Though it was only early winter, the climate in Xindu was not as cold as Yuyang. However, to take care of Xiao Qiao, the underground heating system in the Sheyang Residence of Xin Palace had already been lit. The room was as warm as spring.

Wei Shao’s body temperature was rising rapidly. In the two to three months since Xiao Qiao had been diagnosed with pregnancy, Wei Shao had been sleeping with her every night. Chunniang, fearing that the young lord might not understand, secretly instructed Xiao Qiao that they must not engage in intimate relations.

Later, when Madam Zhong arrived, she was also concerned that the young couple, sleeping together every night, might find it hard to control their passions. She found an opportunity to express this idea tactfully to Wei Shao.

Even without Madam Zhong’s reminder, Wei Shao was extremely careful on his own. Since Xiao Qiao became pregnant, she had been listless all day, and in his eyes, she had become a fragile porcelain doll that he feared might break at the slightest touch. Not only did he not dare to think about being intimate with her, but even when sleeping at night, he became very cautious, afraid that his leg might accidentally press against her belly.

However, after being abstinent for so long, and constantly facing such a beautiful woman who belonged to him, yet only being able to look and not touch, was truly a form of torture. Thinking that he would be leaving tomorrow morning, he suddenly couldn’t resist anymore.

He lifted Xiao Qiao into his arms and placed her on the bed. He lay on her chest, kissing her fiercely. His hands were not idle either, parting her clothes.

Xiao Qiao’s silk robe was half undone, revealing her shoulders like polished jade. Her two white, full breasts sprang out from beneath her clothing, breathtakingly beautiful and almost dazzling to the eye.

Wei Shao stared at the alluring sight, slowly caressing them, gradually increasing the pressure, then burying his face between them, pressing his entire face down.

In just a moment, his back was covered in a layer of hot sweat. He suddenly moved away from her, falling back on the pillow, breathing heavily as if he could barely catch his breath. He murmured, “It’s too hot in this room… I’m feeling stifled… I can’t take it… I’ll go take a shower first…”

He quickly pulled the blanket over, covering Xiao Qiao’s delicate body tightly, then got out of bed and rushed into the bathroom.

The sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. Wei Shao stayed in there for a long time, forcibly cooling down that intense fire in his heart. Finally, he let out a long sigh, hastily put on some clothes and came out.

He saw that Xiao Qiao was still curled up under the blanket, with only her small face visible outside the covers. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and her eyes were closed as if she had fallen asleep.

Holding his breath, he got back into bed and held her in his arms again, then froze. The silk-smooth body wrapped in the brocade blanket was completely naked, curled up in his embrace, motionless.

“Manman…”

Wei Shao’s heart started racing again, and the fire that he had just managed to suppress flared up once more. Looking at her closed eyes with slightly trembling eyelashes, he found it a bit difficult to breathe.

Suddenly, he felt a soft, tender hand reach out from under the blanket, gently caressing his smooth and firm abdominal muscles in circular motions.

“Manman…”

Wei Shao wanted to move but didn’t dare to, his voice trembling.

Xiao Qiao’s small hand continued to caress him, gradually moving downward…

Her soft, fragrant lips also pressed against his bare chest, her tongue licking and kissing, slowly wandering, then enclosing one of his nipples, hard as a pebble, her teeth gently biting.

Wei Shao’s pores opened wide, his body hair standing on end, and he couldn’t help but moan softly.

“Don’t make a sound, don’t let them hear… And close your eyes, no peeking… If you peek, I’ll stop…” Xiao Qiao’s voice, filled with shy coyness, came to his ear again.

Wei Shao immediately closed his eyes, his expression extremely conflicted. He forced himself not to moan again. But in the end, he couldn’t help but let out a satisfied, muffled grunt from his throat.

He was like a cat basking in the winter sun, being caressed on its owner’s lap.

…

At the fifth watch, inside and outside Xin Palace, lanterns were lit brightly.

Li Dian, Wei Liang, and others, leading personal guards in shining armor, were galloping towards Xin Palace, preparing to escort him out of the city.

Xiao Qiao fastened the last dragon-scale buckle on Wei Shao’s battle armor waist and smiled, “Grandmother sent a letter, asking me to see you off to war on her behalf. Our child and I will wait for your triumphant return.”

Wei Shao nodded, “Wait for me to come back safely!”

