Mo Li

Watching as Marquis Muyang seemed to instantly lose all vitality, Qin Feng lowered his gaze and said, "I will take Mu Yang away now. You still have some time left, Marquis. You can think things over slowly." With that, Qin Feng clapped his hands, and two guards entered from outside to carry Mu Yang's body away.

"Wait!" Marquis Muyang cried out anxiously. "Where are you taking my son?"

Qin Feng frowned slightly. "Wang Fei has ordered that Mu Yang be buried." Originally, Wang Ye's command had been different, but since the major task was already completed, a small change like this likely wouldn’t bother him.

Seeing that Marquis Muyang had no further reaction, Qin Feng turned to leave.

"Why… How exactly did you manage this?" came Marquis Muyang's weak, aged voice from behind. "Who… who was the spy in Marquis Muyang Manor?" Qin Feng turned back in surprise—he hadn’t expected the Marquis to still be preoccupied with this question at such a time.

"Yao Ji," Qin Feng replied coolly.

Marquis Muyang froze. He had indeed suspected Yao Ji before, but he had ultimately dismissed the idea. The main reason was Mu Lie—no matter how much a woman hated a man, she wouldn’t harm her own son’s father while raising that son.

As if understanding Marquis Muyang’s confusion, Qin Feng added, "Mu Lie is not Mu Yang’s son."

"What?" Marquis Muyang was stunned once more. "That woman… that woman’s son… So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is…" Realizing the misunderstanding, Qin Feng had no intention of clarifying further. He glanced at Marquis Muyang before turning and walking out. The moment the door closed, a burst of mad laughter erupted from inside—though to Qin Feng’s ears, it sounded more like weeping.

With a soft sigh, Qin Feng shook his head and left.

Thousands of miles away, inside a grand tent, Mo Xiuyao sat behind a desk, his expression somber and distracted. Feng Zhiyao entered and, seeing his state, raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong? Missing Wang Fei already, and it hasn’t even been a month?" Mo Xiuyao gave him a sidelong glance. "A lone wolf like you wouldn’t understand the thoughts of a man with a family."

Feng Zhiyao rolled his eyes in exasperation. And whose fault was it that he was a lone wolf? There hadn’t been a single moment of peace in years. Waving the secret letter in his hand, he tossed it over casually. "A letter from Qin Feng. Seems Wang Fei isn’t missing you at all—she didn’t even send a single greeting."

Mo Xiuyao caught the letter and uttered a single word, "Scram."

As he opened the envelope, the contents eased the gloom between his brows. With a casual crumple, the letter turned to dust in his hand. Having known Mo Xiuyao for years, Feng Zhiyao could read his expressions well and asked curiously, "What good news has you so pleased?" Mo Xiuyao’s mood was clearly worlds apart from when Feng Zhiyao had first entered—evidently, Qin Feng’s letter had reported something favorable.

"Has Wang Fei and General Lü already dealt with Mo Jingli? Are they coming back? Impossible…" Unless Mo Jingli was truly a fool, there was no way he could have been defeated so quickly.

Mo Xiuyao replied, "Mu Yang is dead.""How is this good news?" Feng Zhiyao rolled his eyes. Mu Yang might be considered a rising star among the generals of Chu, but he was far from being important enough for Mo Xiuyao, the Prince Ding, to pay such attention to. Was Mu Yang's death really worth Mo Xiuyao's joy? Sensing something amiss, Feng Zhiyao pondered for a moment before realizing, his expression slightly changing. "Has the Marquis Muyang Manor fallen?"

Few knew how much Mo Xiuyao hated the Marquis Muyang, but Feng Zhiyao was definitely one of them. Over the years, Mo Jingqi had died, Ren Qining had died, Helian Zhen had died—now it was the Marquis Muyang's turn. However, Mu Yang's death was somewhat unjust. Back in the capital, Feng Zhiyao had shared some camaraderie with Mu Yang. He could only silently lament for him in his heart.

Mo Xiuyao nodded faintly. Feng Zhiyao thought for a moment and said, "The old Marquis Muyang was one of the few intelligent men under Mo Jingli. With the Marquis Muyang Manor gone, Mo Jingli probably won’t last much longer. Once Wang Fei finishes her task, she can march west and join forces with us to encircle the Western Liang Army." Calculating in his mind, Feng Zhiyao also grew somewhat excited. If things went this way, perhaps the war could end within the year.

