Jiang Hanyuan slowly drew the blade from its sheath. The blade caught the candlelight, gleaming with snow-bright radiance, its cold light piercing.

She looked at it for a moment, then inserted the short blade back into its gorgeous, jewel-encrusted scabbard, lost in thought.

What did this mean? Why had he suddenly sent someone to deliver this blade she had left behind before departing the capital last year?

Could it be that he had finally remembered past events and understood what she had said to him that day, responding in this subtle way?

This was her first reaction, but just as her heart fluttered slightly, thinking of the words Wang Ren had brought, she immediately dismissed this speculation.

It didn’t seem like that at all.

Then could it be that he had suddenly thought of the April incident and hoped to keep this precious blade with special meaning for both of them by her side? After all, when they had parted last time, even Jiang Hanyuan herself could feel the emotional undercurrents between them, their relationship subtle and completely different from April’s.

She gazed at the blade before her, remembering those few quiet days he had spent with her in the valley at Yunluo City. A warmth like a gentle stream slowly welled up from the bottom of her heart. It was a slightly bittersweet feeling, yet tinged with faint sweetness. But gradually, she began to doubt again, feeling it still didn’t quite fit.

After returning to Chang’an, he must have devoted himself entirely to war preparations. He wouldn’t and shouldn’t focus so much on personal feelings at such a time. Especially regarding this war, there should have been variables in the court case recently. The delayed war order was proof of this.

During such a special period, how could he still be distracted by something that seemed somewhat inappropriate?

The more Jiang Hanyuan thought about it, the more abnormal it seemed. Even in the end, she recalled that inexplicable sense of foreboding that had arisen in her heart when they parted that day. She couldn’t rest peacefully that night. The next morning, she urgently sought out Wang Ren to inquire about the circumstances. However, after thorough questioning, she only confirmed one thing—during those days, due to interference from Chi Shu’s ceasefire message, voices calling for stopping the war had indeed emerged in court.

“His Highness said the Princess Consort should keep it safe. Everything else is well, and the Princess Consort need not worry,” he finally said.

Jiang Hanyuan remained troubled, then smiled to herself, thinking perhaps her nature was pessimistic and she tended to overthink everything.

What bad thing could there be? Even if some interfering voices had appeared in court, this was inevitable. He would certainly be able to handle it.

There was nothing wrong originally. His sending this blade was merely a gesture of affection during his busy schedule.

She asked Wang Ren to wait briefly while she returned to her tent to hastily write a letter for him to take back to Chang’an.

She had no time to think more about this matter—troop deployment was imminent.

Several days later, the army assembled. Jiang Zuowang led all officers and soldiers in oath-taking and flag consecration ceremonies, then, according to the original plan, divided forces into three routes and marched north from Yanmen.

On the day the central army departed from Qingmu Plain, banners covered the sky, and military formations were majestic. The columns were arranged in marching squares of two hundred men each, connected head to tail. Scouts, advance troops, infantry camps, cavalry, foot soldiers, and supply trains brought up the rear. The procession stretched continuously for over ten li. The Di camp that had faced off against Qingmu Camp for many years had already detected the movement and withdrawn several days earlier.

Zhao Pu, the commander of this central army under Jiang Hanyuan, was a veteran general renowned for his steady approach to warfare. Jiang Hanyuan respected him greatly and cooperated fully. Looking at Chi Shu’s side, although he had immediately begun mobilizing forces after seizing the throne to respond to this large-scale military action from Great Wei, internal disputes that hadn’t been completely resolved still affected the pace of war preparations.

His original plan was to delay the enemy as much as possible to buy time. If given just three more months, he believed he could completely purge internal opposition. However, this hadn’t gone as planned. Wei forces had divided into three routes and advanced so quickly, leaving his response rather hasty. Comparing the two sides, the outcome was predictable.

After marching for several days and advancing into Yanzhou, Wei forces fought several encounter battles in succession, meeting no major resistance and advancing smoothly. In just over half a month, they captured Daning, a military stronghold in Yanzhou, then targeted Guangning directly.

Guangning was the seat of Yanzhou Prefecture and also the largest military fortress. Once Guangning fell, Yanzhou would essentially be in hand, and then they could point their swords toward Youzhou.