“Yesterday, the Military Advisor reminded me,” he seemed to recall, and added, “We must be wary of Xing Xun taking the opportunity to raid Yanzhou. I’ve considered it and have ordered Yang Xin to stand by. If the Military Advisor’s prediction comes true, I’ll have him send troops to assist.”

Xiao Qiao said, “My lord has thought of everything, Manman is grateful. I know this battle is crucial for you, so if you need to deploy Yang Xin elsewhere, please do so. I’ll write to Yanzhou today to remind Father to prepare early. If we truly can’t defend ourselves, we’ll seek your help then.”

Wei Shao gazed at her, and after a moment, nodded slightly.

“My Lord, General Lei sends word that all the generals have arrived outside Xin Palace, respectfully requesting you to offer sacrifices to the flags and review the troops!” Madam Zhong’s voice sounded from outside the door.

“My lord, you may go now,” Xiao Qiao smiled.

Wei Shao turned to leave. Suddenly, he stopped, returned to her side, and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

His powerful arms seemed to penetrate through the hard armor, pressing against her flesh and bones.

He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then released her, opened the door, and strode out.

…

As dawn broke in the east, Xiao Qiao stood at the top of the sandalwood platform, accompanied by Madam Zhong and Chunniang. They gazed into the distance, beyond the southern city wall, where mountains and plains stretched out. Amidst a sea of flags and glinting weapons, Wei Shao’s great army slowly marched south.

…

In the late winter of the second year of Tai’an, Xing Xun’s army left Luoyang, passed through Hulao Pass, and stationed themselves on the south bank of the Yellow River outside Hulao Pass.

The two sides observed each other across the river for half a month. Xing Xun, unable to contain himself, chose a day to send his son Xing Wei and Ding Qu to forcibly build a bridge of boats at Hulao Ford, intending to directly attack Wei Shao’s main camp at Liyang.

Wei Shao sent Tan Fu and Lei Yan, leading only ten thousand troops, to set up illusory flags all over the hills and plains on the opposite bank. They fired waves of arrows, pretending to put all their effort into preventing the river crossing. When half of Xing Xun’s main force had crossed the river, they stopped firing and retreated while fighting, luring them into a pre-set ambush. At the sound of a fire drum that shook heaven and earth, Li Dian, Zhang Jian, Li Chong, and Wei Liang led four routes of ambush troops to attack.

Ding Qu and Xing Wei were caught off guard, lost control of their troops, and couldn’t withstand the fierce assault. They retreated to the boat bridge intending to withdraw, only to find that the dozens of boat bridges they had built had been set on fire by Wei Shao’s horse archers, who had been hidden on the north bank of Hulao Ford, using fire arrows wrapped in tung oil.

Amidst the thick smoke and flames, the boat bridges were destroyed, leaving no way to retreat. With pursuers coming from behind, a fierce battle ensued. Xing Xun’s soldiers were either killed, captured, or fell into the water, countless. Xing Wei was killed by a volley of arrows, while Ding Qu, showing great bravery, fought his way out of the encirclement, leading the remaining troops to flee westward for a hundred li. Finally, they encountered a ferry, forcibly commandeered it to cross the river, and returned in defeat.

In this first battle at Hulao Ford, Xing Xun lost over ten thousand soldiers. Defeated in the first battle and losing a son, upon hearing the news, he beat his chest and stamped his feet in anguish, vowing to take revenge and wipe out this shame.

Half a month later, Xing Xun once again set up floating bridges. This time, learning from the previous lesson, he left men to guard the bridges and personally led the army to cross the river again.

This time, Wei Shao also personally led his forces, engaging Xing Xun in battle on the northern plains of the Yellow River. Both sides committed their main forces, totaling several hundred thousand men.

The fierce battle continued on and off, with both sides suffering losses.

Half a month later, on a deep night, a great fire rose to the sky in Xingyang, south of the Yellow River.

Xing Xun’s granary, set up there, was subjected to a surprise attack by the joint forces of Yang Xin and Guo Quan. The defending troops were unprepared, and six or seven-tenths of the granary was burned down in one great fire.

When the news spread, Xing Xun’s army became greatly demoralized. Wei Shao seized the opportunity to press forward with heavy troops. Xing Xun, unable to withstand the assault, was nearly surrounded by the chaos. Thanks to Ding Qu’s powerful protection and an exchange of helmets to mislead the pursuing troops, he finally managed to retreat to the south bank.

To cut off the pursuit, as soon as they crossed the river, disregarding the remaining troops behind them, Xing Xun immediately ordered the destruction of the floating bridges.

