Below the city walls, chaos erupted instantly as all the Western Liang soldiers stood stunned in disbelief.

Heyi was also momentarily frozen, then rushed forward several steps, grabbing hold of the personal guard who had rolled off his horse and knelt to report. Her eyes were vicious enough to devour someone: “What did you say?”

The personal guard also knew that having their grain supplies burned was a matter of grave importance. He miserably repeated: “The Liang army launched a surprise attack on our camp and burned the granary…”

Heyi’s fingertips loosened their grip, and the personal guard tumbled back to the ground.

At the city gate entrance, the tripod fire basin crackled and popped loudly in the night.

A junior officer beside her glanced at Heyi’s expression and cautiously called: “Princess?”

“Luring the tiger away from the mountain?” Heyi laughed coldly, her eyes filled with savage anger. As malicious energy surged in her chest, she felt a sweet metallic taste rising in her throat.

She had thought Hanyang wanted to use the siege of the Royal City to force her retreat, designing this plan to seize Gole City by night. But she never expected this was also part of Hanyang’s calculations!

The enemy wanted her to commit all her forces, then cut off her retreat!

With the Royal City besieged, the grain route already severed, and the granary now burned, the fifty thousand troops remaining in her hands had instantly become trapped beasts!

That Hanyang—such excellent scheming!

Heyi forcefully swallowed the metallic sweetness in her throat, clenching her teeth as she spoke each word: “This is truly… an utter humiliation!”

Now before her lay only two paths: either tighten their belts and return ingloriously to Western Liang with the forty thousand troops sent to relieve the Royal City.

Or… stake everything on a single throw, taking these fifty thousand troops to pursue Hanyang who had withdrawn from Gole City, and wash away this disgrace!

Heyi made her decision almost instantly. She gripped her curved blade tightly, mounted her horse, and coldly ordered: “Chase them! Whoever captures Hanyang alive will be rewarded with ten thousand gold and made a Prince of Ten Thousand! Whoever brings back her head will also receive ten thousand gold and be made a Great General!”

The Western Liang soldiers immediately roared in response, their battle spirit soaring.

–

The crescent moon hanging high in the night sky shone startlingly bright on this utterly silent autumn night.

The gently undulating sand dunes of the great desert, in this moonlight, seemed like shallow folds in raised silk.

The army and carriages all raced along the white sand official road.

Zhao Bai galloped forward from ahead, urgently calling: “Princess!”

In the desert, the wind was strong, so the carriage curtains used were thicker than usual.

Wen Yu lifted the curtain—the dark satin drapery seemed to become piled clouds in her palm.

Zhao Bai turned her horse to ride alongside the carriage, pulling the reins closer to the window: “Heyi is pursuing. General Mu is leading the cavalry that raided the camp to engage them.”

Wen Yu wore a cloak, her eyes completely serene and peaceful. Her long lashes cast fan-shaped shadows on her eyelids under the warm light of the octagonal glass lamp inside the carriage: “Heyi is burning her boats, making a desperate gamble.”

Zhao Bai looked worried and was about to speak when she heard Wen Yu continue: “What preparations have been made at Panshi City? Have Qiyun and the others entered the city?”

Zhao Bai said: “Scouts from Panshi City just reported that ambushes have been set at all entry checkpoints throughout the city. General Gu and Young General Mu have also arrived in the city with the wounded soldiers.”

Panshi City lay beyond Gole City and was the nearest large city to Gole. Previously it served only as a wartime hub supplying the frontline cities. After Western Liang fought their way to beneath Gole City’s walls, Panshi City also rushed to repair its defenses.

Traveling from Gole City to Panshi City required half a day.

After Western Liang withdrew at dusk, Wen Yu had already arranged for Gu Qiyun and the others to withdraw first to Panshi City with the wounded soldiers.

She herself waited until the beacon fire blazed on the high slope of the great desert before withdrawing with the main army.

That was the signal she had agreed upon with the various desert tribes when forming the alliance at the Royal Court. If they successfully besieged the Western Liang Royal City, they would immediately send someone racing back to light beacon fires on high hills visible from Gole City.

