had already grasped Qin Jixun’s character. Qin Jixun and that Young Master Ni who dared assassinate General Shi Monu amid the chaos of battle—they absolutely weren’t the type to only defend the city stubbornly.

Yelu Zhen fell silent for a moment after hearing Nielinqu’s words, then asked Tuoda, “Did the Qi people burn all our siege equipment?”

“No, we rescued it in time. Some was damaged.”

Tuoda reported truthfully.

“Then summon the Qi craftsmen in camp and have them repair it as quickly as possible.”

Yelu Zhen knew this time it was his own carelessness. His face showed no anger—he only instructed Tuoda, “Our time is limited. If we still can’t take Yongzhou City, you and I will return to Changbo and apologize to the prince.”

Since Yelu Zhen began attacking Yongzhou City, he had continuously taken the initiative. But tonight was truly restless. First their siege equipment was destroyed. Everyone assumed the Qi army wouldn’t make another move tonight, yet unexpectedly, in the latter half of the night, horns suddenly sounded from atop Yongzhou’s city wall. The barbarian army awoke with a start in the middle of the night, thinking the Yongzhou army was suddenly emerging from the city to turn defense into offense. They hastily prepared for battle and waited an entire hour, yet still saw no Yongzhou army emerge.

The entire barbarian camp spent half the night in chaos with no one sleeping peacefully.

Yelu Zhen simply directly led his army to attack the city again. Because some equipment was damaged, compared to the previous seven days, Yelu Zhen’s troop consumption was much greater.

“They’re going to emerge from the south gate!”

Tuoda sat on horseback. Seeing banners wave atop the city wall, he grabbed a Qi prisoner, questioned him about the password, then immediately reported to Yelu Zhen.

That was precisely the gap Yelu Zhen had left when surrounding three sides and leaving one open.

Yelu Zhen was about to issue orders when he heard earth-shaking roars. War horses trampled the earth, wind and sand flying. Massive stones crashed down from the city wall, nearly shaking the ground.

The Yongzhou army that should have emerged from the south gate unexpectedly emerged from the north gate instead. The shield carts at the front were bound with dry grass. Arrows shot by barbarian mounted archers embedded firmly into the dry grass heaps, dense as woven fabric.

Then the shield carts made a turn. The soldiers inside scattered wooden caltrops toward the barbarian cavalry, causing the ground where hooves fell to bristle with sharp wooden spikes.

War horses neighed and reared. Barbarians fell and were pierced through by the caltrops.

The Yongzhou army soldiers followed closely, holding shields. Their formations changed repeatedly. Armor-piercing spears thrust several times. Xu Hexue stood atop the city wall looking down from his elevated position, suddenly calling, “Duan Rong.”

Duan Rong immediately shouted loudly, “Release arrows!”

A rain of flaming arrows fell, nearly burning the barbarian cavalry on the south side into chaos with men and horses tumbling.

“Retreat!”

Duan Rong shouted again.

Rebel army captain Sun Yanli heard this command and immediately led the soldiers in rapid retreat back into the city. The south gate opened and closed—the barbarians could not enter.

For the first time, Yelu Zhen seriously examined the Young Master Ni atop the city wall that Nielinqu had spoken of.

His face showed a grim expression.

He didn’t know why, but inexplicably felt a trace of familiarity.

“General Qin, Commander Yang! Our harvest is quite bountiful!” Sun Yanli entered the city and shouted from below.

This risky sortie from the city was also to alleviate the urgent shortage of arrows within the city.

“One arrow can be split into two. Just have the craftsmen add arrowheads.” Qin Jixun vaguely heard Sun Yanli’s voice from below and spoke to those beside him.

“Yes!”

Hearing this, the soldier immediately turned and descended.

“Can this method be used again?” Qin Jixun looked toward Xu Hexue.

“It can.”

Xu Hexue nodded.

The barbarians clearly hadn’t expected that this method of feinting east and striking west, used once by the defending army, would dare be used again. When banners waved again atop the city wall, Tuoda didn’t dare trust easily. This time the password indicated north. He immediately ordered the central army to seize the opportunity to rush into the city while the Qi people emerged from the south gate.

Yet both gates remained closed while fireballs rolled down, scorching a wide area. Iron arrows from crossbows fired in unison.

“General Qin, over these past days, haven’t most who’ve scaled the walls been Nanyan tribe people?” Xu Hexue crouched down, leaning against the base of the city wall to avoid the barbarians’ upward rain of arrows.

“It seems so.”

