Outside Li City, amid thunderous war drums, two white figures stood proudly side by side before hundreds of thousands of troops. The seemingly endless ranks of the black-clad Mohist army stood in silence, their black banners flying fiercely in the wind. Everyone gazed up with trust and reverence at the white-robed couple in front.

Behind Ye Li stood the commanders who would join the campaign: Zhang Qilan, Lu Jinxian, Feng Zhiyao, Mo Hua, Zhuo Jing…

The wine was offered to the heavens, and a faint fragrance of alcohol permeated the solemn atmosphere outside the city. After sharing a drink with those who came to bid farewell and the Mohist army soldiers, Mo Xiuyao announced in a clear voice, “Move out!” His voice, carried by internal energy, reached across the entire gathering.

“Yes, sir!” hundreds of thousands roared in unison.

Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li exchanged smiles, walked to their warhorses at the front, and mounted. They led the way toward the distant official road, followed by the Mohist army commanders. Behind them, the Mohist soldiers slowly began to move, gradually forming a black dragon that stretched into the distance.

Only after the last column of Mohist soldiers had left the city gate did the crowd of well-wishers gradually disperse. Xu Hongyu and Xu Qingchen supported Master Qingyun on either side, saying, “Father, let’s head back.” Master Qingyun nodded and sighed to his two sons and eldest grandson, “The azure dragon takes flight… Li City will likely face many challenges ahead. Prince Ding has entrusted the Northwest to you, you must take great care.”

Xu Hongyu respectfully replied, “Please rest assured, Father. The Northwest is vital to Prince Ding’s Manor and the Mohist army. Your son wouldn’t dare take it lightly.”

Master Qingyun looked at his sons and grandson before him, nodding with satisfaction. He smiled and said, “In the future, not just the world, but the Northwest too will face many storms. Take care of yourselves.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Father. Your son understands.”

Mo Xiaobao held Cold Junhan and Xu Zhirui’s hands on either side, looking expectantly at the adults before him. Though he was quite clever, there were still some things he couldn’t fully understand. But he knew his great-grandfather was giving instructions to his uncles, “Great-grandfather, Yuzhen wants to help too.”

Master Qingyun smiled and patted Mo Xiaobao’s little head, “You’ll help plenty just by being good and obedient.”

Mo Xiaobao wrinkled his little nose in disappointment – he wasn’t a little child anymore!

Xu Qingchen bent down to pick up Mo Xiaobao and smiled, “Take good care of Zhirui and Junhan – that would be a great help to uncle.” Mo Xiaobao nestled contentedly in his uncle’s arms; he must agree to his immortal uncle’s request. Looking at the two little dumplings beside him, young Master Mo’s sense of responsibility suddenly swelled. These two little beans didn’t understand anything and needed someone to look after them. Well, this young prince would reluctantly take good care of them. Raising his head to look at the black dragon moving ever further into the distance, Mo Xiaobao snuggled against Xu Qingchen, feeling his nose grow sour. Little Bao missed Mother.

The Northwest wasn’t very large. At the Mohist army’s marching speed, it took only a few days to reach the border between the Northwest and Western Ling. The Mohist army didn’t pause at all, giving Western Ling’s border guards no time to react. In just two days, they broke through Western Ling’s border city – the first time this city had fallen since Western Ling’s founding. At this time, Western Ling’s War God Lei Zhenting was still within Great Chu’s borders, casting his ambitious gaze toward Great Chu’s rich southern regions.

Upon receiving the battle report, Lei Zhenting shattered the blue porcelain teacup in his hand in shock, suddenly standing up and roaring, “Mo Xiuyao!”

Below him, the originally confident commanders looked at each other, somewhat unclear about what had happened. One of them gathered his courage to stand and ask, “Your Highness? Has the Mohist army come to aid Great Chu? Even if so, we needn’t necessarily fear them.” Though the Mohist army’s valor was known throughout the world, this time they weren’t facing Western Ling alone – there were also the Northern Territory and Northern Rong. Though they didn’t know exactly what the Northern Territory was capable of, the fact that they had advanced to within hundreds of li of the Chu capital in just a few months suggested they were formidable. As for Northern Rong, everyone knew the frontier barbarians were fierce warriors. It was uncertain whether Prince Ding’s Manor could succeed against three opponents.

