Haidu Aling left a message: If the Buddha Prince does not hand over Princess Wenzhao, the Northern Rong Allied Army will brutally torture every citizen of the Royal Court after breaching the city, then massacre the Holy City, leaving no one alive.
A deathly silence fell over the city walls of the Holy City.
Yaoying studied Haidu Aling’s letter, pondering for a moment before saying, "Half of Haidu Aling’s Northern Rong Allied Army consists of troops borrowed from their suzerain state—they’re not a unified force. He’s growing impatient. If I feign surrender, I might be able to deceive those chieftains..."
Before she could finish, a hand reached over, took the letter from her grasp, and tossed it into the brazier.
"Don’t even think about it."
Tanmoroqie’s tone was indifferent yet resolute.
The others exchanged glances but dared not speak.
...
The Northern Rong Allied Army retreated to their camp. Inside the main tent, the chieftains debated whether the Buddha Prince would exchange Princess Wenzhao for the lives of the city’s inhabitants.
A chieftain who frequently dealt with Royal Court merchants remarked, "The Buddha Prince was nearly killed by the Imperial Guards due to his Han mother being targeted by noble families. Even so, when the Holy City was besieged, he returned with his troops to defend it. He is a monk—I believe he will agree."
Hearing this, Haidu Aling’s expression darkened.
He had never anticipated that Tanmoroqie would return to the Holy City. Had Tanmoroqie not come back, he would have already captured the Holy City and taken control of the entire Royal Court. The Royal Court’s fertile and prosperous lands would have allowed him to rapidly expand his forces, command various tribes, reclaim the territories recovered by the Western Army, accomplish his goal of restoring the empire, and even launch an eastern campaign against the Wei Dynasty...
Haidu Aling’s plan was flawless—just one step away from altering the course of history and stirring up turmoil. Even with only five thousand followers, he could rise from adversity, lead his people to conquer the Royal Court and the Western Regions, and establish a Northern Rong Empire more powerful than under Wahan Khan’s reign. Wherever his whip pointed, all would kneel at his feet.
But Tanmoroqie had not died and had returned to the Holy City in its hour of crisis.
The demoralized defenders and civilians, upon seeing him, seemed revitalized as if by divine elixir, their morale soaring. Their fervent determination in battle suggested they were willing to die with him defending the city.
Haidu Aling clenched the leather map.
In one hand, Buddhist beads; in the other, a steel blade—Tanmoroqie alone had thwarted his schemes.
Whenever he thought of this, Haidu Aling felt both fury and bewilderment: What drove the abandoned and betrayed Tanmoroqie to return and defend the Holy City to the death? Could a monk’s faith truly be so powerful?
If Wahan Khan were still alive and knew that Tanmoroqie and Su Dan Gu were the same person, he wondered what he would think.
Now, Tanmoroqie had once again become a deity in the eyes of the people. Only by eliminating him could the Allied Army turn the tide.
This monk, devoid of desires and exiled by the people, had resolutely returned to the Holy City. He had only one weakness—Princess Wenzhao, Li Yaoying.
As the debate continued in the tent, one of Haidu Aling’s subordinates declared, "During this siege of the Holy City, our prince’s brilliant strategy drove a wedge between the Royal Court and the Western Army. The Western Army indeed delayed their advance and were blocked by us at Sand City. Princess Wenzhao is infatuated with the Buddha Prince—she rushed here with only a few hundred troops to rescue him. Perhaps she would willingly leave the city to save him!"
"If the Buddha Prince asks the princess to leave the city, she will surely agree!"Haidu Aling curled his lips in a cold sneer, cutting off his subordinate: "The Buddha Prince won’t let Princess Wenzhao leave the city. We have spies inside who report that the Buddha Prince has been deeply shaken since his return—he’s become cold and ruthless overall, yet transforms into a different person in Princess Wenzhao’s presence. He openly showed affection for her before the entire city’s populace. Do you think he’d send her out just because of my provocations?"
The men were stunned: "Then why did you make such a demand, Prince?"
A sinister glint flickered in Haidu Aling’s pale golden eyes: "The Royal Court has just weathered turmoil—public sentiment is restless, the people resent the Han Chinese, and the Imperial Guards forced the Buddha Prince to leave. Though they’re united in defending the city now, rifts remain."
