“Mo Xiuyao?!” Lei Tengfeng spun around sharply, accidentally kicking over an incense burner at his feet. He stared intensely at the soldier bringing the report and demanded, “Are you certain it’s Mo Xiuyao?!”
The soldier looked uncomfortably at the Crown Prince’s loss of composure. He had only heard from the returning scouts – how could he be certain? After thinking for a moment, he said, “The scouts confirmed they saw the Mo Army’s royal banner.” The Mo Army’s black banner with silver python was only displayed when the Prince of Ding personally led the army.
Lei Tengfeng collected himself before saying, “Bring the scout in. I want to question him personally.”
“Yes.”
Soon, the scout who had been gathering intelligence outside entered and bowed to Lei Tengfeng, “This subordinate greets the Crown Prince.” Lei Tengfeng waved his hand, saying hurriedly, “Never mind the formalities. You say you saw eight hundred thousand Mo Army troops heading this way?”
The scout nodded and said, “Responding to the Crown Prince, there can be no mistake. Eight hundred thousand at minimum. When this subordinate saw them, they were still a hundred li away. At their marching speed, by the time this subordinate rushed back… in at most another hour, their vanguard will join up with Murong Shen and the Southern Marquis’s forces.”
Lei Tengfeng asked in a deep voice, “You saw the Prince of Ding’s banner?”
“Yes, this subordinate did not mistake it. That’s why as soon as I saw the banner, I rode back at full speed,” the scout confirmed with a nod. Lei Tengfeng waved his hand and said, “I understand. You may withdraw.”
“This subordinate takes his leave.”
After the subordinate withdrew, Lei Tengfeng collapsed into his chair in a daze, muttering softly, “Mo Xiuyao… how could Mo Xiuyao not be dead?” General Yang looked worriedly at Lei Tengfeng and said repeatedly, “Crown Prince… Crown Prince, shouldn’t we first notify His Majesty? His Majesty probably doesn’t know yet.” They had only received news when the Mo Army was nearly upon them, showing how secretive the Prince of Ding’s movements had been, and once he acted, how swift his actions were. His Majesty was likely still in the dark.
Reminded by General Yang, Lei Tengfeng immediately came to his senses and said, “Yes… quickly! Send someone to deliver all the news here to Father at full speed. We… we must hold off the Mo Army first, at least… at least give Father time to process this.”
General Yang frowned, saying disapprovingly, “The Crown Prince must not. The Prince of Ding now has several times our troops, and once he joins forces with Murong Shen and the others, the Prince of Ding will command over a million men. At that time…” At that time, without even fighting, the Prince of Ding could crush them with numbers alone. After thinking, General Yang said, “This general is willing to stay behind to intercept the Prince of Ding. Please, Crown Prince, depart immediately for His Majesty’s camp.”
“Not!” Lei Tengfeng refused decisively. Even if he was no match for Mo Xiuyao, he absolutely would not retreat without a fight.
General Yang anxiously said, “Please, Crown Prince, think thrice! Against the Prince of Ding, whether it’s this general alone or this general with the Crown Prince, there likely won’t be any difference. Why should the Crown Prince… make such an unnecessary sacrifice? As long as His Majesty and the Crown Prince remain, our Xiling still has a chance to turn defeat into victory.”
“General Yang…” Lei Tengfeng sighed softly. As Crown Prince of the Zhennan Prince’s estate and future ruler of Xiling barring accidents, how could he not understand what to prioritize? But with his personality, asking him to abandon his soldiers and flee the battlefield was extremely difficult.
General Yang said resolutely, “Crown Prince, time is short. This general cannot guarantee how long we can hold off the Prince of Ding. Please, Crown Prince, depart quickly!” Lei Tengfeng closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He bowed deeply to General Yang and said, “Lei Tengfeng apologizes to the General, please accept my bow.” They both knew well that in recent years, whether Xiling or Northern Barbarian commanders, none who fell into Mo Xiuyao’s hands had met good ends. General Yang’s choice to stay behind was surely a path of certain death.
