At dawn, when the Mo Army once again sounded their war drums, the Chu Army was utterly defeated as expected. The Mo Army barely needed to exert any effort to open the gates of Liyang City. With almost all the commanders missing and at least half of the soldiers unable to fight, when the soldiers on Liyang’s city walls saw the white-haired, white-robed man below, they instantly lost all courage. In an instant, the army of 800,000 collapsed into chaos.

At this time, Mo Jingli was still completely unaware of the Governor’s mansion within the city. This recent injury was undoubtedly a massive blow to both his physical and mental state. Especially while he still harbored doubts about whether Mo Xiuyao was truly alive, Mo Jingli’s temperament became increasingly erratic and unpredictable. Being severely wounded made it difficult for him to even get out of bed, let alone personally command troops on the battlefield.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Terrible news!” Just as Mo Jingli was once again unleashing his fury on the kneeling Imperial Physician, panicked footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

Mo Jingli frowned and said with displeasure, “Get in here! What is it?”

The servant fell to his knees, crying out in terror, “Your Majesty… the Mo Army, the Mo Army has broken through!”

“What?!” Mo Jingli suddenly stood up, immediately grimacing in pain with a twisted expression, “How could the Mo Army breakthrough so quickly?” It wasn’t that Mo Jingli was arrogant or didn’t believe in the Mo Army’s capabilities. Rather, Liyang had 800,000 troops – unless all these soldiers simultaneously defected, even the mighty Mo Army couldn’t possibly break through so quietly.

“It’s true… all our military commanders above the rank of vice general have disappeared. And half of our troops… suddenly got severe stomach problems. Also… also, someone claimed they saw the Prince of Ding appear at the city gate.” The reporting servant hadn’t seen Mo Xiuyao himself, and what he heard from those who came back with the news was unclear. After all, the sudden appearance of the supposedly dead Prince of Ding at the city gate had truly terrified many people. Most ordinary soldiers couldn’t imagine things like the Prince of Ding’s death being faked – their first reaction was mostly thinking they had seen a ghost.

“Mo Xiuyao?!” Mo Jingli’s face turned pale, and even his hand hidden in his sleeve began to tremble involuntarily, “What exactly happened?! Find out for me!”

The servant trembled as he said, “Your Majesty… the Mo Army has already breached the city gates. We… we should flee quickly.”

“Flee?” Mo Jingli’s eyes were bloodshot, “Where can I flee to now?”

The servant advised, “As long as the mountain remains green, there will always be wood to burn. Your Majesty… if we can return to Jiangnan, we can surely rise again. But if the Prince of Ding captures us…” The servant shuddered. As Mo Jingli’s confidant, being captured by the Prince of Ding meant certain death. They had heard plenty about the Prince of Ding’s reputation over the years.

Hearing the servant’s words, Mo Jingli’s expression shifted subtly, his eyes showing uncertainty.

This battle was won with remarkable ease, with almost no casualties on either side. When the white-robed Prince of Ding gracefully landed in the center of Liyang’s largest street, everyone instinctively lowered their weapons. Mo Xiuyao’s voice carried far and wide, “All Chu soldiers, lay down your weapons. I shall not hold past actions against you.”

Some hesitated – these were ordinary soldiers. Without commanders to lead them, they were scattered sand, unsure of what to do next. The Mo Army and the Prince of Ding’s estate were the most revered institutions in every native Chu man’s heart. The glory of Chu under the Mo Army’s protection was the deepest memory in the heart of everyone who had lived through Chu’s turmoil. Soon, someone threw down their weapon.

Where there’s one, there’s bound to be a second. Soon the sound of weapons hitting the ground echoed throughout the street. Civilians who had been hiding behind closed doors in their homes began to emerge. Led by Chu Shaoying, the heads of various noble families from Yunzhou came forward together, “We commoners congratulate Your Highness the Prince of Ding!”

“Welcome, Your Highness the Prince of Ding! Long live the Prince of Ding!” A cheer erupted from the crowd, quickly sweeping through all of Liyang City like a tidal wave.

