Mo Li

Bian City

Outside Bian City, the Mo Family Army and the Western Mausoleum Army stationed within engaged in what seemed like a ritualized battle every day. The commanders of the Mo Family Army were all young men under thirty, and no matter how hard they tried, they could hardly make any impact on Longyang’s defenses. Yet, amidst these relentless daily assaults, Longyang gradually sensed a whiff of conspiracy. However, he couldn’t quite figure out what the Mo Family Army was truly aiming for.

“Old General, the Mo Family Army is challenging us outside the city again,” Lei Tengfeng strode in, his voice grave as he looked at Longyang, who sat deep in thought behind his desk. Though the past few days had seen no decisive outcome in their skirmishes with the Mo Family Army, Lei Tengfeng was relatively satisfied with the current stalemate. He was not an impulsive man, nor did he currently seek to defeat Prince Ding’s Estate and the Mo Family Army outright. As long as he could hold out until his father and reinforcements arrived from other regions, he would already have won.

Longyang frowned slightly. “Ignore them for now.”

Lei Tengfeng furrowed his brows. “I’m afraid that won’t do. This time seems different from before.”

Longyang stood up. “Let me take a look.”

Ascending the city walls and looking down, he immediately saw that this was indeed unlike the previous days. Though Mo Xiuyao and the other main commanders were still absent, the Mo Family Army’s momentum and formation were unprecedentedly formidable compared to the past few days. At the forefront, challenging them as usual, was Yun Ting. These days, Yun Ting and the other young generals had been thoroughly humbled. No matter how ingeniously they arranged their troops or launched overt or covert attacks, Longyang effortlessly dismantled their efforts with ease. Were it not for the gravity of the battlefield, they might have even suspected Longyang was toying with them.

Having been thoroughly beaten down, these young men gradually shed their earlier arrogance. Each confrontation became more cautious—they no longer sought to breach Bian City but merely to hold Longyang’s attention and occasionally cause him some trouble. The chastened young commanders now understood that Prince Ding and the Wang Fei would never truly let the veteran generals step aside and entrust the entire Mo Family Army to inexperienced youths like them. Such an arrangement surely meant the Prince and Wang Fei had some hidden plan. Since Prince Ding never expected them to take Bian City, their role was simply to cooperate with the larger strategy.

Sure enough, several days later, they received new orders from the Prince and finally understood where all the seasoned generals capable of independent command had gone.

“Longyang! Hiding in the city like a coward—what kind of skill is that? If you have the guts, come out and fight me!” Yun Ting shouted boldly.

Longyang gazed down at the young man from the heights of the city wall and chuckled. “Young man, if you’re so brave, why don’t you come up here and speak to this old man? I’ll be waiting.”

Yun Ting sneered. “Fine, I’ll come up! You think I’m afraid of you? Haha… General Long, wouldn’t you like to know how your dear General Zhu is faring?”

Longyang’s heart tightened. Narrowing his eyes, he demanded, “What are you implying?”Yun Ting laughed, "Zhu Yan is already dead, along with the hundred thousand strong Pacification Army hidden in the mountains—completely annihilated. Did you really think hiding in the city day after day would stop our Wang Ye? Or did you truly believe the Mo Family Army had no one left? We’ve just been playing with you here. Once Wang Ye finishes dealing with Zhu Yan and the Pacification Army, he’ll naturally return to meet you, the so-called 'General Who Upholds Heaven.'"

Zhu Yan—dead?!

The shock of these words rippled not only through Longyang and Lei Tengfeng beside him but also through the Western Liang defenders on the city walls. Though the reputations of Western Liang’s three great generals had been suppressed by Zhennan Wang over the past two decades, as soldiers, they still knew of their legacy. The siege of Bian City had barely lasted a few days, yet the hundred-thousand-strong Pacification Army had been wiped out, and even the General Who Pacifies Heaven had fallen in battle. How could the Western Liang troops not be stunned?