Mo Xiuyao said indifferently, "Not necessarily. Mo Jingli’s forces far outnumber Lyu Jinxian’s. Besides, there’s Lei Tengfeng... Lei Tengfeng has already left the Chu army to defend Yuming Pass. By the time A Li and the others deal with Mo Jingli, Yuming Pass might already be tightly besieged by Lei Tengfeng."

Feng Zhiyao frowned in confusion. "Didn’t you send He Su with troops to Yuming Pass?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled at him. "Who told you He Su went to Yuming Pass?"

"Then, may I ask, Wang Ye!" Feng Zhiyao gritted his teeth. "Where exactly did He Su take those 200,000 troops?!" It was no wonder Feng Zhiyao was angry. The Mo Family Army was already outnumbered by Western Liang. While they were locked in fierce battle with Lei Zhenting, Mo Xiuyao had diverted 200,000 troops. If it had been a flanking maneuver, that would have been one thing. But now Mo Xiuyao was telling him the troops never went there! Did Prince Ding think war was a game? Or were his generals simply too dull to grasp his inscrutable strategies?

Seeing Feng Zhiyao’s exasperation, Mo Xiuyao was in high spirits. "Yuming Pass is over a thousand li away from us, and the roads are treacherous. But it’s less than three hundred li from Hangu Pass, where Lei Tengfeng is stationed, and the route is flat and well-paved. Even if He Su set out before Lei Tengfeng, Feng San... how could He Su possibly reach Yuming Pass first? Do you think Lei Tengfeng, with his intelligence, would leave such a gap for us? From the moment he sent Lei Tengfeng to Mo Jingli, it was to prevent this very scenario."

Feng Zhiyao was stunned, forcing himself to calm down. "So, Wang Ye, you never intended to take Yuming Pass from the start?"

Mo Xiuyao shrugged and smiled. "Why force the impossible?"

"Then where is He Su?!" Feng Zhiyao felt a vein throbbing on his forehead.

Mo Xiuyao chuckled. "If he’s not at Yuming Pass, then naturally, he’s somewhere else."Feng Zhiyao tilted his head in confusion, glancing at the map hanging on the wall beside him. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Hangu Pass?" Mo Xiuyao smiled without answering. Left with no choice, Feng Zhiyao could only look up at the sky speechlessly, silently staring at Mo Xiuyao for a long while before swallowing the curses he wanted to hurl. With a sigh, he said, "With Wang Fei and General Lü keeping them occupied, Lei Tengfeng might not be able to return to Yuming Pass so quickly."

Mo Xiuyao replied, "Even so, both armies will likely arrive around the same time. Moreover... by then, Yun Ting's entire division might be wiped out. Lü Jinxian and A Li could also end up isolated and surrounded by Mo Jingli's forces."

Feng Zhiyao nodded, accepting Mo Xiuyao's reasoning. After all, when it came to flawless strategies, ten of him combined were no match for Mo Xiuyao. "So, we still have to face Lei Zhenting head-on?"

Mo Xiuyao chuckled, "Isn't that what makes it interesting? After Lei Zhenting... I’ll hardly have any worthy opponents left. Besides, Feng San, don’t you think we’ve had it too easy these past two years?" Feng Zhiyao fell silent. Over the last two years, the Mo Family Army had fought several battles with seemingly divine assistance, achieving success after success. It had been so smooth that he had almost forgotten that no war was ever perpetually effortless. Lei Tengfeng was a rare military genius of their time, and expecting to defeat him as swiftly as before was simply impossible.

Mo Xiuyao reached out and patted his shoulder, smiling, "No need to worry. We’ll win—it’s only a matter of time."

Feng Zhiyao nodded and grinned freely. "Of course. If you can’t defeat Lei Zhenting, you’d become a laughingstock." Especially with a certain little one waiting eagerly in the rear to see someone make a fool of themselves.

Mo Xiuyao gave him a faint sidelong glance. "Not just anyone gets to see this king’s jokes."

