Watching as the Marquis of Muyang seemed to lose all life in an instant, Qin Feng lowered his gaze and said, “I will take Mu Yang’s body with me. The Marquis should still have some time to think things over.” With that, Qin Feng clapped his hands, and two guards entered to carry away Mu Yang’s corpse.

“Wait!” The Marquis of Muyang called out anxiously, “Where are you taking Yang’er?”

Qin Feng slightly furrowed his brows and said, “The Princess Consort ordered that Mu Yang be given a proper burial.” Originally, the Prince’s orders had been different, but now that the main task was complete, surely the Prince wouldn’t mind this small change.

Seeing no reaction from the Marquis of Muyang, Qin Feng turned to leave.

“Why… how did you manage to do it?” The Marquis’s aged, powerless voice came from behind, “Who was the spy in the Muyang Marquis Manor?” Qin Feng turned back in surprise, not expecting the Marquis to still have the presence of mind to ask about this.

“Yao Ji,” Qin Feng said plainly.

The Marquis was stunned. He had indeed suspected Yao Ji but had ultimately dismissed the thought. The main reason was Mu Lie – he believed that no woman, no matter how much she hated a man, would harm her child’s father while taking the child with her.

Seeming to understand the Marquis’s confusion, Qin Feng said, “Mu Lie is not Mu Yang’s son.”

“What?” The Marquis was stunned again, “That woman… that woman’s son… so that’s it, that’s it…” Knowing he had misunderstood, Qin Feng had no desire to explain further. He gave the Marquis one last look before turning and walking out. As the door closed, maniacal laughter erupted from within, though to Qin Feng’s ears, it sounded more like crying.

Letting out a light sigh, Qin Feng shook his head and left.

A thousand li away, Mo Xiu Yao sat behind his desk in the great tent, his expression somewhat gloomy and lost in thought. When Feng Zhi Yao entered and saw his appearance, he raised an eyebrow and said, “What’s wrong? Missing the Princess Consort after less than a month?” Mo Xiu Yao gave him a bland look and said, “How could a lone wolf like you understand the feelings of a family man?”

Feng Zhi Yao rolled his eyes in annoyance – whose fault was it that he was alone? There hadn’t been a moment’s peace these past few years. Waving the secret message in his hand, he tossed it over and said, “A message from Qin Feng. Looks like the Princess Consort isn’t missing you at all, not even sending a greeting along with it.”

Mo Xiu Yao caught it and uttered a single word: “Out.”

Opening the envelope, the contents of the message dispelled much of the gloom between Mo Xiu Yao’s brows. He casually crumpled the letter, letting it dissolve into powder that scattered away. Having known Mo Xiu Yao for many years, Feng Zhi Yao naturally understood his expressions and curiously asked, “What good news has made you so happy?” Mo Xiu Yao’s mood was much improved from when he had first entered Qin Feng’s secret message had reported something positive.

“The Princess Consort and General Lü have already dealt with Mo Jing Li and are preparing to return? That’s impossible…” Unless Mo Jing Li truly had the brain of a pig, there was no way he could have been defeated so quickly.

Mo Xiu Yao said, “Mu Yang is dead.”

“How is that good news?” Feng Zhi Yao rolled his eyes. While Mu Yang might have been considered a rising star among Chu’s military leaders, he was surely far from being significant enough to warrant such attention from Prince Ding Mo Xiu Yao. Was Mu Yang’s death worth Mo Xiu Yao’s happiness? Feeling something was off, Feng Zhi Yao pondered for a moment before realizing, his expression changing slightly as he said, “The Muyang Marquis Manor is finished?”

Not many knew how much Mo Xiu Yao hated the Marquis of Muyang, but Feng Zhi Yao was one of them. Over these years, Mo Jing Qi had died, Ren Qi Ning had died, and He Lian Zhen had died too – it was time for the Marquis of Muyang. Though Mu Yang’s death seemed somewhat unjust; back in the capital, Feng Zhi Yao and Mu Yang had shared some friendship. He could only silently lament for him in his heart.

Mo Xiu Yao nodded slightly, and Feng Zhi Yao thought for a moment before saying, “Old Marquis Muyang was one of the few capable minds under Mo Jing Li. With the Muyang Manor finished Mo Jing Li probably won’t last much longer. This way, once the Princess Consort’s business is done, they can march west to join us in surrounding the Xiling army.” As he calculated this, Feng Zhi Yao also began to feel pleased. At this rate, they might even finish this war this year.

