Wei Rao obtained the secret letter General Xiu Ji had written to Han Liao. On it was Xiu Ji’s military seal, Xiu Ji’s demand for Han Liao to release the Eighth Prince, and Xiu Ji’s threat – if he didn’t see the Eighth Prince after ten days, he would reveal how the Han father and son had framed the Lu brothers.

This secret letter was discovered by the Shenwu Army from the interlayer of a Wuda envoy’s shoe sole. According to the customs for envoys between armies, if Wei Rao hadn’t been suspicious of the Han father and son, if Wei Rao hadn’t discovered a prince hidden among the prisoners and given advance instructions, how could the Great Qi forces have thought that envoys would go to such lengths to cleverly hide a secret letter? How could they have imagined that the Longxiang Army’s commanding father and son were colluding with foreign enemies to harm loyal subjects?

Wei Rao’s hands holding the letter trembled incessantly.

Lu Zhuo had long suspected the Han father and son. If Lu Ya hadn’t disregarded his warnings and left the main camp, falling into the ambush set by the Han father and son with Xiu Ji, Lu Zhuo would never have fallen into danger.

Such a noble and proud person had died because of this thin piece of secret correspondence.

Wei Rao resented Lu Ya’s impulsive mistake, resented Lu Zhuo for only caring about his brother and not their mother and daughter. But this resentment stemmed from her unwillingness to accept that Lu Zhuo had died like this. What she truly hated was only the Han father and son.

The next day, Wei Rao began feigning illness.

On the fourth day, an imperial edict arrived from the capital. Emperor Yuanjia commanded Marquis Xiting, Qin Min, and others to continue leading troops deep into Wuda territory to avenge the fallen soldiers. Marquis Xiting, Qin Min, and other generals gathered in the command tent to discuss attack strategies. Lu Ya was among them – the Shenwu Army still had nearly twenty thousand men and retained fighting capacity.

The two hundred thousand Wuda cavalry, divided into two routes, had already suffered more than half casualties. If Great Qi’s two army divisions continued advancing, they would surely break through Wuda’s capital.

While everyone was deliberating, Zhao Bai suddenly requested an audience from outside.

Zhao Bai represented the Princess, so Marquis Xiting let him enter.

Zhao Bai’s eyes were bloodshot. After entering the tent, he addressed the leading Marquis Xiting and Qin Min: “The Princess, the Princess has just been coughing up blood continuously and may not survive. Hearing that the generals are about to depart, she specifically sent this subordinate to request that the Marquis and General Qin speak privately in her tent. The Princess has something to entrust to you.”

After speaking, Zhao Bai, built like an iron tower, had two streams of hot tears rolling from his tiger-like eyes.

Lu Ya’s form swayed, and he was the first to rush out. With Big Brother’s bones still warm, if Sister-in-law also departed like this, what face would he have to return to the capital?

Han Liao also stood up with a bang, but was stopped by Marquis Xiting’s sharp glare, making him realize his improper reaction.

Marquis Xiting and Qin Min exchanged glances, standing up while inquiring: “How did the Princess become so seriously ill? Doesn’t the military doctor check her pulse daily?”

Zhao Bai wiped his eyes, choking with emotion: “The Princess hasn’t eaten properly these past days. Even when she does eat, she vomits it up. The military doctor is helpless, and we can’t persuade the Princess either. Who would have thought…”

Marquis Xiting sighed deeply, but was secretly overjoyed. It would be best if Wei Rao died. She hadn’t interrogated those prisoners – once Wei Rao was dead, he could find an excuse to execute the prisoners, and then there would be no future worries. As for the Wuda side, they would be delighted to have more Great Qi generals willing to cooperate with them and would never voluntarily reveal this matter. Even if they did speak, without evidence, no one would believe them.

As he stepped out of the command tent, Marquis Xiting was still thinking that women were just women, making life and death scenes over romantic love. Now that she was summoning them, she probably wanted to entrust them with avenging Lu Zhuo.

Wei Rao had only requested Marquis Xiting and Qin Min, but Han Liao spontaneously followed behind his father, very concerned about Wei Rao’s illness.

Since he was already following, Marquis Xiting feared that saying too much would arouse suspicion, so he didn’t scold his son.

Lu Zhuo’s tent was located at the center of the Shenwu Army camp. Marquis Xiting, Qin Min, and Han Liao followed Zhao Bai all the way and soon arrived at Lu Zhuo’s tent.