Guangning normally maintained a standing garrison of fifty to sixty thousand troops. Chi Shu naturally wouldn’t sit by and watch Youzhou lose its left flank protection. From the war’s beginning, he had formulated a plan to concentrate on defensive counterattacks here, which was one reason why Wei forces had initially achieved continuous victories.

Chi Shu had made thorough preparations here, urgently deploying another fifty thousand troops for a total of over one hundred thousand soldiers, commanded by his trusted Zuoguang King. This man was a Beidi noble known as the Lion, and after taking command, he prepared for war day and night. When Wei forces arrived, Guangning had implemented scorched earth tactics within three hundred li, with city gates solid as gold and iron, standing like an insurmountable mountain across Wei forces’ advance.

This central Wei army finally encountered its first real test since the war began. In mid-February, nearly three hundred thousand troops from both sides met at Tianguan, the gateway to Guangning.

Wei forces arrived riding their previous victorious momentum, but suffered setbacks here. Yanzhou was mountainous, and Zuoguang King was no ordinary opponent. He not only used terrain to wait at ease for the weary enemy, occupying every advantage, but personally took the field in every battle to boost morale. After multiple unsuccessful assaults with considerable losses, Wei forces could only slow their offensive and gradually shift from attack to standoff. The Di forces took the opportunity to pour urine and other filth down from the pass walls, cursing incessantly from dawn to dusk, thoroughly humiliating the Wei forces. Wei officers and soldiers all gnashed their teeth, but facing this roadblock, they were temporarily helpless.

The negative consequences of unfavorable battle conditions were obvious. The Wei army had been blocked at Tianguan for nearly a month without advancing a single step. Not only had military morale plummeted, but disagreements inevitably began emerging between the highest commanders—the old-young combination of Jiang Hanyuan and Zhao Pu.

The veteran general cherished his soldiers like sons and always advocated against fighting battles without certainty of victory. Now with forces evenly matched and Di forces holding terrain advantages, he was unwilling to risk further assaults. The many scouts sent out had made discoveries, exploring the surrounding terrain and reporting a large river several hundred li away. Originally wide with rapid currents, it was a natural barrier, but last year’s drought combined with upstream winter ice not completely melted meant the current water flow was depleted. In one river section, the highest water level didn’t even reach an adult’s chest, allowing crossing of the riverbed. This route could bypass Tianguan and take Guangning by detour. He thus developed intentions to withdraw.

As deputy commander, Jiang Hanyuan disagreed with this strategy, believing troop withdrawal would create too much commotion to hide from the enemy. After personal reconnaissance, she found the opposite bank terrain complex and was easily ambushed. She worried that if Di forces reached there first and occupied advantageous positions, striking Wei forces when their river-crossing formations were scattered, the consequences would be unthinkable—losses might double compared to a direct assault on the city.

However, Zhao Pu wouldn’t listen to her opinions, considering her young and impetuous, eager for quick success, and not caring about soldiers’ lives. He convened meetings with his subordinates and decided on a plan: leave some troops here to create daily diversions and confuse Di forces, while the main Wei army would withdraw in batches at night, requiring arrival at the designated location within ten days for rapid river crossing, seizing the opposite bank before Di forces discovered and arrived.

One was a veteran general with deep experience emphasizing steady, methodical approaches, supported by many old subordinates; the other was a rising commander whose recent achievements and reputation were like the rising sun—even without the dual identities of Jiang Zuowang’s daughter and the Regent Prince’s consort, Jiang Hanyuan possessed tremendous influence in the army, especially among younger mid and lower-level officers and soldiers.

As a veteran, Zhao Pu had his principles and wouldn’t change his mind once decided. Unfortunately, Jiang Hanyuan was also stubborn, equally insistent, and unwilling to yield. Reportedly, she publicly questioned the veteran general’s plan at a temporary military meeting attended by dozens of people. Within days, news of high-level disagreements spread throughout the army. Soon, military camps also split accordingly—some supported Zhao Pu while the rest quickly followed Qingmu Camp, willing to obey General Changning’s orders. Both sides initially showed restraint while awaiting results. Several days later, as late February approached, Zhao Pu worried about warming weather increasing water levels and forcibly issued orders as the march commander, demanding implementation. This was like stirring up a hornet’s nest. That night, a group of young soldiers led by Yang Hu clashed with another batch of the veteran general’s guards. What started as verbal arguments escalated into mutiny—not only did they fight, but in anger, some even set tents ablaze, causing flames to shoot skyward throughout the camp. Fortunately, the mutiny was quickly suppressed.

