Meeting Wanyan Lie’s furious gaze, Situ Haonan remained composed and unhurried. Openly, without regard for the crowd watching, he kept his arm around Yelu Qianqian’s waist.

At this moment, Yelu Qianqian was so moved she nearly cried. She swore to herself that in this lifetime, whoever dared bully Han Ziqing, she’d have it out with them without end!

Even her own blood brother, faced with such stakes, might not have yielded and accommodated her this way!

Yet Han Ziqing had done it, and done it so beautifully!

Before everyone’s eyes, Wanyan Lie stood before Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian, holding a flame-shaped marshal’s order in one hand.

This young couple had finally become the true focus of this grand surrender ceremony!

The assembled Xijing officers and soldiers looked at their future son-in-law and their princess with reverence and respect.

Xijing’s crown prince was gone, but their hope remained!

Wanyan Lie extended the marshal’s order with one hand, extremely unwilling, and said coldly, “I, Wanyan Lie, Crown Prince of Xiliang, commanding general of the Xiliang army in this campaign, today, defeated at Longxi City, willingly…”

At this point, Wanyan Lie paused, and the thousands upon thousands of ears in the crowd all pricked up, waiting. Everyone’s hearts pounded with tension, as if ready to leap from their chests!

With just this one sentence, with this ceremony of presenting the marshal’s order, Xiliang would truly be defeated, Xijing would truly become the victorious nation, and the year-long war on the western front would truly be over!

How could this not stir the heart?

And more than that—Xiliang’s crown prince personally surrendering to Xijing’s princess and future son-in-law—how could this not rouse the spirit?

Go on!

Hurry up and say it!

Everyone silently urged Wanyan Lie on in their hearts!

Situ Haonan had to admit that even he felt tense at this moment. Thinking back to how indecisive he’d once been—his martial skill formidable, yes, but he’d never commanded thousands of troops. He’d liked Qianqian, yes, but he’d been constrained by the rules of the Situ clan.

But over this past year, he had stolen away another man’s fiancée and eloped with her, he had learned from Jun Beiyue to charge into battle single-handedly, he had, as commanding general, won a battle worthy of being recorded in Longyuan’s grand history!

All that remained now was for Wanyan Lie to speak the words of surrender, and it would all come to a perfect close.

Not only was Situ Haonan tense, but Yelu Qianqian’s eyes had welled up with tears again and again. She couldn’t even imagine the glory that awaited them once Situ Haonan secured the Xiliang marshal’s order and they returned to Akbachu!

By then, they would no longer be rats scurrying across the street with everyone shouting to beat them down, no longer traitors to their country, no longer a shameless pair of adulterers who’d run off together, no longer a selfish young couple—but heroes of Xijing!

They would have helped Xijing defeat Xiliang, their centuries-long rival, and would wipe clean that shameful chapter in Xijing’s history, replacing it with the most glorious chapter of all!

Say it, Wanyan Lie, hurry up and say it!

Yelu Qianqian was shouting in her heart, but a flicker of reluctance crossed Wanyan Lie’s eyes as he continued coldly, “I… on behalf of Xiliang, surrender to…”

“Who are you? Speak clearly!” Ziqing unexpectedly cut in sharply.

Wanyan Lie glared furiously, gritting out each word, “I surrender on behalf of Xiliang to Xijing!”

Surrendering to Situ Haonan was already his absolute limit—there was no way he’d spell it out any more clearly than that. He looked at Ziqing, his meaning plain: don’t push your luck.

But at this, Situ Haonan spoke up righteously, “Xijing will not accept such an insincere surrender! Crown Prince Lie, think this over carefully!”

Wanyan Lie had held back somewhat with Ziqing, but with Situ Haonan he couldn’t restrain himself, “Situ Haonan, don’t act high and mighty just because you’ve got backing—know your place!”

“Backing? So Crown Prince Lie means to say you’re not even as good as a dog?”

Even a dog could have backing to rely on—if you had no backing to rely on at all, wouldn’t that make you worse off than a dog?

And surrendering to a dog—wouldn’t that make you even worse than a dog yourself?

Situ Haonan smiled brilliantly, while Wanyan Lie was so furious his internal organs practically felt ready to explode.

It truly proved the old saying: if a man can bring himself down, then no one else can bring him down any further!

Ziqing had no interest in wasting more time on this—she couldn’t help wondering whether Jun Beiyue was already on his way to Akbachu.

“Crown Prince Lie, if you surrender, do it with grace; if you refuse to surrender, do it with dignity. Without dignity or grace, are you even a real man?”

Ziqing spoke coldly, giving Wanyan Lie no room to hesitate, and suddenly raised her hand and swung it down hard. In that instant—BOOM—another thunderous explosion, this one directly blasting apart the gate of Longxi City!

Debris flew and scattered as everyone below the gate covered their heads and fled in panic, many Xiliang officers scurrying away like frightened rats.

Ziqing looked at Wanyan Lie provocatively—when she wanted to threaten someone, she never relied on words, but on action!

Without a word, facing danger head-on, yet looking every bit like a living, breathing demon, she raised her hand again and swung it down hard—instantly another BOOM, shaking heaven and earth!

“Wanyan Lie, since you’re so eager to keep fighting, this consort will accompany you to the very end!” Her face finally turned cold.

“No!” Wanyan Lie cried out in alarm. If this continued, he genuinely believed Han Ziqing might blast her way straight to Xiliang’s own capital.

There were countless rumors about the mysterious weapon in Han Ziqing’s hands, and the strategists beside nearly every ruler had studied this weapon.

The most common theory was that her supply of this weapon was limited—otherwise, Jun Beiyue would have already used it on the northern front!

But Wanyan Lie couldn’t afford to gamble on that!

“I surrender!” Wanyan Lie finally relented, facing Situ Haonan, one hand behind his back, the other presenting the marshal’s order. “I, Wanyan Lie, on behalf of Xiliang, surrender to Xijing’s commanding general… Situ… Situ Haonan! I ask Commander Situ to accept Xiliang’s surrender, to turn swords into plowshares, and to forge a friendly bond between our nations!”

For a moment, the entire scene fell silent, save for the occasional stone still tumbling down from the gate with a soft thud.

In this silence, Ziqing’s voice rang out, unusually icy, “Both hands!”

She didn’t have much gunpowder left—using three charges here was already a considerable expenditure. Naturally, she needed Wanyan Lie to be perfectly obedient, doing exactly as she said!

Otherwise, wouldn’t such a grand expenditure be wasted for nothing!

Faced with Ziqing’s command, Wanyan Lie had no choice but to comply, presenting the marshal’s order with both hands.

“Say it again!” Ziqing said coldly once more.

Wanyan Lie took a deep breath, presented it with both hands, and without needing to be told, bent at the waist and bowed his head, his posture respectful and sincere, because he had no desire to say it a third time!

“I, Wanyan Lie, on behalf of Xiliang, surrender to Xijing’s commanding general… Situ… Situ Haonan! I ask Commander Situ to accept Xiliang’s surrender, to turn swords into plowshares, and to forge a friendly bond between our nations!”

His tone was sincere, his gaze earnest—this time, truly beyond reproach.

Only then did Ziqing look toward Situ Haonan, seeking his opinion!

Situ Haonan, one arm around Yelu Qianqian, turned to the assembled Xijing officers and soldiers and shouted, “Brothers, what do you say?”

General Dugu immediately replied, “Let Princess Qianqian decide!”