Xiao Li sat in the upper seat, half his face hidden in the backlit shadows, making it impossible for anyone to discern what expression he wore at that moment.

Ever since Li Xun had stated that Wen Yu had secretly instructed him when he helped resolve those military strategy questions back in Pingzhou, Xiao Li had fallen into an unusually deep silence.

After Li Xun finished explaining the full details of these past events, he finally spoke: “Thank you, Minister Li, for informing Xiao of all this.”

This matter from years past had been like a mountain pressing on Li Xun’s chest. Now that he had clarified everything and made Xiao Li understand Wen Yu’s painstaking efforts over these years, he felt the weight on his heart instantly lift considerably. He cupped his hands toward Xiao Li once more and said: “Li does not wish to see the Marquis and the Princess at odds with each other.”

–

After Li Xun departed, in the evening Zheng Hu came to deliver the military reports from each battalion. Upon entering the tent and finding it so dark he couldn’t see his own hand before his face, he assumed Xiao Li wasn’t there. Only after taking out a fire striker and lighting the candle stand did he discover someone sitting in the upper seat, which startled him. He complained: “Second Brother, why are you in the tent without even lighting a single candle?”

The candlelight illuminated Xiao Li’s sharp and imposing features. Before this moment, he had clearly been lost in thought about something, but that expression Zheng Hu had never seen on his face before vanished the instant the candlelight brightened.

He turned his head and asked: “What is it?”

Zheng Hu placed a stack of reports on Xiao Li’s desk, saying: “The casualty reports from each battalion and today’s enemy kills and seized weaponry counts are all here. Second Brother, take a look when you have time.”

Xiao Li acknowledged with a sound.

As Zheng Hu was about to leave the tent, he couldn’t help but glance at Xiao Li twice more and asked: “Second Brother, do you have something on your mind?”

Xiao Li raised his eyes to look at Zheng Hu once, pausing for two breaths before saying: “No.”

Just as Zheng Hu was about to say something more, he heard him give the order: “Tell the soldiers to rest early tonight. Conserve their strength – tomorrow we attack the city.”

With this interruption, Zheng Hu found it awkward to continue the previous topic and could only say: “Then I’ll head back first. Second Brother, you should also rest early.”

The tent flap fell, and the tent interior returned to complete silence, with only the candlelight flickering against the tent walls.

The dim light clearly cut out Xiao Li’s jawline. He sat still for a while, then opened the drawer beneath his desk and took out a broken arrow with a darkened bloodstain wrapped around its head, holding it up to the light in silent contemplation.

Once upon a time, he had always treated this poisoned arrow that had nearly taken his life as evidence of Wen Yu’s cold-heartedness and ruthlessness, telling himself he could no longer harbor any expectations toward her.

Later, when he encountered her again, he still fell into her like sinking into a quagmire.

He could only allow himself to sink consciously.

Although he had long stopped caring whether Wen Yu had truly intended to put him to death back then, he could no longer distinguish whether their past relationship had been merely a means of controlling her subordinates on her part, or if there had truly been some genuine feeling mixed in.

But now he knew.

Those life-and-death moments they had shared together were not so inconsequential to Wen Yu after all.

His heart felt both comforted and burning hot, yet even more greedy.

She had never thought of killing him, much less mistreated him.

But that was all.

He knew it.

All her kindness toward him stopped at the boundaries of sovereign and subject, of repaying gratitude.

Once those boundaries were crossed, he had already witnessed her coldness on that thunderstorm night in Pingzhou.

Even though she later admitted to liking him, said she owed him, she was still unwilling to give him any promises.

Or perhaps for her, settling things cleanly with him was what she truly desired.

After all, the greater cause, revenge, her subjects, the common people – these were the things she constantly held in her heart.

She had sacrificed herself to these rivers and mountains, so she could also sever her romantic feelings just as decisively and cleanly.

She accepted by default that she should shoulder all of this, so she could become the King of Chen’s wife, could agree to bear a child with Jiang Yu, could spend that night with him at the mountain hermitage, and could also, after returning to South Chen, have another child with the King of Chen to consolidate her position.

Just as she had told him when she was captured by Pei Song’s lackeys – she didn’t care.

When he learned the news of her pregnancy, he had been so furious – furious to the point that even when dreaming of her, his eyes would be bloodshot. He would reach out wanting to grab her neck and demand an answer from her, but at the moment he truly raised his hand to touch her, he could only gasp almost desperately while holding her tightly in his embrace.