Qin Jixun recalled that Nanyan and Changbo tribe soldiers had some differences in attire. Each wore their tribe’s totems on their bodies.

Xu Hexue looked back. Banners snapped fiercely, beacon smoke swirled. He thought of Nielinqu at Yelu Zhen’s side. “Then we shouldn’t make things too easy for Yelu Zhen.”

Late on the eighth night of Yongzhou’s defense, drums thundered and horns blew atop the city wall. Barbarian soldiers secretly constructing works outside, attempting to observe the city’s defenses, were so frightened they immediately stopped and fled back to the barbarian camp.

The entire barbarian encampment spent another chaotic half-night on defense, yet saw no Yongzhou army emerge. After a night of turmoil, they were instead exhausted with tired men and horses, unable to sleep peacefully.

Late on the ninth night, drums sounded again atop Yongzhou’s wall. The Danqiu barbarians, having endured a day of battle that nearly destroyed one of the projecting towers on their south wall, saw through the Yongzhou army’s bluff. When they heard drums again, they paid no attention.

Yet unexpectedly the Yongzhou army truly led troops out of the city, first capturing all barbarian soldiers constructing works, then launching a night raid on Yelu Zhen’s main camp. Flames leaped continuously. Sun Yanli carefully remembered Xu Hexue’s instructions, having captives lead the way as they launched fire attacks on the Nanyan tribal tents led by Nielinqu.

That night, along with continuous sheets of firelight, sudden rumors permeated the entire barbarian camp.

“Lord Nielinqu! Could it be that our General Shi Monu didn’t actually die at that Qi person’s hands, but rather…” The captain following Nielinqu couldn’t suppress the rumors boiling through the army and came seeking Nielinqu.

“I’ve had suspicions all along.”

Nielinqu sat in his tent, his expression pained. “The moment Yelu Zhen arrived, General Shi Monu died from his injuries. I also looked for that barbarian physician—he disappeared. To this day I still can’t find him.”

“Isn’t this suspicious enough!” The barbarian captain was filled with righteous indignation. “Lord Nielinqu, most of us who came from Juhan Pass are Nanyan tribe warriors. Yet he, Yelu Zhen, makes us serve as vanguard and makes us scale the walls—this clearly means he wants us to suffer more casualties. Won’t this just be making wedding clothes for their Changbo tribe!”

“I…”

Nielinqu clenched his fists tightly. These past days at Yelu Zhen’s side, acting meek and subservient, he’d had enough of the Changbo tribe’s arrogance. Now mentioning Shi Monu’s death again, the fury in his chest grew even stronger. “I absolutely cannot let General Shi Monu die without clarity! Though Prince Su Qile is dead, we still have the Second Prince. He and Prince Su Qile share the Nanyan Queen’s bloodline. Could it be we’ll just watch helplessly as the First Prince overshadows the Second Prince!”

No,

At least before reinforcements dispatched by the Nanyan tribe arrived, he couldn’t let Yelu Zhen be first to breach Yongzhou City.

On the tenth day of assault, Yelu Zhen’s Changbo tribal army and Nielinqu’s Nanyan tribal army fell into discord. Nielinqu fought passively, greatly infuriating Yelu Zhen.

Seeing the barbarian army’s morale in chaos, Qin Jixun seized this opportunity, ordering Wei Dechang and Yang Tianzhe to jointly lead troops in a night raid on the barbarian camp, catching Yelu Zhen completely off guard.

The Yongzhou army’s morale surged greatly.

After ten days of defending the city, the Yongzhou army hadn’t yielded an inch to the enemy.

But on the eleventh day, the reinforcements led by Tan Guangwen still hadn’t arrived. This plunged the Yongzhou army, which had finally fought its way to high morale, back into panic.

“The Nanyan tribe’s reinforcements also haven’t arrived yet. They must have encountered each other head-on.” Zhou Ting braced one hand on his knife handle, speaking in a low voice. “If so, we’ll likely need to continue defending.”

“How can we still defend!” Wei Dechang paced back and forth anxiously. “If reinforcements never come, how long can we hold out wearing down this Yelu Zhen here!”

“Dechang, you absolutely must not be so defeatist!” Qin Jixun urged him.

“Elder Brother! Once that Yelu Zhen comes to his senses, how shall we respond? The reinforcements—why can’t the reinforcements come sooner? If that Tan Guangwen could have dispatched troops earlier, how would we be reduced to this!”

Xu Hexue sat nearby, holding the glass lamp in his hand, momentarily dazed.

“Why won’t the reinforcements come!”

“General, tell me, why won’t they come?”

