Was Xiong Xiaobao only wanting to go with Baili Weisheng out of a craving for fun?

Not at all!

He simply didn’t want to be a burden to his daddy and mommy — he wanted them to devote themselves fully to avenging Auntie Qianqian!

After kissing his father, Xiong Xiaobao threw himself at Ziqing, saying very, very earnestly, “Mommy, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself. You two have to win this battle, and you have to bring Auntie Qianqian and everyone along — we’ll go to the last place together!”

“Alright!” Ziqing promised just as earnestly!

“Ziqing, go fight this battle without worry, and make sure you win! I’ve been to that last place before — I’ll help get everything ready for you all,” Meng Duo’er chimed in too.

No one had ever imagined that the musician’s final map location would turn out to be that particular place — a place anyone could reach, yet extraordinarily dangerous!

“That’s right, Ziqing. Tell that girl there’s no obstacle in life you can’t get past. We’ll all be ready, waiting for you to return together!” Madam Jinjiao said earnestly.

Ziqing nodded gratefully, thinking that if Qianqian knew how many people were supporting her, helping her, would it give her even more courage?

Baili Weisheng headed to the Three Realms, with Xiong Xiaobao and Baili Xiaosheng accompanying him, while Madam Jinjiao and Meng Duo’er headed south together to scout ahead.

Everyone split up to move separately. Ziqing and Jun Beiyue reached the garrison that very night, prepared through the night, and by the next morning set off straight westward!

The war had begun!

Jun Beiyue and Ziqing personally led the charge, mobilizing the full thirty thousand troops stationed in the northern desert, holding nothing back.

Watching that mighty army march off in the distance, even Yu Xiaomeng couldn’t help but feel her heart stir.

“The whole army’s on the move?” Old Madam Yu was equally alarmed, never having imagined that this small northern desert region concealed such an enormous force.

“I checked myself. Every single garrison post has been emptied out,” Yu Xiaomeng murmured to herself. Thanks to her identity as a resident of the northern desert town, moving around the region drew no particular restrictions or suspicion, letting her gather information faster than any spy could.

“Then hurry and report this to Crown Prince Xuanyuan!” Old Madam Yu said, changing her tune without hesitation.

“Mother, is Da Zhou planning to destroy Xijing?” Yu Xiaomeng asked, puzzled — she was merely a messenger relaying information, with no real understanding of the bigger picture.

“From the looks of it, that must be it! We simple folk can never understand those in power,” Old Madam Yu said with a sigh.

“The peace summit was held not even a year ago — why would Prince Yao stir up such a massive conflict now?” Yu Xiaomeng genuinely couldn’t make sense of it; Jun Beiyue truly had no apparent reason to march his troops west.

“Didn’t we hear that Xijing had some internal unrest recently? Prince Yao’s probably just seized the opportunity,” Old Madam Yu guessed.

“Mother, you don’t think Prince Yao means to swallow up the whole realm, do you? With that many troops, even Xiliang’s in danger.” Though Yu Xiaomeng didn’t understand the finer details, she could read the situation clearly enough.

Hearing this, Old Madam Yu grew anxious. “Then hurry up and send word! If it really turns into a full-blown war across the realm, Dongqin will be in danger too!”

Yu Xiaomeng still felt something was off. She hurried back to write out a letter and sent it off by hawk to Dongqin.

But she also packed her own belongings — Jun Beiyue’s garrison forces had been fully mobilized, her task here was complete, and she wanted to make a trip to Dongqin herself.

“I’ll go with you!” Old Madam Yu said excitedly.

“Mother, you need to stay behind. Just in case Young Master Xuanyuan has any further instructions, someone needs to be here to receive them, right?” Yu Xiaomeng persuaded her — though it was merely an excuse.

She knew that with the garrison forces fully mobilized, Xuanyuan Lige wouldn’t be coming back here again.

Prince Yao marching his troops west — the reason behind it surely had something to do with Xuanyuan Lige.

Hearing her daughter say this, Old Madam Yu suddenly felt a swell of pride, and said earnestly, “Right, right! I absolutely must stay behind!”

Yu Xiaomeng smiled quietly to herself, said nothing more, packed up her things, slung over her shoulder the zither she’d painstakingly crafted from sandalwood found after crossing countless mountains, and set off!