Jiang Hanyuan, being someone with overall perspective, wouldn’t act impulsively. To save Yang Hu’s head, she not only severely punished instigators including him, but that night, as a compromise, also accepted Zhao Pu’s strategy. However, she believed ten days was still insufficient. She would lead light cavalry as vanguard, striving to reach the destination in minimum time, cross first to scout for the main force behind.

Zhao Pu, as both a veteran and Jiang Hanyuan’s elder, seeing that she had given him face, naturally let the matter rest and agreed. Military orders were immediately executed. That night, Jiang Hanyuan led the first batch of troops on the alternate route. The next evening, the main forces withdrew. In just two nights, the well-trained army of over one hundred thousand silently departed completely, leaving only several thousand troops led by Lei Bian, a deputy general under Zhao Pu, tasked with using every means to confuse opponents and hold out for ten days.

This day, the main camp was hollow inside—the last batch of tens of thousands had also departed the previous night. After dawn, Lei Bian began executing his mission, sending one thousand men to use rolling terrain outside Tianguan to plant flags everywhere and beat drums with shouts, creating the illusion that the main army remained and might attack at any moment. He led two thousand troops in a feigned death-defying assault on Tianguan, entering enemy archery range. When met with arrow volleys, they would retreat, then attack again after a brief pause. After several repetitions over half a day until noon, flag-waving and shouting soldiers were parched, assault troops grew tired, and dozens unlucky struck by stray arrows during retreats suffered greatly—fortunately, all wore armor with most wounds to legs and feet, posing no mortal danger. Lei Bian ordered troops to rest and light scattered cooking fires throughout the camp to continue confusing the Di forces.

After half a day of turmoil, he too was famished. Sitting down and accepting a ladle of food from personal guards, he was wolfing it down when a large cloud of yellow smoke rose without warning from the ground near Tianguan.

It was dust. Rising slowly skyward, it soon covered sun and clouds, rolling upward dramatically.

“General! Di forces’ main cavalry are charging out from the pass—they’re attacking!”

A lookout soldier galloped into camp, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Lei Bian looked up, dropping his food ladle while quickly pressing his ear to the ground, hearing faint tremors from the earth. His face changed drastically as he roared: “Full retreat! Run!”

His experience told him that tens of thousands of cavalrymen were currently charging in this direction. Moreover, judging by the area and speed of that dust cloud, there should be more large forces continuing to emerge from the pass.

Facing such an army with several thousand men was unthinkable—they’d be instantly crushed to powder!

Forward soldiers leaped up from the ground. Some who’d been resting didn’t even have time to don armor, mounting horses and fleeing immediately.

Di’s Zuoguang King personally led cavalry in front. After emerging from the pass like a raging tide, they quickly surged before Wei’s army positions. He could see this was indeed an empty camp, and spotting those deceptive soldiers in the distance abandoning helmets and armor in panicked flight, he laughed heartily, ordering troops to pursue at full speed according to deployment, catching retreating Wei forces off-guard from behind to annihilate them in one stroke.

Last month, when Wei’s main forces reached this area, they conscripted many locals who couldn’t escape in time as laborers for supply transport to compensate for the long march inconveniences. Unlike Di court generals like Qin Long, who relied purely on military conquest, Zuoguang King was skilled at strategy. He had long understood conditions at that great river several hundred li away and had early deployed Han Chinese agents who’d pledged allegiance to infiltrate as laborers, secretly observing Wei army movements and gathering intelligence.

That night, when Wei camp erupted in commotion and fires, this unusual activity, plus disagreements between veteran Zhao Pu and Jiang Hanyuan, all fell within his grasp. He played along, restraining himself until today’s pursuit. After emerging from the pass, he led troops in rapid pursuit. Within an hour, he spotted large forces marching ahead—exactly the last batch of main Wei forces that had withdrawn the previous night, numbering fifty thousand.