From inside came Lu Ya’s suppressed sobbing.

Zhao Bai lifted the curtain, inviting Marquis Xiting and Qin Min to enter while he stood guard outside, his gaze coldly sweeping over Han Liao.

With Lu Zhuo dead, how could Han Liao take Zhao Bai seriously? Once the Longxiang Army became the leader of the Four Upper Armies, once the Lu family’s prestige faded, he would have ways to deal with people like Zhao Bai.

Inside the main tent, the outer section was empty, with a red-eyed little maid standing before the inner tent curtain.

Seeing the two generals, the little maid bowed her head in greeting and lifted the curtain.

Marquis Xiting saw Lu Ya kneeling before the Princess’s bed. The Princess sat leaning against cushions on the bed, her once bright and beautiful face now gaunt and haggard, evoking pity. Her snow-white undergarments were stained with spots of blood.

Marquis Xiting had no doubts and was the first to walk in.

Just then, the maid, lifting the curtain, suddenly let out a sharp scream, throwing herself at Qin Min: “The Marquis is colluding with enemies and betraying the country! Please help the Princess capture this traitor, General!”

Qin Min was about to kick away this maid who seemed like an assassin when he heard her words and couldn’t help but be stunned.

Simultaneously, inside the inner tent, hidden archers had already shot arrows into Marquis Xiting’s legs. Lu Ya protected Wei Rao’s bedside, watching as several young and strong mansion soldiers rushed forward to subdue the arrow-wounded Marquis Xiting on the ground.

With no more threats in the tent, Lu Ya and Wei Rao exchanged glances. He strode outside and, seeing the dark-faced Qin Min, said solemnly: “General, please remain calm. The Princess will explain everything shortly.”

Before coming, Lu Ya had truly thought Sister-in-law was coughing up blood. Only when he rushed in and saw the archers hidden on both sides of the inner tent entrance did Lu Ya realize with shock what was happening. With time pressing, the Sister-in-law hadn’t explained much to him, only saying she had obtained evidence of the Han father and son’s collusion with enemies and asking him to cry and act.

Lu Ya didn’t need to act – with Big Brother dead and guilt in his heart, he normally held back his emotions, but once Sister-in-law told him to cry, his tears were genuine.

Outside the tent, Zhao Bai and two mansion soldiers guarding Wei Rao had already worked together to subdue Han Liao.

With both Han father and son captured, the Longxiang Army that rushed to the scene was caught between conflicting loyalties and didn’t dare act rashly.

The Yucheng Army saw Qin Min standing safely beside Lu Ya – though his face was iron-blue, he hadn’t ordered them to attack, so they temporarily held their positions.

The Shenwu Army naturally protected Wei Rao and Lu Ya.

The three armies in the main camp completely split at this moment, becoming three separate factions.

The Shenwu Army plus Wei Rao’s mansion soldiers totaled nineteen thousand men.

The Han family’s Longxiang Army had lost eight thousand in the Battle of Iron Scorpion Ridge, leaving just over forty thousand.

The Yucheng Army had the most troops, with over one hundred twenty thousand.

Lu Zhuo had trusted the Yucheng Army, so Wei Rao also trusted generals like Qin Min and Lieutenant General Zheng. The Han father and son could frame the Shenwu Army, so they could also frame the Yucheng Army. Without capturing the Han father and son, how could Wei Rao dare let Marquis Xiting continue commanding troops? If the Han father and son continued colluding with Wuda, would the Yucheng Army die for nothing?

After changing clothes, Wei Rao emerged from the main tent.

Lu Ya and Zhao Bai immediately stood at her left and right.

Wei Rao first sent Zhao Bai to bring several people from among the prisoners.

When they arrived, Wei Rao pointed to one of them – a young Wuda soldier with sinister eyes and an injured calf – and said to Qin Min and others: “This is Khan Hulun’s Eighth Prince. Those Wuda prisoners can testify to this.”

The bound Marquis Xiting and Han Liao’s faces changed dramatically – there was an Eighth Prince among the prisoners?

Wei Rao then pointed to the gagged Wuda strongman: “This is an envoy sent by General Xiu Ji. On this envoy’s person, our Shenwu Army soldiers found a secret letter written by General Xiu Ji to Han Liao. General Qin, this is that secret letter. Please read it aloud before the soldiers of the three armies.”

Wei Rao handed the secret letter to Qin Min.