“Yes, Your Highness, please calm down. We needn’t necessarily fear this Mo Xiuyao!” Many shared this view, as the commanders eagerly flexed their muscles. They seemed to have completely forgotten how they had been thoroughly defeated by the Mohist army a few years ago.

Lei Zhenting laughed coldly, “Aid Great Chu? Hah! Mo Xiuyao has indeed mobilized his forces, but not to help Great Chu – he’s attacking Western Ling!”

“What?” Everyone was shocked.

After his initial fury subsided, Lei Zhenting calmed down. He said gravely, “Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li are personally leading hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Western Ling. They’ve already broken through the border city. The border’s hundreds of thousands of defenders were caught completely off guard and fled in panic! Useless! How could hundreds of thousands not even hold out for two days!” It would be impossible to say Lei Zhenting hadn’t been wary of Mo Xiuyao at all – even in peacetime, let alone during war, he kept a close watch on the Mohist army. That’s why even when mobilizing the nation’s forces to attack Great Chu, he hadn’t forgotten to station hundreds of thousands of troops to guard the Northwest border. Yet unexpectedly, these hundreds of thousands couldn’t even hold out for two days against Mo Xiuyao!

“Mo Xiuyao promised not to interfere! Breaking his word now is utterly despicable!”

Lei Zhenting laughed coldly, “Despicable? So-called promises are only valid when one wishes to honor them; when one doesn’t, they’re just a waste of paper. Moreover… what Mo Xiuyao promised was not to interfere in the war between Eastern Chu and Western Ling.” He indeed hadn’t interfered in the war between the two countries – he had directly attacked Western Ling instead.

“Your Highness, this subordinate is willing to lead troops back to reinforce the border!” someone volunteered.

Lei Zhenting closed his eyes briefly and said gravely, “Mo Xiuyao only brought four hundred thousand men into Western Ling. Several hundred thousand more troops are stationed at Western Ling’s border.”

Everyone was stunned, “Mo Xiuyao means to prevent us from returning to reinforce?”

“Correct. The commander guarding Western Ling’s border is the Mohist army’s Zhang Qilan. Though not particularly old, he’s a veteran of the Mohist army. While he couldn’t stop our entire army if we all returned, he could delay us for some time. Most importantly, if we withdraw, it would be hard to ensure Eastern Chu’s forces wouldn’t take the opportunity to pursue. We would then be caught between two forces.” Lei Zhenting said calmly, his face suddenly seeming to age several years, dark and gloomy. What he didn’t say was that even if they successfully returned to block the Mohist army, all their achievements in Eastern Chu over the past two months would be wasted. Though Eastern Chu’s soldiers weren’t particularly valiant, they weren’t immobile clay figures either. Western Ling’s forces had suffered significant casualties over these two months. If they returned empty-handed and even put Western Ling in danger, his position as Regent, no matter how powerful, would likely be finished.

Only now did Lei Zhenting understand that he had been thoroughly played by Mo Xiuyao. He couldn’t help but suspect that Mo Xiuyao’s years of lying low had been precisely to wait for him to lose patience and attack Great Chu. Because Mo Xiuyao himself, no matter what could not move against Great Chu directly.

“Mo Xiuyao! Well played, Mo Xiuyao…” Lei Zhenting ground out through clenched teeth.

“Your Highness, are we just going to…” the commanders below said indignantly. Just going to what? Ignore Western Ling being attacked and continue advancing into Great Chu? That was impossible. But how could they be content to abandon the territory they’d already taken in Great Chu and return?

Someone hesitated, “The Crown Prince guards the capital, perhaps he could hold off the Mohist army’s attack. We could split our forces and send some back to reinforce…” His voice trailed off weakly by the end. Though their forces far outnumbered the Mohist army, if they split half to return, they would first have to break through the blockade of four hundred thousand Mohist troops. Only then could they face Mo Xiuyao’s elite forces. Setting aside how many would remain by then, just how effective these remaining troops would be against Mo Xiuyao’s army was already cause for concern.

