——【History will not remember the details, only the outcomes, yet the common people will remember your life-saving grace. As the foremost general of Ximeng, you are truly worthy of the title!】
If there truly exists something called doomsday and absolute genocide in this world, then the year 788 of the Bai Cang Calendar would undoubtedly be the closest to death. That spring, Yan Xun, following established practice, continued his fierce battles with Zhao Che of the northern territories and Zhuge Yue of Qinghai, while Huai Song, a territory of Great Yan, repeatedly clashed with Biantang. The wars across the Ximeng Continent raged intensely. All people were engrossed in internal conflicts, finding endless delight in them, yet remained oblivious that on the very land where Great Yan originated, a powerful and malevolent force had already extended its reach toward them.
On the ninth day of the fourth month in 788 of the Bai Cang Calendar, news that shocked the entire continent shattered the peace that the people of Ximeng had enjoyed for just six years—Jing’an Princess Consort, a traitorous official of Biantang, led her three thousand troops to secretly infiltrate Meilin Pass. On the evening of the eighth day of the fourth month, they joined forces with the Quanrong People who had long been lying in ambush outside the pass, capturing the checkpoint, opening the gates of Meilin Pass, and allowing the Quanrong People to enter. All officers and soldiers at Meilin Pass, totaling over twenty-eight thousand, heroically sacrificed themselves for their country, with no survivors.
Simultaneously, another piece of news spread rapidly across the continent.
The Jing’an Princess Consort, who had long remained hidden behind the scenes with few knowing her true identity, suddenly emerged under the protection of the Quanrong People, publicly declaring independence under the identity of a legitimate princess of Daxia. Borrowing troops from the Quanrong, she raised the banner of restoring the Xia dynasty’s rule and avenging the late emperor, leading her forces eastward.
Meanwhile, the Great Khan of the Quanrong, Nayan, loudly proclaimed his mission to uphold the legitimacy of the allied royal bloodline and eradicate rebellious traitors, marching eastward with great vigor and pride.
This was Zhao Chun’er’s third appearance on the stage of history.
The first was on the twentieth day of the fifth month in 775, during the bloody wedding in Zhenhuang City, where Zhao Chun’er, as the bride, gained notoriety due to her fiancé Yan Xun, becoming the laughingstock of the entire world. That year, she was sixteen.
The second was on the first day of the ninth month of the same year, after Yan Xun’s defection, when Yanbei declared independence. For political reasons, Daxia urgently sought a marriage alliance with Biantang. After the Ninth Princess of Daxia was sent back by Li Ce, Zhao Chun’er traveled alone to Tang, entering the Biantang imperial family as a peace-making princess. However, she was ultimately expelled for maliciously creating impure incidents and inciting a mutiny within the Central Army. Refusing to accept this, with the help of the then still deeply concealed Prince Luo, she conspired with Biantang general Zhong Peng to stage a rebellion at the Meishan Imperial Tomb. Ultimately, her plot was uncovered by Li Ce, who was then the Crown Prince. From then on, there was no further news of this woman.
Until this time, thirteen years later, she reappeared prominently under the identity of Biantang’s Jing’an Princess Consort, opening Meilin Pass, borrowing eight hundred thousand troops from the grassland foreigners, personally taking to the battlefield, and unleashing the Quanrong wolves to ravage the Central Plains.No matter how many years later, whenever recalling that battle, it remains an utterly terrifying catastrophe. Even top figures on the continent like Zhuge Yue, Zhao Che, and Yan Xun failed to anticipate how rapidly the situation would reverse during the initial stages of that turmoil. After all, when Zhuge Yue first received the news, his thought was merely: "Rather than waiting for these people to come knocking, it's better to deal with them early and extort some military funds from Yan Xun while we're at it."
No one expected the war to become so brutal.
When mentioning the Quanrong People, perhaps everyone's first impression is of backward bumpkins with brawn over brains. For thousands of years, this fierce ethnic group had roamed beyond Meilin Pass—galloping on horseback, following water and grass to settle, without fixed abodes, cities, unified governance, advanced equipment, or competent commanders. When they fought, it was essentially chieftains leading groups of herdsmen in cavalry charges: they'd engage weaker foes head-on but turn tail when encountering stronger enemies.
Thus, nearly all Eastern military officers would scornfully dismiss them as country bumpkins.
Yet no one seriously considered that from 775 when Yanbei declared independence, through 782 when Daxia fell, to the six subsequent years of continuous minor civil wars, Ximeng had endured thirteen turbulent years. In contrast, the Quanrong had quietly passed those thirteen years—aside from minor raids, not a single large-scale war had erupted.