Seeing what was expected to be a prolonged siege resolved with almost no casualties, all the Mo Army commanders showed relieved smiles. Leng Huai stood by the street, looking at Lu Jinxian not far from him, and smiled, “Truly one man worth a hundred thousand troops. Under heaven, who else but His Highness the Prince of Ding could command such prestige?”

As an old general of the Mo Army, Lu Jinxian also felt proud. He nodded and smiled, “General Leng speaks true. Besides the Prince of Ding… who under heaven could have such prestige?” Leng Huai smiled faintly. Although the war with Xiling hadn’t yet been decided, looking at the Prince of Ding’s deployments, it was clear that Xiling’s good days were likely coming to an end. In this world, who else but the Prince of Ding could take control? The realm that had been divided for hundreds of years would finally be reunified under the Prince of Ding’s estate, ushering in a true imperial golden age. Even an old general like Leng Huai couldn’t help feeling excited.

“I will soon march against Xiling. Any Chu soldier willing to follow me in fighting Xiling, gather tomorrow to depart with me. Those unwilling may remain to guard Liyang. After the war ends, you may return to Jiangnan,” Mo Xiuyao said calmly.

“We wish to follow Your Highness in fighting Xiling!”

“We are willing to follow Your Highness!”

“We swear to follow Your Highness to death!”

The choice between a crumbling Chu and the ascendant Prince of Ding’s estate, between the volatile and incompetent Emperor of Chu and the wise and brilliant Prince of Ding, between Mo Jingli who treated soldiers as cannon fodder, and Mo Xiuyao who loved his troops like sons, was hardly a choice at all.

Mo Xiuyao nodded with satisfaction, “Very well. From this moment, all Chu forces in Liyang City are under the Mo Army’s command.”

“We swear loyalty to death, Your Highness!”

After instructing Lu Jinxian and Leng Huai to settle the newly surrendered Chu soldiers, Mo Xiuyao led his men to the Governor’s mansion where Mo Jingli was staying. Entering Mo Jingli’s room with familiar ease, they found only the dead Imperial Physician and servants. Mo Jingli himself had vanished.

“Mo Jingli escaped? Your Highness, I’ll send men to search immediately,” Xu Qingfeng said with frustration. They had only surrounded the Governor’s mansion earlier, without having Qilin keep watch. Who could have imagined that even under heavy military encirclement, Mo Jingli could still escape from the Governor’s mansion?

Mo Xiuyao nodded, “Go ahead, don’t blame yourself. Compared to taking control of Liyang City, Mo Jingli is not a major concern.” Although on the surface they had taken Liyang City bloodlessly, quite a bit of blood had been shed in secret. Mo Jingli’s trusted guards, the Chu royal family’s secret guards, some commanders still loyal to Mo Jingli, and families that had already pledged allegiance to Mo Jingli – all needed to be dealt with in the shortest possible time. Moreover, as Emperor, how could Mo Jingli not have secret guards? Although the Chu royal family’s secret guards couldn’t match the Mo Army’s Qilin, they were no worse than Lei Zhenting’s Golden Guard. They might lose in direct combat, but helping one person escape wasn’t difficult.

Xu Qingfeng nodded and turned to leave.

Mo Xiuyao looked down at the blood-stained room, a cold smile curling his lips, “Mo Jingli if I were you, I would rather die here… it might have been a bit better.”

Mo Xiuyao didn’t linger in Liyang because of Mo Jingli’s escape. Early the next morning before dawn, Mo Xiuyao led Leng Huai, He Su, and an army of one million to leave Liyang. He left only over 200,000 troops under Lu Jinxian and Yun Ting to garrison all areas east of Liyang. Now that Mo Jingli was severely wounded and defeated, he wouldn’t be able to cause trouble for quite some time. Even if he recovered and emerged, Mo Xiuyao had prepared plenty of things waiting for him – he likely wouldn’t be able to stir up much trouble anyway. With their forces not at a major disadvantage, Mo Xiuyao had absolute confidence in Lu Jinxian’s abilities.

At this time, in a secluded courtyard dozens of li outside Liyang City, though it appeared like an ordinary farmhouse from the outside, the atmosphere inside was chilling. Several men who looked like guards stood in the courtyard, their expressions solemn as they listened to the occasional groans of pain from inside. In the dim room, Mo Jingli stared with a twisted expression at a man being held down kneeling not far away. The man’s entire body had been beaten bloody and mutilated, and he was already barely breathing.