Defending Gole City for twenty days was Wen Yu’s estimate of the fastest time the various desert tribes could besiege the Western Liang Royal City and send someone back with news.

If she hadn’t been able to wait for the beacon fire tonight, she would have simply continued to defend the city with its soldiers.

This was an open conspiracy.

She placed herself as bait in Gole City to restrain Western Liang from sending more troops to Tiger Gorge Pass, and also to force Heyi into this gamble—in order to capture her and conquer the Liang and Chen nations at minimal cost, sparing no expense to withdraw the Royal City’s garrison forces, thus giving the various desert tribes an opportunity to exploit.

With the Royal City besieged, Western Liang could no longer possibly send troops to Tiger Gorge Pass. Their morale damaged, the stalemate with the Chen nation would also begin to crumble.

This would be their opportunity for counterattack.

She had guessed that with Heyi’s caution, upon seeing the beacon fire she would certainly take action. If she then received urgent reports from Western Liang, she would only find it even harder to swallow this grievance and would definitely make her pay a price.

So after withdrawing from Gole City, she had Mu Youliang lead cavalry first to the Western Liang camp. As soon as Heyi attacked Gole City, Mu Youliang’s forces would raid the camp and burn the grain supplies.

With their final support cut off, Heyi’s reaction was exactly as Wen Yu expected.

The enemy wanted to fight her to mutual destruction.

Only now, the roles of attacker and defender had already reversed.

The wind in the desert night was cold and penetrating, blowing the tassels beneath the carriage eaves into gentle swaying. Wen Yu covered her lips as she coughed, her profile pale as porcelain in the silvery moonlight.

“Princess?” Zhao Bai called to Wen Yu with concern, turning to order the carriages and horses to stop for a brief rest, but Wen Yu waved her hand to stop her.

She had coughed rather severely. In the depths of her serene eyes, a slight physiological flush had appeared, making Zhao Bai’s heart clench into a knot. She knew this was because Wen Yu had exhausted herself mentally and physically day and night since Western Liang’s invasion, damaging her health, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

After the coughing subsided, Wen Yu finally said: “Then we shall… lure them into the trap.”

Deep in her eyes remained extreme clarity and serenity, reflecting the moonlight as if a great snow had begun to fall.

–

The darkness of night concealed many traces and also facilitated crudely manufactured tracks.

Following the footprints left in the great desert, Heyi pursued for half the night. In several skirmishes with the cavalry led by Mu Youliang, although the enemy didn’t have numerical advantage, they ambushed under cover of darkness and never lingered in battle. Each time, before she could fully mobilize her troops, they had already withdrawn—truly infuriating.

The originally high morale of her subordinates also slowly dissipated through these repeated raids.

After going in circles for half a day, Heyi finally discovered they had been led around by the nose. The marching tracks discovered by the scouts had all been deliberately fabricated by that cavalry unit!

She forcefully suppressed her anger, knowing that if Wen Yu was withdrawing now, she could only withdraw to Panshi City. She divided her forces into several groups and ordered them to pursue along all the routes from Gole City to Panshi City. If they discovered Wen Yu’s whereabouts, they should send scouts racing to the other routes with the news.

This method proved very effective. Soon the scouting scouts sent back news that they had discovered the army escorting Wen Yu’s escape ahead.

Heyi, having held back her anger all night, finally had an outlet. She immediately ordered: “Quickly send messages to recall the other troop divisions!”

Several scouts immediately spurred their horses away.

Heyi drew the battle blade from her waist and rallied the troops: “Warriors! Tonight we capture Hanyang, and the ten thousand leagues of territory of the Liang and Chen nations will all belong to our Western Liang! You will all become heroes sung of beside Lake Yisong!”

The Western Liang soldiers, who had also eaten a bellyful of frustration this night, roared with raised weapons under this rallying cry.

Heyi’s eyes reignited with ambition and fighting spirit. Leading her personal cavalry guards, she charged forward at the head of the pursuit.

When still several leagues from the Liang army, the scouts on the other side seemed to have discovered their pursuit. Knowing both sides’ forces were vastly different, they unexpectedly stopped taking the official road. Instead, they diverted troops to escort a carriage onto a small path.

