At this moment, in Li Huo City, General Mang You of the Western Wilderness had led his troops around and was now at the city gates, having attacked for an entire day.
Li Qinglin did not go to the front lines himself. The soldiers at the city gate fought hard, but in the end, they couldn’t withstand the elite forces of the Western Wilderness. After a day and a night, the city was declared breached.
Mang You led his army into the city and laughed up at the sky, “Li Qinglin is nothing special! We really overestimated him.”
Before this, as a seasoned general, Mang You had his worries. This invasion had gone too smoothly. Especially with the border troops... the commander of the border troops was a close confidant of Li Qinglin. Over the years, they had fought many battles against the Western Wilderness and shed a lot of blood. It was strange that such a person would surrender without any dissatisfaction from the soldiers below. Even the soldiers at the signal towers had been settled beforehand, allowing for a smooth entry.
He had advised the prince to be cautious, but the prince didn’t take it seriously.
But the facts proved that there was indeed no problem. The surrendered troops and soldiers even guided them along the way, allowing them to quickly reach Hengshan County and successfully launch a surprise attack on Li Huo City.
Now they had even breached Li Huo City. What could possibly go wrong?
Li Huo City had been held until it fell, with the defending soldiers nearly all dead or wounded. Mang You was very sure of this.
Perhaps Li Qinglin had truly disappointed the border troops, and he had been overthinking things.
The Western Wilderness army galloped into the city, the sound of hooves shattering the silence of the long streets. Looking at the closed doors of Li Huo City, Mang You smiled faintly.
Southern Li was far more prosperous than the Western Wilderness. This place might become the capital of the Western Wilderness in the future, so he wouldn’t easily allow his troops to destroy it. As long as he broke into the royal palace and captured Li Qinglin, he could be recognized as the conqueror of a nation, making his name immortal in history.
They marched straight to the royal palace, where the guards had already fled. Inside, eunuchs and palace maids were running around in panic, crying out as the army approached.
Mang You led his troops straight in but quickly paused.
Upon entering, they found a vast square. At the end of the square were high stone steps. At the top of the steps sat a figure on a dragon throne, looking down at the rushing army.
Mang You cautiously ordered his soldiers to spread out and guard the main paths, with thousands of archers taking position in the square, collectively aiming their bows at the figure on the throne.
After ensuring everything was secure, Mang You himself took up his battle axe and, along with his generals, slowly approached the steps.
As they got closer, they clearly saw an elderly man in dragon robes sitting on the throne, his face aged and hunched, but holding a silver spear, his eyes sharp and full of spirit.
“Li... Li Qinglin?” Mang You’s voice was filled with shock.
He himself was over fifty, and seeing this once young and handsome opponent, who had crossed swords with him many times on the battlefield, now looking older than him was a tremendous psychological blow.
He had heard that Li Qinglin used some illusion technique to maintain his youthful appearance. Was this now the illusion failing? Or did he no longer want to hide it?
A sense of foreboding filled Mang You’s heart.
“Indeed, it is this king,” Li Qinglin said with a smile, his voice old yet powerful. “Mang You, I didn’t expect it to be you and not Mang Zhan. Very good, very good.”
Mang You’s feeling of foreboding deepened.
No matter how one looked at it, Li Qinglin didn’t have any chance to turn things around, yet his attitude was so strange, almost as if he had won a victory.
Had he gone mad from the fall of his country?
He said nothing, only cautiously ordered his generals to surround Li Qinglin.
Li Qinglin seemed unconcerned about being surrounded, still smiling as he said, “As a seasoned general, you should have noticed something strange this time.”
Mang You signaled to his generals to hold off on attacking and replied calmly, “No matter what is strange, Southern Li has fallen, and you, Li Qinglin, are now a prisoner. You can still smile, could it be that the defeat was too cruel, and you’ve lost your mind?”
Li Qinglin laughed heartily, “Southern Li may not have fallen yet; it is the Western Wilderness that must fall first.”
...
In Hengshan County, the Ming River hung in the sky, coldly observing the battle for the city walls. Countless corpses did not stir any feelings in her; her gaze lingered more on the blood-soaked figure of Li Qingjun fighting.
Cultivators rarely make promises, fearing the consequences. But when Qin Yi left, he entrusted her to protect Li Qingjun’s life, and without even thinking, she agreed.
It was not to give Qin Yi face.
Nor was it out of admiration for Li Qingjun.
It was simply because of that jade pendant.
That jade pendant had a significant background... if Li Qinglin didn’t save it, Li Qingjun would be the inheritor of that pendant. She, Tian Shu Shen Que, intended to give face to the original owner of the pendant, which was also mentioned in the reply from her sect at that time.
However, her feelings were somewhat complicated now.
She had once entered the palace to communicate with Li Qinglin, intending to discuss the pendant, but received an unexpectedly surprising answer.
This decisive battle for Southern Li was far more complicated than Li Qingjun had thought.
Just as the battle was reaching a fever pitch, Mang Zhan’s central army suddenly stirred, and moments later, they sounded the retreat, causing the attacking army to fall back like a tide.
Ming River sighed inwardly.
Li Qingjun looked out in astonishment from the city wall, seeing Mang Zhan’s army retreating rapidly to the west, as if they had received some extremely important order. Their formation was even somewhat disordered.
Old general Xie Yuan exclaimed in delight, “Princess, we can pursue!”
Li Qingjun frowned, “This retreat is too strange; it can’t be a trap?”
“It’s not a trap,” Xie Yuan said firmly. “This is the king’s plan that has succeeded.”
Xie Yuan’s tone was peculiar, filled with a hint of melancholy yet also respect.
“The king’s plan?” At that moment, Li Qingjun didn’t feel anger at being deceived; instead, she felt a surge of joy.
Indeed, her brother, even if he was obsessed with cultivation, was still a renowned general from his earlier years. He couldn’t possibly just give two orders for such an important battle; he must have made some arrangements.
So he had secretly set something up?
She quickly ran down the city, organizing the cavalry. As long as Southern Li was safe, what did it matter if he hid things? She, Li Qingjun, didn’t seek power; if her brother wanted to take it, he could.
The city gates swung open, and Li Qingjun led the charge, riding out of the city like a sharp blade slicing into the rear of the Western Wilderness army.
It truly wasn’t a trap. The Western Wilderness army didn’t even know what was happening; they only knew the prince had ordered a retreat. The soldiers were confused, their formation in disarray, and in an instant, they were thrown into chaos, trampling over one another and suffering countless casualties.
At the same time, the Southern Li border troops, who had been caught in the middle of the Western Wilderness army, turned against them, working with Li Qingjun to cut the Western Wilderness army into pieces.
The tide of battle had turned in an instant.
Li Qingjun was both shocked and delighted, leading her troops in pursuit, chasing them a hundred miles away.
In the distance, on the western border, smoke rose from the signal tower. The Southern Li border troops, still held in the border city, were blowing up their camp, fighting to regain control of the checkpoint from the Western Wilderness guards. This was the smoke ignited by the Western Wilderness guards.
Li Qingjun looked at the smoke from afar, truly unable to figure out how her brother had managed all this.
Ming River, watching from the sky, sighed and turned her gaze toward Li Huo City.
It was as if she saw the flames rising on that side.
(End of Chapter)