Half a month later, the Great Chu Regent Mo Jingli led the Empress Dowager and the long-anticipated new Emperor, along with most court officials, south to Jiangnan. Those who remained in the capital were led by the Duke of Huaguo, consisting of veteran ministers and some scholar-officials of the Qingliu faction. When the soldiers at the front lines received this news, their morale instantly crumbled. The already unfavorable military situation deteriorated completely, with the Northern Rong army continuously pushing the frontline southward. Ten days later, Purple Thorn Pass, which had held firm for several months, finally fell. Large numbers of northern border troops poured through the pass.

At this time, when Mo Xiuyao in Xiling received the news, the Mo family army had already arrived beneath the walls of Xiling’s Imperial City. Learning from the lessons of the battle at Biancheng, young commanders like Chen Yun performed exceptionally well in the previous battle at Fengcheng. Although Lei Tengfeng was rescued by the arriving Golden Guard, it hardly diminished their achievements. The Mo family army advanced steadily, and months of continuous intense battles transformed these once-inexperienced troops into true battle-hardened veterans. By the time the Mo family army reached Xiling’s Imperial City, it was already September.

After surrounding Xiling’s Imperial City, Mo Xiuyao did not immediately order an attack. He merely maintained the siege, taking the opportunity to let his troops rest after months of exhaustion.

Within Xiling’s Imperial Palace, the Xiling Emperor sat with deeply furrowed brows, studying the white-robed youth before him. Below the emperor’s seat, Xu Qingbai, elegant in his white robes, smiled as he observed the Xiling Emperor. Though only in his early fifties, the emperor appeared far less imposing than the Marquis of the Southern Garrison who, despite losing an arm, still maintained his magnificent bearing. Perhaps due to years of indulgence in entertainment and pleasure, the emperor’s appearance was extremely gaunt, his complexion sallow and his eyes clouded. Even his eyelids drooped loosely – though not elderly, he appeared entirely devoid of vitality.

Xu Qingbai paid no attention to the palace guards who watched him vigilantly from nearby. He had been in Xiling for quite some days, but initially, the Xiling Emperor had refused to meet him. Perhaps the emperor hadn’t expected his Xiling army to prove so utterly ineffective against the Mo family forces. Only when the Mo family army captured both Biancheng and Fengcheng in less than half a month did he truly begin to worry? However, negotiations – especially those concerning the fate of a nation – were not easily resolved. Moreover, the Xiling Emperor still harbored a sliver of hope in his heart, causing his attitude to remain uncertain. Now, with the Mo family army at the city gates and no word from the Marquis of the Southern Garrison’s mansion, he could no longer afford to hesitate.

During his several years in the Northwest, Xu Qingbai had been involved in agricultural work in extremely barren regions. Yet this hadn’t diminished the scholarly air he was born with; if anything, those years had polished what was once a somewhat naive young man into someone even more refined and peaceful. Among the various Xu brothers, each with their distinct personalities, Xu Qingbai was the one who most embodied the hundred years of scholarly tradition of the Xu family, truly displaying both talent and wisdom. Xu Qingchen was too otherworldly compared to him, Xu Qingze too cold, Xu Qingfeng more like a warrior, and Xu Qingyan too impulsive. Only Xu Qingbai, with his gentle demeanor and calm smile, truly embodied the proper bearing of a gentleman, as pure as jade, making it impossible for anyone to harbor ill feelings toward him.

“Has Your Majesty considered it?” After a long while, Xu Qingbai finally spoke in a calm voice.

The Xiling Emperor did not relax his guard despite Xu Qingbai’s gentle manner, maintaining his deeply furrowed brows and troubled expression. Xu Qingbai continued unhurriedly, “Actually, Your Majesty need not be so troubled. The Prince Ding’s mansion has no intention of making things difficult for Your Majesty; this is truly an unavoidable situation.”

Everyone present, including the Qilin guards watchfully stationed at the door, couldn’t help but feel speechless. They had already fought their way to the imperial capital – if this wasn’t “making things difficult,” what would be?

