That Dantai Qi had resolved the matter in the Western Regions with only eighty personal guards was something no one had likely foreseen.

The four-sided calamity that Old Master Zhang had foreseen had, through unseen forces, been undone on one front by Grand General Dantai.

The Black Wu people would never truly dispatch an expeditionary force to come here — they had no concern whatsoever for the Western Regions people’s fate.

In the eyes of the Black Wu, the Western Regions people were nothing more than a blade to be used, or perhaps a pack of dogs to be exploited.

But Grand General Dantai had indeed destroyed Deshike’s kingdom outright — which was precisely why he had allowed Deshike’s guard commander to kill the Lingyuan ruler.

Deshike’s kingdom of Annan had already been trampled over by the Liangzhou cavalry. Now, with the Lingyuan people returning to find the shattered wreckage of Annan right on their doorstep, how could they resist the urge to take a bite?

Things were never as simple as they appeared. Dantai Qi had claimed he was mediating between the two kingdoms — suggesting both sides call it even since both had lost a king.

Yet he had already taken Annan through a punishing campaign in advance, while Lingyuan had truly lost only one ruler.

With that, internal strife within the Western Regions became inevitable.

And would the lesser kings seated in that tent simply stand by and watch?

No. They would descend upon Annan like a pack of wolves tearing apart a lone sheep, splitting the kingdom among themselves.

Dantai Qi’s words had shattered the so-called Western Regions alliance into pieces.

When it came to dealing with the Western Regions kingdoms, no one under heaven could match Dantai Qi.

His family had lived here for generations — over a hundred years — and every corner of the Western Regions was known to him through and through.

On the road back, Dantai Qi instructed his personal guards: “Send a squad of ten to ride toward Youzhou and report to Prince Ning — tell him the Western Regions matter has been settled. He need no longer concern himself with Liangzhou. The troops deployed to the western frontier can be redeployed north to reinforce the northern border.”

After issuing that instruction, he turned to the others: “Send another squad of ten to seek an audience with Lord Lian Xiwu — inform him that Liangzhou is secure, and that he may lead his forces north to relieve the northern border.”

The reason he sent word to both parties separately was that, after all, he was still an imperial border general of Dachu — not a vassal of Prince Ning.

He had no authority to command or directly persuade Lian Xiwu to move his troops to the northern border. All he could do was ensure he himself had done everything within his purview.

The northern border. North Mountain Pass.

Two months.

The Black Wu Army of eight hundred thousand had launched unrelenting, continuous assaults for two straight months — and still could not break through North Mountain Pass.

Yet both sides understood: whoever drew breath first at this point was the one who would lose.

The Black Wu kept up their pressure. Their advantage was numbers — overwhelming numbers. Eight hundred thousand men against Li Chi’s thirty-some thousand. They could afford the toll.

Li Chi stood on the ramparts and watched the tide of Black Wu soldiers retreat in the distance. He slowly let out a breath.

He had lost count of how many times he had driven them back — but this was certainly not the last.

“Has there been any word from Dragon Head Pass?”

Li Chi turned and asked Yu Jiuling.

Yu Jiuling shook his head. “Not yet. Old Master Zhang set out from Jizhou City for Dragon Head Pass — at best, that journey takes two months. And getting a message back from Dragon Head Pass would take another month or more.”

Li Chi made a sound of acknowledgment, unease still turning in his heart.

Old Master Zhang had only said he suspected there was a calamity at Dragon Head Pass — he hadn’t said whose calamity it was. Li Chi’s, the old master’s himself, or someone else’s…

But from the way Old Master Zhang had spoken, Li Chi could sense that this calamity at Dragon Head Pass was one of grave importance.

Most of the time, Li Chi didn’t put much stock in mystical and arcane things — including Little Master Zhang’s talk of him being the Human Emperor. He didn’t believe that either.

He had spent so many years roaming the jianghu with Changmei, and the two of them — that old man and this young one — had seen their share of the supernatural, and talked plenty about it too.