General Yang hurriedly steadied Lei Tengfeng and said, “The Crown Prince’s words are too heavy. As an Xiling general, sacrificing myself for the country is my duty. Moreover… to be able to face the Prince of Ding in battle, even dying would not be in vain. Crown Prince, please go quickly.”
Fleeing before even seeing the enemy’s face was certainly not a glorious thing. But years of lessons had taught Lei Tengfeng that if he didn’t leave now, he might not be able to leave at all. More importantly, while Lei Tengfeng dared to sacrifice himself for his country, he couldn’t disregard the Zhennan Prince’s estate for momentary valor. This battle, though Lei Tengfeng saw no bloodshed, was destined to become his lifelong nightmare.
On a mountain path not far from the Xiling camp, Lei Tengfeng looked back one last time at the still peaceful military camp, finally steeled his heart, turned back, and cracked his whip, saying in a deep voice, “Go!” The guards and soldiers following Lei Tengfeng silently followed the Crown Prince as he rode away. They didn’t know why the Crown Prince suddenly needed to leave the camp, but as subordinates and soldiers, they had no place to question – they could only obey.
Lei Tengfeng’s group rode at full speed, covering several hundred li by the fourth watch (1-3 AM) the next morning. Lei Zhenting was also shocked by Lei Tengfeng’s sudden arrival, knowing something major must have happened – otherwise, given Lei Tengfeng’s personality, he would never easily leave his military camp. He hurriedly rose to meet him, seeing Lei Tengfeng covered in dust from the road, eyes bloodshot, clearly exhausted.
“Tengfeng, what happened?” Lei Zhenting asked with furrowed brows. Seeing Lei Zhenting, Lei Tengfeng hurriedly stood up, walking somewhat unsteadily forward to grab Lei Zhenting and say, “Father… Mo Xiuyao, Mo Xiuyao…”
Lei Zhenting’s heart sank as he firmly gripped Lei Tengfeng and said sternly, “Tengfeng, calm down! Speak slowly…” Lei Tengfeng looked at Lei Zhenting, took a deep breath, and said hoarsely, “Father… Mo Xiuyao is still alive.”
Lei Zhenting’s heart shook, but he didn’t lose his composure too much. From the moment Lei Tengfeng mentioned Mo Xiuyao in such a distraught state, Lei Zhenting had already anticipated something. Lei Zhenting looked calmly at Lei Tengfeng and asked, “Mo Xiuyao isn’t dead, so you ran back?”
Perhaps influenced by Lei Zhenting’s calm composure, Lei Tengfeng gradually settled down as well. Closing his eyes briefly, Lei Tengfeng’s eye corner twitched slightly as he said, “Mo Xiuyao leads at least eight hundred thousand troops from Liyang. Adding Murong Shen and the Southern Marquis’s forces… Father, behind us, are at least a million Mo Army troops.”
Lei Zhenting sighed softly, raising his hand to pat Lei Tengfeng’s shoulder, and said, “Father understands. You did the right thing.” Those two hundred thousand Xiling troops could be lost, General Yang could die, even he, Lei Zhenting could die – but Lei Tengfeng could not. He was already old; Lei Tengfeng… was Xiling’s future hope. Lei Tengfeng looked guiltily at Lei Zhenting – he understood the reasoning, but couldn’t help feeling guilty about his incompetence. If he could resist Mo Xiuyao, what would it matter if Mo Xiuyao returned from death?
Seeing Lei Tengfeng gradually calm down, Lei Zhenting sat down to one side. Mo Xiuyao’s sudden return from death was also a significant shock to him, forcing him to reconsider everything. Mo Xiuyao wouldn’t fake his death for no reason, even willing to abandon all the Mo Army’s early advantages. At this point, Lei Zhenting could naturally see some purpose. If they had continued fighting according to the original situation, barring accidents, it would take at least three to five years to determine victory. Now it seemed… Mo Xiuyao’s fake death gambit was meant to resolve this stalemate quickly. And it was very effective – at least… now Mo Jingli had likely already been dealt with. Otherwise, the Mo Army couldn’t have crossed Liyang so quickly. And those nearly million troops… they must be Mo Jingli’s original forces.
“Mo Jingli, that waste! I truly overestimated him,” Lei Zhenting said in a deep voice.
