That day, all of Yan Bei was shrouded in a blizzard. A once-in-a-century storm raged like a madman, howling and wreaking havoc across the plains. Snow piled over three feet deep, striking faces like tiny stones, causing sharp pain. War horses had their bellies and eyes wrapped in leather, yet they still glanced around in panic. Warriors wore fur coats with wind caps, their eyes forced shut by the wind, only able to trudge laboriously through the snow.
Upon reaching the Jasmine River, Chu Qiao suddenly ordered the entire army to halt. Sun Cai anxiously came forward to inquire but saw only a cold back. The young female general stood on a snow-covered slope battered by wind, gazing at the vast snow sea in the distance. Far away, birds scattered in flight, snow mist sprayed, and she stood silently for a long time.
As she walked down, Sun Cai angrily pushed away a soldier who tried to stop him and approached her furiously, saying: “General Chu, what exactly are you doing? The military situation is urgent, His Majesty’s life is in grave danger, yet you have the leisure to admire the scenery here?”
Chu Qiao’s gaze passed lightly over him, like winter ice crystals, piercingly cold into the most vulnerable insecurity of one’s heart.
The young woman was still very young, but for some reason, everyone who knew her would unconsciously ignore her age when standing before her, unable to control their trembling and fear. Despite the cold weather, sweat slowly seeped from Sun Cai’s forehead. Just as he realized something was amiss, Chu Qiao ordered: “Tie him up.”
Without a second’s hesitation, the Xiuli army soldiers quickly moved forward, binding Sun Cai securely in a few moves. The young officer struggled and shouted, “What are you doing?” “General Chu, are you rebelling?”
Chu Qiao coldly looked at him, her gaze piercing through his surface shock and anger, effortlessly seeing the underlying panic and worry. Her heart gradually grew cold, like water flowing under ice, chillingly frigid.
“He Xiao, bring out all the explosives we’re carrying and blow open the Jasmine River. Leave three hundred men to guard it firmly. If anyone crosses from the other side before dawn, you need not come to see me again.”
“Yes!” He Xiao answered coldly. Chu Qiao mounted her horse and said to her subordinates: “Let’s go.”
“General Chu! Do you know what you’re doing?”
Chu Qiao slowly turned her head, coldly glancing at Sun Cai, and very calmly said: “Of course I know.”
“You’re preventing our people from rescuing His Majesty, that’s treason!”
Chu Qiao smirked slightly, saying with a faint smile: “Commander Sun, are you too naive, or do you think I, Chu Qiao, am that foolish in your eyes? You say only you escaped from Yuegong City, so why are there five armies pursuing us from the rear? I returned to Shangshen ahead of schedule, setting out a day early to arrive here in time, so how did your Black Hawk Army also reach here so quickly? You say Zhuge Yue led fifty thousand troops to secretly attack Yuegong’s grain carts and surround His Majesty, then tell me, it’s almost New Year, why would His Majesty leave headquarters to come thousands of miles away?”
Sun Cai was speechless, staring with wide eyes and saying nothing. Chu Qiao gave a cold laugh, her gaze growing colder, saying in an ominous tone: “Commander Sun if I’ve wronged you today, I will kowtow and apologize to you in front of everyone another day. But if you’ve deliberately deceived me, watch out for your head.”
“Go!”
The army rushed past, hooves pounding on the snow plain like rumbling war drums. Soon, thunderous sounds came from behind. Though crudely made, enough explosives together were sufficient to blast through the ice. The Jasmine River was a tributary of the Crimson River, deep and rapid; it wouldn’t freeze solid without a day and night. With three hundred crossbowmen stationed here, the Black Hawk Army couldn’t easily cross the river. Regardless of the situation ahead, she had to go see for herself.
Chu Qiao made up her mind, slightly narrowing her eyes, her gaze sharp like a leopard spotting prey.
“General!” He Xiao rode up, galloping beside Chu Qiao. Years of shared hardships made them not just master and servant, but close comrades. The handsome general asked in a deep voice: “What happened up ahead?”
The cold wind howled fiercely, blowing harshly between them. Snow particles struck their faces, quite painful. After a long silence, Chu Qiao finally said in a deep voice: “Perhaps, Cheng Yuan has rebelled.”