“Tell me, how did the Mo Army enter the city?” Mo Jingli asked with a sinister expression.

The man painfully shook his head, his eyes full of pleading. He truly didn’t know how the Mo Army had entered the city, nor why the Chu soldiers had suddenly developed diarrhea after eating the newly delivered grain. He was just a minor supply officer. If he had known escaping would bring such torment, he would rather have remained in Liyang City as a prisoner. Mo Jingli immediately lost patience and said in a deep voice, “Throw him out!”

The man wanted to beg for mercy in terror, but he couldn’t even make a sound anymore. Being thrown out didn’t mean the torture was over – it meant his life would end here. These days, he wasn’t the first person to suffer such torment, nor would he be the last. Soon, the man who had been beaten to a bloody pulp was dragged out. No one would pity him – these past few days, Mo Jingli’s wounds showed no signs of improvement, and his temper had grown increasingly violent. Most people had already grown accustomed to it.

A servant-like man carefully pushed open the door and entered, “Your… Your Majesty?”

“What is it?” Mo Jingli asked coldly. Since suffering such a humiliating injury, Mo Jingli had become especially gloomy. Even his living quarters had become eerily dark, rarely allowing any light in. The servant entered and barely adjusted to the darkness of the room, yet was still startled by Mo Jingli’s cold demeanor. Suppressing his fear, the servant said quietly, “Reporting to Your Majesty… the Prince of Ding has won over all of Liyang’s troops. Yesterday morning he already led the army westward from Liyang.”

The dark room was silent for a long while before Mo Jingli’s voice emerged, slow and vicious, “Mo Xiuyao… took my troops… to fight Lei Zhenting?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The 800,000 troops in Liyang City have all sworn allegiance to the Prince of Ding,” the servant reported in a suppressed voice.

“Bastards! These traitors! I will execute their entire clans!” With a whoosh, something flew past the servant’s ear and crashed into the wall behind him. The servant’s legs went weak as he quickly fell to the ground, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger, please take care of your dragon body.” Mo Jingli sneered, staring at the kneeling servant, “Take care? You’re all just hoping for my early death, aren’t you?”

“This slave wouldn’t dare… please spare me, Your Majesty.” The man lying on the ground said trembling, “Your Majesty… please calm down. When we return to Jiangnan, we can rebuild our forces and seek revenge against the Prince of Ding’s estate. Right now… the north is almost entirely under the Prince of Ding’s military control, we… we really shouldn’t stay long.” After venting his anger, Mo Jingli gradually regained some clarity. Looking at the sweating servant before him, he said coldly, “Get up.”

The servant knew he had survived this ordeal and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly thanking the Emperor as he stood. His reverence seemed to please Mo Jingli, whose voice became somewhat more peaceful, “Go make preparations. We return to Jiangnan early tomorrow.”

“Yes, yes…”

“Your Majesty, Lord Qiu requests an audience,” a guard announced from outside. Mo Jingli frowned slightly, saying with displeasure, “What does he want?” From outside, Lord Qiu’s voice came with heavy breathing, clearly having rushed here, “Your Majesty, this old minister has urgent matters to report.”

“Come in.”

Lord Qiu pushed open the door, frowning at the darkness of the room. Just as he was about to say something, Mo Jingli asked in a deep voice, “What is it?” Lord Qiu took out a folded paper from his sleeve and said, “Your Majesty, please look at this. This old minister just tore it down from a nearby county town. It’s a joint announcement from several noble families of Yunzhou.” Mo Jingli suddenly sat up, saying, “Chu Shaoying? Quick, bring it here for me to see.” The servant took the paper from Lord Qiu and presented it, lighting a candle stand not far from the bed. Only then could the two see Mo Jingli’s appearance. Due to his severe injuries and these days of anger eating at his heart, Mo Jingli’s face was extremely pale, and his entire person had become very thin. Most importantly, there was an extremely discordant feeling about him. Lord Qiu frowned and dared not look further. He was neither Mo Jingli’s confidant nor a high minister and didn’t understand Mo Jingli well. Although he knew something was wrong with the Emperor’s condition, there was no time to worry about such things now.