"They’ve held out for so many days, their arrows exhausted and reinforcements cut off. I’ve watched them launch desperate charges to break through, losing many elites in the process. They must be at their limit, hence this last-ditch effort."
"Princess Wenzhao is Han Chinese, the Buddha Prince’s woman—he will protect her without fail. But what of the others? In their despair, will they truly embrace death willingly? Among the masses, there are always those who fear death. If even a few turn disloyal, we can undermine them from within."
"The more the Buddha Prince clings to Princess Wenzhao, the better for us."
"Spread the word—make the Western Army believe the Royal Court has sacrificed Princess Wenzhao. Let’s see if Li Zhongqian loses his mind! Once Li Zhongqian is defeated, Princess Wenzhao will have to leave the city, whether she wants to or not."
Haidu Aling clapped his hands: "Moreover, I hold a very important person."
The tent flap swayed as soldiers escorted in a woman with bound hands.
Seeing her, the men brightened.
In the following days, the Northern Rong Allied Army clamored daily outside the Holy City, demanding Tanmoroqie hand over Yaoying.
Tanmoroqie paid no heed.
Food in the city ran out, even horse meat was depleted. The people grew gaunt and sallow with hunger, and in the dead of night, the wind carried despairing sobs from dark corners.
The defending soldiers, weakened by prolonged starvation, often collapsed without warning.
Knowing their supplies were exhausted, the Northern Rong Allied Army deliberately cooked beef and lamb outside the walls during the day. The rich aroma of meat, carried by the cold wind to the battlements, made the starving soldiers’ stomachs growl and cramp. Some, unable to resist, even fell from the walls.
"Hand over Princess Wenzhao, and you’ll eat your fill at once!" the allied forces roared outside.
The city walls fell silent briefly before stirring with unrest.
The next day, Northern Rong scouts noticed the Han Chinese Retinue with headscarves had vanished from the battlements.
Tanmoroqie instructed Yaoying to stay in the council hall and avoid going out alone. His gaze lingered on her face—she had grown noticeably thinner.
He produced a small package and pressed it into her palm.
Yaoying opened it to find a clump of Thorn Honey. Stunned, a sweet warmth bloomed in her heart: "Have you eaten any?"
Tanmoroqie nodded, ruffled her hair, and turned to leave, but his sleeve tightened.
Yaoying held him back, rose on her toes, and pinched a piece of Thorn Honey, bringing it to his lips.
She knew he hadn’t eaten—fearing her hunger, he had been saving his rations for her these past days.
Tanmoroqie stared intently at Yaoying. Her eyes, bright as autumn waters, smiled back at him, filled with expectation.She had been trapped with him in this besieged city, suffering from hunger, sleeplessness, constant fear, and the need to guard against schemers.
Tanmoroqie leaned down and ate the lump of thorn honey from her fingers.
Yaoying smiled with satisfaction and was about to withdraw her hand when he grasped her wrist, preventing her from pulling back. He lowered his head and kissed her fingers, one by one, his warm lips brushing against her fingertips.
Clad in his kasaya and standing against the light, his expression was solemn and serene, as if he were conducting Buddhist rituals in a temple.
Yaoying trembled.
Tanmoroqie remained calm, embraced her briefly, and then turned to leave.
Scouts from the Northern Rong Allied Army observed carefully and, after failing to spot any Han Chinese Retinue on the city walls for three consecutive days, returned to camp to report.
The generals were overjoyed.
A scout said, "Yesterday, during a breakout attempt by the Royal Court forces, we captured a soldier. The soldier claimed that because of Princess Wenzhao, the Han Chinese and the Royal Court inhabitants in the city have developed conflicts. To protect the princess, the Buddha Prince stations his personal guards at the council hall every day, preventing civilians from approaching to avoid any harm to her. The city has run out of food, and even the generals are starving. Yet Princess Wenzhao and her retinue receive daily rations."
Haidu Aling's eyes gleamed.
This matched the intelligence from their spies exactly. It seemed Tanmoroqie indeed treated Princess Wenzhao with unusual favor, and there must be discontented people in the city who dared not speak out.