Mo Xiu Yao calmly said, “Not necessarily. Mo Jing Li’s forces far exceed Lü Jin Xian’s. Moreover, there’s Lei Teng Feng… Lei Teng Feng has already left the Chu army to defend Yuming Pass. By the time A Li and the others deal with Mo Jing Li, Yuming Pass will likely be fortified like an iron barrel by Lei Teng Feng.”

Feng Zhi Yao couldn’t help but frown, asking in confusion, “Didn’t you send He Su to lead troops to Yuming Pass?”

Mo Xiu Yao smiled at him, “Who told you He Su led troops to Yuming Pass?”

“Then please tell me, Your Highness!” Feng Zhi Yao said through gritted teeth, “Where exactly did He Su take those two hundred thousand troops?!” Feng Zhi Yao’s anger was understandable. The Mo family army was already outnumbered by Xiling, and while they were fighting intensely with Lei Zhen Ting, Mo Xiu Yao suddenly withdrew two hundred thousand troops. If it was really to flank Lei Zhen Ting’s side, that would be one thing. But now Mo Xiu Yao was telling him they hadn’t gone there at all! Did Prince Ding think war was a game? Or were all these generals too stupid to comprehend Prince Ding’s unfathomable thoughts?

Seeing Feng Zhi Yao’s exasperated state, Mo Xiu Yao was in quite good spirits, “Yuming Pass is over a thousand li from us, and the road is difficult. But it’s less than three hundred li from Lei Teng Feng’s position near Hangu Pass, and it’s all flat official roads. Even if He Su left before Lei Teng Feng, Feng San… how do you expect He Su to reach Yuming Pass before Lei Teng Feng? Do you think someone of Lei Teng Feng’s intelligence would leave such a vulnerability for us? From the beginning when he sent Lei Teng Feng to Mo Jing Li’s side, it was to guard against this.”

Feng Zhi Yao was stunned, trying to calm himself before asking, “So you’re saying, Your Highness, that you never planned to take Yuming Pass from the start?”

Mo Xiu Yao shrugged and smiled, “Why force what cannot be done?”

“Then where is He Su?!” Feng Zhi Yao felt his temple throbbing.

Mo Xiu Yao smiled and said, “If not at Yuming Pass, then naturally somewhere else.”

Feng Zhi Yao looked puzzled at the map hanging on the wall beside them, hesitating before asking, “Hangu Pass?” Mo Xiu Yao smiled without speaking. Feng Zhi Yao could only stare silently at the heavens, looking at Mo Xiu Yao for a long while before swallowing his urge to curse. He sighed and said, “With the Princess Consort and General Lü keeping him occupied, Lei Teng Feng might not be able to return to Yuming Pass so quickly.”

Mo Xiu Yao said, “Even so, both armies will probably arrive around the same time. And… by then, Yun Ting’s forces will likely be annihilated. Lü Jin Xian and A Li might find themselves trapped alone within Mo Jing Li’s encirclement.”

Feng Zhi Yao nodded, accepting Mo Xiu Yao’s explanation. After all, when it came to strategic planning, ten of him wouldn’t match Mo Xiu Yao, “So we still have to face Lei Zhen Ting head-on?”

Mo Xiu Yao smiled and said, “Isn’t that more interesting? After Lei Zhen Ting… I’ll hardly find a worthy opponent. Besides, Feng San, don’t you think these past two years have been too smooth?” Feng Zhi Yao fell silent. In the past two years, the Mo family army had been almost divinely blessed, indeed things had been too smooth. So smooth that he had almost forgotten there was no such thing as eternal smooth sailing on the battlefield. Lei Teng Feng was a rare military genius of their time; trying to achieve quick victory against him as they had done before was simply impossible.

Mo Xiu Yao patted his shoulder and smiled, “No need to rush, we will win. It’s just a matter of time.”

Feng Zhi Yao nodded and smiled carelessly, “Of course. If you can’t defeat Lei Zhen Ting, you’ll be laughed at.” There was also a certain little one waiting eagerly in the rear to see someone made a fool of.