Facing the Xiling Emperor’s skeptical expression, Xu Qingbai smiled and said, “If the Marquis of the Southern Garrison hadn’t ambitiously attacked Great Chu, our lord wouldn’t have had to resort to such measures to trouble Your Majesty.” The Xiling Emperor frowned and said, “As far as I know, the Mo family army has already severed ties with Eastern Chu. Fourth Young Master Xu, please don’t try to fool me with such words.” Even if he was just a puppet, he was still an emperor – for Xu Qingbai to try to deceive him with such words was practically mocking his intelligence. Xu Qingbai remained unfazed, shaking his head somewhat helplessly, “Although our lord has no intention of interfering in Great Chu’s affairs, Your Majesty should understand that the Northwest is small and impoverished. If the Marquis of the Southern Garrison takes Great Chu, with his ambitious nature, wouldn’t he come to make trouble for Prince Ding’s mansion?”

The Xiling Emperor fell silent; Xu Qingbai’s words had somewhat convinced him. He understood that most of Xu Qingbai’s words were sophistry, but in such circumstances, people’s hearts were far more receptive to such sophistry than usual. So now the Xiling Emperor couldn’t help but wonder: if the Marquis of the Southern Garrison hadn’t attacked Great Chu, would Mo Xiuyao have attacked Xiling? More importantly, it was bad enough that Lei Zhenting attacked Great Chu, but he had taken Xiling’s most elite troops and showed no consideration for returning to help in Xiling’s time of crisis, instead continuing to attack Great Chu. This matter particularly rankled the Xiling Emperor.

Seeing the Xiling Emperor’s silence, Xu Qingbai continued, “Your Majesty surely understands that with Xiling’s current military strength… the Imperial City absolutely cannot be held. Moreover, even if our Prince Ding’s forces withdraw now, can Your Majesty withstand the military might of the Western Regions? According to my information, the various small nations of the Western Regions have formed a fifteen-nation alliance, leading an army of 600,000 troops stationed at the border, seeking to settle the blood debt from the years when Xiling’s armies were in the Western Regions…”

Upon hearing this, the Xiling Emperor couldn’t help but tremble. The number of people Long Yang had killed in the Western Regions those years ago was probably uncountable. For hundreds of years, many countries in the Western Regions had lived under Xiling’s oppression; one could say the hatred between them ran as deep as the sea. Only because Xiling’s military strength had always been formidable had these small countries been forced to swallow their bitter losses. But their reluctant submission didn’t mean they were willing to remain subservient forever – now, as soon as Xiling was defeated by the Mo family army, these small countries were already stirring.

The Xiling Emperor knew he absolutely could not defeat Mo Xiuyao, nor could he handle those Western Region countries that harbored such deep hatred for Xiling. Just as he had always known he could never match his brother, the Marquis of the Southern Garrison – he had always been pragmatic about such things. After a while, the Xiling Emperor finally spoke: “What does Fourth Young Master Xu wish to say?”

Xu Qingbai raised his eyebrows slightly, knowing the Xiling Emperor’s heart had begun to waver. He smiled faintly and said, “As long as Your Majesty surrenders the Imperial City, and the cities previously taken by the Mo family army remain under Northwest control, the Mo family army will withdraw immediately. Wouldn’t peaceful coexistence between our two sides be wonderful?”

The Xiling Emperor nearly coughed up blood on the spot. Peaceful coexistence?! Talking about peaceful coexistence after the Mo family army had occupied a third of Xiling’s territory?

The Xiling Emperor shook his head and said, “The Imperial City is not negotiable. If Prince Ding withdraws his troops immediately, the land previously occupied by the Mo family army can be given to Prince Ding’s mansion, and I can add Qingyang Prefecture. Qingyang Prefecture borders Great Chu, and its area is twice that of Anping Prefecture where the Imperial City is located.” The Imperial City was Xiling’s capital and foundation – if he lost even the Imperial City, what face would he have left as emperor? Was he supposed to flee like the Emperor of Great Chu?

Speaking of which, Xiling and Great Chu truly deserved their reputation as having common origins. Years ago, they had rebelled against the previous dynasty at almost the same time, establishing their nations around the same period. Afterward, when Xiling was strong, Great Chu was strong; when Great Chu was in chaos, Xiling was in chaos. For one or two hundred years, neither had gained much advantage over the other. And now, as the new Emperor of Great Chu fled, the Xiling Imperial City was also under siege by a great army.

Xu Qingbai waved his fan, shaking his head as he said, “Your Majesty, do the Xiling Imperial City truly hold any meaning for you? The so-called Imperial City… is where the Son of Heaven resides. As long as the Son of Heaven remains, couldn’t an Imperial City be built anywhere? In the current situation, even if the Imperial City were truly preserved… could you live here in peace?”