Mo Jingli unfolded the paper in his hands, and the slight smile that had been on his lips froze. The announcement didn’t contain what he expected – criticisms of Mo Xiuyao and the Prince of Ding’s estate’s various crimes and declarations of loyalty to him. Instead, it was full of accusations against him. From poisoning Mo Jingqi and confining the Empress Dowager, causing Mo Suyun’s death, to abandoning the city and fleeing, allying with Xiling and the Northern Barbarians – everything was described in detail as if witnessed firsthand. These scholars’ pens were sometimes sharper than swords. Under their writing, Mo Jingli appeared as a despicable person who murdered his sovereign to usurp the throne, was neither loyal nor filial, and disregarded the safety of the realm. What angered Mo Jingli even more was that this announcement had been posted before the Mo Army breached Liyang. The signature indicated that the announcement had been made public the day after Chu Shaoying declared loyalty to him, and the co-signers were exactly those family heads who had sworn allegiance following Chu Shaoying.

“Chu… Shao… Ying.” Mo Jingli ground out through clenched teeth, his gaze shooting toward Lord Qiu like lightning, “Why was there no news of this in Liyang before?” Lord Qiu hurriedly explained, “They didn’t initially post it in Liyang. It started in a small county town thirty li from Liyang. Then it spread outward, but they never posted any news in Liyang itself. So… so we…” As Lord Qiu spoke, he kept his head down while calculating in his heart. Looking at the Emperor’s appearance, what was written was probably true. Although he didn’t know the truth about the two former emperors’ deaths, the fact that the Emperor had abandoned the capital and then allied with the Northern Barbarians and Xiling to attack the Mo Army after the Prince of Ding’s estate recaptured the capital was known to everyone in the world. The Emperor… was finished…

“Useless! Send orders, bring me the heads of Chu Shaoying and those bastards!” Mo Jingli roared.

“Your… Your Majesty…” The servant beside him said hesitantly, “This… I’m afraid… the Prince of Ding left a unit of two hundred Qilin in Liyang City. Our people in Liyang probably…”

As they say, misfortunes never come alone. Just when Mo Jingli thought he couldn’t be more unfortunate, even worse things awaited him. The group hadn’t even had time to properly treat Mo Jingli’s wounds before they had to secretly make their way toward Jiangnan. But not even two days into their journey, another piece of news spread throughout the realm. The Grand Empress Dowager of Great Chu and the ministers in Nanjing had deposed Mo Jingli from the throne for the crimes of successively plotting against two former emperors and wrongfully causing the deaths of over a million soldiers through unjust warfare. They supported Mo Suiyun, the fourteen-year-old son of former Emperor Mo Jingqi, as the new emperor. They also announced the restoration of good relations with the Prince of Ding’s estate and their joint effort to attack Xiling. Without waiting for Mo Jingli’s return, Mo Suiyun ascended to the throne with the support of the Grand Empress Dowager and the ministers. On the second day after his ascension, he ordered an army of 300,000 to cross the Yunlan River and march toward Xiling. Upon receiving this news, Mo Jingli coughed up blood and fainted. After regaining consciousness, he screamed madly, smashing everything in the room to pieces. This only made his already severely injured body even weaker, but Mo Jingli still wouldn’t rest, “Mo Xiuyao! Mo Xiuyao! I must kill you! I must kill you!”

Outside the door, Mo Jingli’s increasingly sharp and piercing screams made the guards stationed outside shudder involuntarily.

In Lei Tengfeng’s army camp in Xiling, Lei Tengfeng’s face showed signs of fatigue from these days of maneuvering against Murong Shen and the Southern Marquis. Both the Southern Marquis and Murong Shen were veteran generals who had weathered many battles. Even though Lei Tengfeng had superior numbers, he hadn’t gained much advantage in his confrontations with them. These days, both sides could only be said to be at a stalemate with wins and losses on both sides. But the situation hadn’t gone as smoothly as father and son had originally expected. The Xiling army had suffered heavy casualties as soon as they reached Feihu Pass, and even Lei Zhenting had been severely wounded. This was something no one had anticipated, causing the morale of the Xiling forces surrounding Feihu Pass to drop. In contrast, due to Mo Xiuyao’s death, the Mo Army at Feihu Pass wore white mourning clothes and emanated killing intent. Their single-minded desire to avenge the Prince of Ding, combined with such imposing momentum, meant that even though the Xiling army outnumbered the Mo Army several times over, Feihu Pass wouldn’t be easy to take for the time being.

