After the war began, Jiang Zuwang personally led his troops and swiftly captured Dai Commandery, subsequently setting up his main camp in that area.

He held multiple positions simultaneously. Not only did he command the central army to resist the Beidi forces from the left flank’s Shuo and Heng regions, ensuring they had no worries from behind, but he also oversaw the defense of Yanmen. At the same time, as the supreme commander of this military campaign, he needed to constantly grasp the actual progress of the entire battle situation to adjust strategies at any time and better command the overall operations. Every day, three hundred scouts worked in relay, with swift horses continuously traveling between the commander’s tent and the central and right army camps, so he could grasp battle conditions at the fastest speed and relay orders down.

Here at his position, after the war began, he had fought several battles. The Shuo and Heng Beidi forces, upon hearing that he was personally stationed there, dared not press forward in large numbers, so the situation remained relatively stable for now.

A few days ago, he had just received the latest battle report from the right flank. Zhou Jin and Zhang Mi were leading their forces, with the cooperation of the eight tribes, steadily advancing the war effort, successfully pushing their troops into Youzhou.

Then today, the victory report from the central army that he had been waiting for many days was also delivered to his main tent.

After more than a month, following a period of difficult stalemate and deadlock, the central army had finally succeeded in breaking through Tianguan Pass, capturing Guangning, and gaining control of Yan territory.

This was a great victory, worthy of merit, and naturally needed to be immediately reported to the court to boost morale. But unlike the jubilant strategists and deputy generals around him, Jiang Zuwang quickly calmed down.

As an old general who had experienced many battlefields, such a victory could not make him feel any sense of relaxation.

In his lifetime, he had experienced too many battles.

Before any war, one could certainly look at the overall situation to judge which side held more advantages, thus reaching conclusions about whether to engage in battle. But when it came to each actual battle, it wasn’t so simple. Battle conditions changed in an instant, and anything could happen. One moment of carelessness could affect the outcome of the entire war. This was not him being overly worried.

After Jiang Zuwang sent people to dispatch the victory report to the court, he habitually came before the tactical maps and sand table, staring at the strategic locations marked on them, lost in thought.

The ultimate goal of this battle was to break through Beidi’s new capital and drive the Beidi people back to their former northern court. You and Yan were in the back garden and the barrier of Beidi’s new capital. Now that Yan territory was lost, and Youzhou was where Chi Shu’s former Southern Prince’s residence was located—he had managed it for many years—next, he would certainly spare no cost in counterattacking to reverse the situation.

Regarding Beidi’s military strength and the newly ascended Chi Shu, Jiang Zuwang never dared to show the slightest contempt.

Capturing Yan territory was merely a good beginning. Ahead lay battle after battle that needed to be continuously conquered.

However, cautious as he was, Jiang Zuwang’s confidence remained full.

He trusted his subordinates, and the court had the Regent Prince stationed there. As long as the frontlines advanced steadily and the rear remained stable, the goal of ending the war by mid-year was not unrealistic.

He removed the small flag that had been planted for many days at Guangning’s position on the sand table and inserted it at the point representing Yan Commandery. Suddenly, urgent running footsteps came from outside the tent.

Jiang Zuwang’s hand, which hadn’t yet withdrawn, froze in mid-air, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.

From the running footsteps, he detected a sense of urgency.

The next moment, a shout reached his ears: “Great General, something terrible has happened! Xiguan Pass is in urgent need of help—”

After the war began here, Xiguan Pass, in response to Yanmen, had naturally made corresponding deployments. Outside Xiguan Pass, with Yunluo as the center, a tight defensive line had been constructed.

Now such a thing had happened. Then the Yunluo defensive line had been broken earlier—this was an obvious fact.

But how could Yunluo’s defensive line have been broken so quickly?

As long as there was fighting, he would receive news here. But previously, there had been no movement at all.

Jiang Zuwang strode quickly out of the tent and saw his guards bringing a messenger rushing over. The messenger’s clothes were stained with dried, blackened blood, his face haggard, his expression panicked. Upon seeing Jiang Zuwang, he could no longer support himself and collapsed to his knees.