Thirteen years—the grassland grasses yellowed and greened, young children learned to ride horses and wield blades, and the blood of war, dormant for thirteen years, finally began to stir again.
Meilin Pass became a thoroughfare as Quanrong cavalry flooded in like locusts—their military formations vast as oceans, spears and blades dense as forests, warhorses neighing wildly, sharp arrows falling like rain. The spectacular army and towering dust clouds caused defenders in several cities near Meilin Pass to abandon their posts and flee without fighting.
On April 13th, six major Quanrong tribes—Red Di, Yellow Mang, Blue Xiang, Brown Blood, White Shang, and Black Water—arrived at Meilin Pass, joining the four tribes that had set out earliest. On April 15th, the Quanrong Great Khan's main Nayan tribe reached Meilin. All eleven Quanrong tribes had assembled, numbering over 1.5 million.
Before the bloodstains of Great Yan warriors could dry, the Quanrong army had already occupied the city's heart. Terrified citizens hid in their homes, none daring to make a sound lest they anger these northern harbingers of doom. But with too many troops to house within the city, the Quanrong Third Prince Tuoha ordered his guards to kill some civilians to clear hundreds of residences for him.
This single command unleashed Meilin Pass's bloody nightmare. Immediately, other tribal warlords followed suit. By the time Nayan Minglie learned of this, it was too late—not a single living civilian remained in all of Meilin Pass.
For ten consecutive days, Zhao Chun'er stayed with her subordinates in Meilin Pass's military headquarters. The sounds of slaughter, screams, curses, roaring flames, and the heartrending wails of violated women pierced the night's silence, echoing shrilly through every corner of the city.
Her pale-faced subordinate asked, "Your Highness, those grassland people have gone mad—they're slaughtering civilians."Zhao Chun'er sat expressionlessly in the darkness, as if she hadn't heard his words, remaining silent without uttering a single word.
Unbeknownst to Zhao Chun'er, in the conference hall not far from her, the Quanrong People had already spread out maps and begun plotting their division of the Ximeng territories. Having breached Meilin Pass, the lands ahead appeared completely within their grasp. Eleven tribal leaders argued until their faces turned red and necks thick, until finally, under the mediation of Khan Nayan, they reluctantly reached an agreement. At daybreak, the tribal leaders led their respective forces, charging out of Meilin Pass and rushing toward that flourishing world they had coveted for centuries.
**
Among all forces, including the territories of Huai Song, Qinghai was the first to clearly declare that it would mobilize all resources to assist Great Yan in resisting the Quanrong military regime.
While everyone else was watching, waiting, and contemplating, the dual rulers of Qinghai were the first to gather troops at Cuiwei Pass, withdrawing all soldiers confronting Great Yan, opening the pass to march north and provide military support to Great Yan's Beishuo Pass.
Simultaneously, Qinghai divided its forces into three routes: the King of Qinghai, Zhuge Yue, led the main force to support Beishuo; General Yue Qi carried Zhuge Yue's letter to the northern regions; while King Xiuli, Chu Qiao, secretly arrived in Biantang to discuss joint military operations.
On the third day of the fifth month, Zhao Che agreed to Zhuge Yue's proposal and led troops toward the Yanbei plateau. Surprisingly, Yan Xun, the emperor of Great Yan, confidently opened his country's gates, allowing his usually detested rival to swagger into his territory.
Three days earlier, Tang Emperor Li Xiuyi had already authorized Grand Tutor Sun Di to cooperate with King Xiuli Chu Qiao, leading two hundred thousand Biantang troops departing from Tanghu Pass.
This was truly an absurd situation. Without this incident, no one could have imagined such a day would come. For the past six years, these four powers had been constantly at war - minor battles every ten days, major campaigns every month - each harboring deep hatred for the others. Yet who could have predicted they would one day join forces against a common enemy?
Neither contemporaries nor later generations could deny King Xiuli of Biantang's crucial role in these events.
She had once been the master of Shangshen, the guardian deity of the Yanbei plateau, Yan Xun's most trusted confidant and chief administrator, the Yanbei general who had repelled a million Daxia troops at Beishuo Pass. Now she was the wife of the King of Qinghai, Biantang's administrative prince, her husband sharing a life-and-death friendship with Zhao Che who controlled northern Daxia, while most of her commanders and officers originated from the Shangshen plateau.