These past two days, Murong Shen and the Southern Marquis, who had been provoking them almost daily in rotation, had disappeared. This left Lei Zhenting, who had been anxious to annihilate them in one stroke, feeling like he was punching cotton. This sudden change vaguely gave him a sense of unease and conspiracy.

“This general greets the Crown Prince,” a military-clad commander hurried in. Lei Tengfeng straightened up and sat up, saying, “General Yang, what brings you in such a hurry?”

General Yang frowned and said, “Reporting to the Crown Prince, this general just received news that both Murong Shen and the Southern Marquis’s forces suddenly retreated thirty li last night to make camp. It seems they don’t plan to engage us these few days.” Lei Tengfeng frowned, “Don’t plan to engage? Could they have another trick up their sleeves?” Lei Tengfeng’s suspicion wasn’t unreasonable. Perhaps they could still drag things out – after all, their force’s mission was to pin down the Southern Marquis and Murong Shen here. But the other side didn’t have that time, after all, Feihu Pass was still surrounded by several hundred thousand Xiling troops. And behind Feihu Pass was the Mo Army’s main base. Murong Shen and the Southern Marquis absolutely couldn’t afford to gamble.

General Yang frowned slightly, and hesitated for a moment before saying, “This subordinate suspects that the Southern Marquis and Murong Shen are no longer with their armies.”

“What did you say?” Lei Tengfeng stood up abruptly, saying in a deep voice, “Have they rushed back to Feihu Pass? That’s impossible. Even with Qilin escorts, we’ve blocked all roads to Feihu Pass. They couldn’t possibly return to Feihu Pass without alerting us at all.” Lei Tengfeng had spent considerable effort to trap the Southern Marquis and Murong Shen outside Feihu Pass. Without these two fierce generals in their prime, Feihu Pass now had only Ye Li and Feng Zhiyao as capable fighters, besides the seventy-year-old veteran General Yuan Pei.

General Yang was silent for a moment before saying, “But… this subordinate sent men to investigate. There’s at least a fifty percent chance these two are indeed not with their armies.” If either Murong Shen or the Southern Marquis were present, the Mo Army absolutely wouldn’t have retreated so far to make camp. It clearly showed they didn’t want to directly confront them for now.

Lei Tengfeng frowned anxiously, “If they haven’t returned to Feihu Pass and aren’t with their army, where have they gone? No, send men to probe first. In case this is a trap they’ve set up beforehand…”

“Yes, this subordinate obeys!” General Yang clasped his hands and responded.

“Crown Prince! Reporting to the Crown Prince, terrible news!” Hurried footsteps came from outside the main tent. Lei Tengfeng frowned with displeasure and said, “Come in and speak.”

The person outside hurriedly entered, panting while saying, “Reporting… reporting to the Crown Prince… a large army is advancing toward us from the direction of Liyang. According to forward scouts’ estimates, at least… at least seven or eight hundred thousand men!”

“What? Mo Jingli was defeated?!” General Yang exclaimed in shock.

Lei Tengfeng’s expression was grave, “That’s not right. Where would the Mo Army get seven or eight hundred thousand men?” Even adding up Leng Huai and Lu Jinxian’s forces, even without any losses they wouldn’t reach eight hundred thousand. Moreover, after fighting for so long, how could there be no casualties, and how could they not need to leave garrison forces? Furthermore, the Mo Army had always strictly forbidden recruiting soldiers directly from the battlefield – they couldn’t possibly have so many men.

“Who’s leading the army?” Lei Tengfeng asked.

“It’s… it’s Mo Xiuyao… The forward scouts say they saw the Prince of Ding’s banner!”