“Great General! Yan Cheng has surrendered to the Beidi! General Liu is severely wounded!”

Jiang Zuwang was stunned and unable to move, frozen in place.

The messenger steadied himself and continued his report, saying that Yan Cheng had secretly let in the Beidi army during the night and had also attempted to deceive the city guards. At midnight, he had hidden soldiers outside the pass and tried to trick them into opening the gates under the pretense of delivering messages. Fortunately, Fan Jing had arrived in time to stop this, preventing a great disaster. But Xiguan Pass had suffered a siege by heavy forces, and being unprepared, it had nearly been breached by the Beidi. Liu Huaiyuan had led his troops in a desperate battle to retake the pass defenses, but was severely injured and remained unconscious.

“…Now Xiguan Pass is in mortal danger, barely held together by General Fan and the remaining soldiers fighting to the death. Please, Great General, send troops for urgent rescue!”

The messenger handed over a letter from Fan Jing, then completely collapsed from exhaustion, falling to the ground and weeping bitterly.

The deputy generals in the army had also heard the news and arrived, all looking toward Jiang Zuwang in shock.

He quickly tore open the letter. After reading it, his hands trembled slightly, then fell powerlessly. He closed his eyes tightly, his entire being becoming statue-like, his expression utterly grim.

The joy that had just come from the news of the central army’s great victory now completely vanished.

Xiguan Pass and Yanmen echoed each other like two horns, distantly guarding Great Wei’s capital Chang’an from the north.

South of Xiguan Pass was Xiaoguan Pass, which had been regarded since ancient times as Chang’an’s northern gate.

If Xiguan Pass could not be held, Xiaoguan Pass would become the last line of defense north of Chang’an. The straight-line distance from there to Chang’an was less than a thousand li.

Once the Beidi forces reached Xiaoguan Pass, what enormous pressure this would create for Chang’an’s safety.

At this critical moment, Yunluo, which should have been the least likely to cause problems, had betrayed Great Wei.

Even if the Wei army captured You and Yan, if Chang’an were lost, what meaning would this victory have?

No one dared to speak a word.

The messenger’s crying also gradually subsided.

Surrounded by people, the area fell into deathly silence.

In this unbearable, death-like silence, Jiang Zuwang suddenly opened his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, his expression had already turned solemn, as was his usual manner.

Those around him heard him call out the names of two generals in a steady voice. The two immediately stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and waited for orders.

Jiang Zuwang ordered the two to immediately lead two-thirds of the left army’s forces at the fastest speed to Xiguan Pass for rescue.

He ordered Zhou Qing and Zhang Mi’s right army to continue their attack, but the purpose was not to take Youzhou, but to tie down as many Beidi forces as possible.

He ordered the central army to shift from offense to defense and stop military operations against Youzhou.

He ordered Jiang Hanyuan to rush to provide reinforcement and take over Liu Huaiyuan’s position.

He ordered Zhao Pu to reasonably allocate forces and, on the premise of holding the Yan territory gains, quickly withdraw troops for support.

“Everyone, hear my command!”

After issuing these several orders in an orderly manner, he suddenly raised his voice.

“From this moment on, prepare for battle day and night, prepare to die in battle, and follow me to defend Yanmen!”

After Jiang Zuwang gave this final order, those among his subordinates with experience all understood.

Since Chi Shu had laid such a trap and succeeded, he would naturally also predict the Wei army’s subsequent reactions.

Jiang Zuwang’s pre-war deployment had been completely disrupted.

He had to gather nearby forces to rush to Xiguan Pass’s rescue. Then, before reinforcements could withdraw and return, this place would be defensively vulnerable, inevitably showing weaknesses. Chi Shu would certainly seize this time gap before the central army’s return and exert all efforts to attack the left Wei army.

It had to be said that Chi Shu’s move of pulling the rug out from under them was extremely ruthless. Using Yan Cheng, this variable that no one could have anticipated, he had turned all the advantages the Wei army had gained since the war began into nothing. Not only that, for the Wei army, it was no longer a question of when they could take Youzhou, but whether Xiguan Pass could be held, whether Yanmen could be held!