“Father, Mo Jingli was never Mo Xiuyao’s match to begin with,” Lei Tengfeng said with furrowed brows. Lei Zhenting sneered, “Match?! If I haven’t guessed wrong, that waste was finished by Mo Xiuyao without even getting to face him in battle. Otherwise, where do you think Mo Xiuyao got those hundreds of thousands of troops? Mo Xiuyao isn’t a god – the north has been ravaged by years of war, and its population is already sparse. What method could he use to conjure up an army of seven or eight hundred thousand in such a short time?” An army wasn’t just any group of people – it needed young, strong men who had undergone at least basic training. Otherwise, with so many untrained people on the battlefield, they’d trample themselves to death in chaos before even fighting the enemy.
“Father means to say that Mo Xiuyao’s eight hundred thousand troops were seized from Mo Jingli?” Lei Tengfeng asked in shock.
Lei Zhenting sneered, “Is there any other possibility? You just said… Murong Shen and the Southern Marquis aren’t with their army?” Lei Tengfeng nodded. Although he hadn’t fully understood this matter, connecting it with Mo Xiuyao’s sudden appearance, Lei Tengfeng still felt something was off. He reported everything in detail to Lei Zhenting. Lei Zhenting frowned – never mind Lei Tengfeng, even he couldn’t figure out where the Southern Marquis and Murong Shen could have gone at this time instead of waiting to join Mo Xiuyao and return to Feihu Pass together. Unable to figure out the puzzling matter, he had to set it aside for now. Lei Zhenting instructed his subordinate commanders and advisors to watch for movements from Mo Xiuyao and Mo Jingli’s Southern Chu before turning his attention back to Feihu Pass. At this point, given Mo Xiuyao’s speed, it was too late for them to retreat. Moreover, how could Xiling save face if they slunk away like this? If Mo Xiuyao pursued relentlessly from behind, it would be even worse for Xiling. Additionally, Lei Zhenting vaguely had a feeling that this time… would be his final confrontation with the Mo Army in his lifetime.
On Feihu Pass, the Mo Army still wore white mourning clothes, standing ready for battle. Below Feihu Pass, the Xiling army likewise maintained an imposing presence, watching like tigers eyeing their prey. On the city wall, Ye Li and old General Yuan Pei stood shoulder to shoulder, with Feng Zhiyao, Leng Haoyu, Han Mingyue, Qin Feng, and others standing nearby. General Yuan Pei chuckled and said, “Looks like Lei Zhenting is determined to take Feihu Pass. Looking at this formation… he won’t retreat without taking Feihu Pass.” Feng Zhiyao frowned and said, “What medicine did Lei Zhenting take? His wounds haven’t even healed, right?”
Ye Li nodded and said calmly, “Without two or three months, his wounds won’t heal.”
“Look over there…” Han Mingyue, standing to one side, pointed and said softly. Everyone looked where he was pointing – behind the main army where battle flags fluttered stood a tall man wearing armor and battle robes. Feng Zhiyao frowned and said, “That’s… Lei Tengfeng, why is he here? Shouldn’t he be with General Murong and the others… could it be…” Ye Li said decisively, “Impossible. Lei Tengfeng alone cannot handle the Southern Marquis and General Murong together. Lei Tengfeng’s expression isn’t good – something must have happened over there.” Han Mingyue raised an eyebrow and said, “The Princess Consort is so confident? If so, why haven’t General Murong and the Southern Marquis returned?” Ye Li frowned, shook her head, and said, “That… I don’t know either.”
Han Mingshi rubbed his forehead, groaned, and pointed down below, “I say, shouldn’t we be worried about the people down there? Over six hundred thousand troops… couldn’t they break open Feihu Pass just by throwing rocks?”
Yuan Pei shot a dissatisfied glance at Han Mingshi and said, “What kind of talk is that, young Han? As long as this old man has breath left, Feihu Pass will not fall!”
“Then you old man must surely live long and prosper,” Han Mingshi said with a twisted smile.