Like a drowning person about to die, finally grasping that life-saving straw.

Every time he woke from such dreams, his heart felt terribly empty, and that emptiness continued to expand with the passage of time, gnawing away at what little rationality he had left.

Endless days and nights of warfare and killing couldn’t suppress that sense of desolation that was driving him mad.

He wanted to see her.

He wanted to forge a chain.

Once forged, he would lock her up with it.

Bind her firmly to his side.

Since her romantic feelings were so easily severed, then he would be the one to force the matter.

Her heart held her subjects, held this world.

So he would go seize this world for her.

–

The attack on Luodu also took place on a clear day.

The armies of Liang, Chen, and Xiao surrounded the four city gates of Luodu.

Among the densely packed black masses of troops, one could faintly make out siege equipment like battering rams, scaling ladders, and catapults.

When the rumbling war drums began beating from below the city, the deep sound waves struck against Luodu’s city walls that stood several zhang high, stirring up countless echoes like muffled thunder in a valley, making people’s heartstrings tremble along with it.

The military formations spread out by the three allied forces advanced forward like black water. The armored soldiers in the front ranks holding swords and shields struck their round shields with their long blades. Though there were no battle cries, the orderly footfalls and shield-striking sounds had already become the second layer of muffled thunder on this battlefield.

The Luodu city tower ahead still stood solemn and imposing, but under this military formation surging forward like ocean tides, it also seemed like an old damaged fortune ship about to be swallowed by great waves, heading toward its fated destruction.

Pei Song had suffered consecutive defeats over the past half year. His subordinates’ morale had long been unstable. After the surrounding cities protecting Luodu were captured, he had become even more isolated and without support.

Previously he could still promise to cede territory to reach cooperation with the barbarians beyond the passes, gaining a moment’s respite, but the battle between the barbarian tribes beyond the passes and the northern frontier had never stopped since last year when Xiao Li was framed and left North Wei and the barbarians took advantage of the void to invade.

During both spring and autumn – the two prime seasons for cattle and sheep breeding – the barbarians had been exhausted from warring with the northern lands. Throughout all of last year, the barbarians’ consumption far exceeded their previous winter raid campaigns against the northern lands.

The barbarians could no longer sustain it.

When Xiao Li had previously led the righteous army defending Yanle Mountain, he had also developed a set of tactics against the barbarian raids. After teaching these tactics to Yuan Fang and the others, now relying solely on North Wei veteran generals like Yuan Fang and Wei Ang to hold the position, they could steadily defend Yanle Mountain.

Throughout this entire winter, the barbarians had gained nothing good in the northern lands. Currently their offensive against the northern territory was quite exhausted. It seemed they only wanted to endure this harsh winter before recuperating, so naturally they could no longer serve as external support for Pei Song.

Everyone knew in their hearts that in this campaign against Luodu, Pei Song was certain to be defeated.

On the distant Luodu city tower, Pei Song gazed at the great army approaching below like a black iron torrent, showing not the slightest panic on his face. He even carried an air of detached casualness, as if watching a play.

He turned his head to look at the gaunt, armor-clad old man beside him. As if verifying some wager, he said with slight mockery and a smile: “General Qin, rebel forces are attacking the city. His Majesty summons you to come to the king’s rescue.”

The old man whose graying hair and beard, though groomed, still floated wildly like a lion’s mane, had eyes that were originally murky and confused. But upon hearing the words “rescue the sovereign,” he began to murmur: “Rescue the sovereign…”

Pei Song’s eyes held complete coldness and sarcasm. Curling his lips, he said: “That’s right, His Majesty is waiting in the palace for you to rescue him.”

Qin Yi’s murky eyes suddenly gained spirit and fighting intent, like a broken mechanical device abandoned for many years that someone had dug up again and repaired the hinges on. His gaze both murky and bright, he looked below: “What insignificant thieves dare come attack my Luodu?”

The Pei soldiers holding bows and crossbows stationed at the wall crenellations had already been intimidated by the momentum of the great army surging forward below like ocean waves, their faces showing fear, even their hands gripping their weapons trembling slightly.

If not for fearing Pei Song’s authority, and with Luodu currently surrounded on all sides, there would likely be some deserting on the spot.

Everyone was waiting for orders from Pei Song’s side once the great army entered crossbow range, but they also understood that even with a rain of arrows blocking them, they probably couldn’t stop this surging black iron torrent below for long.

The wind swept up the many banners on the city tower. The air seemed to freeze along with the bowstrings.