Heyi, upon hearing the scout’s report, almost laughed coldly on the spot: “She Hanyang still thinks she can escape? Keep chasing!”

Upon reaching that fork in the road with her large army, facing the desperate resistance of the remaining Liang forces, Heyi only ordered a small portion of troops to stay behind. She herself led elite cavalry without hesitation along the small path Wen Yu had fled down.

As they pursued deeper into a narrow path with slopes on both sides, Heyi also suspected it was a trap.

But although this terrain favored ambushes, she had numerous forces after all. Liang territory’s reinforcements couldn’t possibly cross the thousand-league great desert beyond Hundred Blade Pass to arrive so quickly. Even if all of Gole City’s remnant soldiers charged down from the high slopes, they couldn’t harm her in the slightest.

The more Heyi thought, the fiercer her gaze became. She pursued forward almost with the determination to capture Wen Yu even if it meant losing some troops.

She whipped her horse sharply. As the warhorse continued forward, its front hooves suddenly stepped into emptiness. The sandy path ahead directly collapsed into a large pit over two zhang long, its bottom bristling with sharp spears.

Heyi yanked the reins viciously in time, pulling the warhorse to rear up and neigh with its neck arched, just avoiding falling into the pit.

Then at that moment, successive tremendous explosive sounds came from behind. For a time, sand and stones flew everywhere in the narrow path, with men and horses tumbling.

This official road had actually been pre-planted with explosives!

Now with the fuses lit, the cavalry behind didn’t know what was happening ahead. Their warhorses were also frightened by the explosions, so they simply charged forward en masse.

The elite cavalry ahead who had barely managed to rein in their horses were pushed and squeezed in the chaos, falling with their horses into the pit bristling with spears. They were instantly skewered like kabobs—the scene was quite gruesome for a time.

Heyi also nearly got pushed into the pit. Fortunately, the personal guards closely protecting her saw the situation spiraling out of control. When the rear cavalry charged wildly forward, regardless of whether they were their own people, they drew their blades and cut down men and horses alike. This allowed them to protect Heyi as she turned her horse around and galloped toward the slope on one side of the narrow path.

The cavalry trapped before the large pit by the surging troops from behind desperately shouted: “Don’t charge forward—there’s a trap pit ahead!”

But the distance was too great. After the explosive detonations, the rear cavalry, both men and horses terrified, only charged about wildly in the darkness, unable to hear what was being shouted ahead.

Thus in this chaos, not only were soldiers pushed and squeezed into the pit bristling with spears, many were trampled to death as well.

Heyi controlled her horse on the gentle slope, looking at the chaos below. Anxious and furious, she shouted at the top of her lungs in the Western Liang language: “Withdraw to the sand dunes on both sides!”

But her voice was similarly swallowed by panic and chaos in this darkness.

After trampling countless people to death, the soldiers below finally realized they should flee to the sand dunes on either side. But they hadn’t even run halfway up the dunes when a barrage of arrows shot down fiercely from above.

The soldiers running ahead immediately fell in droves.

The soldiers behind were all squeezing toward the gentle slopes, blocking the path of retreat. For a time, the outer layer of soldiers became complete sitting targets.

Heyi hadn’t expected her miscalculation this time would bring such devastating consequences. Watching the tragic scene of soldiers fleeing in disarray yet still dying under the hail of arrows, she was furious to the extreme. Yet a sense of defeat and helplessness that she herself was unwilling to acknowledge also pervaded her heart. She shouted herself hoarse: “Warriors! Continue charging forward—follow me and kill our way out!”

The rear of the narrow path must have already been blocked by Liang forces. The Liang were shooting arrows to drive them back and trap them for slaughter in this narrow path between two hills.

Only by killing their way out from both wing slopes was there a glimmer of survival!

But tonight’s repeated ambushes and slaughter had completely destroyed this Western Liang army’s fighting spirit. The soldiers below didn’t know how many more ambushes awaited them ahead.

When Heyi shouted for them to charge, only a small portion of troops followed her in continuing to charge upward against the arrow rain. More followed their instincts, squeezing with the crowd and fleeing in panic down toward the narrow path below.