Moreover, in the broader context of the Quanrong's eastern invasion, while northern Daxia watched helplessly, the Biantang royal family observed coldly, Huai Song territories harbored ulterior motives, and Great Yan remained divided - resisting enemies while guarding against allies - only she clearly foresaw the entire war's development. She soberly recognized the Quanrong People's wolfish ambitions and tiger-like momentum, calmly set aside past grievances for correct strategic thinking, and actively worked to connect various forces.All of this destined her to be the best coordinator for this allied force. Only she could quell conflicts and contradictions from all sides, temporarily suppress the suspicions that would never truly disappear, and forge a coalition that was at least superficially functional.
The intricate web of relationships involved was enough to give even the most brilliant mind a splitting headache. Yet, she alone managed to accomplish it.
When news arrived that Biantang, Qinghai, and the northern territories of Daxia had simultaneously dispatched troops, the Great Khan of the Quanrong was enraged to the point of fuming. Before launching their attack on Meilin Pass, they had not failed to consider this scenario, but at the time, all the tribal chieftains had dismissed it with a laugh.
Absurd! Who didn’t know the relationships between those three factions and Yan Xun? It would be a miracle if they didn’t stab them in the back at a critical moment—let alone join the war!
But reality was cruel. The truth before them mercilessly shattered the fantasies of these grassland people: to annihilate Great Yan within a month, sweep through Ximeng in two months, and dominate the Eastern Continent within half a year.
Frustrated and humiliated, the Quanrong grew even more frenzied in their slaughter, their cavalry thrusting like a sharp blade into the heart of Yanbei.
On the twenty-third day of the fifth month, Beishuo Pass once again became the focal point of the entire Ximeng region. Four nations gathered at Huoleiyuan, amassing a force of 1.2 million troops.
Before the battle commenced, the allied forces convened to elect a supreme commander. Great Yan naturally proposed Yan Xun without hesitation. Qinghai put forth Zhuge Yue. The northern territories were divided between two factions: Zhao Che, who had been campaigning across the northern nations, and Zhao Yang, who had long roamed the borders, engaging in battles with Yanbei. Although the Biantang Emperor Li Xiuyi had not come in person, Sun Di submitted his name, claiming that daily carrier pigeons could relay the emperor’s brilliant strategies for guidance.
For a time, opinions were deadlocked. Staff officers and diplomatic envoys from all sides nearly overturned the command tent with their arguments. For two full days, no consensus could be reached. Finally, Sun Di, unable to bear it any longer, proposed that King Xiuli, Chu Qiao, assume the role of supreme commander for this campaign. Instantly, all debates ceased.
Although Chu Qiao was the Qinghai Royal Consort, she was nominally the Regent Prince of Biantang. Given her relationship with Li Xiuyi and her past achievements in defending Tang Capital, the entire Great Tang naturally supported her without dissent. After some deliberation, Qinghai’s Zhuge Yue magnanimously chose to support his wife. Zhao Che swiftly followed, seconding Zhuge Yue’s motion. Zhao Yang, who had only participated to prevent Zhao Che and Yan Xun from gaining an advantage, naturally expressed his agreement as well. Only Great Yan delayed until the following morning to convey Emperor Yan’s opinion: "No objections."
Thus, this dazzlingly grand alliance, composed entirely of elite forces, was placed under Chu Qiao’s command. Amid a formation of 1.2 million men, the one presiding over the central command tent was a woman.
Beginning on the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, the defense of Beishuo fully commenced.
Chu Qiao deployed 600,000 troops and 500,000 laborers to construct defensive lines along Sunset Mountain. The trenches and traps she designed were varied and ingenious, stretching from Sunset Mountain all the way to Beishuo City. Military defensive positions dotted the landscape, densely covering the entire terrain.
When the Quanrong vanguard arrived, Third Prince Tuoha was so stunned he could hardly close his mouth. Gazing at the spectacular defensive belt before him, his first thought was that the enemy had gone mad.No one would be foolish enough to attack such military defenses, so the Third Prince Tuoha naturally took another route—Chidu.
It couldn't be said that Tuoha was unwise, for facing such defensive lines, no one would dare launch an assault.
However, what Tuoha didn't know was that behind this seemingly vast and formidable defensive zone were only five hundred thousand laborers. They carried no blades, no spears—their sole task was to wave flags and stomp their feet when enemies approached, stirring up clouds of dust.
That was all.
Meanwhile, within the small Chidu City, eight hundred thousand troops lay in ambush, awaiting his arrival.
Encirclement was inevitable. After three consecutive days of fierce combat, Tuoha's original force of one hundred thousand rapidly dwindled to forty thousand. Blood spread across the estuary of Chidu River, dyeing the waters red and rendering them undrinkable for days.