The room was silent for a long while before Lei Zhenting’s voice finally rang out, “Vice Commander, I’ll leave you thirty thousand men. Continue attacking Eastern Chu, but don’t be reckless.”

The middle-aged man sitting in the vice commander’s position, who was also Lei Zhenting’s confidant, stood and declared loudly, “Your subordinate obeys. Please rest assured, Your Highness.” Lei Zhenting nodded and said, “I will lead the remaining forces back to Western Ling at top speed. I hope we make it in time…”

The others wanted to comfort their lord, saying he needn’t worry too much – surely Mo Xiuyao couldn’t reach Western Ling’s capital in just ten or so days. But seeing their lord’s weary expression, they couldn’t bring themselves to voice these reassurances. Lei Zhenting waved his hand, “You may all withdraw.”

“Your subordinates take their leave.” The commanders respectfully withdrew, leaving Lei Zhenting alone in the dim lamplight of the empty room. After a long while, he swept all the documents and teacups off the table with one motion, “Mo Xiuyao!”

As Lei Zhenting had feared the worst, or perhaps as the Mohist army repeated the scene from when Western Ling had attacked Great Chu years ago, they advanced unstoppably. In just half a month, the four hundred thousand Mohist troops had captured four of Western Ling’s cities and advanced to Bian City in Western Ling’s heartland. This was Western Ling’s second most important city after the capital, its prosperity even surpassing that of An City where the Murong family had once held sway. This was because it lay on the necessary route from the Western Regions to Li City and even to the Central Plains. Its bustling prosperity needed no explanation. More importantly, while Western Ling was vast, most regions were unsuitable for growing grain. Of the remaining areas that could produce grain, half were around Bian City. Here also stood Dragon Mountain Academy, one of the world’s three great academies alongside Lishan Academy, located on Dragon Mountain east of Bian City.

Such an important place naturally couldn’t be treated like the others. By the time the Mohist army arrived, Lei Tengfeng, who had been guarding the capital, had also arrived at Bian City with three hundred thousand troops. Thus the two armies truly faced each other for the first time at Bian City – the previous battles could only be counted as the Mohist army’s one-sided dominance. Lei Tengfeng and his troops were exhausted from rushing to Bian City, while the Mohist army was also quite tired after more than twenty days of intense battles and marching. So Mo Xiuyao ordered them to make camp outside Bian City to rest briefly before beginning the siege.

In the Mohist army’s main tent, all the commanders wore excited expressions. Their consecutive major victories had left them not just excited but eager for more, so when Mo Xiuyao ordered a pause in the attack on the city, many could hardly contain themselves and came forward requesting to lead the attack.

Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li sat side by side in the main seats of the great tent, leaning against an armrest and watching with faint smiles as everyone argued furiously over who would lead the attack first. Feng Zhiyao sprawled lazily in his chair, grinning as he watched them argue, picked his ears, and looked toward Mo Xiuyao, “Your Highness, you’d better say something, or they might start fighting.” Hearing this, those arguing immediately stopped, and over a dozen pairs of eyes turned simultaneously toward Mo Xiuyao.

Mo Xiuyao spoke unhurriedly, “Didn’t I already say? Make camp and rest. We’ll attack the city tomorrow.”

Yun Ting asked in confusion, “But Your Highness, Lei Tengfeng’s three hundred thousand reinforcements have already arrived. Shouldn’t we take advantage of their exhaustion and catch them off guard?”

Mo Xiuyao glanced at him sideways and said coolly, “They’re exhausted, but we’re even more so. Do you all think we’ve been advancing too smoothly, that Western Ling is truly so weak? Don’t forget, for the past fifteen to twenty years, Western Ling has consistently held the upper hand against Great Chu.”

*Because our Mohist army wasn’t involved,* someone grumbled internally.

Mo Xiuyao continued casually, “The reason we’ve been winning so easily these days is firstly because Lei Zhenting took most of his elite forces to attack Great Chu. Secondly, we caught them by surprise, giving them no time to react. Though Western Ling often invades others’ borders, their homeland hasn’t seen war for many years. Their weakness is similar to the Mohist army’s – good at attacking, poor at defending. I can tell you all very seriously: our real battle begins at Bian City.”