Thus in this chaotic pushing and shoving, countless more Western Liang soldiers were trampled to death.

Arrows from the sand dunes rained down densely like a sudden storm, piercing down. Many died on the spot while fleeing.

The elite troops charging with Heyi—those with round shields used round shields for protection, those without shields used corpses for cover. They finally managed to charge up the sand dune against the arrow rain.

But after successive defeats, with military morale collapsed, and not knowing how many troops were ambushing them here, the Western Liang soldiers who successfully fought their way up all harbored a cloud of gloom and fear in their hearts. They didn’t linger in battle but only protected Heyi while fighting desperately to break through.

–

The moon had set in the west. A contingent of Liang cavalry escorted a carriage racing along the white sand official road.

Wen Yu listened to the distant sounds of explosions and earth-shaking battle roars from the great desert, lifting the curtain to look out at the deep darkness of night.

Zhao Bai, riding escort at one side, also glanced toward the source of the sounds: “It seems everything is proceeding according to plan.”

Wen Yu covered her lips, coughing as she lowered the curtain: “The final great gift I’m presenting to Heyi is called ‘startled bird.'”

–

After a brutal battle, Heyi finally led the remnant soldiers who had fought up the sand dune with her to successfully break through.

Originally over twenty thousand troops—after this ambush, only half remained.

On the return journey to rendezvous with the several separated troop divisions, because it was just before dawn when the twilight was deepest, they saw from afar a military force racing toward them. They couldn’t make out the uniforms clearly, but they were flying Western Liang flags. Someone in the formation was shouting “Princess” in panicked Western Liang language. It appeared they had also suffered a surprise attack and, hearing the sounds of fighting here, had rushed over hastily.

Heyi and the troops who had broken through with her were utterly exhausted after that brutal battle. Seeing the approaching force was their own people, they relaxed their vigilance.

Who would have expected that after that cavalry galloped to within an arrow’s shooting distance, the mechanical crossbows they held shot dense arrow rain toward Heyi and her troops, and with battle cries they charged straight at them.

“Whoever captures that Western Liang barbarian woman alive will be heavily rewarded!” Mu Youliang cracked his whip and shouted.

It was actually him leading people disguised as Western Liang troops!

For Heyi and the soldiers below, this was truly like seeing ghosts in broad daylight.

To dodge those shooting arrows, Heyi was even forced to abandon her horse and roll awkwardly all the way to the roadside.

Fortunately, although her troops had lost their fighting spirit, they still had numerical advantage. After a clumsy response to the enemy, they finally managed to protect her and successfully fight their way out of the encirclement.

This surprise attack’s blow to everyone was tremendous. The group’s morale had dropped to rock bottom. Covered in dust and grime, they continued walking back. Unfortunately, another military force flying Western Liang flags appeared ahead, racing toward them and similarly shouting “Princess” in Western Liang language with urgent panic.

Heyi’s accompanying personal guards all felt lingering fear, looking toward her one after another.

Heyi’s heart also pressed with anger. She coldly ordered: “Ask them for their unit designation and password.”

The personal guards immediately began shouting questions to the rapidly approaching military force. The other side quickly answered.

The personal guard relaxed and told Heyi: “Princess, they’re General Hati’s subordinates.”

Only then did everyone lower their guard. As that military force galloped near, the personal guard was about to ask about their encounters when unexpectedly another wave of arrows blanketed toward them like an overwhelming net.

“Treachery! It’s an enemy attack!”

The Western Liang remnant forces instantly tumbled in chaos, fleeing in panic.

Having been deceived several times, Heyi ground her teeth until they tasted bloody. She roared, and instead of retreating, she charged forward, galloping straight toward that cavalry to kill them. Seeing this, the personal guards could only grit their teeth and follow.

Fortunately, this cavalry unit wasn’t numerous. Seeing them counterattack, they quickly retreated.

The remaining shred of reason pulled at Heyi, preventing her from ordering a pursuit. After having the wounded soldiers hastily bandage their wounds, she forcefully suppressed the anger in her heart and continued walking back.

