“A beauty in arms amidst ten thousand troops.” As I lazily recited these eight characters in the central command tent, Kumor immediately burst into laughter, nearly falling under the table. “Cang Cang, stay in that position, don’t let Xiao Bai get up…”

My position was indeed comfortable. Leaning back against the wide chaise, legs following its curve, one leg fully resting on the chair, the other extending from the middle, casually dangling below.

Half-lying, half-sitting in the soft, comfortable large chair, I had someone lying in my arms—Xiao Huan with his long hair cascading down, head resting lightly on my shoulder. Still somewhat drowsy, his eyes were half-open beneath long lashes as he lay on the chaise, a light cyan woolen blanket draped across his waist, pure white clothes hanging loosely on his shoulders.

These past few days had been tense, with E’sen’s forces constantly moving, exhausting Kumor who had been running back and forth. Though Xiao Huan remained in the tent maintaining command, he too often stayed up through the night reviewing documents. By the time lunch was over today, I couldn’t bear to see his pale complexion anymore and forcibly made him lie down on the chaise in the main tent, compelling him to take an afternoon nap with me.

So when Kumor returned from his hasty patrol outside, this was the scene he encountered—me holding Xiao Huan in disheveled clothes as we lay on the large chair.

With beauty in my arms and good spirits, I couldn’t be bothered with Kumor, remaining perfectly comfortable and not even glancing his way.

Xiao Huan’s brows furrowed slightly as he gave a light cough, raising his eyes slightly to look at Kumor: “Too noisy, disturbing one’s sweet dreams.”

Speaking softly, he sat up holding the armrest, and asked, “What movement from E’sen?”

“The troops have withdrawn from the city walls. The attack will likely come within these two days,” Kumor answered, casually tossing his riding crop on the table and picking up a leather flask. He sat down, took a big gulp of wine, and said, “I want to see what tricks this kid can pull.”

Nodding, Xiao Huan showed no intention of continuing the military discussion, his gaze still carrying some indifference as he looked at the leather flask in Kumor’s hand.

Before I could understand the meaning behind that look, Kumor had already figured it out, chuckling towards us, “Xiao Bai, craving some wine?”

I was momentarily speechless… In the past, Xiao Huan never put down his cup, always keeping a flask of bamboo leaf wine by his side because alcohol could suppress the cold poison in his body. For him, wine was practically medicine. Later, as his body suffered repeated damage, he could no longer withstand the effects of strong alcohol. Additionally, since the cold poison in his body had been cured, Li Mingshang had ordered him not to touch a single drop of wine.

Something that had been by his side every day was now completely forbidden. Even though Xiao Huan had always been self-disciplined, he inevitably had moments when he couldn’t resist the craving—manifesting as occasional glances at wine vessels when others were drinking.

Still maintaining his indifferent gaze, Xiao Huan shifted his eyes upward to look at Kumor without responding to his words, supporting himself on the armrest as he tried to stand. However, as soon as he straightened up, his steps faltered slightly, and he nearly fell.

This almost scared the soul out of me, and I quickly embraced him: “Brother Xiao, what’s wrong?”

Kumor also rushed forward in a few steps, his hand hovering protectively in front of him: “Xiao Bai, I was just joking with you, don’t scare us!”

Coughing lightly a few times, Xiao Huan turned back to look at me: “Just a bit dizzy, it’s nothing, Cang Cang.”

I bit my lip looking at him: “You won’t be happy unless you scare me every two days, is that it?”

He smiled: “Sorry, Cang Cang.”

I secretly rolled my eyes—I’d heard his apologies so many times my ears had grown calluses!

I also got up from the couch and stood beside him, holding his hand as we walked together to the large table in the center of the military tent.

He pointed at the newly marked symbols on the vast map with one hand, saying to Kumor: “These are the battle formations against E’sen, what do you think?”

The map, filled with geographical features, had countless new routes and annotations added, red and black interweaving, meticulous and rigorous.

Looking at it, Kumor sighed lightly: “I’m telling you why your body never fully recovers—can’t you let someone else handle such mentally exhausting tasks?”