A seasoned veteran, Longyang suppressed his shock and sneered, "Enough with the grand talk. Why don’t you come up here and let this old man see for himself?"

Unlike previous days when Longyang’s taunts would have enraged him, Yun Ting merely grinned and waved his battle flag. Behind the Mo Family Army’s formation, war drums thundered, and as the banners fluttered, the troops shifted positions, clearly preparing to assault the city. With just one glance, Longyang understood why Lei Tengfeng had said today was different from before. Such an imposing formation was far beyond the capabilities of these young commanders—it signaled the Mo Family Army had lost patience with the stalemate. At the same time, Longyang realized the young general’s words might not be empty boasts. The hidden elite troops and Zhu Yan were truly gone.

With a resigned sigh, Longyang ordered the city to hold firm and not engage.

"Old General, does this mean Zhu Lao Jiangjun…?" Lei Tengfeng asked worriedly. Longyang replied calmly, "The odds are against him."

"Then what should we…?" Lei Tengfeng pressed.

Longyang glanced at him and shook his head. "We can no longer afford to meet them in open battle. Hold fast and wait for reinforcements."

"Yes," Lei Tengfeng murmured.

Below the city walls, Yun Ting fumed as he watched the Western Liang troops stubbornly refuse to engage. Chen Yun tugged at his sleeve helplessly. "Just as Wang Ye predicted—they won’t come out to fight us head-on." Yun Ting snapped, "I refuse to believe they’ll hide in that city forever! So much for the 'God of Slaughter from the Western Regions'—more like a cowardly turtle!" Chen Yun chuckled. "He doesn’t need to hide forever. If he can hold out for a month or two until Western Liang’s reinforcements arrive, we’ll be the ones in trouble."

Yun Ting scoffed impatiently. "This general refuses to accept there’s no way to draw them out! Attack!"

A moat stretched before Bian City, wide enough that crossing required either the defenders to lower the drawbridge or the attackers to find another way. Over the past few days, the young commanders hadn’t wasted all their time trading insults—they’d ordered the Mo Family Army’s craftsmen to construct over a dozen long ladders. Once laid across the moat and reinforced with wooden planks, they could cross.Chen Yun watched as soldiers braved the enemy's arrow rain to secure the bridge planks ahead. Many had already fallen amidst the chaotic volleys, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration. For a fortress like Bian City—so easy to defend yet hard to attack—it was impossible to breach without significant casualties. Fortunately, despite the relentless arrows, the bridge was finally completed. The archery skills of the Mo Family Army were not for show either. Even firing upward from below, they managed to strike down numerous Western Liang soldiers from the battlements.

The bulk of the Mo Family Army crossed the moat. Some climbed ladders toward the towering city walls, while others fired arrows upward from below. Gradually, the water in the moat behind them took on a faint crimson hue.

At the rear of the Mo Family Army, Mo Xiuyao appeared on the battlefield with his entourage. They did not join the fight but stood at a distance, silently observing. After a long while, Mo Xiuyao finally remarked with a smile, "Yun Ting and the others seem to be holding up well." Despite suffering more defeats than victories in recent days, they had managed to keep the Mo Family Army's morale steady. For young generals with little real battlefield experience, this was already quite impressive.

Beside him, Zhuo Jing chuckled, "Wang Ye and Wang Fei must have had great confidence in them, no?"

Mo Xiuyao nodded slightly before lifting his gaze toward the distant city walls. His voice turned solemn as he commanded, "Prepare—storm the city!"

"Yes!"

Under a cloudless sky, a low, hoarse sound pierced the air, soon followed by a dazzling burst of fireworks.

Among the Western Liang defenders on the walls, some were shocked to discover ropes appearing out of nowhere, suspended in the air from several directions outside the city. Dark figures swiftly slid along these ropes toward the city. Longyang naturally noticed this as well. His eyes narrowed sharply as he barked, "Shoot them down!" A hail of arrows rained toward the figures gliding along the ropes. But even faster, a group of black-clad figures emerged within the city, mercilessly firing their own arrows at the defending soldiers.