He Xiao thought for a moment, connecting the events, and indeed found it possible, but cursed: “Always knew that bastard was no good!”
Chu Qiao didn’t speak. Her gaze fixed straight ahead as she forcefully whipped her horse. Hopefully, her guess was correct because she didn’t want to consider the alternative possibility.
No, it can’t be. Yan Xun, he wouldn’t betray me like this.
“Hya!”
Chu Qiao shouted, suppressing all her worries deep inside. The war horse galloped wildly, racing across the vast snow plain like a black storm. The sun was gradually covered by dark clouds, and the world turned gloomy as if night had fallen.
Zhuge Yue’s appearance was completely unexpected. According to the original plan, Chu Qiao would come first, troops would pursue afterward, and Yuegong actively mobilizing troops were all false displays to deceive Zhuge Yue. The ultimate goal was to lure Zhuge Yue out to Mingxi Valley, then deploy twenty thousand crossbowmen at the valley entrance to kill him. The battle would end at Mingxi Valley, never reaching Yan Bei’s interior, let alone affecting major cities like Yuegong.
So when Zhuge Yue suddenly appeared inside Yuegong City, the entire city’s first reaction was panic, because Yan Xun had already led Yuegong’s last troops to set an ambush at Mingxi Valley.
Yuegong City was eventually burned down by Zhuge Yue. As Yan Xun received the news and rushed back, Zhuge Yue, wearing a blue-green fur coat, stood at Xiema Slope an arrow shot from the city gates, and personally shot a fire arrow at the tall city gate in front of Yan Xun. Following the attack signal, three hundred fire arrows were released simultaneously, shooting into Yuegong City which had been doused with tung oil. Heaven also aided Zhuge Yue; under the raging wind, not only the city’s provisions but the entire city turned into charred ruins in this great fire.
The twenty thousand troops led by Yan Xun watched with bloodshot eyes. Half of these men were local officers from Yuegong. Seeing their homeland destroyed and not knowing if their parents, wives, and children were alive, they erupted in anger. Without waiting for Yan Xun’s orders, they surged forward with roars. The battle began very hastily, without formation or battle array, just a frenzied rush, driven by a grieving army’s pain. The Yan Bei warriors moved incredibly fast, like a pack of howling hungry wolves. However, before they could get close, arrows from one hundred Moon Guards pierced their chests. Arrows fell like rain from the sky, and no flesh and blood could withstand this force. After about the time it took to burn an incense stick, there wasn’t a single person standing alive between the two armies.
The north wind blew across the blood-soaked battlefield. In the rolling wind, one could still hear the labored breathing of the dying. Yan Xun stood on the other side. When the Yuegong garrison charged forward, he didn’t stop them—in fact, he had no time to stop them—so he watched ten thousand garrison troops die under a hail of arrows, like autumn grass that no one cared about. At this moment, Yan Xun’s guards stood behind him, like a dark, silent forest, still ten thousand strong, standing silently, unmoved by the death of their compatriots.
This was the first meeting between Yan Xun and Zhuge Yue since Biantang. Although the war had lasted an entire year with countless encounters, and Zhuge Yue had once led troops to charge Yan Xun’s camp, they had never met face to face. Now, their gazes crossed like lightning in midair, without any sharp sparks. Everything was like reefs hidden beneath surging currents, quietly, silently, and heavily colliding. The surface water rippled slightly but underneath were turbulent undercurrents. Outsiders couldn’t see the sharpness and edge hidden within; only those deeply familiar with the situation could understand what kind of terror this was.
From their youth outside Zhenhuang City to their repeated confrontations as adults, these two equally brilliant men each commanded power. In terms of political stance, they stood opposite and distinct from each other. In military ability, they were equally matched with brilliant strategies. In political competition, they were sworn enemies with irreconcilable differences. By a twist of fate, they fell in love with the same woman. Such destiny and encounters meant they could never sit down peacefully to appreciate each other’s strengths and talents. Whenever they met, it was always with scalding blood, determining victory or defeat, fighting to the death.