The commotion of Jun Beiyue and Ziqing marching their troops west spread quickly, reaching every corner of the continent of Longyuan in no time — and no one was more anxious about it than Wanyan Lie!

“What?” The moment he received the news, he shot upright from where he’d been the night before.

“Da Zhou’s Prince Yao has personally led thirty thousand troops across the Xijing border!” a minister reported, his own legs going weak just from saying it.

“Jun Beiyue!” Wanyan Lie ground his teeth, “What does he mean by this!?”

“I fear it’s…” the minister didn’t dare finish.

But then realization dawned on Wanyan Lie, and he slammed a fist down onto the table. “Xuanyuan Lige! He played this crown prince for a fool!”

Xuanyuan Lige had once insisted, over and over, that if they could just keep Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing trapped, Dongqin would immediately join forces with the Xiongnu and launch a war, seizing the advantage while they could.

Da Zhou would have no time at all to spare for the west!

Xiliang wouldn’t just avoid conflict — it could seize the opportunity to use Yelu Qianqian and Situ Haonan as leverage to pressure Xijing!

Even if letting Jun Beiyue rescue Situ Haonan and the others had been Wanyan Lie’s own mistake, given how things looked now, Xuanyuan Lige had clearly anticipated all along that he wouldn’t be able to keep them trapped!

That was exactly why he’d never made a move!

“No wonder, no wonder — a whole month, and he never mobilized his troops! He’s been waiting for Jun Beiyue to come west! Despicable!” Wanyan Lie, realizing just how thoroughly he’d been used, was so furious steam practically poured from his nostrils.

“Your Highness, what should we do?” a minister asked anxiously.

“What should we do? What do I keep you people around for?” Wanyan Lie demanded coldly. Seeing his ministers all bow their heads, not daring to speak, he grew even more irritated. “Prepare for war! Pull yourselves together for this crown prince! Fight!”

Even though the situation looked far from favorable, Wanyan Lie still believed that once Xuanyuan Lige and Minhan Mudeer opened war in the east, Jun Beiyue would at least be somewhat constrained by it!

His forces would inevitably have to split, diverting some troops eastward!

He could only hope that Xuanyuan Lige and Minhan Mudeer would be despicable enough to go all the way, striking straight at Jun Beiyue’s rear supply lines!

Compared to Xuanyuan Lige, Wanyan Lie was, after all, naive and impulsive!

At that very moment, far from rushing to mobilize troops, Xuanyuan Lige wasn’t even with his own army — he had personally delivered Nanny Qin to the Xiongnu.

The moment Minhan Mudeer saw Nanny Qin, he was so overcome he didn’t know what to say, rushing forward and pulling her into an embrace. “Auntie!”

Though covered in injuries and aching all over from the embrace, Nanny Qin’s eyes brimmed with joyful tears. “I knew he wouldn’t abandon his auntie! I knew it! I knew it! Ha ha!”

“Auntie, they didn’t hurt you too badly, did they!” Minhan Mudeer asked with great concern.

But Xuanyuan Lige gave a brief account of the situation, cutting him off.

Only then did Minhan Mudeer remember that Xuanyuan Lige was still there. He first settled Nanny Qin off to the side, then turned back.

“Xuanyuan Lige, here — this king guarantees, we will commit our full military strength, wholeheartedly supporting you! Our great Xiongnu nation, one hundred thousand slave troops, eighty thousand soldiers, all standing ready, waiting only for your word!”

Hearing Minhan Mudeer reveal the true scale of his forces, Xuanyuan Lige wasn’t particularly surprised. In that earlier chaotic conflict, the Xiongnu had relied entirely on Dongqin’s borrowed troops — meaning, aside from Da Zhou, they were the nation that had suffered the least losses!

The old Xiongnu emperor had always been conservative, preferring to garrison his troops rather than engage Da Zhou in full-scale conflict, but Minhan Mudeer was entirely different!

This was exactly what Xuanyuan Lige had counted on — otherwise, despite his sound-killing troops and the hidden tunnel through the ravine, which could achieve surprise victories, his own forces alone simply weren’t enough to play on this scale!

With the Xiongnu’s full commitment behind him, he could now play for very high stakes indeed…