On the battlefield outside Hangu Pass, the initial situation had been overwhelmingly in favor of the Chu army. No matter how valiant the Mo Family Army was, facing an enemy several times their size in direct combat made it nearly impossible to turn the tide. Unfortunately for Mo Jingli, before he could revel in his triumph, a mysterious black-clad reinforcement appeared eerily on the battlefield, stirring another wave of darkness. The exhausted Mo Family Army soldiers, seeing the reinforcements, immediately regained their spirits and counterattacked fiercely. The Chu army’s impending victory was gradually pushed back, and the two forces became locked in a brutal, entangled struggle.

Atop Hangu Pass, Mo Jingli’s face darkened like ink as he watched the unfolding scene. The generals standing beside him, who had earlier boasted with unshakable confidence, now remained silent, not daring to provoke his wrath further.

"Who is that?" Mo Jingli asked in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the black-clad general cutting through the battlefield with unmatched ferocity.

One of the generals scrutinized the figure before cautiously replying, "Your Majesty, that appears to be He Su, a newly promoted general of the Mo Family Army."

"He Su?" Mo Jingli frowned, mulling over the unfamiliar name."This He Su was originally an ordinary soldier under Murong Shen's command, rising from a common foot soldier to a regional commander in less than eight years. After the invasions by Northern Rong and the northern border forces, instead of obeying orders to retreat south, he gathered over two hundred thousand scattered soldiers and maneuvered to the flank of Chu... Changxing, blocking many northern border troops. Later, he joined Prince Ding's Estate and gained considerable trust from Princess Ding. However... there are rumors that He Su was actually Princess Ding's man all along," the subordinate quickly reported what he knew. "He Su joined Murong Shen's army shortly after Princess Ding was at Snowbreak Pass. Additionally, it's said that Princess Ding originally had four shadow guards. Later, she abolished the shadow guard position, but the world only knew of three—Zhuo Jing, Lin Han, and Wei Lin. So..."

"So, this He Su was a chess piece Ye Li planted in Great Chu over a decade ago!" Mo Jingli said darkly.

"......" The generals beside him, facing Mo Jingli's fury, dared not speak further.

Mo Jingli glanced at the battlefield below. With the sudden addition of two hundred thousand fresh troops, the Mo Family Army fought with increasing ferocity, while the Chu army, already exhausted from battle, began to show signs of fatigue. Snorting coldly, Mo Jingli turned and stormed off, leaving the generals exchanging uneasy glances.

"General Li, this..." Mo Jingli's abrupt departure left the others in a dilemma. They couldn't tell whether the emperor intended to continue fighting or withdraw.

"Let's withdraw," the highest-ranking General Li sighed helplessly. It was clear they wouldn't gain any advantage in this battle. What else could they do but retreat?

Outside Hangu Pass, as the Chu army gradually retreated into the pass, Yun Ting, who had been fighting fiercely, suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Unmindful of the corpses around him, he lay flat on his back. Spotting He Su approaching, Yun Ting managed a weak smile and said, "Brother, thank you. I thought I was done for." His eyelids grew heavy as he spoke.

These past few days had truly exhausted Yun Ting. This was his first time leading troops independently, and the pressure was immense. To make matters worse, Mo Jingli, for reasons unknown, had recklessly mobilized nearby garrisons to besiege him, disregarding his own vulnerable rear. Yun Ting's memories of the past few days consisted of little more than two hasty meals and endless fighting. Had He Su arrived half an hour later, Yun Ting wasn't sure he could have held on.

He Su, unconcerned by the filth on the ground, sat down casually and asked, "Did Princess Ding order you to hold this position at all costs?"

Yun Ting shook his head groggily. He Su raised an eyebrow. "Then why stubbornly resist? If I hadn't arrived, and if Princess Ding and General Lü hadn't made it in time, your death would've been sheer stupidity." This place wasn't a military stronghold—the stronghold was on Mo Jingli's side. Retreating twenty or thirty li if outmatched wouldn't have made much difference.

"It's... my first time leading troops... how could I... how could I lose on my first try? I'd rather die than retreat..." Mumbling, Yun Ting's head lolled to the side as he finally succumbed to sleep.A soldier who had been cleaning up the battlefield approached, looking somewhat troubled at Yun Ting lying motionless on the ground like a corpse, and turned to He Su. "General..." He Su stood up, dusting himself off, and waved with a smile. "It's nothing. General Yun is just exhausted. Carry him back to rest."

"Yes, sir," the two soldiers replied, one lifting his torso and the other his legs, carrying Yun Ting back to the camp. Throughout the journey, Yun Ting curled his lips slightly, sleeping soundly.

