For the Left Chang Prince to have survived and remained standing, he naturally couldn’t be completely without schemes. His informants swiftly brought news to his ears of Chi Shu’s near-fatal assassination attempt.

Though he had no way of knowing what Chi Shu and the Right Chang Prince had discussed afterward, his back immediately went cold with an ominous feeling.

How could he not know that the Right Chang Prince competed with him for power, and that Chi Shu had grown increasingly wary of him since taking the throne?

In the battle at Xiguan Pass, Wei Marshal Jiang Zuwang had died in combat—this became a boastworthy achievement that Chi Shu repeatedly used to inspire the lower-ranking soldiers. However, no matter how it was dressed up, clear-sighted people knew in their hearts that it was a devastating defeat.

For that battle, they had not only planned meticulously but also invested enormous military forces. Their original goal was to completely disrupt the Wei army’s overall strategy, transferring battlefield pressure from the north to the Wei capital. If successful, their cavalry might even have advanced directly to threaten Chang’an.

What a glorious and tremendous victory that would have been.

Yet the result was so disastrous—failure at the moment of success.

It was also after the battle at Xiguan Pass that he began to realize the terrifying nature of his opponent. That tenacity and ability to counterattack and fight desperately from impossible situations was enough to make even the world’s most powerful enemies tremble.

If the army was like this, how much more so their supreme commander? Though Jiang Zuwang had died in battle, he had not been defeated. And his successor had proven through reversing the battle situation that she had inherited Jiang Zuwang’s formidable strength and absolute authority over her subordinates.

Such a commander, such an army, was sufficient to crush any enemy.

He had already lost confidence in the battles to come.

His volunteering to come here this time was his response after deep consideration. Naturally, he harbored some selfish motives. However, he also had his own helplessness: his opponent gave him no confidence of victory, while Chi Shu was not someone he could serve with peace of mind.

His position was already high enough—he had no intention of using warfare to build his prestige further.

If this battle were won, he wouldn’t face suspicion of accumulating too much merit.

If defeated, though no one had publicly mentioned such a possibility, as a northern court king who had fought and struggled against Central Plains dynasties for half his lifetime, he understood better than anyone that facing opponents like the former Jin house had been nothing but good luck. And luck couldn’t always be so good. Once Youyan was lost, there was no doubt that the southern capital would inevitably fall as well. At that time, their only remaining choice would be to leave this fertile land and migrate north again, returning to their former royal court. When that time came, brutal internal struggles would surely resume.

If he preserved his strength now, he would have room to maneuver in the future.

Not speaking of advance—even in retreat, it would be enough to defend his original territory.

However, he never expected such an incident to suddenly occur.

Who wanted to take Chi Shu’s life?

If it wasn’t the Right Chang Prince, another possibility he could think of was the Wei female commander.

Even considering only who would benefit most from Chi Shu’s death, compared to the Right Chang Prince, he felt the latter possibility was greater.

He didn’t believe Chi Shu could think of this point.

But would the Right Chang Prince pass up an opportunity to attack him?

Most importantly, even if he defended himself, would Chi Shu truly believe him?

On this point, he had no confidence whatsoever.

To guard against all possibilities, that very day, he dispatched trusted agents to secretly rush to Yan County to monitor the situation.

In just two days, he received an urgent report that scouts had discovered the Right Chang Prince had already brought troops and was quietly heading this way. Supposedly, he was coming to relieve the garrison because the front lines were pressed, transferring him to Yan County.

Between the two places, with forced marching, it would take five or six days. Now that the Right Chang Prince was already on the road, it meant even less time remained for himself.

Muda broke out in a cold sweat.

If he hadn’t been cautious and prepared in advance, gathering this intelligence, in a few days when the Right Chang Prince arrived, he would surely face more misfortune than fortune.

He immediately summoned his trusted advisors to discuss countermeasures. All were furious. Some suggested killing the Right Chang Prince when he arrived. Others were even more ruthless, urging him to occupy Luan Pass and block this vital transportation route between Chi Shu and the southern capital.