That person fallen amid the yellow sand had his chest pierced through by countless arrows. Great mouthfuls of fresh blood poured from his mouth. “Why… won’t they come…”

“Xue Huai!”

In his memory, Xu Hexue watched him fall. Yet the silver spear in his hand couldn’t kill all the barbarians before him no matter how he tried. Fresh blood soaked the silver scaled armor, the crimson robes drenched through.

He kept killing.

Until his strength was exhausted and a barbarian’s golden blade swung toward him, slashing across his eyes.

“General! Protect the General!”

Before his eyes everything was blood red—he could see nothing, only hear his soldiers shouting like this again and again. Many people threw themselves toward him, using their flesh and blood to shield him in the middle.

He felt their blood go from warm to ice cold.

“Young Master Ni?”

Qin Jixun’s sudden call immediately brought Xu Hexue back to his senses. His fingers curled around the glass lamp’s handle, veins beneath his pale skin protruding inch by inch.

“Duan Rong, quickly—go fetch Young Lady Ni!” Seeing him like this, Qin Jixun assumed his illness was making it difficult for him to endure.

“Young Master Ni, in my view, you needn’t continue defending the city front with us. Right now, you should first take care of your own health.” Yang Tianzhe spoke with concern.

“Yes, Young Master Ni!”

Wei Dechang also chimed in. “Look at your frame! We’re all still here. Even if that Tan Guangwen doesn’t come, we must still defend. You should recuperate first!”

“I think the same. The young master has defended the city with us these past days—how can his body endure?” Qin Jixun looked at Xu Hexue. “Young Lady Ni will be here shortly. She certainly wouldn’t want to see you disregarding yourself like this.”

“I can temporarily not go.”

Xu Hexue said. “But at the same time, General Qin, those felt tents near the city gate treating the wounded should also withdraw to the rear. Now that Tan Guangwen hasn’t arrived, we must prepare in advance.”

“Yelu Zhen hasn’t yet resolved the internal chaos in his army. The General and two Commanders should quickly reassure the soldiers. Seize this opportunity to raid as many times as possible.”

Qin Jixun nodded. “The young master speaks reasonably. While Yelu Zhen’s army lacks unity, we’ll deplete their forces.”

The felt curtain was suddenly lifted.

Zhou Ting was first to raise his eyes. He saw the woman in pale-colored robe and skirt, face veiled, walk in. He watched her walk to that Young Master Ni’s side and ask softly, “What’s wrong with you?”

Xu Hexue shook his head.

With many people here, Ni Su knew he couldn’t say much. She bowed to Qin Jixun and the others, then helped Xu Hexue stand, taking the glass lamp from his hand.

The two supported each other as they walked out.

Zhou Ting’s gaze fell on their retreating figures.

“Minister Zhou?”

Yang Tianzhe called out.

Zhou Ting came back to himself, looking at him.

“Tonight, do you truly plan to raid the barbarian camp?” Yang Tianzhe asked.

Zhou Ting nodded. “You all need not mind whether I’m a capital official or what kind of official. Though I’m in the Yinye Bureau, coming to this place, I also should fight for Great Qi. Tonight, I’ll go.”

Ni Su supported Xu Hexue toward their felt tent. He had been so silent throughout, but Ni Su always felt his emotions weren’t quite right. She lowered her eyes, seeing his hand gripping the lamp handle tightly.

She squeezed his knuckles.

Sure enough, he paused, stopped, and turned his face to look at her.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Ni Su asked.

Xu Hexue saw her hair blown by the night wind. “Ni Su, the reinforcements still haven’t arrived. Are you afraid?”

The two words “reinforcements” made Ni Su freeze. She looked at him. His features still showed little expression, his entire person immersed in silvery-white moonlight—distant and cold.

“Actually, meeting you, I understood that death isn’t a frightening thing.” Ni Su held his hand and continued walking forward. “Whether you or I, the hardest thing is dying in the right place.”

Xu Hexue obediently followed her. “Just now, I remembered Xue Huai.”

“When he died, he was asking me why the reinforcements wouldn’t come.” This was almost Xu Hexue’s most profound memory from a hundred years in the Underworld. He could forget all the various joys and freedoms of his youth spent with companions, yet didn’t dare forget Xue Huai for even a moment, didn’t dare forget the thirty thousand heroic souls in the pagoda. “I remember my soldiers—fighting to their last moment, they still had to use their own bodies to protect me.”

And then?

Ni Su gripped his hand tightly.