So many people had been taken in by their nonsense, and because they knew so much more than most, the chances of being fooled themselves were far smaller.

Yet this time, something sat heavy and unsettled in Li Chi’s chest.

Because he could not imagine what calamity awaited at Dragon Head Pass — and Old Master Zhang had insisted on going to resolve it in person.

Dragon Head Pass was under Zhuang Wudi’s watch. Even if the Shanhai Army chose to attack the pass, Zhuang Wudi’s forces could hold the line for some time.

And to take it a step further — Li Chi had already dispatched an urgent letter to Zhuang Wudi: if he judged that Dragon Head Pass could not be held, then he was to make the immediate decision to withdraw to Jizhou, abandoning the two thousand li of land between Dragon Head Pass and the city entirely, leaving it all to the Shanhai Army.

As long as the gateway to the realm did not fall, and as long as Jizhou City held, Li Chi would eventually take all of Jizhou back.

He had made every arrangement he could — and yet that unease never left him.

“You’re worried about Brother Zhuang, aren’t you.”

Gao Xining said softly beside him.

And she had named it precisely. The source of Li Chi’s unease was exactly that — his concern for Zhuang Wudi.

He knew what Brother Zhuang was like. Li Chi had entrusted Dragon Head Pass to him, and Zhuang Wudi would never give it up without a fight. He would defend it with everything he had to the bitter end — because he knew that with Li Chi having pressed north, he was the only one left at Li Chi’s back.

Tang Pidi and the others were all in Yuzhou — not only could they not return in time, even if word reached them and they rode immediately, they would be too late.

And once Tang Pidi withdrew his forces from Yuzhou, everything they had bled for would fall into Yang Xuanji’s hands in an instant.

If Tang Pidi pulled out of Yuzhou and Yang Xuanji’s Army of Heaven’s Mandate marched in, Li Chi could be almost certain of losing any chance to push south again.

Yang Xuanji would ride the momentum — with Prince Wu occupied in Yangzhou — and take Daxing City in one fell swoop.

“I…”

Li Chi exhaled softly. “Yes. I’m worried about him. I’m genuinely afraid he won’t listen to me — that he’ll throw his life away holding Dragon Head Pass.”

Gao Xining gave a quiet sound of agreement. A man like Brother Zhuang — taciturn, not given to expressing himself — actually cared about bonds more deeply than those who spoke of them freely, and took commitments more seriously.

“I hope Brother Zhuang is alright.”

Gao Xining rested her hand lightly on Li Chi’s shoulder. “Old Master Zhang made the journey there, didn’t he? Even if Brother Zhuang truly refuses to pull back, the old master will counsel him. And the old master is carrying your letter written in your own hand — Brother Zhuang will make the right call.”

Li Chi nodded. He turned to look beyond the walls — the Black Wu had barely retreated for half an hour before the war horns sounded again. Their forces were vast enough to rotate assault waves continuously, denying the defenders any rest.

“Prince Ning!”

A young border general stepped up to Li Chi and addressed him earnestly: “Prince Ning has not left the walls in two months. The soldiers beg Prince Ning to go down and rest.”

“No need.”

Li Chi smiled. “Let’s finish this round first. Tonight, we eat meat.”

He turned and shouted: “Drive the Black Wu back one more time and every man gets meat buns tonight — five of them, each one as wide as the mouth of a bowl!”

“Let’s go!”

The border soldiers gave a roar, fighting spirit surging.

Roughly ten days later. Yanzhou. West Capital City.

Cao Lie sat in a chair reading — quiet and still, he looked almost more like a girl in these moments. There was no denying it: he was a man of extraordinary beauty, and the line of his profile in repose was the kind that would captivate many women.

Mu Fengliu came striding in from outside. Seeing Cao Lie’s still composure the moment he entered, he immediately slowed his pace, as if afraid to disturb him.

“The teacher is home early today.”

Cao Lie set the book down and rose to look at Mu Fengliu. “Your footsteps were hurried before you came in — has something happened?”

