Qiao Chu

What happened in the capital was unknown to the people far away in Yunzhong Commandery, and they had no time to concern themselves with it.

When Zhong Changrong received the victory bulletin, he also received a note from Xie Yanlai. The note instructed him to send the message in two parts: one marked with the character "Zhang" on the letter, and the other sent through the normal postal route as a flying victory bulletin.

Xie Yanlai said that this time, the Western Liang forces breaking through the defense line and capturing Stone Slope City seemed somewhat peculiar no matter how you looked at it.

Zhong Changrong didn’t believe that the Border Army was as impenetrable as an iron barrel either. Even when Chu Ling was in charge, they could only fortify the main city like an iron barrel; other areas were beyond their control.

After Fu the Supervisor arrived, he investigated everywhere, accusing some of corruption and others of favoritism. Although Zhong Changrong sneered and paid no attention, he knew in his heart that these accusations were true.

The capture of the King of Xiliang alive was a major event that would determine the fate of Daxia and Western Liang.

Xie Yanlai was worried that someone might deliberately obstruct the news.

The fall of Stone Slope City would stir up a storm in the imperial court. A Zhao, the Empress, would undoubtedly face great trouble. In many matters, being a step late could turn the world upside down.

So, they had to send the message first to let A Zhao breathe a sigh of relief and have some assurance. Then, the postal bulletin would announce the flying victory, letting everyone along the route know of the great triumph to calm the people.

This way, both inside and outside, things would be stabilized.

Zhong Changrong heard the words "captured the King of Xiliang alive" and then read the rambling sentences on the note—nothing else was mentioned.

"How was the battle fought? What is their situation? How is Xie Yanlai’s injury? What else do they need now?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Did that brat not realize he had acted without orders again? Even if he captured the King of Xiliang, merit was merit, but fault was fault.

He had the energy to write so much nonsense, teaching him how to do things—couldn’t he have said a few more words about the actual situation?

It was infuriating!

"I—I don’t know either," the messenger stammered. "I’m in charge of delivering messages, General, you know that. To ensure timely delivery, no matter how fierce the battle, we don’t get involved. But when I received the news, all the Western Liang troops were converging on the king’s tent."

Xie Yanlai and his men were not numerous. It was precisely because they were few in number that they could launch a surprise attack and succeed unexpectedly.

But success did not mean everything was settled.

Zhong Changrong was both angry and frustrated, his heart heavy with worry.

Capturing the King of Xiliang had drawn away all the Western Liang soldiers, easing the pressure slightly, but Stone Slope City still posed a massive challenge.

Stone Slope City’s location made it easy to defend and hard to attack. Moreover, its thriving trade routes made it very prosperous and densely populated.

After the Third Prince of Western Liang seized Stone Slope City, he shut the gates and turtled up. Whenever the Border Army attacked, the Western Liang forces tied civilians to the city walls and threw them down—

Those who died on impact were left to die; those who survived cried and wailed in agony. When the Border Army tried to rescue them, they were met with deadly arrow showers until both the soldiers and the wounded civilians lay dead.

After this happened several times, Zhong Changrong ordered the Border Army to halt their attacks.

Upon receiving the victory bulletin, Zhong Changrong’s first order was to have soldiers surround the city and continuously shout that the King of Xiliang had been captured. But the Third Prince remained holed up and unmoving. Any attempt to approach and attack still resulted in civilians being pushed out to their deaths.

The stalemate at Stone Slope City persisted, and Xie Yanlai’s situation could not be ignored either—

"General," a deputy general urged anxiously, "the matter of the King of Xiliang is more critical. You should go there personally.""The messenger only knows that the King of Xiliang was captured alive, but has no other information. We can speculate that Xie Yanlai and his men are trapped in a heavy encirclement, otherwise they wouldn’t have sent only one message," another officer said. "If we don’t send reinforcements promptly, I fear—all our efforts will go to waste."

"That kid Yanlai’s flaw in battle is that he truly fights like he has no regard for his life," a deputy general muttered under his breath.

Of course, Zhong Changrong was well aware of this flaw. Standing in the command tent, he remained silent, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.

"General Zhong."

Commotion erupted outside the tent, accompanied by the guards’ shouts of restraint.

"General Zhong, I am Liang Qiang."

"General Zhong, Liang Ji requests an audience."

Hearing this, Zhong Changrong glanced coldly toward the tent entrance and said, "Let them in."

The tent flap lifted, and Liang Ji entered first, clad in military robes. Behind him followed Liang Qiang, dressed in prisoner’s garb. After being caned, Liang Qiang had not been imprisoned but was instead brought outside Stone Slope City on Zhong Changrong’s orders.

"Make him kneel here and witness it with his own eyes," Zhong Changrong commanded coldly. "Let him see how many lives are lost due to a single general’s failure. When the time comes for you to be rewarded with titles and honors, you will understand clearly that what you wear and possess is built upon the flesh and blood of countless others."

Whether from the cane wounds or the days of kneeling, Liang Qiang’s face was pale, his lips devoid of color, and he had visibly thinned.