The next day, when Bi Suo, still wrapped in bandages, attempted another breakout to the east, he was surrounded by the Northern Rong Iron Cavalry.
The enemy seemed determined to capture him, relentlessly pursuing his unit. He charged forward, cutting down several Northern Rong cavalrymen and breaking through the encirclement, leading his remaining soldiers in retreat. Suddenly, the enemy halted and cleared a path.
Two Northern Rong soldiers dragged a woman forward and lifted her face.
When the woman saw Bi Suo fighting fiercely at the head of his troops, she trembled with emotion, tears streaming down her cheeks. She struggled to call out to him, but a soldier slapped her across the face, causing blood to trickle from her lips. Her cries were drowned out by the sounds of battle.
Bi Suo’s sword faltered, his eyes turning red with rage as he brandished his blade and charged forward.
The Northern Rong soldiers laughed heartily, threw the woman onto a horse, and galloped back toward their camp.
Bi Suo roared and gave chase.
His aides, alarmed, rushed to stop him: "General, we have too few men left! We must retreat to the city immediately!"
Bi Suo ignored them and pressed on. His aides hurriedly grabbed him and forcibly dragged him back.
They hastily fled back to the city, but before they could catch their breath, panicked shouts arose from the city walls. A soldier rushed over in alarm: "General Ashina! The Northern Rong have captured Princess Chima!"
Bi Suo’s veins bulged on his temples as he stormed up to the battlements.
In the distance, the same Northern Rong soldiers who had provoked him earlier brought the bound woman forward. They lashed her viciously with their whips, and she rolled in the snow, screaming in agony: "Bi Suo, save me! Save me!"
Bi Suo’s fingers dug into the earthen bricks, his eyes bloodshot.
Everyone on the city walls fell into a heavy silence.
The Northern Rong soldiers continued to whip Princess Chima. Her weeping and pleas for mercy, sharp and tortured, echoed over the battlefield.
"General Ashina! Princess Chima is your own sister!" a Northern Rong general shouted toward the city walls. "The Tanmo family was destroyed by the Zhang family. Princess Chima has no one but you, her only brother!"Princess Chima lay collapsed in the snow, covered in wounds, crawling toward the Holy City while weeping bitterly: "Bi Suo, save me! Save me!"
The Northern Rong general laughed heartily: "General Ashina, our prince has known you for years. Out of past friendship, he is willing to spare Princess Chima—but in exchange, you must hand over Princess Wenzhao. Our prince keeps his word: one princess for another. What do you say?"
Bi Suo stared at the blood-soaked Princess Chima, tears glistening in his eyes, his face dark as storm clouds, remaining silent.
The Northern Rong general chuckled, riding to a spot behind Princess Chima before leisurely drawing his long blade: "General Ashina, Princess Chima is right before you now. Her life hangs on your decision."
With these words, he raised his sword and swung it down toward Princess Chima.
"Halt!"
A furious roar echoed from the city walls. Bi Suo’s eyes blazed with rage, his face contorted. "If you harm her, I will slaughter your entire tribe—men, women, young and old—sparing none!"
The Northern Rong general laughed mockingly: "General Ashina, you and Princess Chima have relied on each other for survival. Our prince has no wish to harm her either. Just hand over Princess Wenzhao, and the prince will release Princess Chima at once."
He narrowed his eyes and let the blade fall, its edge lightly grazing Princess Chima’s neck. Blood spurted out.
Princess Chima trembled violently, screaming Bi Suo’s name in agony: "I don’t want to die! Bi Suo, I don’t want to die!"
Bi Suo shut his eyes tightly and turned to look at Tanmoroqie.
Tanmoroqie stood facing the wind, watching indifferently as the Northern Rong general tormented Princess Chima.
"Luojia! Save Chima! For my sake, save her!"
Bi Suo cried out, tears streaming down his face as he dropped to his knees and crawled forward, knocking his forehead against the ground until it turned crimson.
Tanmoroqie remained silent, accepting a curved bow. He nocked an arrow and released it—the shaft humming as it shot straight toward Princess Chima.
Princess Chima shrieked and scrambled backward.
The arrow flew like a meteor, thudding deeply into the snow where she had just been lying, its fletching buried completely.