When Zhuge Yue saw Yan Xun, his long-suspended heart suddenly eased. When he had just left Mingxi Valley, he knew he’d been deceived. The only difference was whether Yan Xun was solely responsible, or if Chu Qiao was involved. Had Yan Xun infiltrated the Southwest Garrison, or had Chu Qiao personally exposed her whereabouts? On the battlefield, life and death change unpredictably in an instant. At such a critical moment, these matters might seem irrelevant to others, but to him, they couldn’t be disregarded. He could confidently believe Chu Qiao wasn’t that kind of person, could confidently feel he wasn’t just a passing stranger in her heart, but he couldn’t measure Yan Xun’s position in her heart. He couldn’t judge whose way her concerned eyes would turn when his interests conflicted with Yan Xun’s.
Zhuge Yue smiled coldly at himself. Even if she wouldn’t betray Yan Xun for him, she also wouldn’t kill him for Yan Xun. Perhaps, that was enough.
When Yan Xun saw Zhuge Yue, he was far less calm than Zhuge Yue. Disgust and hatred grew like vines in his heart. It was this man before him who had made him lose his first chance to escape from Zhenhuang, suffering eight years of imprisonment worse than pigs and dogs. While he was crawling on the ground, bowing his head like a pig or dog just to survive, this man was enjoying the glory of the empire’s noble clan, fine clothes and food, elegant garments, and magnificent horses. While he was enduring humiliation to survive, suffering others’ bullying, this man was coldly watching from the sidelines. When his family was ruined and he fell to dust, this man’s family rose, stepping on piles of white bones and blood to become the empire’s new voice. And after he had finally established this majestic foundation, it was this man who personally destroyed his undefeated legend, giving him a heavy blow.
And then, there was A Chu…
Thinking of this, the fire in Yan Xun’s heart blazed fiercely. The long-suppressed resentment and anger were like an erupting volcano, unstoppable.
As evening approached, the sunset in the west. On the eastern horizon, vague black silhouettes could be seen—those were Yan Bei’s war horses. Across thousands of mountains and waters, one could smell the breath of the war horses in the air. Dust filled the sky; there were a full thirty to forty thousand men.
Zhuge Yue stood motionless, and Yan Xun said nothing. With war before them, insults and curses would seem too childish. A soldier from Yan Xun’s subordinates rode out from the ranks, came to the front of Zhuge Yue’s troop, and shouted: “Don’t shoot!”
The Moon Guards were silent, looking at this courageous soldier with indifferent eyes. The soldier nervously licked his lips and began the pre-battle speech, which was very clichéd, merely about Great Xia being cruel and unjust, Yan Bei rising as a righteous army, accusing them of trespassing on their land, invading their territory, saying the army would never compromise against such provocation, that their reinforcements were just ahead, and if they wanted a chance to escape, they should immediately lay down their weapons and surrender, kneeling to beg for mercy, and so on.
The persuading soldier spoke until his mouth was dry, righteous, and upright, but his speech received no response. Seeing he had finished, Zhuge Yue lightly waved his hand and said emotionlessly: “Kill him.”
Immediately, arrows flew, and the brave speaker was shot like a hornet’s nest. His body fell stiffly, but his feet remained in the stirrups. The warhorse, startled, ran backward, dragging the man along, blood staining the path.
The Yan Bei soldiers finally erupted in fury. Angry voices filled the field as ten thousand men simultaneously drew their blades. The gleaming blade edges were like a ferocious ocean, covering everyone’s eyes in an instant.
The men looked at each other, their gazes crossing through ancient time and space. Finally, the battle horn sounded thunderous. Earth-gray dust covered the army. Someone shouted, and warhorses immediately raised their hooves. Towering forests of spears and seas of swords savagely charged toward the enemy. The war began with a roar, coming without the slightest warning.
The sun was setting, and darkness was falling. Although Zhuge Yue’s cavalry was few, they were like a sharp sword. They were unmatched with crossbows, their arrows never missed, able to charge and shoot simultaneously, then follow up with a sword after shooting. They were all martial arts experts, none ordinary soldiers. Three hundred men were invincible, breaking through camps and formations as if walking on flat ground, not frightened by the enemy’s numbers.
Yan Xun’s troops were also elite forces selected one from a hundred, numerous, well-equipped, each a veteran soldier with rich experience and overwhelming momentum.
The battle revealed terrible cruelty from the very beginning. Blood splattered, severed arms flew, warhorses crashed head-on, their four hooves crossing in midair. The massive formation surged forward like a flood or tidal wave, unstoppable, shaking people’s spines cold and scalps numb.