Mo Li

After the heavy rain, Ye Li rode at the head of the army, her delicate brows furrowed in deep thought as she remained silent. Nan Hou and the others followed closely beside her, noticing her expression and asking curiously, "What troubles you, Princess?" Ye Li shook her head and replied, "It's nothing. I'm just a bit concerned about the situation in Xinyang." Nan Hou raised an eyebrow in confusion—Xinyang's fall was already inevitable, so what was there to worry about?

Ye Li frowned as she glanced at the roadside. Since they weren’t traveling on the main road, the path was crowded with a continuous stream of refugees fleeing from the northwest. The sight of these displaced families, ragged and exhausted, filled her heart with a bitter mix of emotions. In truth, the war had reached such a one-sided state largely due to the political infighting in the court. Had preparations been made earlier and reinforcements dispatched in time, things might not have come to this. In any era, it was always the common people who suffered the most in war. Ye Li’s thoughts drifted to a phrase her teacher had once taught her in her past life—"Prosperity, the people suffer; decline, the people suffer."

"Princess." Zhuo Jing rode up from behind, pulling his horse alongside hers but remaining half a length behind as he spoke in a low voice.

Ye Li gently tugged on the reins, slowing her pace as she turned to look at him. Zhuo Jing said solemnly, "We’ve just received word—Xinyang has fallen."

Ye Li nodded, her expression unchanged. The loss of Xinyang had been expected by everyone. After a brief pause, she asked, "What of General Yuan?"

"General Yuan has already withdrawn his forces to Jiangxia. But..." Zhuo Jing hesitated before continuing, "The latest report states that the Western Mausoleum Army... massacred Xinyang!"

"What?!" Ye Li’s face darkened, her delicate features instantly hardening with a murderous chill. Nan Hou, who was closest to them, clearly heard Zhuo Jing’s words. His grip on the reins faltered momentarily before steadying again. He stared at Zhuo Jing without speaking.

Zhuo Jing lowered his voice. "After the Western Mausoleum Army entered the city, they clashed with the civilians. Then, the commanding officer leading the assault, Zheng Bian, ordered the massacre of Xinyang."

"What is Prince Zhennan of Xiling’s stance on this?"

"Prince Zhennan was not at the front lines. By the time he issued orders to stop it, it was already too late. At least two-thirds of Xinyang’s population... perished." Zhuo Jing’s voice was hoarse. Since the founding of the Great Chu, this was the first time an entire city had been slaughtered—a reality many soldiers found unbearable.

Ye Li let out a cold laugh before spurring her horse forward. Nan Hou was momentarily stunned, glancing at Zhuo Jing in confusion. After a brief hesitation, Zhuo Jing followed.

Ye Li didn’t ride far, stopping instead by the roadside to silently watch the passing refugees.

"Princess," Zhuo Jing called softly.

Ye Li turned to look at him, idly twirling her riding whip as she said, "Someone once told me that when ordinary civilians are forced to endure the horrors of war, it is a disgrace to both soldiers and the nation."

Zhuo Jing consoled, "This is not your fault, Princess."

Ye Li shook her head, her smile icy. "Zheng Bian, was it? The Ding Royal Palace has claimed his head. I want it—to honor the spirits of Xinyang’s people."

"Understood. I guarantee Zheng Bian’s head will hang from Xinyang’s city walls within ten days."Seven days later, when Zhennan Wang had already led his troops to the outskirts of Jiangxia, Lei Tengfeng, who remained stationed in Xinyang, sent a secret letter. Zheng Bian, who was also left behind in Xinyang, had been killed in his own room, and his head was hung on the city gate of Xinyang. Beside the head was a flamboyantly written character "Ding," clearly indicating that the killer was from the Ding Royal Palace. Upon receiving Lei Tengfeng's secret letter, Zhennan Wang's face darkened. After a moment of contemplation, he replied to Lei Tengfeng with a letter and then ordered an intensified attack on Jiangxia.

Jiangxia, a small town located just over two hundred li from Xinyang, was less than one-third the size of Xinyang. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the area was narrow and confined. Yet, it was this very town that cost the Western Mausoleum Army as much effort as the total expended in capturing several previous cities combined. The once unstoppable and seemingly invincible Western Mausoleum Army finally witnessed the true strength of the Chu forces at this insignificant town. Zhennan Wang, who had not personally appeared on the battlefield even during the capture of a major city like Xinyang, now stood behind his troops on a hill, watching the relentless and deadly struggle between the two armies below. He observed the black-clad soldiers on the city walls, who seemed tireless as they continuously repelled enemies attempting to scale the walls.

"Your Highness, who would have thought such a small town of fifty thousand could be so troublesome. Should we consider another approach?" a general behind him asked quietly, his gaze toward the black figures on the city walls filled with frustration and shadows. This was the mark the Mo Family Army had deeply engraved in the hearts of every enemy over the past century with countless sacrifices and bloodshed.

Zhennan Wang sighed softly. "Fortunately, the Emperor of Chu does not fully trust the Ding Royal Palace."

No one behind him asked why, for they shared the same relief. If the ruler and his subjects in Chu had mutual understanding and trust, what could stand in their way of conquering the world?

"Attack day and night with full force. We must capture Jiangxia before reinforcements from Prince Ding's Estate arrive!" Zhennan Wang commanded sharply.

"Understood, Your Highness!"