Everyone froze; the battlefield fell into an extended silence.
The Northern Rong general sneered: "It seems the Buddha Prince, for the sake of a Han princess, is ruthless enough to kill his own sister. General Ashina, how pitiable that you’ve served the Buddha Prince with such loyalty—when you are the true ruler of the Royal Court!"
After hurling more taunts, they rode off, taking the terrified Princess Chima with them.
On the city walls, the onlookers exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what to say.
A colleague friendly with Bi Suo helped him up, offering quiet consolation, but Bi Suo gritted his teeth audibly, shoved everyone aside, and stormed off in a fury.
The next day, the Northern Rong repeated their tactic, dragging out Princess Chima once more to torment her before the armies.
Bi Suo erupted in rage, cursing wildly and attempting to lead troops out of the city to rescue her, but his subordinates restrained him desperately—charging out now would mean certain death!
On the third day, the Northern Rong appeared outside the Holy City with a disheveled Princess Chima in custody.
This time, Bi Suo was absent from the city walls. No matter how the Northern Rong threatened, Tanmoroqie remained unmoved.
On the fourth day, the Northern Rong Iron Cavalry galloped to the city gates, drawing their bows to full stretch. A volley of iron arrows rained down upon the Holy City with unstoppable force, pinning sheepskin parchments covered in writing onto roofs and walls.At the same time, Northern Rong spies who had secretly infiltrated the city and been monitoring information delivered a letter to Bi Suo's room where he was under house arrest.
Soon, a rumor spread through the city: Bi Suo, in an attempt to save his sister, intended to take Princess Wenzhao hostage and leave the city.
For Yaoying's safety, she remained in the council hall all day without venturing out. Her Han Chinese retinue surrounded the hall, interrogating anyone who approached.
The retinue urged Yaoying to prepare early, but she shook her head: "It's not a problem."
That night, as Yaoying slept soundly, her door was suddenly pounded with thunderous force. The retinue rushed into the room, shouting anxiously outside the felt curtain.
She hurriedly got up and saw a bright yellow glow outside the window, mistaking it for dawn. Stepping outside, a scorching heatwave struck her face, and the crackling sound of flames was alarmingly close.
The council hall had suddenly caught fire, and the rear building where she resided was engulfed in a sea of flames.
That night, everyone in the city saw the raging fire in the direction of the council hall. The Han Chinese retinue escorted Princess Wenzhao, whose dress was half-burned, to safety.
Tanmoroqie rushed back, his expression icy.
"It was General Ashina!" Yaoying's guard exclaimed indignantly, pointing at Bi Suo. "I saw it with my own eyes—General Ashina's men tried to capture our princess!"
Yaoying stopped her guard with a look.
The next day, Tanmoroqie imprisoned Bi Suo, stripped him of his military authority, and reassigned all his close followers.
The city was in an uproar.
The generals felt that with the enemy at the gates, Tanmoroqie's actions were inappropriate. They intended to plead for Bi Suo and trudged wearily to the council hall to request an audience.
The guards stopped them outside: "Princess Wenzhao was burned in the fire. The King is personally attending to her and has no time to see you. Come back tomorrow. If you're here to plead for General Ashina, don't bother. Princess Wenzhao was injured, half her hair burned off, and she's furious. Even Yuanjue's plea for General Ashina was useless."
The generals grew increasingly worried. With everyone starving and uncertain how long they could hold out, this incident only added to the chaos. Both the King and Bi Suo were of the Tanmo family, and their relationship was already delicate—it was a tangled mess!
That night, the darkness was thick, the wind howled fiercely, and the surroundings were pitch-black with only faint glimmers of snow.
After sending away several generals who had come to plead with her, Yaoying repeatedly assured them she would persuade Tanmoroqie to release Bi Suo. Returning to her room and about to sleep, she heard rapid footsteps like a sudden rainstorm outside the curtain.
Behind the felt curtain, a pair of green eyes stared at her.
Yaoying froze for a moment: "Bi Suo, you're out?"
Bi Suo turned his face away from her and gestured to his followers behind him. They rushed into the inner chamber and surrounded Yaoying.