When yet another military force flying Western Liang flags appeared in the darkness ahead, discovering them and joyfully yet urgently shouting “Princess” as they galloped near.

Heyi almost laughed coldly on the spot: “They dare come again? Kill them!”

The Western Liang soldiers, also filled with a bellyful of anger from the ambushes, also thought the enemy was using the same trick again. After Heyi’s order, they drew their bows and shot arrows before the other side could approach.

The soldiers charging at the front on the other side rolled onto their horses’ backs. Seemingly their true colors revealed, they immediately drew bows and started shooting arrows at them.

The two groups of troops first exchanged arrow barrages, then roared and crashed together in close combat. But the battle cries were all in the Western Liang language.

Heyi instantly realized something was wrong. Her battle blade clashed with the enemy leader’s weapon. Being closer, she could see by moonlight that the leader was truly one of her trusted generals!

She was furious beyond measure: “Baru? How is it you!”

That Western Liang general hastily sheathed his blade, quite frightened and bewildered at the moment. He quickly ordered a cease-fire and knelt before Heyi to beg forgiveness: “It is this subordinate…”

He said miserably: “This subordinate saw the Princess’s flag earlier and thought it was you, Princess. But when I rushed over, we were met with hidden arrows. Thinking it was Liang bandits in disguise, I ordered retaliation. Who knew it was truly you, Princess… This subordinate… this subordinate deserves ten thousand deaths!”

Throughout this entire night, Heyi had lost count of how many times she’d fallen into Liang camp traps. At this moment, she felt her chest’s vital energy surging. The metallic sweetness in her throat could barely be suppressed.

She forcefully swallowed it back. But seeing the troops this Western Liang general had brought were also all covered in dust and grime, clearly having experienced a fierce battle before rushing here, she asked in a cold voice: “What happened to you?”

Mentioning this, the general’s expression became even more miserable: “After receiving the scout’s orders, this subordinate led troops to reinforce you, Princess. But along the way, explosives had been buried in advance. The forward path was dug with trap pits filled with nail beds. When this subordinate led the soldiers through, countless troops below died!”

Knowing it was the same script as the ambush she’d suffered, Heyi naturally knew how devastating it was.

She thought dividing the army would facilitate searching for Wen Yu, but never expected it would make it even easier for the other side to defeat them one by one!

An enormous sense of humiliation seized all of Heyi’s attention. She gripped her battle blade tightly, raising her eyes toward Panshi City’s direction: “Hanyang! If I don’t kill you, I, Heyi, swear I am no human!”

–

At daybreak, a fish-belly white leaped up in the east.

The several troop divisions Heyi had dispersed to pursue Wen Yu finally all converged outside Panshi City.

Excluding deserters and dead soldiers, of the fifty thousand troops at departure, only thirty thousand remained at most. And after experiencing a night of raids and fierce battles, every one was exhausted.

Heyi ordered the army to rest on the spot outside the city, then sent out troops to nearby villages to scavenge for food, planning to have a full meal before attacking the city.

But the common people in the territory from Gole City to Panshi City had long been led away by Wen Yu’s orders. This year there was also a great drought—the fields yielded virtually no harvest.

Even digging three feet into the ground, the Western Liang soldiers couldn’t find half a bag of grain.

When the personal guard reported all this to Heyi, she was looking at maps in a temporarily erected tree shelter. Hearing this, she raised her head, her eyes full of savagery and determination: “Then slaughter horses to feed the soldiers! What of only thirty thousand troops remaining? My Western Liang’s thirty thousand warriors will still flatten her Panshi City today!”

The personal guard knew battle misfortunes had made Heyi’s temper explosive and dared not say more, only withdrawing to relay orders.

–

Inside Panshi City, after Wen Yu entered the city at daybreak, she had a cup of hot soup, then went to discuss subsequent city defense matters with the city’s defending generals. From that entire night until now, she hadn’t closed her eyes once.

When Zhao Bai entered the council chamber carrying the restorative medicinal soup the imperial physician had prepared, the political discussions inside hadn’t yet concluded.