While those on the city wall spoke cheerfully, the Xiling commanders below were in no good mood. Especially when looking at the vast expanse of white clothing – what had seemed desolate and solemn in Xiling’s eyes now appeared as a glaring mockery. A hot-tempered Xiling commander charged forward, pointing his long spear at the city wall, shouting, “Mo Army men, come down and meet your death!”
Above, Feng Zhiyao twisted his lips and said, “Seems like the Xiling people all took the wrong medicine today. Fine. This young master will meet your challenge.” Feng Zhiyao pushed off the city wall with his right hand, his striking red robes floating down from the battlements. On the battlefield, Feng Zhiyao put away his usual folding fan, his sword extending to strike at the commander. That commander was also a famous warrior in the Xiling army, with deep blood feuds against the Mo Army – his family members were among those Mo Xiuyao had killed in the Xiling capital. Now seeing Feng Zhiyao charge over, he likewise raised his spear and thrust straight at Feng Zhiyao without dodging. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged seven or eight moves with neither gaining an advantage. Feng Zhiyao’s thin lips curved slightly as he murmured, “Interesting. This young master wants to see what ability you have to dare call for the Mo Army’s death.”
“Princess Consort, something’s wrong…” Suddenly Yuan Pei, watching the battle, narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, “Quickly call Feng San back!” But it was too late. Before Yuan Pei could finish speaking, countless arrows were already flying from the Xiling army toward Feng Zhiyao. Those above couldn’t help but cry out, “Feng San?!” Though caught by surprise, Feng Zhiyao remained composed amid the shock. He dove forward, landing on the horse of the Xiling commander who was trying to retreat from battle. The Xiling commander turned to try to knock Feng Zhiyao off the horse, but before he could, he felt a chill at his neck and fell from his mount. After killing the Xiling commander, Feng Zhiyao didn’t dare linger for even a moment. He flew toward the city wall, finally throwing himself behind a barrier built in front of the city gate at the last possible moment before the arrows struck him, narrowly avoiding disaster.
Lying on the ground, Feng Zhiyao panted heavily, covered in sweat. He had felt arrows whistle past his forehead – being able to dodge this sudden attack was truly an incredible stroke of luck.
Just as Feng Zhiyao was catching his breath and silently cursing Lei Zhenting’s treachery, both armies had already engaged in battle. Soon, the city gates opened and countless Mo Army soldiers charged out. The Xiling army’s numbers were too great – if they didn’t sortie out to resist, once Lei Zhenting committed to sacrificing lives to persistently scale the walls, Feihu Pass would eventually fall. The best method was to prevent the Xiling army from approaching the walls of Feihu Pass. But this would cause too many casualties for the Mo Army, and how long they could persist was truly unknown. But at this point, they could do nothing except defend to the death.
As soon as the Mo Army left the city, they quickly became surrounded by the Xiling forces. Less than a hundred thousand troops had sortied, compared to over six hundred thousand Xiling troops – the difference was simply too great. Although the Mo Army fought with incredible valor, they had little chance of victory against such human wave tactics. However, in this situation, the Xiling army suddenly had another group join the chaos. These people all wore yellow clothing and were even more fierce and valiant than ordinary Xiling soldiers. In one-on-one situations, they were even somewhat superior to Mo Army soldiers. Shortly after they joined, many Mo Army soldiers had already died tragically. Though not yet enough to shake the defensive line built by Mo Army soldiers’ flesh and blood, the eventual outcome was predictable given enough time.
“It’s the Golden Guard,” Leng Haoyu said in a deep voice. Like the Prince of Ding’s estate and the Great Chu royal family’s secret guards, Lei Zhenting’s special protective force was called the Golden Guard. That Lei Zhenting would even deploy his personal guard corps – what could be called his hidden trump card – showed everyone not only his determination to break Feihu Pass but also a hidden sense of urgency.
“Qin Feng, how many Qilin did we bring?” Ye Li asked in a deep voice.
Qin Feng said, “Three units guard Li City, two units follow General Lu, one unit follows General Zhang, and the remaining six units are all at Feihu Pass.” Over the years, the Qilin had grown to about three thousand members, divided into twelve small units. This time, understanding the difficulty of defending Feihu Pass, Qin Feng transferred all available Qilin here for any contingency. Ye Li nodded and said, “Very good. Four units intercept the Golden Guard, and the remaining two units… decapitation strike!”
