Western Liang… the general situation was lost.

By this time, the sky had already brightened completely.

One hour, two hours… four hours.

This battle had lasted from before dawn until the sky turned completely dark.

All the high walls built on both flanking mountain peaks of Yecheng Pass had been completely occupied, and even Yecheng Pass itself had been captured. Ye Shoucheng had retreated with his remaining troops to the south wall of Yecheng Pass, yet he vowed never to retreat, still holding fast, seemingly having made up his mind that he would never withdraw from the city unless he fought to the last man!

Such a tenacious spirit reminded Bai Qingyan of the Bai Family Army…

Whether it was the Bai Family Army or the Western Liang soldiers, they had joined the military either to protect their homeland and defend their Kingdom or to pacify the realm. Today, whether it was the fallen soldiers of the Bai Family Army or the fallen Western Liang soldiers, in Bai Qingyan’s view, they were all iron-blooded elite warriors worthy of reverence.

Bai Qingyan looked from afar at Ye Shouguan, who led his defeated remnants in occupying the south wall… positioning himself to defend the south wall to the death, and felt deep admiration in her heart.

Bai Qingyan ordered the army to cease their attack, and the two armies faced each other in a stalemate.

The flickering firelight dancing high and low on the city walls illuminated Ye Shouguan’s haggard features. His entire body was covered in blood, his hair disheveled, yet his eyes remained resolute and composed as he planted the Western Liang military banner on the city wall.

This military banner was Ye Shouguan’s and Western Liang’s final persistence and resistance, as if… as long as there was still one military banner standing in Yecheng Pass, Western Liang… had not yet lost Yecheng Pass.

Bai Qingyan gently pulled her reins and moved forward.

“Elder Sister!” Bai Jinxiu tried to stop Bai Qingyan, not wanting her to go to the very front, fearing that Ye Shouguan might lash out desperately and harm her elder sister.

But Bai Qingyan smiled and gestured for Bai Jinxiu to be at ease.

Bai Jinxiu, Bai Qingyu, Bai Qingqi, Bai Qingjue, Bai Qingyun, Bai Jinzhao, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinse pulled their reins to follow… staying close behind Bai Qingyan.

The Great Zhou soldiers on guard made way for a passage, and Bai Qingyan rode Ping’an to the very front, looking up at Ye Shouguan, who stood on the city wall supporting the Western Liang military banner.

She knew that the arrows of Ye Shouguan’s subordinate officers and soldiers had all been exhausted, their blade edges had all been chipped, and all that Ye Shouguan and his soldiers had left now were their flesh and blood bodies.

She called loudly to Ye Shouguan on the city wall: “General Ye, Bai Qingyan… dares to request that the general come down from the city for a discussion.”

Ye Shouguan looked at Bai Qingyan, whose body bore blood and face bore wounds, whose voice rang sonorous and powerful, whose entire being exuded an aura of killing and stern resolve, and gripped tightly the Western Liang military banner in his hands.

He had underestimated this girl from the Bai Family, but his defeat… left him greatly puzzled. He wanted to know how Bai Qingyan had dared to conclude with certainty that he would definitely dispatch troops to circle around to Great Zhou’s rear, and set ambushes on the flanking mountain peaks?

Seeing Ye Shouguan hesitate, the Western Liang soldiers loyal to him quickly advised: “General, there might be treachery! General… you should still withdraw! Let me lead the soldiers to hold them off and buy time!”

Ye Shouguan shook his head. He released the Western Liang military banner he had been gripping tightly, turned around, and used his bloodied hands to arrange his disheveled hair, maintaining the dignity befitting a general, straightened his armor, unfastened his already tattered cloak, and lifted his feet to walk toward the bottom of the city wall.

“General!”

“General Ye…”

The Western Liang remnant soldiers, each bearing wounds, called softly to their general, who was walking down toward the bottom of the city wall.

Ye Shouguan’s leg was already injured. Western Liang soldiers stepped forward wanting to support him, but Ye Shouguan shook his head and pushed them away…

He slowly walked down the city wall, his steps pausing momentarily as he looked at Bai Qingyan at this moment… inexplicably thinking of Bai Qishan, remembering when he had served under General Yun Poxing and had once crossed swords with Bai Qishan.