“…That barbarian woman’s thieving heart won’t die. Now she’s camped thirty thousand troops outside Panshi City, felling timber from nearby mountains to build siege equipment, and slaughtering warhorses for food. Once they’ve rested and recovered, Panshi City will surely face another fierce battle!”

“Why not take advantage of their mealtime—I’ll lead a cavalry contingent out of the city for a surprise attack and blunt their edge again?” Mu Youliang stood before the sand table.

Some agreed with this method, while others thought it inadvisable: “No, no! Western Liang has thirty thousand troops camped outside the city. This is nothing like last night’s ambush with terrain advantage and night’s cover. We absolutely cannot rashly send troops. If we fail, it would be helping raise Western Liang’s morale before battle and disturbing our own military hearts! Better to be prudent… defend to the death is best!”

Upon hearing this, quite a few officials thought it made sense. Still, hawkish factions rebutted: “Last night we already severely blunted Western Liang’s edge, losing nearly twenty thousand Western Liang troops. Now Western Liang is already at the end of their strength. The soldiers in the city have high morale—why must we still cower timidly?”

This argument also seemed reasonable. For a time, people couldn’t decide and all looked toward Wen Yu.

After Zhao Bai placed the medicinal soup beside Wen Yu, she withdrew to stand behind her.

Wen Yu gazed at the sand table below, listening to the officials’ debates. Her brow furrowed slightly. One hand pressed against her temple, which ached faintly from too long without proper rest. Yet her eyes were peaceful and clear:

“Last night’s several defeats should have exhausted Heyi’s arrogance. Since she’s ordered the slaughter of warhorses for food, she’s prepared to fight with her back to the wall. Sending troops to provoke at this time might indeed backfire. Closing the city and defending to the death is the superior strategy.”

After some discussion, the officials all agreed.

Wen Yu continued: “Western Liang has no grain supplies. As long as this siege attack fails today, the war with Western Liang can be completely ended.”

As she spoke, Wen Yu raised her eyes toward the window.

The officials all froze, then felt overwhelmed with mixed emotions.

Once upon a time, Western Liang’s one hundred twenty thousand troops at the border had been a mountain pressing on everyone’s heads.

The people of both territories also lived in daily trepidation.

But now, that mountain that had pressed down so they couldn’t breathe was about to dissolve into scattered clouds!

—Heyi had no grain supplies. If she couldn’t take Panshi City and didn’t retreat to Western Liang, she could only be slowly worn down to death.

Enveloped too long by that fear of powerful enemies at the borders and territory changing hands, although all the officials felt joy in their hearts at this moment, they also had a dreamlike sense of unreality.

After quite a while following Wen Yu’s words, a square-faced general wiped his eyes awkwardly yet bashfully: “When this battle’s over, I need to return home to see my wife and child. When I left, my wife hadn’t given birth yet. All these years, I don’t know how the mother and daughter managed. I thought I’d never have a chance to return home to see them…”

Though he said it with a smile, by the end his voice had nearly choked with emotion.

The Chen nation’s borders had never been very peaceful. The Royal Court conscripted troops yearly. Soldiers stationed at the borders could barely return home once in ten or eight years.

This recent great war that nearly destroyed the nation had made the soldiers below give up all thought of returning alive.

Yet now the dawn of victory in the great war was right before their eyes.

–

When horn calls sounded through the Western Liang military formation and newly constructed siege equipment slowly advanced like a tide toward Panshi City’s gates, Panshi City’s tower also thunderously beat war drums. Countless bows and arrows were set up at the battlements.

The soldiers above and below the city all burst with ruthlessness and resolve in their eyes.

As the two armies’ commanders, Wen Yu and Heyi also confronted each other on the tower and on horseback, just as when Heyi had attacked Gole City.

The city tower’s terrain was higher, bow range farther. After the Western Liang vanguard reached within shooting range, dense arrows almost wove into a heavenly net overhead and fell.

Western Liang raised round shields overhead for protection and continued advancing. The battlefield they passed left behind many dead soldiers, but on this battlefield where human lives were like weeds, no one cared.

