While Feng Prefecture was celebrating its great victory, Zhao Shuhua in Chong Prefecture also received the news. In the main courtyard, Zhao Shuhua gathered the Crown Prince and others to review the intelligence reports from their scouts.

After reading the messages, Zhao Shuhua looked at everyone below and said, “The Northwestern Army reaching Wu Prefecture was one thing, but now they’ve joined forces against the Rong barbarians. This creates an opportunity for us.”

Program Wei, confused, asked, “What does Her Majesty mean?”

Zhao Shuhua explained, “Previously, we remained inactive in Chong Prefecture due to concerns about the Rong barbarians. But now that the Northwestern Army and Jin Prefecture forces have united, we have nothing to worry about. Our original goal was to help the Crown Prince reclaim his position in the capital. Now, we should naturally continue with our plan.”

Hearing this, Program Wei hesitated briefly before saying, “Is Your Majesty certain? I fear the General won’t agree.”

Zhao Shuhua frowned slightly, also believing that Zhao You would likely disapprove. However, further delay would only hinder Yan Che’s greater cause.

After brief contemplation, Zhao Shuhua said, “I will naturally discuss this with Father. For now, focus on preparing the troops.”

With these words, Program Wei and the others naturally agreed.

After giving many instructions regarding military preparations, Zhao Shuhua went to find Zhao You.

When she saw Zhao You, he was taking medicine. Though his condition had improved somewhat in recent days, he wasn’t fully recovered. Zhao Shuhua remained quite concerned. She first told him about the great victory at Feng Prefecture, and Zhao You’s face immediately lit up with a smile!

“Prince Rui is truly admirable! Only he could set aside past grievances at a time like this!”

Zhao Shuhua knew Zhao You’s words carried a hint of sarcasm toward her, but she had to accept it. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Father has been worried about the Rong barbarians breaking through Feng Prefecture. But now that these two forces have joined together, they should be sufficient to deal with the Rong barbarians. Both the Marquis of An Yang and Prince Rui are excellent commanders—nothing should go wrong. If that’s the case, Father, shouldn’t we march south?”

With the Jin Prefecture and Northwestern armies holding them back, the Rong barbarians couldn’t break through this line of defense. So why should they wait here?

The thirty thousand troops outside the city weren’t really a concern in battle, and now the capital was vulnerable—it was the perfect time for them to march south.

Zhao You asked, “I hear Feng Prefecture also sent a message.”

At this question, Zhao Shuhua nodded, “Yes, from the Marquis of An Yang.”

Zhao You sighed, “Asking you to join forces, right?”

Zhao Shuhua nodded again but said, “Joining forces is impossible. We currently bear the label of rebels, and we don’t know what the Marquis’s true intentions are. Moreover, our forces don’t have continuous supplies—we can’t afford delays.”

Even now, the Northern Prefecture Army was experiencing supply problems but was merely holding on.

This was why the Empress was becoming anxious.

However, Zhao You sighed again, “You could lead the army south now, but the thirty thousand troops outside the city aren’t so easily dealt with. What if, in the middle of fighting them, the Rong barbarians turn toward Chong Prefecture? What would you do then?” After a pause, he continued, “Moreover, while others are resisting the Rong barbarians, you would be taking the Crown Prince south in rebellion. Even if Che’er reclaims his position as Crown Prince, how would the world view him?”

At this, Zhao Shuhua pressed her lips together and said, “How would others view him? The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit. By then, who would remember how Che’er reclaimed the throne?”

Zhao You smiled and shook his head, “If you won’t listen to me, then prepare the troops and depart. I don’t approve, regardless.”

With that, Zhao You turned away to rest, saying nothing more.

Zhao Shuhua waited for a moment with a gloomy expression before turning to leave.

Given Zhao You’s words, Zhao Shuhua didn’t immediately order the troops to leave the city, but she also had no intention of responding to Yue Qiong’s letter.

The Rong barbarians still had over a hundred thousand troops—they couldn’t be worn down quickly. Though they had the Northwestern Army’s help, by the time this campaign was over, the Jin Prefecture forces would inevitably be exhausted. At that time, their southward march wouldn’t be delayed.

After consoling herself with these thoughts, Zhao Shuhua turned to the most pressing current problem.

It was now June, and according to their original timeline, their supplies should have run out in April. They had only managed to last this long through strict rationing and replenishing supplies along the way. But neither Chang Prefecture nor Chong Prefecture had abundant garrison storehouses. They had barely managed to stretch supplies for two months, and now they were struggling again. Currently, if they needed to gather military provisions, they could only go to the small counties east of Chong Prefecture, but the Rong barbarians had already appeared there, and these small counties might already be in chaos.

Zhao Shuhua summoned her military commanders to discuss the situation. The next day, she sent people to gather provisions, while others continued to wait in the city.

Zhao Shuhua had thought they would only need to wait and observe from within the city, but two days later, scouts suddenly reported that eighty thousand Rong troops were heading toward Chong Prefecture! After discovering the Northwestern Army and Jin Prefecture forces had joined together, they had turned to attack Chong Prefecture instead!

When this news arrived, the entire Chong Prefecture was thrown into chaos. Even Zhao You donned his armor and went up to the city walls.

The Northern Prefecture Army originally had a hundred thousand troops, but when Zhao You left, he had left ten thousand in Chang Prefecture. Later, during the attacks on Feng Prefecture and Chong Prefecture, they suffered losses. Now only about eighty thousand remained, roughly equal to the Rong forces in number.