“This subordinate accepts the command!” Qin Feng’s expression was solemn as he saluted Ye Li, then turned to descend the city wall to gather his forces.
In the chaos of battle, a group of black-clad figures appeared on the battlefield. Less than a thousand troops weren’t conspicuous among the similarly black-clothed Mo Army. But when they charged into the enemy ranks, people felt their terrifying combat power. The Mo Army soldiers who had been in precarious battles with the Golden Guard were separated, and the Golden Guard who had been difficult for Mo Army soldiers to resist seemed to crumble easily in their hands. Their martial arts weren’t necessarily superior to the Golden Guard, but their methods were more effective, and they understood cooperation better than the proud Golden Guard. The originally unstoppable five thousand Golden Guard were quickly divided into countless small groups and eliminated one by one when facing just over a thousand Qilin. The other two units charged toward the rear of the Xiling army with unstoppable momentum. During this process, many fell behind or even died, but the remaining members continued charging forward without pause.
Lei Zhenting and Lei Tengfeng sat on horseback watching the distant Qilin battling with the Golden Guard. “So these are the Qilin?”
Lei Zhenting nodded gravely. Even in the chaos of battle, they could still see his normally reliable Golden Guard diminishing at an alarming rate under the Qilin’s blades. “Loose arrows!” Such a terrifying force absolutely could not be allowed to exist. Lei Zhenting pointed with his horsewhip and commanded sharply.
“Black Cloud Riders, loose arrows!” On the city wall, Ye Li gave the same order. Suddenly arrows fell like rain on the battlefield, with countless casualties among both Mo Army and Xiling forces.
“Father, look there!” Lei Tengfeng pointed forward in shock and anger.
Lei Zhenting froze, seeing a force of only five hundred men like a black arrow shooting straight toward the heart of the Xiling army. On the battlefield, they had carved a bloody path through hundreds of thousands of Xiling troops and were charging toward them. Lei Tengfeng frowned and said, “They mean to assassinate Father?! Quick, loose arrows!” But it wouldn’t be so easy. As soon as the first volley of Xiling arrows was released, these men quickly dispersed and melted into the Xiling army. If they wanted to shoot arrows now, they would have to kill their men too, and given these men’s skills, they would probably mostly kill their people. But as soon as the danger passed, these men regathered just as quickly, maintaining their forward momentum even during this process. Looking carefully, one would notice these men maintained a formation whether dispersing or gathering.
“Father, please withdraw first,” Lei Tengfeng said worriedly. Normally Lei Tengfeng would never make such a suggestion, but now his father’s serious wounds hadn’t healed and he couldn’t fight at all. Once these men reached them… the consequences would be unthinkable.
Lei Zhenting’s gaze darkened as he looked down at his wounds and sighed, “No need! They won’t break through!”
“Father!” Lei Tengfeng said disapprovingly. Lei Zhenting waved to indicate he need not say more, while ordering the commanders around him, “Stop these men at any cost!”
“Yes!”
As the command flags waved, countless Xiling soldiers gradually converged toward where the Zhennan Prince was. The two Qilin units finally became heavily surrounded, but even so, they showed no sign of disorder or helplessness, as if they saw only one goal, always forward, forward…
“Princess Consort, they can’t kill Lei Zhenting now, let them withdraw!” On the city wall, Leng Haoyu anxiously watched the black spots amid countless dark yellow in the distance.
Ye Li closed her eyes briefly, not responding.
Beside her, Qin Feng said softly, “They can’t withdraw now, and they won’t withdraw.” Because these two units of just five or six hundred Qilin had drawn back nearly a third of the Xiling army. The Zhennan Prince’s importance to the Xiling army was no less than Mo Xiuyao’s to the Mo Army, and now the Zhennan Prince was too weak to withstand any mishap. They didn’t necessarily need to kill Lei Zhenting – just making it appear they would do anything to kill him was enough to make the Xiling army extremely nervous. And these Qilin were destined to become sacrifices in this battle.