After reaching within bow range beneath the city, Western Liang soldiers shot arrows from gaps between their shields toward the tower. Instantly another swath of archers on the tower fell.

This siege, from the very beginning, was destined to be a prolonged battle to the death.

…

War drums beat for three days and two nights. Blood soaked the sandy ground beneath Panshi City several inches deep. The Western Liang side finally withdrew once more.

During these three days, the first day saw all Western Liang forces attacking the city. Later, unable to take it after prolonged attack, and with soldiers lacking food and their stamina failing, Heyi changed to rotating shifts.

One wave of soldiers attacked the city while another wave withdrew to gnaw on boiled horse meat reeking of a foul stench, then hugged their weapons to doze on the ground.

The camp they’d left to launch the surprise attack on Gole City, then later to pursue Wen Yu’s carriage through the night to Panshi City—forget ordinary military supplies, they hadn’t even brought military tents.

These past days they’d been sleeping on the ground behind the battle lines. When the attacking troops grew weary, they’d rotate in to replace them.

Fortunately, the defending forces in the city had already experienced Western Liang’s rotating shifts during the defense of Gole City. With Mu Youliang commanding and Wen Yu personally supervising to stabilize military morale, they finally withstood Western Liang’s successive desperate wild assaults.

By the third day, whether the Western Liang soldiers’ bodies couldn’t take this kind of exposure to the elements and endless attacking, or whether they’d already understood taking Panshi City was hopeless, the siege momentum suddenly weakened.

Mu Youliang watched from the city tower as the Western Liang army’s offensive flagged below, requesting orders from Wen Yu who was also observing the battle: “Princess?”

Wen Yu looked at Heyi personally leading troops in close combat below, only saying: “Go.”

Mu Youliang saluted Wen Yu with clasped fists, then immediately turned and descended from the tower.

Moments later, Panshi City’s gates, long shut, swung wide open. Mu Youliang led an elite cavalry contingent charging out from within the city.

The battle blade in Heyi’s hand had already been chipped with gaps. Even the fine braids in her hair were stained with dried, brownish blood.

Raising her head to see generals from within Panshi City beginning to emerge for battle, her hand gripping the blade already trembled from prolonged combat. Yet her eyes still contained savage anger as she pressed her horse’s flanks and charged forward with a roaring shout, blade raised.

This battle saw Heyi’s crushing defeat.

Though with her personal guards’ assistance she snatched back a life from Mu Youliang’s hands and even managed to slash his waist and abdomen in return, the momentum of Western Liang’s routed army could no longer be stopped.

When the personal guards forcibly pulled her onto a horse, holding her waist to prevent her from charging at Mu Youliang with death-seeking fervor, Heyi looked up at Panshi City’s gates amid her struggling curses and shouts. In that trance, moisture covered her eyelids and swiftly rolled down.

She knew she could never breach that city gate again.

That Great Liang princess still stood quietly atop the city tower, as if also watching her in that trance. Her slender shoulders propped up flowing wide sleeves and magnificent robes, becoming a mountain she could never climb over.

–

Because Mu Youliang was severely wounded and Western Liang’s remnant forces fled carrying Heyi away, the junior officers below feared the enemy might counterattack after fleeing to a distance. Not daring to decide on their own to pursue deeply, they first brought Mu Youliang back to the city.

In this battle, though they failed to capture the bandit chief, forcing Western Liang to withdraw was already a great victory.

Atop the city tower, soldiers’ cheers shook the heavens. Some strategists even wept with extreme joy: “We’ve won! We’ve won!”

Wind stirred the loose hair at Wen Yu’s temples. Even her lip color showed a pallor. She only silently watched the retreating shadow of the Western Liang army.

When Zhao Bai, unable to conceal her joy, said to her with reddened eyes, “Princess, we’ve won,” she lightly nodded and said: “Yes. We’ve won.”

As her long lashes drooped, her entire person fell backward, her complexion pale as paper.

After this battle, Heyi had no hope of making a comeback. The string that had been taut in her mind for many days finally loosened at this moment.

“Princess!”

Zhao Bai panicked completely. A crowd of officials who had still been wildly celebrating also urgently surrounded her calling “Princess.”