The junior general didn’t know why He Yi suddenly changed her mind, but didn’t dare ask more. He nodded and respectfully acknowledged.

He Yi donned her cloak and strode out of the tent with large steps, her brow and eyes sharp throughout.

That Liang cavalry only dared to ambush Nilu and his forces, which meant the other side absolutely didn’t have numerical superiority. She had ordered Nilu to use thirty thousand troops to counter-hunt that cavalry—barring any accidents, it would be enough to ensure they had no return.

—

Gele City.

Horn sounds wailed mournfully. Yellow sand and dust filled the air. The Western Ling army pressed toward the city below like yellow ants.

He Yi wore gleaming gold battle armor, seated high upon a warhorse clad in gilded armor. A soft satin cloak of the same color trailed long behind her. She raised a pair of eyes where wildness and ambition intertwined, looking toward that city tower more than three zhang high in the distance.

The princess who had rushed from the royal court to this border city stood at the battlements of the city tower in court robes of black and vermilion brocade. On her left and right sides stood General Mu Youliang who guarded the pass and a female general in Liang- battle armor. Behind them, Chen Kingdom’s Dark Phoenix banner and Great Liang’s Azure Dragon Crimson Cloud banner fluttered fiercely in the western wind.

The setting sun’s afterglow scattered on the banners, blazing as if to burn, as though proclaiming that the fortunes of Liang and Chen kingdoms had not yet run out.

Too far away, He Yi couldn’t clearly see that princess’s true appearance, but that dignity and composure made her narrow her eyes.

She was pleased that the one who had personally come to Gele City was truly Hanyang.

But she disliked how the other party seemed calm and composed, as if everything was already completely under her control.

Once, to study Han people’s military tactics, she had specially invited a Central Plains tutor.

That tutor disliked her sharp edge and always said “the superior person keeps their weapons hidden, waiting for the right moment to act.” When she killed that old man after learning everything, she had only found him annoying.

Today, catching this distant glimpse from below the city, she suddenly understood what “the superior person keeps their weapons hidden” meant. Precisely because of this, she suddenly felt a surge of irritation within her arrogance.

The little princess capable of shouldering both Liang and Chen kingdoms was indeed not delicate—perhaps she even possessed exceptional abilities.

But no matter what, it was already meaningless.

He Yi’s gaze looking toward Wen Yu from afar changed from wariness to derision.

If the one who came to this Gele City truly was Hanyang… then the motive of that Liang cavalry repeatedly harassing Nilu and his forces wasn’t hard to guess—nothing more than delaying time, fighting for a chance of victory for Tiger Gorge Pass.

How the Liang woman had so quickly obtained news of them dispatching troops to Tiger Gorge Pass and immediately turned swords into plowshares with the Xiao camp—He Yi was too lazy to investigate deeply.

She only knew that the other party daring to personally come to this border city was no different from binding herself and seeking death!

The blood vessels beneath her arms began to swell. The hand gripping the reins tightened then loosened. She only felt all the bones in her body clamoring, urgently craving the baptism of slaughter and blood.

He Yi stared at the distant city tower and slowly drew the long sword at her waist: “Attack the city!”

War drums thundered. Killing shouts echoed like ocean tides, crashing toward the opposite city tower.

On the city tower, Mu Youliang immediately shouted: “Archers and crossbowmen prepare!”

The Chen army soldiers stationed at the city tower battlements loaded arrows into their crossbows one after another. Gu Xiyun clapped her palms twice. The Liang army soldiers who had climbed the city tower also held crossbows behind the battlements, only waiting for the Chen army soldiers to step down to reload arrows before they would move up.

Mu Youliang turned to cup his fists toward Wen Yu: “Princess, your personal presence at Gele City has already greatly boosted the morale of the entire army. Stray arrows have no eyes on the city tower—please withdraw first, Princess, and wait for this general’s victory report!”

Wen Yu said: “General, just supervise the battle. No need to worry about this palace.”

When she said this, Zhao Bai, who followed her with the Azure Cloud Guards without leaving her side for an inch, nodded slightly toward Mu Youliang.