Mo Xiu Yao gave him a bland look, “Not everyone has the right to laugh at me.”

Outside Hangu Pass on the battlefield, the original situation had been one of overwhelming advantage for the Chu army. No matter how valiant the Mo family army was when facing forces several times their size in confrontation, it was still difficult to turn the tide. Unfortunately, before Mo Jing Li could rejoice, a mysterious black reinforcement force appeared strangely on the battlefield, once again raising black waves. The already exhausted Mo family soldiers, seeing reinforcements, immediately had their spirits lifted and counterattacked. The Chu army’s victory was gradually pushed back, and the two armies began to engage in intense fighting and killing.

Atop Hangu Pass, seeing the situation before him, Mo Jing Li’s face had turned as black as ink. The generals standing beside him no longer had their earlier swagger of commanding the situation, silently avoiding provoking Mo Jing Li’s anger.

“Who is that?” Mo Jing Li stared at the black-clad general moving freely across the battlefield with fierce valor and asked in a deep voice.

The general beside him looked carefully, and pondered for a moment before reporting, “In response to Your Majesty, that should be the Mo family army’s newly promoted general, He Su.”

“He Su?” Mo Jing Li frowned, contemplating this somewhat unfamiliar name.

“This He Su was originally just a common soldier under Murong Shen, but in less than eight years, he rose from an ordinary soldier to the position of regional commander. After the Northern Rong and Northern Border invaded, instead of following orders to retreat south, he gathered nearly two hundred thousand defeated soldiers and circled to the Chu… Changxing’s flank blocked many of the Northern Border’s forces. After that, he joined Prince Ding’s household and gained considerable trust from the Princess Consort. However… there are rumors that this He Su was originally the Princess Consort’s man.” The person beside him hurriedly reported what he knew, “The time He Su joined Murong Shen’s army was shortly after the Princess Consort was at Broken Snow Pass. Additionally, it’s said that Prince Ding’s household originally had four personal guards under the Princess Consort. Later, the Princess Consort disbanded the guard positions, but the world only knows of three people: Zhuo Jing, Lin Han, and Wei Lin. Therefore…”

“So this He Su was a piece planted by Ye Li in Great Chu over a dozen years ago!” Mo Jing Li said in a deep voice.

“…” The generals beside him dared not speak more in the face of Mo Jing Li’s fury.

Mo Jing Li swept his gaze over the situation below. With the sudden addition of two hundred thousand fresh troops, the Mo family army grew more vigorous as they fought, while the Chu army, having already fought one battle, gradually showed signs of faltering. With a cold snort, Mo Jing Li turned and left with a sweep of his sleeves, leaving the generals looking at each other in dismay.

“General Li, this…” Mo Jing Li’s departure left those present in a difficult position, not knowing whether the Emperor meant to continue fighting or withdraw.

“Sigh, let’s withdraw,” the highest-ranking General Li sighed helplessly. It was clear they wouldn’t gain any advantage in this battle. What else could they do but withdraw?

Outside Hangu Pass, watching the Chu army gradually retreat inside the pass, Yun Ting, who had been fighting valiantly against the enemy, collapsed weakly to the ground. Ignoring the many corpses still lying on the ground, he simply lay down. Looking up to see He Su approaching, Yun Ting struggled to form a smile and said, “Brother, thank you. I thought I was done for.” As he spoke, his eyelids began to droop.

These past two days had truly exhausted Yun Ting. This was his first time truly commanding troops independently, and the pressure alone was immense. To make matters worse, Mo Jing Li, as if he had taken some wrong medicine, completely ignored his exposed rear and desperately mobilized nearby garrisons to surround him. In these few days, Yun Ting’s memories consisted of nothing but fighting, save for two hasty meals. If He Su had arrived half an hour later, Yun Ting wasn’t sure he could have held on.

He Su, also not minding the messy ground, sat down casually and asked, “Did the Princess Consort order you to defend this place to the death?”

Yun Ting shook his head drowsily. He Su raised an eyebrow and said, “Then why did you hold on so desperately? If I hadn’t come, and the Princess Consort and General Lü hadn’t arrived in time, you would have died foolishly.” This place wasn’t even a military stronghold – that was on Mo Jing Li’s side. Retreating twenty or thirty li when unable to win wouldn’t have made much difference.

