Exceeding a month renders it void.

I bow in gratitude!

Whether it was Feng Miaojun or the King of Wei who felt each day drag like a year, the three-month period had finally passed.

The Wei royal palace quietly strengthened its security. Xiao Yan feared she might leave a body double in the New Xia court and secretly infiltrate the palace to search for Yun Ya. After all, these two shared a profound bond.

To be safe, he even created several body doubles for Yun Ya. Besides himself and the physician on duty, no one knew where the State Preceptor of Wei was hidden.

This was also one of the countermeasures against the Yan Kingdom’s infiltration.

However, nothing happened.

The Queen of New Xia remained unruffled in her city of Ursel, with no intention of traveling west.

The red-headed parrot had opened its mouth several times, but it was always the other side trying to probe her.

Feng Miaojun gave no response.

Since the King of Wei was attempting to communicate with her, it meant Yun Ya had not yet awakened, but he wasn’t dead either—at this point, she knew better than anyone.

She also believed that fellow Yun Ya possessed a life force stronger than a nine-lived cat and wouldn’t easily perish. However, damage to the soul was sometimes irreversible—according to Lu Ming’s description, Yun Ya had likely suffered soul damage, causing his coma.

Yet at this juncture, she couldn’t abandon everything to find him as she had done in the past.

Even though she endured torment at night, by day she remained the wise and majestic Queen of New Xia, busy handling state affairs, meeting with ministers, and directing national policy and people’s livelihood.

Some situations required time to ferment.

Soon, major events unfolded.

Barely seven days after Feng Miaojun’s first conversation with Lu Ming through the red-headed parrot, a particularly violent earthquake struck within Wei Kingdom’s borders.

The so-called “earth dragon turning over” was a respectful folk term for the dreaded earthquake.

Earthquakes occurred daily across this continent, though varying in intensity, usually imperceptible to people.

But this one was different. It struck the southeastern part of Wei, tearing two massive gaps in the earth. River water flooded in, instantly creating two great rivers.

Well-maintained roads were severed, and north-south transportation was completely disrupted.

Seven cities were leveled in the earthquake, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians homeless. People were separated by the newly formed rivers; they could see cities burning on the opposite shore but couldn’t cross this natural barrier to offer aid.

In just a day and night, the seven southeastern cities transformed into a living hell.

For the Wei Kingdom, the more deadly problem was that the earthquake occurred right in the Wei army’s rear, and unfortunately, less than forty li from the front lines!

This cut off the Wei army from reinforcements. Moreover, the disaster-stricken cities housed military supplies and granaries that had been steadily providing food, weapons, personnel, and medicine to the Wei forces. After the earthquake, all of this was ruined.

In just a few hours, the Wei forces at the front line suddenly found themselves isolated, with all logistical support and reinforcements cut off, forced to face Yan Kingdom’s army of hundreds of thousands alone!

Fear spread through the ranks, and morale plummeted.

In contrast was the wild joy of the Yan people, as if upon awakening, heaven had chosen to stand on their side.

When news reached the Yan court, the gloomy atmosphere that had accumulated for half a year was instantly swept away. The King of Yan, at his headquarters on the Canglan Plains, laughed heartily, feeling even the air had become fresher. His first command was simple and clear:

Attack!

Facing the demoralized and isolated Wei army, the Yan people launched a powerful offensive.

The Wei forces still at the front had no choice but to fight with their backs against the wall. Additionally, there were several disaster-stricken cities directly behind them, not only had they lost their granaries and arsenals, but they were also sending pleas for help, with tens of thousands of civilians urgently needing rescue.

To save them or not?

Not saving them meant abandoning fellow countrymen; saving them was nearly impossible when the Wei army could barely protect itself.

Feng Miaojun received the battle report, glanced at it briefly, and nodded slightly: “The Wei people will suffer a major defeat this time.” The appearance of the earthquake was not entirely coincidental.

Without the State Preceptor to manage the flow of fortune and reduce natural disasters, such events were bound to happen sooner or later.

The red-headed parrot spoke again. This time Xiao Yan spoke directly, without Lu Ming relaying the message.

Feng Miaojun knew this ruler was now under tremendous pressure.

He asked her word by word: “Given the current situation, New Xia still holds its troops back. Does the Queen intend to break her promise?”

Feng Miaojun finally replied: “Send Yun Ya to me, and everything else can be negotiated.”

Xiao Yan coldly said: “He is the State Preceptor of Great Wei, critically important, and currently without the ability to protect himself. How could I reasonably send him to a dangerous place?” The Wei-Xia border was in the former territory of the Jiao Kingdom, whose people harbored a deep hatred for Yun Ya. If he were sent there and word leaked out, his life would be in peril.

“I will protect him completely,” Feng Miaojun said with amusement. “Yun Ya has traveled between Wei and Xia countless times. When have I ever harmed him?”

Xiao Yan snorted, and the communication ended.

Once again, the talks had failed. Ultimately, Xiao Yan was reluctant to give up this bargaining chip. If the State Preceptor were taken by her, but New Xia still didn’t send reinforcements, what would the Wei Kingdom do? How would he know that New Xia hadn’t secretly made some agreement with the Yan Kingdom? If so, Wei would lose both their State Preceptor and their army, a total defeat.

Feng Miaojun didn’t care. The days ahead would be increasingly difficult for the Wei people, not for her.

Sure enough, half a month later, military news arrived again: the Wei forces had lost the front line, with over 70,000 casualties and another 20,000 taken prisoner.

The Yan people were typically cruel to prisoners of war, but this time they didn’t kill them outright, instead splitting them up and sending them to the rear as forced labor. The purpose of massacring cities was only to intimidate, and since the Wei people still had the strength to fight back, such intimidation would not be effective.

Nevertheless, the Yan people had won this round.

This victory was of great significance. After repelling the Wei army, the Yan forces were able to break into the Huachao Plateau, where the terrain was relatively flat, allowing the invaders to spread out like locusts, conquering cities and territories, building strongholds like ants and watching over each other.

For the Wei people, if this area were also taken, they would lose another large granary in the east. Moreover, the roads from here to the west were well-connected, with waterways available, so the entire central region of Wei would be threatened.

To put it more seriously, if they lost the upcoming battles, the Wei Kingdom would surrender the initiative in the war.

King Xiao Yan of Wei, while dispatching reinforcements, also sent messages to New Xia requesting aid. After all, New Xia’s troops were stationed in Wulin Town at the westernmost edge of Jiao territory, only about a six-day forced march from the front lines.

Upon receiving this news, Yu Huaizhen asked Chen Dachang: “Will the Queen send troops?”

In recent years, with the prosperity of the Wei-Xia border trade, some New Xia people have gradually developed good feelings toward the Wei Kingdom. After all, Wei’s annexation of An Xia was an old matter from over ten years ago, and a new generation had grown up. Even if they had war trauma from childhood, those memories had long since faded.