Defeated in two battles, Xing Xun had suffered a blow to his vital energy and lost his sharp edge. Though unwilling to give up, he dared not actively engage in battle again for the time being. With the weather growing increasingly cold, he ordered his soldiers to set up tents on the spot, facing Wei Shao across the river, temporarily creating a stalemate.

On this day, gazing across the river at the northern camp, feeling depressed and sighing, Judiciary Officer Zang Chang offered a strategy: “Your Majesty now holds the reins of the world. Among the lords of the Central Plains, except for Guo Quan and Yang Xin, all others bow in submission. Guo and Yang obey Wei Shao, plotting rebellion and treason. Let them be free for a while; wait until Your Majesty has settled the situation in the north, then deal with them. Yuan Ze may have second thoughts, Your Majesty should not trust him too much. Among the remaining lords, Le Zhenggong of Hanzhong is Your Majesty’s childhood friend. When Your Majesty ascended to the throne, he also sent a memorial of congratulations. Why doesn’t Your Majesty issue an edict ordering him to quickly lead his troops to come to our aid? This would both boost our prestige and intimidate Wei Shao.”

Xing Xun was pleased and immediately sent Zang Chang to Hanzhong to deliver the imperial edict.

…

In Hanzhong, Le Zhenggong received the edict respectfully and asked Zang Chang to rest at the courier station first. He returned to his inner chamber, summoned his strategists Zhang Yan and Luo Xian, and angrily threw the imperial edict on the ground, saying, “Xing Xun has confined the young emperor to a cold residence in the western suburbs of Luoyang, usurped the throne, and now in his campaign against Wei Shao, he has been defeated twice and can’t even cross the Yellow River. How dare he summon me to come to his aid?”

The strategist Zhang Yan said, “Xing Xun has stationed his troops south of the Yellow River, so Luoyang must be empty now. I advise my lord to seize this rare opportunity to launch an attack and capture Luoyang. Once we occupy Luoyang and have the young emperor in our custody, we can use the emperor’s name to summon all the lords to join in attacking Xing Xun. With Wei Shao in front and my lord behind, caught between two forces, Xing Xun will surely perish. Once Xing Xun is defeated, my lord will have the great merit of rescuing the emperor. Who in the world would dare not to follow my lord’s lead?”

Luo Xian also agreed.

As Le Zhenggong was pondering, suddenly a voice from the doorway said, “It must not be done!”

Looking up, he saw it was Zhu Zeng, who had come to join him from Xing Xun’s side just last month.

Displeased, he frowned and said, “What insights do you have?”

Zhu Zeng entered and said, “I am grateful that the Marquis of Hanzhong has not rejected me and has taken me in. Eating one’s food, one should serve with honesty, so I will speak my mind frankly. I have followed Xing Xun for many years and know him well. He is now stubborn and self-willed, employing only his favorites. He has many schemes but is indecisive, aiming high but lacking the means. Previously, he had the Qiang troops under Feng Zhao’s command, who were brave and skilled in battle. Now that Feng Zhao has lost Liangzhou, the Qiang troops are gone, and few among his subordinates are truly loyal. It will be difficult for him to achieve great things. On the other hand, Wei Shao is young and capable, with a formidable army and a fierce momentum that cannot be stopped. He also has many elite soldiers and excellent generals under his command. This man is the real powerful enemy in the Marquis of Hanzhong’s grand plan for the world. If we let Wei Shao destroy Xing Xun now, he will surely turn his sword southward, advancing like a broken bamboo, with an unstoppable force. Even if the Marquis of Hanzhong occupies Luoyang, it may not be a long-term solution!”

Le Zhenggong’s expression, originally casual, gradually became serious. Seeing Zhu Zeng stop, he quickly urged him to continue and invited him to sit.

After taking a seat, Zhu Zeng said, “In my opinion, the Marquis of Hanzhong should accept the edict and send troops to join Xing Xun in attacking Wei Shao. Combining the forces of the Marquis and Xing Xun, we should first eliminate Wei Shao. Once Wei Shao is gone, Xing Xun will be nothing more than a usurper. With the Marquis’s great talents, what is there to fear?”

Le Zhenggong was overjoyed. He stood up, bowed, and said, “To have you, sir, is like obtaining a precious pearl! I was negligent before, please forgive me!” He then treated Zhu Zeng with the highest honors reserved for distinguished guests.