Everyone felt chills down their backs, but seeing Jiang Zuwang standing solemnly before the main tent with a resolute expression and piercing gaze, they immediately felt great courage in their hearts.

With the Great General, this pillar of stability, here, there was nothing impossible. They would certainly be able to withstand the pressure and beat back the Beidi invaders.

“Great General, rest assured! We will swear to follow you to the death. Even if we die in battle, we will never retreat a single step!”

Jiang Zuwang’s orders were quickly transmitted layer by layer, causing intense agitation among the soldiers. Countless people surged toward the main tent, their responding voices rising and falling.

Jiang Zuwang endured until this moment, but his throat was already slightly sweet, and his mouth was filled with the fishy taste of blood.

Just moments before, after reading that letter, he had immediately felt his internal organs churning with blood and qi, followed by chest tightness and severe pain.

He had forcibly suppressed it to prevent his subordinates from noticing his condition.

At such a crucial moment, he absolutely could not show any weakness. Otherwise, once military morale wavered, what awaited Yanmen would be complete disaster.

He forcibly swallowed the dark blood that had surged to his throat again, then looked around and shouted: “Execute immediately!”

…

When Jiang Hanyuan received the urgent military order from the commander’s tent, she was on the road leading troops to Yan Commandery.

Several days ago, she and old General Zhao Pu had planned the next phase of military operations. The old general would garrison Yan territory while she would lead troops in active combat.

After the army set out, several obstacle points that were originally expected to be encountered had sparse Beidi forces that barely organized any decent defensive lines before she captured.

Such smooth progress not only failed to make her proud but made her secretly suspicious.

This was truly strange. By reason, having lost Yan territory, Chi Shu would certainly not neglect Youzhou, his stronghold, to such a degree. If it was said that he had retreated in defeat after the failure at Tianguan Pass and had no heart to continue fighting, that was even more impossible. Although the failure of the last great battle had caused him significant losses, it wasn’t enough to leave him without troops to use. His main force remained.

Jiang Hanyuan suspected Chi Shu had other plans, so she decisively called a halt, no longer continuing forward, camping the army in place while sending people to gather intelligence.

This was three days ago.

Her intuition had indeed been correct. But what she hadn’t expected was that behind this abnormality lay such a reason.

Like a world-turning, devastating blow!

Jiang Hanyuan couldn’t breathe on the spot, her ears ringing loudly.

Starting from her grandfather’s generation, Yunluo had been Great Wei’s most loyal force outside Xiguan Pass. For decades, through ups and downs and changing fortunes, this had never changed. By now, that area had formed a powerful barrier centered on Yunluo.

Just recently, her uncle had heroically sacrificed his life in the battle against the Beidi. How could Yan Cheng do such a thing?

Jiang Hanyuan was unwilling to believe it and couldn’t understand Yan Cheng’s behavior.

How could this be something her younger brother, who had been weak and silent since childhood, could do?

But the messenger was none other than Fan Jing.

This was a fact, without question.

Nothing could be changed now.

After a brief period of confusion, Jiang Hanyuan quickly steadied herself.

Before the war, the court had already raised opposing voices. Now that such an accident had occurred, even though Shu Shenhui was the Regent Prince, the pressure he was about to face could be imagined.

Moreover, would this incident cause Shu Shenhui’s trust in her father and herself to waver as well?

But the urgency of the situation left Jiang Hanyuan no time to consider these matters further.

She knew why her father had sent her to rush to Xiguan Pass’s aid.

Compared to those two generals who had departed a step earlier than her, she was more familiar with the personnel and terrain of that area.

She quickly forced herself to calm down, casting aside all distracting thoughts, until only one single thought remained in her heart.

That was to hold Xiguan Pass and never allow Chang’an to face any threat from the north!

She immediately withdrew her troops, requesting Zhao Pu to execute orders from Jiang Zuwang, while she herself led a light cavalry unit from Qingmu Camp that very day, rushing to Yunluo’s aid at the fastest speed.