"General Zhong," Liang Ji said, "please lead the troops to assist General Xie. Leave this place to me. I am willing to enter the city and negotiate with the Western Liang people."

Without even asking how he planned to negotiate, Zhong Changrong replied directly, "Unnecessary."

Liang Qiang could no longer restrain himself and knelt down. "General! Please believe me. I will definitely break through Stone Slope City."

Zhong Changrong did not even look at him, his tone icy. "This matter does not concern you or your father. I have my own arrangements."

Liang Ji sighed softly. "General Zhong, I know you have misunderstandings about us, but at this critical moment, it concerns the entire war situation. Do not assume we have already won. General Xie capturing the King of Xiliang is a great victory, but it also means nothing."

Zhong Changrong flew into a rage. "Liang Ji, you are not yet the Chief Secretary of my central army. It is not your place to interfere!"

At the same time, he shouted for the guards.

The other officers in the tent also looked displeased.

"General," Liang Ji showed no fear. "Please allow me to finish. I am not questioning General Xie’s bravery or merits. Capturing the King of Xiliang is indeed a great achievement, one that could decide the outcome of the war. Precisely because of this, the top priority now is to preserve this advantage. General Xie’s current situation is extremely perilous—he must be surrounded—"

"Rest assured, he certainly won’t die before the King of Xiliang," Zhong Changrong said coldly.

"General," Liang Ji seemed somewhat exasperated. "What I fear is precisely the death of the King of Xiliang. Western Liang still has the First Prince holding the capital. They still have a king."

Zhong Changrong’s expression stiffened.

"General, the problem now is not that the Western Liang troops are threatening General Xie," Liang Ji continued. "It’s that they may be ordered to kill the King of Xiliang."

If the captured King of Xiliang were to die, the First Prince, who was defending the Western Liang kingdom, would become the new king. The situation would instantly revert to what it was before, and Great Xia would remain trapped.

Zhong Changrong fell into silence. The other officers in the tent also paled slightly. They all knew Liang Ji spoke the truth—in fact, this was why they had earlier urged Zhong Changrong to act, and even Zhong Changrong himself had been hesitating.Now that the matter had been exposed and spoken aloud, there was no choice but to face it.

What mattered more now was preserving the great victory of capturing the King of Xiliang. Stone Slope City should actually be abandoned.

Liang Ji observed Zhong Changrong's expression and softened his tone, saying, "General, if that's truly the case, General Xie's hard-fought battle will have been in vain."

The other officers could no longer hold back and spoke up: "General, you should personally lead the troops there. This can't go on like this." "Indeed, the victory bulletin has already been sent to the imperial court. If anything unexpected happens—" "We must secure at least one victory now—"

Zhong Changrong lowered his gaze and looked at the Waist Token placed on the table. The news of capturing the King of Xiliang was so significant that, to prevent doubts, Xie Yanlai had sent his own Waist Token as proof.

Upon closer inspection, the Waist Token still bore traces of dried blood.

Had that young man already been drenched in blood, barely recognizable as human?

Zhong Changrong closed his eyes briefly, then raised his head and said, "Reinforcements have already been sent to support Xie Yanlai, but I must keep my focus on Stone Slope City and will absolutely not leave."

Everyone present was stunned.

Reinforcements were one thing, but if the commander personally took charge, the morale would be different—especially when facing the King of Xiliang's army.

A flicker of surprise passed through Liang Ji's eyes. Had he failed to persuade him? It didn't make sense. Zhong Changrong was obsessed with power and authority, and for the sake of victory, coupled with everyone's urging to this extent, he should have led the troops without hesitation to surround the King of Xiliang.

What use was his hesitation and fixation on Stone Slope City? It would be better to turn a blind eye and let him act decisively—

This would be beneficial for Zhong Changrong, sparing him the blame for inadequate rescue efforts or disregarding civilian lives.

Liang Ji had voluntarily stepped forward to take the blame.

What confusion had seized Zhong Changrong?

"General," Liang Ji stepped forward, about to say more.

Zhong Changrong raised his hand to stop him. "Say no more. To me, the death of the King of Xiliang and the First Prince becoming the new king are both less important than the safety of the three hundred thousand civilians in Stone Slope City."

His gaze shifted past Liang Ji, looking outside the tent.

"It doesn't matter if the First Prince of Xiliang becomes the new king."

"Our brave warriors of Great Xia, having killed one king, can kill another."

...

...

At the same time, in the King of Xiliang's tent, the King of Xiliang was also discussing life and death.

"This king is going to die," he said, sitting on a felt mat, his body tightly bound. "Young general, you are going to die too."

Beside him, lying on an ornate barbarian-style bed, was a young man, also tightly bound—bandages covering almost his entire body.

Despite this, he managed to lie in a leisurely manner, even crossing his legs with effort.

Hearing the King of Xiliang's words, he smiled and turned his head.

"Then you must remember who sent you on your final journey," he said, raising his arm and pointing at himself with his bandaged hand. "Your young master, Xie Yanlai."