“I… this is my first time leading troops… how could I… how could I be defeated on my first command? Rather die than retreat…” Mumbling these words, Yun Ting’s head tilted to the side as he finally fell asleep.

A soldier cleaning the battlefield came over and looked uncertainly at He Su, seeing Yun Ting lying on the ground like a corpse. “General…” He Su stood up, patting the dust from his clothes, and waved his hand with a smile, “It’s nothing, General Yun is just too exhausted. Take him back to rest.”

“Yes.” Two soldiers carried Yun Ting back to the main camp, one holding his upper body and one his legs. Throughout this, Yun Ting’s mouth twitched as he slept soundly.

In Lü Jin Xian’s camp not far from Hangu Pass, they had also just experienced a major battle. However, Lü Jin Xian and Ye Li were far more composed than Yun Ting. Looking at the secret message just delivered from Hangu Pass, Lü Jin Xian couldn’t help but laugh heartily, “No wonder the Princess Consort wasn’t worried, she knew all along that the Prince had sent reinforcements. That young Yun Ting needs to be taught a lesson.”

Ye Li smiled faintly and said, “It’s his first time commanding independently, some nervousness is inevitable. General, don’t be too harsh on him. It’s already impressive that he held out for so many days.” Lü Jin Xian nodded; he was quite satisfied with his new disciple, and his talk of punishment was mostly for Ye Li’s benefit. Hearing Ye Li’s tone suggesting she wouldn’t punish Yun Ting, Lü Jin Xian felt relieved.

Setting aside Yun Ting’s matter, Lü Jin Xian said in a deep voice, “Just one more battle and Zhao Lian won’t be able to hold on. Then we can take Hangu Pass directly and launch a pincer attack on the Chu army with Yun Ting and He Su.”

Ye Li nodded and said, “The General speaks truly. However, even so, Mo Jing Li should still have around five hundred thousand troops, not including subsequent reinforcements. It won’t be easy to deal with him quickly.”

Lü Jin Xian smiled and said, “Princess Consort need not worry. As long as we control the overall situation, it doesn’t matter how many troops Mo Jing Li has. He had the initiative before, but now that we’ve taken it back, even if he had a million more troops, we needn’t fear him.” Moreover, once they joined forces with Yun Ting, their total force would reach five hundred thousand. There was no need to worry about Mo Jing Li.

Ye Li smiled apologetically and said, “I was too impatient.” She didn’t have much real battle experience, and the few times she had fought had been quick decisive victories. Lü Jin Xian’s current plan was clearly to wear down Mo Jing Li slowly, which made Ye Li, who was used to striking decisively, somewhat uncomfortable. However, she quickly understood her issue and worked to adjust her thinking.

Lü Jin Xian smiled and said, “The Princess Consort is too modest. While it’s not impossible to severely damage Mo Jing Li with all our might, achieving another total victory like at Huifeng Valley would be extremely difficult. If we let the Chu army’s remnants escape, they’ll likely return before long.” Rather than that, it was better to take it slowly, truly fighting until Mo Jing Li couldn’t fight anymore.

Ye Li nodded and said, “I understand, thank you for the General’s guidance.”

While Lü Jin Xian hurriedly demurred, Ye Li smiled but silently began to consider that it was time to use the pieces she had placed in Nanjing. Lü Jin Xian was right – rather than seeking quick success and giving Mo Jing Li a chance to return, it was better to put in the effort for a complete victory.

In the Chu army’s great tent, Mo Jing Li, who was reviewing memorials, suddenly shivered for no reason. His somewhat gloomy face showed a trace of confusion as he absently pulled his imperial yellow cape closer.

Two days later, in another decisive battle between the Mo family army and the Chu army’s Western forces, the Chu army finally could no longer withstand the Mo family army’s offensive, and their collapse became unstoppable. The Western army’s commander, Zhao Lian, was ultimately captured with severe injuries.

Fighting the Chu army was different from fighting Xiling or the Northern Rong. In the end, apart from the struggles between those in power at the top, there was no real difference between ordinary Chu army soldiers and Mo family army soldiers, or between the common people of Great Chu and those of the Northwest. They had never believed that after the Mo family army split with Great Chu, they would become mortal enemies. That’s why so many Great Chu civilians had fled to the Northwest, and why the Northwestern people had accepted them without reservation – because they were originally all one family. Just as the Northwestern people had never believed that Prince Ding’s household would only ever occupy that small corner of the Northwest, the people of Great Chu had never believed that Prince Ding’s household and the Mo family army would abandon them.