"What's happening?! Where did these people come from?" More and more black-clad figures clad in Mo Family Army uniforms appeared in the city. These soldiers were different from the regular Mo Family Army—they were clearly more formidable and agile. Moving in small groups of a dozen or so, they inflicted heavy losses on the Western Liang defenders wherever they went. Meanwhile, the defenders also had to contend with the Mo Family Army assaulting the city from outside. Stretched thin, the Western Liang forces soon fell into disarray.

On the battlements, Longyang and Lei Tengfeng wore grim expressions. "Old General..."

Longyang ground his teeth and ordered, "Round up all the people from Great Chu and the northwest in the city and bring them up to the walls!"

"Old General!" Lei Tengfeng's expression changed. He knew exactly what Longyang intended. Such tactics were not uncommon in warfare between nations, but he doubted how effective they would be. Clenching his jaw, Lei Tengfeng turned and left. Though numerous mysterious Mo Family Army soldiers had appeared in the city, Bian City still housed tens of thousands of Western Liang defenders. These scattered Mo Family troops could hardly sway the overall situation. In less than half an hour, the Western Liang soldiers had rounded up all the Great Chu civilians in Bian City and brought them to the walls.Bian City was the second largest city in Western Liang, its prosperity rivaling that of the Western Mausoleum Imperial City. It was home to people from various nations, with a significant portion being from Great Chu, among whom many were northwesterners under the Mo Family Army. These people had been forcibly taken to the city walls, positioned atop the battlements as human shields. For the Mo Family Army below to advance, they would first have to bypass these civilians; to shoot arrows, they would have to kill them first. Most of these were ordinary citizens, already terrified by the sudden outbreak of war. Now, being used as shields against the Mo Family Army’s arrows, many broke into loud sobs.

"Longyang! You shameless old bastard!" Yun Ting couldn’t hold back another furious curse at the sight. Chen Yun and the others nearby also wore grim expressions. Even if these civilians were all from Western Liang, using defenseless commoners as shields was a disgrace for any general, let alone when many were from Great Chu and the northwest.

"What do we do now?"

"How should I know? Report to Wang Ye!" Chen Yun snapped. They weren’t heartless—soldiers fighting to the death on the battlefield was their duty, but slaughtering defenseless civilians was a decision they couldn’t easily make.

In truth, there was no need for them to report. Mo Xiuyao, stationed at the rear of the Mo Family Army, had already witnessed the scene. Standing beside him, Zhuo Jing frowned. "Wang Ye, what should we do?" They hadn’t anticipated Longyang’s move. However, Longyang had earned the title "God of Slaughter in the Western Regions" in his youth, having massacred countless civilians there. Such behavior, though unexpected, wasn’t entirely surprising.

Mo Xiuyao rose to his feet, his gaze fixed coldly on the distant city walls. "He wants to stall us while clearing out the Qilin forces inside the city." Bian City’s defenses were formidable. Despite days of effort, fewer than a thousand Mo Family Army soldiers had infiltrated the city. Against tens of thousands of Western Liang defenders, they stood little chance. To avoid being caught between two fronts, Longyang had to eliminate these intruders and uncover how they had entered—both of which required time.

"Let’s go take a look."

The Mo Family Army’s assault had temporarily halted due to the civilians on the walls, but neither side let their guard down. Suddenly, the black-clad ranks of the Mo Family Army parted, and a white-robed, white-haired man strode forward, followed by several guards and officers. Mo Xiuyao raised his eyes to the civilians being used as shields on the walls and said solemnly, "General Who Upholds Heaven of Western Liang, your reputation precedes you."

Longyang appeared atop the city walls, looking down at the striking white-haired figure in the distance. He nodded. "Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyao? The pleasure is mine."