Zuoguang King today left only ten-odd thousand men in the pass while the remaining hundred-plus thousand poured out entirely.

Since the war began, Chi Shu had viewed Guangning as a powerful barrier, buying him time. To ensure its security, the troops sent were elite, strong warhorses, fierce cavalry, and an extremely powerful overall combat capability.

Zuoguang King planned to surround the few with many, attacking with maximum speed and full force at any cost. After devouring this batch of Wei forces, he’d continue pursuing those who’d departed earlier the previous night, employing the same tactics for complete annihilation.

Currently the enemy numbered less than half his forces, were rushing to march with no defenses—such an opportunity came once in a thousand years.

At this moment, in this Di Zuoguang King’s eyes, what he saw ahead weren’t enemy forces but the supreme glory surpassing all others after achieving great merit.

Wei forces had reached terrain with slopes on both sides and a depression in the middle. To accelerate marching, their originally snake-like formation began contracting. Viewed from above, they resembled countless ants slowly moving across the ground. This was the perfect opportunity for sudden encirclement. Zuoguang King hesitated no longer, giving the command for all forces behind him to charge forward.

The thunderous hoofbeats and battle cries of over one hundred thousand cavalry charging forward were terrifying beyond description. The entire mountain wilderness trembled, let alone those completely unprepared Wei soldiers ahead. By the time they reacted and tried to form defensive arrays, it was far too late. Even the most crisis-hardened Wei soldiers were helpless—all they could do was grab whatever weapons were at hand to try blocking the Di cavalry that arrived like a violent storm.

Zuoguang King led the charge, bringing elite cavalry behind him straight into the Wei forces’ center, effortlessly tearing through the human sea. Soon, large numbers of Wei soldiers on the left gathered toward the left slope while those on the right moved toward the right slope, hoping to use the terrain to slow Di cavalry charges and gain opportunities for counterattack.

Zuoguang King ordered subordinates to pursue with full force, giving Wei soldiers no breathing room, while he continued toward the most prominent commander’s flag ahead.

Just as he penetrated deep into Wei forces like a hungry wolf among sheep, unstoppable in all directions, he suddenly heard thunderous war drums from the left. Turning, he saw tens of thousands of Wei cavalry suddenly emerge from behind the left slope like a mountain-covering tide. After their appearance, those originally panicked and scattering Wei soldiers also suddenly stopped, picking up pre-hidden spears and bows from the ground, turning to quickly form arrays with raised spears, creating rows of dense infantry formations and spear walls awaiting the wildly charging Di cavalry.

Zuoguang King was shocked. Before he could react, similar drum sounds came from the right, and turning again, he saw the same scene repeated on his right flank.

Then he suddenly understood—he’d been tricked!

His previously boiling blood turned ice-cold. But he quickly steadied himself, issuing orders for all forces not yet entered the encirclement to hold position, fighting while retreating without panic.

Even if all Wei forces were ambushed here, with his army’s numbers and combat strength today, as long as they could withdraw from Wei’s not-yet-formed encirclement and counterattack vigorously, even if unable to reverse victory, hope for escape remained.

However, despite all his calculations, he’d missed one point: this terrain was narrow at both ends and wide in the middle—a gourd-mouth formation. Entry was easy, but large numbers of troops couldn’t withdraw quickly. His rear forces had no idea what was happening ahead. The earth-shaking drums and battle cries throughout mountains and valleys only stimulated the rear cavalry further, making them anxious about arriving too late with insufficient Wei heads to claim. Competing for military merit with red eyes, they surged forward like a tide.

Soon, Di cavalry attempting organized retreat met oncoming cavalry. The frontmost troops from both sides couldn’t dodge or stop, pushed by terrifying force from behind, they collided and trampled each other.

At this point, men were no longer men but flesh-and-blood masses—horses and riders overturned, broken apart, with blood and various shattered remains covering the ground. Behind them, more cavalry continued charging forward madly.

In less than half an incense stick’s time, victory was decided. Moreover, this became a slaughterhouse for Di soldiers—countless killed, but more died from horse collisions and mutual trampling.