So in this campaign, both sides had held back somewhat. Killing one’s kind was never pleasant, and neither the Mo family army nor the Chu army would generally kill prisoners or severely wounded enemy soldiers. When the Chu army still couldn’t defeat the Mo family army even after their best efforts, the lower-ranking soldiers had no psychological barriers to laying down their weapons and surrendering.

Zhao Lian’s defeat made Mo Jing Li extremely agitated. Faced with the advancing Mo family army led by Lü Jin Xian and Ye Li, Mo Jing Li very “decisively” abandoned his troops to defend Hangu Pass, fleeing himself before Ye Li and the others could arrive. This left the Mo family army utterly speechless – Yun Ting couldn’t wrap his head around retreating even a step when dying, while Mo Jing Li retreated too quickly. With Hangu Pass’s natural defenses, if commanded properly, holding out for at least two or three months would have been no problem. By then, the Chu army’s reinforcements from the rear would have arrived.

Although Mo Jing Li’s abandonment of the pass severely damaged the Chu army’s morale, it also caused considerable trouble for Ye Li and the others. If Mo Jing Li had fled back to Jiangnan and stayed there, that would have been fine, but given his temperament, he would certainly hide and wait for reinforcements before coming out to cause trouble again. This would invisibly extend the time the Mo family army would have to fight the Chu army.

Sure enough, in less than half a month, when the Chu army’s reinforcements were approaching the north, Mo Jing Li appeared again. Unlike his previous ambiguous alliance with Xiling to attack the Mo family army, this time Mo Jing Li issued an imperial edict in his capacity as Emperor of Great Chu. He proclaimed to the world that Prince Ding’s household had betrayed Great Chu, that Mo Xiu Yao intended to destroy Great Chu and ascend the throne himself, and so on. He also listed forty-nine crimes of Mo Xiu Yao, demonstrating that Great Chu’s campaign against Prince Ding’s household was righteous, luminous, and by heaven’s mandate.

Such things naturally did not affect the Mo family army. When the proclamation was delivered to the Mo family army camp, Ye Li merely glanced at it briefly before handing it to Yun Ting. After reading it, Yun Ting snorted disdainfully and used it to prop up a table leg. If the Prince had been interested in the throne, he would have already ascended it – why would he wait for Mo Jing Li to issue some campaign edict? Moreover, did Mo Jing Li think everyone in the world was blind? The Mo family army had never taken an inch of land from Great Chu. Now that the Mo family army had long severed relations with Great Chu, Prince Ding’s household could stand on its own from any perspective.

Speaking of this, Yun Ting couldn’t help but admire the Prince’s far-sighted planning. The Central Plains, unlike foreign barbarians, prided themselves on being a land of propriety. Whether court officials or common people, they all placed extreme importance on proper conduct. If Prince Ding’s household had directly attacked Great Chu initially, even if the Mo family army eventually unified the realm, given Prince Ding’s household’s relationship with Great Chu, history books would inevitably criticize the Prince.

“Reporting to the Princess Consort, a secret message from Young Master Feng San!” Just as everyone was disdainfully mocking Mo Jing Li’s actions, a guard’s voice came from outside the tent.

Ye Li slightly furrowed her brows and said, “Feng San? Bring it in.” Feng Zhi Yao was with Mo Xiu Yao, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t write to her separately. Unless… something had happened that was beyond Feng Zhi Yao’s ability or authority to control. Ye Li’s heart sank slightly as she raised her hand to take the message presented by the guard.

The envelope was sealed with wax, and the highest-level secret seal of Prince Ding’s household on the seal indicated that the contents of this letter were extraordinary.

Steadying herself, Ye Li opened the envelope and glanced at it. Her hand holding the letter trembled slightly, and the letter fell to the ground. Ye Li herself collapsed weakly into her chair. Yun Ting and the others who were sitting nearby were startled and hurriedly came forward, “Princess Consort?!”

On the white letter paper, Feng Zhi Yao’s handwriting appeared somewhat chaotic and urgent. There were only a few words: The Prince is severely injured, return quickly.