At that time, their Western Liang army had just captured Feng County, only to have Bai Qishan rush to provide relief… leading the Bai Family Army and his brothers to retake Feng County. When he was being led away from the battlefield by the Ye family’s loyal servants, he had looked back to see Bai Qishan standing on the city wall in silver armor, who had also stood on the city wall with his brothers watching him flee into the distance.

Seeing Bai Qingyan and several Bai Family generals dismount, Wei Zhong hurriedly pushed the wheelchair over and helped Bai Qingyun dismount to sit in the wheelchair.

Ye Shouguan gritted his teeth, regulated his breathing, and walked down the city wall stairs, stepping over rubble, blood… and the severed limbs of soldiers, walking toward Bai Qingyan’s direction.

At a distance of two zhang from Bai Qingyan, Ye Shouguan stopped. This was the first time he had seen this Great Zhou Emperor, this… Bai Qingyan, who bore the title of Xiao Bai Commander of the Bai Family Army.

He chuckled softly and said: “You little girl has quite some courage, daring to come to the battlefield even with a belly!”

“Western Liang’s foremost fortress stronghold—Bai Qingyan dares not fail to come.”

Bai Qingyan gestured for Wei Zhong to provide seating for Ye Shouguan. Wei Zhong nodded and stepped forward to place a thick cushion in front of Ye Shouguan, then withdrew.

“General Ye, please…” Bai Qingyan made a gesture of invitation to Ye Shouguan and was the first to kneel and sit down.

Clearly, just one final strike would completely eliminate Ye Shouguan and his remnants, but Bai Qingyu knew that the reason her elder sister had ordered the soldiers to cease their attack and personally come to meet this General Ye Shouguan was because… she genuinely admired him from the bottom of her heart, and also because she saw the shadow of the Bai Family Army in Ye Shouguan and his soldiers.

Ye Shouguan sat down facing Bai Qingyan upon seeing this. Without waiting for Bai Qingyan to speak, Ye Shouguan spoke first, saying sincerely: “I have one matter I don’t understand, and I ask… the Great Zhou Emperor to enlighten me.”

Bai Qingyan’s attitude was respectful: “General Ye, please speak…”

“How did you know that I would dispatch the soldiers from the high peaks on both flanks to circle to the rear of your Zhou army for an inside-outside pincer attack, and set ambushes in advance?” Ye Shouguan asked for instruction with genuine sincerity. “Weren’t you afraid that I would directly order all the soldiers in Yecheng Pass to pretend to retreat in defeat and withdraw to the high peaks on both flanks? Wait for you to enter the city… then deliver a fatal blow? Or simply just let you pass through?”

Bai Qingyan shook her head: “The Western Liang Emperor was hanged before the Zhou formation by the Great Zhou. The Ye family has been loyal for generations and would not allow their emperor to be so humiliated by the Great Zhou. Moreover, because the Ye family has been guarding the pass and has not participated in major battles for many years, Yecheng Pass has been infiltrated by various factions of Western Liang’s eight great families. Although everyone would sacrifice their lives to defend Yecheng Pass, in terms of military authority… General Ye has gradually been marginalized.”

Ye Shouguan’s heart jumped with shock, not expecting that Bai Qingyan would be so clear about the situation within Yecheng Pass.

“Furthermore, with Ye Yingwen’s daughter entering the city and questioning whether General Ye planned to occupy the city and establish himself as king, military morale would inevitably be shaken.” She looked steadily at Ye Shouguan. “So this battle… whether out of loyalty or to prove his innocence, General Ye had to do everything in his power to rescue Western Liang Emperor Li Tianfeng.”

Ye Shouguan nodded: “Just based on the fact that I must rescue our Western Liang Emperor, you dared to be certain that I would inevitably have the soldiers on the left and right peaks circle to your Great Zhou’s rear? What if I had the soldiers on the flanking mountain peaks descend along the city walls?”