The great army below had already entered crossbow range. Qin Yi, observing the battle from the crenellations, suddenly let out a violent roar from his throat: “The thieves have entered range – release arrows!”

His voice was hoarse and grating, yet had extremely strong penetrating power, like an aged maned lion stretching its neck to roar in fury. The nearby lackeys and soldiers all froze upon hearing it, goosebumps rising all over their bodies. Even the flag officer on the city tower responsible for transmitting the commander’s orders was stunned for a beat before hurriedly waving signal flags while shouting the order: “Transmit the commander’s order – release arrows!”

This volley of arrows released was not orderly, sparse and crooked, yet it seemed like a great net cast down from above the city tower.

The attacking army below was already prepared. In an instant they stacked their round shields together, propping up a shield wall above their heads.

The soldiers leading the charge even had two men jointly lifting a giant shield to resist the arrows flying like locusts as they pushed forward.

“Prepare the catapults—” Qin Yi continued to shout hoarsely.

Using catapults to hurl rolling stones to smash shield formations was also a common siege defense tactic, but the result wouldn’t change anything.

The soldiers who had experienced many defensive siege battles only waited numbly for this wave of rolling stones to be thrown. After some minor casualties among the enemy troops below, they would continue using shield formations to advance toward the base of their city tower. Next would come battering the city gates and setting up scaling ladders to climb the walls.

But as the catapults on the city tower hurled dozens of sealed clay jars containing fire oil, and arrows were shot out again, the clay jars shattered and the fire oil inside splattered down from midair.

At the row of crenellations nearest the main city tower, all the Pei soldiers’ arrows were actually lit with ignited pine resin. When this volley of fire arrows shot out, wherever the fire oil had poured below instantly burned into a sea of flames.

Even though the round shields blocked most of the fire oil, if any of the soldiers below had even a drop of fire oil splashed on their clothing, the moment they moved amid the firelight, their bodies would instantly be licked by tongues of flame. The fire burned many soldiers who rolled on the ground. The military formation quickly scattered into complete disarray.

This turn of events was something neither the attacking nor defending forces had anticipated.

After the Pei clan soldiers on the city tower realized what had happened, they let out waves of shouts that pierced straight into the clouds. Their originally low morale instantly soared.

This time there was no need for Qin Yi to give orders. Pei Song had already braced both hands on the wall crenellations, laughing maniacally as he shouted: “Release arrows! Keep releasing arrows!”

The soldiers below who were too preoccupied with the raging fire to maintain their shield formations, even those trying to flee backward couldn’t do so in time. In an instant they were shot full of arrows like sieves.

In the military formations at the rear that had not yet advanced forward, the soldiers who witnessed this catastrophic siege couldn’t help but be shaken.

In the central army formation, Zhang Huai, who stood on the war chariot alongside Xiao Li, saw this situation and his expression also turned ugly. Furrowing his brows, he said: “Marquis, the Pei camp seems to have held back in the previous battles. The vanguard army has suffered severe casualties. It’s not advisable to continue the siege. Sound the gong to withdraw the troops.”

Xiao Li coldly watched the arrows raining down like a net from the distant city tower onto the fleeing vanguard army formations, and said: “Sound the zheng.”

The bronze zheng hanging on the war chariot was struck with a clanging sound, but the great army stationed on the perimeter showed no signs of withdrawing. Instead, two cavalry units from both flanks galloped toward the city tower, appearing to use the vanguard army as cover to attack the base of the city.

On the city tower, when Pei Song caught sight of this, his eyes narrowed. He immediately shouted: “Archers! Shoot and kill the cavalry on both flanks!”

The Pei soldiers who had originally been shooting arrows at the fleeing vanguard army within range immediately adjusted their aim in unison.

Pei Song saw Xiao Li leading the left flank cavalry charging at the very front. Laughing gleefully, his eyes suddenly revealed a hint of ferocity as he ordered those around him: “Bring me my bow!”

His lackeys quickly brought over a specially crafted great bow.

For ordinary soldiers, using crossbows had longer range than drawing their own bows, but for generals skilled in mounted archery, the range of crossbows was far inferior to bows.

Although Pei Song had recently been afflicted with heart disease from anger over consecutive defeats, which had indirectly triggered the recurrence of an old ailment, his martial arts foundation from the past was still there. He drew the great bow into a full moon shape. On the string that seemed about to snap from tension, the arrow tip gleaming with cold light was aimed directly at Xiao Li in his black armor and black mount, gradually galloping into range.