The Xiling Emperor fell silent, while also inwardly blaming his ancestors for choosing such a poor location for the Imperial City. The Xiling Imperial City was merely six or seven hundred li from the border of the Western Regions. In Xiling’s days of prosperity, this had been advantageous – it was especially convenient for demanding precious tributes, peerless beauties, and rare horses from the Western Region’s small countries. But once Xiling declined, cavalry from the Western Regions could reach the Imperial City in just a few days. Moreover, they would now have to live as neighbors with the Mo family army – the Xiling Emperor felt like he was sitting on pins and needles just thinking about it.

With Xu Qingbai’s reminder, the Xiling Emperor suddenly felt the Imperial City had become too hot to handle. He had no desire to face the powerful Mo family army in front and the vengeful Western Region countries with their deep blood feuds behind him. However, to simply hand over the Imperial City so easily – the Xiling Emperor really couldn’t bring himself to lose face like that.

How could Xu Qingbai not understand his thoughts? He wasn’t in a hurry and smiled faintly, saying, “No matter, Your Majesty can think it over carefully for a few days? Of course, if our two armies can resolve this peacefully, Prince Ding’s mansion won’t take Your Majesty’s city for nothing.” Such a clear hint made the Xiling Emperor’s heart stir, and he looked questioningly at Xu Qingbai. Xu Qingbai smiled slightly and gently suggested, “The orthodox line of the Xiling royal family… has long been suppressed by the Marquis of the Southern Garrison. Years ago, if it weren’t for the Marquis of the Southern Garrison eliminating the opposition, how could Xiling’s three great generals have declined to this state? If Xiling and Prince Ding’s mansion maintained peaceful relations, we would naturally be friends. Mutual support between friends is only natural, isn’t it?”

The Xiling Emperor’s eyes brightened. No matter how capable he was, he was still an emperor and a man. For a man who sat on the emperor’s throne, if he said he had no desire to hold power in his own hands, he wouldn’t be sitting in that position. The price Xu Qingbai offered was undoubtedly very attractive. If Prince Ding’s mansion helped him suppress Lei Zhenting, then he could control state affairs and become Xiling’s emperor in the true sense – even if Xiling only retained two-thirds of its territory, so what? Even now, he didn’t have any power at all and was even less free than an ordinary noble.

Understanding the principle of moderation, Xu Qingbai made his point and said no more. He rose unhurriedly to bid farewell to the Xiling Emperor, leaving him time to think for himself.

As he left, he didn’t forget to add one last comment, “Your Majesty, Xiling’s current situation is not your fault…”

Watching Xu Qingbai’s composed departure, the Xiling Emperor couldn’t help but feel both dazed and envious. Even though the other party was just a young man who seemed to not even hold an official position, the bearing and composure he displayed before him, a sovereign ruler, made him deeply envious. At the same time, Xu Qingbai’s final words had deeply impressed themselves in his mind. That’s right… none of this was his fault, it was all Lei Zhenting’s fault!

“Your Majesty?” A nearby palace servant came forward to offer hot tea, speaking somewhat cautiously.

Looking down to take a sip of his usual tribute tea, the Xiling Emperor finally let out a long breath and asked casually, “Tell me… can the Imperial City be defended?”

“Your Majesty is wise and mighty, our Xiling will last for a thousand years. Of course, it can be defended,” the servant respectfully replied, though even he didn’t believe his own words. Fortunately, the Xiling Emperor didn’t pursue the truth of his words. He nodded silently and said, “Very well, let’s wait and see.” The servant stood quietly at his side serving him. Having attended to the Xiling Emperor for many years, he could guess some of the emperor’s thoughts just by looking at his expression, and this time was no exception. However, he was just a lowly palace servant – matters of state were not for him to comment on.

In the Mo family army’s main tent outside the Imperial City, commanders of all ranks had gathered and were discussing various matters. The Mo family army had advanced like an unstoppable force to the walls of the Xiling Imperial City, but their lord had ordered them only to maintain the siege without attacking, leaving many commanders puzzled. Shouldn’t they take advantage of the army’s high morale to capture the Imperial City in one decisive move?

“Feng San, what are the lord and lady thinking?” While others dared not ask, Zhang Qilan had no such reservations and directly questioned Feng Zhiyao, who had been at Mo Xiuyao’s side the longest. Feng Zhiyao rolled his eyes at the tent’s ceiling and said, “How would I know what our lord is thinking? I’m not a worm in his belly.”