Lu Jinxian frowned, “Your Highness perhaps gives Lei Tengfeng too much credit.”

“His Highness isn’t elevating Lei Tengfeng,” Ye Li, who had been silently listening to their discussion, spoke up. “Bian City is Western Ling’s greatest city after the capital. One could say it truly harbors hidden dragons and crouching tigers.”

Hidden dragons and crouching tigers? Everyone exchanged glances – they hadn’t heard of any important figures in Western Ling.

Ye Li smiled and shook her head, “Before the Regent Prince, Western Ling had three great generals. Has anyone here heard of them?”

Being military commanders, most were quite familiar with such matters. Yun Ting said gravely, “Princess Consort, Western Ling’s three great generals were Fengtian Grand General Long Yang, Jingtian Grand General Zhu Yan, and Shuntian Grand General Feng Ao. These three were reportedly childhood friends of Western Ling’s previous emperor, Emperor Xuanwen. After Emperor Xuanwen ascended the throne, they expanded territory for him, fighting in all directions. During Emperor Xuanwen’s reign, Western Ling’s territory expanded westward by nearly a third of its original size. But among these three, only Zhu Yan ever faced the Great King in battle, each winning once. The other two were always in the west and north. After the current Western Ling Emperor ascended the throne and was controlled by his brother the Regent Prince, these three generals, loyal to Emperor Xuanwen and his chosen successor, clashed with the Regent Prince. They were successively stripped of their military authority by him. That was… twenty years ago.”

Others nodded in agreement, their knowledge matching Yun Ting’s account. The youngest of those three generals must now be at least seventy years old. Who knew if they were still alive, and even if they were, they surely couldn’t take the field anymore.

Ye Li smiled faintly, “Regrettably, two of these generals are now in Bian City. Fengtian General Long Yang and Jingtian General Zhu Yan.”

Everyone fell silent.

Mo Xiuyao smiled at everyone, “Well, do you still want to attack?”

After a moment of silence, someone finally said, “Of course we’ll attack! But… we could use some rest first!” Bian City didn’t just have Lei Tengfeng’s three hundred thousand men – the city’s garrison plus the scattered troops retreating from the front totaled at least another two hundred thousand. Even if Long Yang and Zhu Yan disagreed with Lei Zhenting, they wouldn’t stand idle while Bian City was besieged – they had likely been preparing and waiting for them. Charging forward boldly was admirable, but charging forward recklessly without considering reality was simply foolish and impulsive.

Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction, “Very good. Now go rest. Tomorrow, show me your plans for attacking the city.”

“We take our leave!”

As everyone withdrew, Feng Zhiyao, who was last, hesitated for a moment before staying behind. Mo Xiuyao glanced at him, saying displeasedly, “What else do you want to say?” Feng Zhiyao thought for a moment and sat back down, “Your Highness? Are Long Yang and Zhu Yan really in Bian City?”

Mo Xiuyao laughed, “What would I gain by lying to you?”

Feng Zhiyao sighed, “Such bad luck. Meeting one of these old monsters would be one thing, but encountering two at once? I heard that even when the Regent Prince faced Zhu Yan, his victory was quite difficult.” Great Chu’s previous Regent Prince Mo Liufang was called an unparalleled genius. Never been defeated in his life, yet he only achieved a draw with Zhu Yan. This alone proved how extraordinary this Jingtian Grand General was. Moreover, although the other Fengtian Grand General had never faced the Mohist army, in the Western Regions back then, General Long’s reputation was even more resounding than Western Ling’s emperor. He swept through the small Western Region countries, his reputation for killing reaching the point where it could stop children from crying at night.

Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Indeed our luck isn’t great. These old generals might find it difficult to charge into battle themselves. But as military advisors giving Lei Tengfeng guidance, they can make things quite uncomfortable for you. However, our luck isn’t all bad – the approach to Bian City is open plains, otherwise, we’d have been in trouble before even reaching the city walls.”

Feng Zhiyao started, asking in confusion, “What do you mean? You’re not planning to take action yourself?”

Mo Xiuyao smiled, “My actions wouldn’t be much better than yours. I… don’t like city battles.”