Qin Min’s face was like frost. He unfolded the letter, his expression growing worse. With bloodthirsty eyes sweeping over the Han father and son, Qin Min read it aloud.

As he read word by word, soldiers of both the Shenwu and Yucheng armies were filled with righteous fury. The Battle of Iron Scorpion Ridge had caused the heaviest casualties for the Shenwu Army, but the Yucheng Army had also lost over ten thousand men. If they had truly died in honorable combat, that would be one thing, but such a brutal battle had been a trap designed by the Han father and son in collusion with Wuda to frame the Shenwu Army?

Not only the Shenwu and Yucheng armies, but even some Longxiang Army soldiers showed expressions of pain, their trust in the Han father and son shaken. They were all loyal soldiers who loved their country, all having bid farewell to their families to come to this battlefield for the peace of their homeland. Except for the Han father and son’s trusted followers, the Longxiang Army soldiers also wanted to win battles and would lose their appetite over the sacrifice of their fellow countrymen.

In the capital, the Four Upper Armies were competitors, but once at the frontier, the Four Upper Armies and border troops became brothers sharing life and death through thick and thin. The Han father and son had said this too – was it just casual talk?

“Wei Rao, stop slandering us! You’ve developed hysteria from excessive grief over your husband’s death, resenting us for failing to rescue Lu Zhuo, so you’ve fabricated letters to slander our Longxiang Army!” Han Liao glared at Wei Rao with eyes ready to split, then looked at Qin Min: “General Qin, don’t listen to this madwoman’s nonsense. With a great battle imminent, she’s plotting against the commander and disturbing army morale. General Qin, why don’t you quickly apprehend her?”

Qin Min looked at him and suddenly asked: “In the Battle of Iron Scorpion Ridge, Xiu Ji’s reinforcements should have been held back by you. Why were they able to circle you to provide support? When the Marquis sent messengers to you, why couldn’t they find any trace of your Longxiang Army?”

Han Liao was prepared and angrily replied: “I said before that Xiu Ji was cunning and misled me to pursue in the wrong direction, causing the delay in rescue!”

Qin Min sneered: “You say the Princess has hysteria – how do I know you’re not being glib now? Words are useless. This matter is of great importance. I will petition His Majesty, and everything will be decided by the Emperor.”

Having said this, Qin Min looked at Wei Rao, requiring her to remain temporarily in the main tent without moving freely, guarded by Yucheng Army personnel – essentially under house arrest.

Wei Rao was willing to cooperate and solemnly bowed to Qin Min: “I beseech the General to seek justice for the soldiers who died unjustly at Iron Scorpion Ridge.”

Qin Min nodded.

Wei Rao glanced at Lu Ya and entered the main tent.

The task of pacifying the three armies naturally fell to Qin Min. Before the imperial edict arrived, the lieutenant generals of both the Shenwu and Longxiang armies were separately confined in tents awaiting trial. The fifty thousand troops of the Shenwu and Longxiang armies were temporarily taken over by Yucheng generals, with increased vigilance in the main camp to prevent Wuda forces from launching surprise attacks.

Just as Qin Min’s battle report reached the capital, Khan Hulun of Wuda, facing the double blow of consecutive military defeats and his beloved son’s capture, once again sued for peace.

Emperor Yuanjia weighed the situation carefully and imposed many conditions on Wuda, one of which was exchanging Lu Zhuo’s corpse for the Eighth Prince’s intact body.

Khan Hulun agreed.

General Xiu Ji, who was confronting the Yucheng Army, received orders and sent someone to deliver a corpse. Because Lu Zhuo had fallen from a cliff, the body was mangled beyond recognition, identifiable only by the armor and body shape.

Lu Ya had seen the corpse and refused to let Wei Rao look at it. Wei Rao forced him away with a sword, but after just one glance at the body, she fainted.

The two countries ceased hostilities, and Qin Min also found irrefutable evidence of the father and son’s collusion with enemies from the trusted followers of the Longxiang Army’s Han father and son.

In late September, with autumn winds blowing bleakly, Lu Zhuo’s coffin and the prison cart holding the Han father and son entered the capital one after the other.

While Duke Ying Mansion wailed throughout the residence for Lu Zhuo’s death, Emperor Yuanjia issued an edict: for the crime of colluding with enemies and betraying the country, the entire nine clans of Marquis Xiting’s Han family were to be exterminated. From then on, the Longxiang Army of the Four Upper Armies changed its commanding family name, and among the capital’s aristocratic families, the Han lineage existed no more.