At these words, the weeping civilians on the walls froze momentarily. Their eyes turned toward the white-robed man below. Some grew agitated, crying out for help. "Prince Ding is here! Prince Ding is here… Wang Ye, save us!" One voice soon became many, and the walls erupted into a chorus of desperate pleas."What does General Fengtian propose?" Mo Xiuyao asked calmly. His voice wasn't loud, nor did it carry any trace of anger, yet it strangely carried across the entire battlefield through the wailing cries. Longyang gave him a deep look and said, "As a general, I feel deeply ashamed to resort to such methods. But... I must ask Your Highness to order a temporary retreat of thirty li."

Mo Xiuyao asked, "And what if this prince refuses?"

Longyang smiled faintly and, with a swift motion, beheaded the nearest man beside him, the head tumbling down the city wall. Blood immediately gushed forth, startling the nearby civilians into another round of screams.

After a moment of silence, Mo Xiuyao finally raised his head and said coolly, "Once Bian City falls, this prince will have you torn limb from limb." Longyang replied indifferently, "If Bian City falls, this old man's life will be forfeit anyway. Since death is inevitable, what difference does the manner make? What is Your Highness's answer?" Mo Xiuyao arched an eyebrow and smiled, his voice low and firm, "This prince's answer is—"

"Whoosh!" Mo Xiuyao turned, took a bow and arrow from a nearby soldier, and in one fluid motion, drew, nocked, and released the arrow. Everyone watched in stunned silence as the arrow, trailing a silver gleam, pierced the sky and embedded itself in the chest of a young man atop the wall. Mo Xiuyao tossed the bow back and commanded coldly, "Attack the city!"

With the order given, the battle cries rose again. The first to suffer were the innocent civilians on the city walls. Amid the mingled sounds of slaughter and weeping, Mo Xiuyao turned away indifferently, leaving behind a frost-cold silhouette and a voice as chilling as ice, "Longyang, this prince will have every last citizen of your city buried with you!"

The fierce siege raged on without pause. This time, both sides understood it was no longer the skirmishes of previous days. It would not cease until one side was defeated and the other victorious. Perhaps spurred by the sight of the hundreds of innocent civilians from Great Chu on the walls, the Mo Family Army fought with even greater ferocity. Within hours, Bian City's defenses began to show signs of crumbling.

Inside the city, Longyang sat in an empty room, his expression somber. He knew Zhu Yan was already dead. Soon, Bian City would fall as well. To return to the battlefield in his twilight years might have been a stroke of luck, but such a senseless and crushing defeat was hard to bear. He had made one grave mistake—he had heard Mo Xiuyao's parting words all too clearly. "Every last citizen buried with you..." Mo Xiuyao intended to massacre the city. Longyang had no doubt about his words. In his youth, he had not been above such atrocities himself—hence his title, the "God of Slaughter from the Western Regions." Back then, he might not have even batted an eye at Mo Xiuyao's threat. But now... age had changed him. Bian City still held hundreds of thousands of civilians. If Mo Xiuyao truly carried out his threat...

"General!" A soldier hurried in to report.

Longyang opened his eyes and asked calmly, "What is it?"

The soldier replied, "The eastern defenses are about to collapse. Please retreat at once, General."

"Retreat?" Longyang frowned. "Who ordered a retreat?" Perhaps his tone was too sharp, for the soldier answered cautiously, "It was Zhennan Wang Shizi. He said Bian City cannot hold and that we must fall back to Rong City to regroup and halt the Mo Family Army's advance."Longyang shook his head with a bitter smile. "Even Bian City couldn't withstand the Mo Family Army. How could the flimsy walls of Rong City possibly stop them? Foolish! The entire army should stay and engage the Mo Family Army in street battles within the city. Perhaps then we could take out half their forces." Street battles often came down to sheer numbers, with little room for tactics or strategy. Moreover, they could take the initiative within the city. The gap between the Mo Family Army and the Western Mausoleum Army wasn't insurmountable—Longyang was confident that two Western Mausoleum soldiers could handle one from the Mo Family Army. At the very least, they could eliminate half of the Mo Family Army's forces in Bian City, giving the remaining defenders a chance to slow their advance.

The soldier hesitated before speaking. "But... Zhennan Wang Shizi has already begun withdrawing his troops."