Not far from Hangu Pass, in Lyu Jinxian's camp, they had also just concluded a major battle. However, Lyu Jinxian and Ye Li appeared far more composed and at ease than Yun Ting. Reading the Secret Letter just delivered from Hangu Pass, Lyu Jinxian couldn't help but burst into laughter. "No wonder Wang Fei wasn’t worried—she already knew Wang Ye had sent reinforcements. That brat Yun Ting really deserves a good lesson."

Ye Li smiled faintly. "He’s just started leading troops independently—it’s natural to feel some tension. General, there’s no need to be too harsh on him. It’s already commendable that he held out for so many days." Lyu Jinxian nodded. In truth, he was quite satisfied with this newly accepted disciple. His talk of punishment was mostly for Ye Li’s ears. Hearing her tone, it didn’t seem like she intended to penalize Yun Ting, so Lyu Jinxian relaxed.

Setting aside Yun Ting’s matter, Lyu Jinxian said gravely, "One more battle, and Zhao Lian won’t be able to hold out. Then we can directly take Hangu Pass and join forces with Yun Ting and He Su to attack the Chu army from both sides."

Ye Li nodded. "The Grand General is right. However, even so, Mo Jingli’s forces likely still number around 500,000, not including any subsequent reinforcements. It won’t be easy to subdue him anytime soon."

Lyu Jinxian chuckled. "Wang Fei need not worry. As long as we control the overall situation, it doesn’t matter how many troops Mo Jingli has. Before, he seized the initiative, but now that we’ve taken it back, even if he had a million more soldiers, we wouldn’t fear him." Besides, once they joined forces with Yun Ting, their combined strength would also reach 500,000. There was no need to worry about Mo Jingli.

Ye Li smiled apologetically. "I was too impatient." She didn’t have much actual battlefield experience, and the few times she had fought were swift, decisive victories. Lyu Jinxian’s current strategy clearly involved wearing Mo Jingli down slowly, which felt slightly unfamiliar to Ye Li, who was accustomed to decisive strikes. However, she quickly recognized her own issue and began adjusting accordingly.

Lyu Jinxian smiled. "Wang Fei is too modest. While it’s not impossible to deal Mo Jingli a heavy blow with full force, replicating the total annihilation of Huifeng Valley would be extremely difficult. If remnants of the Chu army escape, they’ll likely regroup and return before long." Rather than risk that, it was better to take their time and fight until Mo Jingli was completely exhausted.

Ye Li nodded. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Grand General."

Lyu Jinxian hurriedly demurred. Though Ye Li wore a smile, her mind quietly turned to the pieces she had planted in Nanjing—it was time to set them in motion. Lyu Jinxian was right. Rather than rushing for quick gains and giving Mo Jingli a chance to recover, it was better to put in the effort and finish the job in one decisive campaign.

In the Chu army’s main tent, Mo Jingli, reviewing reports, suddenly shivered without reason. A flicker of confusion crossed his gloomy face as he instinctively tightened the bright yellow cloak around his shoulders.Two days later, in another decisive battle between the Mo Family Army and the Western Route Army of the Chu forces, the Chu army finally could no longer withstand the Mo Family Army's offensive, and their collapse became unstoppable. The commander of the Western Route Army, Zhao Lian, was severely wounded and captured in the end.

Engaging with the Chu forces was different from fighting against Western Liang or Northern Rong. At its core, apart from the conflicts among the ruling elites, the ordinary soldiers of the Chu army and the Mo Family Army, as well as the people of Great Chu and the Northwest, were no different from one another. They had never considered themselves mortal enemies just because the Mo Family Army had broken away from Great Chu. That was why so many refugees from Great Chu had fled to the Northwest, and the people there had accepted them without hesitation—because they were all one family to begin with. Just as the people of the Northwest had never believed that Prince Ding's Estate would confine itself to that small corner of the land, the people of Great Chu had never thought that Prince Ding's Estate and the Mo Family Army would abandon them.

Thus, in reality, both sides had held back somewhat in this battle. Killing one's own kind was never a pleasant thing, and neither the Mo Family Army nor the Chu forces typically executed prisoners or severely wounded enemy soldiers. When the Chu soldiers realized they couldn't defeat the Mo Family Army despite their best efforts, the rank-and-file troops had no psychological barriers to laying down their weapons and surrendering.

