Early in the tenth month, after several days of relentless attacks, the Western Ling army once again stormed into Xinyang City after more than a month. However, this time there were no treasures of gold and silver to greet them, no military supplies, not even panicked civilians. What lay before them was an empty city. Throughout the entire city, there were no sounds except those they made themselves. All the households had long been abandoned, and not a single grain of rice could be found in the vacant houses. All the shops were either emptied or destroyed on the spot, and even the city wells had been filled with debris – it would take considerable effort to make them usable again.

The vanguard commander sat on horseback, his face ashen as he surveyed the empty city before him.

“General, there’s not a single person in the city!” reported a scout who had returned from reconnaissance.

“Damn it!” The vanguard commander raged, though it wasn’t clear whether he was cursing the Da Chu soldiers or himself. After a few more curses, he had no choice but to send someone to report to the King of Nanzheng, who was still outside the city.

“What’s that?” The commander frowned, pointing at something dark and inconspicuous in a street corner. The soldier before his horse went forward to check, returning shortly with a puzzled report: “General, it appears to be some tung oil and mineral tar. Perhaps left behind when the Eastern Chu people fled.” The commander’s frown deepened; something felt wrong. Looking carefully around, he noticed similar traces were not uncommon, and the air seemed heavy with the smell of alcohol. They hadn’t noticed it earlier due to the several wine shops near where they had first entered the city, but now upon closer inspection, the wine smell seemed too strong even outside the shops.

Before he could think further, a window suddenly opened in one of the buildings along the street. A man in black clothing gave those below a cold glance, swiftly drew his bow, loosed an arrow, and vanished from the window. These actions happened in an instant – by the time everyone had reacted and shot arrows at the window, the man had already disappeared.

“Fire!” Someone suddenly screamed. Flames erupted along both sides of the street, spreading with incredible speed.

“It’s an ambush! Retreat!”

At the same time, Xinyang City erupted in chaos again. “The city gates are on fire!” A tremendous boom came from the city gates, followed by towering flames – even from their position within the city, they could see the red glow against the sky, indicating the fire’s intensity.

“Quick! Put out the fire!” The Western Ling army fell into chaos. Extinguishing the fires would be no easy task – Xinyang was already suffering from drought, and the few wells were either sealed or filled in. The only liquid they could find in the city was wine. As if deliberately placed, these wine containers sat outside the shops or along the streets – if anyone accidentally broke a jar, it would only fuel the flames further. What should have been a victorious scene in Xinyang City had become an inferno of flames and screams.

Several li outside Xinyang City, on a mountain peak, Ye Li gazed at the distant city that had become a sea of fire and sighed softly: “Xinyang is destroyed.” Qin Feng stood behind Ye Li, draping a thin cloak over her shoulders while saying: “My Lady need not worry. Xinyang City is mostly built of earth and stone; even if half the buildings are burned, rebuilding won’t be too difficult. Moreover, in this battle, we’ve managed to eliminate fifty thousand Western Ling troops without losing a single soldier. Rather than leave Xinyang for the Western Ling people to occupy, better to burn it.”

Ye Li smiled faintly, pulling the cloak tighter as she turned: “Let’s go. After this battle, the King of Nanzheng’s fury will be considerable. We should hurry to Hongzhou.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Indeed, as Qin Feng had said, Xinyang City was mostly earth and stone construction, not particularly good fuel. Even so, the fire raged for an entire day and night. The city gates were blocked by fierce flames – those inside couldn’t get out, and those outside couldn’t get in. When the fire finally weakened the next day and the army outside could enter the city, almost everyone inside had perished. Those who hadn’t been burned to death had long since suffocated from the thick smoke. The once magnificent and imposing Xinyang City was now a blackened wasteland exuding an aura of death.

When the King of Nanzheng entered Xinyang City, his expression couldn’t be described as merely gloomy – it was downright sinister. Looking at the ruins before him, the still-smoldering smoke along the streets, and smelling the nauseating odor in the air, his expression became savage and malevolent. Through gritted teeth, he growled: “Ye Li…” The generals following him were trembling, afraid to say or do anything that might provoke their lord’s dark mood. After a long while, the King suddenly threw back his head and laughed: “Excellent! Who would have thought that after more than a decade, this king would find such a worthy opponent? Mo Liufang, your good daughter-in-law! Ye Li… if I don’t capture you alive, I’m not fit to be human! Relay my order: whoever captures the State Preceptor’s Lady alive will receive ten thousand taels of gold and be made a Marquis of a Thousand Households!” Hearing this, everyone shuddered – such a bounty was almost comparable to those placed on previous State Preceptors. The King of Nanzheng turned and swept his gaze across the surroundings, sneering: “Leave some men to guard Xinyang. Everyone else, advance toward Hongzhou!”

“Yes, sir!”

Hongzhou City

Hongzhou was neither the largest nor the most fortified city in the Northwest, but due to its geographical position, the Western Ling army had been blocked layer by layer by the Mo family’s forces and had never truly approached Hongzhou City. Although the Northwest was engulfed in war, the civilians and merchants of Hongzhou remained quite peaceful. This was because they were backed by the essential route from the Northwest into the Central Plains – even if Hongzhou City fell to the Western Ling army, they would have time to escape into the Central Plains region. Moreover, the Northwest wasn’t the only region of Da Chu currently at war, so there were fewer refugees than expected.