On the distant city wall, the gray-haired veteran General Yuan Pei stared intently at the seemingly endless enemy forces below, his brows deeply furrowed. His eyes, wise with experience, were bloodshot and weary, yet his back remained straight, and his gaze was filled with unwavering determination to defend Jiangxia to the death.

"General Yuan," Leng Qingyu approached hurriedly. In less than a month since the campaign began, the once cold and aloof young face of Leng Qingyu had already been weathered by hardship and defeat. Yuan Pei looked at him and shook his head, sighing softly. "General Leng, what is it?"

Leng Qingyu glanced at the fluttering banners in the distance and frowned. "General Yuan, keeping the city gates closed like this will only demoralize our soldiers further."Yuan Pei said, "General Leng, rest assured. The morale of the Mo Family Army will never be crushed by just these few days. Everyone understands that our forces currently have no chance of confronting Western Liang head-on. Holding our ground and awaiting reinforcements is the only thing we can do now." Leng Qingyu glanced at the soldiers steadfastly defending the city walls, his eyes darkening. Yuan Pei was right—it wasn't the morale of the Mo Family Army that had been shattered, but rather that of the fewer than ten thousand garrison soldiers he had brought from Xinyang City. After this crushing defeat, these remnants of a broken army had already completely collapsed. The relentless attacks by the Western Liang soldiers over the past few days had left them as skittish as startled birds. If this continued, chaos would erupt long before Jiangxia fell.

"This is a battlefield. My duty is to protect Jiangxia. General Leng, a momentary clash of pride will bring no benefit to our current situation. The Western Liang soldiers are no pushovers either. If our mere tens of thousands of troops charge into their hundreds of thousands, it would be like a drop of water vanishing into the ocean—swallowed whole." Yuan Pei spoke with grave sincerity. Leng Qingyu remained silent. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand Yuan Pei’s reasoning, but he simply couldn’t bear the current predicament. Leading an army for the first time in his life had brought him to such a state. The outcome of this battle no longer held much significance for him. It was foreseeable that in the near future, even if he wasn’t punished by the emperor, he would at the very least be sidelined for the rest of his life, never again given the chance to command troops in battle. Siege, defense.

The soldiers on both sides fought tirelessly day and night. Beneath the city walls, corpses piled into hills, and blood flowed in rivers. The bodies of allies and enemies had long become indistinguishable. Everyone seemed to fight purely by instinct. Yet, Jiangxia’s forces numbered only fifty thousand—including those who had died in the battle to reinforce Xinyang. In reality, their numbers were fewer than forty thousand, and even with the remnants retreating from Xinyang, they barely reached fifty thousand. Meanwhile, their enemies boasted over two hundred thousand elite troops. These were soldiers Zhennan Wang had painstakingly trained over the past decade, the cream of the crop. The defenders of Jiangxia grew fewer with each passing moment. Each time, it seemed the city gates would fall in the next instant, yet time dragged on, and the banners fluttering above the walls remained those of Great Chu and the Mo Family Army.

Behind the Western Mausoleum Army, Zhennan Wang stared solemnly at the tightly shut gates in the distance.

"Your Highness, they can’t hold out any longer."

Zhennan Wang said nothing, but his eyes were filled with respect for the enemy. Five full days and nights of relentless, fierce assaults. With only a few tens of thousands of troops, even he wasn’t certain he could have lasted this long. This wasn’t merely a testament to the commander’s wisdom and capability—it required an army with unparalleled conviction and resolve. After a long silence, Zhennan Wang said gravely, "Continue! Take Jiangxia within the hour!"

A little over an hour later, the gates of Jiangxia finally fell with a heavy, slow crash. On the city walls, Yuan Pei, drenched in blood, casually tossed aside his battle robe and swept his gaze over the remaining soldiers before shouting fiercely, "Kill them all!"All the soldiers were consumed by fury. The humiliation of seeing the city guarded by the Mo Family Army trampled by the enemy was unbearable, and they were determined to wash away this disgrace with the blood of their foes. Without hesitation, every soldier lunged at the nearest enemy. The battle raged everywhere—on the city walls, at the gates, in the streets.

Leng Qingyu stood at a street corner, his eyes burning crimson as if dripping blood as he watched the slaughter unfold. Behind him was a group of battered and defeated soldiers who had fled from Xinyang. They were no longer fit for battle, and no one demanded they pick up their weapons again. Leng Qingyu turned to them and said in a heavy voice, "Do you see? They are soldiers of Great Chu, just like you! Their city fell too—but what have they done, and what have we done? It was my failure as a general that lost Xinyang. You’d better think carefully!" With that, he drew his sword and charged forward.

The remnants exchanged uneasy glances. After a long pause, one man gripped his blade and followed. Then another, and another…

A group of soldiers, starkly different from the black-clad Mo Family Army, surged from the street corner and threw themselves at the enemy forces pouring through the city gates. The Western Liang soldiers, enraged by the resistance, howled like beasts and pounced on every Great Chu soldier in sight. In an instant, the streets were stained with blood.

"Boom—"

A deafening roar echoed from the distance, freezing everyone in their tracks. The surviving Mo Family Army soldiers erupted in wild joy and renewed vigor. "The Black Cloud Cavalry! The Black Cloud Cavalry is here! Reinforcements have arrived!"

Down the broad street, a dark tide of riders advanced with unstoppable momentum and lethal precision. At their head, a man in red robes galloped forward, his clear voice ringing with killing intent. "Seal the gates! Not a single enemy soldier who entered this city shall escape. Left and right flanks—ascend the walls!"

"Yes, sir!"