A vice commander hesitated before asking, “Could it be that our lord plans to withdraw the troops?”

At these words, the others fell silent. They had naturally all heard about the Great Chu Emperor heading south. Although they were unwilling to have any connection with the Great Chu royal family, they weren’t completely without feelings for the Great Chu common people. Though they hadn’t seen the current situation in Great Chu with their own eyes, they could guess something of it. So they couldn’t help but wonder if their lord planned to withdraw.

“Actually… would withdrawing be so bad? What if our lord wants to reinforce Great Chu?” someone asked hesitantly. After all, they shared common roots with Great Chu’s people, and most of the Mo family army still had relatives and old friends in Great Chu. If their lord truly planned to send troops to Great Chu, presumably no one would object. Though the Mo family army hated the Great Chu royal family, that had nothing to do with ordinary citizens – people’s hearts were made of flesh, after all.

“Besides, the Northern Rong and our Mo family army still have a great blood feud. If our lord truly plans this, we naturally wouldn’t oppose it.” The previous Prince Ding, Mo Xiuwen, and those wrongfully killed Mo family army soldiers – adding in those who died in battle, at least nearly 200,000 Mo family army soldiers had died at the hands of the Northern Rong in that year’s battle.

“What are you all discussing?” Ye Li’s elegant voice came from outside the tent, and everyone hurriedly rose to bow. Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li entered hand in hand, their expressions carrying a faint warmth, clearly in good spirits.

“Greetings to the lord and lady.”

Mo Xiuyao led Ye Li to the main seats, raising an eyebrow as he smiled at the assembled commanders, “The lady asked a question – what was everyone discussing so animatedly?” Yun Ting was unexpectedly pushed forward, and after helplessly glancing at his colleagues who were all studiously examining their noses or hearts, he had to say, “Reporting to my lord, we were speculating about when you planned to attack the city.”

Seeing Yun Ting’s serious expression, Ye Li couldn’t help but smile, “Don’t be nervous, we’re just asking casually. Please sit down.”

“Thank you, my lady!” Yun Ting finally relaxed and hurriedly returned to sit beside Chen Yun.

Mo Xiuyao looked at the commanders below with an ambiguous smile and asked, “You all want to know when we’ll attack the city?”

The commanders nodded in unison – they were desperate to know. They were about to capture the Xiling Imperial City, a feat the Mo family army hadn’t achieved in nearly two hundred years.

Mo Xiuyao smiled as he looked at them and said, “I have no intention of attacking the Imperial City.”

Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but show shocked expressions. Although they had some suspicions, they were still surprised to hear their lord say it outright. Moreover, if they weren’t planning to attack the city, they didn’t need to come here at all – they could have just gone home. Surely the Xiling garrison troops, who had been frightened all along their march, wouldn’t dare to pursue them?

“My lord… why aren’t we attacking?” It was Yun Ting who couldn’t help but raise his hand to ask, and everyone’s eyes immediately fixed on Mo Xiuyao.

Mo Xiuyao calmly asked, “In attacking Biancheng, how many troops did the Mo family army lose in total?”

Everyone fell silent. Although the Mo family army’s advance could be said to have been remarkably smooth, they had still lost considerable force at Biancheng. By rough calculation, the battle for Biancheng alone had cost them nearly 80,000-90,000 troops. This was almost equal to all their other losses combined, both before and after. The reason they still had 300,000 troops now beneath the Xiling Imperial City was that Lü Songxian had later sent over 100,000 elite soldiers as reinforcements. Those losses had been among the Mo family army’s most elite troops.

Mo Xiuyao continued, “Although the Xiling Imperial City may not have Biancheng’s long history, its defensive capabilities certainly surpass Biancheng’s. Furthermore… among our three great generals, the last one, General Feng Ao of Shuntian, is currently in the Imperial City. The Mo family army could certainly capture the Xiling Imperial City, but I don’t wish to pay such a heavy price. Additionally… I don’t want to destroy this city’s defenses.”

This Imperial City wasn’t particularly ancient, being only about 150 years old. It had taken Xiling over a decade of national resources to build. When Xiling was first established, the Western Region countries were not peaceful. For Xiling’s first two founding emperors to dare to place their capital in such a location near the border showed remarkable courage. Perhaps there was also some intention to keep their descendants constantly vigilant. Once the Mo family army took control of all of northern Xiling, what was once Xiling’s border would become the Mo family army’s border. This former Imperial City would become the strongest and final gate in the defense against the Western Region countries.