Wen Yu’s expression was gentle. Her gaze swept toward the Western Ling army roaring and charging forward below, also without the slightest change in color. She only instructed Gu Xiyun beside her: “Xiyun, in this battle, learn more from General Mu.”

Gu Xiyun nodded in acknowledgment.

With matters at this point, Mu Youliang also knew Wen Yu wanted to personally observe Western Ling’s fighting methods. He cupped his fists toward Gu Xiyun in greeting.

Gu Xiyun returned his salute with cupped fists.

She had come here together with Wen Yu leading twenty thousand Liang territory reinforcements. To integrate well with Gele City’s Chen army in unified resistance against the foreign enemy, she first needed to familiarize herself with their combat methods and the main commander’s orders.

—

This battle—He Yi perhaps came aiming to capture Wen Yu alive—was extremely fierce in its offensive. From dusk until dawn, the Chen army, having regained morale due to Wen Yu’s personal presence and aided by Liang territory reinforcements, fought hard through the night and finally managed with difficulty to hold the city gates.

The Western Ling army attacking the city in rotating waves was equally exhausted after this night. When He Yi ordered the gongs to signal withdrawal in the morning light, amid the army receding like a tide, she controlled her horse and turned back to glance at Wen Yu on the city tower.

The dazzling rising sun from the east prevented her from looking directly at that Liang territory princess who in just over two years had won the support of subjects and people of both Liang and Chen kingdoms.

He Yi didn’t fear the taste of failure. Countless thorns and ravines had once blocked her path, and she had hacked her way through them all with sword and axe.

Now was the same.

This broken stone wall blocking her would eventually become broken walls and ruins under her sword and axe and thousands of troops and horses!

He Yi gripped the reins tightly, turned her horse’s head, and departed.

On the city tower, Wen Yu watched He Yi lead the army away. The soldiers on the city tower were all cheering.

They had lost all the oases outside Gele City and had been defending Gele City until now without ever fighting a proper victory.

Today’s victorious battle had finally reconsolidated the fighting spirit that had been scattered before.

Mu Youliang had supervised the battle all night, yet showed no signs of fatigue at this moment. Unable to conceal his excitement, he cupped his fists toward Wen Yu: “This battle’s victory is all thanks to the princess’s blessing…”

Wen Yu had also been awake all night. Her eyes were slightly red from the strain. Compared to the joy on Mu Youliang’s face, her expression could be described as solemn: “Last night’s hard battle—General Mu and all the soldiers worked hard. But now is not yet the time to be happy.”

Mu Youliang heard something unusual in Wen Yu’s words. The joy on his face diminished slightly.

—

The rising sun had climbed higher. He Yi returned to the royal tent and kicked over the low table with one foot. The personal guards attending on either side all held their breath.

He Yi sat down in the tiger-skin chair. Both hands rested on her knees, her chin propped on them as if pondering for a moment before saying: “Send a message back to the royal capital. Dispatch all remaining troops to Gele City.”

The personal guards exchanged glances, all hearing that this strategy was improper. They wanted to advise: “Princess…”

He Yi raised her head. Even her lip line appeared sharp as her lips pressed tightly: “My mind is made up. No need for more words.”

One personal guard risked his life to advise: “Princess, you must not act rashly because of today’s defeat. That Liang woman personally came to Gele City—who can guarantee she doesn’t have some conspiracy…”

He Yi shouted, unable to conceal her ferocity: “The conspiracy is that they’re delaying time, trying to reverse the battle situation at Tiger Gorge Pass!”

Several personal guards were startled, then said: “Then you still…”

He Yi’s face was taut. The hands hanging at her knees also clenched into fists. On her dark skin, one could clearly glimpse the direction of muscle striations. She said: “If they’ve already notified Tiger Gorge Pass in advance about the traitorous general, and Nilu and the prince consort have been detained for some time, then we can’t rely too much on using Tiger Gorge Pass to open Great Liang’s gateway. But capturing their Liang territory princess alive can!”

—

Gele City’s government hall.

Looking at the map, Mu Youliang finally understood why Wen Yu had said such words on the city tower.