“In a battle between two armies, tens of thousands could die in an instant, the slightest error could determine victory or defeat,” Xiao Huan turned to look at Kumor, coughing several more times, “If I delegate to others, I wouldn’t deserve to be commander-in-chief.”

Kumor smiled slightly, raising his long eyebrows: “Indeed, it’s precisely because we have such a commander that I’m willing to serve as vanguard.”

Also raising his lips in a smile, Xiao Huan spoke: “No need to force yourself to act as if you care more about my health than your Jurchen tribe’s gains and losses. Since I’ve borrowed your men, I won’t let you return empty-handed.”

Having his true intentions exposed so directly, Kumor wasn’t angry but burst into laughter, “Though that’s true, Xiao Bai, I am concerned about your health.”

Xiao Huan smiled lightly: “Thank you, Great Khan.”

I could now completely ignore whatever these two old foxes were saying, tugging at Xiao Huan’s sleeve from the side: “Brother Xiao, would you like something to eat?”

He turned his head and smiled at me: “Alright.”

Though he agreed so readily when I brought over the white fungus soup, he barely had two sips before lowering his head and vomiting it all out. Since morning until now, he hadn’t eaten anything at all, and after throwing up the white fungus soup, he was only retching clear water.

Supporting his body, watching him lean over the couch coughing and gasping for breath, I felt tears nearly forced from my eyes. Finally, when he settled down, I helped him lean back on the couch to rest, holding his ice-cold hand against my cheek: “Brother Xiao.”

Heavy weariness had already colored his brows, yet he still looked at me with a comforting smile: “I’ll be fine after some rest… don’t worry.”

Bending down to embrace him, I buried my head in his shoulder, letting the faint medicinal fragrance from his body fill my nostrils. At this moment, like many young women, I murmured, not knowing whether I was speaking to him or myself: “Brother Xiao, regardless of how this great battle ends, I just want you to be well.”

Datong had been under siege for over a month, and whether it was the unusually quiet days within the city or E’sen’s constant dispatch of scouts to probe military intelligence, all indicated that supplies within the city were running low.

As a northwestern stronghold, Datong originally had abundant stored provisions, but when the city fell and General Liu Zhen died for his country, he burned all the granaries, leaving E’sen with an empty city.

This time, with several armies launching a full-scale attack, E’sen must have wagered everything he had. After failing outside the capital and losing his most capable general, he retreated to Datong. By this point in the war, E’sen’s defeat was already certain, he was merely hoping for a reversal of fortune with his remaining forces.

Regardless, with supplies depleted, Datong would inevitably fall. Given E’sen’s temperament, he absolutely wouldn’t retreat in defeat, so he was preparing for a desperate last stand.

For E’sen, this was his final battle in the southern campaign, the dying strike of a cornered beast with all its remaining strength—it couldn’t be underestimated.

For the Da Wu soldiers stationed below Datong’s walls, this was a battle to expel invaders and recover their homeland, equally high in morale and fighting spirit.

The unusual silence before the great battle made the air seem to carry a cold condensation of imminent gunpowder smoke. Finally, the battle came earlier than expected.

On November 15th, E’sen’s army launched a surprise attack from the city, and the Da Wu army engaged in battle. This war, where both sides would stake everything in a single battle, finally began. The sounds of killing could be heard even outside the main tent.

War horses neighing, human voices thundering, the clash of weapons and the boom of artillery carried from afar, interweaving together, making one’s blood surge.

Wearing light armor and gripping the powder-loaded firearm at my waist, though I was also eager to join the battle and kill enemies, I could only guard the main tent together with Hong Qingshiyan.

In the tent’s main seat, Xiao Huan still wore his light cyan clothes, his long hair tied high with a jade crown, his face expressionless as he lowered his head to study the terrain map on the table before him.

The battle was intense, with messenger officers frequently entering the tent to report the situation.

At 9:15 AM, the south and north gates of Datong opened, with E’sen leading troops from the south gate and his deputy Na Hai attacking from the north gate.

At 11:45 AM, Na Hai’s cavalry failed to break through in the north, and infantry on both sides became locked in battle.