Although she departed later than the left army and had a longer journey, her marching speed far exceeded that of the main army. In less than half a month, on this day, she arrived at Xiguan Pass several days ahead of the left army’s departure.

Here, the former tranquility was long gone. Inside and outside the majestic pass tower, it had become a field of blood.

Xiguan Pass at the end of March still carried some unspent spring chill, but at this moment, the air was filled with a lingering, nauseating, heavy stench that wouldn’t dissipate. During breaks in fighting, in the distance, large flocks of vultures circled, diving down to brazenly peck at the unattended, rotting corpses on the ground.

The Beidi army had pressed forward with over a hundred thousand troops, attacking this place day and night, anytime and anywhere, in frenzied assaults.

Chi Shu’s intentions were crystal clear.

After his strategy of seeking peace and buying time had failed to work, he had once again turned his attention to Xiguan Pass.

If he succeeded in his calculations and reached Xiaoguan Pass with his forces, Chang’an would be in grave danger. At that time, the Wei state would be forced to gather forces to deal with the capital’s crisis. When that happened, the predicament between you and Yan would be easily resolved.

Not only that, this would also announce the complete failure of Great Wei’s ambitious northern expedition from Yanmen.

For several years, the Wei state wouldn’t dare launch another war of this scale.

Not to mention that even if the Wei state could ultimately repel the Beidi army and protect Chang’an, the psychological defeat such an incident would cause to the entire Wei state could be imagined.

Fan Jing and the soldiers of Xiguan Pass might not fully understand all of this, but one thing each of them knew clearly: Xiguan Pass could not be lost.

From the day Liu Huaiyuan unfortunately died in battle, Fan Jing had joined with the remaining Xiguan garrison in defending the pass gates time and again, repelling attacks from the enemy. The battle had continued until now—they had held out for nearly a month with heavy casualties. If not for relying on the pass city’s magnificence, their determination to die before retreating, and support from surrounding civilians, this pass would probably have been broken countless times already.

Just this day, they had once again withstood a fierce, frenzied assault. However, recent conditions had caused the oppressive and desperate atmosphere within the pass to continuously escalate.

Although food supplies were supported by the people and weren’t a major problem—they could hold out for some time longer—the supplies and weapons needed to defend the pass were running critically low. Combat-capable regular soldiers who could resist Beidi attacks were also decreasing daily.

By the end of today, the situation from the first day had reappeared. Due to insufficient forces and weapon shortages, civilian laborers who had received only brief training before mounting the pass tower couldn’t withstand the tide-like offensive. Defensive gaps appeared, allowing a squad of Beidi soldiers to successfully scale the pass tower by stepping on piles of their comrades’ corpses.

Fortunately, they didn’t let the enemy break through in the end. Fan Jing led his men in bloody battle and close combat, finally killing all the Beidi soldiers who had climbed up. Only when darkness fell did they barely manage to hold the pass gates.

During the day’s fighting, the opposing Beidi general had boasted that new reinforcements sent by their emperor would arrive soon, demanding their surrender to avoid the fate of having their pass broken and their city massacred.

Fan Jing felt this wasn’t mere intimidation but was likely true.

At this moment, the intense battle had just ended not long ago.

He stood on the pass tower, which had become slippery and muddy from flowing blood. Beside him, the soldiers who had survived silently repeated their post-battle routine, spreading slip-resistant dirt on the ground, preparing for the next fight.

No one spoke. At such a time, everyone, including himself, had reached the breaking point mentally and physically.

It was at this moment that he heard news that reinforcements sent by the Great General had arrived. His wild joy could be imagined—he immediately led men on swift horses to welcome them.

When he finally saw Jiang Hanyuan and looked at her dust-covered, weary face, hearing her call him Uncle Fan, this man, who was usually as tough as rock, could not suppress his emotions. His eyes filled with tears as he knelt and kowtowed.

“General! I have failed you, I didn’t guard Yunluo well…” His voice choked with emotion.

“By holding Xiguan Pass, you are the greatest heroes!”

Jiang Hanyuan quickly dismounted from her horse and went forward to lift Fan Jing from the ground.