“Western Ling currently has seventy thousand troops surrounding the city. The royal capital should still be able to dispatch another thirty thousand troops. When one hundred thousand troops mass at the border, the Chen army inside Gele City has less than ten thousand remaining. Adding the twenty thousand Liang troops that came with the princess, it’s only slightly over thirty thousand…”

Even though long experienced on battlefields, facing this disparity in military strength, Mu Youliang’s face showed difficulty:

“Gele City probably cannot be held. But having retreated in defeat to Gele City, becoming blind in the great desert, failing to discover Western Ling dispatching troops to Tiger Gorge Pass in time—this general truly cannot escape blame even in ten thousand deaths. As long as we can delay one more day, even if this general must lead the soldiers to fill it with our flesh and blood, we will obstruct Western Ling for one more moment…”

A loud “clang” came from outside the door.

Mu Youliang shouted sternly: “Who’s there!”

Zhao Bai and Gu Xiyun, who were inside together with Wen Yu, also instantly raised sharp gazes toward the outside.

The door opened. A clear, youthful young man outside picked up a helmet and stack of documents that had fallen from his arm to the ground, answering in a muffled voice: “Father, it’s me.”

Wen Yu had some impression of this son. Earlier in the year, when military provisions couldn’t be allocated, he had returned to the royal court. Knowing it was those aristocratic family parasites at work, he had even directly barged into the residence of Remonstrance Grand Master Liu Guangling, who had been opposing her at the time, and given him a severe beating.

Seeing the visitor was his son, the severity on Mu Youliang’s face receded somewhat, though his tone showed no softening: “What are you doing outside the door?”

Mu Shaoting entered with the documents in hand, saying: “I came to deliver the military report on casualties among the soldiers.”

Afraid of appearing disrespectful before Wen Yu, Mu Youliang didn’t scold his son and only said: “Put it on the desk and leave.”

After placing the stack of documents on the desk, as Mu Shaoting turned to leave, he said with his back turned: “This subordinate knows the princess loves the people as her own children, but can those loved and cherished by the princess only be Liang territory subjects? To save Tiger Gorge Pass, must my entire Chen Kingdom’s Gele City be used as bait? When Gele City falls, don’t the common people of our Chen territory who will die unjustly count as human lives?”

Finally turning to look at Wen Yu, that gaze was full of redness—defiant, indignant.

Then he strode outside. Mu Youliang angrily shouted for him to stop. He acted as if he hadn’t heard. Finally, Mu Youliang grabbed a bamboo slip from the desk and threw it at his son’s back, naturally missing completely.

Mu Youliang ground his teeth and ordered a nearby personal guard to quickly go tie up Mu Shaoting and bring him back. He himself bowed deeply toward Wen Yu with cupped fists: “May the princess contain her anger. My unworthy son is ignorant and spoke wildly, offending the princess. When this general goes down, he will absolutely flay and draw his tendons!”

Not a trace of anger showed on Wen Yu’s face. Nor was there any hurt from being misunderstood and wrongly accused. She was so calm it was as if Mu Shaoting’s words just now weren’t directed at her: “The young general is also eager to protect the common people below. Having such a general, this princess should be gratified.”

—

Mu Shaoting left the government hall, walking forward along the corridor with a bellyful of pent-up anger: “A Liang woman is a Liang woman. When it really comes to making choices, it’s all our Chen territory people who are sacrificed…”

A leg suddenly extended from the side. Mu Shaoting, in the heat of anger, didn’t watch his feet and was tripped solidly, falling hard.

“Which blind dog servant…”

Just as Mu Shaoting was grimacing and preparing to get up, he discovered a pair of military boots stained with not-yet-dried blood standing before him.

He looked up and saw it was the female general following that Liang woman. Feeling he’d been made a fool of, extremely embarrassed and angry, he braced himself to get up. But before he could question her, a cold and sharp gaze from the other party sliced over. She crossed her arms and said coldly: “Do you think those ministers of your Chen Kingdom who finally agreed to let the princess bring a large army here don’t cherish the common people below as much as you, Young General Mu?”