Mu Fengliu said, “As expected, nothing escapes the young master — you knew I had urgent news just from the sound of my steps. Young master, we have just received word: the Black Wu are attacking the northern border.”

Cao Lie’s expression shifted slightly. “How long?”

Mu Fengliu said, “Given how long it took for the news to reach us, it has most likely been over two months already.”

Cao Lie made a sound of acknowledgment and paced involuntarily through the courtyard.

Then, he spun sharply and looked at Mu Fengliu: “Go persuade Mei Yan. Have him take the Shanhai Army out — go to the northern border and reinforce Li Chi.”

“Hm?”

Confusion was plain in Mu Fengliu’s eyes. He asked, baffled: “Why would we reinforce Li Chi?”

Cao Lie said, “This southern push by the Black Wu will be with their full strength — because they know very well that if they cannot break into the heartland in the next year or two, the windows of opportunity become fewer and fewer. So I judge that the Black Wu are going all out, and that Li Chi has likewise committed everything he has.”

He looked at Mu Fengliu. “If we send forces now to aid Li Chi, there are two advantages: first, we gain entry into Jizhou; second, we win the Shanhai Army a worthy name.”

He paused before continuing. “You know as well as I do — the Shanhai Army’s reputation is rather foul. Opportunities to change that reputation in a single battle are rare.”

Mu Fengliu said, “Young master, why trouble yourself over such fleeting reputation? If we take the realm in the end, will it not be for others to say what name we hold?”

Cao Lie froze. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Mu Fengliu: “Your meaning is… to seize Jizhou now, while the chance is open?”

Mu Fengliu nodded firmly. “Precisely. At this moment Jizhou is stripped of its troops — Tang Pidi’s forces are in Yuzhou with no way to return, and Li Chi’s forces are entirely committed on the northern border fighting the Black Wu. The several thousand li of Jizhou lie unguarded. Taking it now would be as easy as reaching out your hand.”

“No!”

Cao Lie said immediately. “That infamy, I cannot bear.”

Mu Fengliu urged him: “Young master, hear out my full plan before you judge.”

Cao Lie said, “No plan makes it acceptable to be a traitor to the realm.”

Mu Fengliu said, “Young master, please hear me out — have I ever schemed for my own sake? Everything I devise, young master, is for you.”

Those words gave Cao Lie pause. His stance, however reluctantly, softened a fraction.

“Very well,” he said with a resigned sigh. “Go on.”

Mu Fengliu said, “This infamy need not fall on the young master at all — it falls on Mei Yan. He is the one who commands the Shanhai Army right now, the King of the Crashing Sea. If he leads the assault on Jizhou, what does that have to do with you?”

Cao Lie’s brow furrowed again.

Mu Fengliu continued, “What I propose is not that we abandon Li Chi — but that we consider when we save him, and how we make the fullest use of the Shanhai Army.”

He raised a finger. “First: we seize the opportunity to attack Jizhou. Once we take Jizhou City, Mei Yan has no further use. We kill him — the justification being that he launched a strike against Prince Ning’s army while they were resisting the Black Wu. Such a contemptible act makes him a man anyone of conscience would want to put down.”

He looked at Cao Lie steadily. “Second: the young master uses this moment, after killing Mei Yan, to proclaim his own name to the world. Then he sends forces north to reinforce Li Chi. This way, not only does the young master bear no infamy whatsoever — the whole world will praise him.”

“Third: if we can send troops into Jizhou this time, it lays the groundwork for eventually reclaiming Yuzhou. If Li Chi is already in the young master’s hands, would Tang Pidi have no hesitation about handing over Yuzhou?”

He bowed with absolute sincerity. “Young master — this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. I beg you to consider it carefully.”

Cao Lie was, for a long moment, unable to find words.

“First take Jizhou, then rescue the northern border…”

He murmured to himself. “And if the rescue comes too late?”

Mu Fengliu said, “The northern border can be rescued at any time — because Mei Yan can be killed at any time. What matters is that troops are deployed first.”

Hearing this, Cao Lie’s expression shifted through many things.

—