Things having reached this point, Muda knew he had no way back.

If he followed Chi Shu’s wishes, even if Chi Shu didn’t kill him afterward, it would be like cutting off his arms.

As for killing the Right Chang Prince and occupying Luan Pass, this wouldn’t be difficult, but how to deal with the aftermath would be a problem.

Though Chi Shu had initially agreed to let him station at Luan Pass, he had simultaneously stationed the Right Chang Prince’s trusted men in the southern capital.

This move was probably to guard against him, creating mutual restraint between him and the Right Chang Prince.

If he made a move at Luan Pass, Chi Shu would certainly set aside the Wei army first and attack from both the southern capital and here. Then the situation would become unmanageable.

Now, he could neither advance nor stay.

Even less could he stay!

This Left Chang Prince, who had long enjoyed prestige in the Beidi royal court, was now also at his wits’ end, anxious and without plans. After repeated weighing and wavering, finally, he made his last decision.

Jiang Hanyuan, who was closely monitoring developments, soon received the news.

Under the cover of night, the Beidi Left Chang Prince had fled overnight with his trusted followers and main forces, withdrawing from his garrison position and retreating north. It was estimated he intended to circle the southern capital and retreat early to the northern court to plan for the future.

This result quite surprised her.

She had designed the discord, expecting the Left Chang Prince and Chi Shu to come into conflict, but only to that extent. She only needed those two to no longer be of one mind, which would create an opportunity for her to seize Luan Pass.

She hadn’t expected the Left Chang Prince to leave so decisively!

Luan Pass now had fewer than a thousand permanent garrison troops, most of whom were elderly, weak, and secondary troops responsible for supply transport, with Jin soldiers comprising the majority.

At this time, the Right Chang Prince, who was supposed to take over Luan Pass, hadn’t yet arrived—he was still en route.

How could such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity be missed?

Two days later, the unsuspecting Right Chang Prince arrived with his troops.

At that time, his mind was still full of thoughts about how to catch the Left Chang Prince off guard and control him, never expecting that waiting for him was a bolt from the blue.

The Left Chang Prince had already fled several days earlier. The Wei female commander had appeared with troops lying in ambush nearby. Meeting almost no resistance, the garrison troops had all surrendered, allowing her to take Luan Pass without lifting a finger.

Not only that, the completely unprepared Right Chang Prince had also fallen into an ambush before Luan Pass. If not for his guards fighting desperately to carve out a bloody path, even he would have perished there. He led his remnant troops in a hasty retreat back to Yan County.

Regarding the mastermind behind that day’s assassination, besides suspecting the Left Chang Prince, Chi Shu had also considered whether it might be the work of his enemy, that Wei woman.

But Luan Pass was too important.

Without Luan Pass, if Yan County and the southern capital wanted to communicate and travel between each other, they would have to take the long way around the mountains. It couldn’t be completed in less than a month. Moreover, they would have to guard against enemy attacks along the way.

He worried that if it was the Left Chang Prince’s doing, Luan Pass would become a weakness the Left Chang Prince could use to threaten him, so he had dispatched the Right Chang Prince to take control.

Now he understood! It was that Wei woman’s discordant strategy!

He had been tricked.

What made him even more furious, almost to the point of vomiting blood, was that when he sent people to arrest Li Renyu, who very likely had secret communications with Wei, this Jin man had already fled toward the Eight Tribes with his entire family.

After his rage subsided, he calmed down, knowing he must retake Luan Pass at any cost before the situation spiraled out of control. Otherwise, not only would his plan to exhaust the Wei army completely collapse, but he might be exhausted to death first.

Seven days later, when Chi Shu personally led troops to attack, Jiang Hanyuan had already arrayed her forces at the mouth of Luan Pass, quietly awaiting his arrival.

On the tall gate tower, banners fluttered fiercely in the wind. Soldiers set up powerful bows between the battlements, arranged in a line like a long cord.

She stood high above, positioned on the city wall directly above the gate. Under the blazing midday sun, her armor gleamed with a cold, forest-like light.