At 1:30 PM, E’sen’s forces fought with increasing ferocity, with the elite cavalry especially unstoppable, causing the southern encirclement to show signs of weakening.

Standing in the main tent, I looked up at Xiao Huan, who kept his head lowered while studying the map. Unable to resist, I went to the table and held his hand: “Brother Xiao.”

The killing sounds from outside were getting closer. My palm was already covered in a thin layer of sweat, but his hand remained dry and steady.

A faint warmth came from his palm as he looked up and smiled at me: “Cang Cang, don’t worry.”

My heart strangely settled, and I let out a light breath. Seeing that besides Hong Qing and Shiyan, only a few soldiers remained in the tent, I simply crossed over the table, squeezed in beside him, and wrapped my arms around his waist.

Even I didn’t know why, but I seemed to be growing increasingly attached to him. Except for those two years after he returned from Yulong Snow Mountain when I needed to hold his hand tightly every night to sleep soundly, in recent years I had slowly grown accustomed to brief separations. The Fenglai Pavilion had many affairs, and I had to leave the capital every few days, sometimes for three or four days, sometimes for a month or so. During these times, of course, I missed him, but it wasn’t unbearable.

However, before this great battle, just not seeing him for a few days felt like years. Perhaps without E’sen’s matter, I couldn’t have held out for a few more days—I would have abandoned everything at Fenglai Pavilion and come to Datong to see him.

It seemed not merely because his health had been poor lately; more had changed in my state of mind.

He held my shoulder and patted it lightly, allowing me to cling to him while his gaze remained fixed on the map on the table.

The brief moment of peace was broken by a messenger officer rushing in. With blood and dust staining his silver armor, the handsome young officer stumbled into the tent, not even having time to kneel before shouting his report: “Your Majesty, please move quickly! E’sen is leading troops toward the central command!”

My heart suddenly jumped. Beside me, Xiao Huan lightly tapped the table with his finger and looked up: “Finally, he comes.”

Taking my hand as he stood, he smiled at me: “Cang Cang, let’s go out. You must be careful.”

I nodded. Even though I had some understanding of his and Kumor’s deployment plans, I couldn’t help feeling anxious. I took a cyan cloak from the rack nearby and draped it over his shoulders, holding his hand: “Brother Xiao, you must be careful.”

He smiled at me and nodded, then without further delay, released my hand and walked out first.

War horses were already prepared outside the tent. Shiyan helped Xiao Huan mount before getting on his horse, and I mounted mine, following closely behind Xiao Huan.

Leaving the main tent, the sounds of battle from outside the camp came more clearly. Stray arrows had already reached the front of the tent, whistling as they struck the ground with lingering echoes.

Xiao Huan gently pulled the reins, observing the distant battle formations for a moment before shifting his gaze and giving a calm order: “Let’s go.”

Several light cavalry horses galloped away, heading straight for the hills behind the camp. The cyan figure surrounded by black imperial guards couldn’t help but be conspicuous on the battlefield.

Gripping my firearm tightly while following behind Xiao Huan, I struggled to maintain clear senses.

The sounds of battle grew distant, leaving only our horses’ hoofbeats and the howling wind.

Suddenly, the nearby hoofbeats became chaotic!

A vague sound inserted itself into the orderly hoofbeats, gradually separating from the chaotic battlefield, growing louder, like summer afternoon thunder rolling in from the horizon—not yet arrived but already pressing down from above with dark clouds.

Those thunderous hoofbeats finally grew stronger, and the whistle of an arrow also came screaming from behind, swift as a shooting star!

I gripped my gun and turned, the bullet flying out with a buzz, striking precisely at the long arrow shooting toward Xiao Huan’s back. The arrow shattered into several pieces before falling to the ground.

A loud laugh rang out from behind: “Excellent marksmanship!”

After shooting down the arrow, I didn’t turn back in my saddle. Before that “excellent marksmanship” reached us, my second bullet had already left my gun, aimed straight at E’sen’s forehead.

The distance between us wasn’t far. Even as he called out his praise, E’sen’s figure had already risen, his iron armor as nimble as a black dragon, barely letting that bullet graze his arm before his figure moved and he sat firmly back in his saddle.