Mu Shaoting laughed coldly: “Who knows what benefits that Liang woman promised them…”

Before his words finished falling, Mu Shaoting felt something ice-cold against his throat.

Gu Xiyun’s long spear pointed directly at his throat: “Boy, considering your youth, I won’t take your life today. But if I hear you insult the princess again even once…”

She slowly turned her eyes to sweep over him. Without finishing her words, the long spear in her hand shifted direction and thrust fiercely, stabbing hard into the corridor pillar beside them.

Mu Shaoting was shocked by her domineering spear technique, momentarily forgetting to make a sound.

As Gu Xiyun withdrew her spear and departed, she said coldly: “In the entire royal court, the one who treats your Chen Kingdom people most fairly is my princess.”

Mu Shaoting stood in place. That humiliation and anger rose again from his heart. He shouted: “Can’t you see how many people died in yesterday’s battle? To protect your Great Liang’s Tiger Gorge Pass, you’ve drawn all the Western Ling army to Gele City. Our Chen army men can all die in battle, but after the city falls, how will those unarmed common people manage?”

Gu Xiyun halted her steps. Leaning on her spear, she turned back to look at that young man full of righteous indignation and said: “The princess personally came to this dangerous place precisely to protect all the common people of both Liang and Chen territories.

“If Gele City falls, it won’t only be your Chen Kingdom soldiers who die. We twenty thousand Liang army soldiers who came with the princess will also bury our bones here!”

Mu Shaoting understood the meaning in her words. They wouldn’t retreat—that meant once the city fell, Wen Yu also wouldn’t retreat.

On his young face, for a moment one couldn’t distinguish whether it was awkwardness or shame. Seized by these complex emotions, he couldn’t help but continue to shout: “What makes the princess think that by personally coming to Gele City, she can protect the people of both territories?”

Realizing the words he’d spoken in his urgency still sounded like an interrogation, he gritted his teeth and added: “A general may die at the battle front, but a ruler should not!”

Gu Xiyun lowered her eyes: “To the princess, the people of both territories are simply more important than herself. It’s that simple.”

Before taking steps to leave again, she said: “If you also want to protect your Chen Kingdom’s common people after Gele City, then defend Gele City to the death—hold it for at least one month.”

Mu Shaoting was about to retort that with Western Ling’s one hundred thousand troops massing at the border, if Gele City could hold for even ten days it would be enough to be recorded in history—how could they hold for one month?

But having grown up in the military from childhood, he had still developed some sensitive instincts.

Not more, not less—precisely one month. Princess Hanyang dragging out this time limit—did she have some other deployment?

—

At the same time, inside Gele City’s government hall, Mu Youliang bowed deeply toward Wen Yu: “This general understands. This general stakes his life on it—for the next month, as long as the pass stands, so do we!”

—

In the great desert, once a sandstorm arose, the sky became a murky yellow throughout. Apart from dawn and dusk, other times could hardly be distinguished.

Zheng Hu led the soldiers in finishing tying sand-thorn branches to the horses’ tails. Looking at the yellow sand slowly covering everything in the distance, he walked over to Xiao Li, who was drawing a simple map on the ground while pondering, and said: “Youcai sent back a message—a squad of Western Ling troops has taken the bait and chased after us. This time we’ll make sure those Western Ling barbarians have no return!”

Xiao Li asked: “What banner are they flying?”

Zheng Hu knew that in ambushing Western Ling troops for many days, he also had a goal of killing Pei Song. He answered: “Not the ‘Pei’ character banner, and no eagle-dogs seen either. Probably not that bastard Pei Song. That dog thief values his life very much now—he’s been cowering in Western Ling’s main force army all along and hasn’t shown his face once.”

Xiao Li wiped away the map on the ground and stood, saying: “Tiger, you go meet Youcai and lead that Western Ling force on a longer detour.”

Zheng Hu saw him strip off his outer robe and pick up battle armor stripped from a Western Ling soldier they’d killed earlier. The wolf riders who had been with him had at some point all changed into Western Ling armor and helmets.

Zheng Hu’s eyelid jumped. He hurriedly said: “Second Brother, don’t do anything reckless!”