Though the Rong barbarians were fierce, defending from within the city was a major advantage for the Northern Prefecture Army. However, Chong Prefecture wasn’t as sturdy as Feng Prefecture. Thinking of the approaching Rong army, Zhao Shuhua felt a shadow fall over her heart. If they became entangled with these eighty thousand troops, forget about preserving strength to march south—they couldn’t even guarantee the Northern Prefecture Army wouldn’t be worn down!

Realizing this situation, Zhao Shuhua made an immediate decision!

She wrote a letter and sent it to Feng Prefecture by fast horse.

Since the Rong barbarians had changed their direction of attack, it was naturally time to join forces.

Zhao Shuhua didn’t consider her actions treacherous and was confident that Yue Qiong would come to reinforce Chong Prefecture.

By late afternoon the next day, the Rong barbarians’ eighty thousand troops had reached the outskirts of Chong Prefecture.

Zhao You decided to have the army defend the city without engaging, planning to endure for a few days like Feng Prefecture had done, waiting to see if Yue Qiong would reply. However, the Rong barbarians, due to their previous defeat, had gathered their full strength to attack Chong Prefecture. On the second night, the eastern section of Chong Prefecture’s walls was briefly lost when the Rong forces climbed the walls and killed all the defending soldiers. If Zhao Xing hadn’t led troops to counterattack, Chong Prefecture might have fallen.

They lost a thousand men in just that one night, even while defending the city.

This made Zhao Shuhua realize the extraordinary fighting power of the Rong barbarians, making her even more anxious for Yue Qiong’s reinforcements. However, Yue Qiong hadn’t appeared in these two days, making Zhao Shuhua very anxious. In the council hall, she said, “If we continue defending like this, our supplies will be exhausted. By then, no battle strategy will help us. Therefore, I think we should quickly take the initiative to meet them in battle outside the city. We probably can’t wait for the Marquis of An Yang to arrive.”

With a cold laugh, she added, “If pushed too far, we can simply withdraw our troops.”

Though those below were quite fearful of the Rong barbarians’ might, retreating directly would still be quite shameful. Therefore, hearing Zhao Shuhua speak of developing battle strategies, they were quite cooperative, though thoughts of the blood-crazed demon-like Rong soldiers outside still filled them with trepidation.

Zhao Shuhua led everyone in discussions throughout the night, with Zhao You coming several times, before finally developing the next day’s strategy. However, just as the Northern Prefecture Army was gritting its teeth and preparing to fight, the Rong barbarians outside Chong Prefecture suddenly withdrew quietly.

This caught Zhao Shuhua and the others by surprise, but fearing it might be a Rong strategy, they dared not pursue it and quickly sent scouts to investigate.

The dispatched scouts didn’t return until nightfall that day, bringing news that surprised everyone.

The Rong forces had previously lost over thirty thousand troops at Feng Prefecture, now having only around 150-160 thousand remaining. Seeing that Feng Prefecture would be difficult to crack, they split their forces and sent half to Chong Prefecture. But with half their forces gone, the main camp was left with only eighty thousand troops. When Yue Qiong received the Empress’s letter, instead of rashly sending troops to reinforce Chong Prefecture, he coordinated with the Northwestern Army to target the Rong barbarians’ main camp, knowing that if the main camp were in danger, the Rong forces at Chong Prefecture would withdraw without fighting.

First, the Northwestern Army burned the Rong barbarians’ supplies, then launched a surprise attack, while Yue Qiong personally led the Jin Prefecture forces in support. This coordination forced the Rong barbarians’ main camp to begin withdrawing and relocating. Fearing separation from the main force, the Rong forces outside Chong Prefecture immediately withdrew upon receiving this news.

Learning the full story, Zhao Shuhua’s dissatisfaction with Yue Qiong lessened somewhat, and when Zhao You heard of it, he sighed deeply.

The Rong barbarians’ withdrawal let all of Chong Prefecture breathe a sigh of relief. The next day, envoys from Feng Prefecture arrived.

The envoy was Yue Qiong’s officer. Although Zhao Shuhua hadn’t initially responded to Yue Qiong but had later sent a letter requesting aid when in danger, the envoy’s attitude remained very good. He indicated that even now, Yue Qiong was still willing to join forces with the Northern Prefecture Army and wouldn’t raise a single blade against them until the Rong barbarians were driven back.

Though Zhao Shuhua had harbored doubts and misgivings, thinking of how Yue Qiong had helped relieve Chong Prefecture’s siege, she wasn’t as resentful as before. After some consideration, she agreed to the envoy’s request. The envoy then presented the latest news, stating directly that the Rong army was retreating toward Chang Prefecture, and both the Northwestern Army and Jin Prefecture forces would be marching north. If the Empress was willing to join forces, they should also advance north. After saying this, he gave Zhao Shuhua a day to consider.

The next day, Zhao Shuhua personally wrote a letter for the envoy to take back and then began preparing her troops.

By the third day, they deployed fifty thousand troops toward Wei County, a small town south of Chang Prefecture. At the same time, the Northwestern Army and Jin Prefecture forces also marched rapidly toward Wei County, while the Rong barbarians temporarily stationed themselves at Luofeng Slope north of Wei County.

The final battle was about to begin.