With no food reserves, Tuoha found himself in a dire predicament. The allied forces took turns attacking, exhausting his soldiers to the brink of collapse.
Finally, on the fifth day, Tuoha's army sent an envoy, declaring their decision to surrender and lay down arms.
Yet the command from the central camp astonished everyone: Chu Qiao ordered that Prince Tuoha's surrender would not be accepted unless they first presented Tuoha's head to honor the spirits of the two hundred thousand soldiers and civilians of Meilin Pass.
Enraged, Tuoha resumed fighting but ultimately failed to break the encirclement.
Two days later, he was killed by his own guards during the night. His troops, leaderless, collapsed without further resistance and were all captured by the allied forces.
This marked the first victory for the Eastern Land armies since the Quanrong's eastward advance!
With bold tactics and extraordinary courage, Chu Qiao had encircled and annihilated one hundred thousand enemy troops. Achieving an overwhelming victory with minimal casualties, she eliminated seventy thousand enemies, captured thirty thousand, and decapitated the enemy commander, securing a complete triumph.
When the news reached Ximeng, people from all nations celebrated with applause.
That evening, Zhao Che sat in the Qinghai command tent of Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue, raised a full cup, and toasted Chu Qiao from afar: "You truly deserve the title of Ximeng's top general."
The next day, Chu Qiao reorganized the army and withdrew to Beishuo. Before the massive defensive formation, she calmly awaited the approaching Quanrong cavalry, hanging Tuoha's head at the front of the battle array as she quietly anticipated the arrival of the Quanrong Great Khan—Nayan Minglie!
**
Suddenly, urgent drumbeats and gongs echoed from the Quanrong army. Flags waved frantically, messengers rushed about in panic, and mounted commanders shouted anxiously, their faces filled with worry.
Chaos—utter chaos.
Zhuge Yue raised an eyebrow and lightly nudged his horse's flank. The cavalry parted like tides to make way for him. Clad in ink-black armor against the golden earth, the man in blue fur was as majestic as a deity from the Tianshan Mountains. Towering snow peaks stood behind him, majestic and continuous like a sea. The wind from afar lifted the strands of hair at his temples. His eyes were deep and tranquil, his lips crimson, exuding a noble yet sinister charm like the Wolf King of the snow plains.
He urged his horse forward, gazing intently, his brows slightly furrowed.
The battle had just begun—what could cause the typically fierce and arrogant Quanrong to panic so?
"Your Highness! A large Yanbei cavalry force has been spotted rapidly approaching from the west side of Sunset Mountain."
A scout galloped over, his horse's hooves crushing the snow beneath. His firm knees knelt on the frozen ground as he reported clearly.
Zhuge Yue frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and asked in a deep voice, "How many troops do they have, and who commands them?""Still unknown."
"Continue reconnaissance."
"Yes."
With the thunder of hooves, two groups of scouts bearing Qinghai credentials galloped away in clouds of dust. The crimson sun hung in the western sky, casting the earth in bloody hues as deafening clashes of battle raged. After eight consecutive days of encirclement and pursuit, the final battle had finally arrived today.
Someone from Yanbei? Who exactly? Had the battle in Shangshen concluded so quickly?
Zhuge Yue returned to the command tent and spread out the map for careful strategizing. Evening had fallen, and the tent was dimly lit. Seated at the desk with two candles burning steadily, their flames flickered like beans, casting a soft glow.
When the Quanrong People breached the pass this time, they pillaged and slaughtered along their path. Fortunately, Yan Xun reacted swiftly, evacuating the Yanbei civilians in time and implementing a scorched-earth policy against the enemy. However, the residents near Meilin Pass couldn't escape the devastation, suffering heavy casualties. The cities of Wuting, Guiyu, and Dangrong were brutally sacked, with even newborn infants falling victim. A scout returning from behind enemy lines reported that all twenty-eight cities near Meilin Pass were completely devoid of human presence. Every inhabitant of Jiaxi City—men, women, and children—had been hanged collectively in the mangrove forest twenty li outside the city by the Quanrong People. When he arrived, tens of thousands of vultures were circling above the forest, tearing at the decaying flesh of the dead.
The Qinghai generals leading this campaign were all present when this report came. Even these battle-hardened veterans turned pale and remained speechless for a long time. Finally, Liang Shaoqing cried out in horror, "Those people... are they even human?"
Of course they were human—and soon they would be charging at them, brandishing their blades in person.