Throughout this exchange, both sides’ horses’ hooves never stopped, gradually galloping into a valley between some hills.

With an angry shout, Hong Qing pulled his horse around, drew his sword, and swung at E’sen.

E’sen laughed heartily, casually grabbing the saber hanging from his saddle to meet the attack, immediately slowing his pace.

Xiao Huan, who had been riding forward continuously, also held his reins, slowing his horse to a stop in the valley.

I held my gun while riding beside him, slightly turning my horse to block between him and E’sen.

Over there, Shiyan also drew his sword and joined Hong Qing in fighting E’sen side by side, while the remaining imperial guards silently spread into a circle in front of Xiao Huan and me, drawing their swords to face the enemy.

Though E’sen’s pursuit was swift, he had brought only a few dozen trusted men with him. Even when they all gathered around, they could do nothing against the dozen or so imperial guards for the moment.

In the days before the great battle, no matter how tense the situation, E’sen hadn’t forgotten to come harass Xiao Huan at the camp once daily. Fortunately, after Hong Qing arrived, he and Shiyan working together barely managed to keep him outside the tent.

I knew E’sen was obsessed with Xiao Huan, but I hadn’t expected such obsession—amid a battle between two armies, seeing Xiao Huan leave, he abandoned his main force and personally led men in pursuit.

The most troublesome thing about this E’sen wasn’t his exceptional martial arts or strong military force, but rather that his actions were utterly beyond comprehension.

While single-handedly fighting Hong Qing and Shiyan, E’sen still seemed to have energy to spare as he looked up and smiled at Xiao Huan: “Xiao Bai, I finally see you. Did you miss me?”

Mounted on his horse, Xiao Huan was covering his mouth in a light cough, his gaze indifferent as he refused to look at him.

This person repeatedly flirting with my husband right in front of me, completely ignoring my existence—I gave a cold laugh: “Young Prince, rest assured, he absolutely did not miss you.”

E’sen continued swinging his saber while smiling at Xiao Huan: “Xiao Bai, I know, even though you don’t say it, you missed me too, right?”

I was speechless—did this person have a habit of talking to himself?

Xiao Huan kept his eyes lowered, and after a moment, nodded to me: “You can release it now, Cang Cang.”

I quickly nodded, taking out the flare I had been carrying in my sleeve and lighting it with a fire starter. Brilliant light immediately rose from my hand.

Subtle sounds of weapons immediately came from the quiet ridges around us. The army hidden behind the mountain ridges slowly revealed itself, and several cavalry units galloped out from the valley entrance, raising their firearms with black muzzles aimed at E’sen in the clearing.

This sudden change caused even E’sen to pause briefly before breaking into loud laughter: “Xiao Bai, even if you want to kill me, you didn’t need to arrange such a formation, did you?”

“Young Prince is too kind,” Xiao Huan finally spoke, raising his head to say calmly, “To kill the Young Prince, such a formation might not even be enough.”

Suddenly withdrawing his saber, E’sen clasped his hands behind his back, his figure abruptly rising over ten feet. Hong Qing and Shiyan’s swords couldn’t stop their momentum in time, grazing past his body and cutting two bloody gashes on his arms.

Blood quickly welled from the wounds on his arms, but E’sen seemed completely unaware, his golden pupils still fixed on Xiao Huan, his smile unchanged: “Xiao Bai, I’m very happy that you regard me so highly.”

He slowly drew the long sword at his waist: “Xiao Bai, do you know what I admired most during my three years wandering in the Central Plains when I was young?”

Looking up with a smile, his golden irises gleamed brilliantly: “Bai Chifan, the undefeated Bai Chifan, the Bai Chifan who created legends in the martial world. My greatest admiration in my youth was to defeat the sword in his hand myself!”

His pupils suddenly took on a strange crimson tint. Before I could contemplate what this mysterious color meant, a vast scarlet filled my vision.

Sometimes a lifetime unfolds so swiftly, with both pain and joy appearing so clearly.

As that scarlet rushed before my eyes, I heard Xiao Huan’s sharp cry beside my ear, carrying unprecedented urgency: “Cang Cang!”