“Then… what does my lord plan to do? We can’t just keep waiting here or give up, can we?” Zhang Qilan asked.

Mo Xiuyao smiled without answering, and everyone turned hopeful eyes toward Ye Li.

Ye Li lowered her eyes with a gentle smile, “The Art of War says: Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. The next best is to attack the enemy’s strategy, then his alliances, his army, and the worst is to attack his cities… To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

Everyone was in awe: The lady truly has divine wisdom!

Feng Zhiyao rubbed his nose, silently wondering: Which military text was that from?

Yun Ting looked on admiringly: The lady is so well-read – I spent three whole months studying military texts and still hadn’t seen this!

“Ahem…” Feng Zhiyao coughed lightly and respectfully asked for guidance, “My lady means to subdue them without fighting? This… might not be so easy?” Even if the Xiling Emperor was truly incompetent, the Xiling court officials wouldn’t agree to just hand over the Imperial City to them. That was the Imperial City, a nation’s capital, not a potato!

Ye Li smiled and said, “Whether it will work or not, we’ll know if we wait and see, won’t we?”

Zhang Qilan frowned and asked, “If we don’t attack the city, then… how should we handle any reinforcement armies that come?” Mo Xiuyao gave him a calm look and said, “How to handle them? Kill them, of course! Don’t worry about the Imperial City – during this time, any Xiling armies that come to provide support, kill them all and send them back!”

Everyone finally relaxed – so there would still be fighting. Besides, they had more advantage in field battles than in siege warfare.

“We obey!” everyone responded in unison. Feng Zhiyao pondered thoughtfully – actually… isn’t this also a kind of psychological warfare?

“Reporting to my lord and lady, someone has come from the Xiling Imperial City requesting an audience,” a guard came in to report.

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow and asked, “Who is it?”

The guard replied, “They say it’s the Xu family’s Fourth Young Master, but he doesn’t have any token from Prince Ding’s mansion, so…” Unlike Xu Qingchen and Xu Qingze who were often in Li City, or Xu Qingfeng who mixed in the military camps, not many in the Mo family army knew Xu Qingbai. Especially among the lower-ranking ordinary soldiers, even fewer recognized him, so following protocol, they had to report first before letting him into the camp.

Hearing this, Ye Li brightened, “Fourth Brother has come?”

Mo Xiuyao took Ye Li’s hand as they stood, smiling, “In that case, let’s go out to welcome the Fourth Young Master. I feel he will bring us good news.” Everyone else also looked curious – why would the Xu family’s Fourth Young Master be in the Xiling Imperial City? More importantly, what kind of good news would he bring them?

As the group walked outside the main camp, someone had already gone ahead to welcome Xu Qingbai. It was Xu Qingfeng, who had been wandering around with nothing to do and happened to meet him. Seeing his fourth brother, who should have been planting potatoes in the Northwest, mysteriously appear in Xiling, and coming from the Imperial City, Xu Qingfeng was startled. He examined Xu Qingbai thoroughly, and only after confirming there were no injuries did he ask, “Fourth Brother, why are you here? Does Elder Aunt know?”

Facing his third brother’s undisguised concern, Xu Qingbai shook his head with a good-natured smile and said, “Third Brother, it seems you’re doing well?”

Xu Qingfeng’s expression was animated as he smiled and said, “Of course! Your Third Brother has earned quite a few merits this time. Qin Feng said when we return, he’ll promote me to deputy commander of the Qilin.” Although Xu Qingfeng also understood that this was partly due to consideration for his cousin, as he wasn’t the only squad leader who had achieved merits, he also knew that Qin Feng was not someone who confused public and private matters – this at least showed that Qin Feng had acknowledged his abilities.

“Then congratulations to Third Brother,” Xu Qingbai smiled. Xu Qingfeng’s smile faded as he said, “You still haven’t told me why you’re here. If Elder Aunt knew you’d run off here, she’d be frightened to death!”

Xu Qingbai smiled wryly and said helplessly, “Father and Big Brother know. Once things are settled here, I’ll write home to assure every one of my safety. Third Brother, I have matters to discuss with Li’er and Prince Ding.”

“Third Brother…” As they were speaking, Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao had already walked out, followed by an impressive entourage, making Xu Qingbai feel somewhat overwhelmed by the attention.

“How did it go?” Mo Xiuyao asked calmly.

“The mission was accomplished,” Xu Qingbai smiled faintly.