On the city walls, the defenders had held their ground all day. Clutching their long swords, they rested back-to-back with closed eyes. Amid the roaring wind, sudden battle cries erupted. Everyone jolted awake, thinking the Northern Rong had launched a sneak attack. They hastily grabbed their swords, leaped up, and rushed to the walls to look.
Outside the city gates, only the traps they had laid were visible.
As they stood puzzled, the battle cries rang out again. Exchanging glances, they realized the sounds were coming from inside the city. Alarmed, they turned to look.
Footsteps pounded, shadows shifted, and flames sprang up simultaneously from the east, west, and north of the main street.
Someone with a long sword ran toward the dungeon where Bi Suo was held: "Princess Wenzhao is trying to kill General Ashina! Hurry and save the general!"
"General Ashina attempted to assassinate the Buddha Prince! He has kidnapped Princess Wenzhao!""Hand over the princess now, or we'll fight you to the death!"
"Surrender the princess! Otherwise we'll open the city gates and let the Northern Rong troops in - we'll all perish together!"
Two factions clashed in chaotic street combat, their shouts, curses, screams, interrogations, and the clashing of blades creating pandemonium as men and horses fell in disarray.
The north wind fanned the flames that night, and the fire rapidly grew, soon engulfing entire streets of buildings. Like crushing dry weeds, the roaring flames leaped skyward, illuminating half the city.
In the crimson glow, people could see the two factions locked in deadly combat - one group consisted of Bi Suo's personal guards, while the other was mostly Han Chinese and Western Regions foreigners, clearly Princess Wenzhao's retinue.
The onlookers watched in horror, sweating with anxiety, uncertain what to do.
In the streets, both sides continued their bloody battle with frenzied eyes, corpses littering the ground.
"Madmen! You're all mad!" The garrison commander stamped his feet in fury, rushing down to intervene. "Do you all have a death wish?!"
In the deep night, the dense footsteps and roaring flames surrounded the Royal Court's Imperial Guards in the streets. No one heeded his pleas, all focused solely on brandishing their swords and charging forward.
Suddenly, the earth trembled, and a low rumbling reached their ears.
The garrison commander's eyes widened as he turned in terror.
From the direction of the city gates, flames erupted amid loud shouts. Soldiers battled a group dressed in black, while several figures climbed ladders and worked together to turn the winch. With a heavy creaking sound - the city gates were being opened from within!
A cold, fishy wind swept into the city as a surging black tide rushed toward the gates in the darkness.
The garrison commander felt his hair stand on end, screaming hoarsely: "Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
But it was already too late.
...
Outside the city walls, Haidu Aling reined in his horse on the hillside, watching various tribal cavalry pour into the Holy City like a flood tide, advancing with unstoppable force. The Royal Court's half-starved, dizzy soldiers couldn't withstand the iron cavalry and retreated in panic.
Wahan Khan had been right - dismantling the Royal Court from within yielded twice the result with half the effort.
His subordinate rode up beside him, excitement and flattery evident on his face: "Your Highness, your plan was indeed flawless. Our agents infiltrated the city, assassinated Ashina and framed the Buddha Prince, then targeted Princess Wenzhao and pinned it on Ashina, while spreading rumors to stir up hatred against the princess among the Royal Court people. By provoking their internal conflicts, our agents found the opportunity to open the gates."
Haidu Aling snorted coldly.
After his prolonged siege, the city's inhabitants had long been psychologically broken - that's why these tactics could work. After Tanmoroqie's experience of betrayal by the Imperial Guards and his loss of trust in Bi Suo, neither Bi Suo nor the others could revere him as before. These consequences were the Royal Court's own doing.
Watching other tribes successfully breach the long-coveted Holy City, the subordinate clasped his fists: "Your Highness, since these strategies were all your conception, we should be the vanguard! Allow me to lead a contingent into the city - I swear I'll bring Princess Wenzhao to your tent!"
Haidu Aling shook his head, his pale golden eyes reflecting the distant roaring flames.
"It's going too smoothly - I'm not comfortable with that. Let these tribes serve as the vanguard to capture the Holy City first. I want to see how Li Yaoying will escape my grasp this time."
The subordinate bowed in admiration, respectfully acknowledging the order.
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