Feng Zhiyao couldn’t help but roll his eyes – since when could you choose what you like or don’t like in war? Just because you don’t like this Bian City standing before us doesn’t mean it will vanish into thin air.

Mo Xiuyao said somewhat regretfully, “Truth be told, I wanted to meet these old generals. Unfortunately… they’re too old…” Perhaps because Mo Xiuyao was too brilliant, or perhaps because Prince Ding’s Manor’s reputation was too resounding, almost no one of Mo Xiuyao’s generation could rival him. Compared to his father’s or even his elder brother’s time, Mo Xiuyao was undoubtedly lonely. When people spoke of Prince Ding, they always praised how he commanded from the tent and how skilled he was in warfare, but only he knew it had been very, very long since he had enjoyed a truly satisfying battle.

“How do you know they haven’t trained successors?” Feng Zhiyao muttered softly.

Mo Xiuyao smiled, “If that’s the case, even better. That would make things… more interesting.”

In the end, unable to figure out Mo Xiuyao’s meaning, Feng Zhiyao left in a huff.

In the great tent, Ye Li leaned against Mo Xiuyao and asked softly, “These two old generals are indeed extraordinary. We really must be careful. Are you truly not going to manage them in tomorrow’s attack?” Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly, “It’s good to temper their sharp edge. The journey has been too smooth – that’s not good.”

Ye Li nodded, understanding Mo Xiuyao’s concerns. These were her concerns as well. Although the sudden appearance of these two old generals in Bian City might disrupt their original plans, it was better than letting these soldiers face future enemies with excessive pride, or even walk toward destruction. The Mohist army wasn’t the only elite force in the world, nor was Mo Xiuyao the only one who knew how to fight wars.

“Do we have enough time? If we let Lei Zhenting return, we’ll be the ones caught between two forces.”

Holding her hand, Mo Xiuyao said, “Don’t worry. No matter what… if Zhang Qilan with forty thousand troops can’t delay them for a month or two, then these years have been wasted on him. Moreover… I have some other gifts to send to Lei Zhenting.” Ye Li thought for a moment, “Murong Shen? And Nanzhao?” Besides Mo Jingli’s army, only Murong Shen guarding Suixue Pass and Nanzhao could threaten Lei Zhenting from the south. Mo Jingli was defending his territory – unless Lei Zhenting crossed the Yunlan River, the Li King’s forces in the south wouldn’t move. So that left only Murong Shen and Nanzhao.

“What benefits did you promise Princess Anxi?” Wars between nations were never just about friendship. Without concrete benefits, nothing would work.

Mo Xiuyao never concealed anything from Ye Li, smiling as he said, “I didn’t negotiate with her. Look at this letter that just arrived today.”

Ye Li took the letter and looked at it, smiling as she said, “It’s from Elder Brother? Elder Brother… negotiated with Princess Anxi?” She sighed softly, “Elder Brother he…”

“He is the strategist for both the Northwest and Prince Ding’s Manor,” Mo Xiuyao held her hand firmly as he spoke. Xu Qingchen was doing what he should, although such matters would gradually erode the friendship between him and Princess Anxi. It wasn’t that Princess Anxi would think ill of it, but when both sides stood on their respective interests, the original friendship would gradually fade as they grew accustomed to their current and future relationship. But Mo Xiuyao didn’t intend to feel any guilt toward Xu Qingchen for this.

Ye Li shook her head, saying, “Give them the three provinces bordering Nanzhao? Princess Anxi agreed?” Such terms seemed too vague – it wasn’t even certain if the Mohist army could defeat Western Ling.

Mo Xiuyao smiled, “Between Prince Ding’s Manor and Lei Zhenting, Nanzhao must choose a side. Befriend the distant and attack the near… even if they offend Prince Ding’s Manor, Nanzhao won’t gain any advantage. But if they cooperate with Prince Ding’s Manor, swallowing up several Western Ling provinces might not be impossible.”

“Do you intend to divide Western Ling with Nanzhao?” Ye Li raised an eyebrow.

“That’s a matter for the future. Right now, I don’t even have it myself.”

So, it was still just making empty promises…