And then that young general whose life was protected by the Jing’an Army soldiers’ flesh and blood was brought back from that mountain of corpses and sea of blood to Yongzhou, where he suffered those one hundred thirty-six cuts.

So she had never stopped him.

Those departed heroic souls were all people worthy of him clearing their posthumous names for them.

“You are a good general.”

Ni Su’s warm palm pressed tightly against his icy fingers, pulling him along. “You will certainly be able to clear their unjust grievances.”

You for them,

This life, I for you.

The Yongzhou army did everything possible, defending the city for nearly sixteen days. Nielinqu died at Yelu Zhen’s hands. The remaining Nanyan tribal forces were suppressed by Yelu Zhen’s iron-fisted methods. Thus his nearly one hundred thousand troops were reduced by more than half through plague, internal chaos, and the Yongzhou army’s repeated harassing raids.

A mountain of corpses and sea of blood—nothing beyond this.

As soon as the siege equipment was repaired, Yelu Zhen immediately led his army to attack the city again.

On the twentieth day, the Yongzhou army’s arrows were exhausted. Under four continuous days of mad barbarian attacks, they gradually found it difficult to resist.

“Come! Charge for me!”

After ending a round of fire attacks, Yelu Zhen ordered his subordinate general Tuoda.

Tuoda waved the golden blade in his hand. From atop the city wall, Qin Jixun and the others saw barbarian soldiers driving a group of people in ragged clothing forward.

A barbarian soldier gripped an old man’s chin, forcing him to raise his head and look toward the Yongzhou defenders atop the city wall. His eyelids were soaked with tears, yet he couldn’t make a sound.

They were all Qi people.

After Su Qile’s death, Qin Jixun had cleared the fields and walls, quickly arranging for nearby Qi civilians and grain to be brought into the city.

Those people below were Qi slave laborers in Yelu Zhen’s army.

They were common people from the thirteen provinces occupied by the barbarians.

“Yelu Zhen! What are you trying to do!” Qin Jixun, having endured days of bloody battle, had bloodshot eyes.

Yelu Zhen sat on horseback, looking at him coldly. “Qin Jixun, if you’re willing to submit to my Danqiu royal court, then kill that Young Master Ni. My Danqiu King will certainly not treat you unfairly!”

“You’re dreaming!”

Wei Dechang’s eyes bulged with fury.

Yelu Zhen laughed strangely. “Tuoda!”

Receiving the command, Tuoda immediately directed soldiers to drive the slaves to run toward the base of the city wall. Seeing this, the soldiers atop the wall momentarily didn’t dare release arrows.

Qin Jixun had originally thought Yelu Zhen was using this to force him to open the city gate, wanting him to shelter these Qi people so he could seize the opportunity to rush into the city. He never imagined that while they hadn’t released arrows, Tuoda directed mounted archers to raise their crossbows.

“Yelu Zhen!”

Qin Jixun’s eyes nearly split with rage.

In an instant, the barbarian crossbows fired in unison. All the Yongzhou army atop the city wall watched helplessly as those Qi slave laborers below were pierced through by arrows, falling one by one.

They all held earth bags. People and bags piled together, actually forming a mound.

“Qin Jixun, I ask you again—will you kill Young Master Ni or not?”

Yelu Zhen laughed wildly.

“Yelu Zhen! You’re shameless!” Yang Tianzhe’s eyes were blood red. “All you barbarians are shameless scoundrels! What wrong did the common people commit! What wrong did they commit!”

In Danqiu, having witnessed such barbarian methods of treating Qi slave laborers, he had been grief-stricken to the point of wishing for death before awakening from his great dream.

Yelu Zhen suppressed his laughter and raised his hand again.

Tuoda immediately had soldiers bring up another batch of Qi people. Seeing that mound formed from hundreds of people, they were so frightened they began crying and wailing.

But no barbarian soldiers showed them mercy.

Xu Hexue hurried up from below the city tower. Just reaching the city wall, he looked down to see the barbarians’ arrows flying out dense as woven fabric. Their cries and wails came to an abrupt halt.

Carrying earth bags, they fell upon the original pile of corpses, adding new height to the existing mountain of bodies.

The Yongzhou military officers and soldiers atop the city wall couldn’t help weeping.

Xu Hexue braced one hand on the city wall, his knuckles forcefully bent, nearly trembling. His exposed eyes moved from the mountain of corpses at the base of the wall toward that barbarian general astride his horse.

The slicing wounds beneath his robes cracked open inch by inch. Crimson blood flowed down along his wrist bones. He almost ground out this name from between his teeth:

“Yelu Zhen.”