Zhao Lian's defeat infuriated Mo Jingli. Faced with the relentless advance of the Mo Family Army led by Lyu Jinxian and Ye Li, Mo Jingli "decisively" abandoned his troops to defend Hangu Pass and fled before Ye Li and the others could arrive. This left the Mo Family Army utterly speechless. Yun Ting, unable to comprehend the situation, stubbornly refused to retreat even half a step, while Mo Jingli retreated far too quickly. With the natural defenses of Hangu Pass, a competent commander could have held out for at least two or three months without issue—enough time for reinforcements from the Chu army's rear to arrive.

Although Mo Jingli's abandonment of the pass dealt a heavy blow to the Chu army's morale, it also caused significant trouble for Ye Li and the others. If Mo Jingli had fled back to the south and stayed there, it might have been manageable. But given his temperament, he was likely hiding somewhere, waiting for reinforcements before emerging to cause more chaos. This would inevitably prolong the conflict between the Mo Family Army and the Chu forces.

Sure enough, less than half a month later, as Chu reinforcements approached the north, Mo Jingli reappeared. This time, unlike his previous ambiguous alliance with Western Liang to attack the Mo Family Army, he issued an imperial decree in his capacity as Emperor of Great Chu. He proclaimed to the world that Prince Ding's Estate had betrayed Great Chu, that Mo Xiuyao intended to destroy Great Chu and ascend the throne himself, and so on. He even went so far as to list forty-nine charges against Mo Xiuyao, declaring Great Chu's campaign against Prince Ding's Estate as a righteous, honorable, and divinely ordained endeavor.Such things naturally had no effect on the Mo Family Army. The proclamation sent to the Mo Family Army camp was merely glanced at by Ye Li before she handed it over to Yun Ting. After reading it, Yun Ting let out a disdainful snort and promptly used it to prop up a table leg. If His Highness had any interest in the throne, he would have ascended to the position of emperor long ago. Would he really need to wait for Mo Jingli to issue some kind of edict of condemnation? Moreover, did Mo Jingli think the people of the world were blind? The Mo Family Army had never seized a single inch of land from the Chu Kingdom. Now that the Mo Family Army had long severed ties with the Chu Kingdom, Prince Ding's Estate was absolutely justified from every angle.

Speaking of this, Yun Ting couldn’t help but admire His Highness’s foresight. Unlike foreign barbarians, the Central Plains prided itself on being a land of propriety and righteousness. Whether it was court officials, scholars, or common folk, all placed great importance on rites and laws. If Prince Ding's Estate had directly launched an attack on the Chu Kingdom back then, even if the Mo Family Army had unified the realm in the end, given the relationship between Prince Ding's Estate and the Chu Kingdom, Prince Ding would inevitably have been criticized in historical records.

"Reporting to Wang Fei, a secret letter from Third Master Feng!" Just as everyone was mocking Mo Jingli’s actions with disdain, a guard’s voice sounded outside the tent.

Ye Li frowned slightly. "Feng San? Bring it in." Feng Zhiyao had gone with Mo Xiuyao, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t send her a letter alone. Unless… something had happened that was beyond Feng Zhiyao’s ability or authority to handle. A faint unease settled in Ye Li’s heart as she reached out to take the letter presented by the guard.

The envelope was sealed with wax, and the imprint of Prince Ding's highest-level secret seal on the closure indicated that the contents of this letter were anything but ordinary.

Steadying her emotions, Ye Li opened the envelope and glanced at its contents. Her hand holding the letter trembled slightly, and the letter slipped from her fingers to the ground. Ye Li herself felt her legs give way as she collapsed into the chair. Yun Ting and the others sitting nearby were startled and quickly rushed over. "Wang Fei?!"

On the white letter, Feng Zhiyao's handwriting appeared hurried and anxious. There were only a few brief words: "Wang Ye severely injured. Return at once."

－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－

Ahem~ Just a quick note, dear readers, don’t panic. The plot needs to transition gradually, so don’t be alarmed. Most importantly… please don’t throw bricks at me. Let’s believe this will surely be a harmonious, happy-ending story. Let’s also trust that the protagonist’s IQ is definitely not low… sobs … As for the supporting characters’ questionable intelligence, that’s my fault… You can throw bricks for that.