Zhuge Yue couldn't help but recall Chu Qiao's words when he left Qinghai. She said this wasn't an ordinary conflict, not merely a struggle between the Quanrong People from beyond the borders and Yan Xun of Yanbei. It was a clash of cultures, a bloody slaughter waged by barbarism against civilization. In this war, no one would profit from others' conflicts, and no one could play the role of the opportunistic bystander. If the Quanrong People gained the upper hand, even if they eventually seized some fertile land and advantages after Yanbei's decline, they would inevitably pay ten or a hundred times the price for it.
In that moment, he understood profoundly.
When disaster strikes, any internal strife is tantamount to sabotaging one's own defenses. Facing the fierce Quanrong cavalry and their brutal tactics, no one could remain untouched or reap benefits without effort.
The defensive battle at Beishuo achieved an unexpectedly great victory, with the cannons Chu Qiao had invented during her defense of Chidu playing a crucial role.
After half a month of continuous engagements, the Quanrong suffered heavy losses. Eventually, the Heishui Tribe collapsed first, with their chieftain Xiao Dahan leading his troops in a covert retreat, exposing the Quanrong left flank to the allied forces' assault. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Qiao dismantled their lateral defenses, pierced through the entire left flank, isolating it from the central army and rendering it completely paralyzed. Pressing the advantage, the Quanrong forces finally crumbled like a landslide after half a month, with the remaining 700,000 troops scattering in panic under their respective commanders, as if stricken by plague.
Chu Qiao immediately ordered the allied forces to divide into seven routes: Qinghai, Biantang, Northern Zhao Che, Northern Zhao Yang, Huai Song, Great Yan, and the local Yanbei garrison, to pursue and attack the fleeing Quanrong army in close pursuit.The sector under Zhuge Yue's command was the Sunset Mountain range, one of the key strategic points on the Yanbei Plateau.
"Report—"
A scout swiftly rode back, dismounted in one fluid motion, and holding an object aloft, announced loudly, "Your Majesty, the battle in the Shangshen region is not yet over. This time, the Yan army has only sent three thousand cavalry, led by the Emperor of Great Yan himself."
"Yan Xun?"
Zhuge Yue raised an eyebrow and looked down. The scout was indeed holding Yan Xun's golden arrow.
He observed the arrow expressionlessly, his brow slightly furrowed as he remained silent. Liang Shaoqing, standing beside him, remarked upon hearing this, "Why would he come? And with so few troops?"
"Immediately relay orders to General Yue Qi to deploy two additional cavalry units to assault the Quanrong People's main camp. No matter what, we must identify the leader of this Quanrong force."
"Yes!"
The sky gradually darkened, the night grew deep, and the clamor of battle thundered like storms. The moon rose and then slowly set. Throughout the entire night, Zhuge Yue sat in his tent without rest. Just before dawn, Yue Qi’s battle report finally arrived, confirming with almost eighty percent certainty that the one commanding the Quanrong central army camp was none other than the current Great Khan of the Quanrong.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Zhuge Yue’s lips. No wonder—so the Wolf King was here. No wonder Yan Xun had personally taken action, leading an elite force.
“Prepare my armor!”
Zhuge Yue stood up, and immediately his personal guards readied his battle armor and robes.
The King of Qinghai, clad in dark cyan armor and an iron-gray cloak, grasped his war blade and mounted his steed. The mournful sound of military horns blared at once. Liang Shaoqing rushed out from his own tent, frantically seizing the horse’s reins as he cried out, “Your Highness, you must not act recklessly! Xiao Qiao specifically warned against you charging into battle!”
Zhuge Yue glanced at him helplessly and waved a hand to his attendants. Immediately, someone stepped forward to escort the esteemed scholar Liang back into the tent.
“You—you—you! You’re too honorable! You don’t keep your word! Xiao Qiao will curse me to death!”
His shrieks were as piercing as a slaughtered pig, startling even the soldiers fighting on the battlefield.
Zhuge Yue quietly turned his gaze toward the crimson-glowing battlefield ahead and said in a low voice, “Advance.”
The army swept forward like a tempest, thousands of horses galloping in unison.
Meanwhile, not far away, someone approached Yan Xun’s side and reported in a hushed tone, “Your Majesty, the King of Qinghai is leading his troops in person.”
“Is that so?”
Yan Xun responded indifferently, then raised an eyebrow, his expression unexpectedly taking on the spirited vigor of a youth. In a resolute tone, he declared, “We must capture the Quanrong Khan before the Qinghai army does.”
“This general obeys!”
The army swiftly set out, hooves pounding like thunder, churning up clouds of dust.
———— Dividing Line ————
The long-awaited encounter everyone has been anticipating will take place in the next chapter. There are two chapters left until the conclusion of the Ximeng volume. I will write as quickly as possible.
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