“This humble official, Sun Xingzhi, Inspector of the Northwest, leads all officials and merchants of Hongzhou City in welcoming the State Preceptor’s Lady.” At the city gates, the Hongzhou Governor led all officials to welcome Ye Li’s party.

Feng Zhiyao glanced at the smiling middle-aged man before him. This person was considered part of the pro-emperor faction, having fled from Xinyang to Hongzhou as soon as the war began. He had consistently ignored the Mo family’s army near Hongzhou and even found ways to delay the supplies that should have been provided. Now he dared to stand at the city gates to welcome the Lady – truly bold. Ye Li wore plain cyan robes, lacking the magnificent splendor of noble ladies from the capital, yet her simple attire commanded respect and didn’t invite the slightest contempt or slight. Dismounting with Zhuo Jing’s assistance, Ye Li regarded the two rows of respectfully standing officials with a calm expression, nodding slightly: “Inspector Sun, please rise.”

Sun Xingzhi stepped forward, smiling eagerly: “My Lady must be tired from the long journey. Please enter the city for some tea, and this evening I shall host a banquet to welcome you.”

Ye Li raised her elegant eyebrows slightly – was he so eager to establish host-guest relations?

“I’m afraid I must decline Inspector Sun’s kind offer. The Western Ling army is rampaging within Hongzhou’s borders – does the Inspector have a solution?”

Sun Xingzhi smiled apologetically: “With the Mo family’s army present, how dare the Western Ling people act recklessly? This official, like the people of Hongzhou, is very much at ease, very much at ease!” Beside him, Feng Zhiyao raised his sword eyebrows and sneered: “Does Inspector Sun’s definition of ‘people of Hongzhou’ only include those within the city walls? This general recalls that Inspector Sun is the Northwest Inspector, not merely the Hongzhou Governor. Moreover… Inspector Sun’s words seem to suggest that the Western Ling’s pillaging of the Northwest is somehow the fault of the Mo family’s army?” Sun Xingzhi’s expression froze, but he quickly smiled again: “This official wouldn’t dare.” Wouldn’t dare, rather than didn’t mean it – Feng Zhiyao snorted lightly and ignored him further.

The atmosphere had become somewhat awkward when a middle-aged man with a somewhat timid complexion standing behind Sun Xingzhi hurriedly stepped forward: “This humble official, Hongzhou Governor Qi Anrong, pays respects to the Lady.”

Ye Li nodded: “Governor Qi, I hear that the supplies Hongzhou was supposed to provide to the Mo family’s army have been delayed – what is the reason for this?” Qi Anrong quickly glanced at Sun Xingzhi beside him, stammering: “This… please forgive me, My Lady. All regions in the Northwest have suffered from Western Ling raids, Hongzhou especially severely, so… so the supplies were delayed for a few days. Please forgive us…” Ye Li pressed her lips together in a faint smile: “I see, then Governor Qi has indeed worked hard.” Hearing Ye Li’s words, even in the October weather, Qi Anrong couldn’t help wiping sweat from his brow. His eye sockets, slightly bluish from excessive drinking and debauchery, trembled slightly as he repeatedly smiled and said: “I wouldn’t dare… wouldn’t dare…”

Zhuo Jing looked coldly at everyone and said: “Are you not going to make way? Do you expect the Lady to rest outside the city?”

Qi Anrong hurriedly stepped aside to clear a path: “Please, My Lady, please…”

As Ye Li was about to step forward into the city, Sun Xingzhi’s voice came from behind: “My Lady, please wait!”

Ye Li turned back, calmly looking at Sun Xingzhi. Her beautiful eyebrows raised slightly as she smiled, waiting for him to continue. Sun Xingzhi looked around, secretly swallowed, then straightened his chest and said: “While Hongzhou’s officials and people naturally welcome My Lady to the city, the Mo family’s army cannot enter with you!” Ye Li maintained her smile and asked: “Why not?” Sun Xingzhi said seriously: “So many people entering the city would inevitably cause chaos within. Please consider carefully, My Lady. Moreover, according to Da Chu law, each city’s garrison cannot exceed fifty thousand men. My Lady has brought… at least a hundred thousand, right?” Having found himself in the right, Sun Xingzhi’s voice grew increasingly confident.

Ye Li didn’t show anger, just calmly stared at the self-satisfied middle-aged man before her.

Seeing Ye Li’s silence, Sun Xingzhi grew even more pleased. Even his earlier caution had largely disappeared as he smiled: “My Lady, isn’t what I say reasonable?” Ye Li’s lips bloomed into a beautiful smile, but the self-satisfied Sun Xingzhi failed to notice that several people following Ye Li had quietly stepped back to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

“Inspector Sun, do you know that I just burned down Xinyang?” Ye Li’s voice was clear and cold.

Sun Xingzhi couldn’t help but shudder, his previous smile still frozen stiffly on his face as he stared somewhat dazedly at the woman whose demeanor had suddenly changed: “My… My Lady…”

“If I dared to burn Xinyang, I’m not afraid to kill a couple more useless officials!”