"What?!" Longyang sprang to his feet. The soldier quickly added, "Zhennan Wang Shizi said it would be too late if the Mo Family Army breached the city. He's already leading the remaining hundred thousand troops to retreat through the west gate."

Longyang strode swiftly toward the door, muttering, "Idiot! With tens of thousands of the Mo Family Army still stationed in the smaller cities ahead, where does he think he's retreating to?"

By the time Longyang reached the west gate, all he saw were the distant hoofbeats and dust clouds of the retreating Western Mausoleum Army. Lei Tengfeng had taken the most elite and intact hundred thousand troops—their departure left gaping holes in what had been a solid defense. The Mo Family Army surged into the city like a tidal wave. Standing beneath the west gate, Longyang closed his eyes wearily and sighed softly. "Zhu Yan... we're finished..."

Though Lei Tengfeng had taken most of the forces, the remaining Western Mausoleum soldiers were no pushovers. It wasn't until noon the next day that the Mo Family Army fully secured Bian City. After a full day and night of relentless fighting, even the renowned warriors of the Mo Family Army were exhausted. Their eyes bloodshot and bodies weary, they erupted into cheers once the last pockets of resistance were cleared. Many collapsed where they stood, sleeping on the streets or under eaves.

Under the bright midday sun, Mo Xiuyao and his entourage finally entered Bian City. The streets were still littered with the bodies of fallen soldiers from both sides, not yet cleared away, while many surviving soldiers slept where they sat. Mo Xiuyao raised a hand to silence the announcement his attendants were about to make. Stepping carefully over the corpses, he asked quietly, "Where is Longyang?"

Zhuo Jing replied in a low voice, "Longyang is in an empty house in the western part of the city. Guards are already stationed there. Also... Longyang allowed many of the city's civilians to escape." Perhaps spurred by Mo Xiuyao's earlier threat to bury the entire city's population with them, Longyang had opened the west gate at nightfall to let civilians flee. The Mo Family Army's discipline was strict—despite Mo Xiuyao's words, no formal order to massacre the city had been given, so soldiers only engaged those who obstructed or attacked them. Nearly half the civilians had escaped overnight.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head dismissively. "Let's go see Longyang. How is Wang Fei?"Zhuo Jing reported, "Last night, Lei Tengfeng withdrew with his troops and clashed with General Zhang to the west. He managed to break through with a remnant force of about twenty to thirty thousand men. Wang Fei ordered a temporary halt to the pursuit, instructing the entire army to rest and regroup in Bian City for two days. She should be returning soon."

Hearing this, a trace of warmth flickered in Mo Xiuyao's otherwise cold eyes. He replied indifferently, "Have the battlefield cleared and let the soldiers rest. Bring Longyang to me."

"Yes, Wang Ye."

Zhuo Jing departed to carry out the order, while Mo Xiuyao turned and headed to the prefect's residence in Bian City. The residence had already been prepared by his men, and the earlier battles in the city had not greatly affected the official compound. The remaining civil officials of Bian City who had not fled had been detained by the Mo Family Army and confined there.

When Mo Xiuyao entered, the Western Liang officials displayed a mix of emotions—some pleading, others resolute and unyielding, some fearful, and others filled with hatred. However, Mo Xiuyao paid them no mind and simply waved his hand, ordering them to be taken away.

He had barely sat down to rest when a guard entered and announced, "Wang Ye, Longyang has been brought here."

Mo Xiuyao opened his eyes, his gaze icy. "Bring him in."

Before long, Longyang strolled in leisurely. Zhuo Jing followed behind him but did not have anyone escorting him. Longyang was still dressed in plain white coarse clothing, looking much older and more exhausted than a few days prior. At first glance, he appeared like an utterly ordinary old man from the mountains, showing no trace of the ruthless figure who had used innocent civilians as human shields on the city walls.

Mo Xiuyao gazed at him calmly and said indifferently, "General Who Upholds Heaven, what an honor to meet you."