Zuoguang King’s face was ashen, knowing the situation was lost with no possibility of recovery today. He couldn’t care about subordinates behind him now—his only thought was escape. He slashed down the nearby commander’s flag, quickly gathered personal guards, and several hundred men surrounded him in the center. Forming a tight group and relying on full-speed charges, killing anyone blocking their path, whether Wei soldiers or their men, they finally carved out a bloody escape route from the gourd mouth.

His accompanying men had dwindled from hundreds at the start to merely seven or eight. He had long lost his usual imposing manner, disheveled hair, and was covered in blood. A wild path lay ahead. He turned his horse along the small road in flight. Just after rushing past a corner, he suddenly reined in his mount. His steed, already injured and unable to bear the strain, whinnied mournfully and toppled, throwing him to the ground.

Ahead waited a group of troops—a stern-faced female general radiating killing intent sat her horse across the road, blocking his escape.

Zuoguang King had never seen this Wei female general’s face, but he knew the woman before him should be the famous General Changning.

Survival instinct made him quickly scramble up, strike down a nearby trusted aide from his horse, seize the mount, and turn to flee.

Jiang Hanyuan shouted: “Shoot him dead!”

As her words fell, dozens of powerful arrows whooshed forth with dense sounds of arrowheads piercing armor. Zuoguang King’s back instantly bristled with arrows like a hedgehog. He swayed, struggling on horseback several times before toppling headfirst to the ground. The remaining few Di generals were soon all killed without exception.

This one-sided slaughter continued until the evening before, finally ending. The battlefield was heaped with countless Di corpses. Jiang Hanyuan led the army back to Tianguan that night, using catapults to launch Zuoguang King’s severed head onto the pass walls, personally leading Wei forces in a renewed assault.

Remaining Di forces in the pass had learned of the day’s disastrous defeat from dozens who’d luckily escaped and fled back in panic. With elite main forces annihilated and Zuoguang King now dead, while outside the pass rang with killing sounds and Wei torches appeared like countless stars, the pass fell before dawn.

Thus, both important military barriers set by the Di forces in Yanzhou ceased to exist, and the Wei forces successfully captured Guangning Prefecture’s capital.

On the day Jiang Hanyuan led troops into the city, she saw vast numbers of people kneeling in fields outside the city under guard.

These weren’t Di soldiers but captured locals attempting to flee. They had served as laborers for the Di forces during the war, opposing Wei forces. Now hearing Zuoguang King was dead and Wei forces had killed countless Di soldiers, these people were terrified of retaliation. Seeing Jiang Hanyuan approaching on horseback, they cried out to the female general, weeping bitterly and begging for mercy.

Several days later, when Jiang Hanyuan welcomed the veteran general into the city, she proposed that except for those with solid evidence of serving as Di accomplices, all other locals forced into cooperation should be pardoned and released home.

Zhao Pu stroked his beard and laughed heartily: “Do as you say! Tianguan was hard to take, and Zuoguang King was no easy opponent. Your outstanding contribution made this victory possible. I’ll report this and have the court reward you for merit!”

Originally, when blocked at Tianguan with prolonged unsuccessful attacks, the veteran general was restless day and night, worried and planning river detours, while Jiang Hanyuan disagreed—all this was true. Later, when the two commanders became estranged, leading to army division and mutiny, with Jiang Hanyuan finally forced to yield, these were all false appearances. After discovering a spy, Jiang Hanyuan had used the situation to set a trap. The veteran general adopted her strategy, then made thorough deployments, playing the deception convincingly to fool Zuoguang King, luring the enemy to that gourd mouth suitable for ambush and annihilating this originally formidable Di army in one stroke, successfully taking the city.

After this battle, the veteran general truly recognized Jiang Hanyuan from his heart, agreeing to whatever she said.

Over the following days, Wei forces used Guangning as their center to sweep up the remaining Di forces, completely controlling Yanzhou. Then, after a brief encampment for rest and reorganization while communicating with left and right flanks to share battle conditions, they targeted their next objective: continuing deployment toward central Youzhou’s Yan Prefecture, seat of the Southern King’s residence.